cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 17308: Leukoaraiosis is Associated With Atrial Fibrillation and Greater Disability at 90-days in Patients Hospitalized With a Cardioembolic Stroke

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been associated with a poor post-stroke prognosis. AF has been linked to increased leukoaraiosis (LA) burden, which is associated with greater functional impairment after stroke. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that AF is associated with the severity of LA burden and thus impacts 90-day outcomes in patients hospitalized with acute cardioembolic ischemic stroke. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 317 consecutive patients with acute cardioembolic ischemic stroke enrolled in the University of Massachusetts Medical Center’s Stroke Registry between 2010 and 2014. Stroke mechanism was determined according to the Causative Classification System. LA burden was graded on MRI using the Fazekas scale. Infarct volume was quantified on diffusion weighted images. Neurological deficit severity was assessed at admission according to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). We evaluated the degree of disability using the modified Rankin score (mRS) at 90 days. Participants were categorized as having excellent (mRS 0-1), or poor (mRS 2-6) status. Results: A total of 132 patients were classified as having a definite (n=81) or probable (n=51) cardioembolic stroke. Of these, 54 (41%) had AF (previously known or newly documented). Compared to patients without AF, patients with AF were older (p=0.001), more likely to be receiving antihypertensives(p=0.008) and anticoagulants (p<0.05 each), were associated with a poor outcome at 90 days. Conclusions: We observed that AF was related to severity of LA and that LA burden was an independent predictor of significant disability 90-days post-discharge. Further study is needed to investigate the links between AF, LA, and outcomes after cardioembolic stroke.
Divided we stand: discourses on identity in ‘First’ and ‘Other’ Serbia. Social construction of the Self and the Other

The period post-1990s and subsequent history revisionism and identity reconstruction in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, and Serbia particularly, has received much scholarly attention. Studi...
A la manera de Callot: la poética ecfrástica de E.T.A. Hoffmann

From a historical standpoint, the fantastic tale derives from the works of E.T.A. Hoffmann and their subsequent reception in Europe, with France as a disseminating epicenter. Although the intermedial character of his production have been noted, critics have not sufficiently studied how Hoffmann drew upon Jacques Callot’s etchings in order to express his own aesthetic program. As a contribution to a deeper understanding of hoffmanianism as a phenomenon, from which the fantastic genre originates, I offer in this article an analysis of Hoffmann’s ekphrastic poetics inspired by Callot. I focus on three main paratexts, «Ja[c]ques Callot», the preface to «Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht» and the prologue to the novel Prinzessin Brambilla.
Microarray Spotter and Printing Technologies

The early stages of drug discovery heavily rely on high-throughput screening (HTS) of compound libraries to identify effective lead compounds. Biochemical and cell-based assays have been commonly performed with the assistance of robotic liquid dispensing systems to rapidly test and identify the potential efficacy and toxicity of drug candidates [1, 2]. In an effort to save costs and reduce expensive resources such as primary human cells and reagents, pharmaceutical industries have focused on miniaturizing HTS assays by using higher density well plates including 384- and 1536-well plates, leading to a reduction in reagent volumes and an increase the speed of the liquid dispensing [1, 3].
Language, Ontology, and the Carnap-Quine Debate

On a widespread reading, the Carnap-Quine debate about ontology concerns the objectivity and non-triviality of ontological claims. I argue that this view mischaracterizes Carnap’s aims in “Empiricism, Semantics, and Ontology” (ESO): Carnap’s fundamental goal is to free up decisions about scientific language from constraints deriving from ontological doctrine. The contention, based on his internal/external (i/e) distinction, that ontological claims are either meaningless or trivial was Carnap’s means to achieving this more fundamental goal. Setting the record straight on this point brings out three important and often overlooked features of Carnap’s views on ontology. First, the target of Carnap’s critique in ESO is not Quine’s mature views on ontology, as laid out in “On What There Is”. Rather, Carnap is responding to arguments for nominalism that were given by Tarski, Goodman, and Quine in the 1940s. Second, a more general rejection of conservatism in theory choice is essential to Carnap’s aims and is implicit in his fundamental views on language. Third, even if it turns out to be tenable, the i/e distinction is not adequate for Carnap’s aim in ESO. Drawing on his basic conception of scientific language, I will suggest an alternative approach on his behalf.
Alkaline Phosphatase, an Unconventional Immune Protein.

Recent years have seen an increase in the number of studies focusing on alkaline phosphatases (AP), revealing an expanding complexity of function of these enzymes. Of the four human AP proteins, most is known about tissue non-specific AP (TNAP) and intestinal AP (IAP). This review highlights current understanding of TNAP and IAP in relation to human health and disease. TNAP plays a role in multiple processes including bone mineralization, vitamin B6 metabolism and neurogenesis, is the genetic cause of hypophosphatasia, influences inflammation through regulation of purinergic signaling, and has been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. IAP regulates fatty acid absorption and has been implicated in the regulation of diet induced obesity and metabolic syndrome. IAP and TNAP can dephosphorylate bacterial derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and IAP has been identified as a potential regulator of the composition of the intestinal microbiome, an evolutionarily conserved function. Endogenous and recombinant bovine APs and recombinant human APs are currently being explored for their potential as a pharmacological agents to treat AP associated diseases and mitigate multiple sources of inflammation. Continued research on these versatile proteins will undoubtedly provide insight into human pathophysiology, biochemistry, and the human holobiont.
Dual-energy CT cisternography in the evaluation of CSF leaks: A novel approach

Cerebrospinal fluid leaks pose a serious threat to patients as they represent an unchecked communication between the subarachnoid space and the extracranial environment. Accurate localization of the leakage site is essential for treatment planning. We describe the novel utilization of dual-energy computed tomography technology in cisternography in the evaluation of a patient with a cerebrospinal fluid leak.
Projective resolutions and cohomology

Definition A projective cover of a module M is a projective module together with a surjective homomorphism \({P_M}\mathop \twoheadrightarrow \limits^\varepsilon M\)satisfying the following property: if \(Q\mathop \twoheadrightarrow \limits^\theta M \) is a homomorphism from a projective module Q onto M, then there is an injective homomorphism \({P_M}\mathop \to \limits^\sigma Q\) such that \(\varepsilon = \theta \sigma \) In fact, it can be seen from the proof of the next theorem that any homomorphism \(\sigma :{P_M} \to Q\) which satisfies \(\varepsilon = \theta \sigma \) must be injective. Likewise any \(\tau :Q \to {P_M}\) which satisfies \(\varepsilon \tau = \theta \) must be surjective.
How to Use Keynes’s Conventional Coefficient of Risk and Weight, c, to Clear Up Misunderstandings and Confusions About Keynes’s Views on the Use on His Principle of Indifference Versus the Use of Laplace’s Principle of Nonsufficient Reason

J M Keynes’s Principle of Indifference is not the same as Laplace’s Principle of Nonsufficient Reason. The application of Keynes’s Principle of Indifference requires that the calculation of the probabilities be based on the existence of positive, symmetrical evidence. This requires that the weight of the evidence, w, be greater than 0.The application of the Principle of Nonsufficient reason has no such restriction on its range of application. Adherents of the Principle of Nonsufficient reason argue, contrary to Keynes’s views ,that probabilities can be based on purely subjective views without any evidence. An examination of the work of R. von Mises, Robert Skidelsky and Murray Rothbard on Keynes in this area shows that existing assessments of Keynes’s work are very deficient.No economist appears to understand the interval based approach to probability undertaken by Keynes in the A Treatise on Probability in 1921.This would explain the great confusion about Keynes's work in the area of decision making.
The Iceland Mantle Plume: Status of the Hypothesis After a Decade of New Work

A decade has passed since Morgan (1972) turned Wilson’s (1963) hotspots into deep mantle convection plumes, and other workers (e.,g., Vogt, 1971, 1974; Schilling, 1973) first applied these ideas to the Iceland phenomenon. Although the basic hypotheses remain unchanged, the data libraries and reprint files have filled out considerably on this subject. This volume on the Greenland-Scotland Ridge (GSR) is an appropriate and timely occasion to review the status of the Iceland mantle plume hypothesis. Not all aspects can be examined in’this short review; geochemistry in particular is excluded. We begin by briefly considering whether a deep plume could exist under Iceland; next comes a discussion of hotspot fixity in light of known relative and absolute motions of the Eurasia (EURA) and North America (NOAM) plates, the geometry of the GSR, and the early Tertiary magmatic activity on adjacent continents. Finally we review the various kinds of anomalous “imprints” the Iceland hotspot has left on the ca. 3×106km2 oceanic crust affected by this phenomenon.
Effects of Halogens on Oxidation Reactions Over Single Crystals of Palladium

Abstract Dissociative chemisorption of dichloromethane occurs on a Pd(100) surface at room temperature with C, Cl, and H adsorbing into 4-fold sites while H tends to diffuse underneath the surface layer with increasing CH2Cl2 exposures. The CH2Cl2-precovered surface is very reactive toward oxygen in the 350-510K temperature range. The selectivity of oxidation of the carbon fragments to CO increases with CH2Cl2 preexposures, i.e. Cl-C-Cl coverges. A Monte Carlo simulation of the oxidation of surface carbon by surface oxygen atoms resulted in a semiquantitative account of the experimentally observed rates of production of CO and CO2 as a function of Cl coverage. The model explains selective oxidation to CO2 on Cl-free palladium and to CO on partially Cl-covered surfaces in terms of restricted supply of oxygen to the carbon fragments on the surface (ensemble control).
Not lost to follow-up: A rare case of CHILD syndrome in a boy reappears

Congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform nevus and limb defects (CHILD) syndrome is an exceedingly rare, X-linked dominant genetic disorder of lipid metabolism that arises from mutations in NAD(P) dependent steroid dehydrogenase-like gene (NSDHL), which encodes 3β-hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenase, an enzyme essential to cholesterol synthesis. Cholesterol plays a crucial role in hedgehog signaling during normal mammalian development, thus explaining the striking right-to-left unilateralism of both cutaneous and visceral manifestations typified by this condition. Presenting at birth or in the neonatal period, cutaneous findings are unilateral erythema and scaling that progress to increasingly hyperkeratotic, verrucous plaques or bands, sometimes Blaschkoid; partial spontaneous regression may occur over time. Skeletal defects, ranging from hypoplasia to complete amelia, and organ hypoplasia are likewise ipsilateral. CHILD syndrome is predominantly seen in females, as it is generally lethal in affected male embryos. In fact, there are currently only 2 reported cases in the literature of this disorder in males, one of whom we saw for follow-up nearly 20 years after his original description in 1996.1 Here we provide an update on his clinical status and disease progression, as well as advances in the current understanding of disease pathogenesis and management of this rare condition.
Extrathyroidal Extension is an Important Predictor of Regional Lymph Node Metastasis in Pediatric Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Introduction: The American Joint Committee Cancer (AJCC) TNM system predicts survival in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). In the eighth edition of the AJCC TNM, microscopic extrat...
Low-dose steroids for acute exacerbations of COPD in a non-ICU setting: Worth consideration.

Despite the guidelines, most patients still receive high intravenous doses for acute exacerbations.
Christians’ Prayer, Missio Dei, and Missio Ecclesiae: An Exegetical Study of 1 Timothy 2:1-7

1 Timothy 2:1-15 is considered to be one of the most profound passages on prayer in the New Testament because it presents an extensive instruction on what and how Christians ought to pray. However, NT scholars are in dispute on the purpose of the instruction on prayer in this passage. It is common that this instruction, especially that of 2:1-7, is regarded as a general command for Christians to pray for all people and for government leaders. This article will demonstrate that in this passage, Paul exhorts the church in Ephesus to pray for all people, including kings, so that God’s mission to bring salvation to all mankind will be fulfilled. At the same time, Christians need to pray so that they may carry out their mission among the ungodly society by living godly and dignified lives in accordance with the apostolic teaching and resist the false teaching that permeates the church. The structure of the text will be examined grammatically to expound the meaning of this passage.
Adverse childhood experiences and interpersonal violence among college students: does a relationship exist?

Objective: Previous research has found women who experience eight or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are 3.5 times as likely to be victims of adult IPV. This study examined the relationsh...
Outsourcing in place: Should a retailer sell its store-brand factory?

ABSTRACTSeveral major grocery chains in the United States own factories that produce some of their store-brand products. Historically, these store-brand products have been the low-price, lower-quality alternatives to higher-priced national brands, but the quality and consumer acceptance of store brands have increased markedly in recent years. Although demand for store-brand products has grown, managing the associated factories can be costly for retailers, leading some to consider selling the factories to third parties.We study the impact of selling a retailer’s existing capacity-limited factory to a third party when a store-brand product competes with a similar national-brand product. We examine the equilibrium dynamics between two external suppliers and show how the outcome changes with respect to prices, capacity limitations, the distribution of profits, and the sequencing of pricing decisions. Among other things, we show that, surprisingly, the national brand’s equilibrium wholesale price may fall when...
Towards Dynamic Checklists: Understanding Contexts of Use and Deriving Requirements for Context-Driven Adaptation

The goal of this in-the-wild study was to understand how different patient, provider, and environment contexts affected the use of a tablet-based checklist in a dynamic medical setting. Fifteen team leaders used the digital checklist in 187 actual trauma resuscitations. The measures of checklist interactions included the number of unchecked items and the number of notes written on the checklist. Of the 10 contexts we studied, team leaders’ arrival after the patient and patients with penetrating injuries were both associated with more unchecked items. We also found that the care of patients with external injuries contributed to more notes written on the checklist. Finally, our results showed that more experienced leaders took significantly more notes overall and more numerical notes than less experienced leaders. We conclude by discussing design implications and steps that can be achieved with context-aware computing towards adaptive checklists that meet the needs of dynamic use contexts.
Abstract 15990: Incidence and Outcomes of Elevated Troponins in Patients With Rhabdomyolysis

Introduction: The relationship between rhabdomyolysis and elevated troponins has not been clearly established. Literature has been limited to case reports and small single center studies. However, ...
Preoperative anemia management program reduces blood transfusion in elective cardiac surgical patients, improving outcomes and decreasing hospital length of stay.

BACKGROUND Anemia is an independent risk factor for hospitalization, readmission, prolonged length of stay (LOS), diminished quality of life, and mortality. A multidisciplinary program was implemented to manage anemia preoperatively as a patient blood management (PBM) initiative. METHODS AND MATERIALS From March 2016 to August 2018, 240 patients were screened for anemia during their preoperative cardiovascular visit. About 52/240 (22%) were found to be anemic and met out inclusion criteria. Also, 45/52 (87%) had iron deficiency anemia and 7 (13%) had anemia without iron deficiency. A similar historical cohort of patients undergoing elective cardiovascular surgery with hemoglobin (Hb) < 12 g/dl from September 2014 to February /2016 (n = 52) served as control group. The primary outcome was perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. Secondary outcomes were date-of-surgery Hb, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital LOS, complication rates, and transfusion cost. RESULTS The two most common treatments were IV iron ± folate (n = 36/45; 80%) and oral iron (n = 9/45; 20%). As compared to historical patients, study patients had significantly higher day-of-surgery Hb (10.6 ± 1.4 vs. 9.8 ± 1.3 g/dl, p < .001), lower utilization of RBC transfusion (0.86 ± 1.4 vs. 2.78 ± 2.4, p < .001), fewer days in the ICU (2.1 ± 2.0 vs. 4.0 ± 3.5, p = .002), and shorter total LOS (6.9 ± 4.8 vs. 12.9 ± 6.8, p < .0001). Study patients also showed lower overall complication rates (p < .0001). Analysis of RBC acquisition cost and transfusion cost also showed significant saving of 69% ($293 vs. $945 and $656 vs. $2116, respectively). CONCLUSION When corrected for type of procedures and surgeon, our pilot anemia program in elective cardiovascular surgeries showed higher day-of-surgery Hb and significant reduction in RBC transfusion rates, ICU and hospital LOS, and overall complication rates.
Value and use of patient reported outcomes in sarcoma clinic through GetWell Loop app.

179Background: Symptom monitoring in cancer care through patient reported outcomes has been used as an approach to improve symptom detection and communication. Through monitoring of patient symptom...
Feasibility of Clinically Practical Ultra-High Dose Rate (FLASH) Radiation Delivery by a Reversible Configuration of a Standard Clinical-Use Linear Accelerator.

Purpose/Objective(s) Multiple preclinical in-vivo studies of ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) radiation therapy (RT) have shown reduced normal tissue toxicity with equivalent tumor control when compared to conventional dose rate RT, with benefits seen at dose rates ≥40 Gray (Gy) per second. Leveraging these benefits for clinical translation could profoundly impact RT. Extending an institutionally established reversible configuration of a linear accelerator (LINAC) for FLASH, we explored the feasibility of LINAC-based FLASH RT for potential clinical application. Materials/Methods A standard, clinical-use treatment delivery system was used. A single decommissioned beam's program circuit board was replaced with a dedicated experimental board, holding control parameters for RF power and gun current. Dose rates at an electron beam energy of ∼16 MeV were maximized at a gun current setting of 11.8V grid voltage. Notably, this setup kept the scattering foil in the beam, maintaining the advantages of the clinical utility of a standard scattered high-energy electron beam, and its inherent achievable field sizes and depth doses. For measurements, gantry and collimator rotations were set to 0° with open primary jaws. Dose rates were measured at central axis using radiographic film, with a 3 cm buildup of solid water and 20 cm downstream. FLASH treatments were delivered in 90 pulses, with 2 independent measurements at 4 source-to-surface distance (SSD) positions, including at the machine head (59 cm SSD). Percentage depth dose (PDD) was measured with a film strip placed between two vertical 5 cm thick solid water phantoms, obtained at 70, 80, and 100 cm SSD using FLASH, and 100 cm SSD with conventional dose rate 16 MeV electrons. Results FLASH dose rates > 100 Gy/s were obtained using a standard, scattered electron beam at clinically relevant SSD's and depths with a clinical-use LINAC. Measured average dose rates at 100, 80, 70, and 59 cm SSD were 36.82, 59.52, 82.01, and 112.83 Gy/s, respectively. Average doses per pulse measured were 0.21, 0.33, 0.46, and 0.63 Gy/pulse, respectively. FLASH PDD's emulated 16-18 MeV energies, aligning closely with a conventional 16 MeV PDD. At 70, 80, and 100 cm SSD FLASH, and 100 cm SSD conventional 16 MeV, 90% fall-off measured at 5.2, 5.3, 5.5, and 5.2 cm depth, 80% at 5.9, 6.0, 6.1, and 5.7 cm and 50% at 7.0, 7.0, 7.1, and 6.8 cm depth, respectively. Conclusion Using a readily reversible configuration of a standard LINAC, FLASH dose rates > 100 Gy/s was achievable at clinically applicable SSDs and depths. Balancing clinical feasibility with FLASH, further studies characterizing the FLASH beam at 70 to 90 cm SSD are underway, including development of a cone-less electron field shaping system and solutions for energy modulation. Advantages of our setup, using a standard scattering foil with high energy electrons, bring us a step closer to clinical practicality of FLASH RT delivery using a standard LINAC.
Understanding temperature-induced primary nucleation in dual impinging jet mixers

Abstract The discovery that crystal nuclei can be generated by combining hot and cold saturated solutions in a dual-impinging-jet (DIJ) mixer motivates the theoretical analysis in this article. Nucleation is shown to be facilitated in solute–solvent systems that have much higher energy transfer than mass transfer rates near the impingement plane between the two jets. One- and two-dimensional spatial distributions of velocity, temperature, concentration, and supersaturation provide an improved understanding of primary nucleation in cooling DIJ mixers. In the most important spatial region for characterization of nucleation, the two-dimensional fields are shown to be very close to analytical solutions derived from a one-dimensional approximation of the energy and molar balances. This simplification enables the derivation of design criteria that facilitates assessment of whether any particular solute–solvent combination will nucleate crystals in a cooling DIJ mixer, based on the physicochemical properties of the system. These criteria could save time and material by avoiding or reducing trial-and-error experiments, which is helpful at the early stage of pharmaceutical process development.
Processes of Sterile Inflammation

Sterile inflammation occurs in acute conditions, such as ischemia reperfusion injury and crystal-induced arthritis, as well as with chronic diseases, such as particle-induced lung diseases and atherosclerosis. The triggers of sterile inflammation are still being identified, and the pathways that transduce sterile inflammatory signals are not completely clear. Most of the innate immune pathways that sense infection have been implicated in sterile inflammation, although distinct signaling pathways of sterile inflammation exist. Whether immune pathology ensues after sterile inflammation depends on the balance of induced inflammatory and resolution pathways. Further identification of the molecular mechanisms of sterile inflammation will lead to novel therapeutics to treat a range of diseases.
La etnohistoria de los eventos y de los eventos nulos

Este articulo -que fue presentado en 1998 en la reunion anual de la American Society for Ethnohistory (Sociedad Americana de Etnohistoria)- analiza diversas definiciones historiograficas de lo que significa un evento y apela por una caracterizacion mas reflexiva y cautelosa de los eventos significativos en la investigacion etnohistorica. Despues de introducir algunas definiciones positivistas y aprioristicas de los eventos historicos, el autor presenta una critica de estas definiciones basada en las contribuciones de la escuela de los Annales y de la antropologia estructuralista. El ensayo sostiene que los eventos historicos significativos -e incluso los eventos significativos silenciosos- no son evidentes como fenomenos universales, sino son el producto de la conciencia historica particular de las sociedades indigenas o europeas. El autor propone una breve taxonomia de los eventos nulos -pseudo eventos, eventos imaginados, eventos epitome, eventos latentes y eventos negados- que ejemplifica el rango de la conciencia historica de varios grupos indigenas de Norteamerica en su confrontacion con el poder colonial europeo en los siglos XVIII y XIX
Multiple hypothesis video segmentation from superpixel flows

Multiple Hypothesis Video Segmentation (MHVS) is a method for the unsupervised photometric segmentation of video sequences. MHVS segments arbitrarily long video streams by considering only a few frames at a time, and handles the automatic creation, continuation and termination of labels with no user initialization or supervision. The process begins by generating several pre-segmentations per frame and enumerating multiple possible trajectories of pixel regions within a short time window. After assigning each trajectory a score, we let the trajectories compete with each other to segment the sequence. We determine the solution of this segmentation problem as the MAP labeling of a higher-order random field. This framework allows MHVS to achieve spatial and temporal long-range label consistency while operating in an on-line manner. We test MHVS on several videos of natural scenes with arbitrary camera and object motion.
Urine Autoantibodies in Interstitial Cystitis

Interstitial cystitis is a chronic bladder disease with certain features that suggest autoimmunity may play a role in initiating or maintaining the disease process. We therefore determined whether immunoglobulin fractions from 14 IC patient and 19 control urine specimens bound in vitro to primary cultures of human bladder epithelial cells, as well as epithelial cells from a variety of other tissues. Urine autoantibodies that bound to normal human bladder epithelial cells were present in 8 of 14 IC specimens (from 6 of 9 IC patients) as compared to 3 of 23 control specimens (from 2 of 17 control patients). These antibodies, which were usually also present at low titers in sera from these persons, bound to at least four nuclear or cytoplasmic antigens, with the specificity of autoantibodies from a given individual varying over time. The autoantibodies were not specific for normal or malignant bladder epithelial cells, but bound to epithelial cells from a variety of tissues. These data show that anti-epithelial cell autoantibodies are present in the urine of IC patients, but suggest that these antibodies are not likely to be a primary cause of this disease.
The release of cesium and the actinides from spent fuel under unsaturated conditions

Tests designed to be similar to the unsaturated and oxidizing conditions expected in the candidate repository at Yucca Mountain are in progress with spent fuel at 90{degree}C. The similarities and the differences in release behavior for {sup 137}Cs during the first 2.6 years and the actinides during the first 1.6 years of testing are presented for tests done with (1) water dripped on the fuel at a rate of 0.075 and 0.75 mL every 3.5 days and (2) in a saturated water vapor environment.
Hospital unit stressors that affect nurses: Primary task vs social factors

Abstract Liaison psychiatrists often define needs of hospital units in terms of their primary task, such as coronary care. However, it is possible that social systems variables also affect these needs. This study tests the assumption that primary task determines nurses stress and attitudes by comparing the work attitudes and clinical distress of nurses on two general medical units (GMUs) and two medical intensive care units (ICUs). The nurses in the ICUs differed from those in the GMUs in some work attitudes, but not in level of clinical distress. One ICU had much lower levels of clinical distress than any of the other units. The findings suggest that while primary task is an important element in determining some attitudes of nurses, social systems variables also contribute substantially to the stress level of unit nurses.
Frictional interface behavior under dynamic excitation

Abstract This paper describes an experimental technique for studying the vibratory behavior of a ball supported between two frictional joints. The set-up which is utilized in this investigation for evaluating the “break away” coefficient of friction under sinusoidal tangential forces is also useful in determining the ball response and the energy dissipated per cycle under excitations of different amplitudes and frequencies. Wear and lubrication studies can be readily performed on different contact conditions under sinusoidal tangential forces with frequencies ranging from zero to 2,000 c/sec and amplitudes from zero to the value necessary to cause gross slip. The main difference between the proposed technique and previous methods is that the tangential force (rather than the displacement) is sinusoidal and remains as such up to the “break away” value.
Emotional Concomitants of Visual Mastery in Infants: The Effects of Stimulus Movement on Smiling and Vocalizing.

Abstract The view that positive emotional responses accompany the gratification of the motive for cognitive effectance was investigated. Piaget's concepts of assimilation and accommodation were employed to predict the timing of emotional concomitants of visual mastery in infants between 8 and 18 weeks of age. The hypothesis that smiling and vocalizing would occur earlier to a stimulus that was assumed to be relatively easy to assimilate than to a stimulus that was assumed to be more difficult was confirmed. A mechanism of cognitive satiation was invoked to account for decrements in the amount of smiling, vocalizing, and visual fixation of the stimulus from one session to the next.
Predictors of ADHD Persistence in Girls at 5-Year Follow-Up

Objective: The main aim of this study was to examine the age-dependent remission from ADHD in girls transitioning through childhood into adolescence and early adulthood. Method: We conducted a 5-year prospective follow-up study of 123 girls with ADHD and 106 non-ADHD control girls aged between 6 and 17 years at ascertainment. ADHD was considered persistent at follow-up if participants met full diagnostic criteria for DSM-IV ADHD or met residual criteria for DSM-IV ADHD with associated impairment (Global Age Forum [GAF] score < 60). Results: By age 16 years, ADHD was persistent in 71% (95% CI = 61-79%) of girls with ADHD. Participants with persistent ADHD at follow-up had more psychiatric comorbidity, behavior problems, and functional impairment than girls with ADHD in remission. Remitted ADHD, however, continued to be associated with functional impairment relative to non-ADHD controls. Persistence at 5 years was predicted by increased behavioral impairment at baseline. Conclusion: This 5-year follow-up suggests that many girls with ADHD experience persistent symptoms and/or functional impairment through late adolescence and into early adulthood. (J. of Att. Dis. 2010; XX(X) 1-XX)
Primary structure and synthesis of two additional neuropeptides from Leucophaea maderae: members of a new family of cephalomyotropins

Abstract 1. 1. Two more peptides which stimulate the contractile activity of the cockroach hindgut were isolated from head extracts of the cockroach, Leucophaea maderae . 2. 2. A series of four high-performance liquid-chromatographic (HPLC) fractions yielded sufficient quantities of pure peptides for micro amino acid analyses and primary sequence determinations. The sequences obtained for the two peptides were: Asp-Gln-Gly-Phe-Asn-Ser-Trp-Gly-NH 2 and Asp-Ala-Ser-Phe-His-Ser-Trp-Gly-NH 2 . The two octapeptides were designated leucokinins III and IV (L-III, L-IV), respectively. 3. 3. Minimum concentrations of synthetic L-III and L-IV required to produce a response from the isolated cockroach hindgut were 2.0 × 10 −10 and 1.6 × 10 −10 M, respectively. These concentrations were virtually identical to the threshold concentrations observed with the naturally occurring peptides.
Ultra-late recurrence (15 years or longer) of cutaneous melanoma

BACKGROUND Melanoma can remain clinically quiescent for decades before regional or distant recurrence appears. This protracted disease free interval challenges the concept of a "cure" for melanoma. METHODS To understand this prolonged dormancy better, the authors retrospectively studied patients who developed recurrent melanoma 15 years or longer after their initial diagnosis ("ultra-late" recurrence). These cases were identified from 2766 melanoma diagnoses available in the Cancer Registry at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Histologic features of the primary lesion were also included when possible. RESULTS Twenty cases were retrieved from the MGH database. There were equal numbers of women and men, although women were younger at the time of initial diagnosis (mean age of women: 29.8 years vs. 43.0 years for men). No patients had more than one primary cutaneous melanoma. The trunk was the most common primary site (35%), although there was no predominant anatomic localization. The average disease free interval was 17.3 years for women, 20.0 years for men, 18.1 years for patients with regional recurrence, and 19.0 years for patients with distant metastases. Distant recurrence was the most common type of recurrence (50% of women and 60% of men). The estimated probability of survival (5 years after recurrence) was 0.8 for regional disease and 0.2 for distant disease. With the available histologic records, it appears that almost all tumors were Clark Level III or IV with thicknesses ranging from 0.8-2.3 mm. In contrast to the published cases, this study did not find that women with lower extremity melanomas were at higher risk for developing ultra-late recurrence. CONCLUSIONS Ultra-late recurrence of melanoma, although uncommon, can occur in any patient without identifiable risk factors. Because many prognostically favorable melanomas (thin melanomas on extremities) can recur after prolonged disease free intervals, the possibility of delayed recurrence remains and must be kept in mind. Cancer 1997; 79:2361-70. © 1997 American Cancer Society.
Marine ecosystem testing units: Design for assessment of benthic organism responses to low-level pollutants

“Marine Ecosystem Testing Units” (METU) is an experimental design for integrating responses of communities of marine organisms to low level pollutants under natural conditions of temperature, weather, season, precipitation, sunlight, etc. Ninety-six testing units are arranged in a regimen for pollutant exposure and systematic sampling. Organisms harvested are sorted and enumerated first to major taxa, subsequently to species level. Data are subjected to multi-variate statistical analysis to elucidate relative effects of pollutant, duration of test (harvest), season, and type of organism. Sampling is replicated in time and space. The first year of operation has demonstrated distinct responses to chlorination at levels below chemical detectability.
Can State Government Actions Affect Innovation and Its Diffusion?: An Extended Communication Model and Empirical Test

Abstract This article looks at how a state government's roles as both a sponsor and a diffuser of an innovation affect the adoption-diffusion process. The article first develops a theoretical framework by extending the basic communication model of diffusion to include state government's role in state government-sponsored innovation and its diffusion. This model also incorporates organizational and innovation factors. Next an empirical test of the extended communication model is conducted using data on innovations sponsored by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The results suggest that the degree of state government involvement in innovation development is positively associated with diffusion. The results also indicate that state government's diffusion-facilitating efforts such as providing information about innovations, financial support during development, and procedural facilitation of development are positively related to industry's adoption decision for new innovation.
Interaction of glycogen phosphorylase with 8-azidoadenosine 5'-monophosphate, a photoaffinity analog of AMP.

The ability of 8-azidoadenosine 5′-monophosphate (N3AMP) to act as a photoaffinity label for the AMP binding site on glycogen phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.1) was tested. 8-Azidoadenosine 5′-monophosphate can replace AMP as an allosteric modifier of both phosphorylases a and b; the pH optimum and the extent of activation are comparable to that observed with AMP. 8-Azidoadenosine 5′-monophosphate resembles the natural activator in having a higher affinity for phosphorylase a. The effects of 8-azidoadenosine 5′-monophosphate and AMP on phosphorylase b are additive when each is present at a concentration which gives less than 50% activation. Increasing the concentration of the substrate, glucose 1-phosphate, decreases the apparent activation constant (Ka) for the interaction of 8-azidoadenosine 5′-monophosphate with phosphorylase b. Glucose 6-phosphate is an inhibitor of phosphorylase b with either AMP or 8-azidoadenosine 5′-monophosphate. In the presence of ultraviolet Light, 8-azidoadenosine 5′-monophosphate is irreversibly incorporated into phosphorylase a; incorporation at the allosteric site can be reduced if AMP is added prior to irradiation. Under the conditions used in the photolysis experiments, 3–5% of the available AMP sites were labeled with 8-azidoadenosine 5′-monophosphate. The data indicate the potential usefulness of 8-azidoadenosine 5′-monophosphate as a probe for the AMP site on phosphorylase.
Dynamics of microvascular oxygen pressure in the rat diaphragm.

The relative amplitudes and rates of increase of muscle blood flow (and O2 delivery) and O2 uptake responses determine the O2pressure within the muscle microvasculature (PmO2 ) across the rest-to-c...
In situ amplification of the cytochrome P-450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme mRNA in single porcine granulosa cells by IGF-1 and FSH acting alone or in concert

To investigate the cellular mechanisms and cell-cell heterogeneity of the actions of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) exerted alone and in combination on ovarian cholesterol side-chain cleavage gene expression (P450scc mRNA) in (pig) granulosa cells, we implemented semiquantitative in situ molecular hybridization at the single target-cell level. To this end, a 1-kb cDNA specific to the catalytic region of porcine p450scc gene was subcloned into pGEM-3 and directionally transcribed in vitro in the presence of 35S-dUTP to yield radiolabeled antisense (and sense, negative control) cRNA hybridization probes. Swine granulosa cells harvested nonenzymatically from immature (1–5 mm) Graafian follicles were anchored on eight-chamber multiwell slides and treated with control solvent, human recombinant IGF-1 (10 nM), ovine FSH (10 nM), or both hormones, for 48 h to stimulate progestin biosynthesis maximally. After appropriate cellular permeabilization, cRNA hybridization, and solvent washes, granulosa cells were exposed to Kodak NTB-2 emulsion for 6 wk. Semiquantitative automated image analysis software (NIH IMAGE 1.5) was used to evaluate the number of silver grains deposited/20,000 square pixels. Specificity controls included labeled sense riboprobe, pretreatment with RNase, and 100-fold molar excess unlabeled cRNA. Grain counts and their distributions were examined by ANOVA and the Wilcoxon nonparametric test. The mean number of silver grains deposited per granulosa cell increased over control (reflecting specific P450scc mRNA expression) in granulosa cells pretreated with IGF-1, FSH, or IGF-1 + FSH (p FSH > IGF-1 > control treatment. Distributional analysis showed that each treatment introduced skewed distributions toward granulosa cells expressing more P450scc per cell than controls (p<0.01). The median grain count of granulosa cells treated with FSH was significantly increased over that of IGF-1 treatment (p<0.05). Treatment with both IGF-1 and FSH further shifted the grain count distribution per cell to favor granulosa cells expressing more P450scc mRNA compared to IGF-1 or FSH treatment alone (p<0.05). Accordingly, a demonstrable mechanism of IGF-1 and FSH’s regulation of specific P450scc gene expression at the single granulosa cell level is amplification in the number of target ovarian cells expressing this enzymatically rate-determining gene transcript. Interestingly, the induction of P450scc mRNA is not sufficient to explain fully the synergistic increases in progesterone accumulation driven by combined treatment with IGF-1 and FSH, thus suggesting that other steroidogenic control points are also targets of IGF-1/FSH action.
Research within the Juvenile Courts The Dilemma of Human Subject Regulations

There has been considerable debate regarding federal guidelines designed to protect the rights of subjects, but there has been little empirical evidence regarding the manner in which the regulations have been implemented or their impact on research. Based on the author's research within a metropolitan juvenile court, this analysis discusses three major issues: the manner in which the regulations influence access to research settings, the extent to which the regulations affect researchers' ability to conduct unobstrusive inquiries, and the question of whether the regulations provide meaningful protection of subject rights. The case study suggests that not only do the regulations have great potential for impeding research within juvenile courts, but they are also unlikely to afford effective protection of subject rights.
Conditional Stability Constant Determination of Metal-Fulvic Acid Complexes

Abstract Conditional stability constants for metal complexes of a terrestrial fulvic acid were determined using an ion-exchange chromatography—atomic absorbance spectroscopy method. Employing the Scatchard model, conditional stability constants were determined for the metal (II) fulvic acid complexes of cadminum, copper, lead, nickel, manganese, and zinc. The order of metal binding by the fulvic acid was determined to be: Cu > Ni > Pb > Zn > Cd > Mn. Complexes of weakly bound metal ions were determined with an added metal ion concentration of 2 × 10–5 M to 1 × 10–4 M while complexes of strongly bound metal ions were determined with an added metal ion concentration of 1 × 10–5 M to 8 × 10–4 M. The fulvic acid concentration was kept constant at 4 × 10–4 M. The effect of pH and ionic strength on the copper-fulvic acid complex also was investigated.
COMBINATORICS OF OPEN COVERS VI: SELECTORS FOR SEQUENCES OF DENSE SETS

Abstract We consider the following two selection principles for topological spaces: Principle 1: For each sequence of dense subsets, there is a sequence of points from the space, the n-th point coming from the n-th dense set, such that this set of points is dense in the space; Principle 2: For each sequence of dense subsets, there is a sequence of finite sets, the n-th a subset of the n-th dense set, such that the union of these finite sets is dense in the space. We show that for separable metric space X one of these principles holds for the space Cp (X) of realvalued continuous functions equipped with the pointwise convergence topology if, and only if, a corresponding principle holds for a special family of open covers of X. An example is given to show that these equivalences do not hold in general for Tychonoff spaces. It is further shown that these two principles give characterizations for two popular cardinal numbers, and that these two principles are intimately related to an infinite game that was st...
Improved radioimmunoassay of platelet factor 4 and β-thromboglobulin in plasma

Abstract We describe rapid radioimmunoassays for both platelet factor 4 (PF-4) and β-thromboglobulin (β-TG) on the same plasma sample with use of pre-precipitated second antibody for the separation step. The assays are sensitive (B/B0 of 90% is obtained with 30 pg PF-4 and 100 pg β-TG), specific, accurate, and reproducible. Labeled antigens are highly immunogenic, stable, and require no initial or periodic purification. Both assays require less than five hours for precount incubation times and can easily be completed in one day. Normal plasma values for PF-4 and β-TG were 2.98 ng/ml and 25.83 ng/ml, respectively.
A dynamic model of ground water restoration with accelerator constraint

Abstract Extensive pumping of ground water has reduced many aquifer levels below the minimum levels necessary to avoid serious adverse environmental and economic consequences. Hence, water management authorities have been forced to develop viable programs to restore the desired aquifer levels while optimizing with respect to consumption and costs. This study suggests a model of developing an optimal ground water restoration plan and demonstrates the significant role that incorporating a pumpage constraint referred to as the accelerator plays in resolving certain difficulties faced by restoration planners. It is demonstrated that incorporating the accelerator not only allows derivation of a smooth optimal pumpage path to restore the desired stock but provides the planner with significant flexibilities, including incorporation of an exogenous pumpage adjustment speed into the optimal plan.
Measurement of packet processing time of an Internet host using asynchronous packet capture at the data-link layer

As transmission speeds increase faster than processing speeds, the packet processing time (PPT) of a host (i.e., workstation) is becoming more significant in the measurement of different network parameters, in which packet processing by the host is involved. The PPT of a host is the time elapsed between the arrival of a packet at the data-link layer and the time the packet is processed at the application layer of the TCP/IP protocol stack (RFCs 2679 and 2681). In this paper, we propose a methodology to measure the PPT of a host using Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) packet and a specialized packet-capture card that does not require synchronization between the host under test and the packet-capture card. We tested the proposed methodology on two hosts with different specifications. The experimental results show that the proposed methodology consistently measures PPT.
Smartphone application launch with smarter scheduling

The time it takes to launch a smartphone application is unpredictable. In this paper, we explore how these unpredictable launch times are affected by constraints associated with reading (writing) from (to) flash storage. We conduct the first large-scale measurement study on the Android I/O delay using the data collected from our Android application running on 1480 devices within 188 days. Among others, we observe that reads experience up to 626% slowdown when blocked by concurrent writes. We use this obtained knowledge to design a pilot solution, wherein by prioritizing reads over writes we are able to reduce the launch delay by up to 37.8%.