cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychopathology and parenting: An examination of perceived and observed parenting in mothers with depression and PTSD

Abstract Background The postpartum period represents a major transition in the lives of many women, a time when women are at increased risk for the emergence of psychopathology including depression and PTSD. The current study aimed to better understand the unique contributions of clinically significant postpartum depression, PTSD, and comorbid PTSD/depression on mother–infant bonding and observed maternal parenting behaviors (i.e., behavioral sensitivity, negative affect, positive affect) at 6 months postpartum. Methods Mothers ( n =164; oversampled for history of childhood maltreatment given parent study's focus on perinatal mental health in women with trauma histories) and infants participated in 6-month home visit during which dyads engaged in interactional tasks varying in level of difficulties. Mothers also reported on their childhood abuse histories, current depression/PTSD symptoms, and bonding with the infant using standardized and validated instruments. Results Mothers with clinically significant depression had the most parenting impairment (self-report and observed). Mothers with clinically significant PTSD alone (due to interpersonal trauma that occurred predominately in childhood) showed similar interactive behaviors to those who were healthy controls or trauma-exposed but resilient (i.e., no postpartum psychopathology). Childhood maltreatment in the absence of postpartum psychopathology did not infer parenting risk. Limitations Findings are limited by (1) small cell sizes per clinical group, limiting power, (2) sample size and sample demographics prohibited examination of third variables that might also impact parenting (e.g., income, education), (3) self-report of symptoms rather than use of psychiatric interviews. Conclusions Findings show that in the context of child abuse history and/or current PTSD, clinically significant maternal depression was the most salient factor during infancy that was associated with parenting impairment at this level of analysis.
Convex optimization of coincidence time resolution for high resolution PET systems

We are developing a dual panel breast-dedicated PET system using NOVA RENA-3 ASICs. The coincidence timing resolution of the RENA-3 ASIC can be improved with list mode calibration. We treat the calibration problem as a convex optimization problem and use the RENA-3’s analog based timing system to correct the measured data for time dispersion effects from correlated noise, position sensitive avalanche photodiode (PSAPD) signal delays and varying signal amplitudes. The direct solution to the optimization problem involves a matrix inversion that grows order (n2) with the number of parameters. An iterative method using single-coordinate descent to approximate the inversion grows only order (n). The system calibration method is demonstrated with measured pulser data as well as with two LSO-PSAPD detectors in electronic coincidence. After applying the algorithm, the 511keV photopeak paired coincidence time resolution from the LSO-PSAPD detectors under study improved by 57%, from raw value of 16.3±0.07 ns FWHM to 6.92±0.02 ns FWHM (11.52±0.05 ns to 4.89±0.02 ns for unpaired photons).
Zika Virus —10 Public Health Achievements in 2016 and Future Priorities

The introduction of Zika virus into the Region of the Americas (Americas) and the subsequent increase in cases of congenital microcephaly resulted in activation of CDCs Emergency Operations Center on January 22 2016 to ensure a coordinated response and timely dissemination of information and led the World Health Organization to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on February 1 2016. During the past year public health agencies and researchers worldwide have collaborated to protect pregnant women inform clinicians and the public and advance knowledge about Zika virus (Figure 1). This report summarizes 10 important contributions toward addressing the threat posed by Zika virus in 2016. To protect pregnant women and their fetuses and infants from the effects of Zika virus infection during pregnancy public health activities must focus on preventing mosquito-borne transmission through vector control and personal protective practices preventing sexual transmission by advising abstention from sex or consistent and correct use of condoms and preventing unintended pregnancies by reducing barriers to access to highly effective reversible contraception.
Translational initiatives in thrombolytic therapy

Once thrombi have formed as part of the pathology defining myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, peripheral arterial disease, deep venous thrombosis or other embolic disorders, the only clinically meaningful thrombolytic agents available for reversing the thrombogenic process are various plasminogen activators. These agents are enzymes that reverse fibrin polymerization underlying the coagulation process by converting endogenous plasminogen to plasmin, which cleaves the fibrin network to form increasingly smaller protein fragments, a process known as fibrinolysis. For the most part, the major clinically used thrombolytics, tissue plasminogen activator, urokinase and streptokinase, as well as the experimentally investigated agent staphylokinase, are the products of recombinant DNA technology, which permits molecular optimization of clinical efficacy. In all cases of molecular optimization and targeting, however, the primary challenge of thrombolytic therapy remains hemorrhagic side effects, which are especially devastating when they occur intracerebrally. Currently, the best strategy to ameliorate this adverse effect is nanoparticulate encapsulation or complexation, and many strategies of this sort are being actively pursued. This review summarizes the variety of targeted and untargeted thrombolytic formulations that have been investigated in preclinical studies.
Patterns in micronekton diversity across the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre observed from the diet of longnose lancetfish ( Alepisaurus ferox )

Abstract We examined the diet of a common midwater predator, the longnose lancetfish ( Alepisaurus ferox , n=1371), with respect to fork length, season, and capture location within the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG). While A. ferox fed diversely across 97 prey families, approximately 70% of its diet by wet weight consisted of seven prey families (fishes: Sternoptychidae, Anoplogastridae, Omosudidae, Alepisauridae; hyperiid amphipods: Phrosinidae; octopods: Amphitretidae; polychaetes: Alciopidae). Altogether, these micronekton prey families constitute a poorly known forage community distinct from those exploited by other pelagic predators and poorly sampled by conventional methods. We demonstrate ontogenetic variation in diet between two size classes of A. ferox ( A. ferox consumed more fish and octopods, fewer crustaceans, and were more cannibalistic than small A. ferox . Ontogenetic shifts in vertical foraging habitat were observed as the consumption of larger and more mesopelagic prey with increasing fork length. Spatial and seasonal variation in the diet of A. ferox is consistent with expected patterns of variation in prey distribution with respect to oceanographic features of the NPSG. Within both size classes, the diets of specimens collected from the oligotrophic core of the NPSG were more diverse than those collected near the boundaries of the gyre and appeared to track seasonal variation in the position of the northern boundary of the gyre. Our data suggest seasonal and spatial variability in the composition of midwater forage communities exploited by A. ferox across the NPSG, and demonstrate that sustained monitoring of diet could provide valuable insights into long-term changes in these understudied communities.
A two-handed interface for object manipulation in virtual environments

A two-handed direct manipulation VE virtual environment interface has been developed as an intuitive manipulation metaphor for graphical objects. A new input device called ChordGloves introduces a simple technique for rapid and repeatable gesture recognition; the Chordgloves emulate a pair of 3-D mice and a keyboard. A drafting table is isomorphically mapped into the VE and provides hand support for 2-D interface techniques, as well as a reference frame for calibrating the mapping between real and virtual worlds. A cursor gravity function is used to grab vertices, edges, or faces and establish precisely aligned differential constraints between objects called anchors. The capability of subjects to translate, rotate, scale, align, and glue objects is tested with a puzzle building task. An approximation of the puzzle task is done in Adobe Illustrator to provide a performance reference. Results and informal user observations as well as topics for future work are presented.
Childhood peer victimization experiences and adult psychological adjustment: Examining race/ethnicity and race-related attributions:

Few studies have examined young adults’ perceptions of childhood peer victimization (CPV) experiences and whether people of different racial/ethnic backgrounds perceive CPV differently. The current...
The Use of Portfolios in US Pharmacy Schools

Objective. To conduct a review of the pharmacy literature on the use of portfolios in US pharmacy schools. Findings. This study provides examples of how pharmacy schools are using portfolios in various parts and across their curricula, however, assessment/outcome data is lacking. These examples can be used as a starting point for schools as they begin to design their own use of portfolios. Overall, students indicated that the use of portfolios is important in their professional development, but significant time is needed to complete. Summary. Things to consider when implementing a portfolio system include how it will be used, who will review it, and what resources will be needed to sustain the project. It is important for schools to consider these items at the start of the process to ensure the portfolio process that is created is useful for assessing the overall programmatic or course outcomes being proposed by their use. More scholarly work needs to be published on the use of portfolios.
A review of friction stir welding of steels: tool, material flow, microstructure, and properties

Abstract Considerable progress has been achieved in friction stir welding (FSW) of steels in every aspect of tool fabrication, microstructure control and properties evaluation in the past two decades. With the development of reliable welding tools and precise control systems, FSW of steels has reached a new level of technical maturity. High-quality, long welds can be produced in many engineering steels. Compared to traditional fusion welding, FSW exhibits unique advantages producing joints with better properties. As a result of active control of the welding temperature and/or cooling rate, FSW has the capability of fabricating steel joints with excellent toughness and strength. For example, unfavorable phase transformations that usually occur during traditional welding can be avoided and favorable phase fractions in advanced steels can be maintained in the weld zone thus avoiding the typical property degradations associated with fusion welding. If phase transformations do occur during FSW of thick steels, optimization of microstructure and properties can be attained by controlling the heat input and post-weld cooling rate.
Treatment of central nervous system tuberculosis.

Central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS-TB) manifests as tuberculous meningitis, intracranial tuberculoma, or spinal tuberculous arachnoiditis. Children are disproportionately affected, with high rates of mortality and morbidity reported even in the era of treatment. Most guidelines for the treatment of drug-susceptible CNS-TB recommend 9 to 12 months of a standard regimen of isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, with the adjunctive use of corticosteroids early in therapy. Recent trials have demonstrated improved outcomes with intensified regimens using nonstandard regimens or higher dosages of standard drugs. Accumulating evidence also supports shorter duration of treatment. Further investigation is warranted to identify the optimal regimen and duration of treatment for CNS-TB. Complications such as hydrocephalus may be managed medically or surgically. Although outcomes have improved with effective chemotherapy and immunomodulation of disease, prompt diagnosis and treatment in the early stages of disease remain paramount to improve prognosis.
Insta-grated Plastic Surgery Residencies: The Rise of Social Media Use by Trainees and Responsible Guidelines for Use.

Background Ethical guidelines for appropriate use of social media are beginning to be delineated. As social media becomes ingrained in plastic surgery culture, education of residents on appropriate use of social media is increasingly important. Recently, plastic surgery residency programs have begun to utilize social media. Objectives This study characterized the trends and content of plastic surgery residency-associated Instagram accounts. Methods Active individual residency program Instagram accounts were identified for integrated plastic surgery programs. Metrics for each account were retrieved on September 16, 2017, including date of first post, number of posts, and followers. Individual posts were analyzed for content of post. Results Fourteen of 67 (21%) integrated plastic surgery programs were found to have active Instagram accounts. There has been an exponential growth of programs adopting Instagram since August 2015. A total of 806 posts were created. Thirty-two (3.97%) posts had intraoperative photos and only one (0.12%) showed a patient image. There were 4466 followers of plastic surgery residency programs. A linear correlation was found between number of posts and number of followers, while there was no correlation of number of followers and time since account start. Conclusions Instagram use by plastic surgery integrated programs continues to grow exponentially, and programs are appropriately using the platform. Active use of the resident social media results in increased influence. Resident use of social media has many benefits. We propose social media guidelines for plastic surgery trainees and advocate for continued appropriate use and autoregulation by plastic surgery trainees.
Scaling in Art and Nature

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) is perhaps most widely known for his telescopic observations of the moons of Jupiter, and for his subsequent attack on Aristotle’s popular geocentric model of Earth’s solar system.
Corporate Aiding and Abetting Liability Under the Alien Tort Statute: A Legislative Prerogative

Since the landmark decision in Filartiga v. Pena-Irala, U.S. courts have struggled determining actionable claims under the enigmatic Alien Tort Statute (ATS). While the Supreme Court recognized the viability of the ATS as a jurisdictional statute in Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, its scope was restricted to an amorphous “eighteenth century paradigm.” This model has proven to be a murky standard. One of the most contentious and uncertain claims under the ATS involves corporate liability for aiding and abetting human rights violations. This Comment argues that based upon the limited holding of Sosa, aiding and abetting liability would not be recognized as an actionable claim under the ATS. Therefore, similar to the Torture Victim Protection Act, it is Congress’s role to clarify the ATS and ensure that victims of human rights are able to hold complicit corpora-
Group-Oriented Contingencies and Peer Behavior Change

The peer group is, numerically, the largest source of potential behavior-change agents for coping with problematic behavior in children, far outnumbering both parents and teachers. Yet its latent power to facilitate academic and social gains in school settings has been attended to only recently (V.L. Allen, 1976; Bronfenbrenner, 1970). Developmental psychologists have been exhaustively describing the increasing influence of a child’s peers in the socialization process for years (Hartup, 1970; Piaget, 1932). With increasing age, children were shown to depend more upon peer-group pressure and affiliation than upon the family, with maximal influence occurring during adolescence (Hartup, 1970).
Cultural Contact: Archaeological Approaches

The focus of culture contact, as currently defined, is the study of culture change within the context of contact situations involving different cultures. Much of the recent effort in this field has been on early encounters of indigenous peoples with Europeans in colonial contexts. The current archaeological approach integrates lines of evidence from archaeology, ethnography, ethnohistory, linguistics, biological anthropology, and native oral traditions. Beginning with ‘acculturation,’ the article alludes to subsequent theoretical and methodological trends. While no single theoretical position captures the field, certain ubiquitous issues include: (A) world economy and the intensification of regional exchange and innovations in material culture; (B) demographic collapse, lethal epidemics and changing natural landscapes; and (C) implications of demographic collapse for social disruption and reformulation including native responses of resistance, domination, and cooperation. A discussion of how issues relating to culture contact articulate with the greater theoretical agendas that dominate anthropology today leads to the recognition of methodological issues or problems as well as future directions involving historical anthropology and an increased interest in the development and negotiation of status hierarchies, ethnic identities, and gender relations in pluralistic colonial communities.
Improved Outcomes Via Integrated Molecular Diagnostics and Biofilm Targeted Therapeutics

Molecular diagnostics are validated clinical tools available today for most all clinicians. Given the expanded microbial census they elucidate with DNA-level certainty, a new microbial reality has emerged making interpretation pivotal to advancing outcomes. Regarding chronic infection, there is little consensus for interpretation, even from traditional culture. To advance outcomes, the authors propose an escalating chronic infection protocol leveraging multiple concurrent strategies. A pivotal aspect, directing multiple legs of the protocol, is the diagnostic objectivity and accuracy of molecular diagnostics.
Elementary Probability Theory

Probability theory is concerned with the mathematical analysis of the intuitive notion of “chance” or “randomness,” which, like all notions, is born of experience. The quantitative idea of randomness first took form at the gaming tables, and probability theory began, with Pascal and Fermat (1654), as a theory of games of chance. Since then, the notion of chance has found its way into almost all branches of knowledge. In particular, the discovery that physical “observables,” even those which describe the behavior of elementary particles, were to be considered as subject to laws of chance made an investigation of the notion of chance basic to the whole problem of rational interpretation of nature.
A modified frailty index predicts adverse outcomes among patients with colon cancer undergoing surgical intervention

Abstract Introduction Assessing outcomes in patients with colon cancer (CC) undergoing surgical intervention is challenging. Frailty has been as established tool for assessing patient outcomes. The aim was of this study was to assess role of frailty in patients with CC. Methods National estimates for patients with CC were abstracted from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database (2011). Frailty was calculated using a 11 variable CCFI. Patient was stratified as frail (FL) (mFI≥0.25) and non-frail (Non-FL). Outcome measures were: in-hospital complications, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), discharge disposition, and mortality. Regression analysis was performed. Results A total of 53,652 patients with CC who underwent surgery were analyzed. The mean age was 69 ± 19 years with 62% males and mean CCFI being 0.13. 34% of patients were frail. 22.3% patients had in-hospital complications and mortality rate was 3.2%. Frail patients were more likely to have in-hospital complications (p = 0.001), longer hospital LOS (p = 0.001), more likely to be discharged to a facility (p = 0.001). On regression analysis after controlling for age, gender, type of procedure, hospital status, insurance status, frail status was independently associated with in-hospital complications (OR[95% CI]: 1.8[1.1–2.9], p = 0.035) and adverse discharge disposition (OR[95% CI]: 1.3[1.08–3.5], p = 0.043). Conclusion Frailty status is an independent predictor of adverse outcomes (complications, discharge disposition, and LOS) in CC patient undergoing surgical intervention. Age was not independently associated with outcome and had poor correlation with frailty status. Pre-operative assessment of frailty in CC patient may help early identifications and risk stratification to help improve outcomes and discharge planning.
Mental Health in the IT Workplace

Everyone has their own personal struggles, and we are in the habit, for better or for worse, of powering through them. But is that the right approach? Sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression, to name but a few, are frighteningly commonplace amongst the general populace. To deny that these conditions exist in the workplace would seem to be foolish. The important question is, is this reality acknowledged? Are there support structures in place to help us address mental health issues when they arise? After all, healthier employees are in everyone's best interest: company, client, and of course, the individuals themselves.This panel will be comprised of members of the SIGUCCS community who currently experience, or have experienced, some form of mental health issue that they feel has had an impact on their professional (and personal) lives. We'll talk about how these conditions manifested themselves, the impact that they had or are having on our work, and what we did or are doing to address them. We'll also talk about the importance of support structures in our workplace, whether they existed in our personal experiences or not.Please join us in what we hope to be a safe environment for an important conversation.
Can Container Fusion Be Securely Achieved

Linux containers are key enablers for building microservices. The application's microservices fall broadly under two categories, the core-microservices implementing the business logic and the utility-microservices implementing middleware functionalities. Such functionalities include vulnerability scanning, monitoring, telemetry, etc. Segregating the utility-microservices in separate containers from the core-microservice containers may prevent them from achieving their functionality. This is due to the strong isolation between containers. By diffusing the boundaries between containers we can fuse them together and enable close collaboration. However, this raises several security concerns, especially that the utility-microservices may include vulnerabilities that threaten the entire application. In this paper, we analyze the different techniques to enhance the security of container fusion and present an automated solution based on Kubernetes to configure utility-microservices containers to fuse with core-microservices containers.
Use of Tissue Plasminogen Activator Alteplase for Suspected Impella Thrombosis.

Background Impella devices are being increasingly used to manage cardiogenic shock. The incidence of thrombosis and hemolysis in patients on Impella support increases with longer durations of use, and the management of Impella thrombosis remains ill-defined. Methods In this case series, we describe our institutional use of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) alteplase in the Impella purge solution (0.04 or 0.08 mg/ml tPA in sterile water) for management of suspected Impella thrombosis in five patients, each with a different clinical course, treatment, and outcome. Given the limited evidence on the diagnosis of Impella thrombosis, suspicion was driven by the presence of decreased purge flow rates, increased purge pressures, and markers of hemolysis such as elevated lactate dehydrogenase and hematuria. Outcomes In all cases, tPA administration resulted in resolution of low purge flow rates and high purge pressures. No major bleeding complications were directly associated with tPA. Two patients were bridged successfully to heart transplantation, two patients underwent left ventricular assist device implantation, and one patient died after withdrawal of care. Conclusion Based on our experience, tPA administration appears to be a viable and safe salvage option to delay or prevent device exchange in the setting of suspected Impella thrombosis.
Consolidative Radiotherapy in Oligometastatic Lung Cancer: Patient Selection With a Prediction Nomogram.

BACKGROUND Patients with stage IV oligometastatic (≤ 3 sites) non-small-cell lung cancer have a progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival benefit when all sites of metastatic disease and the primary tumor are treated radically with consolidative radiotherapy (cRT). However, the optimal selection of patients most likely from cRT is yet to be defined. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer treated with definitive radiotherapy to all metastatic sites and primary tumor (2008-2019) were retrospectively identified. Univariable Cox proportional-hazards model was used to compare outcomes with demographic and clinical characteristics. A predictive nomogram model for selection of patients most likely to benefit from cRT was constructed. RESULTS There were 91 patients identified with a total of 114 metastases treated. Median PFS from the start of cRT was 10.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.1-16.6), while the median survival time was 37.0 months (95% CI, 31.3-NR). On univariable modeling, patients with squamous histology (hazard ratio, 4.16; 95% CI, 1.99-8.71; P < .001) and those treated with non-stereotactic body radiotherapy hypofractionated therapy (hazard ratio, 5.43; 95% CI, 2.10-14.01; P < .001) had worse overall survival, while patients with targetable mutations (hazard ratio, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.25-0.98; P = .04) had a longer survival. Using a predictive nomogram model, patients with a solitary site of metastasis, targetable mutations, intracranial disease, and metachronous timing of oligometastases had a larger PFS benefit from cRT. CONCLUSION cRT is associated with favorable outcomes in PFS and overall survival. These results may aid in patient counseling, selection for aggressive local therapy, and stratification in future prospective clinical trials.
Quantitative and qualitative results from implementation of a two-item food insecurity screening tool in healthcare settings in Connecticut

Millions of Americans face food insecurity, yet a universal screening tool is not in place. Food insecurity is known to be associated with poor health outcomes such as heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension in adults, and low school performance and mental illness in children. From January 2017 through February 2017, we utilized a validated two-item screening tool to assess the prevalence of households at risk for food insecurity and conducted a focus group of pediatricians. Patients at a Federally Qualified Health Center in New Haven, Connecticut were screened. Pediatricians of the American Academy of Pediatricians comprised the focus group. 534 of 1272 screening tool respondents were at risk for food insecurity (41.4%). Male respondents had higher prevalence than females (46.3% vs 38.9%, p = 0.009), and Hispanics (34.4%) less than Whites (54.4%) and Blacks (53.8%) (p < 0.001). Moreover, we executed a qualitative study of pediatricians' perception of food insecurity screening via a focus group. Themes that emerged from the focus group were agreement on the high importance of food insecurity screening, concern from caregivers about child neglect, and the difficulty of implementing the screening tool due to time constraints. We achieved successful implementation of the screening tool into the electronic medical record with a high completion rate of 97.9%. Identified barriers to universal screening for food insecurity include lack of efficient methods to direct food-insecure patients to resources and continued stigma regarding food insecurity.
Improving Metacognition in the Classroom

Abstract. Students are often overconfident in educational settings and struggle to differentiate between well-learned and poorly-learned concepts. The present article reviews current research on st...
Architecture of a Flexible and Cost-Effective Remote Code Execution Engine.

Oftentimes, there is a need to experiment with different programming languages and technologies when designing software applications. Such experiments must be reproducible and share-able within a team workplace, and manual effort should be minimized for setting up/tearing down said experiments. This paper solves this problem by presenting a cloud-based web service for remote code execution, that is easily extensible to support any number of programming languages and libraries. The service provides a fast, reproducible solution for small software experiments and is amenable to collaboration in a workplace (via sharable permalinks). The service is designed as a distributed system to reliably support a large number of users, and efficiently manage cloud-hosting costs with predictive auto-scaling while minimizing SLA violations.
Athletic Compensation for Women Too? Title IX Implications of Northwestern and O'Bannon

The NCAA has been relying on Title IX requirements to defend its polices prohibiting compensation for college athletics; it argues that paying athletes in revenue sports, coupled with the commensurate obligation under Title IX to pay female athletes, would be prohibitively expensive. As a response to the NCAA’s argument, the Author seeks to advance two positions: first, that Title IX would, as argued by the NCAA, require payment of female athletes using some measure of equality; and, second, that it is not Title IX that renders the prospect of athlete compensation cost prohibitive, but rather, the fact that college athletics departments seek the advantages of operating as both educational and commerce enterprises. Ultimately, the Author reframes the application of Title IX to athlete compensation by proposing two alternative outcomes: either college athletics departments could reform their programs by curtailing the ways in which they have become overly commercialized programs and thus avoid the application of antitrust and labor laws, or they could reform themselves by abandoning their connection to education and the subsidy that comes with it.
Founding Fictions, by J. R. Mercieca

“Fictions” in the title of this book does not mean “untruths.” Rather, Jennifer Mercieca understands political fictions as “narratives that political communities tell themselves about their governm...
MicroRNA Signatures as Biomarkers in Cancer

Microribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression posttranscriptionally and control many biological processes including tumourigenesis. Given that, miRNA levels are heavily dysregulated in tumour tissues, many of these RNAs have been identified as classifiers for particular cancer subtypes. In addition, miRNA gene signatures can provide prognostic value, are associated with tumourigenic processes such as metastasis and can identify certain tumour cell types including drug-resistant and cancer stem cell populations. To gain a better molecular understanding of therapeutic response and disease relapse, there has been an impetus to develop miRNA biomarker profiles through less invasive strategies (i.e. from serum and other sources) rather than from repeated biopsy near the original tumour site. Through these techniques, miRNAs have been found to exist in cell-free fractions, in exosomes and in circulating tumour cells. While it is still unclear about the mechanisms guiding the release of miRNAs into the serum and other sources, overall, miRNAs have the potential to be used in understanding the pathogenesis of disease prognosis and for diagnostic purposes and in the development of new therapeutic treatment regimens. Key Concepts MicroRNAs function as master regulators of gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. MicroRNAs can function as oncogenes or tumour suppressors in a cell-context-dependent manner. MicroRNAs are stable, found in serum and other biofluids and make good non-invasive biomarkers. MicroRNA profiles are associated with therapeutic treatments and disease outcomes. MicroRNAs can themselves be therapeutic agents or therapeutic targets. Keywords: microRNAs; cancer; biomarker; exosomes; stem cells; oncogene; tumour suppressor; therapeutics; serum; HDL
An empirical comparison of pattern recognition, neural nets, and machine learning classification methods

Classification methods from statistical pattern recognition, neural nets, and machine learning were applied to four real-world data sets. Each of these data sets has been previously analyzed and reported in the statistical, medical, or machine learning literature. The data sets are characterized by statisucal uncertainty; there is no completely accurate solution to these problems. Training and testing or resampling techniques are used to estimate the true error rates of the classification methods. Detailed attention is given to the analysis of performance of the neural nets using back propagation. For these problems, which have relatively few hypotheses and features, the machine learning procedures for rule induction or tree induction clearly performed best.
Newborn Behavior, Parent–Infant Interaction, and Developmental Change Processes: Research Roots of Developmental, Relational, and Systems‐Theory‐Based Practice

The discovery of individual and cross-cultural differences among newborns, and their effects on caregiver behaviors, underpins a systems theory of human development and a resulting paradigm shift. This theory accommodates both epigenetics-mediating genes and environment within the individual, and culture-a dynamic, emergent phenomenon transmitting contextually adaptive child-rearing beliefs and practices. Within human systems, children and parents' development is also propelled by mutual adaptation occurring through the microprocesses of early interactions and through normative periods of disorganization and reorganization (touchpoints). This paradigm shift in developmental theory calls for parallel shifts in clinical practice and organizational structures and processes.
Measuring Drug-Related Attitudes.

There are relatively few instruments that measure attitudes toward both drug users and drug usage, including abuse of prescription drugs. This study was concerned with the measurement charcteristics of an instrument which can be employed for this purpose. Subjects were 347 teachers and college students. Analysis included calculation of factor reliability, in variance, and validity coefficients. The results suggest that the attitude items can be employed to evaluate impacts which represent an important aspect of most drug education programs.
Low Income Postpartum Women Are at Risk of Iron Deficiency

We estimated the prevalence of postpartum iron deficiency, anemia and iron deficiency anemia in the United States and compared risk of iron deficiency between women 0-24 mo postpartum (n = 680) and never-pregnant women, 20-40 y old (n = 587). We used data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Iron deficiency was defined as abnormal values for > or = 2 of 3 iron status measures (serum ferritin, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin, transferrin saturation). Iron deficiency prevalences for women 0-6, 7-12 and 13-24 mo postpartum were 12.7, 12.4 and 7.8%, respectively, and 6.5% among never-pregnant women. After adjustment for confounding, the risk of iron deficiency among women with a poverty index ratio 130%, but risk was not elevated for never-pregnant women with a poverty index ratio 130% who were 0-6, 7-12 or 13-24 mo postpartum. Given that low income postpartum women bear a substantially greater iron deficiency risk than never-pregnant women, more attention should be given to preventing iron deficiency among low income women during and after pregnancy.
Modulation of Serotonin 2C Receptor Editing by Sustained Changes in Serotonergic Neurotransmission

Serotonin 2C (5-HT2C) receptor pre-mRNA is a substrate for RNA editing enzymes that convert five adenosines (named A, B, C', C, and D editing sites) to inosines. Editing of two of these sites (C' and C) is crucial for decreasing the efficiency of the receptor to activate G-protein. Nucleotide sequence analysis of mouse forebrain neocortical 5-HT2C mRNA isoforms revealed that editing at these two sites is regulated in a serotonin-dependent manner. In serotonin-depleted mice, C'- and C-site editing is significantly decreased. This results in an increased expression of 5-HT2C mRNA isoforms encoding receptors with higher sensitivity to serotonin. In contrast, a 4 d treatment with the 5-HT2A/2C agonist (+/-)-1-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-aminopropane significantly increases the editing frequency at the C' site and leads to increased expression of 5-HT2C mRNA isoforms encoding receptors that activate G-protein least efficiently. None of the drug treatments led to alterations in cytoplasmic 5-HT2C mRNA levels. These data indicate that editing of 5-HT2C pre-mRNA is a mechanism that retains basic response properties of 5-HT2C receptors in the face of changing synaptic input to keep receptor activation within an optimal range for information processing. Key words: serotonin; 5.
Relationships between tropical cyclones and heavy rainfall in the Carolina region of the USA

A strong association exists between exceptionally heavy rainfall and the movement of tropical cyclones (i.e. tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes) across the Carolina region of the USA. There is much variability, however, in the precipitation totals associated with each tropical cyclone. This variability is at least partially tied to various interactions between mid-latitude features and the moisture plume that is advected around the tropical cyclone. In the first part of this study, a 55-year precipitation events climatology is constructed that quantifies the influence of tropical cyclones on precipitation events with varying return intervals. In particular, it shows that the majority of the heaviest precipitation events in the eastern three-quarters of the region are associated with tropical cyclones. In the second part of this study, a synoptic climatology is developed that reveals the relationships between precipitation totals and various atmospheric variables. The variables include the speed of movement, size, and strength of the tropical system as well as the relative position and strength of various synoptic features surrounding the tropical system. These synoptic features include the location of fronts, regions of upper level divergence and areas of high water vapor contents in the atmosphere. A tree regression model is used to develop a classification that summarizes these multivariate relationships. Four classes of tropical cyclones are identified that effectively differentiate tropical cyclones that produce relatively light versus extraordinarily heavy rainfall. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
Mechanism and control of initiation in the translation of R17 RNA.

A general model of initiation of protein synthesis based on experiments with R17 RNA as messenger proposes a two-stage mechanism, the first stage requiring dissociation into subunits and initiation factors, the second involving direct attachment of ribosomes.
Optimization of Sensitivity in Pulsed 13C NMR of Coals

Pulsed 13C NMR analyses (SPE) were performed on Argonne Premium coals using a modified version of the ring-down elimination (RIDE) pulse sequence that included high-power proton decoupling. Employing RIDE in combination with the use of O2 as a relaxation agent and appropriate considerations of the Ernst-Anderson angle produced high-quality spectra devoid of baseline artifacts in reasonable measuring times. Employing this approach reduced the total acquisition time over the standard procedure of applying a 90° excitation pulse by as much as a factor of 1/17 in some instances. Carbon aromaticity values determined in this manner were similar to those obtained previously by SPE using a 90° pulse and long recycle delay times. Values determined by both methods are generally found to be higher than those by cross polarization.
Effective Field Theory and Precision Electroweak Measurements

The first part of these lectures provides a brief introduction to the concepts and techniques of effective field theory. The second part reviews precision electroweak constraints using effective theory methods. Several simple extensions of the Standard Model are considered as illustrations. The appendix contains some new results on the one-loop contributions of electroweak triplet scalars to the T parameter and contains a discussion of decoupling in that case.
Compressibility correction for flow about wing surfaces

Lorsque l'analyse du champ d'ecoulement est basee sur une technique incompressible il est necessaire d'effectuer une correction de compressibilite pour l'ecoulement autour de surfaces externes. On presente une technique permettant de passer du champ de vitesse incompressible au champ de vitesse compressible
Using Teacher and Researcher Data to Evaluate the Effects of Self-Management in an Inclusive Classroom

A student with moderate mental retardation included in a general education math setting was taught how to use self-management to increase his on-task behaviors. A researcher and special educator worked together to determine the content for self-management, and each collected 2 different types of data to monitor the impact of self-management. Results indicated (a) a correlation between the researcher's and teacher's data and (b) that self-management was effective for increasing the student's on-task behaviors and decreasing the amount of time it took for him to begin tasks.
Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of cyclic NGR peptide targeted thermally sensitive liposome

The Asn-Gly-Arg (NGR) motif in both cyclic and linear form has previously been shown to specifically bind to CD13/aminopeptidase N that is selectively overexpressed in tumor vasculature and some tumor cells. However, previous versions of cyclic NGR used a liable disulfide bridge between cysteine residues that may be problematic for liposome targeting due to disulfide bond formation between adjacent peptides on the liposomal surface. In this study, we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of a novel cyclic NGR-containing peptide, cKNGRE, which does not contain a disulfide bridge. cKNGRE was synthesized in good yield and purity and attached to the fluorescent reporter Oregon Green (cKNGRE-OG) and lysolipid-containing temperature sensitive liposomes (LTSLs). The identity of cKNGRE was verified with NMR and mass spectral techniques. In vitro fluorescence microscopy evaluation of cKNGRE-OG demonstrated binding and active uptake by CD13(+) cancer cells and minimal binding to CD13(-) cancer cells. The cKNGRE-OG ligand displayed 3.6-fold greater affinity for CD13(+) cancer cells than a linear NGR-containing peptide. Affinity for CD13(+) cancer cells was similarly improved 10-fold for both the cyclic and linear NGR when presented in a multivalent fashion on the surface of an LTSL. cKNGRE-targeted LTSLs rapidly released (>75% in <4s) doxorubicin at 41.3 degrees C with minimal release at 37 degrees C. These results demonstrate the ability to synthesize a cKNGRE-targeted temperature sensitive liposome that lacks a disulfide bridge and has sufficient binding affinity for biological applications.
Drum-Taps: Revisions and Reconciliation

Examines the 1865 Drum-Taps and “Sequel to Drum-Taps” in comparison to the 1871 “Drum-Taps” sequence in Leaves of Grass, tracking Whitman’s growing “participation in a Northern liberal turn toward nostalgia” in the aftermath of the Civil War, a “reflective rather than restorative” nostalgia that erases ideological difference between North and South in order to celebrate “reconciliatory nation-building,” silencing the issues of slavery and sedition that generated the war.
Revision endoscopic sinus surgery in children: surgical causes of failure.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Revision endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in children is uncommon. Causes of failure, however, are not very well delineated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate surgical causes of failure in children after ESS. Study Design: A retrospective review of children who had ESS at a tertiary children's referral center between 1993 and 2005 for chronic rhinosinusitis. Methods: ESS was performed on 243 children. Children with cystic fibrosis, immune deficiency/suppression, and ciliary abnormalities were excluded because the reasons of failure in those children are well known. Data were available on 176 children with at least one year of follow-up. Results: Twenty-three (13%) children required revision. The most common finding was adhesions in 57%, followed by maxillary sinus ostium stenosis or missed maxillary sinus ostium in 52% of the cases. In 39% of the cases, there was recurrent disease in the sinuses that were operated on initially. Interestingly, however, we found that in 26% surgery was needed because of disease that was present in nonoperated sinuses during the primary ESS. A deviated septum and a mucocele were the cause of failure in 17% and 13% of the patients, respectively. Presence of asthma and younger age contributed to the failure in some of these children. Conclusions: Adhesions and a scarred, narrow maxillary sinus ostium were the most common cause of failure in children after ESS. Steps taken during surgery may be required to help reduce the need for revision in particular for younger asthmatic children.
Further Observations on Spontaneous Blastoid Transformation of Human Small Lymphocytes in Vitro

Summary: DNA synthesis, measured by tritiated thymidine uptake during the final 1 hour in vitro, has been used as a measure of blast transformation of human peripheral small lymphocytes cultured in media containing 20 per cent autologous plasma. Control cultures from two subjects of up to 12 and 15 days duration and from eight further subjects of 3 and 6 days duration have been studied and the degree of spontaneous transformation compared to the response to known stimulants of transformation, phytohaemagglutinin and specific antigens. Spontaneous transformation was consistently low for up to 6 days. Thereafter there was a relatively slight increase. Theoretical arguments why the increased proportion of labelled cells found in some of the older cultures may be an artifact of differential cell survival are presented. Review of previous reports of spontaneous lymphocyte transformation suggests that this is minimal when the cells are cultured in autologous plasma and that heterologous sera may act as an unsuspected transformation stimulant.
Incentive compatibility and the quantity-setting competitive firm under demand uncertainty

This paper examines the tie between the popular “black box” neoclassical quantity-setting firm under demand uncertainty and a firm with a rudimentary but explicit “employee relation” organizational structure in which workers are offered fixed wages for following management directives. Surprisingly, the quantity-setting firm unambiguously mimics optimal employment relation hiring and work rules when the contract is incentive-compatible ex post. The attitude toward risk is shown to be the key determinant of whether or not the quantity-setting firm replicates the optimal employment relation contract when ex post incentive-compatibility is relaxed.