cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Moderators and predictors of response to behavior therapy for tics in Tourette syndrome.

Objective: To examine moderators and predictors of response to behavior therapy for tics in children and adults with Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders. Methods: Data from 2 10-week, multisite studies (1 in children and 1 in adults; total n = 248) comparing comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT) to psychoeducation and supportive therapy (PST) were combined for moderator analyses. Participants (177 male, 71 female) had a mean age of 21.5 ± 13.9 years (range 9–69). Demographic and clinical characteristics, baseline tic-suppressing medication, and co-occurring psychiatric disorders were tested as potential moderators for CBIT vs PST or predictors of outcome regardless of treatment assignment. Main outcomes measures were the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale Total Tic score and the Clinical Global Impression–Improvement score assessed by masked evaluators. Results: The presence of tic medication significantly moderated response to CBIT vs PST ( p = 0.01). Participants showed tic reduction after CBIT regardless of tic medication status, but only participants receiving tic medication showed reduction of tics after PST. Co-occurring psychiatric disorders, age, sex, family functioning, tic characteristics, and treatment expectancy did not moderate response. Across both treatments, greater tic severity ( p = 0.005) and positive participant expectancy ( p = 0.01) predicted greater tic improvement. Anxiety disorders ( p = 0.042) and premonitory urge severity ( p = 0.005) predicted lower tic reduction. Conclusions: Presence of co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or anxiety disorders did not moderate response to CBIT. Although participants on tic medication showed improvement after CBIT, the difference between CBIT and PST was greater for participants who were not on tic-suppressing medication. ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: The child and adult CBIT studies are listed on clinical trials.gov (NCT00218777 and NCT00231985, respectively). Classification of evidence: This study provides Class I evidence that CBIT is effective in reducing tic severity across subgroups of patients with chronic tic disorders, although the difference between treatments was smaller for participants on tic-suppressing medications, suggesting reduced efficacy in this subgroup.
Past, Present and Future of User Interface Software Tools

This is an excerpt of a much longer work: Brad Myers, Scott E. Hudson, and Randy Pausch, “Past, Present and Future of User Interface Software. Tools,” ACM Transactions on Computer Human Interaction, To appear in the Special Millennium Issue, 2000.
How Useful are Handheld ECG devices

Patients without clinical knowledge must be able to use mobile electrocardiography (ECG) devices to collect healthcare data outside a clinical setting safely and effectively. We conducted a simulat...
Heart Failure: Self-care to Success: Development and evaluation of a program toolkit

The Heart Failure: Self-care to Success toolkit was developed to assist NPs in empowering patients with heart failure (HF) to improve individual self-care behaviors. This article details the evolution of this toolkit for NPs, its effectiveness with patients with HF, and recommendations for future research and dissemination strategies.
Workplace Specialization, Individual Intra-Firm Experience Diversity and Entrepreneurship

The paradox between bureaucracy and entrepreneurship has drawn the interest of scholars from various fields; yet, the precise mechanisms through which bureaucratization shapes individuals’ transition to entrepreneurship remains theoretically ambiguous and empirically inconclusive. Using unique data from a large and established firm in the home appliance industry, I find that workplace specialization, which is an important organizational process of bureaucratization, stifles entrepreneurship, even accounting for individuals’ entrepreneurial capacity, which is measured as individuals’ intra-firm experience diversity. Moreover, I find that individuals’ workplace specialization and their intra-firm experience diversity have a positive interaction effect on individual rates of entrepreneurship, which I suggest reflects that potential synergy of these two processes in affecting individuals’ capacity of orchestrating organizational resources for entrepreneurial activities.
Cloud computing applications for biomedical science: A perspective

Biomedical research has become a digital data–intensive endeavor, relying on secure and scalable computing, storage, and network infrastructure, which has traditionally been purchased, supported, and maintained locally. For certain types of biomedical applications, cloud computing has emerged as an alternative to locally maintained traditional computing approaches. Cloud computing offers users pay-as-you-go access to services such as hardware infrastructure, platforms, and software for solving common biomedical computational problems. Cloud computing services offer secure on-demand storage and analysis and are differentiated from traditional high-performance computing by their rapid availability and scalability of services. As such, cloud services are engineered to address big data problems and enhance the likelihood of data and analytics sharing, reproducibility, and reuse. Here, we provide an introductory perspective on cloud computing to help the reader determine its value to their own research.
Cell Transplantation of Peripherally Derived Adult Cells for Promoting Recovery from CNS Injury

Cell-based therapies are being considered in clinical trials for a number of neurological diseases including multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke. The rationale is that cells could serve as replacement therapy, provide neuroprotection, or stimulate neurogenesis or angiogenesis by producing chemokines and neurotrophins. Although the use of embryonic stem cells shows promise because of the totipotency of these cells and the prospect of developing large numbers of cells, a number of other cells derived from adult peripheral tissues are also being actively investigated. These cells include Schwann cells from peripheral nerve, olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) from the olfactory system, and stromal cells from bone marrow (mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs). In principle, these cells could be derived autologously, expanded in culture, and used for cellbased therapies. This chapter reviews experimental work demonstrating the potential of peripherally derived cells as a tool for promoting recovery in CNS injury.
Association of Antenatal Depression with Clinical Subtypes of Preterm Birth.

Objective To estimate the association between antenatal depression and spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) relative to medically indicated preterm birth (MPTB). Study Design This was a secondary analysis of a nested case–control study of preterm birth (PTB). The exposure was a clinical diagnosis of antenatal depression. The outcome was PTB at Results Among 443 pregnant women, 15.6% had an SPTB and 8.6% had an MPTB, and 16% were diagnosed with antenatal depression. Women with an SPTB were three times more likely to have antenatal depression compared with women without an SPTB (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.40–5.63). No significant association was identified between antenatal depression and MPTB (AOR: 1.77; 95% CI: 0.67–4.62). The association between antenatal depression and SPTB did not change after adjusting the aforementioned model for a history of PTB and antidepressant use. Conclusion Antenatal depression may differentially affect the risk of PTB through an increase in the odds of SPTB. These results have implications for future studies on prevention and treatment options for depression and PTB.
‘I get my lovin’ on the run’: Digital Nomads, Constant Travel, and Nurturing Romantic Relationships

In 1997, Tsugio Makimoto and David Manners published Digital Nomad, which would, decades later, provide a manifesto for a lifestyle movement of the same name. For those who are able to create a location-independent career via the portal of their laptop, leisure activities, including romance, can orient decisions around geographic travel and location. This chapter looks at the phenomena of ‘digital nomads,’ and how they organise their romantic relationships within their mobile lifestyle, based on in-depth interviews with 38 self-identified digital nomads. This examination will contextualise the dating lives of digital nomads within the sociology literature of family, online dating, and leisure.
Delivery of Plasmid DNA into Mammalian Cell Lines Using pH-Sensitive Liposomes: Comparison with Cationic Liposomes

We compare the transfection efficiency of plasmid DNA encoding either luciferase or (β-galactosidase encapsulated in pH-sensitive liposomes or non-pH-sensitive liposomes or DNA complexed with cationic liposomes composed of dioleoyloxypropyl-trimethylammonium:dioleoylphosphatidyl-ethanolamine (1:1, w/w) (Lipofectin) and delivered into various mammalian cell lines. Cationic liposomes mediate the highest transient transfection level in all cell-lines examined. pH-sensitive liposomes, composed of cholestryl hemisuccinate and dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine at a 2:1 molar ratio, mediate gene transfer with efficiencies that are 1 to 30% of that obtained with cationic liposomes, while non-pH-sensitive liposome compositions do not induce any detectable transfection. Cationic liposomes mediate a more rapid uptake of plasmid DNA, to about an eightfold greater level than that obtained with pH-sensitive liposomes. The higher uptake of DNA mediated by Lipofectin accounts for part of its high transfection efficiency. Treatment of cells with chloroquine, ammonium chloride, or monensin decreases (threefold) transfection using pH-sensitive liposomes and either has no effect on or enhances cationic liposome-mediated transfection. Therefore plasma membrane fusion is not the only mechanism available to cationic liposomes; in certain cell lines DNA delivery via endocytosis is a possible parallel pathway and could augment the superior transfection efficiency observed with cationic liposomes.
Act 4. Caliban and the Nuclear Ban

The humanitarian discourse used to ban indiscriminate weapons has colonial undertones, suggesting that “civilized nations” abstain from “barbaric” ways of killing. This same “standard of civilization” language was used to justify conducting nuclear testing in Pacific communities. Portraying Pacific peoples as “primitive” and nuclear weapons as evidence of a country’s “civilization,” colonialism and nuclear testing were intricately intertwined. This chapter uses Shakespeare’s The Tempest to demonstrate how a demeaning “tropical island imaginary” shaped colonizers’ interactions with Pacific peoples. But in the character of Caliban, one sees possibilities of “talking back” to the oppressor. In pursuing nuclear disarmament, Pacific intellectuals, diplomats and advocates have flipped the “standard of civilization” script. The chapter questions the territorialist assumptions of international relations (IR), exploring the contributions of post-colonial theory.
Regulatory status of cold plasma in food applications

Abstract Cold plasma is a promising technology for the sanitization of foods and food contact surfaces. Recent research has demonstrated that it is a flexible, effective approach to the reduction of pathogens and spoilage organisms on a variety of commodities, under a range of treatment conditions. As this class of technology matures from purely lab-scale evaluation to bulk processing and small pilot scale, the regulatory status of cold plasma technology becomes increasingly important. This is true both for end-users seeking to deploy cold plasma in food processing environments and for equipment manufacturers seeking to provide cold plasma-based solutions. This chapter will provide necessary context for the typical development path of regulations that govern novel food processing technologies, such as cold plasma. The discussion will include the key drivers for the regulatory process, examples of technologies that have been successfully approved, and an update on the status of cold plasma regulations internationally.
MicroRNA mediators of early life stress vulnerability to depression and suicidal behavior

Childhood environment can have a profound impact on brain structure and function. Epigenetic mechanisms have been shown to play a critical role in adaptive and maladaptive processes by regulating gene expression without changing the genome. Over the past few years, early life stress (ELS) has been established as a major risk factor for major depression and suicidal behavior along with other psychiatric illnesses in adulthood. In recent years, the emergence of small noncoding RNAs as a mega controller of gene expression has gained attention for their role in various disease processes. Among various noncoding RNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs) are the most studied and well characterized and have emerged as a major regulator of neural plasticity and higher brain functioning. More recently, although limited in number, studies are focusing on how miRNAs can play a role in the maladaptive processes associated with ELS both at adolescent and adult age and whether these processes are critical in developing depression and suicidal behavior. In this review, we critically evaluate how postnatal ELS relates to abnormalities in miRNA expression and functions from both animal and human literature and draw connections from these findings to depression and suicidal behavior later in life.
Seismic ground‐roll noise attenuation using deep learning

ABSTRACT We propose to adopt a deep learning based framework using generative adversarial networks for ground‐roll attenuation in land seismic data. Accounting for the non‐stationary properties of seismic data and the associated ground‐roll noise, we create training labels using local time–frequency transform and regularized non‐stationary regression. The basic idea is to train the network using a few shot gathers such that the network can learn the weights associated with noise attenuation for the training shot gathers. We then apply the learned weights to test ground‐roll attenuation on shot gathers, that are not a part of training input to obtain the desired signal. This approach gives results similar to local time–frequency transform and regularized non‐stationary regression but at a significantly reduced computational cost. The proposed approach automates the ground‐roll attenuation process without requiring any manual input in picking the parameters for each shot gather other than in the training data. Tests on field‐data examples verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
SVEP1, a novel human coronary artery disease locus, promotes atherosclerosis

A low-frequency variant of SVEP1, an extracellular matrix protein, is associated with risk of coronary disease in humans independent of plasma lipids. Despite a robust statistical association, however, it was unclear if and how SVEP1 might contribute to atherosclerosis. Here, using Mendelian randomization and complementary mouse models, we provide evidence that SVEP1 promotes atherosclerosis in humans and mice. We find that SVEP1 is expressed by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) within the atherosclerotic plaque. VSMCs also interact with SVEP1, causing proliferation and dysregulation of key differentiation pathways, including integrin and Notch signaling. Fibroblast growth factor receptor transcription increases in VSMCs interacting with SVEP1, and is further increased by the coronary disease-associated SVEP1 variant. These effects ultimately drive inflammation and promote atherosclerosis. Taken together, our results suggest that VSMC-derived SVEP1 is a pro-atherogenic factor, and support the concept that pharmacological inhibition of SVEP1 should protect against atherosclerosis in humans.
A novel, magnetically driven convergent Richtmyer–Meshkov platform

In this paper, we introduce a novel experimental platform for the study of the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability in a cylindrically converging geometry using a magnetically driven cylindrical piston. Magnetically driven solid liner implosions are used to launch a shock into a liquid deuterium working fluid and, ultimately, into an on-axis rod with a pre-imposed perturbation. The shock front trajectory is tracked through the working fluid and up to the point of impacting the rod through the use of on axis photonic Doppler velocimetry. This configuration allows for precise characterization of the shock state as it impacts the perturbed rod interface. Monochromatic x-ray radiography is used to measure the post-shock interface evolution and rod density profile. The ALEGRA MHD model is used to simulate the dynamics of the experiment in one dimension. We show that late in time the perturbation growth becomes non-linear as evidenced by the observation of high-order harmonics, up to n = 5. Two dimensional simulations performed using a combination of the GORGON MHD code and the xRAGE radiation hydrodynamics code suggest that the late time non-linear growth is modified by convergence effects as the bubbles and spikes experience differences in the pressure of the background flow.
Intelligent Roadways: Learning-Based Battery Controller Design for Smart Traffic Microgrid

Intelligent Roadways are possible future components of Smart City Infrastructure which would help reduce energy spent in traffic and while commuting, along with reducing the peak of the electrical grid’s power consumption and flattening the load profile curve. By optimizing roadways, cars would spend less time on the road, therefore consuming less energy in the form of fossil fuels. Paneled roads would also increase net safety on the roads. Be it highway or city roads, transportation would be safer due to the modular nature of paneled roads. In the inevitable event of damage, paneled roads would be not only easy to repair, they would also have a reduced environmental impact. Additionally, paneled roads could provide utility ranging from statistical data about traffic patterns, to heating roads to remove snow and ice. Finally, smart city infrastructure equipped with intelligent roadways would help with power generation due to solar panels being core to the design. This paper is mainly focused on the advantage of solar roadways on peak shaving. An intelligent battery charging/discharging strategy is proposed to minimize the contribution of the main grid in the solar roadway microgrid system, especially during the peak consumption hours. Feedforward Neural Networks are implemented in the Simulink-based microgrid model in order to predict the photovoltaic (PV) output power. Then, a Particle Swarm Optimization-based (PSO-based) learning algorithm is utilized in the battery control design in order to reduce the power contribution from the main grid during the peak hours. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed power management method is investigated using MATLAB software.
Automatic detection and segmentation of multiple brain metastases on magnetic resonance image using asymmetric UNet architecture

Detection of brain metastases is a paramount task in cancer management due both to the number of high-risk patients and the difficulty of achieving consistent detection. In this study, we aim to improve the accuracy of automated brain metastasis (BM) detection methods using a novel asymmetric UNet (asym-UNet) architecture. An end-to-end asymmetric 3D-UNet architecture, with two down-sampling arms and one up-sampling arm, was constructed to capture the imaging features. The two down-sampling arms were trained using two different kernels (3 × 3 × 3 and 1 × 1 × 3, respectively) with the kernel (1 × 1 × 3) dominating the learning. As a comparison, vanilla single 3D UNets were trained with different kernels and evaluated using the same datasets. Voxel-based Dice similarity coefficient (DSCv), sensitivity (S v), precision (P v), BM-based sensitivity (S BM), and false detection rate (F BM) were used to evaluate model performance. Contrast-enhanced T1 MR images from 195 patients with a total of 1034 BMs were solicited from our institutional stereotactic radiosurgery database. The patient cohort was split into training (160 patients, 809 lesions), validation (20 patients, 136 lesions), and testing (15 patients, 89 lesions) datasets. The lesions in the testing dataset were further divided into two subgroups based on the diameters (small S = 1-10 mm, large L = 11-26 mm). In the testing dataset, there were 72 and 17 BMs in the S and L sub-groups, respectively. Among all trained networks, asym-UNet achieved the highest DSCv of 0.84 and lowest F BM of 0.24. Although vanilla 3D-UNet with a single 1 × 1 × 3 kernel achieved the highest sensitivities for the S group, it resulted in the lowest precision and highest false detection rate. Asym-UNet was shown to balance sensitivity and false detection rate as well as keep the segmentation accuracy high. The novel asym-UNet segmentation network showed overall competitive segmentation performance and more pronounced improvement in hard-to-detect small BMs comparing to the vanilla single 3D UNet.
Stressing the importance of mental health in I-O courses

According to recent data collected by the U S Census Bureau, approximately one third of all Americans are now showing clinical signs of depression, anxiety, or both (Fowers & Wan, 2020) Instructors must therefore acknowledge the inevitable difficulties their students will face;encourage them to reach out or seek professional help in times of need;and remind them that doing so is a sign of courage and strength, not weakness [ ]we can set aside specific days in our class calendar for mental health assignments Allowing students to complete an activity that reduces their stress during normal class meeting times would be most equitable, but this assignment could also be done over a weekend to allow for more flexibility and less disruption to course material, if necessary [ ]it may be wise to schedule these mental health days near midterm and final exams to help students reduce the stress of these predictable triggers
Authentic STEM research, practices of science, and interest development in an informal science education program

Two critical challenges in science education are how to engage students in the practices of science and how to develop and sustain interest. The goal of this study was to examine the extent to which high school youth, the majority of whom are members of racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in STEM, learn the skills and practices of science and in turn develop interest in conducting scientific research as part of their career pursuits. To accomplish this goal, we applied Hidi and Renninger’s well-tested theoretical framework for studying interest development in the context of a museum-based, informal science education (ISE) program. We used a mixed methods approach, incorporating both survey and interview data, to address three research questions: (1) As youth engage in authentic science research, do they develop perceived competence in mastering the skills and practices of science? (2) Do participants increase, maintain, or decrease interest in science research as a result of this experience? (3) How does participation in scientific practices manifest in non-program contexts? Our study yielded three main results. First, we found that participants developed competence in mastering several of the skills and practices of science. Strikingly, there was significant improvement in self-reported level of competency for 15 specific research skills. Second, we found that participants maintained their interest in scientific research over time. Our post-survey results revealed that one hundred percent of students were either excited about or expressed deep interest in scientific research. Based on a Phases of Interest Development Rubric developed for this study, most participants exhibited emerging individual interest. Finally, participants exhibited significant increases in the frequency in which they engaged in scientific practices outside of the program. Our findings suggest that participation in authentic research in an ISE context affords youth critical opportunities for gaining mastery of several of the skills and practices of science, which in turn reinforces, and in some cases increases participants’ interest in scientific research beyond the span of the program.
Chapter 12. Antiviral Agents.

This chapter discusses the agents with activity primarily against RNA viruses. The communicable diseases of the respiratory tract are probably the most common cause of symptomatic human infections. The viruses that are causative agents for human respiratory disease comprise the five taxonomically distinct families: orthomyxoviridae, paramyxoviridae, picornaviridae, coronaviridae, and adenoviridae. The influenza viruses, which consist of types A, B, and C, belong to the family orthomyxoviridae. Types A and B have been associated with significant increases in mortality during epidemics. The disease may be asymptomatic or cause symptoms ranging from the common cold to fatal pneumonia. Immunization against influenza has been recommended for high-risk groups and antiviral chemotherapy (amantadine) is available for the treatment and prophylaxis of all influenza A infections. There is both a great need for and interest in developing a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of these two viral, respiratory tract pathogens. The family picornaviridae contains the genus Rhinovirus that is composed of over a hundred distinct serotypes. Amantadine and rimantadine are specifically active against influenza A virus infections. The amantadine recipients reported a higher incidence of side effects largely attributed to the central nervous system (CNS) symptoms. This difference in side effects may be a pharmacokinetic phenomenon that results in higher plasma concentrations of amantadine. Significant progress continues to be made in the clinical use and development of agents active against DNA viruses. Acyclovir (9-(2-h droxyethoxymethyl)guanine) has been the subject of several reviews and of a syrnposium. Considerable progress has been made in evaluating the clinical promise of acyclovir; however, there remains much to be learned concerning the best use of this drug in clinical practice. Significant strides have been made in the development of clinically useful antiviral agents, especially against the DNA viruses of the herpes family. Most of these agents are directed against viral nucleic acid synthesis and require activation by a virus-induced thymidine kinase. Researchers have begun to focus on other strategies that may produce broader spectrum anti-viral agents with different mechanisms of action.
Session Overview Field Robotics

Field robots do not operate in factories or other controlled settings, but rather operate outdoors, underwater, underground, or even on other planets. They are characterized by a focus on real applications, and on operation in complex terrain. Field robots are often large vehicles, and often have forceful interactions with their workspace. Given their complex setting and complex (and often dangerous) tasks, most field robots are not fully autonomous: a great deal of effort goes into the user interface, providing mixed modes of human and robot interaction.
A Time-Sensitive System for Black-Box Combinatorial Optimization

When faced with a combinatorial optimization problem, practitioners often turn to black-box search heuristics such as simulated annealing and genetic algorithms. In black-box optimization, the problem-specific components are limited to functions that (1) generate candidate solutions, and (2) evaluate the quality of a given solution. A primary reason for the popularity of black-box optimization is its ease of implementation. The basic simulated annealing search algorithm can be implemented in roughly 30–50 lines of any modern programming language, not counting the problem-specific local-move and cost-evaluation functions. This search algorithm is so simple that it is often rewritten from scratch for each new application rather than being reused.
Imagery Differences among Women of Varying Levels of Experience, Interests, and Abilities in Motor Skills

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine if differences in mental imagery exist among groups of university women varying in experience, interests, and abilities in motor skills. Subjects for this study were 77 women, all of whom were associated with the Pennsylvania State University. Included were 14 physical education faculty members, 18 senior physical education majors, 19 freshman physical education majors, and 26 freshman nonmajors. Mental imagery was measured with three imagery tests developed specifically for this study. Test data were analyzed and treated statistically using analysis of variance and Duncan's new multiple-range test. The four groups did not differ significantly in their ability to recognize previously presented geometric forms or previously presented motor acts. The three major groups were significantly superior in remembering details of motor demonstrations when compared to the least experienced.
Débridement: The key initial first step in wound healing

Before addressing a wound, whether it is chronic or acute, clinicians must thoroughly assess the wound and the patient. An acute wound in a patient with normal blood flow and good medical and nutritional condition should go on to heal if appropriate care is given. This means that the wound has to be debrided adequately, dressed, and closed when appropriate. Getting back to healthy tissue is the key. In chronic wounds, healing is more difficult because the etiology of the wound is harder to determine, and the measures to reverse the medical abnormalities are often complex. When these have been sorted out and addressed, however, debridement again plays the key role. It converts the chronic wound into an acute wound so that it can then progress through the normal stages of healing. The key is for clinicians to be aggressive and not let concerns about the residual defect limit debridement. Subsequent healing then can be achieved by use of wound-healing adjuncts such as the V.A.C. device, hyperbaric oxygen, skin substitutes, growth factor, or plastic surgical techniques.
The diagnosis and treatment of bleeding tendencies. A brief review.

Abstract The basis of treatment of bleeding diatheses is accurate diagnosis. Diagnosis begins with a complete medical history. Once the possibility of a disorder is raised by either the patient or his family or by the physician or dentist, appropriate steps to diagnose the disorder should be undertaken. With the correct diagnosis, the dentist undertaking the patient's care will be better prepared not only to prevent bleeding but also to cope with it when it does occur.
Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences

Looking Back, Looking Forward Constructing Narratives for Research Thematic Analysis Structural Analysis Dialogic Performance Analysis Visual Analysis Truths and Cautions
Drug-utilization evaluation of emergency contraception in a major public university student population

Objective This study characterizes (by age, reasons for use and frequency of use) the population who sought emergency contraception (Plan B) by prescription from the University Health Services (UHS) at the University of Kentucky. The study also determines whether the study population used other prescription birth-control products or used Plan B as the sole method of birth control. Methods Subjects were students who requested Plan B at UHS or obtained Plan B by prescription from Kentucky Clinic Pharmacy. Subjects were identified retrospectively by medical record extraction and prescription data analysis. Qualitative analysis of health behaviour used grounded theory. Key findings The typical patient is a 22-year-old female who regularly uses condoms. Sixty-three per cent of women were using prescription birth control, most commonly an oral contraceptive (28.2%), at the time they requested Plan B. Twenty-five per cent of subjects reported contraceptive failure. Conclusions In this population, patients usually seek emergency contraception due to a gap in use of regular birth control or failure of the method. Repeat use of Plan B was low. Use of Plan B did not change the behaviour of most women with regard to use of contraception.
Financial Modelling Using Discrete Stochastic Calculus

In the present report, a review of discrete calculus on directed graphs is presented. It is found that the binary tree is a special directed graph that contains both the exterior calculus and stochastic calculus as different continuum limits are taken. In the latter case, we arrive at something that may be referred to as “discrete stochastic calculus.” The resulting discrete stochastic calculus may be applied to any stochastic financial model and is guaranteed to produce results that converge in the continuum limit. Discrete stochastic calculus is applied to the Black-Scholes model for an illustration. The resulting algorithm generated by discrete stochastic calculus agrees with that of the Cox-Ross-Rubinstein model, as it should. The results presented here are preliminary and are intended to encourage others to learn discrete stochastic calculus and apply it to more complicated financial models.
Nuclear Physics and Nuclear Medicine

In this chapter we consider some of the properties of radioactive nuclei and their use for medical imaging and for cancer therapy. We begin by reviewing different mechanisms of radioactive decay, such as alpha, beta, and gamma decay, internal conversion, electron capture, and positron emission. It is important to know the dose to the patient from a nuclear medicine procedure, and we describe the standard technique for calculating it. Imaging using radiopharmaceuticals based on isotopes such as technetium-99m is analyzed, including both single photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography. We end with a description of radon and its health implications.
Pilgrimage Traditions and the Nature Mystique in Western European Culture

Aspects of nature veneration in the European Christian tradition are reflected in legends associated with San Dominico Abate, a 10th century precursor of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecologists. An offering of snakes each May in honor of San Dominico at Cocullo, Italy, is interpreted as a Christianized continuation of pagan nature veneration. Other examples of nature veneration rooted in European Christianity are described, such as the involvement of animals and plants in revelations of sacred places as well as the relationship between natural features and the sanctity of religious pilgrimage sites.
Can Massachusetts lead the way in health care reform

The number of uninsured Americans is approaching 50 million. Stuart Altman and Michael Doonan write that Massachusetts has now sent a new message to the rest of the country: providing health care to the uninsured is possible.
Some bases of West German military policy

It should not be forgotten that Germany, too, has a claim to security. . . . The Western Powers should not overlook the fact that Germany is not a vast and empty desert which can be conveniently used as a theater of war, but a densely populated country. The Western Allies must face the question: which danger is the greater, the danger threatening from Russia, or the prospect of a German contingent in a European army destined to defend Europe [29, pp. 308-11]?
Band edge singularities and the surface density of states in Nb (110)

Abstract Photoemission measurements of the Nb(110) surface show surface sensitive structure near the Fermi energy which can be attributed to bulk band structure effects persisting right out to the surface layer, in agreement with recent layer density of states calculations for Mo(110).
Climate change. The Indonesian valve.

The behaviour of the North Atlantic is often invoked to explain the effects of climate change. But for certain episodes, including perhaps a period in human evolution, events elsewhere may have had a greater influence.
Cochleomeritus emersoni sp. n. (Protozoa, Apicomplexa), a Lecudinid Gregarine from the Pacific Ocean Polychaete Diopatra ornata Moore, 1911*

SYNOPSIS The gregarine Cochleomeritus emersoni sp. n. is described from the intestine of the marine polychaete Diopatra ornata from the Pacific Ocean off Point Hueneme, California.
Reduction of electrically-rewarded behavior by interference with monoamine synthesis.

Abstract The effects of blockade of CA and 5-HT synthesis upon electrically-rewarded behavior were evaluated with two behavioral techniques. Comparison of free-operant responding and a rate-free measure suggests that interference with CA synthesis has a minimal effect on specific task performance, the effects being preponderantly exerted on an adrenergic motivational substrate. Interference with 5-HT synthesis produced no effect on performance or motivation in this study.
"Infierno, mal lugar": a rhyming convenience?

J. Derek Latham's thesis concerning the Arabic provenance of the term mal lugar, though plausible, may fall short of explaining the use of the term in mediaeval Spanish poetry to refer to Hell. Dr Latham suggests that mal lugar derives either directly or indirectly from the Koranic bi’ sa l-masir, which he translates literally as ‘bad is the place of arrival!’, and freely as ‘a bad place to end in’, Hell being the place in question. He cites seven occurrences of this phrase in the Koran, as well as one case of a slightly different construction, sa’ at masiran, which he says is used in exactly the same sense. It is reasonable, the author states, to seek an Arabic source for mal lugar because ‘the expression has no antecedents in Latin or a Romance language’ (177). I would like to adduce evidence in support of the hypothesis that the phrase mal lugar could have come into being in response to a simple metrical need: an easier word to rhyme than the standard denominator for Hell, infierno. To my knowledge the...
Enhanced post‐source decay and cross‐ring fragmentation of oligosaccharides facilitated by conversion to amino derivatives

Post-source decay (PSD) fragmentation of chemically or enzymatically produced aminoglycans has been evaluated through matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Conversion of native glycans to their respective aminoglycan derivatives improved detection sensitivity of the usual fragments and promoted cross-ring fragmentation of linear oligosaccharides, facilitating linkage recognition. The cross-ring fragmentations for both dextrin and dextran oligosaccharides were not limited to the reducing-end glucose moiety, as they were extended throughout the entire molecule. When the amino group was generated for N-glycans derived from three different glycoproteins, an enhancement of PSD was observed, without a significant extent of cross-ring fragmentation.
Superbroadening in H2O and D2O by self-focused picosecond pulses from a YAlG:Nd laser

The dielectric-breakdown intensity threshold, the critical power for self-focusing, and the power threshold for the production of spectral superbroadening have been measured in H2O and D2O. For bandwidth-limited pulses of 30 psec duration at 1.06 microns and of 21 psec duration at 0.53 micron, the superbroadening in water always required power levels sufficient for catastrophic self-focusing and intensities equal to the electric breakdown threshold.
Asymptotic optimality of hierarchical Bayes estimators and predictors

Abstract It is shown in this paper that for simultaneous estimation of k means, the Bayes risks of certain hierarchical Bayes estimators converge to the Bayes risks of the corresponding Bayes estimators under ‘true’ or ‘elicited’ priors as k→∞. The results are then extended to certain prediction problems.
The effect of aging on the neuronal population within area 17 of adult rat cerebral cortex

The brains of Sprague-Dawley rats in various age groups from 3 to 33 months were fixed by perfusion with standard aldehyde solutions in order to determine the effects of aging on neuronal numbers. Several indices of cortical volume were then measured to determine whether neuronal packing densities were affected by age-related change in cortical volume. The lengths, heights and widths of individual hemispheres for 160 animals ranging in age from 1 day to 36 months were first determined, after which blocks of tissue were removed from area 17 of some of the brains. These blocks were osmicated, embedded in Araldite and sectioned at 1 micrometer to ascertain, in the vertical plane, the thickness of area 17 and, in the tangential plane, the packing density of the clusters of apical dendrites extending from layer V pyramidal neurons. Results indicate the overall dimensions of the cerebral hemispheres increased until 3 months of age, after which there was no further increase in size. Between 3 and 33 months of age there was no age-related change in either the thickness of area 17 or in the separation between dendritic clusters, indicating the volume of area 17 did not change after 3 months of age. Within individual age groups the amount of variation present is greater than that among age groups. Since the number of nucleus-containing neuronal profiles per unit area of layers II/III, IV, V, VIa and VIb was similar in two groups of three animals at 3 and 33 months of age and the diameters of neuronal nuclei were unchanged, there seems to be no significant change in the number of neurons contained in these layers of rat visual cortex between 3 and 33 months of age. It is therefore concluded that no neurons are lost from area 17 as the mature cerebral cortex ages.
Social structural behavior of deception in computer-mediated communication

Abstract Deception essentially takes place in social interaction. While deception has been studied from the perspective of interpersonal interaction, little is known about social structural characteristics of deceptive communication. To fill the knowledge gap, this research investigates deception behavior in computer mediated communication (CMC) via the lens of social structure by answering the questions of how one deceiver socially interacts with multiple receivers and what structural characteristics can be used to delineate deception in CMC. To this end, we first conceptualize deception in terms of social structure by drawing on the interpersonal deception and social network theories. We then propose a model of structural behaviors of deception in CMC that consists of three components: centrality, cohesion, and similarity, followed by an empirical evaluation of the model with real-world data collected from a game website. The findings of this study provide new evidence that deception is a strategic activity where the deceiver juggles between the dual goals of promoting his or her deceptive agenda and avoiding detection.
Heart failure in women: An equal opportunity player in the expanding epidemic of heart failure

Heart failure has been described as an epidemic with increasing incidence and prevalence with the aging of the general population. Sex plays an important role in heart failure management given that women with heart failure typically are older, have nonischemic etiologies more often, and have better ventricular function than men with heart failure. This translates into better outcomes for women regardless of the cause of heart failure. Important differences exist in disease in women and men admitted with heart failure, and diagnostic and treatment strategies significantly differ. Despite a National Institutes of Health mandate in 1993, women are still underrepresented in clinical trials, making it difficult to extrapolate treatment data in a meaningful way.
A new, practical intraoperative parathyroid hormone assay.

Background: The clinical usefulness of intraoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) monitoring has been shown using an immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) with several significant limitations. PTH measurement by immunochemiluminometric assay (ICMA) is a nonradioisotopic technique that is more practical for use during parathyroidectomy. Methods: Plasma from a 15-second microcentrifugation was mixed with 2 antibodies, incubated at 45°C, shaken at 400 rpm for 7 minutes, washed and counted for 2 seconds on a portable luminometer; PTH level was reported in 10 minutes. Results: Sixteen patients had multiple samples taken during parathyroidectomy. PTH levels measured 5 minutes after excision of a suspected abnormal gland were compared with preoperative or preexcision samples and either confirmed complete excision or indicated the need for more exploration in each patient. Correlation of 88 ICMA samples with standard 24-hour IRMA controls was excellent (r = 0.9218, P Conclusion: This new assay can serve as a very practical adjunct for the parathyroid surgeon.
Alteration of Polysaccharide Size Distribution of a Vertebrate Hyaluronan Synthase by Mutation

Hyaluronan (HA) is a nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan that has long been known to play structural roles in vertebrates. Recently, it has become increasingly obvious that this linear polysaccharide has many more uses than simply scaffolding or space filler. HA has been found to be involved in development, cell signaling, cell motility, and metastasis. These roles are often dictated by the length of the HA polymer, which can vary from a few to about 10,000 sugar residues in length. Three distinct isoforms of HA synthase exist in mammals. It has been shown previously by others that each isoform produces HA that differs in size distribution, but the regulatory mechanism is not yet known. Mutations have been described that alter the size distribution of the HA produced by the streptococcal HA synthases. We show that by mutating one particular amino acid residue of a vertebrate HA synthase, depending on the introduced side chain, the size of HA produced can be either reduced or increased. We postulate that several cysteine residues and a serine residue may be involved in binding directly or indirectly to the nascent HA chain. These data support the theory that the relative strength of the interaction between the catalyst and the polymer may be a major factor in HA size control.
Thermoregulatory behavior of the crayfish Procambarus clarki in a burrow environment.

The behavioral thermoregulation of the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarki, was investigated in its burrow environment. In the field, air and water temperatures within crayfish burrows fluctuated less compared with surface temperatures in the Mojave Desert. However, crayfish could still experience sub-optimal temperature regimes inside burrows. In the laboratory, P. clarki heated and cooled more rapidly in water than in air. In a thermal gradient, the crayfish selected a water temperature of 22 °C and avoided water temperatures above 31 °C and below 12 °C. Observations of behavior in an artificial burrow showed that P. clarki displayed three main shuttling behaviors between water and air in response to temperature. The number of bilateral emersions and emigrations, as well as the amount of time spent in air (in a 24 h period), were significantly greater at 34 °C than at 12, 16, 22 or 28 °C. This reflected an increased use of the behavioral thermoregulation at temperatures approaching the critical thermal maximum of this species. Upon migrating from 34 °C water into 38 °C air, crayfish body temperature decreased significantly. These periods of emersion were interspersed with frequent dipping in the water, allowing the crayfish to gain the benefits of evaporative cooling, without the physiological costs incurred by long-term exposure to air.
Recent developments in three-dimensional medical imaging

We survey some of the literature on three-dimensional medical imaging that have been published in the first four months of 1992. We report both on technical developments and on medical applications.