cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Highly Durable, Self-Standing Solid-State Supercapacitor Based on an Ionic Liquid-Rich Ionogel and Porous Carbon Nanofiber Electrodes

A high-performance, self-standing solid-state supercapacitor is prepared by incorporating an ionic liquid (IL)-rich ionogel made with 95 wt % IL (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide) and 5 wt % methyl cellulose, a polymer matrix, into highly interconnected 3-D activated carbon nanofiber (CNF) electrodes. The ionogel exhibits strong mechanical properties with a storage modulus of 5 MPa and a high ionic conductivity of 5.7 mS cm–1 at 25 °C. The high-surface-area CNF-based electrode (2282 m2 g–1), obtained via an electrospinning technique, exhibits hierarchical porosity generated both in situ during pyrolysis and ex situ via KOH activation. The porous architecture of the CNF electrodes facilitates the facile percolation of the soft but mechanically durable ionogel film, thereby enabling intimate contact between porous nanofibers and the gel electrolyte interface. The supercapacitor demonstrates promising capacitive characteristics, including a gravimetric capacitance of 153 F g–1, a...
Novel use of ViewRay MRI guidance for high-dose-rate brachytherapy in the treatment of cervical cancer.

Abstract Purpose To characterize image quality and feasibility of using ViewRay MRI (VR)–guided brachytherapy planning for cervical cancer. Methods and Materials Cervical cancer patients receiving intracavitary brachytherapy with tandem and ovoids, planned using 0.35T VR MRI at our institution, were included in this series. The high-risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV), visible gross tumor volume, bladder, sigmoid, bowel, and rectum contours for each fraction of brachytherapy were evaluated for dosimetric parameters. Typically, five brachytherapy treatments were planned using the T2 sequence on diagnostic MRI for the first and third fractions, and a noncontrast true fast imaging with steady-state precession sequence on VR or CT scan for the remaining fractions. Most patients received 5.5 Gy × 5 fractions using high-dose-rate Ir-192 following 45 Gy of whole-pelvis radiotherapy. The plan was initiated at 5.5 Gy to point A and subsequently optimized and prescribed to the HR-CTV. The goal equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions for the combined external beam and brachytherapy dose was 85 Gy. Soft-tissue visualization using contrast-to-noise ratios to distinguish normal tissues from tumor at their interface was compared between diagnostic MRI, CT, and VR. Results One hundred and forty-two fractions of intracavitary brachytherapy were performed from April 2015 to January 2017 on 29 cervical cancer patients, ranging from stages IB1 to IVA. The median HR-CTV was 27.78 cc, with median D90 HR-CTV of 6.1 Gy. The median time from instrument placement to start of treatment using VR was 65 min (scan time 2 min), compared to 105 min using diagnostic MRI (scan time 11 min) (t-test, p Conclusions We report the first clinical use of VR-guided brachytherapy. Time to treatment using this approach was shorter compared to diagnostic MRI. VR also provided significant advantage in visualizing the tumor and cervix compared to CT. This presents a feasible and reliable manner to image and plan gynecologic brachytherapy.
Graduating otolaryngology resident preparedness for fellowship as assessed by fellowship faculty

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS The purpose of this study was to evaluate fellowship program directors' perceptions of incoming clinical fellows' preparedness for subspecialty training and to thereby identify strengths and shortcomings in otolaryngology training programs' ability to prepare residents for fellowship. STUDY DESIGN Validated e-mail survey. METHODS Two hundred eleven otolaryngology subspecialty fellowship program directors and faculty directly involved with training fellows were contacted. A validated survey by the American College of Surgeons was modified and distributed to otolaryngology fellowship faculty in six otolaryngology subspecialties. The 59-item survey employed a five-response Likert scale tailored to each subspecialty. Responses were collected between November 2016 and January 2017. RESULTS One hundred ten otolaryngology faculty responded to the survey (52%). Respondents had worked with fellows for a mean of 12 years (standard deviation = 8). Respondents felt fellows were competent in the areas of professionalism, clinical evaluation, and management. Pediatric faculty were more likely to disagree about fellows' independence in the operating room (P = .004) and during call (P = .002) compared to other specialties. Laryngology and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery faculty felt more neutral about anatomy recognition (P = .008), tissue manipulation (P = .002), and use of energy sources (e.g., cautery, lasers) (P < .001). Fellows in all subspecialties were felt to be least prepared in research and academic interest. CONCLUSIONS Faculty involved in fellowship training feel that fellows are well-prepared overall upon entering fellowship. Residency programs may benefit from providing more experience with facial plastic reconstructive surgery, laryngology, and pediatrics. Regardless of specialty, residents could benefit from increased training in research design, data analysis, and basic statistics. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE NA Laryngoscope, E280-E286, 2018.
S86. EXAMINING REASONING BIASES IN SCHIZOPHRENIA USING A MODIFIED “JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS” TASK

Background The Jumping To Conclusion (JTC) bias has been extensively studied in relation to schizophrenia and persecutory delusions. It is suggested that performance on the traditional JTC task relates to a pervasive bias to make decisions quickly, contributing to delusion formation. However, the mechanisms underlying performance on this task, as well as the relationship between the JTC bias and other reasoning biases implicated in delusional ideation, is not fully understood. We examined the relationship between several biases believed to be involved in delusion formation and maintenance to further clarify potential co-occurrences of these biases and their relation to delusional ideation.
Proposed Technique for Estimating Demand Functions from Time Series

The estimating technique is based on a simplified version of the theory in my paper “Dynamic Demand Functions,” presented at the Christmas 1961 meetings of the Econometric Society (an abstract will appear in Econometrica, July 1962); it resembles the method introduced by Stone and Rowe and later modified by Nerlove.
Bias-Based Cyberbullying: The Next Hate Crime Frontier?

In response to growing concerns about cyberbullying, states and the federal government have begun new legislative initiatives to address cyberbullying. Several of these initiatives specifically encompass bias-based cyberbullying, while in other states, bias-based cyberbullying falls within the parameters of hate crime laws. This article broadly considers the subject of bias-based cyberbullying, which is defined as cyberbullying based on a victim’s actual or perceived characteristics such as race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and nation origin. This article begins with a case study of the suicide of Rutger’s student, Tyler Clementi, and the decision by the State of New Jersey to pursue criminal charges under its hate crime statute against Dharun Ravi. This article next provides an overview of hate crime laws, and specifically examines the rationale for the passage of hate crime statutes, the characteristics included within those statutes, and the types of federal and state hate crime laws, including penalty enhancement and substantive bias statutes. Finally, this Article explores existing research on bias-based cyberbullying, examines legislative initiatives to address bias-based bullying, discusses the absence of empirical data about bias-based cyberbullying, and provides suggestions for future research.
CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO BIOGENIC AMINES IN NEONATAL SWINE

Aortic pressure, heart rate, and femoral and renal flows were recorded in piglets aged 1–16 days under light anesthesia. Norepinephrine (NE, 0.5 μg/kg), isoproterenol (ISP, 0.1 μg/kg) and dopamine (D, 25 μg/kg) were tested before and after adrenergic receptor blockade. Evidence was obtained for differential postnatal development of responses to NE and ISP, and presence of D receptors in neonatal swine.
Select hyperacute complications of ischemic stroke: cerebral edema, hemorrhagic transformation, and orolingual angioedema secondary to intravenous Alteplase.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Remarkable advances have occurred in the management of acute ischemic stroke, especially in regards to reperfusion treatments. With advances in reperfusion treatments come the...
The Effect of Proton Pump Inhibitors on Bone Formation in a Rat Spinal Arthrodesis Model.

Study design Rat posterolateral arthrodesis model. Objective Quantify the impact of administration of a proton pump inhibitor on spine fusion. Summary of background data Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used for gastrointestinal disorders and for ulcer prophylaxis in patients taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. PPIs cause chronic acid suppression which has been found to result in decreased bone mineral density, increased fracture risk, and impaired fracture healing. Despite advances in surgical techniques, pseudarthrosis still occurs in up to 24% of patients requiring revision surgery following spinal fusion procedures. Thus, there are likely many unidentified risk factors. While PPIs have been hypothesized to impact fracture healing, no study has evaluated their effect on spine arthrodesis rates. Methods Thirty-eight female rats underwent posterolateral lumbar spinal fusion. Rats were divided into two groups: normal saline control and pantroprazole, which was administered by daily intraperitoneal injections. At 8 weeks postoperative spines were evaluated with manual palpation, microCT, histologic analysis, and biomechanical testing. Results Fusion rates of the control group and PPI group were not significantly different (100% vs. 94%). Average fusion scores were significantly lower in the pantoprazole group. New bone formation identified on microCT imaging of bilaterally fused specimens demonstrated a lower average volume of newly generated bone in the PPI group, but this difference was not significant. Biomechanical testing demonstrated no significant difference in strength or stiffness of the fusion mass between the groups. Conclusion This study demonstrates that administration of PPIs does not inhibit fusion rates, bone formation, or affect biomechanical integrity of fusion. However, lower fusion scores in the PPI group suggest that a negative impact may still exist. Future studies will explore growth factor and protein expression in the fusion masses as well as utilize higher doses of PPI to fully discern their effect on spine fusion. Level of evidence N/A.
Abstract 201: Evaluating Time from Electrocardiogram (ECG) Acquisition to ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Activation for Inpatients: Deployment of a Preliminary Automated ECG Reading System

Background: Inpatients with STEMI experience lengthier symptom-to-intervention times, decreased likelihood of invasive management, and an estimated 3-10-fold increased mortality risk compared to ou...
How does biofeedback reduce clinical symptoms and do memories and beliefs have biological consequences? Toward a model of mind-body healing

Changes in the magnitude and direction of physiological measures (EMG, EEG, temperature, etc.) are not strongly related to the reduction of clinical symptoms in biofeedback therapy. Previously, nonspecified perceptual, cognitive, and emotional factors related to threat perception (Wickramasekera, 1979, 1988, 1998) may account for the bulk of the variance in the reduction of clinical symptoms. The mean magnitude of these previously nonspecified or placebo factors is closer to 70% when both the therapist and patient believe in the efficacy of the therapy. This powerful placebo effect is hypothesized to be an elicited conditioned response (Wickramasekera, 1977a, 1977c, 1980, 1985) based on the memory of prior healings. These memories of healing are more resistant to extinction if originally acquired on a partial rather than continuous reinforcement schedule. High and low hypnotic ability in interaction with threat perception (negative affect) is hypothesized to contribute to both the production and reduction of clinical symptoms. High and low hypnotic ability respectively are hypothesized to be related to dysregulation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic arms of the autonomic nervous system. Biofeedback is hypothesized to be most effective for reducing clinical symptoms in people of low to moderate hypnotic ability. For people high in trait hypnotic ability, training in self-hypnosis or other instructional procedures (e.g., autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation, mediation, CBT, etc.) will produce the most rapid reduction in clinical symptoms.
Concerns of Patients With Cancer on Accessing Cannabis Products in a State With Restrictive Medical Marijuana Laws: A Survey Study.

PURPOSE:Several states, particularly in the Southeast, have restrictive medical marijuana laws that permit qualified patients to use specific cannabis products. The majority of these states, howeve...
Mike Buckinghams’s contributions to sub-Arctic acoustics

Mike initiated his research in ocean acoustics and his love affair with aircraft during his tenure with the Royal Aerospace Establishment (RAE). Between 1984 and 1990, he led the RAE effort to characterize and model the ambient noise field in the sub-Arctic (Buckingham, 1987, 1990, and 1994). Mike deployed and monitored sonobuoys from aircraft at several distances from the ice edge. His experiment confirmed Diachok and Winokur’s (1974) observations of a peak in ambient noise levels at the ice edge due to the interaction of ocean waves with sea ice. More importantly, Mike discovered an “enigmatic” intermittent source of high ambient noise levels, which peaked at about 20 Hz, at or near the Greenland glacier. He concluded that the source mechanism was associated with the glacier. In 1990, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography offered Mike a position, in part because of his stimulating pre-offer lecture on ambient noise in the sub-Arctic. As a result of increased melting of glaciers, noise generation at the glacier ocean boundary has become a “hot” research topic. The recent well-designed interdisciplinary experiment of Glowacki et al. (2015) revealed that calving and crashing of glacier blocks into the sea are the most likely cause of Mike’s enigmatic noise.
Zebrafish as a Platform for Drug Screening

Abstract Since the first implementation of larval zebrafish in a high-throughput screening format in 2000, zebrafish chemical screens have expanded significantly to encompass a wide range of fish models, targeted pathways and downstream readouts. A survey of the existing literature from 2000 to 2017 identified 114 zebrafish chemical screens. In this chapter we present an overview of zebrafish chemical screening over the past 17 years, categorizing the identified screens by the pathway investigated, the type of fish screened and the compound library used. We examine key findings and clinical implications of notable screens, and discuss limitations as well as recent technological improvements that offer potential solutions.
More Rhode Island Adults Have Dental Coverage After the Medicaid Expansion: Did More Adults Receive Dental Services? Did More Dentists Provide Services?

Objective Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion since 2014, 68,000 more adults under age 65 years were enrolled in Rhode Island Medicaid as of December 2015, a 78% increase from 2013 enrollment. This report assesses changes in dental utilization associated with this expansion. Methods Medicaid enrollment and dental claims for calendar years 2012-2015 were extracted from the RI Medicaid Management Information System. Among adults aged 18-64 years, annual numbers and percentages of Medicaid enrollees who received any dental service were summarized. Additionally, dental service claims were assessed by provider type (private practice or health center). Results Although 15,000 more adults utilized dental services by the end of 2015, the annual percentage of Medicaid enrollees who received any dental services decreased over the reporting periods, compared to pre-ACA years (2012-13: 39%, 2014: 35%, 2015: 32%). From 2012 to 2015, dental patient increases in community health centers were larger than in private dental offices (78% vs. 34%). Contrary to the Medicaid population increase, the number of dentists that submitted Medicaid claims decreased, particularly among dentists in private dental offices; the percentage of RI private dentists who provided any dental service to adult Medicaid enrollees decreased from 29% in 2012 to 21% in 2015. Conclusion Implementation of Medicaid expansion has played a critical role in increasing the number of Rhode Islanders with dental coverage, particularly among low-income adults under age 65. However, policymakers must address the persistent and worsening shortage of dental providers that accept Medicaid to provide a more accessible source of oral healthcare for all Rhode Islanders. [Full article available at http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal-2017-10.asp].
A reporting framework for Sustainable Development Goal 15: Multi-scale monitoring of forest degradation using MODIS, Landsat and Sentinel data

Abstract Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 15.1.1 proposes to quantify “Forest area as a proportion of total land area” in order to achieve SDG target 15.1. While area under forest cover can provide useful information regarding discrete changes in forest cover, it does not provide any insight on subtle changes within the broad vegetation class, e.g. forest degradation. Continental or national-level studies, mostly utilizing coarse-scale satellite data, are likely to fail in capturing these changes due to the fine spatial and long temporal characteristics of forest degradation. Yet, these long-term changes affect forest structure, composition and function, thus ultimately limiting successful implementation of SDG targets. Using a multi-scale, satellite-based monitoring approach, our goal is to provide an easy-to-implement reporting framework for South Asian forest ecosystems. We systematically analyze freely available remote sensing assets on Google Earth Engine for monitoring degradation and evaluate the potential of multiple satellite data with different spatial resolutions for reporting forest degradation. Taking a broad-brush approach in step 1, we calculate vegetation trends in six south Asian countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) during 2000–2016. We also calculate rainfall trends in these countries using the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) rainfall data, and further calculate Rain-Use Efficiency (RUE) that shows vegetation trends in the context of rainfall variability. In step 2, we focus on two protected area test cases from India and Sri Lanka for evaluating the potential of finer-resolution satellite data compared to MODIS, i.e. Landsat 8, and Sentinel-2 data, for capturing forest degradation signals, which will ultimately contribute towards SDG indicators 15.1.1 and 15.1.2. We find that most countries show a fluctuating trend in vegetation condition over the years, along with localized greening and browning. The Random Forest (RF) classifier utilized in step 2 was able to generate accurate maps (87% and 91% overall accuracy for Indian and Sri Lankan test cases, respectively) of non-intact forest within the protected areas. We find that almost one-third of the Indian test case is degraded forest, even though it shows overall greening as per the broad-brush approach. This finding corroborates our argument that utilizing higher-resolution satellite data (e.g. 10-m) than those normally used for national-level studies will be crucial for reporting SDG indicator 15.2.1: “progress towards sustainable forest management”.
It’s about time: How recent advances in time series analysis techniques can enhance energy and climate research

Abstract While an extensive body of social science research focuses on the interrelationships among economic development, energy systems, and the environment, studies involving the analysis of historical time series data are limited outside the field of economics. Along with the typical statistical challenges that accompany longitudinal data, time series data are likely to experience time-variation and bidirectionality in their relationships with one another. We address these issues and illustrate the utility of semiparametric, time-varying vector autoregressive (VAR) models for analyzing socioecological relationships. We analyze data for the United States from 1870 to 2017, and show how the relationships between GDP per capita, trade openness, fossil fuel intensity, and GHG emissions per capita have changed over time. We conclude by suggesting potential avenues for future research that use these methods.
A New Type of CGO Solutions and its Applications in Corner Scattering

We consider corner scattering for the operator $\nabla \cdot \gamma(x)\nabla +k^2\rho(x)$ in $\mathbb{R}^2$, with $\gamma$ a positive definite symmetric matrix and $\rho$ a positive scalar function. A corner is referred to one that is on the boundary of the (compact) support of $\gamma(x)-I$ or $\rho(x)-1$, where $I$ stands for the identity matrix. We show that any admissible incident field will be scattered by such corners, which are allowed to be concave. Moreover, we provide a brief discussion on the existence of non-scattering waves when $\gamma-I$ has a jump across the corner. In order to prove the results, we construct a new type of complex geometric optics (CGO) solutions.
Developing Effective University-Community Collaboration Through Grantwriting

America’s research universities, having become institutions of specialized knowledge creation, are now being called upon to change direction, to pull specialized knowledge out of the labs and lecture halls and translate it into know-how. As pointed out by Daniel Yankelovich, “For years, our institutions of higher education had remained exempt from these [public] criticisms” (Walshok, 1994), and leaders in higher education were unprepared to respond to what the public claimed was wasteful, self-serving and indulgent behavior on the part of research universities.
Myostatin deficiency partially rescues the bone phenotype of osteogenesis imperfecta model mice

Mice with osteogenesis imperfecta (+/oim), a disorder of bone fragility, were bred to mice with muscle over growth to test whether increasing muscle mass genetically would improve bone quality and strength. The results demonstrate that femora from mice carrying both mutations have greater mechanical integrity than their +/oim littermates. Osteogenesis imperfecta is a heritable connective tissue disorder due primarily to mutations in the type I collagen genes resulting in skeletal deformity and fragility. Currently, there is no cure, and therapeutic strategies encompass the use of antiresorptive pharmaceuticals and surgical bracing, with limited success and significant potential for adverse effects. Bone, a mechanosensing organ, can respond to high mechanical loads by increasing new bone formation and altering bone geometry to withstand increased forces. Skeletal muscle is a major source of physiological loading on bone, and bone strength is proportional to muscle mass. To test the hypothesis that congenic increases in muscle mass in the osteogenesis imperfecta murine model mouse (oim) will improve their compromised bone quality and strength, heterozygous (+/oim) mice were bred to mice deficient in myostatin (+/mstn), a negative regulator of muscle growth. The resulting adult offspring were evaluated for hindlimb muscle mass, and bone microarchitecture, physiochemistry, and biomechanical integrity. +/oim mice deficient in myostatin (+/mstn +/oim) were generated and demonstrated that myostatin deficiency increased body weight, muscle mass, and biomechanical strength in +/mstn +/oim mice as compared to +/oim mice. Additionally, myostatin deficiency altered the physiochemical properties of the +/oim bone but did not alter bone remodeling. Myostatin deficiency partially improved the reduced femoral bone biomechanical strength of adult +/oim mice by increasing muscle mass with concomitant improvements in bone microarchitecture and physiochemical properties.
The Capture of Louisbourg, 1758 – By Hugh Boscawen

The author of this book proves in this well‐crafted and well‐researched study that amphibious expeditions in the eighteenth century were complicated in the extreme, a fact often glossed over in nor...
Comparison of the Use and Results of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Children and Young Adults With Melanoma

BACKGROUND: Data on sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in children with melanoma are limited. In this study, the authors compared the factors associated with SLN biopsy use and metastases in pediatric and young adult patients with melanoma. METHODS: The 2008 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) databases were used to examine melanoma cases from 2003 to 2008. Data extracted include age, sex, race, stage, tumor thickness, ulceration, lymph node status, surgical treatment, and survival. Logistic regression models were used for adjusted analyses. RESULTS: In total, 717 children (age 1 mm vs ≤1 mm), but not younger age (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.94-1.8) in adjusted analyses. SLN metastasis was correlated with ulceration (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.6-5.8), increased thickness (OR, 6.8; 95% CI, 3.1-15 for 2.01-4.0 mm vs ≤1 mm), and for the interaction between age <20 years and thickness 1.01 to 2.00 mm (OR, 6.5; 95% CI, 1.7-25) in adjusted analyses. Children with nonulcerated melanomas that measured 1.01 to 2.00 mm in thickness were significantly more likely to have SLN metastases than young adults (24% vs 4%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Thickness and ulceration were strong predictors of both the use of SLN biopsy and positive SLN biopsy results in children and young adults with melanoma. Compared with young adults, children were more likely to have SLN metastases despite having similar rates of SLN biopsy use. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Isolation of three isoinhibitors of trypsin from garden bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, having either lysine or arginine at the reactive site.

Abstract Three isoinhibitors of trypsin have been isolated from the garden bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, in a highly purified state, as indicated by disc electrophoresis, equilibrium chromatography, and amino acid analysis. The amino acid composition is characterized by the absence of free —SH groups, high half-cystine, 14 residues, absence of tryptophan in all three, and absence of methionine in isoinhibitors, I and IIIb. Isoinhibitor I contains 74, II-77, and IIIb-81 amino acid residues. Isoinhibitor I has lysine in the reactive site, while isoinhibitor II has arginine. Isoinhibitor II is significantly displaced from the trypsin complex by 1 mm substrate, isoinhibitors I and IIIb are not. Isoinhibitors I and II inhibit α-chymotrypsin weakly (0.2 units per mg). Isoinhibitor IIIb inhibits strongly (2.87 units per mg) and has an independent site for each enzyme: trypsin and chymotrypsin.
CCD: efficient customized content dissemination in distributed publish/subscribe

In this paper, we propose a new content-based publish/subscribe (pub/sub) framework that enables a pub/sub system to accommodate richer content formats including multimedia publications with image and video content. The pub/sub system besides being responsible for matching and routing the published content, is also responsible for converting the content into the suitable (target) format for each subscriber. Content conversion is achieved through a set of content adaptation operators (e.g., image transcoder, document translator, etc.) at different nodes in the overlay network. We study algorithms for placement of such operators in the pub/sub broker overlay in order to minimize the communication and computation resource consumption. Our experimental results show that careful placement of these operators in pub/sub overlay network can lead to significant cost reduction.
Setting Performance Goals for Adoption Services: Estimating the Need for Adoption of Children in Foster Care.

ABSTRACT Adoption is one of the several goals for child welfare services when children cannot remain at home. Adoption does not, however, become a goal of child welfare services unless family reunification cannot occur. Further, adoption is also not always the appropriate goal when children are living with relatives available to reunify. Yet, President Clinton's Adoption 2002 initiative offers incentives for adoptions that only depend on the number of adoptions, not on their relationship to reunifications. California's adoption initiative takes a different but also oversimplified approach to setting adoption standards by basing them on the number of adoptions per adoption worker. Under these approaches, agencies that increase their reunifications and keep their adoptions constant are not rewarded and agencies that decrease their reunifications and increase their adoptions are rewarded. This can create a misunderstanding of the program as antifamily and resentment toward adoptions. Agencies' adoption rates...
Familial associations of Alzheimer disease and essential tremor with Parkinson disease.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer disease (AD), the two most common neurodegenerative disorders, and essential tremor (ET), a common movement disorder, have been found to co-occur in some families suggesting that common pathophysiological mechanisms may underly these disorders. The pathologies of PD and AD are characterized by accumulations of abnormally processed proteins, α-synuclein in Lewy bodies in PD, and tau and amyloid in AD[1]. In addition, Lewy bodies have recently been found in the brains of patients with ET[2] and abnormal F-dopa PET scans support nigrostriatal involvement in some ET patients.[3] Only two population-based studies to date have examined familial aggregation of dementia and tremor among first degree relatives of PD cases and controls. Both investigations, one based in Northern Manhattan, NY and the other in Olmsted County, MN found elevated tremor risks in first degree relatives of PD cases, especially tremor-dominant PD cases.[4, 5] Only the MN group reported an elevated risk for developing dementia or cognitive impairment among relatives of PD cases.[6, 7] We conducted a population-based case-control study enrolling 372 incident PD cases and 404 central California population controls and assessed the influence of environmental and genetic factors on PD development. Here we investigate familial aggregations of AD and ET with PD using family history interviews conducted with PD cases and controls. Our study allows us to re-assess the two previous reports within a population-based framework.
How Less Can Be More: Using the Federal Income Tax to Stabilize State and Local Finance

Governments at all levels – federal, state and local – are suffering through ever more severe budget crises. The interests of these different levels of government are often assumed to be in conflict. For instance, it seems reasonable to believe that if the federal government were to get its finances in order then that would mean less aid to the states. Yet this common assumption is not necessarily correct; what if the federal government saved money through cutting subsidies that are likely doing more harm than good? Currently, the Internal Revenue Code is doling out more than one hundred billion dollars per year in just such subsidies to the states. If these subsidies were cut completely, then this alone would go a long way towards resolving the disputes that are now regularly threatening to bring the federal government to a standstill. This Article advocates deep cuts, but not the complete elimination of these subsidies because much smaller subsidies could be better focused on enhancing state and local fiscal stability, and this would mean that the federal government would be spending less while aiding the states more. Most centrally, this Article advocates that the federal government encourage states to use the local property tax in contrast to more volatile revenue sources.
Tritium pellet injector for TFTR

The tritium pellet injector (TPI) for the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) will provide a tritium pellet fueling capability with pellet speeds in the 1- to 3-km/s range for the TFTR deuterium-tritium (D-T) phase. The existing TFTR deuterium pellet injector (DPI) has been modified at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to provide a four-shot, tritium-compatible, pipe-gun configuration with three upgraded single-stage pneumatic guns and a two-stage light gas gun driver. The TPI was designed to provide pellets ranging from 3.3 to 4.5 mm in diameter in arbitrarily programmable firing sequences at speeds up to approximately 1.5 km/s for the three single-stage drivers and 2.5 to 3 km/s for the two-stage driver. Injector operation is controlled by a programmable logic controller. The new pipe-gun injector assembly was installed in the modified DPI guard vacuum box, and modifications were made to the internals of the DPI vacuum injection line, including a new pellet diagnostics package. Assembly of these modified parts with existing DPI components was then completed, and the TPI was tested at ORNL with deuterium pellet. Results of the limited testing program at ORNL are described. The TPI is being installed on TFTR to support the D-D run period in 1992.more » In 1993, the tritium pellet injector will be retrofitted with a D-T fuel manifold and secondary tritium containment systems and integrated into TFTR tritium processing systems to provide full tritium pellet capability.« less
Increasing our Understanding of Women’s Sexuality

I have been reading and writing about sexuality in later life for the past 15 years (Wade and DeLamater, 2002: DeLamater and Koepsel 2015). A growing number of papers reporting results from large-scale surveys in the U. S. have appeared since 1999 (AARP 1999; Lindau, et al. 2007; Herbenick, et al. 2010). These papers systematically report results by gender (binary), sometimes highlighting similarities, sometimes differences. Such reports often leave me wondering Bwhat do these results mean?^ What are the psychological, emotional, and relationship realities that underlie, for example, the difference in sexual satisfaction reported by married men and women? If similar questions interest you, read this book. Montemurro addresses a basic question about female sexuality: how dowomen develop a sense of sexual subjectivity, a sense of Bpossessing agency in sexual interactions,^ Bbeing a willing and eager participant in sexual encounters,^ and Bfeeling in control of sexual decision making^ (p. 4). This question has been addressed by several researchers in studies of adolescent women, including Martin (1996), Tolman (2002), and Schalet (2011); Montemurro expands the focus to adult women ages 20 to 68. She posits that this development occurs over time, perhaps a lifetime; hence the subtitle Bsexual evolution.^ She understands that whether a woman has a sense of her subjectivity can be influenced by a variety of events and transitions that may occur in women’s lives – the circumstances surrounding virginity loss, sexual assault, marriage, pregnancy and childbirth, divorce, menopause, extra dyadic relationships. She adopts the life-course perspective to provide a framework that encompasses this diversity, specifically the Gendered Sexuality over the Life Course (GSLC) model (Carpenter and DeLamater 2012). To study the impact of these transitions across the life course, Montemurro purposively sampled an equal number of women from the northeastern U.S. in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. She began recruiting by asking women she knew to recommend women of appropriate age; interviewees were asked to recommend other women. She also recruited by posting notices in a variety of settings. She focused on heterosexual women. Participants were diverse in race/ethnicity, self-reported SES, education, and marital and parental status. An Appendix provides detailed information on each of the 95 participants. In-depth face-to-face interviews, averaging one and one-half hours, were conducted with each one. An important, original contribution of the book is the sixstage model of the development of sexual subjectivity that Montemurro presents. The model is based on her careful analysis of the life experiences reported by participants. The stages are:
Resins: Reactor Response

A commentary is presented on the review paper by Dr. Braden on the state of the art of the "science of resins" in dentistry. The subject area is defined as principally including those materials involved with the denture-base applications. Recent studies involving investigations of structure and properties are noted. Most reports of properties have concentrated on physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. The limited amount of information on biological properties is noted. The absence of clinical investigations of materials performance is emphasized. Future research strategies should concentrate on areas which involve clinical research information, other product properties, and the adaptation of new technology to these applications. CAD/CAM is suggested as an example of this new technology. Finally, investigators in the area are admonished to take advantage of information management systems, to collaborate more with each other, to collaborate more with industry, and to focus more on a few promising sy...
Complete Genome Sequence of Achromobacter xylosoxidans MN001, a Cystic Fibrosis Airway Isolate

ABSTRACT The genome of Achromobacter xylosoxidans MN001, a strain isolated from sputum derived from an adult cystic fibrosis patient, was sequenced using combined single-molecule real-time and Illumina sequencing. Assembly of the complete genome resulted in a 5,876,039-bp chromosome, representing the smallest A. xylosoxidans genome sequenced to date.
Calcium-dependent inactivation of synaptic NMDA receptors in hippocampal neurons

1. We examined whether synaptically activated N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are regulated by intracellular calcium in cultured hippocampal neurons by comparing excitatory postsynaptic curre...
Autism and Unfavorable Left-Right Asymmetries of the Brain.

Utilizing computerized brain tomography, left-right morphologic asymmetries of the parietooccipital region were judged in 16 autistic patients, 44 mentally retarded patients, and 100 miscellaneous neurological patients. In 57% of the autistic patients the right parietooccipital region was wider than the left, while this pattern of cerebral asymmetry was found in only 23% of the mentally retarded patients and 25% of the neurological patients. It is suggested that unfavorable morphologic asymmetries of the brain near the posterior language zone may contribute to the difficulties autistic children experience in acquiring language.
Effects of sympathetic innervation on size of myocytes in embryonic rat heart cultured in oculo

Embryonic rat myocardium cultured in the anterior eye chamber of an adult rat increases in mass and differentiates into mature myocardium by most morphological criteria [1]. When sympathetic innervation of grafted heart tissue was prevented by superior cervical ganglionectomy (SCGx), growth of the grafts was severely compromised. The present study used morphometric methods to examine the contribution of myocyte size to the differential growth of grafts in sympathetically denervated and intact eye chambers. For this purpose, atria or ventricles from 12-day gestation rat hearts were grafted into sympathetically denervated and intact eye chambers of male host rats. Tissue was harvested after either 2 or 8 weeks in oculo. Myocyte diameter and the ratio of cytoplasmic area to nuclear area increased between 2 and 8 weeks in oculo in both atrial and ventricular grafts. In these unloaded heart grafts, estimated myocyte size did not differ between atrial and ventricular myocytes. Grafts into sympathetically innervated and denervated eye chambers did not differ in myocyte diameter or in the ratio of cytoplasmic to nuclear area, suggesting that myocyte size cannot explain the smaller mass of grafts in sympathetically denervated eye chambers. Thus, it is likely that other factors such as myocyte proliferation, myocyte survival or altered tissue composition underlie the lesser growth of grafts not innervated by sympathetic nerves.
Chemokine receptor CCR7 guides T cell exit from peripheral tissues and entry into afferent lymphatics.

Chemokine receptor CCR7 guides T cell exit from peripheral tissues and entry into afferent lymphatics
Optical attenuation length measurements of scintillating fibers

Abstract We present data on optical attenuation length measurements of plastic scintillating fiber and show how the photodetector response as a function of wavelength can affect these measurements. In addition, we show that light propagation in stepped-index optical fiber is characterized by two distinct components.
Radioisotope skeletal survey.

A rapid, simple method for the detection of localized bone disease has been developed using a whole-body profile scanner and radioactive strontium (85Sr). In 49 patients with malignant neoplasm the method has proved to be more sensitive than photoscanning techniques and the roentgenographic skeletal survey. In this limited group of patients no profile scan was normal in the presence of bone involvement. No false-positive results occurred. This radioisotope method for surveying the skeleton is proposed as a routine screening procedure for the earlier detection of neoplastic bone disease.
The covalent structure of pig kidney fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase: sequence of the 60-residue NH2-terminal peptide produced by digestion with subtilisin.

Abstract Digestion of the native pig kidney fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase tetramer with subtilisin cleaves each of the 35,000-molecular-weight subunits to yield two major fragments: the S-subunit (Mr ca. 29,000), and the S-peptide (Mr 6,500). The following amino acid sequence has been determined for the S peptide: AcThrAspGlnAlaAlaPheAspThrAsnIle Val ThrLeuThrArgPheValMetGluGlnGlyArgLysAla ArgGlyThrGlyGlu MetThrGlnLeuLeuAsnSerLeuCysThrAlaValLys AlaIleSerThrAla z.sbnd;ValArgLysAlaGlyIleAlaHisLeuTyrGlyIleAla. Comparison of this sequence with that of the NH2-terminal 60 residues of the enzyme from rabbit liver (El-Dorry et al., 1977, Arch. Biochem. Biophys.182, 763) reveals strong homology with 52 identical positions and absolute identity in sequence from residues 26 to 60.Although subtilisin cleavage of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase results in diminished sensitivity of the enzyme to AMP inhibition, we have found no AMP inhibition-related amino acid residues in the sequenced S-peptide. The loss of AMP sensitivity that occurs upon pyridoxal-P modification of the enzyme does not result in the modification of lysyl residues in the S-peptide. Neither photoaffinity labeling of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase with 8-azido-AMP nor modification of the cysteinyl residue proximal to the AMP allosteric site resulted in the modification of residues located in the NH2-terminal 60-amino acid peptide.
pH profile of a peptide receptor

Abstract 1. 1. The activation of the feeding response in Hydra littoralis was used as a model system to investigate the mechanism by which a specific peptide activates its complementary cellular receptor to give a co-ordinated biological response. 2. 2. Through use of a modified Lineweaver-Burk equation and a modified Dixon equation, it was possible to determine the dissociation constant between the receptor and glutathione and ionic groups on or near the receptor site. 3. 3. From the results of these and previous experiments, it is proposed that on combination with reduced glutathione the tertiary (or quarternary) structure of the receptor is reversibly converted from an inactive form.
The interaction of spermine and native deoxyribonucleic acid

Spermine has been shown to cause an increase in the denaturation temperature (Tm) of DNA that is dependent upon the concentration of spermine but independent of DNA concentration. The extent of the increase in Tm was found to be a function of the adenine-thymine content of the DNA sample and is indirectly a linear function of the Tm of the DNA source. Extrapolation of this relation predicts no effect of spermine upon the Tm of poly-dGC. DNA which has been mixed with spermine and has then had the spermine removed by dialysis shows the Tm before mixture. DNA preparations of lessened molecular weight, having backbone breaks, containing glucose or 5-hydroxymethylcytosine as in T2 and T4 phages ( Sinsheimer, 1956 ), whether isolated by either phenol extraction or detergent lysis do not depart significantly from the relationship ΔTm = 0·125 (106—Tm), at 0·002 M -spermine and pH 7·0 in 0·2 M -Na+. DNA from T1 phage, however, gives a significantly deviant ΔTm from that expected. Mahler & Mehrotra (1962) have reported a qualitatively similar dependence of ΔTm on base composition in the presence of higher concentrations of a series of normal aliphatic diamines.
Prostaglandins of the one, two, and three series affect blood pressure in the american bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana.

The effects of prostagandins (PGs), and three potential prostaglandin precursors, were studied on blood pressure and heart rate of the American bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. Bullfrogs were chronically cannulated with a T cannula in the right sciatic artery. The mean systemic arterial blood pressure (SAP) prior to infusion was 20.4 ± 1.1 mm Hg. Mean preinfusion systolic and diastolic pressures were 23.9 ± 1.4 and 17.1 ± 0.9 mm Hg, respectively. Mean preinfusion heart rate was 41.1 ± 0.5 beats/min. Of the PGs tested, PGI2 was a potent hypotensive agent, with effects at 0.03 μg/kg bw. PGE2 was more potent than PGE3, and PGE1. PGA1 and PGA2 were the least potent, and were ineffective at doses below 100 μg/kg bw. PGF2α was the most potent hypertensive agent tested, with thromboxane B2 less potent. All compounds tested elevated heart rate, with PGE2 the most effective. The prostaglandin precursors, eicosatrienoic acid, arachidonic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid (2000 μg/kg bw) all decreased blood pressure by approximately 25%. The decrease was attenuated by indomethacin (4 mg/kg bw). These results indicate that the bullfrog utilizes all three hypotensive activity. The ability of the bullfrog to utilize several substrates makes it a good choice for comparative studies on prostaglandin synthesis.
Host-Bacterial Mutualism in the Human Intestine

The distal human intestine represents an anaerobic bioreactor programmed with an enormous population of bacteria, dominated by relatively few divisions that are highly diverse at the strain/subspecies level. This microbiota and its collective genomes (microbiome) provide us with genetic and metabolic attributes we have not been required to evolve on our own, including the ability to harvest otherwise inaccessible nutrients. New studies are revealing how the gut microbiota has coevolved with us and how it manipulates and complements our biology in ways that are mutually beneficial. We are also starting to understand how certain keystone members of the microbiota operate to maintain the stability and functional adaptability of this microbial organ.