cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), cell-mediated immunity, and survival in the context of cancer

Abstract Purpose Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been shown to be associated with increased risk of mortality. The biobehavioral mechanisms linking adverse events and survival in cancer patients remain unclear. The aims of the study were to: (1) examine the rates and types of early adverse events in patients diagnosed with cancer; (2) investigate the association of adverse events with circulating cytokines, representing immune status of the patient; and (3) test whether immune markers mediated the association between early adverse events and survival while adjusting for other factors that are associated with immunity (e.g., fatigue) and survival (e.g., depression). Patients and Methods The patients were recruited from an outpatient oncology clinic. Patients were administered a battery of questionnaires including the Traumatic Events Survey and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale. Blood was collected and serum levels of cytokines were assessed to characterize immune status. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests and Cox regression were performed to address study aims. Results Of the 408 patients, 66% reported at least one ACE. After adjusting for demographic, disease-specific factors, and psychological/behavioral factors; having had a major upheaval between parents during childhood or adolescence was associated with poorer survival [β = −0.702, HR = 0.496, p = 0.034]. Lower levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) explained, in part, the link between this early adverse event and poorer survival as when IL-2 was entered into the model, a major upheaval between one’s parents and survival was no longer significant [β = −0.612, HR = 0.542, p = 0.104]. Conclusion Having experienced an ACE was associated with lower IL-2 levels—a growth factor for anti-inflammatory T-regulatory lymphocytes—central in contemporary immunotherapy, as well as poorer survival in those diagnosed with cancer. Since lower IL-2 levels also explained, in part, the link between the ACE involving parental upheaval and survival, there is support for a psychoneuroimmunological model of disease course in this vulnerable population.
Predicting Length of Stay and Readmissions After an Ankle Fracture Using a Risk Stratification Tool (STTGMA).

OBJECTIVES To determine the usefulness of a validated trauma triage score to stratify short-term outcomes including hospital length of stay (LOS), in-hospital complications, discharge location, and rate of readmission after an ankle fracture. DESIGN Retrospective cohort. SETTING Level 1 trauma center. PATIENTS Four hundred fifteen patients, age ≥55 with 431 ankle fractures. INTERVENTION Closed or open reduction. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Score for Trauma Triage in the Geriatric and Middle-Aged (STTGMA). RESULTS Of the 415 patients, 38% were male, 72% were white, and the mean age was 66 years. The mean LOS was 4.4 days, and this increased from 2.6 days in the minimal-risk group to 11.8 days in the high-risk group (P < 0.001). Similarly, 74% of minimal-risk patients were discharged home versus 13% of high-risk patients (P < 0.001). There were 19 readmissions (4.6%) within 30 days, ranging from 1.5% to 10% depending on the risk cohort (P = 0.006). Seventy-three patients (18%) experienced an in-hospital complication. On multiple linear regression, moderate- and high-risk STTGMA stratification was predictive of a longer hospital LOS, and moderate-risk STTGMA stratification was predictive of subsequent readmission after injury. CONCLUSIONS Calculation of the STTGMA score is helpful for stratifying patients according to hospital LOS and readmission rates, which have substantial bearing on resource utilization and cost of care. The STTGMA tool may allow for effective identification of patients to potentially ameliorate these common issues and to inform payers and policymakers regarding patients at risk for greater costs of care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
405. Trend in blood culture results in Washington DC during and prior to Pandemic COVID-19

Background: The rate of bacterial and/or fungal infections among COVID-19 cases is reportedly low Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) provide continuous surveillance of blood cultures to secure appropriate choice and duration of therapy Comparing to historic data, we characterize our ASP experience in bacteremic surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic Methods: Consecutive blood cultures at the Washington DC VA Medical Center were captured in an ASP-driven decision support software system (TheraDoc, Premier/ DSS Inc) between Jan 1st 2018-May 31st 2020 In the setting of an established ASP, the organism positive cultures were reviewed over the first five months (Jan-May) of each of the three years collected Results of cultures were characterized as either pathogenic gram positive (MSSA/MRSA/Enterococci/PSSP/PRSP/Strep sp ), pathogenic aerobic and anaerobic gram negative organisms and a skin contaminant-category (GPRs/skin flora/CNS) Results: Over 3 yrs, 528 patients had 1464 positive cultures from among 8727 admissions, 83638 inpatient-days The proportion of pathogenic GP bacteria and pathogenic GN bacteria were not statistically significantly different 38% (2018) vs 37% (2019) vs 39% (2020) and 33%, 31%, 27% respectively There was slight trend in the increase of pathogenic GP 9 6 vs 9 5 vs 11 7 per 1,000 inpatient days and skin contaminant- category with 12 0 vs 11 0 vs 14 1 per 1,000 patient days from 2019 to 2020 We noted a dramatic shift in culture surveillance report during the peak COVID-infection rates (March-April), notable for several weeks of few to no culture positive results When broken down by month, variability was noted (data not shown) COVID-19 infected patients represented 9 0% (7/78) of positive blood culture results in 2020 Jan- May, only 5 1% (4/78) were treated as non-contaminants and were related to indwelling catheters or urosepsis Conclusion: Overall and adjusted rates of the blood cultures sent during the pandemic months in 2020 were comparable to the comparative years Surveillance revealed short term changes in patterns which may have reflected the pandemic induced changes to admissions COVID-19 infected patients rarely experienced line and hospital acquired bactermia/fungemia, most during the recovery period
Pregnancy Prevalence and Outcomes in 3 United States Juvenile Residential Systems.

ABSTRACT Study Objective To describe the number of admissions of pregnant adolescents to US juvenile residential systems (JRS) and the outcomes of pregnancies that ended while in custody. Design Prospective study. Setting Three nonrandomly selected JRS in 3 US states. Participants Designated reporter at each JRS reporting aggregate data on various pregnant admissions, outcomes, and systems’ policies. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures Monthly number of pregnant people admitted, pregnant people at the end of the month, births, preterm births, cesarean deliveries, miscarriages, induced abortions, ectopic pregnancies, maternal and newborn deaths, and administrative policies. Results There were 71 admissions of pregnant adolescents reported over 12 months from participating JRS. At the time of the census, 6 of the 183 female adolescents (3.3%) were pregnant. Eight pregnancies ended while in custody. Of these, 1 pregnancy was a live full-term birth, 4 were miscarriages, and 3 were induced abortions. There were no newborn deaths or maternal deaths. Administrative policies and services varied among the JRS. For example, all JRS had a prenatal care provider on-site, whereas 2 JRS helped cover the costs of abortions. Conclusion To our knowledge, this study is the first to report the estimates of pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes among justice-involved youth in JRS. Our findings indicate that there are pregnant adolescents in JRS and most return to their communities while pregnant, highlighting the importance of continuity of care. More work is needed to understand the complexities of health care needs of justice-involved pregnant youth during and after their incarceration.
Deep Learning-Enhanced Qualitative Microwave Imaging: Rationale and Initial Assessment

In this paper, an innovative approach to microwave imaging that combines qualitative imaging and deep learning is presented. The goal is to set a framework for a reliable and user-independent retrieval of the shapes of unknown targets. To this end, the proposed approach exploits an inversion technique known as orthogonality sampling method, which is capable of providing a qualitative estimation of the shape of targets in realtime. The output of the qualitive inversion is processed by a deep learning fully convolutional network called U-Net. U-Net automatically generates binary masks depicting the geometrical properties of the targets, i.e., separates the scattering objects (foreground) from the background. A quantitative assessment of the performance of the processing framework is provided with simulated data to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed approach.
On the Relationship between Spatial Coherence and In Situ Pressure for Abdominal Imaging.

Abstract Tissue harmonic signal quality has been shown to improve with elevated acoustic pressure. The peak rarefaction pressure (PRP) for a given transmit, however, is limited by the Food and Drug Administration guidelines for mechanical index. We have previously demonstrated that the mechanical index overestimates in situ PRP for tightly focused beams in vivo, due primarily to phase aberration. In this study, we evaluate two spatial coherence-based image quality metrics—short-lag spatial coherence and harmonic short-lag spatial coherence—as proxy estimates for phase aberration and assess their correlation with in situ PRP in simulations and experiments when imaging through abdominal body walls. We demonstrate strong correlation between both spatial coherence-based metrics and in situ PRP (R2 = 0.77 for harmonic short-lag spatial coherence, R2 = 0.67 for short-lag spatial coherence), an observation that could be leveraged in the future for patient-specific selection of acoustic output.
Fast and Separable Estimation in High-Dimensional Tensor Gaussian Graphical Models

In the tensor data analysis, the Kronecker covariance structure plays a vital role in unsupervised learning and regression. Under the Kronecker covariance model assumption, the covariance of an M-w...
Optical and Electronic Properties of Atomically Thin Organic-WSe2 Hybrid Structures

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides such as WSe2 have garnered much attention due to their extraordinary layer-number-dependent optoelectronic properties. To exploit the unique properties for novel optoelectronic applications, it is important to construct heterojunctions and understand their layer-number-dependent characteristics. In this work we have investigated heterojunctions made of 2D WSe2 flakes decorated with organic dye molecules elucidated the optical and electronic properties as a function of layer number. We introduce a facile one-step approach to deposit a uniform layer of eosin Y (EY) molecules on various number of WSe2 layers, forming hybrid heterojunctions. Photoconductive atomic force microscopy (PC-AFM), Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy probed the organic/inorganic heterojunctions. The hybrid structures show drastically enhanced photocurrents due to the lowered barrier height by the staggered band alignment. The barrier heights of the hybrid structures monotonically decrease as the layer number increases. The surface potential measurements reveal that the work functions of the hybrids are smaller than those of the pristine WSe2 samples. Moreover, the hybrid samples show spatially uniform current and photocurrent responses, indicating the high quality and uniform heterojunctions. Lastly, the hybrid samples show a drastic PL quenching due to p-doing on WSe2. These findings will open new opportunities for novel WSe2-based 2D heterostructured optoelectronics.
Two Decompositions in Topological Combinatorics with Applications to Matroid Complexes

This paper introduces two new decomposition techniques which are related to the classical notion of shellability of simplicial complexes, and uses the existence of these decompositions to deduce certain numerical properties for an associated enumerative invariant. First, we introduce the notion of M-shellability, which is a generalization to pure posets of the property of shellability of simplicial complexes, and derive inequalities that the rank-numbers of M-shellable posets must satisfy. We also introduce a decomposition property for simplicial complexes called a convex ear-decomposition, and, using results of Kalai and Stanley on h-vectors of simplicial polytopes, we show that h-vectors of pure rank-d simplicial complexes that have this property satisfy ho < h1 < < h[d/2] and hi < hd-i for 0 < i < [d/2]. We then show that the abstract simplicial complex formed by the collection of independent sets of a matroid (or matroid complex) admits a special type of convex eardecomposition called a PS ear-decomposition. This enables us to construct an associated M-shellable poset, whose set of rank-numbers is the h-vector of the matroid complex. This results in a combinatorial proof of a conjecture of Hibi [17] that the h-vector of a matroid complex satisfies the above two sets of inequalities.
Liberalism, Skepticism, and Neutrality: Making Do Without Doubt

Liberals stand for coercion. This is often under-emphasized, sometimes to the point of being inconspicuous. But the bite of liberalism is clear enough, as when Brian Barry says: “I do not intend to deny, of course, that people who hold the idea of reasonableness in contempt have to be taken seriously. But the only response worth making is to try to defeat them politically and, if necessary, seek to repress them by force.”1 There is a taste of paradox in this passage. Is Barry’s comment an instance of what liberal tolerance amounts to or what liberal neutrality and impartiality are about? We are left wondering how liberalism is possible. How can liberals maintain a coherent and defensible thesis about political legitimacy? They cannot do so, if they ground liberalism in skepticism about conceptions of the good.
Chapter 28. Reactions of Interest in Medicinal Chemistry

Publisher Summary This chapter presents reactions that are of interest in medicinal such as oxidation and reduction aldehydes and ketones; preparation of organometallic reagents; and preparation of amines and nitriles. It also discusses crown ethers and their synthetic applications. Aldehydes and ketones are reduced by alkylsilanes to alcohols in aqueous acid media; in carboxylic acid as solvent, carboxylate esters and symmetrical ethers are formed. In organometallic reagents, phenylselen bromide and acetate undergo electrophilic trans-1, 2 addition to olefins. The adducts solvolyze in acetic acid or alcohols and oxidation of the resulting products affords allylic acetates and ethers in high overall yield. Crown ethers, a class of macrocyclic polyethers, which have a remarkable ability to solubilize alkali metals in non-polar aprotic solvents have found new and useful synthetic applications. For instance, poor nucleophiles such as fluorides, solubilized as the potassium salt in CH 3 CN or benzene containing 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane becomes sufficiently nucleophilic to react smoothly and quantitatively, at room temperature, with a variety of organic substrates. This naked fluoride reagent, thus, provides a facile and efficient means of obtaining organic fluorine compounds in high yield. In a similar fashion, the naked acetate and cyanide are excellent reagents for preparing organic acetates and nitriles, respectively.
Reconstruction of the Central Layer of the Human Cerebral Cortex from MR Images

Reconstruction of the human cerebral cortex from MR images is a fundamental step in human brain mapping and in applications such as surgical path planning. In a previous paper, we described a method for obtaining a surface representation of the central layer of the human cerebral cortex using fuzzy segmentation and a deformable surface model. This method, however, suffers from several problems. In this paper, we significantly improve upon the previous method by using a fuzzy segmentation algorithm robust to intensity inhomogeneities, and using a deformable surface model specifically designed for capturing convoluted sulci or gyri. We demonstrate the improvement over the previous method both qualitatively and quantitatively, and show the result of its application to six subjects. We also experimentally validate the convergence of the deformable surface initialization algorithm.
Satellite data management for effective data access

The management of data generated from satellite missions has not always led to effective access of that data by the scientific community. NASA has tried to alleviate this problem for ocean scientists, by initiating a program. the NASA Ocean Data System (NODS). The menu-based user interface that NODS employs allows a user to make requests and recieve answers within a short time of accessing the system. A catalog system, which holds information about oceanographic data sets may be queried to determine the suitability of a particular data set. Once a candidate data set is found, the user is directed to the person or place which actually holds the data. NODS also has an archive system that holds data from ocean-observing satellites. The archive may be queried to obtain a manageable data subset that can be delivered in a useful form.
An atomic dimmer switch

Work involving a new tool in optics, a pulse shaper, shows how atoms can be made to absorb light readily, or not at all, simply by controlling the phase of light shone at them. The method can be added to a growing list of techniques for manipulating the internal quantum dynamics of atoms and molecules using the coherence properties of light.
Intertemporal Substitution and Equity Premium: A Perspective with Habit in Epstein-Zin Preferences

This paper presents a consumption based model that reveals intertemporal substitution as a distinctive and important channel, separate from risk aversion, in generating equity premium, return volatility, and their cyclical variations. Two main ingredients, Epstein-Zin preferences and external habit, allow the model to distinguish the separate effects of intertemporal substitution and risk aversion. The results indicate an effective elasticity of intertemporal substitution that is much lower than the parameter value and varies procyclically. On the other hand, the effective risk aversion is counter-cyclical and much higher than the parameter value. To match the empirical statistics of the post-war U.S. stock market, the model critically requires a small elasticity parameter below 1. This points to an interesting contrast between the habit formation and the long-run consumption risk models.
Improving oral health in Pakistan using dental hygienists

This paper reviews the healthcare system, available dental care, and oral health status of people in Pakistan. Considering the enormous unmet oral health needs, the insufficient supply of dental professionals and the current unstructured dental hygiene curriculum in Pakistan, a mission, vision, and goals for professional dental hygiene in Pakistan is recommended. The authors offer recommendations for competency-based dental hygiene education and practice, professional credentialing, a practice act, and a dental hygiene scope of practice to promote the health, welfare, and quality of life of the Pakistani people. Specifically, the authors recommend increasing the number of quality dental hygiene programs, establishing the dental hygienist as a primary care provider of oral health services, enhancing current dental hygiene curriculum, and establishing a dental hygiene council with responsibility for educational requirements and regulation of dental hygienists in Pakistan.
A comparison of univariate and multivariate tests for genetic linkage

A variety of robust and model-dependent genetic linkage methods were applied to log transformed lipid levels from a large pedigree in which the LDL receptor defect has been shown to segregate by molecular biologic techniques. Applicationof the Haseman-Elston and avariance-components based test for linkage identified LDL and cholesterol as cosegregating with the marker C3, which is genetically linked to the LDL receptor defect. Consideration of lipid fractions as a multivariate response identified (0.723×cholesterol)-(0.55 1×triglycerides) as most strongly supporting evidence for linkage with C3. Subsequent segregation and linkage analyses provided support for an autosomal dominant major gene influencing either LDL or the function of cholesterol and triglycerides
Helping Adults Learn

ABSTRACT Increased attention to preparing addictions counselors and related professionals to use evidence-based practices has brought new attention to the preparation programs for addictions counselors. Research and theory about adult learning emphasizes the importance of students as active participants in problem and experience based learning. This paper presents some key principles about teaching and learning for adults. With this set of principles as a guide, a discussion follows about teaching skills that support active and experience-based learning by adults including planning and decision-making, facilitating discussions and using small groups. Suggestions are offered for designing field-based learning experiences that provide meaningful, relevant, and powerful learning opportunities for adults. The paper concludes with ideas for handling some of the perplexing problems that come with teaching in an active and engaged way.
Noradrenergic involvement in the discriminative stimulus effects of cocaine in squirrel monkeys.

Noradrenergic involvement in the discriminative stimulus (DS) effects of cocaine was investigated in squirrel monkeys by using a two-lever drug discrimination procedure in which responding was maintained by a fixed-ratio schedule of stimulus-shock termination. Monkeys initially were trained to discriminate a relatively high dose of cocaine (1.0 mg/kg i.m.) from saline and subsequently were retrained to discriminate a 3.3- to 5.6-fold lower dose of cocaine (0.30 or 0.18 mg/kg i.m.). The selective norepinephrine[fnc] uptake inhibitors talsupram, tomoxetine, nisoxetine and desipramine substituted for cocaine in the majority of subjects under the low-dose training condition, whereas the selective dopamine uptake inhibitor GBR 12909 [1-(2-[bis(4-fluorophenyl)methoxy]ethyl)-4-(3-phenylpropyl) piperazine] substituted for cocaine under both training conditions and the selective serotonin uptake inhibitor citalopram failed to substitute for cocaine under either condition. Representative alpha-1 [St 587 (2-(2-chloro-5-trifluoromethyl-phenylimino)imidazolidine] and SDZ NVI 085 [(-)-(4aR, 10aR)-3,4,4a,5,10,10a-hexahydro-6-methoxy-4- methyl-4-methyl-9-(methylthio)-2H-naphth[2,3-b]-1,4-oxazine)], alpha-2 (clonidine and UK 14,304 (5-bromo-N-(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-6-quinoxalinamine]) and beta (clenbuterol) adrenoceptor agonists did not consistently substitute for cocaine under either condition in which they were studied. Pretreatment with the alpha-1 adrenoceptor blocker prazosin antagonized the DS effects of cocaine under both training conditions as well as the cocaine-like effects of talsupram and tomoxetine, but not GBR 12909, under the low-dose training condition. Pretreatment with the alpha-2 blocker efaroxan, the nonselective alpha blocker phentolamine and the beta blocker propranolol failed to alter the DS effects of cocaine consistently under either condition in which they were studied. Pretreatment with talsupram, at doses that did not substitute for cocaine when administered alone, enhanced the cocaine-like effects of GBR 12909 under both training conditions. The results support a role for norepinephrine uptake and alpha-1 adrenoceptor mechanisms in the DS effects of cocaine, possibly reflecting a facilitory noradrenergic influence on mesocorticolimbic dopamine activity.
Carcinogenic Effects of 1,2-dibromoethane (Ethylene Dibromide; EDB) in Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Abstract The carcinogenicity of 1,2-dibromoethane (ethylene dibromide; EDB) was investigated in the Japanese medaka ( Oryzias latipes ), a small fish species. EDB was administered in water continuously for 97 days to a low concentration group, for 73 days to an intermediate concentration group, and intermittently for 24 h once each week over 97 days to a high concentration group. Medaka were 7 days old at the beginning of the tests. Mean measured EDB concentrations in the ambient water were 0.13 mg l −1 , 6.20 mg l −1 , and 18.58 mg l −1 in the low, intermediate, and high concentration groups, respectively. Two control groups, one inside and one outside the exposure apparatus, were used. Samples were examined histologically at 24, 36, and 58 weeks from the beginning of the tests. EDB was clearly carcinogenic to medaka in the intermediate and high concentration groups causing (1) hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas, (2) cholangiomas, (3) chloangiocarcinomas, and (4) gall bladder papillary adenomas and adenocarcinomas. In separate studies, medaka exposed to 1.0 mg l −1 EDB for 2 to 5 weeks had elevated hepatic glutathione S-transferase activities, possibly indicating induction of a pathway that forms the reactive metabolite of EDB in mammals. SDS–PAGE of hepatic cytosolic fractions of EDB-exposed medaka showed a pronounced increase in a band at 26,000 Da, the expected position for GSH-S-transferase. Although little is known about EDB's mechanisms of action, medaka appear exceptionally sensitive to the carcinogenic effects of EDB and could serve as a model test species for studying similar compounds.
Parental income and the fruits of labor: Variability in homework efficacy in secondary school.

Research in the sociology of education has shown that noncognitive traits are important predictors of educational outcomes and a mechanism of the intergenerational transmission of status. However, previous research on this topic typically posits that there is a constant effect of these traits with variable prevalences of these traits by socioeconomic status. Using time spent on homework as an example, I analyze income-based heterogeneity in homework efficacy, defined as the individual effect of study time on academic achievement, using a national U.S. probability sample of secondary students. Higher income students gain more knowledge from their homework time than their counterparts in all grades and all subjects except history, with greater group differences for math than for science and reading. These results are confirmed by models accounting for time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity in the 8th–10th, but not 10th–12th, grade windows. These results imply that increases in the amount of homework assigned may increase the socioeconomic achievement gap in math, science, and reading in secondary school.
Free flap reconstruction of lateral mandibular defects: indications and outcomes.

Objective. To compare outcomes following osteocutaneous radial forearm and fibula free flap reconstruction of lateral mandibular defects.Study Design. Retrospective case-controlled study.Setting. H...
The application of recent counting techniques to geophysical research part 1—Field measurement of the radioactivity of rocks

A gamma-ray counter suitable for measuring the radioactivity of ordinary rocks “in situ” is described. This instrument represents a considerable improvement both in sensitivity and portability on an earlier instrument [Slack and Whitham, 1951]. The instrument was calibrated against prepared standard radioactive concrete blocks and was used to investigate the radioactivity of the Kirkland Lake area in northern Ontario. The results on and around the Round Lake batholith in this area are compared with previous results over the same batholith. In addition, graphs are presented showing the distribution of radioactivity across the contact zones of this batholith.
Synchronous phasor-like measurements

This paper proposes a redefinition of the power system quantities often said to be described by a synchrophasor and measured by a phasor measurement unit. Problems with what are often called “synchronous phasor measurements” include the facts that they are not truly synchronous, and the quantity being measured is not truly a phasor. This paper proposes a new method of making measurements that overcomes these problems. It tests the proposed definitions and measurement methods with “synthetic” signals, and shows that the method provides understandable and consistent results.
Stability of Sunitinib in Oral Suspension

Background:Sunitinib Is a novel, oral, multitargeted tyrosine kinase Inhibitor with antiangiogenic and antitumor activity. No liquid formulation of sunitinib malate is commercially available for pediatric administration.Objective:To prepare extemporaneously an oral liquid formulation of sunitinib malate from commercially available capsules and study its chemical and physical stability in suspension at room temperature and under refrigeration at 4 °C.Methods:Six Independent samples were prepared by mixing the contents of 3 sunitinib malate capsules (each equivalent to 50 mg of sunitinib) with 15 mL of a 1:1 mixture of Ora-Plus; Ora-Sweet solution to yield a final concentration of 10 mg/mL Suspensions were stored in amber plastic bottles with child-resistant caps. Three samples were refrigerated at 4 °C and 3 were stored at room temperature. Aliquots from each bottle were obtained on days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, 30, and 60 and diluted to a final concentration of 300 ng/mL with 500 ng/mL of clozapine in 50% a...
Site-specific, synchrotron radiation induced surface photochemistry

This paper discusses recent research directed at understanding the nature of surface photochemistry driven by soft x-ray synchrotron radiation (SR). The research is motivated by the potential of x-rays for both high spatial resolution and site specificity. Although a number of systems indicate the potential for site specificity, the authors chose to study the system of SiF{sub 4}/Ge because the adsorbate`s photoabsorption spectrum is rich in structure near the Si 2p threshold (106 eV) while that of the substrate is structureless. This allows them to differentiate substrate-induced effects from those of the adsorbate. By performing time-dependent measurements of the changes induced in the photoemission spectra by SR, they have found that this system`s photochemistry is site-specific in the Si 2p region and have also determined the nature of the products produced by the reaction.
Processes and products of grounding-line fans from the Permian Pagoda Formation, Antarctica: Insight into glacigenic conditions in polar Gondwana

Abstract Glacimarine grounding-line fans are subaqueous depositional features that form due to the expulsion of sediment-laden subglacial waters at the grounding-lines of temperate tidewater glaciers. Few studies of ancient grounding-line fans exist. This study describes and interprets several ancient glacimarine grounding-line fans and their physical characteristics using the Lower Permian Pagoda Formation along Tillite Glacier in the central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica as a deep-time example. Wedge-shaped sandstone bodies are used to identify major depositional processes and products that occurred during fan formation. The depositing processes on these fans operated in tandem; as tractive freshwater discharge from beneath the glacier(s) was progressively replaced down the fans, in the direction of flow, by buoyant upwelling and the development of overflow plumes. Tractive flow deposits are characterized by trough and climbing cross-stratification, while deposits resulting from settling from meltwater plumes consist of horizontal laminations and abundant soft-sediment deformational structures (load, flame, and diapiric structures). Secondary features, such as thrust and normal faults, resulted from advance and retreat dynamics of the ice front; whereas, mass flow deposits (convolute bedding, recumbent and S-shaped folds, slumps and slides) resulted from resedimentation. Because glacimarine grounding-line fans require specific depositional conditions to develop, their identification is useful in constraining environmental conditions in the rock record. For the Pagoda Formation, the occurrence of grounding-line fan deposits is significant, as these strata were originally interpreted as deposits of a large terrestrial ice sheet centered over the location of the present Transantarctic Mountains that extended outward and covered much of Gondwana for up to 90 million years. However, this study demonstrates that these rocks were deposited in a glacimarine setting. Results, combined with other recent studies, suggest that multiple small temperate ice sheets occurred in South Polar Antarctica during the late Paleozoic ice age rather than a single massive ice sheet.
Neuroendocrine reactivity to nicotine in smokers

The present study explored neuropeptide responses to nicotine from smoking. Habitual smokers smoked research cigarettes of known strength under controlled laboratory conditions while blood samples were withdrawn unobtrusively for subsequent biochemical analysis. To provide a metric that reflected total nicotine intake and total neurohormonal output, data were integrated over time. Subjects were relatively unresponsive in the low-nicotine (0.48 mg) condition. In the high-nicotine (2.87 mg) condition, there were significant positive correlations between integrated plasma nicotine and plasma arginine vasopressin (r=+0.985), its carrier protein neurophysin I (r=+0.944), and β-endorphin-β-lipotropin (r=+0.977), but not adrenocorticotropic hormone. Data from an experiment that used an extraction step to remove β-lipotropin corroborated the functional relationship between plasma nicotine and β-endorphin implied by the original findings. Taking into account recent research on the role of neuropeptides in the modulation of affective states and cognitive function as well as of other CNS activity, the present findings were interpreted as strengthening the hypothesis that nicotine-stimulated neuropeptide release provides positive reinforcement for smoking.
Optimized photovoltiac system for hydrogen production

Hydrogen, which can be produced by water electrolysis, can play an important role as an alternative to conventional fuels. It is regarded as a potential future energy carrier. Photovoltaic arrays can be used in supplying the water electrolysis systems by their energy requirements. The use of photovoltaic energy in such systems is very suitable where the solar hydrogen energy systems are considered one of the cleanest hydrogen production technologies, where the hydrogen is obtained from sunlight by directly connecting the photovoltaic arrays and the hydrogen generator. This paper presents a small PV power system for hydrogen production using the photovoltaic module connected to the hydrogen electrolyzer with and without maximum power point tracker. The experimental results developed good results for hydrogen production flow rates, in the case of using maximum power point tracker with respect to the directly connected electrolyzer to the photovoltaic modules.
Is advanced maternal age an independent risk factor for uteroplacental insufficiency

Objective To determine whether maternal age 35 years or older is an independent risk factor for uteroplacental insufficiency and thus an independent indication for antepartum testing. Study design A retrospective cohort analysis was performed of all deliveries at Los Angeles County–University of Southern California Women's and Children's Hospital between August 1, 1995, and September 1, 2003. Women with documented indications for antepartum testing, fetal anomalies, or delivery prior to 34 weeks were excluded from analysis. Markers of uteroplacental insufficiency included stillbirth, birth weight less than the 10th percentile, fetal distress, cesarean section for fetal distress, oligohydramnios, meconium passage, and 5-minute Apgar score less than 7. Results Indications for antepartum testing were significantly more common in women 35 years or older (33.2% versus 27.0%). After excluding women with indications for antepartum testing, anomalous fetuses, and women delivering prior to 34 weeks, stillbirth was twice as common in women 35 years and older. However, among stillbirths, growth restriction occurred with similar frequency in the older (28.6%) and younger (25.0%) cohorts. Among live births, 2 markers of uteroplacental insufficiency, intrapartum fetal distress (5.7% versus 4.1%) and cesarean delivery for fetal distress (4.0% versus 2.4%) were significantly more common in the older cohort. All other markers of uteroplacental insufficiency were observed with similar frequency in the 2 groups. Conclusions After excluding women with other indications for antepartum testing, fetal anomalies, and delivery prior to 34 weeks, stillbirth was twice as common in women 35 years of age or older as in those younger than 35 years. The increased rate of stillbirth does not appear to be explained by a higher rate of uteroplacental insufficiency.
Soft Error Susceptibility of CMOS RAMS: Dependence upon Power Supply Voltage

Two types of a delidded CMOS 1024 × 1 RAM (Harris HM 6508-RH and Sandia TA597) have been tested for susceptibility to soft bit errors caused by 150-MeV krypton ions. Bit-error susceptibility was measured as a function of bias voltage and ion beam angle with respect to the chip-face normal. Comparison of measured bit-error rates and thresholds with those computed by use of a simple device model and manufacturer-supplied data shows good agreement in some respects while raising questions in others. In the case of the HM 6508-RH RAMs, measured values of critical charge of 1 pC and 2 pC at 5V and 7V, respectively, indicate that the devices can be expected to 4show bit-error rates in space of approximately 1 × 10-4 per chip per day at 5V bias and 1 × 10-5 per chip per day at 7V bias.
A one-pot synthesis of (±)-(ring 13C6)-mandelic acid

A one-pot synthesis of (±)-(ring 13C6)-mandelic acid is reported. [Ring 13C6]-benzaldehyde was cyanosilylated with trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN)/Znl2. The resulting cyanosilylated adduct was hydrolyzed with concentrated hydrochloric acid without purification. The workup involves evaporation to dryness and extraction of the (±)-(ring 13C6)-mandelic acid with hot benzene. After one crystallization, the synthesis produced an overall yield of 65% of (±)-(ring 13C6)-mandelic acid that was about 98% pure by HPLC with UV detection.
Financial management in stepfamilies

This study is an investigation of the financial management practices of 105 remarried couples who have at least one child from a previous marriage. The majority of the couples pool their financial resources and share equally in decisions made about their finances. Financial management practices tend to be different from those of prior marriages. Remarried women experience more changes than remarried men. In general, remarried people are satisfied with how they are handling their finances. The data from this study partially supports Fishman's hypothesis that remarried families who pool resources are closer. Marital relationships are not affected by the method of pooling, but adult-child relationships are closer when resources are pooled than when they are not.
Metastatic papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.

Background: Cutaneous metastases from thyroid carcinomas, although uncommon, have been previously reported and are usually found in association with evidence of disseminated disease. Methods: We report a 75-year-old male who presented with a 4-cm reddish violaceous nodule on the left temple and a clinical history significant for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. Results: Microscopic examination of a 4-mm punch biopsy revealed a poorly circumscribed neoplasm with focal epidermal connection and multiple cystic cavities and papillary projections. Conclusions: This case report describes a solitary cutaneous lesion as the first evidence of disseminated neoplastic disease in a patient with no other clinical evidence of concurrent metastases. The histology of the lesion was unusual in that it mimicked a primary cutaneous neoplasm.
Money value of consumption and income of rural families: Two measures of economic status

In this study a measure of economic status, money value of consumption, is defined and its relationship to income is examined using data collected from 628 U.S. rural families and 1170 North Carolina rural families. Findings suggest that for rural families money value of consumption is linearly related to income, that the variance of money value of consumption is proportional to income and that money value of consumption is more equally distributed than income. Money value of consumption is more closely related to income for one-and four-or-more-person families than for two-or-three-person families. A comparison of how the two measures (money value of comsumption and income) rank rural families by consumption status indicates that income is most likely to rank families inaccurately at very low and very high levels of income. Findings should assist in the appropriate interpretation of income when it is used as a proxy for consumption.
Percentage points for directional anderson-darling goodness-of-fit tests

This paper discusses the problem of assessing the asymptotic distribution when parameters of the hypothesized distribution are estimated from a sample, pointing out a common mistake included in the paper by Sinclair, Spurr, and Ahmad (1990) which introduced two modifications of the Anderson-Darling goodness-of-fit test statistic. Their two test statistics modify the popular Anderson-Darling test statistic to be sensitive to departures of the fitted distribution from the true distribution in one or the other of the tails. This paper uses these new test statistics to develop tests of fit for the normal and exponential distributions. Easy to use formulas are given so the reader can perform these tests at any sample size without consulting exhaustive tables of percentage points. Finally a power study is given to demonstrate the test statistics’ viability against a broad range of alternatives.
Cocaine users with antisocial personality improve HIV risk behaviors as much as those without antisocial personality

Previous work has documented that antisocial personality disorder (APD) is associated with increased rates of HIV risk behaviors and with worse substance abuse treatment outcomes. The question addressed by this paper is whether cocaine users with APD respond to an HIV risk-reduction intervention as well as cocaine users without the disorder. The study subjects were 333 cocaine users followed up at 18 months as part of a NIDA-funded treatment demonstration project. The total sample improved across a wide range of HIV risk behaviors. Improving significantly (P<0.05) from baseline to the 18-month follow-up were several drug-related behaviors: cocaine use; current cocaine dependence; use of drugs other than cocaine drug injection; injection equipment sharing; and use of syringes that were not cleaned. Several sex-related HIV risk behaviors also improved significantly: having multiple sex partners; being intoxicated during sex; giving drugs for sex; receiving money for sex; and receiving drugs for sex. When the sample was stratified by APD status, very similar improvement was seen in respondents with and without APD. To examine further the relationship of APD to change in HIV risk behaviors, separate logistic regression models of improving and worsening HIV risk behaviors were tested. What the authors found was no association of APD with improvement in HIV risk behaviors but a significant association of APD with worsening HIV risk behaviors. It appears that cocaine users with APD improve their HIV risk behaviors just as much as those without APD but may be at higher HIV risk for the development of such behaviors.
EXTRACTING FLUID STRUCTURES FROM NEUTRON DIFFRACTION DATA

Abstract The singular value decomposition theorem of numerical analysis is applied to the problem of reducing neutron coherent scattering data for liquids. The technique is illustrated by application to liquid states of Ar, Ga, and Cuse. The resulting pair correlation functions h(r) are at least as consistent as those in the literature based on the same scattering data. A peculiar feature in the residual structure factors is present in both the literature results and those generated by the new method.
Cell specific steroid inhibitions in histochemical steroid 3-beta-ol dehydrogenase activities in man.

Histochemical evidence is presented for the occurrence of specific steroid 3β-ol dehydrogenase activities in steroidogenic cells of the human ovary, testes and adrenal. The enzymes in the cells of the corpus luteum and adrenal show similar dehydrogenase reactions with some steroid substrates and are inhibited by progesterone, a known physiologic steroid. Theca cells have an activity which is less readily demonstrated and apparently inhibited by both progesterone and DHA. The ovarian hilus cells and the interstitial cells of the testis contain steroid dehydrogenase activity which is inhibited by DHA and not by progesterone. The cellular specificity suggests that the type of activity plays a major role in determining the type of hormone production. The specificity of the steroid inhibitors suggests the possibility of intracellular feedback mechanisms which control the amount of hormone produced.
Traditional morphometrics in plant systematics and its role in palm systematics

A review is given of the role of traditional morphometrics in plant systematics. The three most commonly used techniques of data analysis – Cluster Analysis, Principal Component Analysis and Discriminant Analysis – are discussed. The kinds of data that can be taken from palm specimens and the problems of using specimens as data sources are outlined. Published systematic studies of palms using traditional morphometrics are reviewed. More recent studies indicate that: hybrid zones between species may be common; infraspecific diversity is greater than previously suspected; there may be more than double the currently accepted number of species; and our current knowledge of morphological variation in palms is superficial. A procedure for scientific systematics is given, which incorporates traditional morphometric methods. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 151, 103–111.
Christopher Lasch: Critic of liberalism, historian of its discontents

This article sketches the intellectual biography of irascible social critic and historian Christopher Lasch. Even though Lasch was always a critic of liberalism, and a historian of liberalism's discontents, his political commitments shifted rather dramatically during the course of his life (1932–1994). The essay argues that as Lasch's commitments shifted – from being an outspoken leftist critic of Cold War liberalism to a self-styled populist moralist, denounced by feminists for his defense of the traditional family – so too did his historical approach, often in quite fruitful ways. Lasch's intellectual trajectory serves as a canvas for theorizing about the inherently political nature of historical writing.