cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Work Status, Work Satisfaction, and Blood Pressure Among Married Black and White Women∗:

This study examined blood pressure levels of married women in relation to such work-related variables as work load, satisfaction with work, reported strain, and evaluated performance. The major findings were: (a) Differences in work load were unrelated to blood pressure levels. However, currently unemployed working women had lower levels. (b) Housewives reporting tension about housework and being critical of own performance had higher blood pressure. (c) Working wives with a strong commitment to the work role had higher blood pressure levels, as did those women who were relatively low on indicators of job achievement.
OPTIMIZING LOCATION OF TOWER CRANES ON CONSTRUCTION SITES THROUGH GIS AND BIM INTEGRATION

Tower cranes, on today’s typical building construction sites, are the centerpiece of production, hoisting and transporting of a variety of loads. Occasionally tower cranes operate with overlapping work zones and often under time, cost and labor constraints. Identifying optimal number and location of tower cranes is an important issue that can reduce conflicts between groups of tower cranes. Geographic information systems (GIS) facilitate the analysis of large amounts of spatial data used in the process of location optimization for tower cranes. In addition, integrating analysis results from GIS with 3D visual models enables managers to visualize the potential conflicts with tower cranes in great detail. Building Information Modeling (BIM) helps managers to visualize buildings before implementation takes place through a digitally constructed virtual model. Hence, in this paper, the integrated GIS-BIM model starts with the identification of feasible locations for defined tower cranes. The method presented is based on previous works using “geometric closeness” and coverage of all demand and supply points as key criteria for locating a group of tower cranes*). Once the geometry of the construction site is generated by the BIM tool, the model determines the proper combination of tower cranes in order to optimize location. The output of the GIS model includes one or more feasible areas that cover all demand and supply points, which is then linked to the BIM tool and generates 3D models to visualize the optimum location of tower cranes. As a result, potential conflicts are detected in different 3D views in order to identify optimal location of tower cranes. To address the feasibility of a GIS-BIM integrated model for layout of tower cranes, an actual case example is introduced.
Increasing Dissolution Rates and Gastrointestinal Absorption of Drugs via solid Solutions and Eutectic mixtures II: Experimental Evaluation of a Eutectic Mixture: Urea-acetaminophen System

The binary system of APAP and urea was found to be a simple eutectic mixture with negligible formation of solid solutions. Solubility studies indicated that urea increased significantly the solubility of APAP. Dissolution rate studies were conducted with APAP alone, and in fused and physical mixtures with urea. An unusual dissolution phenomenon was found to exist in the system and is considered. In all cases the presence of urea enhanced the dissolution rate of APAP by virtue of a microenvironmental solubilization. The fused mixture at the eutectic composition was found to give similar, but prolonged enhancement of dissolution rate as compared to the physically mixed sample.
Marked reduction in long-term cardiac deaths with aspirin after a coronary event

Objectives. We sought to assess the role of aspirin in a precisely defined cohort with coronary disease receiving current therapy. Background. Prior results suggest that aspirin modestly decreases cardiac mortality in patients with coronary disease. However, these findings reflect heterogeneous study conditions and earlier management strategies. Methods. We utilized findings from the Multicenter Study of Myocardial Ischemia, which enrolled 936 subjects 1 to 6 months after an acute myocardial infarction (n = 651 [70%]) or unstable angina (n = 285 [30%]). The follow-up period averaged 23 months, with treatment determined by referring physicians. Results. At enrollment, 751 patients (80%) took aspirin regularly, usually 250 to 325 mg/day. Before enrollment, 291 patients (31%) had thrombolysis, and 352 (38%) had coronary angioplasty. During follow-up, cardiac death occurred in 22 patients, all-cause mortality in 31 and cardiac death or nonfatal myocardial infarction in 70. Each of these outcomes was significantly less frequent among aspirin users. Cardiac death rate was markedly reduced: 1.6% for aspirin users and 5.4% for nonusers (p = 0.005). These differences were not explained by imbalances in predictors of postinfarction risk or therapy other than aspirin (Cox hazard ratio 0.37, p = 0.023). They persisted at least 2 years after enrollment. The difference in mortality rate was particularly prominent after thrombolysis: 0.9% for aspirin users and 8.8% for nonusers (p = 0.004). Conclusions. Reduction in cardiac deaths among aspirin users is substantially greater than that reported previously. Although derived secondarily, our findings suggest that current practice leads to situations in which aspirin exerts a long-term, lifeprotecting action, particularly after thrombolysis.
Three-phase sample timing on a wideband triangular array of 4/3 the usual density reduces the Nyquist rate for far-field signals by two thirds

RF-sampled microwave arrays are often limited by the analog-digital conversion speed available. Here the nominally required speed is reduced by a factor of three without aliasing of far-field plane-wave information by using three sample-timing phases on a triangular planar array with 4/3 the element density of the usual "optimal" element layout.
Digging for worms, fishing for answers

Worms continue to be a leading security threat on the Internet. This paper analyzes several of the more widespread worms and develops a general life-cycle for them. The lifecycle, from the point of view of the victim host, consists of four stages: target selection, exploitation, infection, and propagation. While not all worms fall into this framework perfectly, by understanding them in this way, it becomes apparent that the majority of detection techniques used today focus on the first three stages. This paper presents a technique that is used in the fourth stage to detect the class of worms that use a horizontal scan to propagate. An argument is also made that detection in the fourth stage is a viable, but under-used technique.
Soul Food as Cultural Creation

This article argues that cuisine is one form of “culture” and that therefore, Soul Food is creating a new culture.The fusion cuisine created by African American slaves synthesized spicy ingredients and ways of cooking from a variety of west-African cultures. As the area most respected by the white slave owners, slaves were encouraged to make artistic and creative use of native and imported ingredients.There resulted a Southern cultural cuisine which was a source of pride to both whites and African Americans.The melting pot that worked in America was, in fact, the cooking pot.
Regional incision of the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau

New (U-Th)/He analyses from three elevation transects collected within river gorges that dissect the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau provide constraints on the rates and timing of accelerated river incision into the high-elevation, low-relief topography of the region. Apatite He data from the easternmost transect (Dadu River), ∼120 km from the plateau margin adjacent to the Sichuan Basin, indicate that rapid river incision of ∼0.33 ± 0.04 km/m.y. began at ca. 10 Ma and has continued to the present. Apatite He and zircon He data from the middle transect (Yalong River), collected ∼225 km SSW of the Dadu data, indicate that rapid river incision of ∼0.34 ± 0.02 km/m.y. began prior to ca. 14 Ma and continued until the early Quaternary, when it increased, likely in response to local uplift and erosion associated with active faults nearby. Apatite He and zircon He data from the westernmost transect (Yangtze River), ∼210 km W of the Yalong data, indicate that rapid river incision of ∼0.38 ± 0.04 km/m.y. began at or prior to ca. 10 Ma, though likely not prior to ca. 15 Ma, and has continued to the present. The regional consistency of these data indicates that the entire eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau was being dissected by 10 Ma and that incision has been relatively constant and uniform in the region since that time; this pattern is consistent with an erosional response to broad regional uplift at or before 10 Ma. The larger amount, and earlier onset, of exhumation observed in the Yalong River gorge shows that certain areas on the eastern margin deviate from a simple regional pattern of epeirogenic uplift and subsequent river incision and probably reflect the superposition of local upper-crustal deformation and uplift on the broad regional pattern.
National estimates of noncanine bite and sting injuries treated in US Hospital Emergency Departments, 2001-2010.

Objective Injuries resulting from contact with animals and insects are a significant public health concern. This study quantifies nonfatal bite and sting injuries by noncanine sources using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System–All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP). Methods The NEISS-AIP is an ongoing nationally representative surveillance system used to monitor all types and causes of injuries treated in US hospital emergency departments (EDs). Cases were coded by trained hospital coders using information from medical records on animal and insect sources of bite and sting injuries being treated. Data were weighted to produce national annualized estimates, percentages, and rates based on the US population. Results From 2001 to 2010 an estimated 10.1 million people visited EDs for noncanine bite and sting injuries, based on an unweighted case count of 169,010. This translates to a rate of 340.1 per 100,000 people (95% CI, 232.9–447.3). Insects accounted for 67.5% (95% CI, 45.8–89.2) of bite and sting injuries, followed by arachnids 20.8% (95% CI, 13.8–27.9). The estimated number of ED visits for bedbug bite injuries increased more than 7-fold—from 2156 visits in 2007 to 15,945 visits in 2010. Conclusions This study provides an update of national estimates of noncanine bite and sting injuries and describes the diversity of animal exposures based on a national sample of EDs. Treatment of nonfatal bite and sting injuries are costly to society. Direct medical and work time lost translates to an estimated $7.5 billion annually.
The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities as a Predictor of Reading Readiness and Reading Achievement.

The purpose of the present study was to determine if the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities could be utilized as a predictor of reading readiness and reading achievement. Thirty-three kindergarten children were tested with the McCarthy Scales and subsequently examined with the MacMillan Reading Readiness Test and the Metropolitan Achievement Test. A correlational analysis of data resulted in significant relationships between McCarthy General Cognitive Indexes, Quantitative, and Perceptual-Performance Scales and both the MacMillan and Metropolitan Tests. Based upon these correlations, it was hypothesized that, for this sample of children, visual discrimination and sequential ability skills may have been crucial factors in reading readiness and reading achievement, rather than verbal abilities.
Calpain activity and expression increased in activated glial and inflammatory cells in penumbra of spinal cord injury lesion.

Following traumatic injury of the spinal cord, cells adjacent to the lesion are subject to ischemic cell death as a result of vascular disruption and secondary inflammatory responses. Proteases such as calcium-activated neutral proteinase (calpain) have been implicated in axon and myelin destruction following injury since they degrade structural proteins in the axon-myelin unit. To examine the role of calpain in cell death following spinal cord injury (SCI), calpain activity and translational expression were evaluated using Western blotting techniques. Calpain activity (as measured by specific substrate degradation) was significantly increased in and around the lesion site as early as 4 hr following injury with continued elevation at 48 hr compared to sham controls. Likewise, calpain expression was significantly increased in both the lesion site and penumbra at 4 and 48 hr after injury. Using double immunofluorescent labeling for calpain and cell-specific markers, this increase in calpain expression was found to be due in part to activated glial/inflammatory cells such as astrocytes, microglia, and infiltrating macrophages in these areas. Thus, since calpain degrades many myelin and axonal structural proteins, the increased activity and expression of this enzyme may be responsible for destruction of myelinated axons adjacent to the lesion site following SCI. J. Neurosci. Res. 61:146–150, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Phase II study of bevacizumab and pemetrexed for recurrent or persistent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer

Abstract Objective We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination bevacizumab/pemetrexed for the treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Methods Platinum-sensitive or -resistant patients with recurrent or persistent EOC were eligible if they had received up to 2 prior chemotherapy regimens, including a platinum/taxane regimen without prior bevacizumab. Pemetrexed 500mg/m 2 IV and bevacizumab 15mg/kg IV were administered every 3weeks. The primary endpoint was 6-month progression-free survival (PFS); other endpoints included toxicities, PFS and overall survival (OS). Results Thirty-four patients received a median of 7 treatment cycles (range, 2–26). Median follow-up was 25.7months (range, 3.0–47.2). Six month progression-free survival (PFS) was 56% (95% CI: 38–71). The following response rates were documented (%; 95% CI): 0 complete response, 14 partial responses (41%; 25–59), 18 stable disease (53%; 35–70) and 2 progressive disease (6%; 1–20). Median PFS was 7.9months (95% CI, 4.6–10.9), with a median OS of 25.7months (95% CI, 15.4–29.8). Twenty-two patients (64.7%) had a platinum-free interval (PFI) of >6months prior to enrollment. Grade 3–4 hematologic toxicities included neutropenia (50%), leukopenia (26%), thrombocytopenia (12%) and anemia (9%). Non-hematologic grade 3–4 toxicities included metabolic (29%), constitutional (18%), pain (18%) and gastrointestinal (15%). Two patients developed hematologic malignancies within one year of treatment. Conclusions Combination bevacizumab/pemetrexed is an active option for both platinum-sensitive and -resistant recurrent EOC. Further investigation of cost and novel toxicities associated with this regimen may be warranted.
Mitochondria: A Pathogenic Paradigm in Hypertensive Renal Disease

Mitochondria were first described in 1840 as bioblasts, elementary organisms responsible for vital cellular functions, but were subsequently named mitochondria, from the Greek names mitos (thread) and chondros (granule), which describes their appearance during spermatogenesis.1 Their discovery generated substantial interest given their structure resembling bacteria, which led in subsequent years to important scientific discoveries positioning mitochondria as the energy powerhouse of the cell. The unique architecture of mitochondria, consisting of 2 membranes (outer and inner) and compartments (intermembrane space and matrix), is crucial for their vital functions. Mitochondria serve not only as primary sources of cellular energy, but also modulate several cellular processes, including oxidative phosphorylation, calcium homeostasis, thermogenesis, oxygen sensing, proliferation, and apoptosis.2 Therefore, mitochondrial injury and dysfunction might be implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases. Hypertension accounts for nearly 30% of patients reaching end-stage renal disease.3 Renal injury secondary to hypertension or to ischemia associated with renovascular hypertension (distal to renal artery stenosis) may have significant and detrimental effect on health outcomes. Studies have highlighted several deleterious pathways, including inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis that are activated in the hypertensive kidney, eliciting functional decline.4,5 However, the precise molecular mechanisms responsible for renal injury have not been fully elucidated. Over the past few years, increasing evidence has established the experimental foundations linking mitochondrial alterations to hypertensive renal injury (Table). Mitochondriopathies, abnormalities of energy metabolism secondary to sporadic or inherited mutations in nuclear or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes, may contribute to the development and progression of hypertension and its complications. In addition, several studies have reported mitochondrial damage and dysfunction consequent to hypertensive renal disease. View this table: Table. Evidence of Renal Mitochondrial Damage in Models of Hypertension and Antihypertensive Treatment Importantly, hypertensive-induced renal injury is characterized by activation of several deleterious pathways, including oxidative stress, renin–angiotensin–aldosterone …
Permian Colonial Rugose Corals from the Wrangellian Terrane in Alaska

Wrangellia was one of the first described and probably the most widely known of the North American Cordilleran terranes. On the basis of Triassic stratigraphy (Jones et al., 1977) and paleomagnetism (Hillhouse, 1977), the name Wrangellia was proposed for large areas of outcrop in Alaska, British Columbia, and Oregon (Fig. 1). The most recent paleomagnetic data from the amalgamated Alexander-Wrangellian terrane suggest the Early Permian location of this now dispersed terrane was at 26° ± 5.3°N (Butler et al., 1997). Faunal diversity trends among brachiopods, rugose corals, and fusulinids, however, suggest placement at the latitude of the Yukon, up to 1,000 km farther north as computed from the Permian position of North America (Belasky et al., 2002). This discrepancy was in part attributed by Belasky et al. (2002) and Belasky and Stevens (2006) to cool water currents that bathed the shores of Wrangellia. These gave the faunas a more northerly character. Belasky et al. (2002) and Belasky and Stevens (2006) also estimated the longitudinal position of Wrangellia to have been 2,000–3,000 km west of the Pangaean margin of North America, based on the extreme eastern boundary of the Tethyan coral province, trend-surface analysis of faunal similarity, and relationships between all Early Permian faunas in western North America. The purpose of this study is to document the previously unrecorded Permian colonial rugose corals from the Alaskan part of Wrangellia and to compare and contrast these faunas with those of the Pangaean craton and other terranes to better ascertain the placement of Wrangellia during the Early Permian. Permian colonial corals have been recovered from three areas in the Wrangellian terrane in Alaska: (1) in the vicinity of the Richardson Highway in the central Alaska Range (labeled 1 on Fig. 2), (2) the Suslota Pass area in the eastern Alaska Range, and …
Efficacy and safety of single-dose systemic methotrexate in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy.

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of single-dose systemic methotrexate (MTX) in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy (EP). Design A database was started and continued prospectively for 35 patients meeting criteria for MTX therapy from June 1991 to October 1993. Follow-up was performed retrospectively on all patients with EPs (n=82) by evaluating hospital and clinic records and by contacting affiliated physicians and individual patients. Setting The University of Vermont Reproductive Endocrinology Service. Interventions Methotrexate 50mg/m 2 was administered IM; blood samples were collected on days 0, 4, and 7 of MTX therapy and weekly thereafter until hCG titers became Results Thirty-five of 82 (42.7%) patients diagnosed with EP were treated with MTX. The mean hCG concentration on day of treatment was 1388.1±463.5 (±SE) mIU/mL, and mean time to complete resolution of hCG was 23.1±2.9days. Thirty of 35 (85.7%) were successfully treated with a single dose of MTX. Five of 35 (14.3%) failed therapy and required laparoscopic surgery. Twelve of 35 (34.3%) experienced mild side effects that resolved spontaneously. Ten of 13 (76.9%) demonstrated tubal patency at follow-up hysterosalpingogram. Of the 15 patients seeking pregnancy, 3 of 15 (20.0%) conceived, resulting in 3 term deliveries and 2 spontaneous abortions. Conclusions Our results support the use of single-dose systemic MTX for the treatment of unruptured EP in carefully selected patients.
Bolstered physical defences under nutrient-enriched conditions may facilitate a secondary foundational algal species in the South Pacific

Summary 1.Humans have a long history of changing species’ ranges and habitat distributions, making studies of the ecological processes that may facilitate these changes of key importance, particularly in cases where a primary foundation species is replaced by another, less desirable species. 2.We investigated the impact of nutrients and herbivory on Turbinaria ornata, a secondary foundational macroalga that depends on and likely competes with coral, the primary foundational community. T. ornata is also rapidly expanding in range and habitat across the South Pacific. We conducted: 1) a mesocosm experiment assessing relative nutrient limitation, 2) a field experiment comparing importance of nutrients (+/-) and herbivory (+/-) to biomass accumulation, and 3) an herbivory assay and toughness test comparing enriched and ambient thalli to assess changes to anti-herbivory defences. 3.We found no evidence of growth being nutrient limited in T. ornata; rather than stimulating growth, nutrient addition deterred herbivores. However, when physical toughness was removed, enriched algae were preferred, with consumption rates 25-fold those of unenriched algae. Additionally, enriched thalli were tougher than ambient thalli, suggesting physical defences were bolstered by nutrient enrichment. 4.Synthesis. We found a unique interaction where nutrients inhibit herbivory and facilitate Turbinaria ornata biomass accumulation. While concern is often placed on degradation of foundation species via anthropogenic change, instead here we show that anthropogenic change can facilitate secondary foundation species. This facilitation may allow a secondary foundation species to better compete with primary foundation species. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A proposed new approach and unified solution to old Pb paradoxes

Abstract One of the most remarkable features of many and, perhaps, all oceanic basalts is that their Pb isotopic ratios (206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb) are too radiogenic to be coming from the undifferentiated mantle or bulk silicate Earth. This has created three major concerns in the behavior of U, Th and Pb in the Earth's mantle that have been termed the Pb paradoxes. These are the unexpectedly long time-integrated high U/Pb (1st paradox), long time-integrated low Th/U (2nd paradox) and constant Ce/Pb and Nb/U (3rd paradox) in the mantle sources of oceanic basalts. The origins of such unexpected ratios have been the object of intense studies that produced several highly significant, but generally individualized results during the last four decades. Detailed analysis of available data shows that the paradoxes are closely interrelated as they all pertain to the mantle and have many common characteristic features. Thus, the Pb paradoxes constitute a system of equations that must be solved all together as each solution must satisfy every equation in the system. For example, compositional data for the voluminous mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) show that the 1st and 2nd paradoxes exhibit a long time-integrated enrichment of U and the Th/U and Nb/Th ratios are also constant. A single solution to simultaneously explain the paradoxes in MORB is possible if recycled materials with variable enrichments in incompatible trace elements, particularly U and its daughter Pb* plus Nb, Ce, and Th are added to or mixed with the depleted upper mantle. Significantly, a similar binary mixing solution has been proposed for the Pb paradoxes in ocean island basalts.
Purinergic signaling and immune cell chemotaxis. Focus on "the UDP-sugar-sensing P2Y14 receptor promotes rho-mediated signaling and chemotaxis in human neutrophils"

purinergic receptors enable cells to detect and respond to extracellular nucleotides and adenosine. Presently, eight G protein-coupled P2Y receptors, four adenosine receptors, and seven ionotropic P2X receptors have been cloned and characterized ([11][1]). In addition, multiple ectonucleotidases and
General models of ecological diversification. II. Simulations and empirical applications

Models of functional ecospace diversification within life-habit frameworks (functional-trait spaces) are increasingly used across community ecology, functional ecology, and paleoecology. In general, these models can be represented by four basic processes, three that have driven causes and one that occurs through a passive process. The driven models include redundancy (caused by forms of functional canalization), partitioning (specialization), and expansion (divergent novelty), but they also share important dynamical similarities with the passive neutral model. In this second of two companion articles, Monte Carlo simulations of these models are used to illustrate their basic statistical dynamics across a range of data structures and implementations. Ecospace frameworks with greater numbers of characters (functional traits) and ordered (multistate) character types provide more distinct dynamics and greater ability to distinguish the models, but the general dynamics tend to be congruent across all implementations. Classification-tree methods are proposed as a powerful means to select among multiple candidate models when using multivariate data sets. Well-preserved Late Ordovician (type Cincinnatian) samples from the Kope and Waynesville formations are used to illustrate how these models can be inferred in empirical applications. Initial simulations overestimate the ecological disparity of actual assemblages, confirming that actual life habits are highly constrained. Modifications incorporating more realistic assumptions (such as weighting potential life habits according to actual frequencies and adding a parameter controlling the strength of each model’s rules) provide better correspondence to actual assemblages. Samples from both formations are best fit by partitioning (and to lesser extent redundancy) models, consistent with a role for local processes. When aggregated as an entire formation, the Kope Formation pool remains best fit by the partitioning model, whereas the entire Waynesville pool is better fit by the redundancy model, implying greater beta diversity within this unit. The ‘ecospace’ package is provided to implement the simulations and to calculate their dynamics using the R statistical language.
Summary of the Symposium on Amoxicillin

over the past four years. These two days have provided an opportunity to assess the potential usefulness of amoxicillin in a variety of clinical settings. The first session dealt with the in vitro activity and human pharmacology of amoxicillin. I showed the overall in vitro activity of amoxicillin and then compared in detail the activity of amoxicillin and ampicillin against both gram-positive and gramnegative species. Both agents were equally active against the majority of streptococci, pneumococci, and penicillinase-negative staphylococci. In a similar manner the activity of the two agents against Haemophilus, Neisseria, Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis were, for practical purposes, identical. Differences in in vitro activity of the two agents were noted against enterococci, Salmonella, and Shigella. Amoxicillin is consistently twoto fourfold more active against enterococci and Salmonella but twofold less active against Shigella. In general, however, use of a 10-ltg ampicillin disk in the standard microbiology laboratory studies of clinical isolates will provide satisfactory results to determine sensitive and resistant bacteria.
Spectrum of 68Ga-DOTA TATE Uptake in Patients With Neuroendocrine Tumors.

PurposeTo analyze the biodistribution of 68Ga-DOTA-TATE in the normal tissues and uptake in benign, indeterminate, and malignant lesions in a population of patients with known neuroendocrine tumors (NET) using semiquantitative standardized uptake values (SUV) measurements.MethodsOne hundred four con
Acoustic emission detection with fiber optical sensors for dry cask storage health monitoring

The increasing number, size, and complexity of nuclear facilities deployed worldwide are increasing the need to maintain readiness and develop innovative sensing materials to monitor important to safety structures (ITS). In the past two decades, an extensive sensor technology development has been used for structural health monitoring (SHM). Technologies for the diagnosis and prognosis of a nuclear system, such as dry cask storage system (DCSS), can improve verification of the health of the structure that can eventually reduce the likelihood of inadvertently failure of a component. Fiber optical sensors have emerged as one of the major SHM technologies developed particularly for temperature and strain measurements. This paper presents the development of optical equipment that is suitable for ultrasonic guided wave detection for active SHM in the MHz range. An experimental study of using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) as acoustic emission (AE) sensors was performed on steel blocks. FBG have the advantage of being durable, lightweight, and easily embeddable into composite structures as well as being immune to electromagnetic interference and optically multiplexed. The temperature effect on the FBG sensors was also studied. A multi-channel FBG system was developed and compared with piezoelectric based AE system. The paper ends with conclusions and suggestions for further work.
The Double Bind of Metafiction: Implicating Narrative in The Crying of Lot 49 and Travesty

Both Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 (1966) and John Hawkes' Travesty (1976) employ unconventional and unsettling narrative strategies: unconventional in that these works deliberately flout the traditions of the conventional canonical novel, and unsettling as a result of techniques consciously and deliberately adopted by the narrator of each work. The unconventionality and the deliberate assault on the reader's expectations are both characteristic of metafictions--those self-conscious texts which demand that the reader react intensely to the world of the text while simultaneously acknowledging its fictionality. As Linda Hutcheon observes, metafiction is characterized by paradox.
Photobasicity in Quinolines: Origin and Tunability via the Substituents’ Hammett Parameters

Coupling between electronic excitation and proton transfer is relevant to the kinetics of redox reactions, in particular those involved in solar-to-fuel light harvesting. A prime example of such coupling occurs in photoacids, where electronic excitation leads to proton release in the excited state. Here, we systematically study the inverse of this effect, photobasicity, in which a molecule becomes more basic in the excited state compared to the ground state. This endows the molecule with light induced proton removal capability which is anticipated to be of use in driving reactions where proton transfer is kinetically challenging. To investigate the origins and tunability of photobasicity, a set of 5-R-quinoline derivatives (R = {NH2, CH3O, H, Br, Cl, CN}) were selected and their changes in pKa upon electronic excitation in aqueous solutions were determined. The Hammett parameters σp of these substituents, indicative of their electron withdrawing capability, span a range of −0.7 to +0.7. Using Forster cycl...
Wilms tumor: unusual manifestations.

Wilms’ tumor is an important renal malignancy with which pediatric radiologists must be familiar. Although the imaging features are usually typical for renal masses, unusual imaging features of Wilms’ tumor may confound the imaging physician. This review highlights the less common imaging appearances of Wilms’ tumor which pediatric radiologists may encounter.
Myelofibrosis in a Patient with Sarcoidosis.

Secondary bone marrow fibrosis can be seen in several conditions such as hematological malignancy, metastatic malignancy and autoimmune disorders like lupus. We report here a 50 year old Middle Eastern female with a history of pulmonary sarcoidosis diagnosed by lung biopsy in January of 2004, beta thalassemia trait, hypertension and hypothyroidism. At the time of diagnosis she was started on bronchodilating inhalers. Nine months later she was referred to hematology for left lower quadrant pain and possible enlarged spleen on examination. CT scan revealed extensive mediastinal, retroperitoneal and inguinal adenopathy but no splenomegaly. Hemoglobin was 12.3 with a hematocrit of 38 and an MCV of 61, WBC was 7.8with a normal differential and Platelet count was 238. Her peripheral blood smear revealed moderate anisocytosis, polychromasia and some teardrops. Bone marrow biopsy showed significant fibrosis confirmed by reticulin staining. Biopsy of an inguinal node was consistent with her lung biopsy showing granulomatous disease. In the course of follow up she developed fever, fatigue, anemia, and splenomegaly proven by ultrasound (16cm). Her labs also revealed increased ACE and ESR levels. We started her on prednisone at 1mg/kg and her hemoglobin rose from 8.0 to 12.5. X-chromosome transcription-based clonality assays were employed to deteremine whether this patient had primary myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia, a myeloproliferative disorder characterized by clonal hematopoiesis or secondary myelofibrosis which is characterized by polyclonal hematopoiesis. Six exonic X-chromosome polymorphisms were tested to determine the clonality of the patient’s platelets and granulocytes (Liu, BLOOD 2003). Unfortunately, this patient was not informative in any of six exonic X-chromosome polymorphism markers, and we could not determine the clonality of hematopoiesis. Peripheral blood CD34 level; however, was low normal, consistent with reactive fibrosis rather than a primary myeloproliferative disease. To our knowledge this is the first report of secondary bone marrow fibrosis in sarcoidosis.
Using Ge Secondary Phases to Enhance the Power Factor and Figure of Merit of Ge17Sb2Te20

Thermoelectric materials are the leading candidate today for applications in solid-state waste-heat recovery/cooling applications. Research and engineering has pushed the ZT, and overall conversion efficiency, of these materials to values which can be deemed practical for commercialization. However, many of the state-of-the-art thermoelectric materials of today utilize elements which are toxic, such as Ag, Pb, Tl, and Cd. Alloys of GeTe and Sb2Te3 were first explored for their applications in phase-change memory, because of their ability to rapidly alternate between crystalline and amorphous phases. Recently, these materials have been identified as materials with ZT (S2T/ρκ, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, ρ is the electrical resistivity, T is the operating temperature, and κ is the thermal conductivity) much greater than unity. In this work, the influence of elemental Ge as a secondary phase on transport in Ge17Sb2Te20 was explored. It was found that Ge introduces an additional scattering mechanism, which leads to increased electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and power factor values as high as 36 μW cm−1 K−2. The thermal conductivity was slightly reduced and the ZT was enhanced across the entire temperature range of measurement, with peak values greater than 2.
Development and Evaluation of ELISA and qRT-PCR for Identification of Squash vein yellowing virus in Cucurbits

Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) causes viral watermelon vine decline. To facilitate detection of SqVYV, enzyme linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) diagnostic methods were developed. Both methods were capable of detecting SqVYV in a wide range of cucurbit hosts. ELISA was able to detect virus in infected host tissue diluted to at least 1:2,560, which was sufficient for detection in symptomatic squash and watermelon plants. The qRT-PCR method was capable of reliably detecting as few as 3.4 copies of a cloned fragment of SqVYV genomic RNA with an average cycle threshold (Ct) value of 36.4. The sensitivities and specificities for each detection method were estimated by latent class analysis for a set of inoculated squash and watermelon plants at two sampling scales. The scales were hierarchical, with individual plants representing the upper scale and samples from the plant representing the lower scale. The number of samples per plant varied from 1 to 8, and a plant was diagnosed positive if any of its samples tested positive. For all analyses, a cutoff Ct of 35 was chosen for qRT-PCR, which is approximately 2.5 cycles lower than the lowest Ct value achieved for mock-inoculated plants (presumed to be a false positive). qRT-PCR showed high sensitivities (≥0.99) at both sampling scales for squash and watermelon, whereas the sensitivities for ELISA ranged from 0.58 to 0.76. The specificities for both tests were very similar (≥0.94), with ELISA sometimes outperforming qRT-PCR. These diagnostic methods provide additional tools for the identification of SqVYV and management of SqVYV-induced watermelon vine decline.
Vulvodynia is not created equally: empirical classification of women with vulvodynia.

Background Vulvodynia classification is based on the sensory dimensions of pain and does not include psychological factors associated with the pain experience and treatment outcomes. Previous work has shown that individuals with chronic pain can be classified into subgroups based on pain sensitivity, psychological distress, mood, and symptom severity. Objective The aim of this study was to identify distinct subgroups of women with vulvodynia enrolled in the National Vulvodynia Registry. We hypothesized that women with vulvodynia can be clustered into subgroups based on distress and pain sensitivity. Design A cross-sectional study. Methods We conducted an exploratory hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis using Ward's cluster method and squared Euclidean distances to identify unique subgroups based on baseline psychological distress and pain sensitivity. The variables included the catastrophizing subscale of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State Trait Anxiety Index-Trait scale, McGill Pain Questionnaire-Affective subscale, and vulvar and pelvic muscle pressure pain sensitivity. Subjects Eight sites enrolled women who presented with vaginal or vulval pain of at least 3-month duration. Results Two distinct subgroups, high pain sensitivity with high distress (n=27) and low pain sensitivity with low distress (n=100), emerged from the cluster analysis. Validation indicated that subgroups differed in terms of clinical pain intensity, sensory aspects of pain, and intercourse pain. Conclusion Empirical classification indicates that unique subgroups exist in women with vulvodynia. Providers should be aware of the heterogeneity of this condition with respect to pain-related distress and pain sensitivity.
Economic Impact of Community Sports Coverage by Outreach Athletic Trainers on a Health System: Implications for Program Growth and Sustainability:

Objectives:Coverage of high school and community athletics integrated within a comprehensive sports medicine program is becoming the standard of care to optimize medical treatment of athletes. Whil...
Linking Emulsion PCR Haplotype Analysis

The experimental measurement of haplotype requires the determination of two or more genotypes on the same DNA molecule. Because such measurements are much more complicated than measurements of genotypes, haplotypes are typically inferred using population data for linkage disequilibrium between the markers of interest. We have developed a method for molecular haplotyping, linking emulsion PCR (LE-PCR), and have demonstrated that the method is sufficiently robust to determine haplotypes for multiple markers in a population setting. LE-PCR uses emulsion PCR to isolate single template molecules for simultaneous PCR of widely spaced markers and uses linking PCR to fuse these amplicons into one short amplicon, which maintains the phase of the markers. LE-PCR is illustrated for polymorphisms in human paraoxonase 1 (PON1) that have been shown to affect transcriptional activity and substrate specificity in the detoxification of organophosphates.
Accumulation of lead and arsenic in Malabar spinach (Basella alba L.) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) leaves grown on urban and orchard soils

ABSTRACTEthnic vegetable crops are increasingly being grown in the United States and may accumulate heavy metals when grown on urban soils. This study evaluated accumulation of lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) in tissues of Malabar spinach (Basella alba L.) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) grown on an urban and an orchard soil with Pb concentrations of 1,120 and 272 mg kg−1, respectively, and As concentrations of 6.92 and 90 mg kg−1, respectively. Tissue Pb was higher in both crops grown on both contaminated soils compared with an uncontaminated soil, while tissue As was higher on the orchard soil only. Malabar spinach did not accumulate Pb or As in its shoot, but concentrations of both metals were higher in sweet potato stems compared to leaves or tubers. Consumption of sweet potato stems should be avoided when sweet potato leaves are grown as a vegetable on soils with elevated levels of Pb and As.
Synergism of Short-Term Air Pollution Exposures and Neighborhood Disadvantage on Initial Stroke Severity.

Background and Purpose—Little is known about the relation between environment and stroke severity. We investigated associations between environmental exposures, including neighborhood socioeconomic...
Agricultural implications of providing soil-based constraints on urban expansion: Land use forecasts to 2050.

Abstract Urbanization onto adjacent farmlands directly reduces the agricultural area available to meet the resource needs of a growing society. Soil conservation is a common objective in urban planning, but little focus has been placed on targeting soil value as a metric for conservation. This study assigns commodity and water storage values to the agricultural soils across all of the watersheds in Michigan's Lower Peninsula to evaluate how cities might respond to a soil conservation-based urbanization strategy. Land Transformation Model (LTM) simulations representing both traditional and soil conservation-based urbanization, are used to forecast urban area growth from 2010 to 2050 at five year intervals. The expansion of urban areas onto adjacent farmland is then evaluated to quantify the conservation effects of soil-based development. Results indicate that a soil-based protection strategy significantly conserves total farmland, especially more fertile soils within each soil type. In terms of revenue, ∼$88 million (in current dollars) would be conserved in 2050 using soil-based constraints, with the projected savings from 2011 to 2050 totaling more than $1.5 billion. Soil-based urbanization also increased urban density for each major metropolitan area. For example, there were 94,640 more acres directly adjacent to urban land by 2050 under traditional development compared to the soil-based urbanization strategy, indicating that urban sprawl was more tightly contained when including soil value as a metric to guide development. This study indicates that implementing a soil-based urbanization strategy would better satisfy future agricultural resource needs than traditional urban planning.
A Decision Support Framework for Assessing the Contextual Factors for Complex Highway Projects

Traditional strategies for highway projects during the 1950s and 1960s focused on three dimensions of project management: cost, schedule, and technical (scope). Recently, with the focus shifting to...
Spinal Cord Plasticity in the Acquisition of a Simple Motor Skill

Studies of the plasticity underlying the acquisition of motor skills traditionally focus on supraspinal areas such as cerebral cortex and cerebellum. However, a large body of clinical and laboratory evidence indicates that substantial plasticity occurs in the spinal cord and that it plays an important part in skill acquisition. Operant conditioning of the spinal stretch reflex (SSR) or of its electrical analog, the H-reflex, is a simple example of such plasticity and provides a convenient laboratory model for defining the responsible mechanisms. The SSR and the H-reflex are mediated by a wholly spinal and largely monosynaptic pathway consisting of the la afferent fiber from the muscle spindle, its synapse on the spinal motoneuron, and the motoneuron itself. Monkeys, humans, and rats can gradually increase or decrease SSR or H-reflex amplitude when rewarded for doing so. Driven by task-appropriate change in descending influence from supraspinal structures, reflex change begins with a rapid change (phase I) in the first 1–2 days and then continues with gradual change (phase II) over weeks and months. Reflex change is accompanied by plasticity at multiple sites in the spinal cord. Plasticity occurs in motoneuron firing threshold and conduction velocity, in several different synaptic terminal populations on the motoneuron, and probably in interneurons as well. It also occurs contralaterally. The corticospinal tract is probably essential for producing this plasticity. While some changes, such as that in firing threshold, probably contribute to the rewarded behavior (primary plasticity), others may preserve previously learned behaviors (compensatory plasticity), or are activity-driven products of plasticity elsewhere (reactive plasticity). As these data and data from other simple vertebrate and invertebrate models illustrate, a complex pattern of plasticity is the necessary and inevitable outcome of even the simplest learning. Operant conditioning of the SSR and H-reflex appears to be similar to changes in spinal cord function that occur in early life and in the course of skill acquisition throughout life. The gradual development of this plasticity over the course of training is an important element in skill acquisition. The spinal cord is shaped by long-term descending influence so as to provide a substrate suited for execution of an individual’s entire roster of motor performances.
Relationship Between the Five Facets of Mindfulness on Mood and Substance Use Relapse

This study examined which particular facets of mindfulness (nonreactivity, observing thoughts and feelings, acting with awareness, describing experience, and nonjudging of experience) accounted for...
Germfree animal techniques and their applications.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses germ-free (gf) animal techniques and their applications. The development of a gf vertebrate animal as a generally useful experimental system has attained a suitable stage of fruition. The methodology of gf birds and mammals, their characteristics, and some of their applications are described in the chapter. Facilities for using gf animals can be relatively simple and inexpensive. However, long-term rearing and the development of breeding colonies of gf mammals and birds require more extensive operations. More such colonies are needed if full advantages of this technique are to be realized. Colonies of gf animals of specified genetic strains should be established for the common laboratory species. The development of devices for shipping gf animals will be needed in connection with the facilities.