cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preparation and Planning for Future Care in the Deep South: Adapting a Validated Tool for Cultural Sensitivity.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study describes the adaptation and validation of Sorensen et al. (2017)'s preparation for future care (PFC) scale with diverse samples including rural dwelling African Americans and certified nursing assistants (CNAs), and subsequent psychometric development. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Responses to the five-subscale PFC survey from 33 rural African American men across 12 months and cognitive interviews with a subset of 12 of these men are described. Psychometric refinement included descriptive qualitative analyses of consultations with experienced lay research advisors (N = 4 and N = 7) regarding potential changes to the PFC and a confirmatory factor analysis of the resultant scale (N = 138). RESULTS Cognitive interviews with rural African American men revealed difficulty understanding Eurocentric questions. Emergent themes included emotional avoidance of planning, considerations of nursing homes and possible care providers, and coping strategies. In two consultation meetings, trained lay research advisors recommended language modifications to the original questions and response options. Factor analyzing the resultant scale revealed support for the original subscale constructs (acceptable fit: χ2 = 205.03, df = 124, p < .001; root mean square error of approximation = .069 [.052-.085]; comparative fit index = .93; Tucker-Lewis index = .91). DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS PFC and engagement in advance care planning is uncommon among African Americans, possibly due to distrust of and lack of cultural competency among health care professionals. The resulting tool and response options may be used as an interview guide/survey with African Americans to gain understanding about their preparation for future health care needs.
An ascorbate fuel cell with carbon black nanoparticles as anode and cathode

Abstract A grand challenge for optimization of fuel cells is reduction in catalyst cost due to the prolific use of precious metals. The development of alkaline direct liquid fuel cells has reduced dependence on Pt, but it has not eliminated the use of precious metals such as Pd. In this work, we demonstrate two ascorbate fuel cells that contain carbon black nanoparticles as the electrodes (both anode and cathode) to produce impactful power. The first fuel cell is constructed with an anion exchange membrane, a carbon anode, and a carbon cathode; the anode fuel stream contains ascorbate and KOH, while the cathode oxidant stream contains either oxygen or H2O2. Using 30% H2O2, its maximum power density increases from 12 to 16 mW cm−2 as the temperature increases from 25 to 60 °C. The second fuel cell is constructed with a Na+ treated cation exchange membrane, a carbon anode, and a carbon cathode. With an alkaline anode fuel stream (ascorbate and KOH) combined with an acidic cathode oxidant stream (H2O2 and H2SO4) the maximum power density reaches 158 mW cm−2 at 60 °C with 30% H2O2. The performance of these fuel cells is quite promising, especially since the electrodes only consist of carbon black nanoparticles.
Abnormal PsychologyBrendan A. Maher died on March 17, 2009, at the age of 84.

In this chapter, we present a history of abnormal psychology, now often called psychopathology. We begin with the classical period and end with the present day. Our discussion considers different views about the etiology of psychopathology, beginning with medical practitioners in ancient Greece. We also describe how the mentally ill were regarded and treated during different periods in time. Our account can only be a partial history, however, because little of the field's history is well documented. Theories about psychopathology and the ways to treat it during earlier periods of history were developed by physicians, philosophers, theologians, and lawyers. Our knowledge is derived from their extant writings, medical treatises, and church and legal documents, as well as historical narratives, diaries, and literature. Keywords: humors; melancholy; classification; insanity; animal spirits; asylums; moral management; hypnosis; psychoanalysis; antipsychiatry; behaviorism
Adults who misuse opioids: Substance abuse treatment use and perceived treatment need.

AbstractBackground: Opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose deaths among the US population continue to increase. This study examined associations of OUD and other substance use disorders with substa...
Chapter 2. Narcotic Antagonists and Analgesics

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the biochemical pharmacology of cannabinols as they have clinical and pathophysiological aspects of pain. Nefopam 1 (Acupan R ) is claimed to possess activity in the codeine range against musculoskeletal pain. Opiates, morphinans, and benzomorphans—the five membered D ring 4-methylmorphinans were synthesized and found to be inactive. X-ray analysis revealed that the lone pair of electrons in 4 (X=H) is oriented toward the ring whereas the nitrogen lone pair is oriented away from the ring in the active six membered ring opiates. The importance of nitrogen lone pair orientation to analgesic activity led to the proposal of clastic binding on the opiate receptor complex itself—a process that requires the stereospecific orientation of the nitrogen lone pair. A new class of 5-phenethyl barbiturates (20) was reported to possess potent analgesic activity with the most active derivatives exceeding codeine orally in the hot-plate test and equaling morphine subcutaneously. Collier has identified a prostaglandin E 1 and E 2 (PGE) sensitive adenylate cyclase (AC) in the whole brain that is stereospecifically inhibited by narcotic analgesics.
“Furnace-smoke ... wrapt him round”: Industrial Hinduism and Global Empire in The Curse of Kehama and Sir Thomas More

My essay claims that Robert Southey uses Hinduism to fashion a poetics of Romantic-era technology in The Curse of Kehama (1810). In his neglected Sir Thomas More; or, Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society (1829), Southey compares the manufacturing system to Indian theology and ritual, a metaphor that relativizes religion and technology while implying that the Industrial Revolution amounts to a new breed of religious network. Southey next likens the emergent world order made possible by such technologies to the cosmic ambitions of Kehama, his own Indian tyrant-cum-demigod. The Colloquies thus suggests an allegorical reading of The Curse of Kehama, whereby this tale of a king bent on cosmic rule simultaneously explores how technological and imperial networks intertwine. Accordingly, I draw from metaphor theory to read the earlier Kehama as a repository of veiled comparisons and displacements through which Southey glimpses the magnitude of the Industrial Revolution. Just as Indian wealth propels the techno-imperial enterprise described in the Colloquies, Kehama’s paganism supplies the raw discursive material through which Southey fashions a poetics of manufacturing. Read alongside the Colloquies, Kehama aestheticizes the connection between imperial and technological systems, expresses the imaginative significance of twinned manufacturing novelties—the steam engine and coke smelting—and concretizes the opaque moral and poetic properties attaching to industrial power by depicting it in reference to the minutiae of Hindu religion so far as Southey understood it.
Assessing Functional Laterality

A considerable amount of research evidence suggests that the cerebral hemispheres of the human brain serve independent cognitive functions. Neuropsychological assessments rely upon this concept in making inferences concerning the integrity of the brain. Because individual differences exist in the degree to which functions are lateralized to one hemisphere or the other, most neuropsychological approaches include some measure of laterality. Although this is a rather complex matter with adults, developmental factors complicate the procedure further with children.
Retrosigmoid approach for glycerin rhizotomy in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia without overt arterial compression: Updated case series

Objective Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a neuropathic pain disorder characterized by severe, lancinating facial pain that is commonly treated with neuropathic medication, percutaneous rhizotomy, and/or microvascular decompression (MVD). Patients who are not found to have distinct arterial compression during MVD present a management challenge. In 2013, the authors reported on a small case series of such patients in whom glycerin was injected intraoperatively into the cisternal segment of the trigeminal nerve. The objective of the authors' present study was to report their updated experience with this technique to further validate this novel approach. Methods The authors performed a retrospective analysis of data obtained in patients in whom glycerin was directly injected into the inferior third of the cisternal portion of the trigeminal nerve. Seventy-four patients, including 14 patients from the authors' prior study, were identified, and demographic information, intraoperative findings, postoperative course, and complications were recorded. Fisher's exact test, unpaired t-tests, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves using Mantel log-rank test were used to compare the 74 patients with a cohort of 476 patients who received standard MVD by the same surgeon. Results The 74 patients who underwent MVD and glycerin injection had an average follow-up of 19.1 ± 18.0 months, and the male/female ratio was 1:2.9. In 33 patients (44.6%), a previous intervention for TN had failed. On average, patients had an improvement in the Barrow Neurological Institute Pain Intensity score from 4.1 ± 0.4 before surgery to 2.1 ± 1.2 after surgery. Pain improvement after the surgery was documented in 95.9% of patients. Thirteen patients (17.6%) developed burning pain following surgery. Five patients developed complications (6.7%), including incisional infection, facial palsy, CSF leak, and hearing deficit, all of which were minor. Conclusions Intraoperative injection of glycerin into the trigeminal nerve is a generally safe and potentially effective treatment for TN when no distinct site of arterial compression is identified during surgery or when decompression of the nerve is deemed to be inadequate.
Time Series Properties of four Latin American Equity Markets: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico

Variance ratio tests indicate that the equity markets of Argentina, Brazil and Mexico follow random walks, but not those of Chile. The low correlations among the four markets suggest that investments in these countries can contribute to reduce portfolio risk. The research on the random walk hypothesis has been heavily concentrated on the large equity markets of the United States, Canada, Japan and Europe (summers 1986; Fama and French 1986a, 1986b; Lo and MacKinlay 1988, and Poterba and Summers 1988). Even though some studies have been conducted for stock markets of developing countries (Errunza 1983 and Errunza and Losq 1985), little research has been done in Latin American capital markets (Errunza and Losq 1987). This paper employs the variance-ratio test to investigate the random walk hypothesis for the following four Latin American equity markets: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. Two versions of the variance-ratio tests are implemented: first, the variance-ratio under the maintained hypothesis of homocedasticity and, second, the heteroscedasticity-robust variance-ratio. The empirical results reported in the paper indicate that the random walk hypothesis is rejected for Chile but it is generally confirmed for Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Therefore, American investors might not be able to develop investment strategies that can be generate abnormal returns in these three countries. However, the low correlation among these markets suggests that American investors can reduce the risk of their portfolios by diversifying in international stocks of these countries.
Financial impact of ultrasound-guided lumbar plexus and sciatic nerve blocks with electrostimulation for tibial plateau leveling osteotomy surgery in dogs

Abstract Objective To determine the anesthesia cost from ultrasound-guided lumbar plexus and sciatic nerve blocks confirmed with electrostimulation for unilateral tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) surgery in dogs. Study design Prospective, randomized, blinded clinical trial. Animals A group of 20 dogs weighing 33.9 ± 6.0 kg (mean ± standard deviation). Methods All dogs were administered hydromorphone and atropine, propofol for induction of anesthesia and isoflurane for maintenance. Hydromorphone and carprofen were administered for recovery. The dogs were randomly assigned to one of two groups, lumbar plexus and sciatic nerve blocks with ropivacaine [regional anesthesia (RA)] or sham blocks with saline [control (CON)]. Fentanyl was administered for rescue analgesia intraoperatively and postoperatively. The cost to manage anesthesia was divided into fixed and variable costs using the micro-costing method. The variable costs were compared using Student’s t test or Mann–Whitney U test. Results The fixed anesthesia costs were equal between groups at US$354.00 per case. The variable anesthesia cost range was US$27.90–100.10 for RA and US$21.00–180.50 for CON. Overall, cost per dog in CON was from –US$6.9 to US$80.4 compared with RA. For 160 TPLO cases per year, hospital cost when RA is performed decreased the cost by $12,864 per year up to increased cost by $1104 per year, depending on the requirements for systemic drugs and incidence/severity of anesthesia complications. The estimated fee charge per case for service necessary to reimburse the cost of a new ultrasound (US$25,000.00) and nerve locator (US$925.00) over their life span of 6 and 10 years, respectively, is US$26.62. Conclusions and clinical relevance Ultrasound-guided lumbar plexus and sciatic nerve blocks with electrostimulation confirmation can increase the anesthesia cost through use of specific equipment. However, in most cases, the anesthesia cost decreased as a result of decreased costs for pain management and treatment of complications.
GDMT for heart failure and the clinician's conundrum

Therapeutic advances in management of CHF have decreased mortality and have impacted progression in patients with mild to moderate heart failure. Aggressive campaigns by cardiology societies aimed at increasing implementation of these measures in routine practices have almost generalized the treatment of heart failure irrespective of individual variations of clinical status of patients and stages of heart failure. This explains why morbidity compression and quality of life improvement have not been realized fully particularly in patients with advanced disease. To examine whether GDMT for CHF is backed by unambiguous evidence of clinical efficacy for its global implementation in every patient at all stages of the syndrome. ACC/AHA, ESC Guidelines for CHF, and their updates were reviewed. Clinical trial cited in the guideline documents and other pertaining published literatures were analyzed. FINDINGS: Many of the recommended GDMT for CHF lack unequivocal evidence of clinical efficacy in patients with diverge etiology of heart failure and concomitant comorbid conditions Some of the recommendations which are useful in early stages, lack evidence of efficacy in more advanced stages of heart failure. Application of results of research trials in patients beyond their inclusion and exclusion criteria, appears mere extrapolation, Clinicians are faced with the conundrum of implementing the recommendations without indubitable evidence of their efficacy in every patient of their practice. CONCLUSION: A reappraisal of Guidelines is needed to address outstanding questions pertaining to the efficacy of recommendations and plug the knowledge gaps without assumption and extrapolation of results of RCTs beyond their inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Alien Citizens: The State and Religious Minorities in Turkey and France

How does international context influence state policies toward religious minorities? Using parliamentary proceedings, court decisions, newspaper archives, and interviews, this book is the first systematic study that employs international context in the study of state policies toward religion, and that compares Turkey and France with regard to religious minorities. Comparing Christians in Turkey and Muslims in France, this book argues that policy change toward minorities becomes possible when strong domestic actors find a suitable international context that can help them execute their policy agendas. The Turkish Islamists used the European Union to transform the Turkish politics that brought a reformist moment for Christians in the 2000s. The Far Right in France utilized the rise of Islamophobia in Europe to adopt restrictive policies toward Muslims. Ramazan Kilinc argues that the presence of an international context that can favor particular groups over others, shifts the domestic balance of power, and makes some policies more likely to be implemented than others.
Pathologic Response and Postoperative Complications After Short-course Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy for Patients With Rectal Adenocarcinoma.

Abstract Background The role of neoadjuvant short-course radiation therapy (SCRT) in treating rectal adenocarcinoma is a topic of ongoing debate. Growing interest in total neoadjuvant therapy has spurred discussion on the optimal sequence of preoperative SCRT and chemotherapy. Patients and Methods All patients receiving SCRT (5 Gy × 5 fractions) were identified. Details about preoperative treatments, radiation toxicities, and postoperative complications were collected. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those who underwent surgery within 14 days of completing SCRT and those with a longer delay. Outcomes compared included extent of pathologic response, margin-negative resection rate, acute radiation toxicities, and postoperative complications. Results Fifty-seven patients with locally advanced or metastatic rectal cancer received SCRT between 2008 and 2018. Thirty-nine of 57 patients underwent definitive pelvic surgery with total mesorectal excision. There were no significant differences in tumor downstaging, radial margin status, or percent tumor viability between patients with immediate surgery versus delayed surgery. The delay group had higher rates of nodal downstaging (64.7% vs. 18.2%; P = .003). There were no differences in total or grade 3+ gastrointestinal radiation toxicity, postoperative complications, reoperation, readmission, and mortality between the 2 groups. Conclusions Though not yet common in the United States, SCRT has compared favorably with long course chemoradiation in multiple trials. Moreover, it is associated with greater efficiency and less disruption to chemotherapy. Our data show similar response and toxicity outcomes between the immediate and delay groups, suggesting SCRT is well-tolerated regardless of treatment sequence. Recently completed prospective trials may reveal the optimal preoperative treatment sequence.
Trends in the Diagnosis and Management of Combined Rectal and Vaginal Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

Abstract Objective To examine the rates of surgical repair of comorbid rectal prolapse (RP) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) over time in a large population-based cohort. Materials and Methods We queried Optum, a national administrative claims database, from 2003 to 2017. We evaluated female patients age 18 or older with a diagnosis of POP and/or RP. Sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, and rates of procedures were collected. Results We identified 481,051 women diagnosed with RP and/or POP. Only 2.0% of women in the cohort had comorbid POP and RP. While 29.9% of women with RP had dual prolapse, only 2.1% of women with POP had both diagnoses. Overall, 25.8% of women had one or more surgical repairs. Surgical repairs were done in 26.0% of women with POP, 15.0% of women with RP, and 48.2% of women with comorbid POP/RP, though only 19.8% of patients with dual diagnoses had both RP and POP repairs. Over the study period, the rate of multidisciplinary surgical repairs increased by 2.7-fold. Conclusion The prevalence of comorbid RP and POP among women in our cohort is low (2.0%). Rates of multidisciplinary surgery have increased possibly due to the increased use of imaging, laparoscopic surgery, and awareness of the shared pathophysiology of the disease.
“Mental Health Is for Crazy People”: Perceptions and Barriers to Mental Health Service Use among Refugees from Burma

Good mental health is essential to successful integration for refugee populations that resettle in the U.S. We explored perceptions of mental illnesses and barriers to mental health service use as well as solutions to current mental health problems from the perspective of refugees. The interviews with a convenience sampling of 11 community leaders (6 men and 5 women) from various Burmese ethnic communities revealed three major categories, including sources of mental illnesses (e.g. traumatic experiences and post-resettlement challenges), barriers to service use (e.g. lack of understanding about mental health, linguistic challenges, cultural stigma, alternative treatments, and unresponsive system), and proposed community solutions (e.g. community education, culturally-competent providers, and beyond mental health treatment). The findings suggest that the ethnic community can be a source of potential solutions to mitigate barriers to mental health service use.
Binaural pitch fusion: Effects of sound level in listeners with normal hearing.

Pitch is an important cue that allows the auditory system to distinguish between sound sources. Pitch cues are less useful when listeners are not able to discriminate different pitches between the two ears, a problem encountered by listeners with hearing impairment (HI). Many listeners with HI will fuse the pitch of two dichotically presented tones over a larger range of interaural frequency disparities, i.e., have a broader fusion range, than listeners with normal hearing (NH). One potential explanation for broader fusion in listeners with HI is that hearing aids stimulate at high sound levels. The present study investigated effects of overall sound levels on pitch fusion in listeners with NH. It was hypothesized that if sound level increased, then fusion range would increase. Fusion ranges were measured by presenting a fixed frequency tone to a reference ear simultaneously with a variable frequency tone to the opposite ear and finding the range of frequencies that were fused with the reference frequency. No significant effects of sound level (comfortable level ± 15 dB) on fusion range were found, even when tested within the range of levels where some listeners with HI show large fusion ranges. Results suggest that increased sound level does not explain increased fusion range in listeners with HI and imply that other factors associated with hearing loss might play a larger role.
Impacts of health insurance on older adults with histories of homelessness

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between having health insurance and securing unsubsidized housing among older adults with histories of homelessness. This study also examine...
Design of Galloping Monitoring System of Transmission Line Based on Inertial Sensing Unit

The galloping of transmission line will threaten the running safety of line, and targeting the problem that the galloping torsion of conductor causes that the galloping trace cannot be recovered exactly, this paper designs the resolution algorithm of galloping trace based on acceleration and inertial unit, and tries to manufacture the prototype of conductor galloping sensor. In this paper, the galloping amplitude scale is measured with accelerometer, and the six-axis inertial unit is roused to further measure the galloping trace when the galloping occurrence is detected. To verify the measurement precision of sensor designed in this paper, the pendulum and 2D motion table simulation experiment system are established in this laboratory, and the experimental result shows that good measurement precision can be obtained via sensor and resolution algorithm.
Assessment of Outcomes by Using Machine Learning

There has been a tremendous amount of data available from multiple sources. These data can be leveraged to realize excellent clinical outcomes. In this chapter, we provide an overview of different machine learning approaches used to analyze large datasets and the different applications of machine learning tools in craniofacial genomics, imaging, and remoted dental monitoring. Machine learning has shown much promise as we move forward in the era of personalized medicine/dentistry.
To Dally with Dalí: Deepfake (Inter)faces in the Art Museum:

This essay focuses on the nascent symbiotic relationship between deepfakes and art museums and galleries, as demonstrated by three case studies. The first one, housed at the Dali Museum in St Peter...
Time to development and imaging features of new calcifications in the treated breast after breast-conserving therapy

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to analyze the time to development, malignancy rate, location, and mammographic features of new calcifications in the treated breast after breast-conserving therapy (BCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS In this HIPAA-complaint, IRB-approved retrospective study, we reviewed the records of patients treated with BCT at our institution with breast-conserving surgery performed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010. A total of 735 breasts in 732 women were included in our study cohort. Factors analyzed included rate of development of new calcifications, malignancy rate of new calcifications, the time between completion of radiation therapy and development of new calcifications, imaging features of new calcifications, and location of the new calcifications in relation to the primary malignancy. RESULTS During follow-up, new calcifications developed in 155 of the 735 treated breasts (21.1%) and 155 of the 732 women (21.2%). After excluding two cases that were lost to follow-up, the malignancy rate of new calcifications was 5.2% (8/153; 95% CI: 2.3% to 10.0%). The median time to development of the benign calcifications was 27 months (range, 2 to 91 months) and of the malignant calcifications was 41 months (range, 11 to 57 months). Of the 20 (13.1%) cases of new calcifications categorized as BI-RADS 3 (probably benign), all were benign on follow-up (19 cases) or on biopsy (1 case). Of the 51 BI-RADS 4 (suspicious) cases, 8 (16%) were biopsy-proven malignant. The malignancy rate was the highest in fine pleomorphic 100% (1/1), followed by amorphous 17%, (5/29), coarse heterogeneous 8% (2/26) and typically benign 0 (0/97) calcifications (p < 0.0001). The malignancy rate was 1.5% (2/137) for new calcifications within the lumpectomy site vs. 37.5% (6/16) for new calcifications outside the lumpectomy site (p < 0.0001) and was 3.4% (5/147) for new calcifications at or within the same quadrant as the lumpectomy site vs. 50.0% (3/6) for new calcifications in a different quadrant from the lumpectomy site (p=0.002). CONCLUSION Most new calcifications that developed in the treated breast after BCT were benign. Evaluation of morphology and distribution of those calcifications is imperative. New calcifications in the treated breast outside the lumpectomy site are more likely to be malignant and should be viewed with greater suspicion. Benign calcifications developed earlier than malignant calcifications, but the time courses overlapped.
Armand the Frog

IN POINT OF FACT there was not a single frog pond on the Domaine Ardente but many, all connected by little throat-like passages or trickling streams. And darkness? Secrecy? All I could want. Oak trees grew at the edges of these ponds, their roots bulging out like goiters from the dank earth where it dropped off into the sluggish water, and wherever they could find footing between the oaks?oh yes, they may well have been live oaks, may well have been?and selfish bramble bushes, broad weeping willows helped to enclose my frog pond, which I prefer to speak of in the singular, since there was one pond more appealing to me than all the others put together and where I most liked to squat and crouch in my own childish time out of time. How shrouded it was, my frog pond! How dark and cool?yet sultry too?even in one of the sudden warm hours that settled down that spring on the Domaine Ardente. Once I had made my way to my frog pond, I became as still as the frog I awaited, as unmoving as the water lilies that spread across the scummy or muddy surface of the pond. It was cool, it was warm, it was a place of midnight in the fullest part of the day. Here and there the oaks, the willows, the screens of bushes admitted tiny shafts of light that suddenly engaged in brief skirmishes, reflecting, criss-crossing, attacking each other before being just as suddenly extin guished in this daily night that was not determined by church bell or any sort of heavenly system. At least not when I hid in the depths of my frog pond at the height of the daylight hours. Of course the rank darkness was different at sunrise or dusk. For most of the day, however, I could count on finding this special, even illicit dimness, perhaps a smelly total absence of light in which it was hard even to make out the fleshy lily pads, whenever I had the whim or determination to go fiercely into the bright nocturnal world of my frog pond. So I crouched, or squatted, or stretched myself out flat on my belly, eyes at a level with the edge of the pond, immobile, silent, intent, undetectable to anyone passing by or to the creatures of the frog pond itself. I watched, I listened. The dragonflies hovered and dashed about the thick surface with a deafening roar of their little engines, the lily pads tempted me to reach out and touch their oily skins. Inevitably there was one in particular that I concentrated on, an immense beast as flat as a plate and apparently glued to the surface, so tight it was to the water which, like so
Surface clustering of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 induced by long Homer proteins

Background Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) regulate neuronal excitability and synaptic strength. The group I mGluRs, mGluR1 and 5, are widespread in the brain and localize to post-synaptic sites. The Homer protein family regulates group I mGluR function and distribution. Constitutively expressed 'long' Homer proteins (Homer 1b, 1c, 2 and 3) induce dendritic localization of group I mGluRs and receptor clustering, either internally or on the plasma membrane. Short Homer proteins (Homer 1a, Ania-3) exhibit regulated expression and act as dominant negatives, producing effects on mGluR distribution and function that oppose those of the long Homer proteins. There remains some controversy over whether long Homer proteins induce receptor internalization by inducing retention in the endoplasmic reticulum, or induce mGluR clustering on the plasma membrane. Further, an exhaustive study of the effects of each long Homer isoform on mGluR distribution has not been published.
Dynamic Response of Plate on Elastic Half-Space

Analytical results are presented for the dynamic response of a plate bearing on an elastic half-space and subjected to harmonic forces. The present work represents a departure from existing analyses in that herein both the flexibility and three-dimensionality of the plate are taken into account. Displacements and contact stresses are presented for square plates having a practical range of flexural stiffness. The harmonic analysis is conducted within the framework of a global stiffness solution, in which the plate and subgrade impedance matrices are formulated independently in accordance with a prescribed discretization pattern. Then compatibility of displacements and equilibrium of forces are enforced at the plate-subgrade interface. Solutions are presented for massless square plates subjected to harmonic point, uniform pressure, and moment loadings. The effect of the plate's mass on its response is studied by starting with a perfectly flexible massive plate and subsequently increasing the stiffness toward the limit of a completely rigid plate.
Hydrocode and microstructural analysis of explosively formed penetrators

A comparison of residual microstructural features in tantalum, iron, and copper explosively-formed projectiles (EFP's) utilizing optical and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was undertaken and these observations correlated with corresponding microhardness maps measured on the recovered EFP half sections. These microstructural comparisons and residual microhardness maps were then used to validate AUTODYN-2D hydrocode simulations of residual yield stress profiles and the geometrical parameters measured from the recovered EFP's. Both Johnson-Cook and Zerilli-Armstrong constitutive relations were applied and compared in these simulations which also examined the initiation parameters on EFP evolution. Calculated plastic strain and temperature contour plots were also correlated with observed microstructures and the microhardness maps.
Cancer Stem Cells in Head and Neck Cancer

Each year, malignancies of the head and neck account for approximately 500,000 new cases cancer diagnoses worldwide. The prognosis for patients affected by head and neck cancer has remained largely unchanged in recent years, despite significant advances in the understanding of tumor biology and etiologic factors. This is largely due to the fact that two-thirds of patients present with disease that has already spread regionally or metastasized. Unfortunately, for patients presenting with advanced-stage disease, complete cure is often not possible with our current treatment modalities. The consistently poor prognosis of head and neck cancer patients underscores the need for a better understanding of tumor biology and how to target malignant cells. The re-emergence of the cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis offers hope in this area. This chapter reviews the current knowledge about CSCs in head and neck cancer, including markers used for CSC identification and isolation, as well as their potential clinical implications.
Fine structure of quiescent and germinating aeciospores of Cronartium fusiforme.

Abstract Aeciospores of the long-cycle heteroecious rust fungus, Cronartium fusiforme, were found to have an extremely thick cell wall with striking spicules protruding from it. The wall was readily degraded by commercial chitinase, but spicules were unaffected. Quiescent spores contained two nuclei with distinct nuclear membranes possessing many pores. Numerous membrane-bounded lipid bodies were found both in wild-type orange and in white mutant aeciospores. An abundance of irregularly ovoid mitochondria was present in quiescent spores. After glutaraldehydeosmium fixation, the surface of the mitochondria appeared to be covered with ribosomes or microtubules in a paracrystalline array, whereas after permanganate fixation only smooth outer mitochondrial membranes were noted. The latter fixative revealed abundant vesicular endoplasmic reticulum in the spore. Spores incubated at 20 C on agar produced one to five distinct germ tubes within 65 to 180 min. These thin-walled tubes exhibited varying degrees of branching, and reached a total hyphal length of 300 to 500 μ prior to rupturing. Emergence of germ tubes took place through a pore in the spore wall and appeared to be mainly a physical flowing of cytoplasm from the spore into the germ tube without division of nuclei or other cell organelles. On completion of germination, the protoplasm of the germ tube contained both nuclei and nearly all of the other spore contents. Mitochondria had smooth outer membranes, were greatly elongated, and possessed distinct longitudinal cristae. A limited amount of rough endoplasmic reticulum was arranged parallel to the germ tube wall. Other organelles seen in germ tubes were lipid bodies, concentric membrane figures, and numerous ribosomes. Lipid bodies appeared smaller and fewer in number than in quiescent spores.
Neural and hormonal interactions in the reproductive behavior of female rats.

The lordosis posture in female rats (elevation of the rump and head and depression of the back) is a hormone-sensitive reflexive response to tactile stimulation of the flank region. It is normally elicited by the rapid pelvic thrusting movements of the male. After the male dismounts, the female maintains the lordosis posture longer if an intromission occurred than if one did not (Kuehn and Beach, 1963; Diakow, 1974). This finding suggests that stimuli provided by genital tract stimulation facilitate the lordosis response. If the genital tract is denervated, the prolongation of lordosis resulting from intromission does not occur (Diakow, 1970). The following studies, which focus on the effect of genital tract stimulation on lordosis, demonstrate not only that genital tract stimulation (a visceral stimulus) facilitates the effect of flank stimulation (a somatic stimulus) on lordosis, but also that this facilitating effect persists for several hours after the cessation of the stimulus. In contrast to the facilitating effect, the same genital tract stimulation abolishes different skeletal reflex responses (e.g., leg withdrawal to foot pinch). Furthermore, it blocks behavioral and neurophysiological responses to painful stimulation.
Atomistic-to-Continuum Modeling of Defect-Related Phenomena in Silicon Crystals

Continuum process modeling of point defect and impurity aggregation during silicon crystal growth and wafer annealing has led to significant contributions toward understanding and improvement of industrial processes. Key inputs to these models are thermophysical properties of point defects and their clusters, which may be strong functions of temperature and cluster size. In this paper, a theoretical framework is presented for probing the high-thermodynamic properties of vacancy and self-interstitial clusters in crystalline silicon at elevated temperature. In particular, configurational and vibrational entropy are shown to be significant in both types of defect clusters. In both cases, configurational entropy leads to the existence of a wide distribution of possible cluster configurations that collectively lowers the free energy of formation relative to the energetic ground state configuration. Moreover, certain self-interstitial cluster sizes are additionally stabilized by configurations that possess anomalously high vibrational entropy.
Seamless insertion of real pulmonary nodules in chest CT exams

The availability of large medical image datasets is critical in many applications such as training and testing of computer aided diagnosis (CAD) systems, evaluation of segmentation algorithms, and conducting perceptual studies. However, collection of large repositories of clinical images is hindered by the high cost and difficulties associated with both the accumulation of data and establishment of the ground truth. To address this problem, we are developing an image blending tool that allows users to modify or supplement existing datasets by seamlessly inserting a real lesion extracted from a source image into a different location on a target image. In this study we focus on the application of this tool to pulmonary nodules in chest CT exams. We minimize the impact of user skill on the perceived quality of the blended image by limiting user involvement to two simple steps: the user first draws a casual boundary around the nodule of interest in the source, and then selects the center of desired insertion area in the target. We demonstrate examples of the performance of the proposed system on samples taken from the Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) dataset, and compare the noise power spectrum (NPS) of blended nodules versus that of native nodules in simulated phantoms.
UBIC2 — TOWARDS UBIQUITOUS BIO-INFORMATION COMPUTING: DATA PROTOCOLS, MIDDLEWARE, AND WEB SERVICES FOR HETEROGENEOUS BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION INTEGRATION AND RETRIEVAL

The Ubiquitous Bio-Information Computing (UBIC2) project aims to disseminate protocols and software packages to facilitate the development of heterogeneous bio-information computing units that are interoperable and may run distributedly. UBIC2 specifies biological data in XML formats and queries data using XQuery. The UBIC2 programming library provides interfaces for integrating, retrieving, and manipulating heterogeneous biological data. Interoperability is achieved via Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) based web services. The documents and software packages of UBIC2 are available at .
Computer controlled chamber measurements for clay adherence relevant for potential dioxin exposure through skin.

A computer-controlled mechanical chamber was used to control the contact between aluminum sheet samples laden with clay, and cotton sheet samples for the measurement of mass transfer. The contact parameters of pressure (20 to 60 kPa) and time (10 to 70 sec) were varied for 160 multiple experiments of mass soil transfer. Before log transformation the average transfer for ‘First Transfer’ of clay particles was 34.4 ± 6.3 mg/8.97 cm2 while that for ‘Total Transfer’ was 36.1 ± 6.8 mg/8.97 cm2. Second contact, therefore, resulted in an average transfer of 1.70 ± 0.76 mg/8.97 cm2. These values are well above adherence values measured for potting soil and sand as reported for previous experiments using the same methodologies. Based on the univariate analysis and the multiple regression analysis we were able to see some effect of parameters on the clay adherence values. The effect of pressure increases was significant for the higher levels of 50 and 60 kPa. In addition, we observed that increases in temperature w...
Incorporating Reliability into the Definition of the Margin of Safety in Total Maximum Daily Load Calculations

In the calculation of the total maximum daily load (TMDL), the margin of safety (MOS) is an attempt to account for the uncertainties related to the conceptual representation of the system and the inherently random nature of the processes under study. In general, the MOS is often the result of arbitrary or poorly supported decisions that have little to do with the reliability of the system. To improve the current practice in TMDL calculations, an enhanced reliability-based MOS is proposed here. The Modified Rosenblueth point estimate method is proposed in this paper as a valuable means to assess the uncertainty of a system, and, thus, its probability of failure. The Modified Rosenblueth method is a less computationally demanding uncertainty analysis technique, and can be easily coupled with deterministic hydraulic and water quality numerical models. A case study on arsenic concentrations in the Niagara River is discussed in this paper. The results of the uncertainty analysis are used to compute the effecti...
1 or 2 cm Margins of Excision for T2 Melanomas: Do They Impact Recurrence or Survival?

Background NCCN guidelines recommend 1 or 2 cm margins for melanomas 1–2 mm (T2 melanomas) in depth; however, no head-to-head comparison has been performed. We hypothesized 1- or 2-cm margins would have similar local recurrence (LR) and overall survival (OS).
Inhibition of non-premixed hydrogen flames by CF3Br

Experimental and numerical studies are performed to elucidate the fundamental chemical mechanisms by which CF 3 Br inhibits non-premixed hydrogen flames. These studies are motivated by previous work, which shows that CF 3 Br and its decomposition products inhibit hydrocarbon flames primarily by reacting directly with the radicals and by depleting radicals in the region where hydrogen and carbon monoxide are oxidized to form water and carbon dioxide. The elementary reaction CF 3 Br+H=CF 3 +HBr plays a prominent role in flame inhibition, but there are considerable uncertainties in the value of the rate parameters for this reaction. In view of these uncertainties, the rate of this reaction is measured directly by employing the flash-photolysis resonance fluorescence (PF-RF) technique and is compared with that predicted using transition state theory based on ab initio calculations. Predicted and measured rate parameters agree well but differ significantly from those used in previous studies. The improved rate parameters are tested by conducting numerical computations and experiments on flames stabilized between two counterflowing streams. The fuel stream is a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen and the oxidizing stream consists of air and CF 3 Br. The strain rate at extinction is measured and given as a function of the concentration of CF 3 Br in the oxidizing stream. Numerical calculations are performed at conditions identical to those used in the experiments using detailed chemistry. Two different chemical kinetic mechanisms are used. The chemical kinetic mechanism describing the oxidation of the fuel is the same in both mechanisms, but the inhibition chemistries are different. One of the mechanisms has not been tested before on non-premixed flames. One mechanism is found to generally overpredict and the other to underpredict the inhibiting effect of CF 3 Br. The degree of overprediction and underprediction is evaluated using asymptotic theory. The differences between the mechanisms are discussed.
Studies on lymphocytes IX. The survival of autotransfused labeled lymphocytes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Resume 1.1. Les lymphocytes de 4 patients, atteints de leucemie lymphoide chronique, ont ete marques, in vitro, par la cytidine 3 H. Vingt-quatre a 48 heures apres autotransfusion de ces lymphocytes marques, on a retrouve, dans le sang circulant, 25–60% des cellules marques. L'index de marquage etait considerablement plus bas dans la moelle osseuse et dans les ganglions qu'il ne l'etait, au meme moment, dans le sang. 2.2. On a observe, dans les premieres heures, une disparition rapide d'une fraction des cellules marquees du sang, et on a interprete cette disparition comme resultant d'un equilibre partiel des lymphocytes du sang avec un pool extravasculaire, ou d'un equilibre total avec un pool intravasculaire non circulant. 3.3. Une partie des lymphocytes marques resta dans le sang, pendant toute la periode d'observation. Ceci semble indiquer un sejour prolonge, dans le sang, d'une fraction, ou de la totalite, des lymphocytes de la leucemie lymphoide chronique. 4.4. Ces resultats sont discutes en raison d'une eventuelle application de l'irradiation extracorporelle au traitement de la leucemie lymphoide chronique.
Spectrophotometric procedure using rhodamine B for determination of submicrogram quantities of antimony in rocks.

Abstract A spectrophotometric procedure using Rhodamine B is given for the determination of antimony in mineralized rocks after its separation as stibine. A study of the Rhodamine B reaction points to the importance of the order of addition of reagents in enhancing sensitivity and increasing the stability of the system. The tolerance of some 26 elements is established for the overall procedure. Although the limit of determination is approximately 0·5 ppm Sb in a 0·2-g sample, the procedure is intended primarily for screening samples containing more than 1 ppm Sb. In pure solutions 0·1 μg of antimony can be determined with a relative standard deviation of 25%. For >0·2 μg of antimony a relative standard deviation of 15% or less can be expected.
Rigid/Unyielding Surface Characterization Using Modal Testing Techniques

One requirement for impact tests, performed for packaging qualification, is that the target surface or target supporting surface must be “essentially unyielding”. The definition of “essentially unyielding,”, includes the characteristics of being both rigid and unyielding. The unyielding characteristic of a surface is shown without much difficulty by demonstrating limited, local permanent deformation after impact. However, for a surface to be proven rigid, the structural properties that influence the dynamic response must be known and compared to the energy spectrum associated with anticipated impact tests. The methodology and procedure for a cost effective approach using standard modal testing techniques to quickly demonstrate that a surface in essentially unyielding, is described herein.Copyright © 2006 by Westinghouse Savannah River Company