cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Medical illness burden is associated with greater PTSD service utilization in a nationally representative survey.

Abstract Objective Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with higher rates of many medical conditions and higher use of medical health care services. Growing evidence suggests that comorbid medical illness in PTSD may in turn be associated with greater use of mental health treatment. However, no study to date has examined the impact of cumulative medical illness burden on PTSD service utilization. Method Data come from the second wave of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. PTSD was assessed via structured interview, and cumulative medical illness burden was assessed via a survey of medical conditions. Logistic regression modeling examined associations between cumulative medical illness burden and odds of receiving PTSD treatment. Results In the final sample of 1599 individuals with current PTSD, controlling for demographic characteristics, insurance status, psychiatric comorbidity and PTSD symptom count, higher levels of past-year medical illness were associated with increased odds of receiving past-year treatment for PTSD (odds ratio=1.10, 95% confidence interval=1.01–1.20, P =.029). Conclusions Greater levels of medical illness are associated with increased odds of PTSD service utilization. Greater medical comorbidity may increase the need for PTSD care by exacerbating symptoms or increase contact with medical services promoting PTSD detection and treatment.
Field induced dynamic waveguides based on potassium tantalate niobate crystals

In this paper, a new type of optical waveguide based on potassium tantalate niobate (KTN) electro-optic crystal is presented. The guiding property of the optical waveguide can be quickly (on the order of nanosecond) tuned and controlled by the applied external electric field, which can be useful for many applications such as broadband ultrafast optical modulators, variable optical attenuators, and dynamic gain equalizers.
Lessons from the Past and Directions for the Future

Four themes that have emerged from the previous chapters are discussed; changes and improvements are suggested for future data collection and institutional research on faculty diversity.
A cumulant-based method for the direct estimation of the spatial Wiener filter

In this paper we propose a new algorithm for performing blind source separation and signal recovery for the narrowband case. This algorithm seeks to estimate and implement the Wiener filter directly, using the second- and fourth-order cumulants. The estimated filter is asymptotically consistent with or without noise, and is not subject to the bound imposed by pre-whitening as with some existing algorithms. In many cases it nearly achieves the clairvoyant Wiener limit as performance studies show.
Growth of AKR T cell leukemia lymphoblasts in medium containing interleukin 2 (IL-2).

Long-term cloned mouse leukemic T cell lines were established in vitro using interleukin-2 (IL-2) conditioned media. The cell lines were tested for retention of both antigenic expression and tumorigenicity, as well as for growth characteriztics. Several important findings resulted from these studies. A reliable method was developed for consistent success in the culturing and cloning of leukemic T cell lines. Cultured cells from IL-2-dependent lines were found to retain their original histocompatibility and differentiation antigen characteristics for up to 2 yr. Mortality patterns, comparing long-term cloned leukemic T cell lines with fresh AKR leukemia cells, showed that the cloned cells had greater tumorigenicity. An especially interesting finding was that cell lines established both from different mice and from a single organ of an individual mouse were heterogeneous with respect, to antigenic makeup, cell growth kinetics, and tumorigenicity. Finally, because of their dependence on IL-2, the cloned tumor cell lines provided excellent index cells to quatify IL-2 activity.
Potential Lending Discrimination? Insights from Small Business Financing and New Venture Survival

Previous literature provides potential lending discrimination evidence of disadvantaged women and minority entrepreneurs' high rate of business loan application denial and their unequal access to e...
Time-lapse walkaway vertical seismic profile monitoring for CO2 injection at the SACROC enhanced oil recovery field: A case study

ABSTRACTGeologic carbon storage involves large-scale injections of carbon dioxide into underground geologic formations. Changes in reservoir properties resulting from CO2 injection and migration can be characterized using monitoring methods with time-lapse seismic data. To achieve economical monitoring, vertical seismic profile (VSP) data are often acquired to survey the local injection area. We investigated the capability of walkaway VSP monitoring for CO2 injection into an enhanced oil recovery field at SACROC, West Texas. VSP data sets were acquired in 2008 and 2009, and CO2 injection took place after the first data acquisition. Because the receivers were located above the injection zone, only reflection data contain the information from the reservoir. Qualitative comparison between reverse-time migration images at different times revealed vertical shifts of the reflectors’ center, indicating the presence of velocity changes. We examined two methods to quantify the changes in velocity: standard full-wa...
Structure and Function of Subtilisin BPN‘ Solubilized in Organic Solvents

Enzyme structure and function have been studied for subtilisin BPN‘ solubilized in organic solvents by ion pairing with low concentrations of an anionic surfactant (Aerosol OT) in the absence of reversed micelles. Soluble subtilisin shows strikingly different behavior in octane and tetrahydrofuran (THF). In octane, the kcat/Km for the transesterification of N-acetyl-l-phenylalanine ethyl ester (APEE) is 370 M-1 s-1, within one order of magnitude of the enzyme's hydrolytic activity in water. Moreover, the observed half-life of the soluble enzyme in octane is nearly three orders of magnitude greater than in water, presumably because of the absence of autolysis in the organic solvent. In contrast, the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme dissolved in the polar solvent THF is 0.04 M-1 s-1, and the enzyme loses 99% of its activity within 10 min. Comparable enzyme inactivation could also be observed in octane, but only at elevated temperatures such as 70 °C. Therefore, the mechanisms of deactivation of the solubl...
Atomistic modeling of the phonon dispersion and lattice properties of free-standing (100) Si nanowires

Phonon dispersions in (100) silicon nanowires (SiNW) are modeled using a Modified Valence Force Field (MVFF) method based on atomistic force constants. The model replicates the bulk Si phonon dispersion very well. In SiNWs, apart from four acoustic like branches, a lot of flat branches appear indicating strong phonon confinement in these nanowires and strongly affecting their lattice properties. The sound velocity (Vsnd) and the lattice thermal conductance (m) decrease as the wire cross-section size is reduced whereas the specific heat (Cv) increases due to increased phonon confinement and surface-to-volume ratio (SVR).
Glyceraldehydephosphate dehydrogenase: crystallization from honeybees; quantitative immunochemical and electrophoretic comparisons of the enzyme in other insects.

Glyceraldehydephosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.12) was crystallized from honeybee (Apis mellifera) thoraces. The yellow colour of the crystals is due to diphosphopyridine nucleotide bound to the enzyme. The sedimentation coefficient of the honeybee enzyme is the same as that reported for the enzyme from other species. A small amount of the dehydrogenase was also crystallized from bumblebee (Bombus nevadensis) thoraces. Rabbit antibodies directed against the pure honeybee enzyme were prepared, and the cross-reaction with extracts of other insects quantitatively measured with the micro-complement fixation technique. The order of decreasing cross-reaction is: honeybee, leafcutting bee, bumblebee (three species)—lobster—mining bee, flesh fly. The order: honeybee, leafcutting bee, bumblebee, was also observed in two-dimensional immunodiffusion and in a precipitin test. The relative cross-reaction of this enzyme, thus, varies considerably from the classical taxonomy of the species tested. The anomalous immunochemical properties of the glyceraldehyde-P dehydrogenases may be due to the relatively conservative changes in primary structure of this protein during evolution. Electrophoretic patterns of glyceraldehyde-P dehydrogenase activity reveal one band in extracts of honeybees and bumblebees, three bands in extracts of leafcutting bees and flesh flies, and up to five bands in extracts of mining bees.
Climatic response surfaces from pollen data for some eastern North American taxa

Ecological response surfaces are nonlinear functions describing the way in which the abundances of taxa depend on the joint effects of two or more environmental variables. Continental-scale patterns in the relative abundances of plant taxa are dominated by the effects of macroclimate on the competitive balance among taxa. Pollen analyses record such regional variations for major vegetation components. Empirical ecological response surfaces were derived from high-resolution climate models to yield testable reconstructions of vegeta- eastern North America. The surfaces were obtained by second- or third-degree polynomial regression on two predictor variables, mean July temperature and annual precipitation, with various nonlinear transformations of variables to allow flexibility of shape. Response surface analysis consists of a remapping of abundance patterns from geographic space into climate space, and complements efforts to explain distri- butions in terms of biological processes. Each fitted surface is unique. The surfaces focus attention on the climatic location of range limits and optima, and on less obvious phenomena such as the spatial pattern in the relative sensitivity of different taxa to spatial variation in the climatic variables. Given certain assump- tions, response surfaces based directly on pollen data may be used collectively in a global nonlinear method for estimating past climates from postglacial pollen data. Such response surfaces may also be coupled to palaeoclimatic simulations from high-resolution climate models to yield testable reconstructions of vegeta- tional history.
Fentanyl reduces the intensity of painful tooth pulp sensations: controlling for detection of active drugs

This study assessed whether experimentally determined narcotic analgesia in human subjects represents a pharmacologic effect or a psychological effect of detecting the administration of an active medication. Forty dental patients used a verbal descriptor procedure to assess both the intensity and unpleasantness of sensations produced by electrical stimulation of intact teeth. Stimuli were rated before and after an intravenous injection og 0.11 mg/kg of diazepam, to produce detectable side effects in all patients, followed by a double-blind intravenous injection of either 0.66 microgram/kg of fentanyl or saline placebo. The results were similar to previous findings in which diazepam was not administered: only intensity responses were reduced after fentanyl administration and only unpleasantness responses were reduced after placebo administration. These results suggest that the reduction in pain intensity following fentanyl administration represents an analgesic effect and not an artifact of detecting the administration of an active medication. They also suggest that diazepam at this dose does not alter pain sensations produced by electrical tooth pulp stimulation.
Making Sense of Social Justice Leadership: A Case Study of a Principal's Experiences to Create a More Inclusive School.

Social justice leadership in high-poverty urban schools is complex. Principals experience a range of feelings and emotions while practicing social justice leadership with implications on their leadership. This article presents a qualitative case study of an elementary school principal in an urban setting and how she led to create a more inclusive school. Sensemaking theory was applied to examine the principal’s experiences leading for social justice and how successes, challenges, and failures influenced her leadership. Findings have implications for theory, future research, and principal selection, preparation, and training.
Locally targeted delivery of a micron-size radiation therapy source using temperature-sensitive hydrogel.

Purpose To propose a novel radiation therapy (RT) delivery modality: locally targeted delivery of micron-size RT sources by using temperature-sensitive hydrogel (RT-GEL) as an injectable vehicle. Methods and Materials Hydrogel is a water-like liquid at room temperature but gels at body temperature. Two US Food and Drug Administration-approved polymers were synthesized. Indium-111 (In-111) was used as the radioactive RT-GEL source. The release characteristics of In-111 from polymerized RT-GEL were evaluated. The injectability and efficacy of RT-GEL delivery to human breast tumor were tested using animal models with control datasets of RT-saline injection. As proof-of-concept studies, a total of 6 nude mice were tested by injecting 4 million tumor cells into their upper backs after a week of acclimatization. Three mice were injected with RT-GEL and 3 with RT-saline. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and CT scans were performed on each mouse at 0, 24, and 48 h after injection. The efficacy of RT-GEL was determined by comparison with that of the control datasets by measuring kidney In-111 accumulation (mean nCi/cc), representing the distant diffusion of In-111. Results RT-GEL was successfully injected into the tumor by using a 30-gauge needle. No difficulties due to polymerization of hydrogel during injection and intratumoral pressure were observed during RT-GEL injection. No back flow occurred for either RT-GEL or RT-saline. The residual tumor activities of In-111 were 49% at 24 h (44% at 48 h, respectively) for RT-GEL and 29% (22%, respectively) for RT-saline. Fused SPECT-CT images of RT-saline showed considerable kidney accumulation of In-111 (2886%, 261%, and 262% of RT-GEL at 0, 24, and 48 h, respectively). Conclusions RT-GEL was successfully injected and showed much higher residual tumor activity: 170% (200%, respectively), than that of RT-saline at 24 h (48 h, respectively) after injection with a minimal accumulation of In-111 to the kidneys. Preliminary data of RT-GEL as a delivery modality of a radiation source to a local tumor are promising.
Design and characterization of a calixarene inclusion compound for calibration of long-range carbon-fluorine distance measurements by solid-state NMR.

Abstract An inexpensive, easily synthesized calixarene:fluorotoluene host:guest inclusion complex has been designed for optimization and calibration of solid-state NMR measurements of carbon–fluorine distances using Rotational Echo DOuble Resonance (REDOR). Complexation of the fluorotoluene with the calixarene host separates the molecules such that simple two-spin behavior is observed for one site with a 4.08 A carbon–fluorine distance. Fluorotoluene dynamics within the calixarene matrix cause motional averaging of the dipolar couplings, which makes it possible to easily optimize REDOR experiments and test their accuracy for relatively long distance measurements (>6.6 A). This provides a new tool for accurate REDOR measurements of long carbon–fluorine distances, which have important applications in the characterization of fluorine-containing drugs, proteins, and polymers.
Monica MoGoidrick: On the Significance of Cultural Factors and Gender in Family Therapy

Monica McGoldrick is a leading figure in the family thera py field. She has been at the forefront of illuminating the importance of ethnicity, race, gender, and class in under standing families. In this interview she talks about her background and the significance of culturalfactors for the profession.
A randomized trial of three antibiotic regimens for the treatment of pyelonephritis in pregnancy

Abstract Objective: To compare the effectiveness of three antibiotic regimens for the treatment of acute pyelonephritis in pregnancy. Methods: One hundred seventy-nine pregnant women earlier than 24 weeks’ gestation who had acute pyelonephritis were randomized to 1) intravenous (IV) ampicillin and gentamicin, 2) IV cefazolin, or 3) intramuscular ceftriaxone. All participants then completed 10-day courses of oral cephalexin after primary treatment. A urine culture was performed on admission and 5–14 days after completion of therapy. Surveillance for persistent or recurrent infection and obstetric complications continued until delivery. On the basis of a two-sided hypothesis test and with α = .025, 60 subjects were needed in each group for statistical power greater than 80% to detect a difference between ceftriaxone and other antibiotics if hospital length of stay differed by 1 or more days. Results: The treatment groups were similar in age, parity, temperature, gestational age, and initial white blood cell count. There were no statistically significant differences in length of hospitalization, hours until becoming afebrile, days until resolution of costovertebral angle tenderness, or infecting organism. There were no statistically significant differences in birth outcomes between the three groups. The average (standard deviation) age at delivery was 38.8 ± 3.6 weeks. The average birth weight was 3274 ± 523 g. Eleven (6.9%) of 159 subjects delivered prematurely. Escherichia coli was the most common uropathogen isolated (137 of 179, 76.5%). Blood cultures were positive for organisms in 15 cases (8.4%). At follow-up examination within 2 weeks of initial therapy, eight (5.0%) of 159 subjects had urine cultures positive for organisms. Ten women (6.3%) had cultures positive for organisms later in their antepartum course, and 10 other participants (6.3%) developed recurrent pyelonephritis. Conclusion: There are no significant differences in clinical response to antimicrobial therapy or birth outcomes among subjects treated with ampicillin and gentamicin, cefazolin, or ceftriaxone for acute pyelonephritis in pregnancy before 24 weeks’ gestation.
Ontogenesis of receptive fields in the rabbit striate cortex.

The responses of rabbit striate cortex neurons to light or optic nerve shock were tested in 633 units in 54 rabbit pups 3–25 days of age. Units were driven by optic nerve shock at the youngest ages tested, but could not be driven by light until postnatal day eight. It was found that the symmetric receptive field types (concentric, uniform, motion) were present at or near the time of eye opening (10–11 days), while the asymmetric types (directional, simple, complex, oriented-directional) did not appear until several days later. All adult receptive field types were first seen at day 18. Until about day 20, cells with indefinite response properties were much more numerous than in the adult, and it is suggested thab cells with asymmetric receptive fields may differentiate out of the indefinite group. Development of visual response in the striate cortex is markedly retarded when compared to that in the superior colliculus.
The energy related construction information system ERCIS: response to a need for information on army facilities

The paper describes the Ercis bibliographic information system, developed at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) in Urbana‐Champaign, Illinois. The purpose of the system is to assist the Architecture/Engineering firms under contract with the Army Corps Engineers in locating regulations or guidelines on the planning, design or construction of army facilities. Full bibliographic records of these regulations or guidelines contained in various army publications constitute the system's database. Ercis is a user friendly information system and its search dialog is based on Boolean logic using controlled vocabulary terms.
Role of hepatocellular regeneration in chlordecone potentiated hepatotoxicity of carbon tetrachloride.

Previous histomorphometric studies led us to hypothesize that suppression of hepatocellular regeneration and the repair of the hepatolobular architecture was involved besides bioactivation phenomenon in the progressive and irreversible phase of toxicity resulting from CD + CCl4 interaction. We have recently observed significant protection from CD potentiated CCl4 toxicity in animals which are stimulated for active hepatocellular regeneration. The present work is an extension of our earlier histomorphometric investigation, taking 3H-thymidine (3H-T) incorporation as a biochemical parameter to assess hepatocellular regeneration followed by autoradiographic analysis of liver sections in normal (N) or chlordecone (CD) treated (10 ppm in diet for 15 days) male rats undergoing sham (SH) or partial hepatectomies (PH). Initial experiments established that in normal (N) rats, greatest 3H-T incorporation into hepatocellular nuclear DNA occurs at 2 days post-PH which returns to basal levels by 7 days. CD treatment alone did not change this phenomenon. 3H-T incorporation into nuclear DNA and the percentage of labelled cells as evidenced by autoradiography of liver sections were significantly elevated in N rats at 1–2 h after CCl4 (100 μl/kg) administration and returned to basal level by 6 h. Serum enzymes (AST and ALT) in N rats undergoing SH and PH were not altered, but were significantly elevated in CD rats following CCl4 (100 μl/kg) administration. CCl4-induced serum enzyme elevations were significantly lower in 2 days post-PH (PH2) rats when compared to SH rats or 7 days post-PH (PH7) rats maintained on CD diet, indicating that CD potentiated CCl4 hepatotoxicity is significantly reduced in livers stimulated for regenerative activity by PH. CCl4 decreased the DNA levels significantly in SH2, SH7 and PH7 rats, but not in PH2 rats receiving CD diet. 3H-T incorporation, percentage of labelled cells and number of grains per cell were significantly decreased at 2 h in PH2 rats receiving the CD + CCl4 combination treatment, reflecting the suppression of cell proliferation after CCl4 administration to CD fed rats. These results indicate that PH affords protection against CD + CCl4 interaction. The protection against hepatotoxic and lethal effects of CD + CCl4 combination by previously stimulated hepatocellular regeneration might be explained by two consequences of stimulated cell division. First, the hepatocellular architecture is renovated by the newly divided cells. Second, by virtue of the well known resistance of the newly divided cells, the progressive phase of toxicity is inhibited. These findings are supportive of our hypothesis that suppression of hepatocellular regeneration besides bioactivation phenomenon is involved in CD + CCl4 toxicity.
Compile-time area estimation for LUT-based FPGAs

The Cameron Project has developed a system for compiling codes written in a high-level language called SA-C, to FPGA-based reconfigurable computing systems. In order to exploit the parallelism available on the FPGAs, the SA-C compiler performs a large number of optimizations such as full loop unrolling, loop fusion and strip-mining. However, since the area on an FPGA is limited, the compiler needs to know the effect of compiler optimizations on the FPGA area; this information is typically not available until after the synthesis and place and route stage, which can take hours. In this article, we present a compile-time area estimation technique to guide SA-C compiler optimizations. We demonstrate our technique for a variety of benchmarks written in SA-C. Experimental results show that our technique predicts the area required for a design to within 2.5p of actual for small image processing operators and to within 5.0p for larger benchmarks. The estimation time is in the order of milliseconds, compared with minutes for the synthesis tool.
Relationship between heart rate and ouabain toxicity in the dog heart-lung preparation.

The relationship between the initial heart rate and the cardiotoxic dose of ouabain was investigated in the dog heart-lung preparation. It was observed that with a relatively slower heart rate, the dose of ouabain necessary to produce ventricular tachycardia as well as ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest was increased significantly (p<0.05). When the heart was paced at either 150 or 180 beats/min, the dose of ouabain needed to produce ventricular tachycardia was significantly greater than that in the control group (heart rate 128±4 beats/min). However, in these groups, there was no difference in the dose of ouabain necessary to produce lethal effects. Thus to some extent, an inverse relationship between the heart rate and the cardiotoxic dose of ouabain was observed. The significance of these findings is discussed.
God’s spatial unlocatedness prevents him from being the creator of the universe: A new argument for the nonexistence of God

I discuss the relations between God and spatial entities, such as the universe. An example of a relation between God and a spatial entity is the relation,causes. Such relations are, in D.M. Armstrong’s words, ‘realm crossing’ relations: relations between or among spatial entities and entities in the realm of the spatially unlocated. I discuss an apparent problem with such realm crossing relations. If this problem is serious enough, as I will argue it is, it implies that God cannot be the creator of the universe I also discuss that if God cannot be the creator of the universe, then God does not exist.
A semiparametric approach to source separation using independent component analysis

Data processing and source identification using lower dimensional hidden structure plays an essential role in many fields of applications, including image processing, neural networks, genome studies, signal processing and other areas where large datasets are often encountered. One of the common methods for source separation using lower dimensional structure involves the use of Independent Component Analysis, which is based on a linear representation of the observed data in terms of independent hidden sources. The problem thus involves the estimation of the linear mixing matrix and the densities of the independent hidden sources. However, the solution to the problem depends on the identifiability of the sources. This paper first presents a set of sufficient conditions to establish the identifiability of the sources and the mixing matrix using moment restrictions of the hidden source variables. Under such sufficient conditions a semi-parametric maximum likelihood estimate of the mixing matrix is obtained using a class of mixture distributions. The consistency of our proposed estimate is established under additional regularity conditions. The proposed method is illustrated and compared with existing methods using simulated and real datasets.
Assessing the Validity of National Quality Measures for Coronary Artery Disease Using an Electronic Health Record

Background Nationally endorsed, clinical performance measures are available that allow for quality reporting using electronic health records (EHRs). To our knowledge, how well they reflect actual quality of care has not been studied. We sought to evaluate the validity of performance measures for coronary artery disease (CAD) using an ambulatory EHR. Methods We performed a retrospective electronic medical chart review comparing automated measurement with a 2-step process of automated measurement supplemented by review of free-text notes for apparent quality failures for all patients with CAD from a large internal medicine practice using a commercial EHR. The 7 performance measures included the following: antiplatelet drug, lipid-lowering drug, β-blocker following myocardial infarction, blood pressure measurement, lipid measurement, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol control, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker for patients with diabetes mellitus or left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Results Performance varied from 81.6% for lipid measurement to 97.6% for blood pressure measurement based on automated measurement. A review of free-text notes for cases failing an automated measure revealed that misclassification was common and that 15% to 81% of apparent quality failures either satisfied the performance measure or met valid exclusion criteria. After including free-text data, the adherence rate ranged from 87.5% for lipid measurement and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol control to 99.2% for blood pressure measurement. Conclusions Profiling the quality of outpatient CAD care using data from an EHR has significant limitations. Changes in how data are routinely recorded in an EHR are needed to improve the accuracy of this type of quality measurement. Validity testing in different settings is required.
Computed Tomography and Ultrasound in Follow-up of Patients after Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

The purpose of this study was to compare our experience with duplex ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) for the routine follow-up of patients after endovascular repair (EVAR) of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We reviewed the electronic charts and radiologic exams of the first 125 patients (113 males, 12 females, median age of 76 years, range 48-98 years) with AAA treated by EVAR from June 1996 to November 2001. Our follow-up protocol included serial CT and US at regular intervals after the procedure (before discharge, at 1 month, and then every 6 months). Adequacy of each exam, ability to detect endoleaks, measurements of AAA diameter, and ability to determine graft patency were compared. For endoleak detection, comparison between CT and US was done using CT as the gold standard. A total of 608 exams, 337 CTs and 271 US, were performed 1 day to 5 years after endovascular aneurysm repair; 98% of CT and 74% of US were technically adequate. Contrary to CT, the proportion of adequate US exam was significantly less in patients with higher body mass index (BMI > or = 30 = 54% vs. BMI or = 4 mm) was reported despite no change demonstrated on CT. For endoleak detection, sensitivity and specificity of US compared to that of CT was 25% and 89%. Similar sensitivity and specificity were noted when we excluded the first set (25% and 95%), sets done prior to 2000 (30% and 89%), inadequate CT or US scans (31% and 98%), or duplicate sets of results for each patient (28% and 81%). Of the 27 endoleaks missed on US in 17 patients, 2 were type I endoleaks. None of the four endoleaks seen only on US were type I endoleak. US usefulness prior to discharge was reduced by the high rate of inadequate exam, especially in obese patients. Despite the excellent correlation in AAA diameter between US and CT, there was significant disagreement in AAA diameter measurement and diameter change. Sensitivity of nonstandardized US for endoleak was low compared to CT. CT remains our primary imaging study after EVAR, but standardization of post-EVAR US technique may improve its accuracy.
North Carolina tanning operators: Hazard on the horizon?

Background: Previous small studies have demonstrated that operators of commercial tanning equipment may not be adequately trained. Most states have no training requirements for tanning operators. This study was designed to assess the medically relevant knowledge of cosmetic tanning salon operators and relate these to demographic variables. Methods: A written, anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 984 attendees of the first required operator training seminars conducted in North Carolina. Between July 1990 and June 1991, proprietors and their employees of the commercial tanning industry who attended these seminars were surveyed. No conference attendee refused to complete the questionnaire. Demographic information and responses to the medical information section of the questionnaire were scored by computer. Results: Important findings included that 71 % of surveyed operators had never received any training for their current position. Operators of cosmetic tanning equipment were often unaware of contraindications to tanning such as photosensitizing drugs and specific medical conditions. Few operators recognized methoxsalen (26%) or trisoralen (34%) or their respective proprietary names as contraindications to tanning. Operator knowledge was not related to their educational achievement, previous tanning salon experience, or prior tanning industry-sponsored training. Children younger than 10 years old were tanned by 2.6% of the operators. Conclusion: These data suggest that the public may be at risk for UV light-induced diseases and burns because of operator lack of knowledge.
High resolution computed tomography of inflation-fixed lungs: Pathologic—radiologic correlation of pulmonary lesions in patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or other hematopoietic proliferative disorders

The accuracy of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in the diagnosis of pulmonary lesions arising in patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or other hematopoietic proliferative disorders was evaluated in postmortem lung specimens from 35 patients with one of these neoplasms. Lungs were obtained from autopsied patients and prepared in a manner that allowed for direct pathologic-radiologic correlation. Eighty-eight pulmonary lesions with one of five radiographic patterns were identified in these 35 lungs. The gross, histologic, and radiographic changes were examined and the radiologic and pathologic diagnoses for each lesion were compared. A diffuse alveolar pattern on HRCT was primarily the result of pneumonia or intraalveolar hemorrhage, while irregular focal densities were produced by foci of hemorrhage, infarcts, lymphoma, and fungal infections. HRCT of the lung from a patient with pulmonary histiocytosis X showed a wedge-shaped subpleural density in association with a "crab-like" interstitial pattern, which was histologically shown to be an infarct with interstitial enlargement by infiltration of histiocytosis X. Air bronchograms were seen in two settings. In patients with necrotizing pneumonia, air bronchograms were associated with bronchiectasis. In contrast, air bronchograms seen in a patient with a bronchocentric lymphoproliferative disorder showed a pattern of bronchial constriction. These results suggest that HRCT may play an important role in the evaluation of pulmonary lesions in patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or other hematopoietic malignancies.
A decision-theoretic approach to evaluate radiation detection algorithms

There are a variety of sensor systems deployed at border crossings and ports of entry throughout the world that scan for illicit nuclear material. These systems employ detection algorithms that interpret the output of the scans and determine whether additional investigation is warranted. In this work, we demonstrate an approach for comparing the performance of such detection algorithms. We optimize each algorithm by minimizing risk, which considers the probability distribution of threat sources and the consequence of detection errors. Our method is flexible and is easily adapted to many different assumptions regarding the probability of a conveyance containing illicit material and the relative consequences of false positive and false negative errors. This approach can help developers and decision makers identify optimal settings for these algorithms. We illustrate the method by comparing the risk from two families of detection algorithms and discuss the generalizability of the method.
A Longitudinal Evaluation of the Speech Perception Capabilities of Children Using Multichannel Tactile Vocoders

Thirty children (mean age 6:11, range 4:3 to 11:0, SD = 2:3) with profound hearing impairments were followed longitudinally over a 3-year period and evaluated every 6 months with a battery of speec...
Does only the proximal descending aorta influence aortic dilatation after repair of the aortic dissection

We congratulate Kim et al. for their study [1]. They highlight the significance of adjunctive procedures to the proximal descending aorta in preventing late aneurysm formation following repair of acute type I aortic dissection. In their study, the diameter of the proximal descending aorta at presentation was a predictive factor for future aneurysm formation. Aneurysmal dilation of the proximal descending aorta was almost 80% at 8-year follow-up. We agree with the authors that the proximal descending aorta is the major site for postoperative aortic aneurysm, thus stabilizing this aortic segment with appropriate-length stent grafting might prevent aneurysm formation. Graft coverage (15 cm) has not been shown to lead to significant paraplegia risk when treating acute dissection [2]. Use of a hybrid operating theatre in the treatment of DeBakey I dissection may be useful to achieve the best and safest results. Although total circulatory arrest time may be longer in the frozen elephant trunk procedure, postoperative stroke rates have not been impacted adversely [2]. The frozen elephant trunk procedure not only eliminates the dissected aortic wall, but may also facilitate the repair of the arch and descending aorta with lesser perioperative complications [3]. In the follow-up period of the frozen elephant trunk procedure, complete thrombosis of the false lumen in the peri-graft area, the distal thoracic and the abdominal aorta were reported to be 92, 48 and 6%, respectively [4]. Conversely, the performance of total arch replacement at the time of acute dissection without the frozen elephant trunk has not been shown to decrease the risk of aortic aneurysms in the long term, but does increase operative mortality. To minimize operative risks, we recommend the frozen elephant trunk procedure be added to hemi-arch replacement. Total arch replacement should be done only in technically non-repairable arches. In conclusion, it is a valuable study. The readers thank the authors for sharing their experience. We agree with the authors' advice to stabilize the proximal descending aortic segment in all cases. Our technique favours the use of at least 15-cm stent grafts onto the thoracic aorta to achieve false lumen obliteration while only performing a hemi-arch replacement rather than total arches to minimize upfront mortality.
A longitudinal study of emotion regulation, emotion lability-negativity, and internalizing symptomatology in maltreated and nonmaltreated children

The longitudinal contributions of emotion regulation and emotion lability-negativity to internalizing symptomatology were examined in a low-income sample (171 maltreated and 151 nonmaltreated children, from age 7 to 10 years). Latent difference score models indicated that for both maltreated and nonmaltreated children, emotion regulation was a mediator between emotion lability-negativity and internalizing symptomatology, whereas emotion lability-negativity was not a mediator between emotion regulation and internalizing symptomatology. Early maltreatment was associated with high emotion lability-negativity (age 7) that contributed to poor emotion regulation (age 8), which in turn was predictive of increases in internalizing symptomatology (from age 8 to 9). The results imply important roles of emotion regulation in the development of internalizing symptomatology, especially for children with high emotion lability-negativity.
Race, Ethnicity, and Structural Variations in Youth Risk of Arrest Evidence From a National Longitudinal Sample

Missing from the considerable body of literature on disproportionate minority contact is an examination of the factors that influence risk of juvenile arrest. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, the author examines racial/ethnic disparities in youth arrest, net of self-reported delinquency. Drawing from research using a minority threat perspective, this study examines whether disparities are exacerbated by macro levels of the relative size of the minority population and minority economic inequality. The results indicate Black youth have a higher risk of arrest than White youth in all contextual climates, but this disparity is magnified in predominantly non-Black communities. Differences between Hispanic and White youths' risk of arrest did not reach statistical significance or vary across communities. The findings failed to yield support for the threat perspective but strongly supported the benign neglect thesis. Implications for theory and future research are discussed. Language: en
The G1 phase Cdks regulate the centrosome cycle and mediate oncogene-dependent centrosome amplification

Because centrosome amplification generates aneuploidy and since centrosome amplification is ubiquitous in human tumors, a strong case is made for centrosome amplification being a major force in tumor biogenesis. Various evidence showing that oncogenes and altered tumor suppressors lead to centrosome amplification and aneuploidy suggests that oncogenes and altered tumor suppressors are a major source of genomic instability in tumors, and that they generate those abnormal processes to initiate and sustain tumorigenesis. We discuss how altered tumor suppressors and oncogenes utilize the cell cycle regulatory machinery to signal centrosome amplification and aneuploidy.
The riddle of Tasmanian languages

Recent work which combines methods from linguistics and evolutionary biology has been fruitful in discovering the history of major language families because of similarities in evolutionary processes. Such work opens up new possibilities for language research on previously unsolvable problems, especially in areas where information from other sources may be lacking. I use phylogenetic methods to investigate Tasmanian languages. Existing materials are so fragmentary that scholars have been unable to discover how many languages are represented in the sources. Using a clustering algorithm which identifies admixture, source materials representing more than one language are identified. Using the Neighbor-Net algorithm, 12 languages are identified in five clusters. Bayesian phylogenetic methods reveal that the families are not demonstrably related; an important result, given the importance of Tasmanian Aborigines for information about how societies have responded to population collapse in prehistory. This work provides insight into the societies of prehistoric Tasmania and illustrates a new utility of phylogenetics in reconstructing linguistic history.
The choice of vascular access for therapeutic apheresis

Therapeutic apheresis (TA) is performed using either centrifugation-based or filter-based systems. The blood flow rate (BFR) used for TA using centrifugation-based systems is less than 100 mL/min. Because of this low BFR requirement, even peripheral veins can be considered as an option for TA, especially for less-frequent treatments and those performed for short periods. Other options for vascular access (VA) include central venous catheters (temporary or tunneled), totally implantable ports, and arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) or grafts (AVG). Nontunneled catheters should be considered as the choice of VA for relatively short-term treatments mainly in the inpatient settings. For long-term treatments, ports and tunneled catheters should be considered because of lower rates of infections compared to nontunneled catheters. However, studies in hemodialysis (HD) patients have demonstrated significantly higher morbidity and mortality rates associated with the use of tunneled catheters as compared to AVF. Therefore, if TA is being considered for several years, AVG and AVF would be the preferred options of VA. Studies in HD population indicate far better outcomes with the use of AVF as compared to AVG. This article, as presented at the Therapeutic Apheresis Academy in September 2011, is an overview of the available VA options for TA based on indication and duration of treatment. Pros and cons of each option are mentioned briefly. Finally, for those considered for AVF placement for chronic TA, specific recommendations are made for the care of AVF based on our own experience at University of Virginia.
Using Pattern‐oriented Modeling (POM) to Cope with Uncertainty in Multi‐scale Agent‐based Models of Land Change

Local land-use and -cover changes (LUCCs) are the result of both the decisions and actions of individual land-users, and the larger global and regional economic, political, cultural, and environmental contexts in which land-use systems are embedded. However, the dearth of detailed empirical data and knowledge of the influences of global/regional forces on local land-use decisions is a substantial challenge to formulating multi-scale agent-based models (ABMs) of land change. Pattern-oriented modeling (POM) is a means to cope with such process and parameter uncertainty, and to design process-based land change models despite a lack of detailed process knowledge or empirical data. POM was applied to a simplified agent-based model of LUCC to design and test model relationships linking global market influence to agents’ land-use decisions within an example test site. Results demonstrated that evaluating alternative model parameterizations based on their ability to simultaneously reproduce target patterns led to more realistic land-use outcomes. This framework is promising as an agent-based virtual laboratory to test hypotheses of how and under what conditions driving forces of land change differ from a generalized model representation depending on the particular land-use system and location.
Exploring the influences of density on travel behavior using propensity score matching

The causality issue has become one of the key questions in the debate over the relationship between the built environment and travel behavior. Since a residential self-selection effect exists, it is important to know if the observed influence of the built environment on travel behavior diminishes substantially once we control for self-selection. Using 5537 adult respondents to the 2006 Great Triangle Travel Survey in North Carolina, this study applied the propensity score matching approach to identify the causal effect of density on travel behavior and the relative contribution of self-selection to travel behavior. The results showed that, after removing self-selection bias, residents living in high-density neighborhoods travel, on average, 3.31 fewer miles per person per day than those who live in low-density neighborhoods. Self-selection effects account for 28%, 64%, and 49% of the observed influences of density on personal miles travelled, driving duration, and transit duration, respectively. We also f...
Nickel Nanoparticles cause exaggerated lung and airway remodeling in mice lacking the T-box transcription factor, TBX21 (T-bet)

Background Nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs) are increasingly used in a variety of industrial applications, including the manufacturing of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). While occupational nickel exposure is a known cause of pulmonary alveolitis, fibrosis, and cancer, the health risks of NiNPs are not well understood, especially in susceptible individuals such as asthmatics. The T-box transcription factor Tbx21 (T-bet) maintains Th1 cell development and loss of T-bet is associated with a shift towards Th2 type allergic airway inflammation that characterizes asthma. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of T-bet in susceptibility to lung remodeling by NiNPs or MWCNTs.