cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of cannabis use on intracarotid amobarbital testing.

Abstract Chronic cannabis use impacts memory functioning, even while users are not acutely intoxicated. The impact of cannabis use on Wada or intracarotid amobarbital testing (IAT) has not previously been described. We reviewed cannabis consumption in epilepsy patients undergoing IAT during pre-surgical work-up. Of 58 patients reviewed, 16 patients (28%) indicated regular use. During IAT, five regular cannabis users with suspected temporal lobe epilepsy exhibited poor memory while testing their presumptively healthy temporal lobe (i.e., the side opposite that targeted for epilepsy surgery), indicating the potential for an amnestic syndrome post-operatively. It was suspected that the pattern of IAT results for these patients was attributable to the deleterious impact of cannabis use on cognition. Thus, three of the five underwent repeat IAT after a period of enforced abstinence. On repeat IAT, each of the three patients exhibited improved memory performance while testing their healthy temporal lobe, suggesting that the healthy temporal lobe of each mediated sufficient memory ability to allow for epilepsy surgery. These findings raised concerns that frequent cannabis use may alter IAT results, leading to incorrect assessments regarding potential post-operative cognitive deficits, and led to a mandate at our institution that patients must stop cannabis use before IAT.
Examining Recovery Program Participants by Gender: Program Completion, Relapse, and Multidimensional Status 12 Months After Program Entry:

This study examined individual-level characteristics and factors associated with program completion, relapse, and multidimensional status at follow-up for 213 men and 248 women who entered one of 1...
Advanced light source-Upgrade accumulator-ring gas bremsstrahlung production

Abstract Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is designing a new electron synchrotron for scientific research using synchrotron radiation. An upgrade of the Advanced Light Source (ALS) would position the nation to retain its international competitiveness in the soft X-ray sciences. The ALS is a 1.9 GeV storage ring operating at 500 mA of beam current. It is optimized to produce intense beams of soft X-rays, which offer spectroscopic contrast, nanometer-scale resolution, and broad temporal sensitivity. Upgrading the ALS storage ring from a triple-bend-achromat to a multibend-achromat (MBA) lattice design will provide a soft X-ray source that is up to 100–1,000 times brighter than today’s ALS and will provide a significantly higher fraction of coherent light in the soft X-ray region than is currently available at the ALS. The upgraded ALS will offer the highest coherent flux of any existing or planned storage-ring facility, worldwide, up to a photon energy of 3.5 keV. The addition of an accumulator ring that enables on-axis, swap-out, recovery, and exchange of bunch trains is required to achieve this coherence and brightness. Analysis of the radiation generated and shielding required by the addition of this new accelerator is presented in this paper.
New Opportunities to Improve Mental Health Crisis Systems

National, state, and local actors seem ready to address the long-neglected mental health crisis system in the United States. Elements of an organized system of crisis care are in place in some states, including regional or statewide call centers, mobile crisis teams, and crisis care facilities. These necessary advances are not sufficient to address the urgent problems of increasing suicide rates, the inappropriate use of emergency departments to hold people in psychiatric distress, and the problematic reliance on inadequately trained law enforcement who frequently respond to mental health crises. This article describes the immediate challenges and opportunities that can launch nationwide reform in systems of care for individuals in psychiatric crisis. Five action recommendations describe clear, feasible next steps that can be taken to move these systems forward and meaningfully improve access and quality of care for people in crisis. The recommendations include a central coordinating role for Congress, an increase in federal authorization and appropriation of funds, enactment of a 5% Mental Health Block Grant set-aside, expanded funding for research and evaluation, and the pursuit of additional payment mechanisms by states and counties.
Correlates of STI Testing Among US Young Adults: Opportunities for Prevention

The purpose of this study was to examine sex cognitions and behavioral strategy correlates for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV testing among a national sample of young adults ages 18–20. Young adults (18–20 years) were recruited nationally (n = 1144). The sample was restricted (n = 817) based on inclusion/exclusion criteria for analysis. The outcome variables were gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV testing, respectively, in the last 12 months. Covariates included demographic variables, alcohol use, perceived vulnerability, protective behavioral strategies, and sexual behavior in the last 3 months. Adjusted logistic regression models were estimated in SAS 9.4. Approximately 24% of respondents were tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea, and 21% were tested for HIV in the past year. Women were more likely than men to be tested for chlamydia (OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.13, 2.46) and gonorrhea (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.05, 2.28). Persons who were worried about an STI after a sexual encounter and who engaged in casual sex were more than two times as likely to be tested for all three STIs. Similarly, persons who used more non-condom-related protective behavioral strategies were more likely to be tested. Future studies may consider these correlates as potential intervention points for promoting STI testing among young adults.
Racial disparities in mortality after severe traumatic brain injury in childhood: mediators identified by Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition of trauma registry data

In the United States social disparities in health outcomes are found wherever they are sought, and they have been documented extensively in trauma care. Because social factors cannot cause a trauma outcome directly, there must exist mediating causal factors related to the nature and severity of the injury, the robustness of the victim, access to care, or processes of care. An understanding these mediators is the point of departure for addressing inequities in outcomes. Data were extracted from the registry of the Trauma Quality Improvement Program of the American College of Surgeons for 2007 through 2010. Inclusion criteria were age less than 19 years and head Abbreviated Injury Scale score of 4, 5, or 6. An Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition was undertaken to analyze the relative contributions of a large set of covariates to the difference in mortality rates between Black and White children. Covariates were aggregated into the following categories: “Severity,” “Structure and Process,” “Mechanism,” “Demographics,” and “Insurance.” Eligible for analysis were 7273 White children and 2320 Black children. There were 1661 deaths (17.3%) The raw mortality rates were 15.6 and 22.8% for White and Black children, respectively. Factors categorized as “Severity” accounted for 95% of the mortality difference, “Mechanism” accounted for 13%, “Insurance” accounted for 5%, and “Demographics” accounted for 2%. The contribution of “Structure and Process” did not attain statistical significance. Severity of injury accounts for most of the disparity between Black and White children in traumatic brain injury mortality rates. Mechanism, insurance status, and gender make a small contributions. Because insurance status like other social factors cannot directly affect trauma survival, what mediates its contribution requires further study.
Electrical Measurement and Verification of Energy in DC Buildings

Today’s selection of DC buildings features a diverse set of electrical topologies and turnkey solutions, and each has specific design trade-offs and optimizations. Designers desperately need standardized metrics and procedures for measurement and verification (M&V) to analyze and compare the advantages of each DC solution to traditional AC building networks. This work develops the Measurement-Informed Modeling (MIM) method, which can be used to determine full-building efficiency and energy savings. The MIM M&V procedure develops a building model, and refines the model with metered data. This work demonstrates the MIM method by measuring the full-building efficiency of two DC buildings operated by the Institute of Building Research in Shenzhen, China. The MIM procedure can ultimately be used to compare and improve the efficiency of various DC topologies.
Rent Burden and Depression Among Mothers: an Analysis of Primary Caregiver Outcomes

Using national longitudinal survey data from the Fragile Families & Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), this study builds on existing knowledge about housing insecurity, female caregivers, and well-being. The study analyzed the relationship between housing cost burdens (HCB) and depression among a sample (N = 399) of predominantly (67.6%) Black non-Hispanic mothers and other female primary caregivers. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) model yielded results that indicate housing cost burden among mothers and other female primary caregivers has a statistically significant association with meeting symptoms of depression and liberal criteria for depression as measured by the CIDI-SF survey instrument. This study contributes to the knowledge base of health outcomes related to housing cost burden by providing a unique analysis of the association of depression and housing cost burden at an unprecedented scale by using data from several consecutive waves of survey responses of a large, multi-city, longitudinal study. The findings hold implications that may inform future policy and research concerning the affordable housing crisis, which disproportionately affects mothers and other female heads of household. Considering the prevalence of housing cost burden in the USA and the disproportionate indications of depression found among housing burdened mothers/female caregivers, the findings of this study may hold implications for housing and health policies that address U.S. communities as diverse as the wide range of communities from which the FFCWS respondents were drawn.
DEMOCRACY AND CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING: CONTINUITY, DEVELOPMENT, AND CHALLENGE

My topic is the relationship between two phenomena that have been of long-standing interest to Jude Dougherty as scholar and public intellectual. They came together rather dramatically during the main years of his career, the time he served as dean of the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America. The University’s birth certificate, as it were, was the 1889 encyclical Magni nobis, promulgated by Leo XIII ten years after Aeterni patris, which initiated the Thomistic revival, and two years before Rerum novarum began the modern tradition of Catholic Social Teaching. The founding of the university and, in 1895 its School of Philosophy, was of a piece with Leo’s initiation of a confident address to the modern world in the wake of the political and social turbulence unleashed by the French Revolution. Leo’s project was one of vigorous intellectual engagement in which philosophy had an important role to play. No subsequent pontiff embodied this more than St. John Paul II, who had visited Catholic University at Dean Dougherty’s invitation as the cardinalarchbishop of Krakow and then again as pope, a pope identified not only with the principles of the Gospel, but as a champion of both reason and political freedom. His papacy represented the culmination of a process by which the Church’s social teaching assessed with increasing nuance the character of democratic politics, moving from a diffidence rooted in the
Characterization of an Ammonium Transport System in Filamentous Fungi with Methylammonium-14C As the Substrate

Abstract Penicillium chrysogenum will grow on methylamine (methylammonium chloride) as its sole nitrogen source. The amine enters the mycelium by means of a transport system (permease) that satisfies several criteria for its identity as an ammonia (or ammonium ion) permease. Transport is temperature-dependent (Q10 of 2.1 between 20° and 30°), pH-dependent (optimum between pH 4.5 and pH 8.5), and ionic strength-dependent (optimum and relatively constant between 0 and 10-3 m KCl). Methylamine transport by nitrogen-sufficient mycelium is extremely low and obeys first order kinetics up to 10-3 m external substrate. Nitrogen starvation causes the derepression or deinhibition (or both) of a saturable transport system (Km ≃ 10-5 m, Vmax ≃ 10 µmoles per g-min). This results in an 800-fold increase in the rate of methylamine transport at external substrate concentrations below 10-5 m. Ethylamine transport has the same Vmax, but a much higher Km value (approximately 10-4 m). Methylamine transport is not inhibited significantly by other amines, amino alcohols, or amino acids previously shown to be susbtrates of a nitrogen-regulated amino acid permease (Benko, P. V., Wood, T. C., and Segel, I. H., Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 129, 498 (1968)). The amino acid permease and the methylamine permease also do not develop coincidentally during nitrogen starvation, while the choline permease is unaffected by nitrogen starvation. Ammonia (ammonium ion) is a potent competitive inhibitor of methylamine transport (Ki approximately 2.5 x 10-7 m). An independent estimate of the Vmax for ammonium transport, based on the time required to release the inhibition of methylamine-14C transport, gives a value of about 10 µmoles per g-min. Although the original development of transport activity could result from derepression, the permease is subject to feedback inhibition by intracellular glutamine and asparagine.
Periodic cyclic cohomology Chern character for pseudomanifolds with one singular stratum

We compute the periodic cyclic cohomology Chern character of an admissible pseudomanifold Xf with one singular stratum. As a corollary, we obtain the index theorem and spectral flow for signature operators. 0. INTRODUCTION This paper is the sequel to [Chan]. In that paper, by considering the "straight" Chern character, we gave a de-Rham type realization of the Goresky-MacPhersonSiegel L-classes of admissible pseudomanifolds with one singular stratum Xt M U (ct (L) x N) such that 2L has zero oriented cobordism, and we also obtained the index theorem for the twisted signature operators on Xt. In this paper, we will continue to study Xt by using non-commutative geometry. We will compute (Theorem 3.1 and Theorem 3.3) the corresponding periodic cyclic cohomology Chern character by using the infinite temperature limit formula in [CoM]. As in [Chan], we will choose a scaling in the conical direction such that the signature operator is essentially self-adjoint. Also, by using a singular elliptic estimate, we handle the calculation on the singular part by that on model space c0,0, (L) x N. We finish the computation by Getzler's calculus. As a consequence, we recover the index theorem for twisted signature operators on Xt [Chan, Theorem 4.1] in the even case. In the odd case, we obtain (Corollary 3.4) the spectral flow for signature operators on admissible spaces with conical singularity. 1. PRELIMINARIES To fix the notation, let us recall some definitions in [Chan]. Let M be a smooth, oriented, compact and connected m-dimensional manifold with boundary O9M = L x N where L and N are smooth, oriented, closed and connected manifolds of dimensions ? and n respectively. Let c(L) -= (0, 1) x L and ct (L) = [0, 1) x L/{O} x L be the cone and completed cone with link L respectively. Then Xt = MU (ct (L) x N) is called a pseudomanifold with one singular stratum [Chan]. We define a metric g on Xt such that (i) g is a measurable metric on Xt; (ii) glM is a smooth metric on M and is a product near OM; Received by the editors August 30, 1996. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 19D55; Secondary 58G12. ?1998 American Mathematical Society 669 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.127 on Wed, 29 Jun 2016 04:18:19 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
Chapter 17 Employment Law

Abstract Legal rules governing the employer-employee relationship are many and varied. Economic analysis has illuminated both the efficiency and the effects on employee welfare of such rules, as described in this chapter. Topics addressed below include workplace safety mandates, compensation systems for workplace injuries, privacy protection in the workplace, employee fringe benefits mandates, targeted mandates such as medical and family leave, wrongful discharge laws, unemployment insurance systems, minimum wage rules, and rules requiring that employees receive overtime pay. Both economic theory and empirical evidence are considered.
Visualizing Katrina - merging computer simulations with observations

Hurricane Katrina has had a devastating impact on the US Gulf Coast, and her effects will be felt for many years. Forecasts of such events, coupled with timely response, can greatly reduce casualties and save billions of dollars. We show how visualizations from storm surge and atmospheric simulations were used to understand the predictions of how strong, where, and when flooding would occur in the hours leading up to Katrina's landfall. Sophisticated surface, flow and volume visualization techniques show these simulation results interleaved with actual observations, including satellite cloud images, GIS aerial maps and LIDAR showing the 3D terrain of New Orleans. The sheer size and complexity of the data in this application also motivated research in efficient data access mechanisms and rendering algorithms. Our goals were to use the resulting animation as a vehicle for raising awareness in the general populace to the true impact of the event, to create a scientifically accurate representation of the storm and its effects, and to develop a workflow to create similar visualizations for future and simulated hurricanes. Screenings of the animation have been well received, both by the general public and by scientists in the field.
Some neural and non-neural factors in visual development of the kitten

Kittens appear visually immature at eye opening and studies were conducted to trace changes with maturity. Longitudinal determinations of optical quality indicate that optical factors may not limit visual performance in young kittens. Estimates of visual axis alignment in alert kittens at various ages show that functional visual divergence does not occur even when the pupillary axes are divergently misaligned. It is thus possible that fused binocular vision may occur in very young kittens, suggesting that procedures that disrupt binocularity may have effects at the cortical level. Single-unit analysis of striate cortex in kittens monocularly deprived for varying periods during the first three postnatal weeks confirms this possibility. Effects are also found for kittens reared with monocular defocus to simulate anisometropia. Binocular recovery from the effects of monocular deprivation is found to be quite limited in kittens given binocular exposure following unilateral lid-suture. The recovery that occurs requires active visual input rather than a cessation of imbalance in the two eyes. A long period of binocular exposure appears to be ineffective in restoring binocular connections in a cat reared with optically induced strabismus.
Automated and Adaptive Threshold Setting: Enabling Technology for Autonomy and Self-Management

Threshold violations reported for system components signal undesirable conditions in the system. In complex computer systems, characterized by dynamically changing workload patterns and evolving business goals, the pre-computed performance thresholds on the operational values of performance metrics of individual system components are not available. This paper focuses on a fundamental enabling technology for performance management: automatic computation and adaptation of statistically meaningful performance thresholds for system components. We formally define the problem of adaptive threshold setting with controllable accuracy of the thresholds and propose a novel algorithm for solving it. Given a set of Service Level Objectives (SLOs) of the applications executing in the system, our algorithm continually adapts the per-component performance thresholds to the observed SLO violations. The purpose of this continual threshold adaptation is to control the average amounts of false positive and false negative alarms to improve the efficacy of the threshold-based management. We implemented the proposed algorithm and applied it to a relatively simple, albeit non-trivial, storage system. In our experiments we achieved a positive predictive value of 92% and a negative predictive value of 93% for component level performance thresholds
Research Using the Gottschalk-Gleser Content Analysis Scales in English Since 1969

In The Measurement of Psychological States Through the Content Analysis of Verbal Behavior [1], authors Gottschalk and Gleser thoroughly discussed the theoretical bases for qualifying and quantifying psychological states through content analysis of speech. They outlined their theoretical approaches to content analysis in general, the method of eliciting verbal behavior, and the effect of the method of elicitation used on the data obtained, assessing intensity, scale development, and validation. While providing a detailed description of their theories concerning the measurement of anxiety, hostility, and social alienation/personal disorganization, they also supplied guidelines on how to develop procedures for measuring other psychological states from verbal samples.
Indications, evaluations, and postoperative care of the combined liver-heart transplant recipient.

Abstract Multiorgan transplantation is now possible because of improvements in immunosuppression and surgical techniques. Combined liver-heart transplantation (CLHT) is a new option with initial 1-year data reporting 80% 1-year survival rates. Organs transplanted with the liver appear to have less allograft rejection. Within the United States, fifteen CLHTs have been performed. Three CLHTs have been performed at the University of Chicago and are discussed in this article. Guidelines for evaluation and listing criteria for CLHT recipients have not been established in the medical community. Postoperative care of this patient group is demanding and requires a thorough understanding of multiorgan pathophysiology, management of high-incidence acute renal dysfunction, tight intravascular volume regulation, and an experienced multidisciplinary approach to care.
Measuring member satisfaction with a self-help association

An evaluation of the Manic Depressive and Depressive Association of Chicago utilized an adapted version of the CSQ-8, Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, as part of a mail survey. Comparison of mean ratings by the self-help members were lower than norms for mental health clients on whom the CSQ-8 was first applied. Interitem correlations of item means on the adapted version indicated similar psychometric properties as the original CSQ-8 and correlations of satisfaction ratings and demographic variables indicated that demographics have little influence on ratings. Respondents with longer-term membership, more intense involvement and perceptions of positive outcome revealed higher levels of satisfaction.
Gangränöse Cholecystitis mit Perforation nach schwerer bakterieller Meningitis

Wir berichten uber eine 72-jahrige Frau mit bekanntem Diabetes mellitus, die wegen einer bakteriellen Meningitis mit β-hamolysierenden Streptokokken auf unserer Intensivstation behandelt wurde. Unter antibiogrammgemaser antibiotischer Therapie und entsprechender Supportivtherapie konnte die Infektion beherrscht werden und die Patientin begann sich von ihrer initial vital bedrohlichen Erkrankung zu erholen. Trotz Verbesserung des neurologischen Status kam es im weiteren Verlauf zu einer zunehmenden Verschlechterung des Allgemeinzustandes, begleitet von einer neuerlichen Erhohung der systemischen Entzundungsparameter sowie einer raschen Verschlechterung der renalen Funktion. Die Patientin entwickelte Aszites ohne abdominelle Begleitsymptomatik. Die sonographische Untersuchung des Abdomens erbrachte mit Ausnahme der deutlich ausgepragten freien Flussigkeit im Abdomen keinen richtungsweisenden pathologischen Befund. Die Gallenblase war nicht wandverdickt und steinfrei. Es konnte galliger Aszites mittels Feinnadelpunktion aspiriert werden. Ursachlich musste eine Leckbildung im Gallengangssystem beziehungsweise im Bereich der Gallenblase angenommen werden. Die endoskopische retrograde Cholangiographie (ERC) bestatigte das Vorliegen eines Gallenblasenlecks. In Anbetracht der Begleitmorbiditat der Patientin und der Sepsis mit bereits eingetretenem Multiorganversagen musste eine chirurgische Sanierung unterbleiben. Autoptisch kam eine gangranose Cholezystitis ohne Cholecystolithiasis mit Perforation und galliger Peritonitis zur Darstellung. Die akute Cholecystitis ohne Steinleiden stellt ein lebensbedrohliches Zustandsbild dar. Pathogenetisch ist eine ischamiebedingte Entzundung und schlieslich eine Infektion der Gallenblasenwand anzunehmen. Die Perforation der Gallenblase stellt eine ernsthafte Komplikation mit hoher Mortalitat dar. Die fruhzeitige Diagnosestellung und, wenn moglich, eine umgehende chirurgische Intervention konnen die Prognose dieser Erkrankung verbessern.
Carbachol, angiotensin-II, ventricular spread and water balance in rats

Abstract Injections into the preoptic areas and anterior hypothalamus of as little as 1.0 ng/μ1 carbachol (5.5 × 10 −6 M, 11 pmols total dose) and 0.1 ng/μ1 angiotensin-II (10 −7 M, 0.2–0.4 pmols) were dipsogenic or antidiuretic-natriuretic. Lateral ventricular (VL) threshols for drinking also were 11 pmols for carbachol and 0.2 pmols for angiotensin. The low VL threshold for carbachol supports, without proviing, arguments that a limbic cholinergically-coded thirst circuit could reflect leakage form placements near VL to the third ventricle. In contrast, VL thresholds for antidiuresis-natriuresis were 110 pmols for carbachol and 2 pmols for angiotensin. Carbachol was more effective rostral to the paraventricular nucleus and angiotensin dorsal to the supraoptic nucleus. However, lower thresholds in these areas were insufficient to localize receptors, since all cannulas positive for antidiuresis-natriuresis traversed ventricles, and cannulas not traversing ventricles were negative.
Information and control in gray-box systems

In modern systems, developers are often unable to modify the underlying operating system. To build services in such an environment, we advocate the use of gray-box techniques. When treating the operating system as a gray-box, one recognizes that not changing the OS restricts, but does not completely obviate, both the information one can acquire about the internal state of the OS and the control one can impose on the OS. In this paper, we develop and investigate three gray-box Information and Control Layers (ICLs) for determining the contents of the file-cache, controlling the layout of files across local disk, and limiting process execution based on available memory. A gray-box ICL sits between a client and the OS and uses a combination of algorithmic knowledge, observations, and inferences to garner information about or control the behavior of a gray-box system. We summarize a set of techniques that are helpful in building gray-box ICLs and have begun to organize a "gray toolbox" to ease the construction of ICLs. Through our case studies, we demonstrate the utility of gray-box techniques, by implementing three useful "OS-like" services without the modification of a single line of OS source code.
Quantification of edge loss of laser scanned data at spatial discontinuities

Laser scanning is a promising geometric data collection tool for construction, facility, and infrastructure management due to its fast sampling rate (tens of thousands of measurements per second) and millimeter-level accuracy. However, laser scanned data contains inaccurate data points at spatial discontinuities (object edges). These inaccurate points, known as mixed-pixels, are commonly removed from the data prior to geometric modeling or other downstream processes. The removal of points at the edges of objects introduces error in the geometry of the objects, and object dimensions extracted from the data, such as widths and heights, are usually smaller than the actual values. In many cases, these losses due to removal of points at edges can exceed measurement accuracy tolerances specified in inspection manuals. This paper proposes a model for estimating edge loss in laser scanned data by considering the impacts of various factors, such as scanning distance, density of data and incidence angle on the edge loss. Results from a series of controlled experiments showed that the developed model successfully predicted edge losses in most test cases. Evaluation results using data collected from job sites showed that this model reduced the measurement error due to edge loss by an average of 80% for dense point clouds collected by an amplitude modulated continuous wave (AMCW) scanner, and 38% for relatively sparse point clouds collected by a pulsed time of flight (PTOF) scanner. By adding the estimated edge losses back into the raw dimensional measurements using the developed model, it is possible to significantly improve the accuracy of related measurements and hence improve the accuracy of the geometric information extracted from laser scanned data.
Pathological Features of Lymph Node Metastasis for Predicting Biochemical Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer

Purpose: Subclassification of nodal stage may have prognostic value in men with lymph node metastasis at radical prostatectomy. We explored the role of extranodal extension, size of the largest metastatic lymph node and the largest metastasis, and lymph node density as predictors of biochemical recurrence.Materials and Methods: We reviewed pathological material from 261 patients with node positive prostate cancer. We examined the predictive value when adding the additional pathology findings to a base model including extraprostatic extension, seminal vesicle invasion, radical prostatectomy Gleason score, prostate specific antigen and number of positive lymph nodes using the Cox proportional hazards regression and Harrell concordance index.Results: The median number of lymph nodes removed was 14 (IQR 9, 20) and the median number of positive lymph nodes was 1 (IQR 1, 2). At a median followup of 4.6 years (IQR 3.2, 6.0) 155 of 261 patients experienced biochemical recurrence. The mean 5-year biochemical recur...
Initial Development and Validation of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale–Adolescent Version

The factor structure of a new self-report scale, the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale–Adolescent version, was examined. Reliability and 2-week stability estimates of the domain scores and total score were calculated. Relationships of the domain and total scores with other well-being measures were examined as well as the impact of social desirability responding. Although additional development is necessary, results provided preliminary psychometric support for the MSLSS–A for research purposes.The usefulness of life satisfaction measures vis-a-vis the positive psychology movement (Seligman and Csikzentmihalyi, American Psychologist, 55(1): 5-14, 2000) is highlighted.
Creep-rupture performance of 0.07C–23Cr–45Ni–6W–Ti,Nb austenitic alloy (HR6W) tubes

A series of base metal and cross-weld creep-rupture tests were conducted on the advanced austenitic alloy, HR6W, to evaluate the material for use at advanced ultrasupercritical (A-USC) steam conditions. Creep deformation and rupture were evaluated by traditional methods and data were compared with other studies to evaluate the creep response of the material. Optical and scanning electron microscopy revealed changes in failure mode and precipitation behavior. Thermodynamic predictions of phase stability were conducted and the results were compared with the experimental data. This research confirmed the important role of W and the precipitation of laves phase in the alloy system, but a direct relationship between laves phase content and creep strength was not observed. Furthermore, Cr content was investigated as an additional factor which may be important in the microstructural stability of the alloy which had not been previously considered. Finally, when compared to commercially available stainless steels, this heat of HR6W showed no creep strength advantage for A-USC application.
Evaluation of fumigation and surface seal methods on fumigant emissions in an orchard replant field

Soil fumigation is an important management practice for controlling soil pests and enabling successful replanting of orchards. Reducing emissions is required to minimize the possible worker and bystander risk and the contribution of fumigants to the atmosphere as volatile organic compounds that lead to the formation of ground-level ozone. A field trial was conducted in a peach orchard replant field to investigate the effects of fumigation method (shank-injection vs. subsurface drip-application treatments) and surface treatments (water applications and plastic tarps) on emissions of 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) and chloropicrin (CP) from shank-injection of Telone C-35 and drip application of InLine. Treatments included control (no water or soil surface treatment); standard high-density polyethylene (HDPE) tarp, virtually impermeable film (VIF) tarp, and pre-irrigation, all over shank injection; and HDPE tarp over and irrigation with micro-sprinklers before and after the drip application. The highest 1,3-D and CP emission losses over a 2-wk monitoring period were from the control (36% 1,3-D and 30% CP) and HDPE tarp (43% 1,3-D and 17% CP) over shank injection. The pre-irrigation 4 d before fumigation and VIF tarp over shank injection had similar total emission losses (19% 1,3-D and 8-9% CP). The HDPE tarp and irrigations over subsurface drip-application treatments resulted in similar and the lowest emission losses (12-13% 1,3-D, and 2-3% CP). Lower fumigant concentrations in the soil-gas phase were observed with drip-application than in the shank-injection treatments; however, all treatments provided 100% kill to citrus nematodes in bags buried from 30 to 90 cm depth. Pre-irrigation and drip application seem to be effective to minimize emissions of 1,3-D and CP.
RESTRUCTURING A HOUSE OF QUALITY USING FACTOR ANALYSIS

Quality function deployment (QFD) is a cross-functional planning tool which ensures that the voice of the customer is systematically deployed throughout the product planning and design stages. Impediments tot he adoption of QFD as a product design aid i..
New synchrotron luminosity distance limit for the 1979 march 5 gamma-ray event

New synchrotron luminosity estimates are provided for the March 5, 1979 gamma-ray event, based on the lack of low-frequency self-absorption cutoff. This leads to distance limits much lower than 55 kpc for a neutron-star emission area even in the most conservative case. The source is likely Galactic. If in addition the thermal self-Compton interpretation is invoked for the hard tail above 300 keV in the burst spectrum, then the source distance lies in the range 0.1-2 kpc for extreme ranges of the neutron-star emission area. This result strongly impacts current observational programs for this source.
A multiplexed PCR-coupled liquid bead array for the simultaneous detection of four biothreat agents

We have developed a 10-plexed PCR assay coupled to a 12-plexed liquid bead array to rapidly screen environmental samples for B. anthracis, Y. pestis, F. tularensis, and B. melitensis. Highly validated species-specific primer sets were used to simultaneously amplify multiple diagnostic regions unique to each individual pathogen. Resolution of the mix of amplified products was achieved by PCR product hybridization to corresponding probe sequences, attached to unique sets of fluorescent beads. The hybridized beads were processed through a flow cytometer, which detected presence and quantity of each PCR product. The assay was optimized to allow for maximum sensitivity in a multiplexed format. A high-throughput demonstration was performed where 384 simulated environmental samples were spiked with different amounts of B. thuringensis spores and pathogen DNA. The samples were robotically processed to extract DNA and arrayed for multiplexed PCR-liquid bead detection. The assay correctly identified the presence or absence of each pathogen and collected over 3000 individual data points within a single 8-h shift for approximately $4.00 material costs per environmental sample in a 10-plexed assay.
The disulfide-rich region of platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIIa contains hydrophilic peptide sequences that bind anti-GPIIIa autoantibodies from patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune blood disease caused by autoantibody-mediated destruction of blood platelets. Platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa is a common target for antiplatelet autoantibodies. The present studies were undertaken (1). to confirm whether the disulfide rich repeat region of GPIIIa contains target epitopes for antiplatelet antibodies in patients with ITP; (2). to determine whether these antigens were defined by peptide sequences in the absence of post-translational modification; and (3). to correlate observed immunologic reactivity with the recently solved X-ray crystallographic structure of an analogous integrin complex, the vitronectin receptor, alpha(V)beta(3). Recombinant fusion proteins of four GPIIIa extracellular sequences were prepared and purified. Immunoblotting results with purified recombinant peptides showed potent reactivity of 16 of 24 ITP patient serum anti-GPIIb/IIIa antibodies with the fusion protein containing the GPIIIa sequence of residues from 468 to 691. These results are consistent with a report by Kekomaki et al. that a 50 kDa chymotryptic digestion product of GPIIIa isolated from blood platelets contains target epitopes for serum antiplatelet antibodies in 16 of 33 ITP patients. Smaller peptides including residues 446-501 and residues 593-691 each reacted with only 5 of the 24 patient sera; furthermore all but 3 of these interactions were very weak. Visualization of the conformation of the extracellular portion of alpha(V)beta(3) reveals the location of the 222-residue antigenic GPIIIa (beta(3)) peptide 'B' at the immediately extracellular region of the protein that includes a beta-tail domain and several integrin-EGF domains. In summary, predictions of hydrophilicity, surface accessibility and antigenicity and the three dimensional structure of the beta(3) integrin correlate with autoantibody binding to a recombinant GPIIIa peptide 'B' containing residues 468-691.
HIV healthcare provider-patient interaction: observations on the process of providing antiretroviral treatment.

The meeting during which healthcare providers and newly infected HIV + patients discuss treatment options is a critical stage in patients' care. We describe 10 interactions between healthcare providers and HIV+ patients at two clinics. Two observers coded each of the 10 interactions for the content of the topics discussed and for communication-relevant behaviors. The interactions followed one of two general patterns, according to whether combination antiretroviral treatment was recommended or deferred. Features of the interactions are described. These features include: (1) the presentation of a single-treatment option, (2) a discussion of whether patients have the will to begin therapy and the skills to adhere to treatment regimens, and (3) organizational pressures to include patients in clinical trials.
Comparison of Selected Health Risk Behaviors Between Adolescents in Public and Private High Schools in South Carolina

This study examined differences in selected health risk behaviors among 5,517 students attending public high schools (PUBHS) and 1,089 students attending private high schools (PVTHS) in South Carolina. The 1995 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey was used to collect self-report information on adolescent risk behaviors. Chi-square analyses were performed for comparing public and private students on selected risk behaviors. Both PUBHS and PVTHS students reported substantial involvement in most of the risk-taking behaviors examined. PUBHS students, in general, were more likely to report higher prevalence rates than PVTHS students for most of the selected health risk behaviors. However, PVTHS students reported even higher prevalence rates than PUBHS students for alcohol use, driving after drinking, and binge drinking; smoking cigarettes (past 30 days); chewing tobacco (males only); marijuana use during the past 30 days (females only); and use of alcohol or other drugs before last act of sexual intercourse. Results suggest attendance at a private high school is not a panacea for protection against adolescent risk behaviors, and that all high school students could benefit from a coordinated school health program. Language: en
Sources of federal funding in plastic and reconstructive surgery research.

Background In the last several years, federal funding has become increasingly difficult to obtain. The purpose of this project was to define the level of federal funding among plastic surgeons in the modern era. Methods The authors evaluated members of the Plastic Surgery Research Council because of their expected invested interested in research. The authors collected information from 1998 to 2012 on funding using curricula vitae and publically available online tools. Data on Plastic Surgery Foundation funding was also collected to determine its role in supporting federally funded investigators. Results Of 256 individuals, the authors found 41 to be primary investigators on federally funded grants, with the majority receiving one to two awards. Common subtypes of awards included National Institutes of Health R01 (n = 15), K08 (n = 9), and R21 (n = 6). Limited funding from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense was identified. Despite a steady number of available National Institutes of Health awards, plastic surgery recipients have grown in number over the past 15 years. In a review of 20 years of Plastic Surgery Foundation awards, 113 Plastic Surgery Research Council members (44.1 percent) were awardees, averaging 1.8 awards per person. Twenty-nine Plastic Surgery Foundation awardees were also recipients of federal funding; 12 individuals received federal funding without prior Plastic Surgery Foundation funding. Conclusions A search of plastic surgeons indicates a limited but increasing number of individuals receive federal funding. Plastic Surgery Foundation awards appear to be helpful in supporting investigators as they move to larger federal awards.
Children's Hospital ICU Nurse and Physician Rankings of Important Considerations in Pediatric End-of-Life Decision Making

Background: Families and clinicians must often weigh competing priorities when making medical decisions for a pediatric patient at the end of life. Few empirical data exist regarding the importance that clinicians place on varying priorities and whether clinical practice conforms to decision-making standards discussed in the literature. Methods: We administered a discrete choice experiment to understand the relative importance of nine pediatric end-of-life decision-making priorities using responses from 364 nurses and physicians from three intensive care units (ICUs) (pediatric ICU, pediatric cardiothoracic ICU, neonatal ICU) in a large children's hospital, with a 54% response rate. We used latent class analysis to characterize subgroups of health professionals based on their patterns of importance for the nine attributes and examined differences in class membership using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Eighty-two percent of respondents were nurses, consistent with the proportion of nurse and ph...
Using LC3 to monitor autophagy flux in the retinal pigment epithelium

Autophagy is a highly conserved housekeeping pathway that plays a critical role in the removal of aged or damaged intracellular organelles and their delivery to lysosomes for degradation. Autophagy begins with the formation of membranes, arising in part from the endoplasmic reticulum, that elongate and fuse engulfing cytoplasmic constituents into a classic double-membrane bound nascent autophagosome. These early autophagosomes undergo a stepwise maturation process to form the late autophagosome or amphisome that ultimately fuses with a lysosome. Efficient autophagy is dependent on an equilibrium between the formation and elimination of autophagosomes; thus, a deficit in any part of this pathway will cause autophagic dysfunction. Autophagy plays a role in aging and age-related diseases. However, few studies of autophagy in retinal disease have been reported.
Activation of apoptotic cell death in human myeloid leukemia cells by RNS: A novel antitumor approach using resistive barrier plasma

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), an ambient temperature ionized gas, is undergoing extensive evaluation as a promising addition to anti-tumor therapy primarily due to the ability to generate and control delivery of electrons, ions, free radicals, excited atoms and molecules, UV photons, and reactive species such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) to a specific site. The heterogeneous composition of CAP offers the opportunity to mediate several signaling pathways that regulate tumor cells. Consequently, the array of CAP generated products has limited the identification of the mechanisms of action on tumor cells. The aim of this work was to assess the cell death response of human myeloid leukemia cells exposed to CAP generated RNS. We evaluated the viability of the human monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1 to variable treatments of CAP generated RNS and we set to identify specific cell death characteristics that presented with increasing dosages of CAP generated RNS. Incorporation of exclusionary dyes and fluorescently labeled annexin V allowed us to determine that CAP generated RNS promotes apoptosis and/or necrosis in THP-1 cells in a dosage- and time-dependent manner. CAP generated RNS promotion of apoptosis was further supported by observation of endonuclease cleavage products by agarose gel electrophoresis. In conclusion, we identify that CAP generated RNS play a significant role in the anti-tumor potential of CAP and show a possible application of modified CAP devices in tumor therapy1, 2. Recent results on RNA analysis will be presented as well.
Space-Based Radar

The concept of national air defense against aircraft and cruise missiles has been evolving in parallel with the Strategic Defense Initiative and is being referred to as the Air Defense Initiative. One of the most promising sensor concepts for the Air Defense Initiative is space-based radar. Operated at microwave frequencies as an instrument for wide-area surveillance, space-based radar may be useful in mission areas such as fleet defense and battlefield surveillance.
Large-scale monitoring of host cell gene expression during HIV-1 infection using cDNA microarrays.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection alters the expression of host cell genes at both the mRNA and protein levels. To obtain a more comprehensive view of the global effects of HIV infection of CD4-positive T-cells at the mRNA level, we performed cDNA microarray analysis on approximately 1500 cellular cDNAs at 2 and 3 days postinfection (p.i.) with HIV-1. Host cell gene expression changed little at 2 days p.i., but at 3 days p.i. 20 cellular genes were identified as differentially expressed. Genes involved in T-cell signaling, subcellular trafficking, and transcriptional regulation, as well as several uncharacterized genes, were among those whose mRNAs were differentially regulated. These results support the hypothesis that HIV-1 infection alters expression of a broad array of cellular genes and provides a framework for future functional studies on the differentially expressed mRNA products.