cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Substance Abuse Disorders

Alcohol and substance abuse is a worldwide problem. In 1950 the World Health Organization (WHO) reported international concerns about alcoholism as a disease and as a social problem. In 1979 WHO declared that problems related to alcohol ranked among the world’s major public health problems and constituted serious hazards for human health, welfare, and life (Moser, 1985). Many countries reported that patients with primary or secondary diagnosis of alcoholism or alcoholic psychosis accounted for 20 to 30% of all first-time admissions to both psychiatric and general hospitals. In addition, WHO surveys of many countries revealed significant drug use (Johnson, 1980). For example, in 12- to 19-year-olds, 12% (Thailand and Pakistani) to 16% (Canada) used or experimented with substances such as marijuana, LSD, stimulants, and narcotics.
Enhancing Accountability in the Cloud via Sticky Policies

This paper introduces and discusses a data management solution to provide accountability within the cloud as well as addressing privacy issues. The central idea is as follows. Customers allow cloud (service) providers to have access to specific data based on agreed policies and by forcing interactions with interchangeable independent third parties called Trust Authorities. The access to data can be as fine-grained as necessary, based on policy definitions, underlying encryption mechanisms (supporting the stickiness of policies to the data) and a related key management approach that allows (sets of) data attribute(s) to be encrypted specifically based on the policy. Access to data is mediated by a Trust Authority that checks for compliance to policies in order to release decryption keys. By these means users can be provided with finegrained control over access and usage of their data within the cloud, even in public cloud models.
Cyber-Physical Systems Education: Explorations and Dreams

The field of cyber-physical systems (CPS), as a well-defined intellectual discipline, is entering its second decade. The past decade has seen several explorations in CPS education, accompanied by related research projects and technologies. This article reviews some of these explorations that the author has been involved with, and tries to extrapolate these to “dreams” for what the future may bring.
Liver transplantation for colorectal liver metastasis

Purpose of reviewThe aim of this review is to discuss existing data on liver transplantation for colorectal liver metastasis, emerging controversies, and future directions.Recent findingsContemporary experience with transplanting patients with liver metastasis from colon cancer is mainly derived fro
Trauma-Informed Maternity Care

Pregnancy and childbirth are often difficult experiences for women who have experienced trauma. Exposure to interpersonal trauma is common in the US population, women experience high lifetime rates of child abuse, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence and these, in turn, may impact reproductive health. The data on sexual abuse in childhood, alone, indicate that at least one in four expectant women will have a history of sexual abuse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently estimated that one in five adult women experience completed or attempted rape. Many women experience multiple forms of trauma, and some subsequently develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When present prior to pregnancy and childbirth, PTSD can impact pregnancy outcomes and subsequent parenting, contributing to enduring intergenerational effects of trauma. Routine screening and inquiry for interpersonal trauma is critical because providers of maternity care may not always be aware of a woman’s history. Even if a patient does not wish to disclose, the care team has communicated to her that this is an important issue that can impact birth experience and outcomes. The birth experience itself can be traumatic, even for women with no antecedent trauma history. This chapter provides practical recommendations for implementing trauma-informed care (TIC) in maternity settings and discusses examples of programs that employ principles of TIC.
The Value of Social Science Research in Christian Education Programs

Departments of Christian Education often find themselves in liminal spaces at colleges and universities somewhere between the theology of the humanities and the education of the social sciences, of...
Interaction Forces between Water Droplets and Solid Surfaces across Air Films.

Wetting of solid surfaces occurs when the intervening air film between a water droplet and a solid surface ruptures. Although this rupturing phenomenon is well known, the underlying mechanism has not yet been well understood. In this work, the rupture of intervening air films is systematically studied by measuring the spatiotemporal thickness profiles of the air films between droplets of deionized water and flat solid surfaces using a synchronized triwavelength reflection interferometry microscope. It has been shown that the critical rupture thickness of the air film (hc) depends on the surface hydrophobicity of solid surfaces. The hc value was increased from 50 nm on a hydrophobic surface having an equilibrium water contact angle (θw) of 96° to 1.42 μm on a hydrophilic surface having a θw of 25°. In addition, an increase in the critical rupture thickness with decreasing surface hydrophobicity was found to be applicable not only to chemically treated quartz surfaces but also to a variety of natural minera...
From yield history to productivity zone identification with hidden Markov random fields

Modern precision agriculture equipment enables site-specific management by allowing different treatments for different parts of a field. This ability to subdivide the field calls for identifying management zones. A compromise between treating a field uniformly and treating every plant individually is needed, as the former does not maximize yields and the latter is often impractical. This work presents an algorithm for inferring the yield productivity zones (YPZ) for a field based on yield data from multiple years. The algorithm uses a hidden Markov random field model (HMRF) to find regions of the field which likely correspond to the same underlying yield distribution (i.e., productivity zones). These regions are modeled to be the same every year, but their distributions (i.e., yield characteristics) are allowed to vary with time to account for year-to-year variability (from e.g., weather effects, differing crops or crop varieties). The zone assignments and distributions are estimated using stochastic expectation maximization (SEM) and the maximizer of the posterior marginals (MPM). The underlying assumption of the model and algorithm is that the yields corresponding to a given YPZ will behave similarly and therefore derive from the same probability distribution. YPZs are useful inputs for determining management zones. An advantage of this method is that it is able to run with only the yield data which are automatically collected during harvest. Also, this method requires no crop specific calibration or configuration or normalization of the data by year.
The role of eosinophils in airway hyperresponsiveness in diet-induced obese mice

Background: Eosinophils have been identified as important cells in metabolic homeostasis and are known to induce airway hyperresponsiveness, an abnormal bronchoconstriction response to inhaled stimuli. Obesity-related asthma is one state of metabolic dysfunction in which the heterogeneous activity of eosinophils in the lung and adipose tissue is not clear. Aim: To test if eosinophils affect obesity-related airway hyperresponsiveness and obesity status using a diet-induced obese mouse model. Methods: Wild type C57BL/6J mice (WT) and transgenic NJ1638 mice with systemic eosinophilia driven by high IL5 (+Eos) were fed a normal or high fat diet for 19 weeks. Food intake, body weight, body fat composition, and fasting glucose were measured. Airway responsiveness to inhaled serotonin, which induces vagally-mediated reflex bronchoconstriction, was tested in fasted, anesthetized, and ventilated mice. Results: Body fat and airway responses to aerosolized serotonin were similar between WT and +Eos mice fed a normal diet. When fed a high fat diet, WT and +Eos mice consumed similar amounts of food. Despite this, WT mice gained more weight, had higher body fat composition, and had higher fasting blood glucose than +Eos mice. WT mice on a high fat diet developed significant airway hyperresponsiveness to inhaled serotonin, while +Eos mice on a high fat diet did not. Conclusions: An increase in circulating eosinophils is associated with lower body fat composition and reduced airway responsiveness following a high fat diet. Eosinophils may have an underappreciated role in regulating body fat and may also protect against obesity-related airway hyperresponsiveness.
Disseminating Research and #VisualAbstracts

A visual abstract is a visual representation of the key findings of a research manuscript or article. The first visual abstract was used by the journal Annals of Surgery in July of 2016 alongside the hashtag #VisualAbstract, and since then over 75 journals, organizations, and institutions have adopted their use as a way to increase dissemination of research findings. This chapter details the tools and steps needed to create a basic visual abstract, discusses ways to leverage the visual abstract for dissemination of research on social media, and explores new ways visual abstracts are being used to improve the reach and impact of research findings across medical and scientific disciplines.
Collateral injury of the conduction system during catheter ablation of septal substrate in nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

Introduction In patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) little is known about the clinical impact of catheter ablation (CA) of septal ventricular tachycardia (VT) resulting in the collateral injury of the conduction system (CICS). Methods and results Ninety-five consecutive patients with NICM underwent CA of septal VT. Outcomes in patients with no baseline conduction abnormalities who developed CICS (group 1, n = 28 [29%]) were compared to patients with no CICS (group 2, n = 17 [18%]) and to patients with preexisting conduction abnormalities or biventricular pacing (group 3, n = 50 [53%]). Group-1 patients were younger, had a higher left ventricular ejection fraction and a lower prevalence of New York Heart Association III/IV class compared to group 3 while no significant differences were observed with group 2. After a median follow-up of 15 months, VT recurred in 14% of patients in group 1, 12% in group 2 (P = .94) and 32% in group 3 (P = .08) while death/transplant occurred in 14% of patients in group 1, 18% in group 2 (P = .69) and 28% in group 3 (P = .15). A worsening of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (median LVEF variation, -5%) was observed in group 1 compared to group 2 (median LVEF variation, 0%; P Conclusions In patients with NICM and septal substrate, sparing the abnormal substrate harboring the conduction system provides acceptable VT control while preventing a worsening of the systolic function.
CALM gatekeeper training is associated with increased confidence in utilizing means reduction approaches to suicide prevention among college resident assistants.

Background: Most suicide prevention programs focus on increasing knowledge regarding the problem of suicide, yet many fail to include information on the science and application of means reduction approaches. In an attempt to address this gap in practice, the Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) program was developed to educate clinicians on the importance of means reduction interventions. Methods: In the current study, a gatekeeper CALM training was delivered to 167 resident assistants. Confidence levels regarding suicide prevention and means reduction skills were assessed at baseline, post-training, and after a 6-week follow-up. Results: Results were suggestive of medium to large training effects. Though there was a small decay of training effects at follow-up, the effects were durable when compared to baseline levels. Conclusion: Given these findings, future gatekeeper trainings should be provided more consistently to help sustain the effects and data on the implementation of CALM principles should be measured during follow-up assessments.
Discrimination, perceived control, and psychological health among African Americans with hypertension

Hypertensive individuals represent a "vulnerable" population regarding psychological health. While African Americans are disproportionally burdened with hypertension, pathways predicting their psychological health remain understudied. We examine if discrimination is associated with psychological health, through an indirect effect of perceived control within a sample of African American individuals with prevalent hypertension (n = 990). Discrimination was significantly associated with an increase psychological distress and a decrease in psychological well-being through a reduction in perceived control, supporting Minority Stress Theory. Cardiovascular disease risk factor management implications are discussed.
Temporal patterns of nasal symptoms in patients with mild severity SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Abstract Background No study to date has analyzed the progression of sinonasal symptoms over time in COVID-19 patients. The purpose of this study is to analyze the progression of sinonasal symptoms and risk factors for olfactory dysfunction in the mild severity COVID-19 patient. Methods An internet survey was used to assess sinonasal symptoms in patients with COVID-19. Changes in rhinologic domain and symptom-specific Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) scores were compared at five time points: two weeks before diagnosis, at diagnosis, two weeks after diagnosis, four weeks after diagnosis, and six months after diagnosis. Results 521 responses were collected. Rhinologic domain SNOT-22 scores increased significantly (p 0.999). Taste-specific SNOT-22 scores also peaked at diagnosis (2.06, p 0.999). There were no significant differences in sense of smell or taste between 1-month and 6-month timepoints. Conclusion Sinonasal symptoms, particularly loss of smell and taste, may be important presenting symptoms in the mild severity COVID-19 patient. Our findings support incorporating these symptoms into screening protocols. Level of evidence: 4
Immobilization-mediated reduction in melting temperatures of DNA-DNA and DNA-RNA hybrids: Immobilized DNA probe hybridization studied by SPR

Abstract The melting temperature of probe-target nucleic acid hybrids plays an important role in sensor performance. This study employed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) techniques to investigate the hybridization of both DNA and RNA targets to their complementary surface-bound DNA oligonucleotide and the corresponding melting temperatures. The target molecule was a 26 nucleotide strand of RNA selected because of its utility in detecting the tobacco mosaic virus, a common plant pathogen with an RNA genome. The melting temperatures of duplexes with immobilized probes were determined by hybridization of the DNA and RNA targets with the bound DNA probe at different temperatures using a custom-built thermostated dual-channel SPR cell. Hybridization conditions and binding efficiencies were compared for both DNA and RNA binding to the gold-coated surface-bound DNA probe. The melting temperature for the DNA–DNA duplex was approximately 15 °C higher than the DNA–RNA in the solid state. The melting temperature in solution was also measured for comparison to the surface values. For both RNA and DNA, the melting transitions were substantially lower (∼20 °C) for solid state binding relative to solution. Particularly for surface immobilized DNA–RNA hybrids, the melting temperature was reduced to room temperature or below. Since most biosensor platforms operate at room temperature, they may consequently exhibit poor sensor performance due to weakened probe-target interactions. This result emphasizes that for optimal sensor performance, the hybrid melting temperature should be considered. The ability to study and optimize the binding of complementary strands of genomic materials to bound DNA probes could facilitate the rapid detection and identification of plant viruses having genomic RNA using various biosensor rapid analytical techniques.
Switching P2Y12-receptor inhibitors in patients with coronary artery disease

Dual antiplatelet therapy--the combination of aspirin and a P2Y12-receptor inhibitor--is the cornerstone of treatment of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and of those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Prasugrel and ticagrelor have more prompt, potent, and predictable antiplatelet effects than those of clopidogrel, and result in reduced ischaemic outcomes in patients with ACS, albeit at the expense of an increased risk of bleeding. However, clopidogrel is still very commonly used. Switching between oral P2Y12-inhibiting therapies occurs very frequently in clinical practice for a variety of reasons, which raises the question of which switching approaches are preferable. In 2015, cangrelor (an intravenous P2Y12-receptor inhibitor) was approved for clinical use, which adds to the conundrum of how to switch between intravenous and oral therapies. Differences in the pharmacology of P2Y12-receptor inhibitors, such as their binding sites (competitive or noncompetitive), half-life, and speed of onset and offset of action, are important factors that might lead to drug interactions when switching between agents. In this Review, we provide an overview of the literature on switching antiplatelet treatment strategies with P2Y12-receptor inhibitors, and discuss practical considerations for switching therapies in the acute and chronic phases of disease presentation.
Worse Than Slavery: Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow Justice

Prisons in the deep South, with chain gangs, shotguns, and bloodhounds, have been immortalized in movies, blues music, and fiction. Mississippi's Parchman State Penitentiary was the grandfather of them all, a hellhole where conditions were brutal. This epic history fills the gap between slavery and the civil rights era, showing how Parchman and Jim Crow justice proved that there could be something worse than slavery. of photos.
Film vs. Television Versions of the Mexican Revolution: a Comparative Analysis of Political Ideology

El objetivo de este articulo es presentar un analisis comparativo entre la manera que la television y el cine representan la ideologia politica de la Revolucion Mexicana. Francisco I. Madero y Ricardo Flores Magon son considerados los mas importantes precursores ideologicos de la lucha armada. En este estudio presentamos sus principales lineas depensamiento, igualmente se analiza la forma en que el cine y la television han representado en pantalla sus ideas revolucionarias. La muestra de este estudio es la pelicula de la epoca de oro del cine mexicano “Enamorada” (1946) y la telenovela “Senda de Gloria” (1987). Las categorias de analisis para este texto son: objetivo principal de la produccion; representaciondel folklore mexicano; ideologia presentada como motivo justificador del movimiento armado; heroes y villanos; y finalmente, el tema religioso.
Rapid Capillary Tube Method for Detecting Penicillin Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus

A simple, rapid capillary tube test to discriminate between penicillin-resistant and -sensitive Staphylococcus aureus is presented. This test detects penicillinase in noninduced primary isolates from blood-agar plates.
Equalization requirements for series VRLA batteries

State-of-charge (SOC) balance is a necessary task in any high-rate series battery system. This equalization task is evaluated here through cycling and hybrid vehicle platform tests of valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries. It is shown that when voltage matching is used as the basis for SOC equalization, voltage differences must be kept small. An upper limit of 15 mV/cell was found from the tests, although a limit of 10 mV/cell is more realistic for a practical system. A diffusion model is developed for voltage-based equalization processes. A switched-capacitor equalization approach introduced previously is shown to be a low-cost way to meet the accuracy requirements while allowing the charge diffusion process to be accelerated. The tests show that switched-capacitor equalization supports lifetime extension in series strings.
Cutting Edge: Differential Regulation of PTEN by TCR, Akt, and FoxO1 Controls CD4 + T Cell Fate Decisions

Signaling via the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway influences CD4(+) T cell differentiation; low levels favor regulatory T cell induction and high levels favor Th induction. Although the lipid phosphatase phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) suppresses Akt activity, the control of PTEN activity is poorly studied in T cells. In this study, we identify multiple mechanisms that regulate PTEN expression. During Th induction, PTEN function is suppressed via lower mRNA levels, lower protein levels, and an increase in C-terminal phosphorylation. Conversely, during regulatory T cell induction, PTEN function is maintained through the stabilization of PTEN mRNA transcription and sustained protein levels. We demonstrate that differential Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling regulates PTEN transcription via the FoxO1 transcription factor. A mathematical model that includes multiple modes of PTEN regulation recapitulates our experimental findings and demonstrates how several feedback loops determine differentiation outcomes. Collectively, this work provides novel mechanistic insights into how differential regulation of PTEN controls alternate CD4(+) T cell fate outcomes.
Salutary Effects of Estrogen Sulfate for Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract Estrogen plays an important role as a neuroprotector in the central nervous system (CNS), directly interacting with neurons and regulating physiological properties of non-neuronal cells. Here we evaluated estrogen sulfate (E2-SO4) for traumatic brain injury (TBI) using a Sprague–Dawley rat model. TBI was induced via lateral fluid percussion (LFP) at 24 h after craniectomy. E2-SO4 (1 mg/kg BW in 1 mL/kg BW) or saline (served as control) was intravenously administered at 1 h after TBI (n=5/group). Intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), and partial brain oxygen pressure (pbtO2) were measured for 2 h (from 23 to 25 h after E2-SO4 injection). Brain edema and diffuse axonal injury (DAI) were assessed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and cerebral glycolysis was measured by 18F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, at 1 and 7 days after E2-SO4 injection. E2-SO4 significantly decreased ICP, while increasing CPP and pbtO2 (p<0.05) as compare...
Asymptotic fluctuations of mutagrams

Abstract Abrupt changes in sequential data, known as change-points, can be detected by fitting differences of one-sided kernel estimators. The detection depends on both a bandwidth and a threshold, where we declare a change-point whenever the differences of the one-sided kernel estimators exceed the threshold. The joint behavior of the difference of one-sided kernel estimators and scale can be graphically represented in a mutagram [Muller, H.G., Wai, N., 2004. Change trees and mutagrams for the visualization of local changes in sequence data. J. Comput. Statist. Graph. 13, 571–585.]. Here we study the fluctuations of the mutagram values in dependency on different bandwidth choices, corresponding to scale. Study of these fluctuations is related to the SiZer approach of Chaudhuri and Marron [2000. Scale space view of curve estimation. Ann. Statist. 28, 408–428.]. We explore the asymptotic properties and convergence of a local bandwidth process for differences of one-sided kernel estimators. These processes are shown to be tight with a Gaussian limit process that represents the asymptotic fluctuations of mutagrams. These fluctuations are illustrated with a sequence of vertical ocean shear data.
Age discrimination among eruptives of Menengai Caldera, Kenya, using vegetation parameters from satellite imagery

Results are presented of an investigation to determine the degree to which digitally processed Landsat TM imagery can be used to discriminate among vegetated lava flows of different ages in the Menengai Caldera, Kenya. A selective series of five images, consisting of a color-coded Landsat 5 classification and four color composites, are compared with geologic maps. The most recent of more than 70 postcaldera flows within the caldera are trachytes, which are variably covered by shrubs and subsidiary grasses. Soil development evolves as a function of time, and as such supports a changing plant community. Progressively older flows exhibit the increasing dominance of grasses over bushes. The Landsat images correlated well with geologic maps, but the two mapped age classes could be further subdivided on the basis of different vegetation communities. It is concluded that field maps can be modified, and in some cases corrected by use of such imagery, and that digitally enhanced Landsat imagery can be a useful aid to field mapping in similar terrains.
Response to Subliminally Activated Fantasies of Symbiotic-Like Oneness: A Function of Gender or Psychological Differentiation?:

Recently, Fudin critically evaluated Silverman's subliminal psychodynamic activation (SPA) method regarding issues of visual-field position of the stimulus, partial stimulus encoding, and structura...
Fast on-line multiplication units using LSA organization

This paper presents the application of the Linear Sequential Array (LSA) retiming approach, developed for conventional digit- recurrence algorithms, to on-line multiplication. The result is a modular and fast pipelined structure which due to a small constant fan-out and cycle time independent of precision is suitable for FPGA implementation. First we present the basics of on-line multiplication, and determine data dependencies according to the LSA design methodology. Based on these dependencies we redesign the traditional on-line multiplier to obtain the LSA structure. Since in DSP applications one of the multiplier operands is fixed for a long sequence of operations, we briefly present a parallel-serial multiplication unit that receives one of the operands in parallel and the other operand in Most-Significant-Digit-First format. Performance and area results are provided for the LSA on-line multiplier design and then compared with the conventional on-line design, using Xilinx FPGAs as the target technology.
Approximations to the Log-Likelihood Function in the Nonlinear Mixed-Effects Model

Abstract Nonlinear mixed-effects models have received a great deal of attention in the statistical literature in recent years because of the flexibility they offer in handling the unbalanced repeated-measures data that arise in different areas of investigation, such as pharmacokinetics and economics. Several different methods for estimating the parameters in nonlinear mixed-effects model have been proposed. We concentrate here on two of them—maximum likelihood and restricted maximum likelihood. A rather complex numerical issue for (restricted) maximum likelihood estimation in nonlinear mixed-effects models is the evaluation of the log-likelihood function of the data, because it involves the evaluation of a multiple integral that, in most cases, does not have a closed-form expression. We consider here four different approximations to the log-likelihood, comparing their computational and statistical properties. We conclude that the linear mixed-effects (LME) approximation suggested by Lindstrom and Bates, t...
VoiceList: user-driven telephone-based audio content

We present VoiceList, a telephone-based user-generated audio classifieds service. The aim of the system is to provide an infrastructure for a user-driven community service where there is minimal connectivity to the Internet. Our approach takes advantage of prior knowledge and the ubiquitous presence of telephones in developing nations, overcoming literacy and connectivity barriers.
Do commodity SMT processors need more OS research

The availability of Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) in commodity processors such as the Pentium 4 (P4) has raised interest among OS researchers. While earlier simulation studies of SMT suggested exciting performance potential, observed improvement on the P4 has been much more restrained, raising the hope that OS research can help bridge the gap. We argue that OS research for current commodity Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) processors is unlikely to yield significant benefits. In general, we find that SMT processor simulations were optimistic about cache and memory performance characteristics, while overlooking the OS overheads of SMT kernels versus uniprocessor kernels. Using measurement and analysis on actual hardware, we find that little opportunity exists for realistic performance gains on commodity SMT beyond what is currently achieved.
Razor blade shear method for evaluating duck breast meat and tendon texture

Abstract Ducks are a small but important portion of the US poultry industry, and are a much larger proportion of the poultry markets in other countries. More duck meat fillet products enter the further processing market, yet few studies have been conducted on meat quality characteristics. Therefore, this project was conducted to determine the effects of sex, bird size, and marination treatment on breast (pectoralis major) fillet weight, cook yield, and Warner-Bratzler (WB) shear values. Razor shear was also used to isolate connective tissue in the breast meat that is typically responsible for consumer complaints regarding toughness. Ducks were identified at 1 d of age for sex, processed at 35 d of age in a commercial facility, and carcasses were categorized as small (1.6 kg), medium (2.0 kg), or large (2.5 kg). Breast fillets (120, 20 each from 2 sexes and 3 sizes) were divided and 60 were marinated using vacuum tumbling whereas 60 were left unmarinated. All of the fillets were then weighed, cooked, and reweighed to determine cook yield. Razor shear was conducted on 2 areas within each fillet and another 2 razor shear measurements were taken on each fillet directly through the connective tissue near the wing insertion. A section of each fillet was then removed for a 2-slice WB shear. Carcass size from small to large corresponded to an increase in raw fillet weight. Fillets from males required more razor shear force than fillets from females. Marination improved cook yield and reduced both the WB shear values and the razor shear values for the meat and the tendon. The razor shear method was effective at measuring both duck meat texture and tendon toughness.
Dynamics of rat muscle mitochondria uncoupling in trichinellosis

Abstract Wandurska-Nowak E. and Boczon K. 1993. Dynamics of rat muscle mitochondria uncoupling in trichinellosis. International Journal for Parasitology 23 : 587–590. Parallel oxygraphic measurements of respiratory control index (RCI) and spectroscopic measurements of the activity of two mitochondrial enzymes from rat muscle, mtATPase and succinate dehydrogenase were performed. In Trichinella spiralis infection, in comparison with Trichinella pseudospiralis infection, a delayed stimulation of mtATPase in 3rd week p.i. was observed and the degree of stimulation was weaker. A second peak of mtATPase stimulation appeared at the beginning of the encystation phase. The two-phase phenomenon was accompanied by a sharp decrease of RCI to 39% of normal values and almost 2-fold increase in the ratio of Mg 2+ -stimulated to Mg 2+ -unstimulated mtATPase. By the end of investigations (7th week) the level of SDH normalized, but mtATPase was still elevated. The results, as in the case of T. pseudospiralis infection, support the testing of mtATPase activity to follow bioenergetic changes in tissue parasite infections. In comparison with oxygraphic measurements ATPase testing needs a much smaller amount of biological material and ATP.
Electron-Hole Pair Relaxation Dynamics in Binary Copper-Based Semiconductor Quantum Dots

Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Materials Research Science and EngineeringCenter, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USAThe relaxation dynamics of the charge carriers in copper-based semiconductor quantum dots were investigated using femtosecondtime-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy. It was found that copper oxide quantum dots show signiﬁcantly longer carrier lifetimes~.117 ps and a nanosecond component! compared to the copper sulﬁdess,25 psd. This is probably due to a more perfect surfacestructure and less trapping in the copper oxide system. Both quantum dot materials seem to be interesting for solar cell applica-tions based on the presented study.© 2005 The Electrochemical Society. @DOI: 10.1149/1.1896528# All rights reserved.Manuscript submitted June 11, 2004; revised manuscript received November 24, 2004. Available electronically April 22, 2005.
Meta-Profiles of Gene Expression during Aging: Limited Similarities between Mouse and Human and an Unexpectedly Decreased Inflammatory Signature

Background Skin aging is associated with intrinsic processes that compromise the structure of the extracellular matrix while promoting loss of functional and regenerative capacity. These processes are accompanied by a large-scale shift in gene expression, but underlying mechanisms are not understood and conservation of these mechanisms between humans and mice is uncertain. Results We used genome-wide expression profiling to investigate the aging skin transcriptome. In humans, age-related shifts in gene expression were sex-specific. In females, aging increased expression of transcripts associated with T-cells, B-cells and dendritic cells, and decreased expression of genes in regions with elevated Zeb1, AP-2 and YY1 motif density. In males, however, these effects were contrasting or absent. When age-associated gene expression patterns in human skin were compared to those in tail skin from CB6F1 mice, overall human-mouse correspondence was weak. Moreover, inflammatory gene expression patterns were not induced with aging of mouse tail skin, and well-known aging biomarkers were in fact decreased (e.g., Clec7a, Lyz1 and Lyz2). These unexpected patterns and weak human-mouse correspondence may be due to decreased abundance of antigen presenting cells in mouse tail skin with age. Conclusions Aging is generally associated with a pro-inflammatory state, but we have identified an exception to this pattern with aging of CB6F1 mouse tail skin. Aging therefore does not uniformly heighten inflammatory status across all mouse tissues. Furthermore, we identified both intercellular and intracellular mechanisms of transcriptome aging, including those that are sex- and species-specific.
Radiation therapy for older cancer patients

Cancer is the leading cause of death among the elderly. With the dramatic increase in life expectancy, treatment approach of older cancer patients poses major challenges. There is no consensus on treatment guidelines for elderly cancer patients with significant variability among physicians due to concerns for toxicity. The issue is further complicated by a lack of quality data on age-related issues of cancer management. This review highlights important factors relevant to treatment decision making in older cancer patients with special emphasis on radiation therapy for lung, prostate and breast cancer. The potential benefits of recent innovations and emerging radiotherapeutic technologies and their application to elderly cancer patients is also presented.
Role of the CXCR4/CXCL12 signaling axis in breast cancer metastasis to the brain

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and second leading cause of cancer death in women. Ninety percent of mortality in breast cancer is often associated with metastatic progression or relapse in patients. Critical stages in the development of aggressive breast cancer include the growth of primary tumors and their ability to spread to foreign organs and form metastases, as well as the establishment of an independent blood supply within the new tumors. Hence, it is imperative to characterize the key molecules that regulate the metastasis of human breast cancer cells. The expression of CXCR4/CXCL12 in breast tumors has been correlated with a poor prognosis, increased metastasis, resistance to conventional therapeutic agents and a poor outcome in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. However, effective anti-CXCR4 therapy remains a challenge. Here, we will review the putative involvement of the CXCR4/CXCL12 signaling axis in breast cancer metastasis to the brain. Characterization of signaling events important for breast cancer cell growth and their metastasis to the brain should provide insights into breast cancer therapies and improved, successful treatments for breast cancer.
Flame Propagation and Combustion Processes in Solid Propellant Cracks

The effects of pressurizatio n rate, crack-gap width, crack length, and propellant type on the ignition and flame-spreading processes in isolated AP-based solid propellant cracks have been studied experimentally. Ignition front propagation rates were measured using a high-speed (up to 44,000 pictures/s) camera. Cracks up to 200 mm in length with gap widths as low as 450 j*m were studied. It was observed that the hot gases precede the ignition front. The ignition-front propagation speed increases near the crack entrance, reaches a maximum, and then decreases near the crack tip. The results of parametric study indicate that the time required for the ignition front to reach the crack tip decreases, and that the maximum velocity of the ignition front increases as the pressurization rate or burning rate of the propellant is increased. The maximum pressure in the crack increases with an increase in burning rate or crack length, but decreases with an increase in gap width. Nomenclature a = pre-exponential factor in Saint Robert's burning rate relationship aPn, (mm/s)/(atm)/I An = Andr eev number ,rbdh/a dh = hydraulic diameter of crack, mm L = length of crack, mm n = pressure exponent in Saint Robert's burning rate relationship P = pressure, atm Pmax = maximum pressure in the crack cavity, atm rb = burning rate of solid propellant, mm/s T = temperature, K t =time, s Tf = adiabatic flame temperature of solid propellant, K Tpi = initial propellant temperature, 295 K vfp = convective ignition front propagation velocity, m/s x = axial location, measured from entrance of crack, mm a. = thermal dif fusivity d = gap width of crack p = density, kg/m3
Rate of decay in proportion of condom-protected sex acts among adolescents after participation in an HIV risk-reduction intervention.

OBJECTIVE HIV risk-reduction interventions have demonstrated efficacy in enhancing the proportion of condom-protected sex (CPS) acts among diverse populations. Although postintervention exposure increase in CPS are often observed, there is scant empirical data quantifying decay of intervention efficacy (declines in CPS after cessation of the intervention among participants reporting an initial postintervention increase in CPS). Thus, the objective of this study was to quantify the rate of decay in intervention efficacy over a 24-month follow-up. DESIGN African American adolescent females (ages: 14-20; n = 349) completed a baseline audio computer-assisted self-administered interview, participated in an HIV risk-reduction intervention, and were assessed at 6-month intervals for 24 months postintervention. Intervention efficacy was conceptualized as an increase in participants' CPS relative to baseline. METHODS Analyses focused on the subset of participants who reported an initial increase in CPS from baseline to the 6-month postintervention assessment (n = 121) to quantify the rate of decay in intervention efficacy over a 24-month follow-up period. RESULTS CPS increased markedly from baseline to 6-month follow-up assessment. However, from 6 to 12 months, a marked decline in CPS was observed. Further CPS declines, though not statistically significant, were observed from 12 to 18 months and 18 to 24 months. Cumulative reductions in CPS over the entire 24-month follow-up resulted in no statistical difference between baseline and 24-month follow-up; indicative of a nonsignificant intervention effect at 24-month assessment. CONCLUSIONS Innovative postintervention optimization strategies are needed to minimize CPS decay over protracted time periods by reinforcing, sustaining, and potentially amplifying initial gains in condom use.
A Tetrahedrally Coordinated L3Fe−Nx Platform that Accommodates Terminal Nitride (FeIV⋮N) and Dinitrogen (FeI−N2−FeI) Ligands

A tetrahedrally coordinated L3Fe−Nx platform that accommodates both terminal nitride (L3FeIV⋮N) and dinitrogen (L3FeI−N2−FeIL3) functionalities is described. The diamagnetic L3FeIV⋮N species featured has been characterized in solution under ambient conditions by multinuclear NMR (1H, 31P, and 15N) and infrared spectroscopy. The electronic structure of the title complex has also been explored using DFT. The terminal nitride complex oxidatively couples to generate the previously reported L3FeI−N2−FeIL3 species. This reaction constitutes a six-electron transformation mediated by two iron centers. Reductive protonation of the nitride complex releases NH3 as a significant reaction product.
Molecular Staging of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma: Evidence for Systemic Involvement in Early Disease

Biopsies of various tissues from eight patients with confirmed cutaneous T-cell lymphoma were analyzed for lymphomatous involvement using V-J junctional sequences in rearranged T-cell receptor-γ genes as specific molecular markers for the malignant clone, The patients included one stage IA, one stage IB, and six stage IVA. Twenty-five specimens were analyzed including 14 skin, five lymph node, four blood, and two bone-marrow samples. Ten skin samples and four lymph node samples were histologically positive for lymphoma. The other specimens were morphologically uninvolved. An assay involving polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of T-cell receptor-γ gene rearrangements and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was used to identify the tissue specimen containing the greatest tumor clone density in each case. This specimen was then used to generate a tumor-specific RNA probe that was used to molecularly stage each patient by means of an assay involving PCR gene amplification and RNase protection analysis (PCR/RPA). This assay detected malignant cells in all available biopsies, including morphologically uninvolved extracutaneous tissue samples (two blood, one lymph node, and one bone marrow) obtained from the two patients in pathologic stage I. Microscopic examination and the less sensitive PCR/denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis technique failed to detect lymphomatous involvement in 11 (44%) and eight (32%) of these 25 specimens, respectively. We conclude that molecular biologic staging using PCR/RPA is able to demonstrate morphologically occult dissemination of cutaneous T-cell lymphona in early disease. In addition, PCR/RPA may be able to monitor tumor response to therapy and detect early recurrence of malignant lymphomas during clinical remission.
Effects of oral yohimbine on the performance of a perceptual-motor task in nonhuman primates

Abstract Ethical and practical constraints limit the range of studies that can be performed on patients with anxiety disorders. A nonhuman primate model allows for a variety of experimental manipulations that cannot be attempted in humans. In this paper, we report on the further development of a nonhuman primate model of pathological anxiety, which we have labeled acute endogenous distress (AED). Bonnet macaques were challenged with the oral administration of the alpha-2 antagonist, yohimbine. Whereas our previous work has documented the behavioral response to yohimbine provocation, in this paper we report the drug's effects on the monkey's performance on a novel video computer device that presents well defined perceptual- motor tasks of varying difficulty. Under yohimbine challenge, animals virtually stopped initiating a complex task requiring sustained attention and perceptual-motor control; however, they showed no decrease in initiating and performing an easy task under the same pharmacological challenge, thus demonstrating that the effect was cognitive rather than motor in nature.
Atlas of Image Guided Intervention in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

Atlas of Image Guided Intervention in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Second Edition by James P. Rathmell. The combined efforts of James P. Rathmell's expertise and gift for teaching together with illustrator Gary Nelson have yet again delivered one of the most enjoyable books on image-guided interventions. This book continues in the tradition of its predecessor, masterfully blending clear images and diagrams with succinct and relevant content. This edition improves upon the first edition with the …
Pre-hospital management of acute myocardial infarction∗

Abstract A significant reduction in mortality from acute coronary heart disease can be expected only if patients are identified and treated earlier in the course of their acute illness. Unfortunately, the earliest signs and symptoms of this disease are subtle, and no good mechanism exists by which the stricken patient can be distinguished from one with less dangerous and noncardiac symptoms. It is suggested that an outpatient study unit, designed to triage for early signs and symptoms of acute coronary heart disease, may be an effective approach to this problem. Using specialized personnel, telemetric monitoring and, particularly, provocative tests of myocardial ischemia and electrical instability of the heart, it is anticipated that much could be learned in a prospective study of the early manifestations of acute coronary heart disease. Such a unit would also provide a means for field study of the use of antiarrhythmic agents, including the self-administration of parenteral medication (for example, atropine) by selected patients with known coronary heart disease.
On the relationship between Aris and Sherwood numbers and friction and effectiveness factors

Abstract We present a general solution of the diffusion–reaction problem for linear kinetics and an expression for the effectiveness factor ( η ) in terms of the shape normalized Thiele modulus ( Φ ) for a catalyst particle of arbitrary shape and with an arbitrary activity profile. We also show that the Sherwood number ( Sh Ω ) or the dimensionless mass transfer coefficient between the interior of a particle or region (denoted by Ω ) and its boundary ( ∂ Ω ) is related to the effectiveness factor and Thiele modulus by η = 1 / ( 1 + Φ 2 / Sh Ω ) . Further, the coefficients in the expansion of η in terms of Φ (the Aris numbers, Ar i ) are related to the asymptotic Sherwood number ( Sh Ω ∞ ) obtained in the limit of slow reaction. We show that the curve Sh Ω versus Φ is universal for most common particle or channel geometric shapes and for the case of uniform activity is described by the two asymptotes Sh Ω = Sh Ω ∞ = 1 / Ar 1 for Φ ⪡ 1 and Sh Ω ≈ Φ for Φ ⪢ 1 . For two-dimensional ducts we show that the friction factor times Reynolds number ( fRe ) is equal to 8 Sh Ω ∞ and provide a physical interpretation of this result. In the second part of this work, we derive low-dimensional models for solving multicomponent nonlinear diffusion–reaction problems using the concept of an internal mass transfer coefficient. We also present low-dimensional models for catalytic reactors using external and internal mass transfer coefficients. Finally, the Aris/Sherwood numbers are presented for some commonly used catalyst particles in packed-bed reactors and washcoat shapes in catalytic monoliths.