cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Policy coherence in US tobacco control: beyond FDA regulation.

As the Obama administration moves to enact meaningful and comprehensive health care reform in the United States, tobacco control must be elevated as a public health priority [1]. Though tobacco control efforts have been recognized as a top public health achievement of the 20th century [2], tobacco use continues to be the leading preventable cause of death in the US [3]. As Box 1 shows, the US bears a heavy burden from the health and fiscal effects of smoking. Thus, continued progress in preventing tobacco use and promoting smoking cessation must be a leading priority for health care reform under the new administration. This policy paper gives the current status of tobacco control policies, initiatives, and legislative action at the time of going to press. Box 1. Health and Economic Burdens of Smoking, United States Tobacco use… …is the leading preventable cause of death. At least 443,000 annual premature deaths in the United States from 2000–2004 were attributable to smoking [33]. …leads to premature death. During 2000–2004, 5.1 million years of productive life were lost due to cigarette smoking and exposure to passive smoking per year [33]. …contributes to health disparities. African Americans, Native Americans/Alaska Natives, the poor, and people with lower educational attainment suffer from a higher burden of disease and disability from smoking. …is a major cause of cancer in the lung, larynx, pharynx, mouth, and bladder. It also causes cancer in the pancreas, cervix, kidney, and stomach. …causes deaths from heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. …is a fiscal burden. Cigarette smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke results in productivity losses of $96.8 billion annually [33] and over $75 billion in annual US medical expenditures [6].
Response to Intervention and the Courts: Litigation-Based Guidance

The purpose of this study is to examine decisions rendered by the courts with regard to compliance or noncompliance to the statutes and regulations related to Response to Intervention (RtI). The No...
Rare earth metal-metal halide systems XII. The thulium-thulium(III) chloride system. Thulium(II) chloride and a series of intermediate phases

Abstract Thermal analysis, equilibration, and X-ray data are reported for the condensed TmCl3-Tm system. Thulium(II) chloride melts congruently at 718 ± 3 °C and is isostructural with DyCl2 and YbCl2 with a0 = 6.55, b0 = 6.68, c 0 = 6.93 A , all ± 0.02 A . The dichloride dissolves in water to give a short-lived, bordeaux-red color. Thermal analysis data give evidence for the presence of about nine intermediate compounds between TmCl2.04 and about TmCl2.12. Their apparent peritectic interconversions at 662 °–585 °C are rapid on both heating and cooling, and a close relationship between these and the parent TmCl2 structure is indicated by their powder patterns. The compounds may be considered as the ordered phases which derive from a hypothetical nonstoichiometric region.
Triggering role of acid sphingomyelinase in endothelial lysosome-membrane fusion and dysfunction in coronary arteries

The present study determined whether activation of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) drives membrane proximal lysosomes to fuse to the cell surface, facilitating membrane lipid rafts (LRs) clustering in coronary arterial endothelial cells (CAECs) and leading to endothelial dysfunction. By confocal microscopy, the activators of ASM, phosphatidylinositol (PI), and bis (monoacylglyceryl) phosphate (Bis), and an inducer of ASM, butyrate, were found to increase LRs clustering in bovine CAECs, which was blocked by lysosome fusion inhibitor vacuolin-1. However, arsenic trioxide (Ars), an inducer of de novo synthesis of ceramide, had no such effect. Similarly, vacuolin-1-blockable effects were observed using fluorescence resonance energy transfer detection. Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated that all of these treatments, even Ars, increased ceramide production in CAECs. When ASM gene was silenced, all treatments except Ars no longer increased ceramide levels. Furthermore, dynamic fluorescence monitoring in live cells showed that PI and Bis stimulated lysosome-membrane fusion in CAECs. Functionally, PI and Bis impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation in perfused coronary arteries, which was blocked by vacuolin-1 and a lysosome function inhibitor, bafilomycine. FasL (Fas ligand), a previously confirmed lysosome fusion stimulator as a comparison, also produced a similar effect. It is concluded that ASM activation serves as a triggering mechanism and driving force, leading to fusion of membrane proximal lysosomes into LR clusters on the cell membrane of CAECs, which represents a novel mechanism mediating endothelial dysfunction during death receptor activation or other pathological situation.
Susceptibility of a northern hardwood forest to exotic earthworm invasion.

Abstract: Numerous exotic earthworm species are colonizing northern hardwood forests of North America, where no native earthworms exist. Upon invasion, earthworms have been shown to alter the surface soil environment and plant populations and communities. We sought to identify land-use factors in the Ottawa National Forest (ONF), Michigan (U.S.A.), that contribute to earthworm invasion in forest dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) so that the susceptibility to additional colonization could be evaluated. We sampled earthworm communities in Sylvania Wilderness Area, a unique old-growth hardwood forest, and nonwilderness sites influenced by recreational fishing, recent timber harvesting, or roads. All the nonwilderness sites contained one to five species of exotic earthworms. In contrast, only 50% of wilderness sites contained exotic earthworms, all of a single species. Nonwilderness sites also had thinner litter and duff layers, higher soil C and N content, and higher nitrogen mineralization potentials than Sylvania sites. Two central differences between Sylvania and nonwilderness sites were that all nonwilderness sites were in close contact with roads and had a history of timber harvest, whereas these factors were not present in Sylvania Wilderness Area. Using average rates of colonization, we constructed two geographic information system models to estimate the percentage of sugar maple on the ONF falling within a theoretical 100-year invasion distance of roads and of second-growth sugar maple as relative indices of susceptibility to invasion. Both models indicated high susceptibility to invasion, with 91.7% and 98.9% of sugar maple habitat falling within a theoretical 100-year invasion distance of roads or historical harvests, respectively.
Cigarette Prices in Military Retail: A Review and Proposal for Advancing Military Health Policy

ABSTRACTTobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and has been shown to significantly harm the combat readiness of military personnel. Unfortunately, recent research showed that cigarettes are sold at substantial discounts in military retail outlets. In fact, the military is the only retailer that consistently loses money on tobacco. Cheap tobacco prices have been identified by enlisted personnel and Department of Defense health policy experts as promoting a culture of tobacco use in the U.S. Military. This article provides an analysis of why current military tobacco pricing policy has failed to eliminate cheap tobacco prices as an incentive for use. A rationale for increasing tobacco prices also is presented along with recommendations for improved military tobacco control policy.
The developmental genetics of polymorphism in the rotifer Asplanchna. I. Dietary vitamin E control of mitosis and morphogenesis in embryos.

Cultures of Asplanchna sieboldi fed Paramecium aurelia consist exclusively of parthenogenetically-reproducing females whose body form is saccate. When such females are fed algae or α-tocopherol, their offspring develop in utero into humped females with regular outgrowths of the syncytial body wall (hypodermis and cuticle). The hypodermal nuclei are constant in number and position, and can be mapped; such nuclear maps show that saccate and humped females have the same number and arrangement of hypodermal nuclei. The level of dietary vitamin E thus controls differential growth of the hypodermis, without affecting mitosis. Electron micrographs indicate that the hypodermal outgrowths are produced after cell membranes break down in the embryo; the regions of enhanced growth within the hypodermis are therefore not delimited by cell membranes. In contrast, the offspring of A. sieboldi or A. brightwelli fed vitamin E show an increased mean number of nuclei in the vitellarium and gastric glands, organs which are partially freed from the usual rigid control of nuclear number in rotifer tissues. Variations in nuclear number in a tissue might reflect variations in either the number of cells determined to form that tissue or the number of mitotic divisions in the determined primordium. In the former case, reciprocal variations in nuclear number should be found in another tissue. The vitellarium and oocytes are the sole derivatives of a single blastomere; however, counts of oocytes fail to show reciprocal variations. Dietary vitamin E therefore controls, directly or indirectly, the number of mitoses in the vitellarium, and presumably also in the gastric glands.
Scanning Polymeric Waveguide Design of a 2-D Display System

Many small-scale display systems used in head-mounted displays (HMDs) create planar images by beaming light from an optical fiber onto deflectable or rotating mirrors. This mirror-based approach has a critical limitation: the hardware of mirror scanners and grating deflectors must be significantly larger than the light beam diameter to avoid undesirable clipping or diffraction effects. Typically, attempting to reduce the size of a conventional display device reduces pixel count by loss of resolution or field-of-view (FOV) of the device. In this paper, we propose a HMD system utilizing a microfabricated 2D optical scanner controlled by a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) that overcomes the size limitations of other systems while maintaining high resolution.
Behavioral Attention: A Longitudinal Study of Whether and How It Influences the Development of Word Reading and Reading Comprehension among At-Risk Readers

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which teacher ratings of behavioral attention predicted responsiveness to word reading instruction in first-grade and third-grade reading comprehension performance. Participants were 110 first-grade students identified as at risk for reading difficulties who received 20 weeks of intensive reading intervention in combination with classroom reading instruction. Path analysis indicated that teacher ratings of student attention significantly predicted students’ word reading growth in first grade even when they were competed against other relevant predictors (phonological awareness, nonword reading, sight word efficiency, vocabulary, listening comprehension, hyperactivity, nonverbal reasoning, and short-term memory). Also, student attention demonstrated a significant indirect effect on third-grade reading comprehension via word reading but not via listening comprehension. Results suggest that student attention (indexed by teacher ratings) is an imp...
Cellular theories of aging as related to the liver.

The age-associated decjline in function of several organs, including the liver, may be caused by mechanisms operating on the cellular level. Fibroblasts and several other cell types derived from normal individuals have limited lifespans in culture, and several abnormalities described for senescent cultured fibroblasts also apply to hepatocytes and other cell types obtained from aged organisms. Cellular theories of aging can be divided into two broad and overlapping categories: (a) those that view cell death as an actively programmed developmental process, and (b) those that consider cellular aging to result from a passive accumulation of errors in macromolecules. These theories are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and many of the phenotypic changes in senescent hepatocytes, fibroblasts and other cells are compatible with several different theories. The challenge for the future is to distinguish primary causes from secondary consequences of cellular aging so that rational attempts to intervene in the aging process are possible.
Implementation of Guideline-Based Care for Depression in Primary Care

Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for treating depression in primary care settings were developed, in part, to ensure that health services are provided in a consistent, high-quality, and cost-effective manner. Yet for a variety of reasons, guideline-based primary care for depression remains the exception rather than the rule. This work provides a brief review of effective strategies used to customize and then deliver evidence-based treatment for depression in primary care settings; describes two representative case studies that illustrate locally customized collaborative care strategies for treatment delivery; and concludes with principles and implications for policy and practice based on our practical experiences.
Simultaneous compression of makespan and number of processors using CRP

This paper presents a new 2D compression (2DC) method for solving the multiprocessor scheduling (MS) problems to simultaneously achieve both objectives of minimizing the makespan and the number of processors used. Most existing approaches tend to focus on a very specific range of the MS problems, while risking the loss of the solution quality elsewhere. 2DC synthesizes two main classes of compression approaches in both the time and resource dimensions by utilizing the constrained resource planning (CRP) paradigm to balance the resource utilization and conservation. Experimental results show that 2DC extends the range of the solution effectiveness when measured separately in terms of the time and resource dimensions. More significantly, the 2DC method exhibits a remarkable solution quality and stability when measured in terms of a 2D cost function.
Structure and dynamics of the second and third transmembrane domains of human glycine receptor.

A 61-residue polypeptide resembling the second and third transmembrane domains (TM23) of the R-1 subunit of human glycine receptor and its truncated form, both with the wild-type loop linking the two TM domains (the "23" loop), were studied using high-resolution NMR. Well-defined domain structures can be identified for the TM2, 23 loop, and TM3 regions. Contrary to the popular model of a long and straight R-helical structure for the pore-lining TM2 domain for the Cys-loop receptor family, the last three residues of the TM2 domain and the first eight residues of the 23 loop (S16-S26) seem to be intrinsically nonhelical and highly flexible even in trifluoroethanol, a solvent known to promote and stabilize R-helical structures. The six remaining residues of the 23 loop and most of the TM3 domain exhibit helical structures with a kinked ﷿-helix (or a ﷿-turn) from W34 to C38 and a kink angle of 159 ( 3°. The tertiary fold of TM3 relative to TM2 is defined by several unambiguously identified long- range NOE cross-peaks within the loop region and between TM2 and TM3 domains. The 20 lowest- energy structures show a left-handed tilt of TM3 relative to TM2 with a tilting angle of 44 ( 2° between TM2 (V1-Q14) and TM3 (L39-E48) helix axes. This left-handed TM2-TM3 arrangement ensures a neatly packed right-handed quaternary structure of five subunits to form an ion-conducting pore. This is the first time that two TM domains of the glycine receptor linked by the important 23 loop have ever been analyzed at atomistic resolution. Many structural characteristics of the receptor can be inferred from the structural and dynamical features identified in this study.
A fortuitous observation regarding "psychogenic" polydipsia.

Observations are reported of 5 rats, which had developed schedule-induced polydipsia and essentially stopped drinking, but not bar pressing, when they manipulated or chewed cellulose material from the excreta tray under the conditioning chamber. Polydipsia reappeared with removal of cellulose. This suggested that drinking was one of a number of inter-pellet behaviors depending upon available stimuli.
A method to reject random coincidences and extract true from multiple coincidences in PET using 3-D detectors

In this work, we develop a new method to reject random coincidences and identify true coincidences from multiple photon coincidences using 3-D photon positioning PET detectors. We are developing scintillation and cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors with the ability to position the 3-D coordinates of every detector interaction with 1 mm intrinsic spatial and ≪2.5% FWHM energy resolution at 511 keV. For multiple interactions, the position of the first two interactions and the energy of the first interaction are used to electronically collimate single photons by the kinematics of Compton scatter. We use a “direction window” to determine coincident lines of response. Using a hypothesis testing framework, we derive a direction window threshold that maximizes the noise equivalent counts (NEC) of the system. This new method is compared against conventional coincidence processing for a dual-panel breast CZT PET system under development in our laboratory. For a simplified approximation of our maximum NEC derivation, we show that the addition of a direction window reduced random coincidences by 55–60%. At high activities, the ability to recover trues from multiple coincidences increased the true coincidence rate of the system by as much as 11%.
Sex-related Differences in the Development of the Motive to Avoid Success, Sex Role Identity, and Performance in Competitive and Noncompetitive Conditions

Horner's (1968) study of the motive to avoid success (M-s) was replicated on fifth- through eleventh-grade males and females. Children were given a Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)-like measure of M-s and a sex role identity questionnaire. They also performed scrambled word tasks in competitive and noncom-petitive situations. While there were no sex-related differences or linear age trends in M-s imagery, sex and grade differences were found in the specific reasons given for avoiding success. The presence of M-s imagery in TAT-like stories did not predict significantly better performance on any one condition for all age and sex groups. However, ninth- and eleventh-grade females with M-s performed better in noncompetitive conditions, while their counterparts without M-s performed better in competitive conditions. The opposite pattern was found for males across all grades: those with M-s performed better in a competitive condition, those without M-s performed better in a noncompetitive condition. These results support Horner's hypothesis for older adolescent females but raise questions about the nature of the relationship between M-s imagery and competitive performance for males and young females. Sex role identity was not related to M-s, thus casting doubt on the notion that M-s is a direct function of female sex role acceptance.
Estimation of planktonic wind drift by transmissometry1

Halsted Bay (Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota) was surveyed with a transmissometer. Continuous surface transects and depth profiles revealed a pattern of distribution of phytoplankton that can best be described as wind drift. The relative composition of the phytoplankton, as well as its concentration, was modified by wind: blue-green algae drifted downwind, while all other groups remained uniformly distributed. Regression analysis showed a linear relationship of alpha (beam attenuation coefficient) with total cell volume, chlorophyll a concentration, and dry weight of suspended particles.
Validation of an Embryotoxicity Assay

Problem Culture of mouse blastocysts has served as a tool for identifying various embryotoxic factors in human serum. While inactivated, sera from recurrently aborting women inhibit mouse blastocyst development in vitro. Variation in results from individual serum samples has limited the usefulness of this assay in establishing a new classification of idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Method Two-cell embryos were collected from superovulated mated CB6F1/J mice and cultured in Ham's F-10 media supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) or tested human serum at 37 degrees C with 5% CO2 and high humidity. Each sample was assayed in triplicate using three mice with at least five embryos from the same mouse per dish. Development was evaluated at 72 h and the frequency of atretic embryos was recorded. Results Intrasample (interassay) variation yielded a coefficient of variation of 9%. When repeated, samples from a given individual were evaluated and the coefficient of variation was 8.7%. Interoperator variability was 4% interassay and 2% intrassay. Atresia of embryos was 23% when incubated with FBS (N = 122), 21% in FC (N = 122), and in the sera of patients with RSA 34.6% (N = 95). Results of percentage of atresia from the fertile control group had a nonparametric distribution. Using 2.2 multiples of the median to determine the 95% confidence interval, a threshold at 44.0% of atresia was established. Conclusions The critical step in maintaining low variability in this bioassay is to control mouse variability by averaging the percentage atresia from different mice as embryo donors for each tested serum. A subgroup of 24% (23/95) RSA patients who displayed embryotoxic activity was identified with a specificity of 95% and positive predictive value of 83%, P = 0.001.
Self-Esteem and Coping Strategies among Deaf Students

Research studies on the determinants of self-esteem of deaf individuals often yield inconsistent findings. The current study assessed the effects on self-esteem of factors related to deafness, such as the means of communication at home and severity of hearing loss with hearing aid, as well as the coping styles that deaf people adopt to cope with everyday life in a hearing world. Data were collected among the deaf students of California State University, Northridge. Hierarchical regression modeling showed that identification with the Deaf community significantly contributed to positive self-esteem. Results also revealed that deaf students with greater degree of hearing loss and with bicultural skills that help them function in both the hearing and the Deaf community generally have higher self-esteem. Implications for further study are discussed.
Utilizing remaining voluntary muscle synergies to control FES elbow extension after spinal cord injury

Individuals with a C5/C6 spinal cord injury (SCI) have paralyzed elbow extensors, yet retain weak to strong voluntary control of elbow flexion and some shoulder movements. They lack elbow extension, which is critical during activities of daily living. This research focuses on development of a synergistic controller employing remaining voluntary elbow flexor and shoulder electromyography (EMG) to control elbow extension with functional electrical stimulation. We hypothesized that remaining voluntarily controlled upper extremity muscles could be used to train an artificial neural network (ANN) to control stimulation of the paralyzed triceps and provide functional benefits. Surface EMG was collected from SCI subjects while they produced isometric endpoint force vectors of varying magnitude and direction using triceps stimulation levels predicted by a biomechanical model. ANN'S were trained with the collected EMG and stimulation levels. The best set of muscles inputs was selected for each subject such that trained networks yielded low error, minimized the required number of EMG inputs, and effectively learned relationships between endpoint force and triceps stimulation. The synergistic controller increased the range of force vectors, provided discrete forces, and enabled an overhead reach task.
Order of Appearance of Alcoholic Symptoms

An extensive alcoholism history questionnaire was administered individually to 102 alcoholics. The results were analyzed by averaging the mean age of first occurrence of each symptom for the whole group, and separately by focusing on the order of appearance within each individual subject. The results of these two approaches are presented and compared.
New-Onset Mania Following Bariatric Surgery

Obesity has become a major public health problem over the past two decades. Non-surgical management of obesity does not often achieve its long term goals. Surgical treatment is roaring in popularity because of dramatic and durable results. However, outcomes from bariatric surgery have become a significant area of scrutiny because it is also associated with several medical and psychological complications. Out of those complications, there are descriptions of neuropsychiatric disorders and psycho-behavioral symptoms after surgery. Meanwhile, few reports of acute psychosis are described but to our knowledge, our case is the first case report of primary mania following bariatric surgery. We present an unusual and challenging case of primary mania in a 57 year old female who underwent bariatric surgery two months ago. Patient responded well initially to antipsychotic followed by mood stabilizer.
Crack Healing and Strength Recovery in UO2

The kinetics of the final stages of crack healing and strength recovery are formulated from a simple mechanistic point of view. Experimental verification is obtained from literature data and from healing data on notched UO/sub 2/ bars with small cracks introduced by local thermal shock at the notch. The analysis indicates that the initial strength recovery resulting from crack healing is apparently controlled by pinching off of the crack and by some sintering of crack-like pores (termed stage 1 of healing). At a later stage, however, strength recovery is controlled only by the sintering of crack-like pores through a diffusional process (termed stage 2). Crack-healing diagrams that can be used to predict the stages of healing and the time required for complete strength recovery are developed from the experimental data. The information obtained from these diagrams can be used in the kinetic equation for stage 2 healing to estimate the strength recovery at that stage.
Magnetism in the New GCSE.

The new 9-1 GCSE courses in Physics include reference to both permanent and induced magnets. In this article I briefly examine the origin of ferromagnetism, diamagnetism and paramagnetism and suggest a number of helpful classroom demonstrations.
UNUSUAL CAUSE OF CHEST PAIN, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!

Kawasaki disease is predominately a vasculitis disease of childhood. However, there is few reported cases of adult onset which could have catastrophic presentation. 44-year-old, male presents to hospital with acute onset of substernal chest pressure of one-hour duration with diaphoresis. He has
Synthesis and biological activity of 5'-aminobenzoxazinorifamycin derivatives.

Benzoxazinorifamycin reacted with various secondary amines to yield various 5'-substituted aminobenzoxazinorifamycin derivatives. The derivatives exhibited potent acitvities against gram-positive bacteria and mycobacteria. The antimicrobial activities of these compounds against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium intracellulare were superior to those of rifampicin. Some of these compounds showed good plasma levels after oral administration in rats.
Automated Review of Distance Relay Settings Adequacy After the Network Topology Changes

A challenge raised in today's power system is assessing the system protection security and dependability after the topology has been changed due to relay operation upon the occurrence of cascading faults or intentional operator switching action. This paper proposes an automated setting calculation module which could be used to review the adequacy of the distance relay settings following network topology changes. The calculation procedure is broken down into blocks which could be processed in parallel in order to improve the computation speed. A new concept called distance of impact is proposed to reduce the computational burden by conducting the calculations on a limited portion of the network affected by the topology change. The module performance is tested on a synthetic IEEE 118-bus and real-life Alberta transmission operator systems. A sensitivity analysis in the form of N-2 contingency impact on the network relay settings coordination is conducted on the test systems.
The Reliable Life Calculation Method of SF_6 Circuit Breaker Based on the Fault Tree and Weibull Distribution

It is helpful to make the reasonable operation and maintenance strategy of the SF6 circuit breaker when its reliable life is accurately obtained. A method is proposed to calculate the reliable life of SF6 circuit breaker by comprehensively applying the Fault Tree Analysis(FTA)method and function of Weibull distribution. According to the function and structure of circuit breaker,the method lists all reasons of circuit breaker failures by a top-down and deep analysis pattern. By using FTA method,failure reasons and circuit breaker failures are regarded respectively as bottom events and top events to construct the fault tree model of the circuit breaker failure. The failure probability and the importance weight of each bottom event are calculated respectively by fuzzy comprehensive evaluation and the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP)method,and the reliability and the failure probability of single circuit breaker is calculated. Finally,according to the operation age and the failure probability of circuit breakers with the same area and the same type,the function of two parameters Weibull distribution function which reflects the changing rule of the circuit breaker reliability along with the increasing of operation age is fitted by least square method. The reliable life of circuit breaker can be calculated by bringing the circuit breaker reliability into the function. The calculation example shows the method can be applied to evaluate the reliable life of circuit breaker,the result of which can guide the maintenance and retirement strategy.
Neonatal Jaundice: Modern Trends in Management

Severe or unusually prolonged neonatal jaundice can occur from many causes. With the advent of Rho (D) immune globulin (human), the incidence of erythroblastosis fetalis, a major cause, has been greatly reduced. However, the premature infant is at high risk for kernicterus at bilirubin levels lower than previously believed.
SU-F-T-10: Validation of ELP Dosimetry Using PRESAGE Dosimeter: Feasibility Test and Practical Considerations

Purpose: To validate the use of a PRESAGE dosimeter as a method to quantitatively measure dose distributions of injectable brachytherapy based on elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) nanoparticles. PRESAGE is a solid, transparent polyurethane-based dosimeter whose dose is proportional to a change in optical density, making it useful for visualizing the dose from a radionuclide-tagged-ELP injection. Methods: A PRESAGE dosimeter was designed to simulate an ELP injection. To calibrate, cuvette samples from the batch of PRESAGE were exposed to varying levels of radiation from 0–35.9Gy applied via a linear accelerator, then placed into a spectrophotometer to obtain the optical density change as a function of dose. A pre-optical-CT scan was acquired of the phantom to obtain a baseline tomographic optical density. A 1cc saline solution of I-125 tagged-ELP with and activity concentration of 1mCi/cc was injected into the phantom and left for five days. After five days, the ELP was removed and the cavity cleaned of all remaining radioactive material. Post tomographic optical images were acquired to obtain a differential optical density dataset. Results: Initial results after the 5-day exposure revealed an opaque white film that resembled the volume of the ELP solution injected into the phantom. We think this is possibly due to the saline solution diffusing into the PRESAGE and causing a change in the index of refraction at this shallow depth. Therefore, initially the optical scanner yielded inconclusive results. After several more days, the saline seemed to have evaporated out of the injection site and the ELP dose distribution was visible via color change in the dosimeter. Conclusion: We have created the first experimental design to measure the dose distribution of I-125-tagged-ELP. The PRESAGE formulation proves to be a feasible option for such measurements. Future experimental measurements need to be obtained to further characterize ELP dosimetry.
Pathogenesis and Clinical Manifestations of Clostridium difficile Diarrhea and Colitis

Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming, gram-positive anaerobic bacillus discovered in 1935 as a commensal organism in the fecal flora of healthy newborn infants (Hall and O’Toole 1935). The organism was given its name because it grew very slowly in culture and was difficult to isolate in pure culture. Its presence in the stool of 50% of healthy neonates suggested that C. difficile was a commensal not a pathogen, even though it was toxigenic in broth culture. Not long after its original description, C. difficile passed into obscurity until its rediscovery some four decades later. Antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis became prevalent in the 1960s and 1970s with the introduction into clinical practice of broad-spectrum antibiotics. The frequent association of clindamycin and lincomycin therapy with pseudomembranous colitis led to the term “clindamycin colitis” (Tedesco et al. 1974). A breakthrough occurred in 1978 when C. difficile was identified as the source of a cytotoxin found in the stool of patients with pseudomembranous colitis (Bartlett et al. 1978). During the two decades since its rediscovery, a great deal has been learned about the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and management of C. difficile diarrhea, yet many challenges remain. At present this organism continues to infect up to 20% of individuals admitted to hospital, making C. difficile colitis the most common enteric infection in hospital practice (Kelly et al. 1994).
Influence of the Damage Partition Function on the Uncertainty of the Silicon Displacement Damage Metric

The effect of uncertainty in the energy partition function on the silicon displacement damage metric is presented. Through the use of a Total Monte Carlo approach, the effect of uncertainty in the underlying electronic and nuclear ion interaction potentials, which are used to define the damage partition function, is propagated into an uncertainty in the silicon damage metric. This uncertainty is expressed as an energy-dependent covariance matrix which permits this uncertainty component to be combined with other uncertainty components, e.g. uncertainty due to the knowledge of the nuclear interaction data or to the treatment of the damage in the threshold displacement region. This approach provides a rigorous treatment of uncertainty due to the damage metric which can then be propagated in uncertainty estimates for various applications, e.g. when examining damage equivalence between different neutron sources. A strong energy-dependent correlation is found in this uncertainty component.
THE IMPLICATIONS OF ARREST FOR COLLEGE ENROLLMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF LONG-TERM EFFECTS AND MEDIATING MECHANISMS†

This study draws on labeling theory and education research on the steps to college enrollment to examine 1) whether and for how long arrest reduces the likelihood that high-school graduates will enroll in postsecondary education and 2) whether any observed relationships are mediated by key steps in the college enrollment process. With 17 years of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) and propensity score matching, we derived matched samples of arrested and nonarrested but equivalent youth (N = 1,761) and conducted logistic regression and survival analyses among the matched samples to examine the short- and long-term postsecondary consequences of arrest. The results revealed that arrest reduced the odds of 4-year college enrollment directly after high school, as well as that high-school grade point average and advanced coursework accounted for 58 percent of this relationship. The results also revealed that arrest had an enduring impact on 4-year college attendance that extended into and beyond emerging adulthood. Two-year college prospects were largely unaffected by arrest. These findings imply that being arrested during high school represents a negative turning point in youths’ educational trajectory that is, in part, a result of having a less competitive college application. Implications are discussed.
Advancement in battery technology: A state-of-the-art review

Environmental issues and greenhouse gas emissions, concerns of generating electricity by burning fossil fuel, and recent increase in energy price, the number of Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) has been rising in recent years and will continue to grow. Modern electric power system at the same time is gradually evolving into a smarter grid with two-way flow of information and electricity between demand and supply. Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is considered to be an integral part and one of the most promising ideas to achieve this concept. It can provide a variety of applications for solving issues such as intermittency of wind and solar. The upward trends of PEVs and BESSs have made battery technology a key factor. Many research facilities and manufactures are working on developing the better battery for such applications. Lithium-ion type of battery is considered to be one of the most promising technology. Much has been written about the BESS, but there is not a comprehensive paper that deals with the application of battery. This paper hopes to close the gap between various technologies and application considerations.
Synthesis and Characterization of the Actinium Aquo Ion

Metal aquo ions occupy central roles in all equilibria that define metal complexation in natural environments. These complexes are used to establish thermodynamic metrics (i.e., stability constants) for predicting metal binding, which are essential for defining critical parameters associated with aqueous speciation, metal chelation, in vivo transport, and so on. As such, establishing the fundamental chemistry of the actinium(III) aquo ion (Ac-aquo ion, Ac(H2O)x3+) is critical for current efforts to develop 225Ac [t1/2 = 10.0(1) d] as a targeted anticancer therapeutic agent. However, given the limited amount of actinium available for study and its high radioactivity, many aspects of actinium chemistry remain poorly defined. We overcame these challenges using the longer-lived 227Ac [t1/2 = 21.772(3) y] isotope and report the first characterization of this fundamentally important Ac-aquo coordination complex. Our X-ray absorption fine structure study revealed 10.9 ± 0.5 water molecules directly coordinated t...
Index of Suspicion in the Nursery

A 1-day-old male infant develops lower extremity cyanosis after feeding. The infant was born at 38 weeks’ gestation and had Apgar scores of 8 and 9 at 1 and 5 minutes, respectively. There were no prenatal complications. Today he has lower extremity saturations of 80% and upper extremity saturations of 97%. Results of limited/preliminary echocardiography are reported as “pulmonary hypertension and possible aortic arch obstruction.” After starting an infusion of prostaglandin E1, the infant is transferred to a tertiary care center for cardiac evaluation. The initial physical examination reveals a warm, pink neonate who is experiencing no significant distress. His length is at the 75th percentile and weight is at the 25th percentile for age. His temperature is 37.0°C, heart rate is 120 beats/min, respiratory rate is 28 breaths/min, and cuff blood pressure in the right upper extremity is 75/45 mm Hg. No blood pressure gradient is evident between the upper and lower extremities. Oxygen saturation in room air is 98% in the left upper extremity and 85% in the left lower extremity. Lungs are clear and no retractions are noted. Cardiovascular examination reveals a fixed, widely split second heart sound (S2) without an appreciable murmur. Pulses are +2 and equal in …
Prevention of Urinary Tract Infection during Intermittent Catheterization

AbstractWe studied prospectively 40 patients with recent spinal cord injuries to determine the effectiveness of the combination of oral methenamine and an intravesicular acidifying agent for prevention of urinary tract infection during intermittent catheterization. The incidences of bacteriuria and symptomatic urinary tract infections were significantly less in the treated group. This combination appears to be a safe, effective means to reduce pyelonephritis in spinal cord injury patients on intermittent catheterization.
Substance P and Neurokinins

In 1931[1] von Euler and Gaddum reported the presence of a hypotensive substance in extracts of brain and intestine that could stimulate the contraction of various isolated smooth muscles. The active principle in these preparations, a peptide, was later termed substance P. In 1970 [2] Chang and Leeman isolated a sialogogic peptide and soon thereafter characterized it as substance P by multiple biological and chemical criteria.
The uses and abuses of history: understanding contemporary U.S. immigration*

This article focuses on history, specifically on how history affects our understanding of contemporary immigration. The spotlight is on the United States and the two massive immigrations of the las...
ANALYSIS OF LIQUID FRICTION MECHANISM FOR SLAB CONTINUOUS CASTING MOLD WITH HIGH CASTING SPEED

Liquid flux is an effective lubrication in the conventional continuous casting of steel, which can prevent the breakout effectively,and also the longitudinal cracks that occur on strand surface are decreased obviously.Previously,many studies have been reported on the flux infiltration,some empirical equations for calculating flux consumption have been reported based on the data accumulated through the commercial operation of casters,and the new tools and techniques for estimating the lubrication condition in mold have also been introduced.Especially,the lubrication mechanism of liquid flux has drawn general concerns recently,and some relevant simulation of flux infiltration behavior based on the cold model experiments and mathematical models of flux infiltration derived from theoretical calculations have been conducted.Most of these researches lay particular emphasis on the macroscopical detection and calculation to the infiltration behavior,and some researches related to micro-mechanism lack the discussion of the relevant influence factor yet.In the present work,on the basis of calculation of liquid flux channel pressure in meniscus for slab continuous casting mold,a new mechanism of the liquid flux consumption was proposed by analyzing the deformation behavior of initial solidifying shell during the mold oscillation cycle as high casting speed 2.0 m/min,and the concepts of infiltration time and infiltration intensity were defined for the first time,then the effect of non-sinusoidal oscillation parameters on the liquid flux consumption was discussed.The results show that the periodically continued liquid flux consumption is caused by variety of flux channel pressure which is induced by change of channel width,and the liquid flux will be infiltrated into flux channel from last stage of positive strip time until last stage of negative strip time by negative flux channel pressure. The infiltration time is lengthened and the infiltration intensity is weakened by reducing oscillation frequency.The infiltration intensity is strengthened by improving amplitude,and the infiltration time is slimly influenced.Non-sinusoidal oscillation factor has a little effect on the infiltration intensity,and the infiltration time is increased with the oscillation factor decreasing.
Quantifying detection performance of a passive low-frequency RFID system in an environmental preference chamber for laying hens

RFID system evaluated for ability to detect hens entering and leaving a space.System limited to scan every 15s, no anti-collision processing.RFID successfully quantified occupancy of space (85% or greater correct).RFID not successful for quantifying numbers of entries or exits (62% or less correct).Errors resulted from limited detection range, signal conflict, visits shorter than sampling rate. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems are widely used in production livestock systems for identification, traceability assurance, and animal registration. An RFID system was implemented and evaluated for use in a four-compartment, two-tier, environmental preference chamber (EPC) to detect hens transiting between compartments. Eight RFID antennae were located near the passages between compartments and each hen wore an RFID tag on one of its legs. The RFID system's performance was assessed by determining detection ranges in a controlled test and by comparing the number of entries into and duration in each compartment as detected by the RFID system to manual assessment of recorded video. The RFID system detection range was revealed to cover a radius of approximately 29cm from the antenna, excluding a portion of the compartment furthest from the antenna. During a choice-test study, successful detection rates based on duration of stay in compartments were 91.0?2.6% (mean?SD) for trials with groups of birds, and 85.8?8.0% for trials with individual birds. Based on number of entries into compartments, successful detection rates were 62.6?11.2% for trials with groups of four birds, and 51.3?18.4% for trials with individual birds. Sources of entry misdetection included: (i) RFID tag being out of the detection range during sampling; (ii) conflicts caused by multiple RFID tags within the same detection zone; and (iii) visits of duration less than the RFID antenna scan interval. The delay between hen entry and RFID system detection averaged 42.3?35.7s and 6.4?5.2s in trials with individuals and with groups, respectively. Detection times were within the antenna scanning interval of 15s (a hen entered a compartment and was immediately detected by the next antenna scan) in 60.3% of the events with individuals and 98.1% of the events with groups. Despite the difference between detected and actual entries (P=0.008 groups]; P=0.05 individuals]), no significant differences were found between total duration of compartment occupancy over a 24h test period or average compartment visit duration, as calculated from RFID data and video observations. The RFID system was suitable for characterizing the amount of time birds spent in each EPC compartment, but not reliable for determining number of entries into a compartment.
Sequential Capacitive Deposition of Ionic Liquids for Conformal Thin Film Coatings on Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalysts

Ionic liquid (IL)-modified carbon-supported catalysts have demonstrated significant improvements in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. However, transition of this result from the half-cell t...