cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Challenge of Antibiotic Resistance in Corneal Infection

The discovery and development of antibiotics for treatment of bacterial infections was one of the greatest medical advances of the last century, and it has saved millions of lives. However, as early as 1945, Sir Alexander Fleming expressed concern about the consequences of antibiotic overuse. Seven decades later, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has reached alarming levels and is now a major public health threat in the twenty-first century. The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, multidrugresistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae among others is raising the specter of a post-antibiotic era. AMR organisms, which initially were largely confined to hospitals, have now found their ways into communities, posing a serious threat to otherwise healthy individuals. MRSA, for instance, caused an estimated 80,461 invasive infections and 11,285 deaths in the US in 2011, and are now common causes of ocular infection. Most derive from specific MRSA lineages that have disseminated throughout the US and other locations, and are associated with particularly serious ocular and orbital infections.
An introduction to Elixir programming: pre-conference workshop

Elixir is an programming language that runs on the Erlang virtual machine. Elixir keeps many of Erlang's strengths - it is functional, concurrent, fault tolerant, encourages recursion and higher order functions and has pattern matching - but also provides constructs and syntax that make it easier and more fun to work with. There are now a number of good Elixir books [2, 3, 4]. Elixir makes Erlang's approach to solving concurrent problems easier to use.
Reversible Processes Versus Quasi-static Processes, and the Condition of Internal Reversibility

A presupposition in the naturalistic sciences is that laws should be centered on a natural object in itself without having to involve a man-made machine. That is the legacy of Newtonian science of mechanical objects as mass bodies. A strong movement in equilibrium thermodynamics initiated by Caratheodory has been based on this presupposition. This disquisition rejects naturalistic presupposition and the Caratheodory formalism by pointing out the unique nature of thermodynamic objects as systems with essential design characteristics. This chapter applies Prigogine’s modern formalism for the effective treatment of system–surroundings interactions for a better understanding of thermodynamic processes.
The Disparate Impact of Up-or-Out Promotion Policy on Fertility Timing

There is growing evidence that childbirth can have especially adverse effects on the career advancement of women. Our study examines how this affects the fertility decisions of men and women on the partner track. We use the After the JD study, a rich panel data set on a nationally representative sample of lawyers, and find that women are more likely than men to delay their first child until after the promotion decision is resolved. This difference in fertility timing is not easily explained by gender-based sorting; however, descriptive evidence suggests that reduced employer investment in mothers and social norms that tie women to child care are relevant mechanisms.
Tactile Contact as a Marketing Tool for Improving an HIV/STD Education Program's Compliance / Retention with Crack Cocaine Users.

Background This research brief reports results from an exploratory pilot study on the use of socially acceptable touch in a public setting that accompanies a request to improve program compliance with "street level" crack cocaine users. Methods Study participants consisted of 120 crack cocaine-using participants in a larger community-based HIV/STD prevention and research program targeting at-risk African-Americans. They were required to return for a series of four booster health education sessions over 2-5 days and 6 month and 1 year follow-up assessments. The most difficult aspect of this program was no-shows for the second booster session; study participants who attended at least two sessions were much more likely to attend all sessions and complete the entire lengthy program. The program director randomly approached some participants after the first visit in a public setting and briefly touched them as part of a handshake; then, the director asked them to return for their follow-up sessions. Whether they were approached or not was random. Analysis comprised descriptive and non-parametric statistics. Results Ninety-three percent of participants who were asked to return and were touched returned for the second session; only 75% returned who had been asked to do so but were not touched. A statistically significant difference favored being touched and complying, as measured by second-session returning participants (p < .01), though it appeared the touch / request had more of a preventive than a promotional effect. Extraneous demographic and background factors were ruled out with the exception of age (older participants), which contributed slightly. Conclusions Results suggest that a request "anchored" to a socially acceptable public touch is promising in terms of improving program participation and engagement. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
Associations between parent and child physical activity and eating behaviours in a diverse sample: an ecological momentary assessment study.

Objective:This study is a secondary data analysis that examines the association between parent modelling of dietary intake and physical activity and the same child behaviours among different races/ethnicities using innovative, rigorous and objective measures.Design:Ecological momentary assessment surveys were sent to parents to assess whether their child had seen them exercise or consume food. Dietary recall data and accelerometry were used to determine dietary intake and physical activity behaviours of children.Setting:Participants were randomly selected from primary care clinics, serving low-income and racially/ethnically diverse families in Minnesota, USA.Participants:Participants were families with children aged 5–7 years old who lived with parents 50 % of the time and shared at least one meal together.Results:A 10 percentage point higher prevalence in parent modelling of fruit and vegetable intake was associated with 0·12 higher serving intake of those same foods in children. The prevalence of parent modelling of eating energy dense foods (10 % prevalence units) was associated with 0·09 higher serving intake of sugar-sweetened beverages. Furthermore, accelerometry-measured parent sedentary hours was strongly correlated with child sedentary time (0·37 child sedentary hours per parent sedentary hours). An exploratory interaction analysis did not reveal any statistical evidence that these relationships depended on the child’s race/ethnic background.Conclusions:Interventions that increase parent modelling of healthy eating and minimise modelling of energy dense foods may have favourable effects on child dietary quality. Additionally, future research is needed to clarify the associations of parent modelling of physical activity and children’s physical activity levels.
The Epidemiology of HIV Among People Born Outside the United States, 2010-2017.

ObjectiveAlthough some studies have reported a higher incidence of HIV infection among non–US-born people than among US-born people, national data on this topic are scarce. We compared the epidemio...
Neural Representations of the Voice Tremor Spectrum.

Objectives Voice tremor is a common movement disorder that manifests as involuntary oscillations of laryngeal muscles, leading to rhythmic alterations in voice pitch and loudness. Differential diagnosis of essential tremor of voice (ETv) is often challenging and includes dystonic tremor of voice (DTv), which is characterized by irregular, isometric contractions of laryngeal muscles during dystonic activity. Although clinical characteristics of voice tremor are well described, the pathophysiology underlying its heterogeneous phenomenology remains limited. Methods We used a multimodal approach of functional magnetic resonance imaging for assessment of brain activity during symptomatic speech production, high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging for the examination of cortical thickness and gray matter volume, and diffusion-weighted imaging for evaluation of white matter integrity to identify disorder-specific neural alterations and their relationships with the symptomatology of ETv and DTv. Results We found a broad overlap between cortical alterations in ETv and DTv, involving sensorimotor regions responsible for the integration of multisensory information during speech production, such as primary sensorimotor, inferior/superior parietal, and inferior temporal cortices. In addition, ETv and DTv showed unique patterns of abnormalities in regions controlling speech motor preparation, which were localized in the cerebellum in ETv and the premotor cortex, insula, and superior temporal gyrus in DTv. Neural alterations in superior parietal and inferior temporal cortices were correlated with ETv severity, whereas changes in the left premotor cortex were associated with DTv severity. Conclusions Our findings point to the pathophysiological spectrum underlying ETv and DTv and favor a more heterogeneous rather than dichotomous diagnostic classification of these voice tremor disorders. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Gout in primary total knee arthroplasty: Prevalent but not independently associated with complications.

Abstract Background Gout is a common synovial pathology, but its prevalence in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and potential association with complications such as periprosthetic infection (PJI) and revision are unknown. Methods Medicare data from 2009 to 2013 was retrospectively reviewed using PearlDiver. All patients 65 years of age or older and undergoing primary TKA with at least 3 years of pre-TKA records were included. The prevalence of gout was based on ICD-9 codes. Univariable associations of gout with PJI and revision at 1 year were assessed using odds ratios with 95% confidence intrervals (C.I.). To control for potential confounding, patients with a history of gout were matched on age, gender, smoking history, and Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) to patients without gout and associations reassessed. Results The prevalence of gout in Medicare patients undergoing primary TKA was 5.7%. On univariable analysis, patients with a history of gout were more likely to develop PJI (O.R., 1.58; 95% C.I., 1.45–1.72) and undergo revision (O.R., 1.33; 95% C.I., 1.25–1.41) at 1 year. After matching for confounders, a history of gout was no longer associated with developing PJI (O.R., 0.98; 95% C.I., 0.90–1.06) or undergoing revision (O.R., 0.94; 95% C.I., 0.89–1.00) at 1 year. Conclusions Gout is a relatively common pathology in patients undergoing TKA. While gout is associated with increased complications, this appears to be driven by confounding through its association with other medical comorbidities. Gout does not appear to be an independent risk factor for complications following TKA.
Physical factors increased quantity and quality of micropropagated shoots of Cannabis sativa L. in a repeated harvest system with ex vitro rooting

Micropropagation is a preferred method to propagate clean, clonal stock plants. Subculture is labor intensive and costly. In vitro hedging can reduce hood labor and was demonstrated with cannabis (Cannabis sativa L. ‘US Nursery Cherry 1’) using both apical and nodal explants at four different photosynthetic photon flux densities (25–167 μmol m−2 s−1) in vessels with vented or non-vented closures. The numbers of harvested shoot tips from four repeated 3-wk cutting cycles without subculture and the quality of the harvested shoot tips during ex vitro rooting in phenolic foam plugs were observed. The number of shoot tips harvested in non-vented vessels increased over four repeated cycles; however, there was a decline in number of shoot tips harvested from vented vessels in the fourth cycle due to excessive drying and collapse of the agar matric. The number of shoot tips harvested through repeated cycles was increased with light intensity. Nearly 100% of the micro-cuttings from optimal light and ventilation rooted ex vitro. Most plantlets had roots that penetrated the exterior surfaces of the plug after 2 wk. The number of leaves per rooted plantlet ex vitro increased with light intensity in vitro. Micropropagation labor efficiency could be improved by using a multi-cycle cutting process which would allow the same material to be repeatedly cut from rooted bases instead of subcultured. In a system with strong apical dominance, enhanced axillary divisions of shoot tip explants over successive cycles of cutting, without the need of exogenous PGRs, were further increased by appropriate in vitro factors, light, and ventilation, presenting labor saving potential compared to standard, single-cut system in common use.
Abstract P622: Racial Variation in White Matter Hyperintensity Progression in the ACCORDION MIND Study

Introduction: White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are linked to cognitive decline and stroke. We hypothesized that Black race would be associated with greater WMH progression in the ACCORDION MIND ...
Associations of actigraphic sleep and circadian rest/activity rhythms with cognition in the early phase of Alzheimer's disease.

Study objectives To compare sleep and circadian rest/activity rhythms (RARs), quantified by standard and novel actigraphic metrics, between controls and participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and to examine the cross-sectional relationships between these measures and cognition. Methods Actigraphy data were collected in 179 older individuals (mean age = 72.6 years) with normal cognition (n = 153) and MCI (n = 26). Sleep parameters (e.g. sleep efficiency), and standard nonparametric RARs (e.g. interdaily stability) were generated. Functional principal component analysis (fPCA) was used to generate three novel RAR metrics (fPC1, fPC2, and fPC3). Cognitive composite scores reflecting episodic memory and executive function were derived using factor analysis. Regression models compared sleep and RAR parameters between diagnostic groups and their association with cognitive performance. Results Compared to controls, the MCI group exhibited lower levels of the standard RAR parameter: relative amplitude and fPC3-a novel RAR whereby lower scores reflected a lower rhythm peak, as well as greater nighttime activity and less activity in the morning. Across groups, several standard RAR parameters (e.g. interdaily stability) and fPC3 were associated with better episodic memory and executive function performance. Additionally, several standard RAR measures (e.g. relative amplitude) and the novel RAR measure fPC1 (reflecting the total volume of activity and rhythm strength) were associated with better executive function performance. Conclusions Individuals with MCI have altered circadian RARs compared to controls, including the novel RAR metric fPC3, reflecting greater nighttime activity and less activity in the morning compared to mean values. Additionally, these measures are significantly associated with cognitive performance.
Cross-Shore Sediment Transport for Modeling Long-Term Shoreline Evolution

Abstract A process-based parametric closure model for estimating cross-shore sediment transport (CST) rate has been developed for simulating long-term shoreline evolution. The formulations of this ...
Simulating Study Design Choice Effects on Observed Performance of Predictive Patient Monitoring Alarm Algorithms

There are multiple study design choices to be selected in order to perform evaluations of predictive patient monitoring algorithms related to the event and true positive alarm definitions (e.g., how far ahead of the event is a true positive alarm). Often, passively collected patient monitoring datasets from clinical environments are available to perform these types of studies, so that the effects of different study design choices can be simulated to evaluate the robustness of an algorithm to those choices. Here, we simulate the effects of varying alarm and event definition criteria on the reported performance of the early warning score to predict hypotensive events. A total of 432 combinations of study design choices were simulated. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve varied from greater than 0.8 to less than 0.5 by adjusting alarm and event definition criteria. Traditional metrics for evaluating diagnostic systems were modulated across a wide range by adjusting study design choices for a predictive algorithm using a patient monitoring dataset. This highlights the importance of examining study design choices for new predictive patient monitoring algorithms and presents an approach to simulate different study designs with retrospective patient monitoring data as part of a robustness evaluation.
Performance analysis and binary working fluid selection of combined flash-binary geothermal cycle

Abstract Performance of the combined flash-binary geothermal power cycle for geofluid temperatures between 150 and 250 °C is studied. A thermodynamic model is developed, and the suitable binary working fluids for different geofluid temperatures are identified from a list of thirty working fluid candidates, consisting environmental friendly refrigerants and hydrocarbons. The overall system exergy destruction and Vapor Expansion Ratio across the binary cycle turbine are selected as key performance indicators. The results show that for low-temperature heat sources using refrigerants as binary working fluids result in higher overall cycle efficiency and for medium and high-temperature resources, hydrocarbons are more suitable. For combined flash-binary cycle, secondary working fluids; R-152a, Butane and Cis-butane show the best performances at geofluid temperatures 150, 200 and 250 °C respectively. The overall second law efficiency is calculated as high as 0.48, 0.55 and 0.58 for geofluid temperatures equal 150, 200 and 250 °C respectively. The flash separator pressure found to has important effects on cycle operation and performance. Separator pressure dictates the work production share of steam and binary parts of the system. And there is an optimal separator pressure at which overall exergy destruction of the cycle achieves its minimum value.
OCF: An Open Cloud Forensics Model for Reliable Digital Forensics

The rise of cloud computing has changed the way computing services and resources are used. However, existing digital forensics science cannot cope with the black-box nature of clouds nor with multi-tenant cloud models. Because of the fundamental characteristics of clouds, many assumptions of digital forensics are invalidated in clouds. In the digital forensics process involving clouds, the role of cloud service providers (CSP) is utterly important, a role which needs to be considered in the science of cloud forensics. In this paper, we define cloud forensics considering the role of the CSP and propose the Open Cloud Forensics (OCF) model. Based on this OCF model, we propose a cloud computing architecture and validate our proposed model using a case study, which is inspired from an actual civil lawsuit.
Challenges and strategies for research in systems development

Partial table of contents: PAPERS PRESENTED IN THE GENERAL SESSION Systems Analysis and Design (G. Davis) PAPERS PRESENTED IN WORKSHOP 1: SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE AND LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY Technology Transfer: Organizational Factors Affecting Implementation--Some Preliminary Findings (F. Land, et al.) PAPERS PRESENTED IN WORKSHOP 2: ANALYSIS AND DESIGN TOOLS The CASE Repository: More Than Another Database Application (R. Welke) PAPERS PRESENTED IN WORKSHOP 3: METHODOLOGY A Research Agenda for Future Information Systems Development Methodologies (R. Hirschheim & H. Klein) PAPERS PRESENTED IN WORKSHOP 4: USER ANALYSIS AND DESIGN An Innovation Theory of End-User Computing (S. Conger) PAPERS PRESENTED IN WORKSHOP 5: SOCIOTECHNICAL STRATEGY Information Systems and Systems Thinking: Time to Unite? (P. Checkland) SUMMARIES AND CONCLUSIONS Index.
Staggered upwind method for solving Navier-Stokes and k-omega turbulence model equations

A staggered finite volume upwind algorithm for solving the compressible Navier-Stokes equations and the k-w turbulence model equations has been developed for computing cascade flows. Roe's upwind scheme is used to discretize the convective terms of the Navier-Stokes equations and a third-order upwind scheme is used for the convective terms of the k-ω equations. All of the diffusion terms are discretized with the central-difference method. By the use of a combination of cell-centered and cell-vertex schemes, the method maintains a small stencil for all of the diffusion terms and makes the Navier-Stokes equations and k-ω equations strongly coupled. The algorithm was first tested for a flat-plate flow, the results compare well with empirical correlations. Further investigations are conducted on a supersonic wedge cascade flow and a low-pressure turbine cascade flow at design and off-design conditions. The calculation results demonstrate the ability of the algorithm on shock capturing and separation prediction.
PARAMETRIZATION OF ENERGY-AVERAGED AND FINE-ENERGY-RESOLUTION CROSS SECTIONS FOR THE $sup 40$Ca($alpha$,$alpha$$sub 0$)$sup 40$Ca REACTION 5.5 TO 17.5 MeV.

The description of energy-averaged angular distributions for the $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}(\ensuremath{\alpha}, {\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{0})^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$ reaction from 5.5 to 17.5 MeV as the incoherent sum of an $l$-dependent-absorption optical-model cross section and a Hauser-Feshbach compound-elastic-scattering cross section is discussed. The parameters for both cross sections are determined throughout the energy range. Statistical-model calculations of the Hauser-Feshbach parameters $\ensuremath{\rho}$ and $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ are in good agreement with those extracted from the data. The compound-elastic-scattering cross sections obtained by analyzing the energy-averaged angular distributions are compared with those obtained in an Ericson fluctuation analysis of the fine-resolution excitation curves.
Response of a soil-mantled experimental landscape to exogenic forcing

[1] Soil erosion can severely degrade landscapes, and concentrated flows such as rills and gullies can be the dominant contributor to the soil losses. This paper examines the growth, development, and spatiotemporal evolution of rills and rill networks using a soil-mantled experimental landscape subjected to simulated rain and downstream base level lowering. Rill incision and network development and extension occurred due to actively migrating headcuts formed at the flume outlet by base level lowering. The communication of this wave of degradation due to this exogenic forcing occurred very quickly in space, and resulted in nearly the same amount of bed incision throughout the network. Rill incision, channel development, and peaks in sediment efflux occurred episodically, yet these were in direct response to the downstream base level adjustments. Although flows were supply limited, most of the sediment efflux was genetically linked to headcut development and migration. The geometry of the eroded rills and the rates of headcut migration were well correlated to overland flow rate. These findings have important implications for the prediction of soil loss, rill network development, and landscape evolution where headcut erosion can occur.
The steady global corona

The formation of the steady coronal structure which consists of coronal streamers and holes is seen in terms of a model employing numerical solutions of time-dependent, dissipationless, magnetohydrodynamic equations of motion applicable to the meridional plane. A coronal streamer consists of closed magnetic field lines near the solar surface with overlying and adjacent open field lines, and the atmosphere, which is stationary in the closed region, flows outward in the open region, or coronal hole. The steady coronal structure is obtained by starting the numerical calculation with a state comprising a polytropic, hydrodynamical solution to the steady-state radial equation of motion coupled with a dipole magnetic field. Global coronal configurations are calculated for values of the plasma beta which vary from 0.1 to 100. It is found that the height and lateral extension of the closed region are only weakly dependent on the data.
Use of a green fluorescent protein marker for studying splash dispersal of sporangia of Phytophthora infestans

The purpose of this study was to develop a new technique to evaluate the number of spores incorporated in splash droplets by the use of an engineered fluorescent pathogen strain and image analysis hardware and software. The inoculum source consisted of a tomato leaflet infected with a Phytophthora infestans strain transformed with the gene encoding the green fluorescent protein (GFP). Splash droplets formed after impact of incident drops on sporulating lesions were collected on microscope slides located at different distances from the source. Each slide was examined using a fluorescent microscope to visualize the GFP expressing sporangia. Photographs were taken and assessed using image processing to count the sporangia incorporated in each droplet. Data analysis confirmed characteristics of splash dispersal shown using other methods. The use of fluorescent sporangia also facilitates the selective detection and counting of viable (living) sporangia, and is a tool that can be use in the study of splash dispersed diseases.
Modeling Fission‐Gas Behavior in Metallic Fuels

The FRAS3 code, developed to model transient fission-gas behavior in oxide fuel, has been modified for application to metallic fuel. The code has been applied to analyze a series of experiments on irradiated uranium fuel, in which fission-gas bubble distributions were measured following isothermal anneals under various pressures. Comparison of the calculated bubble-size distributions to those measured indicates that grain-boundary bubbles are an important components of the observed size distributions. The calculated results agree will with the observed results in both the general nature of the distributions and their variation with pressure. Results are not as consistent for an anneal under vacuum, during which a large amount of gas was released.
Light and Electron Microscopic Findings with Permanent Eyeliner

Pathologic studies were performed on two specimens of eyelid that had been treated with permanent eyeliner (tattooing with ferrous oxide), one specimen excised four days after injection of the pigment, and the other obtained 12 months later. Each patient had undergone an ectropion repair of the lower eyelid that provided the specimen. The specimen studied four days after injection revealed by light microscopy scattered pigment granules within the epidermis and fine granules and small aggregates dispersed within the dermis. No acute or chronic inflammatory cells were observed in relationship to the deposits. The specimen obtained 12 months after eyeliner injection was studied by both light and electron microscopy. No pigment particles were observed within the epidermis, but rather there were coarse clumps of granular material in the dermis. Apart from scattered mast cells, which occasionally contained fine granules, and apart from the macrophages which appeared to have ingested the pigment granules, no other acute and chronic inflammatory cells were found. Electron microscopy demonstrated that while most of the granular material had been phagocytosed by macrophages, occasional granules were found in small dispersions within the cytoplasm of mast cells and fibroblasts of the dermis. Minimal migration of pigment within macrophages occurred to locations around lymphatic channels and within the superficial orbicularis muscle connective tissue.
Engineering Src family protein kinases with unnatural nucleotide specificity

Background: Protein kinases play a central role in controlling diverse signal transduction pathways in all cells. The identification of the direct cellular substrates of individual protein kinases remains the key challenge in the field. Results: We describe the protein engineering of v-Src to produce a kinase which preferentially uses an ATP analog, N 6 -(benzyl) ATP, as a substrate, rather than the natural v-Src substrate, ATP. The sidechain of a single residue (Ile338) controls specificity for N 6 -substituted ATP analogs in the binding pocket of v-Src. Elimination of this sidechain by mutation to glycine produces a v-Src kinase which preferentially utilizes N 6 -(benzyl) ATP as a phosphodonor substrate. Our engineering strategy is generally applicable to the Src family kinases: mutation of the corresponding residue (Thr339 to glycine) in the Fyn kinase confers specificity for N 6 -(benzyl) ATP on Fyn. Condusions: The v-Src tyrosine kinase has been engineered to exhibit specificity for an unnatural ATP analog, N6-(benzyl) ATP, even in a cellular context where high concentrations of natural ATP are present (1–5 mM), where preferential use of the ATP analog by the mutant kinase is essential. The mutant v-Src transfers phosphate more efficiently with the designed unnatural analog than with ATP. As the identical mutation in the Src-family kinase Fyn confers on Fyn the ability to recognize the same unnatural ATP analog, our strategy is likely to be generally applicable to other protein kinases and may help to identify the direct targets of specific kinases.
Effect of variations of target location upon the peripheral responses of on-center retinal ganglion cells in the cat

Abstract Annuli of constant area but differing in distance from the receptive field center, were used to study the characteristics of the receptive field periphery of single on-center retinal ganglion cells. Two types of on-center cells were encountered. One type gave responses that reflected characteristics of both the receptive center response mechanism and the receptive field surround response mechanism. An on-off response was observed for annuli anywhere in the receptive field periphery. The strength of all components of the on-off response decreased towards the outer edge receptive field. A second group of cells gave an on-off response for targets near the receptive field center but this mixed response changed to an off response as the annulus was moved to a greater distance from the receptive field center. The off response decreased in strength as the outer edge of the receptive field was approached. The shape of the off response did not vary (within defined limits) with changes in either intensity or annulus distance.
O2-S1.01 Developmental changes in masculinity, sexual behaviour, and STI risk among adolescent boys

Background Successful STI prevention for younger boys should tap into a cultural understanding of boys9 romantic and sexual relationships. However, little data exist. We describe developmental changes in boys9 relationships, masculinity, sexual behaviour, and STI risk across adolescence. Methods After IRB approval, thirty-three 14–16-year-old boys were recruited from a teen clinic serving high STI prevalence urban areas, and participated in 3 one-hour qualitative interviews, approximately 6–9 months apart. Urine was tested for gonorrhoea, chlamydia and trichomonas using DNA-based tests. Over 80% were retained at each follow-up. Baseline interviews were coded, then each boy9s three interviews were read as a group, looking for changes across the interviews in relationship experience, masculine beliefs, sexual communication and decision-making, sexual experiences, and STI prevention. Results Mean age was 14.9 years, all were Medicaid-eligible (low income), 90% were African American, and 16/33 were sexually experienced. We observed changes over time in relationships, masculinity, and sexual decision-making. At baseline, boys described girls as having more relationship power, with girls frequently initiating relationships and the decision to have sex. As boys gained experience, they perceived themselves as having more agency, and initiating sex more often. At baseline, we observed low levels of masculine beliefs, with many boys wanting meaningful and emotionally involved relationships, few viewing sex as a conquest, and most worrying about their own relationship and sexual competency. Three trajectories of masculinity emerge. A small number of Players” embodied a subset of masculine beliefs that included sex as a conquest, women as objects, and lack of emotional involvement. “Emotionally distant” was more common; these boys described initially trusting girls, “being burned” by someone they had been close to, and then not investing emotionally so as not to be hurt again. “Caretakers,” also a small minority, emphasised men9s role to protect and care for women. Sexual communication, mostly indirect or nonverbal at baseline, became more direct. Despite a baseline interest in sex within relationships, experiences of 1st sex were generally outside of relationships. Conclusions For STI prevention programs to have relevance to younger boys, they need to tap into developmental changes in the cultural, relational, and behavioural contexts of sex.
Surface ordering in thin films of liquid-crystalline polymers containing fluorinated and protonated segments: Neutron-reflectometry study

Surface-induced layering of fluorinated and protonated segments in thin films of a main-chain liquid-crystalline polymer, consisting of α-methylstilbene, bridged by a fluorinated group was revealed by neutron reflectometry. The layering was driven by the difference in surface energy of the fluorinated and protonated segments and by the inherent ordering of the polymer. The lower-surface-energy fluorinated segments segregated to the air surface, and the protonated segments segregated to the SiOx layer at the Si substrate. The ordering induced by the interface decayed into the film with a characteristic decay length of about 100 A. The surface-induced periodicity ranged from 15 to 20 A, which is approximately equal to the molecular dimension of the repeating unit on the polymer backbone. The magnitude of segregation increased upon annealing in the liquid-crystalline temperature range. The segregation was retained upon annealing above the bulk order–disorder transition temperature. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2817–2824, 2002
Comparison of Dust Contents of Six Cottons as Measured by the Cotton Particulates Analyzer and Several Other Methods

Gravimetric respirable dust fractions obtained from six cotton samples with the new cotton particulates analyzer (CPA) were used to evaluate each of several different methods of measuring cotton du...
Evaluation policy to implementation: An evaluation of scientifically based research in practice

Abstract Evaluation policies set an important frame of reference for how evaluations are implemented. Despite the central influence that policies play in how evaluations are conducted, little empirical work has been conducted to better understand how these policies are interpreted and implemented. This paper describes the findings of case study evaluation designed to examine the implementation of a California State evaluation policy that required grantees to conduct scientifically based research of their improving teacher quality projects. Study findings point to variation in individuals’ perceptions of what constitutes high-quality SBR and the extent to which they felt that SBR should be conducted in their specific settings. Other findings point to opportunities for increasing the role of formative evaluation within these projects.
Immune dysfunction despite high levels of immunoregulatory cytokine gene expression in autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplanted non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

Objective. In the present studies, we examined the role of immunoregulatory cytokine gene expression in immune reconstitution following high-dose chemotherapy and peripheral stem cell transplantation. Materials and Methods. We analyzed the steady-state mRNA cytokine levels and the immune phenotype and function in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients prior to and following high-dose chemotherapy and peripheral stem cell transplantation. Results. Significantly higher mRNA levels of both type 1 and type 2 cytokines and monokines were observed in patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy and peripheral stem cell transplantation as compared with normal healthy individuals. Pretransplant mRNA levels of interleukin-2, -4, -8, -10, interferon- g and tumor necrosis factor- a were significantly higher than in normal individuals. In addition, on days 30 and 100 following transplantation interleukin-10 levels were significantly increased compared with pretreatment levels. In contrast, the levels of interleukin-2 mRNA and interferon- g were decreased significantly on day 365 compared with pretransplant levels. Conclusion. The high levels of cytokine mRNA transcripts, both prior to and following peripheral stem cell transplantation, were not due to an increased cellular frequency; rather, they appear to be due to abnormal cellular activation. However, T-cell function is significantly depressed compared with normal donors, which is associated with significantly higher levels of cellular-dependent T cell inhibitory activity and, we suggest herein, high levels of interleukin-10, a type 2 cytokine. © 2000 International Society for Experimental Hematology. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.
Defective expression of the 2H4 molecule after autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction activation in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Abstract Previous studies demonstrated that patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), especially those with active renal disease, had a marked reduction in T4+2H4+ suppressor inducer cells in their peripheral blood. However, it was puzzling to find that active SLE patients without renal diseases often had normal percentages of T4+2H4+ cells. In the present study, we attempted to determine whether active SLE patients bearing normal percentages of T4+2H4+ cells had a defect in their expression of the 2H4 molecule on T4+ cells after autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR) activation. The peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from 50 SLE patients with normal percentages of T4+2H4+ cells (greater than or equal to 7% in PBL) were studied and the results were compared with those of 40 normal individuals. The density of the 2H4 molecule on T4 cells from normal controls increased during the 7-d AMLR; in contrast T4 cells from patients with SLE, especially those with active SLE, had defective expression of the 2H4 antigen after AMLR activation. Patients with inactive SLE, like normals, showed an increase in the 2H4 molecule after AMLR activation. Moreover, a strong correlation was observed between percent suppression of pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-driven IgG synthesis and the density of the 2H4 antigen on AMLR-activated T4 cells. Serial analysis of patients with SLE showed that the density of the 2H4 antigen expression and the suppressor inducer activity of AMLR-activated T4 cells were inversely correlated with disease activity. Thus, defective expression of the 2H4 antigen may be an important mechanism for the failure of active SLE patients with normal percentages of T4+2H4+ cells to generate suppression.
Shift Work, Role Overload, and the Transition to Parenthood

This article examines how the work hours, work schedules, and role overload of working-class couples are related to depressive symptoms and relationship conflict across the transition to parenthood. Data are from 132 dual-earner couples interviewed 5 times across the transition. Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that working evening or night shifts, as opposed to day shifts, was related to higher levels of depressive symptoms. For mothers only, working rotating shifts predicted relationship conflict. Increases in role overload were positively related to both depression and conflict; working a nonday shift explained variance in depression and conflict above and beyond role overload. Results suggest that for new parents, working nonday shifts may be a risk factor for depressive symptoms and relationship conflict.
A horseshoe adrenal gland in an infant with asplenia.

Adrenal anomalies are rare, and when present are usually associated with renal malformations. In this article we present a case of “horseshoe” adrenal glands in a patient with asplenia, various cardiac anomalies and normal kidneys and bladder.
Modified floating-zone growth of organic single crystals

Abstract For organic materials floating-zone crystal growth is superior to other melt growth processes in two significant respects: (1) the absence of crucible-induced mechanical damage and (2) minimum heating-induced chemical degradation. Due to the rather low surface tension of organic melts, however, floating-zone crystal growth under normal gravity has not been possible so far but microgravity is ideal for such a purpose. With the help of a modified floating-zone technique, organic single crystals of small cross-sections were test grown first under normal gravity. These small crystals were round and rectangular single crystals of benzil and salol, up to about 7 cm long and 6 mm in diameter or 9 mm × 3 mm in cross-section.
EFFECTS OF GEMFIBROZIL ON THE OXYGEN-TRANSPORT PROPERTIES OF ERYTHROCYTES

1. In the present study we have investigated the effects of the relatively low plasma concentrations of gemfibrozil (GFZ) found in clinical practice on the oxygen dissociation curve (ODC) of erythrocytes. 2. ODCs were measured at 30 degrees C and 37 degrees C and at pH 7.4: a) both on HbA solution and erythrocytes incubated in vitro with gemfibrozil and clofibric acid; b) on erythrocytes from healthy volunteers treated with a single oral dose of gemfibrozil. 3. These experiments showed a significant drug-induced shift of the ODC towards lower O2 affinity values without any significant modification of metabolic parameters of erythrocytes such as intracellular pH and intraerythrocytic levels of ATP and DPG. 4. In our experimental conditions gemfibrozil appears to lower both in vitro and in vivo, the partial pressure of oxygen required to give 50% of the haemes saturated with oxygen (P50) of erythrocytes from the control value of 24 +/- 0.5 mm Hg to 29 +/- 0.5 mm Hg (mean +/- s.d.; P < 0.02 by ANOVA). 5. These data clearly indicate that therapeutic doses of gemfibrozil may influence the oxygen transport properties of red cells. This effect could have relevant pharmacological and toxicological implications.
Anisotropic transient wave motions in a conducting fluid under uniform magnetic and current fields

An initial value investigation into the development of two-dimensional anisotropic surface waves generated by a harmonically oscillating pressure distribution acting on the undisturbed free surface of an inviscid, incompressible homogeneous and electrically conducting fluid is made in this paper in considerable detail. The problem is solved by the use of generalized function treatment in conjunction with asymptotic methods. An asymptotic solution of the problem related to some physically realistic pressure distributions is presented. It is shown that an ultimate steady state is set up in the limit. Two limiting cases such as (i) very deep fluid and (ii) very shallow fluid, which are of particular interest have been examined with some emphasis. Finally, the effects of the imposed magnetic and current fields as well as the surface tension on the wave motions has been examined in some detail. Additionally, it is shown that the present method of solution provides an interesting example of the applicability of...
Congenital malformations subsequent to chorionic villus sampling: outcome analysis of 1048 consecutive procedures.

We wished to identify the types and frequencies of malformations among continuing pregnancies exposed to chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and to determine whether selected procedure-related variables differ between the normal and anomalous cohorts. CVS was performed in 1048 patients between May 1988 and January 1992. Prospective assessment of perinatal outcome was ascertained by (1) physician—patient phone contact within 1 week of sampling, (2) ultrasound evaluation of the fetal anatomy at mid-gestation, (3) a detailed post-partum questionnaire completed by the referring obstetrician, and (4) a telephone interview with each patient after the expected date of confinement. Twenty-seven major malformations were documented among 938 pregnancies (live born, n=934; electively terminated, n=4), and included cardiac malformations (5), hypospadias (5), craniosynostosis (2), pyloric stenosis (2), inguinal hernia (2), polydactyly (2), syndactyly, distal extremely hemimelia, anencephaly, hydrocephalus, cleft lip and palate, omphalocele, diaphragmatic hernia, thanatophoric dysplasia, and unilateral cataract. Normal and anomalous cohorts were similar with respect to sampling method (transabdominal/transcervical ratio), mean gestational age at CVS, single-pass success rate, and mean total sample weight. No relationship between any procedure-related variable and the risk of malformation was observed.
Flatness-based adaptive control (FBAC) for STATCOM

Abstract This article proposes a new method, called the flatness-based adaptive control (FBAC), for STATCOM voltage regulation. By this method, the nonlinear STATCOM variables can be easily and exactly controlled by controlling flat output without solving differential equations. Further, the control gains can dynamically self-adjust during the voltage regulation after a disturbance. Thus, the performance from FBAC will consistently match a desired response, regardless of the change of operating conditions. In contrast, the traditional PI control and the flatness-based control (FBC), even if well-tuned for a specific given operating condition, may be inefficient or incapable to correct voltage when there is a change of the operating conditions or the STATCOM is deployed in a new power system. The advantage of the proposed FBAC over the traditional PI control and FBC control is demonstrated with the simulation studies under different operating conditions, such as a change of network and a change of load.
Anxiolytic effects of a novel group II metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist (LY354740) in the fear-potentiated startle paradigm in humans.

Rationale LY354740, a structural analogue of glutamate that shows specificity at the mGluR2/3 receptor, has anxiolytic effects in animal models.
GIANT CONVECTION CELL TURNOVER AS AN EXPLANATION OF THE LONG SECONDARY PERIODS IN SEMIREGULAR RED VARIABLE STARS

Giant convection cells in the envelopes of massive red supergiants turn over in a time comparable in order of magnitude with the observed long secondary periods in these stars, according to a theory proposed some years ago by Stothers & Leung. This idea is developed further here by using improved theoretical data, especially a more accurate convective mixing length and a simple calculation of the expected radial-velocity variations at the stellar surface. The theory is applied to the two best-observed red supergiants, Betelgeuse and Antares, with more success than in the earlier study. The theory can also explain the long secondary periods seen in the low-mass red giants, thus providing a uniform and coherent picture for all of the semiregular red variables. How the turnover of a giant convection cell might account for the observed slow light and radial-velocity variations, their relative phasing, and the absence of these variations in certain stars is discussed here in a qualitative way, but follows naturally from the theory.