cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The need 4 speed in real-time dense visual tracking

The advent of consumer depth cameras has incited the development of a new cohort of algorithms tackling challenging computer vision problems. The primary reason is that depth provides direct geometric information that is largely invariant to texture and illumination. As such, substantial progress has been made in human and object pose estimation, 3D reconstruction and simultaneous localization and mapping. Most of these algorithms naturally benefit from the ability to accurately track the pose of an object or scene of interest from one frame to the next. However, commercially available depth sensors (typically running at 30fps) can allow for large inter-frame motions to occur that make such tracking problematic. A high frame rate depth camera would thus greatly ameliorate these issues, and further increase the tractability of these computer vision problems. Nonetheless, the depth accuracy of recent systems for high-speed depth estimation [Fanello et al. 2017b] can degrade at high frame rates. This is because the active illumination employed produces a low SNR and thus a high exposure time is required to obtain a dense accurate depth image. Furthermore in the presence of rapid motion, longer exposure times produce artifacts due to motion blur, and necessitates a lower frame rate that introduces large inter-frame motion that often yield tracking failures. In contrast, this paper proposes a novel combination of hardware and software components that avoids the need to compromise between a dense accurate depth map and a high frame rate. We document the creation of a full 3D capture system for high speed and quality depth estimation, and demonstrate its advantages in a variety of tracking and reconstruction tasks. We extend the state of the art active stereo algorithm presented in Fanello et al. [2017b] by adding a space-time feature in the matching phase. We also propose a machine learning based depth refinement step that is an order of magnitude faster than traditional postprocessing methods. We quantitatively and qualitatively demonstrate the benefits of the proposed algorithms in the acquisition of geometry in motion. Our pipeline executes in 1.1ms leveraging modern GPUs and off-the-shelf cameras and illumination components. We show how the sensor can be employed in many different applications, from [non-]rigid reconstructions to hand/face tracking. Further, we show many advantages over existing state of the art depth camera technologies beyond framerate, including latency, motion artifacts, multi-path errors, and multi-sensor interference.
Comparison of Methods for ICP Waveform Analysis with Intracranial Hypertension in Head-Injured Patients

Continuous monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) permits early identification and treatment of intracranial hypertension. However, measurement of the mean ICP does not provide information about the cause of the intracranial hypertension, which can include mass lesions, cerebral edema, hyperemia, and/or hydrocephalus. A number of experimental and preliminary clinical studies have suggested that changes in the shape of the ICP waveform could suggest the underlying pathophysiological mechanism of an elevated ICP [3, 4, 5, 6]. This additional information would permit treatment of the elevated ICP to be directed more specifically at the underlying cause.
Abstract P6-04-08: Mismatch repair defects induce metastasis of ER+ breast cancer

Estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death among women globally. Metastasis and endocrine treatment resistance are the two principal causes of death from ER+ breast cancer. There are few available targeted therapeutics for metastatic, endocrine treatment resistant disease other than CDK4/6 inhibitors. However, CDK4/6 inhibitors only work in a subset of patients and markers that can identify these patients have not yet been discovered. Considering cost and toxicity associated with chronic use of these inhibitors, it is critical to identify (a) biomarkers of response (b) combinatorial approaches to enhance efficacy. To achieve these goals, we need to understand the biology underlying endocrine treatment resistance and CDK4/6 inhibitor response. We recently identified loss of the MutL complex of mismatch repair (MLH1 and PMS2), as a cause of endocrine treatment resistance in 5-10% of women with primary (non-metastasized) ER+ breast cancer. We also demonstrated that primary ER+ breast cancer cells defective in these genes lacked ATM/Chk2 activation and were, therefore, sensitized to CDK4/6 inhibitors. Here, we present data demonstrating that MutL loss induces metastasis of ER+ breast cancer cells, which can be prevented/treated using ATM/Chk2 activators in combination with CDK4/6 inhibitors. We observed increased migration and invasion in three independent cell line models of MutL loss when treated with endocrine therapies in vitro, and increased lung colonization in vivo. We observe a similar phenotype in a PDX model of MutL defective ER+ disease. We also demonstrate significant inhibition of metastatic phenotypes upon administration of a combination of CDK4/6 inhibitors and ATM/Chk2 activators. Alternative targeted therapies that are effective against metastatic ER+ breast cancer remain elusive, and lethality associated with this diagnosis remains high. Current standard care comprises of endocrine treatment administered with CDK4/6 inhibitors. Even when effective, this combination is costly and associated with side effects as it requires chronic administration to maintain stable disease. The results of this study suggest that (a) MutL loss can be a predictor of increased risk for metastatic disease (b) MutL defective ER+ breast cancer has increased sensitivity to CDK4/6 inhibitors (c) combinatorial use of ATM/Chk2 activators with CDK4/6 inhibitors could significantly benefit ER+ breast cancer patients with defective MutL. These potential outcomes could greatly improve quality of life and decrease cancer-related death in thousands of women every year. Citation Format: Sujita Khanal, Athena Jimenez, Svasti Haricharan. Mismatch repair defects induce metastasis of ER+ breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-04-08.
RREACT: A Distributed Network Restoration Protocol for Rapid Restoration of Active Communication Trunks

Commercial telecommunications networks have tight real-time requirements for restoration after a failure. The problem of finding the available restoration paths and reassigning the interrupted traffic within such tight real-time requirements places difficult demands on the restoration protocol employed. This paper reviews several distributed network restoration protocols and presents a new distributed protocol called RREACT, for performing this function with a distributed algorithm which uses no prior network status or topography knowledge and which supports multiple simultaneous link restorations. Simulation results show that this protocol significantly outperforms other existing algorithms based on the Sender-Chooser approach, usually completing the total restoration in well under one second. In addition, enhancements to the basic algorithm are described which help to ensure near-optimal use of network spare channel resources and address such restoration situations where a complete restoration is possible but not achieved due to the poor choice of initial restoration path(s).
Brain Mechanisms Supporting Flexible Cognition and Behavior in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Cognitive flexibility enables appropriate responses to a changing environment and is associated with positive life outcomes. Adolescence, with its increased focus on transitioning to independent living, presents particular challenges for youths with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who often struggle to behave in a flexible way when faced with challenges. This review focuses on brain mechanisms underlying the development of flexible cognition during adolescence and how these neural systems are affected in ASD. Neuroimaging studies of task switching and set-shifting provide evidence for atypical lateral frontoparietal and midcingulo-insular network activation during cognitive flexibility task performance in individuals with ASD. Recent work also examines how intrinsic brain network dynamics support flexible cognition. These dynamic functional connectivity studies provide evidence for alterations in the number of transitions between brain states, as well as hypervariability of functional connections in adolescents with ASD. Future directions for the field include addressing issues related to measurement of cognitive flexibility using a combination of metrics with ecological and construct validity. Heterogeneity of executive function ability in ASD must also be parsed to determine which individuals will benefit most from targeted training to improve flexibility. The influence of pubertal hormones on brain network development and cognitive maturation in adolescents with ASD is another area requiring further exploration. Finally, the intriguing possibility that bilingualism might be associated with preserved cognitive flexibility in ASD should be further examined. Addressing these open questions will be critical for future translational neuroscience investigations of cognitive and behavioral flexibility in adolescents with ASD.
Patient-reported quality-of-life outcomes in relation to provider-assessed adverse events during head and neck radiotherapy.

To assess the relationship between patient-reported quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes and provider-assessed adverse events (AEs) during head-and-neck (H&N) radiotherapy (RT). Sixty-five patients undergoing H&N RT prospectively completed 12-domain linear analogue self-assessments (LASA) at baseline, before biweekly appointments, and at last week of RT. At the same time points, provider-assessed AEs were graded using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v4.0. LASA scores were stratified by maximum-grade AE and analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis methodology. Agreement between LASA scores and maximum-grade AE was assessed using Bland-Altman analysis. Patient-reported QOL outcomes showed clinically meaningful decreases in most domains, predominantly fatigue (77.8% of patients), social activity (75.4%), and overall QOL (74.2%). Provider-assessed AEs showed 100% grade 2 AE, 35.4% grade 3 AE, and 3.1% grade 4 AE. At baseline, patients with higher grade AEs reported worse physical well-being (WB) (P = .04). At week 1, the following QOL domains were worse for patients with higher grade AEs: overall QOL (P = .03), mental WB (P = .02), and physical WB (P = .03). Bland-Altman analysis showed that QOL scores were relatively worse than AE burden at baseline and relatively better at RT completion. Worse QOL was associated with higher-grade AEs at baseline and early in RT. The impact of AEs on QOL appears to lessen with time. Patient-reported QOL outcomes and provider-assessed AEs provide complementary information.
Prevention and Management of Gout

An acute gout flare is a common cause for ambulatory and emergency department (ED) visits. This teaching script leads the reader through an initial approach to abortive treatment, and moves on to cover nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic strategies of flare prevention.
E-Consult Innovation: A Middle-Ground Model To Enhance Adoption and Improve Care

Leaders at HealthPartners wanted to create a middle ground between informal, undocumented “curbside consultations” between primary and specialty clinicians and full-rate, face-to-face consultations...
UV-trained and metal-enhanced fluorescence of biliverdin and biliverdin nanoparticles

Increasing the fluorescence quantum yield of fluorophores is of great interest for in vitro and in vivo biomedical imaging applications. At the same time, photobleaching and photodegradation resulting from continuous exposure to light are major considerations in the translation of fluorophores from research applications to industrial or healthcare applications. A number of tetrapyrrolic compounds, such as heme and its derivatives, are known to provide fluorescence contrast. In this work, we found that biliverdin (BV), a naturally-occurring tetrapyrrolic fluorophore, exhibits an increase in fluorescence quantum yield, without exhibiting photobleaching or degradation, in response to continuous ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. We attribute this increased fluorescence quantum yield to photoisomerization and conformational changes in BV in response to UV irradiation. This enhanced fluorescence can be further altered by chelating BV with metals. UV irradiation of BV led to an approximately 10-fold increase in its 365 nm fluorescence quantum yield, and the most favorable combination of UV irradiation and metal chelation led to an approximately 18.5-fold increase in its 365 nm fluorescence quantum yield. We also evaluated these stimuli-responsive behaviors in biliverdin nanoparticles (BVNPs) at the bulk-state and single-particle level. We determined that UV irradiation led to an approximately 2.4-fold increase in BVNP 365 nm quantum yield, and the combination of UV irradiation and metal chelation led to up to a 6.75-fold increase in BVNP 365 nm quantum yield. Altogether, these findings suggest that UV irradiation and metal chelation can be utilized alone or in combination to tailor the fluorescence behavior of imaging probes such as BV and BVNPs at selected wavelengths.
Exploring the Stability of Mixed-Halide Vacancy-Ordered Quadruple Perovskites

The structural and optical properties of the halide substitutions of Br– and I– into Cs4MIIMIII2Cl12 (MII = Cd2+, Mn2+; MIII = Bi3+, Sb3+) have been investigated. All compositions adopt the ⟨111⟩ l...
Legal Ethics as Roadblock to Police Accountability

Perhaps the leading vehicle for legal accountability in policing is the civil action for damages. Damages actions enable plaintiffs to act as private attorneys general with a financial incentive to unearth evidence of police misconduct. Nevertheless, there is wide agreement that damages remedies have done little to curb police misconduct. A variety of explanations have been offered by commentators, though they have been thus far unable to produce much in the way of supporting empirical evidence. This article focuses on a critically important but, to date, an entirely overlooked explanation for the relative inefficacy of damages liability—the ethical obligations of attorneys who represent police officers named as defendants in section 1983 actions. As Part I explains, damages actions are usually brought against individual officers, who are then represented by attorneys whose fiduciary obligations run to the officer, not the municipality or other governmental entity that employs the officer. In fact, officers' attorneys have an ethical obligation to keep evidence of their clients’ misconduct from their clients' employers, even if this leads to expensive settlements paid by the employer. To assess the extent of the problem, Part I presents the results of a survey of a representative sample of section 1983 litigation alleging police misconduct, and finds that in the vast majority of cases, there is no attorney with a fiduciary obligation running exclusively to the officer-defendant’s employer; indeed, in some 80% of cases, the same attorney represents both the individual officer and the officer’s employer. Small wonder, then, that litigation rarely surfaces evidence of police misconduct that departments can use to impose discipline or undertake reform. The anomaly created when officers are represented by attorneys loyal to them, even though their legal costs and judgments against them are paid by the officer’s employer, cries out for reform. Part II proposes a simple one—by statute, ordinance, or collective bargaining agreement, in exchange for indemnification, public employers could acquire the right to appear for and defend their employees through their own attorneys, who would owe a fiduciary obligation not to the officer, but to the employer. Evidence suggesting misconduct unearthed in civil litigation could then be conveyed to police executives and elected officials consistent with the defense lawyer’s professional obligations, and could thereby become available as a basis for discipline or policy reform. Accordingly, at least when municipalities and other units of government that employ police officers have the political will to curb misconduct, information derived from civil litigation can be used to combat abuse.
Overweight or Obesity Onset and Past Attempts to Lose/Manage Weight: A Qualitative Study

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of weight control attempts along with their strategies and motivations. This study used a retrospective observational qualitative method, and adults who had body mass index (BMI) of at least 25 kg/m2 were included. The qualitative data were analyzed using a descriptive phenomenological approach. The summaries and emergence of major concepts identified by the participants were analyzed in-depth using a systematized retrieval and review of the data. NVivo was used to establish interrater reliability and percent agreement and analyze and manage the data. 91.7% of participants had tried to lose weight, and 72% were successful at least in one of their attempts. Health, appearance, and sports training were salient motivating factors. Their attempts to lose weight ranged from 2 to 30 times (median 4 times). Different dietary strategies and physical exercises were often tried. Among the most notable strategies were diet methods, following weight management programs, and consulting with dietitians. A number of barriers were reported, including ineffective weight loss, non-sustainability, demotivation, and unaffordability. For advancing evidence-based long-term weight control, it is vital to evaluate the quality and nature of weight management strategies and services from the perspective of users.
Gay Identity and Sense of Self: Rethinking Male Homosexuality

Abstract Psychodynamic theories of male homosexuality are reviewed including Freud, Klein and Object Relations theory. Some shortcomings of these theories are assuming (a) homogeneity of the gay male population, (b) the existence of a “homogenetic” family, and (c) that homosexuality necessarily emerges as a result of developmental arrest. An alternative explanation for problems in gay identity and sense of self is the environment's lack of empathy, mirroring, and acceptance for the gay child's constitutional differentness. A treatment approach based on principles of Self Psychology is recommended for providing gay clients who have disorders of the Self with corrective interpersonal experience.
Implementing Hard Real-Time Transactions on Multiprocessors

Many applications exist in which hard real-time transactions must be supported; examples include embedded control applications, defense systems, and avionics systems. With the recent advent of workstation-class multiprocessor systems, multiprocessor-based implementations of these systems are of growing importance. Unfortunately, the problem of implementing hard real-time transactions on multiprocessors has received relatively little attention. With most (if not all) previously-proposed schemes for implementing such transactions, the kind of transactions that can be supported is often limited, and worst-case performance is often poor, adversely impacting schedulability.
Quantitative Estimation of Scatterer Spacing from Backscattered Ultrasound Signals Using the Complex Cepstrum

This paper presents a new method of estimating the distance between regularly-spaced coherent scatterers within soft tissue from backscattered radio-frequency (RF) signals. Periodic components in the RF signal manifest themselves as peaks in the quefrency (cepstral) domain. Using simulation data, we show that these peaks are easier to detect using the complex cepstrum rather than the commonly used power cepstrum. Similar improvements are seen using phantom and in vivo liver data.
Identification, using synthetic peptides, of the minimum amino acid sequence from the retroviral transmembrane protein p15E required for inhibition of lymphoproliferation and its similarity to gp21 of human T-lymphotropic virus types I and II.

Abstract Synthetic peptides containing portions of a highly conserved region of retroviral transmembrane proteins of human and animal retroviruses were tested for their ability to inhibit lymphoproliferation to determine the minimum amino acid sequence required. The previously reported immunosuppression mediated by the peptide CKS-17 was confirmed and further localized to a sequence of eight residues essentially identical to the sequence present in the transmembrane protein gp21 of human T-lymphotropic virus types I and II (HTLV-I and -II). To substantiate the physiological relevance of the inhibition of lymphoproliferation observed with the synthetic peptides and to relate this activity to the intact protein, we purified the Rauscher murine leukemia virus transmembrane protein p15E by immunoaffinity chromatography and report that this purified component presented in the form of protein micelles inhibited the interleukin-2-dependent proliferation of the murine T-cell line CTLL-2 in a dose-dependent manner, with a half-maximal inhibitory dose (ID50) of approximately 16 nM. In comparison, the ID50 concentration of a recombinant form of p15E required to inhibit lymphoproliferation was approximately 2.2 microM. The results reported here support the hypothesis that the transmembrane protein gp21 of HTLV-I and -II participates in the mechanism of immunosuppression previously reported for the transmembrane proteins of feline leukemia virus and other animal retroviruses. Thus, the transmembrane protein of HTLV-I, the etiological agent of adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma, may be partially responsible for the immunocompromised clinical course of this disease that results in fatal opportunistic infections in a majority of cases.
Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) for Proteins

Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) is a spectroscopic technique applied throughout physics, chemistry, and biology to measure quantitatively the distance between selected locations on macromolecules and to determine the close association between interacting molecular components. Because FRET typically occurs over distances from 0.5 to 10 nm, it is especially useful for investigating many interesting biological molecular structures. It is also particularly valuable for following the dynamics and structural fluctuations of biological molecular systems. FRET can be applied in solution or under imaging conditions (such as in fluorescence microscopy, nanoscience, and even macroscopic imaging). In this article, we discuss the fundamentals of FRET. These principles apply to every FRET measurement. We present the basic rudiments and the relevant literature of FRET to provide the reader with the necessary background essential for understanding much of the past and modern literature. At the end of the article, we give a short discussion of several applications of FRET to proteins. The literature for FRET is vast, and many new applications are constantly being developed. We could not do justice to the many practitioners of FRET in such a short space, but armed with the background that is presented, we hope this basic information will help readers follow much of the literature and apply it in their own work.
Network steganography based on traffic behavior in dynamically changing wireless sensor networks

Previous work on network steganography mainly focused on which field(s) in the cover packet should be used to embed secret information, while largely ignoring how to generate the cover packet in the first place to make it hard to detect. As a result, the cover packet itself may raise suspicions which would defeat the purpose of network steganography. In this paper, we propose a novel traffic behavior learning scheme that can be leveraged to construct hard-to-detect cover packets even if the network traffic is analyzed at a deeper level (i.e., traffic patterns or behaviors). An unsupervised learning method based on the topic model is adopted to discover network traffic behavior. Previously captured network traces in a given network environment are used to train the topic model to learn traffic behavior. The results serve as reference to generate typical network traffic in any given environment and adapt to the network even if it is dynamically changing. In addition to traffic behavior, our model is able to capture network nodes' behavior. This is useful in that both traffic information (what packets to mimic) and node information (which nodes to mimic) can be taken into account when crafting cover packets. Our extensive simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme learning traffic behavior, indicating that the scheme can potentially be applied to other applications where traffic behavior is needed, besides network steganography.
The cocaine analog WIN 35,428 binds to two sites in fresh rat caudate-putamen: Significance of assay procedures

Abstract Binding of the potent cocaine analog [ 3 H]WIN 35,428 (2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-tropane) was examined in membrane homogenates prepared from fresh rat caudate-putamen. The number of rinses of the membranes following incubation with the ligand was varied. After one wash, only a single binding site was evident. With an increasing number of washes, however, two binding sites were observed. Additional rinses, up to a total of four, led to a decrease in the number of low affinity binding sites, with no change in the number of high affinity sites. These results suggest that the methodology used in these binding assays may be important for interpretation of the results.
Sampling statistic limitations on benthic foraminifera chemical and isotopic data

Abstract Analyses of benthic foraminiferal isotopic and chemical properties are typically done on a small number of individuals (often 5–10). Because benthic sediment mixing produces a mix of individuals whose properties were determined at times encompassing several thousand years, a sampling of several individuals does not adequately represent the average mixture. A quantitative statistical analysis shows that this effect places a fundamental limit on measurement precision in cores, especially where rapid environmental changes occur over short vertical distances. The fundamental parameters defining this limit are the rate of change of the property (per unit distance) and the effective mixing depth. In cores found in the Vema Channel/Rio Grande Rise region, where sedimentation rates are about 1 cm ka −1 and mixing depths are about 3 cm, a single sampling of six individuals can produce a result that has an expected one sigma standard deviation of 6–25% of the observed range. Precision can be improved by using more individuals or running more replicate analyses, but the result only improves as the square root of the number of individuals or replicates. This effect is illustrated by Cd Ca and isotopic data from low (0.7 cm ka −1 ) and moderate (1.5 cm ka −1 ) sedimentation rate cores. Although precision is compromised the most in low sedimentation rate cores, this effect contributes to imprecision in high sedimentation rate cores as well.
Taylor rules and the term structure

Abstract The expectations model of the term structure has been subjected to numerous empirical tests and almost invariably rejected, with the failure generally attributed to systematic expectations errors or to shifts in risk premia. Rules for monetary policy designed along the lines of Taylor [1993. Discretion versus policy rules in practice. Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy 39, 195–214] specify that the central bank adjusts short-term yields in response to deviations of inflation and output gaps from target level. Such rules give a good empirical account of the behavior of the short-term interest rate. Combining the Taylor rule and expectations theory, it is possible to generate—along lines pioneered by Campbell and Shiller [1987. Cointegration and tests of present value models. Journal of Political Economy 95, 1062–1088]—a series of theoretical long-term interest rates. When such theoretical rates are calculated for the US over 1980–2004, considerable support for the expectations theory emerges.
Public Health Nurses and Family Planning

Unintended pregnancy is a health problem that is particularly important in the practice of public health nurses (PHNs). Data from 844 PHNs showed that they were likely to practice in settings that incorporate family planning services and were knowledgeable about specific family planning methods. They favored family planning services and an expanded supportive government role in both family planning and abortion. Since PHNs are an important resource for the community activism required to build the consensus needed to expand these services, a multiple-regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of activism. Political participation was the major predictor for activism on both family planning and abortion.
Natural History of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms: Size Matters, Plus Moving Beyond Size

Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) are a prevalent and deadly disease that, without diagnosis and treatment, eventuates in life-threatening aortic dissection or rupture. While TAAs normally grow in an indolent manner, once a certain size (a "hinge point") is reached, the risk of dissection, rupture, and death increases dramatically. By virtue of their common clinical "silence," many TAAs are not diagnosed until such complications occur. While size is a helpful criterion for intervention, there is a need for parameters and markers besides aortic aneurysm size for use in diagnosing and monitoring TAAs so as to prevent natural complications of this disease.
Fast multiscale Gaussian beam methods for wave equations in bounded convex domains

Motivated by fast multiscale Gaussian wavepacket transforms and multiscale Gaussian beam methods which were originally designed for pure initial-value problems of wave equations, we develop fast multiscale Gaussian beam methods for initial boundary value problems of wave equations in bounded convex domains in the high frequency regime. To compute the wave propagation in bounded convex domains, we have to take into account reflecting multiscale Gaussian beams, which are accomplished by enforcing reflecting boundary conditions during beam propagation and carrying out suitable reflecting beam summation. To propagate multiscale beams efficiently, we prove that the ratio of the squared magnitude of beam amplitude and the beam width is roughly conserved, and accordingly we propose an effective indicator to identify significant beams. We also prove that the resulting multiscale Gaussian beam methods converge asymptotically. Numerical examples demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the method.
The influence of mecamylamine on ethanol and sucrose self-administration

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are believed to be critically involved in ethanol-related behaviors as well as in neurochemical responses to ethanol. However, discernment of nAChR contribution to ethanol reinforcement and consumption remains incomplete. The current studies examined the influence of the nAChR antagonist mecamylamine (MEC) on operant ethanol self-administration using a procedure that independently assessed appetitive and consumptive processes, and compared these findings to effects of MEC on sucrose self-administration. Male C57BL/6J (B6) mice were trained to respond for 30-min access to a retractable drinking tube containing either 10% v/v ethanol (10E) or 5% w/v sucrose (5S). Once trained, mice were habituated to saline injection and then treated with a series of MEC doses (0-8 mg/kg; i.p.) in a within-subject design. In a separate cohort, MEC was evaluated for its influence on locomotor activity. MEC dose-dependently reduced 10E and 5S self-administration. The suppression in ethanol intake was attributable to a reduction in bout frequency, whereas the attenuation in sucrose intake was due to a decrease in bout size. Doses of MEC (6-8 mg/kg) that altered drinking patterns were also found to impair locomotor activity. Although MEC non-selectively reduced 10E and 5S intakes in mice, there was some specificity in alterations of the underlying drinking pattern for each reinforcer. Assessment of drinking topography within an operant self-administration procedure may provide useful insights regarding the role of nAChR function in the regulation of ethanol consumption.
Intracorporeal laparoscopic appendicovesicostomy: a case report of a novel approach.

In 1980 Mitrofanoff introduced the use of appendix to catheterize the bladder or as a urinary reservoir.1 It became the most widely used continent, catheterizable channel because of a consistent vascular supply, adequate lumen and ease of construction.2 Most patients who require appendicovesicostomy usually undergo concurrent bladder augmentation.2 However, a select number require a Mitrofanoff procedure alone. We describe an initial case of completely intracorporeal, laparoscopic appendicovesicostomy.
Effects of age and caloric restriction on glutathione redox state in mice.

The main purpose of this study was to determine whether the aging process in the mouse is associated with a pro-oxidizing shift in the redox state of glutathione and whether restriction of caloric intake, which results in the extension of life span, retards such a shift. Amounts of reduced and oxidized forms of glutathione (GSH and GSSG, respectively) and protein-glutathione mixed disulfides (protein-SSG) were measured in homogenates and mitochondria of liver, kidney, heart, brain, eye, and testis of 4, 10, 22, and 26 month old ad libitum-fed (AL) mice and 22 month old mice fed a diet containing 40% fewer calories than the AL group from the age of 4 months. The concentrations of GSH, GSSG, and protein-SSG vary greatly (∼10-, 30-, and 9-fold, respectively) from one tissue to another. During aging, the ratios of GSH:GSSG in mitochondria and tissue homogenates decreased, primarily due to elevations in GSSG content, while the protein-SSG content increased significantly. Glutathione redox potential in mitochondria became less negative, i.e., more pro-oxidizing, as the animal aged. Caloric restriction (CR) lowered the GSSG and protein-SSG content. Results suggest that the aging process in the mouse is associated with a gradual pro-oxidizing shift in the glutathione redox state and that CR attenuates this shift.
Distinct distribution of two bombesin receptor subtypes in the rat central nervous system

Abstract We have previously demonstrated the presence of two distinct bombesin receptor subtypes in the rat CNS and distinguished them as bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide (BBS/GRP) and neuromedin B (NMB)-preferring binding sites. In the present study, we conducted a complete evaluation of the distribution of these binding sites throughout the rat brain using in vitro receptor autoradiography. The BBS/GRP-preferring binding sites were characterized as those that bound 125I-(Tyr4)BBS but not 125I-( d -Tyr0)NMB. At these sites 125I-(Tyr4)BBS binding was inhibited in the presence of 100 nM BBS but not by the same concentration of NMB. In contrast, NMB-preferring sites bound both radioligands and binding at these sites was inhibited in the presence of 100 nM NMB. Our results indicate that the distributions of BBS/GRP and NMB-preferring binding sites are widespread and distinct at all levels of the rat brain suggesting these peptides mediate separate functions in the rat central nervous system.
Harriet Jacobs among the Militants: Transformations in Abolition’s Public Sphere, 1859–61

This essay examines previously unexplored divisions within the antislavery movement's published responses to Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Revisiting Jacobs's conflict with her editor, Lydia Maria Child, over the suppressed chapter about John Brown, Smith emphasizes reception rather than authorial intention to show how the militant abolitionist James Redpath and his journal, the Anglo-African, aligned Jacobs's book with the legacy of Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. While Garrisonian pacifists like Child emphasized the moral influence of Jacobs's testimony, Redpath saw it as a contribution to a circum-Atlantic project of black resistance, liberation, and uplift that crossed lines of race and gender.
A laboratory study to determine the effect of iron oxides on proton NMR measurements

Using laboratory methods, we investigate the effect of the presence and mineralogic form of iron on measured proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation rates. Five samples of quartz sand were coated with ferrihydrite, goethite, hematite, lepidocrocite, and magnetite. The relaxation rates for these iron-oxide-coated sands saturated with water were measured and compared to the relaxation rate of quartz sand saturated with water. We found that the presence of the iron oxides led to increases in the relaxation rates by increasing the surface relaxation rate. The magnitude of the surface relaxation rate was different for the various iron-oxide minerals because of changes in both the surface-area-to-volume ratio of the pore space, and the surface relaxivity. The relaxation rate of the magnetite-coated sand was further increased because of internal magnetic field gradients caused by the presence of magnetite. We conclude that both the concentration and mineralogical form of iron can have a significant impact on NMR relaxation behavior.
Enthalpies of mixing of dimethylsulfoxide with water and with several ketones at 298.15 K

Enthalpies of mixing of dimethylsulfoxide + water, dimethylsulfoxide + acetone, dimethylsulfoxide + acetophenone, and dimethylsulfoxide + methyl isobutyl ketone were measured at 298.15 K with the Beckman model 190B microcalorimeter. The enthalpy of mixing of dimethylsulfoxide and water has a minimum of −662 cal mol−1 at 0.35 mole fraction dimethylsulfoxide. The enthalpies of mixing of dimethylsulfoxide with the ketones are nearly symmetric in mole fraction. The enthalpies of mixing at 0.5 mole fraction are 81, 108, and 211 cal mol−1 for dimethylsulfoxide with acetone, with acetophenone, and with methyl isobutyl ketone, respectively.
Lights, Camera, Save Lives! Impact of Low Budget, Low Fidelity Simulation to the Bedside Nursing Practice

Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program Evidence has shown how simulation is an effective modality of teaching especially for adult learners. In a perinatal unit, where the level of nurse experience ranges from 1 to 30 years, the focus should not only be to determine the nurses’ skills and readiness to respond during a crisis but also on the ability of the nurses to be great team players and practice effective communication. Simulation, even on a low budget, would still help nurses prepare for high‐risk rare events with an ultimate goal of a healthy mother and infant. Proposed Change To improve patient outcomes through evidence‐based practice following a standardized process in an obstetric (OB) emergency or neonatal complication after birth. The proposed changes included role‐specific functions and responses, initiating the chain of communication, improving teamwork, redesigning unit practice, and regular multidisciplinary simulations. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation The first step was to send out an online questionnaire regarding simulation and high‐risk rare events to evaluate what the nurses’ current view of such topics and to see if they were willing to participate in a simulation. The next step was to create a calendar of dates and times to make the nurses want to participate with simulations. The schedule was one scenario per shift. Low‐fidelity simulators and/or volunteers were used to make the simulations more realistic. Debriefing, through the evaluation of the recorded event, took place after the simulations were completed. It was then decided by the OB advisory that debriefings should be done on all OB procedures that were completed in our unit. In addition, protocols were revised and updated. New protocols were incorporated in our electronic medical record that also prompts documentation. Implications for Nursing Practice Staff's perception of simulation has changed from a negative outlook to a positive outlook. They are aware that the environment of a simulation is safe and mistakes are allowed so that during a real event staff may be prepared and ready. Staff readiness was improved by using simulation to define the process, educate, assess competency, and improve teamwork and communication. The use of simulation for ongoing team evaluation will continue to reinforce these skills so that if a complication does occur this multidisciplinary team will be prepared to ensure the most optimal outcome. We are on our journey toward excellence in our nursing practice.
Plastic anisotropy and the role of non-basal slip in magnesium alloy AZ31B

Abstract Mechanistic explanations for the plastic behavior of a wrought magnesium alloy are developed using a combination of experimental and simulation techniques. Parameters affecting the practical sheet formability, such as strain hardening rate, strain rate sensitivity, the degree of anisotropy, and the stresses and strains at fracture, are examined systematically by conducting tensile tests of variously oriented samples at a range of temperatures (room temperature to 250 °C) and strain rates (10−5–0.1 s−1). Polycrystal plasticity simulations are used to model the observed anisotropy and texture evolution. Strong in-plane anisotropy observed at low temperatures is attributed to the initial texture and the greater than anticipated non-basal cross-slip of dislocations with 〈a〉 type Burgers vectors. The agreement between the measured and simulated anisotropy and texture is further validated by direct observations of the dislocation microstructures using transmission electron microscopy. The increase in the ductility with temperature is accompanied by a decrease in the flow stress, an increase in the strain rate sensitivity, and a decrease in the normal anisotropy. Polycrystal simulations indicate that an increased activity of non-basal, 〈c + a〉, dislocations provides a self-consistent explanation for the observed changes in the anisotropy with increasing temperature.
Reaction of bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane with the tetracobalt cluster Co4(CO)10(μ4-PPh)2; synthesis, structure, and solution dynamics of Co4(CO)8(μ4-PPh)2(dmpe)

Abstract The reaction of the tetracobalt cluster Co4(CO)10(μ4-PPh)2 (1) with the bidentate ligand 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane (dmpe) gives the disubstituted cluster Co4(CO)8(μ4-PPh)2(dmpe) (3) in high yield. The dmpe ligand is bound to a single cobalt atom in a chelating fashion as determined by FTIR and NMR (31P and 13C) spectroscopy and singlecrystal X-ray crystallography. Co4(CO)8(μ4-PPh)2(dmpe) · 1 2 toluene crystallizes in the triclinic space group P 1 with a 11.673(1), b 15.986(5), c 20.276(7) A, α 94.40(3), β 106.28(2), γ 94.89(2)°, V 3599(2) A3 and Z  4. Blockcascade least squares refinement yielded R  0.0521 for 6830 reflections. The temperaturedependent 13C NMR spectra of 3 reveal two distinct fluxional processes which serve to equilibrate the carbonyl ligands about the cluster polyhedron. The stability of 3 under different conditions has been examined by Cylindrical Internal Reflectance (CIR) spectroscopy. In benzene solution 3 is stable under 250 psi of H2 at 150°C; partial decomposition to Co(CO)−4 is observed using CO and H2/CO under analogous conditions.
Computer Aided Design And Evaluation Of Infrared Cryogenic Sensors Undergoing Thermaumechanical Distortions

Efficient design and evaluation of infrared cryogenic sensors that must operate in changing thermal and mechanical environments require using automatized data transfer among thermal, structural and optical computer programs. The thermal and mechanical environments during which the sensors must operate to specifications include Sinusoidal and Random Vibration, Steady State Acceleration, Shock Spectrum, thermal soaks and gradients. The design of infrared cryogenic sensors to system requirements involves trade-offs among structural, thermal, and optical requirements. These trade-offs are performed using our Thermal/Structural/Optical (T/S/O) integrated design analysis process. This T/S/O process permits us to perform iterative cost effective systems evaluations of alternate designs by efficient data transfer among thermal, structural and optical programs. Examples are presented showing how Honeywell Electro-Optics Center (EOC) has used the T/S/0 process to design sensors that are subjected to varying thermal and mechanical loads.© (1978) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Colorimetric determination of alpha-estradiol in estrogenic mixtures using partition chromatography.

The use of iron-Kober reagent for the determination of α-estradiol in estrogen preparations has been limited by the interfering reactions of some other phenolic estrogens. A simple partition chromatographic procedure is now described for separating the estradiols and dihydroequilin as a group from complex estrogenic mixtures. The partition system comprises 0.4 N NaOH fixed on Celite as the immobile phase with benzene as the mobile phase. By dilution of iron-Kober reagent with 1 N HCl, a new reagent for the determination of α-dihydroequilin in the presence of the estradiols has been prepared. Results of analysis of mixtures of α- and β-estradiols with α-dihydroequilin containing up to 40 μg. of estrogens in various proportions show good precision and accuracy for each of the estrogens by the combined iron-Kober procedures. By using previously described methods for the extraction and separation of the ketosteroids in combination with the new methods, an analytical procedure for the colorimetric determination of α-and β-estradiols in complex mixtures of estrogens is presented. The results obtained by six laboratories in the analysis of two oil solutions of such complex mixtures show that the procedure is satisfactory.
On the Film Transfer Rate in Helium II

In view of the wide disagreement between the two existing determinations of the flow rate of the Rollin film under a gravitational potential difference we have re-examined the matter experimentally. Our results are in substantial agreement with the earlier work of Daunt and Mendelssohn.
Scapholunate advanced collapse wrist: Proximal row carpectomy or limited wrist arthrodesis with scaphoid excision?

Proximal row carpectomy (PRC) and limited intercarpal arthrodesis with scaphoid excision (LWF) are useful alternatives to wrist arthrodesis for treatment of degenerative wrist disorders secondary to scapholunate advanced collapse. Because consensus regarding the ideal motion-preserving option is lacking, we sought to better define the indications for and relative merits of PRC versus LWF. Twenty-four wrists treated for symptomatic scapholunate advanced collapse arthritis between 1980 and 1990 with either PRC or LWF were retrospectively reviewed at an average of 5.5 years postoperatively. At follow-up evaluation, satisfactory pain relief, grip strength, and functional performance were observed except in three patients with PRC, one of whom had developed symptomatic radiocarpal arthritis requiring conversion to arthrodesis. Differences in subjective and objective results between the two treatment groups were not statistically significant except for residual range of motion. Incomplete correction of lunate extension when LWF was performed resulted in diminished wrist extension, compared to PRC. Improvements in grip strength and range of motion were noted for at least 1 year after both procedures, and neither declined with time. A stage-dependent surgical approach to the symptomatic scapholunate advanced collapse wrist is advocated in light of comparable outcomes following both PRC and LWF. For wrists without capitolunate arthritis, PRC avoids the technical demands, lengthy postoperative immobilization, and risk of nonunion associated with LWF, but for stage III disease (capitolunate arthritis) pain relief may be unsatisfactory, and LWF is recommended.