cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a patient-centered after visit summary in primary care.

Abstract Objective To test the impact of a redesigned, patient-centered after visit summary (AVS) on patients’ and clinicians’ ratings of and experience with the document. Methods We conducted a difference-in-differences (DiD) evaluation of the impact of the redesigned AVS before and after its introduction in an academic primary care practice compared to a concurrent control practice. Outcomes included ratings of the features of the AVS. Results The intervention site had 118 and 98 patients in the pre- and post-intervention periods and the control site had 99 and 105, respectively. In adjusted DiD analysis, introduction of the patient-centered AVS in the intervention site increased patient reports that the AVS was an effective reminder for taking medications (p = .004) and of receipt of the AVS from clinicians (p = .002). However, they were more likely to perceive it as too long (p = .04). There were no significant changes in overall rating of the AVS by clinicians or their likelihood of providing it to patients. Conclusions A patient-centered AVS increased the number of patients receiving it and reporting that it would help them remember to take their medications. Practice implications Improvements in the patient-centeredness of the AVS may improve its usefulness as a document to support self-management in primary care.
Collaborative mixed reality (MxR) and networked decision making

Collaborative decision-making remains a significant research challenge that is made even more complicated in real-time or tactical problem-contexts. Advances in technology have dramatically assisted the ability for computers and networks to improve the decision-making process (i.e. intelligence, design, and choice). In the intelligence phase of decision making, mixed reality (MxR) has shown a great deal of promise through implementations of simulation and training. However little research has focused on an implementation of MxR to support the entire scope of the decision cycle, let alone collaboratively and in a tactical context. This paper presents a description of the design and initial implementation for the Defense Integrated Collaborative Environment (DICE), an experimental framework for supporting theoretical and empirical research on MxR for tactical decision-making support.
The Distribution of the Maximal Time Till Departure from a State in a Markov Chain

Let Mn be the maximal success run in the first n trials in a sequence of Bernoulli trials. Asymptotic bounds on the distri bution of Mn are given here. More generally, it is possible to get bounds on the asymptotic distribution of the maximal waiting time till departure from a given state in a finite Markov chain and from any state. The problem turns out to be more straightforward when dealing with the continuous time case. The limiting distributions are of double exponential type and the forming cons tants depend on the diagonal of the intensity matrix and the long run distribution.
Characterization of Prosthetic Liner Products for People with Transtibial Amputation

Use of elastomeric or “gel” liners in prosthetics practice has become increasingly common, with recent data suggesting that practitioners select gel liners for about 85% of their prosthetic patients.1 To accommodate the clinical needs of a broad range of prosthetic limb users, liner manufacturers have created an array of different liner products. Although elastomeric liners are derived primarily from the same base materials (i.e., urethane, silicone, and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE]), differences in a liner’s chemical composition, shape, geometry, and manufacturing determine a liner’s overall performance. Presence of fabric backing, antibacterial additives, or features such as sealing sleeves, distal pads, or reinforcement can additionally affect mechanical performance of a liner. Given the number of variables that contribute to a liner’s design, it is not surprising that a large number of liner products are commercially available – a recent study identified more than 70 liner products on the market.2 Despite the availability of so many different liner products, a recent survey indicated that a typical practitioner choses among only two or three products when selecting liners for his or her prosthetic patients.2 An explanation for such limited selection among many available options may be a lack of comparable, objective information about the similarities and differences among liner products.3 Without information about how a new liner compares to the two or three familiar products, practitioners are hesitant to change. The same study found that only 33% of practitioners surveyed obtained information from scientific journals, while the majority sought information directly from manufacturers (94%) or clinical magazines (65%). These results suggest there is a need to distinguish liners and provide practitioners with practical information to help them identify products that best match individual patient needs. The purpose of this research study was to characterize mechanical properties of commonly used prosthetic liner products and to compare findings with previous liners characterized in the literature. We also evaluated the influence of design variables fabric backing and liner thickness on testing results. Selecting a liner for an individual patient may require the practitioner optimize the most preferred property or identify a liner that exhibits a balance among several preferred properties.
Surgical overtreatment of pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms: Do the 2017 International Consensus Guidelines improve clinical decision making?

Abstract Background Significant overtreatment of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms can be attributed to low specificity of the current International Consensus Guidelines as well as nonconformity with the guidelines. We compare the ability of the 2012 and revised 2017 intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms International Consensus Guidelines to predict high-grade dysplasia/invasive cancer and to determine the preoperative variables that predict resection of benign or low-grade dysplasia in tertiary care centers. Methods Clinical, radiographic, and pathologic data for resected intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms at 3 high-volume National Cancer Institute Cancer Centers were reviewed and the 2012 and 2017 consensus criteria were retrospectively applied. When International Consensus Guidelines were not met, clinical decision analysis was used to determine the primary indication for resection. Logistic regression identified variables associated with pathologic grade. Results Records for a total of 251 patients were reviewed, 129 of whom (52%) had low-grade dysplasia. The revised 2017 International Consensus Guidelines had high sensitivity (98.4%) and negative predicted value (96.1%), and all high-risk stigmata predicted high-grade dysplasia/invasive cancer; however, specificity remained low (14.8%). Nonconformity with International Consensus Guidelines was the most powerful predictor of low-grade dysplasia on final pathologic examination (9.5; 2.12–40.78). Independent predictors of low-grade dysplasia included age younger than 50 (2.46; 1.08–5.62), fine-needle aspiration without epithelial cells (2.6; 1.43–4.72), and normal duct diameter (3.07; 1.99–4.75). Diabetes developed in 30% of patients after resection. Conclusion Management of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms remains clinically challenging. Low specificity of the International Consensus Guidelines and nonconformity with the guidelines continue to contribute to unnecessary pancreatic resections. Improved tools for disease classification as well as a better understanding of the natural history, biology, and rates of progression of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms are needed to avoid surgical overtreatment of low-grade intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms.
A Fractional Inverse Initial Value Problem

We are concerned with an inverse problem associated with a one-dimensional fractional parabolic equation in the impedance form. The spectral data is extracted from a single reading of the values of a solution collected on the boundaries. The mathematical tools are drawn from M.G. Krein’s inverse spectral theory of the string, and the use of a classical initial condition makes it appropriate for imaging by nondestructive methods.
Towards rapid interactive machine learning: evaluating tradeoffs of classification without representation

Our contribution is the design and evaluation of an interactive machine learning interface that rapidly provides the user with model feedback after every interaction. To address visual scalability, this interface communicates with the user via a "tip of the iceberg" approach, where the user interacts with a small set of recommended instances for each class. To address computational scalability, we developed an O(n) classification algorithm that incorporates user feedback incrementally, and without consulting the data's underlying representation matrix. Our computational evaluation showed that this algorithm has similar accuracy to several off-the-shelf classification algorithms with small amounts of labeled data. Empirical evaluation revealed that users performed better using our design compared to an equivalent active learning setup.
Image-Guided Transarterial Directed Delivery of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Targeted Gastrointestinal Therapies in a Swine Model.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the feasibility of catheter-directed intra-arterial stem cell delivery of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to the small bowel in a porcine model. Materials and Methods The cranial mesenteric artery of 6 Yucatan minipigs was selectively catheterized under fluoroscopic guidance following cut-down and carotid artery access. A proximal jejunal branch artery was selectively catheterized for directed delivery of embolic microspheres (100–300 μm) or MSCs (0.1–10 million cells). The pigs were euthanized after 4 hours and specimens collected from the proximal duodenum and the targeted segment of the jejunum. The Chiu/Park system for scoring intestinal ischemia was used to compare hematoxylin and eosin–stained sections of jejunum and duodenum. Results Successful delivery of microspheres or MSCs in a proximal jejunal branch artery of the cranial mesenteric artery was achieved in all subjects. Radiopaque microspheres and post-delivery angiographic evidence of stasis in the targeted vessels were observed on fluoroscopy after delivery of embolics. Preserved blood flow was observed after MSC delivery in the targeted vessel. The Chiu/Park score for intestinal ischemia in the targeted proximal jejunal segments were similar for microspheres (4, 4; n = 2) and MSCs (4, 4, 4, 3; n = 4), indicating moderate ischemic effects that were greater than for control duodenal tissue (3, 1; 0, 0, 3, 3). Conclusions Selective arteriographic deployment of MSCs in swine is feasible for study of directed intestinal stem cell delivery. In this study, directed therapy resulted in intestinal ischemia.
INITIAL RESULTS FROM THE META-ANALYSIS OF THE WHOLE-EXOMES OF OVER 20,000 SCHIZOPHRENIA CASES AND 45,000 CONTROLS

Background Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric disorder that affects nearly 1% of the population. Schizophrenia has been demonstrated to have a substantial genetic component, with common and rare variants contributing to individual risk. While Genome-Wide Association Studies have implicated over a 140 common risk loci for schizophrenia, rare variant analyses from sequencing studies have had limited success in implicating individual genes, presumably owing to power limitations. Methods Here, we present the Schizophrenia Exome Meta-Analysis (SCHEMA) Consortium, a large multi-site collaboration to aggregate, generate, and analyze high-throughput sequencing data of schizophrenia to advance gene discovery. To date, we have sequenced and processed the whole exomes of over 20,000 schizophrenia cases and 45,000 matched controls using a standardized variant calling and QC pipeline based on GATK and Hail, yielding one of the largest sequencing data sets of a complex trait to date. Our study actively recruited from diverse global populations, and includes individuals of European, Latin American, East Asian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and African American ancestry. Because our exomes were sequenced with various capture technologies over seven years, we developed a novel pipeline to estimate exon-by-exon coverage of all sequencing batches in our data set, and incorporated this information in quality control and analysis. After adjusting for local differences in coverage, we observed comparable quality metrics between different cohorts and sequencing waves. Results We first replicated findings from earlier sequencing studies of schizophrenia, including a substantial enrichment of ultra-rare damaging variants in genes with a near-completion depletion of protein-truncating variants. We also recapitulated a significant burden of disruptive variants in genes and gene sets previously associated with other neurodevelopmental disorders. We present the first gene-based burden results from our exome meta-analysis, and extend the sample using an independent set of 4,000 whole-genome sequenced cases and 7,000 matched controls. Finally, we present a new exome association results browser that allows for easy viewing of identified variants and gene-based results. Discussion In summary, we introduce the largest multi-center effort to aggregate sequencing data of a psychiatric trait, and the initial results from the harmonization and analysis of over 65,000 exomes.
Optical Metric Assessed Engineered Tissues Over a Range of Viability States.

Many conventional methods to assess engineered tissue morphology and viability are destructive techniques with limited utility for tissue constructs intended for implantation in patients. Sterile l...
Design Considerations for Implementing eHealth Behavioral Interventions for HIV Prevention in Evolving Sociotechnical Landscapes.

Despite tremendous potential for public health impact and continued investments in development and evaluation, it is rare for eHealth behavioral interventions to be implemented broadly in practice. Intervention developers may not be planning for implementation when designing technology-enabled interventions, thus creating greater challenges for real-world deployment following a research trial. To facilitate faster translation to practice, we aimed to provide researchers and developers with an implementation-focused approach and set of design considerations as they develop new eHealth programs. Using the Accelerated Creation-to-Sustainment model as a lens, we examined challenges and successes experienced during the development and evaluation of four diverse eHealth HIV prevention programs for young men who have sex with men: Keep It Up!, Harnessing Online Peer Education, Guy2Guy, and HealthMindr. HIV is useful for studying eHealth implementation because of the substantial proliferation of diverse eHealth interventions with strong evidence of reach and efficacy and the responsiveness to rapid and radical disruptions in the field. Rather than locked-down products to be disseminated, eHealth interventions are complex sociotechnical systems that require continual optimization, vigilance to monitor and troubleshoot technological issues, and decision rules to refresh content and functionality while maintaining fidelity to core intervention principles. Platform choice and sociotechnical relationships (among end users, implementers, and the technology) heavily influence implementation needs and challenges. We present a checklist of critical implementation questions to address during intervention development. In the absence of a clear path forward for eHealth implementation, deliberate design of an eHealth intervention’s service and technological components in tandem with their implementation plans is critical to mitigating barriers to widespread use. The design considerations presented can be used by developers, evaluators, reviewers, and funders to prioritize the pragmatic scalability of eHealth interventions in research.
Understanding the Barriers to BSN Education Among ADN Students: A Qualitative Study

Abstract There are very few studies exploring the challenges that Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) students face in nursing education. Focus group interviews of ADN students revealed the themes, regarding their perceived barriers to baccalaureate nursing education, the barriers’ connectedness to their nontraditional attributes, their opinions about lowering the barriers, and their thoughts about the different proposals for advancing nurses’ education. Understanding these variables could help in the efforts to advance their education.
POOR WEIGHT RECOVERY BETWEEN STAGE 1 PALLIATION AND HOSPITAL DISCHARGE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE NPC-QIC PHASE II DATASET

Interstage weight gain after stage 1 palliation (S1P) has improved. However, the maximal negative impact on weight occurs before discharge, when catabolic demands are high and caloric intake is often limited. Change in weight for age z-score (ΔWAZ) in the immediate post-operative period has not
Standardizing Discrete-Time Hazard Ratios With a Disease Risk Score

The disease risk score (DRS) is a summary score that is a function of a potentially large set of covariates. The DRS can be used to control for confounding by the covariates that went into estimation of the DRS and obtain a standardized estimate of an exposure's effect on disease. However, to date, literature on the DRS has not addressed analyses that focus on estimation of survival or hazard functions, which are common in epidemiologic analyses of cohort data. Here, we propose a method for standardization of hazard ratios using the DRS in longitudinal analyses of the association between a binary exposure and an outcome. This approach to handling a potentially large set of covariates through a model-based approach to standardization may provide a useful tool for cohort analyses of hazard ratios and may be particularly well-suited to settings where an exposure propensity score is difficult to model. Simulations are used in this paper to illustrate the approach, and an empirical example is provided.
Prevalence of meditation-related adverse effects in a population-based sample in the United States.

Meditation practice and meditation-based psychotherapies have become increasingly popular. Although psychological benefits associated with meditation are well-documented, potential risks are unclea...
Eigenstates of quasi-Keplerian self-gravitating particle discs

Although quasi-Keplerian discs are among the most common astrophysical structures, computation of secular angular momentum transport within them routinely presents a considerable practical challenge. In this work, we investigate the secular small-inclination dynamics of a razor-thin particle disc as the continuum limit of a discrete Lagrange-Laplace secular perturbative theory and explore the analogy between the ensuing secular evolution -- including non-local couplings of self-gravitating discs -- and quantum mechanics. We find the 'quantum' Hamiltonian that describes the time evolution of the system and demonstrate the existence of a conserved inner product. The lowest-frequency normal modes are numerically approximated by performing a Wick rotation on the equations of motion. These modes are used to quantify the accuracy of a much simpler local-coupling model, revealing that it predicts the shape of the normal modes to a high degree of accuracy, especially in narrow annuli, even though it fails to predict their eigenfrequencies.
Oligodendrocyte Progenitors and Brain Remodeling Following Blood–Brain Barrier Rupture

Blood–brain barrier rupture is typically seen in germinal matrix hemorrhage–intraventricular hemorrhage (GMH–IVH) of premature infants. The development of IVH results in remodeling of the periventricular germinal matrix and the white matter. The onset of hemorrhage initiates a cascade of events, including inflammation, microglial activation, astrocytosis, and degeneration along with arrested maturation of oligodendrocytes. These processes contribute to myelination failure, and the survivors of IVH manifest with cerebral palsy, cognitive deficits, and mental retardation. The main focus of this chapter is to discuss how the rupture of the blood–brain barrier and subsequent hemorrhage disrupts survival and maturation of oligodendrocytes. I also critically evaluate the recently employed strategies to restore maturation of oligodendrocytes and myelination in animal models of hemorrhage. Translation of these preclinical studies into controlled clinical trials may lead to discoveries in the treatment of posthemorrhagic white matter injury in premature infants.
The Myth of Media Violence: A Critical Introduction

Introduction: The Media Violence Tower of Babble. 1. We Like to Watch: A Brief History of Media Violence. What is Media Violence?. A Cacophony of Voices. 2. Watching Doesn't Make Us Violent: Assessing the Research on Media Violence. Media Violence in Historical Perspective. Regulation Efforts. Historical Continuities in Media Violence Debates. Media Hysteria and the Culture of Fear. The Media Hysteria Cycle. The Win-Win Situation. The Facts about Crime and Violence. 3. We Are Afraid: Media Violence and Society. Identity and Fear. Fear and Desire. Gender and Race. Crime and Politics. The War on Terrorism. 4. We Can't Stop the Violence: The Uses and Importance of Media Violence. Violence and Education. Violence and Art. Violence and News. The Media Violence Industry. The New Economics of Entertainment. The Movie Business. Disaster Movies. Science Fiction. Horror. Beyond the Theater and into the Toy Store. Television. Critical Viewing. Dramatic Programs. Reality Television. Music Television. TV News. Children's Programming. Sports on TV. 5. But We Can Understand It: Beyond Polemics in the Media Violence Debate. Publishing Violence. Computer and Video Games. The Desire for Media Violence. The Aesthetics of Violence. Narratives of Violence. The Ethics of Media Violence. Violence and Memory. Responding to Media Violence. Index
Tsunami reconstruction and redevelopment in the Maldives

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the significance of trans‐disciplinary and inter‐disciplinary collaboration, and local community participation in redevelopment efforts.Design/methodology/approach – In order to illustrate this model of redevelopment, the rebuilding efforts in Maldives in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, are presented as a case study. The efforts of the Government of Maldives and several NGOs are explored and critiqued, and a novel model for redevelopment is conceptualized. The paper utilizes a comprehensive review of literature, news articles, press releases and structured interviews to gather information and provide a framework for reconstruction and redevelopment plan in Maldives.Findings – When communities are impacted by natural disasters or developmental challenges, workers from various disciplines are brought together to assist in social reconstruction. Interdisciplinary collaboration and community involvement are key to fostering significant and sustainable chang...
Revisiting the effect of the Pap test on cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVES: This report documents the effect of not having had a Papanicolaou (Pap) test on survival with uterine cervical squamous carcinoma. METHODS: Data were derived from Charity Hospital of Louisiana at New Orleans Tumor Registry reports for 1984-1987 and 1996. RESULTS: During the 5 study years, 101 of 213 women (47%) with invasive carcinoma had not undergone a previous Pap test. From 1984 to 1987, the observed 5-year survival rate for 171 patients with invasive carcinoma was 43%. The observed 5-year rate for 107 patients with carcinoma in situ from 1984 to 1986 was 99%. CONCLUSIONS: The goal of a yearly Pap test for all women can be approached by a number of different routes, with the use of all health facilities augmented with collection of specimens by trained nonphysician personnel.
Regulation of spinal neuropeptide genes in a rat model of peripheral inflammation and hyperalgesia.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the regulation of spinal neuropeptide genes in a rat model of peripheral inflammation and hyperalgesia. Varieties of neuropeptides have been identified at the spinal level, acting as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators, and play important roles in the processing of nociceptive information. Recent studies indicate that, in the spinal cord, several neuropeptide genes and their resultant peptide products, including dynorphin, enkephalin and substance P, are up-regulated in response to peripheral tissue inflammation. Analysis of the neural circuits accessed by these peptides suggests that their regulation represents, in part, the mechanisms underlying neuronal hyperexcitability and behavioral hyperalgesia at the spinal level. This chapter discusses the changes of three neuropeptides: dynorphin, enkephalin and substance P, especially with regard to their precursor mRNAs in the spinal cord. Analysis of mRNA regulation targets the response of intrinsic spinal cord neurons as mRNA transcription occurs in neuronal cell bodies, while analysis of peptide products can be confounded by the diverse origin of spinal axonal processes from primary afferents or descending axons from higher centers of the neuraxis. The molecular mechanisms of nociception are addressed here, and the neuronal regulation is correlated to development of dorsal horn hyperexcitability and behavioral hyperalgesia.
Krankheiten des Perikards

Isolierte Krankheiten des Perikards sind ungewohnlich, aber eine sekundare Beteiligung als Folge der Ausdehnung eines Prozesses von einem benachbarten Organ her, einer uber die Blutbahn verbreiteten Infektion oder einer Beteiligung bei Allgemeinkrankheiten, kommt haufig vor. Oft gehen die lokalen Erscheinungen am Perikard in den allgemeinen Symptomen des Grundleidens unter, manchmal beherrschen sie jedoch das klinische Bild.
Microfluidic device to control interstitial flow-mediated homotypic and heterotypic cellular communication.

Tissue engineering can potentially recreate in vivo cellular microenvironments in vitro for an array of applications such as biological inquiry and drug discovery. However, the majority of current in vitro systems still neglect many biological, chemical, and mechanical cues that are known to impact cellular functions such as proliferation, migration, and differentiation. To address this gap, we have developed a novel microfluidic device that precisely controls the spatial and temporal interactions between adjacent three-dimensional cellular environments. The device consists of four interconnected microtissue compartments (~0.1 mm3) arranged in a square. The top and bottom pairs of compartments can be sequentially loaded with discrete cellularized hydrogels creating the opportunity to investigate homotypic (left to right or x-direction) and heterotypic (top to bottom or y-direction) cell–cell communication. A controlled hydrostatic pressure difference across the tissue compartments in both x and y direction induces interstitial flow and modulates communication via soluble factors. To validate the biological significance of this novel platform, we examined the role of stromal cells in the process of vasculogenesis. Our device confirms previous observations that soluble mediators derived from normal human lung fibroblasts (NHLFs) are necessary to form a vascular network derived from endothelial colony forming cell-derived endothelial cells (ECFC-ECs). We conclude that this platform could be used to study important physiological and pathological processes that rely on homotypic and heterotypic cell–cell communication.
Temor a la madurez en la anorexia nerviosa

El temor a la madurez (TM) es un rasgo relevante en pacientes portadoras de anorexia nerviosa (AN). Se analiza descriptivamente la presencia de TM y sus implicancias evolutivas en la AN, efectuandose una revision de la literatura disponible en PubMed y textos de consulta especializados. Los modelos de Bruch (1974) y Crisp (1997) relacionan la inmadurez psicosexual en la AN con la regresion a un cuerpo prepubescente como mecanismo maladaptativo para enfrentar los cambios biopsicosociales inherentes a la transicion hacia la adultez, ademas de la vulnerabilidad individual, dinamica familiar y vinculo madre-hija deficitario. Segun los hallazgos, el TM se asocia significativamente con inicio precoz de la patologia, amenorrea primaria, anorexia nerviosa restrictiva, rol de genero femenino, ascetismo, autodisciplina, hipercontrol, conductas auto-agresivas, abandono del tratamiento y desenlace negativo. Hubo mejoria significativa en el TM en anorecticas adolescentes sometidas a un programa de psico-educacion y terapia familiar. Una de las caracteristicas nucleares de la AN es el TM, enfatizado en los paradigmas clasicos y fundamentados en la evidencia cientifica actual. El TM deberia considerarse un aspecto terapeutico central e indice pronostico en la AN
A Rosetta stone for analysis of human membrane protein function

Knowledge of the function of membrane proteins in normal and pathological human organs would be helpful in understanding a wide range of disorders, but general strategies for obtaining it are constrained by the availability of tissue for study. Procuring living samples can be difficult and postmortem tissues are often degraded or preserved by methods that alter or destroy membrane protein function. Even given the integrity of these components, studies of their function face additional hurdles. Their relatively low abundance and investment by the lipid bilayer render purification and characterization challenging. The genes that encode them are often not available to allow analysis of their function by expression in heterologous systems. In addition, one needs to be able to study the properties of tissue- and disorder-specific posttranslationally modified proteins. In this issue of PNAS, Limon, Reyes-Ruiz, and Miledi (1) use two methods to address these issues. The first involves classical mRNA expression. The second utilizes a more recently developed and powerful technique that takes advantage of membrane fusion to analyze the function of proteins without the mRNA for the genes that encode them. The authors apply these methods to study ion channels from frozen and archived human postmortem brain tissue of normal and autistic subjects. This approach should provide a Rosetta stone with which to decipher the normal functions …
Comment on "Intensity-dependent ionization potentials for H and He in intense laser beams"

It is argued that a straightforward physical interpretation of the intensity-dependent ionization potentials computed by Choi, Henneberger, and Sanders is not possible.
Coarse-Grained Model of Coil-to-Helix Kinetics Demonstrates the Importance of Multiple Nucleation Sites in Helix Folding

An extension of a coarse-grained, implicit-solvent peptide model wherein each amino acid residue is represented by four interaction sites is presented and discussed. The model is used to study the coil-to-helix transition of five peptide sequences, ranging from all hydrophobic to all hydrophilic, for a 10-residue peptide. The thermodynamics of the folding transition are analyzed and discussed for each sequence, and the stability of the α-helix is correlated with the hydrophobic content of the sequence. In addition, for each sequence, the folding kinetics of the transition from random coil to full α-helix are analyzed, and the mean folding time is determined. Folding times vary from 59 ns for the most hydrophobic sequence to 132 ns for the most hydrophilic sequence. These folding times compare very well with those measured in experments. All sequences show single-exponential kinetics. A plot of the mean folding time versus the reciprocal of the Zimm-Bragg parameter σ [Formula: see text] a measure of the free energy cost of nucleating a helix [Formula: see text] is shown to be nonlinear, in contrast to the predictions of many theories of the coil-to-helix transition. It is proposed that the origin of this nonlinearity is due to multiple helix nucleation sites, indicating that even for short peptides such as those studied here, multiple folding pathways play an important role in the transition from random coil to native state.
Weierstrass Type Representation for Marginally Trapped Surfaces in Minkowski 4-Space

Directly using the complex function theory and differential equation theory, we give a kind of Weierstrass representation formula for spacelike surfaces, especially, marginally trapped surfaces in 4-dimensional Minkowski space ${\mathbb E}^4_1$ .
Implications of experimentally induced contemplative meditation.

Unusual perceptions have always been the subject of intense interest, desire, and speculation. In early history it was customary to interpret and seek such occurrences within a religious context. Even the gross disorders of epilepsy and psychosis were thought to be cases of supernatural possession, blessed or otherwise. Strange experiences were valued, and the use of fasting, drugs, ceremony, and dancing to induce a strange experience was common in cultures ranging from the Amazon Indians to ascetic European monks. Only with the rise of Western science did man become dissatisfied with theological inquiry and seek to understand strange experiences as a type of natural phenomena, to be explained by the same powerful mechanical and mathematical models that were conquering the planets and the chemical elements. Psychological science began studying conscious experience, and the advent of psychoanalysis ushered in the exploration of unconscious functioning. The problem of unusual perceptions, however, is still a puzzle, a challenge, and a matter of philosophical dispute.
Comprehension Theory and Second Language Pedagogy

Second language acquisition theories and models over the past 10 years have focused primarily on learner variables, long-term language storage, and retrieval for production. This article presents a synthesis of second language acquisition research and adds interpretations of research on memory and verbal-input processing which relate to second language acquisition. From these perspectives, a theoretical model of listening comprehension in the adult language learner is developed. Implications of comprehension theory for second language teaching are then examined in light of suggestions in the pedagogical literature for increased emphasis on listening comprehension in the classroom.
INCREASED RENAL BLOOD FLOW (RBF) AFTER TRANSIENT RENAL ISCHEMIA

This study examines the effects of 25 minutes of unilateral ischemia on RBF and on renal handling of PAH at high (H) and low (L) serum concentrations in the 40 minutes following reflow in anesthetized acutely saline expanded rabbits. RBF was monitored continuously by electromagnetic flow probes; serum (S) and urine (UV) were collected for clearance rates of PAH (Cpah) and inulin (Cin) from both the ischemic (I) and nonischemic (N) kidney. Infusion of PAH and inulin was begun after reflow. 40 minutes later kidneys were removed for determination of cortex-to-serum ratios of PAH (C/Spah) and inulin (C/Sin). Results are tabulated: 25 minutes of transient renal ischemia produced increased RBF in 11/11 animals in the immediate post ischemic period (mean pre ischemic RBF 33 ml/min, mean 0-10 minute post ischemic RBF 54 ml/min, p <.01). The increased RBF was accompanied by an increase in UV but not in Cin and Cpah. In this model, the post ischemic reduction of Cin and Cpah cannot be attributed to decreased RBF.
Chest Radiograph Enhancement Using The Weighted Unsharp Mask

This paper defines the weighted unsharp mask image enhancement technique and illustrates its use applied to the image processing of chest radiographs. This technique is a generalisation of the simple unsharp mask, the variable threshold zonal filter and the gradient inverse weighted mean. It has the property of sharpening or de-blurring an image while controlling two characteristic degradations of the normal unsharp mask, namely the emphasis of low level noise and the over-enhancement of well defined edges.
The Career Counseling Process With Racial‐Ethnic Minorities: The Case of Asian Americans

Using Derald Sue's framework for examining the counseling process with racial-ethnic minority clients, the author develops a new model to examine the career counseling process with Asian Americans in terms of culturally appropriate and inappropriate process and outcomes. Recommendations for culturally appropriate career counseling interventions are also offered from this integrated framework.
Are Price Expectations Normally Distributed

Abstract Livingston survey data from 1958 to 1971 are used to test the hypothesis that price expectations are normally distributed across the respondents to each survey. If the forecasts of the CPI and WPI are grouped around integers, chi-square tests indicate that normality is not a bad hypothesis. On balance, however, the sample distributions are skewed to the right and more peaked than the normal. Other distributions were therefore tried and even better fits obtained with a scaled log t-distribution.
Asymmetry of Structural Characteristics of Lipid Bilayers Induced by Dimethylsulfoxide: An Atomistic Simulation Study

In a typical cryopreservation protocol, the system to be preserved is first equilibrated with chemicals known as cryoprotective agents (CPAs). CPAs have been shown to alleviate cell damage from either the solute effects or the formation of intracellular ice during the subsequent freezing process. Thus, an extensive body of literature reporting the effects of CPAs on cellular systems has been accumulated over the last 50 years; detailing largely experimental interactions between cell systems and chemicals. Recent advances in computational methodology now offer an additional dimension in our ability to understand the molecular interactions between cell membranes, idealized as lipid bilayers and CPAs at atomistic scales. Computer simulations provide unique capabilities for analyzing biomembrane properties from atomistic perspective with a degree of detail that is hard to reach by other techniques. The excellent agreement with the experiment obtained in various molecular dynamics (MD) studies [1] on simple model membranes has raised the confidence in applying the molecular dynamics simulations to even more complex systems. Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) is one of the most widely used solvents in cell biology and cryopreservation. During a typical cryopreservation protocol the DMSO composition of aqueous buffers inside and outside of the cell is known to differ considerably. To model and understand the structural changes in cell membranes in such a situation we performed MD simulations of an idealized lipid bilayer membrane which separates two aqueous reservoirs with and without DMSO. Zwitterionic dimyritoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) lipid bilayers was chosen as the model membrane.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Stuttering identification: standard definition and moment of stuttering

Fifteen-second samples of speech were recorded from 20 adult stutterers. The samples were played to two groups (I and NI) of unsophisticated observers. The 18 observers in the NI Group were instructed to underline any word that was stuttered. The 18 observers in the I Group also were instructed to underline stuttered words, but these observers were given a "standard definition" of stuttering (Wingate, 1964); repetition of a sound, syllable, or one-syllable word; silent or audible prolongation; or both. On the average, observers who were given a definition of stuttering marked more words as stuttered than observers who were told only to mark stutterings. In addition, the observers for whom stuttering was defined also displayed significantly more variability in terms of the average number of words underlined. Both interobserver and intraobserver agreement were significantly higher for the NI Group than the I Group observers. The data from this and other identification studies were used to support the suggestion that the identification of stuttering is a threshold phenomenon.
Effects of pH on coastal marine phytoplankton

Twenty-one studies on the effects of pH on marine phytoplankton were found and are herein reviewed. Under laboratory conditions, the optimum pH for growth is between pH 6.3 and 10. Some species can grow well at a wide range of pH, while others have growth rates that vary greatly over a 0.5 to 1 pH unit change. Different clones of the same species were found to have slightly to strikingly different relationships between pH and growth rate. The pH in typical coastal environ- ments may vary by 1 or more pH units, with over 10% of observations being more than 0.5 units above or below equilibrium pH. This range is great enough, relative to the observed pH effect on growth rate for many species, for seawater pH to affect the growth rate, and hence the timing and abundance of coastal marine phytoplankton species. Effects of pH are not limited to extreme pH con- ditions. The growth rates of some species are influenced significantly by changes in pH near the equi- librium pH of coastal seawater. Care must be taken in growth experiments with phytoplankton to avoid effects due to pH of the culture media. Eutrophication of coastal waters may amplify the range of pH found in coastal environments.
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Imaging of Insulin-Induced Microvascular Recruitment in Type 1 Diabetes

Abstract Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients relies exclusively on exogenous insulin to maintain safe blood glucose levels. It has been recently demonstrated that insulin promotes its own action by enhancing capillary recruitment which occurs 15–20 minutes before increase in glucose uptake. In this study, we examine insulin-induced capillary recruitment in T1DM patients with various levels of insulin sensitivity. Eleven hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamps were performed on nine T1DM patients during which capillary recruitment was assessed at basal insulin concentration levels and at hyperphysiological levels 30 min after the start of the clamp using contrast-enhance ultrasound (CEU) imaging. A systematic procedure was developed to select regions of interest (ROI) in the sequences of ultrasound images, thus bypassing the subjectivity of a selection done “by hand”. The replenishment curves were then obtained and fitted with exponential curves which parameters provide measures of microvascular blood volume (MBV) and microvascular flow (MF). Higher basal MBV and MF were observed in high insulin sensitive subjects compared to low SI subjects. Hyperphysiological insulin concentrations induced by the clamp yielded opposite effects in low insulin sensitivity (SI) and high SI patients: capillary recruitment and derecruitment was observed respectively. It was hypothesized that insulin-induced capillary recruitment occurs at a subject-specific level of insulin concentration, and that this level is low (below basal) for sensitive patients and higher (above basal) for more resitant patients. Furthermore, diabetic microvascular complications significantly correlated with the effect of hyperphysiological insulin levels on the capillary recruitment/derecruitment in the two groups.
The stepping motor protein as a feedback control ratchet

It is explained how going from a one headed motor protein to a stepping two headed motor protein is equivalent to going from a stochastically flashing ratchet to a feedback control ratchet. Both these ratchets have been well studied in the literature and their speeds and efficiencies are briefly reviewed. Next it is shown how a feedback control ratchet mechanism model can account for very accurate recent data obtained on kinesin. Finally, the role of internal friction in the operation of stepping motor proteins is discussed.
Stimulation of the α4β2 nicotinic receptor by 5-I A-85380 improves auditory gating in DBA/2 mice

Abnormal auditory gating is a symptom of schizophrenia which has been proposed to be mediated through the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). It has been shown that the non-selective nicotinic agonist nicotine has an influence on auditory gating in part by acting on the α4β2 nAChR. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of 5-I A-85380, an agonist for the α4β2 nAChR, in an inbred mouse model with a deficiency for auditory gating. Anesthetized DBA/2 mice were administered 5-I A-85380 alone and in combination with the α4β2 nAChR antagonist, dihydro-β-erythroidine, or the α7 nAChR antagonist, α-bungarotoxin. A recording electrode in the CA3 region of the hippocampus recorded P20-N40 waveforms in response to two auditory stimuli. The amplitudes of the response to the first and second clicks were used to determine TC ratios, the measure of auditory gating. 5-I A-85380 significantly decreased the TC ratios by selectively increasing the response amplitudes to the first click with no significant influence on the response amplitudes to the second click. The effect was blocked by dihydro-β-erythroidine whereas α-bungarotoxin had no effect on response amplitude to either click. Although the α7 nAChR may mediate the hippocampal response of DBA/2 mice to the second click, the α4β2 nAChR appears to modulate the response to the first click. Thus, the present study implicates the involvement of more than one subtype of nAChR in the auditory gating of DBA/2 mice, specifically the α4β2 nAChR, and its role in the response amplitude to the first stimulus.
Morphological Stability of Diffusion Couples Under Electric Current

We consider the growth and morphological stability of an intermediate phase growing in a binary diffusion couple under electromigration conditions. The growth rate of the intermediate phase depends primarily on the direction of the electromigration current. Current flow that drives the diffusing species enhances growth of the intermediate phase, while current flow in the opposite direction slows growth. The morphological stability of the interfaces between the intermediate phase and the terminal phases depends on the current direction, the relative conductivities of the phases, and the thickness of the intermediate phase. We find that, when the intermediate phase has a higher conductivity than the terminal phases, the current direction that enhances growth of the intermediate phase can also cause an instability. Alternatively, when the conductivity of the intermediate phase is lower than the surrounding phases, the current direction that slows growth can cause an instability. Instability also requires that the thickness of the intermediate phase be larger than some critical value.
Key Articles and Guidelines for the Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an important medical problem that affects millions of patients each year. With appropriate prophylaxis, many of these thromboembolic events can be prevented. Although strong evidence supporting VTE prophylaxis spans several decades, several large American and global registries have documented very poor use of appropriate prophylaxis. Because of increasing regulatory requirements, hospitals nationwide are in the process of developing documentation of appropriate VTE prophylaxis programs for both surgical and medical patients. A wide range of clinicians must understand what constitutes appropriate VTE prophylaxis in various patient populations. With the existence of numerous pharmacologic agents, abundance of data from major clinical trials, and several nationally recognized clinical guidelines, compiling the needed reference material to make evidence-based decisions on appropriate VTE prophylaxis can be difficult for clinicians. Therefore, we provide a bibliography of key articles and guidelines related to the prevention of VTE in various patient groups. We hope this compilation will serve as a resource for pharmacists, physicians, nurses, residents, and students responsible for the care of patients who may be at risk for VTE.