cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of Video Conferencing to Facilitate Focus Groups for Qualitative Data Collection

This paper explores the utility in collecting qualitative data by employing synchronous focus groups via web-based video conferencing software such as Zoom. The authors underscore benefits and drawbacks of this data collection modality by reviewing recent interdisciplinary literature. Authors also bring forth an example of using Zoom to facilitate synchronous focus groups for a recent research study. The study centered on school psychologists’ perspectives of implementing physical activity within schools to support the mental health outcomes of youth and school communities. Authors offer reflections, lessons learned, and provide suggestions for employing successful online focus groups. Researchers that are interested in employing online focus groups should thoroughly assess if participants have access to and comfortability with technology. Such assessment data may provide insight into whether online focus groups serve as an appropriate modality. Further, Implications and suggestions for research are addressed.
Optimized combined agent radionuclide therapy

629 Objectives: For some malignancies, more than one radiopharmaceutical is available as a treatment agent. In the case where these radiopharmaceuticals are associated with different critical organs, it may be possible to increase tumor dose without exceeding critical organ dose limits by administering both agents in combination. In this investigation we develop a mathematical model that predicts the conditions where combined agent therapy is advantageous and calculates the optimal activity of each agent to achieve the maximum tumor dose within the constraints imposed by the dose to the critical organs. Methods: It is assumed that values of the tumor dose/MBq (T1 and T2) and the values of the critical organ dose/MBq (Ca1, Ca2, Cb1 and Cb2) have been determined. Ca denotes the critical organ associated with the first agent and Cb denotes the critical organ associated with the second agent. Dose equations are developed in terms of A1 and A2, which are the maximum activities that can be administered of each agent given individually. The combined agent tumor dose (CTD) is expressed as αA1T1 + βA2T2, where T1 and T2 are the tumor dose/MBq for the respective agents and α and β are fractions between 0 and 1. The optimum values of α and β are calculated from the simultaneous equations that determine the total dose to the respective critical organs. The fraction increase in dose (FID) resulting from the combined agent approach is expressed as (CTD – AnTn)/ AnTn, where n = 1 or 2 depending on which agent yields the highest tumor dose when administered alone. Simple algebraic manipulations allowed the expression of FID as a function of T2/T1. Results: The optimized fractions, αopt and βopt are uniquely determined solely from the critical organ dosimetric parameters. The model predicts that combined agent therapy is effective (i.e., FID > 0) in the range where T2/T1 is greater than Ca2/Ca1 but less than Cb2/Cb1, where Ca1 and Ca2 are the dose/MBq for the two agents of critical organ Ca and Cb1 and Cb2 are the dose/MBq for the two agents of critical organ Cb. Below the lower limit, agent 1 is superior to the agents used in combination and above the upper limit, agent 2 is superior. The model also predicts that the FID is a maximum when T2/T1 = A1/A2 and that the magnitude of the maximum dose increase is given by αopt + βopt – 1. Conclusions: The model calculates the optimal activities that should be administered in combined agent therapy and makes quantitative predictions about the conditions where it will be beneficial. Under favorable conditions, the combined agent approach can increase the tumor dose substantially more than 50% without exceeding critical organ limits.
Cis-regulatory changes in locomotor genes are associated with the evolution of burrowing behavior

How evolution modifies complex, innate behaviors is largely unknown. Divergence in many morphological traits has been linked, at least in part, to cis-regulatory changes in gene expression, a pattern also observed in some behaviors of recently diverged populations. Given this, we compared the gene expression in the brains of two interfertile sister species of Peromyscus mice, including allele-specific expression (ASE) of their F1 hybrids, that show large and heritable differences in burrowing behavior. Because cis- regulation may contribute to constitutive as well as activity-dependent gene expression, we also captured a molecular signature of burrowing circuit divergence by quantifying gene expression in mice shortly after burrowing. We found that several thousand genes were differentially expressed between the two sister species regardless of behavioral context, with several thousand more showing behavior-dependent differences. Allele- specific expression in F1 hybrids showed a similar pattern, suggesting that much of the differential expression is driven by cis-regulatory divergence. Genes related to locomotor coordination showed the strongest signals of lineage-specific selection on burrowing- induced cis-regulatory changes. By comparing these candidate genes to independent quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping data, we found that the closest QTL markers to these candidate genes are associated with variation in burrow shape, demonstrating an enrichment for candidate locomotor genes near segregating causal loci. Together, our results provide insight into how cis-regulated gene expression can depend on behavioral context as well as how this dynamic regulatory divergence between species can be integrated with forward genetics to enrich our understanding of the genetic basis of behavioral evolution.
Recurrence and Quality-of-Life Following Involved Node Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Initial Results From the Phase II INRT-Air Trial

Purpose/Objective(s) Elective neck irradiation (ENI) has long been considered mandatory when treating head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with definitive radiotherapy (RT). However, ENI is often responsible for the majority of the dose to the salivary glands and swallowing organs-at-risk (OAR), and recent prospective studies have supported reduced elective neck volume and dose. Moreover, with sensitive staging studies and artificial intelligence (AI), our ability to identify occult lymphadenopathy is greatly improving. In this prospective phase II study, we investigated the efficacy and tolerability of eliminating ENI and strictly treating involved and suspicious lymph nodes (LN) with intensity modulated radiation therapy. Materials/Methods Patients with newly-diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, larynx and hypopharynx were eligible for enrollment, excluding stage I-II glottic larynx. Each LN was characterized as involved or suspicious based on CT (e.g., cross-sectional size, enhancement pattern) and PET criteria and an in-house AI-based classification model. Gross disease and the primary clinical target volume were irradiated to 70 and 63 Gy in 35 fractions, respectively, and suspicious LN were treated to 66.5 Gy. Concurrent chemotherapy was required for stage T3N0-1 and IVA/B patients. The primary endpoint of the study was risk of solitary elective volume LN recurrence (i.e., LN recurrence in a classic ENI field without synchronous in-field or distant failure), with secondary endpoints including patterns-of-failure and patient reported outcomes. Results Sixty-seven patients were enrolled, with 18 larynx/hypopharynx and 49 oropharynx cancer (88% p16+). In total, 10% and 90% of patients were treated with accelerated RT and chemoRT, respectively. Average contralateral/ipsilateral mean parotid and contralateral submandibular doses were 11.9/18.4 Gy and 34.1 Gy, respectively, and average mean larynx/inferior constrictor/esophagus doses for oropharynx patients were 18.9/12.2/6.7 Gy. With a median follow-up of 12.8 months for surviving patients, there have been no solitary elective volume LN recurrences. Four patients have died from unrelated causes, and one died from in-field local progression. Gastrostomy was placed in 14 (21%), with median removal after 2.8 months for disease-free patients; only one patient is still dependent. Grade 1/2 dermatitis was seen in 90%/10% patients. There was no significant difference in MDADI score between baseline and months 3 and 6 post-RT; for patients with baseline MDADI score > 75, the scores at 3/6 months were 84/83. Conclusion Preliminary results suggest that eliminating ENI is oncologically sound for HNSCC, with highly favorable OAR dosimetry and promising quality-of-life outcomes. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm these results.
Pediatric Trichotillomania: Conceptualization and Treatment Implications

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses pediatric trichotillomania (TTM) along with conceptualization and treatment implications. TTM is a chronic impulse control disorder characterized by pulling out one's own hair, resulting in noticeable hair loss. TTM patients find hair pulling pleasurable, satisfying or relieving, even if they feel badly about the negative emotional and physical consequences of pulling. Thus, TTM is thought to be maintained by positive rather than negative reinforcement, which is one of the ways to distinguish it from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). TTM typically emerges during adolescence. Moreover, TTM appears to be a heterogeneous disorder, which serves as a further barrier to comprehensive understanding and thereby hinders the development of treatment strategies. Therapists with different theoretical views would approach the problem from a different vantage point, and the absence of experimental study of pediatric TTM and the resultant dearth of knowledge about this problem does not offer sufficient evidence upon which to dictate an approach. The absence of controlled outcome research clearly demonstrating the efficacy of any particular therapeutic approach further contributes to the confusion about how best to think about and to treat pediatric TTM. More work is needed in these areas in order to help sufferers overcome this difficult and apparently intractable problem.
Uridine Nucleotide Incorporation into Pigeon Liver Microsome Ribonucleic Acid

Results of experiments on pigeon liver cytoplasmic fractions are reported that show that desoxyribonucleic acid (RNA) synthesis occurs in the microsome fraction. The conditions required for nucleotide incorporation into pigeon liver microsomal RNA were determined and a comparison made between uridine monophosphate, uridinc diphosphate, and uridine triphosphate (UTP) as RNA precursors using C/sup 14/-labeled nucleotides characterized spectrophotometrically and by chromstography with authentic standards. Radioautograms of the chromatograms were made. The zero time binding of UTP to the various subcellular fractions from pigeon liver and of all three uridine nuclcotides to microsomes was measured and resuits are tabulated. Reaction mechanisms involved are discussed. (C.H.)
Asymptotic distributions of polylocus test statistics.

Polylocus linkage analysis methods are modified two-point analyses which aim to approach the information gain of multilocus analysis. Terwilliger and Ott [(1992) Am J Hum Genet 51:A202, (1993) Genet Epidemiol 10:477–482] put forth two such methods. This paper presents asymptotic approximations to the null distribution of the likelihood ratio statistics for these two methods, correcting earlier reports [Terwilliger and Ott (1993) Genet Epidemiol 10:477–482; Schaid and Elston (1994) Genet Epidemiol 11:1–17]. The performance of the approximations is then assessed for finite samples of fully informative meioses. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Implementation teams: A new lever for organizational change

Summary This paper introduces a team form called an “implementation team”—a team charged with designing and leading the implementation of an organization-wide change strategy—and investigates this team type in a context ripe for change, U.S. public school systems. Unlike prior teams research that has focused on teams as diagnostic collectives or strategic decision-making bodies, this study forwards the notion that teams can be used to implement organizational change. In this study, we examined how positional and tenure diversity and work context relate to team member learning, a critical factor in sustaining organizational change. Results from 25 school district instructional improvement strategy teams over two years challenge some basic assumptions regarding what constitutes a “real team.” We find that some taken-for-granted aspects of teams, such as team member stability, may not be central or even appropriate when considering “real teams” in this change context; rather than stability of team membership, the stability of members' roles may matter most. We conclude by suggesting that scholars further investigate this team form and reframe, reconsider, and renew their conceptualizations of “real teams,” especially for teams engaged in implementing organizational change. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of Hessian Recovery Methods for Generating Adaptive Meshes

We study adaptive meshes which are quasi-uniform in a metric generated by the Hessian of a P1 finite element function. We consider three most efficient methods for recovering this Hessian, one variational method and two projection methods. We compare these methods for problems with anisotropic singularities to show that all Hessian recovery methods result in acceptable adaptive meshes although the variational method gives a smaller error.
The ilvIH operon of Escherichia coli is positively regulated.

The ilvIH operon of Escherichia coli (located near min 2) encodes acetohydroxyacid synthase III, an isozyme involved in branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis. A strain with lacZ fused to the ilvIH promoter was constructed. Transposon Tn10 was introduced into this strain, and tetracycline-resistant derivatives were screened for those in which ilvIH promoter expression was markedly reduced. In one such derivative, strain CV1008, beta-galactosidase expression was reduced more than 30-fold. The transposon giving rise to this phenotype inserted near min 20 on the E. coli chromosome. Extract from a wild-type strain contains a protein, the IHB protein, that binds to two sites upstream of the ilvIH promoter (E. Ricca, D. A. Aker, and J. M. Calvo, J. Bacteriol. 171:1658-1664, 1989). Extract from strain CV1008 lacks IHB-binding activity. These results indicate that the IHB protein is a positive regulator of ilvIH operon expression. The gene that encodes the IHB protein, ihb, was cloned by complementing the transposon-induced mutation. Definitive evidence that the cloned DNA encodes the IHB protein was provided by determining the sequence of more than 17 amino acids at the N terminus of the IHB protein and comparing it with the nucleotide sequence. A mutation that prevents repression of the ilvIH operon by leucine in vivo and that alters the DNA-binding characteristics of the IHB protein in vitro was shown to be an allele of the ihb gene. The ihb gene is identical to oppI, a gene that regulates the oppABCDF operon (E. A. Austin, J. C. Andrews, and S. A. Short, Abstr. Mol. Genet. Bacteria Phages, p. 153, 1989). Thus, oppI/ihb encodes a protein that regulates both ilvIH, an operon that is repressed by leucine, and oppABCDF, an operon involved in peptide transport that is induced by leucine. We propose that the designation lrp be used in the future instead of oppI or ihb and that Lrp (leucine-responsive regulatory protein) be used in place of IHB. Images
Opioid Receptor Gene Expression in the Porcine Immune System

The connection between opioid abuse and the abuser’ s susceptibility to a wide variety of infectious diseases is well established. Injected opiates are considered to be an important co-factor in the acquisition of hepatitis, tuberculosis, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and other serious disease states.1 Reductions in disease resistance that are induced by opioid agonists are likely to stem from a decrease in immune function. In addition to the indirect effects that opiates exert on the immune system through modulation of brain pathways and the hypothalamo-pituitary—adrenal axis, 2–4 there is a growing literature which suggests that these substances directly influence immunocyte function. These latter studies are largely controversial however, due to difficulties in assessing opioid receptor (OR) function in immune cells and many potential variables that, if not taken into account, may complicate the interpretation of data obtained from in vivo or in vitro experiments.5, 6
Scattering from Fractally Fluted Cylinders

We consider the scattering of electromagnetic wave from fractally fluted dielectric and conducting cylinders. The azimuthal variation of the cylinder surface is described by a bandlimited fractal function. We find closed-form perturbation solutions using procedures similar to the Debye method. Connections between the scattering distribution of the fields and fractal descriptors of the fluted cylinders are discussed.
The Invisible Plagues: A Conceptual Model of the Neglect of Neglected Tropical Diseases

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect at least 1 billion people worldwide and are estimated to threaten millions more. NTDs are widespread, primarily affect socially marginalized and vulnerable populations, and contribute to and reinforce global poverty. Although NTDs have significant medical, social, economic and political implications, they receive low priority in global health policies. Moreover, the existing literature has not yet examined the inherently social linkages of NTDs to global inequality, power and “development.” This article takes a critical sociological approach in order to construct a conceptual model to explain NTDs’ “neglect.” Distal level factors in the model include: global inequality and non-modifiable biological aspects (geographic isolation, chronic and disfiguring disease outcomes and concurrent infections). Intermediate level factors include: poverty and neoliberal health policy. Proximal level factors include: lack of research and development; lack of funding for interventions; the dominance of disease-specific interventions; lack of infrastructure and medical services; social isolation; epidemiological methods that underestimate NTDs’ disease burden; and social stigma. Further refinement of such a model may enable global health advocates to create more effective and comprehensive strategies to end not only the “neglect” of NTDs but the social contexts that have created this “neglect.”
Powder dictionary (pdCIF)

This is version 1.0.1 of the powder CIF dictionary (pdCIF). A commentary on the use of this dictionary, which also discusses the organization of powder data sets, especially for studies of multiphase samples and for studies referring to external calibration standards, may be found in Chapter 3.3. The data names defined here complement those in the core CIF dictionary (Chapter 4.1) and should be used to describe the results of powder diffraction studies. Keywords: crystallography; CIF; CIF dictionaries; Crystallographic Information File; pdCIF; powder Crystallographic Information File; data names; data categories; DDL1
Survival Advantage From Higher-Dose Radiation Therapy for Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer Treated on the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Trials

PURPOSE: We evaluated the effect of external-beam radiation therapy on disease-specific survival (death from causes related to prostate cancer) and overall survival in men with clinically localized prostate cancer. METHODS: From 1975 to 1992, 1,465 men with clinically localized prostate cancer received radiation therapy on four Radiation Therapy Oncology Group phase III randomized trials and were pooled for this analysis. No one received androgen-deprivation therapy with his initial treatment. All original histology had central pathologic review for grading using the Gleason classification system. Total delivered radiation dose ranged from 60 to 78 Gy (median, 68.4 Gy). The median follow-up time was 8 years. RESULTS: A Cox regression model revealed that Gleason score was an independent predictor of disease-specific survival and overall survival. The 10-year disease-specific survival rates by Gleason score were as follows: score of 2 through 5, 85%; score of 6, 79%; score of 7, 62%; and score of 8 through ...
Physics-Based circuit models for MIMO antennas using characteristic modes

Using characteristic mode theory, we develop a general broadband circuit model for the admittance of a multi-input, multi-output antenna. Each accessible port couples into radiation modes and to the other ports in a way that can be represented analytically or as a circuit block. This physics-based approach offers a systematic method to build a model of a complicated multiport antenna using simple building blocks. An example of a strip dipole antenna shows that a circuit model made from simple building blocks can model the multi-port S-parameters of the antenna within a few percent over a 10:1 frequency range.
Magnetism, optical absorbance, and 19F NMR spectra of nafion films with self-assembling paramagnetic networks

Magnetization, optical absorbance, and {sup 19}F NMR spectra of Nafion transparent films as received and doped with Mn{sup 2+}, Co{sup 2+}, Fe{sup 2+}, and Fe{sup 3+} ions with and without treatment in 1H-1,2,4-triazole (trz) have been studied. Doping of Nafion with Fe{sup 2+} and Co{sup 2+} and their bridging to nitrogen of triazole yields a hybrid self-assembling paramagnetic system that exhibits interesting magnetic and optical properties. These include spin crossover phenomena between high-spin (HS) and low-spin (LS) states in Nafion-Fe{sup 2+}-trz and Nafion-Co{sup 2+}-trz accompanied by thermochromic effects in the visible range induced by temperature. A large shift of the magnetization curve induced by a magnetic field in the vicinity of the HS {leftrightarrow} LS, {approx}220 K, observed for Nafion-Fe{sup 2+}-trz has a rate of {approx}6 K/kOe, which is about three orders of magnitude larger than that in bulk spin crossover Fe{sup 2+} materials. Selective response of {sup 19}F NMR signals on doping with paramagnetic ions demonstrates that NMR can be used as spatially resolved method to study Nafion film with paramagnetic network. Both chemical shift and width of {sup 19}F NMR signals show that SO groups of Nafion, Fe or Co ions, and nitrogen of triazole are bonded whereasmore » they form a spin crossover system. Based on a model of nanosize cylinders proposed for Nafion [K. Schmidt-Rohr and Q. Chen, Nat Mater (2008), 75], we suggest that paramagnetic ions are located inside these cylinders, forming self-assembling magnetically and optically active nanoscale networks.« less
Possible origin of the xenacanth sharks Orthacanthus texensis and Orthacanthus platypternus in the Lower Permian of Texas, USA

Two species of Orthacanthus (Chondrichthyes: Xenacanthiformes), Orthacanthus texensis and Orthacanthus platypternus, occur in the Lower Permian of Texas, where O. texensis is restricted to the Wich...
Design Considerations For Fiber Optic Detectors

The system requirements for fiber optic detectors and the relationship between bit error rate and signal to noise ratio are reviewed. With this relationship the device structure can be designed to provide the required S/N ratio, and the requirements for avalanche gain can be determined. The important material properties for low noise, wide bandwidth avalanche photo-diodes are reviewed, and a structure which separates the multiplication and absorption functions of an avalanche photodiode is described.
Purse-string morphology of external anal sphincter revealed by novel imaging techniques

The external anal sphincter (EAS) may be injured in 25–35% of women during the first and subsequent vaginal childbirths and is likely the most common cause of anal incontinence. Since its first description almost 300 years ago, the EAS was believed to be a circular or a “donut-shaped” structure. Using three-dimensional transperineal ultrasound imaging, MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and muscle fiber tracking, we delineated various components of the EAS and their muscle fiber directions. These novel imaging techniques suggest “purse-string” morphology, with “EAS muscles” crossing contralaterally in the perineal body to the contralateral transverse perineal (TP) and bulbospongiosus (BS) muscles, thus attaching the EAS to the pubic rami. Spin-tag MRI demonstrated purse-string action of the EAS muscle. Electromyography of TP/BS and EAS muscles revealed their simultaneous contraction and relaxation. Lidocaine injection into the TP/BS muscle significantly reduced anal canal pressure. These studies support purse-string morphology of the EAS to constrict/close the anal canal opening. Our findings have implications for the effect of episiotomy on anal closure function and the currently used surgical technique (overlapping sphincteroplasty) for EAS reconstructive surgery to treat anal incontinence.
Support polygons and symmetrical gaits in mammals

The symmetrical gaits of quadrupedal mammals are oftendescribed in terms of two variables: duty factor (S = the stanceperiod of one foot, as a percentage of the gait cycle) and diagonality(D = the percentage of the cycle period by whichthe left hind footfall precedes the left fore footfall). We showthat support polygons are optimized during walking (i.e.the percentage of the locomotor cycle spent standing on only twofeet is minimized) for: (1) the diagonal-sequence, diagonal-coupletswalks characteristic of primates (50 < D < 75)when D = [hindlimb S]; (2) lateral-sequence,lateral-couplets walks (0 < D < 25)when D = [hindlimb S]− 50;(3) lateral-sequence, diagonal-couplets walks (25 < D < 50)when D = 100 −[forelimb S].To determine whether animal behaviour is optimal in this sense,we examined 346 symmetrical gait cycles in 45 mammal species. Ourempirical data show that mammalian locomotor behaviour approximatesthe theoretical optima. We suggest that diagonal-sequence walkingmay be adopted by ­primates as a means of ensuring thata grasping hindfoot is placed in a protracted position on a testedsupport at the moment when the contralateral forefoot strikes downon an untested support. © 2002 The Linnean Societyof London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2002, 136,401−420
Incorporating radiology into medical gross anatomy: Does the use of cadaver CT scans improve students' academic performance in anatomy?

Radiological images show anatomical structures in multiple planes and may be effective for teaching anatomical spatial relationships, something that students often find difficult to master. This study tests the hypotheses that (1) the use of cadaveric computed tomography (CT) scans in the anatomy laboratory is positively associated with performance in the gross anatomy course and (2) dissection of the CT-scanned cadaver is positively associated with performance on this course. One hundred and seventy-nine first-year medical students enrolled in gross anatomy at Boston University School of Medicine were provided with CT scans of four cadavers, and students were given the opportunity to choose whether or not to use these images. The hypotheses were tested using logistic regression analysis adjusting for student demographic characteristics. Students who used the CT scans were more likely to score greater than 90% as an average practical examination score (odds ratio OR 3.6; 95% CI 1.4, 9.2), final course grade (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.01, 6.8), and on spatial anatomy examination questions (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.03, 5.6) than were students who did not use the CT scans. There were no differences in performance between students who dissected the scanned cadavers and those who dissected a different cadaver. These results demonstrate that the use of CT scans in medical gross anatomy is predictive of performance in the course and on questions requiring knowledge of anatomical spatial relationships, but it is not necessary to scan the actual cadaver dissected by each student.
Functional Connectivity Between tRNA Binding Domains in Glutaminyl-tRNA Synthetase

Abstract The structure of Escherichia coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase (GlnRS) in complex with tRNA Gln and ATP has identified a number a sequence-specific protein–tRNA interactions. The contribution to glutamine identity has previously been determined for the nucleotides in tRNA Gln . Here, we report the mutational analysis of residues in all three tRNA recognition domains of GlnRS, thus completing a survey of the major sequence-specific contacts between GlnRS and tRNA Gln . Specifically, we analyzed the GlnRS determinants involved in recognition of the anticodon which is essential for glutamine identity and in the communication of anticodon recognition to the acceptor binding domain in GlnRS. A combined in vivo and in vitro approach has demonstrated that Arg341, which makes a single sequence-specific hydrogen bond with U35 in the anticodon of tRNA Gln , is involved in initial RNA recognition and is an important positive determinant for this base in both cognate and non-cognate tRNA contexts. However, Arg341, as well as Arg402, which interacts with G36 in the anticodon, are negative determinants for non-cognate nucleotides at their respective positions. Analysis of acceptor-anticodon binding double mutants and of a mutation of Glu323 in the loop-strand-helix connectivity subdomain in GlnRS has further implicated this domain in the functional communication of anticodon recognition. The better than expected activity (anticooperativity) of these double mutants has led us to propose an "anticodon-independent" mechanism, in which the removal of certain synthetase interactions with the anticodon eliminates structural constraints, thus allowing the relaxed specificity mutants in the acceptor binding domain to make more productive interactions.
Interactive rehabilitation and dynamical analysis of scalp EEG

Electroencephalography (EEG) has been used for decades to measure the brain's electrical activity. Planning and performing a complex movement (e.g., reaching and grasping) requires the coordination of muscles by electrical activity that can be recorded with scalp EEG from relevant regions of the cortex. Prior studies, utilizing motion capture and kinematic measures, have shown that an augmented reality feedback system for rehabilitation of stroke patients can help patients develop new motor plans and perform reaching tasks more accurately. Historically, traditional signal analysis techniques have been utilized to quantify changes in EEG when subjects perform common, simple movements. These techniques have included measures of event-related potentials in the time and frequency domains (e.g., energy and coherence measures). In this study, a more advanced, nonlinear, analysis technique, mutual information (MI), is applied to the EEG to capture the dynamics of functional connections between brain sites. In particular, the cortical activity that results from the planning and execution of novel reach trajectories by normal subjects in an augmented reality system was quantified by using statistically significant MI interactions between brain sites over time. The results show that, during the preparation for as well as the execution of a reach, the functional connectivity of the brain changes in a consistent manner over time, in terms of both the number and strength of cortical connections. A similar analysis of EEG from stroke patients may provide new insights into the functional deficiencies developed in the brain after stroke, and contribute to evaluation, and possibly the design, of novel therapeutic schemes within the framework of rehabilitation and BMI (brain machine interface).
Hemorrhage rate in patients with Spetzler-Martin grades IV and V arteriovenous malformations: is treatment justified?

Background and Purpose— We sought to examine the prospective annual risk of hemorrhage in patients harboring Spetzler-Martin grades IV and V arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) before and after initiation of treatment. Methods— Medical records of 61 consecutive patients presenting with Spetzler-Martin grades IV and V AVMs were retrospectively reviewed for demographics, angiographic features, presenting symptom(s), and time of all hemorrhage events, before or after treatment initiation. Pretreatment hemorrhage rates (excluding hemorrhages at presentation) and posttreatment rates were subsequently calculated. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores before and after treatment were recorded. Results— The annual pretreatment hemorrhage rate for all patients was 10.4% per year (95% CI, 2.2 to 15.4%), 13.9% (95% CI, 3.5 to 22.1%) in patients with hemorrhagic presentation and 7.3% (2.6 to 14.3%) in patients with nonhemorrhagic presentation. Posttreatment hemorrhage rates were 6.1% per year (95% CI, 2.5 to 13.2%) for al...
Management of Limb Length Discrepancy after Total Hip Arthroplasty

Limb-length discrepancy after total hip arthroplasty remains a vexing problem to both patient and surgeon. Patients can present with various symptoms, including gait disturbance, neurologic disturbances, instability, and pain. There are various etiologies to this problem that can be either correctable or noncorrectable. The source of the discrepancy must be first identified and explained to the patient, followed by a stepwise system of addressing the correctable causes and managing them. Treatment most often is conducted in a nonoperative manner, however, when these modalities fail, surgical correction is usually possible and successful. By addressing femoral and acetabular component position with respect to anatomic and radiographic landmarks, as well as maintaining appropriate soft-tissue tension, the correctable causes of limb-length discrepancy that fail to respond to nonsurgical means are usually amenable to operative intervention.
Three-dimensional modelling of indentation fracture in brittle materials

Abstract A new methodology for solution of the three-dimensional contact and crack problems, based on combination of the variational and boundary integral approaches, was developed. The model can be used to predict more accurately stress-strain fields in the brittle elastic-plastic bodies in contact, and so assess indentation induced fracture. Examples combined with results obtained were used to compare this model with others and to demonstrate the high level of agreement with experimental data.
Behavioral Families and Multiple Causes: Matching the Complexity of Responses to the Complexity of Antecedents:

1. E. dimming and W.E. Henry, Growing Old: The Process of Disengagement (Basic Books, New York, 1961). 2. R.W. Levenson, L.L. Carstensen, W.V. Frie sen, and P. Ekman, Emotion, physiology, and ex pression in old age, Psychology and Aging, 6, 28-35 (1991). 3. M.P. Lawton, M.H. Kleban, D. Rajagopal, and J. Dean, Dimensions of affective experience in three age groups, Psychology and Aging, 7, 171? 184(1992). 4. L.L. Carstensen and S. Turk-Charles, The sa lience of emotion across the adult life span, Psychol ogy of Aging, 9, 259-264 (1994). 5. L.L. Carstensen, Motivation for social contact across the life span: A theory of socioemotional se lectivity, in Nebraska Symposium on Motivation: Vol. 40. Developmental Perspectives on Motivation, J. Jacobs, Ed. (University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1993). 6. L.L. Carstensen, Social and emotional pat terns in adulthood: Support for socioemotional se lectivity theory, Psychology and Aging, 7, 331-338 (1992). 7. P.B. Baltes, K.U. Mayer, H. Helmchen, and E. Steinhagen-Thiessen, The Berlin Aging Study (BASE): Overview and design, Ageing and Society, 73,483-515(1993). 8. F. Lang and L.L. Carstensen, Close emotional relationships in late life: Further support for proac tive aging in the social domain, Psychology and Ag ing, 9, 315-324(1994). 9. B.L. Fredrickson and L.L. Carstensen, Choos ing social partners: How old age and anticipated endings make people more selective, Psychology and Aging, 5, 335-347 (1990). 10. L.L. Carstensen and B.F. Fredrickson, Ag ing, illness and social preferences, paper presented at the International Congress of Psychology, Brus sels, Belgium (July 1992). 11. R.W. Levenson, L.L. Carstensen, and J.M. Gottman, Long-term marriage: Age, gender and sat isfaction, Psychology and Aging, 8, 301-313 (1993).
Conferences as Venues for the Configuration of Emerging Organizational Fields: The Case of Cochlear Implants

I examine how conferences can be occasions for the configuration of emerging organizational fields by describing three that I attended during the development and commercialization of cochlear implants. These conferences served as venues for a variety of activities to unfold, ranging from the exchange of information to the enactment of technological possibilities. A full appreciation of conferences as holistic events, I argue, offers us a particularly valuable entry point into gaining a deeper understanding of how new fields are assembled in real time.
Domestic violence: a clinical guide for women's healthcare providers

Key content Domestic violence is common among obstetric and gynaecology patients and is a leading cause of maternal mortality. Reproductive coercion involves male attempts to control female fertility; long-acting contraception should be considered in these cases. Past domestic violence and late booking for antenatal care are associated with abuse during pregnancy. Healthcare providers should ask women about domestic violence directly and in private, assess victims’ safety, offer referrals to community-based organisations and document abuse in the hospital or office record (not necessarily in the hand-held record). Learning objectives To understand the prevalence of domestic violence, risk factors and the impact on women's health. To know how to enquire routinely for domestic violence and offer assistance to victims. Ethical issues The highest standard of confidentiality is required to keep abused women safe; at times, this standard may conflict with complete information sharing. Healthcare providers often feel frustrated and powerless when working with abused women. It is the woman's decision when to leave her violent relationship and the clinician's role to provide empathy and information about resources.
Microbubble formation during radiofrequency ablation detected by phonocardiography

Microbubble (MB) formation during radiofrequency (RF) ablation indicates excessive tissue heating and may precede explosive “pops”. Currently, MB formation can only be detected with echocardiography. We hypothesized that MB formation can be detected with high sensitivity phonocardiography. Purpose: To detect and characterize the acoustic energy generated by MB formation in an isolated tissue preparation. Methods: In a saline bath, RF lesions were created in sections of porcine left ventricle using a 4 mm tip irrigated catheter. MB formation was visualized with an echocardiographic probe. In 20 preparations, RF energy was begun at 25 W and increased by 5 W every 20 seconds until a pop occurred. A high sensitivity computerized phonocardiography transducer with frequency bandwidth of 2 KHz and sytem noise -90dB (SonoMedica, Inc.) was coupled to the external glass wall of the bath. Results: In 15 of 20 (75%) preparations, a characteristic acoustic signature corresponding to MB formation was noted before the pop. These signals were within the 600 to 2KHz range and were 10 to 40dB louder. The earliest MB and acoustic signals occurred 51.3 51.5 before the pop. The acoustic signals continued intermittently up to 10.3 12.9 seconds before the pop. Conclusions: The acoustic energy created by MB formation can be detected in an isolated tissue preparation using a computer based phonocardiography system. Characteristic acoustic signatures are present before pops and correspond to MB formation. Acoustic monitoring for MB formation may allow for the titration of cooled RF ablation without echocardiography.
Tamoxifen (nolvadex) versus adrenalectomy in metastatic breast cancer

The relative efficacy of adrenalectomy and tamoxifen (Nolvadex) was evaluated in a randomized study of 51 patients with metastatic breast cancer. In 25 patients undergoing adrenalectomy, there were 13 responders. There were 9 responders of 26 patients receiving tamoxifen. There was no statistically significant difference. In the crossover phase, 15 patients received tamoxifen following adrenalectomy and 3 responded, one of the 6 previous adrenalectomy responders and 2 of the 9 adrenalectomy nonresponders. Nine patients underwent adrenalectomy following tamoxifen, and there were five responders, one of two tamoxifen responders and four of seven tamoxifen nonresponders. Both tamoxifen and adrenalectomy were effective modalities, and appear to retain effectiveness in crossover trials. The frequency of remission was similar in both groups treated by both modalities in different sequences. Response rates to adrenalectomy, considered as both primary and secondary therapy, were significantly higher, since 18 of 34 patients (53%) responded to this therapy, whereas 12 of 41 (29%) responded to tamoxifen as either primary or secondary therapy.
In Vivo Thermal Ablation Monitoring Using Ultrasound Echo Decorrelation Imaging

Previous work indicated that ultrasound echo decorrelation imaging can track and quantify changes in echo signals to predict thermal damage during in vitro radiofrequency ablation (RFA). In the in vivo studies reported here, the feasibility of using echo decorrelation imaging as a treatment monitoring tool was assessed. RFA was performed on normal swine liver (N = 5), and ultrasound ablation using image-ablate arrays was performed on rabbit liver implanted with VX2 tumors (N = 2). Echo decorrelation and integrated backscatter were computed from Hilbert transformed pulse-echo data acquired during RFA and ultrasound ablation treatments. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed to assess the ability of echo decorrelation imaging and integrated backscatter to predict ablation. Area under the ROC curves (AUROC) was determined for RFA and ultrasound ablation using echo decorrelation imaging. Ablation was predicted more accurately using echo decorrelation imaging (AUROC = 0.832 and 0.776 for RFA and ultrasound ablation, respectively) than using integrated backscatter (AUROC = 0.734 and 0.494).
TERRESTRIAL PHOTOGRAMMETRY OF CLOUDS

Abstract Measurements of heights of clouds and the vertical velocities and accelerations of cloud outlines can be made from stereo pairs of photographs taken at regular time intervals. Two methods of obtaining these measurements for individual cloud features are explained. The first is a graphical procedure and the second is a method utilizing direct parallax measurements from the two photographs. Accuracies of 100 to 300 feet in height and 0.1 to 0.7 mile in range at 13 mile ranges are claimed. Information on the change with time of the entire cloud outline can be obtained via a stereoscopic planimetric method. This method is explained and sample results of cloud tracings and cloud growth rates are presented.
A Personal Portable Information Interface: A Model for Meeting User Needs in the Networked Information Environment

SUMMARY A personal portable information interface is described. The framework of the personal portable information interface encompasses the attributes of Access, Accuracy, Attractiveness, Assistance, Appropriateness, and Adaptability. This model can be used as a standard with which to compare available networked services and resources, and the delivery of those resources to specific user populations.
Quantifying the Role of Electronic Charge Trap States on Imprint Behavior in Ferroelectric Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) Thin Films

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) ferroelectric thin films are a potentially promising material for sensors or non-volatile memories. Imprint, the time-dependent resistance to polarization reversal, is a key material property that limits applications and is poorly understood. Based on experimental time and temperature dependences, we propose and investigate the link between imprint and charge trap states. A novel fast-ramp thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurement was developed to quantify and characterize the traps in an appropriate time-frame. Thin films of P(VDF-TrFE) on oxidized Si substrates were characterized following controlled initialization, fatigue, polarization, and imprint. Trap states were thermally filled/emptied by temperature cycling between 20–100 °C, using heating and cooling rates between 1 and 5 °C/s. Dynamics of this fast-ramp TSC indicate the presence of not only trap states, but also reversible and non-reversible charge accumulation. The presence of electrically active traps were verified by measurements over 1–10 s imprint times. Trapped charge directly correlated with the log of the imprint time, with a rate of ∼0.12 /μC/cm 2 /decade.
High School Drinker Typologies Predict Alcohol Involvement and Psychosocial Adjustment During Acclimation to College

This study examined differences among distinct types of high school drinkers on their alcohol involvement and psychosocial adjustment during the first semester of college. Participants were 147 college freshmen (66% female; 86% Caucasian) from a large Southeastern public university who reported on high school drinking and college stress, affect, drinking, and parenting. We used person-centered analyses to reveal relative stability in drinker typologies over the college transition and found some support for the lay-theory that restrictive parenting moderates this stability, with abstainers reacting against restrictive parenting in college through alcohol use. Finally, findings supported Block and Block's (1980) theory of ego-control and resilience such that high school experimenters showed better adaptation than abstainers and heavier users on indices of negative and positive affect. We discuss implications for a person-centered approach to the study of alcohol involvement during the college transition and the need to incorporate parenting constructs in college alcohol use research.
Public and private communication are different: results on relative expressivity

Dynamic Epistemic Logic (DEL) is the study of how to reason about knowledge, belief, and communication. This paper studies the relative expressivity of certain fragments of the DEL language for public and private communication. It is shown that the language of public communication with common knowledge and the language of private communication with common knowledge are expressively incomparable for the class of all pointed Kripke models, which provides a formal proof that public and private communication are fundamentally different in the presence of common knowledge. It is also shown that single-recipient private communication does not add expressive power to the language of modal logic with common knowledge for any class of transitive pointed Kripke models. The latter result provides a sense in which positive introspection—believing our own beliefs—induces a kind of self-dialog.
Estrogens. V. Studies on the relationship of estrogenic activity and molecular structure.

Abstract The changes in estrogenic activity caused by substituents at positions 2 and 4 of estrone and 17β-estradiol are reported and discussed. The results reveal that both the position and the structure of the substituent on the estrogen molecule determine the estrogenic activity of the compound. Two factors seem to have a predominating influence on the hormonal activity of the estrogens. First is a steric factor in which the phenolic hydroxyl group of an estrogen is so shielded by a large group that it would be difficult for it to form a hydrogen bond with a biologically important substrate. Secondly, compounds with a substituent which is capable of forming a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond with the phenolic hydroxyl group exhibit low estrogenic activity.
A core component of the certification examination in internal medicine

Objective: To develop and test the psychometric characteristics of an examination of core content in internal medicine.