cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative measurements of urinary cyclic AMP to guide surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism.

SURGERY is the main form of therapy for primary hyperparathyroidism. The goal of therapy is to restore normal parathyroid function and avoid either persistent hyperfunction or permanent hypofunctio...
The Role of Parental Perceptions of Tic Frequency and Intensity in Predicting Tic-Related Functional Impairment in Youth with Chronic Tic Disorders

Tic severity is composed of several dimensions. Tic frequency and intensity are two such dimensions, but little empirical data exist regarding their relative contributions to functional impairment in those with chronic tic disorders (CTD). The present study examined the relative contributions of these dimensions in predicting tic-related impairment across several psychosocial domains. Using data collected from parents of youth with CTD, multivariate regression analyses revealed that both tic frequency and intensity predicted tic-related impairment in several areas; including family and peer relationships, school interference, and social endeavors, even when controlling for the presence of comorbid anxiety symptoms and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder diagnostic status. Results showed that tic intensity predicted more variance across more domains than tic frequency.
Sustainability in silicon and systems development

Moore's Law will continue to hold throughout the decade, allowing us to double transistor integration capacity while reducing power, thus providing an abundance of transistors needed to realize novel architectures for future platforms. These platforms will enable a more personalized user experience that delivers always — on and always — connected systems. This world of pervasive computing consists of a combination of intelligent systems from the smallest handheld device to the most powerful server. In the next decade, client and handheld systems will have the computing capacity of teraflop systems of today. The insatiable demand for high — performance computing, both in devices and data center infrastructure, is driving the industry to exascale computing.
The Elastic Field Resulting From Elliptical Hertzian Contact of Transversely Isotropic Bodies: Closed-Form Solutions for Normal and Shear Loading

This analysis presents the elastic field in a half-space caused by an ellipsoidal variation of normal traction on the surface. Coulomb friction is assumed and thus the shear traction on the surface is taken as a friction coefficient multiplied by the normal pressure. Hence the shear traction is also of an ellipsoidal variation. The half-space is transversely isotropic, where the planes of isotropy are parallel to the surface. A potential function method is used where the elastic field is written in three harmonic functions. The known point force potential functions are utilized to find the solution for ellipsoidal loading by quadrature. The integrals for the derivatives of the potential functions resulting from ellipsoidal loading are evaluated in terms of elementary functions and incomplete elliptic integrals of the first and second kinds. The elastic field is given in closed-form expressions for both normal and shear loading.
A brief report on working smarter with Agile software development

Agile software development methods have proven to be a substantial catalyst for improvements in software quality, speed of delivery, and fitness for use, and are a driver behind the IBM Smarter Planet™ initiative, which involves intelligent approaches that address the needs of a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected and instrumented. Software vendors who use a traditional or waterfall approach (i.e., sequential software development process) for requirement analysis and development often find that they cannot react with sufficient speed to meet rapidly changing market demand. As a result, stakeholders must wait for the vendor to complete a lengthy development cycle, which, when complete, may miss the market window for the software or fail to adequately address other needs of these stakeholders. Agile development methods, as practiced across geographically diverse and broad development teams at IBM, directly address this issue. One purpose of this paper is simply to provide a brief high-level overview and record of the adoption of these practices and methods across a large company, i.e., the IBM Corporation.
Development of Methods to Ascertain the Predictivity and Consistency of SAR Models: Application to the U.S. National Toxicology Program Rodent Carcinogenicity Bioassays

Models investigating relationships between chemical structures and biological activities are receiving increased recognition for the identification of chemicals with the potential for inducing adverse health effects. The relationships can be either qualitative (noted as SAR) or quantitative (noted as QSAR). The objective of the present study was to define an effective process for evaluating such models. The predictivity of SAR/QSAR models derived from the U.S. National Toxicology Program Rodent Carcinogenicity Bioassay endeavor by CASE/MultiCASE was evaluated by several different approaches: leave-one-out tests, 10-fold cross-validations and by the use of an independent test set. The goodness-of-fit for the data used in the model building, the predictivity for the chemicals not contained in the model, and the consistency of the predictions for a group of chemicals by different SAR/QSAR sub-models were examined systematically. Individual prediction indices generated by CASE/MultiCASE, arbitrary combinations thereof, as well as weighted combinations using Bayes' theorem, were utilized to derive predictions of Carcinogenicity. Combinations derived using Bayes' theorem provided the most predictive model. The closeness between sub-models based on the leave-one-out procedure and the full model (all chemicals used for model building) makes it the most reliable process for the estimation of a model's predictivity. However, the similarity between the predictions of the leave-one-out models and the 10-fold cross-validation models indicates that the latter process provides an acceptable approach.
Electronic energy levels in semiconductor nanocrystals: A Wannier function approach

We present a flexible and computationally efficient scheme for calculating electronic eigenstates of semiconductor nanocrystals using Wannier functions. With this method, we compute the band gap of CdS nanocrystals and compare our calculations with experiment. This approach also enables us to study the dependence of the gap on nanocrystal shape. By investigating spherical, cubical, and tetrahedral nanocrystals, we show that the gap is sensitive to the total number of atoms in a nanocrystal but not to their arrangement. Our theoretical analysis gives justification and clarification to the band-structure discretization method.
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Capsule Endoscopy Compared With Standard Upper Endoscopy for the Detection of Barrett’s Esophagus

Background & Aims: Esophageal capsule endoscopy (ECE) is a promising new technology for the detection of esophageal pathology. Potential advantages for Barrett’s esophagus (BE) screening include ability to return to work as a result of lack of intravenous sedation. Methods: We designed a Markov model to compare lifetime costs and life expectancy for a cohort of 50-year old men with chronic GERD for the presence of BE. We compared the base-case strategy of no screening for BE to 2 competing screening strategies: (1) ECE followed by upper endoscopy (EGD) if BE were suspected or if there was poor visualization on the ECE; and (2) standard sedated EGD with biopsy. Cost estimates were obtained from a third-party payer perspective. For each strategy we determined lifetime costs, life-years gained, numbers of esophageal cancers detected, death rates from esophageal cancer, and procedural deaths. Results: Initial EGD was more expensive but more effective compared with the no screening strategy. Assuming a theoretical cohort of 10,000 patients with GERD, initial EGD cost $1988 and was associated with 18.54 life-years compared with $2392 and 18.36 life-years for the ECE arm and $901 and 18.30 life-years for the no screening arm. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of screening with EGD compared with the no screening arm was $4530 per life-year gained. The model was robust to a wide range of sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Initial EGD appears more effective and less costly compared with ECE under base-case conditions for patients with chronic GERD undergoing screening for BE.
Participation in Research Studies: Factors Associated with Failing to Meet Minority Recruitment Goals

Purpose To determine the recruitment goals that investigators set for racial/ethnic minorities and the factors associated with failure to meet those goals. Methods Four hundred forty principal investigators (PIs) conducting clinical research funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in 2001 completed a mailed survey providing their minority recruitment goals and enrollment data for their most recent NHLBI-funded study. Results Ninety-two percent of PIs set goals for African Americans, 68% for Hispanics, 55% for Asian Americans, 35% for Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and 23% of PIs set recruitment goals for American Indians/Native Alaskans. Among those PIs who did set minority recruitment goals, the mean goal for the recruitment of African Americans was 31%, 16% for Hispanics, and 9% for Asian Americans. Twenty-seven percent of PIs failed to meet their recruitment goals for African Americans, 23% for Asian Americans, and 23% for Hispanics. After adjusting for multiple investigator and trial characteristics, the type of study (odds ratio [OR] 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2, 3.4 for observational vs. phase III trial) completion of study enrollment (OR 2.0; 95% CI 1.2, 3.4), and PI identification of a larger number of major barriers to participation (OR 1.8; 95% CI 1.1, 3.0) were all associated with failure to meet recruitment goals for African Americans. However, no factors were consistently associated with failure to meet recruitment goals across different racial/ethnic groups. Conclusions Investigators often do not set recruitment goals for some racial/ethnic groups. Factors associated with failure to meet recruitment goals vary in the recruitment of different minority groups.
Nanofluidics: bubbles as osmotic membranes.

Nanoscale gas bubbles can act as selective membranes and be used to estimate the condensation coefficient of water.
Catalytic effect of heavy metal oxides on crude oil combustion

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were applied to crude oil combustion in the presence and absence of metal oxides. It was found that the effect of titanium oxide was similar to that of silica and alumina. Vanadium, nickel, and ferric oxides behaved similarly in enhancing the endothermic reactions. In the presence of a large surface area such as with silica, the surface reactions are predominant and unaffected by the small amount of metal oxide present. Kinetic analysis of the DSC curves revealed that the activation energies and the frequency factors of the hydrocarbon and the coke combustion reactions, estimated for all the metal oxide additives including silica and alumina, followed the same normal compensation trend. The crude oil mixture of 90% ferric oxide was the only exception to this trend.
3-Amino-5-bromo-2-iodo­pyridine

The reaction of 3-amino-5-bromo­pyridine with N-iodo­succinimide in the presence of acetic acid produces the title compound, C5H4BrIN, with an iodo substituent in position 2 of the pyridine ring. The crystal structure features rather weak inter­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds linking the mol­ecules into chains along the z axis of the crystal.
Fast parallel table lookups to accelerate symmetric-key cryptography

Table lookups are one of the most frequently-used operations in symmetric key ciphers. Particularly in the newer algorithms such as the advanced encryption standard (AES), we frequently find that the greatest fraction of the execution time is spent during table lookups, varying between 34% and 72% for the five representative ciphers we consider: AES, Blowfish, Twofish, MARS, and RC4. In order to accelerate and parallelize these table lookups, we describe a new parallel table lookup (ptlu) instruction. Our synthesis results indicate that such an instruction can be added to a basic RISC processor with no cycle time impact. We compare the performance of the ptlu instruction with the speedups available through more conventional architectural techniques such as multiple-issue execution. We find that the performance benefits of using the ptlu instruction can be far higher than increasing the number of instructions executed per cycle in superscalar or VLIW processors.
Core Competencies for Health Care Ethics Consultants: In Search of Professional Status in a Post-Modern World

The American Society for Bioethics and the Humanities (ASBH) issued its Core Competencies for Health Care Ethics Consultation just as it is becoming ever clearer that secular ethics is intractably plural and without foundations in any reality that is not a social–historical construction (ASBH Core Competencies for Health Care Ethics Consultation, 2nd edn. American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, Glenview, IL, 2011). Core Competencies fails to recognize that the ethics of health care ethics consultants is not ethics in the usual sense of a morally canonical ethics. Its ethics is the ethics established at law and in enforceable health care public policy in a particular jurisdiction. Its normativity is a legal normativity, so that the wrongness of violating this ethics is simply the legal penalties involved and the likelihood of their being imposed. That the ethics of ethics consultation is that ethics legally established accounts for the circumstance that the major role of hospital ethics consultants is as quasi-lawyers giving legal advice, aiding in risk management, and engaging in mediation. It also indicates why this collage of roles has succeeded so well. This article shows how moral philosophy as it was reborn in the 13th century West led to the ethics of modernity and then finally to the ethics of hospital ethics consultation. It provides a brief history of the emergence of an ethics that is after morality. Against this background, the significance of Core Competencies must be critically reconsidered.
Gonadotropin stimulation protocols in the norfolk IVF program-1988

A standard FSH/hMG stimulation protocol applied to all patients does not yield optimum results. In the Norfolk program it has been found that the determination of FSH/LH ratio on day 3 of the menstrual cycle provides a predictive signal of the likelihood of a good or bad response to a standard protocol. If the FSH is high in relation to LH, the patient will likely be a low responder and/or approaching the menopause. A regime of high-dose pure FSH seems to improve the number of eggs in this group and therefore the pregnancy rate. On the other hand, if the FSH/LH ratio is very low, that is, the patient has a high LH, the patient is generally a high responder and produces many eggs, but in some instances the quality of eggs is suspect, and the pregnancy rate is low in a particular subset of high responders. The use of GnRHa and/or minimal stimulation with FSH or hMG seems to improve the pregnancy rate.
Interrelated effects of DNA supercoiling, ppGpp, and low salt on melting within the Escherichia coli ribosomal RNA rrnB P1 promoter.

The formation of complexes containing high levels of DNA melting at the ribosomal RNA rrnB P 1 promoter in vitro is shown to be facilitated by DNA supercoiling or low salt. The effector nucleotide ppGpp is ineffective under these conditions. The loss of supercoils or addition of salt increases the effectiveness of ppGpp in inhibiting formation of these complexes. In vivo plasmid DNA supercoiling is shown to decrease during starvation protocols that also increase levels of ppGpp. The results suggest that ppGpp regulation may be affected by the state of DNA supercoiling in vivo
An empirical comparison of inference using order-restricted and linear logit models for a binary response

In many applications with a binary response and an ordinal or quantitative predictor, it is natural to expect the response probability to change monotonically. Two possible models are a linear model with some link, such as the linear logit model, and a more general order–restricted model that assumes monotonicity alone. The order–restricted approach is more complex to apply, and we investigate whether it may be worth the extra effort. Specifically, suppose the order restriction truly holds but a simpler linear model does not. For testing the hypothesis of independence, is there the potential of a substantive power gain by performing an order-restricted test? For estimating a set of binomial parameters, how large must the sample size be before the consistency of the order-restricted estimates and inconsistency of the model–based estimates makes a substantive difference to mean square errors? We conducted a limited simulation study comparing estimators and likelihood–ratio tests for the linear logit model a...
FA2H is responsible for the formation of 2-hydroxy galactolipids in peripheral nervous system myelin

Myelin in the mammalian nervous system has a high concentration of galactolipids [galactosylceramide (GalCer) and sulfatide] with 2-hydroxy fatty acids. We recently reported that fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (FA2H), encoded by the FA2H gene, is the major fatty acid 2-hydroxylase in the mouse brain. In this report, we show that FA2H also plays a major role in the formation of 2-hydroxy galactolipids in the peripheral nervous system. FA2H mRNA and FA2H activity in the neonatal rat sciatic nerve increased rapidly during developmental myelination. The contents of 2-hydroxy fatty acids were approximately 5% of total galactolipid fatty acids at 4 days of age and increased to 60% in GalCer and to 35% in sulfatides at 60 days of age. The chain length of galactolipid fatty acids also increased significantly during myelination. FA2H expression in cultured rat Schwann cells was highly increased in response to dibutyryl cyclic AMP, which stimulates Schwann cell differentiation and upregulates myelin genes, such as UDP-galactose:ceramide galactosyltransferase and protein zero. These observations indicate that FA2H is a myelination-associated gene. FA2H-directed RNA interference (RNAi) by short-hairpin RNA expression resulted in a reduction of cellular 2-hydroxy fatty acids and 2-hydroxy GalCer in D6P2T Schwannoma cells, providing direct evidence that FA2H-dependent fatty acid 2-hydroxylation is required for the formation of 2-hydroxy galactolipids in peripheral nerve myelin. Interestingly, FA2H-directed RNAi enhanced the migration of D6P2T cells, suggesting that, in addition to their structural role in myelin, 2-hydroxy lipids may greatly influence the migratory properties of Schwann cells.
Fullerene-Centered Macromolecules as Unimolecular Micellar Structures

Fullerene C60 was used as the center block for core−shell macromolecular structures that are symmetric in three dimensions. These macromolecules contain block hydrophilic−hydrophobic moieties to facilitate intramolecular phase separation, making them essentially unimolecular micellar structures. We successfully used these macromolecules to encapsulate an aqueous or polar minor phase in a lipophilic solution and to prepare silver metal nanoparticles.
Population aging and international development: addressing competing claims of distributive justice.

To date bioethics and health policy scholarship has given little consideration to questions of aging and intergenerational justice in the developing world. Demographic changes are precipitating rapid population aging in developing nations however and ethical issues regarding older peoples claim to scarce healthcare resources must be addressed. This paper posits that the traditional arguments about generational justice and age-based rationing of healthcare resources which were developed primarily in more industrialized nations fail to adequately address the unique challenges facing older persons in developing nations. Existing philosophical approaches to age-based resource allocation underemphasize the importance of older persons for developing countries and fail to adequately consider the rights and interests of older persons in these settings. Ultimately the paper concludes that the most appropriate framework for thinking about generational justice in developing nations is a rights-based approach that allows for the interests of all age groups including the oldest to be considered in the determination of health resource allocation. (authors)
Effects of Kinetic Roughening and Liquid−Liquid Phase Transition on Lysozyme Crystal Growth Velocities

We measured the growth velocities of the (110) face of tetragonal lysozyme, V (centimeters per second), at four different concentrations, c (milligrams per milliliter), as the solution temperature, T (Centigrade), was reduced. For a broad range of T dependent on c, we find that the growth velocities increased as the solution temperature was reduced. The initial increase in V is well characterized by the 2D nucleation model for crystal growth, yielding the magnitude of an effective barrier for growth, gamma(sub s) = 1.2 plus or minus 0.1 x 10(exp -13) erg/molecule. Below certain temperatures, T(sub cr), dependent on c, however, a kinetic roughening hypothesis that considers the continuous addition of molecules anywhere on the crystal surface better describes the observed growth velocities. The application of the continuous growth model, up to the solution cloud-point temperatures, T(sub cl), enabled the determinations of the crossover concentration, c(sub r), from estimated values of T(sub cr). For all conditions presented, we find that the crossover from growth by 2D nucleation to continuous addition occurs at a supersaturation, sigma (sub c), = 2.0 plus or minus 0.1. Moreover, we find the energy barrier for the continuous addition, E(sub c), within the temperature range T(sub cl) less than T less than T less than T (sub cr), to be 6 plus or minus 1 x 10(exp -13) erg/molecule. Further reduction of T below approximately 2-3 C of T(sub cl), also revealed a rapid slowing of crystal growth velocities. From quasi-elastic light scattering investigations, we find that the rapid diminishment of crystal growth velocities can be accounted for by the phase behavior of lysozyme solutions. Namely, we find the reversible formation of dense fluid proto-droplets comprised of lysozyme molecules to occur below approximately 0.3 C of T(sub cl). Hence, the rapid slowing of growth velocities may occur as a result of the sudden depletion of "mobile" molecules within crystal growth solutions as dense fluid proto-droplets form.
Gating induces a conformational change in the outer vestibule of ENaC.

The epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) is comprised of three homologous subunits (α, β, and γ). The channel forms the pathway for Na+ absorption in the kidney, and mutations cause disorders of Na+ homeostasis. However, little is known about the mechanisms that control the gating of ENaC. We investigated the gating mechanism by introducing bulky side chains at a position adjacent to the extracellular end of the second membrane spanning segment (549, 520, and 529 in α, β, and γENaC, respectively). Equivalent “DEG” mutations in related DEG/ENaC channels in Caenorhabditis elegans cause swelling neurodegeneration, presumably by increasing channel activity. We found that the Na+ current was increased by mutagenesis or chemical modification of this residue and adjacent residues in α, β, and γENaC. This resulted from a change in the gating of ENaC; modification of a cysteine at position 520 in βENaC increased the open state probability from 0.12 to 0.96. Accessibility to this side chain from the extracellular side was state-dependent; modification occurred only when the channel was in the open conformation. Single-channel conductance decreased when the side chain contained a positive, but not a negative charge. However, alterations in the side chain did not alter the selectivity of ENaC. This is consistent with a location for the DEG residue in the outer vestibule. The results suggest that channel gating involves a conformational change in the outer vestibule of ENaC. Disruption of this mechanism could be important clinically since one of the mutations that increased Na+ current (γN530K) was identified in a patient with renal disease.
The structure of child and adolescent psychopathology: Generating new hypotheses

To begin to resolve conflicts among current competing taxonomies of child and adolescent psychopathology, the authors developed an interview covering the symptoms of anxiety, depression, inattention, and disruptive behavior used in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10; World Health Organization, 1992), and several implicit taxonomies. This interview will be used in the future to compare the internal and external validity of alternative taxonomies. To provide an informative framework for future hypothesis-testing studies, the authors used principal factor analysis to induce new testable hypotheses regarding the structure of this item pool in a representative sample of 1,358 children and adolescents ranging in age from 4 to 17 years. The resulting hypotheses differed from the DSM-IV, particularly in suggesting that some anxiety symptoms are part of the same syndrome as depression, whereas separation anxiety, fears, and compulsions constitute a separate anxiety dimension.
Dynamic entity distribution in parallel discrete event simulation

Event based simulations are an important scientific application in many fields. With the rise of cluster computing, distributed event simulation optimization becomes an essential research topic. This paper identifies cross-node event queues as a major source of slow down in practical parallel event simulations and proposes dynamically moving entities between nodes to minimize such remote event queues. The problem statement is formalized and an algorithm based on an approximation algorithm for the Capacitated Minimum K-Cut Problem is proposed. The algorithm is simulated and results are presented that show its effectiveness. For simulations with reasonably regular structural relationships between entities, reductions of remote entity queues from 80 to 90 % are demonstrated.
Risk Aversion in Markov Decision Processes via Near Optimal Chernoff Bounds

The expected return is a widely used objective in decision making under uncertainty. Many algorithms, such as value iteration, have been proposed to optimize it. In risk-aware settings, however, the expected return is often not an appropriate objective to optimize. We propose a new optimization objective for risk-aware planning and show that it has desirable theoretical properties. We also draw connections to previously proposed objectives for risk-aware planing: minmax, exponential utility, percentile and mean minus variance. Our method applies to an extended class of Markov decision processes: we allow costs to be stochastic as long as they are bounded. Additionally, we present an efficient algorithm for optimizing the proposed objective. Synthetic and real-world experiments illustrate the effectiveness of our method, at scale.
Deep subsurface exploration of planetary ice enabled by nuclear power

The exploration of subsurface ice environments on the Mars polar caps, as well as the icy moons of the outer solar system, has gained increasing attention in recent years. A number of mission concepts have been developed to varying degrees to explore these subsurface regions. In prior studies the ability to access these environments to significant depths has been limited primarily by the power systems available for application to such missions. The current state of development of compact nuclear fission power sources, however, brings new conceptual opportunities for deep, long-term exploration in planetary ice, enabling missions to explore the full depth of the Martian ice caps and potentially to explore the icy shells of the Jovian moons. In this paper a complete mission design is presented for one such mission to the north pole of Mars. The mission concept includes a design for a potential lander configuration based on adaptation of current technology as developed in early studies for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) project. The mission design also makes use of the basic entry, descent, and landing (EDL) proposed for MSL, with modifications to accommodate the configuration and mass of the ice probe and other landed elements. Two alternative methods of ice exploration are discussed, both enabled by a small 15 kW (thermal) surface fission power system. The first of these designs considers a lander-mounted reactor configuration with the reactor supplying 3 kW of electrical power to an electrically heated ice probe, based on designs currently in development and tested in terrestrial applications. The second concept considers a design in which the nuclear reactor is incorporated directly into the body of the ice probe, allowing the full thermal output of the reactor to be used in melting the ice. Each of these concepts brings distinct system design advantages, which are discussed in the paper, as well as the potential application of these concepts to the exploration of other solar system bodies.
Volume associated dynamic geometry and spatial orientation of the inferior vena cava

Background The geometry and dynamics of the vena cava are poorly understood and current knowledge is largely based on qualitative data. The purpose of this study is to quantitate the dimensional changes that occur in the infrarenal inferior vena cava (IVC), in response to changes in intravascular volume. Methods IVC dimensions were measured at 1 cm and 5 cm below the renal veins, on serial contrasted computed tomographic (CT) scans, in 30 severely injured trauma patients during hypovolemic (admission) and fluid resuscitated (follow-up) states. Changes in volume of the infrarenal segment were calculated and correlated with changes in IVC diameter and orientation. The orientation of the infrarenal caval segment was quantified as the angulation of the major axis from the horizontal. A representation of the IVC diameter, as would be seen on standard anterior-posterior venographic imaging, was determined by projecting the CT image of the major axis onto a coronal plane. CT representations of venographic diameters were compared with measurements of the true major axis to assess accuracy of venograms for caval sizing and filter selection. Results All patients had evidence of a collapsed IVC ( 0.5). The obliquity of the IVC resulted in significant underestimation of caval size of up to 6.8 mm, when using the venographic representation for sizing instead of the true major axis (P Conclusions In response to changes in intravascular volume, the IVC undergoes profound anisotropic dimensional changes, with greater displacement seen in the minor axis. In addition, the IVC is oriented left-anterior oblique and caval orientation is not altered by changes in volume status. IVC obliquity may result in underestimation of caval size by anterior-posterior venogram.
Prenatal HIV Screening in Pregnant Women: A Medical-Legal Review

Identifying pregnant women's human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection status provides them with the opportunity to seek appropriate treatment and to take measures to prevent vertical and horizontal transmission. Prenatal screening program options include targeting at-risk women, testing on a voluntary basis, or mandating prenatal HIV screening. When examining these options, the number of cases identified, programmatic costs, long-term health care costs, and legal implications must all be considered. Research indicates that targeting at-risk women misses a significant percentage of seropositive women, although programmatic costs may be lower. It is difficult to ascertain the difference between voluntary and mandatory programs with respect to the number of cases identified and treated. As a result, long-term savings are difficult to calculate. Mandatory programs would have the greatest direct costs and place the greatest burden on the woman's constitutional rights. By making HIV counseling and testing a routine component of prenatal care, voluntary programs could achieve the benefits of prenatal HIV screening without violating the woman's civil liberties. (BIRTH 24:3, September 1997)
What is Emptiness? Clarifying the 7th Criterion for Borderline Personality Disorder

The present study aims to clarify the 7th DSM-IV criterion for Borderline Personality Disorder: "chronic feelings of emptiness." Emptiness has been the subject of little empirical investigation. The relationship of emptiness to boredom and other affect-states is uncertain, and patients and clinicians can find it difficult to generate verbal descriptions of emptiness. In the present study, two sets of analyses address the meaning and clinical implications of feeling empty. First, affect-states that co-occur with emptiness are identified in 45 young adults who exhibit a prominent feature of Borderline Personality Disorder (i.e., self-injury). Second, the relationship of chronic emptiness to key psychiatric variables is examined in a large nonclinical sample (n = 274). Results indicate that emptiness is negligibly related to boredom, is closely related to feeling hopeless, lonely, and isolated, and is a robust predictor of depression and suicidal ideation (but not anxiety or suicide attempts). Findings are consistent with DSM-IV revisions regarding the 7th criterion for Borderline Personality Disorder. In addition, findings suggest that emptiness reflects pathologically low positive affect and significant psychiatric distress.
Influence of malaria infection on the elaboration of soluble mediators by adherent mononuclear cells.

Malaria results in two seemingly paradoxical perturbations of the immune response: polyclonal B-cell activation and immunosuppression. To determine what immunoregulatory role mediators secreted by adherent cells might play in these alterations, we cultured adherent cells from uninfected mice and from mice at different times during infection with Plasmodium berghei or P. yoelii. Culture supernatants obtained from these cells were tested for their ability to enhance the in vitro proliferative responses of thymocytes to suboptimal concentrations of concanavalin A or to inhibit the mitogen-stimulated proliferation of normal spleen cells. Supernatants obtained from adherent cells of mice early in infection (days 1 to 3) contained significantly elevated levels of enhancing activity which on Bio-Gel P-100 chromatography resembled lymphocyte-activating factor. Later in infection (days 4 and 5), these supernatants contained inhibitory activity. Normal adherent cells, when cocultivated in vitro with parasitized erythrocytes, ingested parasite debris and were stimulated to produce the enhancing factor. At high parasite/adherent-cell ratios, cells elaborated an inhibitory factor. These findings suggest that during malaria, adherent cells are converted from a nonspecific helper role to a nonspecific suppressor role. This modulation in function may be due to the direct interaction between adherent cells and parasitized erythrocytes.
Fast Colorimetric Sensing of Adenosine and Cocaine Based on a General Sensor Design Involving Aptamers and Nanoparticles

Aptamers are nucleic acid based binding molecules that are obtained through a combinatorial selection process known as systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). 2] They are emerging as a new class of molecules that can rival antibodies in terms of the broad range of molecules they can selectively bind. In comparison with antibodies, aptamers, particularly DNA aptamers, are relatively easy to obtain, more stable to biodegradation, and less vulnerable to denaturation. Therefore they are prime candidates as sensors in a number of applications, such as environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics. The key challenge to their successful application is transforming the aptamer-binding events into physically detectable signals. To meet the challenge, a number of methods have been developed, most of which involve fluorescence-based detection. Simple colorimetric sensors can eliminate the use of analytical instruments and have attracted much attention recently. For example, organic-dye replacement was employed to design a colorimetric cocaine sensor. However, an appropriate dye has to be found for a designated aptamer, and a waiting time of 12 hours is needed to observe a color change. Cationic conjugated polymers form complexes of different color with aptamers in the presence or absence of a target analyte. A number of colorimetric sensors were made with this method. The high extinction coefficients and distance-dependent optical properties have made metallic nanoparticles very attractive in DNA-related colorimetric assays, such as the detection of DNAwith high sequence selectivity, 22] and the detection of metal ions 24] and other analytes. 17] Recently, aptamer-functionalized gold nanoparticles were employed to detect thrombin. This system took advantage of the fact that each thrombin molecule binds two aptamers, so nanoparticles
Numerical study of EHD-enhanced water evaporation

A numerical model has been developed for the investigation of water evaporation enhanced by corona wind. The corona wind is generated by a wire electrode charged at a high dc voltage. Only positive corona discharge is considered in the present study. The effect of cross-flow on EHD-enhanced water evaporation is also examined. The results show that water evaporation can be greatly enhanced by corona wind. However, a cross-flow with a high velocity may diminish the effect of corona wind. The numerical results are also compared with experimental data reported in the literature. A satisfactory agreement is found between these results.
Toward providing guidance for procedure design: Formal definitions of procedure characteristics

A framework has been developed that is focused on providing guidance for the design of procedures and checklists. The framework identifies characteristics of the procedure and environment that could influence procedure following behavior, and formal definitions of those factors are introduced. In addition, tradeoffs between the factors that can be controlled by procedure designers are described. This framework, along with the formal definitions, should help enable provide more concrete guidance for researchers and practitioners concerning the design of procedures for human-machine systems.
Effective dose from radiation absorbed during a panoramic examination with a new generation machine

Abstract Objectives. The purpose of this investigation was to measure the tissue-absorbed dose and to calculate the whole-body effective dose (E) for a new generation panoramic machine (Planmeca PM 2002 CC Proline), operating in the panoramic examination mode. Comparisons could then be made with historical panoramic and intraoral radiographic dose measurement values and effective dose estimates. Study design. Thermoluminescent dosimeters were embedded in a humanoid, tissue-equivalent phantom at anatomically significant sites, representing key tissues. Absorbed dose measurements were obtained after every 5 panoramic exposures of a 25-exposure total. The measured average tissue-absorbed doses from a single panoramic exposure were used in the calculation of the whole-body E. Results. The whole-body E for the PM 2002 CC Proline panoramic examination is 3.85 μSv. This is below the panoramic average of 6.7 μSv. The PM 2002 CC Proline panoramic examination delivers approximately 5% to 12% of the E of a complete mouth intraoral radiographic examination. Conclusions. The effective dose from the PM 2002 CC Proline examination is at the low end of the range for other panoramic machines and is far below either a D-speed or E-speed film intraoral radiographic examination. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2000;89:236-43)
Engagement and Skill Development in Biology Students through Analysis of Art

An activity involving analysis of art in biology courses was designed with the goals of piquing undergraduates’ curiosity, broadening the ways in which college students meaningfully engage with course content and concepts, and developing aspects of students’ higher-level thinking skills, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. To meet these learning outcomes, the activity had three key components: preparatory readings, firsthand visual analysis of art during a visit to an art museum, and communication of the analysis. Following a presentation on the methodology of visual analysis, students worked in small groups to examine through the disciplinary lens of biology a selection of approximately 12 original artworks related in some manner to love. The groups then developed and presented for class members a mini-exhibition of several pieces addressing one of two questions: 1) whether portrayals of love in art align with the growing understanding of the biology of love or 2) whether the bodily experience of love is universal or, alternatively, is culturally influenced, as is the experience of depression. Evaluation of quantitative and qualitative assessment data revealed that the assignment engaged students, supported development of higher-level thinking skills, and prompted meaningful engagement with course material.
A new class of non-conjugated bipolar hybrid hosts for phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes

Comprising hole- and electron-transporting moieties with flexible linkages, representative non-conjugated bipolar hybrids have been synthesized and characterized for a demonstration of their potential use as host materials for the fabrication of phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes. The advantages of this material class include solution processing into amorphous films with elevated glass transition temperatures, stability against phase separation and crystallization, and provision of LUMO/HOMO levels and triplet energies contributed by the two independent moieties without constraint by the electrochemical energy gap. While exciplex formation between the hole- and electron-transporting moieties is inevitable, its adverse effects on spectral purity and device efficiency can be avoided by trapping charges on triplet emitters, as demonstrated for Ir(mppy)3 in TRZ-3Cz(MP)2, and TRZ-1Cz(MP)2. With these two bipolar hybrids and hole-transporting Cz(MP)2 as the host, the maximum current efficiency of the bilayer PhOLED is achieved with TRZ-3Cz(MP)2, but the driving voltage decreases monotonically with an increasing TRZ content.
Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 Expression Is Upregulated in Dendritic Cells in Patients with Chronic HCV Who Respond to Therapy

The present studies assessed the level of tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) subsets from patients with chronic HCV undergoing interferon α/ribavirin-based therapy (Ifn/R). Methods. TNFR family member mRNA expression was determined using quantitative real-time PCR assays (RTPCRs) in PBMC from 39 HCV+ patients and 21 control HCV− patients. Further subset analysis of HCV + patients (untreated (U), sustained virological responders (SVR), and nonresponders (NR)/relapsers (Rel)) PBMC was performed via staining with anti-CD123, anti-CD33, anti-TNFR1 or via RTPCR for TNFR1 mRNA. Results. A similar level of TNFR1 mRNA in PBMC from untreated HCV+ genotype 1 patients and controls was noted. TNFR1 and TNFR2 mRNA levels in PBMC from HCV+ patients with SVR were statistically different than levels in HCV(−) patients. A significant difference was noted between the peak values of TNFR1 of the CD123+ PBMC isolated from SVR and the NR/Rel. Conclusion. Upregulation of TNFR1 expression, occurring in a specific subset of CD123+ dendritic cells, appeared in HCV+ patients with SVR.
POTASSIUM CHLORIDE AND SMALL BOWEL PERFORATION.

Summary Primary nonspecific ulcer of the small intestine is seen infrequently. A group of cases has been reported recently with proposed pathogenetic effects of potassium chloride and thiazide. This paper presents a similar case with ulceration and perforation of the bowel probably caused by a partially digested enteric-coated potassium chloride tablet which was found in the ulcer bed.
Changes in plant species composition along an elevation gradient in an old-growth bottomland hardwood-Pinus taeda forest in southern Arkansas1

Abstract Grell, A. G. (Arkansas Forest Resources Center, School of Forest Resources, University of Arkansas-Monticello, Monticello, AR 71656-3468), M. G. Shelton (USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Monticello, AR 71656-3516), and E. Heitzman (Arkansas Forest Resources Center, School of Forest Resources, University of Arkansas-Monticello, Monticello, AR 71656-3468). Changes in plant species composition along an elevation gradient in an old-growth bottomland hardwood-Pinus taeda forest in southern Arkansas. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 132: 72–89. 2005.—Old-growth bottomland hardwood-Pinus taeda L. forests are rare in Arkansas, and the complex relationships between plant communities and environmental conditions have not been well described in these forests. To investigate these relationships, a digital elevation model was developed for a 16.2 ha old-growth bottomland hardwood-Pinus taeda forest in southern Arkansas. Overstory trees, saplings, seedlings, and herbaceous plants were analyzed in three 0.5 m...
Let’s make a deal: unraveling stakeholder influence on Colorado fracking policy

Fracking policy is a contentious issue that is increasingly being debated within state administrative agencies. Though scholars have revealed that stakeholders can be influential in federal rulemakings through framing, it is unclear whether groups at the state level are equally influential. This research employs a frame analysis approach to determine whether stakeholders use similar frames to those of federal groups, and whether they are comparably influential on regulatory outputs. I provide original interview data from a range of stakeholder groups and agency staff to unravel how stakeholders tried to influence the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s (COGCC) Statewide Groundwater Baseline Sampling and Monitoring Rule. This research confirms that stakeholder groups use similar frames to their counterparts in federal contexts. However, whether stakeholder framing efforts influenced the agency, was in part a function of their access, resources, and relationships to agency personnel. In this case...
Application of nylon Composite recycle technology to automotive parts

Recently there has been a market trend requiring End of Life Vehicles to be recycled to satisfy current legislation; therefore, we are approaching the recyclability of automotive parts based upon these environmental requirements. At this time, we have demonstrated a new recycle technology for polyamide using one of the largest automotive applications, the radiator end tank which has been previously viewed as degraded material due to hydrolysis and deemed as shredder residue. This technology [1] allows for the recovery of the base resin that is then recycled into a radiator end tank with performance equivalent to one made of virgin resin. The process for this technology includes collection of post consumer radiator end tanks that are then reground, dissolved, filtered for glass fiber removal, precipitated, recovered, and compounded into a usable resin. This technology is referred to as "Nylon Composite Recycle".