cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Approaches to Future Model Integration

The preceding chapters have established that there are numerous watershed simulation modeling capabilities developed over the past three decades, but that these efforts tend to be discipline-centric. There are excellent groundwater models, surface drainage models, river water models, transpiration models, plant growth models, and economic models. There are also excellent simulation model development environments that support both the programmer and nonprogrammer. The current challenge is in the simultaneous application of these modeling capabilities to address complex multistakeholder, multidisciplinary watershed management decisions. This chapter reflects on five different approaches currently undertaken at universities and government agencies to make watershed simulation modeling more accessible, practical, cost effective, and immediate to watershed managers. These approaches are Common user interface Scientific models integrated behind management models Scientific models converted to management model modules New management models New modeling languages
Thyroid Nodules and Cancer in Pregnancy

Thyroid nodules are common in clinical practice and the OB-Gyn provider is often the first to notice them on a routine prenatal exam. Although only 5–10% represent cancer, this malignancy has become the fifth most common cancer in women in the general population and the second most common cancer detected during pregnancy. The evaluation of thyroid nodules in pregnant women is similar to the general population with a few exceptions. Initial diagnostic work up includes ultrasonography of the thyroid gland and cervical lymph nodes and measurement of serum TSH. In a patient with a normal or elevated serum TSH and a nodule on exam, fine needle aspiration biopsy is recommended based on size and sonographic appearance. Nodules not meeting criteria for biopsy and those with benign cytopathology should be followed clinically and with repeat sonographic assessment in 12–24 months. Confirmed cases of thyroid cancer can be managed with close clinical and sonographic surveillance for the duration of pregnancy or surgery can be performed during the second trimester. TSH suppression therapy with levothyroxine should be utilized as in non-pregnant patients with thyroid cancer, but diagnostic radioactive iodine scanning and therapy are contraindicated.
Neural Fingerprint Enhancement

Biometrics fingerprint matching has been done with a heavily hand-tuned and designed process of classical computer vision techniques for several decades. This approach has lead to accurate solutions solving crimes today, and as such little effort has been placed on using deep learning in this domain. Given that convolutional neural networks have shown dominance for most other image based problems, we re-evaluate their potential for improving the fingerprint process. By leveraging synthetic data generators we show that one can train a neural fingerprint enhancer that improves matching accuracy on real fingerprint images. Our approach is both simple in design and for potential deployment and adoption in real world use.
Mindfulness-Based Workplace Interventions for Wellness Promotion

Excessive workplace stress is associated with considerable human, social, and economic costs, including increased somatic and mental health problems among employees as well as increased absenteeism, decreased workplace morale, and decreased productivity. Particular forms of workplace stress, such as “burnout” or “compassion fatigue,” are increasingly recognized as contributing to workplace problems among specific populations such as nurses, physicians, and other critical responders. Various forms of workplace stress reduction programs have been introduced and evaluated for effectiveness for workplace stress reduction since the 1970s; many have incorporated various forms of meditation as well as other mind-body approaches, such as relaxation training. The past 15 years has seen an explosion of interest and accessibility of interventions involving “mindfulness training”/mindfulness meditation, which promoters promise will decrease workplace stress and improve employee well-being and ultimately increase productivity and corporate profits. Mindfulness-based programs have now been implemented in the workplace in a wide variety of contexts—from corporate executives to line workers—including Fortune 500 corporations, intensive care unit medical staff, teachers and students, lawyers and judges, and even mine workers. This wide embrace of mindfulness training has led to workplace mindfulness training becoming a big business in itself, sometimes leading to overblown claims in the advertising of its potential benefits. This chapter will discuss several of the most widely utilized mindfulness and relaxation programs for the workplace and critically review evidence of their efficacy in reducing employee stress and improving well-being.
Fiberglass dermatitis: clinical presentations, prevention, and treatment – a review of literatures

Fiberglass dermatitis is a common form of occupational irritant contact dermatitis. Individuals experience a negative reaction to fiberglass fragments because of mechanical irritation. This review comprehensively analyzes the information in the existing literature on fiberglass dermatitis. Recognizing the different environmental risks factors for acquiring fiberglass dermatitis is necessary for better diagnosis and prevention. In addition to the identification of high-risk populations exposed to fiberglass particles, the common clinical presentation and preventive measures that can reduce the risk of acquiring fiberglass dermatitis are thoroughly discussed.
Cyber defense matrix: a new model for optimal composition of cybersecurity controls to construct resilient risk mitigation

Most enterprises aiming to deploy cost-effective security configuration follow information security standards and guidelines to adopt cybersecurity controls such as CIS Critical Security Controls (CIS CSC) [2]. With the increased dependency over cyber, the landscape of cyber attacks is escalating quickly, and as a consequence, hundreds of cybersecurity controls have to be delineated to implement NIST Cybersecurity Framework (i.e., identify, protect, detect, respond and recover) [6]. The security configuration comprised of the appropriate set of security controls requires not only to be optimized regarding Return on Investment (RoI) but also to be resilient in order to tackle the failures against diversified cyber attacks. However, the composition of such optimal and resilient cybersecurity portfolio (security configuration) is a highly complex and error-prone task as there are exponential numbers of ways to construct a portfolio due to a large number of security controls, threats, resource, and usability constraints.The objective of this research is to develop a novel and an automated approach to compose the optimal and resilient risk mitigation planning by selecting the most critical security controls (CSC) considering affordable residual risk (risk appetite), budget, resiliency, and enterprise-oriented usability constraints. We developed a model named "Cyber Defense Matrix (CDM)" that resemblances the deployed cyber defense strategy. The structure of CDM incorporating three dimensions: Security Function (what), Enforcement Level (where), and Kill Chain Phase (why) enables the composition of multi-layer and multi-stage resilient defense configuration. Our approach leverages CDM to determine which security controls are needed for "what" security function (Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover), "where" each security control should be enforced in the cyber systems (Network, Device, People, Application, and Data), and "why" they are effective (i.e., against what attack and wherein the kill chain). We formulate the approach to compute the resilient cybersecurity planning as CDM using SMT constraints.
Mindfulness and concerns about adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET).

e23170Background: Poor adherence to AET for early stage breast cancer is associated with increased recurrence and mortality. Interventions to improve adherence have been minimally effective. Mindfu...
Voriconazole-Induced Periostitis.

Voriconazole-Induced Periostitis A 65-year-old woman with a history of lung transplantation who had been receiving long-term prophylaxis with voriconazole presented with progressive swelling in bot...
Pediatric Mesenteric Vasculature: Noninvasive Imaging and Catheter Arteriography

The imaging of the mesenteric vasculature of infants and children can be effectively accomplished using a variety of noninvasive and invasive techniques. As with adult imaging, the choice of modality will depend on the specific clinical scenario. Unique considerations and challenges are related to pediatric body size, pathology, the patient's developmental ability to tolerate the exam, and practical radiation concerns. Pediatric angiography can provide both diagnostic information and a pathway to definitive treatment of vascular abnormalities. Utilizing the right modality in the appropriate situation allows for accurate and timely diagnosis so that treatment is most effective.
Going all in: A Strategic Investment in In-Silico Toxicology

As vast numbers of new chemicals are introduced to market annually, we are faced with the grand challenge of protecting humans and the environment while minimizing economically and ethically costly...
Metacognition and behavioral regulation predict distinct aspects of social functioning in autism spectrum disorder

Executive function (EF) deficits are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and previous studies suggest that EF may influence or predict social functioning. Thus, EF is a potential treatment target in this population. However, the nature of how specific metacognition and behavioral regulation components of EF may differentially impact social function remains unclear. The goal of the current study was to examine the relationships between sub-components of EF (e.g., working memory, shifting, inhibition, etc.) and social functioning as measured by parent ratings on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), while controlling for the influence of age, sex, and IQ. A second goal was to examine whether BRIEF scores were predictive of clinician-rated measures of ASD symptoms. Behavioral data were acquired from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange-II database and included 106 children with ASD (ages 5-13). Based on analysis of parent ratings, self-monitoring skills predicted social awareness; shifting ability predicted social cognition; working memory and monitoring skills predicted social communication; initiation predicted social motivation; and shifting ability predicted restrictive and repetitive behaviors among children with ASD. Parent ratings on the BRIEF did not predict clinician-rated measures of ASD symptoms; this requires further study. Overall, the current findings indicate that metacognition and behavioral regulation both contribute to social functioning in ASD, although they each have distinct patterns of influence on different aspects of social functioning. These findings have promising implications for tailoring social interventions for ASD that target specific EF skills.
Chapter 12 – Polymer blending for packaging applications

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on polymer blending for packaging applications, which is increasingly used to enhance properties, improve processing, or lower cost. Tailoring surface properties, such as coefficient of friction (COF), adding color, promoting adhesion, increasing output, improving stability, and obtaining easy-opening features, are just a few of the attributes that can be achieved by blending. The simplest blends can be made by mixing ingredients in the extruder used to convert the resin into a film or coating. For more complex blends, specialized screw designs or customized compounding equipment may be required to achieve the desired properties. These machines incorporate various mixing modes, such as flow rearrangement (distributive mixing) or high stress levels to break-up particles (dispersive mixing). Complex shear and elongational flow fields may also be used obtain optimum mixing. The properties of a polymer blend are influenced by specific interactions between the molecules (thermodynamics) and their response to deformation (rheology). The thermodynamics determine whether the blend forms a single phase (miscible) or multiple phases (immiscible). The immiscible blend morphology influences the properties, which generally deviate from the mixing rule. The immiscible blend morphology is influenced by the component concentrations, stress history imposed by the compounding device, and the viscosity and mutual attractiveness (thermodynamics) of the components. The minor component domain size of an immiscible blend can be reduced by increasing the stress (by increasing the viscosity of the matrix phase and the shear rate or rate of elongation during mixing), matching phase viscosities, lowering the interfacial tension by matching solubility parameters, and by minimizing coalescence.
Is It Safe to Use Intrapulmonary Percussive Ventilation on Post-Operative Neonates With Cardiovascular Surgery?

Background: The risk of developing atelectasis, lung derecruitment, and lung inflammation following postoperative cardiac surgery is heightened. These complications are not only associated with increasing financial cost but also with increase hospital length of stay, which is amplified in children with heart disease. The purpose of this study is to determine the safety of intrapulmonary percussive ventilation (IPV) in postoperative neonates with cardiovascular surgery. Methods: After obtaining the IRB approval and informed consent from the parents, 10 patients were enrolled in this pilot study. They were postoperatively mechanically ventilated patients with both single ventricle and two-ventricle physiology and receiving pulmonary clearance via the IPV (Percussionaire) within the first 4 days of congenital heart surgery. Patients who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and patients with obstructive sleep apnea, macroglossia, difficult airway, increased intracranial pressure, increased intraocular pressure, or those weighing less than 2.0 kg were excluded. Heart rate (HR), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively), mean airway pressure (MAP), oxygen saturation (SpO2), bleeding from the endotracheal tube, and/or any other unanticipated complications were noted. Information was collected from the monitoring system 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute before IPV followed by a 10 minute IPV treatment. Data was then collected 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes after IPV. Data was collected from each patient one time within a 24-hour period, following surgery. Descriptive statistics and the dependent t-test was used for data analysis (P-value Results: Table below shows means (± standard deviations) measured 5 minutes pre- and post- IPV on post-operative cardiovascular pediatrics. 60% of subjects were male while the remaining 40% of the study population was female with patients ranging from 1 to 4 months with a median age of 1.5 months. Comparisons of the pre- and post-IPV variables showed no significant difference in HR (P= 0.196), SBP (P= 0.370), DBP (P= 0.894), MAP (P=0.905), and SpO2 (P= 0.220). No bleeding from the endotracheal tube occurred in this study. There were no unanticipated complications that occurred in this study. Conclusions: The use of IPV in postoperative neonates with cardiovascular surgery is a safe practice because it did not cause any unanticipated complications and impact the patient’s vital signs, MAP and SpO2.
Clomiphene citrate improved testosterone and sperm concentration in hypogonadal males.

When considering empirical medical management (EMT) options for men with unexplained infertility (UI), clomiphene citrate (CC) has been shown to positively influence sperm parameters in hypogonadal...
Scoping review of implementing a longitudinal curriculum in undergraduate medical education: The wake forest experience.

Hands-on ultrasound experience has become a desirable component for undergraduate medical education (UGME) curricula throughout medical schools in the United States (US) to enhance readiness for future training. Ultrasound integration can be a useful assistive educational method in undergraduate medical education to improve anatomy and physiology skills. Relatively few medical schools have integrated ultrasound experiences formally into their 4-year medical school curriculum due to limitations of a resource intensive set up. We undertook a scoping review of published UGME ultrasound curricula integrated into all four years in peer-reviewed as well online literature. In addition, we provide a narrative review of our institutional experience in conceptualization, design and implementation of UGME ultrasound curriculum driven by need to address the fading knowledge in anatomy and physiology concepts beyond pre-clinical years. Integrated ultrasound curriculum at WFSOM utilizes focused ultrasonography as a teaching aid for students to gain a more thorough understanding of basic and clinical science concepts taught in the medical school curriculum. We found 18 medical schools with ultrasound curricula published in peer-reviewed literature with a total of 33 ultrasound programs discovered by adding Google search and personal communication The results of the review and our institutional experience can help inform future educators interested in developing similar curricula in their undergraduate programs. Common standards, milestones and standardized competency-based assessments would be helpful in more widespread application of ultrasound in UGME curricula.
Evasive shareholder meetings

We study the strategic scheduling of annual shareholder meetings. When companies move their annual meetings a great distance from headquarters, they tend to experience pronounced stock market underperformance in the six months after the meeting and announce earnings below expectations over the subsequent year. Companies appear to schedule meetings in remote locations when the managers have private, adverse information about future performance and wish to discourage scrutiny by shareholders, analysts, and the media. However, shareholders do not decode this signal, since the disclosure of meeting locations leads to little immediate stock price reaction. We find that voter participation drops when meetings are held at unusual hours, even though most voting is done electronically during a period of weeks before the meeting convenes.
The Political Premium of Television Celebrity

This paper studies the electoral consequences of television stardom through the career of Ronald Reagan. I utilize quasi-experimental variation in television reception to estimate the causal effect of celebrity exposure on political support. I find that Reagan's tenure as the host of a 1950s entertainment television program translated into support for his candidacy, in terms of votes and political donations, nearly two decades after the show's first airing. Placebo checks suggest that this impact is not driven by unobserved heterogeneity or omitted variable bias. The effect was especially pronounced in the 1976 Republican primary elections relative to the general presidential elections and partially dissipated in locations where Reagan was a known political entity. Using the American National Election Studies (ANES) surveys, I provide evidence on possible mechanisms. Consistent with rational updating, nonpolitical media increased voters' assessment of Reagan's character and leadership, personalizing political considerations in elections featuring him.
How Do the State Medical Malpractice Laws Affect the Access to Health Care

With 15 percent of the population in the United States lacking health insurance, significant effort is being made to identify solutions. A variety of responses have been implemented, ranging from changes to the insurance regulatory requirements to tax code revisions to legal system modifications. While a large body of literature addresses the effect of legal system modifications on medical malpractice claims and insurance as well as physician availability, we know of no prior research to investigate the effect on rates of uninsured. We test this relationship and discover that caps on non-economic damages are associated with decreasing rates of uninsured.
Category Test Validity Indicators: Overview and Practice Recommendations

SUMMARY The Category Test (CatT) has been one of the most frequently administered neuropsychological tests for many years, in common usage with traumatic brain injury patients and in forensic cases. Since 1985 there have been a number of attempts to delineate the performances of brain injury simulators and malingerers. The present paper reviews the history of these attempts, with particular attention to the CatT validity indicators developed by Bolter (1985) and by Tenhula and Sweet (1996). Similarities and differences between studies are discussed and clinical practice recommendations and limitations are enumerated. In keeping with the universal recommendations for effort tests and validity indicators from reviews of the neuropsychological malingering literature in the last 12 years, CatT validity indicators should not be viewed in isolation. Rather, they should be considered primarily with regard to validity of CatT results and as one source of relevant information in the detection of insufficient effor...
Racial differences in lung cancer

Although race, in and of itself, is not a relevant biologic variable, racial differences in disease characteristics and outcomes have been reported in many malignancies, including lung cancer. The lung cancer incidence rate in blacks has been consistently higher than that in whites for many years. This racial disparity is seen primarily in men and is significantly greater in younger age groups. The reason for higher lung cancer incidence rates in blacks remains unclear, but racial differences in smoking habits, socioeconomic variables, and the metabolism of tobacco carcinogens may all play an important role. Blacks are also more likely than whites to present with squamous cell carcinoma and with advanced-stage disease. A significant racial difference in survival rates has developed over the past 30 years, with a poorer prognosis noted in black patients, particularly those with local- and regional-stage disease. This disparity appears to be due to a lack of improvement in the survival of black patients with lung cancer, but the biological and/or societal basis for racial variations in survival have not been determined. In summary, significant racial differences exist in lung cancer incidence and survival rates. Further research is required to determine the factors responsible for these differences and to develop effective preventative and therapeutic interventions that will impact favorably on the incidence and prognosis of this disease.
Identifying biological concepts from a protein-related corpus with a probabilistic topic model.

Biomedical literature, e.g., MEDLINE, contains a wealth of knowledge regarding functions of proteins. Major recurring biological concepts within such text corpora represent the domains of this body of knowledge. The goal of this research is to identify the major biological topics/concepts from a corpus of protein-related MEDLINE© titles and abstracts by applying a probabilistic topic model. The latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) model was applied to the corpus. Based on the Bayesian model selection, 300 major topics were extracted from the corpus. The majority of identified topics/concepts was found to be semantically coherent and most represented biological objects or concepts. The identified topics/concepts were further mapped to the controlled vocabulary of the Gene Ontology (GO) terms based on mutual information. The major and recurring biological concepts within a collection of MEDLINE documents can be extracted by the LDA model. The identified topics/concepts provide parsimonious and semantically-enriched representation of the texts in a semantic space with reduced dimensionality and can be used to index text.
Abstract T P17: Intra-arterial Therapy In Patients With In-hospital Ischemic Strokes Have More Frequent Early Improvement Than Out Of Hospital Strokes

Background: Stroke is a major complication of many hospital related procedures and prolongs hospital stay. In-hospital stroke alerts provide a unique opportunity to reduce time to treatment, and may be associated with greater chance of neurologic improvement. Objective: To assess outcomes of patients undergoing intra-arterial stroke treatment (IAT) who were originally admitted for a non-stroke diagnosis to the hospital. Methods: A retrospective analysis of stroke patients who qualified for IAT between 7/10/06-6/6/14 was performed. Variables measured included demographics, time to tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA), time to cerebral angiogram and recanalization, and admission and discharge National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and pre-treatment core infarct volume by MRI diffusion weighted imaging. Outcome measure was early major improvement of NIHSS≥8 points between pretreatment baseline and discharge. Unadjusted associations were calculated for demographics, time to intervention, stroke severity, stroke volume, hemorrhagic transformation (HT), and outcome measures between in-hospital strokes (IHS) alerts versus out of hospital strokes. An adjusted model was created using variables reaching significance in univariable analysis and those likely to affect outcome. Results: A total of 271 patients underwent IAT during the specified period. These included 47 (17.3%) IHS patients. Mean age was similar in both groups. Median NIHSS at onset of stroke was the same (16, p=0.6), while median discharge NIHSS showed trend towards lower scores in the IHS group(6 vs 12, p0.09). Intravenous thrombolysis was administered less frequently to IHS group (15.2% vs 38.9%; p Conclusion: Patient developing acute stroke during their hospital stay who undergo IAT have higher chance of early neurologic improvement.
Increasing the Information Ratio Using Mixture Strategies

The value of information may decrease rapidly or slowly with time. For example, knowledge of yesterday’s Fed decision may have no value today. On the other hand, a portfolio constructed last quarter may still be a profitable investment today. We may regard the history of a manager’s portfolio as a record of that manager’s strategy. This paper explores conditions under which lagged information from multiple strategies may be combined to produce information ratios higher than those achieved by using only the latest information from a single strategy.
In Vivo Stability of Bacteriophage T4 Messenger Ribonucleic Acid

Abstract Cohen, Paul S. (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tenn.), and Herbert L. Ennis. In vivo stability of bacteriophage T4 messenger ribonucleic acid. J. Bacteriol. 92:1345–1350. 1966.—A mutant of Escherichia coli B, defective in its transport and concentration of K+, synthesizes ribonucleic acid (RNA) without the simultaneous synthesis of protein when depleted of this cation. The mutant was used to study the in vivo stability of phage T4 messenger RNA (mRNA) in the presence and absence of K+. Experiments were performed in which the turnover of phage T4 mRNA was determined in infected cells continuously synthesizing RNA and in cells in which RNA synthesis was inhibited by actinomycin D. Phage mRNA was found to be more stable in the absence of K+ than in the presence of either the cation or chloramphenicol.
Insights into the biochemical mechanism of maleic acid-induced Fanconi syndrome

Maleic acid administration is known to produce the Fanconi syndrome, although the biochemical mechanism is incompletely understood. In this study the effect of a single injection of maleic acid (50 mg/kg body wt, i.v.) on the rat renal ATPases was examined. Maleic acid rapidly caused bicarbonaturia, natriuresis, and kaliuresis. When nephron segments were microdissected, there was an 81 +/- 2% reduction in proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) Na-K-ATPase activity (P < 0.005) and a 48 +/- 4% reduction in PCT H-ATPase activity (P < 0.01). Enzyme activity (Na-K-ATPase, H-ATPase, H-K-ATPase) in the medullary thick ascending limb of Henle's loop and distal nephron segments was normal. In vitro, maleic acid (1 and 10 mM) inhibited Na-K-ATPase in PCT, but it had no effect on H-ATPase in PCT. Prior phosphate infusion to maleic acid-treated rats attenuated urinary bicarbonate wastage by 50% (P < 0.05); activity of proximal tubule Na-K-ATPase and H-ATPase activities were partially protected as compared to the animals given maleic acid alone (P < 0.05). Renal cortical ATP levels were not altered at the concentration of maleic acid used in this study (that is, 50 mg/kg body wt), but higher doses of maleic acid (that is, 500 and 1000 mg/kg body wt) caused ATP levels to fall. Maleic acid did not affect cortical medullary total phosphate concentration, however, P32 turnover (1 and 24 hr) was altered by prior phosphate infusion. A protective effect of prior phosphate loading on the membrane bound Pi pool (insoluble) was seen while the cytosolic Pi pool (soluble) was not different from control. Thus, maleic acid-induced "Fanconi" syndrome likely results from both direct inhibition of proximal tubule Na-K-ATPase activity and membrane-bound phosphorus depletion. The former mechanism would reduce activity of the sodium-dependent transporters (that is, Na/H antiporter), while the latter would inhibit the electrogenic proton pump (H-ATPase). The combination of reduced proximal tubule Na-H exchange and H-ATPase activities would markedly inhibit bicarbonate reabsorption and result in the metabolic acidosis universally seen in the Fanconi syndrome.
Stability of the number of silicon-hydrogen bonds upon photoillumination of undoped amorphous hydrogenated silicon

Abstract Deuteron magnetic resonance measurements on high quality a-Si:H,D films reveal three principal features: a sharp 66 kHz quadrupolar Pake doublet corresponding to silicon-bonded D passivating dangling bonds, a broad central line which has been shown to arise primarily from relatively isolated D2 and HD molecules in nanovoids, and a small narrow central line arising from mobile molecular D2 and HD in greater than 3 A microvoids. The results of measurements on high quality plasma-deposited partially deuterated amorphous silicon cyclically exposed to a 2 h 150°C dark anneal and a 36 h photoillumination at 0.5 W/cm2 with a 400–700 nm xenon are lamp are described. The spectra show that, following an initial spin-lattice relaxation-related transient, the intensities of all three components of the deuterium may vary by less than 1% upon illumination or dark anneal. The broad central line, primarily from isolated molecules, shows a small diamagnetic shift upon illumination. The shift becomes strongly paramagnetic at short magnetization recovery times following radio frequency saturation. The SiD doublet and the small narrow central line do not shift appreciably. This absence strongly suggests that Staebler-Wronski magnetic changes are remote from the environments of most of the silicon bonded hydrogen.
Amorphous silica coatings on magnetic nanoparticles enhance stability and reduce toxicity to in vitro BEAS-2B cells.

Background: Nanoparticles are being rapidly assimilated into numerous research fields and consumer products. A concurrent increase in human exposure to such materials is expected. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) possess unique and beneficial features, increasing their functionality and integrative potential. However, MNP toxicity characterization is limited, especially in regards to the human respiratory system. This study aimed to assess the in vitro effects of airborne MNPs on BEAS-2B cells. Uncoated iron oxide was compared with two amorphous silica-coated MNPs, hypothesizing the coatings reduced toxicity and increased particle stability.Method: BEAS-2B cells were cultured at an air–liquid interface and exposed to airborne MNPs using a fabricated exposure device. Indices of cytotoxicity, inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and iron homeostasis were monitored postexposure via cell viability assays and qRT-PCR. Concentrations of soluble iron-associated with different MNPs were also examined before and ...
Earthquakes at the deep roots of arc volcanos

The most conspicuous and spectacular volcanic features on Earth are the graceful volcanic arcs that parallel the deep oceanic trenches where cold and strong surface plates descend into the Earth's mantle. More than three-quarters of the volcanos that erupt above sea level are found at these regions, called subduction zones. Inclined bands of earthquakes trace the descent of plates into trenches, beneath the arc volcanos, and ultimately down to depths as great as 690 km. Earthquakes at depths below about 40–60 km represent seismic failure within the sinking plate rather than the slipping motion between plates. Some of those earthquakes have been large and very damaging, and future quakes of this type pose a significant seismic hazard in northwest Washington state, Central America, and elsewhere. Most earlier studies have emphasized the role of the sinking force that accompanies the cold thermal structure, as well as the resultant higher density of descending plates in producing stresses that lead to seismic failure of the plate.
Evaluation of artificial neural networks for the prediction of pathologic stage in prostate carcinoma.

BACKGROUND. Currently, the standard for predicting pathologic stage from information available at the time of prostate biopsy is the Partin nomograms that were derived using logistic regression analysis. The authors retrospectively reviewed a large series of men with clinically localized prostate carcinoma who underwent staging pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy. They then utilized pathologic and clinical data at the time of prostate biopsy to develop and test an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the final pathologic stage for this group of men. They then compared the results of ANN with the previous nomograms. METHODS. Five thousand seven hundred forty-four men were treated at the authors' institution from 1985 to 1998. An ANN was developed using two randomly selected training and validation sets for predicting pathologic stage. Input variables included age, preoperative serum prostate specific antigen level, clinical TNM (tumor, lymph node, and metastasis) classification, and Gleason score from the biopsy specimen. Outcomes included organ confinement and lymph node involvement status. RESULTS. The ANN was slightly superior to the nomograms in predicting pathologic stage, such as organ confinement and lymph node involvement status. CONCLUSIONS. In predicting organ confinement and lymph node involvement status, ANN was more accurate and had a larger area under ROC than the nomograms based on the logistic regression method. Artificial neural network models can be developed and used to better predict final pathologic stage when preoperative pathologic and clinical features are known.
Identification of a highly conserved 3' UTR in the translationally regulated mRNA for prostaglandin synthase.

Abstract Prostaglandin H synthase (E.C. 1.14.99.1) is induced by growth factors and lymphokines such as EGF and IL-1, and is suppressed by anti-inflammatory glucocorticoids. Inhibition of enzyme synthesis by glucocorticoids is mediated by a novel translational control that appears to involve conversion of the PG synthase mRNA into a cryptic non-hybridizable form. In order to understand expression of the enzyme in more detail, a full length 2.8 Kb cDNA was cloned from a human embryonic lung cell cDNA library and the complete mRNA including the 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR), was sequenced. The coding sequence for the human PG synthase shows greater than 90% homology with the sheep and mouse enzymes. A high degree of conservation (70%), however, was also observed in the approximately 750 nucleotide sequence that comprises the 3′ non-coding domain of both sheep and human PG synthase mRNA's and with the approximately 900 nucleotide 3′ UTR of the mouse RNA (68% sheep vs mouse; 47% human vs mouse). Extensive microregions of 10–30 nucleotides are distributed throughout the 3′ UTR where homology between species is 95–100%. This high degree of conservation in a non-coding region and recent evidence from other genes suggests that these 3′ UTR sequences have important regulatory functions possibly related to translational control of this mRNA by growth factors and glucocorticoids.
Inequity reduction over time in an induced overpayment situation

Abstract The effects of piece-rate overpayment on productivity and work quality were studied in order to test some of the predictions of Adams' theory of equity. Adams' finding that overpayment leads to low productivity but high work quality was replicated in an initial two-hour session. However, in two later sessions this trend was not present. A tendency was observed for the overpaid subjects to increase their perceptions of how well qualified they were for the job, while no attitude change was observed in the equitably paid group. An attitude measure of the subjects' need for money correlated significantly with productivity for both the equitably paid group and the overpaid group. The implications of these findings for motivation theory were considered.
Use of the intrauterine device among adolescent and young adult women in the United States from 2002 to 2010.

Abstract Purpose Long-acting contraceptives, such as the intrauterine device (IUD), show potential for decreasing the incidence of unintended pregnancy. However, use among adolescent and young adult women remains low. We determined factors associated with IUD use among young women. Methods We conducted an analysis of nationally representative, cross-sectional data from the 2002 and 2006–2010 National Surveys of Family Growth. We included sexually active women 15–24 years old. We used bivariate analysis to compare proportions of ever-use of any type of IUD in 2002 and in 2006–2010 and multivariable logistic regression to identify correlates of ever-use in 2006–2010. Results We found an increase in IUD use in teens 15–19 years old, from .2% to 2.5% ( p p Conclusions IUD use is increasing among adolescent and young adult women overall and among almost all sociodemographic subgroups. Nonetheless, use remains low, and nulliparous young women are highly unlikely to use the IUD.
Macrophage-mediated cytostatic activity blocks lymphoblast cell cycle progression independently in both G1 phase and S phase.

Abstract Recent work has shown that macrophage-mediated cytostatic activity inhibits cell cycle traverse in G1 and/or S phase of the cell cycle without affecting late S, G2, or M phases. The present report is directed at distinguishing between such cytostatic effects on G1 phase or S phase using the accumulation of DNA polymerase α as a marker of G1 to S phase transition. Quiescent lymphocytes stimulated with concanavalin A undergo a semisynchronous progression from G0 to G1 to S phase with a dramatic increase in DNA polymerase α activity between 20 and 30 hr after stimulation. This increase in enzyme activity was inhibited, as was the accumulation of DNA, when such cells were cocultured with activated murine peritoneal macrophages during this time interval. However, if mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes were enriched for S-phase cells by centrifugal elutriation and cocultured with activated macrophages for 4–6 hr, DNA synthesis was inhibited but the already elevated DNA-polymerase activity was unaffected. Similar results were obtained when a virally transformed lymphoma cell line was substituted as the target cell in this assay. These results show that both G1 and S phase of the cycle are inhibited and suggest that inhibition of progression through the different phases may be accomplished by at least two distinct mechanisms.
Advancement of light-element neutron depth profiling at the University of Texas

The University of Texas (UT) at Austin has collaborated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology for comparisons of concentration versus depth profiles of samples containing 10B. Technology sharing from NIST has allowed UT to avoid many initial set backs such that significant advancements in the UT-NDP facility’s experimental and analytical methodology have been achieved. UT has analyzed two samples loaned to them from NIST. The collaborative effort between the two institutions has given the UT-NDP facility the proper tools to begin profiling more advanced samples in hopes of meeting the capabilities set by NIST in the NDP field. The UT-NDP facility was able to profile a borosilicate surface deposit onto silicon such that the concentrations of 10B at various depths of the deposit were determined and fit well to a Pearson distribution.
Hertzian Contact Response of Tailored Silicon Nitride Multilayers

The nature and degree of damage accumulation beneath Hertzian contacts in silicon nitride-based laminates are studied. Specimens with alternating homogeneous and heterogeneous layers are fabricated by a tape-casting route, with strong interlayer bonding. Homogeneous material consisting of relatively pure fine-grain silicon nitride is used as the overlayers. Heterogeneous material containing 10 to 30 wt% boron nitride platelets in a silicon nitride matrix, with weak platelet/matrix interphase boundaries, forms the underlayers. Contact tests with spherical indenters are used to monitor the stress-strain response of the laminates and to investigate the damage modes within the individual layers. The heterogeneous layer exhibits a distinctive “softening” in the stress-strain curve, indicating a quasi-plasticity in the silicon nitride associated with local microfailures at the platelet/matrix interfaces. In contrast to the welldefined cone cracks that develop within the tensile zone outside the contact area in bulk homogeneous silicon nitride, the damage in the laminates is widely distributed within the shear-compression zone below the contact. Fractures form incompletely in the homogeneous layers, as downward-propagating partial cone cracks and upwardpropagating stable cracks. Comparatively extensive, diffuse microscopic damage occurs in the heterogeneous layers, culminating in a macroscopic failure that traverses these layers at higher loads. A strong synergism between the interlayer damage modes is apparent. Implications concerning the design of composite laminates for improved damage tolerance, with retention of strength and wear resistance, are considered.
The fine structure of pulse labeled (3H-thymidine cells) in degenerating rat optic nerve†

The ultrastructure of pulse labeled (3-H-thymidine) cells in rat optic nerve undergoing Wallerian degeneration is described. The study was limited to the first ten days after enucleation since cell proliferation during this interval is greater than in normal optic nerve (Skoff and Vaughn, '71). Approximately one-third of the pulse labeled cells are astrocytes. The majority of the proliferating astrocytes are in a reactive state, having changed their normal fibrous appearance to one showing a paucity of filaments. Thirty percent of the pulsed cells can be classified as microglia. Only immature oligodendrocytes proliferate, and they account for less than 10% of the pulse labeled cells. About 30% of the labeled population are undifferentiated glial precursor cells. Electron microscopic autoradiographic data obtained from normal optic nerve and presented in this paper indicates that glial precursor cells which have divided shortly before enucleation continue to proliferate after it. The evidence suggest that recently formed glial precursor cells transform into phagocytes following enucleation. Less than 3% of the pulse labeled cells examined in this study are ultrastructurally similar to mononuclear leukocytes. The results of the present study together with previous studies of degenerating optic nerve indicate that most phagocytes in Wallerian degeneration are derived from proliferation of intrinsic glia rather than from an invasion of exogenous cells.
Measurement of Interstitial Heat Transfer Coefficient During Rapid Phase Change in Porous Media

An empirical correlation for the estimation of interstitial heat transfer coefficient during rapid phase change in porous media has been developed. During the phase change process, it is expected that the temperature of the solid matrix encapsulating the pore will be higher than the temperature of the pore materials during melting and lower during freezing. In this study, the solid matrix temperature is experimentally measured at pre-selected sites, and the mean temperature of the pore material is analytically computed. Based on the solid matrix and pore temperature data, the interstitial heat transfer coefficients was developed and the result is presented in dimensionless form as Nusselt number as a function of Fourier number (Nusf = CeγFop ). Results show that the interstitial heat transfer coefficient depends on the pore size, the thermal diffusivity, the latent heat of fusion, and the mean heat capacitance of the pore.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
New trends in morphological algorithms

This paper describes some of the most recent algorithmic techniques of mathematical morphology. The classical parallel and sequential methods mostly involve numerous scannings of all the image pixels and are thus inefficient on conventional computers. To get rid of this drawback, the key idea is to consider, at each step, only the pixels whose value may be modified. Two classes of algorithms rely on this principle: the first one realizes an encoding of the object boundaries as loops which are then propagated in the image. The second one embraces the algorithms based on breadth- first image scanning enabled by queues of pixels. The algorithms belonging to these two families are extremely efficient and particularly suited to nonspecialized equipments, since they require random access to the pixels. Moreover, the 'customized' image scannings they are based on allow one to develop more accurate and flexible procedures: for example algorithms for computing exact Euclidean distance functions have been derived from the first class. On the other hand, the queue-based algorithms work in any kind of grid, in the Euclidean and geodesic cases, and extend to any dimension and even to graphs.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Mycobacteria Other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Review of Microbiologic and Clinical Aspects

The rate of isolation of mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MOTT) has increased over the past several years; in some areas the isolation rate for Mycobacterium avium-Mycobacterium intracellulare has surpassed that for M. tuberculosis. Simultaneously, the spectrum of clinical manifestations with the various species has widened. Outbreaks of disease due to Mycobacterium chelonae have occurred in renal dialysis patients. New species have been described: Mycobacterium malmoense is primarily a pulmonary pathogen, and Mycobacterium haemophilum has been recovered from cutaneous lesions in immunosuppressed patients. In addition, reports of disease due to species generally considered saprophytic have become more numerous. In this review, the epidemiologic, pathologic, and clinical features of the individual MOTT species are discussed. A brief summary of mycobacteria isolated at the Cleveland Clinic foundation between 1982 and 1985 is also presented.
Scattering of light by a stratified sphere in high energy approximation

Glauber's approximation method valid at high energy is used to study light scattering by a stratified sphere. The scattering amplitude is obtained in a simple closed form. The resulting efficiency factors and intensities of the scattered light are numerically evaluated for dielectric bubbles and wet dielectric balls and are shown to agree well with the exact values from Mie's method.