cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patient-reported outcome domains for the esophageal CONDUIT report card: a prospective trial to establish domains

Health-related quality of life (QoL) deteriorates immediately after esophagectomy. Patients may benefit from periodic assessments to detect increased morbidity on the basis of subjective self-reports. Using input from patients and health care providers, we developed a brief prototype for the esophageal conduit questionnaire (Mayo Clinic Esophageal Conduit Outcomes Noting Dysphagia/Dumping, and Unknown outcomes with Intermittent symptoms over Time after esophageal reconstruction [CONDUIT] Report Card) and previously used it in comparative research. The present study aimed to expand its content and establish health-related QoL and symptom domains of a patient-reported postesophagectomy conduit evaluation tool. We expanded tool content by selecting items measuring patient-reported symptoms from existing questionnaires or written de novo. A multidisciplinary group of clinician content-matter experts approved the draft tool, together with a designated patient advocate. The expanded tool was administered to patients postesophagectomy from March 1 to November 30, 2016. We established domains of conduit performance for score reporting through data analysis with exploratory factor analyses. We assessed psychometric properties such as dimensionality, internal consistency, and inter-item correlations in each domain and compared content coverage with other existing measures intended for this patient population. For data that were missing less than 50% of patient responses, the missing values were imputed. Five multi-item domains were established from data of 76 patients surveyed after esophagectomy; single items were used to assess stricture and conduit emptying. For every multi-item domain, dominance of 1 factor was present. Internal consistency reliability estimates for the domains were 0.87, 0.78, 0.75, 0.80, and 0.83 and average inter-item correlations were 0.40, 0.50, 0.40, 0.33, and 0.73 for dysphagia, reflux, dumping-gastrointestinal symptoms, dumping-hypoglycemia, and pain, respectively. Some items observed to have lower inter-item correlation were reworded or flagged for removal at future validation. For reflux and dumping-related hypoglycemia, additional items were written after these analyses. The CONDUIT Report Card is a novel questionnaire for assessing QoL and symptoms of patients after esophageal reconstruction. It covers major symptoms of these patients and has good content validity and psychometric properties. The tool can be used to help direct patient care, guide intervention, and compare efficacy of different treatment options. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier No. 02530983 on 8/18/2015.
An International Marketing Application of Outlier Analysis for Structural Equations: A Methodological Note:

Structural equation modeling with latent variables is being used more frequently in international marketing research. However, the authors argue that it is hazardous to conduct cross-national marke...
Chapter 10 – Forecasting Renewable Energy for Grid Operations

Forecasting of renewable energy takes on an increasingly important role in the power grid with the rapid expansion of wind and solar energy. We discuss the potential applications of renewable energy forecasts for system operators, renewable power producers, and other participants in the electricity market, and give a brief overview of forecasting methods for wind and solar energy. Whereas further improvements in point forecast accuracy is certainly desirable, we argue that good estimates of forecast uncertainty is also of major importance to better handle renewable energy in grid operations. Looking ahead, we conclude that improved forecasting systems and corresponding decision support tools are key solutions to enable a clean, reliability, and cost efficient future electricity grid driven by renewable resources.
Are Cheaters Sexual Hypocrites? Sexual Hypocrisy, the Self-Serving Bias, and Personality Style:

This article examines moral hypocrisy and the self-serving bias (SSB) in the sexual infidelity context. We found evidence of self-serving attributions that occur between primary relationship partners following sexual betrayals. Specifically, we found that sexual infidelity perpetrators (a) blamed their primary dyadic partners (i.e., victims) for infidelities significantly more than those victims blamed themselves for such infidelities, (b) blamed the surrounding circumstances for infidelities significantly more than their victims did, and (c) rated the emotional impact of infidelities on their victims as significantly less than victims' ratings of such impact. Moreover, we found that participants with prior experience as both sexual infidelity perpetrators and victims displayed "sexual hypocrisy" by judging others more harshly than themselves for sexually unfaithful behavior. Our findings demonstrate that personality variables associated with sexual infidelity (narcissism, sexual narcissism, avoidant attachment, and primary psychopathy) are also relevant to self-serving attributions in the sexual infidelity context.
Tribology of Selected Hard Coatings for Oil and Gas Applications Up to 450 °C

Three different surface treatments, which are of interest to the oil and gas industry, and are commonly used for tribological applications at elevated temperatures, namely chromium carbide (CrC) coating, Ni–P coating, and boronized nickel alloy were investigated. In addition to different structural compositions, these surface treatments possess different surface topographies, which is of practical importance. Pin-on-disk experiments were conducted to measure their friction and wear performance against tungsten carbide. Experiments were carried out at room temperature and 450 °C using a specialized tribometer. Nanomechanical properties of the coatings were obtained at room and elevated temperatures. To investigate the physical and chemical changes that occurred during tribo-testing, scanning electron microscopy of the coatings’ cross section, wear tracks, and wear debris were obtained. Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy analysis revealed the changes in elemental composition of the coatings wear track after the experiments, which could affect their tribological performance. It was found that the intensity and composition of the generated oxides, changes in the mechanical properties of the surface materials with temperature, and the surface topographical characteristics affected the tribo-mechanism. Among the tested samples, boronized nickel alloy surface outperformed the coatings with lower friction coefficient and lower wear rate, especially at elevated temperature.
Fast approximate STEM image simulations from a machine learning model

Accurate quantum mechanical scanning transmission electron microscopy image simulation methods such as the multislice method require computation times that are too large to use in applications in high-resolution materials imaging that require very large numbers of simulated images. However, higher-speed simulation methods based on linear imaging models, such as the convolution method, are often not accurate enough for use in these applications. We present a method that generates an image from the convolution of an object function and the probe intensity, and then uses a multivariate polynomial fit to a dataset of corresponding multislice and convolution images to correct it. We develop and validate this method using simulated images of Pt and Pt–Mo nanoparticles and find that for these systems, once the polynomial is fit, the method runs about six orders of magnitude faster than parallelized CPU implementations of the multislice method while achieving a 1 − R2 error of 0.010–0.015 and root-mean-square error/standard deviation of dataset being predicted of about 0.1 when compared to full multislice simulations.
A Letter on a Lawyer's Life of Death

"Death," the late Stanley Elkin once said, "is an education." I have had to become something of a connoisseur of death and a predator of experience. For the past decade or so, I have been an appellate lawyer for people who are condemned to die. In addition to writing legal briefs, memoranda, and other forms of advocacy, I have written several "scholarly" articles and essays for law reviews, as well as two books which may also, I suppose, be characterized fairly as "scholarly" work products. Although I try to disguise neither my personality nor my personal beliefs in the earlier works, those enterprises more or less more or less conform to the norms and convention of intellectual "rigor"-and stylistic rigor mortis-that characterize scholarship by legal academics. At least,"scholarship" was my intent in my previous law journal articles and books. They did contain many footnotes, at any rate.
Contrast Acuity With Different Colors in Parkinson's Disease.

Background Abnormal color vision and contrast acuity may have significant impact on daily activities. Objective Evaluate color visual acuity, at high and low contrast, in Parkinson's disease (PD) and controls using an iPad application. Methods Color visual acuity was tested with the Variable Contrast Acuity Chart (King-Devick Test LLC, Oakbrook Terrace, IL) on an iPad 2 at 40 cms using five colors (red, green, blue, yellow, and black) at low (2.5%) and high (100%) contrast. A numerical score (0-95) was assigned based on the number of correctly identified letters. Results Thirty-six PD (mean ± standard deviation age 68 ± 10 years) and 36 controls (72 ± 11.2 years) were studied. PD disease duration was 6.4 ± 4.6 years; MDS-UPDRS part II was 11.7 ± 7.0, and part III was 24.5 ± 9.9. After adjusting for age and sex, PD patients had significantly (P < 0.05) lower scores at high (100%) as well as low (2.5%) contrast for all five colors tested (red, green, blue, yellow, and black), except yellow low contrast (2.5%; P = 0.10). The largest effect size (0.88) was with yellow high contrast, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy using a cut-off score of 82 was 31%, 97%, 92%, 58%, and 64%, respectively. No correlation to disease duration was found. Conclusions This iPad application may be a simple-to-use biomarker for assessing color vision in PD. Further research is needed to determine disease specificity and whether there is a role in monitoring disease progression, treatment response, and identifying prodromal PD.
Investigating Sales Tax Revenue Competition Among Principal Cities and Their Neighboring Cities in Texas

While research has explored the economic importance of principal cities on regional economies, little is known about the short-run and long-run dynamic relationships between principal cities and th...
Transplant Outcomes and Stabilization of Neurological Function in Young Children with MPS III (Sanfilippo Syndrome) after Unrelated Donor Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation.

Abstract Between September 1998 and June 2004, 15 children, ages 10 – 55 months, 60% males, 14 Caucasian, 1 mixed racial background, underwent unrelated donor umbilical cord blood transplantation for treatment MPS III (Sanfilippo Syndrome, types A or B) Grafts were mismatched at 0 (n = 1), 1 (n = 10) or 2 (n = 4) HLA loci. All children were prepared for transplant with busulfan 40mg/m2/dose PO or 1mg/kg/dose IV targeting a Css of 600–900ng/ml), cyclophosphamide 50mg/kg/dose daily x 4, and equine ATG 30mg/kg/dose daily x 3. Cyclosporine and solumedrol were used for prophylaxis against GvHD. Engraftment with donor cells occurred in 10/15 patients, although one additional patient engrafted after a second transplant. Five patients, including the one transplanted a second time, died within 8 months of transplant of graft failure with respiratory failure and viral infections (Adenovirus, HSV). Six patients developed mild to moderate acute GvHD and 4 patients had limited (2) or extensive (2) chronic GvHD. All children were tested with baseline neurophysiologic, imaging and neurocognitive tests. These were then followed in surviving children every 6 months for 2 years and yearly thereafter. All children demonstrated deficits in hearing and mild to moderate developmental delays at the time of initial evaluation. MRIs showed varying degrees of volume loss generally increasing with the age of the patient at initial evaluation. EEGs were normal in the younger patients, but showed slowing and signs of generalized encephalopathy in the older patients. Two patients developed hydrocephalus requiring VP shunt placement within 1 year of transplant and one patient experienced subdural hematomas after minor head trauma. MRIs of all surviving patients stabilized for the first 4 years post transplant. One patient, now almost 5 years post transplant showed volume loss on the latest study. Patients transplanted at
State and Society in Africa: A Comparative Perspective

The chapter explores the complicated interactions between state and society in African countries since the transformative moment of decolonization after the Second World War. Drawing on case studies from two distinctive African countries—Nigeria and Botswana—the chapter contends that the challenges and possibilities for development and governance in African communities are intricately connected to prevailing structures of state-society relations following their arbitrary construction from colonial states at the turn of the twentieth century. The chapter concludes that while the holders of state power have consistently nurtured neo-patrimonial state systems predicated on patron-client relations, rationalized by entrenched communal identities to consolidate the narrow interest of the political class, the masses of local people drawing on age-old practices and structures, have paradoxically devised creative strategies for survival and sustenance within the context of fragile, uncertain, and insecure post-colonial state systems. However, the comparative perspective provided in the Nigerian and Botswana case studies questions the over-generalization of Africa in perpetual crises, providing a corrective to prevailing narratives of endemic crisis in contemporary African states and societies.
A Study on the Neurobehavioral Effects of Occupational Exposure to Organic Solvents in Korean Workers1

In order to investigate the neurobehavioral effects in workers occupationally exposed to organic solvents in Korea using WHO neurobehavioral core test battery (NCTB), a cross-sectional study of 113 male car painters and printers and 81 controls was conducted. Among the seven tests of the NCTB, only four tests—simple reaction time, Santa Ana dexterity, digit symbol, and Benton visual retention tests—were administered to the subjects because of time limitations. Painters and printers were exposed mainly to toluene, xylenes, and methyl ethyl ketone and often to solvent mixtures. The range of the solvent exposure level was 0.10–2.29 of hygienic effect. Poorer performance of Benton visual retention in the exposed group when compared to the control group was found after controlling confounders. No exposure-dependent effect was found. Further investigation with a matched control group regarding confounding factors is required for conclusive results. © 1993 Academic Press, Inc.
CHAPTER 2 – Data Sets

Publisher Summary This chapter presents several prototypical data sets that are used to illustrate the various statistical methods. The data sets were chosen to represent a range of areas in education and psychology. Each data set has been previously analyzed and published, and a few data sets have been reanalyzed by different investigators. The data sets contain typical information that is available to the research reviewer. The outcome data consist of a single summary statistic used as an index of effect magnitude, usually a standardized mean difference or a correlation coefficient. In addition to the index of effect magnitude, the chapter presents the sample size and characteristics of the experimental conditions in the studies. The selection of these characteristics in the studies is not entirely haphazard. As the object of research synthesis is to determine how broadly a result may generalize, reviewers usually use several characteristics that they believe to be related to the experimental outcome as independent variables.
Use of a Multidisciplinary Incident Command System in Response to Measles Outbreak in Maryland

Background: Measles is a highly contagious virus that reemerged in 2019 with the highest number of reported cases in the United States since 1992. Beginning in March 2019, The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) responded to an influx of patients with concern for measles as a result of outbreaks in Maryland and the surrounding states. We report the JHH Department of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (HEIC) response to this measles outbreak using a multidisciplinary measles incident command system (ICS). Methods: The JHH HEIC and the Johns Hopkins Office of Emergency Management established the HEIC Clinical Incident Command Center and coordinated a multipronged response to the measles outbreak with partners from occupational health services, microbiology, the adult and pediatric emergency departments, marketing and communication and local and state public health departments. The multidisciplinary structure rapidly developed, approved, and disseminated tools to improve the ability of frontline providers to quickly identify, isolate, and determine testing needs for patients suspected to have measles infection and reduce the risk of secondary transmission. The tools included a triage algorithm, visitor signage, staff and patient vaccination guidance and clinics, and standard operating procedures for measles evaluation and testing. The triage algorithms were developed for phone or in-person and assessed measles exposure history, immune status, and symptoms, and provided guidance regarding isolation and the need for testing. The algorithms were distributed to frontline providers in clinics and emergency rooms across the Johns Hopkins Health System. The incident command team also distributed resources to community providers to reduce patient influx to JHH and staged an outdoor measles evaluation and testing site in the event of a case influx that would exceed emergency department resources. Results: From March 2019 through June 2019, 37 patients presented with symptoms or concern for measles. Using the ICS tools and algorithms, JHH rapidly identified, isolated, and tested 11 patients with high suspicion for measles, 4 of whom were confirmed positive. Of the other 26 patients not tested, none developed measles infection. Exposures were minimized, and there were no secondary measles transmissions among patients. Conclusions: Using the ICS and development of tools and resources to prevent measles transmission, including a patient triage algorithm, the JHH team successfully identified, isolated, and evaluated patients with high suspicion for measles while minimizing exposures and secondary transmission. These strategies may be useful to other institutions and locales in the event of an emerging or reemerging infectious disease outbreak. Funding: None Disclosures: Aaron Milstone reports consulting for Becton Dickinson.
Challenges in Firmware Re-Hosting, Emulation, and Analysis

System emulation and firmware re-hosting have become popular techniques to answer various security and performance related questions, such as determining whether a firmware contain security vulnerabilities or meet timing requirements when run on a specific hardware platform. While this motivation for emulation and binary analysis has previously been explored and reported, starting to either work or research in the field is difficult. To this end, we provide a comprehensive guide for the practitioner or system emulation researcher. We layout common challenges faced during firmware re-hosting, explaining successive steps and surveying common tools used to overcome these challenges. We provide classification techniques on five different axes, including emulator methods, system type, fidelity, emulator purpose, and control. These classifications and comparison criteria enable the practitioner to determine the appropriate tool for emulation. We use our classifications to categorize popular works in the field and present 28 common challenges faced when creating, emulating, and analyzing a system from obtaining firmwares to post emulation analysis.
A Mobile Robot Testbed for Prognostics-Enabled Autonomous Decision Making

The ability to utilize prognostic system health information in operational decision making, especially when fused with information about future operational, environmental, and mission requirements, is becoming desirable for both manned and unmanned aerospace vehicles. A vehicle capable of evaluating its own health state and making (or assisting the crew in making) decisions with respect to its system health evolution over time will be able to go further and accomplish more mission objectives than a vehicle fully dependent on human control. This paper describes the development of a hardware testbed for integration and testing of prognostics-enabled decision-making technologies. Although the testbed is based on a planetary rover platform (K11), the algorithms being developed on it are expected to be applicable to a variety of aerospace vehicle types, from unmanned aerial vehicles and deep space probes to manned aircraft and spacecraft. A variety of injectable fault modes is being investigated for electrical, mechanical, and power subsystems of the testbed. A software simulator of the K11 has been developed, for both nominal and off-nominal operating modes, which allows prototyping and validation of algorithms prior to their deployment on hardware. The simulator can also aid in the decision-making process. The testbed is designed to have interfaces that allow reasoning software to be integrated and tested quickly, making it possible to evaluate and compare algorithms of various types and from different sources. Currently, algorithms developed (or being developed) at NASA Ames - a diagnostic system, a prognostic system, a decision-making module, a planner, and an executive - are being used to complete the software architecture and validate design of the testbed.
A culturally sensitive model of technology and groups: focus on group support systems

Technological research has arrived at an important nexus. At the same point that research is focusing on the enabling nature of technology in organizations, researchers are also acknowledging issues of culture for management, technology design, and use. The key is that technologies can enable new organizational forms, but the recursive nature of sociotechnical systems is riddled with opportunities for variation in outcomes as these technologies are used (and/or designed) across cultural boundaries. The focus of the current work is to outline a model of sociotechnical system outcomes given differences in culture. A group support system (GSS) context is used to communicate the vividness of cultural variation.
Farmers' consumption of an imported cereal and the cash/foodcrop decision: An example from Senegal☆

Abstract The effects of key agricultural policies on Senegalese farmers are analysed through a survey combining farming systems research methods, family budgets, dietary and anthropometric studies for the same rural households. Policies impact their food consumption through farm and non-farm incomes, prices of inputs, extension and research, and the prices of basic foods. Food consumption is closely related to family success in mixed cropping, but millet remains the basic rural food. Although rice has deeply penetrated rural markets, a maintenance of export earnings will require simultaneous gains in yields for both cash and traditional foodcrops.
Inability to Measure M-Protein With Capillary Zone Electrophoresis (CAPPILLARYS 2) in Tracings With NonDiscernable Peaks

Background We performed a retrospective study to illustrate the challenges with quantifying monoclonal (M)-protein in the cases of serum protein capillary zone electrophoresis (SPCZE) where no discernable peak is apparent. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed 160 serum immunofixation electrophoresis (SIFE) that were performed at Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center between October 2013 and November 2013 and we identified the positive SIFE results. The corresponding SPCZE of the positive SIFE were retrieved and evaluated for the ability to quantify M-proteins in them. We define the ability to quantify M-protein as the ability for the operator of the SPCZE to identify a discernable peak and to be able to manually gate the area under the peak. Results Twenty-two cases of SIFE detected a monoclonal immunoglobulin. Of the corresponding 22 SPCZE, we could not quantify the M-protein in 6 (27.3%) of the cases. Conclusion We have shown several cases where we were not able to quantify the M-protein with SPCZE. This poses a challenge in the diagnosis and management of these patients.
Reachable Workspace in Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) by Kinect

Introduction: A depth-ranging sensor (Kinect) based upper extremity motion analysis system was applied to determine the spectrum of reachable workspace encountered in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Methods: Reachable workspaces were obtained from 22 individuals with FSHD and 24 age- and height-matched healthy controls. To allow comparison, total and quadrant reachable workspace relative surface areas (RSAs) were obtained by normalizing the acquired reachable workspace by each individual's arm length. Results: Significantly contracted reachable workspace and reduced RSAs were noted for the FSHD cohort compared with controls (0.473 ± 0.188 vs. 0.747 ± 0.082; P < 0.0001). With worsening upper extremity function as categorized by the FSHD evaluation subscale II + III, the upper quadrant RSAs decreased progressively, while the lower quadrant RSAs were relatively preserved. There were no side-to-side differences in reachable workspace based on hand-dominance. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility and potential of using an innovative Kinect-based reachable workspace outcome measure in FSHD. Muscle Nerve 51: 168–175, 2015
Death by design: the big debut of small molecules

Members of the Bcl-2 family are critical regulators of apoptosis and have become attractive targets for the development of anti-cancer drugs. The latest discovery of small-molecule inhibitors of Bcl-2 proteins may provide the sought-after leads for the development of new anti-cancer therapy
"You Must Accept Them and Accept Them With Love"--The Privileged Elite and the Struggle for Educational Justice

Working from the belief that a humanizing education for the privileged elite is a necessary element of the larger struggle for educational justice, this paper sketches a course for pre-service educators that seeks to model an active commitment to love. After defining love as a political act, I identify and explain three critical lessons in a loving pedagogy for privileged educators-in-training, using student work to anchor the ideas throughout. Ultimately, I argue that regardless of whom we teach, leveraging the power of love to resurrect the human being of our students should be the goal of any practice rooted in the struggle for educational justice.
Global analogue of Cheshire charge

It is shown that a model with a spontaneously broken global symmetry can support defects analogous to Alice strings, and a process analogous to Cheshire charge exchange can take place. A possible realization in superfluid He-3 is pointed out.
Genetic Information, Ethics, Informed Consent to Testing and Screening

Introduction Definition of Informed Consent Genetic Screening and the Public Health Model Definition of Genetic Screening Criteria for Screening Experience with Screening Future of Informed Consent for Genetic Screening Genetic Testing and the Psychosocial Model Definition of Genetic Testing Genetic Testing for Huntington's Disease Genetic Testing for Cancer Genetic Testing for Children and Adolescents Future of Informed Consent for Genetic Testing Keywords: genetics; ethics
Abdominal pedicle flap for hand neuromas and entrapped nerves.

This study concerns a method of pedicle-flap grafting used to treat four patients with intolerably painful hands following nerve injuries. Scar tissue entrapping injured nerves was removed. Some nerves were then imbedded in muscle or bone. In common to all, however, thick abdominal pedicle flap grafts were placed on hands over injured nerves. This grafting procedure detailed in the four case presentations is offered as an approach to one of the commonest and most debilitating hand lesions.
Impact of somatic mutations on patterns of metastasis in colorectal cancer

Background: Somatic mutation status in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is becoming increasingly clinically relevant as it may be correlated not only with response to biologic therapies, but also with sitespecific pattern of metastatic spread and outcome. Plan: In this review, we describe our current understanding of associations between mutational activation of the KRAS , BRAF , PIK3CA , and NRAS oncogenes and clinical outcomes and metastatic patterns of mCRC. Results: The presence of a KRAS mutation is associated with a distinct pattern of metastatic spread with decreased liver metastases and increased lung, brain, and bone metastases. In patients who undergo resection of colorectal liver metastases (CLM) with curative intent, KRAS mutation is associated increased risk of recurrence, worse survival, and increased recurrence outside of the liver, particularly in the lung, but also in the brain and bone. BRAF mutation, a poor prognostic factor in mCRC, is associated with decreased liverlimited metastasis and increased peritoneal and distant lymph node metastases. PIK3CA mutation does not clearly affect outcomes in the metastatic setting, but is associated with concurrent KRAS mutations, and has been associated with an increased incidence of lung and brain metastases, metastatic sites preferentially involved in KRAS mutant mCRC. NRA mutation may confer worse survival and early studies suggest NRAS mutation may promote tumorigenesis in the setting of colorectal inflammation. As metastasectomy with curative intent is increasingly considered in patients with mCRC, understanding patterns of metastasis associated with tumor mutations may help focus medical treatment, surgical management, and surveillance in patients with mCRC.
TU‐B‐I‐611‐01: Releasing Nuclear Medicine Patients to the Public: Dose Computations and Discharge Instructions

Thousands of patients are treated annually in the United States with iodine-131 for various medical conditions. Prior to 1996, patients treated with more than 30 millicuries of iodine-131 were required to be hospitalized in a private room until their iodine-131 body burden decreased to less than 30 millicuries. In 1996, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) introduced a revision to 10 CFR 35.75 that permitted release based upon the anticipated dose to members of the public, rather than upon patient body burden. Consequentially, many treatments that formerly required hospitalization may be performed as outpatient treatments, and required hospitalizations can be significantly shortened. These regulations have been adopted by the Agreement States, and “early release” of in-patients and treatment as outpatients is becoming more widespread. Medical physicists who work in hospital settings can expect to participate in “early release” and outpatient radioiodine therapeutic procedures. Medical conditions that are treated with iodine-131 include hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, neuroendocrine tumors and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Candidacy for outpatient treatment depends in part upon whether patients are continent of urine and capable of self-care. The revised NRC regulations permit conservative public dose computations that account for tissue shielding, biological elimination, physical decay and occupancy factor, which is an index of the amount of time members of the public could spend in close proximity to the released patient. Computations must demonstrate that radiation dose to members of the public will not exceed 500 millirem (5.0 mSv) if the patient is to be released. If the patient is released based upon such computations, a record of the release must be created and retained by the licensee for three years. The record must document the anticipated dose to a member of the public and the method by which the anticipated dose was calculated. In addition, detailed written instructions regarding how the patient can maintain the radiation dose to family members other members of the public as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). The implementation of “early release” has apparently been successful from an ALARA standpoint. Measurements of actual external radiation exposure to family members of released iodine-131 patients demonstrate cumulative doses that are a small fraction of the anticipated dose computed using conservative assumptions. Educational Objectives: 1. Introduce participants to the medical conditions that are treated with radioiodine. 2. Review the regulatory considerations under 10 CFR 35.75 and 10 CFR 20 regarding both inpatient and outpatient radioiodine procedures. 3. Review ways in which the regulatory requirements may be satisfied, including dose-rate measurement, “public” radiation dose computations, post-discharge instructions, and addressing the concerns of patients and their families. Web-based methods to facilitate documentation of outpatient treatment will be introduced.
Opioid inhibition of adenylyl cyclase remaining after pertussis toxin treatment of NG108-15 cells: Possible involvement of tightly bound GTP.

Abstract Gi/Go proteins are uncoupled from receptors by ADP-ribosylation with pertussis toxin (PTX). However, PTX treatment of the δ opioid receptor-containing NG108-15 cell line often reduces but does not eliminate opioid inhibition of adenylyl cyclase, even when opioid stimulation of low Km GTPase is abolished. In our laboratory, treatment of NG108-15 cells with 100 ng/ml PTX eliminated both PTX-catalyzed 32P-labeling of G proteins and agonist stimulation of low Km GTPase in membranes. Although PTX decreased maximal opioid inhibition of adenylyl cyclase by 50–65%, the inhibition that remained was concentration-dependent, saturable, and antagonist-reversible. This inhibition persisted in the absence of GTP, even though opioid inhibition of adenylyl cyclase in untreated membranes was absolutely GTP-dependent. Opioid inhibition of adenylyl cyclase was eliminated by the nonhydrolyzable GTP analog, Gpp(NH)p, in membranes from both control and PTX-treated cells. This effect was not due to the stimulatory effect of Gpp(NH)p on adenylyl cyclase per se, since opioid inhibition of PGE1-stimulated adenylyl cyclase remained in membranes from both control and PTX-treated cells. These results indicate that in membranes from PTX-treated cells, a subpopulation of inhibitory G proteins that tightly bind but do not hydrolyze GTP are able to transduce an inhibitory signal from opioid receptors.
Factors Associated With Completion of the Restraining Order Process in Female Victims of Partner Violence

Thousands of women each year initiate the process of obtaining a restraining order against a violent partner. Although many women request an emergency restraining order, many fail to return to obtain a final 1-year order. The present study examined factors associated with completion of this process. Sixty-five women who initiated the process of securing a restraining order against a male partner participated in the study. Participants completed an interview, self-report measures, and were followed up to determine final restraining order status. Less than half of the women who initiated the process obtained final orders. Women who indicated an attachment to the abusive partner were less likely to complete the process. Perceived threat to the women facilitated persistence with the process; however, when the threat involved her children, women were less likely to persist. Understanding factors influencing persistence in help seeking, especially attachment and threat, is a crucial step toward enhancing interv...
Chronic conditions among children admitted to U.S. pediatric intensive care units: their prevalence and impact on risk for mortality and prolonged length of stay*.

Objective:To estimate the prevalence of chronic conditions among children admitted to U.S. pediatric intensive care units and to assess whether patients with complex chronic conditions experience pediatric intensive care unit mortality and prolonged length of stay risk beyond that predicted by commo
Toward a pragmatics for literary interpretation

Abstract Application of Searle's speech act theory (1979) and Labov and Fanshel's pragmatic theory (1977) to Manuel Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman suggests that a pragmatics relevant to literary interpretation should include both formal rules and general principles of conversation. Searle's rule-based speech act theory proves particularly useful in explaining meta-conversational comments and communication breakdowns, and in identifying patterns of language use which lead to relevant character-related questions. Modified for the fictional context under consideration, Labov and Fanshel's theory describes the character traits and interactions motivating meta-conversational comments and communication breakdowns. In addition, Labov and Fanshel's process of identifying “recurring themes” for characters points to the need for a set of principles for the interpretation of fictional dialogue extended throughout a text, a need which may be met by extending Grice's Cooperative Principle (1989) to lengthy or multiple conversations. Application of Searle's and Labov and Fanshel's theories also points to the need to identify the types of contexts and conventions surrounding character interactions, and to take these into account when interpreting dialogue.
Paying Research Subjects: An Analysis of Current Policies

Most organizations pay some research subjects, but few have written policies on payment. Because investigators and institutional review boards make payment decisions with little specific guidance, ...
Optimization of in vitro growth conditions for enterotropic murine coronavirus strains

Abstract Enterotropic mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) strains have been difficult to grow in cell culture. In an attempt to develop an efficient in vitro cultivation system for enterotropic MHV strains (MHV-RI and MHV-Y), 8 murine cell lines were inoculated with MHV-RI- or MHV-Y-infected infant mouse intestinal homogenates and screened for the production of cytopathic effects. MHV-RI and MHV-Y consistently produced cytopathic effects only in J774A.1 cells. Both strains produced titers of 10 6 TCID 50 /ml in subsequent passages in J774.1 cells. MHV strains -1, -3, -A59, -JHM, -S and -DVIM also produced high-titer viral stocks in J774A.1 cells. Therefore J774A.1 cells are the first cells found that support the replication of these 8 enterotropic and respiratory MHV strains. After passage in J774A.1 cells, MHV-RI and MHV-Y could infect previously non-susceptible cell lines (17C1-1, CMT-93, N18 and NCTC 1469), though cytopathic effects were often negligible with MHV-RI. MHV-Y, but not MHV-RI, grew in L2(Percy) cells. Using L2(Percy) cells, an agarose overlay and Giemsa staining, MHV-Y could be quantified by plaque assay. Infant mouse bioassays, plaque assays and cell culture infections were compared for their sensitivity in detecting MHV-Y in infected intestinal homogenates and cell supernatants.
Architecture and Ideology in Eastern Europe during the Stalin Era: An Aspect of Cold-War History

Part 1 The early postwar period: from the end of World War II to the Cold War reconstruction and new buildings. Part 2 The Cold War: from 1949 to the mid-1950s iconography, rhetoric, and the cult of Stalin. Part 3 The example of the Soviet Union-Socialist realism: basic architectural concepts the breakthrough of socialist realism in the Soviet Union causes and implications victory architecture of the 1940s. Part 4 Realization of the example in the people's democracies: how the example was transmitted realization, country by country the ideological context - a newspaper article from 1952 the Soviet Union in 1932 versus the people's democracies in 1949. Part 5 Socialist content: the great construction projects of communism concern for mankind ostentation and monumentality. Part 6 National form: DDR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria national form - practice and implications. Part 7 Monumental buildings in the capital cities: Stalinalee in East Berlin the Palace of Culture in Warsaw Casa Scinteii in Bucharest the new centre of Sofia. Part 8 The first socialist cities: stalinstadt Nowa Huta Sztalinvaros Dimitrovgrad the new cities - a glimpse of the future. Part 9 The logic of the situation - eight biographical sketches: Karel Teige and Jiri Kroha Jozsef Fischer and Mate Major Szymon Syrkus and bohdan Pniewski Hermann Henselmann and Kurt Liebknecht the architects - aesthetic and ideology. Part 10 Four political works of art: pass me a brick - building as a symbol young bricklayer of Stalinalee - "the typical" in art the Stalin monument in Budapest - "damnatio memoriae" I the Stalin monument in Prague - "damnatio memoriae" II the iconography of pictorial art. Part 11 Thaw and de-Stalinization: from the death of Stalin till the end of the 1950s the de-escalation and abolition of Socialist realism. Part 12 How the other side built - Interbau in West Berlin. Part 13 Architecture and ideology - discussion and conclusion: three comparisons alternative interpretations the negative choice.
Quantitative ultrasound using backscatter analysis in Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy

Evaluation of ultrasound images of muscle with calibrated muscle backscatter (cMB) provides reproducible quantitative measurements of muscle pathology. Increased cMB is associated with greater muscle pathology. We used cMB to evaluate the severity of muscle pathology in 55 patients with Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (D/BMD) compared to 77 controls. cMB was also compared to measurements of strength and function. cMB in DMD and BMD increased linearly with age and was higher than in controls when groups are compared. cMB increased twice as fast with age in DMD than in BMD. In DMD, cMB was higher with reduced function and strength. Ultrasound measurement of muscle pathology using cMB is a sensitive and objective quantitative technique for determining the severity of muscle pathology in dystrophinopathies. Longitudinal studies are required to determine the sensitivity of this measure to changes in pathology over time.
Parental monitoring, negotiated unsupervised time, and parental trust: the role of perceived parenting practices in adolescent health risk behaviors.

Purpose To compare two different parenting practices (parental monitoring and negotiated unsupervised time) and perceived parental trust in the reporting of health risk behaviors among adolescents.
Effects of training in the responsible conduct of research: a survey of graduate students in experimental sciences.

In recent years, programs for training in research ethics have become widespread, but very little has been done to assess the effectiveness of this training. Because initial studies have failed to demonstrate a positive impact of research ethics training, this project defined two new outcome variables to be tested in a sample of graduate students at the University of California, San Diego. Trainees were surveyed to assess the role of ethics training in altering their perceptions about their own standards, or their knowledge of options available to them if faced with ethical problems that might arise in conducting and reporting research. In response to a mailing of 505 anonymous questionnaires, 283 replies were received. Similar to previous studies, perceptions of standards were not significantly affected by hours spent in informal discussions about research ethics, in attending courses on research ethics, or in discussions of case studies. However, self-reported knowledge of options for facing research ethics problems was significantly increased in association with increased hours of discussion, class time, or case study discussion. Taken together, this study emphasizes the need for increased attention to the definition and assessment of the goals of research ethics training.
Nonparametric estimation of bivariate distribution under right truncation with application to panic disorder

Abstract In several studies, investigators are interested in estimating the bivariate distribution of the onset ages of a generic disorder in successive generations. The empirical distribution is inappropriate for this purpose due to truncation: only parent–child pairs with onset ages prior to the ages at interview were included in the sample. In this paper, we propose a simple nonparametric estimator for the underlying bivariate distribution of the onset ages. Compared with the existing estimators, the proposed estimator has a closed form and smaller biases when estimating marginal distributions. A real example is used to illustrate this estimator.
Darwin 200: Should scientists study race and IQ? YES: The scientific truth must be pursued

In this, the second of two opposing commentaries, Stephen Ceci and Wendy M. Williams argue that such research is both morally defensible and important for the pursuit of truth. In the first , Steven Rose argues that studies investigating possible links between race, gender and intelligence do no good. The second of Nature's three Darwin 200 special issues celebrates 'everybody's Darwin' — the great man's legacy in the context of the human condition. The sequencing of the human genome and those of our animal relatives has broadened our understanding of the evolution of our species and the unity of the living word. Genomics has identified many sequences that are under selection, but they do not provide the simple read-out of human evolutionary history that some expected. Erika Check Hayden talks to geneticists who are coming to realize that they cannot interpret these sequences without considering the impact of human culture. Donald Brown's 1991 book Human Universals concentrated on what human societies have in common — in areas such as language, status systems and social taboos. Evolutionary psychologists have warmed to the theme, and in a field not without controversy, their attempts to understand the balance between human universals and individual and societal uniqueness are generating some fascinating ideas, as Dan Jones reports. More controversy in Commentary, on 'untouchable science'. The protagonists — Steven Rose in one corner, Stephen Ceci and Wendy Williams in the other — explain why research on the genetics of race and gender should — or should not — be pursued without restriction. Back to the history, in Books & Arts, W. F. Bynum reviews Darwin's Sacred Cause, in which Adrian Desmond and James Moore reinterpret Darwin's life and work based on two well known facts about him: he felt physical revulsion when confronted by cruelty and he loathed slavery. On a lighter note, the poetry of Darwinism features on this week's Nature Podcast, and the reason why it is not The Origin of Pigeon Species that we are celebrating. Also in this issue, a Nature Insight packaging six specially commissioned reviews on evolution. And in Naturejobs, a report on the opportunities open to biological anthropologists. See the listing of Darwin-related content from this issue in the Editorial. All of this, plus web-only material, is available at http://www.nature.com/darwin .