cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Yeast cell microcarriers for delivery of a model bioactive compound in skin.

Abstract This study aimed at developing a cell-based encapsulation carrier for topical delivery of bioactives to the skin. The overall objectives were to evaluate affinity of the yeast-cell based carrier to bind to the skin surface following topical application and to quantify controlled release of curcumin as a model bioactive in ex-vivo skin models using a combination of imaging, modeling and analytical measurements. Both porcine skin tissue and clinically obtained human skin biopsies were studied. The results demonstrated that upon incubation with the ex-vivo skin tissues, the cell carriers rapidly bound to the skin surface following topical delivery and provided sustained release of encapsulated curcumin. The microcarrier binding and penetration of curcumin in the dermal compartment also showed to increase with incubation time. The average flux of curcumin in human skin biopsies Jp was 0.89 ± 0.02 μg/cm2/h. These results illustrated the potential of a novel cell-based carrier for high affinity binding to skin surface, efficient encapsulation of a model bioactive and controlled release from the cell carrier to the skin with enhanced permeation to the dermis section. Overall, this study demonstrated a new class of cost-effective carriers for improving delivery of bioactives to the skin and potentially other epithelial tissues.
Effect of State Legislation on Opioid Prescribing Practices After Surgery at a Pediatric Hospital.

Abstract Objective As abuse of prescription narcotics continues to create a growing healthcare crisis throughout the United States, states have passed legislation designed to alter narcotic prescribing habits. West Virginia State Bill 273 limited the quantity of narcotics practitioners were able to prescribe. Our objective was to determine the effect of this bill on narcotic prescribing practices for pediatric surgical patients. Methods A hospital-wide database at a pediatric trauma center was queried to identify all pediatric patients undergoing surgery between January 1, 2017 and December 9, 2019 and all medications prescribed to this cohort. Narcotic prescriptions written for these patients in the 2 months following surgery were isolated. The percent of patients receiving a postoperative narcotic prescription and the morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per prescription were compared before and after the law's implementation. Results The number of pediatric patients identified as having surgery in the study period was 10,176; 6069 were before the law passed and 4107 were after. The percentage of patients receiving a narcotic prescription was 46.0% before the law was passed, decreasing to 36.8% after the law (P Conclusions The amount of narcotic per prescription written for pediatric patients after surgery and the percentage of patients receiving a prescription decreased after West Virginia State Bill 273 was implemented. This law was associated with decreased narcotics written by providers, providing an example for future legislation targeting opioid prescribing and abuse.
Impact of Statistical Variation on ESD Simulation

We demonstrate a Monte Carlo-based simulation flow that can be used to obtain an estimation of the failure probability of an I/O circuit during ESD testing. We show how this probability can be used as an objective metric to evaluate changes in ESD performance due to parameter changes and process scaling. The result is a confident way to set device limits for I/O circuit PPA and ESD co-optimization.
SINBAD: a flexible tool for single cell DNA methylation data

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mark that has vital importance in both development and disease. Single cell bisulfite sequencing technologies enable profiling of the methylome at high resolution, providing the basis for dissecting the heterogeneity and dynamics of DNA methylation in complex tissues and over time. Despite the rapid increase in the number of experimental protocols for methylome sequencing, analytical tools designed specifically for single-cell data are lacking. We developed a computational tool, SINBAD, for efficient and standardized pre-processing, quality assessment and analysis of single cell methylation data. Starting from multiplexed sequencing reads, major analysis modules of SINBAD include preprocessing, read mapping, methylation quantification, multivariate analysis, and gene signature profiling. SINBAD provides a flexible platform to implement interoperable and robust processing of single-cell methylome data.
Tokamak Start-Up

During recent years improvements have been made to tokamak start-up procedures, which are important to the optimization of ignited tokamaks. The use of rf-assisted start-up and noninductive current drive has led to substantial reduction and even complete elimination of the volt-seconds used during startup, relaxing constraints on poloidal coil, vacuum vessel, and structure design. This paper reviews these and other improvements and discusses the various bulk heating techniques that may be used to ignite a D-T plasma.
Electron acceleration by young supernova remnant blast waves

Some general considerations regarding relativistic particle acceleration by young supernova remnants are reviewed. Recent ratio observations of supernova remnants apparently locate the bounding shock and exhibit large electron density gradients which verify the presence of strong particle scattering. The ratio ‘‘rim’’ in Tycho’s remnant has been found to constrain a predominantly radial magnetic field. This may be attributable to an instability of the shock surface, and a progress report on an investigation of the stability of strong shocks in partially ionized media is presented.
A Compact Solution for the Stress Field from a Cuboidal Region with a Uniform Transformation Strain

A closed-form solution is presented for the stress field in an infinite, homogeneous, isotropic elastic material, due to a uniform transformation strain in a cuboidal region. The dislocation-based method used here offers an alternate approach and furnishes the stress state directly, as compared to the displacement gradient furnished by Chiu [2]. Both solutions are shown to produce numerically equivalent values of stress. The present results are available as a numerical (MathCad) program to compute the stress state for abitrary cuboidal geometries
The Escherichia coli primosome can translocate actively in either direction along a DNA strand.

The primosome is a mobile multiprotein DNA replication-priming apparatus that requires seven Escherichia coli proteins (replication factor Y (protein n′), proteins n and n″, and the products of the dnaB, dnaC, dnaT, and dnaG genes) for assembly at a specific site (termed a primosome assembly site) on single-stranded DNA binding protein-coated single-stranded DNA. Two of the protein components of the primosome have intrinsic DNA helicase activity. The DNA B protein acts in the 5′→3′ direction, whereas factor Y acts in the 3′→5′ direction. The primosome complex has DNA helicase activity when present at a replication fork in conjunction with the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. In this report, evidence is presented that the multiprotein primosome per se can act as a DNA helicase in the absence of the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. The primosome DNA helicase activity can be manifested in either direction along the DNA strand. The directionality of the primosome DNA helicase activity is modulated by the concentration and type of nucleoside triphosphate present in the reaction mixture. This DNA helicase activity requires all the preprimosomal proteins (the primosomal proteins minus the dnaG-encoded primase). Preprimosome complexes must assemble at a primosome assembly site in order to be loaded onto the single-stranded DNA and act subsequently as a DNA helicase. The 5′→3′ primosome DNA helicase activity requires a 3′ single-stranded tail on the fragment to be displaced, while the 3′→5′ activity does not require a 5′ single-stranded tail on the fragment to be displaced. Multienzyme preprimosomes moving in either direction are capable of associating with the primase to form complete primosomes that can synthesize RNA primers.
Activation of D-aspartic acid for incorporation into peptidoglycan.

Abstract Enzyme preparations from Streptococcus faecalis and Lactobacillus casei catalyzed the incorporation of d-aspartic acid into a peptidoglycan in the presence of uridine diphosphate acetylmuramylpentapeptide and uridine diphosphate acetylglucosamine. The reaction required ATP but was independent of either supernatant enzymes or tRNA. A d-aspartic acid-activating enzyme present in the membrane fraction has been solubilized with 2 m LiCl and purified approximately 100-fold. The preparation so obtained catalyzed the formation of equivalent amounts of β-d-aspartylhydroxamate, ADP, and inorganic phosphate in the presence of d-aspartic acid, ATP, and hydroxylamine. The intermediate formed is presumably β-d-aspartylphosphate.
Gay and Lesbian Elders: Estate Planning and End-of-Life Decision Making

At a time when gay men and lesbians enjoy an unprecedented degree of acceptance, many gay and lesbian elders are facing the challenges of aging in silence, isolated from the gay and lesbian community and ignored by the senior community. They are grappling with the legal fragility of their chosen families, financial insecurity, and the fear of encountering antigay bias in senior-specific venues. Significant legal and policy reform will be necessary to address these concerns, but, in the meantime, there are certain planning steps that gay and lesbian elders can take to protect their chosen families and themselves. These include a will, inter vivos trust, a durable power of attorney, an advance medical directive, burial instructions, and an integrated elder care plan. This Article addresses the three areas of core concern for gay and lesbian elders - chosen family, financial insecurity, and anti-gay bias in the context of estate planning. The first section provides an overview of the current generation of gay and lesbian elders, including a summary of pre-Stonewall history and existing demographic information. The second section outlines the challenges associated with drafting an estate plan that favors chosen family over next of kin. The third section engages the topic of financial insecurity, discussing various benefits and government programs, such as social security and Medicaid planning. The fourth and final section discusses why an integrated elder care plan is an essential component of estate planning for gay and lesbian elders and how anti-gay bias and homophobia can threaten to derail even the most well designed estate plan. A brief conclusion notes that estate planning is at best an imperfect solution to a much larger problem because significant legal and policy reform will be necessary to ensure equity and dignity in aging regardless of sexual orientation.
Effective (linear) and emergent (nonlinear) mentoring: a practical context for practicing chaos

Purpose – This paper aims to compare the characteristics of mentoring understood as a traditional linear feedback process aimed at effectiveness, with mentoring understood as a nonlinear process, emphasizing emergence.Design/methodology/approach – Based in systems theory and the nature of feedback processes, differences in the nature of goals, paths, roles, interdependence and communication for each type are explained.Practical implications – Organizational development specialists and executives may want to consider a reorientation to the way mentoring is conceived in their organization. Effectiveness is for the reproduction of present successes. Emergence is for exponentially broader developmental success in the future.Originality/value – The paper is conceptual in nature, but is of considerable practical import for organizations and mentoring relationships aspiring to generative learning.
Eye Movements and the Detection of Lung Tumors in Chest Images

Publisher Summary There is a large body of data showing that competent radiologists and chest physicians overlook about 30 percent of lung tumors on chest radiographs, tumors that are clearly visible in retrospect. These error rates which were first studied systematically in the late 1940's and early 1950's have not changed with improved technology. A recent report by Muhm et al . from the Mayo Lung Project, part of a long term prospective study of the value of cancer screening in heavy cigarette smokers over age 45, indicated that 45 of 50 peripheral lung cancers were visible retrospectively in chest radiographs. Clearly, lung cancer would be detected earlier by radiogram if these errors of mission were eliminated. It had been suggested that many of these errors could be attributed to faulty search and it is reasoned that if the progress of search could be followed by recording eye position then areas of the chest that were not “adequately” searched could be identified and given a second look. This was called “feedback assisted visual search.” This approach was predicated on the hypotheses that inadequate or incomplete search was responsible for errors and the first experiments were designed to test this hypothesis. This, in turn, required a definition of “adequate” search of a chest radiograph.
Video-atlas on minimally invasive mitral valve surgery—The David Adams technique

Median sternotomy has unquestionably evolved over recent decades. Modern sternotomy involves a 7-8 cm lower midline skin incision, tunneling of the subcutaneous tissues with subsequent creation of myocutaneous flaps, full sternotomy, and standard cardiopulmonary bypass techniques with central cannulation. In experienced centers, modern sternotomy may achieve all the goals of minimally invasive surgery, including excellent cosmesis, excellent postoperative pain control, low rates of bleeding and transfusion (our reexploration rate for bleeding is <1%), and the ability to perform any reconstructive technique that would be used in a standard sternotomy, with very high repair rates (our most recent series documented a repair rate exceeding 99% in an all-comers population of degenerative disease regardless of complexity).
Reduced state adaptive SISO algorithms for serially concatenated CPM over frequency-selective fading channels

Iterative detection (ID) has proven to be a near-optimal solution for concatenated finite state machines (FSMs) with interleavers over an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. When perfect channel state information (CSI) is not available at the receiver, an adaptive ID (AID) scheme is required to deal with the unknown, and possibly time-varying, parameters. The basic building block for ID or AID is the soft-input soft-output (SISO) or adaptive SISO (A-SISO) module. The complexity of SISOs and A-SISOs increases exponentially with constraint length. Reduced state SISO (RS-SISO) algorithms have been applied to reduce the complexity of the A-SISO module. We show that serially concatenated CPM (SCCPM) with AID has turbo-like performance over fading ISI channels and also RS-A-SISO systems have large iteration gains. Various design options for RS-A-SISO algorithms are evaluated and performance and complexity are compared.
Urinary sediment cytology: Potential diagnostic tool for malakoplakia

The urinary sediment cytology is described in a case of malakoplakia involving the urinary bladder and the renal pelvis. The cytologic alterations are unique and can replace the invasive procedure such as biopsy.
The effect of patch depletion on meal patterns in rats

Abstract Abstract. Animals exploiting patchily-distributed resources must decide when to leave a given patch and seek another. If economically based, this decision will depend on the rate of return in the patch, the cost of moving to a new patch, and the overall rate of return in the environment. This study examined how these economic considerations may influence the pattern of daily food intake, i.e. the meal pattern. Laboratory rats lived continuously in a simulated depleting-patch environment in which the cost of beginning a meal in a new patch was controlled by a fixed-ratio price of access to the feeder and the rate of patch depletion was controlled with progressive-ratio schedules of pellet cost. As predicted by a cost-minimizing model, patch leaving was a joint function of the size of the progressive ratio and the size of the access cost: meals were smaller at higher depletion rates, but larger at higher access costs. However, meals were somewhat larger than the size that would have minimized feeding time and reliably larger than the size that would have minimized response output. Furthermore, although meal frequency changed in the opposite directions from meal size, the changes were not entirely compensatory; daily intake and body weight declined in the higher-cost conditions. These results suggest that intake patterns are the result of compromises between economic and physiological requirements.
Emergent fields through adaptation and identity: overcoming social distance

We examine the inseparability of one’s environment with the elements of adaptation and identity. Specifically, we revisit the Project H.O.M.E. learning environment as we suggest that the entities of adaption and environment are not only binding, but also naturally in constant flux as they interact with each other. Contrary to nature, however, the social distance between the instructors and learners is the result of a human construct that often hinders adaptation and identity development. We address the factors that afforded participants overcoming social distance and ultimately cultivating a shift in the learning structure of Project H.O.M.E.
From Global to Regional Climate Change: Relative Knowns and Unknowns about Global Warming

Abstract Atmospheric concentrations of major greenhouse gases (CO2, CH2, N2O, and CFCs) have increased significantly in the last century, mainly due to anthropogenic activities such as fossil fuel burning, deforestation, agriculture, and chlorofluorocarbon production. It is estimated that a doubling of carbon dioxide concentrations would eventually raise average global temperatures by 2 to 5°C, higher than they have been over the last one hundred thousand years. If greenhouse gas concentrations continue to grow as they have in recent decades, the effective doubling of CO2 would occur by about the year 2030. The full extent of climate change caused by that doubling would be realized several decades later. This rate of climate change would be faster than ever before, and continued greenhouse gas emissions would warm temperatures even more. There is a concensus about how global climate would change as a result of increased greenhouse gas concentrations: higher concentrations would likely lead to stratospheri...
Ruminal digestion and fermentation of high-producing dairy cows with three different feeding systems combining pasture and total mixed rations.

Abstract Six multiparous Holstein cows fitted with rumen cannulas were used to study the effect of three feeding systems combining pasture and total mixed rations (TMR) on ruminal digestion in a 21-wk repeated measures experiment. The three treatments were: 1) pasture plus concentrate (PC), 2) pasture plus partial TMR (pTMR), and 3) TMR (nonpasture). Ruminal NH 3 -N concentration was lower on both the pTMR and TMR treatments (10.2±0.5mg/dL) than on the PC treatment (19.9±0.5mg/dL). Ruminal pH was not affected by treatments and averaged 5.87. Neither total volatile fatty acid concentration (137.5mmol/L) nor individual volatile fatty acid proportions (63.1, 20.6, and 12.0 mol/100mol for acetate, propionate, and butyrate, respectively) differed among treatments. The pTMR treatment reduced the total potentially degradable fraction of dry matter (85.5 vs. 82.3%) and the potentially digestible fraction of neutral detergent fiber (82.1 vs. 74.9%) of pasture compared to the PC treatment. Ruminal NH 3 -N losses were reduced when combining pasture and TMR; however this combination decreased the ruminal digestion of pasture, indicating the presence of associative effects in the rumen.
Dexamethasone to improve maternal outcome in women with hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets syndrome.

The syndrome of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets (HELLP) has been described in women with preeclampsia for several decades. For the past 50 years, it has been recognized that the presence of all these laboratory abnormalities in preeclampsia-eclampsia is usually associated with increased rates of maternal complications (Table). The rate of these complications will depend on the criteria used to establish the diagnosis of HELLP syndrome, the population studied (hospital based or tertiary referral center), and the presence of associated medical, surgical, or obstetric complications (abruption placentae, eclampsia, peripartum hemorrhage). More than 2 decades since the term HELLP syndrome was first coined by Weinstein and after the publication of extensive literature in which the term HELLP syndrome has been described, there is still considerable disagreement with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of this syndrome. This disagreement is due in part to a lack of uniform diagnostic criteria for this syndrome and in part to a lack of well-designed, randomized studies for the treatment of this syndrome. The diagnostic criteria for HELLP syndrome, and its subclasses, are not as rigorous as one thinks and have varied among investigators from the same country and even between countries. For example, a significant percentage of published reports on the subject include
The effects of pressure trunk injections of potassium on the mineral content, growth, yield and fruit quality of sweet cherry (Prunus avlum L.) and mineral content of prune (Prunus domestica L.)

Abstract Fall trunk injections of 200 g K in K2SO4 solution or up to 300 g K in K2HPO4 solution had no effect on sweet cherry mid‐shoot leaf K in August. Phosphorus content was significantly increased in buds in March and midshoot leaves in August one year by fall injection of K2HPO4 (79.2 g P). Spring trunk injections of 12.5 g K (K2S04 or K2HPO4) in prune increased leaf K within four days and K levels remained higher than controls for at least 22 days with K2SO4 Leaf P was increased within four days by K2HPO4 and was higher than controls in August. Fruit set in sweet cherry was significantly lower on trees injected with 200 g K (K2S04) and 300 g K (K2HPO4). Yield was significantly lower for all injection treatments and was probably caused at least in part by reduced fruit set. Fruit quality was not affected by K injections.
Mean power frequency and amplitude of the mechanomyographic and electromyographic signals during incremental cycle ergometry

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationships for mechanomyographic (MMG) amplitude, MMG mean power frequency (MPF), electromyographic (EMG) amplitude, and EMG MPF versus power output during incremental cycle ergometry. Seventeen adults volunteered to perform an incremental test to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer. The test began at 50 W and the power output was increased by 30 W every 2 min until the subject could no longer maintain 70 rev min −1 . The MMG and EMG signals were recorded simultaneously from the vastus lateralis during the final 10 s of each power output and analyzed. MMG amplitude, MMG MPF, EMG amplitude, EMG MPF, and power output were normalized as a percentage of the maximal value from the cycle ergometer test. Polynomial regression analyses indicated that MMG amplitude increased ( P P >0.05) in MMG MPF. EMG amplitude and MPF were fit best ( P
Psychosocial factors and disease outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis: old problems, new solutions, and a future agenda.

Resume des acquisitions recentes dans ce domaine. Solutions proposees pour les etudes evaluant les aspects rhumatologiques et psychosociaux predictifs du handicap fonctionnel. Relation entre facteurs psychosociaux et parametres immunologiques
REM latency concordance in depressed family members

Schubert DSP. Rohira L (1981): Polycythemia of stress in a psychiatric hospital population: Failure to replicate. J Psyhosom Res 25: 109-I 10. Spielberger CD. Gorsuch RL. Lushine RD (1970): STAI Manual. Palo Alto. CA: Consulting Psychologist’s Press. Spitzer RL, Endicott J, Robins E (1977): Research Diagnostic Criteria for a Selected Group of Functional Disorders (ed 3). New York: Biometrics Research Division. New York State Psychiatric Institute. Tirlapur VG, Gicheru K, Charalambous BM, Evans PJ, Mir MA (1983): Packed cell volume, hemoglobin, and oxygen saturation in healthy smokers and non-smokers. Thorax 38:785-787. Wilson SJ, Boyle P (1952): Erroneous anaemia and polycythemia. Arch Intern Med 90:602-609.
Latent class analysis of non-opioid dependent illegal pharmaceutical opioid users in Ohio.

Background Increases in non-medical use of pharmaceutical opioids in the U.S. have resulted in increases in opioid dependence and unintentional overdose deaths. We characterize heterogeneity in opioid use patterns among a community-based sample of 18–23 year-olds who use non-medical pharmaceutical opioids, yet are not opioid dependent.
Spectral narrowing of a cw dye laser by an intracavity atomic beam of sodium

Abstract Strong spectral narrowing is observed in cw dye laser emission upon the introduction of atomic sodium inside the cavity when the pump power is above a certain threshold. The presence of as few as 400 atoms of sodium in the path of the laser beam is detected by this process. The variation of the observed enhancement on pump power and absorber density is presented, and the implication of these results to possible explanations of the effect is discussed.
The accuracy of teens' expectations of future smoking.

Background Whether current and potential smokers recognize the full scope of smoking-related risks remains in dispute. This paper provides new evidence for one key group, teenagers, by assessing whether teens accurately assess the chances that they will be smoking in the future. Among current smokers, this is one measure of whether they understand the addictiveness of smoking. Among current nonsmokers, this provides evidence regarding the social environment in which teens decide whether to smoke. Methods A nationally representative sample of teens was asked to assess the chances that they would be smoking 1 year later. Mean expectations of future smoking were compared with the actual probabilities of smoking initiation or continuation over 1 year from comparable epidemiologic data. Results Among current smokers, the mean expectation of continued smoking in 1 year was significantly lower than the observed continuation rate ( p p Conclusions Currently-smoking teens underestimate the chances that they will continue smoking—which is one measure of whether they understand the addictiveness of cigarettes—while currently-nonsmoking teens underestimate the chance that they will start to smoke, a measure of the social appeal of cigarettes. Tobacco control strategies should account for these misperceptions.
Differentiation in regeneration I. The development of muscle and cartilage following deplantation of regenerating limb blastemata of Amblystoma larvae

Abstract Six- to 15-day blastemata of regenerating forelimbs of Amblystoma larvae were deplanted to the dorsal fin region both with and without their stumps attached. With stump present the deplant regenerates developed skeletal and muscular elements of the limb. In the absence of stump tissues no blastema developed a musculature whereas blastemata of all ages gave rise to elements of the forelimb skeleton.
Global Software Enterpreneurship

With the globalization of markets and the creation of software to address these markets, educators face new curriculum challenges. They must expose students not only to core science skills, but also to a number of other skills that will enable them to innovate effectively on a global stage. This position paper discusses the evolution of business models and software requirements over the last decade, and the associated changes to CS curricula that will enable today?s CS students to become tomorrow?s innovators.
Quantum oscillations of two-dimensional to two-dimensional tunneling in bilayer electron gases in tilted magnetic fields

We present a linear-response theory of magnetoquantum oscillations of tunneling conductance between two quasi-two-dimensional layers of electron gases in equilibrium in tilted magnetic fields. Charge-balanced (i.e., symmetric) and charge-imbalanced (i.e., asymmetric) layers are considered. While interlayer resonant tunneling occurs only between the Landau levels with the same quantum number in a purely perpendicular field (B{sub {perpendicular}}) in the growth direction, off-diagonal tunneling is induced by an additional in-plane field (B{sub {parallel}}) owing to the B{sub {parallel}}-induced relative displacement of the centroids of the harmonic (i.e., Landau) wave functions of the two layers. Quantum oscillations of the tunneling conductance are studied as a function of B{sub {perpendicular}} and B{sub {parallel}} in a tilted field. The result is shown to reduce to a previously established expression in the limit of a purely in-plane field. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
The creative environment scales: Work environment inventory

Abstract: The Creative Environment Scales Work Environment Inventory (WEI) is a new paper‐and‐pencil instrument designed to assess stimulants and obstacles to creativity in the work environment. Unlike many instruments that are designed as comprehensive descriptions of the work environment, the WEI focuses on those factors in the work environment that are most likely to influence the expression and development of creative ideas. Designed to be used at any level within any function of an organization, the WEI is intended as an organizational development instrument to improve the climate for creativity. Conceptually grounded in previous empirical and theoretical work on creativity and innovation, the WEI has been administered to 645 respondents drawn from five different groups. Factor analyses, scale reliabilities (internal consistencies), and between/within scale correlations indicate a high degree of integrity in the WEI scales. Furthermore, test‐retest reliability is high. Preliminary validity analyses i...
The better-than-my-average effect: The relative impact of peak and average performances in assessments of the self and others

Abstract We examine whether people call to mind different manifestations of various traits when considering what they are like than when considering what others are like. Specifically, do people think that peak manifestations of their traits and abilities best capture who they are themselves, but that other people are better captured by their average performances or trait expressions? In Studies 1a and 1b , participants were more likely to believe that their own most attractive photographs best represent their typical appearance than others' do. In Study 2, participants' estimates of where they stand on various trait dimensions coincided with their highest possible standing, whereas their estimates of an acquaintance's standing coincided with the midpoint between the latter's highest and lowest possible standing. In Study 3 , regression analyses revealed that students' predictions of their own final exam score were based most heavily on their highest score received to that point, but their predictions of someone else's final exam score was based most heavily on that student's average score. We discuss how this tendency fits in the broader literature on self-other differences in evaluation and how it contributes to above-average effect.
An analysis of gas phase ethanol-water chemistry for diamond CVD

Abstract : Chemical kinetics calculations have been carried out on ethanol (EtOH)water mixtures at a range of temperatures, pressures snd EtOH/H2O ratios. The results show that the mole fractions of many chemical species depend very sensitively on the initial EtOH/H20 ratio and diverge sharply after an induction time which depends both on pressure and temperature. We explain this divergence primarily in terms of the stability of carbon monoxide and show that the rate-limiting steps that dictate the induction time are the molecular hydrogen dissociation reactions. Our calculations also predict the dependence of the concentrations of potential growth (C, CH3, C2H2) and etching (O, OH, O2) species for diamond chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on operating conditions. jg
Comparison of the effects of filtration and preservation methods on analyses for strontium-90 in ground water.

From 1952 to 1988, about 140 curies of strontium-90 were discharged in liquid waste to disposal ponds and wells at the INEL (Idaho National Engineering Laboratory). Water from four wells was sampled as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's quality-assurance program to evaluate the effects of filtration and preservation methods on strontium-90 concentrations in ground water at the INEL. Water from each well was filtered through either a 0.45- or a 0.1-micrometer membrane filter; unfiltered samples also were collected. Two sets of filtered and two sets of unfiltered water samples were collected at each well. One of the two sets of water samples was field acidified.
The Use of Magnetic Resonance Methods in Translational Cardiovascular Research

Magnetic resonance methods are widely applicable to research questions posed in translational cardiovascular studies. The main intent of this review was to offer the cardiovascular translational research scientist a “menu” of magnetic resonance (MR) approaches that can be applied to answering research questions posed in a variety of experimental situations including those involving the use of human subjects. Obviously, this menu is not comprehensive and many other topics could have been selected for emphasis. However, we hope that the material presented encompasses a broad enough slice of the field to stimulate thinking about the possible applications of MR methods to specific research questions.
Impact of Maternal Communication About Skin, Cervical, and Lung Cancer Prevention on Adolescent Prevention Behaviors

Abstract Purpose To explore whether maternal communication about behaviors that prevent skin, cervical, and lung cancer is associated with adolescent cancer prevention behaviors. Methods The study sample consisted of 10,409 girls and boys (14–21 years) who participated in a longitudinal survey study of U.S. adolescents. The independent variables were adolescent report of how often mothers had spoken with them (never, once, occasionally, sometimes, often) about sunscreen use, Pap screening, and quitting smoking. Outcome variables included adolescent self-report of sunscreen use, Pap screening, and quitting smoking (among past-year smokers). We used multivariate logistic regression models to determine whether maternal communication in 2001 was associated independently with the three adolescent cancer prevention behaviors in 2001 and 2003. Results In adjusted logistic regression models, maternal communication about sunscreen use and Pap screening was positively associated with adolescent behaviors in 2001 and 2003, and maternal communication about quitting smoking was positively associated with adolescent behavior in 2001. Conclusions In a national sample, maternal communication encouraging sunscreen use, Pap screening, and quitting smoking was associated with the corresponding behaviors in their adolescent children. The findings suggest that intergenerational interventions could enhance adolescent practice of cancer prevention behaviors.
eQuest: Case Study of a Comprehensive Online Program for Self-Study and Personal Growth

eQuest is an online program that guides participants through a variety of online activities in order to help them address some specific personal issue, as well as encourage self-insight on a broader level. These activities include locating and evaluating information, joining discussion/ support groups, establishing one-on-one relationships with knowledgeable people, experimenting with different types of online communication, utilizing and evaluating online psychological tests, creating a personal web page, and experimenting with freeform browsing techniques. eQuest stimulates integrated learning by encouraging people to compare and combine what they discover in these different online activities, and to bring their online and offline lifestyles together. It includes educational/therapeutic exercises to help people prepare for and benefit from these activities. Unlike traditional forms of clinical intervention, in which a professional "does" psychotherapy with a client, the eQuest consultant assists people ...
Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy after Intracoronary Injection of 99mTc-Labeled Human Albumin Microspheres

Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy was performed in 30 intact anesthetized dogs following intracoronary injection of 99mTc-labeled human albumin microspheres (HAM). The normal dog myocardial image pattern was established. This technic detected myocardial infarcts resulting from small vessel occlusions and flush coronary branch occlusions when the coronary angiogram appeared normal. Myocardial infarcts as small as 1½ cm were seen. Toxicologic studies in 47 dogs failed to demonstrate significant changes in blood pressure, heart rate, electrocardiogram, or serum CPK activity following intracoronary injections of HAM in doses up to 200 times that required for adequate myocardial scintigraphy. Gross and microscopic examination of hearts 1-6 weeks after HAM injection showed minor abnormalities also seen in matched controls receiving coronary arteriography alone. Preliminary results in 33 patients substantiate the safety of this technic. Human myocardial scintigrams reported here reveal anatomic detail not previo...
Soil CO2 flux in a tallgrass prairie

Abstract Soils are an important component of the global carbon budget due to their large C storage capacity and the ability to replenish atmospheric C via soil surface CO2 flux. Our objectives were to quantify year-round soil CO2–C fluxes in a tallgrass prairie and to develop an equation to predict flux using soil temperature and soil water content. Soil CO2–C flux, soil temperature and soil water were measured on selected days throughout the year from 1993 through 1998, n=216, at the Blackland Research Center, Temple, Texas, USA. On any date, there was little difference in average daily soil temperatures among years, but there were large differences in soil water content among years that often were related to differences in precipitation totals. Soil CO2–C flux had a seasonal pattern that was more similar to soil temperature than soil water (minimum in the winter and maximum in the early summer). Average annual soil CO2–C fluxes, which were 1.6, 1.3, 1.2, 1.0, 2.1 and 1.5 kg CO2–C m−2 yr−1 in 1993 through 1998, respectively, increased with annual precipitation. Regressed separately, the exponential relationship between soil CO2–C flux and soil temperature accounted for approximately 46% of flux variability while a quadratic relationship between flux and soil water content accounted for 26% of the variability. Both terms were combined into one equation that explained about 52% of the flux variance. Predicted and measured fluxes showed similar patterns throughout the year, there was little bias between predicted and measured fluxes, averages were essentially equal and the root mean square error between measured and predicted fluxes was about 38% of the average flux. The equation accounted for 76% of flux variability of an independent data set from the Konza Prairie in Kansas. The relationship between flux, soil temperature and soil water content should provide accurate predictions of soil CO2 flux in tallgrass prairies in the midwestern US.
Transthoracic Repair of Slipped Nissen Fundoplications: Technique and Results

Background Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication is a common operation performed for reflux disease, generally with good results. A small percentage of patients experience transthoracic migration of the wrap, causing recurrent symptoms and eventually requiring transthoracic repair. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients who underwent a transthoracic repair of a slipped Nissen fundoplication at our institution from 2006 to 2010. Data included demographics, previous antireflux operations, symptoms at presentation, findings at operation, and overall outcome. Results Sixteen patients with a mean age of 61 years (range, 51–76 years) were identified who fit inclusion criteria. The most common presenting symptom was pain. Intraoperative findings included hiatal breakdown in all patients, shortened esophagus in 10 (62%) patients, and foreign body/mesh in 4 (25%) patients. Nine (56%) patients underwent a Collis gastroplasty along with a Nissen fundoplication. Nissen fundoplication alone was performed in 6 (38%) patients and a Belsey fundoplication with a Collis gastroplasty was performed in 1 (6%) patient. Minor complications occurred in 4 (25%) patients and major complications were seen in 2 (13%) patients. The median length of stay was 9 days (range, 6–30 days). There were no postoperative deaths. Overall, 12 (75%) of the patients were judged to have a good outcome, 3 (19%) a fair outcome, and 1 (6%) a poor outcome over a median 9-month follow-up. Conclusions Transthoracic repair in patients who have had transthoracic migration of a previous Nissen fundoplication has acceptable surgical outcome and affords symptomatic relief to the majority of patients.
Relation of tissue Doppler derived myocardial velocities to myocardial structure and beta-adrenergic receptor density in humans

Abstract OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate the relation of segmental tissue Doppler (TD) velocities to both the regional amount of interstitial fibrosis and the myocyte beta-adrenergic receptor density in humans. BACKGROUND The systolic myocardial velocity (Sm) and early diastolic myocardial velocity (Em) acquired by TD are promising new indexes of left ventricular function. However, their structural and functional correlates in humans are still unknown. METHODS Ten patients with coronary artery disease underwent echocardiographic examination including TD imaging, along with transmural endomyocardial biopsy at the time of coronary bypass surgery (two biopsies per patient for a total of 20 specimens). The specimens were analyzed for percent interstitial fibrosis and beta-adrenergic receptor density. RESULTS Normal segments (n = 8) had a higher beta-adrenoceptor density (2,280 ± 738 vs. 1,373 ± 460, p = 0.03) and a lower amount of interstitial fibrosis (13 ± 3.3% vs. 28 ± 11.5%, p = 0.002) than dysfunctional segments (n = 12). Myocardial systolic velocity and Em were also significantly higher (9.5 ± 2.7 vs. 5.9 ± 1.8 cm/s, p = 0.025 and 11.3 ± 2.8 vs. 6.4 ± 2.1 cm/s, p = 0.002, respectively) in normal segments. A significant relationship was present between Em and the beta-adrenergic receptor density (r = 0.78, p CONCLUSIONS Systolic myocardial velocity and Em are strongly dependent on both the number of myocytes and the myocardial beta-adrenergic receptor density.
Lithium transport in a macrocyclic electrolyte

We have carried out nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies on a new class of electrolyte consisting of a lithium salt (LiMPSA) and a macrocycle ([2.2.2] cryptand). NMR diffusion coefficient measurements have determined the motion of lithium cations ${(}^{7}\mathrm{Li}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{NMR}),$ polyatomic anions (MPSA) ${(}^{19}\mathrm{F}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{NMR}),$ and encapsulating macrocycles ${(}^{1}\mathrm{H}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{NMR}),$ with the striking result that they are equal over a large temperature range. Diffusion coefficients as low as $(1.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1)$ ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}9} {\mathrm{cm}}^{2}/\mathrm{s}$ have been measured through the use of a 42 T/m fringe-field gradient. The magnitudes of the anion and cryptand diffusion were found to be consistent with a free-volume picture for translational diffusion. The transport of the lithium cations was interpreted as taking place mainly through association with large anions (MPSA) and encapsulating macrocycles ([2.2.2] cryptand), with averaged residence time fractions of 77 and 23 %, respectively. NMR spin-lattice relaxation time measurements of ${}^{7}\mathrm{Li}$ and ${}^{19}\mathrm{F}$ spins have also been performed.
Thermophilic anaerobic fermentation of hemicellulose and hemicellulose-derived aldose sugars by Thermoanaerobacter strain B6A

The thermophilic, anaerobic fermentation of hemicellulosic subtrates by Thermoanaerobacter strain B6A was investigated using a variety of commercially-available hemicelluloses which had been characterized by physical and chemical analysis. Products of hemicellulose fermentation included ethanol, acetic acid, lactic acid, H2, and CO2 in ratios which varied depending on the hemicellulose used. Both the rate and extent of substrate utilization (as estimated from product formation) varied in the order: unidentified mannan/xyloglucan > xylan > 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan > arabinoxylan > type II arabinogalactan=0. Rates of product formation were enhanced up to twofold by autoclaving of substrates,which partially depolymerized the substrates and in some cases altered their composition. Total extent of product formation, however, was similar in autoclaved and non-autoclaved substrates. Hemicellulose fermentations were mediated by one or more constitutive extracellular enzyme activities. Component monosaccharides of hemicelluloses in their natural isomeric configurations supported rapid growth (μmax = 0.3−1.0 h−1), while δunnatural” isomers were not utilized.The wide carbohydrate utilization spectrum of this strain apparently reflects its role as a versatile primary consumer in the hot spring bacterial-algal mat from which it was isolated.
“This Is Not a Catholic Nation”: The Ku Klux Klan Confronts Franco-Americans in Maine

During the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan expanded to the northeastern United States, where it confronted Franco-American Catholics throughout Maine. In response, this ethnic population modeled an appropriate resistance to the KKK's unyielding message of Americanism and nativism, helping to precipitate the demise of this reactionary mass movement.
Click-based synthesis of triazolobithiazole ΔF508-CFTR correctors for cystic fibrosis.

Abstract Copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) chemistry is reported for the construction of previously unknown 5-(1 H -1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)-4,5′-bithiazoles from 2-bromo-1-(thiazol-5-yl)ethanones. These novel triazolobithiazoles are shown to have cystic fibrosis (CF) corrector activity and, compared to the benchmark bithiazole CF corrector corr- 4a , improved log P values (4.5 vs 5.96).