cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Addiction: An Emergent Consequence of Elementary Choice Principles

ABSTRACT Clinicians, researchers and the informed public have come to view addiction as a brain disease. However, in nature even extreme events often reflect normal processes, for instance the principles of plate tectonics explain earthquakes as well as the gradual changes in the face of the earth. In the same way, excessive drug use is predicted by general principles of choice. One of the implications of this result is that drugs do not turn addicts into compulsive drug users; they retain the capacity to say ‘no’. In support of the logical implications of the choice theory approach to addiction, research reveals that most addicts quit using drugs by about age 30, that most quit without professional help, that the correlates of quitting are the correlates of decision making, and, according to the most recent epidemiological evidence, the probability of quitting remains constant over time and independent of the onset of dependence. This last result implies that, after an initial period of heavy drug use, r...
Serum concentrations of digoxin entrapped in liposomes after intravenous administration in dogs.

1. Digoxin was associated into phosphotidylcholine liposomes at concentrations of 28-33 mol% in Hank's Buffer, pH 7.4 at 28 degrees C. 2. Digoxin-liposomes (digoxin concentration 0.022 mg/kg per dog per day) administered intravenously in five adult male dogs attained therapeutic serum concentrations (0.7-3.0 ng/ml) beginning with day 1 of administration. 3. Digoxin serum concentrations obtained by intravenous digoxin-liposomes compared favorably with normal oral digoxin administration (0.022 mg/kg per dog per day) in all 5 dogs monitoring serum digoxin levels for 7 days showed no significant (P < 0.05) differences in mean serum digoxin concentrations +/- s.e.m. on 6 of 7 days of treatments.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE DEPENDENCY STRUCTURE BETWEEN A GILT'S PREBREEDING AND REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS. II. PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS

SUMMARY Seventeen variables measured before breeding and three measures of reproduction were taken on 339 purebred Duroc, Hampshire and Yorkshire gilts and 192 two-breed cross gilts resulting from matings among these breeds. Eight principal components accounted for 90% of the dependency structure existing among the 17 traits measured before breeding. Two principal components accounted for 97% of the dependency structure existing among the three reproductive traits. The first principal component (PCll) from the prebreeding traits was a general measure of growth ability and accounted for 28% of the variation in the 17 measurements. The second principal component (PC12) contrasted slow growing gilts from fast growing litters with fast growing gilts from slow growing litters and accounted for 14.5% of the total variation. The heritability for PC11 was .71 and indicates that selection for gilts with high values for PCll (above .average growth) would be very successful. The first principal component (PC21) from the reproductive traits contrasted gilts having large numbers of embryos and good embryo survival with gilts having few embryos and poor embryo survival. The second principal component (PC22) contrasted gilts having high ovula
Beyond steric hindrance: The role of adhesion signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of pemphigus

Epidermal cell adhesion depends on the intercellular interactions of transmembrane cadherin glycoproteins, which form the basis of adherens junctions and desmosomes. Pemphigus is a blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes characterized by autoantibodies against the cell surface desmosomal cadherins, desmoglein (Dsg) 3 and Dsg1. An unanswered question in pemphigus pathophysiology is the mechanism of acantholysis, or loss of keratinocyte cell adhesion. One longstanding theory for pemphigus pathogenesis is the concept of steric hindrance, in which pathogenic pemphigus autoantibodies cause loss of intercellular adhesion by directly interfering with desmosomal cadherin trans-interactions. However, several recent studies have demonstrated that modulation of p38MAPK, Rho family GTPase, c-myc, protein kinase C, and phospholipase C signaling pathways prevents keratinocyte dissociation induced by pemphigus autoantibodies. As it is unlikely that desmosomal signaling would occur only in response to pemphigus autoantibodies, these studies suggest that numerous different signaling molecules may play a role in desmosomal homeostasis. Many of these same signaling pathways regulate classical cadherins in adherens junctions. Given the recent discovery of bidirectional crosstalk between adherens junctions and desmosomes, it would be valuable to understand how signaling pathways implicated in pemphigus pathogenesis may be involved in more general mechanisms of desmosome and adherens junction regulation. In this review, we will summarize the evidence supporting a role for steric hindrance and signaling mechanisms in the pathogenesis of pemphigus acantholysis and discuss potential analogues in the classical cadherin literature.
Microgel-encapsulated methylene blue for the treatment of breast cancer cells by photodynamic therapy.

ing. The effect of methylene blue was evaluated using the MCF­7 cell line. Results: Loading of methylene blue in core PNIPAM mi­ crogel was higher than that in the core/shell PNIPAM­co­PAA mi­ crogel, indicating that electrostatic interactions did not play an important role in loading a cationic drug. This behavior is probably due to the skin layer inhibiting the high uptake of drugs in the PNIPAM­co­PAA microgel. Core PNIPAM microgel effectively re­ tained the cationic drug (i.e., methylene blue) for several hours compared to core/shell PNIPAM­co­PAA and enhanced its pho­ todynamic efficacy in vitro more than that of free methylene blue. Conclusion: Our results showed that the employment of core PNI­ PAM and core/shell PNIPAM­co­PAA microgels enhanced the encapsulation of methylene blue. Core PNIPAM microgel released the drug more slowly than did core/shell PNIPAM­co­PAA, and it effectively inhibited the growth of MCF­7 cells.
The Mach 6 Quiet Tunnel at Texas A&M: Quiet Flow Performance

The Mach 6 Quiet Tunnel (M6QT), the hypersonic low-disturbance facility formerly at NASA Langley, has been permanently installed as part of the Texas A&M National Aerothermochemistry Laboratory (TAMU-NAL) in College Station, Texas. The tunnel now operates interchangeably with the Adaptively Controlled Expansion Mach 5-8 tunnel (ACE) in a blowdown configuration with a maximum runtime of approximately 50 seconds. An initial series of tests to determine the quiet-flow capabilities of the nozzle indicate performance largely consistent with its former operation at NASA Langley, with evidence of a full-length quiet test core at stagnation pressures up to 145 psia. Intermittency present in the pressure signals at total pressures above 80 psia is quantified and discussed. In addition, the capability of the tunnel to support future flared-cone experimental models is demonstrated.
Self-Perpetuation Family Organization Built on Values: Necessary Condition for Long-Term Family Business Survival

Family businesses have long been conceptualized in terms of overlapping and interacting management, ownership, governance, and family systems. As family businesses evolve and develop across generations, observing progress in each of the requisite systems presents a variety of challenges. This article demonstrates the importance of family organization to the systems of management, ownership, governance, and family as a family business evolves over time.
Catalytic oxidation of toluene and tetralin in superoritical carbon dioxide

The catalytic total oxidation of toluene and tetrahydronaphthalene (tetralin) in super-critical carbon dioxide over a 0.5% platinum γ -alumina catalyst was studied in a fixed-bed reactor. Toluene oxidation experiments were performed at 618, 633, 648 and 663 K, and at 7.93, 9.31 and 10.7 MPa. Tetralin oxidation experiments were performed at 573, 598, 623 and 648 K and at 8.96and 10.0 MPa Inlet concentrations of toluene and tetralin were varied in the ranges 569 to 2,858 ppm (mass/mass) and 1,420 to 3,648 ppm, respectively. Reactions were run at excess oxygen with a 25:1 molar ratio of oxygen to toluene and a 15:1 molar ratio of oxygen to tetralin. A stepwise mechanism was postulated for the oxidation reaction to describe the kinetics of toluence and tetralin oxidation in supercritical carbon dioxide, and the reaction orders and activation energies were determined.
Analytical strategies for studying stem cell metabolism

Owing to their capacity for self-renewal and pluripotency, stem cells possess untold potential for revolutionizing the field of regenerative medicine through the development of novel therapeutic strategies for treating cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Central to developing these strategies is improving our understanding of biological mechanisms responsible for governing stem cell fate and self-renewal. Increasing attention is being given to the significance of metabolism, through the production of energy and generation of small molecules, as a critical regulator of stem cell functioning. Rapid advances in the field of metabolomics now allow for in-depth profiling of stem cells both in vitro and in vivo, providing a systems perspective on key metabolic and molecular pathways which influence stem cell biology. Understanding the analytical platforms and techniques that are currently used to study stem cell metabolomics, as well as how new insights can be derived from this knowledge, will accelerate new research in the field and improve future efforts to expand our understanding of the interplay between metabolism and stem cell biology.
Bandwidth optimization for high speed data transmission over channels with severe intersymbol interference

Algorithms are presented for finding the optimal transmission bandwidth in terms of either maximizing the overall data throughput or maximizing the system performance margin, given a fixed target data rate, for high speed data transmission over channels with severe intersymbol interference. The system is constrained to have an equipartition of energy over the entire transmission band used at the input to the channel. This yields suboptimal performance relative to the system based on a water-pouring transmit energy distribution. Although the performance degradation is typically negligible, the proposed bandwidth optimization procedures offer a significant computational advantage. It is shown that the procedures apply equally well to multicarrier and single-carrier modulation/equalization techniques. The procedures are applied to the recently proposed asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) service, and performance projections based on computer simulation are presented for two canonical test loops. >
Invariants of three-dimensional contours

Invariants of three-dimensional contours are derived from the elliptic Fourier descriptor. A 3-D closed curve is described by a set of feature ellipses in 3-D space. These feature ellipses will have fixed lengths of major and minor axes no matter where the contour is located. Besides, the relative orientations among the ellipses will not vary. The derived invariants are implicit functions of these axes lengths as well as the angles defining the relative orientations. These invariants can be used for object recognition without having the complete surface data. >
The effect of experimental devascularization on gastric mucosa.

Devascularization of the stomach by surgical interruption of the major portion of the arterial blood supply has been reported by Somervell1 to be successful in relieving symptoms and hyperacidity and in preventing recurrence in patients with peptic ulcer. The rationale of this "physiological gastrectomy" is to deprive the secretory portion of the gastric mucosa of its vascular supply and thereby impair its function. Somervell has performed this operation in combination with a posterior gastroenterostomy over 400 times with one death. Late follow-up in 82 cases had revealed only one recurrence of symptoms and a consistent reduction of gastric acidity at the time of his report. The author postulated that an ischemic atrophy of the acid and pepsin secreting cells of the mucosa occurred with a result comparable to surgical excision of the greater part of the secreting portion of the stomach. The validity of this assumption, however, was not confirmed by microscopic study of the gastric mucosa inasmuch as there was no occasion to secure post-recovery biopsy material from any of his cases. In 1932, Bernheim2 reported that any amount of devascularization short of a total devascularization failed to produce ulcers or macroscopic change in the gastric mucosa of dogs, or any material change in the gastric acidity. Total devascularization rapidly produced gangrene of the greater curvature. Brenckman3 reported that a month after almost complete de-arterialization of the stomach of dogs the mucosa seemed normal save for the appearance of being less vascular. Here and there in circular and longitudinal muscle layers of the stomach, patches of hyaline degeneration were found. No change in the acidity was noted. Babkin4 et aI, showed that the dog's stomach resists the reduction of its blood supply well. Tying most of the arteries in their experience never led to formation of peptic ulcers or mucosal ulcerations, and did not diminish the volume, acidity or peptic activity of gastric secretion. Occasionally localized foci of gangrenous degeneration in the gastric mucosa resulted; but even in animals in which this occurred acid was present in the gastric juice. Layne and Bergh5 found no changes in the gross or microscopic appearance of the mucosa of three dogs following ligation of two or three major arteries of the stomach. No significant alterations in the acid gastric secretion or the gastroscopic appearance was noted in their series of nine dogs. Freeman6 reported gastroscopic studies in man following ligation of a large
Electromagnetic Studies of Few Body Systems Using Blast

The MIT-Bates Linear Accelerator Center is presently installing a pulse stretcher ring. This upgrade will provide continuous, high current, polarized beams of electrons up to 1 GeV energy. A collaboration has formed to develop and install the Bates Large Acceptance Spectrometer Toroid (BLAST) at the ring internal target area. Concurrently, members of the collaboration are developing polarized and unpolarized internal targets. I will describe the facility under development, outline the broad scope of the approved program for studying few body nuclei, and focus on simulations of a few planned triple coincidence reactions.
The Effects of Automation Reliability and Multi-tasking on Trust and Reliance in a Simulated Unmanned System Control Task

This study examined the effects of automation reliability and multi-tasking on trust and reliance in a simulated unmanned system scenario. Participants performed an insurgent search task with the help of an automated aid that provided information about targets with varying levels of reliability (high, medium, and low). In addition, a multi-tasking condition was implemented in which a radio communication assignment designed to increase cognitive demand was performed. Results indicated that participants were not able to accurately assess the true reliability of the automated aid in any condition, and were unable to discriminate between low and medium reliability. Results from the multi-tasking manipulation show that participants were more reliant upon the automated aid when the secondary task was present. Overall, this study provides insight into the patterns of trust calibration errors that may negatively affect performance in human-machine teams, particularly when additional task pressure is present.
Is serial homicide really increasing

Close examination of the available crime data reveals little scientific support for the widely held belief that serial homicide is frequent and increasing. The author argues that the dramatic changes in homicide clearance rates, incidence of murders with unknown motives, and victim gender data point to a likely increase, not in serial murder, but in contract murder. This type of killing appears to be having a significant impact on society; yet there has been a complete absence of forensic psychiatric study of this crime, a circumstance that needs to change.
Effect of Porosity on Mechanical Properties of Rubber

Abstract Cylindrical samples, with different shape factors and levels of porosity, were prepared from a model EPDM compound and tested in compression. The modulus was reduced considerably with the introduction of porosity, especially when the shape factor was high. The stress-strain curves showed nonlinearity which depends on the shape factor and porosity level, and is related to bubble closure. The apparent modulus of bonded blocks was found to consist of two components: homogeneous compression modulus and a hydrostatic contribution. The first was obtained by compression of blocks between lubricated compression plates. It can be predicted from analytical expressions adapted from composite theories for high density foams in tension. The second arises from the pressure buildup inside the bonded blocks and depends on the shape factor and the porosity level. These moduli, after correcting for compressibility, were used to develop approximate relations describing the stress-strain curves of porous bonded bloc...
In situ anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering studies of platinum nanoparticle fuel cell electrocatalyst degradation.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) are a promising high-efficiency energy conversion technology, but their cost-effective implementation, especially for automotive power, has been hindered by degradation of the electrochemically active surface area (ECA) of the Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts. While numerous studies using ex situ post-mortem techniques have provided insight into the effect of operating conditions on ECA loss, the governing mechanisms and underlying processes are not fully understood. Toward the goal of elucidating the electrocatalyst degradation mechanisms, we have followed Pt nanoparticle growth during potential cycling of the electrocatalyst in an aqueous acidic environment using in situ anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering (ASAXS). ASAXS patterns were analyzed to obtain particle size distributions (PSDs) of the Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts at periodic intervals during the potential cycling. Oxide coverages reached under the applied potential cycling protocols were both calcu...
Using Consumer Complaints to Characterize Contamination Events in a Water Distribution System

Water distribution systems (WDS) are vulnerable to accidental contamination events and intentional attacks that may cause dire effects on public health. In the event of water contamination, consumers may complain about unusual color, smell, or taste of their drinking water to their local water utility. Utility managers use this information to implement response actions that address the water quality problem. To maximize the effect of the response actions, the location of the source of contamination should be known. Consumer complaints can be used to identify the source. Since consumers behave in a complex manner depending on their characteristics (i.e. age, gender, mobility, and water consumption habits), complexity is added to the existing dynamics and complexity of WDS modeling. An Agentbased Model (ABM) is used to simulate complex consumer actions within a WDS during a contamination event. ABM and a WDS simulation model are coupled with an evolutionary algorithm to solve for the contamination source characteristics. However, since consumer behavior is less predictable, the use of their complaints to identify the source of contamination may not always lead to one unique source. Nonuniqueness within a WDS makes it difficult for utility managers to implement optimal response actions. To address the problem of non-uniqueness, alternative sources of contamination are generated.
Fetal echocardiographic findings are not predictive of death in twin-twin transfusion syndrome.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine whether fetal echocardiographic findings are predictive of prognosis in recipient fetuses with twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Methods. A cohort of 30 pregnancies with TTTS between 1990 and 2001 was included. Diagnosis and staging of TTTS were made according to the Quintero system. Fetal echocardiographic findings of cardiomegaly, right ventricular hypertrophy, and tricuspid regurgitation were evaluated for relationship with fetal death. Power analysis revealed an approximately 80% power to detect a 2-fold increased risk of fetal death, with α = .05. Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between echocardiographic findings and death. Results. Most pregnancies were Quintero stage 1, n = 13 (43%), and ranged in severity to Quintero stage 5, n = 4 (13%). Cardiac findings in the recipient fetus that were assessed for a relationship with death included cardiomegaly at the initial appearance of TTTS or at the most severe evaluation findings, right ventricular hypertrophy at initial appearance or at the most severe evaluation findings, or tricuspid regurgitation at initial appearance or at the most severe evaluation findings. Fetal or neonatal death in the recipient twin was not related to the presence of cardiac findings (odds ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.16‐3.74). Conclusions. Fetal echocardiographic findings, whether evaluated at initial appearance or over the course of serial evaluations, were not
An Exploratory Study of Ethnic Minority Students’ Constraints to and Facilitators of Engaging in Campus Recreation

A positive relationship exists between student engagement, student success, and institutional retention rates. Ethnic minority student retention rates are lower than those of the dominant culture. Campus recreation programs play a role in improving upon this situation. This study’s purpose was to explore constraints to and facilitators of ethnic minority students’ participation in campus recreation. Three focus groups were conducted with 22 ethnic minority students (female n = 14, male n = 8; freshman through senior year). Results revealed four constraints (i.e., organizational, lack of time, gender, cultural) to and six facilitators (i.e., social dynamics of campus recreation facilities, health maintenance, personal growth, maintaining cultural connections, facility and services, accountability) of participation. Strategies for creating more inclusive campus recreation environments and programming to increase student engagement and retention are proposed (e.g., ensuring equitable use of shared spaces, fa...
Regulation of the Deposition Morphology of Inkjet-Printed Crystalline Materials via Polydopamine Functional Coatings for Highly Uniform and Electrically Conductive Patterns

We report a method to achieve highly uniform inkjet-printed silver nitrate (AgNO3) and a reactive silver precursor patterns on rigid and flexible substrates functionalized with polydopamine (PDA) coatings. The printed AgNO3 patterns on PDA-coated substrates (glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) exhibit a narrow thickness distribution ranging between 0.9 and 1 μm in the line transverse direction and uniform deposition profiles in the line axial direction. The deposited reactive silver precursor patterns on PDA-functionalized substrates also show “dome-shaped” morphology without “edge-thickened” structure due to “coffee-stain” effect. We posit that the highly uniform functional ink deposits formed on PDA-coated substrates are attributable to the strong binding interaction between the abundant catecholamine moieties at the PDA surface and the metallic silver cations (Ag+ or Ag(NH3)2+) in the solutal inks. During printing of the ink rivulet and solvent evaporation, the substrate–liquid ink (S–L) interf...
Quantitative Models of Thermal Damage to Cells and Tissues

Abstract Quantitative models of the responses of proteins, cells, and tissues to elevated temperatures can aid in the design of new thermal therapies and improved treatments of accidental burns. Cellular responses to heating represent significant challenges to modeling. As temperature increases from its normal physiological value, cells may develop mechanisms of thermotolerance. Further increases in temperature may cause cells to undergo apoptosis, necroptosis, or necrosis, depending on the temperature level and duration of heating. Most models of cellular response are based on chemical kinetics, with the needed parameters being determined from measurements of cell survival. Models based on chemical kinetics have also been used to describe the denaturation of structural proteins such as collagen. Gross changes in collagen as it denatures include shrinking and loss of birefringence. The complex nature of most tissues, composed of cells and structural proteins, as well as other components, have led to models such as Henriques burn model and equivalent heating time at 43 °C. While models like these are valuable for their relative simplicity and their ability to capture the gross behavior for many conditions, they can miss details of some responses.
Conceptual Framework: Marginalized Children and Their Teachers

In this chapter we introduce our conceptual framework for understanding the complex processes that lead to the educational marginalization of children through differential access to teacher quality. We first discuss the relationship between education and marginalization and describe key processes that marginalize children. We then relate educational marginalization directly to the quality and distribution of teachers. This discussion leads to our presentation of the teacher labor markets framework that informs our subsequent examination of the teachers of marginalized children in India, Tanzania, and Mexico.
Subspace-based SIMO blind channel identification: Asymptotic performance comparison

Blind identification of multiple channels using only second order statistics has been a subject of research since the early 1990s. Two methods of estimating multiple channels, the Cross-Relations (CR) and Noise Subspace (SS) methods, have received attention in previous works for their simple implementation and performance in situations where the channel identifiability conditions are easily met. However, in practice, this is not always the case, particularly since the conditions imply that the channel order is known. Channel order determination may also not be practical depending on the channels observed. Asymptotic results have been given in numerous works for both methods, with different prior distributions assumed for the signal, and under a quadratic (unit energy) constraint on the channels. Previous work has suggested that a linear constraint, as well as l-1 regularization to promote sparsity, may help improve performance when the channels are unidentifiable in practice due to unknown channel order. In this work, the CR and SS methods are reviewed, and the asymptotic performance of both methods is examined though theory and simulation under quadratic and linear constraints, as well as with regularization, when the transmitted signal is a real sequence of IID symbols.
Cognitive Interviews: Designing Survey Questions for Adolescents

The Flourishing Children Project responds to a call for rigorous indicators of positive development in adolescents by creating scales for 19 constructs of positive development in the categories of flourishing in school and work, personal flourishing, flourishing in relationships, relationship skills, helping others to flourish, and environmental stewardship. Each scale can be used alone or in combination to fill gaps in available measures of important constructs of adolescent flourishing. This chapter describes how items for the scales were developed, revised, and tested in cognitive interviews to ensure that items in the scales assessed each construct as it was conceptually defined and that items could be answered by respondents. To test the validity of items and identify problems with item wording, three rounds of cognitive interviews with adolescents ages 12–17 years and parents were conducted in 15 cities across the United States. A variety of techniques were used in the interviews, including concurrent and retrospective “think alouds,” follow-up probes, paraphrasing, and the use of semistructured, open-ended items. Sixty-eight cognitive interviews were conducted with adolescents and 23 parallel interviews were completed with parents. The adolescent sample was spread across racial/ethnic, age (12–13 years old and 14–17 years old), and income groups.
32. Safety Studies Towards a Combined Cell and Gene Therapy To Treat Critical Limb Ischemia

Over 240 clinical trials are in progress worldwide using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Some critical advantages of MSCs include simple isolation and expansion, and ease for allogeneic applications due to their immune evading properties. MSCs produce many paracrine signals that promote tissue regeneration, though at sub-therapeutic levels. We have therefore developed a product that combines cell and gene therapy, by engineering MSCs to overexpress vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Here we show our preclinical data that not only confirms the efficacy of our product (MSC-VEGF), but addresses multiple safety aspects. Here, MSCs are transduced with a GMP-grade lentiviral vector to obtain an average of one copy per cell (ranging from 0.8 to 1.3), minimizing occurrence of insertional mutagenesis. The secretion of VEGF is optimized by using a previously clinically evaluated constitutive promoter (MNDU3) and an enhancer element acting in cis (WPRE). Safety studies at this level of secretion (approx. 80pg/ml VEGF secreted per 1000 cells per 24 hours) did not cause edema or hemangiomas in immune deficient NOD/SCID IL-2R-gnull/null (NSG) mice. The genomic stability of MSC-VEGF was addressed by karyotyping analysis, where no abnormalities were found in MSCs transduced with increasing viral loads, and by PCR to evaluate potential genomic rearrangement of the insert. To rule out tumorigenicity of MSC-VEGF, cells transduced with increased viral load were in injected into NSG mice. In contrast to 3 distinct positive controls used, no tumors were detected in over 50 mice treated with MSC-VEGF up to 6 months after injection. Additional safety studies included confirmation by flow cytometry of homogeneity of the transduction level of MSC-VEGF, absence of replication competent lentivirus, freedom of endotoxin, mycoplasma and absence VSV-G viral envelope coding plasmid. Luciferase-expressing MSC-VEGF consistently decreased to undetectable levels by 28 days after injection and PCR confirmed the absence of human DNA 6 months after injection. Pilot efficacy studies using MSC-VEGF in an immune deficient mouse model of hind limb ischemia (HLI) have been completed. MSC-VEGF were injected IM the day after HLI surgery into the ischemic limbs of NSG mice and blood flow was monitored weekly, demonstrating that MSC-VEGF treatment leads to faster revascularization than control treatment. Furthermore, we show that a small percentage of injected MSC-VEGF take a pericyte position on blood vessels. While future assays are intended as IND-enabling safety studies, these pre-clinical safety and efficacy studies are directed towards our planned Phase I clinical trial.
Local Antibody in Semen for Rapid Diagnosis of Chlamydia Trachomatis Epididymitis

AbstractEtiologic studies including micro-immunofluorescence serology for Chlamydia trachomatis were done on 45 consecutive men with acute epididymitis. Of the men 21, all less than 35 years old, had type specific Chlamydia trachomatis antibody in the semen. All patients with semen antibody also had Chlamydia trachomatis antibody in the serum, while only a few of the patients without semen antibody had serum antibody. Chlamydia antibody titers in the semen specimens were higher than those in the sera and they persisted longer. In only 1 patient with semen antibody was another potential etiological agent for epididymitis demonstrated, while most of the patients without semen antibody had bacterial causes for the epididymitis. It was concluded that measurement of Chlamydia trachomatis antibody in semen offered a noninvasive, sensitive and specific method, useful despite prior antibiotic therapy, for diagnosis of the etiology of epididymitis in young men.
Access to Pharmacotherapy Amongst Women with Bipolar Disorder during Pregnancy: a Preliminary Study

Bipolar disorder among pregnant women has deleterious effects on birth and child outcomes and is currently under-detected, not addressed effectively, or exacerbated through inappropriate treatment. The goal of this study was to identify perspectives of pregnant and postpartum women with bipolar disorder on barriers and facilitators to psychiatric treatment during pregnancy. In-depth interviews were conducted with pregnant and postpartum women who scored ≥ 10 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and met DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder I, II or not otherwise specified using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview version 5.0. Interviews were transcribed, and resulting data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to identify barriers and facilitators to bipolar disorder treatment access in pregnancy. Participant identified barriers included perception that psychiatric providers lack training and experience in the treatment of psychiatric illness during pregnancy, are reluctant to treat bipolar disorder among pregnant women, and believe that pharmacotherapy is not needed for psychiatric illness during pregnancy. Facilitators included participants’ perception that providers’ acknowledge risks associated with untreated or undertreated psychiatric illness during pregnancy and provide psycho-education about the risks, benefits and alternatives to pharmacotherapy. Psychiatric providers are critically important to the treatment of bipolar disorder and need knowledge and skills necessary to provide care during the perinatal period. Advancing psychiatric providers' knowledge/skills may improve access to pharmacotherapy for pregnant women with bipolar disorder.
Using virtualization to quantify power conservation via near-threshold voltage reduction for inherently resilient applications

Abstract Power efficiency nowadays is a mainstream pressing issue in High Performance Computing (HPC), due to limited power supply capability of current and projected supercomputers. As a promising solution, leveraging inherent application resilience to relax power requirements of HPC runs can effectively save power with minor/acceptable loss of output quality. However, the challenges of this approach lie in: (a) how to reduce power usage of HPC runs online within allowable maximum extent such that quality metrics of applications can be satisfied, and (b) how to identify potential intrinsic nature of fault tolerance in general for an application. Existing efforts to date fail to address both challenges systematically and efficiently. In this work, based on virtualization and near-threshold voltage reduction techniques, we propose an empirical framework named V-Power to save the most power for inherently resilient applications. As an integrated empirical system, our approach effectively addresses the two above challenges using quantitative and fine-grained application inherent resilience analysis and frequency-independent near-threshold voltage reduction. Experimental results for a wide spectrum of scientific applications running on a 40-core power-aware server demonstrate that V-Power is capable of saving power up to 12.3%, resulting in a failure rate with acceptable program outputs.
Systemic Factors Affecting the Radioprotective Effectiveness of Phosphorothioates

The ability of sulfhydryl-containing drugs to trap free radicals and to form mixed disulfides is undoubtedly a requirement for significant radioprotection in vivo, but it is somewhat of an oversimplification to assume that their relative effectiveness in vivo is solely, or even primarily, a reflection of their respective abilities to participate in these physico-chemical interactions. Alternatively, we suggest that the major determinant of in vivo protection for these sulfur-containing drugs is their interaction with the host. These interactions, which will be referred to as systemic factors, appear responsible not only for the variability in response of normal tissues to a single drug, but also of a single tissue to multiple drugs. More specifically, our proposal states that all radioprotective drugs would be equally effective if one could obtain similar intracellular levels of each; that individual tissues differ in their responsiveness to the protective influences of the drugs; and that drug-induced pharmacologic reactions can alter the relationship between the intracellular drug level and the observed protection.
Dangers of Psychologism: The Place of God in Psychology:

The author offers a philosophy of science intended to inform the task of integration by delimiting the scope of psychological inquiry. An etymological survey of the term psychology clarifies the ch...
Quality of life and psychological well-being in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS): Importance of adopting a biopsychosocial model

Abstract Background Reductions in quality of life (QOL) exist among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective The present investigation aimed to adopt a biopsychosocial model in examining QOL in the early stages of MS. Methods Individuals with MS (34 with average to low QOL and 35 with high QOL) were compared on measures of disease symptoms, psychological functioning, personality, self-efficacy, locus of control (LOC), social support, and coping to determine the most salient predictors of QOL. Results Individuals were matched on disease course and duration. Individuals with lower QOL reported more fatigue, sleep problems, pain, depression, and anxiety (d = 0.83–1.49, p's Conclusion Even early on in the illness, there exists differing levels of QOL. Identifying the psychological and social variables as well as the disease related factors is important, and in this case, may make a much greater contribution. Efforts to assure routine assessment and effective intervention aimed at these factors are warranted, particularly as an early intervention to assure maintenance/improvement in QOL among individuals with MS.
On the Limits of “Trans Enough”: Authenticating Trans Identity Narratives:

Existing (binary) understandings of gender affirm some types of gendered accounts as “authentic,” while others are discredited or obscured. As a consequence, many transgender people express anxiety...
Muscle Dysmorphia: Where Body Image Obsession, Compulsive Exercise, Disordered Eating, and Substance Abuse Intersect in Susceptible Males

A growing number of adolescent and adult males are dissatisfied, preoccupied - even impaired by concerns about their physical appearance. Feelings of discontent and insecurity can lead to disordered eating and substance abuse when males compare themselves against popularized cultural standards of attractiveness and see themselves falling short. When body image dissatisfaction, compulsive exercise, and food intake dysregulation combine and intensify, risk increases for a psychiatric condition identified within the past 20 years known as muscle dysmorphia, a disturbance of self-perception in which individuals are obsessively preoccupied with the belief they are insufficiently large or muscular. Muscle dysmorphia shares characteristics with eating disorders (such as persistent attention to intake and compensatory behaviors focused on control of weight/shape), obsessive–compulsive disorder (excessive body monitoring and physical activity), and body dysmorphic disorder (including extreme attention to outward appearance). The condition is frequently associated with anabolic androgenic steroid abuse, which may exacerbate an observed exercise dependence or compulsive drive for muscularity. Therapeutic approaches are guided by the individual symptom picture with respect to issues such as obsessional thoughts/compulsive behaviors, mood dysregulation, and anxiety, and have principally been derived from clinical studies examining body dysmorphic disorder, for which both psychotropic medications and cognitive behavioral therapy are considered first-line treatment. Nutrition education and support is also warranted. More research is needed to increase understanding regarding the unique pressures and profound subjective distress males can experience with respect to accepting their bodies, as well as to develop better approaches to assessment and treatment of this complex condition.
Modeling and analysis of the RV and LV from MRI-SPAMM

In the past two decades, researchers have determined that the right ventricle (RV) plays an important role in normal and abnormal hemodynamics [2]. In addition, diseases that affect the right ventricle can adversely affect the left ventricle (LV), and may lead to heart failure. As in the LV, several types of RV disease, such as ischemia and hypertrophy, alter the normal motion and deformation of the RV free wall and septum. Furthermore, since the RV pumps blood into the pulmonary circulation, abnormalities of the lung can adversely affect the motion of the RV As several diseases may adversely affect the motion of the RV, a method that quantifies abnormal RV kinematics may be useful in detecting the presence and severity of such diseases. In this chapter, we describe methods for modeling the RV geometry, extracting RV motion from MRI images using a computer vision/image analysis technique called deformable modeling, and analyzing these results using techniques from mechanics.
The Problem with Cooperation

The case for international cooperation in competition policy is weaker than commonly thought. First, the lion's share of international transactions (the only kind for which international cooperation is relevant) involves industries for which there is no clear consensus about optimal industry structure. Second, there are strong theoretical reasons why states would exploit all forms of regulation, including competition regulation, to benefit incumbent producers to the cost of consumers. Third, the historical record demonstrates that states have invoked competition policy exactly in this manner. Fourth, arguments that competition regulators can gain solidarity and increased leverage against their domestic adversaries through strengthened international cooperation do not withstand scrutiny.
Mechanisms of Bacterial Adhesion and Pathogenesis of Implant and Tissue Infections

The research of bacterial adhesion and its significance is a large field covering different aspects of nature and human life, such as marine science, soil and plant ecology, food industry, and most importantly, the biomedical field.3,23,101 Adhesion of bacteria to human tissue surfaces and implanted biomaterial surfaces is an important step in the pathogenesis of infection.3,50
A Comparison of Methods for the Determination of Trace Coloring Oxides in Optical Glasses

At concentrations of 100 ppm and lower, each of 13 potential contaminating elements, viz., Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Pt, Pd, Rh, Nd, and Pr, has a deleterious effect on the optical transmittance and often the color of glasses for refractive optics. Determination of these impurities in complex glasses poses an unusually difficult trace analysis problem. The applicability of several leading trace analysis techniques is examined and realistic detection limits for the elements of particular concern are estimated. Assuming minimal sample treatment, the detection limits, in most instances, are inadequate. Indeed, chemical pretreatment and sample preconcentration are presently essential for adequately dealing with this analysis problem. Utilizing chemical separations and preconcentrations, optical emission and colorimetry, although not ideal, would appear to be the methods most capable of coping with trace analysis of complex glasses. Solids mass spectrometry has some merit, but at present the method lacks the desired precision. Single-sweep polarography also appears to hold promise. A real need exists for more sensitive methods for chromium, iron, cobalt, nickel, the platinum metals, and the rare earths.
Oral Contraceptive Therapy for Differentiating Ovarian Cysts

“Watchful waiting” to see whether an ovarian cyst in a woman of reproductive age will regress or disappear is perturbing to both patient and physician. Delay in differentiating between a functional and a nonfunctional cyst may be avoided if the physician remembers the pituitary-ovarian relationships in patients receiving an oral contraceptive agent. When a patient is not taking a contraceptive, estrogen-progestogen therapy can be used in an attempt to cause regression of the cyst.
A hospital-wide initiative to eliminate or reduce needle pain in children using lean methodology.

AbstractIntroduction:Pain remains common, underrecognized, and undertreated in children's hospitals and pediatric clinics. Over 200,000 patients experience needle pain annually in our institution, caused by blood draws, intravenous access, vaccinations, and injections on all inpatient units, emergen
Complement Component C3 Binds to the A3 Domain of von Willebrand Factor

von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a multimeric protein composed of monomeric subunits (∼280 kD) linked by disulfide bonds. During hemostasis and thrombosis, ultralarge (UL) VWF (ULVWF) multimers initiate platelet adhesion. In vitro, human C3 binds to ULVWF multimeric strings secreted by and anchored to human endothelial cell to promote the assembly and activation of C3 convertase (C3bBb) and C5 convertase (C3bBbC3b) of the alternative complement pathway (AP). The purified and soluble C3 avidly binds to recombinant human VWF A1A2A3, as well as the recombinant isolated human VWF A3 domain. Notably, the binding of soluble human ULVWF multimers to purified human C3 was blocked by addition of a monovalent Fab fragment antibody to the VWF A3 domain. We conclude that the A3 domain in VWF/ULVWF contains a docking site for C3. In contrast, purified human C4, an essential component of the classical and lectin complement pathways, binds to soluble, isolated A1, but not to ULVWF strings secreted by and anchored to endothelial cells. Our findings should facilitate the design of new therapeutic agents to suppress the initiation of the AP on ULVWF multimeric strings during thrombotic and inflammatory disorders.
Study on Pollution Classification and External Insulation Configuration of ±1100kV DC Transmission Line 1

Transmission line operating experience of China shows that the insulator pollution flashover seriously threatens safe operation of transmission line [1–3]. Appropriate determination of pollution levels along the proposed lines and the external insulation configuration applied in different pollution areas not only directly determine the result of the transmission line from engineering design perspective and affect the cost of the project, but also relate to the safety and reliability of transmission lines operation. A systematic and comprehensive research were carried out regarding the fouling and moisture characteristics of the Zhundong-Huadong DC line, AC and DC transmission lines operation in the nearby areas and the measurement results of site contamination degree over the years. By a comprehensive analysis and calculation, the paper proposed a method for prediction of the pollution classification of the Zhundong-Huadong lines. The external insulation configuration for different pollution areas are recommended based on the artificial pollution withstand voltage method.
Generation of Molecular Complexity from Cyclooctatetraene: Preparation of Optically Active Protected Aminocycloheptitols (XI) and Bicyclo[4.4.1]undecatriene (VI).

The (6-styryl-cycloheptadienyl)iron cation (III) reacts with various nucleophiles to give products which can be further transformed into the title compounds.