cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract LB-325: Sphingosine-1-phosphate links chronic intestinal inflammation to development of colitis-associated cancer.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Inflammatory bowel disease is an important risk factor for colorectal cancer. The pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6 and their downstream master transcription factors NF-kappaB and Stat3 are critical regulators of chronic inflammation and cancer. There is growing evidence that sphingosine-1-phosphage (S1P), a pleiotropic bioactive sphingolipid metabolite formed inside cells by two closely related sphingosine kinases, SphK1 and SphK2, is involved in inflammation and cancer. In this work, we have shown that S1P produced by upregulation of SphK1 links chronic intestinal inflammation to CAC and both are exacerbated by deletion of SphK2. S1P is essential for production of the multifunctional NF-kappaB-regulated cytokine IL-6, persistent activation of the transcription factor Stat3, and consequent upregulation of the S1P receptor, S1PR1. Adoptive transfer demonstrated that SphK2 deficiency in hematopoietic cells contributed to colitis severity, IL-6 production, and activation of Stat3 and NF-kappaB. The pro-drug FTY720 decreased SphK1 and S1PR1 and eliminated the NF-kappaB-IL-6-Stat3 amplification cascade and development of CAC even in SphK2-/- mice, suggesting that FTY720 may be useful in treating colon cancer in individuals with ulcerative colitis. Thus, the SphK1-S1P-S1PR1 axis is at the nexus between NF-kappaB and Stat3 and connects chronic inflammation and CAC. This work was supported by NIH grants R37GM043880, R01CA61774 (to S.S.) and K12HD055881 and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Research Foundation grant (to K.T.). M.N. is a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellow. E.Y.K. and J.C.A. were supported by NIH training grant T32HL094290. Citation Format: Masayuki Nagahashi, Jie Liang, Eugene Y. Kim, Kuzhuvelil B. Harikumar, Akimitsu Yamada, Wei-Ching Huang, Nitai C. Hait, Jeremy C. Allegood, Megan M. Price, Dorit Avni, Kazuaki Takabe, Tomasz Kordula, Sheldon Milstien, Sarah Spiegel. Sphingosine-1-phosphate links chronic intestinal inflammation to development of colitis-associated cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-325. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-LB-325
Atopic Dermatitis Nomenclature Variants Can Impede Harmonization

Abbreviations: AD, atopic dermatitis; sIgE, specific IgE; WAO, World Allergy Organization
Social Story™ interventions for decreasing challenging behaviours: a single-case meta-analysis 1995–2012

A meta-analysis of the single-case research examining the efficacy of Social Story™ interventions for decreasing problem behaviours of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder was conducted by examining 27 outcome studies (n = 77) between 1995 and 2012 that yielded 64 intervention effects across three single-case outcome indicators. The overall mean visual analysis ratings and percentage of non-overlapping data scores indicated that the use of Social Story™ interventions resulted in small to negligible effects whereas the weighted effect size estimator ( = 0.79) indicated moderate to large treatment effects. Moderator analysis indicated that intervention setting, intervention agent, length of treatment, and publication status were all associated with positive effects for behavioural outcomes, although the significance of these outcomes were not consistent across indicators. Implications for practitioners and clinicians, suggestions for future research, and limitations are discussed.
Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression in Rat Cortical Neurons Exposed to Hyperbaric Air and Oxygen

To gain a global view of the genomic response of neurons to normobaric and hyperbaric hyperoxic stress, we performed a microarray analysis of gene expression after exposure to varying levels of partial oxygen pressures. Rat neurons were exposed to normobaric hyperoxia, hyperbaric (2, 4, and 6 atmosphere absolute) air or hyperbaric O2. We identified 183 genes significantly altered (increased or decreased ≥1.5-fold) in response to pressure and/or oxidative stress. Among them, 17 genes changed in response to all exposure conditions. More genes were altered in response to hyperbaric air than hyperbaric O2. The altered genes included factors associated with stress responses, transport/neurotransmission, signal transduction, and transcription factors. The results may serve as guidance for selection of biomarkers of hyperoxia and hyperbaric O2 response and provide a starting point for further studies to investigate the global molecular mechanisms underlying hyperbaric oxidative stress.
FACT: THE UTILITY OF AN INTEGRATION OF FUNCTIONAL ANALYTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY AND ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY TO ALLEVIATE HUMAN SUFFERING

Functional analytic psychotherapy(FAP) and acceptance and commitmenttherapy (ACT) are 2 contemporarybehavioral therapies designed toaddress complex clinical problems. The2 therapies are described, and areas ofconvergence and divergence arediscussed. A new psychotherapyintegrating the 2—functional-analyticacceptance and commitment therapy(FACT)—is defined. It is argued thatFACT enhances the utility of FAP orACT alone by expanding the target oftherapy to include both interpersonaland intrapersonal client behaviors. Inaddition, the authors posit that theintervention technologies used in FAPand ACT enhance one another. Theauthors also address the followingtopics: populations for whom FACTwould be most beneficial, supervisionand training issues, current empiricalresearch on FACT, and FACT’sapplicability and generalization.
Vector bundles and codes on the Hermitian curve

The construction of algebraic-geometry (AG) codes can be seen as a distinctly geometric process, and yet decoding procedures tend to rely on algebraic ideas that have no direct geometric interpretation. Recently, however, Trygve Johnsen observed that decoding can be viewed in abstract terms of a class of vector bundles on the underlying curve. The present paper describes these objects at a concrete computational level for the Hermitian codes COmega(D,mPinfin) defined over Fq 2 (q a power of 2). The construction of explicit representations of the vector bundles by transition matrices involves finding functions on the curve that satisfy a certain property in their power series expansions around Pinfin, computing the image of the corresponding global sections under Serre duality, and finding a suitable open cover of the curve. The cover enables any rational point to be expressed as a line bundle by a simple kind of transition function. A special case is considered in which these functions can be realized as ratios of linear forms
Underestimation of urinary albumin to creatinine ratio in morbidly obese subjects due to high urinary creatinine excretion

Summary Background & aims Albuminuria, a chronic kidney and/or cardiovascular disease biomarker, is currently measured as albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR). We hypothesize that in severely obese individuals ACR might be abnormally low in spite of relatively high levels of urinary albumin due to increased creatininuria. Methods One-hundred-eighty-four subjects were divided into tertiles based on their BMI. Fat-free mass (FFM) and fat-mass were assessed by DEXA; 24-h creatinine and albumin excretion, ACR, lipid profile and blood pressure were measured. Results Twenty-four-hour creatinine highly correlated ( R = 0.75) with FFM. Since both creatininuria and albuminuria increased with the BMI, being the increase in creatininuria preponderant in subjects with BMI>35, their ratio (AC-ratio) did not change significantly from that of subjects in the lower BMI tertile. ACR only correlated with the systolic blood pressure, while both albuminuria and cretininuria correlated ( P = 0.01) with the absolute 10-year CHD risk. In subjects with BMI>35, 100 mg of albumin excreted with urine increased the CHD risk of 2%. Conclusions Albumin-to-creatinine ratio is underestimated in severely obese individuals as a consequence of the large creatininuria, which is proportional to the increased FFM. Therefore, at least in this population 24-h albuminuria should be more reliable than ACR.
Enhanced microbial oil production by activated sludge microorganisms from sugarcane bagasse hydrolyzate.

The use of sugarcane bagasse hydrolyzate as a carbon source for enhanced oil production by activated sludge microbial cultures was investigated. Cultivation of raw activated sludge inoculum using pure xylose as carbon source was necessary prior to bagasse hydrolyzate feeding for microbial acclimation to this pentose sugar, the major component of the hydrolyzate. Lipid contents from 40 to 47% (dry cell weight) were achieved under high C:N ratio following bagasse hydrolyzate feeding; however nutrient supplementation was found to be necessary in order to maintain viable cell biomass levels (>10 g/L) to achieve a high lipid titer (7.62 g/L). Hence, a process involving sequential batch feeding of hydrolyzate with and without nutrients was proposed and simulated using the Logistic and Luedeking–Piret models. Analysis of the product lipids showed up to 50% saponifiable fractions and dominance of C16 and C18 fatty acids, demonstrating their suitability as biofuel feedstock.
Academic Medical Centers as digital health catalysts

Emerging digital technologies offer enormous potential to improve quality, reduce cost, and increase patient-centeredness in healthcare. Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) play a key role in advancing medical care through cutting-edge medical research, yet traditional models for invention, validation and commercialization at AMCs have been designed around biomedical initiatives, and are less well suited for new digital health technologies. Recently, two large bi-coastal Academic Medical Centers, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) through the Center for Digital Health Innovation (CDHI) and Partners Healthcare through the Center for Connected Health (CCH) have launched centers focused on digital health innovation. These centers show great promise but are also subject to significant financial, organizational, and visionary challenges. We explore these AMC initiatives, which share the following characteristics: a focus on academic research methodology; integration of digital technology in educational programming; evolving models to support "clinician innovators"; strategic academic-industry collaboration and emergence of novel revenue models.
6'-Oxa Analogs of S-Adenosylhomocysteine.

S-Adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) is a ubiquitous cofactor in biomethylations and, in that role, becomes S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy), which serves as a biofeedback inhibitor of the methylation process. In seeking to avail unexplored structural variations of AdoHcy for biological studies, its 6′-oxa analog and two corresponding carbocyclic nucleosides (based on aristeromycin and neplanocin) have been prepared via common convergent syntheses.
Studies in quantum biology. II. The mobile electron characteristics of tryptophan + in relation to those of FMN − , FMNH and FMNH 2 +

By the same method as in the previous paper by the author (Bull. Math. Biophysics,23, 55–68, 1961), the mobile electron system is studied in tryptophan which has donated an electron to another molecule. The obtained net charge distribution of tryptophan+ is compared with those of the semiquinones of riboflavin (FMN−, FMNH and FMNH 2 + ). From this comparison, a suggestion is obtained for the structure of each of two charge transfer complexes between riboflavin and tryptophan in neutral and acid solution.
Chromatin reassembly following RNA polymerase II transcription

During the process of transcription elongation, the chromatin structure of transcribed sequences can be perturbed, exposing cryptic promoter-like sequences within the body of transcribed genes to function as initiation sites. Re-establishing a stable repressive structure of open reading frames requires histone chaperones, methyltransferases, deacetylases and chromatin remodeling complexes. The Set2/Rpd3S pathway is used by elongating RNA polymerase II to signal for histone deacetylation in its wake. Set2 associates with the elongating form of RNA polymerase II and co-transcriptionally methylates histone H3K36. H3K36 is recognized by the Rpd3S deacetylase complex to deacetylate histones in transcribed sequences. In recent work, we have found that a major source of cotranscriptional histone acetylation is the incorporation of soluble, Rtt109 H3K56-acetylated histones by the Asf1 histone chaperone. Set2 methylation of H3K36 promotes retention of the original histones and suppresses the incorporation of soluble histones by Asf1. By identifying factors that interact with H3K36 methylated nucleosomes, we have found that chromatin remodeling is also required to stabilize the chromatin structures of open reading frames following transcription elongation. Our studies identified the ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers Isw1 and Chd1 as two factors involved in this pathway as deletion of ISW1 and CHD1 enhanced the cryptic transcript phenotype caused by set2. Moreover, loss of ISW1 and CHD1 also enhanced the incorporation of new histones from the soluble pool into chromatin. Thus, retention of original histones, deacetylation of any new ones and their organization by chromatin remodeling are all required to re-establish stable chromatin resistant to cryptic transcription initiation.
The morphology of retinogeniculate X- and Y-cell axonal arbors in dark-reared cats.

The cat's retinogeniculate pathway, immature at birth, develops physiologically and anatomically over the first three postnatal months. Visual deprivation from birth interferes with this maturation. Thus, monocular eye lid suture from birth leads to pronounced abnormalities in the morphology of retinogeniculate terminations and geniculate neurons, and to a reduction in the proportions of Y-cells recorded physiologically in the lateral geniculate nucleus (e.g. see Sherman and Spear 1982). This “loss” of geniculate Y-cells could possibly be due to reduced retinogeniculate Y-cell terminations and expanded X-cell terminations in the A-laminae (Sur et al. 1982), so that many geniculate cells that normally receive retinal Y-cell input accept and retain retinal X-cell input (Friedlander et al. 1982). Dark-rearing from birth also leads to a reduction in the proportions of Y-cells recorded in the lateral geniculate nucleus (Kratz et al. 1979). Such a loss might also be due to abnormalities in retinogeniculate X- and Y-cell terminations. To test this possibility, we injected horseradish peroxidase into physiologically identified retinogeniculate axons of darkreared cats. Surprisingly, we found that our sample of retinogeniculate X- and Y-cell axons in darkreared cats had normal morphology. If our sample is representative of the entire population of retinogeniculate X- and Y-cell axons, retinogeniculate axon morphology in dark-reared cats differs from that in monocularly sutured cats. Yet, using extracellular recording, we replicated the observation that physiologically identified geniculate Y-cells are encountered less often in dark-reared cats than in normal cats. Given the apparent normality of the retinogeniculate axons in these cats, the “loss” of geniculate Y-cells in dark-reared cats could then conceivably be due to conduction block in retinogeniculate afferents, tonic inhibition on Y-cells, or deficits in non-retinal influences that may importantly affect Y-cell development.
Continuous monitoring of muscle gas tensions and pH during tissue acid-base disturbances.

Abstract To evaluate the applicability of continuous muscle P O 2 and P CO 2 monitoring as indicators of physiologic abnormalities, muscle (m) P O 2 and P CO 2 was measured by mass spectrometry and pH by muscle surface probe in the limb muscle of 16 dogs subjected to hemorrhage, acid infusion, hypoxia, or hypocarbia and hypercarbia. These values were compared to arterial (a) pH, P O 2 , and P CO 2 . During hemorrhage, mP O 2 fell sharply; mP CO 2 rose and mpH decreased linearly in proportion to the rate and the magnitude of the bleed. mP O 2 fell with the onset of blood loss, whereas significant mP CO 2 and mpH changes resulting from tissue acidosis were evident only after a large volume loss. Metabolic acidosis produced by acid infusion caused a parallel drop in arterial and mpH, a rise in mP CO 2 , and no change in mP O 2 . During progressive hypoxia, aP O 2 and mP O 2 reflected the changes in inspired O 2 . MpH and apH fell only when mP O 2 fell to low levels. Hypercarbia and hypocarbia caused parallel changes in mP CO 2 which were also reflected in apH and mpH. Continuous muscle gas measurements appear feasible and combined with muscle pH monitoring should help the clinician pinpoint the cause of physiologic derangements in the critically ill.
IT-34PILOT STUDY OF COMBINATION OF ANTITUMOR IMMUNOTHERAPY TARGETED AGAINST CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV) PLUS REGULATORY T-CELL INHIBITION IN PATIENTS WITH NEWLY-DIAGNOSED GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME (GBM)

BACKGROUND: Despite aggressive surgery, high-dose focused radiation, and multimechanistic chemotherapy, malignant gliomas (MG) remain almost universally fatal. The inherent biologic specificity of immunotherapy offers the prospect of targeting neoplastic cells more precisely. Dendritic cells (DCs) are endowed with an extraordinary ability to activate CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, and DCs loaded with antigens derived from tumor cells (CMV pp65-LAMP mRNA) have the potential to induce potent antitumor immunity. Furthermore, regulatory T-cells (TRegs) which induce a state of reversible immunosuppression in MG and can be functionally inactivated with anti-CD25 antibody (Ab), while dramatically enhance vaccine-induced immune responses. METHODS: Eligible were gross totally resected patients (pts) with newly diagnosed GBM. Pts underwent leukapheresis followed by standard of care radiation/temozolomide (XRT/TMZ) therapy. After completion of XRT/TMZ, up to 12 cycles of TMZ 200 mg/m2/x5d were administered. Around Day 21 of the 1st cycle pts also received: anti-CD25 Ab treatment and vaccine #1. Vaccines #2 and #3 were given biweekly following vaccine#1. On Day 21 of the 2nd TMZ cycle Vaccine #4 was administered. Pts were followed with serial MRIs until disease progression. RESULTS: 7 patients (5 males) were treated. No adverse events attributable to vaccine treatment were observed. Median progression free survival was 23.5 months (95% CI:1.7 to 54.1). Median overall survival was 30.3 months (95% CI:11.8 to 60.8). Overall survival was calculated from the start of vaccine therapy to time of death or last contact if alive. CONCLUSION: Treatment with XRT/TMZ, DC vaccine and anti- CD25 Ab was well tolerated and produced encouraging PFS and OS resulting in now ongoing Phase I study. Due to the lack of adverse events the number of vaccines had been increased to 8 (vs. 4) and anti-CD25 antibody is being given with the first two cycles (vs. with 1st cycle only) of adjuvant TMZ.
Intermediate comparison of partial nephrectomy and radiofrequency ablation for clinical T1a renal tumours.

OBJECTIVE To compare the intermediate-term outcomes of patients with clinical T1a renal tumours who were treated with nephron-sparing surgery by partial nephrectomy (PN), the preferred approach for small (cT1a) renal tumours, or radiofrequency ablation (RFA), recently offered to selected patients as an alternative, less morbid technique. PATIENTS AND METHODS We identified patients with stage T1a renal masses who had ≥ 2 years of follow-up; those with bilateral synchronous or metachronous tumours, metastatic disease at presentation, or a family history of renal cell carcinoma were excluded. From July 1996 to January 2004 110 PNs were identified in our database; 37 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria had either open (30) or laparoscopic PN (seven) and 40 had either percutaneous (26) or laparoscopic (14) RFA. RESULTS The mean (range) follow-up for the RFA and PN groups was 30 (18–42) and 47 (24–93) months, respectively; the respective mean tumour size was 2.41 and 2.43 cm. There was one incomplete ablation and two local recurrences in the RFA group, and two recurrences in the PN group (one local and one in the contralateral kidney). There were no disease-specific deaths. The overall actuarial disease-free probability for the PN and RFA groups, respectively, was 95.8% and 93.4% (P = 0.67). CONCLUSIONS This initial 3-year actuarial analysis showed that RFA for cT1a renal tumours has comparable oncological outcomes to PN; however, longer term data are still needed.
Asthma consultations with specialists: what do the pediatricians seek?

Abstract "Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR-3): Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" includes guidelines for referral to an asthma specialist. Because most cases of asthma are managed by primary care physicians, we intended to explore the referral practices of pediatricians managing childhood asthma. This study was designed to identify important considerations by pediatricians while referring a child to an asthma specialist. An electronic survey was sent to 1200 graduated pediatricians enlisted in the Michigan Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics directory. The questions explored asthma disease characteristics, physician preferences when referring children with asthma, and reasons and barriers for asthma consultations. All responses were collected anonymously. We received 240/1200 (20%) questionnaires. The majority of pediatricians considered referral to a specialist if a child had severe persistent asthma (201/236 [85.2%]) or had a single life-threatening asthma event (188/229 [82.1%]). The top two likely reasons of referral included poor asthma control (200/224 [89.3%]) and unclear diagnosis (139/224 [62.1%]). We found 74/219 (33.8%) preferred consultation to a pediatric pulmonologist when compared with 93/219 (42.5%) allergists. We found the minority of pediatricians "always" recommended referral to a specialist for the following reasons: allergy skin testing (30/222 [13.5%]), possible allergen immunotherapy (54/223 [24.2%]), and spirometry (26/221 [11.8%]). The major barrier for childhood asthma specialist consultations was issues with medical insurance coverage (137/205 [66.8%]). Allergists have to educate primary care providers about the importance of allergen control, role of allergen immunotherapy, and updating current asthma treatment guidelines when treating a child with allergic asthma.
The Fundamentals of Fertility: Cosmology and Conversion in a Southwestern Nigerian Town

L'A. considere le role de la religion dans le processus de devenir moderne, en tant qu'il est associe a la conversion au christianisme et a l'alphabetisation, dans une ville de Yoruba Ekiti au sud-ouest du Nigeria. En portant l'attention sur les croyances concernant la genese de la vie, plus precisement la cosmologie et la fertilite, l'A. remet en question les theories sur la modernisation qui presument un remplacement de pratiques commumautaires traditionnelles par des pratiques religieuses secularisees privees. Une telle demarche offre un angle pour examiner les presuppositions sur la separation entre les domaines religieux et seculaire, telles qu'elles sont mises en evidence par l'etude des interpretations locales des textes bibliques portant sur la sterilite et les naissances extraordinaires. Les interpretations de ces histoires que proposent les femmes et les hommes yoruba ekiti ouvrent une perspective sur les procedes par lesquels les formes d'hybrides modernes sont elaborees, alterees et reconstituees, ainsi que sur les modes de comprehension des bases fondamentales de la fertilite dans des contextes sociaux particuliers.
Regulation of T(H)1 differentiation--controlling the controllers.

Although cytokines and STATs are accepted as being integral to TH1 differentiation, T-bet had emerged as a possible master control switch. Fresh data forces a reexamination of the factors that control TH cell development.
A test of the social development model to predict problem behaviour during the elementary school period

Background This paper presents a test of the social development model which is a general theory of human behaviour that hypothesizes that similar developmental processes lead to either prosocial or antisocial outcomes. The model is a synthesis of social learning, social control and differential association theories. Earlier papers have examined the fit of the model during adolescence, but the model has not been tested in childhood. Method This paper examines the fit of a modified version of the model measuring social development constructs in the family in predicting early antisocial behaviour in primary school. The model is tested with data from the Raising Healthy Children project, a longitudinal study of the aetiology of positive and problem behaviour with an experimental intervention nested within the study. Results In the first analysis the prosocial path of the SDM was examined; the model fitted well, and explained 25% of the variance in early antisocial behaviour. However, the path between skills and rewards from the family was not significant, and a better fit was obtained when the model included two additional paths from skills to beliefs and skills to antisocial behaviour. In the second analysis the sample was split into two groups, those whose parents modelled problem behaviour and those who did not. Conclusions Two differences emerged between the two groups. First, the strength of the path between skills and problem behaviour was significantly stronger for children whose parents modelled problem behaviours. Second, the path between belief in family values and antisocial behaviours was not significant for children whose parents modelled problem behaviour. The implications for theory and practice are discussed. Copyright © 1999 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
Superconductivity and Stoichiometry in Tl2Ca2Ba2Cu3Ox Single Crystals

Magnetization and resistivity data are presented which show a substantial difference in superconducting transitions for nominal Tl2Ca2Ba2Cu3Ox plates with identical crystal structures grown from two different “melt” compositions. A Tl-O and CuO-rich flux yielded approximately stoichiometric plates which have sharp transitions beginning near 111 K, while a second Tl-O-rich flux produced plates containing more Tl and less Ba with very broad transitions starting near 96 K. These data demonstrate the extreme sensitivity of superconductivity to cation site disorder in the Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O system.
The Initial Post-buckling and Growth Behavior of Internal Delaminations in Composite Plates

No restrictive assumptions regarding the delamination thickness and plate length are made. The perturbation procedure is based on an asymptotic expansion of the load and deformation quantities in terms of the distortion parameter of the delaminated layer, the latter being considered a compressive elastica. The reduced growth resistance of these configurations is verified by experimental results on unidirectional composite specimens with internal delaminations
Principles of quartz crystal microbalance/heat conduction calorimetry: Measurement of the sorption enthalpy of hydrogen in palladium

Abstract A sensitive new measurement technology is described which combines calorimetry, gravimetry, and rheology applied to chemical reactions in thin films: quartz crystal microbalance/heat conduction calorimetry (QCM/HCC). The quartz crystal microbalance/heat conduction calorimeters constructed so far simultaneously measure heat generation, mass uptake or release, and viscoelastic property changes in the same, sub-milligram solid film sample when gases interact with the film in an isothermal surrounding. It is possible to measure the energetics of formation of a single layer of adsorbed molecules on a gold surface with this technique. The principles of operation of both the mass and the heat flow sensor are described, and one implementation of the combined sensor and apparatus and its electronics is presented. Methods for calibration and the preparation of thin sample films are summarized. As an illustrative example, the determination of the sorption enthalpy of hydrogen in a 25 °C palladium film of 140 nm thickness is discussed in detail. Other examples of the operation of the QCM/HCC are tabulated.
Measurement of ∂P/∂T)v in solid hydrogen

Abstract Measurements of ∂P/∂T)v in solid hydrogen below 4.2K are presented for orthohydrogen concentrations 0.55 ≥ X ≥ 0.20. The samples were measured in the temperature-concentration region associated with the formation of the quadrupolar glass. At slow cooling and warming rates no pressure anomaly or remanence was observed in the glass phase. Calculations made from extrapolations to T=0 indicate that the glass phase involves approximately 10% of the molecular rotational entropy.
Hydrogen gasification of HNO3-oxidized carbons

Abstract The oxidation of carbon prior to hydrogen gasification as a means of enhancing methane formation rate is investigated. Carbon is oxidized by HNO 3 and gasified in hydrogen in a high-pressure differential reactor. Samples are analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for surface oxygen content before and after pretreatment and reaction. Results for uncatalyzed gasification show a correlation between initial surface oxygen content and hydrogasification rate, but XPS results reveal that essentially no oxygen is present on the carbon surface during hydrogen gasification. This indicates that desorption of oxygen groups from the carbon surface generates reactive sites at which hydrogen gasification occurs. These nascent sites arise from acidic oxygen groups both fixed during oxidation and from oxygen in bulk carbon. In potassium carbonate-catalyzed hydrogen gasification, oxidation enhances the catalyzed rate as much as threefold. The catalyst interacts with basic oxygen groups on carbon to form reactive sites which are formed and regenerated continuously during gasification. Analysis by XPS shows that substantial oxygen and potassium are present on the carbon surface during hydrogen gasification; at high catalyst loadings and 725°C the Cls peak shows both carbonate groups and singly bound oxygen-carbon groups tentatively assigned as M—O—C.
Oil spills in Narragansett Bay: Comparison between federal and state records☆

Abstract Oil spill response in the US is divided among several jurisdictions due to separate and overlapping legislative and regulatory authority. In Rhode Island, data concerning oil spill incidents are kept by two agencies of the federal government and by one agency of the state government. Narragansett Bay and its tributaries are geographically in three jurisdictions; however, because of a tradition of good interagency cooperation, there were very few duplications in spill response. Because each agency has differing expertise and equipment, the types of spill incidents reported by each, if considered separately, present an entirely different picture of the nature of oil spills in this region. Assessment of oil spills as a source of pollution to coastal waters requires examination of all data, not only that from one agency. For Narragansett Bay and its tributaries, oil spills were a minor part of the total oil pollution budget.
Regression Tree Boosting to Adjust Health Care Cost Predictions for Diagnostic Mix

Models that use diagnoses from claims to risk-adjust health care cost predictions are widely employed by health services researchers and public and private payers. In provider profiling applications, risk-adjustment models are used to estimate an expected cost for each of a provider's patients, to be compared with each patient's observed cost. Comparisons of observed and expected costs are then aggregated across a provider's patient sample to yield an overall assessment of provider performance (Powe et al. 1996; Thomas, Grazier, and Ward 2004a; Robinson, Zeger, and Forrest 2006). In capitation-setting applications, risk-adjustment models are used to estimate an expected annual cost for each patient to be enrolled in a prepaid health plan. Expected costs are then summed to yield an expected annual cost for the entire enrollment (Fowles et al. 1996; Ash et al. 2000; Mark et al. 2003). Here prediction refers to model-based estimation of an observation's value, regardless of its timing. Diagnoses are recorded on claims in the United States using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). Owing to the vast number (over 14,000) of ICD-9-CM diagnoses (Iezzoni 2003), risk-adjustment systems generally begin by sorting them into a manageable number of mutually exclusive groups, based on similarity of clinical features and resource demands. For example, three risk-adjustment systems, Adjusted Clinical Groups (ACGs) (Weiner et al. 1991; Health Services Research and Development Center 2001), Diagnostic Cost Groups/Hierarchical Condition Categories (DCG/HCCs) (Ash et al. 2000), and Clinical Risk Groups (CRGs) (Hughes et al. 2004), sort the ICD-9-CM diagnoses into 32, 118, and 534 diagnostic groups, respectively. The ACG, DCG/HCC, and CRG systems are proprietary. An alternative grouping scheme that is in the public domain is the Clinical Classification Software (CCS), developed and continually updated by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (Elixhauser, Steiner, and Palmer 2005). CCS sorts the ICD-9-CM diagnoses into 260 mutually exclusive diagnosis categories (DCs) based on clinical similarity. The DCs have been used for risk adjustment by representing each as a dummy variable onto which cost is regressed (Cowen et al. 1998), making the implicit assumption that each DC's effect on cost is independent of the presence of any other DC. This amounts to adjusting for the main effects of DCs but not for interactions among them (Searle 1971).
A model predictive control based scheduling method for HIV therapy

Recently developed models of the interaction of the human immune system and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) suggest the possibility of using interruptions of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) to simulate a therapeutic vaccine and induce cytotoxic lymphocyte (CTL) mediated control of HIV infection. We have developed a model predictive control (MPC) based method for determining optimal treatment interruption schedules for this purpose. This method provides a clinically implementable framework for calculating interruption schedules that are robust to errors due to measurement and patient variations. In this paper, we discuss the medical motivation for this work, introduce the MPC-based method, show simulation results, and discuss future work necessary to implement the method.
Transforming the negotiator: The impact of critical learning on teaching and practicing negotiation

A long-standing debate in the negotiation field is whether negotiators can actually change their styles. In this article I offer two contributions to the literature and its pedagogy by suggesting that we shift the focus of the debate. Instead of considering negotiator styles as fixed predispositions, I propose that we view them as actions resulting from learning. From this perspective, the conflict-negotiation dynamic can be conceived as a critical learning process and negotiators as critical learners. We can then trace and incorporate the impact of negative emotions on learning and on the action it informs. I offer a system dynamic model to account for the cyclical links between actual conflicts, defensiveness, learning, and negotiators’ habitual responses to conflicts. Pedagogically, the model can be used descriptively to help negotiators understand such responses to actual conflicts, and prescriptively to garner their potential to change and transform. I share the experience of using the model in my cl...
Abnormalities in the secretion of the adrenal cortex during early life

Summary This paper deals with the clinical, chemical, and pathologic findings of seven children who presented abnormalities in secretion of the adrenal cortex. All cases, save one, were congenital in origin. Five of these patients presented the picture of insufficiency of the substances regulating salt and water metabolism. In each of them the most prominent symptoms were dehydration with poor gain of weight and/or vomiting. The latter often was projectile in character, and in the young infants sometimes led to an erroneous diagnosis of pyloric stenosis. Pigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes was not a prominent finding. The characteristic blood findings consisted of a depression of sodium and chloride and an elevation of potassium. The fasting blood sugar was normal. Four of the five patients with adrenal insufficiency have been successfully controlled with the help of supplemental replacement therapy for periods up to six and one-half years. One patient with congenital Addison's disease died at the age of 10 months. Post-mortem study showed almost complete absence of the adrenal cortex and vascular changes of the kidneys, which probably resulted from overdosage with desoxycorticosterone acetate which had been given for the adrenal deficiency. Marked eosinophilia of the peripheral blood was present in several patients with adrenal insufficiency, and it is suggested that this abnormality be considered in certain patients with unexplained eosinophilia. Whatever the blood eosinophilia level may be, the manner in which injection of adrenocorticotropic hormone affects it constitutes a useful test of adrenal function, as pointed out by Forsham and collaborators. 16 In three patients excessive secretion of adrenal androgenic hormones was present simultaneously with the previously mentioned insufficiency of adrenal salt- and water-controlling hormones. Two of these patients were females in whom pseudohermaphroditism was thus produced. The other was a male with sexual precocity. Increased androgen secretion by the adrenal cortex was manifested by acceleration in the appearance of the epiphyseal centers, accelerated growth in the length of the long bones, precocious sexual development, and abnormally high excretion of 17-ketosteroids in the urine. The eruption of the permanent teeth was not markedly advanced in the 7-year-old patient with other evidences of precocious sexual and physical maturation. The increased excretion of 17-ketosteroids may be the only abnormal finding which is evident during the first year of life in a male patient with the adrenogenital syndrome. A family history of a similar condition was found in two of our female patients with pseudohermaphroditism and adrenal insufficiency. Knowledge of such previous familial occurrence may be of considerable help in the early recognition of congenital adrenal abnormality.
Neurocognitive deficits and disability in major depressive disorder

Disability in life functioning is an important and poorly understood consequence of major depressive disorder (MDD). Mood symptoms do not account for the magnitude of disability resulting from MDD. Impairments in several domains of neurocognitive (NC) functioning have been shown to interfere with functionality in other psychiatric populations. These deficits, also present in MDD, may play a significant role in disability experienced by many with this disorder. The aim of this study was to examine the degree to which NC deficits, independent of affective and psychotic symptoms, explain functional outcome 6 months following hospitalization for a major depressive episode. Participants with an MDD diagnosis (N=48) received NC testing and symptom ratings while in the hospital. These procedures were repeated, along with functionality ratings, 6 months later. Six-month NC performance was strongly associated with functionality ratings after covariation for residual depression. Selected NC domains tested at baseline were predictive of functionality at 6 months. These data indicate that NC deficits, at least for some MDD sufferers, play an important role in functional recovery. New treatments, whether pharmacologic or rehabilitative, may be required to help affected patients accommodate neurocognitively based performance deficits at work, at home and in the community.
FTS calibration: Demonstrated absolute accuracy for IR remote sensing and future for monitoring climate

Characterization of our airborne (Scanning High-resolution Interferometer Sounder, S-HIS) and ground-based (Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer, AERI) instruments illustrates state-of-the-art calibration performance. Application to validation of satellite radiances and to establishing climate reference observations is discussed.
Lossless data compression studies for the geostationary imaging Fourier transform spectrometer (GIFTS) with the bias-adjusted reordering preprocessing

The NASA Geostationary Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) represents a revolutionary step in remote sensing of Earth's atmosphere that will demonstrate the technology and measurement concepts for future NOAA geostationary operational environmental satellites (GOES). GIFTS consists of a 128 x 128 large focal plane array (LFPA) imaging FTS with the spectral coverage from 685 to 1130 cm -1 and 1650 to 2250 cm -1 . GIFTS was selected for flight demonstration on NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP) Earth Observing 3 (EO-3) Satellite Mission. GIFTS provides full disk global coverage obtained within an hour at moderate spectral resolutions (e.g. 1.2 cm -1 ) as well as regional sounding of atmospheric temperature and absorbing gas profiles at high spectral resolution (e.g. 0.6 cm -1 ). Given the unprecedented data volume produced by GIFTS, lossless data compression is critical for the overall success of the GIFTS experiment where the data is to be disseminated to the user community in real-time and archived for scientific studies and climate assessment. In this paper we will study lossless compression of GIFTS data that has been collected as part of the calibration or Ground Based Tests that were conducted in 2006. Standard compression methods JPEG-2000, JPEG-LS, and CCSDS IDC 9/7M & 5/3 are investigated for compression benchmarks. The bias-adjusted reordering (BAR) preprocessing scheme is also investigated to improve their performance on GIFTS data compression.
Selective BOLD Responses to Individual Finger Movement Measured with FMRI at 3T

r r Abstract: Although the gross somatotopic organization of the posterior bank of the precentral gyrus is well established, a fine scale organization of the representations of the digits of the hand has not been fully characterized. Previous neuroimaging studies have failed to find clear evidence for a specificity of digit representations in motor cortex, but rather report a distributed network of control. Reported here are the results of two experiments; in Experiment 1 a sequential finger tapping task produced strong blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses in the contralateral precentral gyrus, but there was a lack of specificity for distinguishing individual representations. A randomly ordered task did ac- complish this goal. In the second experiment, a randomly ordered finger-tapping task was used and the findings demonstrated BOLD responses in clusters of voxels specific to movement of a single digit. The region of interest defined for each digit comprised several noncontiguous clusters. A ''selectivity index" was developed to quantify the magnitude of the BOLD response to the movement of a specific digit, relative to BOLD response associated with movement of other digits. Strong evidence of BOLD selectivity (albeit not exclusivity) was found in the hemisphere contralateral to the cued digit; however, there was no evidence for an orderly spatial topography. These findings demonstrate that a selectivity of activation is quantifiable, supports a theory of noncontiguous distribution of control, and provides a method for comparing between healthy and impaired populations and investigating changes following training or intervention. Hum Brain Mapp 00:000-000, 2011. V C 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Radiation and Thermal Ageing of Nuclear Waste Glass

The radioactive decay of fission products and actinides incorporated into nuclear waste glass leads to self-heating and self-radiation effects that may affect the stability, structure and performance of the glass in a closed system. Short-lived fission products cause significant self-heating for the first 600 years. Alpha decay of the actinides leads to self-radiation damage that can be significant after a few hundred years, and over the long time periods of geologic disposal, the accumulation of helium and radiation damage from alpha decay may lead to swelling, microstructural evolution and changes in mechanical properties. Four decades of research on the behavior of nuclear waste glass are reviewed.
The Struggle for Self: Power and Identity in Adolescent Girls

This article reviews theories of identity formation ranging from the classic work of E. H Erikson to postmodern and feminist theories, and it incorporates qualitative research to examine the particular difficulties adolescent girls face in forming confident and powerful adult identities. Social/economic status identity, body image identity, the effects of the mass media, and the declining influence of family and community are discussed. The article concludes by suggesting that schools can potentially serve as sites for deconstructing these complex issues.
Interpreting Java program runtimes

Many instructors use program runtimes to illustrate and reinforce algorithm complexity concepts. Hardware, operating systems and compilers all influence the runtimes, but generally not to the extent of making the data difficult to interpret. The Java virtual machine adds an additional layer of software, making it much harder to see the relationship between the runtimes and the underlying algorithm. This paper presents some of the basic issues the author and his students have encountered when analyzing Java program runtimes and briefly discusses strategies to address them.
High level ab initio energies and structures for the rotamers of 1,3-butadiene.

High level ab initio calculations, utilizing coupled cluster theory with quasi-perturbative triple excitations and augmented quadruple ζ level basis sets, have been used to determine the structures and relative energies of the four stationary points on the 1,3-butadiene torsional potential curve. Corrections were applied in order to minimize the residual basis set error, as well as account for core/valence correlation and scalar relativistic effects. Higher order correlation recovery was also included to improve our estimate of the relative energies. The transition state separating the trans and gauche rotamers lies 26.8 kJ/mol above the trans global minimum. The gauche rotamer lies 12.6 kJ/mol above the trans rotamer and the s-cis form is a transition state 2.0 kJ/mol higher than the gauche rotamer (excluding zero point energies).