cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing feasibility and perioperative outcomes with minimally invasive surgery compared with laparotomy for interval debulking surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Abstract Objective To determine peri-operative outcomes in women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) undergoing interval debulking surgery (IDS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) via minimally invasive interval debulking surgery (MIS) or laparotomy (LAP). Methods A single institution, retrospective cohort study was performed in women with EOC who underwent IDS with HIPEC from 2017 to 2019 via MIS or LAP. Peri-operative outcomes were compared using univariate analysis. Results In total, 50 eligible women were identified; ten (20.0%) underwent MIS + HIPEC and 40 (80.0%) LAP + HIPEC. The median age of patients in the MIS group was 71.1 vs. 64.2 years in LAP (p = 0.031). There was no significant difference in pre-operative complete radiographic response following NACT (p = 0.18). Notably, there was no difference in the rate of R0 resection (70.0% vs. 77.5%; p = 0.39). There was no significant difference in ICU admission, estimated blood loss, operative time, or use of vasopressors between the cohorts. Similarly, there was no difference in 30-day adverse events for MIS vs. LAP, but length of stay was decreased for those who underwent minimally invasive procedures (3 vs. 4 days, p = 0.016). Time to initiation of chemotherapy following surgery was not significantly different between groups (26.2 days vs 32.0 days, p = 0.090). With median follow-up of 15.1 months, there was no difference in recurrence free survival (median 15.0 vs 17.2 months log-rank, p = 0.30) for MIS vs. LAP. Conclusions In this retrospective cohort study, we demonstrate that in women with advanced EOC, HIPEC with MIS at the time of IDS following NACT is feasible. Our institutional experience demonstrates similar rates of R0 cytoreduction, compared to LAP. An MIS approach should not prevent surgeons from utilizing HIPEC where indicated for management of advanced EOC.
Assessing surface and subsurface transport of neonicotinoid insecticides from no-till crop fields

Increased use of neonicotinoid-coated crop seeds introduces greater amounts of insecticides into the environment, where they are vulnerable to transport. To understand the transport of neonicotinoids from agricultural fields, we planted maize (Zea mays L.) seeds coated with thiamethoxam in lysimeter plots in central Pennsylvania. Over the next year, we sampled water generated by rainfall and snowmelt and analyzed these samples with mass spectrometry for the neonicotinoids thiamethoxam and clothianidin (metabolite), which originated from the coated seeds. For surface and subsurface transport, thiamethoxam exhibited "first-flush" dynamics, with concentrations highest during the first events following planting and generally decreasing for the remainder of the study. The metabolite clothianidin, however, persisted throughout the study. The mass of thiamethoxam and clothianidin exported during the study period accounted for 1.09% of the mass applied, with more than 90% of the mass transported in subsurface flow and less than 10% in surface runoff. These results suggest that surface runoff, at least for our site, is a relatively small contributor to the overall fate and transport of these insecticides and that the delivery ratio (i.e., mass exported/mass applied) observed for these compounds is similar to those of other trace-level emerging contaminants known to negatively influence aquatic ecosystems.
Professional counseling from a Christian worldview

As the counseling profession has increased focus on spiritual integration into counseling sessions, such integration brings necessary attention to professional ethics. While ethical guidelines mand...
Landscape seasonality influences the resource selection of a snow-adapted forest carnivore, the Pacific marten

Characterizing animal space-use and resource selection is central to effective conservation. In seasonally variable systems, animals may alter space-use to minimize risk, mediate physiological costs, and maintain access to resources. However, it is often unclear which environmental features influence space-use across seasons, and whether resource selection of non-migratory animals varies in seasonally snow-covered environments. We quantified space-use and scale-dependent resource selection of Pacific martens (Martes caurina) in northern California to evaluate the relative influence of abiotic (e.g., topography, weather) and biotic (e.g., forest structure) covariates on spatial ecology of martens in ecologically distinct seasons (i.e., snow-covered, snow-free). We obtained fine-scale location data from GPS-collared martens (n = 26) in the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges in California, USA. We incorporated spatially explicit weather, topographic, and forest structure data in a scale-optimized, seasonal resource selection function framework to determine the relative importance of abiotic and biotic conditions during snow-covered and snow-free periods. During snow-free periods, martens selected for features associated with complex forest structure, including increasing stem basal area. Conversely, space-use was associated with dense forest structure and topographic features in snow-covered periods. Though the relative influence of abiotic and biotic covariates on resource selection varied by season, the scale at which these variables best explained space-use did not. Our results highlight seasonality and scale-dependence of resource selection by martens and emphasize the importance of understanding spatio-temporal responses of free-ranging animals to landscape heterogeneity. We suggest behavioral or ecological requirements that differ by season and scale may influence space-use and resource selection patterns, and, consequently, can inform conservation actions.
Communicating During COVID-19: The Effect of Transparent Masks for Speech Recognition in Noise.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the speech recognition in noise when using a transparent mask that allows greater visibility of the talker's face compared to an opaque mask in persons with normal and impaired hearing via an online format. DESIGN: A repeated-measures design was used to evaluate the auditory-visual recognition of sentences recorded in background noise with transparent and opaque face masks, and without a mask (N=154). In a smaller follow-up study (N=29), the same files were presented via auditory-only presentation to determine if differences observed in the transparent and opaque mask conditions were attributable to additional visual cues or to acoustic differences between the recordings of the two mask types. Listeners completed the 40-minute online session on a computer, laptop, or tablet in a quiet room via their personal listening devices (earbuds or hearing assistive device). The adult volunteers who used English as their first language were recruited through social media links and email and categorized into three groups: normal hearing and confirmed or suspected hearing loss either with or without the use of assistive listening devices. RESULTS: Auditory-visual recognition of sentences recorded with the transparent mask was significantly better (M=68.9%) than for sentences recorded with the opaque mask (M=58.9%) for all participants. There was a trend for those who used hearing assistive technology to score lower than the other two groups who had similar performance across all conditions regardless of mask type. Subjective ratings of confidence and concentration followed the expected pattern based on objective scores. Results of the auditory-only presentation of the sentences to listeners with normal hearing suggested that the transparent-mask benefits were not attributable to an acoustic advantage but rather to the addition of the visual cues of the talker's face available through the transparent mask. In fact, performance in the auditory-only presentation was significantly lower with the transparent mask (M=40.7%) compared to the opaque mask (M=58.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Use of transparent masks can significantly facilitate speech recognition in noise even for persons with normal hearing and thus may reduce stressful communication challenges experienced in medical, employment, and educational settings during the global pandemic. To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and facilitate communication, safety-approved transparent masks are strongly encouraged over opaque masks.
Predicting age from 100,000 one week-long 100Hz wrist accelerometer records of physical activity

Physical activity improves quality of life, physical health and mental health, and is also an important protective factor against highly prevalent age-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and mental health. With age, physical activity tends to decrease, leading down a vicious cycle that increases vulnerability to disease in the elderly. In the following, we trained neural network architectures to predict age from 115,456 one week-long 100Hz wrist accelerometer recordings from the UK Biobank (R-Squared=63.5{+/-}2.4%; root mean squared error=4.7{+/-}0.1 years). We achieved this performance by preprocessing the raw data as 2,271 scalar features, 113 time series and four images. We also considered the raw signal at different time scales (weekly activity patterns vs. gait). We then defined accelerated aging for a participant as being predicted older than ones actual age and aimed to characterize these participants. We performed a genome wide association on the accelerated aging phenotypes to estimate its heritability (h_g2=12.3{+/-}0.9%) and identified nine single nucleotide polymorphisms in seven genes associated with it (e.g HIST1H4L, involved in chromatin organization). Similarly, we identified biomarkers (e.g blood pressure), clinical phenotypes (e.g chest pain), diseases (e.g hypertension), environmental (e.g smoking) and socioeconomic (e.g income and education) variables associated with accelerated aging. We conclude that physical activity-derived biological age is a complex phenotype with both genetic and non-genetic factors.
FedTriNet: A Pseudo Labeling Method with Three Players for Federated Semi-supervised Learning.

Federated Learning has shown great potentials for the distributed data utilization and privacy protection. Most existing federated learning approaches focus on the supervised setting, which means all the data stored in each client has labels. However, in real-world applications, the client data are impossible to be fully labeled. Thus, how to exploit the unlabeled data should be a new challenge for federated learning. Although a few studies are attempting to overcome this challenge, they may suffer from information leakage or misleading information usage problems. To tackle these issues, in this paper, we propose a novel federated semi-supervised learning method named FedTriNet, which consists of two learning phases. In the first phase, we pre-train FedTriNet using labeled data with FedAvg. In the second phase, we aim to make most of the unlabeled data to help model learning. In particular, we propose to use three networks and a dynamic quality control mechanism to generate high-quality pseudo labels for unlabeled data, which are added to the training set. Finally, FedTriNet uses the new training set to retrain the model. Experimental results on three publicly available datasets show that the proposed FedTriNet outperforms state-of-the-art baselines under both IID and Non-IID settings.
Olfactory Measures as Predictors of Conversion to Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Early biomarkers of prodromal Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are critical both to initiate interventions and to choose participants for clinical trials. Odor threshold, odor identification and odor familiarity are impaired in AD. Methods: We investigated the relative abilities of standard screening (MMSE) and olfactory measures to predict transitions from cognitively normal (CN) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), from CN to AD, and MCI to AD. The archival sample of 497, from the UCSD ADRC, included participants who were CN, MCI, AD and converters to MCI or AD. Apoe e4 status, a genetic risk factor, was available for 256 participants, 132 were e4 carriers. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve plots the trade-off between sensitivity and specificity. Area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to determine diagnostic accuracy. Results: Different measures were better predictors at specific stages of disease risk; e.g., odor familiarity, odor identification and the combination showed higher predictive value for converting from MCI to AD in e4 carriers than the MMSE. Combining odor familiarity and odor identification produced an AUC of 1.0 in e4 carriers, MMSE alone was 0.58. Conclusions: Olfactory biomarkers show real promise as non-invasive indicators of prodromal AD. The results support the value of combining olfactory measures in assessment of risk for conversion to MCI and to AD.
Computationally Assessing Diamond for use in Ultrafast Pulse Shapers

Solid state pulse shapers have uses in disciplines like ultrafast electro-optics, accelerator systems, and most importantly, Ultra-Wide Band radar applications. UWB radar technology continues to make in-roads in communication and vision sensing applications in commercial and military sectors. The performance of UWB systems is directly related to applied pulse duration and power. Solid state pulse shapers offer advantages over other pulse shaping technologies such as longer lifespan and resilience to heat, enabling high power operating points.
Inequality and Power: The Economics of Class

1. Introduction 2. People Make Their Choices 3. Opportunity Matters 4. Opportunity Matters: More Yet 5. How Power Works 6. Capitalism: "Classical" Class 7. Realities of Class Today 8. Running the System: Business Power and Political Power 9. Cultural Power 10. Increasing Inequality Today 11. Confronting Inequality and Class: Distributive Justice 12. Confronting Inequality and Class: Economy, Community and Biosphere 13. Conclusion
Economic Criteria for Water Development Projects

Water resources in national life; total withdrawal and requirements 1950-1975; nature of evaluation; costs for water, land and forest conservation and development; optimum use of resources; financial and benefit-costs aspects; public aspects; regional balance and development; expansionary effects of water resource development.
Fine structural changes of the uterine smooth muscle cell boundary during gestation

Abstract Biopsies from virgin nulliparous and term pregnant guinea pig uteri were prepared for electron microscopy. Smooth muscle cells of the myometrium became larger and more irregular in outline due to the increase in the number of outpouchings and irregular processes of the cell border. The intercellular space became wider due to an increase in the amount of ground substance and collagenous fibers. A thick, fairly uniform basement membrane invested the cell and a basement membrane-like material was seen in the intercellular compartment. Pinocytotic vesicles became numerous and were arranged in rows along the subsarcolemmic area, or in groups of large numbers in the cellular processes. These observations and their possible role in the increased metabolism of the uterine smooth muscle cell during pregnancy were discussed.
A frequency-dependent decoding mechanism for axonal length sensing

We have recently developed a mathematical model of axonal length sensing in which a system of delay differential equations describe a chemical signaling network. We showed that chemical oscillations emerge due to delayed negative feedback via a Hopf bifurcation, resulting in a frequency that is a monotonically decreasing function of axonal length. In this paper, we explore how frequency-encoding of axonal length can be decoded by a frequency-modulated gene network. If the protein output were thresholded, then this could provide a mechanism for axonal length control. We analyze the robustness of such a mechanism in the presence of intrinsic noise due to finite copy numbers within the gene network.
Review of James Griffin's 'On Human Rights', Oxford UP, 2008

This is an essay length critical review of James Griffin's "On Human Rights" (Oxford UP, 2008).
IMPACT FACTORS FOR HIGHWAY BRIDGES

This paper deals with the review of impact or dynamic allowance factors for highway bridges that are being implemented by various countries around the world. This review has specially emphasised the field results of other researchers and concluded that most of the studies have noted that the current American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Specifications grossly underestimate the impact factors for highway bridges. The review of impact factors herein has concluded further that the AASHTO Specifications on impact for highway bridges are a function only on the span length, even though many other important parameters (for example, road roughness, vehicle and bridge dynamics) play a major role in terms of bridge dynamics. Test results of two medium span steel stringer concrete deck bridges (span length approx. 100 ft.) on West Virginia's highway systems are reported herein for varying truck speeds, and for various bridge natural frequencies, dynamic strains on stringers, concrete slabs, and abutments. A deterministic procedure, based on the orthotropic plate theory that was developed at West Virginia University, has been used to compute frequencies, deformations and stresses. In addition, I-D beam theory has been used to compute natural frequencies. A comparison of these theoretical results with the experimental is found to be satisfactory. (A) For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 858780.
Differential VCO and passive frequency doubler in 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS for 24 GHz applications

Circuits for generating a 24 GHz LO signal indirectly using a 12 GHz VCO cascaded with a 2/spl times/ passive mixer and directly from a standalone 24 GHz VCO are compared. Both circuits are implemented in 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS. The 24 GHz designs exhibit equivalent phase noise, but the use of a passive mixer enables a 4/spl times/ reduction in power consumption and a 2/spl times/ increase in tuning range compared to the standalone 24 GHz VCO. The VCO/mixer combination shows phase noise of -99.94dBc/Hz @ 1 MHz offset from the 25.1 GHz carrier, 12% tuning range, and 11 mW of power consumption.
Acute enterocolitis in a human being infected with the protozoan Cryptosporidium.

A 3-year-old child with severe acute self-limited enterocolitis was found on rectal biopsy to be infected with the protozoal parasite Cryptosporidium. This organism is known to infect a variety of vertebrates, but this is the first report of infection by Cryptosporidium in a human being. Both light and electron microscopic findings in the rectal biopsy are reported. It is suggested, on the basis of the severity of the clinical symptoms, and on the pathological changes in the rectum, that the organism in this case is likely to have been the cause of the enterocolitis and thus to have been a pathogen rather than a commensal. The source of the infection in this child could not be established. The value of sigmoidoscopy and biopsies is noted in this condition and as a general method for determining the etiology of a gastrointestinal infection in cases where other studies are negative.
a Nontraditional Methodology for Flood Stage-Damage Calculations

: This paper presents a new methodology to calculate economic losses from hypothetical, extreme flood events, such as the Probable Maximum Flood. The methodology uses economic data compiled from already-available secondary sources, such as U.S. Census data on magnetic tapes, utilizing microcomputer and other electronic media. Estimates of land elevations are obtained from topographic maps, and flood elevations axe estimated using, for example, a dam breach and flood routing (DAMBRK) model (Fread, 1984). The calculations are performed at a disaggregate spatial scale, by various land use and industrial classification categories. The basic areal units are city blocks (for urbanized areas), enumeration districts, and Census tracts. Depth-damage functions, which provide an estimate of damages as a proportion of the existing value of the structure, are estimated statistically. Computer software (called DAMAGE) is used to combine the economic, flood elevation, and depth-damage information to compute economic losses for different possible flood stages and for different inflow events. Two case studies are presented as illustrations of the method.
Gene transcription in mosaic embryos. I. The pattern of RNA synthesis in early development of the coot clam, Mulinia lateralis†

Of the many investigations reported in the past decade concerning the pattern and significance of RNA synthesis in early development, relatively few have involved mosaic embryos. These investigations have revealed a common pattern of RNA synthesis among embryos of anamniotic deuterostomes and a few have indicated that this pattern may not be shared by their protostome counterparts. The present study provides data for a thorough comparison of RNA metabolism in a mosaic embryo with that of regulative embryos. Oocytes and embryos of the coot clam, Mulinia lateralis, were pulse-labeled with tritiated uridine and their RNA was extracted and analyzed by sucrose gradient centrifugation and MAK chromatography. Little or no RNA synthesis could be detected in oocytes before fertilization. During cleavage, newly synthesized RNA is primarily DNA-like, heterogeneous in size and base composition and of lower average G + C content than ribosomal RNA. A prominent class of short-lived RNA molecules sedimenting at 8–10s is also transcribed during cleavage and continues to be produced at least through gastrulation. Transfer RNA appears to be synthesized as early as mid- to late-cleavage. Whereas ribosomal RNA synthesis was undetectable in these experiments prior to gastrulation, ribosomal and transfer RNA synthesis predominate in the larval stages. These results demonstrate that the temporal pattern of RNA synthesis common to embryos of the lower deuterostome phyla can be found in protostome embryos as well, and therefore that mosaic development need not entail a unique pattern of gene transcription.
Design, Fabrication, and Modeling of a Four-bar Electromagnetic Vibration Power Generator:

In this article, we report an electromagnetic vibration energy harvesting structure with efficiency approaching close to the theoretical limit. The structure was modeled to account for geometrical variation in magnetic field, velocity field, and the conductor orientation with respect to magnetic field patterns. A four-bar magnet geometry was selected, which allows for an easily manufactured device with high amount of electrical damping on the structure, and thus a close to optimal amount of power generated. Using standard modeling approaches in the literature for electromagnetic harvesters, it can be found that for this particular geometry, the prediction of the power output as a function of load resistance yields inaccurate results and overpredicts the optimal load resistance for the device. We present a comprehensive modeling approach for this geometry incorporating all the design variables, which contribute to a more accurate estimate of the power output as a function of load resistance. The model was ...
Luminescent europium(III) and terbium(III) ions encapsulated in a 2-aminoethoxy or carbamoyloxy substituted calixarene host

Abstract A series of new 2-aminoethoxy and carbamoyloxy substituted calix[4]arenes and calix[6]arenes has been synthesized and used to complex Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions. Emissive complexes in methanol solvent are obtained. The Tb3+ complexes are strongly emissive from a terbium centered excited state. The excited states of the calix[6]arene complexes are less effectively quenched by the addition of water than are those having the calix[4]arene ligands.
Bu-1 andTh-1, two loci determining surface antigens of B or T lymphocytes in the chicken

Alloantisera were prepared by reciprocal immunizations with bursal or thymic lymphoid cells between chickens of two inbred lines identical at theB major histocompatibility locus. In cytotoxic assays, antibursa sera were specific for donor-line bursa cells without absorption; antithymus sera were similarly specific for donor-line thymus cells. Both types of sera cytolyzed some peripheral lymphoid cells from spleen, bone marrow, and blood. Absorption of either type of serum with peripheral blood leukocytes removed all cytotoxic reactivity for central lymphoid cells. The inheritance of the alloantigens detected by these specific antisera was studied in F1, F2, and backcross progeny from the two lines. Phenotypes were determined by a method in which antisera preabsorbed with progeny leukocytes were reacted against51Cr-labeled bursal or thymic cells from chickens of both lines. The results established two independent autosomal loci-Bu-1 andTh-1-determining antigens expressed, respectively, on bursal cells and peripheral B lymphocytes or on thymic cells and peripheral T lymphocytes. Cytotoxic testing of bursal or thymic cells from chickens of other inbred lines and F1 populations led to the tentative conclusion that the number of alleles atBu-1 is restricted, whileTh-1 exhibits considerable multiple allelism.
Point dose calculations using an analytical pencil beam kernel for IMRT plan checking.

A method to verify the monitor units for a treatment plan is to calculate point doses, possibly at the isocentre, by using a simple calculation method. This verification is recommended to find mistakes in the treatment plan. Treatment plans for intensity modulated radiation therapy are no exception. The method should employ a simple physical model and a dose calculation algorithm, which is different from the method used for the treatment plan. Our approach uses a convolution algorithm and an analytical pencil beam kernel with eight parameters. The model is intuitive and simple. At the same time, the method is so general that it can be applied to both step-and-shoot and sliding-window techniques. The results of applications to actual treatment plans show that the calculated total isocentre doses are accurate within ?2% of planned doses for six-field prostate plans when calculation points are in a uniform dose region. Head and neck cases show a slightly larger difference than prostate cases. When calculation points are located in a region of high dose gradient, however, the difference could be greater than 5%.
Efficient support for interactive operations in multi-resolution video servers

In this paper, we present a placement algorithm that interleaves multi-resolution video streams on a disk array and enables a video server to efficiently support playback of these streams at different resolution levels. We then combine this placement algorithm with a scalable compression technique to efficiently support interactive scan operations (i.e., fast-forward and rewind). We present an analytical model for evaluating the impact of the scan operations on the performance of disk-array-based servers. Our experiments demonstrate that: (1) employing our placement algorithm substantially reduces seek and rotational latency overhead during playback, and (2) exploiting the characteristics of video streams and human perceptual tolerances enables a server to support interactive scan operations without any additional overhead.
Increasing hematopoietic stem cell yield to develop mice with human immune systems.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are unique in their capacity to give rise to all mature cells of the immune system. For years, HSC transplantation has been used for treatment of genetic and neoplastic diseases of the hematopoietic and immune systems. The sourcing of HSCs from human umbilical cord blood has salient advantages over isolation from mobilized peripheral blood. However, poor sample yield has prompted development of methodologies to expand HSCs ex vivo. Cytokines, trophic factors, and small molecules have been variously used to promote survival and proliferation of HSCs in culture, whilst strategies to lower the concentration of inhibitors in the culture media have recently been applied to promote HSC expansion. In this paper, we outline strategies to expand HSCs in vitro, and to improve engraftment and reconstitution of human immune systems in immunocompromised mice. To the extent that these “humanized” mice are representative of the endogenous human immune system, they will be invaluable tools for both basic science and translational medicine.
Luminescent recombination processes of the self-trapped hole in copper-doped silver chloride

Abstract We have used a new photoluminescence technique to study the trapping luminescence of photo-holes in AgCl:Cu 2+ . In this technique, called Photo-Excitation-Emission, both the emission and excitation wavelengths are scanned, to yield a three-dimensional spectrum. The spectra at 80 K exhibit both the usual electron-hole recombination luminescence of pure AgCl and also a new luminescence at 1.97 eV (630 nm) which can be excited by photons of energy less than the band gap, and which is due to hole trapping at Cu + ions. This emission shows the substantial Stokes shift expected for a system with extensive ion relaxation.
A case of corticosteroid-responsive depression.

Geriatric depression is commonly encountered in consultation-liaison settings and is associated with greater morbidity and mortality than in younger patients. Depression in older patients is highly treatable, although many patients still do not respond adequately to treatment. It is estimated that only 60% to 70% of patients with depression respond to antidepressant therapy. The STAR*D trial was perhaps even more discouraging, reporting that only about 33% of patients achieve full symptomatic remission. As such, clarification of the pathophysiologic mechanisms of depression and development of novel treatments for refractory patients remain high priorities. Over the past several decades, there has been a great deal of work on the association of abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis with depression. It is well established that depression is frequently associated with a relative hypercortisolemia. Additionally, exogenous corticosteroids have long been known to exert a profound impact on mood regulation, with up to 10% of patients experiencing severe psychiatric adverse effects, including depression, mood cycling and psychosis. More recently, a population-based retrospective study by Fardet et al. demonstrated a 2-fold increase in the incidence of depression, and an almost 7-fold increase in the incidence of suicide or suicide attempts, in patients who were prescribed corticosteroids. These steroid-associated mood changes may occur through both indirect effects on gene transcription and direct effects on neuronal membranes and receptors. There have been several studies documenting antidepressant effects of corticosteroid antagonists, including glucocorticoid synthesis inhibitors and receptor blockers. Conversely, there have also been several small, short-term studies demonstrating an antidepressant effect of corticosteroids themselves. We recently cared for a patient with a highly refractory depression, which paradoxically remitted only when he was treated with corticosteroids for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Dissociation and phosphorylation constants for the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by a series of novel O-ethyl O-phenyl S-n-propyl phosphorothioates

Abstract The phosphorylation, dissociation, and bimolecular reaction constants were determined for several members of a series of substituted O -ethyl O -phenyl S-n -propyl phosphorothioates in the presence of substrate. The data obtained are discussed in relation to electronegativity of substituents and in vivo toxicity.
The performance of an E−l scheme for the atmospheric boundary layer in a mesoscale model with grid spacing as small as 1 km

¶A new E−l boundary layer scheme is tested within the U.S. Navy’s COAMPS model. The goal is to give COAMPS the capability to simulate mesoscale cellular convection. The new scheme is aimed to be consistent with both classic results for clear entrainment and recent calibrations, derived from large-eddy simulations, for entrainment into smoke clouds and water clouds. A parameter is included in the scheme that allows sub-grid transport to be reduced so that, when the model has 2 km grid spacing or less, more of the transport is forced to occur in resolved convection. At 2 km grid spacing, the scheme allows COAMPS to simulate the break up of a stratocumulus cloud deck into mesoscale cellular convection.
An investigation on industry-sponsored design projects' effectiveness at the first-year level: potential issues and preliminary results

This paper presents the preliminary work for developing guidelines to ensure that industry-sponsored projects in first-year courses aid, not hamper, retention of students. Specifically, the overall research plan includes the following steps: (1) investigating the appropriateness of industry projects in a required introduction to engineering design course (approximately 1000 students per year), (2) assessing the impact of industry-sponsored projects on first-year students' learning and retention, and (3) promoting an awareness of issues involved in successfully introducing industry projects in the first year. It is expected that the outcomes of this work will result in guidelines widely applicable by other institutions looking into or currently using industry projects in the first year, thereby addressing the recognized national need of increasing retention rates, especially amongst women and minorities. This paper covers a review of potential factors affecting industry-sponsored projects' appropriateness ...
Risk-Aware Attacks and Catastrophic Cascading Failures in U.S. Power Grid

The power grid network is a complex network which is subjected to attacks and cascading failures. In this paper, we study the vulnerabilities of power grid in terms of cascading failures caused by node failures. Specifically, we define three metrics, the percentage-of-failure, Required Redundancy (RED), and Risk if Failure (RIF), to represent the critical level for each node. Based on these metrics, we can easily find the optimal victim nodes which attackers should choose to attack in order to cause cascading failure. From the defense point of view, these nodes are the weakest components of the power grid system and need more protection. With the results in this paper, we can be more aware of the risk level faced by the system if some nodes are taken down. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed optimal victim nodes selection strategy.
Effect of Local Anesthetics on Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Secretion.

Anti-fibrotic and tissue regenerative mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) properties are largely mediated by secreted cytokines and growth factors. MSCs are implanted to augment joint cartilage replacement and to treat diabetic ulcers and burn injuries simultaneously with local anesthetics, which reduce pain. However, the effect of anesthetics on therapeutic human MSC secretory function has not been evaluated. In order to assess the effect of local anesthetics on the MSC secretome, a panel of four anesthetics with different potencies — lidocaine, procaine, ropivacaine and bupivacaine — was evaluated. Since injured tissues secrete inflammatory cytokines, the effects of anesthetics on MSCs stimulated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ were also measured. Dose dependent and anesthesia specific effects on cell viability, post exposure proliferation and secretory function were quantified using alamar blue reduction and immunoassays, respectively. Computational pathway analysis was performed to identify upstream regulators and molecular pathways likely associated with the effects of these chemicals on the MSC secretome. Our results indicated while neither lidocaine nor procaine greatly reduced unstimulated cell viability, ropivacaine and bupivacaine induced dose dependent viability decreases. This pattern was exaggerated in the simulated inflammatory environment. The reversibility of these effects after withdrawal of the anesthetics was attenuated for TNF-α/IFN-γ-stimulated MSCs exposed to ropivacaine and bupivacaine. In addition, secretome analysis indicated that constitutive secretion changes were clearly affected by both anesthetic alone and anesthetic plus TNFα/IFNγ cell stimulation, but the secretory pattern was drug specific and did not necessarily coincide with viability changes. Pathway analysis identified different intracellular regulators for stimulated and unstimulated MSCs. Within these groups, ropivacaine and bupivacaine appeared to act on MSCs similarly via the same regulatory mechanisms. Given the variable effect of local anesthetics on MSC viability and function, these studies underscore the need to evaluate MSC in the presence of medications, such as anesthetics, that are likely to accompany cell implantation.
Testosterone and Aggression in Male Red Jungle Fowl

We investigated the relationship between aggression, plasma testosterone level (T), and change in T in captive male red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus). T measured on day 1 of our experiment was positively correlated with T on day 8, suggesting that T remains constant in males when the social environment is stable. During aggressive encounters that escalated to include physical combat, males that attacked first (won) had increased T relative to their opponent. Males did not differ in T measured 1 week before the aggressive encounter. Our data suggest that an increase in T during aggression is associated with winning in escalated fights.
Lipocortin 1 in apoptosis: mammary regression.

Background: Enigmatically, degradation of debris generated in programmed cell death (apoptosis) elicits little inflammation. Having previously detected the upregulation of lipocortin 1 (LC1), a 35-kDa protein with anti-inflammatory and immuno-suppressive properties, at sites of non-inflammatory phagocytosis in the central nervous system (J Neurosci Res 36:491–500, 1993), we sought to determine if LC1 was involved in apoptosis. Methods: LC1 immunoreactivity in mammary glands of adult rats was quantified in situ using video microdensitometry before and during postlactational regression. Results: LC1 is present in the mammary ducts but is absent from the alveoli during lactation. One day after weaning, however, LC1 is detected in the lactiferous cells and, as apoptosis proceeds over the ensuing 4 days, total LC1 in the gland increases >10-fold over resting levels. LC1 remains high in both the apoptotic cells and epithelial phagocytes through day 10, but the total LC1 per gland drops as the apoptotic cells are cleared. Conclusions: Published experiments have shown that LC1 specifically binds Ca++ and phosphatidylserine, and that these affinities are modulated by tyrosine phosphorylation and cross-linking with transglutaminase. Thus, LC1 appears to be a candidate for several putative activities in apoptosis (e.g., phagocyte recognition via phosphatidylserine binding and/or buffering intracellular Ca++) in addition to its anti-inflammatory role. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Biosynthesis of cardiotonic sterols from cholesterol in the toad, Bufo marinus

Abstract 1. 1. The synthesis of the cardiotonic sterols, marinobufagin and marinobufotoxin, has been demonstrated in the toad, Bufo marinus . 2. 2. Approximately 2% of administered cholesterol-4-C 14 is converted to the sterol lactones in a 75-day period. No incorporation of acetate-C 14 was detected.
Kinematic analysis of the large‐scale mean state during phases I, II and III of GATE

An analysis is presented of the large-scale mean state kinematic properties of the wind field based on observed rawinsonde data taken over western Africa and the eastern Atlantic during Phases I, II, and III of GATE. Variables presented are wind direction and speed, zonal wind component, temporal standard deviation of the zonal wind component, vertical p-velocity and relative vorticity. Wind direction and speed and temporal standard deviation of zonal wind were subjectively analysed at the surface, 850mb, 700mb, 500mb, 400mb, 300mb, 250mb, 200mb, 150mb and 100mb. Grid point data were extracted from analyzed charts at increments of 2° latitude and longitude and used to compute vertical motion and vorticity. Resultant analyses are examined to determine kinematic properties common to all three phases of GATE, trends in these properties from one phase to the next, and differences between properties over western Africa (land) and the eastern Atlantic (water). Features of the mean state are compared with results obtained by other investigators for such phenomena as large-scale westward propagating wave disturbances, low-level cyclonic vortices, satellite-derived precipitation and cloud clusters associated with squall lines.
Lack of prothrombin gene mutation in young stroke patients

Abstract There is an increased incidence of hematologic abnormalities in young stroke patients. The prothrombin gene G20210A mutation (PGM) is a newly described risk factor found in association with clotting disorders. Currently, a clear association of PGM with arterial stroke has not been described. This article examines the frequency of PGM in a consecutive series of young stroke patients. All patients who were 55 years of age or younger who were admitted to the Oregon Health Sciences University for arterial stroke between December 1, 1997 and August 31, 1998 were examined for the PGM. Plasma was analyzed at the Medical Genetics Center at Oregon Health Sciences University. We identified 42 young stroke patients with a mean age of 43 (range, 19 to 55); 48% were women. Thirty-eight patients had plasma tested for PGM. The cause of stroke in 6 patients (14%) was believed to be secondary to atherosclerosis, 4 (10%) had strokes caused by cardioembolism, 9 (21%) were lacunar, 5 (12%) were secondary to dissection, and 12 (28%) were idiopathic. No patient in the study carried the PGM. The defined frequency of PGM in our laboratory in the healthy population is 2.05%. We found no association of PGM with stroke in the 38 patients studied. PGM does not appear to be a risk factor for arterial stroke in this high-risk population. However, the small sample size warrants further study.
Controlling Generator MVAR Loadings Using a Static Optimization Technique

The utilization of EHV networks and underground cables in today's modern power system has created a reactive power control problem. In particular, system generators are being forced to absorb large quantities of reactive power to maintain system voltage.
Occluded solution chemistry control and the role of alloy sulfur on the initiation of crevice corrosion in type 304ss

Abstract Because sulfide inclusions are recognized as the primary initiation sites for localized corrosion of austenitic stainless steels, the influence of alloy sulfur on the crevice solution chemistry and nature of the surface in the crevice at initiation were investigated. Through the coordinated use of occluded solution analysis, high resolution TEM⧹EDS, small-spot XPS, and electrochemical measurements, the dominance of the effects of occluded solution chemistry evolution on the initiation of crevice corrosion was shown. The chemical dissolution of MnS inclusions to form aqueous sulfide increases the corrosivity of the low pH, high [Cl−] occluded solution until crevice corrosion occurs at rates on the order of 35 mA cm [2] for an applied potential of +0.05 VSCE. Neither ohmic potential drop, nor changes in local pH and⧹or [Cl−] alone can rationalize the crevice dissolution rates observed without the addition of aqueous sulfide to the solution. No evidence was found for salt film formation or enrichment⧹deposition of elemental sulfur on the corroding surfaces.
Supporting Continuous Range Queries in Indoor Space

Range query processing is an important technology in spatial databases. Current studies mainly focus on range queries in outdoor space based on the Euclidean or network distances, but rarely any approach is proposed for indoor space. In this paper, we present two network-based approaches to supporting stationary range queries and continuous range queries for indoor space. There are several challenges involved in designing these approaches. First, having no explicit network construction in indoor space makes it difficult to precisely determine the distances between objects. Second, users can walk to anywhere in the building, which makes it hard to predict users’ movements for continuous range queries. Our proposed approaches can overcome these challenges and efficiently support range queries in indoor space.
Multiple-channel sensing with fiber specklegrams

Analyses and experiments indicate that fiber specklegrams are highly sensitive to the modal phases of the fiber, not vulnerable to environmental factors, and possess a very narrow spectral response bandwidth. The unique feature of the fiber specklegram is its multiplexing capability. Applications of fiber specklegrams to multiple channel fiber sensing are proposed.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Prediction of the deficit syndrome from initial deficit symptoms in the early course of schizophrenia

The Proxy for the Deficit Syndrome (PDS) was used with longitudinal symptom assessment data to identify recent-onset schizophrenia patients with the deficit syndrome. We evaluated the stability of deficit symptoms using repeated assessments. Symptom ratings were examined at an initial point of outpatient stabilization on antipsychotic medication as well as prospectively over the subsequent 12 months of outpatient treatment and assessment in 83 recent-onset schizophrenia patients. The vast majority of patients who were classified as non-deficit at the cross-sectional baseline assessment continued to remain non-deficit throughout the first year of treatment. However, patients classified as deficit at baseline did not consistently remain classified as showing deficit syndrome during the follow-through period. Thus, the presence of deficit symptoms detected in a single cross-sectional rating may be an inaccurate way to rate the deficit syndrome, yielding excessive false positives. Our use of longitudinal data allowed the stability criterion of the deficit syndrome to be evaluated using the PDS.
Spindle cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity

Spindle cell carcinoma (SpCC) is a unique variant of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). SpCC confined to the nasal cavity is extremely rare, with only one case having been previously reported. We present a case report of nasal cavity SpCC and review the literature on this rare entity. A 29-year-old male presented with intermittent epistaxis from the left nasal cavity. On physical examination, the patient had an ulcerated mass in the left nasal vestibule and a biopsy showed a proliferation of spindle and epitheliod cells. The patient underwent wide local excision of the mass via a lateral alotomy approach and reconstruction with a composite conchal bowl skin and cartilage graft. Histologically, the mass had dyplastic squamous epithelium and spindle-shaped cells admixed with epitheliod cells. Immunohistochemistry was only positive for pancytokeratin AE1/AE3 and vimentin. Six months after surgery, the patient continues to have no evidence of disease. On literature review, only one previous case of SpCC confined to the nasal cavity was identified. We present a rare case of nasal cavity SpCC. No definite treatment protocol exists for this unique entity, but we believe that this tumor should primarily be treated with aggressive, wide local excision. Adjuvant radiation and/or chemotherapy have also been used anecdotally.