cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Different Techniques of Pancreatic Stump Management in Robot-Assisted Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Background: Various technical improvements have decreased the morbidity and mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy. However, postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the most feared complication, and the ideal technique for pancreatic reconstruction is undetermined. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors and incidence of POPF with different types of pancreatic stump management after robot-assisted pancreaticoduodenectomy (RAPD). Materials and Methods: This study is a retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent RAPD at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System between September 2007 and January 2016. The cohort was divided based on the type of pancreatic stump management: pancreatic duct occlusion with cyanoacrylate glue (CG), pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ), posterior pancreaticogastrostomy (PPG), and transgastric pancreaticogastrostomy (TPG). Results: The cohort included 69 patients: pancreatic duct occlusion with CG (n = 18), PJ (n = 12), PPG (n = 11), and TPG (n = 28). Pancreatic duct diameter < 3 mm and duct occlusion with CG were identified as risk factors for POPF (p < 0.05). The incidence of POPF was lower when TPG and PJ were performed (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Reconstruction with PJ and TPG had better results compared to pancreatic duct occlusion with CG and PPG. However, TPG was the technique of choice and showed comparable results to PJ.
Intrinsic signaling function of APP as a novel target of three V642 mutations linked to familial Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract APP695 is a transmembrane precursor of Abeta amyloid. In familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD), three mutations V642I/F/G were discovered in APP695, which has been suggested by multiple studies to be a cell surface signaling receptor. We previously reported that normal APP695 encodes a potential GO-linked receptor with ligand-regulated function and that expression of the three FAD mutants (FAD-APPs), not normal APP, induces cellular outputs by GO-dependent mechanisms. This suggests that FAD-APPs are constitutively active GO-linked receptors. Here, we provide direct evidence for this notion. Reconstitution of either recombinant FAD-APP with GO vesicles induced activation of GO, which was inhibitable by pertussis toxin, sensitive to Mg2+ and proportional in quantity to the reconstituted amounts of FAD-APP. Consistent with the dominant inheritance of this type of FAD, this function was dominant over normal APP, because little activation was observed in APP695-GO vesicles. Experiments with antibody competition and sequence deletion indicated that His657-Lys676 of FAD-APP, which has been specified as the ligand-dependent GO-coupling domain of normal APP, was responsible for this constitutive activation, confirming that the three FAD-APPs are mutationally activated APP695. This study identifies the intrinsic signaling function of APP to be a novel target of hereditary Alzheimer's disease mutations, providing an in vitro system for the screening of potential FAD inhibitors.
Using patient-reported outcomes to understand the effectiveness of guideline-concordant care for post-traumatic stress disorder in clinical practice

Rationale Identifying predictors of improvement amongst patients receiving routine treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could provide information about factors that influence the clinical effectiveness of guideline-concordant care. This study builds on prior work by accounting for delivery of specific evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for PTSD while identifying potential predictors of clinical improvement using patient-reported outcomes measurement. Method Our sample consisted of 2 643 US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatients who initiated treatment for PTSD between 2008 and 2013 and received at least four PTSD checklist (PCL) measurements over 12 weeks. We obtained PCL data as well as demographic, diagnostic, and health services use information from the VA corporate data warehouse. We used latent trajectory analysis to identify classes of patients based on PCL scores, then determined demographic, diagnostic, and treatment predictors of membership in each class. Results Patients who met our PCL-based inclusion criteria were far more likely than those who did not receive EBTs. We identified two latent trajectories of PTSD symptoms. Patients in the substantial improvement group (25.9%) had a mean decrease in PCL score of 16.24, whereas patients in the modest improvement group improved by a mean of 8.09 points. However, there were few differences between the groups, and our model to predict group membership was only slightly better than chance (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.55). Of the 64 covariates we tested, the only robust individual predictor of improvement was gender, with men having lower odds of being in the substantial improvement group compared with women (odds ratio [OR] 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58-0.96). Conclusion VA patients with PTSD can realize significant improvement in routine clinical practice. Although available medical records-based variables were generally insufficient to predict improvement trajectory, this study did indicate that men have lower odds of substantial improvement than women.
Schizotypal Tendencies Are Positively Associated With Self-Talk Frequency.

Theory and research suggest that schizotypy is a personality construct characterized by self-regulatory problems and that self-talk serves a variety of self-regulatory functions. In this study, und...
Role of Retroviruses in Cellular Evolution

Abstract Retroviruses originated over 400 million years ago, and were present throughout most or all of vertebrate evolution. Integration of a provirus into host-cell DNA is an essential step in the retrovirus replication cycle, which can produce persistent infections and chronic diseases that reduce host fitness. Integration is also inherently mutagenic, with a spectrum of phenotypic consequences, and if integration occurs in the germline, the result is an endogenous retrovirus (ERV) that can be passed on to the organism’s descendants. Thus, retroviruses have a dual role in vertebrate evolution, as agents of selection and as sources of genetic and phenotypic variation.
Comparison of oral, intravenous, and subcutaneous fluid therapy for resuscitation of calves with diarrhea

Neonatal diarrhea remains the primary cause of mortality in dairy calves around the world, and optimal treatment protocols are needed. The main goals of therapy are to restore hydration and electrolyte concentrations, correct strong ion (metabolic) acidemia, and provide nutritional support. Administration of oral electrolyte solutions (OES) has long been the primary method used to treat neonatal diarrhea in humans and calves because OES are capable of addressing each of the primary goals of therapy. In calves with moderate dehydration, we hypothesized that oral electrolytes would be as good as or better than small volumes of intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous (SC) fluids. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to compare the ability of a commercially available oral electrolyte solution (OES) administered alone or in combination with hypertonic saline with small volumes of IV or SC fluid therapy to resuscitate calves with diarrhea. Thirty-three Holstein calves from 5 to 14 d of age were utilized in this clinical trial. Diarrhea and dehydration were induced by adding sucrose to the milk replacer. In addition, hydrochlorothiazide and spironolactone were given orally and furosemide intramuscularly. Depression status, clinical hydration scores, fecal consistency, and body weight were recorded at regular intervals. Treatment began when calves had severe diarrhea and had a decrease in plasma volume of at least 10%. Calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups of 8 to 9 calves per group: (1) OES; (2) OES with hypertonic saline (4 mL/kg, IV); (3) IV fluids (lactated Ringer's, 2 L); or (4) SC fluids (lactated Ringer's, 2 L). Treatments were given at 0 and 12 h. Changes in plasma volume, blood pH, electrolyte levels, and physical examination scores were determined before therapy and again at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 h after each treatment. All 4 treatments were ultimately successful in improving hydration as well as increasing blood pH; however, animals in both groups that received OES had much faster resuscitation than those in either the IV or SC fluid group. In conclusion, oral electrolyte products remain the gold standard for resuscitating diarrheic calves with moderate dehydration and acidemia and will likely perform better than small volumes of IV lactated Ringer's solution. Subcutaneous fluids by themselves are a poor treatment option and should be only be used as supportive therapy following the initial correction of hypovolemia and metabolic acidosis.
Molten salt reactor core simulation with PROTEUS

Abstract The Nuclear Energy Advance Modeling and Simulation Program (NEAMS) of the US Department of Energy (DOE) aims to develop advanced simulation tools to aid the development of advanced nuclear technologies. The high-fidelity PROTEUS code was developed in the NEAMS program for reactor physics analysis. This paper tests the applicability of the PROTEUS code to simulate a Molten Salt Reactor (MSR). The OpenMC code based on the Monte Carlo Method was employed to generate the cross sections and to provide stochastic solutions for verification. The PROTEUS code was successfully employed to simulate the steady-state performance of an MSR represented by the ThorCon core design. The 2D lattice, 2D core, and 3D full core calculations performed by PROTEUS show good agreement with that predicted by OpenMC. For the nodal option within PROTEUS, the precursor drift model was also tested, and this effect resulted in a reduction of the k-eff by 300 pcm.
Effects of Extended Lower Extremity Cooling Following Zone 3 REBOA in a Porcine Hemorrhage Model.

Introduction External cooling of ischemic limbs has been shown to have a significant protective benefit for durations up to 4 hours. Materials and methods It was hypothesized that this benefit could be extended to 8 hours. Six swine were anesthetized and instrumented, then underwent a 25% total blood volume hemorrhage. Animals were randomized to hypothermia or normothermia followed by 8 hours of Zone 3 resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta, then resuscitation with shed blood, warming, and 3 hours of critical care. Physiologic parameters were continuously recorded, and laboratory specimens were obtained at regular intervals. Results There were no significant differences between groups at baseline. There were no significant differences between creatine kinase in the hypothermia group when compared to the normothermia group (median [IQR] = 15,206 U/mL [12,476-19,987] vs 23,027 U/mL [18,745-26,843]); P = 0.13) at the end of the study. Similarly, serum myoglobin was also not significantly different in the hypothermia group after 8 hours (7,345 ng/mL [5,082-10,732] vs 5,126 ng/mL [4,720-5,298]; P = 0.28). No histologic differences were observed in hind limb skeletal muscle. Conclusion While external cooling during prolonged Zone 3 resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta appears to decrease ischemic muscle injury, this benefit appears to be time dependent. As the ischemic time approaches 8 hours, the benefit from hypothermia decreases.
The Relationship between In-Person Voting, Consolidated Polling Locations, and Absentee Voting on Covid-19: Evidence from the Wisconsin Primary

On April 7, 2020, Wisconsin held a major election for state positions and presidential preferences for both major parties News reports showed pictures of long
Inversion of Randomly Corrugated Surfaces Structure from Atom Scattering Data

The Sudden Approximation is applied to invert structural data on randomly corrugated surfaces from inert atom scattering intensities. Several expressions relating experimental observables to surface statistical features are derived. The results suggest that atom (and in particular He) scattering can be used profitably to study hitherto unexplored forms of complex surface disorder.
Re-Envisioning World Literature and Film: Rochefort, Savoca, and Lentricchia

Informed by Kristeva’s thought, this last chapter offers my own close readings, demonstrating how her writing shines light on works relatively unknown in world literature and film. These include two novels, Christiane Rochefort’s Children of Heaven and Frank Lentricchia’s The Edge of Night, and a film, Nancy Savoca’s Household Saints. The three texts deal with Italian immigrants as “strangers,” understood in Kristeva’s theory and fiction as representative of the human need to come to terms with psychic and interpersonal conflicts that social norms prevent one from confronting. First- or second-generation Italian immigrants, the principal characters are “strangers to themselves” and suffer from abjection. I show how Kristeva’s insights into both the abject and Catholicism are topics at the heart of her thinking and of the response to her work in the United States. The chapter shows how her perspective on these themes brings precision and coherence to my psychoanalytic readings as well as to comprehension of the plight of contemporary immigrants and of us all.
The nitrogen bioextraction potential of nearshore Saccharina latissima cultivation and harvest in the Western Gulf of Maine

In-water remediation strategies, implemented in conjunction with traditional watershed management, could help minimize the impact of excess nitrogen (N) on marine ecosystems. Seaweed farming and harvesting may have potential as in-water N remediation tools in the Western Gulf of Maine (WGoM), but more understanding of the associated spatial and temporal variability is needed. In this study, Saccharina latissima was grown and collected from four WGoM sites in 2016–2019 and analyzed for tissue N content and stable isotopes. The source of N taken by the kelp was not obvious from monthly nor interannual mean δ15N measured in the kelp tissue, and the interannual means were significantly different between sites in the same bay. Mean kelp biomass across all sites and years was 9.84 (± 2.53)–14.84 kg (wet weight) per meter of longline at time of harvest (late May–early June). Nitrogen content of the S. latissima tissue was 1.04–3.82% (± 0.22) (dry weight) throughout the growing season and generally decreased through the spring. Using these results, we estimated that harvesting a hypothetical hectare of S. latissima after 6–7 months of cultivation in the WGoM would have the potential to remove 19.2 (± 4.8)–176.0 (± 7.7) kg N ha−1, depending on the density of longlines. The wide ranges of both biomass at time of harvest, and δ15N and percent N content in the kelp tissue, highlight the need for site-specific pilot studies, even within a specific bay, prior to implementing kelp aquaculture as an in-water tool for N bioextraction.
Behavioral implications of the complete absence of guests on a zoo-housed gorilla troop

Research conducted on the effects that zoo visitors have on primate behavior has yielded inconsistent patterns. This study aims to contribute to the growing body of literature regarding visitor effects on zoo-housed primate’s activity budgets, with the purpose of quantifying the behavioral variability under two conditions: guest presence and guest absence. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many zoos were closed to the public for varying lengths of time. The Buffalo Zoo was closed to guests for an 18-week period including the summer of 2020, which allowed us to effectively control for zoo guest presence. This case report compares data on the zoo’s gorilla troop from the same time period in 2019. We found inconsistent results, similar to prior studies conducted with zoo-housed gorilla troops. Most gorillas were observed foraging less and exhibiting more inactivity in 2020, whereas the adult male silverback showed the opposite pattern. Abnormal or undesirable behaviors were performed less frequently when guests were absent however, these differences were not significant. We encourage others to compare behavior patterns during the pandemic shutdown to add to our knowledge base of visitor effects. We suggest that researchers do not try and generalize their individual and troop results to the entire population of gorillas in managed care, as both intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to individual differences in behavioral response.
Reply to Terhune and Jamieson: The nature of absorption.

We are deeply grateful for Terhune and Jamieson’s interest in our work (1, 2). We take seriously their concern that the observed relationships between absorption and spiritual presence events could be inflated by two items referring to sensed presences in the absorption scale (“I can often somehow sense the presence of another person before I actually see or hear her/him”; “At times I somehow feel the presence of someone who is not physically there”). We reran our key analyses (study 1: ref. 2, SI Appendix, tables S20 and S21; study 3: ref. 2, SI Appendix, tables S32−S35; study 4: ref. 2, SI Appendix, tables S40−S43), omitting these two items, … [↵][1]2To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: luhrmann{at}stanford.edu or kgweisman{at}gmail.com. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
The Experimental Study on Acute Respiratory Failure Caused by Burn Associated with Inhalation Injury

Burn associated with inhalation injury usually ends in acute respiratory failure which involves a very high postburn mortality. Retrospective and uncontrolled clinical studies seem unable to offer clear-cut insights into this confusing problem. The experiment reported in this chapter was designed to evaluate and analyze the clinical, pathophysiologic and pathologic changes with well-controlled dogs which sustained extensive burns associated with inhalation injury.
A 32 Gb/s 0.55 mW/Gbps PAM4 1-FIR 2-IIR tap DFE receiver in 65-nm CMOS

A PAM4 serial I/O receiver efficiently implements a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) that employs 1-FIR and 2-IIR taps for first post-cursor and long-tail ISI cancellation, respectively. The use of a single-clock phase two-stage regenerative comparator simplifies the quarter-rate receiver design and allows for sufficient gain to support PAM4 DFE. Optimization of the direct-feedback design's timing is achieved by cancelling the critical first post-cursor multi-level ISI directly at the comparator, while performing the remaining taps' ISI subtraction in a preceding current integration summer for improved sensitivity. Fabricated in GP 65-nm CMOS, the receiver occupies 0.0138 mm2 area and achieves power efficiencies of 0.55 and 0.52 mW/Gbps with 32 Gb/s and 25 Gb/s PAM4 data, respectively.
Development of a DNA biochip: principle and applications

Abstract This paper provides an overview of the operating principle of a DNA biochip based on integrated circuit for use in biomedical diagnostics. The device is a self-contained system with photosensors, amplifiers, discriminators and logic circuitry on board. The development and evaluation of various microchip system components of the genosensor are reviewed. Fluorescence detection of gene probes specific to DNA sequences related to pathogens such as the human immuno-deficiency virus 1 (HIV1) system illustrates the usefulness and potential of the DNA biochip technology for rapid and cost-effective medical diagnostics. Potential usefulness of the DNA biochip in clinical applications and functional genomics research is discussed.
General Features of Collisions and Spectra

This lecture will provide a further introduction to the Theory Symposium, describing features that are common to all collision and spectral phenomena of matter in gas phase. Many of these features are also relevant to clusters, viewed as large molecules, as well as to condensed phases of matter. Thus, e.g., ejection of a pho-toelectron from a crystal cell may be viewed as a photoionization of that cell modified by its crystalline environment.
Cognitive Development and the “One Foundation” Controversy

Abstract Accreditation standards for graduate and undergraduate social work programs are based on the policy that there is a single professional foundation. But is this an appropriate policy if the undergraduate and graduate students are quite different in their developmental levels? This study compared the cognitive development of students beginning their social work education at the bachelor's level with that of students beginning at the graduate level. Although the groups were similar in their levels of commitment and empathy, graduate students scored significantly higher in their ability to see situations in more mature and complex ways. If further research supports our contention that graduate students are at a higher level of cognitive development, is the same foundation content (which includes knowledge, skills, values, and experiential learning in the field) appropriate at both levels?
Aggregation, Community, and the Line Between

As class-action theorists, we sometimes focus so heavily on the class certification threshold that we neglect to reassess the line itself. The current line asks whether procedurally aggregated individuals form a sufficiently cohesive group before the decision to sue. Given this symposium’s topic - the state of aggregate litigation and the boundaries of class actions in the decade after Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor and Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp. - the time is ripe to challenge our assumptions about this line in non-class aggregation. Accordingly, this Article examines group cohesion and asks whether the current line is the only dividing line or even the correct one. If we are willing to look for genuine cohesion among individuals who are procedurally aggregated but lack sufficiently common traits before the decision to sue, then we will find an alternative, but perhaps more compelling, justification for binding collective interests. This Article draws on the dominant justifications for group litigation - consent and interest representation - to explore this alternative line-drawing scheme in terms of political theory. Encouraging plaintiffs to form groups and reach decisions through deliberation relies on a mix of individual consent and moral obligation. Allowing plaintiffs to exercise their free will when deciding whether to associate with others preserves the liberal tenet of self-determination and escapes the anti-democratic criticism leveled at class actions. Yet, a purely liberal approach fails to capture the obligatory aspect of reciprocal promises to cooperate and the communal obligations that attach. Although plaintiffs voluntarily enter into the group, once they are group members and have tied together their collective litigation fates, they should not be permitted to exit when doing so violates their commitments. Of course, the community itself determines the content of its members’ rights and obligations to one another. Thus, this Article concludes by explaining the rationale for group autonomy in terms of pluralism and communitarianism.
Forest Ecology in India: Colonial Maharashtra, 1850-1950

Forest Ecology in India: Colonial Maharashtra 18501950 takes a look at the human interactions that have shaped up the ecosystem specifically of Maharashtra, under the British colonial rule. This work is a culmination of extensive analysis of secondary sources and numerous archival primary sources including vernacular material hitherto unexamined from the perspective of Environmental History. It traces the evolution of political, socio-cultural and religious attitudes and administrative policies that had an impact on the forest ecology of Maharashtra.
Pharmacological discrimination of N-type from L-type calcium current and its selective modulation by transmitters

GABA and norepinephrine inhibit high voltage-activated calcium current in chick sensory neurons. Using specific pharmacological tools, we have dissected this current into two components: the major one is omega-conotoxin sensitive and dihydropyridine resistant (N-type) while the minor one is dihydropyridine sensitively and omega-conotoxin resistant (L-type). The ability to selectively eliminate these two components has allowed us to determine whether the transmitters target the same or different channel types. Both GABA and norepinephrine modulate the N-type component as evidenced by their lack of effect on (1) omega-conotoxin-resistant current and (2) pure L-type tail current, prolonged by a dihydropyridine calcium channel agonist. This simple pharmacological profile will allow future tests of the significance of the two channel types in regulating sensory neuron functions.
Automatic recognition of cells (ARC) for 3D images of C. elegans

The development of high-resolution microscopy makes possible the high-throughput screening of cellular information, such as gene expression at single cell resolution. One of the critical enabling techniques yet to be developed is the automatic recognition or annotation of specific cells in a 3D image stack. In this paper, we present a novel graph-based algorithm, ARC, that determines cell identities in a 3D confocal image of C. elegans based on their highly stereotyped arrangement. This is an essential step in our work on gene expression analysis of C. elegans at the resolution of single cells. Our ARC method integrates both the absolute and relative spatial locations of cells in a C. elegans body. It uses a marker-guided, spatially-constrained, two-stage bipartite matching to find the optimal match between cells in a subject image and cells in 15 template images that have been manually annotated and vetted. We applied ARC to the recognition of cells in 3D confocal images of the first larval stage (L1) of C. elegans hermaphrodites, and achieved an average accuracy of 94.91%.
Within District Transfers and Student Achievement: Moving Ahead by Staying in One Place.

Abstract Schools are grounded in routine. From following a standard course of study to regularly monitoring progress, schooling requires stability. For many urban schools, the regularity of standard procedures is frequently upset by erratic patterns of student mobility. The purpose of this research was to evaluate relations between within district transfers and achievement among elementary schools in a large metropolitan system. Relations between school transfer rate and achievement were evaluated. Moderate to high negative correlations were indicated with significant differences in reading, mathematics, language and total achievement battery scores favoring schools with little or no student mobility. Implications are discussed with regard to policy changes and concern for reversing the negative effects of within district transfers on the lives of students who can least afford them.
Identifying search patterns in an image-based digital library

Three months of clickstream transaction log data for an image-based digital library were analyzed for patterns in user session behavior. After extensive log cleaning of the data files, k-means cluster analysis was applied using selected session-related statistics. The outcomes reveal largely uniform session behaviors (97.37%) consisting of a limited number of actions, with a higher number of queries than other session types, but little browsing of individual results. Given the specialized nature of the digital collections within the studied system, most searchers appear to engage in purposeful, directed searching. The remaining session clusters represent higher degrees of browsing over a longer time with fewer queries per session. The session behaviors for this environment are markedly different than those revealed by transaction log studies of other information retrieval environments.
A harmonic model of a 2-pulse DC motor drive operating in the continuous current mode

A harmonic model of a DC motor drive operating in the continuous current mode fed by a single-phase source is developed. The traditional constant armature current model predicts a square wave line current which has spectral characteristics independent of operation conditions. The electrical equations of the equivalent armature circuit of the DC machine are solved. A Fourier analysis of these equations yields a harmonic model of the motor and drive. The new model is compared to the traditional model in several examples and found to differ greatly at lower values of speed and torque. The new model offers improved accuracy in predicting the harmonic line currents of the 2 pulse DC motor drive. >
A morphological investigation of thermosets toughened with novel thermoplastics. I. Bismaleimide modified with hyperbranched polyester

The morphology of a bismaleimide (BMI) toughened with a thermoplastic hyperbranched aliphatic polyester (HBP) was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of thermoplastic architecture, molecular weight, and end group on the size and arrangement of the dispersed phase was investigated and compared with the thermoset fracture toughness. SEM micrographs showed that higher molecular weight HBP formed roughly spherical dispersed domains of up to ∼ 60 μm, which contained BMI inclusions. Lower molecular weight HBP formed spherical dispersed thermoplastic domains, with diameters up to ∼ 10 μm with no BMI inclusions. A low molecular weight linear polyester with a repeat unit structure, which was similar to that of the HBP, was prepared and used as a control. Within error, BMI toughened with the linear control yielded the same fracture toughness as the best values obtained with HBP-modified BMI, but the morphology differed. The linear polyester phase separated into particles with a larger average diameter and also possessed some phase-inverted regions. End group effects were studied by modifying the hydroxy-terminated HBP to unreactive nitrophenyl, phenyl, and acetyl end groups. The nitrophenyl-terminated HBP did not phase separate from the thermoset, whereas the nonpolar phenyl- and acetyl-terminated HBP phase separated to form small (≤1 μm and ∼ 2 μm, respectively) spherical domains. Some comparisons were made to other results with HBP thermoplastics in BMI and epoxy thermosets. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 1065–1076, 1999
Attitudes toward nicotine dependence among chemical dependency unit staff - before and after a smoking cessation trial

As a part of a prospective study to assess the effect of nicotine dependence treatment among smokers undergoing inpatient treatment for other addictions, we surveyed the treatment staff about their attitudes toward smoking. The study was carried out in the Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Unit (ADDU), an inpatient addictions' treatment unit at Mayo Clinic. The subjects for this report were the ADDU staff. The attitude survey used was modified from that of Bobo and Gilchrist, and the survey was conducted for all staff before and after the prospective intervention study. Compared with the pre-study survey, the post-study survey indicated more staff thought nicotine dependence treatment should be provided to all smokers (p = 0.025). The percentage who thought that nicotine dependence treatment should be encouraged at the time of admission to the unit also increased (p = 0.005). Overall, staff attitudes toward nicotine dependence treatment changed toward more acceptance. While the intervention trial likely had an effect, other factors could also have played a role in this apparent change in staff attitude.
The JUPITER Trial Results, Controversies, and Implications for Prevention

Statin therapy is effective at reducing cardiovascular event rates among those with prior myocardial infraction, stroke, diabetes, or overt hyperlipidemia, and current guidelines strongly recommend lipid-lowering therapy among these patient groups as an adjunct to aggressive lifestyle interventions. However, of the nearly 1.7 million heart attacks and strokes that occur annually in the United States, more than half occur among apparently healthy men and women with average or low levels of cholesterol. Thus, novel screening and treatment strategies for cardiovascular prevention are needed that can detect high vascular risk in the absence of hyperlipidemia, that are inexpensive and simple to implement in the primary care setting, and that can provide comparable or superior effectiveness compared to currently accepted approaches. In a collaborative effort involving 1315 physicians in 26 countries, the JUPITER investigators1 sought to determine whether statin therapy might be effective at preventing first-ever cardiovascular events among men and women at risk for vascular disease because of elevated levels of the inflammatory biomarker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) but who are not candidates for statin therapy under accepted guidelines because of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) levels less than 130 mg/dL, the current treatment target for primary prevention. JUPITER was a formal hypothesis testing trial based on prior observations that (1) inflammation plays a crucial role in atherogenesis2; (2) that the inflammatory biomarker hsCRP independently predicts vascular events and improves global classification of risk regardless of LDLC level3–6; (3) that statin therapy reduces hsCRP in a manner largely independent of LDLC reduction7,8; (4) that in acute coronary syndrome as well as stable patients, the magnitude of benefit associated with statins relates in part to achieved levels of hsCRP9–11; and (5) that in a previous hypothesis generating analysis of the AFCAPS/TexCAPS trial, no clinical …
Observations on the use of cidofovir for BK virus infection in renal transplantation.

Background In renal transplantation, BK virus infection can result in significant graft nephropathy and loss. While reduction in immunosuppression (IS) is considered standard therapy, adjunct agents may be warranted. Data are suggestive of a possible role of cidofovir for the management of BK. This study aims to describe the course of BK viremia (BKV) in a large cohort of renal transplant patients receiving adjunct cidofovir. Methods We evaluated kidney and kidney-pancreas recipients who received cidofovir combined with reduced IS for management of high-level BKV or BK virus nephropathy (BKVN). We examined the rate and timing of BKV clearance, and performed a multivariate analysis to identify risk factors associated with long-term (>6 months) viremia. Results In total, 75 patients received a median of 13 doses of cidofovir in conjunction with reduced IS; 32 patients (43%) had short-term BKV (≤6 months), and 43 (57%) had long-term BKV. Overall, 53 of 75 patients (71%) eventually cleared BKV at a median of 4.2 months (interquartile range 2.1–9.3 months). Independent factors associated with long-term BKV included older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.1, P = 0.02), delayed graft function (OR 31.4, P = 0.01), and higher peak BKV (OR 12.8, P = 0.02), while BKV reduction by at least 1 log10copies/mL at 1 month of treatment was associated with clearance within 6 months (OR 49.3, P < 0.01). Patients with earlier clearance maintained stable graft function and no graft losses, while long-term BKV was associated with a 15% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate. Conclusions Adjunct cidofovir resulted in preservation of renal function when viral clearance occurred within 6 months of initiation. This retrospective review defines factors predicting response to cidofovir in conjunction with reduced IS for BKVN or high-level BKV. Still, considering cost, frequency of administration, and treatment duration, a randomized trial is necessary to define the exact utility of cidofovir in the setting of BK virus infection.
Peter David Marshall, CMG, OBE (1937–2012)

Peter Marshall, extraordinary seismologist, scientific leader, mentor, colleague, and friend, died on 5 October 2012 in Basingstoke, England. Peter spent his entire scientific career working on scientific issues related to the detection, identification, and yield estimation of underground nuclear explosions. Peter David Marshall, CMG, OBE (1937–2012). Peter’s greatest strength was in the careful study and interpretation of seismic data and waveforms. Once he trusted a body of data, he would apply his intellect and experience to gleaning the new insights and understandings hidden therein. Often he would bring separate, independent sets of data to a problem to reinforce or modify his original interpretation. Peter possessed an unsurpassed ability to explain his studies and their significance to his seismological colleagues and to government officials. Peter was a sustained contributor to the literature of seismic source identification and explosion yield estimation. His last contribution was published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America in 2012. Peter spent most of his professional career with the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) of the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom (UK). Early in his career he worked on high‐explosive experiments designed to test the cavity decoupling concept developed in theoretical terms by scientists in the United States (US). …
The correlation between demography and metabolic rate : a test using the beach vole (Microtus breweri) and the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus)

This study examines the hypothesis that mammalian species with wide fluctuations in population size will have greater metabolic rates than species with smaller population fluctuations. We tested this hypothesis using two microtine rodents — the beach vole (Microtus breweri) and the meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus). Although these species experience similar climatic regimes, eat similar foods, and have a very close phylogenetic relationship, they show marked differences in demography. Microtus pennsylvanicus is prone to large supraannual fluctuations in population size, while M. breweri is essentially acyclical. Metabolic rate (oxygen consumption) of each species was measured using open-flow respirometry at ambient temperatures ranging from 2 to 34° C. Basal metabolic rate of M. pennsylvanicus (1.81 ml O2 g−1 h−1) was significantly greater than that of M. breweri (1.39 ml O2 g−1 h−1). The lower critical temperature, estimated by continuous two-phase regression, was 28.9° C for M. pennsylvanicus and 29.8° C for M. breweri. Regression lines below thermoneutrality did not differ in slope, but the elevation for M. pennsylvanicus was significantly higher. Thus, M. pennsylvanicus has a higher metabolic rate at all temperatures examined. These results support the hypothesis that metabolic rate is positively correlated with the extent of population fluctuation. We suggest that further evidence for, or against, this hypothesis should be found by comparing closely matched species pairs, rather than resorting to confounded allometric comparisons of ecologically and phylogenetically diverse taxa.
Update on hormonal contraception and bone density

Combination hormonal contraception and progestin-only contraception (including depot medroxyprogesterone acetate [DMPA]) are effective and convenient forms of reversible contraception that millions of women use worldwide. In recent years, observations of reduced bone mineral density in current users of these methods have led to concerns that this hormone-induced bone loss might translate into long-term increased fracture risk. Special focus has been placed on adolescent users who have not yet attained their peak bone mass as well as perimenopausal users. In 2004, the FDA added a black box warning to DMPA package labeling warning of the risk of significant bone loss and cautioning against long-term use (>2 years). This article reviews evidence on the use of hormonal contraception and its effect on bone density in adolescent, premenopausal, and perimenopausal populations. Recommendations from reproductive healthcare organizations are reviewed and clinical recommendations are provided.
Different Measures of Win Rate for Optimal Proportional Betting

It is well known that all betting systems applied to independent, repeated, and identically distributed trials will result in the same expected gain per average unit wagered as that which applies to a single trial. This paper develops the asymptotic and paradoxical manner in which that constant win rate is maintained for optimal proportional betting according to the Kelly criterion. The appropriateness of using this traditional measure of win rate for proportional betting is contrasted with that of various alternatives.
Fluorophore Conjugated Silver Nanoparticles: A Time-resolved Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopic Study

Fluorescence detection is a central component in biological research. In recent years there has been a growing interest in the interactions of fluorophores with metallic surfaces or particles. A single-stranded oligonucleotide was chemically bound to a single 50 nm diameter silver particle and a Cy5-labeled complementary single-stranded oligonucleotide was hybridized with the particle-bound oligonucleotide. The bound Cy5 molecules on the silver particles were spatially separated from the silver surface by the hybridized DNA duplex chains, which were about 8 nm in length, to reduce the competitive quenching. We use fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy (FLCS) with picosecond time-resolved detection to separate the fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) contributions from fluorophores and metal-conjugated fluorophores. The single Cy5-labeled 50 nm silver particles displayed a factor of 15-fold increase in emission signal and 5-fold decrease in emission lifetimes in solution relative to the Cy5-DNA in the absence of metal. Lifetime measurements support the near-field interaction mechanism between the fluorophore and silver nanoparticle. In this study, FLCS is being applied to a system where the brightness and the fluorescent lifetime of the emitting species are significantly different. Our measurements suggest that FLCS is a powerful method for investigating the metal-fluorophore interaction at the single molecule level and to separate two different species from a mixture solution emitting at the same wavelength. Additionally, the highly bright Cy5-DNA-Ag molecules offer to be excellent probes in high background biological samples.
First order S4 and its measure-theoretic semantics

Abstract The first order modal logic FOS4 is a combination of the axioms and rules of inference of propositional S4 and classical first order logic with identity. We give a topological and measure-theoretic semantics for FOS4 with expanding domains. The latter extends the measure-theoretic semantics for propositional S4 introduced by Scott and studied in [3] , [6] , and [8] . The main result of the paper is that FOS4 is complete for the measure-theoretic semantics with countable expanding domains. More formally, FOS4 is complete for the Lebesgue measure algebra, M , or algebra of Borel subsets of the real line modulo sets of measure zero, with countable expanding domains. A corollary to the main result is that first order intuitionistic logic FOH is complete for the frame of open elements in M with countable expanding domains. We also show that FOS4 is not complete for the real line or the infinite binary tree with limits with countable expanding domains.
Association between symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing and speech in children with craniofacial malformations.

Study Objective:Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and speech difficulties are common problems in children with craniofacial malformations (CFM). The present study was designed to investigate whether...
Impact of Tumor Size on the Predictive Ability of the pT3a Primary Tumor Classification for Renal Cell Carcinoma

Purpose: The accuracy of the pT3a primary tumor classification for renal cell carcinoma has been questioned recently. We investigated the association of perinephric and renal sinus fat invasion with death from renal cell carcinoma independent of tumor size.Materials and Methods: We identified 2,165 patients treated with open radical nephrectomy or nephron sparing surgery for clinically localized, sporadic pT1a, pT1b, pT2 or pT3a renal cell carcinoma between 1970 and 2002. Patients with pT3a disease were then subdivided into 3 groups according to tumor size to match the size definitions for the pT1a, pT1b and pT2 tumor classifications.Results: There were 834 patients with pT1a RCC, 674 with pT1b, 494 with pT2 and 163 with pT3a RCC. At last followup 317 patients died of RCC at a median of 3.8 years following surgery. The median followup among the 1,087 patients still alive at last followup was 7.8 years (range 0 to 34). The risk ratios (95% CI) for the association between fat invasion and death from RCC amo...
A New Inviscid Wall Boundary Condition Treatment for Embedded Boundary Cartesian Grid Schemes

This work presents a new inviscid wall boundary condition technique for embedded Cartesian grid schemes. This scheme eliminates the time step restrictions associated with the arbitrarily small control volumes that can result when the surface cuts the Cartesian control volumes. The cells adjacent to the surface are removed from the control volume formulation and are instead solved via an interpolation technique which utilizes the wall boundary conditions to build the interpolating functions. Two different interpolation techniques are presented, one without considering wall curvature and one considering wall curvature. Results are compared to a twodimensional airfoil case and a three-dimensional wing case.
In-Vitro Dissolution Profile and Optimization of Assay Technique for Sustained Release Vitamin C Products

AbstractSix commercial sustained release Vitamin C products in the form of encapsulated coated pellets and compressed matrices were evaluated. A modified NF XIV procedure was used to monitor the release rate under two separate conditions. One condition involved bubbling of nitrogen gas in the extracting fluid in the bottle and displacement of air with nitrogen in the head space. The other involved no deaeration of extracting fluid with nitrogen and no displacement of air in the head space. Recovery of Vitamin C from some of the products evaluated was significantly higher, especially at higher pH of extracting fluid (pH > 4.5) using nitrogen gas. Release profiles varied significantly among the products under the conditions investigated.
The solubility of quartz in aqueous sodium chloride solution at 350°C and 180 to 500 bars

Abstract The solubility of quartz in 2, 3, and 4 molal NaCl was measured at 350°C and pressures ranging from 180 to 500 bars. The molal solubility in each of the salt solutions is greater than that in pure water throughout the measured pressure range, with the ratio of solubility in NaCl solution to solubility in pure water decreasing as pressure is increased. The measured solubilities are significantly higher than solubilities calculated using a simple model in which the water activity in NaCl solutions decreases either in proportion to decreasing vapor pressure of the solution as salinity is increased or in proportion to decreasing mole fraction of water in the solvent.
Potentials in D-C corona fields

A probe method has been devised for measuring potentials in d-c corona fields which are uniform for a short distance in one direction. In unipolar corona, a probe supported by perfect insulators assumes a potential sufficiently above the space so that no more ions can reach the probe. For a cylindrical probe with its axis along an equipotential, this excess or ?error potential? is proportional to the diameter of the cylinder. To minimize this error a fine wire is used as the probe. A frame is designed which both supports the wire and shields it from fields other than the field being measured. The fine wire is electrically connected to an electrostatic voltmeter, and the frame to a source of variable potential. A potential is measured by slowly increasing the potential of the frame and recording both frame and wire potential. Under proper conditions, the space potential is the point where wire and frame potentials are equal.