cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Machine learning approaches for integrating clinical and imaging features in late-life depression classification and response prediction.

Objective Currently, depression diagnosis relies primarily on behavioral symptoms and signs, and treatment is guided by trial and error instead of evaluating associated underlying brain characteristics. Unlike past studies, we attempted to estimate accurate prediction models for late-life depression diagnosis and treatment response using multiple machine learning methods with inputs of multi-modal imaging and non-imaging whole brain and network-based features. Methods Late-life depression patients (medicated post-recruitment) (n = 33) and older non-depressed individuals (n = 35) were recruited. Their demographics and cognitive ability scores were recorded, and brain characteristics were acquired using multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging pretreatment. Linear and nonlinear learning methods were tested for estimating accurate prediction models. Results A learning method called alternating decision trees estimated the most accurate prediction models for late-life depression diagnosis (87.27% accuracy) and treatment response (89.47% accuracy). The diagnosis model included measures of age, Mini-mental state examination score, and structural imaging (e.g. whole brain atrophy and global white mater hyperintensity burden). The treatment response model included measures of structural and functional connectivity. Conclusions Combinations of multi-modal imaging and/or non-imaging measures may help better predict late-life depression diagnosis and treatment response. As a preliminary observation, we speculate that the results may also suggest that different underlying brain characteristics defined by multi-modal imaging measures—rather than region-based differences—are associated with depression versus depression recovery because to our knowledge this is the first depression study to accurately predict both using the same approach. These findings may help better understand late-life depression and identify preliminary steps toward personalized late-life depression treatment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structurally Deformed Late Ordovician to Early Silurian Strata in North-Central Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana

Amidst the vast expanse of horizontally disposed Paleozoic strata in the Interior Lowlands, structurally deformed early Paleozoic beds are exposed in certain tributaries of the Ohio River. The deformation ranges from weak folding to overthrusting. The Brassfield Limestone of Early Silurian age contains breccia of earlier age. The Brassfield Limestone itself is brecciated in the region of structural disturbance. The structural disturbance and the brecciation, though of different ages, appear to be associated with probable periodic upheavals of the Cincinnati Arch during Llandoverian (Early Silurian) to Wenlockian (Middle Silurian) times.
Mutational Analysis of the Myxococcus xanthus Ω4406 Promoter Region Reveals an Upstream Negative Regulatory Element That Mediates C-Signal Dependence

C signaling plays a key role in coordinating cell movement and differentiation during the multicellular developmental process of Myxococcus xanthus. C signaling regulates expression of genes induced after about 6 h into development, when cells are forming mounds. One gene whose expression depends absolutely on C signaling was identified by insertion of a transposable element at site Ω4406 which generated a transcriptional fusion between lacZ and an upstream promoter. We have investigated regulation of the Ω4406 promoter. A 5′ deletion revealed a negative regulatory element located between bp −533 and −100 relative to the transcriptional start site. In the absence of this element, the promoter was still developmentally regulated but about fourfold more active. Also, the truncated promoter region retained normal dependence on two developmental regulators, FruA and DevS, but lost its dependence on the C-signaling protein CsgA. We infer that C signaling partially overcomes the negative effect of the upstream element on activity of the Ω4406 promoter. Deletion of downstream DNA between bp 50 and 140 caused a threefold loss in expression, suggesting that a positive regulatory element lies in this region. Additional positive and negative regulatory elements are present in the region from bp −69 to −49, based on the effects of multiple-base-pair mutations. Within this region, a 5-bp element and a C-box-like sequence resemble sequences found in other developmentally regulated M. xanthus promoter regions, but the effects of single-base-pair changes in these sequences suggest that each functions uniquely. We conclude that regulation of the Ω4406 promoter involves multiple positive and negative regulatory elements located upstream and downstream of the region typically bound by RNA polymerase.
Pressure morphology of the relaxed lower esophageal sphincter: the formation and collapse of the phrenic ampulla

This study aimed to apply novel high-resolution manometry with eight-sector radial pressure resolution (3D-HRM technology) to resolve the deglutitive pressure morphology at the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) before, during, and after bolus transit. A hybrid HRM assembly, including a 9-cm-long 3D-HRM array, was used to record EGJ pressure morphology in 15 normal subjects. Concurrent videofluoroscopy was used to relate bolus movement to pressure morphology and EGJ anatomy, aided by an endoclip marking the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ). The contractile deceleration point (CDP) marked the time at which luminal clearance slowed to 1.1 cm/s and the location (4 cm proximal to the elevated SCJ) at which peristalsis terminated. The phrenic ampulla spanned from the CDP to the SCJ. The subsequent radial and axial collapse of the ampulla coincided with the reconstitution of the effaced and elongated lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Following ampullary emptying, the stretched LES (maximum length 4.0 cm) progressively collapsed to its baseline length of 1.9 cm (P < 0.001). The phrenic ampulla is a transient structure comprised of the stretched, effaced, and axially displaced LES that serves as a "yield zone" to facilitate bolus transfer to the stomach. During ampullary emptying, the LES circular muscle contracts, and longitudinal muscle shortens while that of the adjacent esophagus reelongates. The likely LES elongation with the formation of the ampulla and shortening to its native length after ampullary emptying suggest that reduction in the resting tone of the longitudinal muscle within the LES segment is a previously unrecognized component of LES relaxation.
A computational framework for quality of information analysis for detection-oriented sensor networks

An application plannerpsilas point of view of sensor-enabled detection systems is considered and a hypothesis-testing-based computational framework for evaluating the quality of information (QoI) supported by a sensor network deployment is explored. Through a common, modular analysis framework that decomposes the computational burden of QoI calculation, the QoI properties of various decision architectures are investigated and trade-offs explored at the sensor, cluster, and system-level. Both finite and infinite-sized networks are considered and extensions of the analysis framework to faulty sensor and the impact of calibration are also investigated.
Weather-based prediction of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in epidemic-prone regions of Ethiopia II. Weather-based prediction systems perform comparably to early detection systems in identifying times for interventions.

Background: Timely and accurate information about the onset of malaria epidemics is essential for effective control activities in epidemic-prone regions. Early warning methods that provide earlier alerts (usually by the use of weather variables) may permit control measures to interrupt transmission earlier in the epidemic, perhaps at the expense of some level of accuracy. Methods: Expected case numbers were modeled using a Poisson regression with lagged weather factors in a 4 th -degree polynomial distributed lag model. For each week, the numbers of malaria cases were predicted using coefficients obtained using all years except that for which the prediction was being made. The effectiveness of alerts generated by the prediction system was compared against that of alerts based on observed cases. The usefulness of the prediction system was evaluated in cold and hot districts. Results: The system predicts the overall pattern of cases well, yet underestimates the height of the largest peaks. Relative to alerts triggered by observed cases, the alerts triggered by the predicted number of cases performed slightly worse, within 5% of the detection system. The prediction-based alerts were able to prevent 10–25% more cases at a given sensitivity in cold districts than in hot ones. Conclusions: The prediction of malaria cases using lagged weather performed well in identifying periods of increased malaria cases. Weather-derived predictions identified epidemics with reasonable accuracy and better timeliness than early detection systems; therefore, the prediction of malarial epidemics using weather is a plausible alternative to early detection systems.
Balancing homeostasis and learning in neural circuits.

Summary Neural circuits are remarkably adaptable, providing animals with the ability to modify their behavior on the basis of experience. At the same time, they are extremely robust and maintain stability despite the changes associated with adaptation. This combination of adaptability and stability is difficult to achieve, and it provides a strong constraint on any models of plasticity in neural circuits. New evidence suggests that the effect of action potential timing on synaptic plasticity may be an important element in reconciling homeostasis with adaptability. In particular, spike-timing dependent plasticity can act as both an adaptive and a homeostatic mechanism, controlling overall firing rates and distributions of synaptic efficacies while making neurons selective for certain aspects of their inputs. It can also cause networks that initially represent the present state of a stimulus to predict its future state on the basis of experience, a theoretical result supported by experimental data in behaving rats.
A new robust approach to diffuse edge detection

The authors outline an edge-prediction-adjustment strategy for the detection of diffused edges using an image pyramid structure. An initial edge map is obtained from an appropriate high-level image of the pyramid using a conventional edge detection method. Next, using a simple linear interpolation, the predicted edge map for the adjacent low-level image is determined. Based on the information of the predicted edges, edge adjustment is carried out using a sequential search in a small neighborhood of each of the predicted edges with the aid of a dynamic programming based method. Simulation results on both synthetic and medical images indicate that the performance of the proposed approach is much better than that of the commonly used differential of a Gaussian-based approach. >
Neuronal Pentraxins Mediate Synaptic Refinement in the Developing Visual System

Neuronal pentraxins (NPs) define a family of proteins that are homologous to C-reactive and acute-phase proteins in the immune system and have been hypothesized to be involved in activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. To investigate the role of NPs in vivo, we generated mice that lack one, two, or all three NPs. NP1/2 knock-out mice exhibited defects in the segregation of eye-specific retinal ganglion cell (RGC) projections to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, a process that involves activity-dependent synapse formation and elimination. Retinas from mice lacking NP1 and NP2 had cholinergically driven waves of activity that occurred at a frequency similar to that of wild-type mice, but several other parameters of retinal activity were altered. RGCs cultured from these mice exhibited a significant delay in functional maturation of glutamatergic synapses. Other developmental processes, such as pathfinding of RGCs at the optic chiasm and hippocampal long-term potentiation and long-term depression, appeared normal in NP-deficient mice. These data indicate that NPs are necessary for early synaptic refinements in the mammalian retina and dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. We speculate that NPs exert their effects through mechanisms that parallel the known role of short pentraxins outside the CNS.
Nutritive Value of Hydrolyzed Hog Hair as a Protein Source for Chicks and Poults

Abstract PACKER-PROCESSORS who are able to sell all by-products resulting from the slaughter of animals for human consumption can lower their net cost of operation. Hog hair is a by-product in pork processing plants which is not usually sold by the packer-processor as a by-product commodity. Disposal of hog hair, therefore, increases processing costs, resulting in higher retail costs of pork to the consumer or lower processing margins for the packer-processor, or both. In the past, poultry feathers were also an uneconomical by-product of the poultry processing industry. Today, feather meal is accepted as a protein supplement and is widely used in poultry rations. Literature contains some reports on physical and chemical characteristics of hog hair (Graham et al., 1949; Tritsch, 1954; and Baker, 1965). While these reports indicate that hog hair is a potential protein source, no reports were found on utilization of this product as a protein source for …
Polymorphism and phylogenetic relationships among species in the genus Oryza as determined by analysis of nuclear RFLPs.

Ninety-three accessions representing 21 species from the genus Oryza were examined for restriction fragment length polymorphism. The majority (78%) of the accessions, for which five individuals were tested, were found to be monomorphic. Most of the polymorphic accessions segregated for only one or two probes and appeared to be mixed pure lines. For most of the Oryza species tested, the majority of the genetic variation (83%) was found between accessions from different species with only 17% between accessions within species. Tetraploid species were found to have, on average, nearly 50% more alleles (unique fragments) per individual than diploid species reflecting the allopolyploid nature of their genomes.
Aerosol size distribution modeling with the Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system in the Pacific Northwest: 1. Model comparison to observations

[1] This paper evaluates aerosol number and mass concentrations from the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system at the 4 km scale against detailed airborne and surface measurements from the coordinated Pacific Northwest 2001 and Pacific 2001 field campaigns. Several investigators have tested CMAQ's prediction of PM2.5 mass, but relatively little attention has been paid to its representation of other subranges of the particulate size distribution. In addition, few have examined CMAQ aerosol performance in the unique Pacific Northwest emission and meteorological conditions. Airborne measurements show an underprediction of aerosol number by a factor of 10–100, especially in the Aitken mode (i.e., ultrafine, <100 nm diameter). This result cannot simply be explained by errors in gas-phase constituents. Errors in modeled ozone, NO, NOy, and SO2 exist, but the aerosol number underprediction is relatively constant while the gas-phase errors fluctuate in time and location. For the period of aircraft measurements, the surface PM2.5 mass normalized mean bias is 2%, −33%, and –38%. Speciated aerosol measurements reveal a large but intermittent positive bias in aerosol nitrate and organic mass. Errors in aerosol mass and composition are not consistent or large enough to explain the negative bias factor of 5–10 in accumulation mode particle number concentration and of 10–100 in total particle number concentration. The few other studies of CMAQ size distributions have found similar performance, the root of which has many potential causes and is worthy of future investigation.
MIRR: A better measure

Over the past 60 years Net Present Value (NPV) and the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) have emerged from obscurity to become the overwhelming choices for the quantitative measurement of investment attractiveness in modern corporations. Despite their current popularity, neither NPV nor IRR was designed to deal effectively with the vast majority of investment problems, meaning those where periodic free cashflowsaregeneratedbetweenthetimeofassetpurchaseandthetimeofsale.NPV assumes that periodic cash flows can and will be reinvested at the NPV discount rate, either at the cost of capital or another risk adjusted discount rate; IRR assumes reinvestment at the IRR. Neither assumption is usually realistic. In addition, when evaluating projects in terms of their financial attractiveness, the two measures may rank projects differently. This becomes important when capital budgets are limited. Finally, a project may have several IRRs if cash flows go from negative to positive more than once. The Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR), discovered in the 18th century, does account for these cash flows. This article explains the problems with NPV and IRR, describes how MIRR works, and demonstrates how MIRR deals with weaknesses in NPV and IRR.
High migraine prevalence in Parma: why?

Ferrante et al. (2012) report on the epidemiology of migraine in a non-clinical sample of adults living in Parma, Italy (1). A face-to-face interview of each of the 904 participants was conducted by a headache specialist using a validated questionnaire followed by a neurological examination. Migraine, including chronic migraine and migraine with aura, was diagnosed in accordance with the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition (ICHD-2) criteria (2). They found an age-adjusted, past-year prevalence of migraine of 24.7% (13% for men and 32.9% for women) (1). In the worldwide review by Stovner et al. (3), looking only at the 14 European studies, ICHD-1 migraine (4) was prevalent in about 15% of adults (range 10–25%), thus suggesting that migraine is almost twice as prevalent in Parma compared to these earlier studies. Factors that may affect migraine prevalence include
Stereotype Susceptibility: Identity Salience and Shifts in Quantitative Performance

Recent studies have documented that performance in a domain is hindered when individuals feel that a sociocultural group to which they belong is negatively stereotyped in that domain. We report that implicit activation of a social identity can facilitate as well as impede performance on a quantitative task. When a particular social identity was made salient at an implicit level, performance was altered in the direction predicted by the stereotype associated with the identity. Common cultural stereotypes hold that Asians have superior quantitative skills compared with other ethnic groups and that women have inferior quantitative skills compared with men. We found that Asian-American women performed better on a mathematics test when their ethnic identity was activated, but worse when their gender identity was activated, compared with a control group who had neither identity activated. Cross-cultural investigation indicated that it was the stereotype, and not the identity per se, that influenced performance.
Pemetrexed (ALIMTA), A Novel Multitargeted Antineoplastic Agent

Pemetrexed (ALIMTA, LY231514, MTA) is a novel antimetabolite that inhibits at least three enzymes involved in the folate pathway. These enzymes are thymidylate synthase, dihydrofolate reductase, and glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase. Pemetrexed has demonstrated clinical activity in non-small cell lung cancer as well as in a broad array of other solid tumors, including mesothelioma, breast, colorectal, bladder, cervical, gastric and pancreatic cancer. In non-small cell lung cancer, single-agent activity has been documented in the first- and second-line settings in Phase II and Phase III trials. Promising activity has also been demonstrated when pemetrexed is combined with platinum compounds (cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin), vinorelbine, and gemcitabine. Low level dietary supplement of folic acid and vitamin B12 has significantly decreased the mucosal and bone marrow toxicity of pemetrexed without compromising its antitumor effect.
Polymerization in nonuniform latex particles. II. Kinetics of two-phase emulsion polymerization

A new theory, based on the concept of nonuniform distribution of free radicals in polymerizing latex particles, has been developed for the kinetics of two-phase emulsion polymerization reactions. This theory also takes into account the diffusion controlled termination and propagation reactions to describe the gel effect and limiting conversion. The kinetic model permits prediction of the distribution of free radicals in the two polymer phases and rate of polymerization as a function of reaction conditions. Experimental data for polystyrene/polymethyl methacrylate and polymethyl methacrylate/polystyrene (postformed polymer/preformed polymer) in the literature have been used to assess the proposed idea of nonuniform distribution of free radicals in the latex particle.
Fast Fusion of Medical Images Based on Bayesian Risk Minimization and Pixon Map

Fast fusion of multiple registered out-of-focusimages is of great interest in medical imaging; forexample, the thoracic cavity is always too bumpy to befocused on all parts at one shot even when we can omitthe unavoidable hardware vibrations. Previousproposed methods in this field cannot fulfill the realtimerequirement in our multiple camera medicalimaging setting. In this paper, we propose a multiresolutionBayesian risk minimization based method tofuse these chest cavity images. The validity andefficiency of our method are verified by ourexperiments on both out-of-focus medical images andregional motion blurred images. By choosing specialkernel functions for the Pixon map and adoptinguniform distribution as the prior probability, ourmethod can be applied to the real-time medicalimaging situations such as surgical operationmonitoring.
Acid-sensing by airway afferent nerves

Inhalation of acid aerosol or aspiration of acid solution evokes a stimulatory effect on airway C-fiber and Aδ afferents, which in turn causes airway irritation and triggers an array of defense reflex responses (e.g., cough, reflex bronchoconstriction, etc.). Tissue acidosis can also occur locally in the respiratory tract as a result of ischemia or inflammation, such as in the airways of asthmatic patients during exacerbation. The action of proton on the airway sensory neurons is generated by activation of two different current species: a transient (rapidly activating and inactivating) current mediated through the acid-sensing ion channels, and a slowly activating and sustained current mediated through the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) receptor. In view of the recent findings that the expression and/or sensitivity of TRPV1 are up-regulated in the airway sensory nerves during chronic inflammatory reaction, the proton-evoked irritant effects on these nerves may play an important part in the manifestation of various symptoms associated with airway inflammatory diseases.
LONG-SEGMENT AGANGLIONOSIS: A 15 – YEAR EXPERIENCE

To access the surgical progress of patients with long segment aganglionosis and long-term evaluation. During the past 15 years, we reviewed the therapy and outcome of 15 patients with Long-Segment Agangelionosis (LSA) in Mofid children's hospital. 2 with Agangelionosis to the midtransvers colon (MTA(, 8 to the ascendant and cecum (A/CA), 4 with total colonic and distal ileum involvement (TCA), and one child with total intestinal Agangelionosis (TIA). The patient with TIA had only laparatomy and staged biopsies. 12 were treated by Swenson technique and 2 patients by other procedures. All patients received total parenteral nutrition up to 10 days postoperative to ensure appropriate fluid and electrolyte status. The patients with TCA needed supplementary therapies (Diet, Drugs) up to 4 months to reduce the stool frequency. 2 patients died. The patient with TIA died 6 months after Biopsies. Another one died 5 months after pull-through: small bowel ileus with total intestinal necrosis. 9 Of the 13 alive patients have normal stool pattern: 1-3 times per day. 2 patients have 3-6 stools per day with 1-2 soiling per week. An adolescent patient has occasionally nightly soiling (1- 2 per month). No actual data about one patient (A/CA). One TCA patient doing well immediately postoperative becomes obstipated 3 months later (after having Entrocolitis). He had washout enemas for 9 months. Now stools regularly. Awareness of long-segment Agangelionosis should lead to earlier diagnosis. Appropriate surgery and improvements in supportive care led to a significantly increased rate of survival. Patients with LSA even involving ileum (but no more than 50 cm of ileum) should attain a normal stooling behavior. Long-term outcome is quite favorable.
Genetic serotonin deficiency and alcohol preference in the fawn hooded rats.

The fact that Fawn Hooded rats exhibit a genetic impairment in their normal central nervous system serotonin function suggests that they should drink significant amounts of ethanol, relative to the parent Wistar strain. In the present study we summarize our findings with respect to ethanol preference using these rats
Unemployment: Is Switzerland an Exception?

Of the recent economic developments in Switzerland, the increased unemployment level deserves special attention. In the 1990s Switzerland's long tradition of low (almost nonexistent) unemployment was broken. Although still below the levels experienced in most industrialized countries, Switzerland's recent higher unemployment rate has caused speculation about the causes of this unusual (for Switzerland) economic phenomenon. The objective of this paper is to investigate the behavior of the unemployment rate in Switzerland by utilizing the simplified Phillips curve relationship. This concept illustrates the tradeoff between unemployment and inflation. The rate of unemployment (or the rate of change of unemployment) and the rate of change of wages are negatively related. When unemployment is low, employers tend to bid up wages in an effort to attract qualified workers. During periods of high unemployment, this type of bidding is unnecessary; and therefore the rate of growth of money wages is lower. Observing how well the model explains the jobless rate allows us to speculate about the causes of increased unemployment in Switzerland. It can also be determined whether increased unemployment represents a structural change in Switzerland's economic environment or if it is the effect of a temporary change in the growth rate of aggregate demand, or perhaps a change in the behavioral patterns of the economic agents.
UB at TREC 2010 Legal Interactive

For the TREC 2010, the State University of New York at Buffalo participated in the Legal E-Discovery task, working on the interactive search task. We selected to explore RPD task 303. Our focus was on how to approach the problem with the assumption that business communication often wants to maintain secrecy or plausible deniability. Accordingly, it is not in the spirit of the problem to approach formulating queries by limiting ourselves to the mere text of the Complaint and RPD’s. We have to envision the actual business context and the actual business practices to determine truly effective queries in the context of litigation. A simple interactive system based on Indri search engine was used to test the queries and examine the results. Post-experiment analysis is underway in alignment with the official evaluation.
Trehalose effectiveness as a cryoprotectant in 2D and 3D cell cultures of human embryonic kidney cells

AbstractPost cryopreservation viability of human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells under two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) culture conditions was studied using trehalose as the sole cryoprotective agent. An L9 (34) Taguchi design was used to optimize the cryoprotection cocktail seeding process prior to slow-freezing with the specific aim of maximizing cell viability measured 7 days post thaw, using the combinatorial cell viability and in-vitro cytotoxicity WST assay. At low (200 mM) and medium (800 mM) levels of trehalose concentration, encapsulation in alginate offered a greater protection to cryopreservation. However, at the highest trehalose concentration (1200 mM) and in the absence of the pre-incubation step, there was no statistical difference at the 95% CI (p = 0.0212) between the viability of the HEK cells under 2D and 3D culture conditions estimated to be 17.9 ± 4.6% and 14.0 ± 3.6%, respectively. A parallel comparison between cryoprotective agents conducted at the optimal levels of the ...
330 CHARACTERISTICS OF NOT KNOWING THE CD4 CELL COUNT WHEN LIVING WITH HIV.

Background The CD4+ T helper cell count is critical when managing persons living with HIV (PLWH) as it holds clear ramifications for disease severity and susceptibility to opportunistic infections. One would imagine, therefore, that PLWH are well aware of their own CD4 count. The purpose of this study is to examine variables related to unawareness of own CD4 count to better understand possible additional uninformed or perhaps even harmful behaviors. Methods Patients presenting at the University of Kentucky HIV Clinic were asked to complete a voluntary, IRB-approved, questionnaire regarding their physical and mental health. Data were analyzed with respect to CD4 awareness by simple means, standard deviations, and multiple regression approaches solving for demographics, HIV risk, medication adherence, and other comorbidities. Results Of the 123 surveys delivered, 102 (82.9%) were returned. Mean age was 40.6 6 9.1 (22-67). Eighty-five were men (83%) and 17 (17%) were women. There were 82 Caucasians, 15 African Americans, 3 Hispanic/Latinos, and one Asian. Sixty-four respondents (67%) are men who have sex with men (MSM), 13 (14%) report high-risk heterosexual activity (HRH), 4 (4%) have a history of intravenous drug use, 2 (2%) indicate blood exposure, and 13 (13%) do not know their risk factor. Fifty-one (50%) count depression and 29 (28.4%) anxiety as a concomitant diseases. Twenty-eight (29%) do not know their CD4 count. Mean CD4 for those reporting a number is 321. Trends and signficant independent variables in our model associated with not knowing one9s CD4 count include a higher likelihood of church attendance (p = .042) and spirituality scores (p = .14), poorer medication adherence (p = .097), higher drug use (p = .047), being a woman (p = .078), and feelings of discrimination (p = .005). There was no correlation with age, education, income, HIV risk, depression, anxiety, or other "don9t know " variables. Conclusions In this sample, nearly one-third of respondents did not know their CD4 count. A possible explanation may lie with the observed association with "faith " variables such as spirituality and church attendance. Alternatively, the highly significant positive responses regarding discrimination may belie some "avoidant " tendencies. Nevertheless, these data suggest that a subgroup of PLWH are in dire need of education or otherwise improved participation in their own disease management.
Secure Encapsulation Wrapper Technology for Middleware

The middlewares used in software systems is not secure.Aiming at this problem,this paper designs four kinds of wrappers,which let these middlewares run under secure environment,and provides the control of good granularity among the middlewares,the middleware and other system resources.It researches the expression methods of these wrappers,uses box-π calculus to describe these wrappers and secure encapsulation process,and analyzes the security of each wrapper.
Individual and environmental contingencies associated with multiple suicide attempts among U.S. military personnel

Suicidal behavior among U.S. military personnel persists as a significant public health issue. Previous research indicates the primary motive for suicide attempts among military personnel is the desire to reduce or alleviate emotional distress, a finding that converges with studies in nonmilitary samples. Much less is understood about the consequences of a first suicide attempt that could influence the occurrence of additional suicide attempts. In order to identify these contingencies, 134 active duty Soldiers who had attempted suicide (n=69 first-time attempters, n=65 multiple attempters) participated in structured interviews focused on their experiences immediately following their first attempt. Soldiers were more likely to have made multiple suicide attempts if they were younger at the time of their first attempt, were not admitted to a hospital or treatment program after their first attempt, or experienced emotional and psychological relief immediately afterwards. Results suggest that Soldiers who experience emotional and/or psychological relief immediately after their first suicide attempt or do not receive treatment are more likely to make additional suicide attempts.
Tritium Migration to the Surfaces of Type 316 Stainless Steel; Aluminum 6061; and Oxygen-Free, High-Conductivity Copper

The migration of tritium to the surfaces of Aluminum 6061; oxygen-free, high-conductivity copper; and Type 316 stainless steel from the bulk metal was studied using low-pressure Tonks-Langmuir argo...
Restoring teeth that are endodontically treated through existing crowns. Part I: Survey of pulpal status on access.

Objective The purpose of this study was to identify the pulpal findings encountered by practitioners when accessing complete-coverage crowns that require nonsurgical root canal treatment and the relevance of coronal leakage to the success of the RTC. Method and materials The survey package consisted of a cover letter stating the instructions, rationale, and purpose for the questionnaire, a questionnaire with 8 short-answer questions, and a stamped, self-addressed envelope. A randomized sample of active dentists (300 general practitioners, 300 prosthodontists, and 300 endodontists) was selected. Collected data were analyzed with the chi-square test. Results A 60% response rate was obtained. Statistically significant differences were found among the practitioner groups, depending on the question. General practitioners and endodontists obtain access through crowns and maintain these crowns as final restoration significantly more often than do prosthodontists. Practitioners responded that teeth with complete crowns require nonsurgical root canal treatment after 5 to 10 years. Conclusion Respondents believe that leakage must be addressed when endodontic access cavities in artificial crowns are restored after nonsurgical root canal treatment. General practitioners perform nonsurgical root canal treatment more frequently than do prosthodontists. Practitioners indicated that when teeth with complete crowns require nonsurgical root canal treatment, treatment is most often performed 5 to 10 years after placement of the crown.
Why do we write

This is an important question in any of our endeavors. It has been a recurrent one in the history of family medicine, which for many years in this country has had a limited tradition for its own literature. For starters, there are many reasons why many of us in family medicine choose to write. This applies to what we write and for what audience. Our broad field—as the quintessential primary care specialty dealing with patients and families of all ages—encompasses many activities, including clinical practice in urban, suburban, and rural communities; teaching in community-based residencies and medical schools; and research. Our perspectives in family medicine are further expanded by our inclusion of collaborating disciplines ranging from epidemiology to clinical pharmacology and behavioral science. Though others in family medicine may write for different reasons, these are some of the main reasons that have motivated me to contribute to our literature over the years. Each of these reasons suffers by being isolated, since they are often interrelated and complementary to each other. Some or all of these may resonate with other writers and would-be writers in family medicine.
The ontological politics of marine spatial planning: Assembling the ocean and shaping the capacities of ‘Community’ and ‘Environment’

Abstract Governance projects to measure and organize socio-natural spaces have often resulted in the marginalization of human communities (e.g., national parks) or in the destruction of environmental resources (e.g., mining). In the United States, new marine spatial planning (MSP) policies seek to categorize and represent ocean spaces and activities in an effort to provide a solution to long-standing controversies stemming from individual sector-based management (e.g., fisheries, energy, transportation, marine mammal conservation). In this paper we examine how the ontological politics of MSP are being shaped through the narratives and practices of emerging MSP projects. We employ the ideas of ontological politics and assemblage to explore how communities and environments are being constituted through their association with MSP and its key conceptual framework (ecosystem-based management) and operational tools (geospatial databases). We trace how the ontological formations of MSP—people, places, technologies, and organisms—are being actively assembled in concurrent processes of stabilization and disruption through narratives and processes of inscription that create new political-spatial imaginaries and relationships. We show that while some emerging MSP ontologies restrict the capacities of ‘environment’ and ‘community’—for instance in the language of ‘salvation’ and in the organization of certain geospatial databases—other practices offer space to expand the capacities of community and environmental actors (for example in participatory mapping projects and in the aspirations of many practitioners themselves).
Left ventricular assist device as destination therapy in cardiac end-stage dystrophinopathies: Midterm results.

Abstract Objective We report our experience with the use of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) as destination therapy (DT) for the management of patients with cardiac end-stage dystrophinopathies. Methods From February 2011 to February 2016, 7 patients with dystrophinopathies and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) were treated with LVADs at our institution. Median age at surgery was 16.5 years (range, 14.2-23.4 years). All patients were preoperatively evaluated by a multidisciplinary team approach. Results All patients survived to hospital discharge. The early postoperative course was characterized by abdominal bleeding (1 patient) and retropharyngeal bleeding (1 patient). Because of abdominal or retropharyngeal bleeding, both required postoperative heparin infusion discontinuation for 35 and 33 days, respectively. Among the late complications, 1 child developed osteolysis and infection at the pedestal site of the device, which required surgical displacement; 1 patient required gastrostomy as a result of poor feeding, and another had a cerebral stroke, which was treated with percutaneous thrombus aspiration. The other 2 patients did not show early or late complications. At a median follow-up time of 21.7 months (range, 3-45 months) there have been 3 deaths: 1 patient died of a lung infection after 45 months, 1 died of tracheal bleeding after 29 months, and 1 died of cerebral hemorrhage after 14 months. Conclusions Our experience indicates that the use of an LVAD as DT in patients with dystrophinopathies with end-stage DCM is feasible, suggesting that it may be suitable as a palliative therapy for the treatment of these patients with no other therapeutic options.
Popular Trauma Culture: The Pain of Others Between Holocaust Tropes and Kitsch-Sentimental Melodrama

Popular trauma culture emerged when American collective memory transformed the Holocaust from an event in European history into a metaphor for evil and generated the narrative paradigm—the basic plot structure and core set of characters—for representing experiences of pain and suffering in the mass media. Constructed around a melodramatic conflict of good-versus-evil that is embodied in the flat characters of the victim-cum-survivor and the perpetrator, the paradigmatic narratives of victimhood and survival, suffering, and redemption encode an escapist and politically acquiescing kitsch sentimentality as the dominant mode of reception. After tracing the emergence of popular trauma culture’s exemplary plot paradigm and cast of characters in American Holocaust discourse, this chapter explores the transition from the victim to the survivor figure as the preeminent protagonist and the transformation of witness testimony into victim talk. Subsequently, it examines melodrama as the dominant narrative mode of representing experiences of victimization and suffering and the kitsch sentimentality they encode as their paradigmatic mode of reception. This chapter concludes with a discussion of consuming trauma kitsch as fantasies of witnessing in a dubious search for late-modernity’s holy grail of authenticity.
Photoequilibration of 1-Naphthylcarbene and 4,5-Benzobicyclo[4.1.0]hepta-2,4,6-triene

Irradiation (λ > 300 nm) of 1-naphthyldiazomethane (11) or 1-naphthyldiazirine (12) isolated in an argon matrix at 10 K produces 4,5-benzobicyclo[4.1.0]hepta-2,4,6-triene (2) and a small amount of triplet 1-naphthylcarbene (1). Cyclopropene 2 is characterized by infrared and UV/visible spectroscopy while triplet 1-naphthylcarbene (1) is characterized by infrared, UV/visible, and ESR spectroscopy. Experimental and computed (B3LYP/6-31G*) IR spectra display good agreement. Carbene 1 and cyclopropene 2 are thermally stable in the matrix at 10 K, although they may be interconverted photochemically. Further irradiation of the matrix under a number of conditions (λ > 300, λ = 342 ± 10, λ > 497, or λ = 544 ± 10 nm) causes disappearance of carbene 1 and exclusive growth of cyclopropene 2. Shorter wavelength photolysis (λ = 290 ± 10 nm) triggers reversion of 2 back to 1. Conversion of either compound to 4,5-benzocyclohepta-1,2,4,6-tetraene (6), 2-naphthylcarbene (8), or 2,3-benzobicyclo-[4.1.0]hepta-2,4,6-triene (...
The lung mycobiome in the next-generation sequencing era

The fungi that reside in the human lungs represent an understudied, but medically relevant comm-unity. From the few studies published on the lung mycobiome, we find that there are fungi in both the healthy and diseased respiratory tract, that these fungi vary widely between individuals, and that there is a trend toward lower fungal diversity among individuals with disease. This review discusses the few studies of the lung mycobiome and details the challenges that accompany lung mycobiome studies. These challenges include sample collection and processing, sequence amplification and processing, and a history of multiple names for species. Some challenges may never be solved, but others can be solved with more data and additional studies of the lung mycobiome.
The Distribution of Wealth

(2006). The Distribution of Wealth. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 226-228.
Triphosphopyridine nucleotide-linked aldehyde reductase. I. Purification and properties of the enzyme from pig kidney cortex.

A broad substrate specificity, low molecular weight, TPNH-linked aldehyde reductase has been purified from the soluble cytoplasm of pig kidney cortex. The enzyme reduces aromatic aldehydes, such as 3-pyridinecarboxaldehyde, 4-nitrobenzaldehyde, 4-carboxybenzaldehyde, and 4-cyanobenzaldehyde; aldoses, such as d -glyceraldehyde, d -lactaldehyde, pyruvaldehyde, and d -glucuronate; and α-diketones, such as (+)-camphorquinone and diacetyl. It also catalyzes a slow TPN-linked oxidation of the corresponding alcohols, as well as Tris. The enzyme, a 30,200 dalton monomer, is homogeneous by gel filtration, ultracentrifugation, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; but on standard polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis it gives multiple bands which have the same relative substrate specificity. A diagnostic property of this reductase is its sensitivity to barbiturate inhibition. Due to its kinetic constants and pH optima, this enzyme probably functions physiologically as an aldehyde reductase rather than an alcohol dehydrogenase. The broad substrate specificity of this reductase overlaps several previously described, apparently unrelated, but perhaps identical, TPN-specific mammalian alcohol dehydrogenases.
EPAS: an emitter piloting advisory expert system for IC emitter deposition

Emitter piloting is a difficult diffusion process in IC manufacturing. The decision for the adjustment of the piloting drive cycle is a heuristic-oriented task. An expert system, the emitter piloting advisory system (EPAS), is used at Harris Semiconductor to advise fab operators on how to adjust piloting cycle time for emitters based on knowledge extracted from the most experienced engineer. EPAS consists of an input filter to validate the input parameter values; a knowledge base containing the knowledge extracted from the domain expert; a limited learning mechanism for dynamically calculating a better estimate of initial drive time for the next lot; a convergence control mechanism to control the rule inference so that the result of an inference is always closer to the conclusion; a user facility module containing many LISP-based modules developed to let the expert, engineers, and operators maintain the system by themselves; and a user-friendly interface. One EPAS operation example is provided. >
Characterization of X-ray scattering for various phantoms and clinical breast geometries using breast CT on a dedicated hybrid system

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to utilize a dedicated breast CT system using a 2D beam stop array to physically evaluate the scatter to primary ratios (SPRs) of different geometric phantoms and prospectively acquired clinical patient data. METHODS Including clinically unrealizable compositions of 100% glandular and 100% fat, projection images were acquired using three geometrically different phantoms filled with fluids simulating breast tissue. The beam stop array method was used for measuring scatter in projection space, and creating the scatter corrected primary images. 2D SPRs were calculated. Additionally, a new figure of merit, the 3D normalized scatter contribution (NSC) volumes were calculated. RESULTS The 2D SPR values (0.52-1.10) were primarily dependent on phantom geometry; a secondary dependence was due to their uniform density; 2D SPRs were low frequency and smoothly varying in the uniformly filled phantoms. SPRs of clinical patient data followed similar trends as phantoms, but with noticeable deviations and high frequency components due to the heterogeneous distribution of glandular tissue. The maximum measured patient 2D SPRs were all <0.6, even for the largest diameter breast. These results demonstrate modest scatter components with changing object geometries and densities; the 3D NSC volumes with higher frequency components help visualize scatter distribution throughout the reconstructed image volumes. Furthermore, the SPRs in the heterogeneous clinical breast cases were underestimated by the equivalent density, uniformly filled phantoms. CONCLUSIONS These results provide guidance on the use of uniformly distributed density and differently shaped phantoms when considering simulations. They also clearly demonstrate that results from patients can vary considerably from 2D SPRs of uniformly simulated phantoms.