cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Attention from Afar: Simulating the Gazes of Remote Participants in Hybrid Meetings

Gaze is a powerful form of social feedback, providing cues about attention and interest, and boredom and distraction. We designed a working prototype that enabled remote participants in a collocated meeting to look around the local meeting space, and that showed local participants where the remote participants' "simulated gazes" (that is, their virtual cameras) were directed. Of course, pointing a camera is not the same as gazing, and so we conducted a study to understand how simulated gazes might be used, and to what extent they would be experienced as social cues. Findings range from the use of simulated gaze to signal attention, to ways in which local and remote participants experienced these simulated gazes. These findings illustrate the value of indirection and abstraction in presenting social cues; raise issues of privacy, visibility, and participation asymmetry; and suggest implications for design and further research.
Affective Responses to Intermittent Physical Activity in Healthy Weight and Overweight/Obese Elementary School-Age Children.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of intermittent physical activity (2-min bouts of varying intensities) on psychological mood and enjoyment in elementary school-age children and to examine the effect of weight status on these psychological outcomes. Methods: A total of 39 children (healthy weight, n = 26; overweight/obese, n = 13) completed 4 experimental conditions in random order, which consisted of 8 hours of sitting interrupted with 20 two-minute low­-, moderate-, or high-intensity activity breaks or 20 two-minute screen-time breaks. Mood was assessed using the Feeling Scale immediately following each break. Enjoyment was assessed using the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale immediately following 10 and 20 breaks. Results: Mood was significantly higher during the sedentary versus active conditions (P < .01). Overweight/obese children reported lower mood scores compared with healthy weight children at the initiation of the low- (P < .05) and high-intensity condition...
Trim the Ribbon: Reconsidering the Ethics of Breast Cancer Campaigns

Every October, countless products are turned pink to raise money or awareness for breast cancer. Unfortunately, several of these cause-marketing campaigns mislead consumers or promote products that...
Trends in Abortion Incidence and Availability in North Carolina, 1980-2013

Objectives Abortion incidence has declined nationally during the last decade. In recent years, many states, including North Carolina, have passed legislation related to the provision of abortion services. Despite the changing political environment, there is no comprehensive analysis on past and current trends related to unintended pregnancy and abortion in North Carolina. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of vital registration data made publicly available by the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. Birth and induced abortion records were obtained for the years 1980 to 2013. We describe abortion incidence and demographic characteristics of women obtaining abortions over time. Results The number of North Carolina abortions declined 36% between 1980 and 2013. The abortion ratio declined from 26/100 pregnancies (live births and abortions) in 1980 to just 14/100 in 2013. These ratios, however, vary across demographic subgroups. In 2013, the abortion ratio was more than 2 times greater for non-Hispanic black women than non-Hispanic white women (22 and 9, respectively). Among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic women, the abortion ratio is greater among women with a previous pregnancy as compared with women in their first pregnancy. For non-Hispanic white women, the abortion ratios are similar for first and higher-order pregnancies. Conclusions Trends in North Carolina are similar to national trends; however, detailed analyses by race/ethnicity, age, and parity demonstrate important distinctions among abortion patients over time in the state. We discuss these trends in relation to policy changes and increased access to effective contraceptives.
Diagnosis of Erythrocyte Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency in the Negro Male Despite Hemolytic Crisis

A simple procedure for the diagnosis of erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Negro males experiencing hemolytic crisis is described. By measuring enzyme activity in the persisting older erythrocytes, the deficiency can be recognized without having to wait until the hemolytic episode and its reticulocyte response have subsided.
Sticking to Your Guns: A Flawed Heuristic for Probabilistic Decision-Making

The much-investigated Monty Hall problem is often regarded as a testament to the woeful state of probabilistic thinking. But there is some evidence that individuals continue to refuse to switch doors with Monty (even in light of additional evidence indicating that their probability of winning has doubled) for reasons that are not related to probabilistic thinking at all. The steadfast refusal to switch can be described as a gut reaction rather than a rational reaction. Having the semblance of superstitions, intuitions involving sticking with your gut are common—refusing to change lanes from a frustratingly slow lane to another lane that is moving briskly (car lanes or grocery lines), refusing to deviate from your first answer choice in a multiple-choice test even upon thoughtful reconsideration, or refusing to exchange lottery tickets even when offered a reward to switch. This study examines the development of a heuristic or rule of thumb about (not) switching with regards to cognitive biases as put forward by decision theorists. These biases influence our thinking, cause us to make incorrect assumptions, and often result in our employing suboptimal strategies that may seem irrational. In this research, experimental treatments allow us to examine how individuals make simple probabilistic decisions when the element of sticking with your first choice is inserted or removed. Additionally, I attempt to examine whether individuals are of “two minds,” whether some decisions are based on gut instinct and other decisions are based on rationality. In light of these findings, mathematics educators may be better prepared take cognitive biases into consideration when assessing their students’ probabilistic thinking and decisions.
Tay-Sachs disease as a model for screening inborn errors.

Without available treatments for most inborn errors of metabolism, prevention of disease by identification of couples at risk has been a goal of both geneticists and health care providers. This article, using Tay-Sachs disease as an example, focuses on how our understanding of genetic, biochemical, and molecular aspects of a metabolic disease can be applied to the development of a successful carrier screening program. Details of the biochemical assays used in the detection of Tay-Sachs disease carriers in addition to new molecular techniques that are being applied clinically are reviewed.
Critical-Type Behavior and Micellar Growth Observed in an Ionic Surfactant/Salt System

The cationic surfactant dodecyl ammonium chloride (DAC) undergoes a one- to two-fluid phase transition with decreasing temperature T at constant [NaCl]. In the case of [DAC]= 0.025M, there is phase separation in the region T ≳ 16°C provided that [NaCl] ≳ 0.23M. Below [NaCl] ∼ 0.23M the apparent micellar hydrodynamic radius Rh aPP, determined by dynamic light scattering from the diffusion coefficient D, increases with decreasing T. This behavior is typical of a variety of ionic micellar systems in the presence of added salt and has been ascribed to micellar growth (e.g. SDS + NaCl). However, with DAC + NaCl for [NaCl] > 0.23M, there may be an additional mechanism which causes Rh aPP to increase greatly with decreasing T -- i.e., critical-type fluctuations at the approach to a phase boundary. This behavior is qualitatively similar to that observed for nonionic micelles and micro- emulsions. In these systems the decrease in D (i.e. increase in Rh app) upon the approach to a cloud point or phase boundary is believed to be due to long-range correlated diffusion of micelles/droplets of basically unchanging size. Hence, the diffusivity results for DAC + NaCl at [NaCl] > 0.23M may be due to either micellar growth or critical-type behavior, or a combination of the two.
Abstract 3109: Investigating the role of wild-type TFE3 in renal cell carcinoma cells harboring TFE3 fusions with spliceosome machinery associated genes

Background: Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma (tRCC) represents an aggressive subtype of kidney cancer associated with various gene fusions involving translocation of one of two members of micropthalmia transcription factor (MiT) family, TFE3 or TFEB. Despite the identification of multiple TFE3 gene fusions in tRCC, heterogeneous phenotype and various dysregulated signaling pathways resulting from variety of gene fusion partners pose a challenge to establish effective treatments for these patients. In this work, we assessed the role of wild type TFE3 (wt-TFE3) in RCC cell bearing TFE3 fusion with genes associated with pre-mRNA splicing factor machinery (NONO, SFPQ and PRCC).Methods: Endogenous SFPQ-TFE3 expressing cells, RP-RO7, were generated from patient derived xenograft established in NSG mice. UOK-109 and UOK-146 (kindly provided by Dr. Marston Lenehan, NCI) were used as endogenous NONO-TFE3 and PRCC-TFE3 expressing cells, respectively. RNA interference (RNAi) mediated knockdown with differential exon targeting strategy was employed to study wt-TFE3 loss of function in RP-R07, UOK-109 and UOK-146, respectively. Real time monitoring of cell viability assay with multiplex readout were developed to investigate the effect of wt-TFE3 loss of function in 2D and 3D culture system. Two different 3D models were used;1) Tumor growth model, in which cancer cell interaction with extracellular matrix and stromal cells were represented in a multiculture-spheroid system; 2) Invasion model, in which cell ability to invade basement membrane barrier was modeled with matrix restricted spheroid, and the invasion trajectories were observed and quantified. Exogenous expression of wt-TFE3-EGFP was utilized to study the protein subcellular localization in RP-R07, UOK-109 and UOK-146 2D cultures and 3D culture system.Results: Consistent with the expression of chimeric TFE3, wt-TFE3-EGFP ectopic expression demonstrated strong nuclear localization in RP-R07, UOK-109 and UOK-146. Multiplex readout of cells viability assay showed that transient loss of wt-TFE3 in RP-R07, UOK-109 and UOK-146 curtails the proliferation rate of these cells in 2D and 3D models in fusion partner dependent manner (P Citation Format: Nur P. Damayanti, Khunsha Ahmed, May Elbanna, Chinghai Kao, Roberto Pili. Investigating the role of wild-type TFE3 in renal cell carcinoma cells harboring TFE3 fusions with spliceosome machinery associated genes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3109.
Situationally Sherpa: race, ethnicity, and the labour geography of the Everest industry

Following Tenzing Norgay’s historic ascent of Mount Everest, western mythmaking transformed Sherpa ethnicity into a signifier for a labour category, a place, and a set of cultural characteristics. ...
CO2-tolerant (Y,Tb)Ba(Co,Ga)4O7 cathodes with low thermal expansion for solid oxide fuel cells

Oxide catalysts with alkaline earth metal dopants, such as Sr2+ and Ba2+, are widely applied as cathode materials in intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). However, one of the irreversible performance degradation mechanisms is the formation of BaCO3 and SrCO3 on the cathode surface when CO2 in air reacts with the cathode. This study presents a series of CO2-tolerant swedenborgite oxides (Y,Tb)Ba(Co,Ga)4O7+δ with high catalytic activity and relatively low thermal expansion coefficients (TECs, 9.2–10.2 × 10−6 K−1). The doping effect of Tb and Ga on the phase stability in air and CO2-containing air is comprehensively investigated. Unlike the >500% increase in area-specific resistance (ASR) of Co-containing perovskite oxides exposed to 5% CO2 in air in the literature, the ASRs of (Y,Tb)Ba(Co,Ga)4O7+δ–Gd-doped ceria (GDC) composite cathodes only increase by ∼120% at 600 °C. In addition, the ASRs recover to their initial values after switching the gas back to pure air within 1 h, indicating good CO2 tolerance and recovery capability. The low number of oxygen vacancies in (Y,Tb)Ba(Co,Ga)4O7+δ might explain the high CO2 tolerance compared to Co-containing perovskite materials. Furthermore, a high electrochemical performance of 1.17 W cm−2 at 700 °C is demonstrated with an anode-supported single cell and Y0.5Tb0.5BaCo3.2Ga0.8O7+δ–GDC composite cathode.
Interleukin-1 receptor accessory proteins are required for normal homeostatic responses to sleep deprivation.

Interleukin-1β (IL1), a well-characterized sleep regulatory substance, requires an IL1 receptor accessory protein (AcP); one of its isoforms is neuron-specific (called AcPb). We showed that in mice...
Desmoplasia and oncogene driven acinar-to-ductal metaplasia are concurrent events during acinar cell-derived pancreatic cancer initiation in young adult mice

The five-year survival rate of patients diagnosed with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has remained static at <5% despite decades of research. With the exception of erlotinib, clinical trials have failed to demonstrate the benefit of any targeted therapy for PDAC despite promising results in preclinical animal studies. The development of more refined mouse models of PDAC which recapitulate the carcinogenic progression from non-neoplastic, adult exocrine subsets of pancreatic cells to invasive carcinoma in humans are needed to facilitate the accurate translation of therapies to the clinic. To study acinar cell-derived PDAC initiation, we developed a genetically engineered mouse model of PDAC, called KPT, utilizing a tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase/estrogen receptor (ESR1) fusion protein knocked into the Ptf1a locus to activate the expression of oncogenic KrasG12D and Trp53R270H alleles in mature pancreatic acinar cells. Oncogene-expressing acinar cells underwent acinar-to-ductal metaplasia, and formed pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia lesions following the induction of oncogene expression. After a defined latency period, oncogene-expressing acinar cells initiated the formation of highly differentiated and fibrotic tumors, which metastasized to the lungs and liver. Whole-transcriptome analysis of microdissected regions of acinar-to-ductal metaplasia and histological validation experiments demonstrated that regions of acinar-to-ductal metaplasia are characterized by the deposition of the extracellular matrix component hyaluronan. These results indicate that acinar cells expressing KrasG12D and Trp53R270H can initiate PDAC development in young adult mice and implicate hyaluronan deposition in the formation of the earliest characterized PDAC precursor lesions (and the progression of pancreatic cancer). Further studies are necessary to provide a comprehensive characterization of PDAC progression and treatment response in KPT mice and to investigate whether the KPT model could be used as a tool to study translational aspects of acinar cell-derived PDAC tumorigenesis.
Transgender Adolescents' Uses of Social Media for Social Support.

Abstract Purpose Transgender adolescents are at higher risk for negative mental health outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidality, compared with cisgender adolescents. Social media may be an effective venue for addressing these health disparities because most adolescents have access to online information and socialization. This study used qualitative inquiry to explore transgender adolescents' uses of social media for social support. Methods Transgender adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18 years with a social media profile were recruited from a pediatric gender clinic in the Midwestern U.S. A 30- to 60-minute semistructured interview assessed ways participants used social media to access transgender-related support. Thematic analysis was used to develop categories and code the transcripts. Coding discrepancies were resolved by two researchers following initial coding. Results Results represent data from 25 interviews comprising 13 transmasculine, 11 transfeminine, and one nonbinary participant(s), with 68% of the sample identifying as white, non-Hispanic. Categories emerged regarding forms of support participants received from transgender-related online communities including emotional support through peers and role models, appraisal support for validating their experiences, and informational support for navigating health decisions and educating family and friends. Participants also referenced negative experiences, including harassment and exclusionary behavior online. Conclusions Social media platforms represent hubs of community for transgender adolescents. These communities provide emotional, appraisal, and informational support that transgender youth may not otherwise be able to access. Future research should use the affordances of social media to identify approaches to addressing health disparities and improving the well-being of transgender adolescents.
Social isolation modulates appetite and defensive behavior via a common oxytocinergic circuit in larval zebrafish

How brains encode social stimuli and transform these representations into advantageous behavioral responses is not well-understood. Here, we show that social isolation activates an oxytocinergic, nociceptive circuit in the larval zebrafish hypothalamus. We further demonstrate that chemical cues released from conspecific animals modulate its activity to regulate defensive behaviors and appetite. Our collective data reveals a model through which social stimuli can be integrated into fundamental neural circuits to mediate adaptive behaviour.
A comprehensive finite element model of surgical treatment for cervical myelopathy

Abstract Background Cervical myelopathy is a common and debilitating chronic spinal cord dysfunction. Treatment includes anterior and/or posterior surgical intervention to decompress the spinal cord and stabilize the spine, but no consensus has been made as to the preferable surgical intervention. The objective of this study was to develop an finite element model of the healthy and myelopathic C2-T1 cervical spine and common anterior and posterior decompression techniques to determine how spinal cord stress and strain is altered in healthy and diseased states. Methods A finite element model of the C2-T1 cervical spine, spinal cord, pia, dura, cerebral spinal fluid, and neural ligaments was developed and validated against in vivo human displacement data. To model cervical myelopathy, disc herniation and osteophytes were created at the C4-C6 levels. Three common surgical interventions were then incorporated at these levels. Findings The finite element model accurately predicted healthy and myelopathic spinal cord displacement compared to motions observed in vivo. Spinal cord strain increased during extension in the cervical myelopathy finite element model. All surgical techniques affected spinal cord stress and strain. Specifically, adjacent levels had increased stress and strain, especially in the anterior cervical discectomy and fusion case. Interpretations This model is the first biomechanically validated, finite element model of the healthy and myelopathic C2-T1 cervical spine and spinal cord which predicts spinal cord displacement, stress, and strain during physiologic motion. Our findings show surgical intervention can cause increased strain in the adjacent levels of the spinal cord which is particularly worse following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.
Zika virus infection in chemosensory cells.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging virus belonging to the genus Flavivirus. ZIKV infection is a significant health concern, with increasing numbers of reports of microcephaly cases in fetuses and Guillain–Barre syndrome (GBS) in adults. Interestingly, chemosensory disturbances are also reported as one of the manifestations of GBS. ZIKV infects several human tissues and cell types in vitro and in vivo. However, there is no study demonstrating ZIKV infection and replication in chemosensory cells, including olfactory and taste cells. Taste papilla and olfactory cells are chemosensory receptor cells with unique histological, molecular, and physiological characteristics. Here we examined ZIKV infection (PRVABC59) in cultured human olfactory epithelial cells (hOECs) and fungiform taste papilla (HBO) cells in vitro, as well as in vivo mouse taste and olfactory epithelial and olfactory bulb tissues. Interestingly, while HBO cells showed resistance to ZIKV replication, hOECs were highly susceptible for ZIKV infection and replication. Further, we demonstrated the presence of ZIKV particles and expression of viral proteins in olfactory epithelium, as well as in olfactory bulb, but not in taste papillae, of immunocompromised mice (ifnar/−) infected with the PRVABC59 strain of ZIKV. These observations suggest that chemosensory cells in the olfactory neuroepithelium and olfactory bulb may be important tissues for ZIKV replication and dissemination.
An optimal lysis time maximizes bacteriophage fitness in quasi-continuous culture

Optimality models have a checkered history in evolutionary biology. While optimality models have been successful in providing valuable insight into the evolution of a wide variety of biological traits, a common objection is that optimality models are overly simplistic and ignore organismal genetics. We revisit evolutionary optimization in the context of a major bacteriophage life history trait, lysis time. Lysis time refers to the period spanning phage infection of a host cell and its lysis, whereupon phage progeny are released. Lysis time, therefore, directly determines phage fecundity assuming progeny assembly rate is maximized. Noting that previous tests of lysis time optimality rely on batch culture, we implemented a quasi-steady state system to observe productivity of a panel of isogenic phage lambda mutants differing in lysis time. We report that lambda phage productivity in our experiments is maximized around an optimal lysis time of 65 min, which is the lysis time of the lambda wildtype strain. We discuss this finding in light of recent results that lysis time variation is also minimized in the lambda wildtype strain.
Leadership, Development, and Expertise: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Scholarly Communication Librarian Position Announcements

INTRODUCTION In 2012, the Association of Research Libraries reported that 95% of libraries identified their libraries as leaders of scholarly communication efforts on campus. While academic librarians have long been responsible for SC issues, institutions have explicitly tasked positions with these responsibilities increasingly over time. This qualitative analysis of position announcements focuses on the ways libraries expect these librarians to engage with SC issues and responsibilities, rather than describing the prevalence of SC-related functions. Specifically, this study asks the following questions: (1) How do administrators communicate leadership expectations of SC librarian roles through job advertisements? (2) In what ways could these leadership expectations be challenging or problematic for SC librarians in non-administrator positions? METHODS This study is a qualitative content analysis of scholarly communication librarian position announcements posted to ALA JobList between January 1, 2016, and July 31, 2019. The advertisements are predominantly from North American academic libraries. Qualitative content analysis is systematic but allows for flexibility of interpretation in describing themes and categories. The coding scheme developed over multiple readings of the data and the author identified categories through the process of subsumption. RESULTS & DISCUSSION Prevalent themes in position announcements include leadership, expertise, and development. Leadership responsibilities appear as management duties or, often in non-administrator positions, as an expectation to take initiative or be an exemplar. SC librarians are expected to be experts, often as the library’s campus liaison or as educators in a variety of SC issues. They may also be tasked with developing institutional repositories or SC programs, though it is not always clear in the advertisement what support is available. These themes are discussed in terms of the SC librarian as a boundary spanning role. Boundary spanners are positions within an organization that communicate with the outside environment. They may also serve as filters for information coming into the organization or facilitate communication between departments or units in an organization. CONCLUSION In SC librarian job advertisements, positional authority is often absent from positions that have a responsibility to lead or develop SC efforts, programs, or initiatives. Non-experts may bestow some level of authority to experts. However, leadership and development tasks may prove difficult for a SC librarian who lacks the ability to make decisions or organizational changes. Suggestions for institutions and potential further research are discussed. External Data or Supplements: Hackstadt, A. (2020). Data from: Leadership, Development, and Expertise: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Scholarly Communication Librarian Position Announcements. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/YIXNPG , Harvard Dataverse.
Comparative Analysis of Thrombin Calibration Algorithms and Correction for Thrombin-α2macroglobulin Activity

Background: The thrombin generation (TG) test is useful for characterizing global hemostasis potential, but fluorescence substrate artifacts, such as thrombin-α2macroglobulin (T-α2MG) signal, inner filter effect (IFE), substrate consumption, and calibration algorithms have been suggested as sources of intra- and inter-laboratory variance, which may limit its clinical utility. Methods: Effects of internal vs. external normalization, IFE and T-α2MG on TG curves in normal plasma supplemented with coagulation factors, thrombomodulin, and tissue factor were studied using the Calibrated Automated Thrombinography (CAT; Diagnostica Stago, Parsippany, NJ, USA) and in-house software. Results: The various calibration methods demonstrated no significant difference in producing TG curves, nor increased the robustness of the TG assay. Several TG parameters, including thrombin peak height (TPH), produced from internal linear calibration did not differ significantly from uncalibrated TG parameters. Further, TPH values from internal linear and nonlinear calibration with or without T-α2MG correction correlated well with TPH from external calibration. Higher coefficients of variation (CVs) for TPH values were observed in both platelet-free and platelet-rich plasma with added thrombomodulin. Conclusions: Our work suggests minimal differences between distinct computational approaches toward calibrating and correcting fluorescence signals into TG levels, with most samples returning similar or equivalent TPH results.
Lesion Mask-Based Simultaneous Synthesis of Anatomic and Molecular MR Images Using a GAN.

Data-driven automatic approaches have demonstrated their great potential in resolving various clinical diagnostic dilemmas for patients with malignant gliomas in neuro-oncology with the help of conventional and advanced molecular MR images. However, the lack of sufficient annotated MRI data has vastly impeded the development of such automatic methods. Conventional data augmentation approaches, including flipping, scaling, rotation, and distortion are not capable of generating data with diverse image content. In this paper, we propose a method, called synthesis of anatomic and molecular MR images network (SAMR), which can simultaneously synthesize data from arbitrary manipulated lesion information on multiple anatomic and molecular MRI sequences, including T1-weighted (\(T_1\)w), gadolinium enhanced \(T_1\)w (Gd-\(T_1\)w), T2-weighted (\(T_2\)w), fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), and amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw). The proposed framework consists of a stretch-out up-sampling module, a brain atlas encoder, a segmentation consistency module, and multi-scale label-wise discriminators. Extensive experiments on real clinical data demonstrate that the proposed model can perform significantly better than the state-of-the-art synthesis methods.
A salvage strategy for heel pad degloving injury: A case report.

Case A 50-year-old female experienced a crush injury to the foot resulting in open degloving of her heel pad. This study details a surgical strategy to achieve healing and limb salvage. Conclusion Heel pad injuries with degloving are difficult to salvage and have a poor prognosis. Amputation is often the only therapeutic option, unless part of the blood supply to the heel pad is intact, rendering limb salvage a possibility.
Guided by metal–substrate bonding

The development of metallic anodes for next-generation high-energy batteries is largely hindered by dendritic growth issues. Now, an interface between metals and substrates is engineered to facilitate their strong chemical bonding, leading to uniform metal deposition and high battery cycling reversibility.
Clinicopathological Follow-up of Breast DCIS Diagnosed on Biopsies: A Single Institutional Study of 575 Patients.

Stratifying ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) patients into different upgrading risk groups is important in exploiting more precise therapeutic options. Evaluation of estrogen receptor/progesterone r...
An empirical examination of the prevalence of inhibitors to the parallelizability of open source software systems

An empirical study is presented that examines the potential to parallelize general-purpose software systems. The study is conducted on 13 open source systems comprising over 14 MLOC. Each for-loop is statically analyzed to determine if it can be parallelized or not. A for-loop that can be parallelized is termed a free-loop. Free-loops can be easily parallelized using tools such as OpenMP. For the loops that cannot be parallelized, the various inhibitors to parallelization are determined and tabulated. The data shows that the most prevalent inhibitor by far, is functions called within for-loops that have side effects. This single inhibitor poses the greatest challenge in adapting and re-engineering systems to better utilize modern multi-core architectures. This fact is somewhat contradictory to the literature, which is primarily focused on the removal of data dependencies within loops. Results of this paper also show that function calls via function pointers and virtual methods have very little impact on the for-loop parallelization process. Historical data over a 10-year period of inhibitor counts for the set of systems studied is also presented. It shows that there is little change in the potential for parallelization of loops over time.
Age and race impact the association between BMI and CVD mortality in women.

Objectives.In previous studies, we have shown that obesity is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in white women but not in black women. Earlier research suggests that body mass index (BMI) has a greater effect on CVD mortality in younger white females than older white females, whereas this relationship in black women is not as clear. This study examines the effect of age on the association of BMI to CVD in black and white women.Methods.The Black Pooling Project includes data on 2,843 black women with 50,464 person-years of follow-up, and 12,739 white women with 214,606 person-years of follow-up. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the association between BMI and CVD mortality for specific age/race groups. The younger group was 60 years of age.Results.In younger white women, the relative risk (95% confidence interval [CI]) for CVD mortality was significant in obese women (BMI >30 kg/m2) vs. women of normal weight (BMI ...
Rupture of the corpus luteum, including four cases of massive intraperitoneal hemorrhage

Abstract We have noted what appears to be an increased incidence of rupture of the corpus luteum. Eleven cases have been encountered in 18 months. While the clinical syndrome and disability produced in most cases is mild and does not require operation, massive intraperitoneal hemorrhage can occur and demands operative interference. There is no good evidence to show that it occurs on the right side any more frequently than the left. The greatest problem lies in the difficulty in differentiating this condition from ruptured ectopic pregnancy. More expert culdoscopy and perhaps the more frequent use of the posterior colpotomy incision for pelvic exploration may aid in this differentiation.
A processor extension for cycle-accurate real-time software

Certain hard real-time tasks demand precise timing of events, but the usual software solution of periodic interrupts driving a scheduler only provides precision in the millisecond range. NOP-insertion can provide higher precision, but is tedious to do manually, requires predictable instruction timing, and works best with simple algorithms To achieve high-precision timing in software, we propose instruction-level access to cycle-accurate timers. We add an instruction that waits for a timer to expire then reloads it synchronously. Among other things, this provides a way to exactly specify the period of a loop To validate our approach, we implemented a simple RISC processor with our extension on an FPGA and programmed it to behave like a video controller and an asynchronous serial receiver. Both applications were much easier to write and debug than their hardware counterparts, which took roughly four times as many lines in VHDL. Simple processors with our extension brings software-style development to a class of applications that were once only possible with hardware
Oral Itraconazole Therapy of Cryptococcal Meningitis and Cryptococcosis in Patients with AIDS

We studied the efficacy of oral itraconazole in 57 AIDS patients with cryptococcosis. Diagnoses included cryptococcal meningitis (48 patients), cryptococcemia (28 patients), cryptococcuria (16 patients), pulmonary cryptococcosis (12 patients), and 2 patients who were symptomatic, antigen positive and culture negative. Patients received itraconazole 200 mg b.i.d. orally given as sole therapy in 55 of 57 (96%); five patients with low serum concentrations received 200 mg t.i.d. Therapy was monitored by clinical and radiological response, culture and cryptococcal antigen testing. Twenty three of 36 (64%) evaluable patients with cryptococcal meningitis had complete responses (clinical resolution and negative cultures), 8 (22%) a partial response and 5 (14%) failed therapy. In those not previously treated, only 2 of 29 (7%) failed therapy. Meningitis recrudesced on therapy in 13 of 31 (42%) responding patients; the median time to recrudescence in these 13 patients was 4 months after starting itraconazole. Cryptococcemia was abolished in 17 of 19 (89%) evaluable patients together with clinical resolution. Among the 9 evaluable patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis, 8 have responded to therapy (89%). Cryptococcuria was abolished in 4 of 10 (40%) evaluable patients. Among the whole group of 57 patients, relapse occurred in 4 of 7 (57%) patients discontinuing therapy. Prior or concurrent therapy with rifampin (for mycobacterial disease) was associated with one patient failing therapy and another having to be withdrawn with no response at eight days. Our response rates compare favorably to amphotericin B therapy with or without flucytosine. Eighty-five of 96 (91%) isolates of C. neoformans were susceptible in vitro to itraconazole (MIC≤3.13 mcg/ml), 6 were borderline (MIC 6.25 mcg/ml) and 3 were resistant (≥12.5 mcg/ml). Oral itraconazole is promising for the primary or salvage therapy of cryptococcal meningitis and other forms of cryptococcosis in patients with AIDS.
The Surge in Immigration Appeals and Its Impact on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals

In this report the ABCNY Committee on Federal Courts (1) describes the Board of Immigration Affairs procedural reforms; (2) quantifies the resulting increase in appeals from the BIA to the circuit courts of appeals with particular emphasis on the Second Circuit; (3) reviews the constitutional challenges to the BIA reforms, which have been uniformly rejected; (4) describes the administrative response of the Second Circuit to the BIA appeal surge; (5) assesses the impact of the surge on the Second Circuit, and its other ramifications; and (6) offers our recommendations on how to deal with the surge going forward.
Religious and Spiritual Development across the Life Span

This chapter provides an overview of the social science literature on religious and spiritual development and discusses current ways of defining and explaining R-S development, ways of relating R-S development to identity and moral development, and ways of understanding problematic R-S development. The chapter contrasts belief-institution with faith-tradition approaches to studying R-S development and demonstrates how the latter aligns better with current developmental systems thinking and with current work in the related fields of comparative religious studies, history of religions, and theology. Keywords: spiritual development; religious development; religion; spirituality; faith; identity; moral development
Lewis on Backward Causation

David Lewis famously defends a counterfactual theory of causation and a non-causal, similarity-based theory of counterfactuals. Lewis also famously defends the possibility of backward causation. I argue that this combination of views is untenable—given the possibility of backward causation, one ought to reject Lewis's theories of causation and counterfactuals.
Improved Hemodynamics Shown by Continuous Monitoring of Electrical Impedance During External Counterpulsation with the End-Diastolic Pneumatic Boot and Improved Ambulatory EKG Monitoring After 3 Weeks of Therapy

Six normal subjects and 12 patients with clinical angina and significant ST depressions during baseline ambulatory cardiac monitoring were given a single treatment with the end-diastolic pneumatic compression boot, the Circulator Boot™. With the use of contin uous electrical impedance measurements, multiple hemodynamic variables were followed in five situations: (1) baseline before pumping; during end-diastolic pumping (2) on both legs after every heartbeat, (3) on one leg after every heartbeat, and (4) on both legs on alternate beats; and (5) during pumping on both legs during every systole. Both an increase in venous return and a reduction in afterload likely contributed to significant increases in cardiac output (CO) (51.1 ± 33.6%), stroke volume (SV) (52.1 ± 35.6%), change in impedance over time (dZ/dT) (72.0 ± 68.1%), cardiac index (CI) (51.2 ± 33.8%), and acceleration index (50.7 ± 62.2%) during end-diastolic pumping on both legs after every heartbeat. A crucial role for afterload reduction was impl...
Prevalence of physical activity, screen time, and obesity among US children by the service type of special health care needs.

Abstract Background Children with special health care needs (SHCN) may be at greater risk of obesity than children without SHCN. A new classification system categorizes SHCN among children by service type using the following categories: No-SHCN, medication use only, services use only, medication + service use, and functional limitations. Research is needed to examine obesity and obesity-related behaviors among children using the new classification system. Objective To determine the prevalence of inadequate vigorous physical activity (VPA), high screen time and obesity by SHCN category using the new classification system. Methods Multivariate regression models were fitted for inadequate VPA, high screen time, and obesity to determine if there were differences in these outcomes by SHCN category, adjusting for multistage-sampling and survey-design effects using a nationally representative sample of children in the National Survey of Children's Health 2007. Results 22.9% of the sample was classified as having SHCN: 9% medication use only, 5% medication + service use, 4% service use only, and 5% functional limitations. Children in the medication use only and medication + service use groups were not at increased risk for inadequate VPA, high screen time, or obesity. Children in the service use only and functional limitation groups had increased odds of high screen time and obesity, which disappeared after controlling for confounders. However, the higher odds of inadequate VPA remained significant in the service use only [OR (95% CI) = 2.00 (1.34–3.00)] and the functional limitations groups with 2.21 (1.55–3.15). Conclusions Physical activity promotion programs are needed for children with SHCN, especially children with functional limitations and those who require service use only and do not use prescribed medication.
Inhibition of NF-κB and DNA double-strand break repair by DMAPT sensitizes non-small-cell lung cancers to X-rays

We investigated the efficacy and mechanism of dimethylaminoparthenolide (DMAPT), an NF-κB inhibitor, to sensitize human lung cancer cells to X-ray killing in vitro and in vivo. We tested whether DMAPT increased the effectiveness of single and fractionated X-ray treatment through inhibition of NF-κB and/or DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. Treatment with DMAPT decreased plating efficiency, inhibited constitutive and radiation-induced NF-κB binding activity, and enhanced radiation-induced cell killing by dose modification factors of 1.8 and 1.4 in vitro. X-ray fractionation demonstrated that DMAPT inhibited split-dose recovery/repair, and neutral DNA comet assays confirmed that DMAPT altered the fast and slow components of X-ray-induced DNA DSB repair. Knockdown of the NF-κB family member p65 by siRNA increased radiation sensitivity and completely inhibited split-dose recovery in a manner very similar to DMAPT treatment. The data suggest a link between inhibition of NF-κB and inhibition of DSB repair by DMAPT that leads to enhancement of X-ray-induced cell killing in vitro in non-small-cell lung cancer cells. Studies of A549 tumor xenografts in nude mice demonstrated that DMAPT enhanced X-ray-induced tumor growth delay in vivo.
The role of the kinship foster parent: A comparison of the role conceptions of relative and non-relative foster parents

Abstract This article reports the results of a research study on the role conceptions of relative foster parents. The sample of 82 Relative and 98 Non-Relative foster families was drawn from the foster parent population of The Casey Family Program. Demographic differences between the foster families are presented. Relative foster parents were significantly more likely to state that they were responsible for ensuring the foster child's continued contact with his or her birth parents than were non-relative foster parents. Recommendations for practice include the need to clarify the foster parent role for all foster families.
Synthesis and evaluation of aryl-naloxamide opiate analgesics targeting truncated exon 11-associated μ opioid receptor (MOR-1) splice variants.

3-Iodobenzoylnaltrexamide 1 (IBNtxA) is a potent analgesic acting through a novel receptor target that lack many side-effects of traditional opiates composed, in part, of exon 11-associated truncated six transmembrane domain MOR-1 (6TM/E11) splice variants. To better understand the SAR of this drug target, a number of 4,5-epoxymorphinan analogues were synthesized. Results show the importance of a free 3-phenolic group, a phenyl ring at the 6 position, an iodine at the 3′or 4′ position of the phenyl ring, and an N-allyl or c-propylmethyl group to maintain high 6TM/E11 affinity and activity. 3-Iodobenzoylnaloxamide 15 (IBNalA) with a N-allyl group displayed lower δ opioid receptor affinity than its naltrexamine analogue, was 10-fold more potent an analgesic than morphine, elicited no respiratory depression or physical dependence, and only limited inhibition of gastrointestinal transit. Thus, the aryl-naloxamide scaffold can generate a potent analgesic acting through the 6TM/E11 sites with advantageous side-...
Perineal rectosigmoidectomy versus laparoscopic repair or rectal prolapse. The role of minimally invasive surgery

Perineal rectosigmoidectomy versus laparoscopic repair or rectal prolapse. The role of minimally invasive surgery
A critique of methods for measuring life history trade‐offs

Constraints have important effects on the evolution of life history strategies, but several difficulties have been encountered in determining constraints empirically. Here we investigate methods for measuring a specific type of constraint known as a trade-off. A trade-off between two traits implies a perfect negative correlation between the traits. Trade-offs may involve more than two traits, however, and pairs of traits involved in such a higher-dimensional trade-off may be positively correlated. If some of the traits involved in a trade-off are omitted from the experimental design, the trade-off may not even be detectable. Direct measures of trade-offs are thus complicated, and indirect means of identifying trade-offs may often provide the only feasible measures.
Toxicity reduction and removal of dehydroabietic and abietic acids in a continuous anaerobic reactor

The inhibition of microorganisms in an upflow anaerobic sludge bed and filter reactor was evidenced by a sudden decrease in methane production, a decrease in the chemical oxygen demand elimination, and an increase in the acetate concentration of the treated effluent. The inhibition occurred after a cumulative loading of 3486 mg of resin acids (66% dehydroabietic acid and 34% abietic acid) on 10 g volatile suspended solids of an anaerobic granular sludge. The acetoclastic methanogens were the most inhibited group of bacteria following the reactor failure, while the activity of the hydrogenotrophic methanogens was not affected. During the phase of 9.5 mg/L/d of resin acid feeding, no resin acids were detected in the effluent; sorption of resin acids on the sludge amounted to 6.6 mg/g volatile suspended solids. During the feeding phase of 59 mg resin acids/L/d, the effluent showed an average resin acid concentration of 19 mg/L; the toxicity was half that of the influent (Microtox toxicity tests).
Inhibition of the self-assembly of tubulin by diethylpyrocarbonate and photooxidation

Abstract Chemical modification of tubulin by photooxidation and by reaction with diethylpyrocarbonate inhibits the in vitro formation of microtubules. This inhibition apparently results from the modification of histidine residues, since the inhibition by diethylpyrocarbonate is reversed by hydroxylamine and the pH dependence of the rate of photooxidation shows the involvement of a group with a pKa value of about 6.5. The inhibition of self-assembly results from the modification of not more than three histidine residues. Sulfhydryl residues are not modified under the experimental conditions used. Colchicine and GTP binding by tubulin were not greatly affected under conditions which completely inhibited the polymerization.