cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three Object Relations Models of Couple Treatment

This article describes three different approaches to the treatment of couples, all based on different versions of object relations theories. Object relations as a term has various meanings embodying different theoretical assumptions. It is used differentially to highlight certain aspects of clinical phenomena, to connote certain developmental paradigms, and to signal the importance of real, interactional aspects of human behavior. The three therapeutic approaches to work with couples illustrate some of the ways that the greater conceptual complexity of object relations theories affects how love is explained, couple conflicts defined, and what makes for change in couples treatment. Understanding the basic assumptions of a given theory will enable us to increase our “informed consent” to the use of theory in our practices.
WattHome: A Data-driven Approach for Energy Efficiency Analytics at City-scale

Buildings consume over 40% of the total energy in modern societies and improving their energy efficiency can significantly reduce our energy footprint. In this paper, we present WattHome, a data-driven approach to identify the least energy efficient buildings from a large population of buildings in a city or a region. Unlike previous approaches such as least squares that use point estimates, WattHome uses Bayesian inference to capture the stochasticity in the daily energy usage by estimating the parameter distribution of a building. Further, it compares them with similar homes in a given population using widely available datasets. WattHome also incorporates a fault detection algorithm to identify the underlying causes of energy inefficiency. We validate our approach using ground truth data from different geographical locations, which showcases its applicability in different settings. Moreover, we present results from a case study from a city containing >10,000 buildings and show that more than half of the buildings are inefficient in one way or another indicating a significant potential from energy improvement measures. Additionally, we provide probable cause of inefficiency and find that 41%, 23.73%, and 0.51% homes have poor building envelope, heating, and cooling system faults respectively.
Association between treatment facility volume, therapy types and overall survival in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Abstract Background To determine the association between the number of patients with intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC) treated annually at a treatment facility (volume) and overall survival (outcome). Methods Patients with IHCC reported to the National Cancer Database (years 2004–2015) were included. We classified facilities by tertiles (T; mean IHCC patients treated/year): T1: Results There were 11,344 IHCC patients treated at 1106 facilities. On multivariable analysis, facility volume was independently associated with all-cause mortality (p Conclusion IHCC patients treated at high-volume facilities had a significant improvement in OS and were more likely to receive surgery and adjuvant therapy as compared to that of patients at low-volume facilities.
Epigenetics Variation and Pathogenesis in Diabetes

Great strides have recently been made in elucidating the role of genetic sequence variation in diabetes pathogenesis. Increasingly, studies are focusing on other factors that may contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetes, such as epigenetics, a term “traditionally” encompassing changes to the DNA that do not alter sequence and are heritable (primary methylation and histone modification) but often expanded to include microRNAs. This review summarizes latest findings on the role of epigenetics in diabetes pathogenesis. Recent studies illustrate roles for methylation changes, histone modification, imprinting, and microRNAs across several diabetes types and complications. Notably, methylation changes in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region have been found to precede the development of type 1 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, lifestyle factors appear to interact with epigenetic mechanisms in pathogenesis. Emerging technologies have allowed increasingly comprehensive descriptive analysis of the role of epigenetic mechanisms in diabetes pathogenesis which have yielded meaningful insights into effects on expression of relevant genes. These findings have the potential to inform future development of predictive testing to enable primary prevention and further work to uncover the complex pathogenesis of diabetes.
Black Barrio on the Border: “Blaxicans” of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

ABSTRACTTypically, analysts perceive the U.S.-Mexico border in terms of brown and white, that is, as the place where Mexican and (White) American cultures both come together as well as divide and c...
Comparison of dictionary learning methods for reverberation suppression in photoacoustic microscopy : Invited presentation

Dictionary learning is an unsupervised learning method to abstract image data into a set of learned basis vectors. In prior work, the efficacy of the K-SVD dictionary learning algorithm in suppressing reverberation in volumetric photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) data was demonstrated. In this work, we compare the K-SVD algorithm against the method of optimal directions (MOD). The generalization error and reverberation suppression performance of the two algorithms were compared. The K-SVD was found to have a lower average generalization error (5.69x104 ±9.09x103 (a.u.)) when compared to the MOD (8.27x104 ±1.33x104 (a.u.)) for identical training data, initialization, sparsity (3 atoms per A-line) and number of iterations (5). Both algorithms were observed to suppress the reverberation to a similar extent (18.8 ± 1.12 dB for the K-SVD and 18.3 ± 1.2 dB for the MOD). Our data show that irrespective of the method used, sparse dictionary learning can significantly suppress reverberations in PAM.
An intervention based on the Electronic Medical Record to improve smoking cessation guidance in an urban tertiary care center emergency department

Introduction Smoking remains a major public health issue and a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a simple intervention on smoking guidance, based on the electronic medical record (EMR), including providing discharge instructions and/or cessation counseling to emergency department (ED) patients who smoke. Methods This was an interventional before-and-after study in an ED with 70000 visits per year. A pre-intervention and post-intervention chart review was performed on a random sample of ED visits occurring in 2014 and 2016, identifying smokers and the frequency with which smokers received discharge instructions and/or cessation counseling. In the fall of 2015, our EMR was programmed to deploy smoking cessation discharge instructions automatically. Results In all, 28.7% (172/600; 95% CI: 25.2-32.4%) reported current smoking in the pre-intervention ED population and 27.6% (166/600; 95% CI: 24.2-31.4%) reported smoking in the post-intervention population. Smoking cessation guidance was provided to a total of 3.5% of self-reported smokers in the pre-intervention group (6/172; 95% CI: 1.4-7.6%); 1.2% (2/172; 95% CI: 0.3-4.1%) were informed of smoking cessation resources as part of their printed ED discharge instructions and 2.3% (4/172; 95% CI: 0.9-5.8%) received smoking cessation counseling by the ED provider. There was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of patients receiving any smoking cessation guidance after the intervention. All patients (166/166; 95% CI: 97-100% in this period received ED discharge instructions and a list of smoking cessation resources and 3.6% of smokers (6/166; 95% CI: 1.7-7.7%) received smoking cessation counseling by the ED provider. Conclusions Automated deployment of smoking cessation discharge instructions in the EMR improves smoking cessation discharge instructions, and also has a positive impact on improving rates of in-person counseling by ED providers.
Evaluation of Baermann apparatus sedimentation time on recovery of Strongylus vulgaris and S. edentatus third stage larvae from equine coprocultures

Traditional methods of diagnosing equine Strongylinae infections require culturing feces, sedimenting the culture media in Baermann apparatuses, collecting the sediment, and morphologically identifying recovered third stage larvae. However, this method is plagued by low negative predictive values. This study evaluated sedimentation time within the Baermann apparatus by comparing larval recovery from the traditionally collected sediment, "sediment 1", and from the usually discarded remaining fluid contents, "sediment 2", of the Baermann apparatus after 12, 24, and 48 h. A grand total of 147,482 larvae were recovered and examined. Sedimentation time did not significantly influence total larval recovery. At all three durations, significantly more Cyathostominae and Strongylus vulgaris larvae were covered from sediment 1 than from sediment 2. However, less than 60% of all recovered Strongylus edentatus were recovered from sediment 1. As 95% of S. vulgaris larvae were always recovered from sediment 1, the need for collection and examination of the remaining fluid contents of the Baermann apparatus is obviated when performing coprocultures for diagnosis of S. vulgaris infections, and sedimentation for 12h is adequate. Approximately 70% of Cyathostominae were recovered in sediment 1 at all durations, suggesting that 12h of sedimentation is adequate, although there is a need for future research to evaluate the risk of selection bias at differing sedimentation times among individual cyathostomin species. In contrast to S. vulgaris, collecting and examining the entire contents of the Baermann apparatus may be necessary when an increased diagnostic sensitivity and negative predictive value is desired in diagnosing S. edentatus infections as only 38-61% of larvae were recovered from sediment 1 portion of the Baermann apparatus. This information will allow researchers and practitioners to make more informed decisions in choosing appropriate larval recovery techniques, balancing recovery, time, and effort.
Caltech Lab Experiments and the Insights They Provide Into Solar Corona Phenomena

A comprehensive overview of two decades of Caltech experiments relevant to solar corona physics is presented. The extent to which the experiments scale to the solar corona, the basic configurations and operation, and the importance of the magnetic force J × B common to all the experiments is discussed. Summaries are given of the various configurations used, the main observations, and interpretations of these observations, including new models developed to provide these interpretations. Topics include observations and explanations for flux rope self‐collimation, axial flows along flux ropes, eruption of arched flux ropes, strapping magnetic fields that inhibit eruption, the torus instability, and effects such as X‐ray emission of a kink‐driven secondary Rayleigh‐Taylor instability.
Outpatient Opioid Use After Cesarean Delivery.

Objectives With a goal of informing opioid prescribing after cesarean delivery, we compared inpatient, prescribed, and outpatient Morphine Equivalent Doses (MED) and patient characteristics. Methods Patients were enrolled after cesarean delivery and followed for 2-5 weeks with demographic, opioid use, and clinical characteristics collected from participants and the medical record. T-test, ANOVA, linear regression, and Pearson correlation coefficients were used in analyses. Results Among 76 women, 21% used all opioids prescribed and 20% used none. History of psychiatric comorbidities was associated with higher outpatient opiate use (172 MED vs 103 MED; p = 0.046). There was no difference in opiates consumed inpatient and amount prescribed at discharge (p = 0.502). However, low, medium, and high inpatient consumers used 53 (SD 76), 111 (SD 96), and 195 (SD 132) MEDs outpatient, respectively (p Conclusions Outpatient opioid prescribing based on inpatient needs may facilitate judicious opioid use after cesarean delivery. Significance What Is Already Known: Opioid abuse is a growing problem in this country, and excess prescribing contributes to the availability of opioids. Limited data exist regarding the amount of opioids patients need after cesarean delivery, or what factors are predictive of an individual patient's opioid needs. What this study adds This study further supports the growing literature demonstrating that providers frequently over-prescribe opioids following cesarean delivery. It uniquely adds associations of patient-specific factors and outpatient opioid needs.
Listening to thunder in the silence on Tiananmen: Politics and ethics of the memory of the June Fourth Movement:

‘Forgetting’ has been widely used in academic and public discourses of the memory of the 1989 Tiananmen Incident. The term, however, is conceptually unclear, empirically ineffective, and ethically ...
Abstract 14532: Computational Drug Repurposing Identifies a Piperlongumine Analog That Controls a Gstp1-iscu Pathogenic Axis in Pulmonary Hypertension

Background and Hypothesis: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an incurable vascular disease for which chemotherapies are being considered for therapeutic development. There is no method repor...
New “all-in-one” silicone pastes for additive manufacturing of elastomer parts

A new type of silicone ink materials for additive manufacturing is described. We call them “all-in-one” pastes since they contain all necessary components for efficient and practical printing, including filler(s), crosslinking systems, and necessary or desired additives. The pastes can be easily tuned for the most appropriate rheology for selected printing operation, have long shelf life stabilities for practical manipulation and storage, and enable quick and complete crosslinking by hydrosilylation at room temperature in air to facilitate permanent fixing of shapes of printed objects.
Tax Progressivity, Economic Booms, and Trickle-Up Economics

We propose a method to decompose changes in the tax structure into a component measuring the level of taxes and a component orthogonal to the level that measures progressivity. While our focus is on the progessivity results, we find that the level shock is similar to standard tax shocks found in the empirical literature in that a rise in the level is contractionary. An increase in tax progressivity sets off an economic boom. Those at the bottom of the income distribution (who are constrained hand-to-mouth consumers) set off a consumption boom that expands the overall economy. Those at the top of the income distribution benefit disproportionately from expansions, and their income gains more than offset the increases in tax from higher marginal rates. The net result is that an increase in progressivity leads to an increase in inequality, not a decrease as conventional wisdom would suggest. We interpret these results as evidence in favor of trickle-up, not trickle-down, economics.
Creating community, learning together: Designing and delivering a program for staff professional development

Library staff development was a popular topic in the literature of the early 2000s, particularly as the professional duties of library staff shifted into the digital realm, but it seems to have been superseded in its popularity by other topics more recently (the most recent ALA data available on staff development funding is from 2001). My anecdotal experience and observation include many libraries in which professional development for librarians has been supported, funded, and encouraged, but where opportunities for nonlibrarian staff have been fewer and rarely required or expected. The subject of this article is a staff development program that was developed at the Dartmouth College Biomedical Libraries to encourage professional development for all staff and to respond to a period of intense change by bringing staff together within a supportive learning community.
Predictive factors for success of awake proning in hypoxemic respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study.

Abstract Background Awake prone positioning has been recommended as an adjunctive measure in spontaneously breathing patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure during the COVID-19 pandemic. It remains uncertain as to how long this should be implemented, what variables to follow and who would be the ideal candidates for this adjunctive therapy. Methods A retrospective chart review of patients admitted from April to August 2020 within our institution with multifocal pneumonia and hypoxemic respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 who underwent awake-proning for at least 3 hours was conducted. Results Improvement in respiratory parameters including ROX (SpO2/Fio2/ Respiratory Rate) indices and inflammatory markers within 4 days of institution of awake proning predicted a higher chance for success of this strategy in preventing need for mechanical ventilation. Moreover, benefits of awake proning were limited to patients with mild to moderate ARDS. Conclusions Awake prone positioning can be safely performed with improvement in oxygenation. However, its institution may be beneficial only in patients with mild to moderate ARDS and requires careful evaluation of respiratory parameters and serum inflammatory markers to avoid a delay in endotracheal intubation and consequent increase in mortality rates.
Thermal Analysis of Microfluidic cooling in Processing-in-3D-Stacked Memory

Recent 3D-stacked Processing-In-Memory (PIM) research investigates improved performance by transferring computation from the CPU into memory. Although PIM’s integration in 3D-stacked memory can achieve better performance, it leads to higher power density than conventional memory operations. The increased power density causes 3D-stacked memory to exacerbate thermal issues. Traditional heat sink cooling on the top surface generates a mismatch between the 3D volumetric heat flux generation and a surface cooling capacity. In this study, we demonstrate a microfluidic cooling technique for PIM in 3D stacked memories. Our technique exploits gaps between the memory die and the gap between the logic die and interposer as cooling chambers. We model the thermal and fluidic characteristics of 3D stacked memory simultaneously. A 64 mm2 of memory, consuming 64W for PIM operation, can be cooled under 85 with a 16.5 ml/min rate of coolant flow. We also performed 2D and 3D COMSOL simulations of the thermal behavior and microfluidic cooling for die-stacked memories operating with PIM.
Role of Intracardiac Echography for Transcatheter Occlusion of Left Atrial Appendage

Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is an increasingly common procedure for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and contraindications to long-term anticoagulation. Traditionally, LAAC has been performed under transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guidance. Although most operators have become experienced and comfortable with TEE-guided appendage closure, there has been a growing interest in the use of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) for LAAC. This article describes the rationale and technique for ICE-guided LAAC.
Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood Caused by ATP1A3 Mutations: A Report of Two Cases.

Abstract Alternating hemiplegia of childhood is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder. Most cases are reported as sporadic disorder due to de novo variants, and few with family members involved. Two boys were hospitalized due to epileptic seizures occurred initially at age of six to seven months. During the course of the disease, there were repeated episodes of paroxysmal weakness or paralysis affecting one side of the body. Genetic testing showed that both patients carried heterozygous missense mutations in the ATP1A3 gene (OMIM: 614820): c.3025 (exon 22) A>G (p.K1009E) and c.2443 (exon 18) G>A (p.E815K). Flunarizine can significantly improve the paroxysmal motor symptoms of pediatric patients with alternating hemiplegia.
Efforts to regulate the collection and use of genetic information.

Abstract Public fascination with and support for genetic medicine is complicated by a deeply held fear that genetic information will be used by third parties (eg, insurers, employers, school systems) in ways that will harm the individuals from whom it was derived. Since the mid-1990s there has been much state and some federal legislative activity to address 2 closely related issues: the maintenance of genetic privacy and the prevention of genetic discrimination. These laws have had to confront several challenging questions such as what constitutes a genetic test, is genetic information qualitatively different from other medical information, and is there a means to distinguish between the two. In general the state laws are not well crafted. I will argue that a far more preferable policy is to draft a global, comprehensive medical records privacy law and to develop a model statute that defines the role of predictive genetic information in insurance underwriting. Concerns over misuse of genetic information a...
Microwave Transport in EBT Distribution Manifolds Using Monte Carlo Ray Tracing Techniques

Ray tracing Monte Carlo calculations have been carried out using an existing Monte Carlo radiation transport code to obtain estimates of the microsave power exiting the torus coupling links in EPT microwave manifolds. The microwave power loss and polarization at surface reflections were accounted for by treating the microwaves as plane waves reflecting off plane surfaces. Agreement on the order of 10% was obtained between the measured and calculated output power distribution for an existing EBT-S toroidal manifold. A cost effective iterative procedure utilizing the Monte Carlo history data was implemented to predict design changes which could produce increased manifold efficiency and improved output power uniformity.
Constitutive Modeling and Impact Simulation of Random Carbon Fiber Polymer Matrix Composites for Automotive Applications

Damage constitutive models based on micromechanical formulation and a combination of micromechanical and macromechanical effects were developed by the authors to predict progressive damage in aligned and randomly oriented carbon fiber polymer composites. The models are extended in order to account for the microcrack effect on the mechanical behavior of the composites. Progressive interfacial fiber debonding models are considered in accordance with a statistical function to describe the varying probability of fiber debonding. Finally, the complete progressive damage constitutive models are implemented into the finite element code DYNA3D to perform impact simulation of random fiberreinforced composites for future use in advanced automotive materials. The implemented model is applicable for shell and solid elements in threedimensional analysis, as well as axisymmetric elements in two-dimensional analysis. In addition, the numerical incorporation allows a prediction of the mechanical response of large composite structures under stress or during impact and eliminates the need for expensive, large-scale experiments.
Binding of an antiviral agent to a sensitive and a resistant human rhinovirus. Computer simulation studies with sampling of amino acid side-chain conformations. II. Calculation of free-energy differences by thermodynamic integration.

Abstract Thermodynamic-cycle perturbation theory and molecular dynamics simulations were used to calculate the difference in the free energy of binding of the antiviral compound WIN53338 to the wild-type human rhinovirus 14 and to a drug-resistant mutant of the virus in which valine 188 of the viral protein 1 is mutated to leucine. Because of the difficulty of achieving adequate sampling of all of the rotational isomers of amino acid side-chains in molecular dynamics simulations, an explicit treatment of the effects of the existence of multiple rotational isomers of residue 188 on the calculated free energies was used. The rotamers of residue 188 were first mapped by steric and energetic techniques as described in the accompanying article. Thermodynamic integration was then carried out during simulations of the virus, both with and without the antiviral compound bound, by mutating residue 188 while restraining its side-chain to one conformation. The contributions of the other rotamers of residue 188 to the free-energy changes for this mutation were then added to those calculated by thermodynamic integration as correction factors. Binding of WIN53338 to the wild-type virus was calculated to be favored over binding to the mutant virus by 1.7(±3.0) kcal/mol. This is consistent with experimental data which, if differences in activity are assumed to be due to differences in binding, indicate that the binding affinity of WIN53338 for the wild-type virus is at least 0.15 to 1.7 kcal/mol greater than for the mutant virus. Thermodynamic integration was also performed in the conventional manner without restraints and was found to give less accurate results.
Dispute Resolution in Criminal Law

Although the study of plea bargaining would seem, by its nature, to invite interdisciplinary collaboration between criminal law and dispute resolution scholars, there has been remarkably little cross-fertilization between the fields. In this Essay, we discuss the suitability of conceptualizing plea bargaining as a form of dispute resolution and describe some of the useful things that criminal law scholars might learn from dispute resolution scholars, and vice versa. The Essay, which introduces a symposium issue of the Marquette Law Review devoted to plea bargaining, also briefly previews the other papers included in the symposium.
A Dedicated Type II NADPH Dehydrogenase Performs the Penultimate Step in the Biosynthesis of Vitamin K1 in Synechocystis and Arabidopsis

Mutation of Arabidopsis thaliana NAD(P)H DEHYDROGENASE C1 (NDC1; At5g08740) results in the accumulation of demethylphylloquinone, a late biosynthetic intermediate of vitamin K1. Gene coexpression and phylogenomics analyses showed that conserved functional associations occur between vitamin K biosynthesis and NDC1 homologs throughout the prokaryotic and eukaryotic lineages. Deletion of Synechocystis ndbB, which encodes for one such homolog, resulted in the same defects as those observed in the cyanobacterial demethylnaphthoquinone methyltransferase knockout. Chemical modeling and assay of purified demethylnaphthoquinone methyltransferase demonstrated that, by virtue of the strong electrophilic nature of S-adenosyl-l-methionine, the transmethylation of the demethylated precursor of vitamin K is strictly dependent on the reduced form of its naphthoquinone ring. NDC1 was shown to catalyze such a prerequisite reduction by using NADPH and demethylphylloquinone as substrates and flavine adenine dinucleotide as a cofactor. NDC1 displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetics and was markedly inhibited by dicumarol, a competitive inhibitor of naphthoquinone oxidoreductases. These data demonstrate that the reduction of the demethylnaphthoquinone ring represents an authentic step in the biosynthetic pathway of vitamin K, that this reaction is enzymatically driven, and that a selection pressure is operating to retain type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenases in this process.
Struggle for Regulatory Power between States and the US Federal Government: The Case of Workers’ Compensation Insurance 1930-2000

Abstract. This paper contributes to our understanding of the power struggle for regulatory control between the states and the US federal government, especially during the Progressive and Great Society eras. By focusing on one substantial social insurance program – workers’ compensation insurance – the effects of competition between the federal government and the states over regulatory control are demonstrated. Calls for greater generosity in the early 1970s, and the threat of a federal takeover of workers’ compensation insurance induced dramatic and lasting changes. States reacted to the federal government’s recommendations and neighboring states’ actions by raising benefit levels. A comprehensive index of expected monetary wage-replacement benefits across the US between 1930 and 2000 is constructed to demonstrate the variation over time and across states. Keywords. Political Economy, Workers Compensation. JEL. N32, N42.
Language, Identity, and Marginality in Indonesia: The Changing Nature of Ritual Speech on the Island of Sumba

Language, Identity, and Marginality in Indonesia: The Changing Nature of Ritual Speech on the Island of Sumba. Joel C. Kuipers. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. 185 pp.
Determination and stability of menadione

Abstract The reaction for the determination of 2‐methyl‐1,4‐naphthaquinone using 2,4‐dinitro‐phenylhydrazine has been modified to improve its sensitivity without loss of accuracy. The stability of menadione toward diffuse daylight has been investigated.
Motoneuron reinnervation of phasic uropod muscles in crayfish

Motoneuron reinnervation of the lateral abductor and adductor muscles in the exopodite of the crayfish uropod was obtained by cross-tying the cut proximal ends of one set of uropod nerve roots to the cut distal ends of their contralateral homologues. In normal (nonsurgically treated) animals the abductor was innervated by two excitatory motoneurons and an inhibitor while two excitors innervated the adductor. For each muscle one of the excitors produced large excitatory junction potentials (EJPs) while the other evoked small EJPs. When stimulated repetitively only the smaller EJP in the adductor generated a facilitating response. Within less than 10 weeks postsurgery the muscles were each reinnervated by two excitatory motoneurons. While the abductor motoneurons generated synaptic potentials with similar amplitudes and time courses to those of normal animals, they differed from those in normal animals in that they facilitated when stimulated repetitively. In contrast to the large and small EJPs evoked in the normal animal, the two motoneurons that reinnervated the adductor muscle elicited similar amplitude EJPs, neither of which facilitated in response to repetitive stimulation.
Infections After Lumbar Spine Surgery: Avoidance and Treatment

Infection after lumbar spine surgery can be a challenging and devastating complication. Numerous risk factors have been identified, and algorithms for reducing the risk of such infections have been described. New concepts in prevention continue to evolve as lumbar spinal surgeries become more complex. Antibiotic prophylaxis, antimicrobial irrigation, placement of drains, antibiotic-loaded allograft, and gentamicin microspheres all reduce the risk of infection. However, despite these measures, postoperative infections still occur and demand clinician diligence for their detection and treatment. Treatment options include antibiotics, operative irrigation and debridement, and vacuum-assisted closure or muscle flaps for more complex wounds.
Contrastive Vignette Technique: An indirect Methodology Designed to Address Reactive Social Attitude Measurement1

The need for indirect assessment techniques for the measurement of social attitudes is discussed, and the disappointing results of many current methodologies reviewed. Contrastive Vignette Technique (CVT), an indirect-structured methodology designed to overcome many of the shortcomings inherent in Current techniques, is presented. Three construct validation procedures were carried out in attempting to provide evidence for the value of the CVT approach in the assessment of group attitudes: Prediction of convergent and divergent response patterns based on group membership, comparison against concurrent direct measurement of the same conceptual content area, and comparison of response patterns across and within vignettes. Overall results provided support for the validity of the present approach. Of 16 directional response-pattern predictions made in the first experiment, 15 were confirmed, and the remaining prediction was in the expected direction. In the second procedure, expectations of differential response patterns were more clearly observed in CVT performance than in responses on direct scales designed to address the same content. Results of the final experiment suggested that CVT performance was consistent and transsituational, but that the effect of the evaluative context was stronger than expected. Extension and application of CVT is discussed.
Plasmodium sporozoites invade cells with targeted deletions in the LDL receptor related protein.

Malaria infection is initiated when an infected anopheline mosquito injects sporozoites during a bloodmeal. After injection, sporozoites enter the circulation and rapidly invade hepatocytes [1], where they develop into exoerythrocytic forms (EEF). There is a large body of evidence (reviewed in [2]) suggesting that sporozoite arrest in the liver is mediated by the binding of the parasite’s major surface protein, the circumsporozoite protein (CS; [3]), to heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) on the hepatocyte surface. CS binding to HSPGs is mediated by region II-plus, a highly conserved stretch of amino acids, containing a motif of basic and hydrophobic residues, which binds to the negatively-charged sulfate moieties of HSPG glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains. Physiologic ligands for these hepatic HSPGs include chylomicron and very low density lipoprotein remnants [4]. Like Plasmodium sporozoites, these lipoprotein remnants are rapidly cleared from the circulation by the liver. Clearance of these lipoproteins is mediated by apolipoprotein (apo) E which, like CS, binds to HSPGs. We have previously shown, that remnant lipoproteins can competitively inhibit sporozoite invasion of HepG2 cells in vitro and can decrease sporozoite infectivity in vivo, suggesting that sporozoites and remnant lipoproteins compete for the same HSPG binding sites at the cell surface [5]. After their sequestration from the plasma, by hepatic HSPGs [6], remnant lipoproteins are internalized by one of two receptors found on the hepatocyte surface, the LDL receptor (LDLR) and the LDL receptor-related protein (LRP) [7– * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-212-263-6818; fax: +1212-263-8116. E-mail address: photini.sinnis@med.nyu.edu (P. Sinnis)
Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase inhibition attenuates lipopolysaccharide induced persistent microglial activation and depressive-like complications in fractalkine receptor (CX3CR1)-deficient mice

An impaired ability to regulate the activation of microglia by fractalkine (CX3CL1) leads to persistent neuroinflammation and behavioral alterations following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. While these responses are usually transient, LPS injection caused prolonged depressive-like behavior in fractalkine receptor deficient mice (CX3CR1−/−) that was associated with exaggerated microglial activation and induction of the tryptophan (TRP) degrading enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). IDO activation and subsequent generation of neuroactive kynurenine metabolites may have a pivotal role in the development of depression. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which LPS-induced depressive-like behavior in CX3CR1−/− mice was dependent on IDO activation. CX3CR1−/− mice were implanted prior to LPS challenge with a slow release pellet of 1-methyl-tryptophan (1-MT), a competitive inhibitor of IDO. Here we show that the depressive-like behavior evident in CX3CR1−/− mice 72 h after LPS injection was abrogated by inhibition of IDO. LPS also decreased body weight and locomotor activity in CX3CR1−/− mice, but these effects were independent of 1-MT. Consistent with the increased metabolism of TRP by IDO, the ratio of 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) to TRP was increased in the brain 72 h after LPS. Increased serotonin (5-HT) turnover was also evident in the brain. The LPS-associated increases in both 3-HK:TRP and 5-HIAA:5-HT ratios were prevented by the inhibition of IDO. Last, IDO blockade attenuated microglial activation in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus 72 h after LPS. Collectively these data indicate that LPS-induced IDO activation contributes to persistent microglial activation and depressive-like behavior in CX3CR1−/− mice.
The effect of bromine scanning around the phenyl group of 4-phenylquinolone derivatives.

Three quinolone compounds were synthesized and crystallized in an effort to study the structure–activity relationship of these calcium-channel antagonists. In all three quinolones, viz. ethyl 4-(4-bromo­phenyl)-2,7,7-trimethyl-5-oxo-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexa­hydro­quinoline-3-carboxyl­ate, (I), ethyl 4-(3-bromo­phenyl)-2,7,7-trimethyl-5-oxo-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexa­hydro­quinoline-3-car­box­yl­ate, (II), and ethyl 4-(2-bromo­phenyl)-2,7,7-trimethyl-5-oxo-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexa­hydro­quinoline-3-carboxyl­ate, (III), all C21H24BrNO3, common structural features such as a flat boat conformation of the 1,4-di­hydro­pyridine (1,4-DHP) ring, an envelope conformation of the fused cyclo­hexa­none ring and a bromo­phenyl ring at the pseudo-axial position and orthogonal to the 1,4-DHP ring are retained. However, due to the different packing inter­actions in each compound, halogen bonds are observed in (I) and (III). Compound (III) crystallizes with two molecules in the asymmetric unit. All of the prepared derivatives satisfy the basic structural requirements to possess moderate activity as calcium-channel antagonists.
Design, simulation and experimental study of near-field beam forming techniques using conformal waveguide arrays

Microwave hyperthermia is rapidly evolving as a fourth modality in the fight against cancer, along with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. This form of cancer treatment utilises a narrow microwave beam to heat the tumour volume to a temperature of ∼42°C; however, with minimal energy delivery to neighbouring healthy tissue, which is one of the main challenges in hyperthermia technology. Potentially, this application can be achieved by using a phased array of apertures or dipoles to generate and control the beam focus within the near-field treatment region. This paper describes another approach to near-field beam forming by using of a conformal waveguide array, operating in the K band (18–26 GHz). The array comprises a central movable element that acts as the focusing element, and surrounding fixed directing elements. The focusing element gives conformal property to the array and serves two purposes: firstly to obtain a sharp focus at a prescribed near-field location, and secondly the added flexibility to move the beam around the tumour. Several simulations and measurements have been performed on linear and planar configurations, which demonstrate the ability of the array to achieve beam widths as small as∼4 mm, with a maximum beam movement range of ∼15 mm.
Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty and tonsillectomy for the management of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Objectives/Hypothesis Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) is a widely accepted procedure for the management of snoring, but its role in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is currently unclear. The objective of the study was to evaluate the role of LAUP in treating moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Study Design Retrospective review of a surgical treatment protocol for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Methods Between October 1993 and January 1999, 80 patients with moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and a significant component of retropalatal obstruction were treated with surgery at the Department of Otolaryngology at Northwestern University Medical School (Chicago, IL). Surgery consisted of LAUP with tonsillectomy (if tonsils were present) with the patient under general anesthesia or LAUP alone with local anesthesia (if the tonsils were absent). No patients received traditional uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. Sixty-four of the 80 patients underwent both preoperative and postoperative polysomnograms. Surgical “response” was defined as a 50% decrease in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (the total number of apneic and hypopneic events per hour of sleep); surgical “cure” was defined as a 50% decrease in AHI and a final AHI of less than 20. Results The surgical response rate was 59% (38 of 64 patients), and the surgical cure rate was 39% (25 of 64 patients). Twelve patients (18.8%) had a higher AHI after surgery. The AHI (mean ± SD) changed significantly from 51.4 ± 30.9 preoperatively to 26.3 ± 20.8 on postoperative polysomnogram (P = 7.0 × 10−9). Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty alone was performed in 33 patients with a response rate of 61% and a cure rate of 42%. Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty with tonsillectomy was performed in 31 patients with a response rate of 58% and a cure rate of 35%. The overall incidence of nasopharyngeal insufficiency was 0%. Conclusion The results of the study suggested that LAUP with adjunctive tonsillectomy is an effective treatment for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and retropalatal obstruction with a lower complication rate than standard surgical therapy (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty).
Hydrogen-substituted osmium silylene complexes: effect of charge localization on catalytic hydrosilation.

Addition of bulky primary silanes to the osmium benzyl compound, Cp*(iPr3P)OsCH2Ph, afforded two neutral hydrogen-substituted silylene complexes via activation of two Si−H bonds. These species have been structurally characterized, and their reactivity has been examined experimentally and computationally. Comparison of these neutral silylene complexes with their cationic analogue highlights the dramatic influence of charge distribution on the reaction chemistry of metal silylene complexes.
Assessment of groundwater quality impacts due to use of coal combustion byproducts to control subsidence from underground mines

Coal combustion byproducts are to be placed in an underground coal mine to control subsidence. The materials were characterized to determine potential groundwater impacts. No problems were found with respect to heavy or toxic metals. Coal combustion byproduct leachates are high in dissolved solids and sulfates. Chloride and boron from fly ash may also leach in initially high concentrations. Because the demonstration site is located beneath deep tight brine-bearing aquifers, no problems are anticipated at the demonstration site.
Aluminum Foil and White Polyethylene Mulches to Repel Aphids and Control Watermelon Mosaic

Aluminum foil and white polyethylene plastic soil mulches were tested as repellents of aphid vectors of watermelon mosaic virus 1 in 2 field experiments at Immokalee and Felda, Florida. Aluminum repelled aphids more effectively when all, rather than half, the rows were mulched. More aphids were trapped over white poly, ethylene than over bare ground, but white was attractive to some aphid species and not to others. Vine cover reduced the exposed area of the mulch surfaces when they might have been most effective in reducing the incidence of watermelon mosaic. The onset of mosaic epidemic was delayed 5 days and 20–21 days in separate tests when aluminum was applied to all rows.
Menstrual-PGF2 alpha, PGE2 and TXA2 in normal and dysmenorrheic women and their temporal relationship to dysmenorrhea.

Although it has been demonstrated that primary dysmenorrhea is associated with elevated levels of PGF2 alpha in the menstrual fluid, little is actually known of the menstrual-PG profiles of either dysmenorrheic or normal women. In this study, menstrual fluid from normal and dysmenorrheic women was collected from tampons and extracted for PG-like substances. The PGF2 alpha, PGE2 and TXA2 content was analyzed by RIA. This study demonstrates that dysmenorrheics have significantly higher levels/concentrations of menstrual-PGF2 alpha and PGE2 than do normal women, and that there is no difference in the menstrual-PGF2 alpha : PGE2 ratio between the two groups. Also, there is no significant difference in the amount/concentration of menstrual-thromboxane between dysmenorrheic and normal women. Of the parameters considered, the levels/-concentrations of menstrual-PGF2 alpha, PGE2 and TXA2, dysmenorrheic pain correlates best with the rate of menstrual-PGF2 alpha release.
U.S. firms in China: locational choice and organisational performance

The paper compares the experience of American–owned firms located in two regions of China – the Beijing capital area (the hub of political power) and the Special Economic Zones (coastal regions with business friendly policies) with respect to human resource, operations management, and politico–legal issues and the impact on organizational outcomes. Based on a survey of managers in China, the study finds that while the firms in the Special Economic Zones appear to enjoy greater freedom with respect to certain human resource practices, introducing specific modem management techniques and from particular forms of government intervention, overall, location does not appear to significantly impact firm performance.
Formulation and implementation of the non-stationary evolutionary Wiener filtering

Abstract In this paper we consider solutions to the non-stationary Wiener filtering problem using the evolutionary spectral theory. Two cases of interest result from the uncorrelation between the desired signal and the noise. One constrains the support of the generating kernels of the signals and the other imposes orthogonality on their innovation processes. The latter condition is more general and our solution coincides with the one presented previously by Abdrabbo and Priestley. For the first case, we develop a new solution that depends directly on the Wold–Cramer models of the desired and noisy processes. Implementation is achieved in both cases by estimating the kernels for the Wold–Cramer representations from the spectra using the evolutionary maximum entropy spectral estimation. The connections of the Wiener filter with the Wiener–Hopf equations and with the special case of stationary processes are discussed. Although the developed Wiener filter is non-recursive, an approximate recursive filter is obtained using a nonlinear Kalman system identification method. Examples illustrating the filtering are given.
Factors of imagery and event recall

The relationships among various measures of mental imagery and childhood memory were examined using factor analysis and other correlational procedures. Forty-six subjects completed nine mental imagery measures (Marks’s VVIQ, Gordon’s Vividness Scale Forms 1 and 2, Space Relations Form of the Differential Aptitude Test, Barratt’s Visualization Forms A and B, Betts’s QMI, Cut the Cube Task, and Richardson’s VVQ), a number of memory measures, and two measures of the observer/field “point-of-view” distinction. Analysis revealed three distinct imagery factors, “vividness and control,” “spatial manipulation,” and “spontaneous elaboration,” as well as a fourth “childhood memory” factor. Childhood memory was not significantly correlated with any imagery variables, but observer perspectives were associated more often with childhood memories than with recent memories. In addition, the tendency to recall events from the field perspective was correlated with the spatial manipulation factor.
Problems in the study of Jewish women’s folk culture

As long as Jewish intelligentsia persist in upholding the liberal paradigm, folklorists and anthropologists will not be interested in going back to the kitchen which we have ourselves just escaped, to seek out sources of female “empowerment.” We will be bewildered by our sisters who asbalot tishuva have voluntarily sought entrance into traditional Jewish communities, defined by liberal ideology as limiting to female self-fulfillment. We will look askance at the discovery by Barbara Myerhoff (1985) and Liz Harris (1985) that women in Hassidic Jewish communities are valued and have high self-esteem. We will not be free ourselves to attribute value to femininity, and to investigate scientifically or humanistically the rich traditions, so far little dignified by print, that are created, guarded, and empowered by Jewish women.