cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Developing SiC for optical system applications

Future large-aperture optical space systems will need to use lightweight materials that meet stringent requirements, and that reduce program and launch costs. Lightweight optical systems produced quickly and cost-effectively, and the resultant lighter payloads, can reduce these costs. Mirrors for future systems have areal density goals of less than 5 kg/m2 and will need to use new materials1. A promising one is silicon carbide (SiC) because of its physical and mechanical properties. These enable the production of low areal density, high quality mirrors, as well as lightweight athermal telescope structures. Athermal structures are desirable because they simplify designs and reduce tolerance requirements to maintain performance during on-orbit temperature changes. The use of SiC to make mirrors and structures is in the developmental stage and has limited space heritage. To ensure the use of this material in space applications, qualification and system performance in the space environment must be addressed. This paper provides an overview of SiC, along with recommendations to further the development of SiC into a mature technology that can be successfully integrated into future large-aperture optical space programs.
Bacteremia during esophageal variceal sclerotherapy: its cause and prevention

Eleven consecutive patients underwent a total of 34 esophageal vartceal sclerotherapy (EVS) sessions for bleeding esophageal varices. Blood cultures were drawn pre-, intra-, and post-EVS. All pre- and post-EVS blood cultures were negative. Five of the initial nine patients studied were found to have positive blood cultures, drawn after a mean of six injections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was cultured from the blood in four patients and Flavobacterium from one. The source of contamination was found to be contaminated water used during the sclerotherapy sessions. By instituting simple techniques to eliminate this contamination, patients underoing the remaining 25 EVS sessions were culture negative.
Distribution of sperm in the storage organs of the Drosophila melanogaster female at various levels of insemination.

It has been shown in Drosophila melanogaster that when 50 or fewer sperm are stored in the female, some 58% are found in the spermathecae and 42% in the ventral receptacle. When between 51 and 100 are stored, some 34% are found in the spermathecae and 66% in the ventral receptacle. The more commonly encountered distribution of 10–20% in the spermathecae and 80–90% in the ventral receptacle hold for higher levels of insemination (greater than 100 sperm). The reason for the relatively high proportion of sperm stored in the spermathecae when the total number of sperm stored is small is unknown. It is pointed out that in experiments dealing with sperm: progeny ratios, careful counting of sperm in the spermathecae becomes of critical importance, especially at low levels of insemination.
Jeb Stewart’s Dilemma

This case study creates a dilemma that many school districts face. Public education is under-funded. Principals are expected to be the instructional leaders and are held accountable for student achievement. Is it appropriate then for public schools to have local businesses as benefactors when teaching personnel are involved? The conflict between teacher quality and a local benefactor sometimes present ethical dilemmas. To what lengths should educational leaders go in order to secure school donations? As a principal you must be prepared to handle political and ethical situations, but foremost in your decision making must be, “What is best for the students.”
Somatic Mutation, Genomic Variation, and Neurological Disease

Genetic mutations causing human disease are conventionally thought to be inherited through the germ line from one's parents and present in all somatic (body) cells, except for most cancer mutations, which arise somatically. Increasingly, somatic mutations are being identified in diseases other than cancer, including neurodevelopmental diseases. Somatic mutations can arise during the course of prenatal brain development and cause neurological disease-even when present at low levels of mosaicism, for example-resulting in brain malformations associated with epilepsy and intellectual disability. Novel, highly sensitive technologies will allow more accurate evaluation of somatic mutations in neurodevelopmental disorders and during normal brain development.
INFRA-RED SPECTRA OF EMBRYONIC CHICK FEATHERS.

THE demonstration by Bell and Thatachari1 of sequential changes in the X-ray diffraction pattern of embryonic chick feathers from ‘immature’ to ‘mature’ β-keratin has suggested that the nature of this metamorphosis might be further revealed by infra-red spectra of the developing feather. The infra-red spectrum of embryonic feather has not been described, to our knowledge.
Neural networks for behavior therapists: What they are and why they are important

Behavior therapy is predicated upon learning; many normal and abnormal behaviors are thought to be learned. Neural networks are presented as a general biologically inspired approach to learning that is as relevant to human as to animal behavior. They provide plausible proximal mechanisms for implementing the psychological processes of perception, cognition, memory and language that mediate behavior. They provide plausible proximal causal mechanisms for retaining the results of operant conditioning and behavioral selection. In sum, the present article provides a basis for theoretical unification within behavior therapy specifically and psychology generally.
Contributions of binding and catalytic rate constants to evolutionary modifications inK m of NADH for muscle-type (M4) lactate dehydrogenases

The apparent Michaelis constant (Km) of NADH for muscle-type (M4 isozyme) lactate dehydrogenases (LDHs) is highest, at any given temperature of measurement, for LDHs of cold-adapted vertebrates (Table 1). However, these interspecific differences in theKm of NADH are not due to variations in LDH-NADH binding affinity. Rather, theKm differences result entirely from interspecific variation in the substrate turnover constant (kcat) (Fig. 1; Table 2). This follows from the fact that theKm of NADH is equal tokcat divided by the “on constant” for NADH binding to LDH,k1, so that interspecific differences inkcat, combined with identical values fork1 among different LDH reactions, make the magnitude of theKm of NADH a function of substrate turnover number. The temperature dependence of theKm of NADH for a single LDH homologue is the net result of temperature dependence of bothkcat andk1 (Figs. 3 and 4). Temperature independentKm values can result from simultaneous, and algebraically offsetting, increases inkcat andk1 with rising temperature. Salt-induced changes in theKm of NADH also may be due to simultaneous perturbation of bothkcat andk1 (Table 3). These findings are discussed from the standpoint of the evolution of LDH kinetic properties, particularly the interspecific conservation of catalytic and regulatory functions, in differently-adapted species.
Surface Displacements in an Elastic Half‐Space

This is a report of results obtained in an investigation of elastic ground waves initiated by a point load (having a Heaviside time variation) acting on the surface of an elastic halfspace. The results consist of 1 Integral expressions for displacements and associated potentials everywhere in the half-space for the separate contributions from the P, S, M and Raleigh surface wave systems. 2 Explicit expressions and curves for the surface displacements for each type of wave. The total surface displacements (evaluated for v = 1/4) reduce to known expressions obtained by Pekeris. Die vorliegende Arbeit ist ein Bericht uber die Resultate einer Untersuchung von elastischen “Grundwellen”, die auftreten, wenn eine konzentrierte Last (mit einer Heavisideschen Zeitabhangigkeit) einen Druck auf die Oberflache eines elastischen Halbraumes ausubt. Die Resultate bestehen aus 1 Integralausdrucken fur die einzeln genommenen Beitrage der P, S, M und der Rayleighschen Grundwellensysteme zu den Verschiebungen und den zugehorigen Potentialen; 2 Bestimmten Ausdrucken und Kurven fur die Verschiebungen, die jede Wellenart erzeugt. Fur den Spezialfall v = 1/4 reduzieren sich die gesamten Flachenverschiebungen auf die bekannten Formeln, die von Pekeris erhalten wurden.
Foldamers with Heterogeneous Backbones

The functions performed by proteins and nucleic acids provide the foundation for life. Chemists have recently begun to ask whether it is possible to design synthetic oligomers that approach the structural and functional complexities of these biopolymers. The study of foldamers, non-natural oligomers displaying discrete folding propensities, has demonstrated that there are several synthetic backbones that exhibit biopolymer-like conformational behavior. Early work in this area focused on oligomers comprised of a single type of monomer subunit, but recent efforts have highlighted the potential of mixed or “heterogeneous” backbones to expand the structural and functional repertoire of foldamers. In this Account, we illustrate the promise of heterogeneous backbone foldamers by focusing on examples containing both α- and β-amino acid residues. Some β-residues bear protein-like side chains, while others have cyclic structures that confer conformational rigidity. The study of heterogeneous backbone foldamers has...
Synthesis of polydiphenylgermylene single crystals from diphenyldichlorogermane

Polymer single crystals with a germanium backbone have been synthesized. The synthesis involves a thermally induced generation of divalent radicals, transport of these radicals and subsequent addition polymerization on a cold surface. The polymerization was carried out under vaccum. Crystallization during polymerization was found to occur resulting in extended chain macromolecular crystals. These crystals were prismatic with a number-average molecular weight of 11300. The melting range of the crystals is 285 to 295°C. The glass transition temperature of the same polymer in its amorphous state was found to be 96°C (20°C/min heating rate using differential thermal analysis). The crystal structure of the intermediate octaphenylcyclotetragermane is compared to that of octaphenylcyclotetrasilane and polydiphenylgermylene.
Does Greater Risk-Bearing in Stock Option Compensation Reduce the Influence of Problem Framing On Managerial Risk-Taking Behavior?

ABSTRACT: We examine the extent to which the behavioral agency model reflects the relation between greater risk-bearing in stock option compensation and managerial risk-taking. The behavioral agency model predicts that managers with greater wealth at stake will avoid risky projects that threaten their wealth. This greater risk-bearing effect moderates the problem-framing effect, which predicts that loss-averse managers will be more (less) risk-taking when choosing among loss (gain) projects. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment with 108 M.B.A. students acting as managers, we find that managers are more risk-taking in the loss context than in the gain context when they have at-the-money stock options but not when they have wealth at stake through in-the-money stock options. Further, we find that managers with in-the-money stock options are less risk-taking than managers with at-the-money stock options in the loss context. These findings support the behavioral agency model prediction that greater risk-...
Troubled family interaction during toddlerhood

To examine the antecedents and consequences of troubled family interaction during the “terrible twos,” 64 of 69 families rearing firstborn sons who were observed in the child's second year of life were observed again in the child's third year. Cluster analysis of parent and child behavior scores was used once more to identify families whose parent-child interactions during parental efforts to control the child looked “troubled” at 27 and/or 33 months so that chronicity of troubled family interaction across the second and third year of life could be appraised. Nine predictor variables suggested by Belsky's model of the determinants of parenting, measured at the end of the first year of life, along with social class, were found to powerfully discriminate families that were troubled never or once from those who were troubled twice from those who were troubled three to four times across the four measurement occasions. Child externalizing problem behavior at 3 years of age was found to be almost monotonically related to chronicity of troubled family interaction, irrespective of whether problem behaviors were reported by mothers, fathers, or daycare providers.
Prenatal diagnosis of CLOVES syndrome confirmed by detection of a mosaic PIK3CA mutation in cultured amniocytes

Congenital lipomatous asymmetric overgrowth of the trunk, lymphatic, capillary, venous, and combined-type vascular malformations, epidermal nevi, skeletal and spinal anomalies (CLOVES) syndrome, a segmental overgrowth syndrome, is caused by post zygotic somatic mutations in PIK3CA, a gene involved in the receptor tyrosine kinase phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3)-AKT growth-signaling pathway. Prenatal ultrasound findings of lymphovascular malformations, segmental overgrowth and skeletal defects can raise suspicion for CLOVES syndrome, but molecular confirmation of PIK3CA mutations on prenatally obtained samples is challenging because of somatic mosaicism. We detected a mosaic disease-causing mutation in PIK3CA by sequencing of DNA extracted from cultured amniotic cells, but not from DNA directly prepared from an amniotic fluid sample in a fetus with prenatally suspected CLOVES syndrome. The infant was born prematurely and displayed severe lymphovascular malformations and segmental overgrowth consistent with a clinical diagnosis of CLOVES syndrome; he passed away at 29 days of life. We discuss the complexities and limitations of genetic testing for somatic mosaic mutations in the prenatal period and highlight the potential need for multiple approaches to arrive at a molecular diagnosis. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cultural Considerations and Challenges to Service Delivery for Sudanese Victims of Domestic Violence: Insights from Service Providers and Actors in the Criminal Justice System

Omaha, Nebraska has recently seen an influx of immigrant refugees from the African nation of Sudan. Domestic violence service providers wony that many Sudanese women are suffering abuse in silence. With that in mind, we identified a number of common obstacles that immigrant women are likely to face when accessing services for domestic violence. We interviewed victim advocates, criminal justice personnel, and other community-based service providers. Our respondents identified the areas of difficulty they encountered most frequently when working with Sudanese clients. Everyone interviewed agreed that Sudanese cultural norms created barriers to service delivery. Our respondents also discussed the strategies they employed when they provided services to Sudanese women, along with their impressions about how well or how poorly those approaches worked. We present their experiences, their challenges, and their recommendations for the future.
Developing Consensus Indicators of Sustainability for Southeastern United States Aquaculture

Many diverse, conflicting stakeholders groups are activeley engaged in an increasingly volatile debate over the proper definition and application of sustainability in aquaculture. Attempts to find common-ground on general sustainability goals and parameters have not yet been successful. This study illustrates the potential of utilizing a Delphi approach to identify and refine consensus indicators of sustainability along three separate disciplinary axes; environmental, economic, and sociological. In fact, nonparametric statistical analysis of sustainability categories and indicators indicated a high level of consensus among and between diverse stakeholder groups after the Delphi process.
Epigenetic state network approach for describing cell phenotypic transitions.

Recent breakthroughs of cell phenotype reprogramming impose theoretical challenges on unravelling the complexity of large circuits maintaining cell phenotypes coupled at many different epigenetic and gene regulation levels, and quantitatively describing the phenotypic transition dynamics. A popular picture proposed by Waddington views cell differentiation as a ball sliding down a landscape with valleys corresponding to different cell types separated by ridges. Based on theories of dynamical systems, we establish a novel ‘epigenetic state network’ framework that captures the global architecture of cell phenotypes, which allows us to translate the metaphorical low-dimensional Waddington epigenetic landscape concept into a simple-yet-predictive rigorous mathematical framework of cell phenotypic transitions. Specifically, we simplify a high-dimensional epigenetic landscape into a collection of discrete states corresponding to stable cell phenotypes connected by optimal transition pathways among them. We then apply the approach to the phenotypic transition processes among fibroblasts (FBs), pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and cardiomyocytes (CMs). The epigenetic state network for this case predicts three major transition pathways connecting FBs and CMs. One goes by way of PSCs. The other two pathways involve transdifferentiation either indirectly through cardiac progenitor cells or directly from FB to CM. The predicted pathways and multiple intermediate states are supported by existing microarray data and other experiments. Our approach provides a theoretical framework for studying cell phenotypic transitions. Future studies at single-cell levels can directly test the model predictions.
Vaccination against malaria: Recent advances and the problems of antigenic diversity and other parasite evasion mechanisms

Abstract Due to the complexity of the malaria life cycle and the stage-specificity of immunity, a malaria vaccine will most likely be multicomponent, directed against surface epitopes on sporozoites, infected erythrocytes, merozoites and gametes. The CSP antigen of sporozoites is best understood at the structural and immunochemical level and vaccine trials employing peptides derived from this protein are currently underway. To date, no antigenic diversity of the immunodominant repeat epitope of the CSP protein has been uncovered in natural isolates of P. falciparum , raising optimism for eventual applicability of the laboratory trials to a field vaccine. Numerous surface antigens on merozoites and gametes have been identified with monoclonal antibodies and shown to be potential vaccine targets based on in vitro and in vivo studies with these antibodies. The problem of antigenic diversity and parasite lability seems acute in the asexual blood stages, and perhaps also with transmission-blocking antigens of gametes. Ways must be found to identify invariant surface epitopes that are so critical to parasite survival that in the face of a potentially lethal immune response mutant organisms cannot alter the target epitope and evade destruction.
How functional connectivity between emotion regulation structures can be disrupted: Preliminary evidence from adolescents with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury

Outcome of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) includes impaired emotion regulation. Emotion regulation has been associated with amygdala and rostral anterior cingulate (rACC). However, functional connectivity between the two structures after injury has not been reported. A preliminary examination of functional connectivity of rACC and right amygdala was conducted in adolescents 2 to 3 years after moderate to severe TBI and in typically developing (TD) control adolescents, with the hypothesis that the TBI adolescents would demonstrate altered functional connectivity in the two regions. Functional connectivity was determined by correlating fluctuations in the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal of the rACC and right amygdala with that of other brain regions. In the TBI adolescents, the rACC was found to be significantly less functionally connected to medial prefrontal cortices and to right temporal regions near the amygdala (height threshold T 5 2.5, cluster level p , .05, FDR corrected), while the right amygdala showed a trend in reduced functional connectivity with the rACC (height threshold T 5 2.5, cluster level p 5 .06, FDR corrected). Data suggest disrupted functional connectivity in emotion regulation regions. Limitations include small sample sizes. Studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to characterize the persistent neural damage resulting from moderate to severe TBI during development. (JINS, 2013, 19, 911–924)
Escherichia coli K1 Invasion Increases Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cell Monolayer Permeability by Disassembling Vascular-Endothelial Cadherins at Tight Junctions

We investigated the permeability changes that occur in the human brain microvascular endothelial cell (HBMEC) monolayer, an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier, during Escherichia coli K1 infection. An increase in permeability of HBMECs and a decrease in transendothelial electrical resistance were observed. These permeability changes occurred only when HBMECs were infected with E. coli expressing outer membrane protein A (OmpA) and preceded the traversal of bacteria across the monolayer. Activated protein kinase C (PKC)-alpha interacts with vascular-endothelial cadherins (VECs) at the tight junctions of HBMECs, resulting in the dissociation of beta-catenins from VECs and leading to the increased permeability of the HBMEC monolayer. Overexpression of a dominant negative form of PKC-alpha in HBMECs blocked the E. coli-induced increase in permeability of HBMECs. Anti-OmpA and anti-OmpA receptor antibodies exerted inhibition of E. coli-induced permeability of HBMEC monolayers. This inhibition was the result of the absence of PKC-alpha activation in HBMECs treated with the antibodies.
The structure of temperament in preschoolers: a two-stage factor analytic approach

The structure of temperament traits in young children has been the subject of extensive debate, with separate models proposing different trait dimensions. This research has relied almost exclusively on parent-report measures. The present study used an alternative approach, a laboratory observational measure, to explore the structure of temperament in preschoolers. A 2-stage factor analytic approach, exploratory factor analyses (n = 274) followed by confirmatory factor analyses (n = 276), was used. We retrieved an adequately fitting model that consisted of 5 dimensions: Sociability, Positive Affect/Interest, Dysphoria, Fear/Inhibition, and Constraint versus Impulsivity. This solution overlaps with, but is also distinct from, the major models derived from parent-report measures.
All-fiber wavelength conversion using cross-phase modulation and Bragg gratings

In this letter, we show that by using the frequency shift induced by cross-phase modulation and the filtering action of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) simple, efficient, and universal wavelength converters can be implemented. With the appropriately synthesized FBGs, the converted pulses can have exactly the same shape and spectrum as the input signal pulses for any values of walkoff and dispersion present in the system. Conversion over wide wavelength ranges can be achieved, and the bit rate is limited only by the required input signal power.
Prediction of major pulmonary complications after esophagectomy.

Background Pulmonary complications are the most frequent morbid event after esophagectomy. Understanding factors that are associated with pulmonary complications may help in patient selection and postoperative management. Methods We performed a retrospective review of patients who underwent esophagectomy between 1980 and 2009. Univariate analysis was used to identify potential covariates for the development of major pulmonary complications. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of complications. A scoring system was developed, and its ability to predict complications was assessed. Results A total of 516 patients (382 men [74%]) with a mean age of 59.0 ± 12.5 years underwent esophagectomy for cancer (398 [77%]) or benign disease. Major pulmonary complications occurred in 197 patients (38%) and were associated with a 10-fold increase in operative mortality (2.5% vs 28%; p p p Conclusions Major pulmonary complications are frequent after esophagectomy and can be predicted using commonly available clinical information. A scoring system identifying the risk of such complications may assist in patient selection and in providing appropriate resources for postoperative management of higher-risk patients.
Redox‐responsive regulation of denitrification genes in Brucella

Brucella strains encounter oxygen deprivation during their intracellular replication in host cells, and the capacity of these bacteria to utilize NO(3) as an alternative electron acceptor for respiration plays an important role in their successful adaption to their intracellular niche. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Carrica et al (2012). report that NtrY and NtrX comprise a redox-responsive two-component regulator in Brucella abortus 2308 that responds to decreasing levels of O(2) and induces the expression of this strain's denitrification genes. Thus, NtrYX joins the increasing number of genetic regulators that contribute to the metabolic versatility required for the virulence of Brucella strains in their mammalian hosts.
Hospital Quality: A PRIDIT Approach

Measuring and improving hospital quality is an important challenge in any attempt to improve the health care system. It is important because inpatient hospitals provide so much medical care (approximately $500 billion in 2003) (Hippisley-Cox et al. 2006). It is a challenge because medical care does not directly map into health outcomes (Arrow 1963) and because medical care is a credence good (Darby and Karni 1973).1 Therefore, in measuring hospital quality, there are two choices for researchers: measuring inputs to care (process measures) or measuring outputs from care (patient outcomes). Standard examples of inputs include proportion of patients having a blood culture performed before first antibiotic received and proportion of patients who get the most appropriate antibiotic. Widely used output measures include 30-day adjusted mortality and percent of patients readmitted within 1 month after discharge. The main advantage of outcomes variables is that they directly measure improvements in health. The variable 30-day adjusted mortality, for example, is one that both providers and patients would like to be as low as possible. In addition, they are easy to communicate, both within the health services community and to wider audiences. In the words of Richard Posner, these measures have a low “absorption cost” (Posner 2007). The imperfect correlation between individual outcome measures and overall health or quality is the biggest disadvantage of outcome variables. Mortality as an outcome measure is subject to a congruence problem, because mortality is a single binary variable that does not fully account for health. One other disadvantage of outcome measures is that they are subject to unconscious manipulation. With the opportunity, indeed the necessity, of eliminating subjects who “did not fit the study specifications,” researchers can unintentionally distort their results in favor of their hypothesis. The main advantages of process measures are that they are easy to measure and collect. Process measures come from data collected in the course of care, which practitioners record in charts and billing systems. There is therefore a great deal of scope to aggregate process information to use in quality assessment, but little scope for any individual to change or exclude data. Process measures are even more subject to congruence problems than outcome measures. Additionally, they are difficult to aggregate into single measures of quality. They are also subject to the same sample selection problems as outcome measures, inasmuch as hospitals must still choose to opt in to this data reporting process. In this study, we will demonstrate that this aggregation process is a feasible solution to the problem of discerning hospital quality, and we will argue that this aggregation, while purely based on circumstantial evidence, is a valid and useful method. Chiefly, it combines low absorption cost, ability to handle high dimension data and absence of extratheoretical assumptions about the connection between process improvements and outcomes in the model.
Renal Cell Carcinoma With Tumor Thrombus Extension: Biology, Role of Nephrectomy and Response to Immunotherapy

ABSTRACTPurpose: We outline the biology, prognosis and role of immunotherapy for renal cell carcinoma with gross venous tumor thrombus.Materials and Methods: A total of 207 patients with unilateral renal cell carcinoma and tumor thrombus into the renal vein (107) and inferior vena cava (100) who underwent nephrectomy and thrombectomy were compared with 607 without tumor thrombus.Results: At diagnosis 77 patients (37%) had N0M0 disease and 130 (63%) had lymph node (N+) or distant (M1) metastases. Compared with nontumor thrombus cases tumor thrombus was associated with more advanced stage, N+ (26% versus 12%), M1 (54% versus 31%) disease, higher grade and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status. In N0M0 cases with inferior vena caval tumor thrombus capsular penetration, collecting system invasion and extension into the hepatic vein were more important prognostic variables then the level of inferior vena caval thrombus. In patients with confined N0M0 tumors mean 2 and 5-year survival ± SD was 8...
Catheter fracture and embolization from an implanted venous access device.

A 76-year-old man complained of shoulder pain and erythematous swelling over the left infraclavicular region after 0.9% saline solution injection during an outpatient visit. The patient had a case of sigmoid cancer with multiple liver metastases. He had received sigmoid colectomy with colorectostomy 6 months prior. During the same hospitalization an implantable vascular access port (Arrow International, Reading, PA, USA) was implanted in the left subclavian vein using the Seldinger technique with a peel-away introducer kit, because the cephalic vein was too small to cannulate. Postoperative chemotherapy consisted of 5-fluorouracil 2600 mg/m 2 plus folinic acid 150 mg by continuous infusion for 24 h every week for 24 courses. During the 23rd course of chemotherapy, no blood could be aspirated through the port, and a chest radiograph was obtained (Figure 1). It showed the port below the clavicle and an embolized catheter in the right atrium. The catheter was snared out percutaneously through the right femoral vein. The remaining subcutaneous (s.c.) port was surgically removed and a second device was implanted on the right side using a cut-down technique. Totally implantable venous access devices have
What’s Wrong With Megalopsychia

This paper looks at two accounts of Aristotle's views on the virtue of megalopsychia. The first, defended by Christopher Cordner, commits Aristotle to two claims about the virtuous person that might seem unpalatable to modern readers. The second account, defended by Roger Crisp, does not commit Aristotle to these claims. Some might count this as an advantage of Crisp's account. However, I argue that Cordner's account, not Crisp's, is actually the better interpretation of Aristotle. Nonetheless, this does not ultimately spell trouble for Aristotle, since, as I argue, the claims that Cordner's account commits Aristotle to are, on closer inspection, not really problematic.
Early response to treatment in adolescent bulimia nervosa.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if early response predicted remission at the end of a controlled trial. Method: Eighty adolescents with bulimia nervosa participated in an RCT comparing family-based treatment and individual supportive psychotherapy. Response to treatment was assessed via self-report of bingeing and purging. Remission was defined as abstinence from bingeing and purging for the last 28 days and measured by investigator-based interview, that is, the Eating Disorder Examination. Results: Receiver-operating characteristic analyses showed that, regardless of treatment, symptom reduction at session six predicted remission at posttreatment (AUC = 0.814 (p < .001)) and 6-month follow-up (AUC = 0.811 (p < .001)). Conclusion: Results suggest that adolescents with BN who do not show early reductions in bulimic symptoms are unlikely to remit at posttreatment or follow-up. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2008
Novel perioperative imaging with 18F-FDG PET/CT and intraoperative 18F-FDG detection using a handheld gamma probe in recurrent ovarian cancer.

Abstract Objective Diagnostic 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18 F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is an established method for detecting ovarian cancer. However, there is no established method to detect hypermetabolic tumor intraoperatively to evaluate disease extent and assure complete resection. We describe an innovative approach for intraoperative tumor localization and verification of tumor resection utilizing 18 F-FDG for perioperative PET/CT imaging and intraoperative gamma probe detection in ovarian cancer. Methods Three patients with recurrent ovarian cancer in the lymph nodes were evaluated. Diagnostic 18 F-FDG PET/CT was performed before surgery to establish the disease location. Preoperatively, 18 F-FDG was injected intravenously. Intraoperatively, tumors were localized with a handheld gamma probe. Postoperatively, resected tumors were scanned with a specimen PET/CT to confirm metabolic activity in those specimens. Results All patients had recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer with groin or retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis diagnosed with PET/CT. In two patients, intraoperative gamma probe detection, specimen PET/CT, and postoperative PET/CT verified complete resection of the clinical and hypermetabolic lesions (in one case, the extent of disease was not fully apparent intraoperatively by gross palpation or inspection). The other patient was demonstrated to have extensive, unresectable disease in the porta hepatis and celiac axis, much of which was recognized only with the intraoperative gamma probe and not with the initial intraoperative survey. Conclusions Perioperative PET/CT imaging with intraoperative detection using a gamma probe following a single 18 F-FDG injection dose is feasible, establishes the location and extent of disease, and confirms a complete cytoreduction for recurrent ovarian cancer.
A matrix method for the evaluation of therapeutic agents : A framework based on disease process-oriented mechanisms of drug action and their effectiveness

A matrix method has been developed for the evaluation of therapeutic agents based on six categories of therapeutic specificities and three levels of therapeutic effectiveness. The therapeutic specificity categories are based on the relationship between a drug’s therapeutic effect and the pathophysiologic process being treated or prevented. The therapeutic effectiveness levels are based on the drug’s degree of effectiveness with respect to the underlying disease or disease process. By providing a framework for comparisons across different therapeutic agents, this matrix evaluation method may have applications in assessing different therapeutic options, choosing clinical trials endpoints, and selecting drug discovery targets.
Morphological and electrophysiological changes produced by electrical stimulation in cultured neuroblastoma cells

Electric fields, which were equivalent to those generated by medical devices, were applied to cultured neuroblastoma cells (mouse and human) to test for morphological damage and to establish damage thresholds. Each of two methods of applying fields permitted flow of electrical current and minimized exposure of cells to electrode-breakdown products. One method consisted of a pair of parallel wires in a Petri dish by which current was delivered within a fixed volume of flowing tissue-culture media. With the other method, the cells were held in a confined geometrical chamber and current was applied via agar bridges. Under a given set of stimulation parameters, damage was found to be variable from cell to cell. By changing the strength of the electric field (frequency and duration of stimulation held constant), thresholds of several V/cm were found above which cell damage could be reliably produced. Depending on the intensity of the field, damage took the form of cell lysis or damage to neurites. Intracellular recordings from the mouse neuroblastoma cells revealed a correlation between a decline in resting transmembrane potential and stimulus intensity. Human neuroblastoma cells were less susceptible to damage than were the mouse neuroblastoma cells, given the same strength of applied electric fields.
Considering the Effects of Time on Leadership Development A Local Government Training Evaluation

As local governments across the United States adapt to economic shifts, workforce reshaping, and continued demand for services, training to confront these challenges has become more important. Howe...
Subtype-specific therapy for autoimmune neuropathies?

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) are the most common autoimmune neuropathies. In both disorders, different variants have been described, reflecting the types of axons that are affected (motor and/or sensory), the nature of the injury (axonal vs demyelinating), and the response to treatment. Because most patients respond to therapies that target autoantibodies (plasmapheresis and IV immunoglobulin [IVIg]), these disorders are thought to be antibody-mediated. Consistent with this, autoantibodies to different peripheral nerve glycolipids, especially complexes of multiple gangliosides, are found in specific subtypes of patients.1 Moreover, high titers of antibodies against GM1 and GQ1b gangliosides are highly associated with multifocal motor neuropathy2 and Miller Fisher syndrome/Bickerstaff encephalitis,3 respectively. There is strong evidence from both human and animal models that the binding of autoantibodies to their cognate lipid antigens fixes complement that in turn damages myelinated motor and/or sensory axons.
Information Privacy and Data Security

Legal academic and policy discourse generally presumes that information privacy and data security are interchangeable goals. The conventional wisdom is that data security is a handmaiden of information privacy, and so what serves data security will serve information privacy. However, this view is an oversimplification of the relationship between the two fields. This Essay aids law and policy development in both fields by correctly defining their relationship to one another. Data security has separate objectives from information privacy that can be agnostic or even in opposition to information privacy. The law should acknowledge information privacy and data security as separate institutional objectives to prevent undesirable — or at least unpredictable — results in edge cases in which data security’s objectives run counter to those of information privacy.
The Rediscovery of Aspergillus Cervinus

SUMMARYA uniseriate fawn-colored Aspergillus obtained from Malayan forest soils and identified as Aspergillus cervinus Massee is herein described in detail. The outstanding characteristics of this ...
Evaluation of Alcohol-Related Personalized Normative Feedback With and Without an Injunctive Message.

Objective:Personalized normative feedback (PNF) has been used extensively to reduce alcohol consumption, particularly among heavy drinkers. However, the majority of PNF studies have used only descriptive norms (real or perceived pervasiveness of a given behavior). The purpose of the current study was to explore the efficacy of PNF both with and without an injunctive message indicating approval or disapproval based on the participants’ standing relative to other students’ drinking levels. This randomized trial evaluated two brief web-based alcohol intervention conditions (descriptive-norms-feedback–only condition versus a descriptive-plus-injunctive-message condition relative to an assessment-only control condition).Method:Participants included 176 students who had reported at least one heavy drinking episode in the past month. Participants completed baseline and follow-up assessments of perceived norms and drinking. Follow-up assessments were completed at 2 weeks post-intervention by 165 (94%) participant...
Analysis on Mechanical System of Hydraulic Brake Tester

Objective to make the train hydraulic brake tester is in order to check the feasibility of hydraulic foundation brake,also because of the need of the actual situation. The train hydraulic brake test station comprises two main systems: the hydraulic system and mechanical system. This paper introduces the design and analysis of mechanical system in this paper. In order to more accurately determine the practicability of the test-bed of mechanical parts design,namely,the strength,stiffness,whether the anti deformation capacity can meet the normal work of the test bench requirements. The authors used now structure,finite element analysis of the best ability analysis software ANSYS on the test bench of parts of the strength,deformation analysis,to determine their performance,and then processed into real before determining the reliability of the design and feasibility.
Technical note: Percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy using a modified coaxial technique

A modified coaxial technique for the biopsy of small or deeply situated lesions using computed tomographic (CT) guidance is described. A 22-gauge needle was passed coaxially through an outer 18-gauge introducing needle and aspiration biopsy was performed. This modified coaxial technique allows for multiple biopsies to be obtained safely, expeditiously, and repeatedly.
Bad Reputations: Memory, Corporeality, and the Limitations of Hacking’s Looping Effects

Decades after Foucault’s Birth of the Clinic and History of Madness , the role of medicine in producing and sustaining classifications continues to be topical, as scholars have continued to critique normalizing judgments embedded in the practices of medicine, which stabilize identity categories within health care settings. A significant contributor to this area of scholarship, Ian Hacking has articulated a productive and extremely influential account of how certain “kinds” of people emerge hand-in-hand with the categories that are meant to classify them, examining not only medical practices, but a wide range of governmental, scientific, and cultural institutions that contribute to kind-making. In this paper, I examine limitations to Hacking’s looping effects thesis, in an effort to further explore how kind-making may be embodied through intersections of subjectivity, social identity, and the practices of medicine. Employing a field study of HIV/AIDS care in Vancouver, Canada, I push at some of the boundaries of Hacking’s account, attempting to add complexity and nuance by bringing to bear considerations of memory, resistance, and embodiment on the process of looping.
Development of Combination Therapy with Targeted Agents

With the rapid increase in available effective agents, there has been a push to advance outcomes in combination approaches. With the landscape of agents with activity including cytokines, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway inhibitors, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors, most of the combinational approaches examined have included these agents. With the recent reports of several important combination studies, our vision of combinational therapy application is coming into focus. Although some positive findings have been learned with these studies which could be expanded on, it is apparent that identifying new agents with novel mechanisms of activity and identifying subsets of patients who benefit from available drugs are critically important to advancing combinational approaches.
Deficiency of the VWF-Cleaving Protease ADAMTS13 Results in Increased Leukocyte Rolling and Adhesion in Mice.

von Willebrand factor (VWF) is synthesized in megakaryocytes and endothelial cells and stored in a-granules and Weibel-Palade bodies, respectively. VWF levels are elevated in both chronic and acute inflammation. ADAMTS13 (A D isintegrin-like A nd M etalloprotease with T hrombo s pondin type I repeats-13) is a metalloprotease that cleaves ultra large von Willebrand factor (ULVWF) multimers quickly after its release from endothelium. Recent studies have found that VWF promotes leukocyte adhesion in vitro and that ADAMTS13 activity is reduced in inflammation and sepsis. We hypothesized that by cleaving ULVWF multimers, ADAMTS13 not only inhibits thrombosis, but also attenuates leukocyte rolling and adhesion. Using intravital microscopy, we found more leukocyte rolling/min on the unstimulated veins in Adamts13 -/- mice (Mean ± SE: 98 ± 16) compared to WT (Mean ± SE: 35 ± 6, P Adamts13 -/-/ Vwf -/- veins was similar to that in Vwf -/-. Significantly increased soluble P-selectin and VWF concentrations were found in the plasma of Adamts13-/- compared to WT mice as quantitated by ELISA. In addition, endothelial P-selectin surface expression was increased in Adamts13 -/- mice compared to WT. These results suggest elevated release of Weibel-Palade bodies in Adamts13 -/- mice. Notably, circulating platelets were not activated in the absence of ADAMTS13. Upon stimulation of the mesentery with histamine, leukocyte rolling was slower in Adamts13 -/- veins compared to WT. Furthermore, upon stimulation with the inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha (i.v) 3.5 h prior to surgery, the number of leukocytes adhering/250 um was significantly increased in microvenules (diameter of 25–30 um) of Adamts13-/- mice (Mean ± SD: 21 ± 6) compared to WT (Mean ± SD: 12 ± 5, P Adamts13 -/-/ Vwf -/- was similar to Vwf -/-. Our studies indicate a crucial role for ADAMTS13 in preventing excessive spontaneous Weibel-Palade secretion and in attenuating leukocyte rolling and adhesion to ultra large VWF presented by endothelial cells during inflammation.
EFFECT OF pH ON LOW TEMPERATURE GROWTH OF SALMONELLA

The combined effects of pH and temperature on growth of three serotypes of salmonellae are reported. Salmonela heidelberg grew on the surface of agar over the pH range of 5.0 to 9.0. Minimum growth temperatures of 5.3, 5.2, and 5.3 C were obtained at pH values of 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0, respectively. In broth, S. heidelberg increased in number over the pH range of 6.0 to 8.0, with the lowest growth temperature of 6.0 C obtained at pH 7.0. Salmonella typhimurium increased in number in broth at pH values of 6.0 to 9.0. A time-temperature effect was shown by this organism after 16 days. Salmonella derby grew over the pH range of 6.0 to 8.0 in broth, with the lowest growth temperature of 9.0 C obtained at pH 6.0 and pH 7.0. The results indicate that food-poisoning Salmonella serotypes grow only over a narrow pH range at low temperatures.