cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
E-Cigarette Use and Regular Cigarette Smoking Among Youth: Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (2013–2016)

Introduction This study examines the association between current e-cigarette use at baseline and regular cigarette smoking at follow-up among U.S. youth. Methods A longitudinal analysis of youth (aged 12–17 years) data from Waves 1–3 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (2013–2016) was conducted between January 2019 and December 2019. Youth who reported past-30-day current e-cigarette use at baseline were identified and followed for regular cigarette smoking (≥20 days) at follow-up. Results Compared with noncurrent e-cigarette users at baseline, current e-cigarette users (cigarette nonsmokers) had 5.0 (95% CI=1.9, 12.8) times higher odds of becoming regular cigarette smokers 1 year later. Additionally, there was a direct linear relationship between the number of days of e-cigarette use at baseline and the number of days of cigarette smoking 1 year later. Conclusions Current e-cigarette use among U.S. youth is associated with higher odds of transitioning to regular cigarette smoking, likely reflecting robust transitions rather than experimentation. These results suggest that promoting e-cigarettes as the current practice for tobacco harm reduction will likely have the unintended consequence of initiating youth cigarette smokers.
Comparative assessment of backstress models using high-energy X-ray diffraction microscopy experiments and crystal plasticity finite element simulations

Abstract Crystal plasticity (CP) models have been evolving since their inception. Advanced experimental characterization methods have contributed significantly to assess the performance and subsequent improvement of many empirical relations in CP, which were directly adopted from classical plasticity theories of solids at the macro-scale. In this research, high energy X-ray diffraction microscopy (HEDM) has been used to track the stress-state of individual grains within a polycrystalline aggregate of a Nickel-base superalloy subjected to cyclic loading. Using path-dependent, mesoscopic stress-states from the HEDM experiment, the performance of two kinematic hardening models, in the context of CP, has been assessed. One of the models is an empirical Armstrong-Frederick equation, and the other is a geometrically necessary dislocation (GND)-based phenomenological model. The results suggest that the GND-based model is capable of capturing the cyclic crystal plasticity response. The present validation efforts are expected to take CP models one step closer towards their implementation in modern engineering workflow.
Abstract 15074: Impact of Conducting Basic Science versus Clinical Research During Training on Future Academic Productivity Among Cardiothoracic Surgeons

Introduction: There is growing concern regarding the attrition of surgeon-scientists in cardiothoracic (CT) surgery. The academic impact of conducting basic science research (BSR) during training, ...
Conditional reprogramming culture conditions facilitate growth of lower-grade glioma models.

Background The conditional reprogramming cell culture method was developed to facilitate growth of senescence-prone normal and neoplastic epithelial cells, and involves co-culture with irradiated fibroblasts and the addition of a small molecule Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor. The aim of this study was to determine whether this approach would facilitate the culture of compact low grade gliomas. Methods We attempted to culture 4 pilocytic astrocytomas, 2 gangliogliomas, 2 myxopapillary ependymomas, 2 anaplastic gliomas, 2 difficult-to-classify low grade neuroepithelial tumors, a desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma, and an anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma using a modified conditional reprogramming cell culture approach. Results Conditional reprogramming resulted in robust increases in growth for a majority of these tumors, with fibroblast conditioned media and ROCK inhibition both required. Switching cultures to standard serum containing media, or serum free neurosphere conditions, with or without ROCK inhibition, resulted in decreased proliferation and induction of senescence markers. ROCK inhibition and conditioned media both promoted Akt and Erk1/2 activation. Several cultures, including one derived from a NF1-associated pilocytic astrocytoma (JHH-NF1-PA1) and one from a BRAF p.V600E mutant anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (JHH-PXA1), exhibited growth sufficient for preclinical testing in vitro. In addition, JHH-NF1-PA1 cells survived and migrated in larval zebrafish orthotopic xenografts, while JHH-PXA1 formed orthotopic xenografts in mice histopathologically similar to the tumor from which it was derived. Conclusions These studies highlight the potential for the conditional reprogramming cell culture method to promote the growth of glial and glioneuronal tumors in vitro, in some cases enabling the establishment of long-term culture and in vivo models.
Ensemble-Based Implementation of Containers

In earlier chapters, we discovered primitives for list implementation in serial computers. Historically, these pointer-based primitives were the first to be developed. But with the advent of parallel processing, and in view of new technologies likely to emerge for computation, we should not be limited to the conventional primitives. Ensemble methods are very suited to exploit parallel computation. This chapter shows that the ensemble methods for containers can serve as primitives for implementing all the behaviors of the containers’ hierarchy that we have identified.
College and Career Readiness Group Interventions for Early High School Students

College and Career Readiness (CCR) programming during early high school years assists students with planning for effective post-school transitions. Group interventions that address CCR for early hi...
Minimizing Communication while Maximizing Performance in Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning.

Inter-agent communication can significantly increase performance in multi-agent tasks that require co-ordination to achieve a shared goal. Prior work has shown that it is possible to learn inter-agent communication protocols using multi-agent reinforcement learning and message-passing network architectures. However, these models use an unconstrained broadcast communication model, in which an agent communicates with all other agents at every step, even when the task does not require it. In real-world applications, where communication may be limited by system constraints like bandwidth, power and network capacity, one might need to reduce the number of messages that are sent. In this work, we explore a simple method of minimizing communication while maximizing performance in multi-task learning: simultaneously optimizing a task-specific objective and a communication penalty. We show that the objectives can be optimized using Reinforce and the Gumbel-Softmax reparameterization. We introduce two techniques to stabilize training: 50% training and message forwarding. Training with the communication penalty on only 50% of the episodes prevents our models from turning off their outgoing messages. Second, repeating messages received previously helps models retain information, and further improves performance. With these techniques, we show that we can reduce communication by 75% with no loss of performance.
A Model Based Systems Engineering Approach for Behavioral Responses to Advanced Quantitative Precipitation Information

Atmospheric rivers (AR) contribute a significant portion of the precipitation for the United States’ west coast. Flooding events caused by ARs can create millions of dollars in damages. Identifying probable ARs and early warning of potential flooding events can provide state and local agencies the time to prepare for such events. The Bay Area Advanced Quantitative Precipitation Information (AQPI) system links users with varied meteorological data ranging from weather radar observations, short term forecasts (Nowcast), 12-hour forecasts, and coastal inundation modeling data. The range of data types presents an opportunity for proactive responses by the users; however, it also presents the challenge of ensuring the correct data is available to the appropriate user. Through Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Behavioral Analysis, the AQPI team analyzes the appropriate requirements for each of the different types of AQPI users. MBSE behavioral analysis leads to the development of a system that services the broad user community’s needs while giving each user group a specific interface tailored for them. This engineering approach also allows for the separation of the processing and weather model execution from the user interface. This separation allows for development and advancements in processing without being tied to the user interfaces.
Quantifying the Impact of Atrial Fibrillation on Heart Failure-Related Patient-Reported Outcomes in the Utah mEVAL Program.

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently complicates heart failure (HF), and each is associated with lower overall health-related quality of life. We aimed to quantify the incremental burden of AF on the health-related quality of life of patients with HF in clinical practice. Methods and Results We used data from the Utah mEVAL program to analyze patient-reported outcomes (PROs) among patients with HF with and without AF. The primary outcome was the HF-specific Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, with generic PROs as secondary outcomes. Among 1707 patients with HF, 36% had AF (n = 616). Those with HF and AF were older (mean age 69 years vs 58 years, P Conclusions AF complicates nearly one-third of HF cases, and patients with HF and AF are substantially older and sicker. After adjustment, AF was independently associated with worse disease-specific and overall health-related quality of life than HF alone. Whether maintaining sinus rhythm can improve the HF-related health status of patients with HF in clinical practice should be explored further.
Neural Networks Trained via Reinforcement Learning Stabilize Walking of a Three-Dimensional Biped Model With Exoskeleton Applications.

Our group is developing a cyber-physical walking system (CPWS) for people paralyzed by spinal cord injuries (SCI). The current CPWS consists of a functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) system and a powered lower-limb exoskeleton for walking with leg movements in the sagittal plane. We are developing neural control systems that learn to assist the user of this CPWS to walk with stability. In a previous publication \citep{liu2019implementation}, we showed a neural controller that stabilized a simulated biped in the sagittal plane. We are considering adding degrees of freedom to the CPWS to allow more natural walking movements and improved stability. Thus, in this paper, we present a new neural network enhanced control system that stabilizes a three-dimensional simulated biped model of a human wearing an exoskeleton. Results show that it stabilizes human/exoskeleton models and is robust to impact disturbances. The simulated biped walks at a steady pace in a range of typical human ambulatory speeds from 0.7 m/s to 1.3 m/s, follows waypoints at a precision of 0.2 meters, remains stable and continues walking forward despite impact disturbances, and adapts its speed to compensate for persistent external disturbances. Furthermore, the neural network controller stabilizes human models of different statures from 1.4 meters to 2.2 meters tall without any changes to the control parameters. Please see videos at the following link: https://youtu.be/6w5pS_hDS9U
Internet Outages, the Eyewitness Accounts: Analysis of the Outages Mailing List

Understanding network reliability and outages is critical to the “health” of the Internet infrastructure. Unfortunately, our ability to analyze Internet outages has been hampered by the lack of access to public information from key players. In this paper, we leverage a somewhat unconventional dataset to analyze Internet reliability—the outages mailing list. The mailing list is an avenue for network operators to share information and insights about widespread outages. Using this unique dataset, we perform a first-of-its-kind longitudinal analysis of Internet outages from 2006 to 2013 using text mining and natural language processing techniques. We observe several interesting aspects of Internet outages: a large number of application and mobility issues that impact users, a rise in content, mobile issues, and discussion of large-scale DDoS attacks in recent years.
An analysis of new expert knowledge scaling methods for biologically inspired computing

High-throughput genotyping has made genome-wide data on human genetic variation commonly available, however, finding associations between specific variations and common diseases has proven difficult. Individual susceptibility to common diseases likely depends on gene-gene interactions, i.e. epistasis, and not merely on independent genes. Furthermore, genome-wide datasets present an informatic challenge because exhaustive searching within them for even pair-wise interactions is computationally infeasible. Instead, search methods must be used which efficiently and effectively mine these datasets. To meet these challenges, we turn to a biologically inspired ant colony optimization strategy. We have previously developed an ant system which allows the incorporation of expert knowledge as heuristic information. One method of scaling expert knowledge to probabilities usable in the algorithm, an exponential distribution function which respects intervals between raw expert knowledge scores, has been previously examined. Here, we develop and evaluate three additional expert knowledge scaling methods and find parameter sets for each which maximize power.
Diet and risk of adult glioma in eastern Nebraska, United States.

Objective: To investigate potential associations between diet and adult glioma. Methods: We conducted a population-based case–control study of adult glioma in eastern Nebraska. Nutrient and food group intakes were estimated for 236 glioma cases and 449 controls using information obtained from a food-frequency questionnaire. Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, inverse associations with risk of adult glioma were observed for intakes of dark yellow vegetables (highest quartile versus lowest: OR = 0.6, p trend = 0.03) and beans (OR = 0.4, p trend = 0.0003), but no associations were seen for dietary sources of preformed nitrosamines or high-nitrate vegetables. Our nutrient analysis revealed significant inverse associations between risk of adult glioma and dietary intake of pro-vitamin A carotenoids (highest quartile versus lowest: OR = 0.5, p trend = 0.005), α-carotene (OR = 0.5, p trend = 0.01), β-carotene (OR = 0.5, p trend = 0.01), dietary fiber (OR = 0.6, p trend = 0.048) and fiber from beans (OR = 0.5, p trend = 0.0002). We observed no significant associations with risk of adult glioma for intakes of other nutrients or compounds including nitrate, nitrite, vitamin C, vitamin E, saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber from grain products, or fiber from fruit and vegetables. Conclusion: Our study does not support the N-nitroso compound hypothesis, but suggests potential roles for carotenoids and possibly other phytochemicals in reducing risk of adult glioma.
Application of neural networks to power system security: technology and trends

This paper presents an overview of the application of artificial neural networks (NN) to power system security assessment. It is noted that although the majority of NN architectures used is the multilayered perceptron, some work has been done to use the Hopfield and the Kohonen networks. In either case, the present applications are illustrated using small power systems, and the key issues are the selection of the input data, training set and the evaluation of the NN design in terms of its accuracy in predicting the security of the power system. Most of the discussion in this paper is concerned with the latter issue since it has not been addressed extensively in the literature. >
ADRENAL FUNCTION IN ALLERGY. IV. EFFECT OF DEXAMETHASONE AEROSOLS IN ASTHMATIC CHILDREN.

Dexamethasone aerosols were studied in asthmatic children to determine their effectiveness and whether they produced suppression of adrenocortical function. In a double-blind cross-over study of 32 subjects, 24 children were definitely improved by the active material, 4 subjects did better on the placebo, and in 4 asthmatics no difference between the active and placebo aerosol could be detected. Adrenocortical function was measured by an ACTH-17-hydroxycorticosteroid response test and by measuring total 24-hour urinary excretion of 17 hydroxycorticosteroids. Both methods demonstrated statistically significant suppression of adrenocortical function. Thus, though aerosols of dexamethasone are effective in controlling asthma in children they do not avoid the side-effect of adrenocortical suppression.
The European Monetary System: How Well Has It Worked?

The Treaty of Rome makes no reference to monetary union or specific exchange rate arrangements. In 1968 Raymond Barre, then commissioner of the European Community (EC), wrote a proposal advocating tighter consultations of member governments concerning macroeconomic policy and in particular monetary policy. The celebrated Werner Report of 1970 was an outgrowth of Barre’s ideas. Although this report set monetary union as the ultimate EC objective, it was careful to emphasize (1) preconditions in the form of coordinated policies and (2) the establishment of narrower margins of fluctuations around exchange rate par values. The so-called snake arrangement, instituted in 1972, was believed to be the Werner Report in action. In fact, from the Werner Report the “snake” system borrows only the idea of reducing currency fluctuations without setting a machinery to coordinate policies. The “snake” failed.
Thank You, All

Global Education Review is a publication of The School of Education at Mercy College, New York. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Citation: Melvin Wermuth (2014). Thank you, All. Global Education Review, 1 (1). 8-9. Thank You, All
The Galileo Affair from John Milton to John Paul II: Problems and Prospects.

In an attempt to lay the groundwork for systematically studying the controversy generated by Galileo's trial in 1633, I begin by distinguishing the original 20-year episode from the subsequent 350-year controversy, and the historical aftermath of the original episode from the reflective commentary about it. The historical aftermath is sketched by a periodization into five phases, and the reflective commentary by defining and illustrating several historiographical types: surface-structural, deep-structural, evaluatively overcharged, pro- and anti-clerical, pro- and anti-Galilean, circumstantial, principled, one-dimensional, and multi-dimensional. Finally, I examine in somewhat greater detail Milton's comment in the Areopagitica (1644) and Pope John Paul II's alleged “rehabilitation” of Galileo (1979–1992).
A. Aneesh, Virtual Migration: The Programming of Globalization

Possibly unnoticed by many, the fundamental notion of what it means to be an immigrant is changing rapidly. Aihwa Ong (1999), for example, argues the need for a new category, transnationals, consisting of people who not only hold citizenship or resident status in two countries, but in fact live in both of them, in commuter fashion. All this is of course facilitated by technology—fast air travel, cheap telephone communication, e-mail, and the like. In his book, Virtual Migration: the Programming of Globalization (Duke University Press, 2006), A. Aneesh takes this a step further. The impact of technology is so profound that many now “migrate” without leaving their home towns. Importation of labor, one of the traditional goals of immigration policy, is now reversed: Modern technological mechanisms now make it easier to move the work rather than move the workers, and offshoring of information technology (IT) work is booming. Contemporaneously, we are seeing an evolution of power, with control flowing now to computers and those who program and run them, a phenomenon Aneesh calls algocracy—government by the computer algorithm. As the work moves abroad from the country to which power is applied, power shifts as well. Take something as simple as withdrawing cash from a bank. Aneesh points out that with an automatic teller machine, no step in the transaction is negotiable, in contrast to one’s traditional interaction with a human teller. We must respond to the questions put to us by the ATM—and only those questions. The same nonnegotiable nature of the process occurs online, when one reviews one’s bank account, submits computerized applications for jobs and schools, purchases goods and services, and so on. Even one’s interaction with humans can be controlled to a large extent by machine. One might call the bank to inquire about an account error, but a machine Int. Migration & Integration (2008) 9:425–427 DOI 10.1007/s12134-008-0074-8
Dose-intensive vinorelbine with concurrent granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support in paclitaxel-refractory metastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSEWe evaluated weekly single-agent intravenous (IV) vinorelbine as salvage therapy for metastatic breast cancer. After the first five patients, all received elective growth factor support with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF; filgrastim) in an attempt to maximize delivered dose-intensity (DDI). Objective tumor response, DDI, and toxicity were assessed, as well as time to progression (TTP) and survival.PATIENTS AND METHODSThis single-center nonrandomized trial enrolled 40 patients. Anthracycline exposure and subsequent progression were common to all patients, and 38 of 40 were paclitaxel-refractory. Vinorelbine was given initially at 30 mg/m2/wk, then at 35 mg/m2/wk in a phase I/II design, which involved first intermittent (6 days of 7) and then continuous (daily) administration of G-CSF at 5 micrograms/kg.RESULTSThe maximum-tolerated starting dose was 35 mg/m2/wk with continuous G-CSF support. The mean DDI was 27.7 mg/m2/wk for all patients. There were two complete responses (CRs) and ei...
School Culture and Leadership of Professional Learning Communities.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore supportive and shared leadership structures at schools as a function of school culture policies and procedures. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative study was conducted at three secondary schools in the Midwestern USA. Administrators and teachers were interviewed, professional learning communities observed and artifacts collected to explore school culture policies, procedures and leadership in the implementation of professional learning community practice. Findings – This study concludes that school leaders must provide supportive and shared leadership structures for teachers in order to ensure a positive school culture and effective professional learning communities that impact school improvement. Leaders in schools must work directly with teachers to create policies and procedures that provide teachers the leadership structure to directly impact school improvement through professional learning community collaborative efforts. Originality/value – T...
Intracerebroventricular opiate infusion for refractory head and facial pain.

AIM: To study the risks and benefits of intracerebroventricular (ICV) opiate pumps for the management of benign head and face pain. METHODS: SSix patients with refractory trigeminal neuralgia and/or cluster headaches were evaluated for implantation of an ICV opiate infusion pump using either ICV injections through an Ommaya reservoir or external ventricular drain. Four patients received morphine ICV pumps and two patientS received a hydromorphone pump. Of the Four patients with morphine ICV pumps, one patient had the medication changed to hydromorphone. Preoperative and post-operative visual analog scores (VAS) were obtained. Patients were evaluated post-operatively for a minimum of 3 mo and the pump dosage was adjusted at each outpatient clinic visit according to the patient’s pain level. RESULTS: All 6 patients had an intracerebroventricular opiate injection trial period, using either an Ommaya reservoir or an external ventricular drain. There was an average VAS improvement of 75.8%. During the trial period, no complications were observed. Pump implantation was performed an average of 3.7 wk (range 1-7) after the trial injections. After implantation, an average of 20.7 ± 8.3 dose adjustments were made over 3-56 mo after surgery to achieve maximal pain relief. At the most recent follow-up (26.2 mo, range 3-56), VAS scores significantly improved from an average of 7.8 ± 0.5 (range 6-10) to 2.8 ± 0.7 (range 0-5) at the final dose (mean improvement 5.0 ± 1.0, P < 0.001). All patients required a stepwise increase in opiate infusion rates to achieve maximal benefit. The most common complications were nausea and drowsiness, both of which resolved with pump adjustments. On average, infusion pumps were replaced every 4-5 years. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that ICV delivery of opiates may potentially be a viable treatment option for patients with intractable pain from trigeminal neuralgia or cluster headache.
A College Administrator's Framework to Assess Compliance with Accreditation Mandates.

A framework to assess the impact of complying with college accreditation mandates is developed based on North's (1996) concepts of transaction costs, property rights, and institutions; Clayton's (1999) Systems Alignment Model; and the educational production function described by Hanushek (2007). The framework demonstrates how sought after accreditation performance outcomes may be obtained or missed, based on the organizational and economic interplay across transaction costs, property rights, institutions, and systems misalignment within a community college's operations.
Velocity of Gravitational Waves

OBSERVATIONS by Weber1 indicate that waves may exist in the gravitational field in space. Wave motion in general requires transfer of energy between two modes of energy storage. The existence of gravitational waves in space thus requires a further system of energy storage coupled with that in the regular gravitational field. The field system for gravitational waves may be analogous to the system of magnetic and electric fields that accounts for electromagnetic waves. In the gravitational case, the analogue of the magnetic field is a spin–spin coupling force between rotating masses2. This force is expected to be very small in any experimental arrangement now possible in a physics laboratory on Earth because the gravitational coefficient η analogous to μ (magnetic permeability of space) for magnetic fields is equal to G/S2, where G is the universal gravitational constant and S is the velocity of propagation of gravitational forces in free space, which in general relativity theory is frequently assumed to be the velocity of light.
On Death and Dying in Chapman's "Iliad": Translation as Forgery

Every translation exhibits the problem of belatedness, the inevitable drift in meaning resulting from the progression of time, as well as the change in languages and cultures. The dissonances between Homer'sIliad and Chapman’s rendering, which he thought directly inspired by Homer himself, mark the distinctive shape of both ancient and modern texts. Homer's depictions of death and dying are graphic, formulaic, sometimes subtly erotic; they are powerful witnesses to the mortality that is our common fate. In Chapman's verse these moments become privatized and moralized; they occur in a rational, Stoicized, and Christianized universe, presided over by the Almighty. The translator attempts to recreate Homer in English, but the translation, informed by various cultural and linguistic changes, is a complicated and eristic kind of re-membering.
Transatlantic travels in nineteenth-century Latin America: European women pilgrims

Many of us who have come across the travel accounts of Flora Tristan's (1803–1844) Peregrinations of a Pariah (1838) have been fascinated by her accounts of travel in South America and yet found a ...
Demographic and clinical features of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents.

ABSTRACT Objective To describe the demography, symptomatology, and comorbidity of 31 clinically referred children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Method The patients were assessed in an outpatient clinic for lifetime psychopathology with the Diagnostic interview for Children and Adolescents. The child and adolescent version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) was used to group obsessive-compulsive symptoms and rate symptom severity. Demographic, medical, developmental, academic, and behavioral information was recorded by the parents in the Yale Children's Inventory and the Child Behavior Checklist. Results The male-female ratio was approximately 3:2. Most patients had had multiple obsessions and compulsions that had changed over time. The CY-BOCS correlated highly with another measure of obsessive-compulsive behavior, but not with any of the Child Behavior Checklist scales. Symptom severity was influenced by an interaction between gender and age at onset of the illness. More than 80% of the subjects had other lifetime psychiatric diagnoses. Conclusions The results provide further evidence that obsessive-compulsive disorder is a chronic, severe illness in children and adolescents that is often associated with other forms of psychopathology. The data support the concurrent and discriminant validity of the CY-BOCS.
The application of root mean square electrocardiography (RMS ECG) for the detection of acquired and congenital long QT syndrome.

Background Precise measurement of the QT interval is often hampered by difficulty determining the end of the low amplitude T wave. Root mean square electrocardiography (RMS ECG) provides a novel alternative measure of ventricular repolarization. Experimental data have shown that the interval between the RMS ECG QRS and T wave peaks (RTPK) closely reflects the mean ventricular action potential duration while the RMS T wave width (TW) tracks the dispersion of repolarization timing. Here, we tested the precision of RMS ECG to assess ventricular repolarization in humans in the setting of drug-induced and congenital Long QT Syndrome (LQTS).
Thyroid Peroxidase Expression and DNA Polymorphisms in Thyroid Cancer

Using non-quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we found that thyroid peroxidase (TPO) is expressed in all differentiated thyroid carcinomas examined, although the ratio of the shorter to longer transcript is decreased in tumors that had lost the iodide concentrating capacity. TPO expression is lost in several thyroid carcinoma cell lines (TPC-1, 8305C, 8505C) and altered in another (TC-80). Nucleotide sequencing of the PCR products revealed missense polymorphisms in the TPO gene. Four out of five samples tested are heterozygous for TPO alleles in exon 15, showing both C and T at nucleotide 2612 (GTG coding for Val, GCG for Ala). One tumor is homozygous for T at this position. In exon 8, three samples show T at nucleotide 1189 (TCG, Ser) and C at 1265 (ACC, Thr), while most published sequences report G at both positions (GCG coding for Ala at 1189 and AGC coding for Ser at 1265).
Immunocytochemical localization of GABAergic neurones at the electron microscopical level

Antibodies prepared to purified brain glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), the synthesizing enzyme for the neurotrasmitter, γ-aminobutyric, acid (GABA), have been utilized with an unlabelled antibody method to localize GABAergic neurones in both light and electron microscopic preparations. A modification of Sternberger's peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) complex is used to localize the site of anti-GAD binding, and the PAP complex is visualized with diaminobenzidine and H2O2. The reaction product is visible in both the light and electron microscopes. The ability to localize and identify labelled profiles in the electron microscope provides more functional information than light microscopical preparations. For example, the GAD-positive reaction product occurs mostly in association with synaptic vesicles within axon terminats, and this localization indicates the importance of GAD for the packaging and storage of GABA. The somata and dendrites of neurones giving rise to these terminals are visualized in colchicine-injected material. The GABAergic neurones form axo-somatic, axo-dendritic, axo-axonal and dendro-dendritic synapses in various regions of the rat central nervous system. Pretreatments of animals with anterograde degeneration have shown the significance of some of the GABAergic terminals that form axo-axonal synapses in the spinal cord.
Solar energy and the residence-some systems aspects

Abstract The feasibility, in an energy flow sense, of providing heating, cooling and electrical power for individual homes using some form of solar energy converter on the roof of each residence is considered. A model for home power requirements and solar insolation which reflects residence construction, local weather and geographic location is developed. This is used to demonstrate that 50–90 per cent of the homes in the U.S.A. could be self-powered from solar energy providing sufficient insulation is used and adequate energy conversion techniques are developed.
Passive control of aerodynamically forced vibrations of supersonic turbomachine rotors by splitter blades

An aeroelastic model is developed to examine the use of splitter blades as a passive detuning mechanism for flow induced forced response of unstalled supersonic turbomachine rotors. The splitters introduce aerodynamic and structural detuning to the rotor design. The relationship between aerodynamic and structural detuning and the location and chord lengths of splitters is analyzed. The model is applied to the flow induced response of four 12-blade rotors with Verdon's (1973) Cascade B flow geometry. The data reveal that for gusts characterized by forward and backward traveling waves the splitters generally decrease the maximum amplitudes of response; however, for some gust load interblade phase angles, such as -180 deg and 120 deg the splitters did not reduce the amplitudes of response.
Depression inhibits the anti-inflammatory effects of leisure time physical activity and light to moderate alcohol consumption.

Light to moderate alcohol consumption and leisure time physical activity (LTPA) are independently associated with lower levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), a predictor of cardiometabolic risk. In contrast, depression, ranging from low mood disturbance to major depressive disorder, has been associated with elevated CRP. To test the hypothesis that depression attenuates the anti-inflammatory effects of LTPA and alcohol consumption, the current study tested the moderating effect of severity of depressive symptomatology on the relation of alcohol consumption and LTPA to CRP in 222 healthy adult men and women (18–65 years of age). Given the known effects of gender on inflammation, we also examined the effects of gender on the tested interactions. Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory. Frequency of alcohol consumption, hours of LTPA per week and other coronary risk/protective factors were assessed via self-report and structured interview. Fasting blood samples were used to measure CRP and lipids. As predicted, the interaction between LTPA and depressive symptomatology was significant (F = 5.29, p < .03) such that lower CRP was associated with the combination of decreased depressive symptomatology and increased LTPA. Among those with increased depressive symptoms, increased LTPA was not associated with higher CRP. Similarly, depression interacted with alcohol consumption in predicting CRP in men but not women (F = 5.03, p < .008) such that for men light to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with lower CRP but only among those with decreased depressive symptoms. Light to moderate alcohol consumption was not associated with lower CRP in those with increased depressive symptom severity. The pattern of the interactions between anti-inflammatory activities such as light to moderate alcohol consumption and LTPA and psychological distress as indexed by severity of depressive symptomatology suggests an important new avenue for future research.
Metabolic engineering from a cybernetic perspective. 1. Theoretical preliminaries

The theoretical basis of a cybernetic metabolic network design and analysis framework, which has been subsequently successfully applied to predict system response to genetic alteration, is presented. This conceptual methodology consists of three main branches, namely, a model realization framework, a representation of genetic alteration, and lastly, a metabolic design component. These concepts are introduced as a series of postulates that describe the basic tenets of the approach. Each branch is discussed in turn, starting with the cybernetic representation of arbitrarily complex metabolic networks. A set of postulates is put forth that affords the modular construction of cybernetic models of metabolic networks using as a base a library of elementary pathways. This is followed by a discussion of the representation of genetic alterations within the cybernetic framework. It is postulated that the objective of the base network and the altered system are identical (at least on the time scale required for the organism to “learn” new objectives). This implies, with respect to resource allocation, that the base network and its genetically altered counterpart may still be treated as optimal systems; however, the set of competing physiological choices open to the altered network expands or contracts depending upon the nature of the genetic perturbation. Lastly, to add a predictive design aspect to the methodology, we present a set of postulates that outline the application of metabolic control analysis to cybernetic model systems. We postulate that sensitivity coefficients computed from a cybernetic model, although still local in scope, have the added benefit of a systematic representation of regulatory function as described by the cybernetic variables. Thus, information gained from sensitivity measurements stemming from a cybernetic model include the explicit input of metabolic regulation, a component that is lacking in a purely kinetic representation of metabolic function. The sensitivity results can then be employed to develop qualitative strategies for the rational alteration of metabolic function, which can be evaluated by simulation of an appropriately modified cybernetic model of the base network.
Order and duration of stimuli are important determinants of reactivation

Prior cuing treatments intended to alleviate the forgetting of a conditioned avexsion-to an odor were tested with 18-day-old rats. Previous experiments had shown that when such pups were conditioned with the use of a CS−/CS+ procedure, pretest presentation of the CS− or US, but not the CS+, alleviated the forgetting otherwise seen after a 3-h retention interval. In Experiment 1, it was determined that the forgetting was not alleviated if the GS− was either preceded or followed by presentation of the CS+, despite the fact that the CS−/CS+ ordering mimicked that of original conditioning. Experiment 2 was an examination of the balance of extinction and reactivation effects caused by presenting the CS+ for varying durations following the 3-h retention interval. The forgetting over this interval was alleviated if the CS+ was presented for 5 or 15 sec, but not 30 sec. With an increase in duration of exposure from 15 to 30 sec, the consequences of the CS+ as a prior cuing treatment apparently shifted from reactivation to extinction. Experiment 3 was a test of the interaction between the consequences of different lengths of CS+ exposure and the effectiveness of adding CS− to the CS+ as a reactivation treatment. The varied effectiveness of reactivation treatments is discussed interms of a change in stimulus conditions from training to reactivation.
A semiparametric Bayesian approach for joint-quantile regression with clustered data

Based on a semiparametric Bayesian framework, a joint-quantile regression method is developed for analyzing clustered data, where random effects are included to accommodate the intra-cluster dependence. Instead of posing any parametric distributional assumptions on the random errors, the proposed method approximates the central density by linearly interpolating the conditional quantile functions of the response at multiple quantiles and estimates the tail densities by adopting extreme value theory. Through joint-quantile modeling, the proposed algorithm can yield the joint posterior distribution of quantile coefficients at multiple quantiles and meanwhile avoid the quantile crossing issue. The finite sample performance of the proposed method is assessed through a simulation study and the analysis of an apnea duration data.
Hegelianism as modernism

L'A. souleve trois problemes lies a l'ideal historique qu'il decrit dans son ouvrage intitule «Modernism as a Philosophical Problem»: 1) concernant l'autoreflexion et le fondement normatif de l'ideal, 2) concernant la nature de l'historicisme developpe par Hegel contre la metaphysique, 3) concernant les pretentions de Hegel par rapport a la coherence des normes de la communaute
Restless legs syndrome in children with chronic kidney disease

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is considerably more common among adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) than in the general population and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. There is limited information on RLS in children with CKD. Failure to account for conditions that might mimic RLS can lead to overdiagnosis of this syndrome. In a prospective, cross-sectional study, RLS prevalence was compared between pediatric CKD patients and healthy children. RLS was assessed via a questionnaire that included exclusion of mimics. Sleep characteristics and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were also assessed. Restless legs syndrome was more prevalent in CKD patients (n = 124) than in 85 normal children (15.3 vs. 5.9 %; p = 0.04). There was no significant association between RLS and CKD stage, CKD etiology, CKD duration, and dialysis or transplant status. Children with RLS were more likely to rate their sleep quality as fairly bad or very bad (41.2 vs. 8.8 %; p = 0.003) and report using sleep medications (42.1 vs. 14.7 %; p = 0.01). RLS was associated with lower HRQoL by parent report (p = 0.03). Only five of the 19 patients (26.3 %) with CKD and RLS had discussed RLS symptoms with a healthcare provider, and only one of these patients had been diagnosed with RLS prior to this study. The prevalence of RLS is increased in children with CKD and appears to be underdiagnosed. Systematic screening for RLS and sleep problems would therefore appear to be warranted in children with CKD.
Child sexual abuse programs: Recommendation for refinement and study

Child assault prevention programs have increasingly been instituted in school systems throughout the country. this paper reviews and summarizes research findings on child abuse, child abuse prevention programs, and evaluations of child abuse prevention programs. In addition, the author presents issues for program developers to consider as they re-examine and refine existing child abuse prevention programs.
Stress relaxation experiments in polycarbonate : A comparison of volume changes for two commercial grades

Stress relaxation experiments were performed on two grades of polycarbonate at room temperature. The tests were performed in uniaxial extension and compression at deformations from the small strain, linear viscoelastic regime to the highly nonlinear viscoelastic regime just below yield. Simultaneous to the control of axial strain, both stress and lateral strain were measured, the latter providing the volume change for the samples. The volume change measurements in tension show initial dilatation of the samples followed by a volume relaxation that at the largest strains in one grade of polycarbonate leads to densities greater than those of the undeformed sample. In the case of the compression measurements, the volume decreases upon deformation, but, rather than relaxing back towards the undeformed volume, the samples continuously densify. The differences in the tensile dilatation for the two grades of polycarbonate suggest that the volume behavior may be related to the propensity to yield vs. fracture.
Surface-plasmon field controlled quantum-dot light absorption and spontaneous emission

The possibility for controlling both the probe-field optical gain and absorption switching as well as photon conversion by a surface-plasmon-polariton near field is explored for a quantum dot located above a metal surface. In contrast to the linear response in the weak-coupling regime, the obtained spectra could show an induced optical gain and a triply-split spontaneous emission peak resulting from the interference between the surface-plasmon field and the probe or self-emitted light field in such a strongly-coupled nonlinear system.
Methamphetamine reinforcement in rats

Methamphetamine was found to serve as a reinforcer for the rat. Long-term drug self-administration was characterized by periods of responding and not responding for drug injection. Response rate varied as a function of drug dosage and value of a fixed-ratio reinforcement schedule.
Relation of echocardiographic wall motion score index and response to dobutamine stress to defibrillation threshold at the time of implantation of a cardiac defibrillator.

Predictors of defibrillation threshold (DFT) at implantation remain poorly defined. It was hypothesized that a greater wall motion score index (WMSI) at rest on echocardiography and an ischemic or biphasic response on dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) would predict a greater DFT. Consecutive patients who underwent implantable cardiac-defibrillator implantation underwent echocardiography and DSE. DFT at implantation was assessed using the step-down method. Thirteen men aged 68 ± 10 years with left ventricular ejection fractions of 28 ± 10% participated in the study. DFTs ranged from 5 to 25 J (mean 14 ± 8). A WMSI at rest of ≥2.5 had a 71% positive predictive value and an 83% negative predictive value for a DFT ≥15 J. An ischemic or biphasic response during DSE did not predict a greater DFT at implantation.
Scripting attachment: Generalized event representations and internal working models

The secure base script construct is an innovative methodology that provides a reliable, valid, and generative measure of the internal working model of attachment-related events based on theory and research on generalized event representations or scripts. Multiple aspects of theory and research on scripts can provide additional information about the ways in which internal working models may develop along the dimensions of elaboration, complexity, and flexibility.
The protective effect of heparin in experimental bladder infection

Abstract The surface mucopolysaccharide layer of the urinary bladder has been shown to interfere with bacterial attachment, and we therefore consider it to be the primary mechanism of combatting bacterial colonization and subsequent infection. Experimentally, hydrochloric acid alters this layer in such a way as to permit massive bacterial adsorption to the vesical mucosa. Heparin, an acid mucopolysaccharide, was instilled into rabbit bladders that had their naturally occurring mucopolysaccharide altered by hydrochloric acid. Heparin was shown to inhibit the attachment of inoculated Escherichia coli to these acid-treated bladder mucosas, and the degree of protection afforded was similar to that of the mucopolysaccharide layer of the intact urothelium.