cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Stalking-Related Fear and Gender on Personal Safety Outcomes:

Research has consistently found that more women worry about their personal safety and feel vulnerable to most every crime compared with men suggesting there is a gender fear gap. Environmental risk and prior victimization history impact concerns about personal safety. However, few studies include stalking as part of the victimization history. Two reasons studies may not include stalking are that adding more questions to a research assessment increases participant burden and measurement of stalking has not always been clear. The current study used a community sample of 2,719 men and women and a five-item stalking assessment to examine the prevalence and impact of stalking and stalking-related fear on concern about personal safety, perceived vulnerability to an attack, perceptions that risk of victimization is higher due to personal characteristics, discomfort when thinking about safety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms controlling for victimization history, age, and environment risk by gender. Overall, 30% of women and 12% of men experienced stalking using the extreme fear standard which is double the national rates. Stalking-related fear, for both women and men, was associated with all of the outcome measures. Furthermore, there were significant main effects of gender after controlling for stalking-related fear on three of the outcomes consistent with the gender fear gap. Based on these results, research studies should consider including stalking as part of the victimization history as it is likely to impact health and mental health outcomes as well as personal safety concerns and responses for both men and women.
Competitive and Equitable Compensation: Can You Have Both?:

Ensuring compensation policies and programs are viewed by employees as equitable, competitive and appropriate enables an organization to make their value proposition attractive to the talent it nee...
Hepatocellular carcinoma: Impact of academic setting and hospital volume on patient survival.

Abstract Background and objectives To assess the impact of academic setting and hospital on overall survival in patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods The 2004–2015 NCDB was queried for HCC. First line treatment was stratified as liver transplant, surgical resection, interventional oncology (IO) and chemotherapy. Hospital volume was stratified as high (ranking among top 10% in case numbers) and low volume. Overall survival was assessed via multivariable Cox regressions. Results 63,877 patients treated at 1261 hospital systems were included (transplant n = 10,596, surgical resection n = 11,132, IO n = 12,286, chemotherapy n = 29,863; academic centers n = 226, non-academic n = 1035). Younger African American patients with private insurance, high income and education were more likely treated at academic centers. US geographical discrepancies were evident, with highest academic center treatment rates in New England states (83.6%) and lowest in South Atlantic states (48.6%). Overall survival was superior for academic versus non-academic centers (HR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.87–0.91, p Conclusions HCC treatment in academic centers shows distinct patterns according to patient demographics and US geography. Longest patient survival is observed in high-volume academic centers.
The politics of karameh: Palestinian burial rites under the gun:

For decades, Israel has held the remains of hundreds of Palestinian martyrs in secret burial sites in closed military zones called the cemeteries of numbers. Simultaneously, the Israeli police have...
Crítica textual y edición digital o ¿dónde está la crítica en las ediciones digitales?

This paper offers a general overview of the developments within the field of digital scholarly editing with special attention to digital paradigm shift, editorial models, and challenges faced when editing medieval Spanish and Golden Age texts. It also analyzes some of the new meanings that currently integrate the idea of “critique” from a digital point of view, and it proposes theoretical and methodological principles for a digital textual scholarship.
The Impact of Abortion Underreporting on Pregnancy Data and Related Research.

The impact on research findings that use pregnancy data from surveys with underreported abortions is not well-established. We estimate the percent of all pregnancies missing from women’s self-reported pregnancy histories because of abortion underreporting. We obtained abortion and fetal loss data from the 2006–2015 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), annual counts of births from US vital statistics, and external abortion counts from the Guttmacher Institute. We estimated the completeness of abortion reporting in the NSFG as compared to the external counts, the proportion of pregnancies resolving in abortion, and the proportion of pregnancies missing in the NSFG due to missing abortions. Each measure was examined overall and by age, race/ethnicity, union status, and survey period. Fewer than half of abortions (40%, 95% CI 36–44) that occurred in the five calendar years preceding respondents’ interviews were reported in the NSFG. In 2006–2015, 18% of pregnancies resolved in abortion, with significant variation across demographic groups. Nearly 11% of pregnancies (95% CI 10–11) were missing from the 2006–2015 NSFG due to abortion underreporting. The extent of missing pregnancies varied across demographic groups and was highest among Black women and unmarried women (18% each); differences reflect both the patterns of abortion underreporting and the share of pregnancies ending in abortion. Incomplete reporting of pregnancy remains a fundamental shortcoming to the study of US fertility-related experiences. Efforts to improve abortion reporting are needed to strengthen the quality of pregnancy data to support maternal, child, and reproductive health research.
Temperature-based on-column solute focusing in capillary liquid chromatography reduces peak broadening from pre-column dispersion and volume overload when used alone or with solvent-based focusing.

Abstract On-column focusing is essential for satisfactory performance using capillary scale columns. On-column focusing results from generating transient conditions at the head of the column that lead to high solute retention. Solvent-based on-column focusing is a well-known approach to achieve this. Temperature-assisted on-column focusing (TASF) can also be effective. TASF improves focusing by cooling a short segment of the column inlet to a temperature that is lower than the column temperature during the injection and then rapidly heating the focusing segment to the match the column temperature. A troublesome feature of an earlier implementation of TASF was the need to leave the capillary column unpacked in that portion of the column inside the fitting connecting it to the injection valve. We have overcome that problem in this work by packing the head of the column with solid silica spheres. In addition, technical improvements to the TASF instrumentation include: selection of a more powerful thermo-electric cooler to create faster temperature changes and electronic control for easy incorporation into conventional capillary instruments. Used in conjunction with solvent-based focusing and with isocratic elution, volumes of paraben samples (esters of p -hydroxybenzoic acid) up to 4.5-times the column liquid volume can be injected without significant bandspreading due to volume overload. Interestingly, the shapes of the peaks from the lowest volume injections that we can make, 30 nL, are improved when using TASF. TASF is very effective at reducing the detrimental effects of pre-column dispersion using isocratic elution. Finally, we show that TASF can be used to focus the neuropeptide galanin in a sample solvent with elution strength stronger than the mobile phase. Here, the stronger solvent is necessitated by the need to prevent peptide adsorption prior to and during analysis.
Formation of benzodiazaborolanes from borazine

Phenylenediamines are shown to form benzodiazaborolanes upon reaction with borazine, essentially extracting the B-H bonds. This surrogate for partially dehydrogenated ammonia borane provides useful insight into potential regeneration strategies for ammonia borane spent fuel.
Analysis of Linear and Non-Linear Growth Models with Random Parameters

This paper discusses the analysis of growth data using mixed models. Both Bayes and frequentist approaches are outlined for the linear model. The use of the EM algorithm is shown to offer a flexible and straightforward computational approach to the analysis. Extensions to non-linear models are described.
Natural bone fragmentation in the blind cave-dwelling fish, Astyanax mexicanus: candidate gene identification through integrative comparative genomics.

SUMMARY Animals that colonize dark and nutrient-poor subterranean environments evolve numerous extreme phenotypes. These include dramatic changes to the craniofacial complex, many of which are under genetic control. These phenotypes can demonstrate asymmetric genetic signals wherein a QTL is detected on one side of the face but not the other. The causative gene(s) underlying QTL are difficult to identify with limited genomic resources. We approached this task by searching for candidate genes mediating fragmentation of the third suborbital bone (SO3) directly inferior to the orbit of the eye. We integrated positional genomic information using emerging Astyanax resources, and linked these intervals to homologous (syntenic) regions of the Danio rerio genome. We identified a discrete, approximately 6 Mb, conserved region wherein the gene causing SO3 fragmentation likely resides. We interrogated this interval for genes demonstrating significant differential expression using mRNA-seq analysis of cave and surface morphs across life history. We then assessed genes with known roles in craniofacial evolution and development based on GO term annotation. Finally, we screened coding sequence alterations in this region, identifying two key genes: transforming growth factor β3 (tgfb3) and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (bmp4). Of these candidates, tgfb3 is most promising as it demonstrates significant differential expression across multiple stages of development, maps close (<1 Mb) to the fragmentation critical locus, and is implicated in a variety of other animal systems (including humans) in non-syndromic clefting and malformations of the cranial sutures. Both abnormalities are analogous to the failure-to-fuse phenotype that we observe in SO3 fragmentation. This integrative approach will enable discovery of the causative genetic lesions leading to complex craniofacial features analogous to human craniofacial disorders. This work underscores the value of cave-dwelling fish as a powerful evolutionary model of craniofacial disease, and demonstrates the power of integrative system-level studies for informing the genetic basis of craniofacial aberrations in nature.
Arbitrating Cultural Property Disputes

Years drag by, vicious allegations fly across the world stage, parties die frustrated. While cultural property disputes are frequently arbitrated internationally, arbitration is not often used in domestic cultural property disputes. One of the paradoxes of cultural property disputes is the need to resolve the issue while not harming the parties’ reputation or devaluing the cultural property. While scholars have shown much interest in arbitrating cultural property disputes in the United States, maximizing the potential of arbitration in cultural property disputes has largely been ignored. Rejecting the acceptability of litigating cultural property disputes in the battlefield of the courtroom, this article illuminates cultural entities’ interest in pursuing arbitration and the benefits of arbitrating cultural property disputes. Examining how arbitration can facilitate resolution of cultural property disputes in the United States, this article exposes the inherent inadequacies of litigating cultural property disputes and reveals how parties can tailor superior arbitration agreements for maximum benefit in cultural property disputes and can craft creative remedies to help the parties.
Premises and an Overview

As this book is rather sweeping in purview, it is appropriate to begin with a brief discussion of the premises which motivate and guide the analyses, together with an overview of the discussion to follow. The overarching concept in the book is that of myros (or what I will eventually rename as fluid capital). Myros is viewed as a fund (or equivalently a surplus), which comes into existence through saving out of current production and is extinguished through consumption, current production, and investment. Myros funds investment, current production, and consumption in excess of current income. Additionally, myros enables assets to acquire value, provides for both the existence and value of money, and is coextensive with the economic wealth of an economy. Myros is fundamental to the understanding of the macroeconomics of an economy, and what few macroeconomic laws that can be identified exist as consequences of the conservation laws, which myros imposes. Indeed, most of the analysis of the book can be viewed as a working through of the implications of these conservation laws.
Analytical methods for uncalibrated stereo and motion reconstruction

We present a new approach to relative stereo and motion reconstruction from a discrete set of point correspondences in completely uncalibrated pairs of images. This approach also yields new projective invariants, and we present some applications to object recognition. Finally, we introduce a new approach to camera self-calibration from two images which allows full metric reconstruction up to some unknown scale factor. We have implemented the proposed methods and present examples using real images.
Paired nakhlites MIL 090030, 090032, 090136, and 03346: Insights into the Miller Range parent meteorite

Abstract– Miller Range (MIL) 03346 is the most oxidized and least equilibrated nakhlite known and displays the highest amount of intercumulus phase. The discovery of three new nakhlites, MIL 090030, MIL 090032, and MIL 090136, in the Miller Range, Antarctica, geographically close to the location of MIL 03346, suggests that they may come from the same parent meteorite. In this study, we investigate the mineralogy and texture of cumulus and intercumulus phases, in situ major and trace element compositions for the cumulus phases, as well as pyroxene crystal size distribution patterns and spatial distribution patterns of MIL 090030, 090032, and 090136. Using these combined results, we conclude that the three nakhlites studied here are paired with MIL 03346. However, modal mineral abundances of MIL 090030, 090032, 090136, and 03346 exhibit variations indicating that a single sample of a Miller Range nakhlite is not modally representative of the parent meteorite and that analyses of multiple samples for a single nakhlite may be necessary to obtain representative modal data for placement in the cumulate pile. Our calculated parental melt composition based on all the paired samples confirms a previous study suggesting that the nakhlite parent melt crystallized as a closed system.
Neurogenic tumors of the small intestine. Review of the literature and report of a case with endoscopic removal.

Epigastric pain and melena prompted the study of a woman with cutaneous neurofibromatosis (von Recklinghausen's disease). Roentgenographic and endoscopic examination demonstrated an ulcerated polypoid neurilemoma of the duodenum. It was removed by endoscopic electrosurgery. Neurogenic tumors of the intestine are rare, but should be considered in the differential diagnosis when patients with multiple cafe au lait spots or cutaneous neurofibromatosis manifest epigastric pain, gastrointestinal bleeding, or intestinal obstruction. Endoscopic polypectomy may offer a low risk method of treatment for suitably located bleeding neurogenic tumors of the stomach or duodenum.
“AD + uniformization” is equivalent to “half adR”

Let w be the set of natural numbers and R = 2^ω the set of "reals" . As usual AD is the assertion that every game on ω is determined and AD_R is the assertion that every game on R is determined. Let us also consider an intermediate principle AD^(1/2)_R, which is the assertion that every game in which one of the players plays in ω and the other in R is determined. Such games appear often in applications instead of full games on R, see for instance [K].
Cylindrical and spherical elastoplastic stress waves by a unified direct analysis method.

A unified general solution of cylindrical and spherical elastoplastic stress waves for the small deformation theory is presented herein. A discrete formulation of analysis based directly on the underlying physical laws rather than the differential equations deducible from these laws has been used. The internal pressure pulse is an arbitrary, but nondecreasing function of time, and the material is assumed to strain-harden linearly beyond the yield point. The stress wave solution yields the respective static solutions by damping out the particle motion. The direct analysis has thus synthesized solutions of four separate problems which are usually formulated by four different differential equations for mathematical approaches. New illustrative results are presented for cylindrical elastoplastic waves for a step pressure pulse. For the static case, the agreement between results obtained by the direct analysis and the available mathematical analysis is close.
Physiological roles and properties of potassium channels in arterial smooth muscle

This review examines the properties and roles of the four types of K+ channels that have been identified in the cell membrane of arterial smooth muscle cells. 1) Voltage-dependent K+ (KV) channels increase their activity with membrane depolarization and are important regulators of smooth muscle membrane potential in response to depolarizing stimuli. 2) Ca(2+)-activated K+ (KCa) channels respond to changes in intracellular Ca2+ to regulate membrane potential and play an important role in the control of myogenic tone in small arteries. 3) Inward rectifier K+ (KIR) channels regulate membrane potential in smooth muscle cells from several types of resistance arteries and may be responsible for external K(+)-induced dilations. 4) ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels respond to changes in cellular metabolism and are targets of a variety of vasodilating stimuli. The main conclusions of this review are: 1) regulation of arterial smooth muscle membrane potential through activation or inhibition of K+ channel activity provides an important mechanism to dilate or constrict arteries; 2) KV, KCa, KIR, and KATP channels serve unique functions in the regulation of arterial smooth muscle membrane potential; and 3) K+ channels integrate a variety of vasoactive signals to dilate or constrict arteries through regulation of the membrane potential in arterial smooth muscle.
Effects of adiposity on postural control and cognition

In the U.S., it is estimated that over one-third of adults are obese (Body Mass Index (BMI)>30kg/m(2)). Previous studies suggest that obesity may be associated with deficits in cognitive performance and postural control. Increased BMI may challenge cognitive and postural performance in a variety of populations; however, most relevant studies have classified participants based on BMI values, which cannot be used to accurately assess the effects of adiposity on cognitive performance and postural control. The objective of the current study was to examine motor and cognitive responses for overweight and obese adults compared to normal weight individuals by using both BMI and adiposity measures. Ten normal weight (BMI=18-24.9kg/m(2)), ten overweight (BMI=25-29.9kg/m(2)), and ten obese (BMI=30-40kg/m(2)) adults were evaluated (age: 24±4 years). Participants were classified into three groups based on BMI values at the onset of the study, prior to body composition analysis. Participants performed (1) working memory task while maintaining upright stance, and (2) a battery of sensorimotor evaluations. Working memory reaction times, response accuracy, center-of-pressure (COP) path length, velocity, migration area, time to boundary values in anterior-posterior direction, and ankle-hip strategy-scores were calculated to evaluate cognitive-motor performance. No significant deficits in working memory performance were observed. Overall, measures of motor function deteriorated as BMI and body fat percentage increased. The relationship between deteriorating postural performance indices and body fat percentage were greater than those found between BMI and postural performance indices.
Comparison of the effects of ivabradine and atenolol on heart rate and echocardiographic variables of left heart function in healthy cats.

Background: Ivabradine is a novel negative chronotropic drug used for treatment of ischemic heart disease in people. Little is known about its effects and safety in cats. Hypothesis/Objectives: Ivabradine is not inferior to atenolol with regard to clinical tolerance, heart rate (HR) reduction, and effects on cardiac function in healthy, lightly sedated cats. Animals: Ten healthy laboratory cats. Methods: Physical examination, systolic blood pressure measurement, and transthoracic echocardiography were performed in all cats at baseline and after oral administration (4 weeks each) of ivabradine (0.3 mg/kg q12h) and atenolol (6.25 mg/cat q12h; 1.0–1.7 mg/kg) in a prospective, double-blind, randomized, active-control, fully crossed study. A priori noninferiority margins for the effects of ivabradine compared with atenolol were set at 50% (f= 0.5) based on predicted clinical relevance, observer measurement variability, and in agreement with FDA guidelines. Variables were compared by use of 2-way repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Ivabradine was clinically well tolerated with no adverse events observed. HR (ivabradine, P < .001; atenolol, P < .001; ivabradine versus atenolol, P= .721) and rate-pressure product (RPP) (ivabradine, P < .001; atenolol, P= .001; ivabradine versus atenolol, P= .847) were not different between treatments. At the dosages used, ivabradine demonstrated more favorable effects than atenolol on echocardiographic indices of left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function and left atrial performance. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Ivabradine is not inferior to atenolol with regard to effects on HR, RPP, LV function, left atrial performance, and clinical tolerance. Clinical studies in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are needed to validate these findings.
Global Distribution of Stratified Deposits on Mars

This study uses the highest available resolution imagery of the Martian surface obtained by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) to create a global inventory of stratified deposits on Mars. Deposits are categorized as sedimentary or volcanic based on a set of distinguishing orbital outcrop parameters including albedo, weathering style, layer thickness, and proximity to known volcanic source regions. Deposits are also classified according to geomorphic setting. This study shows that stratified deposits are ubiquitous on Mars, suggesting that a record of surface processes potentially spanning four billion years is preserved. This global inventory will aid in understanding the occurrence and diversity of sedimentary depositional processes through time and across the surface of Mars.
Effect of oestrogen antagonist on hypothalamic oestrogen receptors

THE oestrogen antagonist CI-628 can block completely oestrogen-induced sexual receptivity in rats even when the antagonist is given as long as 6 h after oestrogen1. But as CI-628 does not displace labelled oestradiol from hypothalamic tissue when given at times when it does block the behavioural effects of the oestrogen, the inhibition is not due to simple competitive inhibition. The behavioural inhibition, however, might be due to an inhibition of the action of oestrogen on hypothalamic receptors. This was suggested by the report that oestrogen antagonists can deplete cytoplasmic oestrogen receptors in the uterus2, but fail to stimulate production of new receptor, a process which is induced by oestrogen. We have now shown that CI-628 depletes hypothalamic oestrogen receptors, that receptor replenishment occurs very slowly and that CI-628 delays receptor replenishment after oestradiol treatment, suggesting that receptor replenishment might be important for the behavioural effects of oestradiol.
The Measurement of Perceived Crowding

Two measures of perceived crowding are used interchangeably by crowding researchers: one assesses how crowded people feel and one assesses how crowded people rate a setting. Two such measures were embedded in questionnaires which were identical except for the crowding measures and were distributed in a dense field setting. Factor analyses indicated that the two crowding measures are conceptually distinct, since the feel crowded item loaded with perceived density, constraint, distraction, and stress, whereas the environmental rating item loaded only with perceived density and general negative affect. The former was also found to be more sensitive to changes in physical density than the latter.
EVALUATION OF A NEONATAL RECOVERY ROOM UNIT (NRRU)

A number of hospitals still exist with their neonatal ICU not within the vicinity of the delivery rooms. This means transporting compromised & unstable infants some distance to reach the ICU. At Hutzel Hosp. this problem was solved by the use of a NRRU in the delivery suite. This report evaluates our experience. The NRRU was designed as a miniature ICU & can accomodate 2 infants. High-risk infants with problems during delivery and those born with low APGAR scores were admitted to the NRRU for observation, stabilization of vital signs and/or further treatment. A nurse from the neonatal ICU was called to the NRRU if a patient was anticipated. The infants were transferred out of the NRRU only after vital signs had stabilized & skin temp. was at least 97 F. RESULTS: During a 10-month period, 54 newborns were admitted to the NRRU: (1) transfusion for severe Rh (9%), (2) tracheal lavage due to meconium aspiration (6%), (3) APGAR (1 min) less than 5 (67%) & (4) normal APGAR but high-risk newborn (18%). The mean 1 min. APGAR = 3.6 ± 2.7 with 89% requiring resuscitation. Mean birthweight = 2183 ± 954 g. Mean duration of stay = 48.3 min. 43% of those admitted subsequently died but this group had a significantly lower gestational age, weight & APGAR score compared to those who survived (P<0.005). It cannot be concluded whether the NRRU has improved survival but the 58% survival of infants with mean APGAR of 3.6 is encouraging. One factor for this might be the better temp. of the babies upon arrival at the ICU (97.1±0.9). In contrast, skin temp. on admission to the NRRU = 95.8 1.2F. It was also noted that working in the NRRU was more convenient because a pediatric nurse assisted & necessary equipment was on hand. The NRRU also prevented the holding up of a delivery room (mean = 48.3min.) because of an infant. This allowed more time for the infant to stabilize completely before being transported. It is felt that a NRRU can be used for optimal care to infants.
Theoretical Modeling of Leading Edge Vortices Using the Leading Edge Suction Parameter

A theoretical low-order model to predict the forces and flow evolution on airfoils and flat plates undergoing arbitrary 2D unsteady maneuvers is presented. An inviscid airfoil theory with discrete vortex shedding from the trailing edge is augmented with a Leading Edge Suction Parameter (LESP), which is a criterion to predict leading edge separation. The LESP is used to mediate intermittent discrete vortex shedding from the leading edge. This model is validated against CFD and experiment for motions in recent unsteady airfoil literature. In addition, the influences of leading and trailing edge vortices on the force histories are studied in detail by examining the various constituents of forces on the airfoil from theory. Overall, the model is seen to be successful in predicting forces and flow evolution for unsteady motions.
The impact of financing decisions on the security returns of real estate corporations

This research investigates the valuation impact of financing decisions on the common stock of real estate corporations. We compare the results of our study with the results of similar studies in the corporate finance literature to test whether the response to security offerings by real estate firms differs systematically from the response to offerings by industrial and utility firms. The results of this study indicate a generally favorable price response to straight bond announcements, and unfavorable responses to common stock, convertible bonds, and lines of credit announcements.
Beta-adrenergic stimulation reverses postischemic myocardial dysfunction without producing subsequent functional deterioration☆

Abstract The prolonged myocardial dysfunction observed after reversible ischemia (stunned myocardium) has been postulated to result from an inability of the myocytes to replenish ATP stores. Accordingly, one would expect inotropic stimulation to result in minimal increase in contractile function, or possibly even further deterioration. To test this hypothesis, studies were performed in open-chest dogs undergoing a 15-minute occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) followed by 4 hours of reperfusion. Systolic wall thickening, an index of regional myocardial function, was measured in the LAD-dependent territory with ultrasonic crystals. Thickening fraction was 20.8 ± 3.0% (mean ± standard error of the mean) under baseline conditions, decreased to −18.6 ± 1.6% during LAD occlusion, and was still severely depressed after 3 hours of reperfusion (2.6 ± 3.4%). Thickening fraction remained stable between 3 and 4 hours of reperfusion in 5 untreated control dogs. In 9 treated dogs, isoproterenol (0.1 μg/kg/min intravenously for 30 minutes starting 3 hours after reperfusion) increased thickening fraction to values (24.8 ± 4.5%) that were similar to those at baseline. Thirty minutes after discontinuation of isoproterenol administration, thickening fraction had returned to pre-isoproterenol levels. Thus, reperfused, severely depressed myocardium responds dramatically to β-adrenergic stimulation without subsequent adverse effects on function in the short-term. These findings imply that the stunned myocardium can generate ATP, and therefore do not support the view that an inability to replenish ATP stores is the cause of postischemic dysfunction. More important, this study suggests that postischemic dysfunction in humans may be effectively reversed with inotropic therapy without short-term deleterious sequelae.
Cortical gamma-Aminobutyric acid and glutamate in posttraumatic stress disorder and their relationships to self-reported sleep quality

Study Objectives: To test if posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with low brain gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels and if reduced GABA is mediated by poor sleep quality. Design: Laboratory study using in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) and behavioral testing. Setting: VA Medical Center Research Service, Psychiatry and Radiology. Patients or Participants: Twenty-seven patients with PTSD (PTSD+) and 18 trauma-exposed controls without PTSD (PTSD?), recruited from United States Army reservists, Army National Guard, and mental health clinics. Interventions: None. Measurements and Results: 1H MRS at 4 Tesla yielded spectra from three cortical brain regions. In parieto-occipital and temporal cortices, PTSD+ had lower GABA concentrations than PTSD?. As expected, PTSD+ had higher depressive and anxiety symptom scores and a higher Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score. Higher ISI correlated with lower GABA and higher glutamate levels in parieto-occipital cortex and tended to correlate with lower GABA in the anterior cingulate. The relationship between parieto-occipital GABA and PTSD diagnosis was fully mediated through insomnia severity. Lower N-Acetylaspartate and glutamate concentrations in the anterior cingulate cortex correlated with higher arousal scores, whereas depressive and anxiety symptoms did generally not influence metabolite concentrations. Conclusions: Low brain gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentration in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is consistent with most findings in panic and social anxiety disorders. Low GABA associated with poor sleep quality is consistent with the hyperarousal theory of both primary insomnia and PTSD. Our data demonstrate that poor sleep quality mediates low parieto-occipital GABA in PTSD. The findings have implications for PTSD treatment approaches.
Can Fitting in Green Beans: Effect of Growing Season, Base Steel Composition, Tinplate Thickness, Can Vacuum and Storage Conditions

Spring and fall grown green beans were packed under high and low vacuum conditions in high and low residual Al, Ni, Cu, Si, S, and Mn base steel .25 and .50 electrotin plated J-enamel cans and evaluated during storage at 38°C and room temperature for pitting on and under the s deseams. Cans containing spring grown beans were more severely pitted than those of the fall pack. High residual (0.061%) Cu steel cans were more severely pitted than other treatments. The .25 electrotin plated cans were more severely pitted in high Cu residual cans, as were the low vacuum spring pack cans at 38°C storage.
Effect of ambient temperature on the thermal profile of the human forearm, hand, and fingers

Forearm, hand, and finger skin temperatures were measured on the right and left sides of seven resting men. The purpose was to determine the bilateral symmetry of these segmental temperature profiles at ambient temperatures from 10 to 45°C. Thermistors placed on the right and left forearms, hands, and index fingers were used to monitor the subjects until equilibration was reached at each ambient temperature. Additionally, thermal profiles of both hands were measured with copper-constantan thermocouples. During one experimental condition (23°C ambient), rectal, ear canal, and 24 skin temperatures were measured on each subject. Average body and average skin temperatures are given for each subject at the 23°C ambient condition. Detailed thermal profiles are also presented for the dorsal, ventral, and circumferential left forearm, hand, and finger skin temperatures at 23°C ambient. No significant differences were found between the mean skin temperatures of the right and left contralateral segments at any of the selected ambient temperatures.
A three-dimensional DRAM using floating body cell in FDSOI devices

This paper describes the capacitorless 1-transistor (1T) DRAMs exploits the floating body (FB) effect of Fully depleted (FD) SOI devices, where the transistor body is used as a charge storage node. A novel three-tier, 3D, 1T embedded DRAM is presented that can be vertically integrated with the microprocessor achieving low cost, high density on-chip main memory. A 394Kbits test chip is designed and fabricated in a 0.15um fully depleted SOI CMOS process. The measured retention time under holding conditions is higher than 10ms. In the continuous read mode, every read should be followed by a refresh. The test chip is designed to work with an access time of 50ns and operates at 10MHz.
The Power and Possibilities of Performative Critical Early Childhood Teacher Education

While early childhood education programs seek to provide the tools to work with children and explore content, many fail to address the social and emotional contexts in which early childhood education occurs. This is evident in the seldom addressed topic of collaboration between lead teachers and assistant teachers in the early childhood classroom. In this study, we found that as new early childhood teachers enter schools, they interact with teacher aides and parents daily, yet do not feel prepared for negotiating these professional adult relationships. These underlying tensions then affect children's development and learning. To address such situations, we propose the use of Boal's forum theatre (Boal, 1979) as a performative critical model for early childhood teacher education and support the advantages it offers for exploring issues facing early childhood teachers that may not be commonly addressed in teacher education classrooms. To illustrate the process, we present a case study of an early childhood ...
Skin fibroblasts from a D-deletion type retinoblastoma patient are abnormally X-ray sensitive

RETINOBLASTOMA is a rare malignant eye tumour which appears spontaneously or occurs in genetically predisposed persons1–3. The latter group is composed of patients who inherit the tumour with a dominant mode of transmission (80–90% penetrance) (referred to as the familial type) or those who bear a deletion in the long arm of chromosome 13 (13q-) (referred to as the D-deletion type). When this deletion is present, it is observed in many somatic cells and is often associated with structural defects such as microcephaly, micropthalmia and several skeletal and genitourinary abnormalities3,4. Survivors of the genetic forms of retinoblastoma have an increased risk for the development of cancers at other sites, while patients who survive the sporadic type do not2–6. A single genetic locus is unlikely to predispose many somatic cells to tumour formation unless a fundamental molecular defect—for example, related to DNA repair—is present. To investigate this hypothesis, we have examined the in vitro X-ray sensitivity of skin fibroblast strains derived from three retinoblastoma patients—a pair of twins with the familial type accompanied by no gross chromosome abnormalities, and a patient with the D-deletion type. We also used two normal fibroblast strains and a strain from a patient with ataxia telangiectasia. We found that the strain derived from the D-deletion retinoblastoma patient was significantly more radiosensitive than the two normal strains, but not as sensitive as that from the ataxia patient.
Long Term Impact of Neonatal Injury in Male and Female Rats: Sex Differences, Mechanisms and Clinical Implications

Over the last several decades, the relative contribution of early life events to individual disease susceptibility has been explored extensively. Only fairly recently, however, has it become evident that abnormal or excessive nociceptive activity experienced during the perinatal period may permanently alter the normal development of the CNS and influence future responses to somatosensory input. Given the significant rise in the number of premature infants receiving high-technology intensive care over the last 20 years, ex-preterm neonates may be exceedingly vulnerable to the long-term effects of repeated invasive interventions. The present review summarizes available clinical and laboratory findings on the lasting impact of exposure to noxious stimulation during early development, with a focus on the structural and functional alterations in nociceptive circuits, and its sexually dimorphic impact.
Resonant Bands of a Mathieu-Duffing Oscillator With a Twin-Well Potential

The (M:1)-resonant bands in the left and right potential wells are skew-symmetric, and the (2M:1)-resonant bands of the large orbit motion are symmetric. The analytical conditions for the onset and destruction of a resonant band are developed through the incremental energy approach. The numerical predictions of such the onset and destruction are also completed by the energy increment spectrum method. The sub-resonance interaction occurs for strong excitations, which needs to be further investigated. These results are applicable to the small orbit and large orbit motions of post-buckled structure under a parametric excitation.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises — A pilot study in nulliparous women

A single-blind prospective randomized controlled trial was carried out to determine the utility of pelvic floor exercises in nulliparous women without dysfunction. Thirty-five nulliparous women without clinical evidence of pelvic floor dysfunction were recruited via newspaper advertisements. Twenty-four subjects completed the study at the Clinical Research Unit of the University of North Carolina Hospitals. Subjects were randomly assigned to either 6 weeks of pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises or their usual activities. The main outcome measures were vaginal and rectal electrical activity by surface electromyography with acrylic plug electrodes, and circumvaginal strength rating by digital examination. The outcome observer was blinded to group assignment. No improvement was found in either electrical activity or digital strength assessment. The differences between treatment group and control group between sessions with 95% confidence intervals were: total strength −0.5 (−2.39, 1.39), rectal flick 3.3 (−1.67, 8.22), rectal hold 1.7 (−0.96, 4.38), vaginal flick 0.5 (−3.17, 4.16), and vaginal hold −0.9 (−3.96, 2.25). It was concluded that pelvic floor exercises were ineffective in a group of nulliparous women without clinical dysfunction. Power to accept the null hypothesis is small, but perusal of the confidence limits between sessions cast some doubt on the efficacy of this intervention.
Differential counts of B and T lymphocytes in the lymph nodes, circulating blood and spleen after inhalation of high concentrations of diesel exhaust

Inhalation of diluted diesel engine exhaust results in the deposition of submicron carbonaceous particles in the respiratory airways. The particles are phagocytized by the pulmonary alveolar macrophages and cleared from the respiratory tract via the mucociliary escalator or through lymphatic channels. Lung clearance via lymphatics results in accumulation of particles in the regional lymph nodes. Differential counts of B and T lymphocytes were performed to determine whether the deposited carbon particles in the lymphatic tissue can alter the subpopulation composition of various lymphoid compartments. In contrast to the effect of materials such as heavy metals, halogenated hydrocarbons or cigarette smoke condensate, all of which have been shown to alter B and T cell differential counts of lymphoid compartments under various test conditions, assays of lymphocytes from tracheobronchial lymph nodes, spleen and blood from guinea pigs exposed to diluted diesel exhaust with a particulate concentration of 1500 micrograms m-3 for up to 8 weeks revealed no significant changes when compared with age-matched controls. Furthermore, cell viability as measured by trypan blue exclusion in the exposed groups was comparable to that of the age-matched controls. These data indicate that, within the range of tested conditions, the deposited diesel particles do not exert major effects on the parameters of the immune system that were measured.
Hermeneutic resistance: Four test cases for the notion of literary uninterpretability

What does it mean to say that a given text is uninterpretable? While there are always the examples of accidental uninterpretability (cases of works that have suffered severe physical damage, texts in real languages not known by readers, references and allusions that were not kept alive as intertexts for other groups), this is not the focus of criticism or hermeneutics. There is a long and important history of purposeful obscurity, of authors who, for whatever reasons, made their texts difficult and challenging for any reader they constructed. Others did this without regard for the readers' responses, or so it would seem, following their own private visions, compositional or generative rules and constraints, or because they were in some sense writing-under-the influence (to cover a group from Plato's poets to the mescaline-induced writing and art of Henri Michaux). The test cases for this article will be drawn from works by authors with a developed aesthetics of functional indeterminacy (such as Gertrude Stein, James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, Samuel Beckett's later fiction), practitioners ofDadaism, OULIPO, Surrealism, automatic writing, aleatory approaches, as well as visionary, drug-influenced, and insane authors. My argument will take issue with the idea that any texts remain uninterpretable by critics even if these works have a high degree of indeterminacy or completeness, no matter what rules or motives were being followed by the authors.
The Space That Race Makes

This essay is a revision of a paper prepared for an NSF workshop on race and geography. Participants in the workshop were asked to offer their views on the topic and our suggestions for further research. This contribution explores some aspects of the relationship and relevance of geography to the question of race in North America. It touches on three “places” that constitute the discipline: the place of research, the place of teaching, and the workplace. With respect to research, it suggests some promising lines of inquiry. Among these are studies of the relationship of scale to the politics of identity and studies of “passing” in connection with studies of geographies of experience and geographies of power.
Photoperiod, temperature and melatonin effects on thermoregulatory behavior in Djungarian hamsters

Abstract Nesting and burrowing activity were measured in hamsters acclimated to either long or short day photoperiod in thermoneutrality and at 10°C. Hamsters build larger nests under short day photoperiod or at 10°C as compared to long day photoperiod or thermoneutrality. Both environmental cues contributed about 50% to a total increase in nest size from 1.8 g cotton/day to 7.7 g cotton/day (long day thermoneutral versus short day at 10°C). Burrowing activity was suppressed by both cold or short day exposure. Daily melatonin injections, effective in inducing physiological short day adjustment under a long day photoperiod, also increased nesting scores. Hamsters which did not respond to short day conditions or to melatonin treatment physiologically lacked behavioral adjustments as well. Collectively, these results demonstrate analogies in the environmental control of physiological thermoregulatory adjustment and nesting behavior. Burrowing activity seems to be more related to reproductive needs than to thermoregulatory requirements in this hamster.
Novel in-situ calibrations for open-path ammonia sensing

We demonstrate a real-time calibration of open-path ammonia sensing with an ethylene reference cell. Different harmonic WMS signals separate ethylene and ammonia so that ethylene signal varies within 1% under ambient ammonia concentration.
Stability of the lumbar spine after intradiscal electrothermal therapy.

Abstract Lee J, Lutz GE, Campbell D, Rodeo SA, Wright T. Stability of the lumbar spine after intradiscal electrothermal therapy. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2001;82:120-2. Objective: To assess the stability of the human lumbar cadaveric spinal motion segment before and after treatment with intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET). Design: An in vitro biomechanic analysis of 5 human cadaveric spinal motion segments by using nondestructive biomechanic testing in flexion/extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation with loads of 0N, 600N, and 1200N. Setting: University-based hospital research center. Cadavers: Spinal unit specimens (upper and middle lumbar) from 5 human cadavers (age range, 39-79yr). Interventions: A spinal catheter consisting of a thermal-resistive heating coil was placed circumferentially into the outer annulus by using the standard extrapedicular discographic technique through a 17-gauge introducer needle. The disc was then heated in a saline bath (37°C) from 65°C up to 90°C for a total of 17 minutes. Main Outcome Measure: The stability of the spinal segments was measured before and shortly after IDET. Stability of the spine was measured as the compliance of the spine (the angular deformation afforded by the spine under applied bending moments). Results: With increasing preloads, there is a decrease in motion of the spinal segment in all planes of testing. However, there was no significant difference ( p >.05) in the stability of the lumbar spine before and after treatment with IDET. Conclusions: IDET does not destabilize the spinal motion segment in vitro. © 2001 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation