cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis Is Mediated by Myeloid C-C Chemokine Receptor 2.

Gadolinium-based contrast agents are implicated in several pathologic abnormalities (long-term retention in vital organs such as the skin and the brain) and are the cause of a sometimes fatal condition in patients, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. Bone marrow–derived fibrocytes and the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 inflammatory pathway have been implicated as mediators of the adverse effects induced by gadolinium-based contrast agents. Mechanistic studies are scant; therefore, a mouse model of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis was established. Dermal cellularity was increased in contrast-treated green fluorescent protein (GFP) chimeric mice. GFP in the skin and fibrosis were increased in the contrast-treated chimeric animals. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and C-C chemokine receptor 2 were increased in the tissues from contrast-treated mice. C-C chemokine receptor 2–deficient recipients of GFP-expressing marrow had an abrogation of gadolinium-induced pathology and displayed less GFP-positive cells in the skin. Wild-type animals that received C-C chemokine receptor 2–deficient bone marrow had a complete abrogation of dermal pathology. That GFP levels and expression increase in the skin, in tandem with a fibrocyte marker, supports the blood-borne circulating fibrocyte hypothesis of the disease. As of now, fibrocyte trafficking has yet to be demonstrated. Importantly, our data demonstrate that the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1/C-C chemokine receptor 2 axis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.
Statistical Mechanics of Interfaces

The mean-field approximation for interfacial structure may be derived from a form of the potential-distribution theory appropriate to inhomogeneous fluids: $$\rho (\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle\thicksim}$}}{r} ) = \lambda _{\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle\thicksim}$}}{r} }$$ (1) where ψ is the potential measured by a test particle at \({\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle\thicksim}$}}{r}},\rho ({\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle\thicksim}$}}{r}})\) is the mean density there, and λ is the uniform activity. Applied to a fluid of attracting hard spheres, with the hardsphere repulsions treated exactly and the attractions by the mean-field approximation, (1) yields a functional equation for the density profile ρ(z) (density as a function of height z through the liquid-vapor interface): $$\mu = M[\rho (z)] + \int\limits_{{r > b}} {\phi (r)[\rho (z') - \rho (z)]d\tau }$$ (2) with dτ an element of volume at the variable height z′, with r the distance of that volume element from a fixed point at the height z, with b the sphere diameter and φ (r) the potential energy of intermolecular attraction, with M(ρ) the chemical potential of the bulk fluid as a function of density in meanfield approximation (with its van der Waals loops), and with μ the uniform chemical potential of the fluid, obtained from M(ρ) by the equal-areas (Maxwell) construction. For small gradients, (2) reduces to a form analogous to the laws of motion for a particle moving on a line subject to a prescribed potential, and so may be analyzed and solved by the methods of particle dynamics.
Spatial Patterns of Constraints to Park Visitation among Urban Populations

AbstractThis article examined constraints to visiting urban parks and natural areas in the Portland, Oregon (USA) metropolitan region, as well as spatial attributes of these constraints. Data were ...
Gridlock and beltways: the genetic context of urban invasions

The rapid expansion of urban land across the globe presents new and numerous opportunities for invasive species to spread and flourish. Ecologists historically rejected urban ecosystems as important environments for ecology and evolution research but are beginning to recognize the importance of these systems in shaping the biology of invasion. Urbanization can aid the introduction, establishment, and spread of invaders, and these processes have substantial consequences on native species and ecosystems. Therefore, it is valuable to understand how urban areas influence populations at all stages in the invasion process. Population genetic tools are essential to explore the driving forces of invasive species dispersal, connectivity, and adaptation within cities. In this review, we synthesize current research about the influence of urban landscapes on invasion genetics dynamics. We conclude that urban areas are not only points of entry for many invasive species, they also facilitate population establishment, are pools for genetic diversity, and provide corridors for further spread both within and out of cities. We recommend the continued use of genetic studies to inform invasive species management and to understand the underlying ecological and evolutionary processes governing successful invasion.
Another, higher understanding: Goethe’s Late Kantianism, Makarie, and the Absolutes of Gender in "Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre"

This article interprets the figure of Makarie from Goethe’s Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre, drawing forth the Kantian epistemological, aesthetic, and ethical foundations of the portions of the novel in which she appears, and indeed of Makarie herself. Goethe intricately and enigmatically intertwines the characterization of her with the topos of stargazing, thereby building upon Kant’s treatments of that topic in various of his writings. Cognitive responses to the perception of the heavens were constructed in the eighteenth century in distinctly gendered ways that, I argue, are key to understanding the relation of Makarie to Wilhelm Meister, and to understanding the broader significance this relationship has for the interpretation of the novel as a whole.
Evaluating the Facilitating Attuned Interactions (FAN) approach: Vicarious Trauma, professional Burnout, and reflective practice

Abstract Background This evaluation examined the use of the Facilitated Attuned Interaction (FAN) approach to reflective practice among child welfare and early childhood professionals working with vulnerable children and families. Objective The aims of the current evaluation were to test (a) the role of vicarious trauma in predicting professional burnout, (b) the effect of reflective practice quality in decreasing professional burnout, and (c) the ability of reflective practice quality to lessen the relationship between vicarious trauma and professional burnout. Participants and Setting The sample included sixty-three professionals across diverse professions including child welfare social workers, early childhood educators, and child welfare attorneys. Methods Child welfare and early childhood professionals participating in reflective practice with consultants trained in the FAN approach to reflective practice completed surveys measuring their vicarious trauma, burnout, and the quality of reflective practice pre-intervention as well as nine months post-intervention. Results Results indicated that pre-intervention vicarious trauma directly and significantly increased child welfare and early childhood professionals’ post-intervention reports of professional burnout, β = 0.42, [95% CI: 0.08, 0.76]. Post-intervention reflective practice quality did not directly nor significantly reduce professionals’ post-intervention reports of professional burnout, β = −0.06, [95% CI: −0.46, 0.36]; however, the relationship between pre-intervention vicarious trauma and post-intervention burnout was significantly diminished by positive perceptions of reflective practice quality, β = −0.36, [95% CI: −0.69, −0.02]. Conclusion Vicarious trauma was associated with increased rates of professional burnout among child welfare and early childhood professionals. The current evaluation indicates the potential benefit of receiving high quality reflective practice with the FAN approach.
Sunburns and Sun-Protective Behaviors after a Diagnosis of Melanoma

Exposure to ultraviolet light is a recognized modifiable risk factor for melanoma. Melanoma patients were more likely to practice sun-protective behaviors after their diagnosis. But it is not known how long these sun-protective behaviors will sustain. We aim to evaluate if sun-protective behaviors and likelihood of recent sunburn differ according to time elapsed since the melanoma diagnosis using the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Data in the NHANES cycle years 2003-2006 and 2010-2012 were analyzed. The relationship of sun-protective behaviors and likelihood of sunburns with the time since a melanoma diagnosis was evaluated and also adjusted for possible confounding factors such as age, gender, and skin reaction to the sun. A total of 34 participants with previous melanoma provided responses to their current sun-protective behaviors and recent occurrence of sunburns. The control group consisted of 13,871 participants who never had any diagnoses of malignancies. The control and the non-recent diagnosis groups were more likely to have sunburns but less likely to engage in consistent sun-protective behaviors compared to the recent diagnosis group. A multivariate regression model showed a 1.17 increased odds of having a recent sunburn for each additional year elapsed since a melanoma diagnosis ( p = 0.046). In our study, those with a melanoma diagnosis in the non-recent past were more likely to have sunburns and less likely to sun protect. More can definitely be done to educate and cultivate sun-protective behaviors among the U.S. population.
Smoothing control of solar photovoltaic generation using building thermal loads

Abstract Distributed energy resources such as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are seeing significant expansion in power grids worldwide. However, serious system integration issues have arisen including voltage fluctuations and accelerated aging of voltage regulation devices, when adopting mass amounts of volatile energy resources onto legacy distribution networks originally designed for unidirectional power flow. Building heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, collocated with the distributed generation, can be considered as flexible loads due to the inherent building thermal inertia. HVAC systems can be proactively controlled to improve voltage regulation of distribution networks with high PV penetrations. This paper presents a smoothing solution that modulates HVAC power in response to volatile PV generation as a means to mitigate fluctuations in the net demand and generation. To demonstrate the effectiveness and evaluate performance gains, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) tests were carried out using a 3-ton variable-speed heat pump. The HIL tests leveraged a building thermal dynamic model and a steady-state power flow model for a 33-bus distribution network to capture realistic indoor thermal responses and distribution voltage variations during PV smoothing control. Test results showed that the developed strategy was effective in reducing variations of net demand and generation with negligible impact on indoor comfort. More than 55% reductions of voltage fluctuation were achieved and tap operations of voltage regulators could be fully or partially eliminated with proactive PV smoothing.
Calf Vein Thrombosis Comparison of Outcomes for Axial and Muscular Venous Thrombosis.

Background The objective of this study was to characterize clinical features and outcomes among patients with calf deep vein thrombosis (DVT) limited to the muscular veins compared with axial veins. Methods Consecutive patients with ultrasound confirmed acute DVT involving the calf veins (January 1, 2016–August 1, 2018) were identified from the Gonda Vascular Center ultrasound database. Patients were divided into axial or muscular groups based on thrombus location. Demographics, management, and outcomes were compared. Results Over the study period, there were 647 patients with calf DVT equally distributed between axial (n = 321) and muscular (n = 326) locations. Within these groups, peroneal and soleal veins were most commonly involved. Nearly all cases were provoked (97%). Synchronous pulmonary embolism (PE) were more common for axial (30.8%) compared to muscular groups (20.2%; p = 0.001); nearly one-third had no pulmonary symptoms. Anticoagulation for a median of 3 months was initiated for 85.5% of both groups. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence was more common in the axial group (15.9% vs. 7.1%, p = 0.0015) including more frequent DVT propagation (9.4% vs. 3.1%; p = 0.0017) and PE (3.4% vs. 0.6%; p = 0.0168). Major bleeding, clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding, and mortality rates did not differ between groups. Withholding anticoagulation led to more frequent thrombus propagation in the axial group (3.4% vs. 0.9%; p = 0.029). Conclusion Several important features distinguish muscular from axial DVT. Axial DVT are more likely to have an associated PE and are more likely to experience recurrent VTE, particularly if anticoagulation is withheld.
Thin Cation-Exchange Layers Enable High-Current-Density Bipolar Membrane Electrolyzers via Improved Water Transport

With suitable water dissociation (WD) catalysts, bipolar membranes (BPMs) can efficiently dissociate water into H+ and OH– at the junction between anion- and cation-exchange layers (AEL and CEL, re...
High-throughput sequencing outperforms traditional morphological methods in Blue Catfish diet analysis and reveals novel insights into diet ecology

Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus are an invasive, yet economically important species in the Chesapeake Bay. However, their impact on the trophic ecology of this system is not well understood. In order to provide in-depth analysis of predation by Blue Catfish, we identified prey items using high-throughput DNA sequencing (HTS) of entire gastrointestinal tracts from 134 samples using two genetic markers, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and the nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA gene. We compared our HTS results to a more traditional "hybrid" approach that coupled morphological identification with DNA barcoding. The hybrid study was conducted on additional Blue Catfish samples (n = 617 stomachs) collected from the same location and season in the previous year. Taxonomic representation with HTS vastly surpassed that achieved with the hybrid methodology in Blue Catfish. Significantly, our HTS study identified several instances of at-risk and invasive species consumption not identified using the hybrid method, supporting the hypothesis that previous studies using morphological methods may greatly underestimate consumption of critical species. Finally, we report the novel finding that Blue Catfish diet diversity inversely correlates to daily flow rates, perhaps due to higher mobility and prey-seeking behaviors exhibited during lower flow.
Metal toxicity and neuroinflammation

Abstract Acute inflammation can represent an effective immune response to the corporeal presence of organisms of exogenous origin or damaged cells of intrinsic origin, both of which are potentially injurious. Very often, such inflammation persists long after the triggering stimulus no longer poses a threat. Such a chronic condition can ultimately be more harmful than the original triggering agent. The means by which metallic compounds can provoke undesirable and extended inflammatory changes within the nervous system are diverse. This short review classifies the likely mechanisms underlying their toxicity by taking into account their known chemical properties and also by reflecting on other injurious events that commonly occur together with inflammation. The brevity of this survey does not allow focusing exhaustively on each individual metal but rather seeks to uncover some intracellular susceptible biochemical loci, based on the chemistry of each class of metals. Developmental and senescence-related characteristics are considered as these stages of life often involve especial vulnerabilities. Another feature addressed is that while research is generally conducted on purified and well-defined agents, exposures in the real world generally involve diverse mixtures in which the individual toxicity of a component can be enhanced or suppressed by the presence of other chemicals.
Rewarding Effects of Nicotine Self-administration Increase Over Time in Male and Female Rats.

INTRODUCTION Smoking and the use of other nicotine-containing products is rewarding in humans. The self-administration of nicotine is also rewarding in male rats. However, it is unknown if there are sex differences in the reward-enhancing effects of nicotine self-administration and if the rewarding effects of nicotine change over time. METHODS Rats were prepared with catheters and intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) electrodes to investigate the effects of nicotine and saline self-administration on reward function. A decrease in thresholds in the ICSS procedure reflects an enhancement of reward function. The ICSS parameters were determined before and after the self-administration sessions from days 1 to 10, and after the self-administration sessions from days 11 to 15. RESULTS During the first 10 days, there was no sex difference in nicotine intake, but during the last 5 days, the females took more nicotine than the males. During the first 10 days, nicotine self-administration did not lower the brain reward thresholds but decreased the response latencies. During the last 5 days, nicotine lowered the reward thresholds and decreased the response latencies. An analysis with the 5-day averages (days 1-5, 6-10, and 11-15) showed that the reward enhancing and stimulatory effects of nicotine increased over time. There were no sex differences in the reward-enhancing and stimulatory effects of nicotine. The nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine diminished the reward-enhancing and stimulatory effects of nicotine. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that the rewarding effects of nicotine self-administration increase over time, and there are no sex differences in the reward-enhancing effects of nicotine self-administration in rats. IMPLICATIONS This study investigated the rewarding effect of nicotine and saline self-administration in male and female rats. The self-administration of nicotine, but not saline, enhanced brain reward function and had stimulatory effects. The rewarding effects of nicotine increased over time in the males and the females. Despite that the females had a higher level of nicotine intake than the males, the reward-enhancing effects of nicotine self-administration were the same. These findings suggest that in new tobacco and e-cigarette users, nicotine's rewarding effects might increase quickly, and a higher level of nicotine use in females might not translate into greater rewarding effects.
Elemental composition of alligator eggshell and eggshell membrane using micro-PIXE

Abstract Over the past years there has been a notable lack of success with regard to breeding alligator in commercial facilities. Farm-raised alligator eggs exhibit lower hatch rate in comparison with wild alligator eggs. Additionally, the hatch rates of the alligator eggs decrease in captivity until zero production is reached. This decline in production has been documented in over a twenty year study at the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge. The lack of reproductive performance is attributed to the maternal diet and transfer of nutrients to the egg. Previous investigation on the eggshell and eggshell membrane of these reptiles lack comparisons between diet groups. The elemental compositions of the eggshell and eggshell membrane of wild and farm-raised A. mississippiensis were investigated using micro-PIXE. Eggs analyzed for this study were viable and the analysis showed that the major elements of the eggshell included calcium and aluminum, and that of membrane included sulfur and chlorine.
Factors and Interactions Influencing Direct Observation: A Literature Review Guided by Activity Theory.

Ensuring that future physicians are competent to practice medicine is necessary for high quality patient care and safety. The shift toward competency-based education has placed renewed emphasis on ...
The chemistry and physiology of erythropoietin.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the chemistry and physiology of erythropoietin. Erythropoietin is the primary regulator of erythropoiesis in mammals. It is a glycoprotein hormone produced primarily in the kidney and secreted into the circulation, acting on the bone marrow to induce the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells along erythroid lines. Mammalian erythropoietins show relatively little species specificity with regard to biologic activity. Anemic plasma and serum can stimulate erythropoiesis in polycythemic hosts of either the same or unrelated mammalian species, thereby allowing the use of a standardized assay animal—the polycythemic mouse or the fasted rat. Likewise, tissue and circulating erythropoietins from several mammalian species react with an antibody to the human urinary hormone and inhibit binding of the pure human urinary erythropoietin tracer in the radioimmunoassay. Species differences have been observed, both in biologic and immunologic activity. For example, in a series of studies, preparations of sheep erythropoietin did not give dose-response curves parallel to those for human material assayed in the polycythemic mouse system.
Collaborative Problem-Solving in Virtual Environments: Effect of Social Interaction, Social Presence, and Sociability on Critical Thinking

New and increasingly complex online technologies are attractive to course developers, but do they add value for students and teachers in terms of deeper social connection and increased collaborative learning? This exploratory study examines students’ perceptions of social presence, sociability, and social interaction related to critical thinking in groups in three different virtual environments (e.g., text chat, online audio conference, and avatar-based interaction). The findings suggest that perceptions of user difficulty and the nature of the collaborative activity influence learner perceptions in critical thinking group tasks in virtual environments, while the type of virtual environment has less effect. Limitations and critiques are discussed.
On the correlation between a magnetopause penetration parameter and FTE occurrence

Impulsive plasma penetration has been proposed as a means by which solar wind plasma may cross the magnetopause and enter the magnetosphere. It has been predicted that plasma entry by this means will be correlated with a magnetopause penetration parameter. One of the most important signatures of plasma entry into the magnetosphere are flux transfer events (FTEs). If plasma penetration is an important mechanism in plasma entry, then it would be expected that the occurrence of flux transfer events will correlate with the penetration parameter. On the other hand, if reconnection is, as widely believed, the dominant mechanism for the entry of solar-wind plasma into the magnetosphere, then plasma entry will be correlated with the north/south IMF component. AMPTE UKS data show that the occurrence of FTE signatures is better correlated with the direction of the IMF than with the penetration parameter. Thus, impulsive plasma penetration is unlikely to be the mechanism responsible for FTEs.
Chile en el Perú: guerra y construcción estatal en Sudamérica, 1881-1884

This article analyzes the role played by the Chilean state during the War of the Pacific, 1879- 1884. It highlights the performance of its bureaucracy in the construction of a political network in Peru and also discusses the impact of the latter in Chile´s state making process. Between 1881- 1884 the Chilean State unfolds to a foreign territory and by doing so improves its administrative skills. This reasoning will lead it to explore its authoritarian nature in Peru, where the absence of the State and of civil society allowed its political and ideological predominance.
Placebo-controlled trial of ulcerative colitis with oral 4-aminosalicylic acid

Abstract Forty patients with active ulcerative colitis were randomly assigned to receive either 4 g of oral enterically coated 4-aminosalicylic acid (para-aminosalicylic acid) or placebo. The duration of treatment was 12 weeks. Disease activity was assessed by grading clinical symptoms of blood, mucus, urgency, sigmoidoscopic findings, and degree of histological inflammation in rectal biopsy specimens. At 12 weeks, 11 of 20 patients (55%) who received 4-aminosalicylic acid showed improvement in clinical and sigmoidoscopic variables. In contrast, only 1 of 20 patients (5%) who had received placebo showed improvement ( P
Maintenance-oriented fault tree analysis of component importance

In this paper we investigate and compare a set of existing component importance measures and select the most informative and appropriate one for guiding the maintenance of the system. Efficient methods to compute the selected measure are presented. An important concern in the traditional fault tree reliability analysis, common-cause failure, is also addressed in the component importance analysis using the selected measure. A simple example is designed and analyzed to show the selection process.
The Degree Calculation

In this chapter, we will use the spectrum of a compact linear operator to establish an important fact about the Leray-Schauder degree. As in the previous chapter, X is an infinite-dimensional Banach space.
Layout optimization for maximizing wind farm power production using sequential convex programming

This paper describes an efficient method for optimizing the placement of wind turbines to maximize the expected wind farm power. In a wind farm, the energy production of the downstream wind turbines decreases due to reduced wind speed and increased level of turbulence caused by the wakes formed by the upstream wind turbines. As a result, the wake interference among wind turbines lower the overall power efficiency of the wind farm. To improve the overall efficiency of a wind farm, researchers have studied the wind farm layout optimization problem to find the placement locations of wind turbines that maximize the expected wind farm power. Most studies on wind farm layout optimization employ heuristic search-based optimization algorithms. In spite of their simplicity, optimization algorithms based on heuristic search are computationally expensive and have limitation in optimizing the locations of a large number of wind turbines since the computational time for the search tends to increase exponentially with increasing number of wind turbines. This study employs a mathematical optimization scheme to efficiently and effectively optimize the locations of a large number of wind turbines with respect to maximizing the wind farm power production. To formulate the mathematical optimization problem, we derive a continuous wake model and express the expected wind farm power as a continuous and smooth function in terms of the locations of the wind turbines. The constructed wind farm power function is then maximized using sequential convex programming (SCP) for the nonlinear mathematical problem. We show how SCP can be used to evaluate the efficiency of an existing wind farm and to optimize a wind farm layout consisting of 80 wind turbines.
Varicella zoster and herpes simplex virus infections

There are six herpes viruses, three of which, the varicella-zoster virus and the herpes simplex viruses types 1 and 2, are of particular concern to patients and staff in critical care units. These viruses, especially in their reactivated states, may present atypically in critically ill and immune-suppressed patients, and, by the time the diagnosis is made, exposures of other patients and clinicians may have occurred. Pregnancy and immunosuppressed states can result in severe, even life-threatening varicella-zoster virus infections in susceptible adults. Similarly, nosocomial herpes simplex virus infections can have serious consequences for exposed patients and staff. An additional problem after herpes simplex virus infection is the potential of lifelong and possibly frequent recurrences. In this article, the manifestations, modes of transmission, and treatment will be discussed. Special emphasis will be placed on describing the types of patients who are at high risk of presenting with varicella-zoster virus or herpes simplex virus infection so that physicians and nurses can use appropriate preventive measures to avert nosocomial infections in patients and staff.
Hazard Management with DOORS: Rail Infrastructure Projects

LOI is a major rail infrastructure project that will contribute to a modernised transport system in time for the 2012 Olympic Games. A review of the procedures and tool infrastructure was conducted in early 2006, coinciding with a planned move to main works. A hazard log support tool was needed to provide: an automatic audit trial, version control and support collaborative working. A DOORS based Hazard Log (DHL) was selected as the Tool Strategy. A systematic approach was followed for the development of DHL, after a series of tests and acceptance gateways, DHL was handed over to the project in autumn 2006. The first few months were used for operational trials and he Hazard Management rocedure was modified to be a hybrid approach that used the strengths of DHL and Excel. The user experience in the deployment of DHL is summarised and directions for future improvement identified.
Space time block code for four time slots and two transmit antennas

In this paper a special space time coding is proposed for communication systems which is equipped with four time solts and two antennas. The launched code has full rate and full diversity and maximum likelihood (ML) decoding requires joint detection of four real symbols. Simulation results for bit error rate (BER) analysis show that the proposed STBC outperforms previously presented schemes.
Pathological Video Gaming and Its Relationship to Substance Use Disorders

Video games are becoming an increasingly popular form of entertainment, yet many individuals have difficulty controlling their level of video game play, entering into a territory of clinical concern termed pathological gaming. Pathological gaming is associated with higher rates of mental illness and bears a strong resemblance to substance use disorders (SUDs). Diagnostic criteria proposed for “Internet gaming disorder” in the appendix of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) share similar criteria to many SUDs. This review highlights research on the epidemiological, psychiatric, neurobiological, and psychological characteristics of pathological gaming, and how these overlap with SUDs. Research suggests that early substance use or pathological gaming may increase the odds of developing either. Neurobiological research indicates that pathological gaming shares numerous characteristics with SUDs, though distinct features are evident. Impulsivity is reviewed here as a psychological mechanism involved in the predisposition to pathological gaming. Finally, there are several potential treatments for pathological gaming, though thorough clinical testing is still needed. Given the comorbidity and neurobiological similarities of pathological gaming and SUDs, existing therapies for SUDs hold promise for the treatment of pathological gaming.
A new rapid slide agglutination test for amniotic fluid phosphatidylglycerol: Laboratory and clinical correlation

A new rapid slide agglutination test (Amniostat-FLM/AFLM) for amniotic fluid phosphatidylglycerol has been developed. One hundred ninety-three samples of amniotic fluid were tested for lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio and phosphatidylglycerol by thin-layer chromatography and fluorescence polarization and compared with the AFLM. All four tests agreed in 123/193 cases. Phosphatidylglycerol and AFLM were concordant in 176/193 cases. From these samples, data were available on 105 neonates, of whom 74 were delivered within 72 hours of amniocentesis. All positive AFLM tests were associated with absence of hyaline membrane disease, of 22 negative tests, eight babies had hyaline membrane disease. Thus, preliminarily, it appears that this is a useful, rapid test for assessing fetal lung maturity, which like other tests is reliable when indicating maturity but has a high incidence of falsely immature results.
Efficient runtime tracking of allocation sites in Java

Tracking the allocation site of every object at runtime is useful for reliable, optimized Java. To be used in production environments, the tracking must be accurate with minimal speed loss. Previous approaches suffer from performance degradation due to the additional field added to each object or track the allocation sites only probabilistically. We propose two novel approaches to track the allocation sites of every object in Java with only a 1.0% slow-down on average. Our first approach, the Allocation-Site-as-a-Hash-code (ASH) Tracker, encodes the allocation site ID of an object into the hash code field of its header by regarding the ID as part of the hash code. ASH Tracker avoids an excessive increase in hash code collisions by dynamically shrinking the bit-length of the ID as more and more objects are allocated at that site. For those Java VMs without the hash code field, our second approach, the Allocation-Site-via-a-Class-pointer (ASC) Tracker, makes the class pointer field in an object header refer to the allocation site structure of the object, which in turn points to the actual class structure. ASC Tracker mitigates the indirection overhead by constant-class-field duplication and allocation-site equality checks. While a previous approach of adding a 4-byte field caused up to 14.4% and an average 5% slowdown, both ASH and ASC Trackers incur at most a 2.0% and an average 1.0% loss. We demonstrate the usefulness of our low-overhead trackers by an allocation-site-aware memory leak detector and allocation-site-based pretenuring in generational GC. Our pretenuring achieved on average 1.8% and up to 11.8% speedups in SPECjvm2008.
Transport and freeze‐drying in the tropical tropopause layer

[1] We use a Lagrangian, one-dimensional cloud model to simulate ice cloud formation and dehydration along trajectories in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL). Time-height curtains of temperature along the trajectory paths are extracted from meteorological analyses. The temperatures are adjusted near the tropopause such that the spatial average cold point temperature matches tropical radiosonde measurements. Temperature perturbations due to Kelvin waves, Rossby gravity waves, and high-frequency gravity waves are superimposed. The cloud model tracks the growth and sedimentation of individual ice crystals. Ice number densities in the cloud simulations without waves range from 1 cm−3) and smaller crystals (1–10 μm radius), resulting in less sedimentation but still effective dehydration overall. Inclusion of wave-driven temperature oscillations decreases the final TTL H2O mixing ratio somewhat primarily because the wave perturbations decrease the tropical average cold point tropopause temperature by ∼0.75 K. Ultimately, air rising through the TTL is effectively dehydrated with or without wave perturbations. In general, the model results suggest that the final water vapor mixing ratios are primarily controlled by the minimum temperatures encountered by parcels and that they are relatively insensitive to factors such as the wave-driven temperature variability, the supersaturation threshold for ice nucleation, and the rate of ascent through the tropopause layer. However, the frequency and geographical distribution of cloud formation is very sensitive to these parameters. On average, the clouds dehydrate the air along trajectories down to mixing ratios ∼10–40% higher than the temperature minimum saturation mixing ratio. The simulations predict efficient freeze-drying of air by cloud formation within the TTL: For the December–January 1995/1996 period simulated the average final H2O mixing ratios at the tropopause (370–380 K potential temperature) range from 2.5 to 3.2 ppmv. These values are somewhat lower than the estimates of the stratospheric water vapor entry value from satellite and in situ measurements; hence an additional source of water (such as injection by deep convection) may be required to explain the observed tropical tropopause humidity.
A Refinement Based Framework for Computing Loop Behavior

The development, certification and evolution of dependable software requires the ability to analyze software artifacts in all their extensive detail. This, in turn, is contingent upon availability of reliable, certified tools that can rigorously analyze the behavior and properties of software artifacts. One of the most difficult challenges in the development of such a tool is the ability to derive the function of a loop from a static analysis of its source code. In this paper, we discuss the main tenets of our approach to this problem, based on a relation-theoretic refinement calculus, and outline its results, insights, and prospects.
A laser-based system for chemical imaging

We are currently developing a real-time, laser-based method to providein situ qualitative and quantitative assessment of hydrocarbon contaminants on metallic surfaces for surface cleaning verification. Many manufacturing techniques require the use of hydrocarbon lubricants that are removed from finished and intermediate products by techniques such as vapor degreasing and solvent cleaning. Not only is the cleaning process laborious and time consuming, commonly used organic solvents are toxic and generate expensive hazardous waste. A rapid surface analysis technique that differentiates hydrocarbons will mitigate these problems by allowing accurate assessment of the type and amount of surface contaminants throughout the cleaning process. The development of an on-line technique will eliminate the need to send process parts out to a separate laboratory, thereby eliminating processing delays. Overall, this will lead to improved alternative cleaning products and processes, and reduction of hazardous materials usage and handling.
Improving spectral features from GPR by exploring the depth information

Spectral features generated from GPR measurements have proven to be effective for the discrimination between landmine and clutter objects. Spectral features are extracted from the energy density spectrum estimated from the GPR data at an alarm location. The quality of the energy density spectrum is highly affected by the ground reflection. For deeply buried plastic landmines, the residual ground response can degrade the energy density spectrum significantly. This paper proposes the use of an estimated depth of the target to improve the estimation of its energy density spectrum, for the purpose of increasing the performance in the detection of deeply buried landmines as well as the discrimination between landmines and clutter objects.
Investigation of ultra violet (UV) resistance for high strength fibers

Abstract Ultra long duration balloons (ULDB), currently under development by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), requires the use of high strength fibers in the selected super-pressure pumpkin design. The pumpkin shape balloon concept allows clear separation of the load transferring functions of the major structural elements of the pneumatic envelope, the tendons and the film. Essentially, the film provides the gas barrier and transfers only local pressure load to the tendons. The tendons, in the mean time, provide the global pressure containing strength. In that manner, the strength requirement for the film only depends on local parameters. The tendon is made of p -phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole (PBO) fibers, which is selected due to its high strength to weight ratio when compared to other high performance, commercially available, fibers. High strength fibers, however, are known to degrade upon exposure to light, particularly at short wavelengths. This paper reports the results of an investigation of the resistance of four commercial high strength fibers to ultra violet (UV) exposure. The results indicate that exposing high strength fibers in continuous yarn form to UV led to serious loss in strength of the fibers except for Spectra ® fibers. The adverse changes in mechanical behavior occurred over short duration of exposure compared to the 100 day duration targeted for these missions. UV blocking finishes to improve the UV resistance of these fibers are being investigated. The application of these specially formulated coatings is expected to lead to significant improvement of the UV resistance of these high performance fibers. In this publication, we report on the mechanical behavior of the fibers pre- and post-exposure to UV, but without application of the blocking finishes.
MMC: a Many-core Memory Connection Model

This extended abstract formulates a model of parallel performance called MMC. It gives the theoretical upper bound of parallel performance based on three factors: the processing capacity, the network capacity, and the memory capacity.
Comprehensive Approach to Improving Maternal Health and Achieving MDG 5: Report from the Mountains of Lesotho

Background Although it is now widely recognized that reductions in maternal mortality and improvements in women's health cannot be achieved through simple, vertical strategies, few programs have provided successful models for how to integrate services into a comprehensive program for maternal health. We report our experience in rural Lesotho, where Partners In Health (PIH) in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare implemented a program that provides comprehensive care of pregnant women from the community to the clinic level. Methods Between May and July 2009, PIH trained 100 women, many of whom were former traditional birth attendants, to serve as clinic-affiliated maternal health workers. They received performance-based incentives for accompanying pregnant women during antenatal care (ANC) visits and facility-based delivery. A nurse-midwife provided ANC and delivery care and supervised the maternal health workers. To overcome geographic barriers to delivering at the clinic, women who lived far from the clinic stayed at a maternal lying-in house prior to their expected delivery dates. We analyzed data routinely collected from delivery and ANC registers to compare service utilization before and after implementation of the program. Results After the establishment of the program, the average number first ANC visits increased from 20 to 31 per month. The clinic recorded 178 deliveries in the first year of the program and 216 in the second year, compared to 46 in the year preceding the program. During the first two years of the program, 49 women with complications were successfully transported to the district hospital, and no maternal deaths occurred among the women served by the program. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that it is possible to achieve dramatic improvements in the utilization of maternal health services and facility-based delivery by strengthening human resource capacity, implementing active follow-up in the community, and de-incentivizing home births.
Ferromagnetic behavior and magnetic excitations in a molecular-based alternating-spin chain: Decamethylchromocenium tetracyanoethanide.

We report the study of magnetic properties of a molecular-based alternating-spin chain: metallocenium electron-transfer salt decamethylchromocenium tetracyanoethanide, [CrCp[sub 2][sup *]] [TCNE]. We give a modified spin-wave theory for the Heisenberg alternating-spin chains. The low-field susceptibility and magnetization data agree with the theoretical results indicating that one-dimensional linear magnon excitations dominate the magnetic behavior above the three-dimensional ordering temperature. Strong ferromagnetic intrachain coupling, [ital J][congruent]9 K, is found. Unusual critical phenomena associated with lattice dimensional crossover are discussed.
Ultra-High-Resolution Near-Coastal Wind Retrieval for QuikSCAT

The SeaWinds on QuikSCAT scatterometer measures near surface ocean winds using radar backscatter values and a geophysical model function. QuikSCAT data is limited in coastal regions due to land contamination of the backscatter measurements. However, wind retrieval in near coastal areas can be successfully accomplished by estimating the amount of land contamination in the backscatter measurements and eliminating measurements which exceed a specified threshold. In order to accurately assess the amount of land contamination in a given measurement, a detailed knowledge of the antenna spatial response is required. The land contribution ratio is used as the contamination metric and is calculated using the spatial response of each QuikSCAT measurement. The land contamination threshold changes during wind retrieval as a function of wind conditions in the local area which allows retrieval closer to the coast as wind speeds increase. To ameliorate processing time the QuikSCAT spatial response is calculated and tabulated prior to wind retrieval. Subjective comparisons to estimated coastal winds show that determining a land contamination threshold using the percent land contribution metric provides accurate wind retrieval up to 25km closer to the coast than current methods. As a result wind speeds can be accurately retrieved as close as 2.5km from the coast.
Gentamicin and Gentamicin C1 in the Treatment of Complicated Urinary Tract Infections: Comparative Study of Efficacy, Tolerance, and Pharmacokinetics

The clinical efficacy, patient tolerance, and pharmacokinetics of gentamicin and the single component gentamicin C(1) were studied after single and multiple doses in elderly male patients. Patient tolerance was extremely good at the dose levels used. There was some evidence of renal function impairment due to repeated intramuscular doses of gentamicin, but not gentamicin C(1). The antibiotics were equally effective against the organisms present in the urine of these patients. The pharmacokinetics of the two antibiotic forms were similar, although gentamicin C(1) appeared to have a larger distribution space.
Carbon sequestration via aqueous olivine mineral carbonation: Role of passivating layer formation

CO2 sequestration via carbonation of widely available low-cost minerals, such as olivine, can permanently dispose of CO2 in an environmentally benign and a geologically stable form. We report the results of studies of the mechanisms that limit aqueous olivine carbonation reactivity under the optimum sequestration reaction conditions observed to date: 1 M NaCl + 0.64 M NaHCO3 at T ≈ 185 °C and PCO2 ≈ 135 bar. A reaction limiting silica-rich passivating layer (PL) forms on the feedstock grains, slowing carbonate formation and raising process cost. The morphology and composition of the passivating layers are investigated using scanning and transmission electron microscopy and atomic level modeling. Postreaction analysis of feedstock particles, recovered from stirred autoclave experiments at 1500 rpm, provides unequivocal evidence of local mechanical removal (chipping) of PL material, suggesting particle abrasion. This is corroborated by our observation that carbonation increases dramatically with solid part...
Palliative Care Psychiatry: Update on an Emerging Dimension of Psychiatric Practice

Palliative care psychiatry is an emerging subspecialty field at the intersection of Palliative Medicine and Psychiatry. The discipline brings expertise in understanding the psychosocial dimensions of human experience to the care of dying patients and support of their families. The goals of this review are (1) to briefly define palliative care and summarize the evidence for its benefits, (2) to describe the roles for psychiatry within palliative care, (3) to review recent advances in the research and practice of palliative care psychiatry, and (4) to delineate some steps ahead as this sub-field continues to develop, in terms of research, education, and systems-based practice.
Police Use of Force

The police have authority to ensure public safety by enforcing laws. Although the core of police work is cooperation, officers are sometimes required to use physical force. The nature and types of force used by the police create a perception of their legitimacy among the citizens they serve. This article discusses the use of force by police and provides a context to understand its use and abuse.