cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Primary care physician use of cognitive behavioral techniques with depressed patients.

BACKGROUND: Although researchers are paying more attention to the treatment of depression in the primary care setting, little is known about the nature of psychotherapeutic interactions that occur between primary care physicians and their patients in the context of a visit for depression. In recent years, brief cognitive behavioral therapy has been demonstrated to be efficacious, and the public has become more familiar with these techniques through media exposure and self-help books. METHODS: Depressed primary care patients were surveyed regarding the extent to which cognitive behavioral (CB) techniques were suggested during the primary care visit in which antidepressant medication was initially prescribed. One hundred fifty-five patients completed responses to phone surveys 1 month and 4 months after the visit. Patients were also surveyed regarding the recommendation of counseling by the primary care physician. RESULTS: The majority of patients (61%) reported that their physician advised them to identify activities they were already doing that helped them feel better. Physician recommendations regarding planning pleasurable activities, problem solving, challenging depressive thoughts, and planning activities that boost confidence were reported by 22% to 40% of study patients. Older patients reported fewer interactions about CB strategies. Primary care physicians' suggestion of CB strategies was associated with both patient use of CB strategies in the months following the visit and better adherence to recommended medication therapy during the first month of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients seem to recognize the occurrence of psychotherapeutic interactions during visits to their primary care physician in which an antidepressant medication was prescribed, and patients' recognition of these interactions is associated with increased adherence to the recommended course of antidepressant prescriptions.
Quantifying and Processing HRTEM Images

In this chapter we will equate our title with the use of the computer. We will simply use image processing to extract more information from a TEM image than we can obtain by eye. In the past the optical bench was also used for this purpose, but the number of optical benches is negligible compared to the number of computers now found in every TEM lab. Optical benches did allow us to form DPs which we could then modify to produce a processed image. This analog approach has now largely been replaced by its digital counterpart. The computer can be much cheaper than the optical bench and is far more flexible. The number of software packages which are designed for, or can easily be adapted to, TEM is also growing.
A novel approach of 67-Gallium-citrate three-phase bone scan to diagnose bone infection: A report of three cases.

Objectives: 67-Gallium-citrate three-phase bone scan (Ga-TPBS), a new approach for the diagnosis of bone infection is evaluated. The interpretation of TPBS is based on the normal physiological vascular endothelial-related response noted in infection. Materials and Methods: Three cases of suspected bone infection as determined by clinical, laboratory, and radiological examinations were further subjected to conventional technetium-99m-TPBS (Tc-99m-TPBS) and Ga-TPBS. Nuclear scan diagnosis of bone infection was made by the presence of generalized vasodilatation with increased capillary permeability noted on the flow and the pool phase of the TPBS and the comparative evaluation of the 4 h delayed Tc-TPBS and 24–48 h delayed Ga-TPBS. Diagnosis of bone infection was confirmed in all three cases on histopathologcal examination of the surgically excised tissues. Results: The data clearly indicated that all three cases of bone infection (osteomyelitis) had generalized massive flow and pool pattern. Infection could be diagnosed only on the Ga-TPBS by noting generalized vasodilatation with increased capillary permeability on the flow and the pool phase with focal retention of the radiotracer on the delayed scan. Conclusions: By incorporating the concept of vascular endothelial-related response causing massive vasodilatation in infection, the interpretation of the Ga-TPBS can be more precised as it is based on the normal physiology. In comparison to two Tc-99m scans (white blood cell scan + bone marrow scan), a single Ga-TPBS is also cost-effective and compliance friendly. Larger, comparative, and statistically unbiased studies are needed. Advances in Knowledge: 67-Ga-TPBS is a new concept for the diagnosis of bone infection. Places where radiolabeled leukocyte imaging is not possible, this new approach may prove to be very useful.
Wavefront Adaptive Sensing for Radar Spread Clutter Mitigation

In spatially inhomogeneous, Doppler-spread radar environments, adaptive processing is often precluded because neither the target wavefront is sufficiently known nor is signal-free training data available. This paper presents a new clutter mitigation method designed to overcome these challenges by combining minimum variance (MV) adaptive beamforming and blind source separation (BSS) for distributed sources. Wavefront adaptive sensing (WAS) is a hybrid adaptive beamforming approach which uniformly maximizes gain against clutter by avoiding MV signal cancellation due to mismatch at high SNR and poor BSS threshold performance at low SNR. Simulation results are presented for target detection in a multi-mode spread-Doppler over-the-horizon radar scenario.
Skill in epistemology I: Skill and knowledge

Knowledge and skill are intimately connected. In this essay, I discuss the question of their relationship and of which (if any) is prior to which in the order of explanation. I review some of the answers that have been given thus far in the literature, with a particular focus on the many foundational issues in epistemology that intersect with the philosophy of skill.
A Method to Consistently Approach the Target Total Fishing Fraction of Pacific Sardine and Other Internationally Exploited Fish Stocks

AbstractThe “northern” stock of Pacific Sardine Sardinops sagax is fished by Mexico, the USA, and Canada. Without an international management agreement, the U.S. Pacific Fishery Management Council prorates its target total fishing fraction (F) in its harvest control rule (HCR) by 0.87. This is the proportion of the stock that it deemed in 1998 to be present, on average, during summer–fall 1964–1992 in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. However, the portion of the stock in U.S. waters is variable, depending on the environment and stock biomass and demographics. Furthermore, irrespective of the stock distribution, the combined foreign and U.S. landings may exceed those determined by an F of 0.15, potentially reducing the stock biomass and yield. This occurred each year during 2001–2014, and the F (mean = 0.22; SD = 0.06) trended upward. To more consistently approximate the target F, a method was proposed to set harvest quotas with accounting for predicted foreign landings. We refined the method by adding a p...
Resistance training is associated with spontaneous changes in aerobic physical activity but not overall diet quality in adults with prediabetes

Abstract Background Aerobic exercise interventions have been shown to result in alterations to dietary intake and non-exercise physical activity (PA). To date, the ability for resistance training (RT) to influence other health-related behaviors has not been examined. This study aimed to determine if initiation and maintenance of RT is associated with spontaneous changes in dietary quality and non-RT PA in adults with prediabetes. Methods Overweight/obese adults ( n = 170, BMI = 32.9 ± 3.8 kg·m 2 , age = 59.5 ± 5.5 years, 73% female) with prediabetes were enrolled in the 15-month Resist Diabetes trial. Participants completed a supervised 3-month RT initiation phase followed by a 6-month maintenance phase and a 6-month no-contact phase. Participants were not encouraged to change eating or non-RT PA behaviors. At baseline, and months 3, 9, and 15, three 24-hour diet recalls were collected to evaluate dietary intake and quality, the Aerobics Institute Longitudinal Study Questionnaire was completed to evaluate non-RT PA, and body mass, body composition (DXA), and muscular strength were measured. At months 3, 9, and 15 social cognitive theory (SCT) constructs were assessed with a RT Health Beliefs Questionnaire. Mixed effects models were used to assess changes in dietary intake and non-RT PA over the 15-month study period. Results Energy and carbohydrate intake decreased with RT initiation and maintenance phases (baseline to month 9: β = − 87.9, p = 0.015 and β = − 16.3, p p = 0.722) occurred, but alterations in HEI-2010 sub-scores were detected. Maintenance of RT was accompanied by an increase in MET-min/week of total non-RT PA (month 3 to month 9: β = 146.2, p = 0.01), which was predicted by increased self-regulation and decreased negative outcome expectancies for RT (β = 83.7, p = 0.014 and β = − 70.0, p = 0.038, respectively). Conclusions Initiation and maintenance of RT may be a gateway behavior leading to improvements in other health-related behaviors. These results provide rationale for single-component lifestyle interventions as an alternative to multi-component interventions, when resources are limited.
Archaeology: Of rats and resilience

A revised timeline for the arrival of settlers on Mangaia island in Polynesia reveals the resilience of this population, which overcame an environmental crisis through bold measures to support a sustainable society.
Ultrasound Tracking Using ProbeSight: Camera Pose Estimation Relative to External Anatomy by Inverse Rendering of a Prior High-Resolution 3D Surface Map

This paper addresses the problem offreehand ultrasound probe tracking without requiring an external tracking device, by mounting a video camera on the probe to identify location relative to the patient's external anatomy. By pre-acquiring a high-resolution 3D surface map as an atlas ofthe anatomy, we eliminate the needfor artificial skin markers. We use an OpenDR pipeline for inverse rendering and pose estimation via matching the real-time camera image with the 3D surface map. We have addressed the problem ofdistinguishing rotation from translation by including an inertial navigation system to accurately measure rotation. Experiments on both a phantom containing an image ofhuman skin (palm) as well as actual human skin (fingers, palm, and wrist) validate the effectiveness ofour approach. For ultrasound, this will permit the compilation of3D ultrasound data as the probe is moved, as well as comparison ofreal-time ultrasound scans registered with previous scans from the same anatomical location. In a broader sense, tools that know where they are by looking at the patient's exterior could have broad beneficial impact on clinical medicine.
U(IV) Aqueous Speciation from the Monomer to UO2 Nanoparticles: Two Levels of Control from Zwitterionic Glycine Ligands.

The fate of U(IV)O2 in the environment in a colloidal form and its dissolution and growth in controlled environments is influenced by organic ligation and redox processes, where both affect solubility, speciation, and transport. Here we investigate U(IV) aqueous speciation from pH 0 to 3 with the glycine (Gly) ligand, the smallest amino acid. We document evolution of the monomeric to the hexameric form from pH 0 to 3 via UV–vis spectroscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Crystals of the hexamer [U6O4(OH)4(H2O)6(HGly)12]·12Cl–·12(H2O) (U6) were isolated at pH 2.15. The structure of U6 is a hexanuclear oxo/hydroxo cluster U6O4(OH)4 decorated by 12 glycine ligands and 6 water molecules. The effect of pH and temperature on U6 conversion to UO2 nanoparticles, or simply reversible aggregation, is detailed by transmission electron microscopy imaging, in addition to SAXS and UV-spectroscopy. Because of the zwitterion behavior of glycine, pH and temperature control over U(IV) speciation is complex. Unexp...
Horror autotoxicus: the concept of autoimmunity1

Metchnikoff with his phagocytic theory and Ehrlich with his side-chain theory understood that the mechanisms proposed are part of a larger biological system whose evolution brought with it improvements in the organism's ability to nourish itself and, incidentally, to protect itself from infection. The teleologic appeal of Ehrlich's horror autotoxicus, the first decade of the twentieth century witnessed an ever-increasing willingness to speculate that autoantibodies might contribute to the pathogenesis of certain diseases. This movement was especially notable among those such as Landsteiner in Vienna and Weil in Prague who did not accept Ehrlich's teachings as gospel, but it was detectable even among the faithful. In spite of the Donath–Landsteiner finding of an autoantibody in paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria, and in spite of increasing evidence from clinical subspecialtyes of the existence of autoimmune diseases, the teleologic appeal of horror autotoxicus (¼ no autoantibody) made the acceptance of the reality of autoimmune disease difficult, if not impossible. To force such an acceptance would require a conjunction of events that many different scientific disciplines eventually experience: the accumulation of a large number of observations not explicable in terms of the current dogma, and a major change in the direction of thought in the field that would allow the previously unthinkable now to be thought.
A Multicenter Randomized Trial to Evaluate Hematologic Toxicities after Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy with Oxaliplatin or Mitomycin in Patients with Appendiceal Tumors.

Background Appendiceal cancer is a rare disease that has proven difficult to study in prospective trials. Cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is an established therapy for peritoneal dissemination from appendiceal cancer. The optimal chemotherapeutic agent to use in the HIPEC is not clear. Mitomycin has long been used, however, our previous phase I experience and European retrospective studies suggest oxaliplatin as an alternative. Therefore, we initiated a multicenter randomized trial to compare mitomycin with oxaliplatin HIPEC for appendiceal cancer. Study Design Patients with mucinous appendiceal neoplasms with evidence of peritoneal dissemination underwent cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC using a closed technique for 120 minutes. Patients were randomized intraoperatively to HIPEC using mitomycin (40 mg) or oxaliplatin (200 mg/M 2 ). Follow-up included daily blood counts and toxicity assessments. Results One hundred and twenty-one analytic patients were accrued to the trial during 6 years at 3 sites. The patients were 57% female, with a mean age of 55.3 years (range 22 to 82 years). The disease was low grade in 77% and high grade in 23%. There were no significant differences in hemoglobin or platelet counts. The WBC was significantly lower in the mitomycin group between postoperative days 5 and 10. Overall and disease-free survival rates at 3 years were similar at 83.7% and 66.8% for mitomycin and 86.9% and 64.8% for oxaliplatin. Conclusions This represents the first completed prospective randomized trial for cancer of the appendix, and shows that multicenter trials for this disease are feasible. Both mitomycin and oxaliplatin are associated with minor hematologic toxicity. However, mitomycin has slightly higher hematologic toxicity and lower quality of life than oxaliplatin in HIPEC. Consequently, oxaliplatin might be preferred in patients with leukopenia and mitomycin preferred in patients with thrombocytopenia due to earlier chemotherapy.
Effect of NRAMP1 Gene Polymorphism on levels of(TNF-α and IL-1β) cytokinesin Cutaneous Leishmaniasis patients in Iraq

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is vector-borne disease, and endemic in most regions of Iraq specially with poor populations. Natural resistance associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1) gene play a essential role in susceptibility to CL and disease pathology, NRAMP1 influences aproduction and activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β). Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines play a essential role in susceptibility/ resistance and the immunopathogenesis of Leishmania infection, these cytokines are crucial factors in the initiationand enhances of protective immunity against Leishmania infection, this study aimed to studding effect of polymorphism in NRAMP1 genes on cytokines secretion, and their effect in susceptibility to CL infection. Samples of blood were collected from (60) patients with CL and (32) apparently healthy controls. Polymorphism of NRAMP1 (D543N) detected in patients and control groups by PCR-RFLP technique. While (TNF-α and IL-1β) cytokine concentration detected by ELIS technique using a quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique.indicate to effect of NRAMP1 Gene Polymorphism on levels of(TNF-α and IL-1β) cytokines and this a clearly recorded in present study were A allele is associated with lower levels of(TNF-α and IL-1β)in patients and control groups compression to that absorbed in allele Gwith statically significant (P ≤ 0.05).
Publicly Available Internet Content as a HIV/STI Prevention Intervention for Urban Youth

Sexual and racial minority adolescents and young adults account for the most substantial number of new HIV infections in the United States. Numerous publicly available websites and YouTube videos contain HIV/STI prevention information that is culturally tailored to racial and ethnic minorities, and gay and bisexual youth. However, the effect of this easily accessible Internet content on adolescent and young adult HIV/STI related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors is unknown. We assembled a HIV/STI Internet intervention from publicly available online sources, including YouTube and privately and publicly hosted websites. We tested the preliminary efficacy of this internet intervention by means of a randomized controlled pilot study with 60 diverse adolescents and young adults recruited in Providence, RI (mean age 18.6 years, 62% male, 52% Black/African American, 36% Hispanic, 47% non-heterosexual). Youth who received links to publicly accessible online prevention content by email had a significant improvement in HIV self-efficacy (p < .05) and a significant reduction in unprotected vaginal or anal sex (12.5 vs. 47.6%, AOR = 7.77, p < .05), as compared to a control group who did not receive the internet content by email. If these preliminary findings can be confirmed by future research, free online content could be inexpensively distributed to at risk youth in underserved communities and could hold promise as an inexpensive method of HIV/STI prevention.
Delegating governmental responsibility: Issues regarding a Mental Health Demonstration Project

Several conclusions seem to follow from the above literature review and description of the IMH Demonstration Project. First, as authors have found, the boundary between government and nongovernment may be indistinct. Second, factors supporting the creation of enterprises to operate on this indistinct boundary may be similar in mental health to those that obtain in other areas of society, and associated problems in theory and practice may be closely similar. Third, focusing more narrowly on Integrated Mental Health, there seems to be no overriding problems with its exercising, to the degree that it does, powers and responsibilities which perhaps in times past were, and in other settings are, exercised more directly by government. More specifically, the gain in service planning and provision compares favorably with any possible risk which might be thought to be associated with abrogation of particular responsibilities by government.
UH Cancer Center Hotline: Modern Medicine and the Road to Prevention: A Long and Tortuous Path

Traditionally medical education and the practice of medicine have focused on the treatment and cure of disease with considerably less attention devoted to the prevention of the chronic diseases of aging. With ongoing discoveries in basic mechanisms of biochemistry, physiology, nutrition, and molecular biology there is a growing sense that the onset of many of the inevitable diseases of aging may be significantly delayed and reduced in intensity. This has prompted the development of clinical prevention studies to test the efficacy of various prevention approaches to a variety of important diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Regrettably recent highly publicized failures of many of these trials has jeopardized future trials and thrown the concept of prevention into serious disarray. In particular the failure of the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, (SELECT),1 to demonstrate a reduction of prostate cancer incidence (indeed a significant increase in prostate cancer was observed for the vitamin E arm) after spending over $100,000,000 has significantly impugned the role of vitamin E and selenium in human disease prevention and will severely impede future trials of these agents and others. A closer look at these trials, their underlying philosophical and biochemical bases, and their implications reveals many inadequacies in the current practice of preventive medicine research, and suggests why they may have failed, as well as providing a blueprint for the design of future trials.
The impact of psychosocial characteristics in predicting smoking cessation in long-term cancer survivors: A time-to-event analysis.

OBJECTIVE Smoking poses significant health risks to cancer survivors. Cancer survivorship may heighten psychological distress and reduce social support and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for years after diagnosis, which could inhibit long-term successful smoking cessation. Understanding longitudinal associations between these psychosocial characteristics and successful cessation could help clinicians tailor cessation interventions for their patients. METHODS Time-to-event analyses using data from the American Cancer Society Study of Cancer Survivors-I (SCS-I)-a longitudinal nationwide study-examined the relationship of psychosocial characteristics with cessation likelihood and amount of time from diagnosis to quitting in cancer survivors diagnosed 7 to 10 years prior. RESULTS Cancer survivors with high physical HRQOL were more likely to quit smoking within 10 years from cancer diagnosis than survivors with low physical HRQOL, controlling for cancer type and number of comorbid conditions at baseline (HR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.10-2.70; P = .02). Survivors with high physical HRQOL also took less time to quit than survivors with low physical HRQOL. Survivors of tobacco-related cancers with low physical HRQOL were the least likely group to quit. No significant relationships between other psychosocial predictors and cessation outcomes were observed. CONCLUSIONS Smoking cessation programs are needed for all cancer survivors who smoke, but survivors with low physical HRQOL 1 year after diagnosis may need more intensive long-term smoking cessation interventions with multiple check-in points after smoking relapses. Cessation interventions that include strategies to mitigate physical symptoms in those with poor physical HRQOL deserve consideration in research and practice.
Network Analysis of Autopsy Diagnoses: Insights into the "Cause of Death" from Unbiased Disease Clustering.

Background: Autopsies usually serve to inform specific “causes of death” and associated mechanisms. However, multiple diseases can co-exist and interact leading to a final demise. We approached autopsy-produced data using network analysis in an unbiased fashion to inform about interaction among different diseases and identify possible targets of system-level health care. Methods: Reports of 261 full autopsies from one institution between 2011 and 2013 were reviewed. Comorbidities were recorded and their Spearman's association coefficients were calculated. Highly associated comorbidities (P
Microtubule-Based Control of Motor-Clutch System Mechanics in Glioma Cell Migration

Microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) are widely used chemotherapy drugs capable of disrupting microtubule-dependent cellular functions, such as division and migration. We show that two clinically approved MTAs, paclitaxel and vinblastine, each suppress stiffness-sensitive migration and polarization characteristic of human glioma cells on compliant hydrogels. MTAs influence microtubule dynamics and cell traction forces by nearly opposite mechanisms, the latter of which can be explained by a combination of changes in myosin motor and adhesion clutch number. Our results support a microtubule-dependent signaling-based model for controlling traction forces through a motor-clutch mechanism, rather than microtubules directly relieving tension within F-actin and adhesions. Computational simulations of cell migration suggest that increasing protrusion number also impairs stiffness-sensitive migration, consistent with experimental MTA effects. These results provide a theoretical basis for the role of microtubules and mechanisms of MTAs in controlling cell migration.
Conversion of Retired Coal-fired Plant to Synchronous Condenser to Support Weak AC Grid

A proposal of using phased-out coal-fired generation as synchronous condensers in a power system with weak interconnection to large Type-3 wind farms exporting energy to remote load centers through Line Commutated Converter (LCC) High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission is investigated. The frequency nadir (i.e, the minimum post-contingency frequency) and the rate of change of frequency in such systems following disturbances like loss of generation due to a single point failure are analyzed. LCC-HVDC rectifier is used for secondary frequency control in the weak AC system. Time-domain and frequency-domain analyses are performed on a 4-machine 2-area system connected to two remote wind farms on the rectifier side of the LCC-HVDC, which compare different scenarios and develop deeper insights into the root-cause of the frequency dynamics.
Soy Isoflavone Supplementation Increases Long Interspersed Nucleotide Element-1 (LINE-1) Methylation in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

AbstractAim: Soy isoflavones have been suggested as epigenetic modulating agents with effects that could be important in carcinogenesis. Hypomethylation of LINE-1 has been associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) development from oral premalignant lesions and with poor prognosis. To determine if neoadjuvant soy isoflavone supplementation could modulate LINE-1 methylation in HNSCC, we undertook a clinical trial.Methods: Thirty-nine patients received 2–3 weeks of soy isoflavone supplements (300 mg/day) orally prior to surgery. Methylation of LINE-1, and 6 other genes was measured by pyrosequencing in biopsy, resection, and whole blood (WB) specimens. Changes in methylation were tested using paired t tests and ANOVA. Median follow up was 45 months.Results: LINE-1 methylation increased significantly after soy isoflavone (P < 0.005). Amount of change correlated positively with days of isoflavone taken (P = 0.04). Similar changes were not seen in corresponding WB samples. No significant cha...
Differential expression of glutamate transporters and monoaminergic genes in major depression and suicide

Accumulating evidence indicates that the glutamate and monoamine systems contribute to the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicide. We have tested the expression of genes encoding glutamate transporters and monoaminergic proteins in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of MDD subjects who died by suicide (MDD-S, n=51), MDD non-suicide subjects (MDD-NS, n=28), and non-psychiatric controls (CTRL, n=32). We analyzed glutamate transporters (EAAT1, EAAT2, VGLUT1, and VGLUT2) and monoaminergic genes (SERT, NET, DAT, PMAT, VMAT, TPH1 and TPH2). Females but not males with MDD showed higher expression of all glutamate transporters relative to CTRLs (P<0.05). MDD-S groups of both sexes had higher VGLUT2 expression (P<0.05). MDD-S females who were antidepressant positive (+) had lower EAAT1 expression (P=0.004), perhaps indicating poor treatment response. Analyses of monoaminergic genes revealed lower VMAT1 expression (P=0.002) in MDD males, and conversely higher VMAT2 in MDD females (P=0.004). MDD females also had higher VMAT2, TPH2 and NET expression (p<0.05), and in contrast, MDD males had lower VMAT1 and PMAT expression. Therefore, we report sex differences in the expression of glutamate transporters and some monoaminergic genes in the DLPFC in MDD. Most of these findings are novel, but lower EAAT1 expression in MDD-S replicates previous studies. Lower EAAT1 expression coupled with higher VGLUT2 expression in MDD-S may lead to increased synaptic glutamate, neuronal loss and glial loss in the DLPFC in MDD and suicide reported previously. These deficits may contribute to lower DLPFC activity, poor problem solving and impaired executive function exhibited in severe depression and suicide.
Clinicopathologic Diagnostic Approach to Aggressive Variant Prostate Cancer.

Context.— Aggressive variant prostate cancer (AVPCa) develops in a subset of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The clinical and histologic overlap of AVPCa with other n...
Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium Exposure and Drug-Induced Maculopathy in Commercially Insured Patients in the United States.

Purpose To determine the association and cumulative dose–response pattern between pentosan polysulfate sodium (PPS) use for interstitial cystitis (IC) and maculopathy. Design Large, multicenter, retrospective cohort study of commercially insured patients in the MarketScan database (Truven Health Analytics, San Jose, CA). Participants Two hundred twenty-seven thousand three hundred twenty-five patients with IC who were enrolled continuously in the MarketScan database. Methods Cox proportional hazards models (controlling for patient gender, age at index diagnosis of IC, and diagnosis with diabetes mellitus) followed up patients from index diagnosis of IC for 5 years, or until patients discontinued insurance coverage, or until patients’ first diagnosis with a maculopathy. As a sensitivity analysis, we re-estimate all models after excluding all patients with diabetes. To assess for dose response, we calculated the total days of PPS prescriptions filled and created a categorical variable indicating total exposure. Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome measure was association between binary PPS exposure and any maculopathy. Secondary outcome measures included exposure between binary and categorical, time-dependent, exposure to PPS and to drusen, nonexudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD), exudative AMD, hereditary maculopathy, and toxic maculopathy. Results The most common diagnoses of maculopathy in patients with IC were exudative AMD (1.5%), drusen (0.8%), nonexudative AMD (0.3%), toxic maculopathy (0.1%), and hereditary dystrophy (0.04%). In unadjusted analyses, the percentage of patients who filled a PPS prescription and were diagnosed later with a maculopathy (2.37%) was very similar to the percentage of patients who did not fill a prescription (2.77%). Survival models using a binary variable indicating PPS exposure showed no significant associations between PPS exposure and diagnosis of drusen, nonexudative AMD, exudative AMD, toxic maculopathy, hereditary dystrophy, or an aggregate variable of any maculopathy. Similarly, there was no dose-dependent relationship between PPS exposure and diagnosis of any maculopathy. These findings remained stable in sensitivity analysis models that excluded patients with diabetes mellitus. Conclusions In this large, commercial claims database analysis, no association was found between PPS exposure and subsequent diagnosis of maculopathy.
Optical and thermal radiative properties of topological insulator semiconductor multilayers

Abstract Topological insulator semiconductors hold unique electronic transport characteristics that allow them behave like graphene at the surface of the nanoscale thin film. Photonic multilayers consisting of alternating layers of topological insulator and layers of its dielectric spacer can be engineered to demonstrate optical and thermal radiative dispersion attributed to electromagnetic metamaterials. This paper presents case studies explain the relationships between material compositions, geometrical factors, spectral functions, and electronic transport mechanisms to the overall visible to far-infrared radiative properties. It shows how topological insulator multilayers could be useful in thermal-photovoltaic components, optoelectronic devices, and radiative coatings. Two multilayer cases are investigated: Bi2Se3-ZnSe, and Bi2Te3-ZnTe. In each, the photon-electron oscillation functions are determined, and spectral dielectric functions are fitted into a modified form of effective medium theory. The spectral and angular radiative properties of different constituent thickness multilayer slabs, reflectance and transmittance, are obtained. The multilayer thin films exhibit good reflection or absorption of visible or infrared wavelength radiation, depending on the tunable constituent film thicknesses and material configurations. Finite-difference time domain simulations demonstrate that these materials could have a negative index of refraction, which results from plasmon polariton coupling between the conductive surface states. The results of these radiative properties indicate that topological insulator multilayers may find their use in solar thermophotovoltaic absorbers, optical band pass filters and sub-diffraction thin film lenses.
Environmental Remediation with Functional Aerogels and Xerogels

Several different types of aerogels and xerogels are demonstrated as effective sorbents for the capture and/or immobilization of radionuclides and other contaminants in gaseous form [e.g., Hg(g), I2(g), Xe, Kr] as well as ionic form (e.g., Cd2+, Ce4+, Cs+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Hg2+, I-, IO3-, Kr, Pb2+, Rb+, Sr2+, 99Tc7+, U6+, Zn2+). These sorbents have unique properties, which include high specific surface areas, high pore volumes, a range of pore sizes, and functionalities that provide methods for binding radionuclides and other contaminants, generally through physisorption, chemisorption, or a combination thereof. This combination of properties and functionalities makes these types of materials ideal for use as sorbents for capturing radionuclides. The primary base materials that will be discussed in this paper include Ag0-functionalized silica aerogels, Ag+-impregnated aluminosilicate aerogels, Ag0-functionalized aluminosilicate aerogels, metal-impregnated (non-Ag) aluminosilicate aerogels and xerogels, sulfide-based aerogels, and carbon-based aerogel composites. For the capture of I2(g), the materials reported herein show some of the highest iodine loadings ever reported for inorganic sorbents. For the capture of ionic species, these materials also show promise as next-generation materials for active radionuclide remediation. This progress report describes materials fabrication, general properties, and environmental remediation applications.
The quick and the dead: a new model for the essential role of ABA accumulation in synthetic auxin herbicide mode of action

This article comments on: McCauley CL, McAdam SAM, Bhide K, Thimmapuram J, Banks JA, Young BG. 2020. Transcriptomics in Erigeron canadensis reveals rapid photosynthetic and hormonal responses to auxin herbicide application. Journal of Experimental Botany 71, 3701–3709 .
Greek slave systems in their Eastern Mediterranean context, c. 800–146 B.C.: by David M. Lewis, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2018, 384 pp., £75.00 (hardback), ISBN: 9780198769941

David Lewis’ book is a significant comparative study of ancient Greek and Near Eastern slave systems. Comparative studies are by nature challenging; as Lewis notes, ‘the scholar who engages in cros...
Self-Efficacy and Performance of Research Skills among First-Semester Bioscience Doctoral Students

Incoming doctoral students have gaps in research skills that are not correlated with duration of prior research experience. During their first semester of training, most students improve in both re...
Lissa: a story about medical promise, friendship, and revolution: by Sherine Farouk Hamdy and Coleman Nye, North York, Ontario, Canada, University of Toronto Press, 2017, 304 pp., US$27.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-1487593476

Lissa: a Story about Medical Promise, Friendship, and Revolution focuses on the bond between two teenage girls, an American, Anna, and an Egyptian, Layla, and the manner in which healthcare and soc...
Discrimination, self-harming behaviors and emotional quality of life among youth experiencing homelessness

Discrimination against the homeless is an increasingly documented phenomenon with detrimental mental and physical health impacts. Relatively less is known about potential buffers of the negative im...
The Neglect of Experiment

Acknowledgments List of abbreviations Introduction 1. The discovery of parity nonconservation 2. The nondiscovery of parity nonconservation 3. CP or not CP 4. The role of experiment 5. Do experiments tell us about the world? 6. The epistemology of experiment 7. The epistemology of experiment: case studies 8. Forging, cooking, trimming and riding on the bandwagon: fraud in science Conclusion Notes Index.
Methods to Unravel the Roles of ATPases in Fe-S Cluster Biosynthesis

Complex biosynthetic pathways are required for the assembly and insertion of iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster cofactors. Each of the four cluster biogenesis systems that have been discovered requires at least one ATPase. Generally, the function of nucleotide hydrolysis in Fe-S cluster biogenesis is understudied. For example, the cytosolic Fe-S cluster assembly (CIA) pathway is proposed to begin with a scaffold, which assembles nascent Fe-S clusters destined for cytosolic and nuclear enzymes. This scaffold, comprised of Nbp35 and Cfd1 in yeast, possesses an ATPase site that is necessary for CIA function, but the role of nucleotide hydrolysis is poorly understood. Herein, we describe the in vitro methods that have been developed to uncover how the ATPase site of the scaffold regulates interaction with one of its partner proteins, Dre2. We describe a qualitative affinity copurification assay and a quantitative assay for evaluating the dissociation constant for the scaffold-partner protein complex. Finally, we describe kinetic methods to measure the kcat and KM values for ATP hydrolysis by the scaffold-partner protein complex and the execution of the ATPase assays in an anaerobic environment. These methods could be applied to study other ATPases to advance our mechanistic understanding of nucleotide hydrolases involved in metallocluster biogenesis.
The Counter-Nostalgia Front against Spanish Censorship: Realism’s Affective Mirrors and Double-Voicedness in Early Novels by Miguel Delibes and Ana María Matute

Counter nostalgia is an ethically-informed dialogic mirror of a complicated and at times irrational, conflicted Spanish past, without needing the recourse of postmodernist ironic devices. When Francoist censorship was at its harshest, Miguel Delibes (1920–2010) and Ana Maria Matute (1925–2014), in their early novels, combine mimetic realism that includes damning material aspects of their local Spanish social and natural environments with both nostalgic and counter-nostalgic discourses concerning the difficult, constrictive social realities of pre-civil war Spain. Using the Francoist censorship files, I show how censors allowed these challenging works to pass.
From Roberts' Subtraction Cutting and Dart Manipulation: Concepts for Patternmaking Theory

This exploratory design research focuses on Roberts' subtraction cutting technique and dart manipulation with the intention of adding to the knowledge of apparel patternmaking. Three concepts were explored: Subtraction cutting functioning like a dart; however, not visually looking like one, subtraction cutting can use different shapes, and the direction of the joined subtraction cutting shapes impacts the length and volume of a garment. The implications of these concepts, for manufacturing and pedagogy, are also shared.
Structure of Models

This chapter describes the structure of sectoral models and the following chapter shows how variants of this structure have been used to model a variety of different industries at the country, regional and worldwide level. Static models are discussed first, followed by a description of the more complicated dynamic models.
Ectromelia (Mousepox) Virus

Ectromelia virus, an orthopoxvirus, is a natural pathogen of colonized mice, and is the causative agent of mousepox. This disease follows three basic courses in mice susceptible to infection: 1) in the C57BL strains which express an innate resistance gene(s), and have a H-2b MHC complex, the disease is inapparent; 2) in the A strains of mice which lack the innate resistance gene, a fulminating, acute disease with 100% mortality is observed; and 3) in strains such as BALB/c and DBA, an intermediate disease course is noted which may be acute or chronic. Severe disease and death is associated with necrotic lesions in the liver and the reticulo-endothelial system, with the spleen and the lymph nodes draining the initial site of infection being most affected. The major route of infection in nature is via abrasions on the surface of the skin which come in contact with infectious bedding, and there is no convincing evidence of aerosol transmission of the virus between cages and rooms. Mice infected either naturally or experimentally transmit the virus for a specific period of time depending on a number of factors, and surviving mice are then resistant to severe disease on reinfection, in certain cases, for a lifetime. Since virus transmission is through contact, epizootics may effectively be dealt with by localized quarantine and serologic monitoring, with the removal of cages which contain an animal which undergoes sero-conversion. The wholesale slaughter of mice exposed to this agent is not an acceptable control measure based on the known biology of the virus.
On the Duration of the Longest Excursion

Let Xt be a standard Markov process, and let 0 be a point regular of 0, so that there exists a continuous additive functional A(t) whose points of increase are contained in {t: Xt = 0}, called the local time at 0. Then A(t) is unique up to a constant factor which is of no relevance to the present paper (see [1] for a more complete discussion and references). We are concerned here with the durations of the excursions away from 0, which does not depend on the normalization of A(t). For arbitrary t ≥ 0, we set t0(t) = sup{s ≤ t: XS = 0}, tl(t) = inf{s ≥ t: XS = 0}, and d(t) = tl(t) - t0(t). Then we call d(t) the duration of the excursion from 0 containing t (we always assume X0 = 0, hence d(t) is well-defined when we permit d(t) = ∞).
Staining Methods for Semithins and Ultrathins

When we speak of staining semithins, we are generally referring to 0.25- to 0.5-μm-thick sections cut from blocks of epoxide-embedded tissues. There are other resins such as the acrylic resins (Lowicryls, LR White and LR Gold) in common use that will have different staining responses from epoxides because of their partial miscibility with water. In addition, semithin frozen sections have still other staining characteristics resulting from their significant hydrophilicity. For the purposes of this chapter, however, we will limit our discussion almost exclusively to the epoxide sections, since these are the most commonly used resins for biological work. Any of the stains for these resins will work with much reduced staining time on more water-miscible sections.
On the voice and image data encryption using advanced encryption standard (AES) in counter mode for multimedia broadcasting

In this paper, we provide a potential solution to counter one of the shortfalls of data transmission through wireless channel, such as insecurity, by using the AES block cipher operating in stream mode, more specifically the counter mode (CTR). The approach in this work is to use the counter mode to encrypt audio and image data, to show the feasibility of implementation. The simulation results of the application of encryption and decryption confirm the effectiveness of CTR mode for successful reconstruction of audio and image only with the knowledge correct security key.
The use of a low-cost visible light 3D scanner to create virtual reality environment models of actors and objects

A low-cost 3D scanner has been developed with a parts cost of approximately USD $5,000. This scanner uses visible light sensing to capture both structural as well as texture and color data of a subject. This paper discusses the use of this type of scanner to create 3D models for incorporation into a virtual reality environment. It describes the basic scanning process (which takes under a minute for a single scan), which can be repeated to collect multiple positions, if needed for actor model creation. The efficacy of visible light versus other scanner types is also discussed.
Age-related changes in human RPE cell density and apoptosis proportion in situ

PURPOSE To determine the effect of age on the proportion of apoptotic cells in the RPE and cellular density in human eyes in situ. METHODS RPE flatmounts prepared from 22 adult human cadaver eyes (11 pairs; ages 19-87) were stained for apoptotic cells by a TUNEL technique. The density of RPE cells was also measured. The flatmount was divided into four concentric regions centered on the fovea (zone 1, 0-1.5 mm radius; zone 2, 1.5-3.0 mm; zone 3, 3.0-12.5 mm; and zone 4, >12.5 mm). RESULTS There was a positive correlation between the donor's age and the proportion of apoptotic RPE cells per eye (r = 0.63; P = 0.04), which increased during the sixth decade and was higher in older (age range, 56-87 years) than in younger (age range, 19-48 years) eyes (0.56 +/- 0.14 vs. 0.07 +/- 0.07 cells per 100,000 cells, respectively; P = 0.03). Apoptotic RPE cells were located mainly in zone 1 in older eyes. Cell density decreased in the RPE as the distance from the fovea increased (r = 0.66, P < 0.05). The decrease was most prominent in zone 4 (r = -0.76, P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS The proportion of apoptotic human RPE increased significantly with age. Apoptotic RPE cells are confined mainly to the macula of older human eyes. The observation that RPE cell death occurs in the macula but the density of RPE cells remains unchanged in the macula and decreases in the periphery suggests that migration of peripheral RPE cells may compensate for the death of macular RPE cells.
Use of mesoxalyl urea (alloxan) in treatment of an infant with convulsions due to idiopathic hypoglycemia.

The case history of an eight-month-old infant with severe convulsions due to idiopathic hypoglycemia is described. Because of the poor prognosis and lack of other certain means of therapy, treatment of the hypoglycemia by means of mesoxalyl urea was undertaken with apparent success. It is concluded that mesoxalyl urea, though a potentially dangerous drug, may be worthy of further cautious trial in patients of the type described here.
Epidemiology of uveitis in the mid-Atlantic United States.

Purpose To demonstrate the demographic, anatomic, and diagnostic classification of patients with uveitis seen in a tertiary care center in central Virginia.
Potential for head injuries in infants from low- height falls: Laboratory investigation

Object Falls are the most common accident scenario in young children as well as the most common history provided in child abuse cases. Understanding the biomechanics of falls provides clinicians with objective data to aid in their diagnosis of accidental or inflicted trauma. The objective of this study was to determine impact forces and angular accelerations associated with low-height falls in infants. Methods An instrumented anthropomorphic infant surrogate was created to measure the forces and 3D angular accelerations associated with falls from low heights (0.3–0.9 m) onto a mattress, carpet pad, or concrete. Results Although height significantly increased peak angular acceleration (αp), change in peak-to-peak angular velocity, time duration associated with the change in velocity, and peak impact force (Fp) for head-first drops onto a carpet pad or concrete, none of these variables were significantly affected by height when dropped onto a mattress. The αp was not significantly different for drops onto a...