cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A pilot study to determine if the use of a virtual reality education module reduces anxiety and increases comprehension in patients receiving radiation therapy

Pre-treatment patient education has been shown to decrease anxiety and enhance comprehension. Our pilot study evaluates the impact of VERT™, a virtual environment education tool, on these endpoints. Twenty-two patients with prostate cancer being treated with radiotherapy completed a 16-question comprehension/anxiety survey. Patients proceeded to VERT™, modeled after a flight simulator using realistic sounds and views. The test was then repeated. A power analysis determined that enrolling 20 patients achieves 80% power to detect an effect size of 0.89 with a Bonferroni-adjusted significance level of 0.003125 using a one-sided one-sample paired t test to analyze differences between individual pre/post-test scores. Descriptive statistics were reported and effect size was computed. Pre/post-test measures for all questions were statistically significant, favoring our hypothesis of improved education and reduced anxiety following virtual simulation except three measures of anxiety (low in both assessments). Baseline anxiety was highest for treatment precision, which also demonstrated the most significant pre/post-intervention improvement. Decreased anxiety and improved comprehension influence patient-reported satisfaction and can contribute to quality assurance. Implementation of virtual simulation was successful in improving comprehension and reducing anxiety. Development of personalized, site-specific, clinic-based virtual modules is a long-term goal of this pilot study.
Rock Coatings and the Potential for Life on Mars

Rock coatings observed on the surface of Mars since the Viking landers of the mid-1970s continue to generate considerable interest in the field of astrobiology. Terrestrial rock coatings are associated with diverse microbial life, raising the question as to whether martian rock coatings might also be partly of biogenic origin. Rock coating formation can be mediated by microbes, which in turn are shielded from harmful radiation and can obtain nutrients from the coating. In addition, coatings may be indicative of life and can preserve its signatures. Pragmatically, rock coatings are surface environments accessible by Mars rovers. This article focuses on the habitability, preservation capability, and practicality of rock coatings as astrobiological targets on Mars.
Mixed-Integer Linear Optimization

In this chapter, we study mixed-integer linear optimization problems, which are also known as mixed-integer linear programming problems (MILPPs). MILPPs are problems with an objective function and constraints that all linear in the decision variables. What sets MILPPs apart from linear optimization problems is that at least some of the variables in MILPPs are constrained to take on integer values. This chapter provides examples to show the practical significance of MILPPs. We also demonstrate the use of a special type of integer variable known as a binary variable, to model a number of types of nonlinearities and discontinuities while maintaining a linear model structure. Two solution techniques for MILPPs are also introduced.
Funding of dermatology residencies by the pharmaceutical and medical device industries: what are the ethical ramifications?

A physician argues that pharmaceutical industry support for residency programs creates a conflict of interest and compromises the educational integrity of the programs. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Buckling of folded-plate structures

Folded plates are widely used as a structural system for roofing large floor areas which are to be unobstructed by the presence of interior column supports. Techniques for the analysis of such structures for stress, deformation and carrying capacity are well known; however, information concerning the possibility of local or general buckling of such structures is lacking. This paper reports experiments performed on twenty-one, single-cell, simply supported, folded-plate structural models which were designed to explore the buckling characteristics of this class of structure. Techniques for the fabrication and testing of the models are reported together with a correlation of the measured and the predicted buckling load for each of the twenty-one models in which instability behavior was observed.
The Toda Lattice in the Complex Domain

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the Toda lattice in the complex domain. The Toda lattice is an integrable Hamiltonian system. Its many special properties can be explained by various analytical, algebraic, and geometric constructions. Because of its rich and rigid structure, it is a paradigm for integrability: most features of integrable systems are likely to be revealed in the clearest possible way by the Toda lattice. The chapter discusses in a simple setting, some implications of the so-called Kovalevskaya-Painleve method. This is a test for integrability, first used by S. Kovalevskaya in her pioneering work on the motion of a rigid body. All the integrable systems that have, to date, been subjected to a Kovalevskaya analysis, define flows on Lie algebras—possibly infinite-dimensional. Their solutions are provided by triangular factorization in the associated Lie group. The basic information about the lowest balance can be obtained by calculation, with no appeal to factorization or Schubert cells.
Novel procedures for isolating intact retinal vascular beds from diabetic humans and animal models.

PURPOSE: To improve the 30-year-old "trypsin digestion" procedure for isolation of the complete retinal vasculature, which, in its time, was a revolutionary advance that allowed important discoveries about diabetic retinopathy; to provide a method that will yield more consistent results when applied to retinas representing a wide range of ages, species, and severity of vascular disease, such as that occurring in diabetes. METHODS: Because the Difco trypsin preparation (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, MI) is a crude pancreatic extract, containing variable amounts of chymotrypsin, elastase, amylase, lipase, ribonuclease, collagenase, and other contaminants, an attempt was made to determine which of the major enzymes alone (using purified preparations), or what combination of enzymes, might be most effective in providing consistently clean yet intact retinal vasculatures from eyes of different origins. RESULTS: Purified elastase alone (40 U/ml) in 100 mmol/l sodium phosphate buffer with 150 mmol/l sodium chloride and 5 mmol/l EDTA at pH 6.5 and 37 degrees C gave better results than various concentrations of purified trypsin or chymotrypsin alone, or mixtures of trypsin/chymotrypsin, trypsin/elastase, chymotrypsin/elastase, or the crude trypsin preparation. CONCLUSIONS: Elastase, which exhibits broad protease activity, and not trypsin, is the most important enzyme of the standard, crude trypsin digestion procedure for removal of the nonvascular tissues of the retina.
A single-arm, retrospective analysis of the incidence of febrile neutropenia using same-day versus next-day pegfilgrastim in patients with gastrointestinal cancers treated with FOLFOX or FOLFIRI.

Practice patterns of same-day versus next-day pegfilgrastim vary in numerous practice settings across the country. Current utilization with same-day pegfilgrastim reduced overall visits and reduced treatment time for chemotherapy administration. To assess the efficacy and safety of same-day versus next-day pegfilgrastim in patients with colorectal cancer. Patient data was extracted through electronic health records (EHR) search of ICD-9 codes that matched patients with CRC and treated with FOLFOX or FOLFIRI from November 2013 to January 2016. The incidence rates of primary and secondary endpoints were estimated for patients who received either FOLFOX or FOLFIRI and same-day pegfilgrastim with 2-sided 95% confidence intervals. Fisher’s exact test for 2 × 2 contingency tables was used to compare the incidence of primary and secondary endpoints between the two study groups performed at the α = 0.05 significance level. A study by Hecht et al. served as a historical control for next-day pegfilgrastim. A total of 109 out of an initial 330 patients with appropriate ICD-9 criteria were eligible for study inclusion. The primary endpoint of incidence of FN recorded over 4 chemotherapy cycles with either FOLFOX6 or FOLFIRI occurred in 3.7% of patients (95% CI, 1.1–9.4%). Secondary endpoints also occurred with a relatively low incidence: 13 patients developed grades 3/4 neutropenia (11.9%; 95% CI, 7.0–19.5%); 11 patients required dose reductions because of neutropenia or FN (10.1%; 95% CI, 5.6–17.3%); and 5 patients were hospitalized due to neutropenia or FN (4.6%; 1.7–10.6%). There were 4 reported events of FN (3.2%; 95% CI, 1.0–8.3%) for those who received next-day pegfilgrastim compared to 11 events in the placebo group (9.4%; 95% CI, 5.1–16.4%). The incidence of dose delays or dose reductions due to neutropenia or FN were 5 (4.1%, 95% CI, 1.5–9.4%) in the next-day pegfilgrastim group versus 26 (22.1%, 95% CI, 15.5–30.4%) in the placebo group. The study was retrospective in design and utilized a historical control for the comparator. Our study results suggest that same-day pegfilgrastim administration may be a safe and effective alternative to 24-h post-chemotherapy administration in patients with esophageal, gastric, appendiceal, or colorectal cancer undergoing treatment with FOLFOX or FOLFIRI.
Bringing down the house: male widow spiders reduce the webs of aggressive females more

Theory suggests that males should adjust courtship in response to a variety of factors, including female quality, the risk of male-male competition, and often in spiders, the risk of sexual cannibalism. Male black widow spiders demonstrate a behavior during courtship whereby they tear down and bundle a female’s web in addition to providing other vibratory and contact sexual signals. This web reduction has been hypothesized to play a role in all three factors (sexual signaling, competition reduction, and cannibalism reduction), but rarely are these tested together. Here, we test these hypotheses by conducting mating trials using the western black widow (Latrodectus hesperus) and measuring both male and female quality and behavior. Our results indicate that amount of web reduction is best predicted by female aggression, and not aspects of either male or female quality (e.g., body mass), or by the potential for the web to attract other males (e.g., web mass). Yet, actual mating success was best predicted by the proportion of web reduced. Furthermore, there was no consistent among-individual variation in either reduction behavior or male success, indicating that all variation in both measures was due to plasticity and/or other unaccounted-for male or female traits. Collectively, we conclude that the primary function of web reduction behavior is to reduce female aggression and thus the risk of sexual cannibalism, and that any other functions such as signaling and reducing male-male competition have relatively lower importance. Male widow spiders must account for female aggression, quality, and male-male competition when courting females. During courtship, males will reduce a female’s web by tearing it down and bundling the silk, which may aid in all three of these issues. Our results demonstrate that males reduce the webs of aggressive females more, and less so to potentially reduce competition from other males or in response to female quality. Ultimate mating success was dictated by how much a male reduced the web of a given female. Finally, males showed no among-individual variation in reduction behavior, indicating that the extensive variation in this behavior is due solely to plasticity in response to the female.
Appropriate Management of Drug Interactions Results in Safe Use of Hepatitis C Therapies in Heart Transplant Recipients

Purpose With the increasing use of Hepatitis C (HCV)+ donors for heart transplant (HT), there is a need to evaluate the drug interactions and side effects between direct acting anti-virals (DAA) used to treat HCV and standard post-HT drug therapy. Methods A retrospective chart review was completed for all adult HT recipients who received and completed HCV treatment post-HT at our center from 2016-2018. Results Twenty-five patients were included in the analysis, 21 of whom were treated with tacrolimus (FK) while on DAA therapy for HCV. Patients were started on HCV treatment a mean of 67 days after HT and all patients achieved HCV viral eradication. All patients received 12 weeks of HCV therapy, except for 1 patient who was treated for 24 weeks. Table 1 compares mean FK doses and levels during DAA treatment, by DAA regimen. Drug interaction details are outlined in Table 2. Common side effects reported are outlined in Table 3. Conclusion With the appropriate management of drug interactions, HT recipients can be successfully treated for HCV with limited complications. Although side effects are common, they are mild and easily managed. No empiric dose adjustments to calcineurin inhibitors are necessary when starting HCV therapy.
The Double Burden of Malnutrition: A Systematic Review of Operational Definitions (P22-006-19)

The double burden of malnutrition (DBM) has received increased attention in research and policy arenas, with wide variation in how DBM is defined. We aimed to systematically identify current operational definitions for DBM (e.g., the coexistence of overnutrition and undernutrition) used in research and evaluate their frequency of use and implications for nutrition surveillance and programs. We conducted a structured search for peer-reviewed articles published up to July 2017, using terms describing overnutrition (e.g., overweight, obesity) and undernutrition (e.g., stunting, anemia) in PubMed and Scopus. Additional references were added through snowball searches and online searches for gray literature. We included studies that reported DBM prevalence, including those with primary or secondary data analyses (see Figure 1). Screening of abstracts and full texts for inclusion was conducted in duplicate, with discrepancies resolved by discussion and consensus. Information extracted included the level of DBM assessment (population, household, or individual), measures of overnutrition and undernutrition (BMI, waist circumference, micronutrient status, etc.), and stated definitions of DBM. We identified 1920 titles and abstracts for screening through the structured search, and added an additional 66 papers and reports. Of these, 500 full-texts were reviewed and 239 were eligible for data extraction. Frequently-occurring DBM definitions included the coexistence of: 1) overweight/obesity and underweight within a population (e.g., entire country or region); 2) adult overweight/obesity and child stunting within a population or household; and 3) overweight/obesity and anemia or iron deficiency within an individual. DBM was most frequently measured at the population level, followed by the individual and household levels. The most common operational definitions of DBM relied on population-level analyses of anthropometric indicators, with many studies leveraging existing data, such as national health surveys. Further research exploring DBM definitions in relation to key health outcomes and country priorities may help select indicators that best inform public health program and policy development. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project.
A Theory of Planned Behavior Scale for Adherence to Trauma‐Focused Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatments

Evidence-based psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure (CPT/PE), greatly reduce suffering for veterans, but many veterans fail to complete treatment. Developing a theory-based understanding of adherence is necessary to inform interventions to improve treatment retention. We developed and tested a series of scales applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to CPT/PE adherence. The scales were administered in mailed surveys as part of a larger mixed-methods study of veteran adherence to PE/CPT. Surveys were sent to 379 veterans who were initiating CPT/PE across four U.S. Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and 207 of their loved ones. Subsequent session attendance and homework compliance were coded via a review of electronic medical records. We examined item-level characteristics, factor structure, and the convergent and discriminant validity of the resultant scales. The findings support four subscales: two related to attitudes (i.e., Treatment Makes Sense and Treatment Fits Needs), one related to perceived behavioral control over participation (i.e., Participation Control), and one related to perceived family attitudes about CPT/PE participation (i.e., Subjective Norms). Scale validity was supported through significant associations with theoretically relevant constructs, including intentions to persist in CPT/PE, rs = .19-.38; treatment completion, rs = .21-.25; practical treatment barriers, rs = -.19 to -.24; and therapeutic alliance, rs = .39-.57.
Light irradiation of peripheral nerve cells: Wavelength impacts primary sensory neuron outgrowth in vitro.

Abstract The expansion of optogenetics via the development and application of new opsins has opened a new world of possibilities as a research and therapeutic tool. Nevertheless, it has also raised questions about the innocuity of using light irradiation on tissues and cells such as those from the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). Thus, to investigate the potential of PNS being affected by optogenetic light irradiation, rat dorsal root ganglion neurons and Schwann cells were isolated and their response to light irradiation examined in vitro. Light irradiation was delivered as millisecond pulses at wavelengths in the visible spectrum between 627 and 470 nm, with doses ranging between 4.5 and 18 J/cm2 at an irradiance value of 1 mW/mm2. Results show that compared to cultures kept in dark conditions, light irradiation at 470 nm reduced neurite outgrowth in dissociated dorsal root neurons in a dose dependent manner while higher wavelengths had no effect on neuron morphology. Although neurite outgrowth was limited by light irradiation, no signs of cell death or apoptosis were found. On the other hand, peripheral glia, Schwann cells, were insensitive to light irradiation with metabolism, proliferation, and RNA levels of transcription factors c-Jun and krox-20 remaining unaltered following stimulation. As the fields of photostimulation and optogenetics expand, these results indicate the need for consideration to cell type response and stimulation parameters for applications in vitro and further investigation on specific mechanisms driving response.
Free, Prior, and Informed Consent and Reconciliation in Canada: Proposals to Implement Article 19 and 32 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly promised to meet the Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as a framework for reconciliation. This commitment is significant as Canada’s position on UNDRIP has been highly contested. In particular, the compatibility of UNDRIP’s Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) standard with Canadian law has been repeatedly called into question. This work evaluates the possibility and importance of implementing FPIC in Canada. It begins with an overview of FPIC internationally and of FPIC in relation to Canadian law. It then suggests potential policy measures to implement two key articles of UNDRIP containing FPIC requirements. To meet Article 32’s FPIC requirement for project approvals for development on their territory, this work draws upon Assembly of First Nations recommendations in suggesting amendments to environmental assessment processes. To implement Article 19’s FPIC requirement for legislative and administrative measures affecting Indigenous Peoples, it suggests revisiting the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People’s recommendation for a House of First Peoples (or Aboriginal Parliament) and informs this suggestion with reflection on the Sami peoples’ experience with the Sami Parliament in Norway.
Wood stake decomposition twenty years after organic matter removal at the Lake States LTSP sites

Abstract Organic matter (OM) is an integral part of site productivity for a forest, and understanding the effects of OM removal on various forms of carbon (C) cycling is important for land managers and for policy makers. In this study, we utilized the Lake States Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) study sites, located along a gradient in soil texture (clay, silt loam and sand) and high to low productivity, to evaluate the impacts of two OM removal treatments on belowground wood decomposition. In 2013, approximately 20 years after the LTSP treatments had been installed, we placed standardized aspen and loblolly pine wood stakes in the mineral soil of plots receiving the bole only harvesting treatment (BO) and the whole tree harvesting with forest floor removal treatment (WT + FF), and in plots in an adjacent unharvested reference area (1350 wood stakes total). Soil was also sampled to characterize the microbial community composition in the various treatments. From 2014 to 2018, wood stakes were removed from each treatment, and mass loss determined. We found significant differences in wood stake decomposition among the three sites, and between the two wood species, but little impact of timber harvesting and surface OM removals on decomposition. Soil microbial composition also reflected site differences in stake decomposition. We conclude that clearcut harvest and surface OM removal had little effect on stake mass loss in the mineral soil 20 years after the treatments were initiated, and the inherent soil factors are now controlling decomposition.
Statistical comparison of site-to-site measurement reproducibility

There have been many attempts to assess the reproducibility of EMC measurements between test sites, with varying degrees of success dependent upon implementation details. Hewlett-Packard has a successful program of site-to-site reproducibility evaluations using a custom-designed RF source as a reference, and applying statistical techniques to include the day-to-day variability of each site in the collected data. Comparing the sites to the average (for lack of a reference site), 95% of the measurements agree within 3.8 dB between 30 and 100 MHz and between 550 and 1000 MHz, and within 2.8 dB between 100 and 550 MHz. The program benefits the participating sites by answering the question of how much variability can be expected from day to day and from that site to another, as well as detecting and helping to identify sources of measurement error. The paper also includes evidence that a 1/r correction going from 3 m to 10 m test distance involves errors of about 8 dB.
Is strong CP invariance due to a massless up quark

A standing mystery in the Standard Model is the unnatural smallness of the strong CP violating phase. A massless up quark has long been proposed as one potential solution. A lattice calculation of the constants of the chiral Lagrangian essential for the determination of the up quark mass, 2 alpha_8 - alpha_5, is presented. We find 2 alpha_8 - alpha_5 = 0.29 +/- 0.18, which corresponds to m_u / m_d = 0.410 +/- 0.036. This is the first such calculation using a physical number of dynamical light quarks, N_f = 3.
Tolerated Failure or Missed Opportunities and Potentials for Teacher Leadership in Urban Schools

This monograph examines the existing role of teacher leaders while addressing many of the missed opportunities for teacher leaders to impact student achievement. The work of teacher leaders must impact teacher expectations, teacher content knowledge base, and teacher practice. In an era of teacher accountability and teacher quality schools can no longer continue to tolerate the fact that 40 percent of students in urban and rural schools never make it to high school graduation. To that end, urgency suggests that we begin to examine the potential of teacher leadership.
Spin and Coherence Transfer in Penning lonization

The Penning ionization process has been effectively used as a mechanism for energy transfer from one species to another. Penning processes are special cases of collisions of the second kind in which a portion of the internal energy of the first species is utilized to ionize and excite the second species. This mechanism has been successfully applied in the He-Cd and He-Zn lasers, in which the laser levels are excited states of the Cd or Zn ions which have been populated by the Penning collision between helium metastable atoms and the Cd or Zn ground-state neutral atom. The Penning process has also been used as a convenient and efficient source of ground-state ions. In a recent series of measurements(1) ensembles of ground-state ions of Mg, Ca, Zn, Sr, Cd, and Ba were formed with sufficient densities to perform conventional Hanle experiments. In this way the radiative lifetimes and depolarization cross sections of the first excited 2 P 3/2 states of the ions were determined.
A pluralistic perspective on the intractability of the International Joint Commission's Lake Ontario‐St. Lawrence River study

As environmental public participation has become increasingly mandated worldwide, its advantages and disadvantages have been widely documented. This article uses qualitative analysis of documentation and interviews with 40 participants in a US–Canadian International Joint Commission water management controversy. It demonstrates how ambiguity and diffuse power—that is, two characteristics of organizational pluralism—revealed in communication and governance contribute to the challenges of resolving the 13-year controversy. The article adds to the literature that has largely focused on power disparities between governing or managing organizations and stakeholders and makes recommendations for addressing situations involving organizational and scientific ambiguity as well as relatively equal distribution of power. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dealing with Disaster

Catastrophe & Culture The Anthropology of Disaster. Susanna M. Hoffman and Anthony Oliver-Smith, Eds. School of American Research Press, Santa Fe, 2002. James Currey, Oxford, 2002. 324 pp. $60. ISBN 1-930618-14-X. £45. ISBN 0-85255-925-9. Paper, $24.95. ISBN 1-930618-15-8. £16.99. ISBN 0-85255-926-7. The contributors discuss a variety of events--Bhopal, the Exxon Valdez, Chernobyl, Mexican earthquakes, drought in Africa and in the Andes, the 1991 brush fire in Oakland--to explore how human actions and natural forces combine to turn hazards into disasters. They also discuss how anthropology can help shape more effective responses to natural catastrophes.
Bilinear Groups of Composite Order

Bilinear groups of composite order are groups with an efficient bilinear map where the group order is a product of two large primes. Such groups are constructed from pairing friendly curves over a finite field. Composite order bilinear groups were recently used in a number of interesting cryptographic constructions. This talk will survey three applications: 1. Private Information Retrieval, 2. Anonymous Identity Based Encryption, and 3. Non-Interactive Zero Knowledge.
It's All In The Mix: Leveraging food to increase students' persistence in Computer Science

Computer Science courses seek to hone students' computational algorithmic thinking (CAT) capabilities. Oftentimes, students fail to recognize the connection between CAT in everyday life and its application in academic settings. One context in which people have a great deal of experience and expertise engaging in the design, implementation, and assessment of algorithms is food. This paper describes It's All In The Mix, which provides an anchoring experience for African-American undergraduate STEM majors.
Exact computation of scalar 2D aerial imagery

An exact formulation of the problem of imaging a 2D object through a Koehler illumination system is presented; the accurate simulation of a real layout is then not time- limited but memory-limited. The main idea behind the algorithm is that the boundary of the region that comprise a typical TCC Is made up of circular arcs, and therefore the area - which determines the value of the TCC - should be exactly computable in terms of elementary analytical functions. A change to integration around the boundary leads to an expression with minimal dependence on expensive functions such as arctangents and square roots. Numerical comparisons are made for a simple 2D structure.
Kinetics and Modeling of the Flexible Fuel Reformer: n-Hexadecane Steam Reforming and Combustion

Steam reforming of liquid hydrocarbon fuels provides one possible solution for the production of hydrogen for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). However, the design of the reformer is dependent on the kinetics of the catalytic reaction, which is not widely reported. Because reforming is highly endothermic, we have investigated the use of a heat exchange device, designated the flexible fuel reformer (FFR), as a reactor in which combustion and reforming can be simultaneously accomplished. In the present study, we evaluated the reforming and combustion kinetics of n-hexadecane (used as an analog for diesel) over the rhodium/nickel catalyst supported on alumina. Reforming data obtained over the temperature range of 500−750 °C was compared against three different mechanistic models: Eley−Rideal, Langmuir−Hinshelwood bimolecular adsorption, and Langmuir−Hinshelwood dual site. Among all, Eley−Rideal produced good data fitting and fulfilled the thermodynamic criteria in every case. Combustion kinetics of hexadecane ...
The level of thymic expression of RPE65 inversely correlates with its capacity to induce experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in different rodent strains

We have previously shown that immunization with RPE65 produces in rats of four strains a severe inflammatory eye disease, designated experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). Here, we examined the uveitogenicity of RPE65 in six strains of mice. Only one strain, C57Bl/6, was found to develop consistently moderate levels of EAU, whereas other strains (BALB/c, B10.A, B10.BR, B10.RIII, C57BL/10J) were found to be essentially resistant to disease induced by RPE65. Analysis of the expression of RPE65 mRNA in thymi of the six mouse strains revealed detectable levels of the transcript in all strains, but with remarkable quantitative differences, with the lowest levels seen in thymi of C57Bl/6 mice, the only strain susceptible to RPE65-induced EAU. Moreover, unlike the finding with the mice, no RPE65 mRNA was detected in thymi of any of the four rat strains (Lewis, BN, F344, SHR) all of which are susceptible to the disease. These data thus indicate that the susceptibility to RPE65-induced EAU is inversely related to the thymic expression of the molecule. The data also suggest that this disease can be induced only in mice in which thymic expression of RPE65 is sufficiently low to allow the escape from deletion of T-cells with the adequate capacity to initiate the pathogenic immune response.
Norepinephrine and nerve growth factor: Similar proteins phosphorylated in the nuclei of target cells

Abstract Treatment of C6 glioma cells with a β-adrenergic agonist in the presence of radioactive phosphate leads to increased radioactivity in two nonhistone nuclear proteins. These proteins are very similar to those in the nuclei of sympathetic neurons whose phosphorylation is stimulated by nerve growth factor.
Binswanger disease — An update

Binswanger disease is a common cause of vascular dementia in the elderly. This report up-dates the pathological and clinical findings, imaging identification emphasizing recent advances, and diagnosis of this condition.
State-of-the-art science and environmental assessments: the case of acid deposition

Scientific quality in a technical policy document is defined in terms of the proportion of contemporary scientific principles on a subject that the document competently discusses. As a case study of the scientific quality of such documents, this articles examines the treatment of acid deposition effects in 126 environmental impact statements on fossil-fuel power plants. On average, the relevant environmental statements cover only a quarter of the eligible scientific principles. Bureaucratic and political factors influence the quality of discussion of acid deposition more than do strictly objective or scientific factors. In particular, public participation and interagency review processes foster relatively thorough consideration of scientific information in environmental impact statements.
The Politics of the Nonviolent God: Reflections on René Girard and Karl Barth

Doctrines of the atonement in Christian theology, as Marlin E. Miller has pointed out, ‘usually limit their concern to reconciliation with God and, at most, consider reconciliation with others a secondary consequence of reconciliation with God’. Too often, in other words, the vertical aspect of reconciliation is allowed to overshadow its horizontal aspect. The vertical aspect of the atonement as it pertains directly to God is often treated in isolation as if its ethical implications were of no great importance. The reverse defect, however, would also appear to be widespread. Christian ethics as we know it today often seems to proceed as if the atoning work of Christ were of little or no relevance to its deliberations on human affairs. The social or horizontal aspect of reconciliation thereby eclipses its vertical aspect. Yet if the cross of Christ is indeed the very center of the center of the Christian gospel, as the church has historically believed, then how can it fail to determine the substance of Christian ethics as well as that of Christian theology? Moreover, how can the centrality of the cross fail to orient them both in any attempt to specify their inner unity, order and differentiation?
Engineering nanocolumnar defect configurations for optimized vortex pinning in high temperature superconducting nanocomposite wires

We report microstructural design via control of BaZrO3 (BZO) defect density in high temperature superconducting (HTS) wires based on epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) films to achieve the highest critical current density, Jc, at different fields, H. We find the occurrence of Jc(H) cross-over between the films with 1–4 vol% BZO, indicating that optimal BZO doping is strongly field-dependent. The matching fields, Bφ, estimated by the number density of BZO nanocolumns are matched to the field ranges for which 1–4 vol% BZO-doped films exhibit the highest Jc(H). With incorporation of BZO defects with the controlled density, we fabricate 4-μm-thick single layer, YBCO + BZO nanocomposite film having the critical current (Ic) of ~1000 A cm−1 at 77 K, self-field and the record minimum Ic, Ic(min), of 455 A cm−1 at 65 K and 3 T for all field angles. This Ic(min) is the largest value ever reported from HTS films fabricated on metallic templates.
DILEMMAS AT A DISTANCE

ABSTRACT This paper addresses some of the situations and problems to be found in distance learning for both the teacher and learner. It looks at the general needs of distance learning and, implicitly, on the strategies used to provide feedback in both directions. It uses as examples courses given by live television to branch campus students at distances of 30 to 120 miles from the instructor. Some solutions are suggested to the difficulties found in this specific situation, which should be able to be translated into other learning situations.
Biliary complications after orthotopic liver transplantation in rats

We recently experienced a high frequency of biliary complications after orthotopic liver transplantation in rats (22 of 25 cases (88%): biloma, 20 cases; biliary peritonitis, 2 cases). These complications seemed to be rare in general, but some researchers reported such cases and addressed them mainly through rearterialization. The biliary complications we encountered were found to be associated with necrosis of the donor bile duct and an opportunistic infection of Enterobacteriaceae. After administering appropriate antibiotics, the complications significantly diminished (2 of 25 cases (8%),P=0.0001). The nonarterialized bile duct, which becomes ischemic soon after liver transplantation, appears to be susceptible to infections. Such opportunistic infections may prevent the development of arterial collaterals, causing bile duct necrosis and the subsequent leakage of bile juice. When biliary complications frequently occur after nonarterialized liver transplantation in rats, the possibility of an opportunistic infection should thus be considered.
Historical and recent evidence of Scotian Shelf Water on southern Georges Bank

Abstract Historical data from 1912–1987 indicate that low salinity (less than 32.0 psu) near-surface water occurs occasionally on southern Georges Bank during May, while none occurs during April. Composite monthly plots of historical near-surface salinity and estimated advection rates show that the southwestern Scotian Shelf is the immediate upstream source of this low salinity water. Optimally interpolated satellite-derived SST and hydrographic data reveal that very cold (less than 2.0°C), low salinity (less than 32.0 psu) Scotian Shelf Water (SSW), initially located south of the 200-m isobath off southern Georges Bank in early March 1992, moved north onto southern Georges Bank during April 1992. SSW was not as extensive during the same period in 1993, as evidence by significantly higher temperatures and salinities. These differences show large interannual variability in the transport and/or properties of SSW flowing onto Georges Bank. Lower (higher) salinities measured during spring 1992 (1993) on southern Georges Bank are consistent with higher (lower) St Lawrence River discharge noted during spring 1991 (1992) and the ∼ nine month lag between annual discharge maxima from rivers located upstream and minimum salinity at Cape Sable in February. However, comparisons between historical occurrences of low salinity (less than 32.0 psu) SSW on southern Georges Bank noted for May 1966, 1971, and 1978, and cumulative St Lawrence River discharge from the spring prior to each occurrence, show no relationship. This suggests that the occurrence of low salinity water on southern Georges Bank is not directly related to variations in upstream river discharge. Although an idealized model of wind forcing on a bank-trapped density front shows that near-surface flow is related to superposition of an Ekman layer and the along-bank gyral circulation, evidence from late winter-spring 1992 and 1993 on Georges Bank shows that except for on-bank movement of the shelf-slope front during late spring 1992, simple Ekman theory does not explain on-bank movement of the SSW plume during 1992 nor the immobile nature of the shelf-slope front during late winter 1992 and late winter-spring 1993. Surface heat flux and satellite-derived SST from Georges Bank and the Scotian Shelf together with a slab mixed-layer model allows estimation of the advective heat flux and transport of SSW flowing onto Georges Bank from the Scotian Shelf during late winter-spring 1992. Mean advective heat flux onto Georges Bank during March–May 1992 is −14.5 mW cm−2 with an estimated error of ∼3.5 mW cm−2, demonstrating that advection of cold SSW onto Georges Bank is required. Mean velocity and transport of SSW flowing onto Georges Bank during March–May 1992 are 13.4 cm s−1 and 0.21 Sv, assuming a SSW depth (width) of 40 m (40 km), demonstrating that flow of SSW onto Georges Bank was robust during the period. At this time, the dynamics that control the flow of SSW across Northeast Channel are unknown.
Determination of228Ra in drinking water

A procedure for the analysis of228Ra in drinking water has been developed. The procedure involves separation of radium by an initial coprecipitation with lead sulfate. The isolated Pb(Ra)SO4 is then dissolved in sodium diethylenetriamine pentaacetate (DTPA). Radium-228 is co-precipitated from this solution with barium sulfate while the DTPA supernate which contains pre-existing228Ac is discarded. The purified Ba(Ra)SO4 precipitate is then allowed to ingrow, generating228Ac, which is then dissolved in DTPA, isolating both226Ra and228Ra in the precipitate while228 Ac remains in the aqueous supernate. The supernate is partitioned against di-(2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid), HDEHP, dissolved in n-heptane, which retains the228Ac. Actinium-228 is then stripped from the organic phase by partitioning against 1M HNO3. Finally, the228Ac is coprecipitated onto cerium oxalate. The precipitate is collected on a filter and counted in a low-background beta counter. Radium-228 standards with concentrations ranging from 0.044 to 1.6 Bq were used to establish the detector counting efficiency for228Ac in cerium oxalate samples, as well as monitoring the chemical yield and absorption factors. The resultant average value of 30.3±2.1 cpm/Bq (uncertainty given at 95% level of confidence) was obtained. Various228Ra cross checks from U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with concentrations of 0.063–0.52 Bq/l were analyzed in order to assess the performance of the procedure. The minimum detectable concentration (MDC) of228Ra in water with this procedure is 0.015 Bq/l. This is based on a one liter aliquot of sample, a 100 min couting period, and a 3 hour decay interval between the end of228Ac ingrowth and midpoint of counting. Decontamination factor studies were performed to determine the extent of the carry-over of238U,226Ra,210Po, and90Sr into the final fraction.
Paleomagnetic records of secular variation from Lake Michigan sediment cores

Abstract Continuous measurements of the natural remanent magnetization of six cores from central Lake Michigan have been made, using a cryogenic magnetometer designed to permit the passage of long cores through its sensing region. The output of each of the three-component sensors is deconvolved with the appropriate system response function and combined to yield continuous records of inclination, declination and intensity with a resolution of approximately 6 cm. The paleomagnetic record extends to about 13,500 years B.P. and includes two features which may be excursions of the earth's field. Other features may be correlated between different cores, and the magnetic sequence is, in general, consistent with the stratigraphic sequence. There is an indication of a repeated sequence of field changes, which is somewhat reminiscent of the solar field cycle.
The reflected and transmitted shadow methods for the study of sharp V-notched plates under pure bending

Abstract An experimental study for investigating the constrained zones at the tip of edge V-notches in plexiglas plates and its dependence on the ratio depth of notch to the width of the plate, under static pure bending moment is developed. The optical reflected and transmitted shadow methods were used for various angles of the V-notch under different values of bending moment and for various ratios of depth of V-notch to width of the plate. The apparatus used is of the balance type to assure that the applied forces are distributed equally and that only pure moment forces are responsible for the stress field. The apparatus is suitable for both methods, the reflected shadow and the transmitted shadow, which are also compared. Experimental evidence shows that, the constrained zone exhibits a maximum size at the one extreme of angle of V-notch zero degrees, and a minimum at the other extreme of 180°, where it vanishes. Between the two extremes a second maximum is found at about 73°, and a second minimum at about 35°. At first approximation, it is deduced that the stress distribution, as the apex of a V-notch of angle up to about 90°, can be approximated by the stress distributions at the tip of a straight crack, under the same conditions.
Generic longevity of articulate brachiopods in relation to the mode of stabilization on the substrate

Abstract The geologic ranges of the articulate brachiopod genera which appear in the Treatise are converted into numerical values with the aid of radiometric dates on the Phanerozoic time scale. Longevity—frequency distributions are plotted for the genera segregated according to their mode of stabilization on the substrate. The categories and their subdivision for the mode of stabilization include: (1) anchorage by spines, (2) cementation (early in and throughout life), (3) unattached, commissure horizontal (questionably mobile and sessile), (4) unattached, commissure vertical (interarea stabilization and umbonal weighting), (5) functional pedicle (tethered and combined with interarea stabilization). Statistical tests (Median and Mann-Whitney U ) reveal that the unattached, free-lying, questionably mobile genera and the cemented genera among the endemic brachiopods display a significantly greater generic longevity distribution than the unattached, free-lying, stationary and pedunculate genera. Genera cemented throughout their life show a significantly greater longevity distribution than spine-anchored genera. Brachiopod genera which combined interarea stabilization with a pedicle show a significantly greater longevity distribution than genera tethered on a pedicle. Among the cosmopolitan genera, pedunculate and cemented brachiopods display a significantly greater longevity distribution than the unattached, interarea-stabilized genera.
On the cells of origin of radiogenic thyroid cancer: new studies based on an old idea.

We have presented evidence that the functional thyroid follicles (follicular units, FU) which are formed in grafts of monodispersed rat thyroid cells, and hence the thyroid tumors which later develop in such grafts, are clonal in origin. Transplantation assays indicate that the clonogens comprise ?? 1% of the cells in monodispersed suspensions of normal thyroid tissue. Carcinogenesis studies show that neoplastic initiation of thyroid clonogens by radiation is a common event. Promotion-progression to cancer from radiation initiated clonogens has, however, been shown to be inversely related to the total grafted thyroid cell number; i.e. more tumors develop per irradiated clonogen in grafts of small cell numbers than of large cell numbers. Recent studies have been designed to investigate: a) whether the cell number-dependent inhibition of promotion-progression is mediated by remote hormonal feed-back, local cell-cell interactions, or both; b) the cell population kinetics of the clonogen subpopulation during goitrogenesis and goiter involution; and c) the effect of prolonged exposure to high levels of TSH (thyrotropin) on the capacity of the clonogens to give rise to functional FU. The results indicate that local cell-cell interactions play an important role in the cell numberdependent suppression of neoplastic promotion-progression. They also show that if sufficient thyroid cells are grafted, the thyroid-pituitary axis can be reestablished in thyroidectomized rats fed normal diets. In such animals given iodine deficient diets, the FU that develop in the thyroid grafts shift their secretory pattern to increase the ratio of T3 (triiodothyronine) to T4 (thyroxine), and thus conserve the available iodine. Finally, the clonogenic subpopulation is conserved during both goitrogenesis and goiter involution. When they are transplanted to thyroidectomized recipients, clonogens from two types of goiters form FU that are morphologically indistinguishable from those that develop in grafts of normal thyroid clonogens. Furthermore, the secretion of T3 and T4 by such grafts is dependent on the grafted clonogen number, and hence FU formation, and not on the total number of thyroid cells transplanted. We conclude that the thyroid clonogens, the presumptive cancer progenitor cells, have many of the characteristics of stem cells.
A note on learning for Gaussian properties

By employing a Bayesian approach to the analysis of learning the probability distribution of property vectors, an estimation likelihood computation scheme for the general Gaussian distribution (quadratic adaptive decision surface) is shown optimum. Some results relating the number of learning samples to Type I misclassification errors are included.