cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Putting Drug Use in Context: Life-Lines of African American Women Who Smoke Crack

The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe a group of African American women who smoke crack. Using aggregate data from 208 interviews with women crack smokers, we randomly selected 25 women's interview data to create the 25 life-lines. These life-lines were developed in a similar manner to the time-line analysis described by Fullilove and her colleagues (1992); we focused on events that are either extraordinarily disturbing (e.g., rape, incest, death of a child, etc.), events that are usual but often stressful (e.g., birth of a child, death of a parent, etc.), and on periods of drug use. We chose this method of analysis so as to highlight the context in which many women come to use crack cocaine. The life-lines provided a retrospective (but time-ordered) perspective and in several ways provided preliminary support for a stress-diathesis perspective.
Aristotle as Psychotherapist

The insight that the psychotherapeutic interview, as a powerful influencing situation, is suitable for rhetorical analysis is so illuminating, once it is stated, that one marvels that so few people have thought of it. The similarities of rhetorical and therapeutic interventions are indeed striking. The author’s cogent analysis is in itself a valuable contribution by showing that Aristotelian categories of rhetoric can be applied to features of therapeutic interactions, thereby opening up a new and exciting domain of study.
Subscapularis Peel in Anatomic Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

BackgroundAnatomic total shoulder arthroplasty is a viable treatment option for patients with glenohumeral arthritis and an intact rotator cuff with successful outcomes. However, one complication i...
The Underlying Presuppositions of Logical Atomism

There are all kinds of interesting questions concerning what ultimately motivates logical atomists to conclude that it is both important and possible to analyze all meaningful statements into an ideal language whose key terms refer to logical atoms. It is tempting to think that Russell’s interest in logical atomism is tied closely to his conviction that direct acquaintance is not only the key to understanding direct knowledge but also the key to understanding what I call direct thought. I think a version of that view is correct, but that one should keep distinct the question of how to understand the distinction between direct and indirect thought from more specific ideas about how to locate the objects of direct thought. I’ll try to suggest that there are good reasons for divorcing the idea of direct thought from what I take to be the view that Russell never gave up, the view that the analysis of direct thought involves the idea of direct acquaintance.
Traumatic and Bloody Lumbar Puncture at Diagnosis in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A St. Jude Total XV and Total Xvi Cohort Study

Background: Traumatic and bloody lumbar punctures (TLPs and BLPs, respectively) at the diagnosis of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) impair the interpretation of central nervous system status and are associated with worse outcomes. We previously analyzed risk factors for TLP and BLP in 958 patients with ALL treated at St. Jude Children9s Research Hospital (St. Jude) between 1984 and 1998. With an incidence of 19% and 5% at diagnosis, respectively, TLPs and BLPs were associated with unmodifiable and modifiable risk factors (URFs and MRFs, respectively). URFs included age less than 1 year and black race. MRFs included a platelet count (PLT) of Objectives: To determine the incidence and risk factors of TLPs and BLPs, defined by the presence of at least 10 and 500 red blood cells per microliter of cerebrospinal fluid, respectively, at the diagnosis of pediatric ALL after the introduction of preventive measures. Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study on children with newly diagnosed ALL who were consecutively enrolled on the Total XV and Total XVI protocols at St. Jude from October 2000 through March 2017. Patients who received their first LP at a center other than St. Jude or did not have a PLT within 24 hours of undergoing LP were excluded. Results: A total of 1006 patients (median age, 5.68 years at diagnosis; range, 0.12 to 18.89 years) were included in our study. Of the 1006 LPs at diagnosis, 80 (7.9%) were TLPs and 15 (1.5%) were BLPs. Of the 80 TLPs, 47 (58.7%) showed leukemia blasts (vs 30.9% [286/926] of non-TLPs; P Conclusions: Best practices were used in almost all cases in our recent cohort, and the incidences of TLP and BLP at diagnosis decreased markedly (to 7.9% and 1.5%, respectively). This decrease can be ascribed to the adoption of preventive factors (requirements for a PLT of ≥100 × 109/L, if possible; the most experienced practitioner; general anesthesia; and a dedicated procedure area). The previous association of TLP with the URFs age less than 1 year and black race was confirmed by this study. Our analysis suggests that LPs must be performed carefully in infants and black patients, as well as in those with WBCs of ≥50 × 109/L, and that it may be preferable to delay the first LP until peripheral blood blasts disappear and the INR is normal. Disclosures Howard:BTG: Consultancy, Research Funding; Shire: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Jazz: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Inaba:Shire: Research Funding.
Interagency collaboration within juvenile detention to appropriately serve youth with developmental disabilities

Abstract Within juvenile detention/corrections facilities, youth with disabilities often have complex needs that require services from multiple agencies. Effective collaboration between agencies can help ensure appropriate, individualized services for these youth. Achieving effective interagency collaboration can be challenging and barriers often exist between agencies. Multiagency reforms for serving youth with developmental disabilities (DD) were required in juvenile detention facilities by a Settlement Agreement in I.T. v. Los Angeles County. This study reports on interview data from 31 representatives of four agencies – Probation, Mental Health, the School, and Health Services – located within the detention facilities who participated in the multiagency reforms. Almost 68% of interviewed staff described their collaboration positively enabling them to arrive at a more comprehensive view of the youth. However, they shared concerns regarding sharing information between agencies, the definition of DD used to identify the youth, and the lack of feedback once the youth were released. Recommendations for effective multiagency collaboration include strong leadership across agencies, ongoing training and coaching for stakeholders, and feedback on collaborative efforts used for a youth's discharge planning.
Facial Transplantation for an Irreparable Central and Lower Face Injury: A Modernized Approach to a Classic Challenge

Background:Facial transplantation introduced a paradigm shift in the reconstruction of extensive facial defects. Although the feasibility of the procedure is well established, new challenges face the field in its second decade.Methods:The authors’ team has successfully treated patients with extensiv
Changes in Neuroimmune and Neuronal Death Markers after Adolescent Alcohol Exposure in Rats are Reversed by Donepezil.

Adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure diminishes neurogenesis and dendritic spine density in the dentate gyrus. The cholinesterase inhibitor, donepezil (Aricept), reverses AIE effects on dendritic spines, possibly by interacting with inflammatory and/or epigenetic mediators after AIE exposure. This study tests the hypothesis that donepezil reverses AIE-induced neuroimmune, and epigenetic changes in the adult dentate gyrus. Adolescent Sprague-Dawley male rats (PD30-43) were given 10 intermittent, intragastric doses of ethanol (5.0 g/kg) or isovolumetric water (AIW). Twenty-one days later half of the animals from each group were treated with either donepezil or isovolumetric water (i.g.) once daily for four days. Two hours after the last donepezil or water dose animals were sacrificed and brains prepared for immunohistochemical analyses. AIE reduced immunoreactivity for doublecortin (DCX) and increased immunoreactivity for activated caspase-3 and death receptor-3 in adulthood, suggesting an enduring attenuation of neurogenesis and an increase in progenitor death. These effects were reversed by donepezil treatment in adulthood. AIE also increased immunoreactivity for the inflammatory signaling molecules HMGB1 and RAGE, as well as the activated phosphorylated transcription factor pNFκB p65, and the gene silencing marker dimethylated histone H3K9. All of these AIE effects were also reversed by donepezil, with the exception of HMGB1.
Vasodilator effects of sulforaphane in cerebral circulation: A critical role of endogenously produced hydrogen sulfide and arteriolar smooth muscle KATP and BK channels in the brain:

We investigated the effects of sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate from cruciferous vegetables, in the regulation of cerebral blood flow using cranial windows in newborn pigs. SFN administered to...
Effect of a Standardized Electronic Medical Record Order Set on Opioid Prescribing after Tonsillectomy.

ObjectiveApproximately 5% of children develop new persistent opioid use after tonsillectomy. Critical review of our prescribing practices revealed inconsistent and excessive opioid prescribing afte...
Intergenerational Influences on Faith-based Strategies Used in Response to Racial Discrimination Among Young African American Adults.

Abstract Objective In this report, we used a qualitative descriptive design to explore young African American adults' intergenerationally influenced strategies to experienced racial discrimination. Methods The study was guided by a qualitative descriptive design using criterion and snowball sampling, and semi-structured interview questions. We also explored, quantitatively, gender differences among the racial discrimination experiences encountered and the strategies used. Findings Forty-nine participants included in this report were an average age of 29.5 (SD = 10.1). Racial discrimination experiences included daily microaggressions such as insensitive comments, stereotyping, exclusion from work and school activities, perceived low expectations, inequities in employment, and police profiling. Intergenerationally influenced strategies used in response to these experiences included religious beliefs and practices, positive reframing, and modeling behaviors used by previous generations. These intergenerationally influenced strategies enabled participants to remain calm, to express goodwill toward others, and to be patient and hopeful for a better future. Conclusion Since intergenerationally influenced strategies are likely potential sources of strength and resilience for young African Americans, knowledge of these strategies might be useful to health care practitioners seeking to improve the mental health care of this population.
Teaching Difference: Global Citizenship Education within an Elite Single-Sex Context.

This article employs the concept of ‘everyday multiculturalism’ to examine what students at an elite school in Australia are taught about working with and across difference through global citizensh...
Infants with big appetites: The role of a nonfood environment on infant appetitive traits linked to obesity

Background Individual differences in appetitive traits present in the first few weeks of life. Research has shown that infants with a greater food reinforcement ratio (FRR) have higher obesity risk. To date, limited work has examined the relation between FRR and appetitive traits of infants, and how FRR relates to appetitive traits and obesity development. Objectives To examine the relation between appetitive traits and food and nonfood reinforcement of infants aged 9-18 mo, and to examine whether food and nonfood reinforcement mediate the relation between appetitive traits and weight-for-length z-score (zWFL). Method This secondary data analysis was conducted by combining 4 different cohorts of infants (n = 143) who have complete data on the food/nonfood reinforcement task, Baby Eating Behavior Questionnaire, and anthropometrics and demographics assessments. Three different nonfood reinforcers were used: video (DVD; n = 27), playing with bubbles (Bubbles; n = 67), and music accompanied by instruments (Music; n = 49) for the nonfood portion of the task. For the food portion of the task, the infant's favorite food was used. Results General appetite positively correlated with FRR and zWFL, but negatively correlated with nonfood reinforcement; satiety responsiveness negatively correlated with food reinforcement, FRR, and zWFL. Mediational analysis showed that effects of general appetite on zWFL were mediated by FRR (indirect effect = 0.100, 95% CI: 0.041, 0.187) and nonfood reinforcement (indirect effect = 0.076, 95% CI: 0.025, 0.156). We also observed the mediating effect of FRR on the relation of satiety responsiveness and zWFL (indirect effect = -0.097, 95% CI: -0.204, -0.026). Conclusions Our work contributes to the mechanistic understanding of the ontogeny of obesity development early in life among individuals who are born with appetitive drive for overconsumption. During early infancy, the nonfood environment may protect against this drive and prevent obesity development.
Neighborhood Matters For Transitional Care and Heart Failure Hospital Readmission

Introduction The social and economic conditions of where people live has been associated with HF hospital readmission. Multidisciplinary transitional care is effective to decrease HF readmission, but the impact of neighborhood disadvantage on transitional care is unknown. Early provider follow-up and nursing care coordination have unique contributions to transitional care and HF outcomes. The purposes of this study were to examine the relationship between early provider follow-up, nursing care coordination, and hospital readmission in a population of older adults with HF, and determine if an interaction exists with neighborhood disadvantage. Hypothesis There is a direct relationship between early provider follow-up and decreased HF readmission and an indirect relationship through nursing care coordination intensity that is moderated by neighborhood disadvantage. Methods A retrospective, correlational design utilized existing data. Data were from medical records and billing databases. Home addresses from index admissions were geocoded to census block groups and linked to the 2015 Area Deprivation Index database. Logistic regression was used to compare patients by readmission and early provider follow-up status. Moderated mediation analysis included ordinary least squares regression, logistic regression, and bootstrap confidence intervals to test the hypothesis. Results Of 1280 subjects, mean (SD) age was 79 (8.66) years, 50.7% were female, and 25.9% were non-white. In multivariable analysis, early provider follow up decreased the odds of readmission (OR 0.70 [CI, 0.50, 0.97], p=.032) and having 2 care coordination contacts increased the odds of readmission (OR 1.67 [1.07, 2.60], p=.024). Neighborhood disadvantage decreased the odds of having an early provider visit (OR 0.67 [0.49, 0.93], p=.015) and having a care coordination contact within 3 days of hospital discharge increased the odds of a provider visit two-fold (OR 2.13 [1.67, 2.72], p Conclusions Neighborhood disadvantage influences participation in transitional care interventions for the elderly HF population. An interventional study that examines the combined effect of care coordination and provider follow-up on HF readmission, using innovative processes to reach the most disadvantaged populations is needed.
Evolution of ACL Reconstruction

The tissue that would come to be known as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was first described by the ancient Egyptians, but detailed examination of its structure and function did not began in earnest until the nineteenth century. Recognizing the important role of the ACL in stabilizing the knee, early attempts at suture repair through open surgical procedures were associated with high morbidity and poor outcomes. Open ACL reconstruction afforded more consistent stabilization, but it was the introduction of arthroscopy that allowed ACL reconstruction to become one of the most common orthopaedic surgical procedures. In seeking graft isometry, single-incision approaches with transtibial drilling of the femoral tunnel became standard of care, but subsequent biomechanical studies demonstrated that this technique failed to restore joint kinematics due to non-anatomic graft positioning. As a result, anatomic ACL reconstruction has rapidly grown in popularity, yet its ability to fully restore joint kinematics and prevent post-traumatic osteoarthritis (OA) requires further investigation. Elucidation of the multiple variables that contribute to knee stability will be necessary to further improve the treatment of ACL injury. Emerging surgical techniques, devices, and tissue-engineering strategies may also expand treatment strategies, including the possibility of augmented ACL repair for the appropriate indications.
Adaptive Virtual Inertia Synthesis via Enhanced Dispatchable Virtual Oscillator Controlled Grid-Tied Inverters

The frequency instability due to the lack of inertia in the inverter-dominant power system can be alleviated by applying an appropriate virtual inertia (VI) control. A modified dispatchable virtual oscillator control (dVOC), which is a combination of conventional dVOC and an extra loop for providing VI is proposed for frequency stability improvement. This controller, in addition to providing advantages of conventional dVOC such as fast dynamic response and accurate power sharing among inverters, improves the frequency response by adding VI to system. However, a constant VI control is not an efficient approach as it is not able to distinguish various system operating conditions requiring large or small inertia. Thus, in this work an adaptive VI control is proposed in which the control coefficients are dynamically updated in response to different operating conditions. This method reduces the exchanged power during inertial response by accelerating transient response. Also, it does not require frequency measurement using phase-locked loop (PLL) in VI loop. Therefore, this approach not only improves transient response of the system but also removes possible instability due to using PLL. The controller behavior is analyzed and validated for different cases under large transient conditions.
Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Impact on American Culture

Review of: "Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Impact on American Culture," by Anita Clair Fellman.
Infiltrative microgliosis: activation and long-distance migration of subependymal microglia following periventricular insults.

Subventricular microglia (SVMs) are positioned at the interface of the cerebrospinal fluid and brain parenchyma and may play a role in periventricular inflammatory reactions. However, SVMs have not been previously investigated in detail due to the lack of a specific methodology for their study exclusive of deeper parenchymal microglia. We have developed and characterized a novel model for the investigation of subventricular microglial reactions in mice using intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of high-dose rhodamine dyes. Dynamic studies using timelapse confocal microscopy in situ complemented the histopathological analysis. We demonstrate that high-dose ICV rhodamine dye injection resulted in selective uptake by the ependyma and ependymal death within hours. Phagocytosis of ependymal debris by activated SVMs was evident by 1d as demonstrated by the appearance of rhodamine-positive SVMs. In the absence of further manipulation, labelled SVMs remained in the subventricular space. However, these cells exhibited the ability to migrate several hundred microns into the parenchyma towards a deafferentation injury of the hippocampus. This "infiltrative microgliosis" was verified in situ using timelapse confocal microscopy. Finally, supporting the disease relevance of this event, the triad of ependymal cell death, SVM activation, and infiltrative microgliosis was recapitulated by a single ICV injection of HIV-1 tat protein. Subependymal microglia exhibit robust activation and migration in periventricular inflammatory responses. Further study of this population of microglia may provide insight into neurological diseases with tendencies to involve the ventricular system and periventricular tissues.
The Client Role in a Pre-Practicum Counseling Skills Course

This study explored the experience and process of counselors in training enacting the client role and sharing “real life” experiences during role-playing exercises in a pre-practicum skills course. Using Charmaz’ Grounded Theory, main themes and processes were identified and explored. Through multiple individual interviews and a final focus group, the participants described how the experience facilitated their development of empathy for the client experience. The findings suggest a possible link between the development of empathy for the client experience and sharing “real life” experiences while enacting the client role, and encourage further study into this type of learning experience.
Opinion Leadership and Market Mavens

Opinion leadership refers to the role some consumers play by which they provide information and advice to other consumers. Opinion leaders can have a powerful influence on the sales of goods and services and so marketers are eager to encourage opinion leaders to spread positive word of mouth about their brands. Market mavens are a minority of consumers who are highly involved or engaged in the marketplace. They like to shop and buy, they are knowledgeable about brands and stores, and they actively engage with other consumers regarding their enthusiasms. Market mavens thus often play the role of opinion leaders for other consumers. Keywords: opinion leadership; market mavens; social communication; word of mouth; involvement; engagement
Special considerations for glycoproteins and their purification.

This unit begins by describing some properties of glycoproteins (e.g., subcellular location and solubility) that may be useful in determining which purification techniques to try. This discussion is followed by two protocols describing preparative glycoprotein purification using lectin-affinity chromatography, as well as an outline for a small-scale pilot procedure designed to check lectin binding and elution conditions. Lectins are often used for purifying glycoproteins because, in contrast to conventional purification procedures (e.g., gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography) that exploit general physical properties of glycoproteins, lectins recognize specific three-dimensional structures created by a cluster of sugar residues. Conventional purification procedures are generally tried before applying lectin-affinity chromatography.
Small-Scale Structure in the Earth’s Ionosphere: Theory and Numerical Simulation

We describe in qualitative terms the cause and nonlinear evolution of the gradient drift and collisional Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities in the earth’s ionosphere, by using the examples of ionospheric barium clouds and equatorial spread F “bubbles” respectively. We then derive the nonlinear differential equations governing these instabilities. Finally, we discuss the numerical solution of these differential equations.
Location‐Specific Metrics for Rapidly Estimating the Abundance and Condition of the Threatened Coral Acropora cervicornis

We developed a method for quantifying the abundance of the threatened staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and evaluated the accuracy of commonly used methods to assess colony condition. For small- to medium-sized colonies, we show that colony ellipsoid volume estimated from simple colony dimensions serves as a reliable and efficient proxy for the more time-consuming, conventional measure of colony total linear extension, and that this predictive relationship varies significantly among extant populations in the Caribbean. We also determined that visual estimates of colony partial mortality closely approximate to true values for colonies with <25% mortality, with in situ estimates outperforming estimates from digital images. These results provide coral reef managers and restoration practitioners with guidance for assessing partial mortality and location-specific regression models to estimate “amount” of staghorn coral in both extant and restored staghorn populations in Belize, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A. As staghorn coral monitoring and restoration efforts continue to expand in the Caribbean, these methods for quickly determining staghorn abundance and condition will directly aid resource managers tasked with monitoring wild populations and tracking restoration success over time.
Probabilistic Model for Debris-Induced Loss of Long Term Core Cooling

Generic Safety Issue (GSI) 191 deals with the potential for generation and transport of debris following a design basis accident that is in excess of quantities assumed in the original design basis and licensing of Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) plants. In addition to physical modifications to the sump screens to comply with the Generic Letter requirements, some plants have also changed Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) to include contingency actions to prevent debris-induced loss of long term core cooling. ASME Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) standard RA-Sb-2005 requires that the plant PRA be maintained and updated to reflect the current plant design and operation. Development of PRA models to quantify the potential for debris-induced loss of long term core cooling supports the PRA updated to reflect the as-built as-operated plant. The PWR Owners Group (PWROG) has undertaken a program to develop a generic PRA model for this issue. The generic PRA model was developed to address the overall plant risk, including new physical and procedural modifications. The model also addresses applications, such as Maintenance Rule screening and the assessment of the risk significance of deviations from the licensing basis analyses. The new PRA model probabilistically treats several facets of the potential for debris-induced challenges to long term core cooling; including debris generation and transport as a function of Reactor Coolant System (RCS) break size and location. The PRA model will permit plant operators to easily incorporate the potential for inadequate core cooling during emergency core cooling recirculation from the containment sump into their PRA Level 1 and Level 2 models. The methodology is based on realistically modeling the conditions that may lead to a debris-induced loss of long term core cooling. The PWROG model also includes consideration of water management strategies being implemented by several PWR plant operators.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Long-term potentiation of evoked and spontaneous neuronal activity in the grafted hippocampus

Adult rats with unilateral fimbria-fornix lesion received fetal hippocampal grafts into the lesion cavity. Seven to ten months after the transplantation the graft was examined for long-term potentiation (LTP) in response to host hippocampus and direct graft stimulation. High frequency tetanizing trains delivered to either the host hippocampus or the graft resulted in augmented field potentials and prolonged neuronal discharges in the graft lasting several hours. Very low currents (10–30 μA) were required to induce LTP by direct graft stimulation. In addition to the enhancement of evoked responses, the frequency of occurrence of spontaneously occurring EEG spikes and concurrent population neuronal bursts in the graft increased significantly after the tetanizing trains. These findings suggest that the physiological-biochemical mechanisms required for plastic changes of synaptic efficacy are present in the grafted hippocampus.
History as a core subject area of African American studies: Self-taught and self-proclaimed African American historians, 1960s-1980s

This article examines and theorizes the function of African American history as a valuable African American Studies' core subject area by analyzing the scholarship and historical worldviews of a group of influential African American historians. Although they did not formally earn doctorates in history, at various points from the early 1960s until the mid-1980s, Malcolm X, the recently deceased Harold Cruse, Angela Davis, and Lerone Bennett, Jr., helped validate African American history as an essential core subject area of African American Studies. Challenging conventional Eurocentric notions of what the historian and history constitutes in U.S. academic culture, this article demonstrates (a) how Malcolm, Cruse, Davis, and Bennett embraced the Afrocentric view of history's function as a pragmatic tool for African American liberation and consciousness building and (b) how they provided insightful historical epistemologies, conceptualizations of African American history, and analyses of the African American ...
High‐strain tensile deformation of a sphere‐forming triblock copolymer/mineral oil blend

Films of a blend of styrene-isoprene triblock copolymer and mineral oil have been simple-cast and roll-cast from a toluene solution. Their microstructure has been analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering. The blend formed polystyrene spheres arranged on a body-centered cubic lattice in a matrix composed of polyisoprene and mineral oil, and the samples display large grain sizes and very long-range order. The roll-cast sample exhibits approximately uniaxial symmetry around the rolling direction, which corresponds to the [111] crystallographic direction of the lattice. The glassy spheres act as physical crosslinks of known crosslinking functionality in the soft rubbery matrix. The high-strain deformation mechanism of this oriented cubic material has been studied by a simultaneous tensile-SAXS experiment, where the sample was stretched up to 300% along the [111] direction. By monitoring the position of the (222) and (110) reflections, the deformation of the lattice is shown to be affine with the macroscopic deformation of the sample, and the Poisson's ratio is approximately 0.46. The first zero of the sphere form factor in the SAXS patterns remains also essentially unchanged up to 300% deformation indicating that the reinforcing glassy PS domains retain their spherical shape throughout the deformation. Deformation of the microstructure is totally reversible upon unloading. A model of [hk0] faults is proposed to describe the microstructural changes induced by high-strain deformation.
Interacting effects of handling and d-amphetamine on avoidance learning.

Rats were injected with either saline or 2 mg/kg of d -amphetamine 10 min prior to 50 trials of training with either the one-way, shuttle or shuttle-with-handling procedure. One-way training yielded more avoidances and shorter avoidance latencies than did either variant of shuttle training; it was not affected by the drug. The frequency of avoidances under shuttle training, on the other hand, was increased either by d -amphetamine or by handling the animal during the intertrial interval. When both the drug and handling were administered together, performance was similar to that during the usual shuttle training.
Root System Dynamics of Miscanthus × giganteus and Panicum virgatum in Response to Rainfed and Irrigated Conditions in California

Miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) are large perennial grass bioenergy crops in the USA and Europe. Despite much research into their agronomic potential, few studies have examined in situ root growth dynamics under irrigation and soil water deficits, particularly as they relate to shoot performance. We grew miscanthus and switchgrass in outdoor mesocosms under irrigated and rainfed conditions and assessed the spatial distribution and abundance of roots using minirhizotron images and whole root system sampling. Despite surviving an extended period of drought, shoot and root biomass, root length density, numbers of culms, and culm height were reduced in both species under rainfed (dry) conditions. However, rainfed switchgrass far outperformed rainfed miscanthus in all shoot and root growth metrics. The rainfed (drought) treatment reduced switchgrass and miscanthus whole plant biomass by 83 and 98 %, culm production by 67 and 90 %, and root length density by 67 and 94 % compared to irrigated plants, respectively. Root nitrogen concentration was higher for miscanthus (3-fold) and switchgrass (4-fold) in the rainfed treatment compared to irrigated plants and did not significantly differ between species. Unlike miscanthus, switchgrass grew roots continuously into regions of available soil moisture as surface soil layers grew increasingly dry, indicating a drought avoidance strategy. Our study suggests that switchgrass is more likely to tolerate drought by mining deep wet soils, while miscanthus relies on shallow rhizome production to tolerate dry soils.
Reducing human error in P300 speller paradigm for brain-computer interface

Since the brain-computer interface (BCI) speller paradigm was first introduced by Farwell and Donchin in 1988, there have been many visual modifications to the paradigm. Most of these changes involve the original matrix format such as changes in the number of rows and columns, font size and color, flash time vs. dark time, and flash order. However, recent studies show that there is human error in generating P300 based on this paradigm that none of these changes can help to reduce it. In this study, we analyze this type of error among three paradigms, two based on the matrix structure and one region-based paradigm. It is shown that the human error is reduced significantly in the region-based paradigm.
Isovolumic Relaxation Time in Normal Subjects and Patients With Cardiac Disease: Comparison of Determinations Made With Echocardiographic Techniques and Apex Cardiography:

Isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) was determined in 17 controls and 41 patients. Nine patients had ischemic heart disease (IHD), 7 mitral prolapse (MVPS), 13 hypertension (HPB), 7 pregnancy (P), and 5 cardiomyopathy (CM). Echocardiographic measurements of IVRT were made from the aortic second sound to the rapid opening of the mitral valve (A2D1). Determinations by apexcardiography were made from the aortic second sound to the 0 point (A2O). The IVRT was distinctly shorter when assessed by A2D1 than by conventional apexdardiography in conventional apexcardiography in controls (69.2 +/- 16.4 msec vs 118.7 +/- 16.5 msec) and in patients with cardiac disease. The IVRT in 9 older normal controls (mean age 47.7 years) was longer than in 8 younger ones (age 26.3 +/- 4.9 years). Patients with myocardial disease (IHD, HBP, and CM) had prolonged IVRTs when compared to normal subjects. Pregnant subjects had shortened intervals. IVRT may be a sensitive indicator of disturbances in myocardial contractility and may be shortened and enhanced contractility.
Derivative Couplings between Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory Excited States in the Random-Phase Approximation Based on Pseudo-Wavefunctions: Behavior around Conical Intersections

In this paper, we present a formalism for derivative couplings between time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) excited states within the random- phase approximation (RPA) using analytic gradient theory. Our formalism is based on a pseudo-wavefunction approach in a companion paper (DOI 10.1021/jp505767b), and can be checked against finite-difference overlaps. Our approach recovers the correct properties of derivative couplings around a conical intersection (CI), which is a crucial prerequisite for any derivative coupling expression. As an example, we study the test case of protonated formaldimine (CH2NH2 + ).
AMINO ACID SUPPLEMENTATION OF FEED PELLETS OF THE GIANT SHRIMP (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

Amino acids reported to be essential for the giant shrimp (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) and other crustacea have been added at a 1% level by weight to Purina Marine Ration repelletized with binders. Separate batches of repelletized feed were made as follows: control without supplement; isonitrogenous control with 1% ovalbumin supplement, or with 1% of the natural enantiomorph of arginine, lysine, phenylalanine, histidine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, or threonine separately supplemented. Pellets were fed to individual animals in parallel experiments under precisely controlled and defined environmental and density conditions. Growth rates and conversion ratios and indices were measured as previously reported. Arginine, phenylalanine, leucine, and isoleucine stimulated the growth-conversion index while the other amino acids tested had no significant effect on this index and appeared to be available at a sufficient level in the commercial pellet.
Monte Carlo simulation of the spatial resolution and depth sensitivity of two-dimensional optical imaging of the brain

Absorption or fluorescence-based two-dimensional (2-D) optical imaging is widely employed in functional brain imaging. The image is a weighted sum of the real signal from the tissue at different depths. This weighting function is defined as "depth sensitivity." Characterizing depth sensitivity and spatial resolution is important to better interpret the functional imaging data. However, due to light scattering and absorption in biological tissues, our knowledge of these is incomplete. We use Monte Carlo simulations to carry out a systematic study of spatial resolution and depth sensitivity for 2-D optical imaging methods with configurations typically encountered in functional brain imaging. We found the following: (i) the spatial resolution is <200 μm for NA≤0.2 or focal plane depth≤300 μm. (ii) More than 97% of the signal comes from the top 500 μm of the tissue. (iii) For activated columns with lateral size larger than spatial resolution, changing numerical aperature (NA) and focal plane depth does not affect depth sensitivity. (iv) For either smaller columns or large columns covered by surface vessels, increasing NA and/or focal plane depth may improve depth sensitivity at deeper layers. Our results provide valuable guidance for the optimization of optical imaging systems and data interpretation.
Even- and Odd-Parity Charmed Meson Masses in Heavy Hadron Chiral Perturbation Theory

We derive mass formulae for the ground state, J P = 0 − and 1 − , and first excited even-parity, J P = 0 + and 1 + , charmed mesons including one loop chiral corrections and O(1/mc) counterterms in heavy hadron chiral perturbation theory. We show that including these counterterms is critical for fitting the current data. We find that certain parameter relations in the parity doubling model are not renormalized at one loop, providing a natural explanation for the observed equality of the hyperfine splittings of ground state and excited doublets.
Energy Transfer Mediated Fluorescence from Blended Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles consisting of a derivative of the blue-emitting conjugated polymer polyfluorene doped with green-, yellow-, and red-emitting conjugated polymers were prepared by a reprecipitation method. The nanoparticles can be described as a system of densely packed chromophores that exhibit efficient energy transfer from the host to the dopant polymers. Fluorescence quenching analysis of the host polymer as a function of the dopant concentration indicates that one energy acceptor molecule can effectively quench 90% of the fluorescence of a nanoparticle consisting of 100-200 host conjugated polymer molecules. A nanoparticle energy transfer model was developed that successfully describes the quenching behavior of a small number of highly efficient energy acceptors per nanoparticle. The fluorescence brightness of the blended polymer nanoparticles was determined to be much higher than that of inorganic quantum dots and dye-loaded silica particles of similar dimensions. The combination of high fluorescence brightness and tunable fluorescence of these blended nanoparticles is promising for ultrasensitive fluorescence-based assays.
Spectral-based multiway FPGA partitioning

Recent research on FPGA partitioning has focused on finding minimum cuts between partitions without regard to the routability of the partitioned subcircuits. In this paper, we develop a spectral approach to multiway partitioning in which the primary goal is to produce routable subcircuits while maximizing FPGA device utilization. To assist the partitioner in assessing the routability of the partitioned subcircuits, we have developed a theory to predict the routability of the partitioned subcircuits prior to partitioning. Advancement over previous work is evidenced by results of experiments on standard MCNC benchmarks.
Colorectal Microcarcinoids in Association with Long-Term Exposure to Urinary Content: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Long-term exposure of colonic mucosa to urinary content and its association with increased risk of infection, mechanical and biochemical irritation, and malignancy have been described in the literature. Existing case reports and studies depict the low but distinct risk of malignancy in gastrointestinal segments which come in contact with urinary content as a result of surgical correction of urinary tract abnormalities. However, these reports are largely limited to colonic adenocarcinoma and urothelial cell carcinoma. Late urointestinal carcinoma in patients with ileal incorporation into the urinary tract has also been reported. To the best of our knowledge, however, there is only one case report documenting neuroendocrine (NE) cell hyperplasia in colonic mucosa after long-term cystoplasty. Our case is the first to describe microcarcinoids and diffuse NE hyperplasia occurring in a patient with congenital anorectal anomalies, resulting in long-term exposure of colonic mucosa to fecal stream and urinary content. This case, in conjunction with the reported cases in the literature, raises the distinct possibility of an association between exposure of colonic mucosa to urine and long-term development of malignancy, including NE neoplasms.
Electron-electron interaction and intersubband absorption coefficient in a GaAs/ Al x Ga 1 − x As quantum well

The full random-phase approximation (RPA) spectral function is calculated for an electron gas confined in a modulation-doped GaAs/${\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$As quantum well. In the first subband we observe the typical structure of the two-dimensional plasmaron. The renormalization of the chemical potential is smaller than that of the edge of the density of states. In the second subband the single-state broadening and the band renormalization are found to be smaller than in the first subband. When the depolarization effect is neglected, the intersubband absorption line is narrower than the inhomogeneous broadening due to the different effective masses in the two subbands for the noninteracting electron system. This result is explained by the two-dimensional plasmaron structure in the first subband. The theoretical peak is narrower than the experimental one. If in the spectral function the self-energy is taken at the energy of the noninteracting electron, the corresponding absorption line is broader than the experimental one. If the depolarization effect is included, the approximate linewidth is found to be narrower and the full RPA linewidth broader than the experimental one.
SU-E-T-300: Monte Carlo Simulation of Single-Plane Magnetically Focused Narrow Proton Beams

Purpose To investigate narrow, elongated magnetically focused proton beams and compare their properties with passively collimated beams using Monte Carlo simulation.Methods: We performed Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations involving a single quadrapole focusing magnet, thereby creating a flattened beam with an elongated elliptical cross section. The parameters of the magnet were chosen to mimic k=3 (quadrapole) Halbach cylinders that are available commercially as assemblies of rare earth permanent magnetic materials. For comparison, simulations were also performed with the same beam line components and passively collimated beams (using an elliptically shaped collimator). To facilitate fair comparison, efforts were made to closely match the planned treatment volumes (PTV) for each simulation case in dose, volume, and major and minor diameters of the elliptically shaped PTV at Bragg depth. Results: Magnetic focusing delivered significantly better dose localization to the target over collimated beams which are the current beam delivery modality. Compared to collimated beams, the magnetically focused beams showed a 31% smaller therapeutic ratio, a 31% smaller integrated dose, a 34% smaller entrance dose, a 30% larger peak‐to‐entrance central depth dose ratio, a 37% smaller penumbra volume, and were 35% more efficient in dose delivery (based on proton number). Conclusions: The clinically relevant advantages of the magnetically focused beams compared to the collimated beams (the current standard of care) can be attributed to the preferential directional acceleration of protons due to the magnetic field. Our simulations suggest such magnets can be used to deliver tissue sparing doses to normal and at‐risk tissue, and enhanced dose to elongated, narrow targets. Future work to characterize and test prototype magnets is in progress. Such beams my find application in novel proton treatments including application to the spinal cord.
Heme controls the regulation of protein tyrosine kinases Jak2 and Src

Protein tyrosine kinases play key roles in many molecular and cellular processes in diverse living organisms. Their proper functioning is crucial for the normal growth, development, and health in humans, whereas their dysfunction can cause serious diseases, including various cancers. As such, intense studies have been performed to understand the molecular mechanisms by which the activities of protein tyrosine kinases are regulated in mammalian cells. Particularly, small molecules that can modulate the activity of tyrosine kinases are of great importance for discovering therapeutic drug candidates for numerous diseases. Notably, heme cannot only serve as a prosthetic group for hemoglobins and enzymes, but it also is a small signaling molecule that can control the activity of diverse signaling and regulatory proteins. Using a computational search, we found that a group of non-membrane spanning tyrosine kinases contains one or more CP motifs that can potentially bind to heme and mediate heme regulation. We then used experimental approaches to determine whether heme can affect the activity of any of these tyrosine kinases. We found that heme indeed affects the phosphorylation of key tyrosine residues in Jak2 and Src, and is therefore able to modulate Jak2 and Src activity. Further experiments showed that Jak2 and Src bind to heme and that the presence of heme alters the sensitivity of Jak2 and Src to trypsin digestion. These results suggest that heme actively interacts with Jak2 and Src and alters their conformation.
A High-Level Language Implementation of an Engine Control Strategy

An engine control program which was originally written in assembly language and which is currently used in production vehicles, has been rewritten using a high-level language specifically designed for automotive control applications. The language and the control strategy are described and the two program implementations are compared in various ways. The high-level language implementation was used to operate a vehicle, and was tested using the software verification process which is used for all production engine control software at Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan.