cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spontaneous Remission in Experimental Autoimmune Labyrinthitis

We investigated the time course of hearing impairment and cellular infiltration into the inner ear after systemic sensitization of guinea pigs with a single intradermal injection of bovine inner ear antigen (IEAg) in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Lymphocytes and polymorphonucleocytes appeared mainly in the scala tympani on days 7 to 14, and in addition there was thickening and cellular infiltration of the round window membrane at day 14. These cellular infiltrations resolved after day 28. The auditory brain stem response thresholds from IEAg-sensitized animals were significantly elevated after day 7. Some sensitized animals (n = 5) had spontaneous remissions after day 28; however, the hearing thresholds did not completely recover. These results demonstrate that experimental autoimmune labyrinthitis can be induced by a single inoculation of IEAg-CFA and that remission, as evidenced by clearing of the cochlear cellular infiltration and improved hearing thresholds, can occur spontaneously.
Probing the origins of photodegradation in organic–inorganic metal halide perovskites with time-resolved mass spectrometry

Operational and long-term stability of perovskite solar cells are critical for their commercialization on a large scale. To mitigate stability issues, a fundamental understanding of the physicochemical processes associated with the degradation of perovskite materials is needed. Here, we perform time resolved mass spectrometry of the gas species evolved during the photoinduced degradation of organic–inorganic lead trihalide perovskites made with commonly used monovalent cations, including methylammonium (MA), formamidinium (FA), and Cs. Our results indicate that the hot-carrier-induced deprotonation of MA+ cations is the fundamental origin of the photodegradation, which inevitably leads to the release of volatile species such as ammonia (NH3), aminocarbyne fragments (CNH2), hydrogen (H2), and iodine/hydrogen iodide (I/HI) from methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) at different rates under simulated one sun solar illumination. Photodegradation processes can be mitigated by applying ultra-violet (UV) filters with suitable cutoff wavelengths to the light source. Additionally, we demonstrate that the incorporation of FA reduces the release of organic species but does not prevent the formation of I/HI. However, the addition of Cs effectively suppresses the release of all volatile gases. The best photostability is obtained with the FA/Cs mixed perovskites, showing that the complete removal of MA from mixed-cation perovskites is preferred for more photostable perovskites.
Childhood Car Access: Long-term Consequences for Education, Employment, and Earnings:

Do children suffer long-term consequences when they grow up without a car? To answer that question, this article uses propensity score matching and longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income ...
Unveiling artistic minds: case studies of creativity

Research on musical creativity and expertise principally relies on cross-sectional or longitudinal experiments comparing groups of subjects (e.g. musicians vs. non-musicians, professional vs. amateur musicians). While this is vital, case studies of individuals may provide valuable insight into the variability underlying real-world creative musical performance and improvisation. We survey recent case study experiments on musical disorders, musical savants, and unique musical abilities as well as exploratory experiments that have studied renowned musicians as single data points. Using these, we build the argument that future research should utilize case studies to gain a deeper, more nuanced understanding of creative musical processes, particularly in world-class musicians whose distinctive talent may reveal unknown information about artistic creativity.
Integrated Single-Stage Bi-directional UPS with One-Cycle Mode Switching and Active Deadtime Control for Automotive Electronics

In modern automotive electronics, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) are paramount in preventing from catastrophic data loss and operation failure. Different from sophisticated multi-stage UPS designs, this paper adopts a highly compact single-stage topology that enables charge or backup operation by simply reversing the direction of power flow. To facilitate this, it becomes extremely critical to ensure fast response time between charge and backup mode transitions in order to avoid large main supply voltage drooping that increases the risk of power blackout. Accordingly, the paper presents an adaptive transient enhancer circuit to flip operation mode within a single switching cycle. Meanwhile, to reduce switching loss and thus retain high efficiency, an active deadtime control technique is proposed to regulate the deadtimes of gate drivers according to instant current condition. Implemented on a 180-nm CMOS process, the proposed UPS completes a mode switching in 756ns, leading to 54% drooping reduction at 3A load. Thanks to the active deadtime control, charge efficiency stays above 86% with a peak efficiency of 96%, for charge current ranging from 0.01A to 2A.
Math for a Cause: Preparation for the Journey

This chapter outlines the theoretical framework and research methods used, beginning with an overview of how the course was designed. Queer pedagogy was the overall theoretical lens, through which social justice pedagogy was used as the content focus with teaching strategies based on critical literacy and critical mathematics. These theories are considered together to create an interdisciplinary literature review. Next, the methodology of post-critical ethnography and queer methods is explored. Data collection included interviews with focal students, audio recordings of student group work and whole-class discussions, field notes, analytical memos, an interview with the cooperating teacher, student pre-and-post-course surveys, and written student work in response to literacy and mathematics prompts.
Genetically heterogeneous mice exhibit a female survival advantage that is age- and site-specific: Results from a large multi-site study.

The female survival advantage is a robust characteristic of human longevity. However, underlying mechanisms are not understood, and rodent models exhibiting a female advantage are lacking. Here, we report that the genetically heterogeneous (UM-HET3) mice used by the National Institute on Aging Interventions Testing Program (ITP) are such a model. Analysis of age-specific survival of 3,690 control ITP mice revealed a female survival advantage paralleling that of humans. As in humans, the female advantage in mice was greatest in early adulthood, peaking around 350 days of age and diminishing progressively thereafter. This persistent finding was observed at three geographically distinct sites and in six separate cohorts over a 10-year period. Because males weigh more than females and bodyweight is often inversely related to lifespan, we examined sex differences in the relationship between bodyweight and survival. Although present in both sexes, the inverse relationship between bodyweight and longevity was much stronger in males, indicating that male mortality is more influenced by bodyweight than is female mortality. In addition, male survival varied more across site and cohort than female survival, suggesting greater resistance of females to environmental modulators of survival. Notably, at 24 months the relationship between bodyweight and longevity shifted from negative to positive in both sexes, similar to the human condition in advanced age. These results indicate that the UM-HET3 mouse models the human female survival advantage and provide evidence for greater resilience of females to modulators of survival.
Mobile traumatic brain injury assessment system

We have developed a novel mobile eye tracking based traumatic brain injury assessment system to detect and diagnose traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Integrated visual tracking and visuomotor tests were developed to assess TBI quickly and conveniently. The system can be operated in mobile devices such as tablets and cell phones and enables videooculographic and visuomotor assessment of patients based on a targetoriented visual tracking-touching synchronization. Two simulation tests were utilized to test system performance in detection of impaired eye movement. Statistically significant differences between the pathological simulation and normal cases were found in the concentration test (P<.0001), the horizontal (P=.0005) and circular movement tests (P=.0013) with a statistical power of 80.5%. 100% touch success and shorter time in performing the visuomotor test were obtained in normal cases.
Effects of Light Spectrum on Luminance Measurements in Underground Coal Mines

Lighting regulations for luminance in U.S. coal mines are verified in the field by using a luminance photometer calibrated to the Standard Illuminant A light source. Significant measurement errors can exist when measuring light sources that are dissimilar to light sources used to calibrate the photometer. This article quantifies the measurement errors when measuring these dissimilar light sources commonly used in U.S. underground coal mines—a light-emitting diode (LED), a compact fluorescent light (CFL) with a clear cover, a CFL with an amber cover, and a tungsten halogen. The impact of photometer quality was also evaluated. Three different luminance measuring instruments of high, medium, and low quality were compared—a PR-650, LS-100, and PMEX, respectively. The PMEX was under evaluation for measuring luminance compliance in U.S. underground coal mines. The PR-650 was used as the referent to which the other photometers were compared. The PMEX error ranged from −17.0% to −26.5% with the highest error for the amber CFL. The LS-100 closely matched the luminance measurement for the LED and halogen; however, it had a percent error of −10.4% for the amber CFL. After the initial experiment, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) made improvements to the PMEX resulting in the PMEX-MSHA. The experiment was replicated using the new photometer and the newer PR-670. After repeating the experiment, the measurement errors ranged from −16% to −19% for the PMEX-MSHA, thus indicating an improvement over the PMEX. These results show that the spectral content of a light source and the photometer quality can greatly impact the accuracy of luminance measurement.
Objects in motion verb phrases

This article investigates the syntactic and semantic relationship between the unselected object and the unergative verb in examples like Mary waltzed John around the room. Current consensus holds that this sentence involves resultative secondary predication, so that it is structurally equivalent to resultatives like Mary sang her throat hoarse. Yet it is well known that the waltz vs. sing verb phrase structures do not have the same argument or event structural interpretations. Notably the object with waltz seems to be an agent, while the object with sing is a patient or theme. Previous studies propose lexical rules of composition associated with waltz to specify the “special” interpretation of its object. In this article I show that the waltz object is not formally agentive, but has (what I call) an in motion interpretation. I further show that the waltz and sing verb phrases have different syntactic structures: the waltz verb phrase is transitive, and is not resultative. I argue that the contrast in interpretation between the object of waltz and sing (and the other differences in these clauses) follows from this structural difference, and that a lexical approach overgenerates. I conclude that the interpretation of the waltz object accords with regular rules of syntax-semantics correspondence.
Numerical investigation of wave-induced flow in mound–channel wetland systems

Abstract Coastal wetlands are an important ecosystem in nearshore regions, but they are also significant in affecting the flow patterns within these areas. Wave-induced flow in wetlands has complex circulation characteristics because of the interaction between waves and plants, especially in discontinuous vegetation. Here, a numerical investigation is performed to analyze the wave-averaged flow in vegetated mound–channel systems. Different water levels, vegetated conditions, and mound configurations are studied with the COULWAVE (Cornell University Long and Intermediate Wave) Boussinesq model. Model simulations show rip currents in the mound–channel systems, whose strength varies with different mound separation distances. The relative influence of vegetation depends on both mound configuration and water level. Approximately a 15% change in significant wave height results as waves propagate over the vegetated mounds, while up to a 75% decrease in the mean shoreward flow speed through vegetation is observed. In addition, vegetation influences the spatial distribution of mean water level within the wetlands. Dimensional analysis shows that rip current strength and primary circulation size depend on mound spacing, water depth, wave height, and vegetation cover.
Spectral invariants, analysis of the Floer moduli space, and geometry of the Hamiltonian diffeomorphism group

In this article, we apply spectral invariants constructed in [Oh5] and [6] to the study of Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms of closed symplectic manifolds ( M , ω ) . Using spectral invariants, we first construct an invariant norm called the spectral norm on the Hamiltonian diffeomorphism group and obtain several lower bounds for the spectral norm in terms of the e -regularity theorem and the symplectic area of certain pseudoholomorphic curves. We then apply spectral invariants to the study of length minimizing properties of certain Hamiltonian paths among all paths. In addition to the construction of spectral invariants, these applications rely heavily on the chain-level Floer theory and on some existence theorems with energy bounds of pseudoholomorphic sections of certain Hamiltonian fibrations with prescribed monodromy. The existence scheme that we develop in this article in turn relies on some careful geometric analysis involving adiabatic degeneration and thick-thin decomposition of the Floer moduli spaces which has an independent interest of its own. We assume that ( M , ω ) is strongly semipositive throughout this article
Performance modelling and evaluation of dynamic tool allocation in flexible manufacturing systems using coloured petri nets: An object-oriented approach

Manufacturing systems are faced with ever-increasing customisation and unstable demand. The traditional hierarchical control structures for shop floor (pre-release planning, scheduling, dispatching and activity control) are often inflexible in responding to unexpected scenario changes and are thus not robust to system disturbances. In this paper, an object-oriented approach to modelling of FMS dynamic tool allocation and control under a non-hierarchical shop floor control scheme using coloured Petri nets is presented. A client-server paradigm is used in the proposed modelling method. The complete FMS model is partitioned into individual classes (machines, magazines, tool transport system, SGVs, tool storage, etc.) thereby significantly reducing the complexity of the model to a tractable size. The system performance under different tool request selection rules is also evaluated using coloured Petri net simulation. The proposed method can provide the designer of a tool management system with a high-level and structured representation of the tool-sharing control. It also provides an effective method for prototyping and evaluating performance of object-oriented shop floor control software.
Targeted mass spectrometry to quantify brain-derived cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, characterized by progressive cognitive decline. Protein biomarkers of AD brain pathology, including β-amyloid and Tau, are reflected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), yet the identification of additional biomarkers linked to other brain pathophysiologies remains elusive. We recently reported a multiplex tandem-mass tag (TMT) CSF proteomic analysis of nearly 3000 proteins, following depletion of highly abundant proteins and off-line fractionation, across control and AD cases. Of these, over 500 proteins were significantly increased or decreased in AD, including markers reflecting diverse biological functions in brain. Here, we use a targeted mass spectrometry (MS) approach, termed parallel reaction monitoring (PRM), to quantify select CSF biomarkers without pre-depletion or fractionation to assess the reproducibility of our findings and the specificity of changes for AD versus other causes of cognitive impairment. We nominated 41 proteins (94 peptides) from the TMT CSF discovery dataset, representing a variety of brain cell-types and biological functions, for label-free PRM analysis in a replication cohort of 88 individuals that included 20 normal controls, 37 clinically diagnosed AD cases and 31 cases with non-AD cognitive impairment. To control for technical variables, isotopically labeled synthetic heavy peptide standards were added into each of the 88 CSF tryptic digests. Furthermore, a peptide pool, representing an equivalent amount of peptide from all samples, was analyzed (n = 10) across each batch. Together, this approach enabled us to assess both the intra- and inter-sample differences in peptide signal response and retention time. Despite differences in sample preparation, quantitative MS approaches and patient samples, 25 proteins, including Tau, had a consistent and significant change in AD in both the discovery and replication cohorts. Validated CSF markers with low coefficient of variation included the protein products for neuronal/synaptic (GDA, GAP43, SYN1, BASP1, YWHAB, YWHAZ, UCHL1, STMN1 and MAP1B), glial/inflammation (SMOC1, ITGAM, CHI3L1, SPP1, and CHIT1) and metabolic (PKM, ALDOA and FABP3) related genes. Logistical regression analyses revealed several proteins with high sensitivity and specificity for classifying AD cases from controls and other non-AD dementias. SMOC1, YWHAZ, ALDOA and MAP1B emerged as biomarker candidates that could best discriminate between individuals with AD and non-AD cognitive impairment as well as Tau/β-amyloid ratio. Notably, SMOC1 levels in postmortem brain are highly correlated with AD pathology even in the preclinical stage of disease, indicating that CSF SMOC1 levels reflect underlying brain pathology specific for AD. Collectively these findings highlight the utility of targeted MS approaches to quantify biomarkers associated with AD that could be used for monitoring disease progression, stratifying patients for clinical trials and measuring therapeutic response.
The Neural Substrate of Memory Impairment in the Oldest old with Dementia; The 90+ Study (P5.1-021)

Objective: To test the hypothesis that memory impairment in the oldest old has different neural substrates in those with and without Alzheimer’s pathology Background: Memory impairment is the commonest feature of dementia in the oldest old. Unlike younger age groups, non-Alzheimer’s pathologies, such as hippocampal sclerosis, are a common cause of memory impairment and dementia in the oldest old. Lack of reliable biomarkers has hampered the diagnosis of these important pathologies during life. Design/Methods: 36 participants from The 90+ Study with mild dementia (CDR-total-score=0.5) completed volumetric T1 weighted brain MRI scan and California Verbal Learning Test-Delayed Recall (CVLT-DR) (mean interval=65 days). Volumes of CA1 and CA3 hippocampal subfields and cortical thickness of temporal lobe regions were estimated using freesurfer software. A subset of 27 participants also completed florbetapir amyloid PET scans that were dichotomized (positive/negative) by visual read. Regression analysis, adjusted for age, gender, and education, assessed the association between CVLT-DR as outcome and atrophy pattern. Results: In the whole group (N=36), there was a trend of significant association between CVLT-DR and volume of CA1 subfield (estimate:0.35, p=0.08). No association was found between CVLT-DR and CA3 volume or temporal lobe cortical thicknesses. Restricting the analysis to the amyloid negative group (N=12, MMSE mean=23.4), there was a significant association between CVLT-DR and CA1 volume (estimate:0.45, p=0.04) but no association with CA3 volume or temporal lobe cortical thicknesses. In the amyloid positive group (N=15, MMSE mean=24.1), CVLT-DR was not associated with any of the hippocampal volumes. Rather, there was a positive association between CVLT-DR and cortical thickness of the left fusiform region (estimate:0.4, p=0.04). Conclusions: Our results suggest that memory impairment in the oldest old might be due to atrophy of different brain regions in those with and without Alzheimer’s pathology. This differential atrophy may serve as an imaging biomarker for non-Alzheimer’s pathologies such as hippocampal sclerosis. Disclosure: Dr. Sajjadi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sheikh-Bahaei has nothing to disclose. Dr. Woodworth has nothing to disclose. Dr. Greenia has nothing to disclose. Dr. Corrada has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kawas has nothing to disclose.
Thinking ahead: spontaneous next word predictions in context as a keystone of language in humans and machines

Abstract Departing from rule-based linguistic models, advances in deep learning resulted in a new type of autoregressive deep language models (DLMs). These models are trained using a self-supervised next word prediction task. We provide empirical evidence for the connection between autoregressive DLMs and the human language faculty using spoken narrative and electrocorticographic recordings. Behaviorally, we demonstrate that humans have a remarkable capacity for word prediction in natural contexts, and that, given a sufficient context window, DLMs can attain human-level prediction performance. Leveraging on DLM embeddings we demonstrate that the brain constantly and spontaneously predicts the identity of the next word in natural speech, hundreds of milliseconds before they are perceived. Finally, we demonstrate that contextual embeddings derived from autoregressive DLMs capture neural representations of the unique, context-specific meaning of words in the narrative. Our findings suggest that DLMs provides a novel biologically feasible computational framework for studying the neural basis of language.
Sexual behaviors and human papillomavirus vaccine non-initiation among young adult cancer survivors

Young adult cancer survivors are at risk for subsequent human papillomavirus (HPV)-related malignancies. High-risk sexual behavior increases risk for HPV acquisition; HPV vaccination protects against infection. We aimed to determine the prevalence of sexual behaviors, factors related to high-risk sexual behaviors, and the relationship between sexual behaviors and HPV vaccine non-initiation among survivors. Survivors at comprehensive cancer centers, aged 18–26 years and 1–5 years post-treatment, reported sexual behaviors and HPV vaccine initiation (i.e., ≥ 1 dose). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for factors associated with high-risk sexual behaviors (age at first intercourse < 16 years, ≥ 3 lifetime sexual partners, or condom use ≤ 50% of the time) and to explore the relationship between sexual behaviors and vaccine non-initiation. Of the 312 participants (48.1% female, median age at cancer diagnosis 17.2 years and at survey 20.9 years), sexual intercourse was reported by 63.1%. Of those reporting intercourse, 74.6% reported high-risk sexual behavior. Factors related to high-risk sexual behavior included currently dating/partnered (OR = 4.39, 95%CI 2.5–7.7, P < 0.001) and perceived susceptibility to HPV (OR = 1.76, 95%CI 1.3-2.5, P < 0.001). Most survivors (75.3%) reported HPV vaccine non-initiation; sexual behaviors were not associated with vaccine non-initiation (P = 0.4). Many survivors participate in high-risk sexual behaviors, yet HPV vaccine initiation rates are low. Factors related to high-risk sexual behaviors can inform interventions to reduce risk for HPV acquisition among survivors. Cancer survivors participate in sexual behaviors that increase risk for HPV acquisition and would benefit from vaccination.
Practical hints and tips for solution of pseudo-merohedric twins: three case studies.

Twinning by pseudo-merohedry is a common phenomenon in small-mol­ecule crystallography. In cases where twin-component volume fractions are markedly different, structure solution is often no more difficult than for non-twinned structures of similar complexity. When twin-component volume fractions are similar, however, structure solution can be much more of a problem. This paper presents hints and tips for such cases by means of three worked examples. The first example presents the most common (and simplest) case of a two-component pseudo-ortho­rhom­bic twin. The second example describes structure solution of a reticular threefold pseudo-hexa­gonal twin that benefits from use of an unconventional space-group setting. The third example covers structure solution of a reticular fourfold pseudo-tetra­gonal twin. All three structures are ultimately shown to be monoclinic crystals that twin as a consequence of unit-cell metrics that mimic those of higher symmetry crystal systems.
The Realist Ontology Versus the Nonlinear Epistemology of Practice of Leadership

Researchers have studied leadership from a variety of viewpoints. Leadership theories and explanation of leadership practices either from the epistemological or ontological point of view is fraught with disagreements situated in deep-rooted ideological and paradigmatic positions. There is a battle for the soul of leadership. The dissonance as to whether leadership development, management development, and organizational development are the same or disparate human development approaches can all be traced to this paradigmatic battle within research and practice.
A Q Methodology Study of Media and Ideology Orientations: Exploring Medium Theory, Critical Theory and Cultural Studies

Abstract: This study explores the debate among communication theorists about whether dominant typographic and electronic media forms are accompanied by distinct worldviews. Using Q methodology to approach media and ideology orientations subjectively, the study suggests that electronic media are preferred within a typographic ideology. Two electronic media factors, two mixed factors, and one slightly typographic media factor emerged in the preferences of a group of university students. By contrast, two typographic ideology factors, a conflicted factor, and one underlying electronic factor emerged in the students' ideological orientations. Taken together, the electronic media factors tended to reflect the dominant ideology of typographic culture. Electronic ideology, on the other hand, was associated slightly more with typographic and mixed media factors. Resume: Cette etude explore le debat parmi les theoriciens en communications sur la capacite des formes mediatiques dominantes typographique et electronique d'encourager des points de vue distincts sur le monde. Utilisant une methodologie "Q" pour aborder les orientations mediatiques et ideologiques de maniere subjective, l'etude suggere que les partisans d'une ideologie typographique preferent les medias electroniques. En effet, un groupe d'etudiants universitaires a montre une preference pour deux facteurs mediatiques electroniques, deux facteurs mixtes, et un facteur mediatique legerement typographique. En contraste, les orientations ideologiques des etudiants ont fait ressortir deux facteurs ideologiques typographiques, un facteur conflictuel, et un facteur electronique sous-jacent. Pris ensemble, les facteurs mediatiques electroniques tendaient a refleter l'ideologie dominante de la culture typographique. L'ideologie electronique, quant a elle, s'associait un peu plus aux facteurs typographiques et mixtes.
Accounting Choices and Risk Management: SFAS 115 and U.S. Bank Holding Companies

This paper provides evidence that regulatory contracts affect firms' accounting choices and risk management decisions. Specifically, we investigate whether an exogenous shock to regulatory risk induced by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 115 "Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securities," (SFAS 115) encouraged U.S. banks to deviate from portfolio and risk benchmarks when they adopted the standard. Because we cannot observe relevant benchmarks, we model portfolio and risk decisions as functions of macroeconomic and firm-specific factors using data from a period when regulatory capital was immune to SFAS 115 accounting. We examine a sample of 230 publicly-traded banks and find that 1) irrespective of adoption timing, banks classified too few securities as AFS relative to estimated benchmarks, 2) weaker banks that adopted the standard early classified far more securities as AFS relative to benchmarks, 3) banks altered the size of their securities portfolios along with the levels of interest risk and credit risk as regulatory capital decreased, and 4) the level of interest risk on banks' loan portfolios increased at the time of SFAS 115 adoption. We also explore the 1995 FASB amnesty when firms could "re-adopt" SFAS 115. We find that banks used the 1995 FASB amnesty to undo strategic initial SFAS 115 adoption decisions. Taken together, our findings suggest that SFAS 115 caused some of the accounting and economic consequences predicted by bankers, analysts, and academics.
Power, Sensitivity and Alignment

In the Neyman–Pearson approach to the theory of hypothesis testing, power is the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when an alternative hypothesis is true. It therefore depends on the specific alternative, and may lead to the selection of a test statistic that provides satisfactory power. In particular, one might choose a uniformly most powerful unbiased test (unbiasedness here indicating minimum power at the null hypothesis). Power considerations are often used in the determination of sample size. Keywords: null; alternative; type II error; UMP ; sample size determination
High-dose therapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for patients with lymphoma

Forty patients with refractory Hodgkin9s disease (24 patients) or non- Hodgkin9s lymphoma (16 patients) who were considered for high-dose therapy but not for autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) due to BM metastases, previous pelvic irradiation, a history of marrow involvement by tumor or hypocellular marrow in conventional harvest sites received high-dose therapy and autologous peripheral blood (PB) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Disappearance of circulating neutrophils and development of RBC and platelet transfusion-dependence was followed, in the evaluable patients, by reappearance of 0.5 x 10(9)/L circulating granulocytes and sufficient platelets to obviate the need for platelet transfusions at a median of 25 days after transplantation. Twenty-three patients experienced a clinical complete remission (CR). The projected 2-year event-free survival was 24% for all 40 patients and 49% for the non-Hodgkin9s lymphoma patients. The projected 18-month event-free survival for the Hodgkin9s disease patients was 15%. PB stem cell transplantation provided an opportunity to administer high-dose salvage therapy to patients with refractory lymphoma who otherwise were not candidates for such therapy. For some of those patients, the high-dose therapy produced prolonged survival, free of tumor progression.
Intraprostatic ethanol diffusion: comparison of two injection methods using ex vivo human prostates

Intraprostatic ethanol diffusion: comparison of two injection methods using ex vivo human prostates
Interdiffused quantum nanostructure for photonics integration

The effect of quantum nanostructure interdiffusion or intermixing using impurity free vacancy diffusion (IFVD) and impurity induced disordering (IID) techniques, on the various types of GaAs- and InP-based quantum-well (QW) and quantum-dot (QD) structures for postgrowth photonic device integration is presented Using IFVD, we have demonstrated the fabrication of photonic integrated circuits such as multi-wavelength laser chips and broadband superluminescent diodes in GaAs/AlGaAs QW structures. Postgrowth bandgap engineering using low energy neutral ion implantation technique has been developed in InGaAs/InGaAsP QW systems. Using this interdiffusion technique, 10-channel multi-wavelength lasers and 8-channel integrated optical performance monitors have been demonstrated. The effects of IFVD and IID on the interdiffusion of InGaAs/GaAs QDs have been investigated. High spatial bandgap selectively processes with differential bandgap shifts between the interdiffused and non-interdiffused sections of over 100 meV have been observed from both IFVD and IID techniques in InGaAs/GaAs QD laser structure. At theoretical modeling level, we have developed a unified three-dimensional model for the electronic states calculation of the interdiffused quantum nanostructures with arbitrary shape, which is universally applicable to various quantum structures such as QW, quantum wire, quantum dash, and QDs. This model serves as a valuable tool to gain a more physical understanding of interdiffusion or intermixing techniques suitable for the integration technology in quantum nanostructures.
Blooms of surf-zone diatoms along the coast of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington: V. Environmental conditions associated with the blooms (1971 and 1972)

Abstract Populations of surf diatoms at Copalis Beach, Washington, were monitored over a two-year period, along with associated environmental parameters (temperature, salinity, nutrient concentrations). In spite of widely fluctuating environmental conditions, the diatom populations remained at relatively dense concentrations throughout the year. Chaetoceros armatum was present at all times; Asterionella socialis disappeared for a time in late summer and autumn of 1972, coincident with a period of upwelling of oceanic water. Biddulphia aurita , a species of minor importance in the blooms, was present in late winter and spring. Nitrate became undetectable in the surf zone in April of both years. During the summer of 1971 there was very weak upwelling of oceanic deep water so that nitrate remained scarcely detectable for a period of six months. During 1972, upwelling was stronger and nitrate remained undetectable over a three-month period. During those times when nitrate was absent, the nitrogen source for algal growth was probably supplied by ammonium, which was always present in surf samples in appreciably high concentrations.
Diffusion tensor imaging of patients with proteolipid protein 1 gene mutations

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) is an X-linked disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by a wide variety of mutations affecting proteolipid protein 1 (PLP1). We assessed the effects of PLP1 mutations on water diffusion in CNS white matter by using diffusion tensor imaging. Twelve patients with different PLP1 point mutations encompassing a range of clinical phenotypes were analyzed, and the results were compared with a group of 12 age-matched controls. The parallel (λ// ), perpendicular (λ⊥ ), and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) and fractional anisotropy were measured in both limbs of the internal capsule, the genu and splenium of corpus callosum, the base of the pons, and the cerebral peduncles. The mean ADC and λ⊥ in the PMD patient group were both significantly increased in all selected structures, except for the base of the pons, compared with controls. PMD patients with the most severe disease, however, had a significant increase of both λ// and λ⊥ . In contrast, more mildly affected patients had much smaller changes in λ// and λ⊥ . These data suggest that myelin, the structure responsible in part for the λ⊥ barrier, is the major site of disease pathogenesis in this heterogeneous group of patients. Axons, in contrast, the structures mainly responsible for λ// , are much less affected, except within the subgroup of patients with the most severe disease. Clinical disability in patients with PLP1 point mutation is thus likely determined by the extent of pathological involvement of both myelin and axons, with alterations of both structures causing the most severe disease. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Older depressed Latinos' experiences with primary care visits for personal, emotional and/or mental health problems: a qualitative analysis.

Objective: To describe salient experiences with a primary care visit (eg, the context leading up to the visit, the experience and/or outcomes of that visit) for emotional, personal and/or mental health problems older Latinos with a history of depression and recent depressive symptoms and/or antidepressant medication use reported 10 years after enrollment into a randomized controlled trial of quality-improvement for depression in primary care. Design: Secondary analysis of existing qualitative data from the second stage of the continuation study of Partners in Care (PIC). Participants: Latino ethnicity, aged ≥50 years, recent depressive symptoms and/or antidepressant medication use, and a recent primary care visit for mental health problems. Of 280 second-stage participants, 47 were eligible. Both stages of the continuation study included participants from the PIC parent study control and 2 intervention groups, and all had a history of depression. Methods: Data analyzed by a multidisciplinary team using grounded theory methodology. Results: Five themes were identified: beliefs about the nature of depression; prior experiences with mental health disorders/treatments; sociocultural context (eg, social relationships, caregiving, the media); clinic-related features (eg, accessibility of providers, staff continuity, amount of visit time); and provider attributes (eg, interpersonal skills, holistic care approach). Conclusions: Findings emphasize the importance of key features for shaping the context leading up to primary care visits for help-seeking for mental health problems, and the experience and/or outcomes of those visits, among older depressed Latinos at long-term follow-up, and may help tailor chronic depression care for the clinical management of this vulnerable population. (Ethn Dis. 2014;24[1]:84–91)
Sphingolipid Δ8 unsaturation is important for glucosylceramide biosynthesis and low-temperature performance in Arabidopsis.

Summary Plants contain a large diversity of sphingolipid structures, arising in part from C4 hydroxylation and Δ4 and Δ8 desaturation of the component long-chain bases (LCBs). Typically, 85–90% of sphingolipid LCBs in Arabidopsis leaves contain a cis or transΔ8 double bond produced by sphingoid LCB Δ8 desaturase (SLD). To understand the metabolic and physiological significance of Δ8 unsaturation, studies were performed using mutants of the Arabidopsis SLD genes AtSLD1 and AtSLD2. Our studies revealed that both genes are constitutively expressed, the corresponding polypeptides are ER-localized, and expression of these genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yields mixtures of cis/transΔ8 desaturation products, predominantly as trans isomers. Consistent in part with the higher expression of AtSLD1 in Arabidopsis plants, AtSLD1 T-DNA mutants showed large reductions in Δ8 unsaturated LCBs in all organs examined, whereas AtSLD2 mutants showed little change in LCB unsaturation. Double mutants of AtSLD1 and AtSLD2 showed no detectable LCB Δ8 unsaturation. Comprehensive analysis of sphingolipids in rosettes of these mutants revealed a 50% reduction in glucosylceramide levels and a corresponding increase in glycosylinositolphosphoceramides that were restored by complementation with a wild-type copy of AtSLD1. Double sld1 sld2 mutants lacked apparent growth phenotypes under optimal conditions, but displayed altered responses to certain stresses, including prolonged exposure to low temperatures. These results are consistent with a role for LCB Δ8 unsaturation in selective channeling of ceramides for the synthesis of complex sphingolipids and the physiological performance of Arabidopsis.
AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR DETECTING OVARIAN MATURATION IN PINK SHRIMP

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to separate proteins found in the circulatory fluid of pink shrimp (Penaeusduorarum). Because certain proteins in the hemolymph increase in concentration during egg development, the technique can be used to assess the effects of various experimental conditions on ovarian development of experimental shrimp. This method is faster and more sensitive than histological staging of the ova. The best protein separations were produced using a 3 - 5 μ1 sample, 23 C gel-setting and operating temperature, a 5% gel, a 100V field until the proteins had entered the gel, followed by a 300V field until termination, and Amido Black 10B stain. A 0.43M Glycine-Tris buffer (pH = 8.47) and a 0.218M Tris-EDTA-Borate buffer (pH = 8.37) were found to give equal resolution.
The Effect of Pegylated Interferon-α2b and Ribavirin on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

Background Patients with chronic psychiatric diagnoses have a prevalence of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) approximately 11 times higher than the general American population. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is particularly common among HCV patients. Objective The authors describe the effect of treatment with pegylated-interferon-α 2b (IFN) and ribavirin for patients with HCV on their posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Method Sixteen patients with HCV and combat-related PTSD were followed for 24 weeks and assessed with self-report measures of PTSD, hostility, and depression. Results Depression and Resentment scores significantly increased in five patients treated with IFN and ribavirin, but no significant differences were found in PTSD scores when compared with 11 control patients. Conclusion The results suggest that patients with PTSD and HCV can be safely treated with anti-viral therapies when they are given appropriate psychiatric care.
In vitro estrogen receptor binding of PCBs: measured activity and detection of hydroxylated metabolites in a recombinant yeast assay.

Abstract The estrogenic activities of 17β-estradiol, biphenyl, chlorinated biphenyls, and Aroclor mixtures 1221, 1242, and 1248 were measured with a modified recombinant yeast estrogen assay (i.e., a Saccharomyces cerevisiae -based lac -Z (β-galactosidase) reporter assay). Modifications of the assay included the use of glass vials instead of plastic microtiter plates and the addition of the medium and yeast before the test substrate. 14 C-labeled compounds were used to follow improvements in the assay procedures. 14 C-17β-estradiol recovery from plastic microtiter plates and glass vials using the standard or the modified procedure was approximately 89%. However, 14 C-4-CB (4-chlorobiphenyl) recovery was considerably less, ranging from 3% in plastic microtiter plates using the standard procedure to 26% in vials using the modified procedure. These results suggest that the toxicity of strongly hydrophobic chemicals may be underestimated. Using the modified yeast estrogen assay, full agonist activity was observed for 4-CB, 2,4,6-CB, and 2,5-CB while each of the Aroclor mixtures were only partial agonists. The equivalent EC 50 values in ppm were in environmentally relevant concentrations for biphenyl (19 ppm), 4-CB (4.5 ppm), 2,5-CB (21 ppm), 2,4,6-CB (0.8 ppm), Aroclor 1221 (2.9 ppm), Aroclor 1242 (0.65 ppm), and Aroclor 1248 (2.3 ppm). Estrogen receptor binding for the individual PCB congeners was 25- to 650-fold less than the reported estrogen binding for the corresponding hydroxylated PCB metabolite. Gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis of yeast extracts indicated that S. cerevisiae hydroxylated the individual PCB congeners in the ppb range. With the exception of biphenyl, the concentration of hydroxylated metabolites obtained from incubation of S. cerevisiae with PCB congeners was consistent with the concentration necessary to elicit a positive estrogen receptor-binding response. This work provides evidence that S. cerevisiae are capable of metabolic transformation of PCBs and that estrogen receptor binding of PCBs is mediated through the hydroxylated metabolite rather than through the direct interaction of the PCB congeners with the estrogen receptor.
Nonlinear Least-Squares Analysis of Stokes Profiles

We describe improvements to the calibration and analysis of Fe i 6302.5 A data from the San Fernando Observatory Video Spectra-Spectroheliograph (SFO-VSSHG). A more effective flat field is generated and the scales of the simultaneous Stokes measurements are made equal. Analysis of Stokes profiles is carried out using a moments technique but applied to nonlinear least-squares fits to the data. Typical spectropolarimetric results from the old and new methods are compared and discussed. Finally, we present asymmetry maps, a zero-crossing map, and a “relative-split” map extracted from the fits to the Stokes V profiles.
Unusual Electrical Properties of Hydrothermally Grown ZnO

Abstract Bulk ZnO of high structural and optical quality can be grown by the hydrothermal method. An X-ray rocking-curve linewidth of 18 arcsec has been measured for the (002) reflection, and a photoluminescence linewidth of 0.3 meV has been found for one of the donor–bound exciton lines. However, the electrical properties are unusual in that shallow donors are not dominant, as is the case for vapor-phase-grown and melt-grown bulk crystals. This situation can be greatly modified by annealing in forming gas (5% H2 in N2) at T A ≥ 600 ∘ C , with bulk shallow donors then becoming completely dominant for T meas > 50 K , and near-surface donors at lower temperatures. As T A is varied from 100–650 ∘C, both the mobility and carrier concentration vary in nonmonotonic fashion, due to changes in the relative strengths of the bulk and surface components of conduction.
Effects of decreased adrenal corticosteroids: Changes in sleep in normal subjects and patients with adrenal cortical insufficiency

Abstract The effects of decreased adrenal cortical steroids on sleep were investigated during 6 studies in four patients with adrenal cortical insufficiency before and after withdrawal of hormonal replacement therapy for 5 days and in five normal male volunteers before and after administration of metyrapone. In both groups, Delta Sleep (Stages III and IV) and Delta % (the proportion of total sleep spent in Delta) rose following reduction of adrenal cortical steroids.
Long term 15N studies in a catena of the shortgrass steppe

A set of long term15N studies was initiated during the summers of 1981 and 1982 on the backslope and footslope, respectively, of a catena in the shortgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado. Microplots labeled with15N urea were sampled for15N and total N content in 1981 and 1982 and again in 1992. In November, 1982, 100% of the added N was recovered in the soil-plant system of the finer-textured footslope, compared to 39% in the coarser-textured backslope microplots. Ten years later,15N recovery of the applied N decreased at both topographic positions to 85% in the footslope and 29% in the backslope. Average losses since the time of application were 3.5 g N m−2yr−1 in the backslope and 0.8 g N m−2yr−1 in the footslope. In 1992, soil organic matter was physically fractionated into particulate (POM) and mineral associated (MAON) fractions and 21-day mineralization incubations were conducted to assess the relative amounts of15N that were in the slow, passive and active soil organic matter pools, respectively, of the two soils. Our findings confirm the assumptions that POM represents a large portion of the slow organic compartment and that the MAON represents a large fraction of the passive compartment defined in the Century model. The N located in the MAON had the lowest availability for plant uptake. Isotopic data were consistent with textural effects and with the Century model compartmentalization of soil organic N based on the residence time of the organic N.