cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Taxonomy of Behavioural Biometrics

This chapter presents a taxonomy of the latest behavioural biometrics, including some future oriented approaches. Current research in the field is examined and analyzed along with the features used to describe different types of behaviour. After comparing accuracy rates for verification of users using dif ferent behavioural biometric approaches, researchers address privacy issues which arise or might arise in the future with the use of behavioural biometrics. Finally, generalized properties of behaviour are addressed as well as influence of environmental factors on observed behaviour and potential directions for future research in behavioural biometrics.
The Fixed-Point Attack

Here the author will explain the attack that was the opening of his dissertation. The goal is first, to rewrite the cipher as a function g executed on the output of a function f which is iterated 8 times on the plaintext. Next, we will strip away g, and try to find fixed points of the 8th iterate of f. Some of these are fixed points of f. Using fixed points of f, we can recover the secret key by solving a polynomial system of equations. As you can see, the attack is rather indirect.
Isotropic Zero CTE Materials

Stringent dimensional stability requirements are called for in present and future aerospace systems, components and structures. The availability of a zero coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) material would help to solve numerous design and performance problems. At present the best materials are ULE, Zerodur, fused SiO2, Super Invar and some pseudo-isotropic graphite epoxy composites. All of these exhibit thermal strains (Δ L/L) in excess of 20–50 microinches per inch when cooled, for example, from room temperature to −250°C. Since immediate applications for a zero CTE material include mirror substrates, metering rods and optics supports, an optimum material should also be isotropic, dimensionally stable with time (under constant temperature and low stress levels) and exhibit as high a thermal conductivity as possible.
E-cigarette users commonly stealth vape in places where e-cigarette use is prohibited.

Introduction ‘Stealth vaping’ is the practice of vaping discreetly in places where electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is prohibited. While anecdotal evidence suggests that stealth vaping is common, there have been no formal studies of the behaviour. The purpose of this study is to examine stealth vaping behaviour among experienced e-cigarette users. Methods Data were collected from the follow-up survey of a large longitudinal cohort study of adult experienced e-cigarette users conducted in January 2017. To measure stealth vaping behaviour, participants were asked ‘Have you ever ‘stealth vaped’, that is to say, used an e-cig in a public place where it was not approved and attempted to conceal your e-cig use? (yes/no)’. Participants indicating yes completed additional questions about the frequency of stealth vaping and were asked to select all the locations where they commonly stealth vape. Frequencies were used to examine the overall prevalence, frequency and common locations for stealth vaping. A logistic regression model was run to predict stealth vaping. Results Approximately two-thirds (64.3%, n=297/462) of the sample reported ever stealth vaping, of which 52.5% (n=156/297) reported stealth vaping in the past week. Among stealth vapers (n=297), 31% reported owning a smaller device solely for stealth vaping. The most common places to stealth vape included at work (46.8%), followed by bars/nightclubs (42.1%), restaurants (37.7%), at the movies (35.4%) and in airports/on airplanes (11.7%). Predictors of stealth vaping were greater dependence and owning a smaller device solely for stealth vaping. Conclusions Stealth vaping is a common behaviour for many experienced e-cigarette users. More research is needed to understand the reasons for stealth vaping and its potential health and safety implications. This information could help researchers and regulators to design interventions to minimise the public health impact of stealth vaping.
NACO/CONSER/SACO Listen-and-Learn Session

This Listen & Learn Session provides an opportunity to ATLA catalogers participating in one of the ATLA PCC Funnel projects (NACO, CONSER, or SACO) to learn about changes (including proposed changes) to those programs. The purpose is to give these catalogers the knowledge they need to continue to produce work for the national databases at a level expected of all PCC participants.
Systematic Review of Father Involvement and Child Outcomes in Pediatric Chronic Illness Populations

The overall objective of this paper was to systematically review and synthesize the emerging literature investigating the role of father involvement in pediatric outcomes among chronic illness populations. This review sought to answer the following questions: (1) what measures are used to assess father involvement in pediatric chronic illness populations, and who is the respondent, and (2) how is father involvement associated with child psychosocial and health related outcomes in pediatric chronic illness populations? Databases were searched using a key word search strategy. Articles were screened according to exclusion criteria, resulting in 15 identified articles that included a pediatric illness population, and assessed both father involvement and a child outcome variable. Qualitative analysis revealed that several measures have been used to assess father involvement in pediatric chronic illness populations. As a whole, the majority of findings indicate that better outcomes are associated with more father involvement in illness and non-illness related activities, and higher father-child relationship quality. Contradictory findings may be due to the quality of the involvement being assessed, or the possibility that father's become more involved with illness tasks in response to their child's poorer health outcomes. Future research should include the development and use of psychometrically sound measures of father involvement and employ more diverse samples with rigorous methodology.
False Advertising or Slander? Using Location Based Tweets to Assess OnlineRating-Reliability

Online reviews have diffused into a large variety of businesses, ranging from physical goods to services. The ubiquity of the reviews and the importance given to them by potential customers makes examining their validity extremely important. While good reviews can boost companies' business, bad reviews can spell their doom. Since online reviews are anonymous, there are cases of both false advertising and slander that can create conflict. In this paper authors provide reasons for online rating bias and demonstrate a way to measure it. Authors mine consumer's location aware tweets from business locations to capture a location's pleasure score and compare the pleasure scores to Yelp ratings to determine how overrated or underrated the venue is. Foursquare and Twitter are mined to extract an emotion score from the location aware tweets using a dictionary called the Affective Norms for English Words (ANEW). Rating biases are found across cities and different types of restaurants and managerial and policy implications discussed.
Temperature-Dependent Solubility of Solid Electrolyte Interphase on Silicon Electrodes

The lithium-ion batteries powering mass market electric vehicles must be capable of operating in a wide temperature range. Temperature variation has the potential to greatly affect the stability of...
Impact of the Advent of Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum on the Surgical Management of Peyronie's Disease: A Population-Based Analysis.

Abstract Introduction Penile plication or partial excision with grafting has traditionally been the first-line treatment for stable Peyronie’s disease (PD). Numerous injection therapies (ITs) have been introduced over the last few decades. Intralesional collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH) was U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved in 2013 for patients with stable disease, curvature ≥30° and ≤90°, and intact erectile function. The impact of the advent of CCH on the surgical management of PD is unknown. Aim We studied the effect of IT on the surgical management of PD in a population-based analysis. Methods The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database, which provides statewide level of all-payer data on patients in the outpatient, inpatient, ambulatory, and emergency department setting in New York State was reviewed. Patients undergoing a penile prosthesis for concurrent erectile dysfunction were excluded. Main Outcome Measure Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression modeling were used to assess factors influencing choice of injection therapy vs surgical therapy (penile plication or partial excision with grafting). Results From 2003−2016, 547 patients with PD presented for management. Median age was 56 years and 57% were white. Over the study period, surgical management was used less often as the primary procedure with a concurrent increase in use of IT (P Clinical Implications ITs like CCH are increasingly displacing surgical management as the primary treatment option of Peyronie’s disease. Strengths & Limitations The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database is particularly useful for this analysis because it is an all-payer database that tracks patients longitudinally across various health care settings—outpatient and inpatient. Limitations: It only includes patients in New York State limiting generalizability. The retrospective nature of the analysis makes it subject to the biases inherent in such reports. Specific disease level characteristics (eg, degree of curvature, duration of disease, and associated deformities) were not available. Conclusion Since the introduction of CCH, there has been a markedly decreasing trend in the utilization of surgery as the primary modality in the management of PD-associated penile curvature. Sukumar S, Pijush DB, Brandes S. Impact of the Advent of Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum on the Surgical Management of Peyronie’s Disease: A Population-Based Analysis. J Sex Med 2020;17:111−116.
Novel stress phonotactics are learnable by English speakers: Novel tone phonotactics are not

Speech errors are sensitive to newly learned phonotactic constraints. For example, if speakers produce strings of syllables in which /f/ is an onset if the vowel is /ae/, but a coda if the vowel is /I/, their slips will respect that constraint after a period of sleep. Constraints in which the contextual factor is nonlinguistic, however, do not appear to be learnable by this method—for example, /f/ is an onset if the speech rate is fast, but /f/ is a coda if the speech rate is slow. The present study demonstrated that adult English speakers can learn (after a sleep period) constraints based on stress (e.g., /f/ is an onset if the syllable is stressed, but /f/ is a coda if the syllable is unstressed), but cannot learn analogous constraints based on tone (e.g., /f/ is an onset if the tone is rising, but /f/ is a coda if the tone is falling). The results are consistent with the fact that, in English, stress is a relevant lexical phonological property (e.g., “INsight” and “inCITE” are different words), but tone is not (e.g., “yes!” and “yes?” are the same word, despite their different pragmatic functions). The results provide useful constraints on how consolidation effects in learning may interact with early learning experiences.
Electro-acupuncture for joint pain related to aromatase inhibitors among breast cancer survivors: A randomized placebo-controlled trial.

9639 Background: Arthralgia is a common and debilitating symptom in a significant proportion of breast cancer patients receiving aromatase inhibitors (AIs). Methods: We conducted a randomized, plac...
Alcohol Writ Accountable

Churches in American society provide a rich cultural context within which alcohol-related beliefs are espoused and practiced. They also serve as organizations through which alcohol problems can be identified, counseling given, and treatment referrals made. The historical circumstances of the settling of North America and its original colonies led to a highly pluralistic religious environment with an overarching Protestant-Catholic-Jewish identity. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, especially, America held great promise for religious freedom for many emigres. Over the centuries Protestant denominations, in particular, have evidenced considerable splintering into distinct theological and organizational domains. Witness the proliferation, for example, of new congregations in the Baptist Church and the organizational complexity of the Lutheran and Methodist church bodies. A half-hour drive through most urban neighborhoods, small towns, and rural settlements is likely to take us past an interesting mix of different churches.
Plant small heat shock proteins - evolutionary and functional diversity.

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are an ubiquitous protein family found in archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes. In plants, as in other organisms, sHSPs are upregulated by stress and are proposed to act as molecular chaperones to protect other proteins from stress-induced damage. sHSPs share an 'α-crystallin domain' with a β-sandwich structure and a diverse N-terminal domain. Although sHSPs are 12-25 kDa polypeptides, most assemble into oligomers with ≥ 12 subunits. Plant sHSPs are particularly diverse and numerous; some species have as many as 40 sHSPs. In angiosperms this diversity comprises ≥ 11 sHSP classes encoding proteins targeted to the cytosol, nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, chloroplasts, mitochondria and peroxisomes. The sHSPs underwent a lineage-specific gene expansion, diversifying early in land plant evolution, potentially in response to stress in the terrestrial environment, and expanded again in seed plants and again in angiosperms. Understanding the structure and evolution of plant sHSPs has progressed, and a model for their chaperone activity has been proposed. However, how the chaperone model applies to diverse sHSPs and what processes sHSPs protect are far from understood. As more plant genomes and transcriptomes become available, it will be possible to explore theories of the evolutionary pressures driving sHSP diversification.
Taxi Drops Off as Transit Grows amid Ride-Hailing’s Impact on Airport Access in New York

This study investigates the relationship between the introduction of ride-hailing services and 1) taxi trips; 2) AirTrain ridership; and 3) parking transactions at two major New York airports: John...
Acute myeloid leukemia with hepatic infiltration presenting as obstructive jaundice

Abstract We present the case of a 55-year-old woman who presented with laboratory studies concerning for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as well as obstructive cholestasis. In similar previously reported cases, concerns of chemotherapy toxicity exacerbated by liver dysfunction or concerns of untreated, concurrent cholecystitis in a neutropenic patient often delay initiation of chemotherapy for full medical workup. At admission, our patient was started on the cytoreductive agent hydroxyurea. By day 10 of her medical workup, her liver function had improved with total bilirubin levels normalizing. At that time, full-dose 7 + 3 induction with cytarabine and daunorubicin was then initiated.
Cancer-Related Fatigue

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is among the most commonly reported side effects experienced by cancer patients and survivors. Approximately one-third of women with breast cancer continue to suffer from CRF, even years after the completion of treatment. The causal mechanisms of CRF are not fully understood. However, numerous studies have demonstrated that systemic inflammation is associated with CRF. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) dysregulation, endocrine dysfunction, and sleep disturbance have also been proposed as contributing factors to CRF. Due to the high prevalence of CRF, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recommends that oncologists routinely and systematically screen for CRF throughout the cancer trajectory and provide prompt and specific treatments. Patients with CRF should be evaluated for treatable contributing factors (e.g., anemia, hypothyroidism), and, if found, their treatment plan should address those factors. CRF treatments include non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies. Non-pharmacologic therapies such as physical activity, mind-body interventions, and psychosocial therapies have demonstrated promising efficacy and should be considered in the initial management of CRF. In this chapter, we explained the definition, prevalence, and impact of CRF and reviewed possible mechanisms associated with CRF. We also provide an algorithm based on clinical guidelines developed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the ASCO, the Pan-Canadian Practice Guideline Committee, and the Oncology Nursing Society to guide oncologists and other health professionals in screening, assessing, and prescribing treatments of CRF in breast cancer survivors.
Recognition as Sanction: Using International Recognition of New States to Deter, Punish, and Contain Bad Actors

This Article makes two novel claims, one normative and one descriptive. The normative claim is that the international community should recognize as new states entities claiming independence from their parent states if doing so would serve as an effective sanction for human rights abuses committed by the parent state, even if there is no connection between the secessionist entity and the bad behavior of the parent state (“the sanction theory of recognition”). The descriptive claim is that the international community’s recognition decisions, while not expressed in terms of the sanction theory of recognition, are becoming increasingly driven by it. Secession, recognition, and the creation of new states is an issue of enormous practical significance; in addition to the almost 150 states that came into existence in the twentieth century, numerous entities and movements seek independence today.1 While some movements can be dismissed as fantastic, like the current movement for an independent Vermont and similar movements in other states,2 many secessionist entities, like Chechnya, Darfur,
Changing rural landscapes: A need for planning and management

Abstract This article explains how recreational subdivisions convert large tracts of rural land in the USA into ‘potential vacation homesites’. Much subdivision has occurred in areas where land use regulations are weak or non-existent. All too often developers have implemented an operational framework without a master plan, have not adhered to local environmental constraints, and failed to provide the most basic services needed for human habitation. Many of these so-called ‘planned new communities’ qualify as neither communities nor planned and end up as ghost subdivisions with vast acreages of unused, vacant land marked by an elaborate network of bladed roads. Specific developmental guidelines are suggested to assist governmental officials in reducing the negative impact associated with the premature subdivision of land years prior to its expected use.
Resistance to Fatherhood and Excessive Filial Obligation

This article focuses on the intergenerational transmission of pathology, caused by tenacious parent/child bonds impeding normal separation and age-appropriate attachments in late adolescence. The case presented illustrates the impact of dysfunctional parenting approaches that have arisen from significant parental pathology. The adolescent son is arrested in development and suffers low self-esteem, an impostor false self, and long-standing, profound academic failure. A therapeutic model that combines elements of psychoanalytic psychotherapy and family therapy is described in detail, with particular emphasis on the contribution this model made both to the assessment and successful treatment of this adolescent boy and his family over a six-year period. A psychoanalytic individual psychotherapy and family therapy perspective are offered, to clarify the assessment and successful treatment process over six years of treatment.
Biological approach to system information security (BASIS): a multi-agent approach to information security

Biological systems employ an inherently multi-agent approach for protection from external biological assault. If properly modeled and expanded to computer networking systems, new systems for information security can be designed and adopted. These approaches would be efficient and effective at not only preventing systems failure and damage from known forms of attack, they would be able to detect and limit the damage from an unknown form of attack. In this paper, the biological system is studied and compare to a computer networking system. A simple model is also developed to aid in the study of response to an attack.
Open Access Scientific Publishing and the Developing World

Responding to rapid and steep increases in the cost of scientific journals, a growing number of scholars and librarians have advocated “open access” (OA) to the scientific literature. OA publishing models are having a significant impact on the dissemination of scientific information. Despite the success of these initiatives, their impact on researchers in the developing world is uncertain. This article analyses major OA approaches adopted in the industrialized world (so-called Green OA, Gold OA, and OA mandates, as well as non-OA information philanthropy) as they relate to the consumption and production of research in the developing world. The article concludes that while the consumption of scientific literature by developing world researchers is likely to be significantly enhanced through such programs, promoting the production of research in the developing world requires additional measures. These could include the introduction of better South-focused journal indexing systems that identify high-quality journals published in the developing world, coupled with the adjustment of academic norms to reward publication in such journals. Financial models must also be developed to decrease the reliance by institutions in the developing world on information philanthropy and to level the playing field between OA journals in industrialized and developing countries.
Treatment of mechanically failed triple pelvic osteotomies in four dogs - Part 2

Four dogs treated with triple pelvic osteotomies (TPOs) with loss of fixation secondary to screw loosening are reported. Two of the patients were revised with an additional ventral plate with successful outcomes. Revision TPO, with additional ventral plate fixation, was highly effective as a salvage technique for failed TPOs.
The Membrane–Electrode Interface in PEFCs IV. The origin and implications of interfacial resistance

Membrane-electrode interfacial resistance and deterioration over time was investigated using a series of sulfonated poly(arylene ether) membranes and Nafion. Dimensional mismatch due to swelling/deswelling, wetting/adhesion, and water transport mismatch between the electrodes and the polymer electrolyte membrane were all investigated as potential root causes of membrane-electrode interfacial resistance and durability. The data presented from a large number of diverse polymers strongly support dimensional mismatch as the primary cause of interfacial failure. Extended direct methanol fuel cell life tests, up to 3000 h, showed high performance and good durability for membranes with low water uptake. Polymer electrolyte membranes with ~35 vol % water uptake were the best in this study. However, a low water uptake coating layer greatly improved the performance and durability of a higher water uptake polymer electrolyte membrane. This study demonstrates the potential importance of the membrane-electrode interface on fuel cell performance and durability and provides a basis for implementing polymer electrolyte membranes effectively in high performance polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs).
Comparison of Tacrolimus Concentrations Measured by the IMx Tacrolimus II vs the PRO-TRAC II FK506 ELISA Assays

Contemporary practice in the therapeutic monitoring of the immunosuppressant tacrolimus has required increasingly rapid and more sensitive assays. To this end, the two most commonly used immunoassay formats, IMx Tacrolimus II (Tacrolimus II) and PRO-TRAC IITM FK506 (ProTrac II) have undergone extensive revision, leading to changes in the measured drug concentration relative to the original assay format (1)(2)(3). Multiple studies have compared the original microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA) and second-generation Tacrolimus II methods [e.g., Refs. (2)(3)], one report has compared the original MEIA and the second-generation ProTrac II method (1), and two preliminary reports have compared the ProTrac II method with the Tacrolimus II method (4)(5). In each of these reports, the ProTrac II method consistently yielded lower tacrolimus concentrations than the Tacrolimus II assay. The aim of this study was to further characterize the correlation between the Tacrolimus II method and the ProTrac II ELISA. Tacrolimus II controls were kindly provided by Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, IL). Pure tacrolimus powder was a courtesy of Fujisawa USA (Chicago, IL). Tacrolimus stock solutions in whole blood at concentrations of 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 μg/L were prepared from tacrolimus powder. Tacrolimus powder was initially dissolved in methanol, followed by sequential dilution with drug-free human whole blood. Tacrolimus assays were performed according to manufacturers instructions. Correlation data were analyzed by Deming regression [Medsnap program (6)]. Differences between the two methods were analyzed by the methods of Bland and Altman (7)(8). Fifty-five whole blood specimens from 39 transplant patients [heart (n = 9), lung (n = 9), kidney (n = 7), liver (n = 10), and bone-marrow (n = 4); human studies approval UHSC 35-97] were initially assayed for tacrolimus with the ProTrac II method (PRO-TRAC II FK506 Kit). The specimens were …
Border Crossings in Lahiri's A REAL DURWAN

(2007). Border Crossings in Lahiri's A REAL DURWAN. The Explicator: Vol. 65, No. 4, pp. 242-245.
Conjugate solidification and melting in multicomponent open and closed systems

Abstract Motivated by phase change technologies of geological materials, the time-dependent conjugate solidification and melting of multicomponent materials are considered in one dimension with open and closed thermal convection. The scaling of the driving temperature difference for convection is a function of the temperature difference between the isotherm which delimits a rigid mush from a slurry, and the free stream temperature. The temporal evolution of the solid and mushy zones for the open system multicomponent case is qualitative similar to the single component case. Maximum heat transfer rates are as much as 1.35 times that of coupled, conductive solidification/melting. The convecting, closed system case yields two possible outcomes: a monotonic progression of solidification or an oscillation in the positions of the isotherms, depending on the ratio of the heat transfer coefficient to the enthalpy content and geometry of the fluid reservoir.
Subunit Interactions in the Clathrin-coated Vesicle Vacuolar (H+)-ATPase Complex

The vacuolar (H(+))-ATPases (or V-ATPases) are structurally related to the F(1)F(0) ATP synthases of mitochondria, chloroplasts and bacteria, being composed of a peripheral (V(1)) and an integral (V(0)) domain. To further investigate the arrangement of subunits in the V-ATPase complex, covalent cross-linking has been carried out on the V-ATPase from clathrin-coated vesicles using three different cross-linking reagents. Cross-linked products were identified by molecular weight and by Western blot analysis using polyclonal antibodies raised against individual V-ATPase subunits. In the intact V(1)V(0) complex, evidence for cross-linking of subunits C and E, D and F, as well as E and G by disuccinimidyl glutarate was obtained, while in the free V(1) domain, cross-linking of subunits H and E was also observed. Subunits C and E as well as D and E could be cross-linked by 1-ethyl-3-(dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide, while subunits a and E could be cross-linked by 4-(N-maleimido)benzophenone. It was further demonstrated that it is possible to treat the V-ATPase with potassium iodide and MgATP in such a way that while subunits A, B, and H are nearly quantitatively removed, significant amounts of subunits C, D, E, and F remain attached to the membrane, suggesting that one or more of these latter subunits are in contact with the V(0) domain. In addition, treatment of the V-ATPase with cystine, which modifies Cys-254 of the catalytic A subunit, results in dissociation of subunit H, suggesting communication between the catalytic nucleotide binding site and subunit H. Finally, the stoichiometry of subunits F, G, and H were determined by quantitative amino acid analysis. Based on these and previous observations, a new structural model of the V-ATPase from clathrin-coated vesicles is proposed.
The Nature of Darwin's Support for the Theory of Natural Selection

When natural selection theory was presented, much active philosophical debate, in which Darwin himself participated, centered on its hypothetical nature, its explanatory power, and Darwin's methodology. Upon first examination, Darwin's support of his theory seems to consist of a set of claims pertaining to various aspects of explanatory success. I analyze the support of his method and theory given in the Origin of Species and private correspondence, and conclude that an interpretation focusing on the explanatory strengths of natural selection theory accurately reflects neither Darwin's own self-consciously held views, nor the nature of his support. Darwin's methodological and philosophical arguments were at once consistently empiricist and more sophisticated than such interpretations credit to him.
Analysis of a Rapidly Solidified High-Phosphorus Austenitic Steel Containing an Amorphous Phase.

Abstract : Rapid solidification of a high-phosphorus austenitic steel produces a fine cellular solidification structure containing an amorphous phase at the cell walls. The amorphous phase, which is stable to approx. 500 C, is enriched in phosphorus and chromium, but contains significantly less phosphorus than conventional glass-forming alloys. Hot consolidation of powders produces a chemically-uniform metastable austenite which can be effectively precipitation hardened by phospho-carbides. (Author)
How Do Street-Level Research Workers Think About the Ethics of Doing Research “On the Ground” With Marginalized Target Populations?

Background: Recent research suggests that street-level research workers face ethical issues in the responsible conduct of research that are outside the scope of principal investigators’ experiences and concerns. This is particularly true of community research workers (CRWs), who come to their research work with significant connections to the community being studied. CRWs face additional or different ethical issues compared with traditional research assistants (TRAs), who perform the same kinds of research tasks with similar marginalized populations as CRWs but do not share the same close community ties with research participants. This article presents data from interviews with street-level research workers in a major U.S. metropolitan area, exploring differences and similarities in how CRWs and TRAs conceive of and talk about ethics in research. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with street-level research workers, both CRWs and TRAs, who worked for studies on a variety of health issues, includin...
A moving block heuristic to minimise earliness and tardiness costs on parallel machines

Earliness and tardiness problems are commonly encountered in just-in-time manufacturing systems, where the operations are performed neither early nor late. In this paper, a parallel machine moving block heuristic (Pm-MBH) with polynomial-time computational complexity is developed to address an earliness and tardiness scheduling problem. A mixed integer program (MIP) is presented in order to analyse the solution quality of the Pm-MBH solutions. Using a paired t-test, an analysis is performed to analyse the performance of Pm-MBH when compared to time-constrained MIP (MIPH) over the experimental space. Based on the computational results, Pm-MBH obtains good solutions in a short amount of computation time.
Tactile Sensing in the Naked Mole Rat

Tactile sensing in the naked mole rat refers to the ability of this naturally blind species to respond to, and localize, stimuli that deflect facial vibrissae, but also an array of somatic vibrissae.
Posthurricane Recovery of Riverine Fauna Reflected in the Diet of an Apex Predator

Hurricane Charley, a category 4 storm on the Safford–Simpson scale, passed over the Peace River, Florida, and its watershed on 13 August 2004 causing widespread hypoxia. An electrofishing study investigating the abundance of the euryhaline Centropomus undecimalis (common snook) began in the freshwater portions of the Peace River 3 months after the storm (November 2004) and included diet sampling. Samples were taken seasonally up to August 2006. Changes in the prey assemblages of C. undecimalis determined through multivariate analyses (e.g., nonmetric multidimensional scaling) were used as a proxy to estimate the recovery of riverine fauna. The initial posthurricane prey assemblages were dominated by species well adapted to low dissolved oxygen, namely Gambusia holbrooki and Hoplosternum littorale. A significant long-term serial change in assemblage structure occurred as the abundance of G. holbrooki and H. littorale decreased and other river fauna such as Procambarus spp. and ictalurid catfish increased. Assemblages were presumed as recovering 1 year after hurricane landfall, a posthurricane recovery period that is an order of magnitude longer than those reported for estuarine fish assemblages. The approach of using stomachs as sampling tools detected changes at the assemblage level that included an armored catfish species (e.g., H. littorale) and cryptic invertebrate species (e.g., Procambarus spp.) that went unnoticed in a study using standard electrofishing methods. Although sampling the diet of C. undecimalis was useful in detecting assemblage-level changes, other metrics—such as changes in health, sex ratio, relative abundance, and juvenile year-class strength of fishes and invertebrates collected by traditional fishing methods—are needed to fully evaluate the effects of the hurricane. Nonetheless, this study demonstrates that diet studies can supplement standard fishery gear to create a more comprehensive sampling strategy for aquatic fauna.
Transnasal endoscopy vs. fluoroscopy for the placement of nasoenteric feeding tubes in critically ill patients.

Background Placement of a nasoenteric feeding tube (NET) beyond the pylorus in critically ill patients is desirable. Bedside methods are unreliable, and fluoroscopic methods require transport and/or radiation exposure. Traditional endoscopic methods require sedation and oronasal transfer techniques. Transnasal techniques of NET placement by using recently developed ultrathin endoscopes have been described. The object of this prospective study was to compare the efficacy of NET placement by using ultrathin transnasal endoscopy vs. fluoroscopic placement. Methods This is a prospective randomized study of endoscopic vs. fluoroscopic NET placement. The settings of the study were intensive care units at academic medical center. The study included 100 consecutive patients who required NET placement. They received endoscopic NET placement at the bedside with a 5.1-mm, ultrathin endoscope by using a transnasal over-the-wire technique vs. fluoroscopic NET placement by using standard techniques. The procedure success was defined as postpyloric (beyond the duodenal bulb) NET placement, jejunal placement success, and procedure time. Results Tube placement success was not significantly different between endoscopic and fluoroscopic methods (90% with both methods; p = 1.00). The endoscopic procedure duration (12.8 ± 6.4 minutes) was significantly shorter than fluoroscopic procedure duration (19.3 ± 12.0 minutes) ( p p = 0.04), and jejunal placement increased significantly (from 60% to 100%, p = 0.04) from the first to the last 10 endoscopic procedures. Conclusions NET placement success with an ultrathin transnasal endoscope is equivalent to fluoroscopic placement with faster procedure times. More distal placement and procedure times improve with increasing experience with the endoscopic technique. Endoscopic NET placement can be performed at the bedside without the need for oronasal transfer, additional sedation, or fluoroscopy.
A method for producing an insensitive region in a multiwire proportional chamber

Abstract A simple method is described for producing an insensitive area in a multiwire proportional chamber. Test results are presented.
Technique Utilizing Frog Immersed in Drug Solution to Study Drug Absorption Rates

The frog has been used to study the absorption of drugs from solution. The results so far indicate compliance with the pH-partition theory of passive absorption of weak electrolytes.
Solubilization and purification of human erythrocyte membrane acetylcholinesterase.

SummaryA variety of commonly employed membrane solubilizing agents were studied for a possible effect on erythrocyte AChE activity. Only sodium deoxycholate had any appreciable inhibitory effect.Stepwise solubilization of red cell membrane with a variety of agents showed no selective removal of membrane AChE. Rather the release of enzymic activity closely paralleled the solubilization of membrane proteins, suggesting that AChE is an integral part of the membrane.A relatively simple method was described for the isolation and purification of human red cell AChE which resulted in a 4200-fold purification. The enzyme appears to be associated with lipids and gave a single precipitin band on immunodiffusion.
Characterization of cDNAs encoding p53 of Bombyx mori and Spodoptera frugiperda.

Complementary DNAs encoding homologs of the tumor suppressor gene, p53, were characterized from two lepidopteran insects, Bombyx mori (Bm) and Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf). They encoded predicted proteins of 368 (41.2 kDa) (Bm) and 374 (42.5 kDa) (Sf) amino acids. The sequences shared 44% amino acid and 60% nucleotide sequence identity with each other, but exhibited less than 20% amino acid and 46% nucleotide sequence identity to Drosophila melanogaster p53. Despite the sequence diversity, conserved amino acids involved in DNA and zinc binding were present in the lepidopteran sequences. Expression of Sfp53-induced apoptosis in S. frugiperda cells, and antiserum made against recombinant Sfp53 recognized a protein whose abundance increased after treatment with DNA damaging agents.
Leucocytozoon toddi and Haemoproteus tinnunculi (Protozoa: Haemosporina) in the Chimango caracara (Milvago chimango) in southern Chile.

Two species of blood protozoans were identified from blood smears collected from 15 specimens of the Chimango caracara (Milvago chimango) on Isla Grande de Chiloe in southern Chile. These included Leucocytozoon toddi in 13 birds, including all 5 of the 4-6 week old nestlings examined, and 8 of the subadults or adults. One of the nestlings also had a dual infection of L. toddi and Haemoproteus tinnunculi. These are the first reports of blood parasites from M. chimango.
A divergent plastid genome in Conopholis americana, an achlorophyllous parasitic plant.

We have used heterologous probes to investigate the degree of sequence conservation in the plastid genome ofConopholis americana, a totally achlorophyllous angiosperm which exists as a root parasite on red oaks. AlthoughConopholis is completely nonphotosynthetic, it retains a plastid genome in which certain regions, including that which contains the ribosomal RNA genes, are highly conserved. Other regions, including those containing the genes for numerous photosynthesis proteins, are either absent or highly divergent. We also find that the 16S and 23S ribosomal genes of theConopholis plastid are transcribed and processed, implying a potentially functional genetic apparatus. These results are in agreement with findings reported recently for a related root parasite,Epifagus virginiana (de Pamphilis and Palmer, 1990). Furthermore, the plastid genome is maintained in high copy number in fruit tissue, whereas mature seeds have an approximately 10-fold lower copy number.
TH-C-18A-06: Combined CT Image Quality and Radiation Dose Monitoring Program Based On Patient Data to Assess Consistency of Clinical Imaging Across Scanner Models

Purpose: One of the principal challenges of clinical imaging is to achieve an ideal balance between image quality and radiation dose across multiple CT models. The number of scanners and protocols at large medical centers necessitates an automated quality assurance program to facilitate this objective. Therefore, the goal of this work was to implement an automated CT image quality and radiation dose monitoring program based on actual patient data and to use this program to assess consistency of protocols across CT scanner models. Methods: Patient CT scans are routed to a HIPPA compliant quality assurance server. CTDI, extracted using optical character recognition, and patient size, measured from the localizers, are used to calculate SSDE. A previously validated noise measurement algorithm determines the noise in uniform areas of the image across the scanned anatomy to generate a global noise level (GNL). Using this program, 2358 abdominopelvic scans acquired on three commercial CT scanners were analyzed. Median SSDE and GNL were compared across scanner models and trends in SSDE and GNL with patient size were used to determine the impact of differing automatic exposure control (AEC) algorithms. Results: There was a significant difference in both SSDE and GNL across scanner models (9–33% and 15–35% for SSDE and GNL, respectively). Adjusting all protocols to achieve the same image noise would reduce patient dose by 27–45% depending on scanner model. Additionally, differences in AEC methodologies across vendors resulted in disparate relationships of SSDE and GNL with patient size. Conclusion: The difference in noise across scanner models indicates that protocols are not optimally matched to achieve consistent image quality. Our results indicated substantial possibility for dose reduction while achieving more consistent image appearance. Finally, the difference in AEC methodologies suggests the need for size-specific CT protocols to minimize variability in image quality across CT vendors.
Competition studies confirm two major barriers that can preclude the spread of resistance to quorum-sensing inhibitors in bacteria.

The growing threat of antibiotic resistance necessitates the development of novel antimicrobial therapies. Antivirulence agents that target group-beneficial traits in microorganisms (i.e., phenotypes that help the cells surrounding the producer cell instead of selfishly benefiting only the producer cell) represent a new antimicrobial approach that may be robust against the spread of resistant mutants. One prominent group-beneficial antivirulence target in bacteria is quorum sensing (QS). While scientists are producing new QS inhibitors (QSIs) at an increasing pace for use as research tools and potential therapeutic leads, substantial work remains in empirically demonstrating a robustness against resistance. Herein we report the results of in vitro competition studies in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that explicitly confirm that two separate barriers can impede the spread of resistance to QSIs: (1) insufficient native QS signal levels prevent rare QSI-resistant bacteria from expressing their QS regulon, and (2) g...
Exploring Bias in Elementary History Curriculum with Preservice and Practicing Teachers in Professional Development Schools

This article examines the discourses of preservice and practicing elementary school teachers as they participated in focus group discussions about instructional materials and resources for planning and teaching historical content within their social studies curriculum. The study took place in a professional development school setting in which preservice and practicing teachers were working together to plan and implement history curriculum. The university researchers, who were the instructors for the Professional Development School courses, sought to understand teachers’ perspectives regarding bias in their social studies textbooks as it pertains to specific historical content. Findings indicate that the participating teachers spend a considerable amount of time negotiating the competing discourses that exist personally, within the institution of school, and in the field of social studies education.
Effects of insulin and streptozotocin-induced diabetes on brain norepinephrine metabolism in rats.

Administration of insulin (2 IU/kg, i.p.) produced a significant decrease (18%) in forebrain norepinephrine and a significant increase in the major metabolite of norepinephrine, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol-sulfate (MOPEG-SO4, +19%) in rats. Streptozotocin-induced diabetes produced the opposite effects, resulting in an increase in forebrain norepinephrine (+17%) and a decrease in MOPEG-SO4 (-26%). In addition, insulin increased (+143%) and diabetes decreased (-41%) the turnover rate of norepinephrine, as measured by the rate of decrease of norepinephrine following inhibition of tyrosine hydroxylase by alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine. All of these effects in diabetic rats were reversed by insulin replacement therapy. These data are discussed within the context of mood disorders characteristic of diabetic patients.
[Ru(bpy)2dppz]2+ Light-switch mechanism in protic solvents as studied through temperature-dependent lifetime measurements

Temperature-dependent excited-state lifetime measurements have been performed on four different Ru(II)-based dppz compounds in protic and aprotic solvents. This work supports the existence of a dyn...
Dosimetric considerations of water-based bolus for irradiation of extremities

The dosimetry of high-energy photon beams in the treatment of superficial lesions occurring in extremities was examined. Large parallel-opposed fields with different photon beam energies were used. The extremity was immersed in water contained in a commercially available plastic wastebasket. The water bolus serves to even out the surface irregularities of the extremities and to remove the skin sparing effect. A polystyrene block was placed at the floor of the wastebasket to ensure that the extremity was encompassed in the radiation fields. The photon beam energies considered were 4 MV, 6 MV, 10 MV, and 24 MV. The results show that the dose distributions are more homogeneous with higher photon beam energies. The isodose lines are more constricted at mid-plane for low energy photon beams. Higher energy photon beams, 10 MV and up would be preferable for the treatment of superficial lesions of the extremities immersed in water bolus contained in a typical wastebasket size.
Phospholipase A2 activity in 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene-induced mammary tumors of rats.

Abstract The activities of phospholipase A2 were compared in mammary glands from virgin and mid-pregnant rats and in 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene-induced rat mammary tumors. Enzyme activities were not different in the 150 000 × g pellet fractions of mammary gland homogenates from virgin and mid-pregnant rats, but enzyme activity in the 150 000 × g supernatant fraction was about twice as high in the homogenates from the mid-pregnant rat glands. Phospholipase A2 activities in the 150 000 × g pellet and supernatant fractions of homogenerates of growing tumor tissues were more than an order of magnitude higher than in the normal tissues. The elevated activity of phospholipase A2 in the tumor tissues may be related to their rapid rate of proliferation.