cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fibromyalgia and bipolar disorder: a potential problem?

Wilke WS, Gota CE, Muzina DJ. Fibromyalgia and bipolar disorder: a potential problem? Bipolar Disord 2010: 12: 514–520. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objective: To screen patients with fibromyalgia for bipolar disorder and to determine if there were any clinical clues, other than the Mood Disorders Questionnaire (MDQ), which might suggest a diagnosis of comorbid bipolar disorder. Methods: A total of 128 consecutive new fibromyalgia patients referred to a tertiary care center rheumatology practice were enrolled and assessed using a standard clinical protocol that included the completion of four screening questionnaires: (i) MDQ for bipolar disorder, (ii) Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depression, (iii) Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) for daytime sleepiness, and (iv) Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire Disability Index (FIQ-DI) to assess for functional capacity. Results: A quarter of the fibromyalgia subjects, 25.19%, had a positive screen for bipolar disorder (MDQ ≥ 7); 78.12% were clinically depressed (BDI ≥ 10); and 52.13% reported daytime sleepiness (ESS ≥ 10). Fibromyalgia subjects who screened positive for bipolar disorder had more severe depression than those with a negative screen [median BDI: 26.0 (19.0, 32.0) versus 15.0 (9.0, 24.0), p < 0.001]. Conclusions: We report a high prevalence of positive testing for bipolar disorder in this fibromyalgia cohort. Clinical data and questionnaire instruments other than nonspecific high depression severity failed to identify these patients. Since the norepinephrine serotonin reuptake inhibitors duloxetine and milnacipran have been recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia, and because patients with bipolar disorder may experience destabilization of mood when treated with such agents, patients with fibromyalgia should be systematically screened for bipolar disorder prior to treatment.
Supportive counseling for postpartum depression in Asian mothers

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to describe the role of supportive counseling for postpartum depression (PPD) in an Asian population and explore the treatment outcomes of supportive counseling with and without antidepressants. Oral antidepressants remain the mainstay treatment in depression. However in postpartum depression, mothers are often concerned about breastfeeding and the effects of medication on the developing child. For mothers willing to take antidepressants, the class of antidepressant more efficacious for postpartum depression still remains unclear. Non-pharmacological treatments appear to have an important role in recent studies. Methods: In this naturalistic prospective cohort study, patients were identified from a postpartum depression screening program in a maternity hospital. Patients diagnosed with PPD were treated with antidepressant and counseling, or counseling alone. Outcomes were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for statistical analyses (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Between April 2008 and December 2009, 87 patients were recruited in this study. Sixty-nine percent of all patients achieved remission at 6 months. Combining antidepressants and counseling did not appear to significantly improve outcome compared to counseling alone. Discussion: The majority of all depressed mothers with supportive counseling had remission of symptoms by 6 months. The benefit of combining antidepressants and counseling needs to be further studied.
Health hazards among working children in texas

This report represents the first attempt to assemble existing data from a variety of sources regarding children less than 18 years of age in the work force in Texas. These data include the frequency of detected violations of child labor laws, reports of injuries to the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission, and work-related deaths as ascertained from death certificates. More than 1,000 minors were detected as being illegally employed in Texas each year since 1986 and nearly 1,100 work-related injuries in children 18 years of age and younger were reported to the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission in 1991. A review of Texas death certificates from 1980 to 1990 revealed 125 work-related fatalities among children. The leading cause of death was motor vehicle injuries, followed by injuries from machinery (usually agricultural machinery). The magnitude and severity of occupational illnesses in working children are unknown. Because of physiologic differences in size, metabolism, and absorption, children may be especially susceptible to work-related injury and illness. Health and safety data on working children in Texas, as in most other places, are fragmented and incomplete. These data are needed to identify children at high risk of injuries and illnesses, to target prevention programs, and to identify areas for additional legislation. More rigorous enforcement of current legislation is also needed.
Utilizing Ligation Independent Cloning in an Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory Course

As a continuation of the transformation of our laboratory course to a more research focused experience we tested whether the Ligation Independent Cloning (LIC) technique would be suitable for students with little to no prior experience in molecular biology methodologies. To produce an expression system for for E. coli alkaline phosphatase (PhoA) we cloned its gene into the pETHSUL vector kindly donated by Dr. Patrick Loll. The construct expresses a fusion protein where a His-tagged SUMO protein is fused to PhoA. The sumo moiety can be proteolytically released from PhoA following affinity column purification. We compare the ease of building the pETHSUL-PhoA construct and enzyme activity data for the purified enzyme with an expression system developed previously in our class using a classical double restriction enzyme sub-cloning into a pET29a vector that incorporates a His-tag at the C-terminus of PhoA.
New Paradigms for SETI

Truly scientific SETI searches have now existed for more than forty years. In the tradition of good science, the search strategies selected to guide most of these searches have recognized that we are unable to predict with any confidence the behavior and technologies of other intelligent civilizations, especially those much advanced than we. In view of this quite profound ignorance, the best we can do is to follow Occam’s Razor, and choose the simplest plausible paradigm: THE EXTRATERRESTRIALS WILL BEHAVE LIKE US. This paradigm is still the best we have, but, as we will see below, its implications are calling for major changes in our search strategies as well as humility when it comes to our confidence that we are doing the right thing.
Ashes, Embers, and Coals: Significant Sources of Burn-Related Morbidity in Children

Burn injuries remain the leading source of pediatric morbidity and mortality, with burns to the feet presenting unique management challenges. Characterization of the etiology of these burns may identify strategies for injury prevention. A retrospective review of pediatric patients with isolated foot burns was performed. Between September 1992 and February 2006, 155 patients were admitted with isolated foot burns. The majority (69%) of these injuries resulted from walking on hot ashes, with the remainder being from scald, flame, or contact burns. The median percent TBSA burned was similar in ash and nonash burns, but median LOS was 1 day less in ash burns. Children with ash burns were significantly older and less likely to have full thickness burns than children with nonash burns. Patients with ash burns were also less likely to require excision and grafting than those who were burned by other mechanisms. Both short and long-term complications were infrequent. Although ash burns tend to be more superficial than burns of other etiologies and are associated with a shorter length of stay, they often require surgical intervention. Because of their relative frequency and severity, ash burns to the feet warrant attention as an area for preventive focus.
Racial differences in motivators and barriers to blood donation among blood donors.

Abstract Context.—Nationally, African Americans are underrepresented in community blood donation programs. To increase blood donation by African Americans, differences between motivators and barriers to blood donation between races should be investigated. Objective.—To investigate motivators and barriers to blood donation in African American and white blood donors. Design.—An 18-item, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire regarding demographics and motivators and barriers to donation was completed by blood donors at a predominately African American and a predominately white fixed donation site. Results.—A total of 599 participants (20% African American, 75% white, and 5% other) completed the survey. The most commonly reported reasons to donate included: “because it is the right thing to do” (45% African Americans and 62% white) and “because I want to help save a life” (63% African Americans and 47% white). Unpleasant experiences did not differ as a barrier to continue donation between African America...
Mechanism of Copper Removal during CMP in Acidic H 2 O 2 Slurry

Chemical mechanical polishing of copper was performed using as oxidizer and alumina particles as abrasives. Electrochemical techniques were used to investigate the dissolution/passivation behavior of high-purity Cu disk under static and dynamic conditions at pH 4 with varying concentrations. Changes in the surface chemistry of the statically etched Cu disk were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Cu removal rate reached a maximum at 1% concentration and decreased with a further increase in concentration. The static etch rate showed the same trend. The etched surface morphology indicates that the removal of copper is primarily the result of electrochemical dissolution of copper at low concentrations. However, at increased concentrations, the copper oxidation rate increases, resulting in a change in the Cu removal mechanism to mechanical abrasion of the oxidized surface. © 2004 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.
Transition from type I to type II behavior and the density of states in thin indium films

We have studied thin indium films in a perpendicular magnetic field by electron tunneling. From measurements of the density of states and critical field we conclude that the films undergo a transition from type I to type II behavior at a thickness of 2700 A at 0.4 K. In thicker films the number of flux quanta in a bundle increases smoothly with thickness and we observe supercooling effects associated with type I. The thin films all have the same density of states and are reversible, indicating type II behavior. A comparison is made with other determinations of the critical thickness. The densities of states in type II lead, indium, and aluminum films are found to be different but show a consistent trend with transition temperature. Calculations only exist for bulk, dirty type II materials and are not applicable to these bulk type I materials.
Preparation and characterization of first optically active rigid phthalocyanine dimers

The first optically active rigid covalently linked by enantiomerically pure (R)- or (S)-BINOL metal-free phthalocyanine dimers have been prepared and characterized using electronic absorption, CD, MCD, MS, and NMR techniques as well as semi-empirical molecular orbital calculations.
Higher education in developing countries: the scenario of the future

The papers in this issue are representative of the challenge facing most university systems in today's developing world. Higher education systems have multiple and various tasks, including nation building, training of high level manpower, satisfying the social demand for education, conducting research and being centers of excellence. As shown by experience, the above batch of laudable objectives is seldom, if ever, achieved. Why? In this introduction I attempt to explain briefly why the dynamics underpinning the development of university systems in low income countries might have changed drastically relative to, say, 30 years ago, and offer a vision of the inevitable directions higher education might be heading.
Review of Concerning the Rights and Duties of the Citizen

Abbe de Mably was a popular Enlightenment author prior to the French Revolution. His reputation has waned in comparison to his brother, Condillac. The judgment of history is just. Why, then, would ...
Nonstrategic subjective threshold effects in phonemic masking

Three backward-masking experiments demonstrated that the magnitude of the phonemic mask reduction effect (MRE) is a function of subjective threshold and that the magnitude is also independent of stimulus-based response strategies. In all three experiments, a target word (e.g.,bake) was backward masked by a graphemically similar nonword (e.g., BAWK), a phonemically similar nonword (e.g., BAIK), or an unrelated control (e.g., CRUG). Experiments 1 and 2 had a low percentage (9%) of trials with phonemic masks and differed only in baseline identification rate. Experiment 3 controlled baseline identification rate at below and above subjective threshold levels, with 9% phonemic trials. The results were that identification rates were higher with phonemic masks than with graphemic masks, irrespective of the low percentage of phonemic trials. However, the magnitude of the phonemic MRE became large only when the baseline identification rate was below subjective threshold. The pattern of the phonemic MRE was interpreted as a result of rapid automatic phonological activation, independent of stimulusbased processing strategies.
EFFECTS OF DARK STORAGE TIME AND UV‐FILTERED FLUORESCENT LIGHTING DURING DISPLAY ON COLOR STABILITY OF HIGH‐OXYGEN MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGED GROUND BEEF

Effects of temperature (OC and 4.4C) during dark storage (days 2-9) and display in non-UVand UV-filtered fluorescent lighting on color stability of high-O2 modified atmosphere packaged “case ready” ground beef was evaluated. Minimal shift in headspace O2 and CO2 concentrations occurred during 9 days of storage and display. By day 3, product stored at 4.4C lost redness (Hunter +a) faster than that held at OC. Visual panel ratings for lean color decreased (P > 0.05) after 7 days but were not affected by storage temperature. When packages stored 2, 4, or 6 days at OC were displayed in light, Hunter +a values did not decline (P <0.05) for the first day and in several instances were maintained for 2 days. Panel evaluations of displayed product substantiated high maintenance of redness of lean color. UV-filtering of fluorescent lighting was not necessary for color stability of ground beef during display.
Binding Affinity and Displacement Synthesis Activity of Pol I DNA Polymerase on Different Gapped DNAs

Gapped DNAs, intermediates in excision repair, can be filled by DNA polymerase I (Pol I) and sealed by ligase. Understanding the binding preferences of Pol I for different gaps and how their binding affinity correlates with displacement synthesis is helpful for investigating repair mechanisms in vivo. The roles of the 5′- or 3′-phosphate, and of magnesium, in the binding of Klenow and Klentaq polymerases to gapped DNAs, differing in the size of the ssDNA gap (0, 2, and 10 nt), were examined using a fluorescence anisotropy binding assay. 5 mM Mg2+ does not significantly alter the binding of gapped DNAs to Klenow, but Mg2+ weakens the binding of gapped DNAs to Klentaq. For Klentaq, but not Klenow, a 5′-terminal phosphate increasingly weakens the binding as the gap size increases. Under the same conditions, Mg2+and 5′-phosphate do not alter the displacement synthesis ability of Klenow with gap2 and gap10 substrates, but do alter the activity of Klentaq. Conversely, a 3′-phosphate in the gap significantly weakens the binding of Klenow, but not Klentaq. We hypothesize that Klentaq can bind either the 5′- or 3′- end of the gap, while Klenow binds preferentially at 3′- end of the gap due to the 3′-end being pulled into the editing site. The binding affinity of Klenow, but not Klentaq, to different gaps increases as the size of the gap increases, and this correlates with the displacement synthesis ability of Klenow on gaps versus nicks. Klenow binds primed-template DNA substrates with 2-3 kcal/mol tighter affinity than gap0 or gap2 substrates, while Klentaq shows only a slight preference (0.7 kcal/mol) for primed-template over gapped DNAs, indicating that Klenow more significantly prefers replication over repair substrates.
An Outbreak of Acute Hepatitis C Among Recipients of Intravenous Immunoglobulin

Background An association between therapy with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG, Gammagard, Baxter Healthcare Corp) and acute hepatitis C (HCV) was reported by the manufacturer in 1994. Objective We sought to describe those patients at risk at our institution who developed HCV infection after IVIG (Gammagard) treatment(s). Materials An inception cohort study of patients with exposure to contaminated IVIG in a university tertiary care institution. Twenty-three patients received suspect IVIG and presented to be screened for HCV via ELISA II and polymerase chain reaction techniques. We describe the demographics and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with hepatitis C infection from IVIG. Results Ten of 23 (44%) patients who had received immunoglobulin (2 g/kg) for neurologic or immunologic disorders and were tested for anti-HCV were positive. All were also HCV-RNA positive by polymerase chain reaction. None had other HCV risk factors; all but 2 had normal aminotransferases documented prior to therapy. The patients had received monthly therapy for periods ranging from 2 to 60 months. Four patients were asymptomatic and the others had mild symptoms. One patient spontaneously became PCR negative within 12 months after exposure. Conclusion Patients who received intravenous immunoglobulin (Gammagard, Baxter Healthcare Corp) between March 1993 and February 1994 are at risk for acute hepatitis C. The initial sequellae appear to be mild and spontaneous remission is possible.
Spin-lattice relaxation in solids

Abstract Spin-lattice relaxation times ( T 1 ) contain information about molecular motion. We present a formalism for extracting this information from T 1 values measured for static and spinning polycrystalline solids. General equations are developed for orientation dependent line positions (frequencies) and values of T 1 . The correlation functions in the general T 1 expressions are evaluated for various jump and diffusive models of motion, assuming an axially symmetric coupling mechanism. Explicit expressions for dipolar and quadrupolar values of T 1 are presented for two- and three-site jumps, and for continuous diffusion about a symmetry axis. It is shown that T 1 measurements can readily distinguish between three-site jump and continuous diffusion models of methyl reorientation on the basis of the different angular dependence calculated for T 1 in these two models. In general, T 1 is axially asymmetric for the three-site jump model, resulting in nonexponential relaxation for the spectral lines in the axially symmetric powder pattern.
Aerodynamics of oscillating disks and a right-circular cylinder

Detailed studies are reported of the free and forced oscillation of disks and a right-circular cylinder constrained to rotate about a fixed diametrical axis passing through the centre of the body and normal to the free-stream direction. When a disk is free to rotate, it oscillates at a definite frequency with slowly varying amplitude and phase. A right-circular cylinder also oscillates at a definite frequency but with rapidly increasing amplitude. When the amplitude becomes large, after a few cycles of oscillation, the cylinder rotates steadily in one direction.Analogue computer elements, position sensors and a dynamic moment balance were used to study the static restoring moment, dynamic restoring moment, average damping moment, statistical properties of the disk motion and power spectrum of the turbulent moment. The behaviour of the disk and cylinder are explained using the measurements and the theory for random excitation of a linear system. The turbulent exciting moment is caused by the unsteady flow in the wake and can be changed by placing disks and splitter plates in the wake. A model is proposed for the unsteady flow field in the wake behind the disk. The model relates the turbulent moment to the vortex shedding process in the wake.
Fiducial Generalized Confidence Intervals

Generalized pivotal quantities (GPQs) and generalized confidence intervals (GCIs) have proven to be useful tools for making inferences in many practical problems. Although GCIs are not guaranteed to have exact frequentist coverage, a number of published and unpublished simulation studies suggest that the coverage probabilities of such intervals are sufficiently close to their nominal value so as to be useful in practice. In this article we single out a subclass of generalized pivotal quantities, which we call fiducial generalized pivotal quantities (FGPQs), and show that under some mild conditions, GCIs constructed using FGPQs have correct frequentist coverage, at least asymptotically. We describe three general approaches for constructing FGPQs—a recipe based on invertible pivotal relationships, and two extensions of it—and demonstrate their usefulness by deriving some previously unknown GPQs and GCIs. It is fair to say that nearly every published GCI can be obtained using one of these recipes. As an inte...
Sindbis virus mutants selected for rapid growth in cell culture display attenuated virulence in animals

Mutants of Sindbis virus were selected for rapid growth in baby hamster kidney (BHK) cell cultures and screened for attenuation of virulence in suckling mice. Comparisons among independently isolated virulent and attenuated strains, as well as a classical reversion analysis, showed that accelerated penetration of BHK cells was correlated with attenuation in vivo. Both phenotypic changes resulted from a reorganization of virion structure as detected by monoclonal antibodies. These results suggest that mutants selected for rapid growth in cell culture may be useful as attenuated vaccines and for studies of the molecular basis of virus pathogenesis.
Independent-component analysis for hyperspectral remote sensing imagery classification

We investigate the application of independent-component analysis ICA to remotely sensed hyperspectral image classification. We focus on the performance of two well-known and frequently used ICA algorithms: joint approximate diagonalization of eigenmatrices JADE and FastICA; but the proposed method is applicable to other ICA algo- rithms. The major advantage of using ICA is its ability to classify objects with unknown spectral signatures in an unknown image scene, i.e., un- supervised classification. However, ICA suffers from computational ex- pensiveness, which limits its application to high-dimensional data analy- sis. In order to make it applicable or reduce the computation time in hyperspectral image classification, a data-preprocessing procedure is employed to reduce the data dimensionality. Instead of using principal- component analysis PCA, a noise-adjusted principal-components NAPC transform is employed for this purpose, which can reorganize the original data with respect to the signal-to-noise ratio, a more appro- priate image-ranking criterion than variance in PCA. The experimental results demonstrate that the major principal components from the NAPC transform can better maintain the object information in the original data than those from PCA. As a result, an ICA algorithm can provide better object classification. © 2006 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation
Plasma low density lipoproteins

Low Density Lipoproteins. Edited by C. E. Day and R. S. Levy. Pp. xx + 445. (Plenum: New York and London, 1977). $47.40.
Ultrastructure of lipoma.

Eleven benign lipogenic tumors comprising ten ordinary lipomas and one fibroblastic lipoma were studied by light and electron microscopy. The former, which contained only a few inconspicuous septa, were composed of univacuolar mature adipocytes. No young forms of adipocytic differentiation were seen reflecting the slow growth of the ordinary lipomas. Small spindle cells accompanying capillaries located in the triangular confluence of the adipocytes are thought to be potential precursors of adipocytes. By contrast, the fibroblastic lipoma contained many younger forms which closely resembled those seen during maturation of normal adipose tissue. These younger forms were located in and about prominent trabeculae which therefore are considered to constitute active growth centers. Cancer 50:102-106, 1982.
Effect of Na+ and K+ on the growth of marine speciesVibrio pelagius andAlteromonas haloplanktis in chemostat cultures

The effect of decreasing NaCl gradients on the cell yields of the marine speciesVibrio pelagius andAlteromonas haloplanktis was studied in chemostat cultures using media containing different ionic compositions as well as glucose and succinate as the carbon and energy sources. While there were a number of dissimilarities both within and between the species that related to the particular conditions of cultivation, the major difference between them was the ability of K to spare their requirement for Na. In the case ofV. pelagius, K greatly decreased the levels of Na required; withA. haloplanktis, no significant reduction occurred. These findings indicate a substantial difference in the nature of the ionic requirements of these two species, a result consistent with the fact that these two species are from distinct evolutionary lineages.
Activism in anthropology: exploring the present through Eric R. Wolf’s Vietnam-era work

Contemporary US anthropology manifests widespread and open politicization, mostly toward the left.1 Within this, there are two different tendencies. On the one hand, there are calls for involvement in political causes and struggles (e.g., Hale 2008). This is an affirmative instance of politicization: its mandate is "do become involved with the public political process." On the other hand, there has been a vigorous examination and critique of the use of anthropology as a tool of the US military (e.g., Commission on the Engagement of Anthropology with US Military and Intelligence Communities 2007; Gonzalez 2009; The Network of Concerned Anthropologists 2009). This is political, in that it is both critical of US interventionist wars and also that it is an act on a public arena, trying to influence decisions about whether to sell services and knowledge to the state. But it can be understood as a negative statement about involvement in political acts: there are some acts in which you should not engage. That the current moment contains two rather different tendencies in the guise of politicization is not widely understood but is worth emphasizing. They may not be strictly opposed choices-since they are not universal positions, but rather responses to particular situations-but it is incumbent on us to think clearly about how they contrast and interact. Unexamined feelings and heart-felt rhetoric are insufficient; we need to probe our political-ethical ideas and practices. I am thinking about this subject in the midst of my own extended and substantial engagement in politics, having to do with human rights, migration, and border policy (see Heyman et al. 2009). It is thus a report from the field, a moment of contemplation and clarification stimulated by direct political action, a neglected but
The value of stress single photon emission computed tomography in patients without known coronary artery disease presenting with dyspnea.

Background Dyspnea is a complex system with multiple etiologies, including myocardial ischemia ("anginal equivalent"). Few studies have examined the utility of stress testing to detect coronary artery disease in this setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence, severity, and prognostic value of perfusion defects detected by stress single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging in patients with dyspnea. Methods SPECT imaging was performed in 1864 patients (age 65.8 ± 10.2 years, 52% male, 23% diabetic, 89% overweight/obese) without known coronary artery disease referred for evaluation of dyspnea. Dyspnea was rated mild, moderate, or severe. SPECT scans were categorized low, intermediate, or high risk. The associations of stress SPECT imaging results with clinical variables and mortality were analyzed. Results An abnormal perfusion SPECT image was present in 45% of patients and a high-risk scan in 11%. Male sex, diabetes, and clinical severity of dyspnea were the strongest predictors of both an abnormal and high-risk SPECT scan. A high-risk scan was present in 5% of nondiabetic women with mild dyspnea versus 22% of diabetic men with dyspnea of any severity. At 10 years, survival by SPECT scan category was low risk 75%, intermediate risk 68%, and high risk 53% ( P Conclusions In this population of older overweight patients referred for evaluation of dyspnea, there was a high prevalence of abnormal (45%) and high-risk (11%) SPECT scans. High-risk scans were associated with much worse 10-year survival.
Removable colored coatings based on calcium alginate hydrogels.

This article describes the creation of a nontoxic, biodegradable coating using calcium alginate and FDC smaller beads degraded faster than larger beads. We show that the coating can be used as an easily removable and environmentally friendly logotype on an artificial turf surface. Applications of these coatings can be extended to food, cosmetic, medicinal, and textile uses and to wherever nontoxic, easily removable colored coating is desired.
Hypersensitivity to d-amphetamine several years after early social deprivation in rhesus monkeys

Social deprivation of rhesus monkeys in infancy results in increased sensitivity to psychotic-like behavioral effects of low doses of d-amphetamine given 2-3 years later. These behavioral effects are associated with increased levels of CSF norepinephrine. These data suggest that social developmental factors could be partially responsible for variation in neurochemical responses and long-lasting differential sensitivity of primates to the psychosis-inducing effects of d-amphetamine.
Optimization of breast mass classification using sequential forward floating selection (SFFS) and a support vector machine (SVM) model.

Improving radiologists’ performance in classification between malignant and benign breast lesions is important to increase cancer detection sensitivity and reduce false-positive recalls. For this purpose, developing computer-aided diagnosis schemes has been attracting research interest in recent years. In this study, we investigated a new feature selection method for the task of breast mass classification. We initially computed 181 image features based on mass shape, spiculation, contrast, presence of fat or calcifications, texture, isodensity, and other morphological features. From this large image feature pool, we used a sequential forward floating selection (SFFS)-based feature selection method to select relevant features and analyzed their performance using a support vector machine (SVM) model trained for the classification task. On a database of 600 benign and 600 malignant mass regions of interest, we performed the study using a tenfold cross-validation method. Feature selection and optimization of the SVM parameters were conducted on the training subsets only. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve $$(\hbox {AUC}) = 0.805\pm 0.012$$ was obtained for the classification task. The results also showed that the most frequently selected features by the SFFS-based algorithm in tenfold iterations were those related to mass shape, isodensity, and presence of fat, which are consistent with the image features frequently used by radiologists in the clinical environment for mass classification. The study also indicated that accurately computing mass spiculation features from the projection mammograms was difficult, and failed to perform well for the mass classification task due to tissue overlap within the benign mass regions. In conclusion, this comprehensive feature analysis study provided new and valuable information for optimizing computerized mass classification schemes that may have potential to be useful as a “second reader” in future clinical practice.
Viscoelastic Behavior of Elastomeric Membranes

The formulation for large deformations of an axisymmetric nonlinear plane viscoelastic membrane is developed. The solutions from the formulation for both creep and relaxation of a circular membrane are presented. An experiment that demonstrates the relaxation phenomenon was performed, and the experimental data are used to determine the constitutive equation of an elastomer.
The Partial-Rank Algorithm for Adaptive Beamforming

This paper describes a new family of algorithms for adaptive weight computation for sensor arrays with arbitrary geometries. This family includes existing algorithms of the steepest-descent and matrix-factorization types, plus a range of new algorithms that are intermediate between these two classes, in terms of performance and computational complexity. This approach is particularly valuable for applications where steepest descent is too slow, but the standard matrix methods require too much computation.
Schumpeter, Kirzner, and the Field of Social Entrepreneurship

Abstract Joseph Schumpeter's and Israel Kirzner's ‘classical’ theories of entrepreneurship have contributed much to the field of entrepreneurship but have been underutilized in the emerging field of social entrepreneurship. The argument of this paper is that the utilization of Schumpeterian and Kirznerian theories of entrepreneurship can advance the field of social entrepreneurship in two ways. The first potential contribution from utilizing their classical theories is to guide theory-building for social entrepreneurship. In this paper, a close reading and interpretation of Schumpeter's and Kirzner's work is undertaken alongside a critique of current theories of social entrepreneurship. Five essential theoretical components of Schumpeterian and Kirznerian classical entrepreneurship theories are distilled with respect to social entrepreneurship theory-building: (1) the distinction between entrepreneurial thinking and rational models of decision making; (2) the distinction between entrepreneurship and leade...
Foster parenting together: Foster parent couples

Abstract Almost two-thirds of children in non-relative foster care live in homes headed by married couples. However, the literature includes little about either the role of foster fathers or the complexity and importance of the marital context for fostering. This study examined family functioning, overt interparental hostility, depression, and parental acceptance in a sample of 111 heterosexual foster parent couples and the relationship between family context and potential to foster parent successfully. Latent class analysis revealed three distinct types of foster parent couples, “Good Context” (33%), “Typical” (56%), and “Bad Context-Discordant” (11%) couples. “Bad Context-Discordant” couples are notable for having much lower scores on all context measures, for differences between mothers and fathers, and for the fact that most fathers had depression scores in the clinical range. Finally, results indicated that better family context was related to greater potential to foster successfully and that on three of five dimensions measured mothers exhibited greater potential.
Development of Microfluidic Chips to Study the Effects of Shear Stress on Cell Functions

Fluid shear stress has profound effect on many cell functions, including proliferation, migration, transport, and gene expression. Cellular systems such as endothelial cells in heart artery and epithelial cells in kidney tubule are constantly subject to fluid flow. We have developed a series of microfluidic chips that generate a wide range and modes of shear stresses within a perfusion chamber, enabling us to culture cells on chip and examine the effects of shear stress on cell growth and cell functions.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Synthesis of thiolactose (4-S-β-d-galactopyranosyl-4-thio-d-glucopyranose)

Abstract The potential enzyme inducer, 4- S -β- d -galactopyranosyl-4-thio- d -glucopyranose, thiolactose ( 20 ), was synthesized via two routes. The intermediate, methyl 2,3,6-trio- O -benzoyl-4- S -cyano-4-thio-α- d -glucopyranoside ( 5 ), was obtained in high yield from methyl α- d -galactopyranoside. Reaction of the sodium salt of methyl 4-thio-α- d -glucopyranoside, derived from 5 , with 2,3,4,6-tetra- O -acetyl-α- d -galactopyranosyl bromide in hexamethylphosphoric triamide produced a methyl thiolactoside derivative that could be selectively benzoylated to give 2,6,-di- O -benzoyl- S -(2,3,4,6-tetra- O -acetyl-β- d -galactopyranosyl)-4-thio-α- d -glucopyranoside ( 14 ), which was directly crystallized from a complex mixture of products produced in the coupling reaction. Selective acetolysis of the methyl glycoside linkage of 14 (or of the derived heptaacetate), followed by transesterification, afforded 20 .
Differential Effects of Alcohols on Intracerebral Arterioles. Ethanol Alone Causes Vasoconstriction

We compared the effect of the acute application of ethanol, methanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, urea, and mannitol (1–100 mM) on the basal tone of isolated–cannulated rat intracerebral arterioles to determine if the response of these arterioles to ethanol could be attributed to alteration of membrane fluidity or changes in osmolality. These arterioles spontaneously developed tone to 62.0 ± 8.4% of passive diameter (44.2 ±11.9 vs. 70.9 ± 14.7 μm). Ethanol caused a dose-dependent reduction in arteriolar diameter starting at 3 mM (p = 0.03), reaching a diameter of 81.4 ± 3.0% of basal tone at 100 mM. In comparison, all other agents tested caused the arterioles to dilate, with the exception of 1-propanol, which produced inconsistent vessel responses. At 100 mM concentration, methanol, 1-butanol, urea, and mannitol dilated intracerebral arterioles by 116.1 ± 12.7, 151.5 ± 12.4, 131.1 ± 17.0, and 149.8 ± 6.6%, respectively. Thus, in a concentration range associated with acute intoxication, ethanol causes constrict...
Preparation of yttria-stabilized zirconia nanoplatelets using vacuum roll coating

Roll-to-roll vacuum coating on moving plastic substrates and the subsequent comminuting of the film into a flake or platelet with microscale lateral and thickness dimensions is an industrially mature technology utilized to produce clean, consistent material with high throughput. In this study, we describe the novel preparation of nanoplatelets by top-down vacuum evaporation of yttria-stabilized zirconium dioxides (YSZ) on a nanoembossed, moveable substrate for the purposes of making nanoplatelets. Microscopy and particle size analysis of the resulting YSZ nanoplatelets revealed that use of the nanoembossed substrate results in significant narrowing of the particle size distribution. However, while the YSZ coatings were conformal and successfully replicated the nanopattern of the underlying substrate, the stress in the film was inadequate to fracture the film into platelets that replicated the nanometer dimensions of the underlying pattern. It was determined that this is due to the inherent fracture toughness of the nanoplatelets and the augmented adhesion forces along the increased length scale of nanoparticle contacts. The nanoplatelets were further reduced in average size and size distribution by post-processing techniques of sonication, ball milling, and centrifugation. The nanoplatelet’s stoichiometry and crystallinity were modified by manipulating the source material, deposition parameters, and post-processing steps.
Phenomenological theory to model leakage currents in metal–insulator–metal capacitor systems

A phenomenological model intended to provide a description of leakage behavior in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor devices is presented. The model is able to predict both transient and steady state leakage currents under constant voltage bias conditions (the J-t characteristics), as well as J-V characteristics for a given voltage sweep schedule. The electronic transport processes currently implemented in the model include trap assisted tunneling (TAT) of electrons from the electrode to defect or trap states in the dielectric, modified Poole-Frenkel (MPF) emission of part of the trapped electrons to the conduction band of the dielectric, and Schottky emission of Fermi level electrons directly from the electrode to the conduction band of the dielectric. The model is able to predict many of the observed features, including characteristic slopes in J-t and J-V plots, and dependences of the leakage current on dielectric thickness, temperature and the Schottky barrier height.
Kinetic and genetic bases for the heteroclitic recognition of mouse cytochrome c by mouse anti-pigeon cytochrome c monoclonal antibodies.

Abstract The B lymphocyte response to pigeon cytochrome c (CYT) in BALB/c mice was previously shown to initiate as a heteroclitic response specific for the self antigen mouse CYT. As the immune response progressed, the mAb that were produced became less heteroclitic and often bound pigeon CYT with higher affinity than they bound mouse CYT [Minnerath, J. et al., 1995. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, 12379–12383]. To study the basis for heterocliticity and its loss in this system, the H and L chain amino acid sequences of anti-pigeon CYT mAb obtained from the primary and secondary Ab responses were first compared. The most frequent somatic mutations and Ig gene joints were then introduced into an engineered single-chain Fv (scFv) that expressed the germline-encoded V H and V L amino acid sequences. The effects of those changes on the on- rate, off-rate, and affinity constants in binding both mouse and pigeon CYT were determined by surface plasmon resonance. In this system, the heterocliticity of primary mAb was largely due to a decreased on-rate constant for binding pigeon CYT relative to mouse CYT. Various combinations of the three frequently occurring H chain somatic mutations (H31, H56, and H58) increased the on-rate constant to maximal levels. Only one of the mutations (H58) decreased the off-rate constant when in combination with the other mutations and the effect of H58 was greater for scFv binding mouse CYT than pigeon CYT. Consequently, the mutated scFv and many secondary mAb remained heteroclitic, although their affinities for pigeon CYT increased. Secondary mAb that were no longer heteroclitic expressed non-canonical amino acid sequences in the V H –D–J H joint in the context of the canonical V genes or expressed different V genes. In addition to providing insight into the molecular basis for heterocliticity, our findings confirm that both faster on-rate and slower off-rate constants are favored during affinity maturation of the Ab response.
Bacteriologic investigations of unusual mycobacteria isolated from immunocompromised patients

Abstract Mycobacterial isolates from blood and other extrapulmonary sites of six patients with AIDS were investigated because the isolates grew only in liquid media and failed to grow on solid culture media even on subculturing. Our investigations indicated that these mycobacteria possess common, but unusual, characteristics and probably belong to an unrecognized species recently reported as "Mycobacterium genavense."
Liquid-gas coexistence in 208Pb-emulsion interactions at 160A GeV

Abstract The charge distribution of multifragments of the 208Pb beam at 160A GeV in nuclear emulsion has been fitted with a power-law. The moments of the resulting nuclear charged fragment distribution dis provide strong evidence that nuclear matter possesses critical point observables. The values of the critical exponents (γ, β and τ) extracted from the 208Pb beam are compared with the values for the 197Au beams at 10.6A GeV and 1A GeV. These values are very close to those for a liquid-gas system.
Oxidation Studies of Aluminum-Implanted NBD 200 Silicon Nitride

The effects of aluminum-ion-implantation on the oxidation behavior of NBD 200 Si3N4 were investigated over an implant concentration range of 0–30 at.%, at 800°–1100°C, in 1 atm dry O2. Oxidation of both unimplanted and implanted samples follows a parabolic rate law. The parabolic rate constant decreases and the activation energy increases with aluminum concentration. Smooth and crack-free oxides are formed under the combination of high implant concentrations and low oxidation temperatures. Outward diffusion of Mg2+ from the bulk of NBD 200 to the oxide layer remains the rate-limiting step for aluminum-implanted samples. The enhancement of the oxidation resistance of NBD 200 by aluminum implantation is attributed to the retardation of the outward diffusion of Mg2+.
The Emergence of Black Supplementary Schools Resistance to Racism in the United Kingdom

The author believes that the schooling of Africans in European-centered "educational" institutions is a method of subjugation. It relies on subverting creative human potential through misinformation about who and what we are. We are taught ways of seeing and being that are not conducive to our physical and mental well-being. As culturally influenced institutions, European-centered schools play a major role in maintaining control of interests on a global and local scale. Wherever these institutions have developed, their fundamental role has remained constant. The rise of supplementary schools in the United Kingdom is part of the resistance of Africans to this condition. In this article, the author focuses on the perceptions of the users of these schools and their roles in the schools' formation and development.
Measurement-based care for refractory depression : A clinical decision support model for clinical research and practice

Despite years of antidepressant drug development and patient and provider education, suboptimal medication dosing and duration of exposure resulting in incomplete remission of symptoms remains the norm in the treatment of depression. Additionally, since no one treatment is effective for all patients, optimal implementation focusing on the measurement of symptoms, side effects, and function is essential to determine effective sequential treatment approaches. There is a need for a paradigm shift in how clinical decision making is incorporated into clinical practice and for a move away from the trial-and-error approach that currently determines the "next best" treatment. This paper describes how our experience with the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP) and the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial has confirmed the need for easy-to-use clinical support systems to ensure fidelity to guidelines. To further enhance guideline fidelity, we have developed an electronic decision support system that provides critical feedback and guidance at the point of patient care. We believe that a measurement-based care (MBC) approach is essential to any decision support system, allowing physicians to individualize and adapt decisions about patient care based on symptom progress, tolerability of medication, and dose optimization. We also believe that successful integration of sequential algorithms with MBC into real-world clinics will facilitate change that will endure and improve patient outcomes. Although we use major depression to illustrate our approach, the issues addressed are applicable to other chronic psychiatric conditions including comorbid depression and substance use disorder as well as other medical illnesses.
Ion channel assembly: creating structures that function.

With advances in recombinant DNA, structural, and electrophysiological techniques, much progress has been made in understanding the structure and, in particular, the function of ion channels. Less progress has been made in resolving the cell biological events that guide the assembly and trafficking