cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discharge disposition of older patients undergoing trans‐catheter aortic valve replacement and its impact on survival

Background Patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are likely to be discharged to a location other than home. We aimed to assess the association between discharge disposition after TAVR and patient survival at 1 year. Methods Patients admitted from home and survived till discharge after TAVR were divided into two groups based on discharge disposition (home discharge vs. non-home discharge). Pre-operative factors predicting the odds of not being discharged home were identified by using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Study patients were matched one-to-one via a propensity scoring method. Differences in procedural outcomes were compared. Survival of both unmatched and matched pairs was evaluated by using the Kaplan-Meier method with the Kleine-Moesch-Berger stratified log-rank test. Results Out of 1,160 TAVR patients, 851 were admitted from home and survived till discharge. The incidence non-home discharge was 19% (n = 159). Factors that were significantly associated with non-home discharge were older age, non-transfemoral approach, female sex, frailty status, history of chronic lung disease, pacemaker placement and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. One-to-one propensity score matching resulted in 141 patient pairs with similar age, operative risk, frailty and functional status. At 1-year follow-up, all-cause mortality rates were significantly higher in the non-home group than their home counterparts (18% vs. 3%, P = 0.006; stratified log rank test: P = 0.006). Conclusions A considerable number of TAVR patients are discharged to a location other than home after the procedure. Not being discharged home after TAVR is associated with a high mortality risk at 1 year.
The Influence of Item Characteristics on Acquiescence among Latino Survey Respondents.

Acquiescence is often defined as the systematic selection of agreeable (“strongly agree”) or affirmative (“yes”) responses to survey items, regardless of item content or directionality. This defini...
WIND DISTURBANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF A NEAR-EDGE FOREST INTERIOR, MARYS PEAK, OREGON COAST RANGE

This study describes the structural characteristics of a developing forest interior in a nearly pure stand of noble fir near the summit of Marys Peak (1249 m) in the Oregon Coast Range. Our objective was to determine how catastrophic wind storms may have contributed to the structural changes that occur as a forest edge becomes part of the forest interior. Our results suggest that wind disturbance hastens the development of forest-interior characteristics through the creation of canopy gaps and the promotion of gap-phase regeneration. On Marys Peak, the incidence of gap creation and gap size appears to be related to site exposure and the size and age of trees in the developing forest interior. The high frequency of gap formation, as indicated by different-aged cohorts, suggests a rapid turnover of the forest canopy relative to stand age and the longevity of noble fir. We hypothesize that the combination of a high frequency of wind-related disturbance, gap-phase regeneration, and rapid growth of noble fir f...
A nanoelectrode array for obtaining intracellular recordings from thousands of connected neurons.

Current electrophysiological or optical techniques cannot reliably perform simultaneous intracellular recordings from more than a few tens of neurons. Here we report a nanoelectrode array that can simultaneously obtain intracellular recordings from thousands of connected mammalian neurons in vitro. The array consists of 4,096 platinum-black electrodes with nanoscale roughness fabricated on top of a silicon chip that monolithically integrates 4,096 microscale amplifiers, configurable into pseudocurrent-clamp mode (for concurrent current injection and voltage recording) or into pseudovoltage-clamp mode (for concurrent voltage application and current recording). We used the array in pseudovoltage-clamp mode to measure the effects of drugs on ion-channel currents. In pseudocurrent-clamp mode, the array intracellularly recorded action potentials and postsynaptic potentials from thousands of neurons. In addition, we mapped over 300 excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections from more than 1,700 neurons that were intracellularly recorded for 19 min. This high-throughput intracellular-recording technology could benefit functional connectome mapping, electrophysiological screening and other functional interrogations of neuronal networks. An electronic interface with 4,096 electrodes can intracellularly record postsynaptic potentials and action potentials from thousands of connected mammalian neurons in vitro.
Corrections officers' knowledge and perspectives of maternal and child health policies and programs for pregnant women in prison.

In response to the dramatic increase in the number of women incarcerated in the United States—and a growing awareness that a small proportion of women enter prison pregnant and have unique health needs—some prisons have implemented policies and programs to support pregnant women (defined here as maternal and child health [MCH] policies and programs). Corrections officers (COs) are key stakeholders in the successful implementation of prison policies and programs. Yet, little empirical research has examined prison COs’ knowledge and perspectives of MCH policies and programs, particularly the impact such policies and programs have on COs’ primary job responsibility of maintaining safety and security. The objective of this mixed-methods study was to understand COs’ knowledge and perspectives of MCH policies and programs in one state prison, with a specific emphasis on the prison’s pregnancy and birth support (doula) program. Thirty-eight COs at a single large, Midwestern women’s prison completed an online survey, and eight of these COs participated in an individual, in-person qualitative interview. Results indicated that COs’ perspectives on MCH policies and programs were generally positive. Most COs strongly approved of the prison’s doula program and the practice of not restraining pregnant women. COs reported that MCH policies and programs did not interfere, and in some cases helped, with their primary job task of maintaining safety and security. Findings support expansion of MCH programs and policies in prisons, while underscoring the need to offer more CO training and to gather more CO input during program development and implementation. MCH services that provide support to pregnant women that are outside the scope of COs’ roles may help reduce CO job demands, improve facility safety, and promote maternal and child health.
Longitudinal Characterization and Biomarkers of Age and Sex Differences in the Decline of Spatial Memory

The current longitudinal study examined factors (sex, physical function, response to novelty, ability to adapt to a shift in light/dark cycle, brain connectivity), which might predict the emergence of impaired memory during aging. Male and female Fisher 344 rats were tested at 6, 12, and 18 months of age. Impaired spatial memory developed in middle-age (12 months), particularly in males, and the propensity for impairment increased with advanced age. A reduced response to novelty was observed over the course of aging, which is inconsistent with cross-sectional studies. This divergence likely resulted from differences in the history of environmental enrichment/impoverishment for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Animals that exhibited lower level exploration of the inner region on the open field test exhibited better memory at 12 months. Furthermore, males that exhibited a longer latency to enter a novel environment at 6 months, exhibited better memory at 12 months. For females, memory at 12 months was correlated with the ability to behaviorally adapt to a shift in light/dark cycle. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, conducted at 12 months, indicated that the decline in memory was associated with altered functional connectivity within different memory systems, most notably between the hippocampus and multiple regions such as the retrosplenial cortex, thalamus, striatum, and amygdala. Overall, some factors, specifically response to novelty at an early age and the capacity to adapt to shifts in light cycle, predicted spatial memory in middle-age, and spatial memory is associated with corresponding changes in brain connectivity. We discuss similarities and differences related to previous longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, as well as the role of sex differences in providing a theoretical framework to guide future longitudinal research on the trajectory of cognitive decline. In addition to demonstrating the power of longitudinal studies, these data highlight the importance of middle-age for identifying potential predictive indicators of sexual dimorphism in the trajectory in brain and cognitive aging.
Chapter 21 – Snakes

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on taxonomic study of snakes. Taxonomic accounts, such as classification, characteristics, and geographical distribution of several species of snakes are also described in the chapter. The early classification of snakes was based on extant species in museum collections. Consequently, classification was entirely based on external appearance. All recent analyses indicate that snakes diverged early into scolecophidians (blind snakes) and alethinophidians. The blind snakes contain three major clades: anomalepididae, leptotyphlopidae, and typhlopidae. Within the scolecophidians, anomalepidids and typhlopids are each other's closest relatives and the sister clade to the leptotyphlopids. Alethinophidia is the sister clade to Scolecophidia and, based on molecular data, includes one clade containing aniliidae and tropidophiidae and another clade, caenophidia, containing the remaining snake families. The caenophidia consists of two large clades, the colubroidea (Acrochordidae, Viperidae, Elapidae, Colubridae, and Atractaspidae) and the henophidia (remaining families). Key differences in these two taxonomies include placement of bolyeriids and tropidophiids and better resolution of sister-clade relationships in the more recent molecular phylogeny.
The Impact of Resilience on Health: Lessons Learned and Future Directions.

This double special issue of Behavioral Medicine provides an overview on the impact resilience has on behavior, well-being, and biopsychosocial health outcomes. This compilation of research provide...
How CEO Social Media Disclosure and Gender Affect Perceived CEO Attributes, Relationship Investment, and Engagement Intention:

How does a chief executive officer (CEO)’s social media content disclosure on Twitter affect perceived CEO attributes, relationship investment, and public engagement, and to what extent does the CE...
Surveillance, Privacy, and App Tracking

Over the last several months, global innovators have developed a heterogenous array of “smart” technology protocols and applications aimed at tracking, tracing, and containing the spread of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease COVID-19. The United States, which has left it to the states to acquire or build their own automated track and trace platforms, currently lags behind other countries. However, technology companies Apple and Google have announced co-production of a digital tracing platform for their phones. As this Chapter details, the United States lacks a comprehensive federal health data privacy law that protects the privacy of sensitive information collected and stored by digital contact tracking applications. The Chapter also explains how digital COVID-19 surveillance applications work, assesses their effectiveness from a public health perspective, and enumerates the legal and ethical issues they implicate. It concludes with proposals aimed at maximizing the public health benefits of COVID-19 surveillance technology while minimizing its inherent and conceivable threats to privacy, civil liberties, and vulnerable populations. This paper was prepared as part of Assessing Legal Responses to COVID-19, a comprehensive report published by Public Health Law Watch in partnership with the de Beaumont Foundation and the American Public Health Association.
Deformation during Electrosorption and Insertion-Type Charge Storage: Origins, Characterization, and Design of Materials for High Power

Ion electrosorption and insertion form the basis of two commercialized electrochemical energy storage technologies: electric double-layer capacitors and lithium ion batteries. These processes are a...
NIR-emitting styryl dyes with large Stokes’ shifts for imaging application: From cellular plasma membrane, mitochondria to zebrafish neuromast

Abstract Near-infrared (NIR) emitting probes with very large Stokes' shifts play a crucial role in bioimaging applications, as the optical signals in this region exhibit high signal to background ratio and allow deeper tissue penetration. Herein we illustrate NIR-emitting probe 2 with very large Stokes' shifts (Δλ ≈ 260–272 nm) by integrating the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) unit 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole (HBO) into a pyridinium derived cyanine. The ESIPT not only enhances the Stokes' shifts but also improves the quantum efficiency of the probe 2 (фfl = 0.27–0.40 in DCM). The application of 2 in live cells imaging reveals that compound 2 stains mitochondria in eukaryotic cells, normal human lungs fibroblast (NHLF), Zebrafish's neuromast hair cells, and support cells, and inner plasma membrane in prokaryotic cells, Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Product Liability Reform and Businesses in High-Risk Industries: Establishments, Employment, and Economic Activity

Businesses and pro-business interest groups have often claimed that the litigation environment in the states influences their decisions about where and how to do business. However, very little empirical evidence exists to suggest that these claims are anything more than anecdotal. This study attempts to fill that void. I employ a triple-differences identification strategy in which businesses in high-liability industries in states that pass product liability reform serve as the treatment group and businesses in low-liability industries in those same states serve as the contemporaneous control group. Whereas, a traditional difference-in-difference analysis would have difficulty ruling out the possibility that product liability reforms are endogenous to other factors that influence business activity in a particular state, a triple-differences identification strategy that uses businesses in low-risk industries as a control group can mitigate many of the endogeneity concerns. My results suggest that three product liability reforms — reforms eliminating strict liability for product sellers, reforms adopting comparative negligence, and reforms enacting statutes of repose — have significant effects on business supply decisions in high-risk industries. These reforms are associated with increases in the number of small business establishments, employment in small business establishments, and real gross state product in high-risk industries. Thus, the results from my analysis shed some light on the inherent tradeoffs in the product liability system.
Is Science Rational

We face a paradox: scientific rationality, which has liberated man from ignorance, from the whims and oppression of a blind nature, and which has subordinated the earth to man, has become the potential instrument of the self-destruction of the human species. War, pollution and economic oppression are seen as the inevitable spin-off of scientific advance by large sections of the public. The spectre of atomic annihilation and the barbarism of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs are seen as the products of an unrestrained scientific rationality. The recent wave of anti-scientific, anti-rational moods, especially among the young people, threatens a wholesale rejection not simply of the technological fruits of science, but of scientific rationality as well, in favor of one or another version of mysticism, irrationalism, and primitivism, of blood and soil philosophy. Somehow, the argument goes, if we listen to the blood, get back to our roots, and cast out the evil demons of a blind and inhuman rationality, we will save ourselves. On this account of how things stand, the only reasonable thing to do is to reject reason, at least in its scientific forms. And thus the paradox: a reasonable rejection of reason.
Blood flow redistribution in the human extremity.

Abstract Because of the limitation of the maximum total blood flow through a diseased artery, dilatation of a distal vascular bed may cause a diversion of blood away from other tissues in that extremity where the resistance to flow is fixed. Such diversions may occur (1) when a dilating procedure acts exclusively on a single tissue in the extremity, (2) when the circulation in a given tissue is unable to respond to the agent because of disease or (3) when dilatation is limited to a single type of blood vessel in the peripheral vascular bed (the arteriovenous anastomoses). These diversions of blood flow are distinct from the “lending-borrowing” phenomenon which deals with redistribution of blood volume rather than of flow.
A System of Excuses: How Criminal Law’s Excuse Defenses Do, and Don’t, Work Together to Exculpate Blameless (And Only Blameless) Offenders

Criminal law excuses are analyzed as a group of analogous doctrines working together to exculpate blameless offenders. The analysis reveals that current law doctrine, although it often is not explicit about the parallel and integrated operation of its excuse defenses, does much to perform this exculpatory function. However, the systematic perspective of excuses also reveals some serious shortcomings of current doctrines.
Understanding and Affirming the Sexual/Relationship Realities of End-Stage Renal Disease Patients and Their Significant Others

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) frequently occurs within the social context of relationships and has many predictable consequences in the experience of patients and their significant others. Relationship and sexual issues and concerns must be assessed early in the treatment process and be continually attended to as patients seek new levels of coping. Sex-role conflicts, changes in sexual functioning and sexual self-esteem, challenges to both physical and emotional intimacy, and the life-altering consequences of chronic illness are all very real for ESRD patients. If a holistic perspective on the health care needs of ESRD patients is to be a reality, it will contain a concern for, active attention to, and involvement in the relationship/sexual dimension of life.
New Conservation: Setting the Record Straight and Finding Common Ground

In a recent editorial one of the founding fathers of conservation biology, Michael Soule, expressed concern about ideas that he fears stray from conservation’s core principles and the primary goal of protecting nature (Soule 2013). Michael has inspired generations of students to pursue conservation biology, including me. When I was a university professor, Michael’s papers figured prominently in my course syllabus, and a conservation textbook I coauthored (Kareiva & Marvier 2011) features several of Michael’s publications. Because of his stature in the field of conservation, Michael’s concerns warrant thoughtful consideration. The purposes of this Comment are to correct some misimpressions Michael expressed in his editorial; to better explain what these new ideas in conservation are intended to do and, in doing so, reassure the conservation community that there exists much common ground between more traditional conservation approaches and the so-called “new conservation,” and to admit candidly that some of the proposed strategies associated with the “new conservation” remain as yet unproven. Beginning with the misimpressions about new conservation, I assume Michael refers to the popular magazine article (Kareiva et al. 2012), a more scholarly peerreviewed article on a similar topic (Kareiva & Marvier 2012), the textbook Conservation Science (Kareiva & Marvier 2011), or perhaps reports on The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) website (www.nature.org). Concisely, my colleagues at TNC and I
Age and Phonetic Influences on Velar Flutter as a Component of Nasal Turbulence in Children With Repaired Cleft Palate

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of age and selected phonetic factors on velar flutter as a component of nasal turbulence in children with repaired cleft palate. Participants: A total of 30 children with repaired cleft palate with or without cleft lip ranging in age from 4 to 13 years (mean, 8.6 years; standard deviation, 2.4 years) who exhibited nasal turbulence characterized by velar flutter participated in the study. Measures: The headset of a nasometer was used to record the children producing multiple repetitions of consonant-vowel (CV) syllables that contrasted the stops /p/ and /t/ with the fricatives /f/ and /s/ and the high-front vowel /i/ with the low mid-central vowel /Λ/. All targeted consonants were coded relative to the presence of flutter using both perceptual and spectral criteria. Percentages of syllables coded for flutter were calculated as a function of consonant and vowel types. Intra-and interjudge reliability of coding was high. Results: Percent...
Advantages of a Bakeable Electronographic Plate

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of a bakeable electronographic plate. The only recording material that has been used with success in a Lallemand type of image tube is the photographic emulsion. Photographic plates cannot be baked in a vacuum to rid them of contaminants that spoil the photocathode. Hence Lallemand cools the plate with liquid air so as temporarily to immobilize vapors. Such cooling is a complete solution to the problem, however in practice introduces difficulties. One such difficulty is the need for keeping liquid-filled containers upright, thus restricting the freedom to orient the tube in any direction. Another difficulty is the delay caused by the time taken to cool and reheat the cooled parts. The need for cooling parts of an image tube could be eliminated if an electronographic material that can be baked clean could be found. The 30 kV electrons available in many image tubes are fairly energetic particles, so it is suggested that a xerographic process of some kind be substituted for the admittedly more sensitive photographic one.
“An Unfollowable World”: Beowulf, English Poetry, and the Phenomenalism of Language

This essay traces a history of Beowulf criticism, specifically focusing on the cultural value and literary merit that are always to some extent opposed in describing the poem's worth. It investigates assumptions about the relationships between language, poetry, and culture that informed, and sometimes continue to inform, Beowulf criticism. On the one hand, Beowulf is taken to represent an essential Englishness, while on the other hand it is linguistically alien to modern speakers. Beowulf thus forms an ideal litmus test for foundational questions such as “what makes language literary?” and “what makes a poem an English poem?” Although Beowulf is often represented as an outlier, a poem which we must learn to understand in its own terms, this survey demonstrates that Beowulf criticism reflects predictable trends in the evolution of thought about the relationship between language, literature, and culture.
Transformative Learning: A Case for Using Grounded Theory as an Assessment Analytic.

Transformative Learning Theory and pedagogies leverage disruptive experiences as catalysts for learning and teaching. By facilitating processes of critical analysis and reflection that challenge assumptions, transformative learning reframes what counts as knowledge and the sources and processes for gaining and producing it. Students develop a broader range of perspectives on and entry points for learning and behavior change engaging cognition, embodiment, aesthetics, emotions, and ethics (see Mezirow 1991 and Figures 1 and 2). The open-inquiry, multi-modal nature of transformative learning defies most traditional assessment strategies. This article demonstrates that grounded theory offers the rigorous qualitative analysis needed to document and track transformative learning outcomes in practice. By applying a grounded theory approach to data from over eighty student portfolios across several iterations of a Religion and Ecology course at Emory University, this article demonstrates a successful and replicable assessment of transformative learning pedagogies.
The measurement of foot preference

Foot preference has been given only superficial attention in studies of hemispheric lateralization, although it has potential utility for predicting hemispheric dominance. This paper reports the development of a reliable (alpha = 0.89) 11-item behavioral inventory of foot preference. Since footedness and handedness are only partially related, both must be measured reliably to identify individuals who have a consistent right or left side preference. It has yet to be determined whether footedness or handedness has the stronger relationship to other aspects of cerebral lateralization and whether both measures together predict lateralization better than one of them alone.
Contemporary Fears of Children and Adolescents: Coping and Resiliency in the 21st Century.

This study was prompted by the continual exposure of youth to disasters (e.g., 9/11, Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, school violence) and the call for revisions in fear assessments to reflect contemporary fears. Fears of 1,033 students in Grades 2–12 were examined using the American Fear Survey Schedule for Children (J. J. Burnham, 2005). Results indicated that new fears have emerged in the 21st century, alerting counselors to consider preventative and intervention activities to address contemporary fears.
Does neighborhood density influence repetition latency for nonwords? Separating the effects of density and duration

Abstract Twelve experiments examined the effect of neighborhood density on repetition latency for nonwords. Previous reports have indicated that nonwords from high density neighborhoods are repeated with shorter latency than nonwords from low density neighborhoods (e.g., Vitevitch & Luce, 1998 ). Experiment 1 replicated these previously reported results; however, further analysis indicated an interaction of neighborhood density and stimulus duration in determining nonword repetition latency. Experiment 2 employed stimuli with reduced durational differences, finding that there was no effect of neighborhood density on repetition latency when stimulus duration was statistically controlled. Experiments 3 and 4 replicated these results with an alternative presentation regimen. Experiments 5–12 repeated these investigations with different stimulus sets, and obtained consistent effects of stimulus duration on repetition latency, and either no effect of neighborhood density or a latency advantage for low density rather than high density nonwords. The theoretical implications of these results for models of lexical processing are discussed.
Efficient Optimization of Reliable Two-Node Connected Networks: A Biobjective Approach

This paper presents a biobjective genetic algorithm (GA) to design reliable two-node connected telecommunication networks. Because the exact calculation of the reliability of a network is NP-hard, network designers have been reluctant to use network reliability as a design criterion; however, it is clearly an important aspect. Herein, three methods of reliability assessment are developed: an exact reliability calculation method using factoring, an efficient Monte Carlo estimation procedure using the sequential construction technique and network reductions, and an upper bound for the all-terminal reliability of networks with arbitrary arc reliabilities. These three methods of reliability assessment are used collectively in a biobjective GA with specialized mutation operators that perturb solutions without disturbing two-node connectivity. Computational experiments show that the proposed approach is tractable and significantly improves upon the results found by single-objective heuristics.
Current Management of Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Since the concept of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) was introduced more than 15 years ago, many technological advances and multiple generations of aortic stent-graft devices have been used to manage infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. In this rapidly changing environment, the determination of the optimal management of patients with aneurysmal disease can be difficult. In this article, the current management of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms is outlined. Consistent data revealing short-term advantages in morbidity and mortality make EVAR a very appealing option for practitioners and patients. However, mid- and long-term data proving an all-cause mortality benefit are lacking. Open repair has proven durability, and should be strongly considered in younger and lower-risk patients.
Increased Frequency of HLA-DR2 in Patients with Autoantibodies to Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita Antigen: Evidence that the Expression of Autoimmunity to Type VII Collagen Is HLA Class II Allele Associated

Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is a chronic blistering disease characterized by circulating and tissue bound IgG auto-antibodies to the basement membrane zone (BMZ) of stratified squamous epithelium. Recent studies have shown that antibodies recognize epitopes present in the noncollagenous carboxyl-terminal domain of type VII collagen, a BMZ matrix protein. Antibodies with identical specificity also have been detected in patients with the rare blistering disease, bullous systemic lupus erythematosus (bullous SLE), suggesting EBA and bullous SLE are immunologically related diseases. In this study we determined the major histo-compatibility antigen types of 29 EBA patients and 6 patients with bullous SLE. Analysis of the results showed HLA-DR2 was significantly increased in both black EBA patients, P = 0.013 (corrected, RR = 4.8) and whit EBA patients, P = 0.0008 (corrected, RR = 13.1). Five of the six bullous SLE patients also were positive for the DR2 antigen, P = 0.009. These results show the expression of autoimmunity to type VII collagen is HLA class II allele associated and that EBA and bullous SLE are immunogentically related diseases.
Towards Automatic Analysis of Software Requirement Stability

Requirement eliciting, organizing, developing and managing are most important activities in the implementation of software systems. Changes of requirements are inevitable. But, too many changes of requirements might fail software projects. Thus, the stability of the software requirements of a project is critical to the software development success. However, there are no published studies on software requirement stability yet. This paper proposes an approach to analyze the software requirement stability based on the regression analysis and control chart analysis of the function point changes. It can help the organizations to predict the future trend of the projects.
Health-care use and cost in dementia caregivers: Longitudinal results from the Predictors Caregiver Study

Abstract Objective To examine the effects of caregiver and patient characteristics on caregivers' medical care use and cost. Methods One hundred forty-seven caregiver/patient dyads were followed annually for 6 years in three academic Alzheimer's disease centers in the United States. Logistic, negative binomial, and generalized linear mixed models were used to examine overall effects of caregiver/patient characteristics on caregivers' hospitalizations, doctor visits, outpatient tests and procedures, and prescription and over-the-counter medications. Results Patients' comorbid conditions and dependence were associated with increased health-care use and costs of caregivers. Increases in caregiver depressive symptoms are associated with increases in multiple domains of caregivers' health-care use and costs. Discussion Findings suggest expanding our focus on dementia patients to include family caregivers to obtain a fuller picture of effects of caregiving. Primary care providers should integrate caregivers' needs in health-care planning and delivery. Clinical interventions that treat patients and caregivers as a whole will likely achieve the greatest beneficial effects.
BRCA1 Is a Selective Co-activator of 14-3-3ς Gene Transcription in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

BRCA1 gene is a tumor suppressor for breast and ovarian cancers with the putative role in DNA repair and transcription. To characterize the role of BRCA1 in transcriptional regulation, we analyzed gene expression profiles of mouse embryonic stem cells deficient in BRCA1 using microarray technology. We found that loss of BRCA1 correlated with decreased expression of several groups of genes including stress response genes, cytoskeleton genes, and genes involved in protein synthesis and degradation. Previous study showed that BRCA1 is a transcriptional co-activator of p53 protein; however the majority of p53 target genes remained at the same expression levels in BRCA1 knockout cells as in the wild type cells. The only p53 target gene down-regulated with the loss of BRCA1 was 14-3-3ς, a major G2/M checkpoint control gene. Similar to cells with decreased 14-3-3ς activity, BRCA1-deficient cells were unable to sustain G2/M growth arrest after exposure to ionizing radiation. We find that BRCA1 induction of 14-3-3ς requires the presence of wild type p53 and can be regulated by a minimal p53 response element.
Behavioral and neurochemical commonalities in addiction

Individuals involved in compulsive activities as different as sex, drugs, eating, crime and gambling exhibit remarkably similar behaviors with regard to their addiction. The authors apply a unified model of addiction which relates these behavioral similarities to manifestations of altered neurochemistry in that portion of the limbic system responsible for reward. Certain individuals whose genetic or environmental situation creates a deficit of dopamine in the reward system are prone to anxiety, craving and general lack of feelings of well-being. In order to satiate these feelings, they may engage in any number of activities or drugs which temporarily restores dopamine neurotransmission.
Present-day biogeochemical activities of anaerobic bacteria and their relevance to future exobiological investigations

Abstract If the primordial atmosphere was reducing, then the first microbial ecosystem was probably composed of anaerobic bacteria. However, despite the presence of an oxygen-rich atmosphere, anaerobic habitats are important, commonplace components of the Earth's present biosphere. The geochemical activities displayed by these anaerobes impact the global cycling of certain elements (e.g., C, N, S, Fe, Mn, etc.). Methane provides an obvious example of how human-enhanced activities on a global scale can influence the content of a “radiative” (i.e., infrared absorbing) trace gas in the atmosphere. Methane can be oxidized by anaerobic bacteria, but this does not appear to support their growth. Acetylene, however, does support such growth. This may form the basis for future exobiological investigations of the atmospheres of anoxic, hydrocarbon-rich planets like Jupiter and Saturn, as well as the latter's satellite Titan.
Power-controlled multiple access with a queue-dependent backoff threshold

We propose and evaluate a new distributed algorithm for transmit power control (TPC) in wireless networks. We cast the TPC problem as a dynamic program which captures a fundamental tradeoff between transmit power and delay, and we use its solution to inform our design. The resulting algorithm is reminiscent of existing TPC approaches which seek to have each link maintain a constant signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), but with a key difference: a queue-dependent backoff threshold which allows links to temporarily stop transmitting when the interference grows too large. In high interference scenarios, this difference allows our algorithm to automatically induce a network behavior similar to time-division multiple access (TDMA), without any explicit cross-link coordination. As a result of this behavior, we demonstrate that our algorithm can provide substantial throughput improvements over previous schemes.
The physiology behind resuscitation guidelines

Abstract The guidelines for paediatric resuscitation have been made by international consensus, following a review of the available research data, but evidence is limited. In children, respiratory arrest usually precedes cardiac arrest, so there is an emphasis on respiratory support in this age group. In older children and adults, the underlying pathology may be different, and emergency medical service activation should immediately be sought. Pulse checks for lay rescuers have been omitted because of inherent difficulty for the inexperienced. The preferred method of cardiac compression in infants is with two apposed thumbs and hands encircling the chest. Two-finger compressions continue to be recommended for lay rescuers. Automated external defibrillators are not currently suitable for use in infants and young children, although manufacturers are developing such instruments. High-dose epinephrine is no longer routinely recommended in cardiac arrest as there are significant adverse effects. Amiodarone is used for the treatment of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in place of lignocaine.
Hiding contextual information in WSNs

We address the problem of preserving the confidentiality of contextual information in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Such information includes the time and location of events observed by the WSN, the position of the sink, and possible routes to the sink. Contextual information can be extracted via traffic analysis, even when all traffic is encrypted. We consider a global threat model in which the adversary is assumed to be capable of eavesdropping on all communications. Compared to previous works, our method significantly reduces the communication overhead for hiding contextual information. In our approach, we first reduce the number of bogus traffic sources necessary for hiding traffic patterns by finding minimum connected dominating sets that cover the deployment area. We then randomize the traffic distributions observed by eavesdropping nodes.
Beverage cloud stability with isolated soy protein

The purpose of this study was to optimise the use of isolated soy protein (ISP) as a clouding agent for beverages. ISP was fractionated by hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) using 2 M KCl in a step gradient manner. A hydrophilic and a hydrophobic fraction were collected. The proteins therein were separated by SDS-PAGe. Each fraction was combined with citrus pectin in nine different ratios at pH 3·7 and subjected to cloud stability and turbidity studies for 28 days at 4°C. The molecular weight patterns of the two fractions were different, indicating separation in the HIC column. Analysis of variance with repeated measures found no significant difference in cloud stability between the two fractions (P<0·05). Empirically, the hydrophilic fraction acted as a better clouding agent. Significant differences in cloud stability and cloud turbidity were found between different ratios of pectin: protein (P<0·05). No correlation was found between the initial cloud composition and cloud stability. Hydrophilic fraction in pectin: protein ratios 1: 2 and 4:1 gave optimum cloud stability. This study reiterated the usefulness of ISP as a clouding agent. © 1998 Society of Chemical Industry.
AN ASSAY FOR INTERCELLULAR ADHESIVE SPECIFICITY

A modification of an assay for intercellular adhesive specificity is described. The method involves the collection of radioactively labeled cells by aggregates of the same (isotypic aggregates) or different (heterotypic aggregates) types of tissue and determination of the number of cells collected by liquid scintillation counting. The use of (32)P to label the tissues permitted a much more rapid estimation of cell collection than was obtained previously. With the use of chick embryo neural retina, liver, forebrain, pectoral muscle, and heart ventricle tissue, it was shown that isotypic was always greater than heterotypic collection. Labeled neural retina cell collection by neural retina aggregates was studied as a function of time, cell suspension density, aggregate diameter, temperature, and aggregate number. Neural retina aggregates were treated with certain enzymes in an attempt to determine whether specific changes on the surface of the aggregates would interfere with labeled neural retina cell collection. Of the various proteases and glycosidases tested, only beta-galactosidase rendered the surface more nonspecific.
Making the case for a fully mobile library web site: from floor maps to the catalog

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the current state of worldwide mobile usage; mobile technologies; libraries' use of mobile technologies including a review of library mobile catalog options, both vendor‐supplied and in‐house created; perspectives from current library leaders and innovators on the importance of incorporating the libraries' resources into the mobile environment; and future directions for mobile library services.Design/methodology/approach – A range of recently published literature (2008‐2010), which aims to provide practical statistics and resources for libraries wishing to mobilize their web site, is summarized in order to provide the reader with tools for creating a mobile library proposal. The sources are sorted into sections: mobile phone popularity, smartphones/web‐enabled phones, mobile phone use, library mobile web sites and catalogs, and what library leaders have to say.Findings – The paper provides an evaluative summary of mobile statistics and resou...
Query capabilities of the Karma provenance framework

Provenance metadata in e-Science captures the derivation history of data products generated from scientific workflows. Provenance forms a glue linking workflow execution with associated data products, and finds use in determining the quality of derived data, tracking resource usage, and for verifying and validating scientific experiments. In this article, we discuss the scope of provenance collected in the Karma provenance framework used in the LEAD Cyberinfrastructure project, distinguishing provenance metadata from generic annotations. We further describe our approaches to querying for different forms of provenance in Karma in the context of queries in the first provenance challenge. We use an incremental, building-block method to construct provenance queries based on the fundamental querying capabilities provided by the Karma service centered on the provenance data model. This has the advantage of keeping the Karma service generic and simple, and yet supports a wide range of queries. Karma successfully answers all but one challenge query. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessment of content completeness and accuracy of prostate cancer patient education materials

Abstract Providing care for men with prostate cancer is particularly challenging because of the controversy surrounding screening and the paucity of randomized control trials comparing treatments. Therefore, a patient’s personal preferences, and adequate patient education become central to well-informed medical decision-making. Acknowledging the need for high quality education materials for men with prostate cancer, we developed and pilot tested a measure to assess the completeness and accuracy of available materials. The measure rates materials on their inclusion and accuracy of the primary knowledge base a patient should acquire before deciding on prostate cancer screening or treatment, to prepare for staging, and to manage treatment and disease-related symptoms. We found that many available prostate cancer education materials are factually accurate, but omit information that is important and relevant to patients with prostate cancer.
Adsorption Characterization of Two Clay Minerals Society Standard Kaolinites.

The kaolinite samples KGa-1b and KGa-2 are used as standards by the Clay Minerals Society of America. Recently a comparative study of these samples was carried out using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction methods (XRD). The aim of the current work was to characterize the kaolinite standards by high resolution nitrogen adsorption and to investigate how their surface heterogeneity changes upon sample cleaning.
The stability of 11-cis-retinal and reactivity toward nucleophiles

Abstract The prosthetic group of visual pigments, 11-cis--retinal, is the least resistant of the mono-cis isomers to isomerization and is converted to all-trans-retinal, about 20% in 16 h in aqueous solution at 37 °C, 5 % in the absence of solvent under the same conditions and virtually none at −22 °C in the absence of solvent or in solution in light petroleum. Several nucleophiles, such as dihydroFMN, dithiothreitol, dehydroascorbate, dihydrofolate, tetrahydrofolate, and dihydroriboflavin, promote the conversion of 11-cis-retinal to all-trans-retinal. In the dihydroFMN-catalyzed geometrical isomerization of 11-cis-retinal at 37 °C, the isomeric mixture at equilibrium consists of 61% all-trans-retinal, 15% 9-cis-retinal and 24%13-cis--retinal.
Complement fixation and pH.

IBE and Wardlaw have re-investigated the effect of pH on the activity of complement1. They confirmed previous reports2 that the haemolytic activity of complement decreases with increasing pH and, in addition, presented evidence that complement fixation increases with increasing pH. They were able to increase the complement fixation titre of an antigen four-fold by raising the pH. of the reaction mixture from 7.15 to 8.56. Stein and Van Ngu3, however, showed that complement fixation titres can be increased by reducing the amount of complement used in the test. Thus, increased complement fixation sensitivity at relatively high pH may be due to loss of complement activity rather than to increased complement fixation. Experiments were devised to test this hypothesis.
Observation and characterization of near-UV transients formed in disilane photodissociation at 193 nm

Abstract Excimer-laser—photolysis-laser-resonance-absorption-flash-kinetic spectroscopy has been used to detect previously unreported transient absorption in the wavelength range 333.6 to 363.8 nm following 193 nm photolysis of disilane. Kinetic characterization of the transient absorption at discrete probe laser wavelengths leads to the conclusion that at least two species are formed and that they are from the set of molecules Si2Hx where x=2–5. Based on reactivity studies and available information from the literature, one of the transients is assigned as disilene, H2SiSiH2. Assignment of the second transient is narrowed down to a silylene or silylidyne isomer from the set of molecules Si2Hx where x=2–4.
Clinical encounters with outpatient coercion at the CMHC: questions of implementation and efficacy.

Clinical encounters with three outpatients at a CMHC who were managed with alternating periods of voluntary or uncoerced and involuntary or coerced treatment are presented. The two periods of coerced community treatment—of eight months and then two to four years duration—produced positive results quite distinct from the periods of uncoerced community treatment. In discussing the implementation and efficacy of coerced outpatient treatment at the CMHC, the author addresses legal, clinical, and resource issues which form the basis for seven arguments often heard as to why staffs at CMHCs hesitate to employ involuntary or coercive interventions.