cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Price of Diversity.

Systemic bias with respect to gender, race and ethnicity, often unconscious, is prevalent in datasets involving choices among individuals. Consequently, society has found it challenging to alleviate bias and achieve diversity in a way that maintains meritocracy in such settings. We propose (a) a novel optimization approach based on optimally flipping outcome labels and training classification models simultaneously to discover changes to be made in the selection process so as to achieve diversity without significantly affecting meritocracy, and (b) a novel implementation tool employing optimal classification trees to provide insights on which attributes of individuals lead to flipping of their labels, and to help make changes in the current selection processes in a manner understandable by human decision makers. We present case studies on three real-world datasets consisting of parole, admissions to the bar and lending decisions, and demonstrate that the price of diversity is low and sometimes negative, that is we can modify our selection processes in a way that enhances diversity without affecting meritocracy significantly, and sometimes improving it.
The impact of patient and partner personality traits on learning success for a cognitive rehabilitation intervention for patients with MCI

The Memory Support System (MSS) is the memory compensation tool used in the HABIT Healthy Action to Benefit Independence and Thinking® Program. People diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (pwMCI; n = 153) participated in this cognitive rehabilitative programme with a partner. We first aimed to determine if prior research on the positive impact of higher baseline cognitive status on successful MSS learning would be replicated in a new sample. We further evaluated the impact of the pwMCI's and partner's personality traits, as measured by the Ten Item Personality Inventory, on successful learning. Better global cognitive status was again shown to increase the odds for MSS learning success. In terms of personality, the highest odds of learning success occurred when the pwMCI was high in Openness to Experience (OR = 5.43), followed by high partner Openness (OR = 2.53) or high Openness in both the pwMCI and partner (OR = 2.31). In sum, when the pwMCI possessed both better cognitive status and openness to new experience they were better able to master a cognitive rehabilitation tool for MCI.
Crystal Palace, London, UK

Sir Joseph Paxton (1803–1865), a self-made botanist, designer, and engineer of greenhouses was the principal designer of the Crystal Palace, the structure inside of which the Great Exhibition of 1851, a world’s fair of technology and production of the times, was held. At the time, this was the largest international exhibition held anywhere. It marked the culmination of an extraordinary confluence of forces emanating from international commerce, technology, architecture, and politics. Its impact on the engineering of buildings, not to mention the architectural world is, surprisingly, remarkable. This design was obtained at the last minute, at a time when all options were practically exhausted. While a design competition, which yielded more than 230 entries, was held in advance, the jury decided to use none of these designs, including that of the winner. As the jury, in a desperate move, was contemplating to assemble a hybrid design from the outstanding features of some of the competition entries, Mr. Paxton was given a chance to submit a design for the building, whose innovative features demonstrated their value until the structure burned down in 1936 as the assumption that glass and iron would be fire proof would not hold true.
Critical role of DNA unwinding and Cas9 conformational changes in modelling off-target effects

Abstract CRISPR-Cas9 off-target effects interfere with the ability to accurately perform genetic edits. To predict off-target effects CRISPR-Cas9 researchers perform high throughput guide RNA mismatch and bulge experiments and then use the data to fit thermodynamic binding models. While impactful from an engineering perspective such models are not based on the experimentally observed target interrogation process and thus incorrectly measure the energetic effects mismatches have on the system. In this work we convert an experimentally deduced qualitive model of target interrogation to a linear ODE model and demonstrate that the mismatch tolerance patterns observed in experiments do not need to be caused by differences in energetic penalties of mismatches but rather are emergent effects of the timing and coordination of target DNA unwinding and Cas9 conformational changes.
Bmi1 Resistance Pathway and Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Lung Cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Combined chemotherapy and radiation is a standard therapy for locally advanced lung cancers. However, the resistance mechanisms to these therapies and how they affect further adjuvant immunotherapy are not well understood. Our previous studies have shown that radiation led to the activation of Bmi1 as a mechanism of radiation resistance, which in turn upregulated the inhibitory immune checkpoint ligand PD-L1. Our hypothesis is that inhibition of Bmi1, a target for chemoradiotherapy resistance, with concurrent PD-L1 checkpoint blockade would have a synergistic enhanced immune response after chemoradiation therapy in a preclinical model of lung cancer. MATERIALS/METHODS A small molecule inhibitor, PTC-596 (PTC Therapeutics, NJ), has been shown to inhibit the expression of Bmi1. For in vitro studies, we tested the effects of PTC-596 on the expression of both Bmi1 and PD-L1 in several lung tumor cell lines. To create a mouse model that simulates the PACIFIC trial treatment regimen, Lewis lung carcinoma cells (LLC1; 1 x 106 unsorted cells in 100 ul) derived in C57BL/6J strain were injected subcutaneously into the flank of immunocompetent C67BL/6J mice. When average tumor volume reached 100 mm3, the mice were treated with phase 1 treatment of radiation (dose 30 Gy in 10 fractions daily) delivered through SAARP platform and cisplatin (2mg/kg, every 3rd day for 10 days) and then randomized to receive phase 2 treatments: 1). Vehicle control every day; 2). Inhibitory anti-PD-L1 antibody every other day (200mg/kg, every 3 days for 4 cycles); 3). PTC-596 once a day (12.5 mg/kg, once a day); 4). Combined inhibitory anti-PD-1 antibody and PTC-596. Each treatment group had 10 mice. RESULTS In both human and mouse lung tumor cell lines, fractionated radiation treatments upregulated Bmi1 expression and also increase the frequency of Bmi1-high, PD-L1-high expressing cells. Treatment with PTC-596 downregulated expression of Bmi1 and PD-L1 in these cells. In the PACIFIC study mouse model, cisplatin chemotherapy with fractionated radiation resulted significant growth delay than compared to no treatment. In the phase 2 of adjuvant treatment, the anti-PD-L1 antibody plus PTC-596 combination group, but not in groups receiving either treatment alone, had continued significant tumor size reduction. Immunological markers are being analyzed to determine if the immune response is enhanced. CONCLUSION These results suggest that chemoradiation therapy leads to the activation of Bmi1 as a resistance mechanism, which in turn results in the activation of inhibitory immune checkpoint PD-L1 leading to immune escape and acquired resistance to immunotherapy. Treatment with PTC-596 demonstrated synergistic benefits to anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy after pre-chemoradiation treatment of preclinical mouse lung tumor model.
STAT5 is activated in macrophages by breast cancer cell-derived factors and regulates macrophage function in the tumor microenvironment

Background In breast cancer, complex interactions between tumor cells and cells within the surrounding stroma, such as macrophages, are critical for tumor growth, progression, and therapeutic response. Recent studies have highlighted the complex nature and heterogeneous populations of macrophages associated with both tumor-promoting and tumor-inhibiting phenotypes. Defining the pathways that drive macrophage function is important for understanding their complex phenotypes within the tumor microenvironment. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) transcription factors, such as STAT5, are key regulators of immune cell function. The studies described here investigate the functional contributions of STAT5 to tumor-associated macrophage function in breast cancer. Methods Initial studies were performed using a panel of human breast cancer and mouse mammary tumor cell lines to determine the ability of tumor cell-derived factors to induce STAT5 activation in macrophages. Further studies used these models to identify soluble factors that activate STAT5 in macrophages. To delineate STAT5-specific contributions to macrophage function, a conditional model of myeloid STAT5 deletion was used for in vitro, RNA-sequencing, and in vivo studies. The effects of STAT5 deletion in macrophages on tumor cell migration and metastasis were evaluated using in vitro co-culture migration assays and an in vivo tumor cell-macrophage co-injection model. Results We demonstrate here that STAT5 is robustly activated in macrophages by tumor cell-derived factors and that GM-CSF is a key cytokine stimulating this pathway. The analysis of RNA-seq studies reveals that STAT5 promotes expression of immune stimulatory genes in macrophages and that loss of STAT5 in macrophages results in increased expression of tissue remodeling factors. Finally, we demonstrate that loss of STAT5 in macrophages promotes tumor cell migration in vitro and mammary tumor metastasis in vivo. Conclusions Breast cancer cells produce soluble factors, such as GM-CSF, that activate the STAT5 pathway in macrophages and drive expression of inflammatory factors. STAT5 deletion in myeloid cells enhances metastasis, suggesting that STAT5 activation in tumor-associated macrophages protects against tumor progression. Understanding mechanisms that drive macrophage function in the tumor microenvironment will ultimately lead to new approaches that suppress tumor-promoting functions while enhancing their anti-tumor functions.
The Making of English National Identity: The first English Empire

Britain is now called England, thereby assuming the name of the victors. Aethelweard, Chronicon , 10th century (in Banton 1982:85) This, the most noble of islands, 800 miles long and 200 broad, was first called Albion, then Britain and is now known as England. Henry of Huntington, 12th century (in Gillingham 1995: 52) Crossing the deep sea, he [Henry the Second] visited Ireland with a fleet, and gloriously subdued it; Scotland also he vanquished, capturing its king, William … He remarkably extended the kingdom's limits and boundaries [until they reached] from the ocean on the south to the Orkney islands in the north. With his powerful grasp he included the whole island of Britain in one monarchy, even as it is enclosed by the sea. Gerard of Wales, 12th century (in R. R. Davies 1990: 78) The English and others The historian A. J. P. Taylor once argued that the unification of Germany in the nineteenth century was brought about not by nationalist forces but through a series of wars against other countries – Denmark, Austria, France. The substance of German unity and German national consciousness was not, as the liberals claimed, a deep sense of German culture but the deposit of wars and conflicts that forged a Germany confident of its strength and eager to expand its power. Prussia, which of all the German states had the least interest in German nationalism, was the agency through which Germany achieved this self-definition as a ‘crusading’ power, charged with the mission especially of civilizing the East (Taylor 1945: 114–5).
Teenage parenting and child development: a literature review.

Research on teenage parenting together with medical and behavioral research related to child development is reviewed in an effort to determine causal factors related to reported developmental deficits among children of teenage parents. 4 general conclusions are suggested: 1) several researchers agree that children of teenage parents show poor social and intellectual competence when compared with children on non-teen parents. However the amount of sound empirical data to support this view is minimal. For example there are few published studies of the longterm effects of teenage parenting or of actual behavioral interactions of teenage mothers and their children. 2) It is unlikely that research along the lines of the "continuum of reproductive casualty" will lead to identification of causal factors sufficient to account for developmental deficits in children of teenage mothers. 3) Research along the lines of "the continuum of caretaking casualty" suggest numerous behavioral and environmental variables that may be related to the development of children of teenage mothers. 4) Research designs applied to the study of teenage parenting must shift from linear models to complex multivariate models that permit simultaneous analysis of organismic environmental and behavioral determinants of development. Finally mental health specialists government agencies and researchers alike must be willing to entertain the hypothesis that much of our knowledge of the childrearing skills of teenage mothers is based on myth rather than empirical fact. 1 such myth may be that below 19 years of age maternal age in and of itself is an important determinant of infant development and parent-infant interaction. Poor social-economic status family support systems marital stability nutrition and prenatal care may be far more important determinants of development for these children than the age of their mothers.
Text paging of surgery residents: Efficacy, work intensity, and quality improvement

Background Text pages can communicate important information but also disrupt workflow, which can affect the safety of patient care. The purpose of this study was to analyze the content, volume, and distribution of text pages received by general surgery residents and physician's assistants (PAs) using natural language processing (NLP). Methods We studied text pages received by residents and PAs at a tertiary care teaching hospital from March to May 2012 using NLP. The number and content of pages were stratified by recipient seniority, surgical service, patient census, and patient location. Chi-square tests, t test, and analysis of variance were used to detect statistical significance. Results We captured 48,202 pages. The average number (mean ± standard deviation) of pages per hour was 3.1 ± 2.2 for postgraduate year (PGY)-1s and 2.8 ± 1.9 for PAs ( P P Conclusion Residents receive a high volume of pages at this tertiary care center, particularly regarding medications and pain. Services with regionalized patients exhibit less paging need per patient. Initiatives to improve pain management and regionalize patients may streamline communication, decrease the number of pages, and increase patient safety.
Transcriptome Analysis of Gelatin Seed Treatment as a Biostimulant of Cucumber Plant Growth

The beneficial effects of gelatin capsule seed treatment on enhanced plant growth and tolerance to abiotic stress have been reported in a number of crops, but the molecular mechanisms underlying such effects are poorly understood. Using mRNA sequencing based approach, transcriptomes of one- and two-week-old cucumber plants from gelatin capsule treated and nontreated seeds were characterized. The gelatin treated plants had greater total leaf area, fresh weight, frozen weight, and nitrogen content. Pairwise comparisons of the RNA-seq data identified 620 differentially expressed genes between treated and control two-week-old plants, consistent with the timing when the growth related measurements also showed the largest differences. Using weighted gene coexpression network analysis, significant coexpression gene network module of 208 of the 620 differentially expressed genes was identified, which included 16 hub genes in the blue module, a NAC transcription factor, a MYB transcription factor, an amino acid transporter, an ammonium transporter, a xenobiotic detoxifier-glutathione S-transferase, and others. Based on the putative functions of these genes, the identification of the significant WGCNA module and the hub genes provided important insights into the molecular mechanisms of gelatin seed treatment as a biostimulant to enhance plant growth.
Genital Injuries Resulting from Sexual Abuse: A Longitudinal Study

Four children who incurred perianal injuries as a result of a sexual assault were followed on a longitudinal basis to document the anatomical changes that ensued. The subjects, whose ages ranged from 4 to 8 years, were followed from 1 week to 14 months. They were examined in both supine and prone knee-chest positions and a 35-mm camera mounted on a colposcope was used to record their injuries. At the time of the initial examination, there were a variety of findings including erythema of the tissues, edema of the skin folds, localized venous engorgement, dilation of the external anal sphincter, and lacerations of different depths. Superficial lacerations reepithelized within 1 to 11 days. The second-degree wounds in two of the children were healed by the 1- and 5-week return visits, leaving narrow bands of scar tissue. In the two subjects who were followed the longest, signs of both a second-degree laceration and a surgically repaired third-degree injury had virtually disappeared by 12 to 14 months after the assaults. The wounds in one subject, infected with a herpes simplex type 2 virus, remained erythematous for a longer period of time than did similar injuries in the other children. A skin tag created by the avulsion of the tissues in one subject persisted, although it became less obvious as it retracted into the redundant folds of the perianal tissues over time.
Psychometric Properties of a Scale to Assess the Severity of Bathing Disability

Abstract Gill TM, Gahbauer EA, Van Ness PH. Psychometric properties of a scale to assess the severity of bathing disability. Objective To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a new bathing disability scale. Design Reliability and validity study. Setting General community. Participants Two subsets of community-living older persons, selected from an ongoing longitudinal study, who had some degree of bathing disability or were at increased risk for bathing disability, as determined during a comprehensive assessment at 36 (N=199) and 54 (N=213) months, respectively. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures The bathing disability scale was administered at 36, 54, and 72 months, and changes in scores were assessed between 36 and 54 months and 54 and 72 months, respectively, for the 2 subsets of participants. Convergent construct validity was evaluated by comparisons with changes in activity of daily living (ADL) disability, mobility disability, and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Discriminative construct validity was determined by comparisons according to age and physical frailty. Responsiveness was evaluated by comparisons between participants who had and had not been hospitalized and, subsequently, by plotting correlations according to the timing of these hospitalizations. Results The test-retest reliability was high, with an intraclass correlation coefficient=0.76 (95% confidence interval=0.59−0.94). The internal consistency reliability was excellent with Cronbach α=0.91−0.97. Changes in scores on the bathing disability scale were positively correlated with changes in scores in ADL and mobility disability and inversely correlated with changes in scores on the SPPB. A greater decline in scores was observed among the oldest old and those who were physically frail, but these differences did not consistently achieve statistical significance. The scale was responsive to the occurrence and/or timing of intervening hospitalizations. Conclusions The bathing disability scale is reliable, valid, and responsive and may be suitable for use in clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to enhance independent bathing.
Tandem mass spectrometry (MSn) of peptide disulfide regio-isomers via collision-induced dissociation: Utility and limits in disulfide bond characterization

Abstract Mass spectrometric characterization of the disulfide connecting patterns directly from intact peptides and proteins is highly desirable but remains a challenging task. In this work, the regio-isomers of peptides containing two intrachain disulfide bonds were synthesized from P1 and P2 peptides (single letter sequence: C(1)ARIC(5)AKLC(9)LEVC(13)K and C(1)AEKC(5)IEKC(9)LVRC(13), respectively). They were further used as model systems to understand the fragmentation chemistry of each isomer under low energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) conditions. MS 2 CID could easily identify the regio-isomer having a side-by-side disulfide linkage pattern (C1–C5 and C9–C13). However, the other two isomers with either loop-within-a-loop (C1–C13 and C5–C9) or overlapped disulfide configuration (C1–C9 and C5–C13) showed almost identical spectra and very limited sequence information could be obtained. Internal fragments which resulted from cleavages of two amide bonds from a sequence covered only by one disulfide loop were chosen for further dissociation. The MS 3 CID data showed that certain internal fragment ions produced distinct fragmentation patterns which were useful in assigning the correct connecting pattern of the disulfide bonds for all three isomers. On the other hand, some internal fragment ions could undergo consecutive disulfide bond opening during collisional activation, which led to the observation of isomeric peaks from different disulfide regio-isomers. The latter situation made it difficult to independently assign the regio-isomers.
Study of ganglioside patterns with two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography and radioautography; Detection of new fucogangliosides and other minor species in rabbit brain

Abstract Brain gangliosides are shown to be highly complex mixtures of major and minor species through the use of two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography combined with radioautography. When applied to 14C-labeled gangliosides, radioautography could be employed as a sensitive detection procedure capable of revealing minor species that were not visualized with a conventional spray. The brain ganglioside pattern of neonatal rabbits was studied in this manner following intracranial injection of 14C-labeled N-acetylmannosamine and fucose. Numerous minor components representing previously uncharacterized gangliosides were detected, including several new fucose-containing gangliosides.
Knocking out the DREAM to study pain.

Although some mechanisms by which acute pain evolves into a chronic syndrome are known, many others, including changes in the brain stem, thalamus, and cerebral cortex, are not understood. Moreover...
Effects of electroweak phase transition dynamics on baryogenesis and primordial nucleosynthesis.

The evolution of the electroweak phase transition, including reheating due to the release of latent heat in shock waves, is calculated for various values of as yet unknown parameters of electroweak theory such as latent heat and bubble wall surface tension. We find that, for a wide range of parameter space, the bubble walls of the phase transition slow down by as much as a few orders of magnitude. Consequently, we also show that since baryon production can be a sensitive function of bubble wall velocity, it is important to include the effects of reheating in the calculation of the baryon density of the Universe. We show that there is a sensitive velocity dependence for all mechanisms of baryon production, depending on the magnitude of velocity of the bubble wall, and we examine in particular an inverse velocity dependence on baryon production, which is predicted by the charge transport mechanism of baryon production. For this mechanism we find both an enhancement of baryon production and the generation of inhomogeneities during the electroweak phase transition. We calculate the magnitude of the baryon enhancement, which can be as large as a few orders of magnitude, depending on the parameters of the theory, and we calculate the size and amplitude of the inhomogeneities generated. We determine that the inhomogenities generated in a thermally nucleated electroweak phase transition are too small to survive diffusive processes and affect the nucleosynthesis epoch. We also examine the possibility that a phase transition nucleated by other means, such as by the presence of cosmic strings, may produce inhomogeneities that could affect nucleosynthesis.
Entrepreneurial Studies: Perspectives and Directions, 1948–1958

The sustaining encouragement which Arthur H. Cole has given to entrepreneurial history for more than a decade makes the formal termination of the Research Center in Entrepreneurial History, which he founded and guided, an occasion for trying to discern the course of entrepreneurial studies and some directions that have emerged from the Center's work. Looked at even briefly, entrepreneurial history has had a curious history of its own a history that emerged from one major paradox in the nineteenth century and very nearly marched into a second earlier in the twentieth century. The uncertainties surrounding its future suggest that present efforts at self-consciousness may serve a useful purpose. The initial paradox of entrepreneurial studies has been noted before: the fact that in the very period when industrial capitalism was emerging in the world, and the study of economics itself was taking on its modern form, the crucial role of the entrepreneur was only fleetingly mentioned in the writings of the classical economists.' Earlier writers had occasionally addressed themselves quite directly to the entrepreneurial function, sometimes with considerable insight into essentials. In the hundred years from Cantillon (1680?-1734), to J. B. Say (1767-1832), the central function of seeing and "combining" and committing resources under conditions of uncertainty
Muscle releases to improve passive motion and relieve pain in patients with spastic hemiplegia and elbow flexion contractures.

Introduction Patients with spastic hemiplegia after upper motor neuron (UMN) injury can develop elbow contractures. This study evaluated outcomes of elbow releases in treating spastic elbow flexion contractures in hemiplegic patients. Methods Adults with spastic hemiplegia due to UMN injury who underwent elbow releases (brachialis, brachioradialis, and biceps muscles) were included. Nonoperative treatment was unsuccessful in all patients. Patients complained of difficulty with passive functions. Passive range of motion (ROM), pain relief, Modified Ashworth spasticity score, and complications were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively. Results There were 8 men and 21 women with an average age of 52.4 years (range, 24.1-81.4 years). Seventeen patients had pain preoperatively. Postoperative follow-up was a mean of 1.7 years (range, 1-4.5 years). Preoperatively, patients lacked a mean of 78° of passive elbow extension compared with 17° postoperatively (P .05). Conclusion Releases of the brachialis, brachioradialis, and biceps muscles can be an effective means of pain relief, improved passive ROM, and decreased spasticity in patients with elbow flexion deformity after UMN injury.
Facial muscle tension influences lung airway resistance; limb muscle tension does not

In healthy adult subjects, operantly conditioned increases in facial (frontalis) muscle tension produce increased lung airway resistance, whereas conditioned facial muscle relaxation results in decreased airway resistance. Conditioned increases and decreases in limb (brachioradialis) tension do not affect airway resistance. The latter finding rules out general muscular events and mitigates against metabolic agents as explanations of the airway resistance changes associated with facial tension change and suggests that the facial muscles influence airway resistance through the operation of a neural reflex.
Light stability and discoloration of segmented polyether urethanes

Three diamine-extended polyether urethanes were prepared and their photodegradation studied. We find that the structure of the urea, as well as the urethane linkage, is important in determining photodegradation and discoloration of the polymers. Both processes can be minimized by using aliphatic diisocyanates and aliphatic diamine chain-extenders that contain no activated hydrogen alpha to nitrogen. In particular, an N-aryl urethane and an N-benzyl urea polymer photodegrade at about the same rate, but the N-aryl urethane that can form an extended conjugated system discolors more rapidly. The mechanisms for photodegradation of aryl and alkyl urea groups involving initial N-C bond cleavage appear to be analogous to the accepted mechanisms for the corresponding urethanes. After initiation, degradation of the polyether poly(oxypropylene glycol) also contributes to loss in molecular weight.
Rare late complication of the Nuss procedure: a case report

The Nuss procedure is a surgical repair technique for pectus excavatum with fewer delayed complications reported in the current literature. We report the case of a 23-year-old male who presented after a syncopal episode during activity. Further evaluation demonstrated a fibrous band causing severe right ventricle outflow obstruction from a prior Nuss procedure.
Language model parameter estimation using user transcriptions

In limited data domains, many effective language modeling techniques construct models with parameters to be estimated on an in-domain development set. However, in some domains, no such data exist beyond the unlabeled test corpus. In this work, we explore the iterative use of the recognition hypotheses for unsupervised parameter estimation. We also evaluate the effectiveness of supervised adaptation using varying amounts of user-provided transcripts of utterances selected via multiple strategies. While unsupervised adaptation obtains 80% of the potential error reductions, it is outperformed by using only 300 words of user transcription. By transcribing the lowest confidence utterances first, we further obtain an effective word error rate reduction of 0.6%.
Application of ART to time-coded emission tomography.

Using the Algebraic Reconstruction Techniques (ART) a method is introduced for division of the correlation coefficients into subsets allowing the three-dimensional reconstruction to be accomplished on a minicomputer. Results from simulations and experimental phantom data show that ART improves depth resolution compared to back-projection, that under-relaxation produces better images in the case of noisy data, and that the division of the correlation coefficients into subsets has no effect on quality. The images depict the expected resolution degradation in the direction normal to the detector plane due to the limited angular range of projections but yield quantitative results whose relative values are good, even though attenuation is neglected.
Determination of the Optical Thickness and Effective Particle Radius of Clouds from Reflected Solar Radiation Measurements. Part I: Theory

Abstract A method is presented for determining the optical thickness and effective particle radius of stratiform cloud layers from reflected solar radiation measurements. A detailed study is presented which shows that the cloud optical thickness (τc) and effective particle radius (re) of water clouds can be determined solely from reflection function measurements at 0.75 and 2.16 μm, provided τc ≳ 4 and re ≳ 6 μm. For optically thin clouds the retrieval becomes ambiguous, resulting in two possible solutions for the effective radius and optical thickness. Adding a third channel near 1.65 μm does not improve the situation noticeably, whereas the addition of a channel near 3.70 μm reduces the ambiguity in deriving the effective radius. The effective radius determined by the above procedure corresponds to the droplet radius at some optical depth within the cloud layer. For clouds having τc ≳ 8, the effective radius determined using the 0.75 and 2.16 μm channels can be regarded as 85%–95% of the radius at cloud...
theoretical concepts of conducting polymers

Abstract The central theoretical concepts in quasi one dimensional conducting polymers were discussed. The topics include 1. 1. the interacting electron-phonon system; 2. 2. spontaneous symmetry breaking and dimerization; 3. 3. soliton, polaron and bipolaron excitations; 4. 4. charge-spin separation and fractionally charged kinks; 5. 5. photogeneration of soliton-antisoliton pairs and the nonlinear lattice dynamics that ensues; 6. 6. soliton confinement in polymers having non degenerate broken symmetry phases; 7. 7. electron-electron Coulomb repulsion effects; 8. 8. effects of quantum fluctuations of the phonon field; 9. 9. large doping and the pseudo metallic phase. Since these and related topics have been discussed in detail in a recent review article by A.J. Heeger, S. Kivelson, W.P. Su and the author, Reviews of Modern Physics , 60 781–849 (1988), the reader is referred to this source for details concerning these topics.
The Newburgh-Kingston caries fluorine study IV. Dental findings after six years of water fluoridation

Abstract It is the prevailing scientific opinion, as expressed by leading health organizations ∗ in this country, that the fluoridation of potable water to a concentration of 1 p.p.m. F. is a safe, beneficial, and practical public health procedure. This is based on: (1) a critical review of the available literature on fluoride compounds and the effects of ingested fluorides on both man and animal; (2) on the data obtained from the carefully controlled studies such as the Newburgh-Kingston, Grand Rapids-Muskegon, and the Evanston studies; (3) on the vital statistics from naturally fluoridated areas in which considerable numbers of persons have lived for generations as compared with the vital statistics from fluoride-free areas. Many fluoride-deficient communities throughout the United States have already initiated programs to correct this deficiency. As of Sept. 15, 1952, according to a current report8 from the United States Public Health Service, 427 communities serving a population of 8 1 2 million persons are now practicing water fluoridation. In addition, 299 communities serving 15,360,000 persons have approved this new public health procedure and should have fluoridation programs in operation shortly. Dentistry has added a new milestone in public health. With the expansion of water fluoridation programs it may be expected that dental caries will lose its dubious honor of being the most prevalent disease to which mankind is subject.
Little strong evidence to base treatment of symptomatic lichen planus

Top of pageAbstract Objectives To assess the effectiveness and safety of any form of palliative therapy against placebo for the treatment of symptomatic oral lichen planus. Data sources Search strategy: Medline 1966–98, EMBASE 1980–98, Cochrane Library, handsearching of conference proceedings and specific journals, researchers in the field, drug manufacturers. Selection criteria were any placebo-controlled trial of palliative therapy for symptomatic oral lichen planus, using a randomised or quasi-randomised design that measured changes in symptoms and/or clinical signs. Data extraction and synthesis Change in symptoms (pain, discomfort) and clinical signs (visual impression, lesion measurements) at the end of therapy. Odds ratio of improvement versus no improvement for each trial outcome and pooling where appropriate. Results Nine therapies identified grouped into four separate classes (cyclosporines, retinoids, steroids and phototherapy) for comparison. No therapy was replicated exactly. Large odds ratios with very wide confidence intervals indicating a statistically significant treatment benefit were seen in all trials. However, this has to be tempered by considerations of the small study sizes, lack of replication, difficulty in measuring outcome changes and the very high likelihood of publication bias. Only systemic agents were associated with treatment toxicities, all other side-effects were mild and mainly limited to local mucosal reactions. Conclusions The review provides only weak evidence for the superiority of the assessed interventions over placebo for palliation of symptomatic OLP. The results highlight the need for larger placebo-controlled RCTs with more carefully selected and standardised outcome measures before between-treatment comparisons can be properly interpreted.
Pressure dependence of the Raman modes in iodine-doped single-walled carbon nanotube bundles

Raman spectra of iodine-doped single-walled carbon nanotube (I-SWNT) bundles excited with 514.5 nm were studied at room temperature and elevated pressure up to 7 GPa. The low frequency modes in I-SWNT exhibit very small pressure-induced frequency shifts, in contrast to the pressure shift of \ensuremath{\sim}7 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$/GPa (or larger) reported for the radial modes in undoped SWNT samples. This weak pressure dependence and the resonance with 514.5 nm excitation, corroborate the previous assignment of the Raman bands at \ensuremath{\sim}110 and 175 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ in I-SWNT to polyiodide chains. Furthermore, based on a comparison between the pressure behavior of the I-SWNT and undoped SWNT samples, we suggest that the ${\mathrm{I}}_{n}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ molecules might reside both in the interstitial channels and inside the pores of the tubes in SWNT bundles.
The Association of Hygieia with Asklepios in Graeco-Roman Asklepieion medicine.

L'article traite de l'association entre Asklepios, Dieu de la guerison et sa fille Hygie, deesse de la sante. En basant sa these sur des preuves archeologiques et litteraires, il decrit les quatre roles d'Hygie dans le culte d'asklepios.
Early postoperative hemorrhage after first rib resection for vascular thoracic outlet syndrome.

Background Thrombosis and embolization are the most frequent complications associated with the vascular presentation of thoracic outlet syndrome (VTOS). Therefore, surgery for these conditions requires careful balancing of anticoagulation and hemostasis. Our goal is to identify the optimal postoperative anticoagulation management of these patients. Methods A prospective database of consecutive patients who have presented to our institution with the diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome was reviewed from 1996 through 2010 for instances of postoperative hemorrhage. All venous cases were managed with transaxillary first rib resection followed by postoperative venography and percutaneous angioplasty when required. All arterial cases first underwent thrombolysis, then decompression with transaxillary first and cervical rib resection with concomitant arterial repair when indicated. Results Over the study period, 423 patients diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome underwent 551 procedures. Of these, 108 presented with VTOS (12 arterial and 96 venous). Mean age of the patients in the cohort was 33.7 ± 11.5 years, with 53 women and 55 men. Postoperative hemorrhage occurred in four patients (4%): three venous cases and one arterial case. Three patients required tube thoracostomy (average blood return: 800 mL) and two required video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for decortication. Age, gender, preoperative anticoagulation, interval from thrombolysis to surgery, operative duration, and operative blood loss had no effect on the risk of bleeding. No hemorrhage occurred in patients treated with postoperative coumadin alone (82 patients) or with no anticoagulant (24 patients). The four cases of hemorrhage occurred only in patients treated with postoperative low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH; 14 patients; p Conclusion Postoperative hemorrhage was not a common complication of first rib resection for VTOS. In our experience, it occurred exclusively in patients receiving LMWH postoperatively. Postoperative LMWH should be used with caution in patients with VTOS.
Nitrogen detection by means of a broad resonance at 9.3 MeV in ^(14)N(α,α)^(14)N elastic backscattering

Because of recent interest in using high energy helium ion backscattering to measure the nitrogen content in heavy substrates, we have determined the differential cross sections for the ^(14)N(α, α)^(14)N non-Rutherford elastic scattering in the energy region 9.1–9.6 MeV at a laboratory scattering angle of 177°. A broad (Γ ∼ 200 keV) resonance around 9.3 MeV was found. The cross section was ∼ 480 mb/sr, about 190 times higher than Rutherford scattering. The resonance, allowing a depth resolution of 40–50 nm, has been used to probe an implanted nitrogen layer in stainless steel and a thick (∼ 4.5 μm) TiN coating on the surface of a high speed steel (HSS) drill bit. For quantitative analysis of nitrogen content a computer simulation method based on fitting the low energy Rutherford portion of the backscattering spectrum is proposed to extract the pseudo-Rutherford surface height of the heavy elements in substrates without knowing their non-Rutherford cross sections at such high energies.
Responses of hypothalamic neurons to electrical stimulation in the amygdala and the hypothalamus

Abstract Effects of electrical stimulation through two or three electrodes in the amygdala and pyriform cortex on unit activity were studied for each of 147 units in the hypothalamus and preoptic region in cats. 1. 1. Most hypothalamic units whose action potentials were driven by stimulation in the medial part of the basal nucleus of the amygdala were located medial to the hypothalamic units whose action potentials were driven by stimulation in the lateral part of the basal nucleus of the amygdala. 2. 2. Both at 1 p/sec and 60 p/sec, stimulation in different parts of the amygdala changed the firing rates of some hypothalamic units in opposite directions. 3. 3. For 86 of the 147 units, the effects of stimulation in the lateral hypothalamus on unit activity were evaluated. The firing rates of 21 were affected by hypothalamic stimulation. Of these 21, the firing rates of 12 units were also affected by stimulation in the amygdala. 4. 4. These results support the hypothesis that the medial and lateral parts of the basal nucleus of the amygdala are functionally distinct, and provide further evidence of the heterogeneity of effects of the amygdala on the hypothalamus.
Characterization and Oxidation Behavior of Rayon-Derived Carbon Fibers

Rayon-derived fibers are the central constituent of reinforced carbon/carbon (RCC) composites. Optical, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the as-fabricated fibers and the fibers after oxidation. Oxidation rates were measured with weight loss techniques in air and oxygen. The as-received fibers are ~10 μm in diameter and characterized by grooves or crenulations around the edges. Below 800 °C, in the reaction-controlled region, preferential attack began in the crenulations and appeared to occur down fissures in the fibers.
Biased cognitive processing of cancer-related information among women with family histories of breast cancer: evidence from a cancer stroop task.

Stimuli associated with sources of stress have been shown to interfere with cognition. The authors hypothesized that women with the stress of having a family history of breast cancer (FH+) would exhibit greater interference on a task with cancer-related stimuli than women without cancer in the family (FH-). The authors developed a modified Stroop color-naming task to test this hypothesis in a sample of FH+ (n = 72) and FH- (n = 96) women. Consistent with the hypotheses, FH+ women had longer color-naming times and more errors (ps < .01) on a cancer word list relative to noncancer lists. This biased processing was not mediated by the significantly higher perceived risk, general distress, or cancer-specific distress in FH+ women. Maladaptive alterations in processing cancer stimuli may have important clinical implications, as these women must process complex cancer-related information critical to their health (e.g., options for chemoprevention, screening).
Toward a Neuro-Cognitive Animal Model of the Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Disruption of Cortical Cholinergic Neurotransmission Following Repeated Amphetamine Exposure in Attentional Task-Performing, but Not Non-Performing, Rats

Impairments in attentional functions and capacities represent core aspects of the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Attentional performance has been demonstrated to depend on the integrity and activity of cortical cholinergic inputs. The neurobiological, behavioral, and cognitive effects of repeated exposure to psychostimulants model important aspects of schizophrenia. In the present experiment, prefrontal acetylcholine (ACh) release was measured in attentional task-performing and non-performing rats pretreated with an escalating dosing regimen of amphetamine (AMPH) and following challenges with AMPH. In non-performing rats, pretreatment with AMPH did not affect the increases in ACh release produced by AMPH-challenges. In contrast, attentional task performance-associated increases in ACh release were attenuated in AMPH-pretreated and AMPH-challenged rats. This effect of repeated AMPH exposure on ACh release was already present before task-onset, suggesting that the loss of cognitive control that characterized these animals' performance was a result of cholinergic dysregulation. The findings indicate that the demonstration of repeated AMPH-induced dysregulation of the prefrontal cholinergic input system depends on interactions between the effects of repeated AMPH exposure and cognitive performance-associated recruitment of this neuronal system. Repeated AMPH-induced disruption of prefrontal cholinergic activity and attentional performance represents a useful model to investigate the cholinergic mechanisms contributing to the cognitive impairments of schizophrenia.
A Novel Frame Shift Mutation in the GHRH Receptor Gene in Familial Isolated GH Deficiency: Early Occurrence of Anterior Pituitary Hypoplasia

Background: Mutations in the genes encoding for GHRH receptor (GHRHR) and GH (GH1) are the most common cause of familial isolated GH deficiency (IGHD). GHRHR mutations are often associated with anterior pituitary hypoplasia (APH), but this has been reported almost exclusively in children older than 8 yr. We analyzed the GHRHR and measured pituitary size in a consanguineous family with the father and three of the five siblings with IGHD. Objective: The aim of the study was to find the mutated gene in a family with severe IGHD. Methods: We sequenced the whole GHRHR coding regions and the intron-exon boundaries from peripheral DNA of the index patient. After identifying the novel mutation, we sequenced the region of interest in the other members of the family. We measured the anterior pituitary volume from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results: The father and the three affected children were homozygous for a new frame-shift mutation in the coding sequence of exon 4 (corresponding to the extracellular dom...
Fluorescence and Absorption Spectroscopy Applied in Studies of Certain Laboratory Products, Isolated and Purified by Chromatographic and Electrophoretic Analyses

The spectroscopic laboratory of the Division of Laboratories and Research, New York State Department of Health, was planned in 1930. Gradually thereafter spectroscopic and other physical equipment was purchased. Methods for its use in basic research and in service were developed for the investigation of certain laboratory products that are involved in the problems of infection and immunity. Spectroscopic methods were being applied for the investigation of these problems in the early nineteen thirties chiefly in European laboratories. Many of these were visited to study organization, instrumentation, and methods.