cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The blocking effect of essential controller medications during aspirin challenges in patients with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease.

Background The blocking effect of controller medications for asthma could have an effect on the outcome of aspirin challenges in patients suspected of having aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD). Objective To evaluate whether there was any blocking effect of long-acting β 2 -agonists, systemic corticosteroids, and/or inhaled corticosteroids alone or as co-therapy with leukotriene modifier drugs (LTMDs). Methods Between 1981 and 2004, 678 patients with suspected AERD were admitted for aspirin challenge and desensitization. All patients had asthma, chronic sinusitis, nasal polyposis, and at least 1 historical reaction to a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Asthma controller medications taken during aspirin challenge were recorded and analyzed with respect to their potential effects on 4 possible outcomes of aspirin challenge, namely, naso-ocular reaction, lower airway reaction, classic upper and lower airway reaction, or a negative challenge result. Results When compared with AERD patients who received no controller medications, the combined use of LTMDs, inhaled corticosteroids, and long-acting β 2 -agonists led to a statistically significant change in aspirin challenge outcomes ( P = .009), mainly shifting the reaction from a classic upper and lower respiratory tract reaction to naso-ocular reactions only. LTMDs appeared to have the strongest effect ( P Conclusion Controller medications are frequently needed to stabilize airways of patients with AERD. LTMDs alone or in combination with other controllers blocked lower respiratory tract reactions during aspirin challenge in some patients with AERD but did not change the overall rate of positive aspirin challenge results and did not lead to false-negative challenges.
Anesthetic considerations in patients with Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia that is estimated to affect approximately 3 to 4 million Americans. Given the substantial number of people affected with this disease, it is likely that anesthesiologists will encounter many patients with Alzheimer's disease. Questions as to potential problems including informed consent, drug interactions, and preoperative progression of the disease may arise. This review describes anesthetic considerations, including pharmacologic and physiologic issues, in this growing population.
Internal Sense of Direction: Sensing and Signaling from Cytoplasmic Chemoreceptors

SUMMARY Chemoreceptors sense environmental signals and drive chemotactic responses in Bacteria and Archaea. There are two main classes of chemoreceptors: integral inner membrane and soluble cytoplasmic proteins. The latter were identified more recently than integral membrane chemoreceptors and have been studied much less thoroughly. These cytoplasmic chemoreceptors are the subject of this review. Our analysis determined that 14% of bacterial and 43% of archaeal chemoreceptors are cytoplasmic, based on currently sequenced genomes. Cytoplasmic chemoreceptors appear to share the same key structural features as integral membrane chemoreceptors, including the formations of homodimers, trimers of dimers, and 12-nm hexagonal arrays within the cell. Cytoplasmic chemoreceptors exhibit varied subcellular locations, with some localizing to the poles and others appearing both cytoplasmic and polar. Some cytoplasmic chemoreceptors adopt more exotic locations, including the formations of exclusively internal clusters or moving dynamic clusters that coalesce at points of contact with other cells. Cytoplasmic chemoreceptors presumably sense signals within the cytoplasm and bear diverse signal input domains that are mostly N terminal to the domain that defines chemoreceptors, the so-called MA domain. Similar to the case for transmembrane receptors, our analysis suggests that the most common signal input domain is the PAS (Per-Arnt-Sim) domain, but a variety of other N-terminal domains exist. It is also common, however, for cytoplasmic chemoreceptors to have C-terminal domains that may function for signal input. The most common of these is the recently identified chemoreceptor zinc binding (CZB) domain, found in 8% of all cytoplasmic chemoreceptors. The widespread nature and diverse signal input domains suggest that these chemoreceptors can monitor a variety of cytoplasmically based signals, most of which remain to be determined.
Robust quantization for image coding and noisy digital transmission

A robust quantizer is developed for encoding a variety of memoryless sources and transmission over the binary symmetric channel (BSC). The system combines channel optimized scalar quantization (COSQ) with all-pass filtering, the latter performed using a binary phase-scrambling/descrambling method. Applied to a broad class of sources, the robust quantizer achieves the same performance as the Gaussian COSQ for the memoryless Gaussian source. This quantizer is used for image coding for transmission over a BSC. An explicit error protection code is used only to protect the side information. The PSNR performance degrades gracefully as the channel bit error rate increases.
Chemistry, Microstructure, Petrology, and Diagenetic Model of Jurassic Dinosaur Bones, Dinosaur National Monument, Utah

ABSTRACT The fossil-bone mineral in dinosaurs from the Morrison Formation is well-crystallized, stoichiometric francolite. The closely packed, subparallel francolite crystals have equidimensional cross sections mostly 10-40 nm wide. In contrast, crystallites in unaltered mammal bone tissue are poorly crystallized, nonstoichiometric carbonate hydroxyapatite, a few nanometers thick, and plate-, rod- or needle-shaped. The diagenetic francolite crystals are elongated in the c axis direction, as are bone-tissue crystallites. Along permeable cracks, francolite crystals grew to 250 nm wide. Compared to unaltered crystallites in mammal bones, the francolite has higher concentrations of Ba, Ce, Cr, F, La, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, Th, U, V, and Y, and perhaps Zr. Na and Mg are lower in concentration. Diagene ic francolite grew from groundwater enriched in ions from silicic ashes in the Brushy Basin Member and from dissolution of bone-tissue crystallites. After burial, francolite grew on crystallite seeds, filling the space formerly occupied by collagen, perhaps half the tissue volume, and dissolved crystallites. The micron-scale structures such as Haversian canals and laminae are preserved because the diagenetic francolite retains the orientations of the seeds. The laminae, 1-10 µm thick, commonly preserve an orthogonal plywood structure. The diagenetic growth of francolite during this type of bone fossilization implies that oxygen isotopic ratios measured in dinosaur bones, even those that appear fresh and unaltered, may dominantly reflect groundwater temperature rather than dinosaur body temperature. Trace-element concentrations in the francolite may reflect groundwater composition rather than dinosaur diet. Pore-filling cements precipitated in the sands and bones at shallow burial depths, as evidenced by the 35-52% minus-cement porosities of the sandstones and numerous uncompacted oversize pores filled by cements. Gypsum and calcite were precipitated from shallow alkaline groundwater. As the groundwater became increasingly dominated by ions from silicic ash, argentite, chalcopyrite, native gold, native silver, tiemannite, and uraninite replaced areas of bone a few microns to tens of microns in size along cracks. A thin chlorite crust commonly mantled francolite crystals along bone cracks and lined openings in bones and sandstones. Pervasive precipitation of a chalcedony crust followed, with pseudomorphs of chalcedony after gypsum. In larger cancellous openings, the remaining space was fi led by the various forms of silica. The bones are brown due to goethite-filled cracks that cut pore-filling minerals.
Gossamer Orbit Lowering Device (GOLD) for Safe and Efficient De-orbit

An inflatable de-orbit system that accelerates natural orbit decay by orders of magnitude is discussed. Applications of GOLD include de-orbit of antiquated satellites, micro-satellites, spent stages, and derelict satellites. In this patented concept, a relatively large, ultralightweight envelope is stowed in a small package. GOLD can be used in a number of ways. It is most economical to attach it to a spacecraft or upper stage before launch. However, GOLD could be attached to existing large orbital debris objects using, for example, an electrically propelled orbital tender. For large dense objects that could pose a hazard to people or property on the ground during reentry, GOLD can be used to target reentry into an ocean. For most LEO satellites, GOLD is more mass and cost effective than chemical propulsion and can reduce de-orbit time, in some cases from many centuries to just a few months. Risk assessment indicates that GOLD, as compared with competing non-propulsive de-orbit concepts, does not contribute further to the orbital debris problem and has a lower risk to operating satellites.
Should anesthesia residents with a history of substance abuse be allowed to continue training in clinical anesthesia? The results of a survey of anesthesia residency program directors☆☆☆

Study Objective: To determine the experience, attitudes, and opinions of program directors regarding the reintroduction of residents in recovery from substance abuse into the clinical practice of anesthesiology. Design: Survey instrument. Setting: Anesthesia residency training programs in the United States. Measurements: After obtaining institutional review board approval, a list of current academic anesthesia residency programs in the United States was compiled. A survey was mailed to 131 program directors along with a self-addressed stamped return envelope to ensure anonymity. Returned surveys were reviewed and data compiled by hand, with categorical variables described as frequency and percentages. Main Results: A total of 91 (69%) surveys were returned, representing experience with 11,293 residents over the ten-year period from July of 1997 through June of 2007. Fifty-six (62%) program directors reported experience with at least one resident requiring treatment for substance abuse. For residents allowed to continue with anesthesia residency training after treatment, the relapse rate was 29%. For those residents, death was the initial presentation of relapse in 10% of the reported cases. 43% of the program directors surveyed believe residents in recovery from addiction should be allowed to attempt re-entry while 30% believe that residents in recovery from addiction should not. Conclusions: The practice of allowing residents who have undergone treatment for substance abuse to return to their training program in clinical anesthesia remains highly controversial. They are often lost to follow-up, making it difficult, if not impossible to determine if re-training in a different medical specialty decreases their risk for relapse. A comprehensive assessment of the outcomes associated with alternatives to re-entry into clinical anesthesia training programs is needed.
Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance structural studies of proteins using paramagnetic probes.

Determination of three-dimensional structures of biological macromolecules by magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR spectroscopy is hindered by the paucity of nuclear dipolar coupling-based restraints corresponding to distances exceeding 5 A. Recent MAS NMR studies of uniformly (13)C,(15)N-enriched proteins containing paramagnetic centers have demonstrated the measurements of site-specific nuclear pseudocontact shifts and spin relaxation enhancements, which report on electron-nucleus distances up to ~20 A. These studies pave the way for the application of such long-distance paramagnetic restraints to protein structure elucidation and analysis of protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions in the solid phase. Paramagnetic species also facilitate the rapid acquisition of high resolution and sensitivity multidimensional solid-state NMR spectra of biomacromolecules using condensed data collection schemes, and characterization of solvent-accessible surfaces of peptides and proteins. In this review we discuss some of the latest applications of magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with paramagnetic probes to the structural studies of proteins in the solid state.
State-of-the-art geophysical exploration for geothermal resources

At the present stage of development, use of geothermal energy saves about 77 million barrels of oil per year worldwide that would otherwise be required for electrical power generation and direct heat applications. More than a dozen countries are involved in development of geothermal resources. Currently, only the moderate- and high-temperature hydrothermal convective type of geothermal system can be economically used for generating electric power. Lower-temperature resources of several types are being tapped for space heating and industrial processing. Geophysics plays important roles both in exploration for geothermal systems and in delineating, evaluating, and monitoring production from them. The thermal methods, which detect anomalous temperatures directly, and the electrical methods are probably the most useful and widely used in terms of siting drilling targets, but gravity, magnetics, seismic methods, and geophysical well logging all have important application.Advances in geophysical methods are needed to improve cost effectiveness and to enhance solutions of geologic problems. There is no wholly satisfactory electrical system from the standpoint of resolution of subsurface resistivity configuration at the required scale, depth of penetration, portability of equipment, and survey cost. The resolution of microseismic and microearthquake techniques needs improvement, and the reflection seismic technique needs substantial improvement to be cost effective in many hard-rock environments. Well-logging tools need to be developed and calibrated for use in corrosive wells at temperatures exceeding 200 degrees C. Well-log interpretation techniques need to be developed for the hard-rock environment. Borehole geophysical techniques and geotomography are just beginning to be applied and show promise with future development.
Introduction to the special research focus – workshop on alcohol use and health disparities 2002: a call to arms

* Corresponding author. Alcohol Editorial Office, c/o Three Forks Editorial Consultants, 11912 Gow Lane, Bellevue, NE 68123-1116, USA. Tel.: 1-402-291-2862; fax: 1-402-291-2904. E-mail address: alcohol@unmc.edu (T.R. Jerrells). I am pleased to be able to publish four papers in a Special Research Focus in Alcohol that highlight research presented in the “Workshop on Alcohol Use and Health Disparities 2002: A Call to Arms.” This workshop was organized by Drs. Denise Russo, Vishnudutt Purohit, Laurie Foudin, and Marvin Salin. The workshop was sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and was held in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, December 5, 2002. The basic aim of the workshop was to highlight the progress and future needs to eliminate disparities in health care for alcohol abuse, which is part of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism comprehensive strategic plan. This workshop highlights an important aspect of the mission of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and A a
Host Pathways Important for Coxiella burnetii Infection Revealed by Genome-Wide RNA Interference Screening

ABSTRACT Coxiella burnetii is an intracellular pathogen that replicates within a lysosome-like vacuole. A Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system is used by C. burnetii to translocate effector proteins into the host cytosol that likely modulate host factor function. To identify host determinants required for C. burnetii intracellular growth, a genome-wide screen was performed using gene silencing by small interfering RNA (siRNA). Replication of C. burnetii was measured by immunofluorescence microscopy in siRNA-transfected HeLa cells. Newly identified host factors included components of the retromer complex, which mediates cargo cycling between the endocytic pathway and the Golgi apparatus. Reducing the levels of the retromer cargo-adapter VPS26-VPS29-VPS35 complex or retromer-associated sorting nexins abrogated C. burnetii replication. Several genes, when silenced, resulted in enlarged vacuoles or an increased number of vacuoles within C. burnetii- infected cells. Silencing of the STX17 gene encoding syntaxin-17 resulted in a striking defect in homotypic fusion of vacuoles containing C. burnetii, suggesting a role for syntaxin-17 in regulating this process. Lastly, silencing host genes needed for C. burnetii replication correlated with defects in the translocation of Dot/Icm effectors, whereas, silencing of genes that affected vacuole morphology, but did not impact replication, did not affect Dot/Icm translocation. These data demonstrate that C. burnetii vacuole maturation is important for creating a niche that permits Dot/Icm function. Thus, genome-wide screening has revealed host determinants involved in sequential events that occur during C. burnetii infection as defined by bacterial uptake, vacuole transport and acidification, activation of the Dot/Icm system, homotypic fusion of vacuoles, and intracellular replication. IMPORTANCE Q fever in humans is caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Infection with C. burnetii is marked by its unique ability to replicate within a large vacuolar compartment inside cells that resembles the harsh, acidic environment of a lysosome. Central to its pathogenesis is the delivery of bacterial effector proteins into the host cell cytosol by a Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system. These proteins can interact with and manipulate host factors, thereby leading to creation and maintenance of the vacuole that the bacteria grow within. Using high-throughput genome-wide screening in human cells, we identified host factors important for several facets of C. burnetii infection, including vacuole transport and membrane fusion events that promote vacuole expansion. In addition, we show that maturation of the C. burnetii vacuole is necessary for creating an environment permissive for the Dot/Icm delivery of bacterial effector proteins into the host cytosol.
A Key Role for the Integrin α2β1 in Experimental and Developmental Angiogenesis

The α2β1 integrin receptor plays a key role in angiogenesis. Here we investigated the effects of small molecule inhibitors (SMIs) designed to disrupt integrin α2 I or β1 I-like domain function on angiogenesis. In unchallenged endothelial cells, fibrillar collagen induced robust capillary morphogenesis. In contrast, tube formation was significantly reduced by SMI496, a β1 I-like domain inhibitor and by function-blocking anti-α2β1 but not -α1β1 antibodies. Endothelial cells bound fluorescein-labeled collagen I fibrils, an interaction specifically inhibited by SMI496. Moreover, SMI496 caused cell retraction and cytoskeletal collapse of endothelial cells as well as delayed endothelial cell wound healing. SMI activities were examined in vivo by supplementing the growth medium of zebrafish embryos expressing green fluorescent protein under the control of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 promoter. SMI496, but not a control compound, interfered with angiogenesis in vivo by reversibly inhibiting sprouting from the axial vessels. We further characterized zebrafish α2 integrin and discovered that this integrin is highly conserved, especially the I domain. Notably, a similar vascular phenotype was induced by morpholino-mediated knockdown of the integrin α2 subunit. By live videomicroscopy, we confirmed that the vessels were largely nonfunctional in the absence of α2β1 integrin. Collectively, our results provide strong biochemical and genetic evidence of a central role for α2β1 integrin in experimental and developmental angiogenesis.
Severity of Voice Handicap in Children Diagnosed with Elevated Lesions

ObjectiveThis study sought to determine the impact of voice disability on children with elevated vocal fold lesions (nodules, cysts, polyps). The Pediatric Voice Handicap Index (pVHI) was used to assess the impact on functional, physical, and emotional aspects of voice and oral communication. The degree of talkativeness and overall severity of dysphonia were also determined.Study DesignCase series with chart review of children evaluated at a voice clinic from 2007 to 2011.SettingTertiary specialized children’s hospital.Subjects and MethodsMedical records of 33 children (11 girls, 22 boys) diagnosed with an elevated vocal fold lesion by a pediatric laryngologist were reviewed for voice disability using the pVHI. The pVHI is a parental proxy of perceived voice handicap in functional, physical, and emotional aspects and includes a talkativeness rating scale and visual analog overall severity rating of voice (VAS). Data were examined for young children (age 2-5 years), children (age 6-10 years), and adolescen...
Post‐Indentation Slow Growth of Radial Cracks in Glasses

An expression is developed for the slow growth of radial cracks after indentation using established notions of slow crack growth and residual stresses at the tip of radial cracks. This expression is substantiated by data gathered on indentation of microscope slides tested in air and water environments. The agreement is reasonable with the published values of the glass stress-corrosion susceptibility coefficients. It is suggested that the present approach represents a simple and straightforward method of measuring the stress-corrosion susceptibility of glasses.
The carotenoid dioxygenase gene family in maize, sorghum, and rice

Carotenoids and their apocarotenoid derivatives play essential physiological and developmental roles and provide plants tolerance to a variety of stresses. Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases mediate the degradation of carotenoids to apocarotenoids. A better understanding of biosynthesis vs. degradation could be useful for controlling carotenoid levels leading to improved plant fitness and/or enhanced content of nutritionally valuable carotenoids. The Poaceae (grass) plant family contains many crops of agronomic value. Therefore this study focused on characterizing the carotenoid dioxygenase gene family in the grass species maize, rice, and sorghum with comparison made to newly identified gene families in two non-seed plants as well as an alga and previously identified eudicot genes. Genome analysis was used to map grass genes encoding the carotenoid dioxygenases to chromosome locations. Sequences of encoded proteins were phylogenetically compared. CCD8b was identified as a new class of cleavage dioxygenases that may play a specialized role in apocarotenoid biogenesis. A simple PCR assay was developed to measure CCD1 gene copy number which is known to vary in maize. Using a panel of maize inbred lines varying in carotenoid content, linear regression analysis revealed a statistically significant negative correlation between copy number of CCD1 and carotenoid content, an effect likely mediated through the resulting elevated levels of endosperm CCD1 transcripts in high copy number lines. The PCR assay adds to a growing toolbox for metabolic engineering of maize endosperm carotenoids. This new tool can be used to select maize lines that are less likely to promote endosperm carotenoid degradation, thus predicting optimal results in metabolic engineering of endosperm provitamin A and/or nonprovitamin A carotenoids.
Real‐time acquisition, display, and interactive graphic control of NMR cardiac profiles and images

A highly interactive MRI scanner interface has been developed that allows, for the first time, real-time graphic control of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) cardiac MRI exams. The system comprises a Mercury array processor (AP) in a Sun SPARCserver with two connections to the MRI scanner, a data link that passes the NMR data directly to the AP as they are collected, and a control link that passes commands from the Sun to the scanner to redirect the imaging pulse sequence in real time. In the 1D techniques, a cylinder or "pencil" of magnetization is repeatedly excited using gradient-echo or spin-echo line-scan sequences, with the magnetization read out each time along the length of the cylinder, and a scrolling display generated on the Sun monitor. Rubber-band lines drawn on the scout image redirect the pencil or imaging slice to different locations, with the changes immediately visible in the display. M-mode imaging, 1D flow imaging, and 2D fast cardiac imaging have been demonstrated on normal volunteers using this system. This platform represents an operator-"friendly" way of directing real-time imaging of the heart.
The Law and Economics of Insider Trading: A Comprehensive Primer

Insider trading likely is one of the most common forms of securities fraud, yet it remains one of the most controversial aspects of securities regulation among legal (and economic) scholars. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of both the law of insider trading and the contested economic analysis thereof. The paper adopts a historical approach to the doctrinal aspects of insider trading, beginning with turn of the 20th Century state common law, and tracing the prohibition's evolution up to the most recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions under Rule 10b-5. The paper then reviews the debate between those scholars favoring deregulation of insider trading, allowing corporations to set their own insider trading policies by contract, and those who contends that the property right to inside information should be assigned to the corporation without the right of contractual reassignment. The paper also reviews the public choice analysis of insider trading to show that the prohibition benefits market professionals and corporate managers rather than investors.
Identification of a cellular node for motor control pathways.

The rich behavioral repertoire of animals is encoded in the CNS as a set of motorneuron activation patterns, also called ‘motor synergies’. However, the neurons that orchestrate these motor programs as well as their cellular properties and connectivity are poorly understood. Here we identify a population of molecularly defined motor synergy encoder (MSE) neurons in the mouse spinal cord that may represent a central node in neural pathways for voluntary and reflexive movement. This population receives direct inputs from the motor cortex and sensory pathways and, in turn, has monosynaptic outputs to spinal motorneurons. Optical stimulation of MSE neurons drove reliable patterns of activity in multiple motor groups, and we found that the evoked motor patterns varied on the basis of the rostrocaudal location of the stimulated MSE. We speculate that these neurons comprise a cellular network for encoding coordinated motor output programs.
(Re)Modeling Culture in Kwara'ae: The Role of Discourse in Children's Cognitive Development

We examine children's cognitive skills and cultural representations in naturally occurring discourse, integrating theoretical perspectives from psychology, cognitive anthropology, and sociolinguistics. We focus on two interactional events recorded in our 10-year study of children's language socialization in Kwara'ae (Solomon Islands) involving the same child at ages 2 and 4 years interacting with an older child and an adult, respectively, around routine tasks. In both cases a potentially serious cultural anomaly that challenges the children's own constructions of cultural models tests their strategic creativity and agency in negotiating an outcome. The resulting discourse reveals how they are construing and (re)modeling culture in a time of rapid social change.
Treatment Strategies for Myeloid Growth Factors and Intravenous Iron: When, What, and How?

Abstract Myeloid growth factors can reduce the risk of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) and thus impact the survival of patients with cancer. Patients should be assessed for risk, taking into consideration patient-related risk factors and chemotherapy regimens. Patients stratified as having at least a 20% risk for CIN should be considered for prophylactic growth factors. The NCCN Guidelines for Myeloid Growth Factors provide category 1 recommendations for the daily use of filgrastim, tbo-filgrastim, and pegfilgrastim. Cancer-related anemia can be treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, red blood cell transfusion, or intravenous iron.
High Temperature Thermoelectric Properties of Yb 14 MnSb 11 Prepared from Reaction of MnSb with the Elements

Compounds of the Yb14MnSb11 structure type are the highest efficiency bulk p-type materials for high temperature thermoelectric applications, with reported figures of merit (ZTs) as high as ∼1.3 at 1275 K. Further optimization of ZT for this structure type is possible with the development of a simple synthetic route. However, this has been difficult to achieve because of the small amount of Mn required compared with Yb and Sb. A simple synthetic route for Yb14MnSb11 has been developed utilizing a combination of ball milling and annealing to produce phase-pure material followed by spark plasma sintering for consolidation. The materials have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction before and after spark plasma sintering. The stoichiometric reaction of Yb, Sb, and MnSb provides phase-pure powder by X-ray diffraction. Upon cycling to temperatures greater than 1272 K, Yb14MnSb11 shows the presence of Yb11Sb10. Additional samples with 5% and 10% excess Mn were also investigated. Adding 5–10% excess Mn do...
Care in the Final Month of Life among Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients in Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

Abstract Background: Little is known about the care that adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer receive at the end of life (EOL). Objective: To examine care in the last month of life among AYA patients with cancer. Design: Medical record review of the last 30 days of life. Setting/Subjects: One hundred eleven AYA patients aged 15–39 years at death with either stage I-III cancer and evidence of cancer recurrence or stage IV cancer at diagnosis. Patients received care in Kaiser Permanente Southern California, an integrated healthcare delivery system, and died from 2007 to 2010. Measurements: Use of intensive measures, including chemotherapy in the last 14 days of life and emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and intensive care unit admissions in the last 30 days; documented care preferences; symptom prevalence and treatment; advance care planning; hospice use; and location of death. Results: One hundred seven patients (96%) had documented care preferences in the last month of life. At fir...
Credibility and Deterrence

The greatest turning point in the history of international affairs was probably not 1945, as is customarily thought today, but rather 1914. August 1945 saw the power of the atom unleashed for the first time, but it still remained to be established whether the weapons that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki could be produced in quantity and the other components of the ‘nuclear revolution’ still lay ahead, most notably the quantum increase of destructive power brought by the hydrogen bomb and the development of the seemingly invincible intercontinental missile as a means of delivery.1
Cognitive Processing Therapy: Beyond the Basics

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can have a dramatic effect on a trauma survivor and if left untreated, the chronic effects of PTSD can be debilitating psychologically, financially, and physically. Several organizations have endorsed “best practice” guidelines for the treatment of PTSD, with cognitive-behavioral interventions the most highly recommended. One of these interventions is cognitive processing therapy (CPT), which has been researched with assault, rape, combat, and child sexual abuse survivors. CPT is a 12-session, manualized treatment protocol that focuses on the meaning the individual has made of the trauma and helps the individual challenge negative cognitions that stem from the event. Research has shown that CPT is effective with a majority of individuals who receive the protocol and that the treatment not only improves PTSD, but related symptoms as well (e.g., depression and guilt). This book chapter will provide an overview of the treatment protocol and will review the research on CPT to date. Finally the chapter will discuss a dissemination initiative in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs designed to train clinicians at every VA hospital in CPT.
Enzymatic Digestion of Proteins in Solution and in SDS Polyacrylamide Gels

Although most prokaryotic proteins have free NH2-termini and therefore can be directly sequenced, most eukaryotic proteins have blocked NH2-termini which precludes Edman degradation (1,2). In these instances, one of the most direct approaches to obtaining partial amino acid sequences is via enzymatic or chemical cleavage followed by peptide fractionation and sequencing. Although several different approaches may be taken to cleave proteins, one of the most common is to digest the protein enzymatically with a relatively specific protease such as trypsin or lysyl endopeptidase. Since final purification is often dependent on SDS-PAGE, cleavage procedures that can either be carried out in the polyacrylamide gel matrix (3, 4) or that may be used on samples that have been blotted from SDS polyacrylamide gels onto PVDF (5) or nitrocellulose (5,6) membranes are extremely useful. In both instances, the proteins are usually stained with Coomassie blue or Ponceau S prior to excision, and proteolytic digestion and the resulting peptides are separated by reverse-phase HPLC. Relatively straightforward solution and in-gel digestion procedures that have been used extensively in the Keck Foundation Biotechnology Resource Laboratory at Yale University will be described in this chapter, whereas a procedure suitable for in situ digestion of SDS-PAGE blotted proteins is described in Chapter 70.
Neuromodulation for Memory

Neuromodulation of memory has undergone rapid recent evolution with the advent of improved modalities to provide targeted stimulation of neuroanatomic networks. Through transcranial electric stimulation, deep brain electrodes, and investigational optogenetic paradigms, there has been progressive refinement in targeting resolution. Subsequent application of new technology has allowed assessment of the role that multiple anatomic structures play in basic models of memory physiology as well as leverage of resultant modulatory effects for clinical translation. This chapter highlights several recent neuromodulatory discoveries within the realm of hemispheric memory processing, motor memory recovery, as well as promising strategies for enhancing declarative memory and treating dementia. Additional discussion will focus on advances made in optogenetic targeting of memory engrams down to a specific cell population and the resultant translational opportunities that await.
Integrating biomass quality variability in stochastic supply chain modeling and optimization for large-scale biofuel production

Abstract The production of biofuels using second-generation feedstocks has been recognized as an important alternative source of sustainable energy and its demand is expected to increase due to regulations such as the Renewable Fuel Standard. However, the pathway to biofuel industry maturity faces unique, unaddressed challenges. To address this challenges, this paper presents an optimization model which quantifies and controls the impact of biomass quality variability on supply chain related decisions and technology selection. We propose a two-stage stochastic programming model and associated efficient solution procedures for solving large-scale problems to (1) better represent the random nature of the biomass quality (defined by moisture and ash contents) in supply chain modeling, and (2) assess the impact of these uncertainties on the supply chain design and planning. The proposed model is then applied to a case study in the state of Tennessee. Results show that high moisture and ash contents negatively impact the unit delivery cost since poor biomass quality requires the addition of quality control activities. Experimental results indicate that supply chain cost could increase as much as 27%–31% when biomass quality is poor. We assess the impact of the biomass quality on the topological supply chain. Our case study indicates that biomass quality impacts supply chain costs; thus, it is important to consider the impact of biomass quality in supply chain design and management decisions.
Water column particulate matter: A key contributor to phosphorus regeneration in a coastal eutrophic environment, the Chesapeake Bay

Particulate phosphorus (PP) in the water column is an essential component of phosphorus (P) cycling in the Chesapeake Bay because P often limits primary productivity, yet its composition and transformation remain undercharacterized. To understand the mobilization of PP and P sequestration in the water column, we studied seasonal variations in particulate organic and inorganic P species at three sites in the Chesapeake Bay, using chemical extractions, 1-D (31P) and 2-D (1H-31P) NMR spectroscopies, and electron microprobe analyses. Our results suggest that an average of 9% and 50% of water column PP was recycled in shallow and deep sites, respectively, primarily through remineralization of organic P, which was 3 times higher than Fe-bound P remobilization. P recycling efficiency was highest in the warm and anoxic seasons. Organic P compositions and concentrations responded strongly to seasonal and redox variations: orthophosphate monoesters and diesters, and diester-to-monoester ratios (D/M) decreased with depth; both esters and D/M ratios were lower in the anoxic waters in July and September. In contrast, pyrophosphate concentration increased with depth and polyphosphate concentration was high in anoxic seasons. Our analyses suggest the presence of Ca-phosphate minerals (Ca-P) in the water column but with concentrations comparable to sediment Ca-P. It is unclear, however, whether authigenic precipitation occurred in the water column or resuspended from sediments. Overall, these results reveal the dominance of internal P cycling particularly via organic P remineralization and controlling P availability in the water column of the Chesapeake Bay.
Reevaluation of Connections Between Egypt and the Southern Levant in the Middle Bronze Age in Light of the New Higher Chronology

The Middle Bronze Age in the southern Levant has long been a period subject to chronological debate, discussion, and dissension. Despite the common use of conventional dates and correlations, there is in reality little consensus regarding the dates for either the beginning or the end of the period, with the result that its duration also remains in flux. Such chronological imprecision also results in an equal lack of clarity regarding the synchronisms and connections between the southern Levant and the regions and cultures around it, particularly in regard to ancient Egypt. The increasing availability of radiocarbon dates from secure stratigraphic locations, as well as the absolute chronology that results from them, however, now emphasizes the need to reevaluate the traditional and conventional synchronisms, contacts, and connections between these cultures and highlights the importance of understanding the significance of these changes in chronology for examining development in the southern Levant.
Self-stigma and its associations with stress, physical health, and health care satisfaction in adults who stutter.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to identify potential relationships between self-stigma (stigma awareness and stigma application) and stress, physical health, and health care satisfaction among a large sample of adults who stutter. It was hypothesized that both stigma awareness and stigma application would be inversely related to measures of physical health and health care satisfaction, and positively related to stress. Furthermore, it was anticipated that stress mediated the relationship between self-stigma and physical health. Method A sample of adults who stutter in the United States (n = 397) completed a web survey that assessed levels of stigma awareness and stigma application, stress, physical health, and health care satisfaction. Correlational analyses were conducted to determine the relationships between these variables. Results Higher levels of stigma awareness and stigma application were associated with increased stress, decreased overall physical health, and decreased health care satisfaction (i.e., discomfort obtaining health care due to stuttering, and adverse health care outcomes due to stuttering), and these relationships were statistically significant. Stress was identified as a mediator between stigma application and physical health. Conclusion Because adults who stutter with higher levels of self-stigma are at risk for decreased physical health through increased stress, and lower satisfaction with their health care experiences as a result of stuttering, it is important for professionals to assess and manage self-stigma in clients who stutter. Self-stigma has implications for not only psychological well-being, but stress, physical health, and health care satisfaction as well.
Evaluating Surveillance Patterns after Chemoradiation-Only Compared with Conventional Management for Older Patients with Rectal Cancer.

Background Upfront chemoradiation with omission of surgery (CR-only) is increasingly being used to treat rectal cancer. When CR-only is used with curative intent, intense surveillance is recommended. We hypothesized that in practice, few patients treated with CR-only receive intensive post-treatment surveillance. Study Design Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare, all nonmetastatic rectal cancer patients (≥66 years old) diagnosed from 2004 to 2012, who received upfront chemoradiation, were included. Patients who received CR-only were compared with patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy plus proctectomy. In the 24 months after treatment, markers of surveillance, including carcinoembryonic antigen testing (CEA), endoscopy, and imaging, were compared between groups. Results A total of 2,482 individuals met the inclusion criteria: 21% (n = 514) had CR-only and 79% had conventional treatment (ie chemoradiation plus proctectomy). Only 2.5% and 3.4% of those in the CR-only and conventional treatment groups, respectively, were in complete compliance with National Comprehensive Cancer Network surveillance guidelines during the first 2 years post-treatment (p Conclusions Adherence to guideline-recommended surveillance was poor for all Medicare patients with rectal cancer. Despite recommendations for closer follow-up, patients treated with CR-only were less likely to receive surveillance than those treated with conventional treatment. Efforts should be made to increase adherence to surveillance guidelines for all rectal cancer patients treated with curative intent, but particularly for those with higher risk of recurrence, such as those treated with CR-only.
Aerobic Soil Biodegradation of Bisphenol (BPA) Alternatives Bisphenol S and Bisphenol AF Compared to BPA

Pressures to ban bisphenol A (BPA) has led to the use of alternate chemicals such as BPA analogues bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol AF (BPAF) in production of consumer products; however, information on their environmental fate is scarce. In this study, aerobic degradation of BPA, BPAF, and BPS at 100 μg/kg soil and 22 ± 2 °C was monitored for up to 180 days in a forest soil and an organic farm soil. At each sampling point, soils were extracted three times and analyzed by liquid chromatography high resolution mass or time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Based on compound mass recovered from soils compared to the mass applied, BPS had short half-lives of <1 day in both soils similar to BPA. BPAF was much more persistent with observed half-lives of 32.6 and 24.5 days in forest and farm soils, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report on BPAF degradation. For all three compounds, half-lives were longer in the higher organic carbon (OC) forest soil which correlates well to sorption studies showing h...
Colors: Presentation and Representation in the Fine Arts

There is no doubt that colors play a crucial role in the fine arts. Both the phenomenology and the interpretation of paintings, photographs, and films (the fine arts I’ll focus on in this work) change dramatically depending on the colors that are used to compose them. A black and white reproduction of a Rothko painting loses one of the central traits of the work. It is similarly a crucial aesthetic choice by photographers or filmmakers to have their work shot in color or in black and white. This choice will constrain the phenomenology of the resulting photographs and films and how viewers will eventually perceive and interpret them. Less clear, however, is the significance, the meaning of colors in the fine arts. In this paper, I argue that colors have no absolute meaning in the arts, but the effect they are supposed to engender in viewers, the significance that colors have in various pieces, will change as we consider different works, even, in some cases, if they belong to the same period. Despite the relatively uniform phenomenology of colors, their meaning varies dramatically in painting, photographs, and films. This makes colors behave in far more conventional ways, that is, representing via conventional codes rather than via recognitional prompts, than we may initially think in light of how relatively stable color phenomenology tends to be. It is, thus, important to distinguish the way colors represent from the way they are present in these various media. And by examining the implications of this distinction, I argue, we obtain a suggestive framework to examine colors in the fine arts. To support this conclusion I examine the meaning and significance of colors in selected paintings, photographs, and films, identifying some similarities but particularly several differences among various works.
Introduction to Assessment in Early Childhood Education

In the first chapter of this book on Fidelity of Implementation of Assessment, historical and contemporary factors influencing the current state of early childhood assessment practices are provided. The history of assessment in early childhood includes the curricular and scientific influences that helped to shape assessment practices in Europe and the United States over the course of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. When addressing contemporary assessment practices, the four purposes of assessment are introduced with emphasis on the types of assessment practice typically conducted to meet each specific purpose. Policy and political influences such as federal and state laws are also connected to various assessment purposes. This chapter also discusses the issues of inequity in assessment and problems in assessment of young children, particularly from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Finally, the context for this book is provided including an overview of the content to be covered within each chapter of this book.
Three-dimensional intact-tissue sequencing of single-cell transcriptional states.

Retrieving high-content gene-expression information while retaining three-dimensional (3D) positional anatomy at cellular resolution has been difficult, limiting integrative understanding of structure and function in complex biological tissues. We developed and applied a technology for 3D intact-tissue RNA sequencing, termed STARmap (spatially-resolved transcript amplicon readout mapping), which integrates hydrogel-tissue chemistry, targeted signal amplification, and in situ sequencing. The capabilities of STARmap were tested by mapping 160 to 1020 genes simultaneously in sections of mouse brain at single-cell resolution with high efficiency, accuracy, and reproducibility. Moving to thick tissue blocks, we observed a molecularly defined gradient distribution of excitatory-neuron subtypes across cubic millimeter–scale volumes (>30,000 cells) and a short-range 3D self-clustering in many inhibitory-neuron subtypes that could be identified and described with 3D STARmap.