cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Electronic Health Record–Based Simulation During Intern Boot Camp: Interventional Study

Background: Accurate data retrieval is an essential part of patient care in the intensive care unit (ICU). The electronic health record (EHR) is the primary method for data storage and data review. We previously reported that residents participating in EHR-based simulations have varied and nonstandard approaches to finding data in the ICU, with subsequent errors in recognizing patient safety issues. We hypothesized that a novel EHR simulation-based training exercise would decrease EHR use variability among intervention interns, irrespective of prior EHR experience. Objective: This study aims to understand the impact of a novel, short, high-fidelity, simulation-based EHR learning activity on the intern data gathering workflow and satisfaction. Methods: A total of 72 internal medicine interns across the 2018 and 2019 academic years underwent a dedicated EHR training session as part of a week-long boot camp early in their training. We collected data on previous EHR and ICU experience for all subjects. Training consisted of 1 hour of guided review of a high-fidelity, simulated ICU patient chart focusing on best navigation practices for data retrieval. Specifically, the activity focused on using high- and low-yield data visualization screens determined by expert consensus. The intervention group interns then had 20 minutes to review a new simulated patient chart before the group review. EHR screen navigation was captured using screen recording software and compared with data from existing ICU residents performing the same task on the same medical charts (N=62). Learners were surveyed immediately and 6 months after the activity to assess satisfaction and preferred EHR screen use. Results: Participants found the activity useful and enjoyable immediately and after 6 months. Intervention interns used more individual screens than reference residents (18 vs 20; P=.008), but the total number of screens used was the same (35 vs 38; P=.30). Significantly more intervention interns used the 10 most common screens (73% vs 45%; P=.001). Intervention interns used high-yield screens more often and low-yield screens less often than the reference residents, which are persistent on self-report 6 months later. Conclusions: A short, high-fidelity, simulation-based learning activity focused on provider-specific data gathering was found to be enjoyable and to modify navigation patterns persistently. This suggests that workflow-specific simulation-based EHR training throughout training is of educational benefit to residents.
60 Years Young: The Evolving Role of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Cancer Immunotherapy.

The year 2020 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to E. Donnall Thomas for the development of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) to treat hematologic malignancies and other blood disorders. Dr. Thomas, "father of bone marrow transplantation", first developed and reported this technique in 1957, and in the ensuing decades, this seminal study has impacted fundamental work in hematology and cancer research, including advances in hematopoiesis, stem cell biology, tumor immunology, and T cell biology. As the first example of cancer immunotherapy, understanding the mechanisms of anti-tumor biology associated with allo-HSCT has given rise to many of the principles used today in the development and implementation of novel transformative immunotherapies. Here we review the historical basis underpinning the development of allo-HSCT as well as advances in knowledge obtained by defining mechanisms of allo-HSCT activity. We review how these principles have been translated to novel immunotherapies currently utilized in clinical practice and describe potential future applications for allo-HSCT in cancer research and development of novel therapeutic strategies.
Rescue the surviving souls: the great Jewish refugee crisis of the seventeenth century

It is safe to say that most historians of early modern European Jewish history will know of the Khmelnytsky uprising of 1648–1654 and the unprecedented immediate toll that it took on the Jews of Uk...
US women screen at lower rates for both cervical and colorectal cancers than a single cancer

IntroductionUsing screen counts, women 50-64 yo have lower cancer screening rates for cervical and colorectal cancers compared to all other age ranges. The primary aim of this paper is to present cervical cancer and CRC screenings per woman and determine the predictors of being up-to-date for both. MethodsWe used the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an annual survey to guide health policy in the US, to explore the up-to-date status of dual cervical and colorectal cancer screening for women 50-64 yo. We categorized women into four mutually exclusive categories: up-to-date for dual screening, each single-screen, or neither screen. Multinomial multivariate regression modeling was used to evaluate the predictors of each category. ResultsAmong women ages 50-64 yo, dual screening was reported for 58.7% (57.6-59.9), cervical cancer screening alone (27.0% (25.9-28.1), CRC screening alone (5.3% (4.8-5.8), and neither screen (9% (8.4-9.6). Age, race, education, income, and chronic health conditions were significantly associated with dual screening compared to neither screen. Hispanic women compared to non-Hispanic White women were more likely to be up-to-date with cervical cancer screening than dual screening (aOR 1.38 (1.08, 1.77). By comparison to younger women, those 60-64 years are significantly more likely to be up-to-date with CRC screening than dual screening (aOR 1.75 (1.30, 2.34)). ConclusionsScreening received by each woman shows a much lower rate of dual screening than prior single cancer screening rates. Addressing dual screening strategies rather than single cancer screening programs for women 50-64 years may increase both cancer screening rates. Graphical AbstractScreening rates differ by calculation approach. A better population metric for cancer prevention is to consider the screens each woman has received. Our data show much lower cervical cancer and CRC screening rates than a single screen calculation. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=113 SRC="FIGDIR/small/21266963v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (14K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@105857borg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@17e6240org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@6486adorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1c5ebf5_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG TweetWomen 50-64 years old lack dual cervical and colorectal cancer screening. Women who screen for only one cancer of the two, screen for cervical cancer almost five times more often than colorectal cancer. Lay SummaryRoutine cervical and colorectal cancer (CRC) screenings can detect early, treatable, curable cancers. Using the responses to the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) we approached prevention by what the woman has received rather than by how many screens were done. We showed that women 50-64 years old were only up-to-date for both cervical and CRC screening 59% of the time, whereas, by traditional screening calculations, our data showed 86% of women were up-to-date for cervical cancer screening and 64% were up to date with CRC screening, irrespective of any other cancer screenings.
Determining the Efficacy of Communications Technologies and Practices to Broaden Participation in Education: Insights from a Theory of Change

BreakThru is the core project of the Georgia STEM Accessibility Alliance (GSAA), which is supported by the Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Launched in 2010, GSAA is one of 10 RDE Alliances throughout the United States designed to broaden the participation and achievement of people with disabilities in STEM education and careers. The most distinctive feature of GSAA has been its use of virtual worlds and online communications platforms to support or implement most project activities. Empirical findings have informed the creation of a theory of change to explain how characteristics of technologically mediated mentoring practices may positively impact students’ internal characteristics across five indicators (intention to persist, increased self-advocacy, increased self-determination, decreased math anxiety, and decreased science anxiety). Successful internalization of these characteristics may be expected to increase students’ intention to persist in STEM education and support concrete steps to persist. This project seeks to fill a critical research gap and inform the field about the potential efficacy of e-mentoring programs and how they might be evaluated. It also seeks to determine appropriate methodologies and approaches for doing so.
Logic and computation in MATHPERT: an expert system for learning mathematics

MATHPERT (as in “Math Expert”) is an expert system in mathematics explicitly designed to support the learning of algebra, trigonometry, and first semester calculus. This paper gives an overview of the design of MATHPERT and goes into detail about some connections it has with automated theorem proving. These connections arise at the borderline between logic and computation, which is to be found when computational “operators” have logical side conditions that must be satisfied before they are applicable. The paper also explains how MATHPERT maintains and uses an internal model of its user to produce individually tailored explanations, and how it dynamically generates individualized and helpful error messages by comparing user errors to its own internal solution of the problem.
Compliance is Gendered: Struggling for Gender Self-Determination in a Hostile Economy

This article addresses the economic marginalization of transgender populations, describing factors leading to poverty and criminalization. It examines how trans people are excluded from social services and face violence in the institutions where poor people are concentrated. It takes up feminist analysis of welfare programs and broadens the inquiry to suggest that the sex-segregation of the welfare state institutions and the criminal punishment system should be a target of feminist analysis.
Locally non-uniform FDTD with application to low observables and crosstalk

Accurately resolving features that are small with regard to the basic spatial cell used throughout a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) code has been of interest for the past 10 to 15 years. An examination of the layer problem is provided. There are numerous cases that require a rigorous analysis of the field behavior within the material. Obvious important examples include coatings designed to trap waves for stealth applications and propagation within multilayer circuit boards. These cases are examined here using an orthogonal, locally nonuniform mesh embedded within a uniform mesh based on the Yee formulation. The specific applications considered are the Salisbury screen and crosstalk on printed-circuit boards. >
Pneumoperitoneum: Metabolic and Mechanical Effects

The history of the application of pneumoperitoneum is fascinating from the aspect of both diseases treated with this concept and the development of abdominal air insufflation from a technical standpoint [1]. The name George Kelling is woven into the modern use of pneumoperitoneum for patients undergoing laparoscopy. Kelling, like many of his contemporary colleagues, considered that pneumoperitoneum might have therapeutic use. He advocated the use of this technique, which he called lufttamponade, for the treatment of patients with significant intestinal and intraabdominal bleeding. Kelling placed a cystoscope into the abdominal cavity of animals to identify organ ischemia, which may be secondary to aggressive instillation of intraabdominal room air.
Isolation of embryonic chick motoneurons and their survival in vitro

This is the first of a series of 4 papers in which we describe the regulation of excitatory amino acid receptors on embryonic chick motoneurons dissociated from the lateral motor column and maintained in cell culture. Techniques are described for labeling embryonic chick motoneurons in vivo with Lucifer Yellow or fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugates of wheat germ agglutinin (Fl-WGA). We estimate that 65–95% of the motoneurons in the lateral motor column survive tissue dissociation and settle on an appropriate culture surface. The number of fluorescent motoneurons observed in heterogeneous spinal cord cell cultures decreases with a half-life of 2 d. The decline is due to fading of the fluorescent tracer rather than to loss of cells. Techniques are also described for separating motoneurons from other spinal cord cells with a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Approximately 24% of the motoneurons in the lateral motor column can be isolated, and motoneurons comprise more than 90% of the population in cultures seeded with sorted cells. The survival of sorted and unsorted motoneurons in vitro is enhanced in the presence of skeletal myotubes or muscle conditioned medium, but the survival of non-motoneurons is not influenced by muscle. Electrophysiologic properties of sorted and unsorted motoneurons determined with patch-clamp techniques are similar. Both differ from mature motoneurons in their lower resting membrane potential (-50 mV), larger input resistance (450 M omega), and longer time constant (39 msec). Also they do not exhibit anomalous rectification or a calcium-activated potassium after hyperpolarization. Motoneurons grown in the absence of interneurons differ from motoneurons in heterogeneous spinal cord cell cultures in that their neurites (dendrites) are shorter and they branch less often.
High-dose ibuprofen therapy associated with esophageal ulceration after pneumonectomy in a patient with cystic fibrosis: a case report

Lung disease in patients with cystic fibrosis is thought to develop as a result of airway inflammation, infection, and obstruction. Pulmonary therapies for cystic fibrosis that reduce airway inflammation include corticosteroids, rhDNase, antibiotics, and high-dose ibuprofen. Despite evidence that high-dose ibuprofen slows the progression of lung disease in patients with cystic fibrosis, many clinicians have chosen not to use this therapy because of concerns regarding potential side effects, especially gastrointestinal bleeding. However, studies have shown a low incidence of gastrointestinal ulceration and bleeding in patients with cystic fibrosis who have been treated with high-dose ibuprofen. The described case illustrates a life-threatening upper gastrointestinal bleed that may have resulted from high-dose ibuprofen therapy in a patient with CF who had undergone a pneumonectomy. Mediastinal shift post-pneumonectomy distorted the patient's esophageal anatomy and may have caused decreased esophageal motility, which led to prolonged contact of the ibuprofen with the esophagus. The concentrated effect of the ibuprofen, as well as its systemic effects, probably contributed to the occurrence of the bleed in this patient. This report demonstrates that gastrointestinal tract anatomical abnormalities or dysmotility may be contraindications for therapy with high-dose ibuprofen in patients with cystic fibrosis.
In vivo MR evaluation of age-related increases in brain iron.

PURPOSE To assess the validity of an MR method of evaluating tissue iron. METHODS The difference between the transverse relaxation rate (R2) measured with a high-field MR instrument and the R2 measured with a lower field instrument defines a measure termed the field-dependent R2 increase (FDRI). Previous in vivo and in vitro studies indicated that FDRI is a specific measure of tissue iron stores (ferritin). T2 relaxation times were obtained using two clinical MR instruments operating at 0.5 T and 1.5 T. T2 relaxation times were measured in the frontal white matter, caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus of 20 healthy adult male volunteers with an age range of 20 to 81 years. R2 was calculated as the reciprocal of T2 relaxation time. These in vivo MR results were correlated with previously published postmortem data on age-related increases of nonheme iron levels. RESULTS The FDRI was very highly correlated with published brain iron levels for the four regions examined. In the age range examined, robust and highly significant age-related increases in FDRI were observed in the caudate and putamen. The correlations of age and FDRI in the globus pallidus and white matter were significantly lower and did not have statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS The data provide additional evidence that FDRI is a specific measure of tissue iron stores. The data also show that age-related increases in tissue iron stores can be quantified in vivo despite significant age-related processes that oppose the increase in R2 caused by iron. These results are relevant to the investigation of neurodegenerative processes in which iron may catalyze toxic free-radical reactions.
Changes in the properties of the developing trophoblast of preimplantation mouse embryos as revealed by aggregation studies.

Mouse embryos (8-cell to early blastocyst) were denuded with pronase, and apposed in pairs which represented a wide range of stage combinations. These pairs either formed aggregates which differentiated into double-sized blastocysts, or they failed to aggregate. The 8–16-cell stages would not envelop late morulae/early blastocysts to form layered aggregates. This must mean that as the embryo differentiates into a blastocyst, the outer surface of the trophoblast loses its capacity for supporting cell spreading. The aggregation data also demonstrate that embryos almost completely lose their potential for aggregation at a very discrete stage in development – namely, between 8 and 9 h before blastocoel formation. It is argued that this is the stage at which the zonular tight junctional seal is completed, and that it is this physical barrier which prevents aggregation. It has been argued previously that the zonular tight junctional seal allows the creation of the special microenvironment which is necessary for the determination of the inner cells as inner cell mass. The completion of this seal 8–9 h before it is required for the formation of a blastocoel would provide a suitable time period for this cell determination to occur. The results obtained also relate to the technique of chimera production. Since the aim of this technique is to generate mice with mixed cell populations, it is important that the blastocyst formed following aggregation should have both cell lines present in the inner cell mass. This can best be assured by using relatively late morula stages (75 h post-HCG injection) since these will have already segregated their inner cells, but the incomplete seal will still allow aggregation to take place.
De-aliasing on non-uniform grids: algorithms and applications

We present de-aliasing rules to be used when evaluating non-linear terms with polynomial spectral methods on non-uniform grids analogous to the de-aliasing rules used in Fourier spectral methods. They are based upon the idea of super-collocation followed by a Galerkin projection of the non-linear terms. We demonstrate through numerical simulation that both accuracy and stability can be greatly enhanced through the use of this approach. We begin by deriving from the numerical quadrature rules used by Galerkin-type projection methods the number of quadrature points and weights needed for quadratic and cubic non-linearities. We then present a systematic study of the effects of super-collocation when using both a continuous Galerkin and a discontinuous Galerkin method to solve the one-dimensional viscous Burgers equation. We conclude by examining three direct numerical simulation flow examples: incompressible turbulent flow in a triangular duct, incompressible turbulent flow in a channel at Reτ = 395, and compressible flow past a pitching airfoil at Re = 45,000.
Aesthetics and representation in holography

Every medium has a code, a set of rules or conventions according to which determined elements are organized into a signifying system. The English language is a code as is perspective in painting and photography. In the first case, the elements are phonemes organized into words and sentences according to a social convention: the syntax of English. In the second case, the elements are dots and lines organized into pictures according to a geometric method. An artist or movement can break the conventions of the medium, as has done Cezanne with painting, Moholy-Nagy with photography and cummings with the English idiom in poetry, and create new elements and rules for combining them. If this is done, the level of predictability (or conventionality) is lowered and unpredictability is increased -- becoming more difficult for the immediate audience to understand it. But once these new rules are learned and the ideas behind them widely understood, the level of unpredictability is lowered and they become new conventions that can be accepted by the audience. Holographic artists exploring the medium -- as opposed to advertisers using holography, who favor a high level of predictability -- are breaking several visual and cultural conventions. As a matter of fact, holography is so new that many questions are left open about the nature of the medium. Therefore, any attempt to clarify the issues raised by holography on a cultural level has a prospective (and not conclusive) tone, concentrating more thoroughly on general points and on the promise of its potentialities than on the records of its historical achievements so far.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
IMMUNOHISTOLOGIC DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF BASAL CELL CARCINOMA, SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA AND TRICHOEPITHELIOMA IN SMALL CUTANEOUS BIOPSY SPECIMENS

The distinction between squamoid basal cell carcinoma and basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (or between BCC and trichoepithelioma variants) is usually made readily on the basis of defined histological criteria. However, these differential diagnoses occasionally can pose difficult morphological problems. The stated distinctions are clinically important because the risk of progressive disease is significantly higher with squamous carcinoma of the skin than with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and a trichoepithelioma misinterpreted as BCC burdens the patient with an inaccurate diagnosis that may result in inappropriate surgery. Recent reports have suggested that reactivity with the monoclonal antibody Ber-EP4 is capable of separating histologically similar basal cell and squamous carcinomas, and that the expression of bcl-2 or CD34 antigen is able to distinguish BCC from trichoepithelioma. However, corroborative studies of these contentions are few in number. In order to investigate the usefulness of the stated immunostains in the above-cited differential diagnoses, the authors analyzed 45 basal cell carcinomas and 22 squamous carcinomas, as well as 36 trichoepitheliomas. The monoclonal antibodies Ber-EP4, My10 (CD34), and anti-bcl-2 were applied to formalin-fixed paraffin sections in all cases, using a standard avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method. Most BCCs demonstrated strong, diffuse cytoplasmic labeling with Ber-EP4 and anti-bcl-2. In contrast, the squamous carcinomas were uniformly negative for the former marker and only focally reactive for the latter in four examples. 'Peripheral' bcl-2 staining of trichoepitheliomas was noted in 24 of 33 of the immunoreactive tumors, but the remainder were marked diffusely and similarly to most BCCs. Among the latter, immature trichoepitheliomas were diffusely reactive for this marker in 6 of 8 cases. Labeling of epithelium for CD34 failed to discriminate between any of the tumor types under evaluation, whereas staining of peritumoral stroma was characteristic of the majority of trichoepitheliomas and more than one-third of metatypical basal cell carcinomas. These data support the suggestion that Ber-EP4 and bcl-2 are useful in the separation of BCC from squamous carcinomas. Nevertheless, they also serve to caution against reliance upon bcl-2 and CD34 immunostains in attempting to distinguish BCC from trichoepithelioma in histologically enigmatic cases. There is currently no certain method other than conventional microscopy that can be applied successfully to the latter problem.
PROMOTING ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION FUELS: THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN NEW ZEALAND, BRAZIL, AND CANADA

Abstract We discuss policies and programs designed to accelerate adoption of alternative fuel vehicles that were implemented in the 1970s and early 1980s in New Zealand, Brazil, and Canada. We describe the evolution of government and industry programs, the degree of market adoption of alternative fuels, and the interaction between the government, industry, and consumers. The experience in the countries, particularly Brazil, demonstrates that it is possible to develop a large market for alternative fuels within a reasonable time period if there is a favorable financial environment and efforts are undertaken to overcome uncertainty on the part of industry and consumers. Substantial market penetration required a strong commitment of effort and resources by the government, particularly in the early stages of market development, when fuel suppliers, the vehicle conversion industry, and automakers were wary of investing in new technology for which the market was uncertain. Consumers were reluctant to invest in vehicle conversion, even when the return on investment was quite favorable. Assurance of fuel availability and technical quality of vehicles have proven to be important factors.
Influence of peer context on the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating pathology in women and men.

Objective: This study examined the influence of peer context on the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating pathology in women and men. Method: Secondary analyses were conducted using survey data from a large community sample of women and men (N = 2,060). Results: The frequency of friend comments on weight and diet moderated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating pathology such that more frequent comments strengthened the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating pathology in women. This effect was not significant in analyses of men. Instead, friend comments were directly related to eating pathology in men. Discussion: Both women and men may benefit from peer-led interventions, with the greatest potential benefits for women with high body dissatisfaction, consistent with results from selective peer-led prevention programs in sororities. © 2012 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2012)
Optical properties and switching in Gd2(MoO4)3

Abstract The temperature dependence of the spontaneous (longitudinal) and induced electrooptic effects as well as switching measurements and reduced electrooptic coefficients are reported for the ferroelectric Gd 2 (MoO 4 ) 3 .
Plasticity of connections of the olfactory sensory neuron: Regeneration into the forebrain following bulbectomy in the neonatal mouse

Abstract Neonatal mice underwent unilateral bulbectomy, which included the main and accessory olfactory bulbs. From 5 days of survival onward, there was a marked anterior displacement of the frontal cortex into the cavity previously occupied by the bulb. As a result of the bulbectomy and consequent damage to olfactory axons, the olfactory perikarya underwent retrograde degeneration. New neurons were then reconstituted from stem cells within the olfactory neuroepithelium. By 20 postoperative days the new olfactory axons had reached the level of the lamina cribrosa and by 30 days the fibers had penetrated into the telencephalon and had formed typical glomerular structures within the host tissue. Fibers were directed to either the paleo- or neocortex where they were observed in close proximity to large cortical neurons. The formation of glomeruli persisted over the course of the study (180 days) and showed an expansion within the cortical tissue up to 60 days of survival. The identification of these fibers and glomerular structures as olfactory was confirmed by immunohistochemical techniques using antisera to the specific olfactory protein. Ultrastructural observations clearly indicated the typical glomerular pattern of the structures and demonstrated synaptic contacts between the sensory terminals and dendritic processes, as yet unidentified, originating from the surrounding cerebral matrix. Our observations thus demonstrate that following bulbectomy and retrograde degeneration of olfactory neurons, the cells can regenerate in the absence of their normal target. Furthermore, the newly formed axons can penetrate a ‘foreign’ environment, the cerebral cortex, and form typical glomerular structures and corresponding sensory synapses. The findings suggest a heretofore unsuspected degree of plasticity in the olfactory system as well as in the cerebral cortex.
Management of Growing-Season Grazing in the Sagebrush Steppe: A Science Review of Management Tools Appropriate for Managing Early-Growing-Season Grazing

P roper livestock-grazing management and the main- tenance of native shrub–bunchgrass vegetation are critical concerns throughout the Intermountain West. Lower-elevation sagebrush–steppe commu- nities have long been used as early-spring grazing areas and are an important forage source for livestock and wildlife (Fig. 1). Protein-rich, spring forage is critically important in the reproductive cycle of all herbivores. The very short, spring growing season is also critical to maintaining healthy peren- nial forage plants and should be the focus of grazing man- agement when spring grazing occurs. However, techniques commonly used by agency personnel to determine appro- priate stocking rates, such as measures of use or ocular use estimates, are not appropriate or adequate methods to man- age growing-season grazing. Because plant growth during the spring growing season is a constantly changing variable, these techniques do not adequately assess the effects of spring grazing. Therefore, management of spring grazing should be based on the phenology cycle of key bunchgrasses in the sagebrush plant community. DOI: 10.2458/azu_rangelands_v34i5_burkhardt
A clinical model of dermal wound angiogenesis.

Full-thickness dermal biopsies were performed in healthy volunteers to establish the range of angiogenic responses in wound healing in a normal population. Four-millimeter punch biopsies were made in the forearms of 15 healthy volunteers. Each wound was evaluated microscopically 4–5 times per week for 2 weeks. A semiquantitative wound scoring system to evaluate the neovasculature at the wound periphery was investigated. A vascular score was calculated for each wound at each observation. Two independent observers analyzed the microscopic wound images using the scoring system. At the end of the 14-day period, repeat biopsies were performed on some of the volunteers, and the granulation tissue was stained with anti-CD31. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the distribution of the time to reach predetermined target average vascular scores. A mixed-effects regression model indicated that time, age, and observer were predictors for the average vascular score outcome. The pattern and time course for wound neovascularization was highly reproducible in this group of healthy volunteers, and the assay was feasible and well tolerated. This wound angiogenesis model may be useful for monitoring the effects of antiangiogenic agents on normal wound neovascularization. (WOUND REP REG 2003;11:306–313) Agents targeting angiogenesis have shown promise preclinically for the treatment of cancer and other diseases, and dozens of antiangiogenic agents are now in clinical trials. One of the challenges of studying this new class of compounds is defining relevant end points of drug efficacy. Dosing cannot be based upon dose limiting toxicities or a maximal tolerated dose because these agents are expected to have only modest toxicity. Based upon preclinical models, these agents may lead to tumor dormancy or inhibit tumor growth rather than cause tumor shrinkage or radiographic tumor regression, which are the traditional
The interaction of home environment features and their relation to infant competence

This investigation examined the relation between features of the home environment (HOME Scale) and domains of development (Griffiths Scales) in 6-month-olds. The sample consisted of 155 families with diverse demographic characteristics who were part of a larger study. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. More favorable eye-hand development was associated with more availability of appropriate play materials. The interaction of appropriate play materials and maternal involvement was related to both social and hearing-speech development. For the infants who had high exposure to appropriate play materials, social and hearing-speech development was more optimal if their mothers were highly involved with them. The analyses were conducted separately for low (n = 87) and middlelhigh (n = 55) socioeconomic status groups from the sample. Partial replication of the interaction effect was present for the middle/high group, but not for the low group. Findings support the importance of examining interaction as well as additive effects of the impact of early environment for relatively large samples in which there is a diversity of experiences. Cette enquete a examine la relation entre les traits du milieu familial (Echelle HOME) et les domaines de developpement (Echelles Griffiths) chez des bebes de 6 mois. L'echantillon temoin a consiste en 155 familles aux caracteristiques demographiques diverses, et qui firent partie d'une etude plus grande. Les donnees ont ete analysees en utilisant une regression hierarchique multiple. Un developpement plus favorable oeil-main etait associe a une plus grande disponibilite de materiels de jeu appropries. L'interac-tion de materiels de jeu appropries et de la participation maternelle etait liee au developpement social et aussi au developpement de l'ouie et de la parole. En ce qui concerne les bebes tres exposes a des materiels de jeu appropries, le developpement de l'ouie et de la parole etait plus optimal si leurs meres etaient tres liees a eux. Les analyses ont ete conduites separement pour les groupes de l'echantillon de statut socio-eonomique bas (n = 87) et moyen/haut (n = 55). Une replique partielle de l'effet d'interaction etait presente en ce qui concerne le groupe “moyen/haut,” mais pas en ce qui concerne le groupe “bas.” Les resultats confirment l'importance de l'examen de l'interaction ainsi que les effets additifs de l'impact du milieu precoce pour des echantillons relativement grands dans lesquels on trouve une diversite d'experiences.
High-accuracy vector-difference and vector-sum circuits

By combining the exact nonlinear capabilities of translinear circuits with the high-gain, low-input-offset, load-driving and level-shifting properties of op-amps, analogue computing structures of great power and precision can be realised. This point is illustrated by circuits which compute the root sum of squares and root difference of squares.
Older persons' preferences for site of treatment in acute illness.

OBJECTIVE: To explore how older persons form preferences for site of medical care by examining their perceptions of home care and hospital care. DESIGN: Qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews using the constant comparative method. SETTING: Respondents’ homes. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-nine persons age 65 to 89 years who had been hospitalized with congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or pneumonia and were receiving home care services. MAIN RESULTS: Respondents, who thought of home care only as a means to provide low-intensity and low-frequency services, were initially skeptical about expanded home care services to treat acute illness. Regardless of their opinions about home and hospital, all respondents preferred the site associated with the greatest chance of survival. If the sites offered equal survival, 52% of the respondents preferred treatment at home because of freedom from the constraints of the hospital and the comfort of familiar surroundings. For respondents who preferred the hospital, the home represented a frightening and lonely place to be sick. Respondents’ views of the home and hospital were shaped by their social supports, self-reliance, religious beliefs, and past illness experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Because survival appears to be the most important determinant of preference, home treatment of acute illness is a viable alternative only if it provides outcomes equivalent to those of hospitalization. Strongly held perceptions that home care can only be a low-intensity service may limit preferences for home treatment. When expected outcomes at the two sites are similar, the challenge to the health care system will be incorporating patient preference about the process of care into decisions about the appropriate site of care.
mTOR and metabolic pathways in T cell quiescence and functional activation.

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), an evolutionally conserved serine and threonine kinase, plays a critical role in the promotion of cell growth and proliferation via integration of cellular and environmental cues. In adaptive immunity, the mTOR pathway orchestrates multiple physiological processes including the development and homeostasis of T cells under steady state, and their subsequent activation and differentiation upon antigen recognition. Associated with such fate decisions is the dynamic reprogramming of T cell metabolic pathways, as naive, activated and memory cells are defined by distinct bioenergetic and biosynthetic activities. Emerging evidence indicates that mTOR signaling intersects with T cell metabolism at two major levels to constitute a critical control mechanism of T cell fate decisions. First, as a central environmental sensor, mTOR links immune signaling and the availability of nutrients, especially amino acids. Second, mTOR activates specific metabolic pathways in T cells such as aerobic glycolysis (also known as the "Warburg effect") in a process dependent upon the induction of transcription factors MYC and HIF1α. Understanding how mTOR interplays with T cell metabolism to dictate T cell fates and functions will provide fundamental insights into the mechanism of immune responses and the development of novel therapeutics against immune-mediated diseases. In this review, we summarize the current advances on mTOR signaling and T cell metabolism in the control of development, homeostasis, activation and differentiation of T cells.
Computer anxiety and anger: the impact of computer use, computer experience, and self-efficacy beliefs

Abstract Past research has demonstrated that the level of computer experience users have is the most valuable predictor in whether or not they will suffer computer anxiety symptoms, but this was not the case in the present study. No research was found which examined the correlates of computer anger symptoms. In the current study, the relationship between the computer use (frequency and duration), computer experience, and self-efficacy beliefs of users were analyzed as predictors for computer anxiety and anger symptoms. Questionnaire data from a sample of 242 university students were analyzed. The results indicated that computer self-efficacy beliefs, not computer experience or use, had the largest significant relationship with both computer anxiety, and anger. It is suggested that self-efficacy beliefs be increased so that users may experience lower levels of anxiety and anger. These findings are contrary to the trend of training computer users in specific computer domains. As computer anxiety and anger are negative psychological “states”, an immediate method to deal with these negative emotions should be developed. One possibility that is explored is the application of computer-based therapy that can be used while a user is experiencing negative emotional symptoms.
Use of human antibodies to identify antigens in cultured human tumor cells: detection of discrete antigen molecules using electroblotting and enzyme-linked antibody probes.

To demonstrate antigens in cultured human tumor cells recognized by antibodies in human sera, extracts of cultured malignant melanoma cells were separated by SDS-PAGE, and electrophoretically transferred to nitrocellulose paper (NCP). The resulting electroblots were incubated with human serum, and bound immunoglobulin (Ig) was visualized with rabbit antibodies specific for human IgG, IgA or IgM, followed by peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG. Antigen-antibody reactions in the nitrocellulose paper were also detected using 125I-labeled anti-rabbit IgG. As little as 125 pg of bound antibody per band were detectable. The numbers of proteins recognized by antibodies in human sera depended both on the quantity of protein transferred and the concentration of Ig applied to the NCP. Whole serum could not be used at dilutions ≤ 1:20 without an unacceptable increase in background staining. Binding of Ig to tumor cell proteins transferred to NCP depended on interactions with the Fab′, not the Fc region of the Ig molecule. To determine the efficiency of transfer as a function of both time and molecular weight, tumor cell proteins were intrinsically labeled with 75Se-labeled methionine and transferred for up to 4 h after fractionation in gels containing acrylamide concentrations of 5%, 7.5%, 10% or 12%. Proteins <150 kDa were transferred with particularly high efficiency in ≥2 h. Different antigens were recognized by the IgA, the IgG and the IgM molecules from the same sera. The methods outlined herein are proving to be useful in monitoring the purification of specific antigens from whole tumor cell extracts.
Inhibition of Ovulation in the Rabbit by Actinomycin D

IN the rabbit, an induced ovulator, sufficient gonadotropin is released in the first hour after coitus to result in ovulation 9 h later1. This represents an interesting example of a stimulus-response system. Although the stimulus pathway has been reasonably elucidated, the response is not well understood. The subsequent steps in the response beyond the level of release of gonadotropin, involving interaction of hormone and ovary and culminating in rupture of the Graafian follicle, are unknown. For about 8 h after the coital stimulus the only apparent change in the follicle is an increased protuberance of the follicle above the surface of the ovary. It is during the 2 h prior to rupture of the follicle that a rapid increase in volume occurs. The increased volume is followed by stigma formation, usually at the apex of the follicle, and finally the release of the ovum.
Caloric restriction prevents aging-associated changes in spike-mediated Ca2+ accumulation and the slow afterhyperpolarization in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons.

Abstract In hippocampal pyramidal neurons from aged animals voltage-gated Ca2+ entry and the slow, post-burst afterhyperpolarization are enhanced. As a result, there is a decrease in neuronal excitability and, in turn, an alteration in synaptic plasticity. Restricting the caloric intake of a rodent is a well-known paradigm for increasing lifespan and ameliorating a number of neurodegenerative features of aging, including deficits in synaptic plasticity and cognition. Here we show in rat CA1 pyramidal neurons from aged animals (18–20 months old) that a restricted diet prevents the enhancement of dendritic spike-mediated Ca2+ accumulation. In contrast, no significant changes in the rates of Ca2+ recovery were observed suggesting that Ca2+ clearance mechanisms are not affected by aging or caloric restriction. Lastly, we found that caloric restriction also prevented the aging-associated increase in the slow, post-burst afterhyperpolarization. Our results suggest that caloric restriction-sensitive changes in Ca2+ accumulation and membrane excitability may in part account for the protective effects of dietary restriction on synaptic plasticity and learning deficits in aged animals.
Toward a Theory of Family and Revolution: Reflections on the Chinese Case.

Attempts to theorize about the relationship between family and revolutionary change have been based largely upon the Russian case and have adopted universalistic functionalist and modernization approaches. Three major contrasts in the course of family revolution in China challenge the validity of these interpretations. By placing feminist questions at the center of inquiry and adopting a comparative historical approach to an analysis of the Chinese case, this paper attempts to contribute theoretical refinements to family sociology, sociology of revolutions and feminist theory. The analytic strategy explains distinctive outcomes of precise aspects of the prerevolutionary family systems, the revolutionary processes and the postrevolutionary development strategies. A rudimentary theory of family revolution is proposed to explain the apparent failures and limitations of attempts to establish sexual equality via family transformation without precluding future success as a theoretical possibility.
Akogare, Ideology, and ‘Charisma Man’ Mythology: Reflections on ethnographic research in English language schools in Japan

In light of recent reflexive ethnography based on frameworks of performativity, this work develops a phenomenological interpretation of my white, male, gaijin (foreign), English-speaking positionality inside Japan's private English conversation schools (eikaiwa). These eikaiwa are ubiquitous in modern urban areas. They are patronized predominantly by women who seek career enhancement, study and/or work abroad, and international romance. To understand the gendered participation patterns inside the eikaiwa I develop a phenomenological understanding of my positionality through a framework based on Occidentalism. This framework is grounded in the ideo-geographically specific notions of seken (surveillance) and akogare (desire). Akogare is instantiated and intensified inside eikaiwa by the performative aspects of staff, students and instructor practices in addition to eikaiwa texts and advertising and popular media discourses while seken, especially gender-normative seken, directed at women is minimized. This ...
Communicating with the Elderly: Reach of Television and Magazines

Governmental agencies, social service programs, and advocacy groups for the elderly often have messages which they would like to communicate to the largest proportion of the elderly population possible. Faced with severely limited public information budgets, they are forced to make choices about which communication mechanisms will reach the largest audience at the least cost per person receiving the message. The purpose of this study is to suggest public information strategies which might be used to communicate a message to a nationwide audience of elderly persons based on patterns of exposure to magazines and television. For this study a sample of 6,056 subjects of which 864 were elderly persons was selected on the basis of a national probability sample. Results indicate that in communicating to the elderly one must look at specific programs or magazines as opposed simply to selecting a vehicle (magazines vs television).