cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for inappropriate opioid use among New York City residents

As addiction treatment becomes difficult due to social distancing measures, it is important to understand the risk factors of inappropriate opioid use. Past studies have evaluated the risk factors of opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose, but few focused on the risk factors for inappropriate opioid use that can lead to an OUD. This study aims to perform a secondary analysis on the publicly available database of the 2013–2014 NYC Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NYC HANES) to identify the risk factors for inappropriate and appropriate opioid use among participants. We used multinomial logistic regression analysis to examine which factors are associated with opioid use. We also examined effect modification by gender and education. There were 1237 participants, 57% were female and the median age was 39 (IQR 29–54) years. Younger age, male, not physically active at all in the past 30 days, former smoker, cocaine and/or heroin use in past 12 months, and diagnosis of depression/anxiety were significantly associated with inappropriate opioid use, compared to no opioid use. Further, we observed an elevation in inappropriate opioid use among females who were Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic, and that the association between no physical activity and inappropriate opioid use was stronger among those with lower education level. Overall, important risk factors associated with opioid use were found that can inform our approaches to mitigate the opioid epidemic.
Comparative Ca2+ channel contributions to intracellular Ca2+ levels in the circadian clock

Abstract Circadian rhythms in mammals are coordinated by the central clock in the brain, located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Multiple molecular and cellular signals display a circadian variation within SCN neurons, including intracellular Ca2+, but the mechanisms are not definitively established. SCN cytosolic Ca2+ levels exhibit a peak during the day, when both action potential firing and Ca2+ channel activity are increased, and are decreased at night, correlating with a reduction in firing rate. In this study, we employ a single-color fluorescence anisotropy reporter (FLARE), Venus FLARE-Cameleon, and polarization inverted selective-plane illumination microscopy to measure rhythmic changes in cytosolic Ca2+ in SCN neurons. Using this technique, the Ca2+ channel subtypes contributing to intracellular Ca2+ at the peak and trough of the circadian cycle were assessed using a pharmacological approach with Ca2+ channel inhibitors. Peak (218 ± 16 nM) and trough (172 ± 13 nM) Ca2+ levels were quantified, indicating a 1.3-fold circadian variance in Ca2+ concentration. Inhibition of ryanodine-receptor-mediated Ca2+ release produced a larger relative decrease in cytosolic Ca2+ at both time points compared to voltage-gated Ca2+channels. These results support the hypothesis that circadian Ca2+ rhythms in SCN neurons are predominantly driven by intracellular Ca2+ channels, although not exclusively so. The study provides a foundation for future experiments to probe Ca2+ signaling in a dynamic biological context using FLAREs.
Lsm12 is an NAADP receptor and a two-pore channel regulatory protein required for calcium mobilization from acidic organelles.

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is a potent Ca2+-mobilizing second messenger which uniquely mobilizes Ca2+ from acidic endolysosomal organelles. However, the molecular identity of the NAADP receptor remains unknown. Given the necessity of the endolysosomal two-pore channel (TPC1 or TPC2) in NAADP signaling, we performed affinity purification and quantitative proteomic analysis of the interacting proteins of NAADP and TPCs. We identified a Sm-like protein Lsm12 complexed with NAADP, TPC1, and TPC2. Lsm12 directly binds to NAADP via its Lsm domain, colocalizes with TPC2, and mediates the apparent association of NAADP to isolated TPC2 or TPC2-containing membranes. Lsm12 is essential and immediately participates in NAADP-evoked TPC activation and Ca2+ mobilization from acidic stores. These findings reveal a putative RNA-binding protein to function as an NAADP receptor and a TPC regulatory protein and provides a molecular basis for understanding the mechanisms of NAADP signaling. Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) potent Ca2+ mobilizing second messenger which uniquely triggers Ca2+ release from acidic endolysosomal organelles. Here the authors identify Lsm12 as an NAADP receptor essential for NAADP-evoked Ca2+ release from lysosomes via NAADP binding on its Lsm domain.
Автоматизация Отдела Продаж: Современные Тенденции Modern (Trends of Sales Department Automation)

Russian Abstract: Автоматизация отдела продаж подразумевает под собой стандартизацию всех процессов взаимодействия с клиентами для оптимального отслеживания их эффективности и повышения количества продаж. Стандартизация тут играет ключевую роль, так как она позволяет избежать потерь информации о клиентах и сделках, и, как следствие, повышает количество проведенных транзакций. Также, при помощи автоматизации можно значительно сэкономить время, которое сотрудники тратят на ежедневные бизнес-процессы. В результате, экономия ресурсов приводит к упразднению старомодных атрибутов отдела продаж: многочисленного отряда менеджеров и огромных пространств для хранения отчетности. English Abstract: Sales department automation implies the standardization of all processes of interaction with customers in order to optimally track their effectiveness and increase the number of sales. Standardization plays a key role here, as it avoids the loss of information about customers and transactions, and, as a result, increases the number of transactions carried out. With the help of automation, businesses can significantly save the time that employees spend on daily business processes. As a result, the savings in resources are eliminating the old-fashioned attributes of the sales force: a large team of managers and huge storage spaces.
The Cost of Being Black in Social Work Practicum

The social work profession is not exempt from fueling institutional racism, which affects the provision of social work practicum education for Black social work students. This article highlights how the historical and current social cost of being Black in the United States presents itself within social work education’s signature pedagogy. Social workers who hold bachelor’s degrees in social work (BSW) are more likely to be Black than those holding master’s degrees in social work (MSW; Salsberg et al., 2017). It takes Black students longer to earn an MSW degree though they are more likely to hold a BSW while also having work experience related to the social work profession; this is indicative of a flawed system. The implications of this are explored by highlighting social work’s historical context and the role privilege holds within a profession charged with working towards social justice. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is utilized to unearth how the current state of social work practicum upholds a culture of white supremacy through covertly racist requirements and practices. Case examples are utilized to demonstrate the challenges Black students face as social work practicum mimics oppressive practices and perpetuates disparities in the social work landscape. Additionally, this article explores oppression’s role in treating vulnerable social work students and how that treatment is reflected in the workforce, ultimately informing service delivery.
Recent Results in Computer Security for Medical Devices

The computer security community has recently begun research on the security and privacy issues associated with implantable medical devices and identified both existing flaws and new techniques to improve future devices. This paper surveys some of the recent work from the security community and highlights three of the major factors affecting security and privacy solutions for implantable medical devices: fundamental tensions, software risks, and human factors. We also present two challenges from the security community with which the biomedical community may be able to help: access to medical devices and methods for in vitro experimentation.
VARIATIONAL METHODS IN NUCLEAR ENGINEERING.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents some of the recent developments of variational methods in nuclear engineering, especially those growing out of the concepts of canonical and involutory transformations. It describes the alternate ways, including nonvariational ones, for getting to the same results. The reason for the great interest in variational methods in reactor theory is that it takes seven independent variables to specify the neutron distribution, that is, one energy, one time, two direction, and three space variables. This, together with the spatial complexity of most reactors, makes it essential to develop approximation methods in which the number of variables is reduced. The basic idea for doing this is to approximate the true function of all the variables by a linear combination of known functions of some of the variables with coefficients that are unknown functions of the remaining variables. Friedrich and Courant–Hilbert presented the canonical and involutory transformations in the context of variational problems with first derivatives. Bellman showed that the transformations can be applied to the zeroth derivative terms. Moving in the other direction, Kaplan applied them to higher derivatives and Pomraning summed the situation up in quite general form, replacing derivatives by linear operators and allowing an arbitrary number of them. The weighted residual approach is perhaps more straightforward and avoids the variational jargon.
A Study Of Healthcare Consumers’ Voluntary Adoption and Non-Adoption of Electronic Personal Health Records in Connecticut

The use and ready availability of electronic health records is broadly purported to have the potential to improve health outcomes for individual healthcare consumers, providers and the healthcare system as a whole. Unlike electronic health records that are created and managed by providers, personal health records (PHR) are controlled by the individual consumer and the persons/entities to which they choose to grant access. Studies show while more healthcare consumers have access to PHRs, their voluntary adoption is lagging. Yet, our understanding of adoption lag is also lacking. In this qualitative study, we investigate: (1) how individual healthcare users in Connecticut currently manage their personal health information, (2) whether they have adopted an electronic PHR and the considerations that influenced the volitional adoption or non-adoption of a PHR. Initial findings casts new and surprising understandings including how healthcare consumers would like to use PHRs.
Investigating the correlation of unobserved expectations: Expected returns in equity and foreign exchange markets and other examples☆

Abstract Many economic models yield the prediction that the unobservable conditional expectations of two series are perfectly correlated. In this paper, we propose an informative method for investigating this prediction. The method involves examining the sample correlation coefficient for the fitted values from unrestricted ordinary least squares regressions, and the estimated standard error and confidence interval of this correlation coefficient. The method is designed to supplement existing statistical tests, which are often uninformative about the exact nature in which the data agree or disagree with the prediction of perfect correlation. We also apply our method to three distinct models and data sets.
Chapter 1 Historical and philosophical foundations of the problem of meaning

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses the historical and philosophical foundations of the problem of meaning. As a perennially contested topic of deep bearing, the problem of meaning has always called forth and put to the test the most basic, even metaphysical views of human nature and the world, social and physical, in which we operate. And if, in our own time, meaning has proven to be a problem in flux, so too it has been subject all along to shifting interpretations, often radically divergent yet sometimes surprisingly convergent. All of the developments reviewed in this chapter reflect the challenges of the problem of meaning, as well as its perdurance, its continuing immersion in philosophical issues, and perhaps its unusual degree of intractability. But these developments also reveal that every era of attack on the problem has produced valuable new prospects for the pursuit of solutions. There are longstanding and recurrent themata in the human effort to elucidate the semantic triangle of minds, things, and language, and that the effort to do so evinces no foregone conclusions. In renewing and recombining these themata the essays collected in this chapter offer a rich array of promising directions for gaining new insight into one of our culture's most venerable problems.
FERMENTATIVE PRODUCTION OF EXOCELLULAR GLUCANS BY FLESHY FUNGI.

Two specimens of higher fungi produced exocellular β-1, 3-glucans when their mycelial forms were cultivated under submerged aerobic conditions. Plectania occidentalis NRRL 3137 consumed up to 6% glucose or xylose with about 30% conversion to polymer in a medium composed of hydrolyzed soy protein, salts, and thiamine. A 5% inoculum was used in a 10-day shaken fermentation. After dilution of the culture liquors and partial disruption of mycelia with a blender, solids were removed by centrifugation, and the polymer was precipitated by the admixture of 2 volumes of ethyl alcohol. A second polymer was formed in 40 to 65% yield by fermentation with Helotium sp. NRRL 3129, which in the imperfect stage would be identified as Monilia sp. It consumed up to 4% glucose, fructose, mannose, or sucrose in 60 to 72 hr. A 2% inoculum in a medium composed of commercial defatted soy flakes, phosphate, and thiamine in tap water gave a satisfactory fermentation. This polymer was precipitated by the addition of 0.5 volume of ethyl alcohol. Both organisms have a broad pH optimum on the slightly acidic side and did best at about 25 C.
A new Approach to Muscle Fatigue Evaluation for Push/Pull Task

Pushing/Pulling tasks is an important part of work in many industries. Usually, most researchers study the Push/Pull tasks by analyzing different posture conditions, force requirements, velocity factors, etc. However few studies have reported the effects of muscle fatigue. Fatigue caused by physical loading is one of the main reasons responsible for MusculoSkeletal Disorders (MSD). In this paper, muscle groups of articulation is considered and from joint level a new approach is proposed for muscle fatigue evaluation in the arms Push/Pull operations. The objective of this work is to predict the muscle fatigue situation in the Push/Pull tasks in order to reduce the probability of MSD problems for workers. A case study is presented to use this new approach for analyzing arm fatigue in Pushing/Pulling.
DC drift of Z-cut LiNbO/sub 3/ modulators

DC drift characteristics of z-cut LiNbO/sub 3/ modulators with oxide buffer layers were studied with respect to their acceleration factors and long-term reliability. Analysis of more than 120 data points of measured drift tests indicate a slight nonlinear contribution by the starting bias voltage Vs to drift acceleration, with a factor equal to Vs/sup 1.27/. However, the observed nonlinearity is shown to have little affect on reliability estimations due to a dominant contribution from temperature activation energy; Ea=1.1 eV. The dc drift failure rates are estimated to be on the order of tens of failures in time for 20 years at 55/spl deg/C.
Placenta Accreta Spectrum: Accreta, Increta, and Percreta

Placenta accreta can lead to hemorrhage, resulting in hysterectomy, blood transfusion, multiple organ failure, and death. Accreta has been increasing steadily in incidence owing to an increase in the cesarean delivery rate. Major risk factors are placenta previa in women with prior cesarean deliveries. Obstetric ultrasonography can be used to diagnose placenta accreta antenatally, which allows for scheduled delivery in a multidisciplinary center of excellence for accreta. Controversies exist regarding optimal management, including optimal timing of delivery, surgical approach, use of adjunctive measures, and conservative (uterine-sparing) therapy. We review the definition, risk factors, diagnosis, management, and controversies regarding placenta accreta.
Slightly Precontinuous Functions

A new weak form of both slight continuity and precontinuity, called slight precontinuity, is developed. It is shown that slight precontinuity is strictly weaker than faint precontinuity and slight continuity. Relationships between slightly precontinuous functions and preconnected sets are investigated. In particular, it is shown that the slightly precontinuous image of a preconnected space is connected. This strengthens a result in the literature. Also, additional properties of these functions are investigated
Political influences on greenhouse gas emissions from US states

Starting at least in the 1970s, empirical work suggested that demographic (population) and economic (affluence) forces are the key drivers of anthropogenic stress on the environment. We evaluate the extent to which politics attenuates the effects of economic and demographic factors on environmental outcomes by examining variation in CO2 emissions across US states and within states over time. We find that demographic and economic forces can in part be offset by politics supportive of the environment—increases in emissions over time are lower in states that elect legislators with strong environmental records.
Evolving Soft Robots in Tight Spaces

Soft robots have become increasingly popular in recent years -- and justifiably so. Their compliant structures and (theoretically) infinite degrees of freedom allow them to undertake tasks which would be impossible for their rigid body counterparts, such as conforming to uneven surfaces, efficiently distributing stress, and passing through small apertures. Previous work in the automated deign of soft robots has shown examples of these squishy creatures performing traditional robotic task like locomoting over flat ground. However, designing soft robots for traditional robotic tasks fails to fully utilize their unique advantages. In this work, we present the first example of a soft robot evolutionarily designed for reaching or squeezing through a small aperture -- a task naturally suited to its type of morphology. We optimize these creatures with the CPPN-NEAT evolutionary algorithm, introducing a novel implementation of the algorithm which includes multi-objective optimization while retaining its speciation feature for diversity maintenance. We show that more compliant and deformable soft robots perform more effectively at this task than their less flexible counterparts. This work serves mainly as a proof of concept, but we hope that it helps to open the door for the better matching of tasks with appropriate morphologies in robotic design in the future.
Freeze-fracture and lead ion tracer evidence for a paracellular fluid secretory pathway in rat parotid glands

The morphology and permeability of tight junctions of the three major epithelial constituents of rat parotid gland-acinus, intercalated duct, and striated duct-have been examined ultrastructurally. Acinar and intercalated duct junctions (including those surrounding intercellular canaliculi) averaged two to three sealing strands, whereas striated duct junctions had five to eight sealing strands. When the permeability of the junctional complex was probed by means of a recently devised lead ion tracer technique, acinar junctions were found to be very permeable, intercalated duct junctions were somewhat permeable, and striated duct junctions were essentially impermeable to the tracer. Thus, by both morphological and tracer-permeability criteria, acinar tight junctions appear to be "leaky." These data provide strong evidence that, in rat parotid glands, a potential paracellular secretory pathway exists in the acinar region for the transepithelial passage of fluid.
Social and Neural Modulation of Sexual Plasticity in Teleost Fish

Teleost fishes are the ‘champions’ of sexual plasticity among vertebrates. Several species have two male reproductive morphs with distinct suites of behavioral, somatic, neuronal, endocrinological, an
Two New Species of Pectis (Asteraceae: Tageteae) from South America

Pectis hassleri and P. pumila are new species, the former from the Gran Chaco area of Paraguay and the latter from southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Pectis hassleri differs from P. odorata by leaves that are glandular-punctate on the adaxial as well as the abaxial surfaces, by longer and wider ligules of the ray florets, and by ray pappi of awns and shorter bristles. Pectis pumila differs from the closely related R arida by its wider leaves and by its sessile or subsessile capitula with campanulate involucres and obovate phyllaries. A hexaploid chromosome count of 2n = 361 is newly reported for P. pumila.
A phase I, pharmacokinetic, dosage escalation study of creatine monohydrate in subjects with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

AbstractCreatine monohydrate (creatine) has potential neuroprotective properties and is a commonly used supplement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Minimum therapeutic and maximum tolerated dosages of creatine are not yet known, nor is it known what systemic plasma concentrations result from specific dosage regimens. The objectives of this study were to establish steady-state plasma pharmacokinetics of creatine at several dosages, and to evaluate the effects of creatine on brain metabolites using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Six participants with ALS received creatine at three weekly escalating oral dosages (5, 10, and 15 g b.i.d.). Plasma creatine levels and MR spectra were obtained at baseline and with each dosage increase. Mean pre-dose steady-state creatine plasma concentrations were 20.3, 39.3, and 61.5 ug/ml at 5, 10, and 15 g b.i.d., respectively. Creatine spectra increased by 8% (p = 0.06) and glutamate + glutamine signals decreased ...
A new concept for quantitative nanoscale imaging with magnetic contrast: Synchrotron x-ray enhanced scanning tunneling microscopy

The combination of synchrotron x-rays with scanning tunneling microscopy provides a promising new path towards the imaging of nanoscale structures with chemical, electronic, and magnetic contrast. While a scanning probe provides the high spatial resolution measuring x-ray magnetic circular dichroism allows the direct quantification of magnetic moments. This capability has the potential to broaden and deepen the general understanding of nanomagnetism.
Proton-Proton Effective-Range Theory with Vacuum Polarization

The effect of vacuum polarization upon $p\ensuremath{-}p$ scattering is considered by first solving the problem in the Coulomb plus vacuum polarization potentials (called "electric" potential) without the nuclear potential. The nuclear phase shifts are then defined with respect to the electric wave functions, and the scattering cross section is written in terms of these phase shifts. The connection with other nuclear phase shifts (in the presence of vacuum polarization) which appear in the literature is established.The effective-range expansion for the nuclear $s$-wave phase shift is derived. An analysis of three low-energy $p\ensuremath{-}p$ scattering experiments indicates that the omission of vacuum polarization from the analysis results in a value for the shape-dependent parameter which is 0.02 smaller than the value obtained when vacuum polarization is included in the analysis. A discussion of the accuracy required to usefully delimit this parameter is included.
Discovering environmental cancer: Wilhelm Hueper, post-World War II epidemiology, and the vanishing clinician's eye.

Today, our understanding of and approach to the exogenous causes of cancer are dominated by epidemiological practices that came into widespread use after World War II. This paper examines the forces, considerations, and controversies that shaped postwar risk factor epidemiology in the United States. It is argued that, for all of the new capabilities it brought, this risk factor epidemiology has left us with less of a clinical eye for unrecognized cancer hazards, especially from limited and localized exposures in the work-place. The focus here is on Wilhelm Hueper, author of the first textbook on occupational cancer (1942). Hueper became the foremost spokesman for earlier identification practices centering on occupational exposures. The new epidemiological methods and associated institutions that arose in the 1940s and 1950s bore an unsettled relation to earlier claims and methods that some, Hueper among them, interpreted as a challenge. Hueper's critique of the new epidemiology identified some of its limi...
Satellite-derived maps of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice motion : 1988 to 1994

Standard image processing methods applied to 85.5 GHz Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data provide previously unseen details about sea ice motion in the Arctic and Southern oceans. Means calculated from daily ice motions for 1988–1994 confirm the basic circulation patterns established from drifting stations and buoys, but extend these observations to illustrate less well-known transport patterns in the Arctic coastal zones and sub-Arctic seas. In the Antarctic, the gridded motion fields show a nearly continuous westward transport along the Antarctic coast, with well-defined regions of exchange between this East Wind Drift and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This detailed view of mean ice motion in the Southern Ocean is unique and presents a comprehensive overview not previously available for Antarctic ice motions.
Status of rare decay experiments

I will discuss a number of current and future rare y and K decay experiments. We call these decays ‘rare’ because we know they are not common, however, most of them have never been observed at all. Therefore they are not rare in the sense the white rhinoceros is, they are rare in the sense that the pink rhinoceros is rare.
Changing attitudes toward endolumenal therapy

As with new laparoscopic techniques, the ability to convince surgeons and gastroenterologists to embrace endolumenal techniques and the additional training required to perform the new procedures will correlate with how rapidly endolumenal therapies are adopted. The authors measured their ability to change attitudes among surgeons, who may or may not perform endoscopy as a part of their practice, toward endolumenal therapies. As part of the endoluminal therapy postgraduate course presented at the annual Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 2005, experts presented current literature and data on new endolumenal techniques. The participants, primarily of surgeons, were polled electronically about a number of case scenarios before and after their presentation. Each scenario was relevant to the topic presented and chosen to reflect potentially controversial disease processes with traditional or endolumenal treatment options. The responses were collected in real time and displayed to course participants. A panel of 10 experts presented data on a range of endolumenal therapies including endolumenal treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), endoscopic stenting, endoscopic treatments in bariatric surgery, intraoperative endoscopy, endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM), mucosal ablation for Barrett’s esophagus, intralumenal resection, translumenal endoscopic surgery, and how to educate surgeons in new endolumenal techniques. Demographic data showed that 83.6% of the participants performed endoscopy as part of their practice. A comparison with traditional surgical options showed a statistically significant positive attitude change (p < 0.05) toward adoption of most endolumenal techniques after expert presentation. Only EMR and TEM did not show a statistically significant change in the participants’ willingness to adopt these techniques. There was no significant change in the attitudes of how best to train surgeons. After presentation of the training options, 76% of the respondents believed that these techniques should be taught in residency. The education of surgeons in new endolumenal therapeutic techniques can have a significant impact in terms of changing practice attitudes and may accelerate adoption of new endoscopic techniques.
In-Depth Absorption of Externally Incident Radiation in Nongray Media

During flame spread along a surface, the thermal radiation emitted by high-temperature combustion products supports the advancement of the flame front. To model the response of the solid to the externally incident radiation, it is necessary to consider the spectral variation of radiative properties of the solid. For highly absorbent solids, such as wood or particle board, almost all of the externally incident radiation is absorbed at or very near the surface. However, for highly semitransparent materials, such as a plastic material whose surface is not clean, the externally incident radiation is absorbed both at the surface and within the material. In this work, the objective is to study both theoretically and experimentally the importance of in-depth radiation. A transient, one-dimensional model is formulated and solved numerically. The spectral radiative properties employed in the radiation model have been obtained from separate experiments on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), a clear plastic. The model demonstrates the importance of in-depth absorption. Model results exhibit the same trend as those revealed in experiments for the rise in surface temperature of the sample.
From pore to kinetochore and back: regulating envelope assembly.

Reassembly of the nuclear envelope following mitosis is a fundamental process that remains only partially understood. Two recent reports by Fernandez and Piano (2006) and Galy et al. (2006) in the September 5 issue of Current Biology identify a novel protein, MEL-28, that shuttles between the nuclear pore complex and kinetochore and is essential for envelope assembly in C. elegans early embryos.
Student perceptions of skills acquisition during the surgical clerkship: Differences across academic quarters and deviations from faculty expectation

Background: Individual and experiential factors, as well as the timing of the surgical clerkship, may influence knowledge and/or skills acquisition. Purpose: To examine differences across academic quarters in student perceptions of skills acquisition; differences between student perceptions and faculty expectations; and the association between perceptions and grades, student evaluations of the program, and their own career interests. Methods: Each of 61 students evaluated postclerkship acquisition of 33 procedural and 12 clinical skills. Each of 14 faculty surgeons indicated expectations for skills acquisition. Results: Faculty expectations were significantly higher (p < .01) than first quarter (Q1) student perceptions for most skills. Ql student perceptions were significantly lower than those of third quarter (Q3) students for most skills. Perceptions of skills acquisition were associated with preclinical desire for a surgical career, number of procedures performed, number of workups completed, and clini...
Cabin1 expression suggests roles in neuronal development

Nervous system assembly and function depends on precise regulation of developmental gene expression. Cabin1, an essential gene in developing mice, is enriched in regions of the developing zebrafish central nervous system (CNS). Cabin1 is a repressor of MEF2- (myocyte enhancer factor 2) and calcineurin-mediated transcription in the immune system, but its function in the CNS during development is unknown. We identified Cabin1 from a library of genes enriched in developing neurons and determined the temporal and spatial expression of Cabin1 mRNA during CNS development. We found Cabin1 mRNA expression in the developing brain at times correlated with later aspects of neuronal differentiation. In some regions of the CNS Cabin1 expression overlaps with regions that also express proteins known to interact with Cabin1: MEF2 and/or calcineurin. We suggest that Cabin1 could act as a regulator of MEF2 and calcineurin activity in the developing nervous system, given their roles in neuronal differentiation and synaptic refinement.
Adherent TiN films produced by ion beam enhanced deposition at room temperature

Abstract This paper describes the preliminary results of an investigation of the influence of ion implantation on the structure and mechanical properties of vapor-deposited thin films which are implanted during nucleation and growth. For these studies, titanium was deposited at room temperature on M50 steel, AISI 52100 steel, and silicon substrates in a chamber backfilled with nitrogen gas to a pressure of 1 × 10 −5 Torr. The films were deposited in 125 or more increments of 0.8 nm each. Between each increment, the film was implanted with 30 keV N 2 + . Auger electron spectroscopy revealed that significant reduction of carbon and oxygen occurred in the implanted films and electron microscopy showed the films to be entirely fcc with a lattice constant consistent with that of TiN. The mechanical properties of the films were investigated using scratch tests for adhesion as well as friction and wear analysis. While the unimplanted films failed to adhere, the implanted films remained adherent throughout the tests and exhibited both low friction and low wear.
Coadministration of MK-801 with amphetamine, cocaine or morphine prevents rather than transiently masks the development of behavioral sensitization

Abstract Although coadministration of N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) antagonists has been reported to prevent behavioral sensitization to psychomotor stimulants, it has been suggested that this effect is transitory and that sensitization is unmasked after longer periods of drug abstinence. To test this, rats were coadministered either amphetamine, cocaine, or morphine with the NMDA antagonist MK-801 and tested for sensitization after 7–10 days of abstinence. No sensitization was observed, suggesting that NMDA antagonists do not transiently mask sensitization but instead interfere with long-term processes responsible for its development.
Analysis of potential impacts to resident fish from Columbia River System Operation alternatives

The US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bonneville Power Administration initiated the Columbia River System Operation Review (SOR) in 1990. The SOR will assist agencies in comparing the benefits and risks to Columbia River uses and natural resources from alternative strategies for using Columbia River water. Focusing on 14 federal dams within the basin, the agencies are attempting to improve on the efficient and coordinated use of the Columbia River system. An initial screening of all potential strategies of reservoir operation was necessary to reduce the number of possibilities to a limited set for detailed analysis. To that end, the Resident Fish Work Group of the SOR developed spreadsheet models capable of assessing the impacts of different management strategies on resident fish at six storage reservoirs. The models include biological, physical, and hydrological relationships important to resident fish specific to each reservoir. Alternatives that kept the reservoirs near full pool and held stable during the growing season resulted in positive benefits to resident fish at all locations modeled. Conversely, alternatives designed to improve anadromous fish survival with increased instream flow generally had a negative impact on the resident fish in the reservoirs modeled. The models developed for resident fish in the screening analysis phase of the SOR were useful in assessing the relative impact to resident fish from a large number of alternatives. The screening analysis demonstrated that future analytical efforts must consider trade-offs among river uses/resource groups, among reservoirs throughout the basin, and among resident fish species within a reservoir.
Age of Infants and Parental Sex-Role Perceptions

Summary Sixteen parents of boys and 13 parents of girls completed questionnaires concerning their sex-role perceptions of their children. The infants ranged in age from 20 to 37 weeks, and were all first-borns. It was found that although mothers' and fathers' perceptions did not tend to differ from each other, perceptions of sons as opposed to daughters did tend to differ, as a function of the infants' age. Some dimensions tended to be perceived in a less stereotypic fashion as the infants grew older, while other dimensions continued to be perceived along traditional sex-role lines. Most interestingly, parents placed significantly more emphasis on the importance of their sons' masculinity, and less emphasis on their daughters' femininity, as their children matured through the first year of life. Apparently six months of age is a pivotal period in parental sex-role perceptions of their children.
Joint source-channel coding of 3D video using multiview coding

We consider the joint source-channel coding problem of a 3D video transmitted over an AWGN channel. The goal is to minimize the total number of bits, which is the sum of the number of source bits and the number of forward error correction bits, under two constraints: the quality of the primary view and the quality of the secondary view must be greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold at the receiver. The quality is measured in terms of the expected PSNR of an entire decoded group of pictures. A MVC (multiview coding) encoder is used as the source encoder, and rate compatible punctured turbo codes are utilized for protection of the encoded 3D video over the noisy channel. Equal error protection and unequal error protection are compared for various 3D video sequences and noise levels.
Continuous silicon carbide filaments

Cubic silicon carbide continuous filaments are prepared by vapor deposition from suitable gases upon tiny resistance-heated tungsten wires. Homogenous deposits are prepared whenever the silicon is derived from silicon tetrachloride by utilizing hydrocarbons containing a carbonyl functional group such as acetone as the carbon source. If halogenated organosilanes are used, those with the higher halogen content produce superior deposits. The silicon carbide is near theoretical density, is highly resistant to air oxidation, and is of nominal 75–100 μ in diameter. The modulus of elasticity measures above 60,000,000 psi. Current tensile strength range above 100,000 psi with potential strengths over 400,000 psi. These filaments are intended for use as reinforcements in high strength, structural plastic composites with improved air oxidation resistance.
Developmental neurotoxicity of sedatives and anesthetics: a concern for neonatal and pediatric critical care medicine?

Objective:To evaluate the currently available evidence for the deleterious effects of sedatives and anesthetics on developing brain structure and neurocognitive function.Design:A computerized, bibliographic search of the literature regarding neurodegenerative effects of sedatives and anesthetics in
Disseminated Cervical Adenoma Malignum and Bilateral Ovarian Sex Cord Tumors with Annular Tubules Associated with Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome

Adenoma malignum is a highly differentiated mucinous adenocarcinoma of the cervix with a deceptively innocent histologic appearance but a highly aggressive behavior. We describe a patient who had adenoma malignum associated with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) and bilateral ovarian sex cord tumor with annular tubules (SCTAT). The relatively frequent occurrence of cervical adenoma malignum in women with PJS warrants close surveillance by gynecologists for early detection and treatment of this cancer. We report the 16th known case of PJS with adenoma malignum and only the 8th known case of PJS with adenoma malignum and bilateral SCTAT. The highly aggressive nature of cervical adenoma malignum is exemplified, and the difficulties associated with early diagnosis are discussed. The clinical significance of cervical and ovarian tumors associated with PJS is reviewed.
Extraction of Lipids from Municipal Wastewater Plant Microorganisms for Production of Biodiesel

Municipal wastewater treatment plants in the USA produce over 6.2 × 106 t of dried sewage sludge every year. This microorganism-rich sludge is often landfilled or used as fertilizer. Recent restrictions on the use of sewage sludge, however, have resulted in increased disposal problems. Extraction of lipids from sludge yields an untapped source of cheap feedstock for biodiesel production. Solvents used for extraction in this study include n-hexane, methanol, acetone, and supercritical CO2. The gravimetric yield of oil was low for nonpolar solvents, but use of polar solvents gave a considerably increased yield; however, the percentage of saponifiable material was less. Extraction of lipids with a mixture of n-hexane, methanol, and acetone gave the largest conversion to biodiesel compared with other solvent systems, 4.41% based on total dry weight of sludge. In situ transesterification of dried sludge resulted in a yield of 6.23%. If a 10% dry weight yield of fatty acid methyl esters is assumed, the amount of biodiesel available for production in the USA is 1.4 × 106 m3/year. Outfitting 50% of municipal wastewater plants for lipid extraction and transesterification could result in enough biodiesel production to replace 0.5% of the national petroleum diesel demand (0.7 × 106 m3).
Electrochemical Studies of C60/Pd Films Formed by the Reduction of C60 in the Presence of Palladium(II) Acetate Trimer. Effects of Varying C60/Pd(II) Ratios in the Precursor Solutions

Cyclic voltammetric studies of the electrochemical formation and redox properties of C60/Pd films are reported. Films used in this work are generated under multicyclic scans in an acetonitrile/toluene (1:4, v/v) mixture containing fullerene C60 and palladium(II) acetate trimer as the film precursors and tetra(n-butyl)ammonium perchlorate as supporting electrolyte. The structure and electrochemical properties of the deposited layers depend on the relative concentrations of the precursors (C60 and {Pd(OAc)2}3) present in the growth solution. In the presence of excess palladium(II) acetate trimer, palladium, as well as the redox active film, is deposited, as shown by electrochemical studies of the behavior of the modified electrodes toward hydrogen evolution and palladium oxidation in aqueous acidic solution. At very negative potentials, all of the films decompose which is presumed to be due to the repulsive interaction between negatively charged C60 centers and mechanical strain induced by the incorporation...
Ultrastructure of Fresh, Airblast and Sodium Chloride Brine Frozen Uncooked Blue Crab Muscle

The ultrastructural changes of 0°C blast-frozen and brine-immersed (23% NaCl at 0°C) blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) levator muscle were studied by transmission electron microscopy in comparison to unfrozen, prerigor muscle. Characteristic, striated skeletal muscle features were seen in fresh muscle, including double M-lines and Z-tubules seen in some Crustacea. Changes in structural organization caused by blast freezing (slow method) included decreased density and change in shape of myofibrils and Z-Lines, and disappearance of the sacroplasmic matrix. Disintegration of Z-lines, myofibrils, and sarcoplasm was less severe due to brine-immersion freezing (rapid method). Distances between myofibrils were compacted in brine-immersed blue crab muscle samples, related to firmer objective texture measurements.
Rosenthal fibers in glioblastoma multiforme.

Two pontine astrocytomas are reported containing the elements of glioblastoma multiforme. Rosenthal fibers were seen in both the benign and malignant appearing areas of these tumors.
Simultaneous coordinate representations are influenced by visual feedback in a motor learning task

It has been widely accepted that the CNS develops a representation (model) of the environment, but what is not entirely clear is the coordinate reference frame used. We explored how visual feedback influenced the coordinate frame in which the CNS stores and recalls these memories of learned skills in a reaching-generalization task. Four groups of subjects trained to perform reaching movements in a perturbing force field, two with aligned (first person) visual feedback and two with non-aligned (vertical screen). After 170 trials of practice, we asked subjects to extrapolate (generalize) what they learned to a new part of the workspace in novel force environments (endpoint-based versus joint-based extrapolated force fields). Regardless of the test condition, all subjects improved their ability to generalize skills to the new workspace. There was evidence that the extrapolation of their learned skills was based on both object-centered and joint-based coordinates. Consistent with previous studies, subjects performed significantly better in joint-extrapolated force field, but only if the visual feedback was vertical. Subjects performed equivalently in both force fields with aligned (first person) feedback. These findings suggest that the type of visual feedback biases the way subjects perform, and that learning results can be significantly influenced by feedback.
An evaluation of integrated climate protection policies for the US

This paper presents and discusses an integrated set of policies designed to reduce carbon emissions in the US. This policy package also aims to promote environmental quality, particularly by reducing emissions of criteria air pollutants, to reduce US dependence on imported oil, and to induce technological innovation and diffusion in energy production and consumption. The policy package analyzed is found to reduce economy-wide carbon emissions by 10% relative to 1990 levels in 2010, and by 45% relative to 1990 levels in 2030. Emissions of criteria pollutants are also significantly reduced, as are petroleum imports by the US. Moreover, the policy package yields net savings for the US, equal to $19 billion on an annual levelized basis through 2010, and results in 800,000 additional jobs nationwide by 2010. While the overall findings from the policy package analysis are robust, the results should be taken as indicative, rather than precisely predictive, owing to uncertainties in future costs, prices, technology performance and consumer behavior.
Quantitative Analysis of Ethchlorvynol in a Capsule Dosage Form by NMR Spectroscopy

A quantitative 1H-NMR procedure is described for measuring ethchlorvynol in capsules. Deuterochloroform is used as the solvent, and hexamethylenetetramine as the internal standard; the analysis is based on the comparison of the area of the AB peak system of ethchlorvynol with the area of the hexamethylenetetramine singlet. The 1H-NMR method yields results that are precise to within 1% and agree well with results of the more cumbersome and less specific USP titrimetric procedure.
Eight-parameter renormalization group for Penrose lattices

The Ising model and the bond percolation model are set up with eight parameters on two-dimensional Penrose lattices. The behavior of their phase transition is studied by the use of a real-space renormalization group method. The resulting critical indices suggest that they belong to the universality class of two-dimensional periodic lattices.
Representations of the Heisenberg algebra on a Riemann surface

We formulate reflection positivity for meromorphic functions and for 1-forms on a Riemann surface. This construction yields representations of the Heisenberg algebra on a Riemann surface.