cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development and evaluation of a mobile laboratory for collecting short-duration near-road fine and coarse ambient particle and road dust samples.

This study used fine and coarse PM concentrator technology in a Mobile Particle Concentrator Platform (MPCP) designed and built to allow the collection of large amounts of ambient PM, enabling time...
UTILITY OF A QUALITY ASSURANCE DATABASE FOR EVOLUTION OF A PEDIATRIC SEDATION PROGRAM

Objective At Boston Children’s Hospital, over 3000 children are sedated annually using established protocols. Methods Since 1997, a computerized database has tracked quality assurance (QA) data for each sedation. Prior to 2005, routine sedation consisted of intravenous pentobarbital (Nembutal) with fentanyl added if needed. Although the safety and efficacy of this regimen was acceptable, the risk of a prolonged sedation, lengthy recovery time and pentobarbital rage motivated the Sedation Committee to seek alternative agents. Dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 agonist, was trialled as the primary intravenous sedative to replace pentobarbital. Results Our original Dexmedetomidine protocol reflected the Food and Drug Administration recommendations for adult dosing. The outcome data for 16,000 pentobarbital sedations showed an 0.4% incidence of significant adverse events: 0.35% incidence of oxygen desaturation, 0.06% incidence of brief positive pressure ventilation and no incidences of cardiac arrest or endotracheal intubation. The outcome data for Dexmedetomidine would have to be comparable to pentobarbital in order to justify a practice change. Over 3 years, following careful review of all QA data, the dosing increased. Currently we have replaced pentobarbital with Dexmedetomidine, a medication with a shorter half life, less risk of respiratory depression and a shorter recovery time. Conclusion The QA tool must be carefully designed to reliably query critical information. Adverse events should only be entered after agreement by independent blinded reviewers. With a reliable QA database, information may be queried, protocols modified and new protocols may be trialled and implemented.
Biomaterial Mechanics, 1st ed.

This two-editor, 27-contributor, 4-section, 11-chapter text touches on the topic of biomaterial mechanics in a mixture of contributions ranging from overview to highly specialized coverage of, for example, biomaterials in cancer research.
Complete Heart Block Secondary to COVID-19

In our everyday practice with COVID-19 patients, we noticed that they are not tachycardic even when critically ill and shocked on pressors they are bradycardic. Most of them are in sinus rhythm. However, some of them go into advanced degree heart block and had cardiac arrest related to complete heart block. A 72-year-old female with a history of hypertension and diabetes admitted with COVID-19 bronchopneumonia. The hospital course has been complicated by respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation and septic shock requiring norepinephrine. It was noted that she is bradycardic in the 50s in sinus rhythm, her heart rate dipped down to 30 for about six seconds, and her telemetry strip showed evidence of complete heart block, and then she was back in sinus rhythm. The decision was made to follow-up, given that it was for a short time and did not recur. The next day she had cardiac arrest related to a complete heart block, and a temporary trans-venous pacemaker was placed, Later when her condition improved, her heart rate started recovering gradually. At first, she was in junctional tachycardia, and one week later, she was back in sinus rhythm. The temporary pacemaker was removed, and she was discharged on a ZIO monitor for two weeks with no further evidence of bradycardia. Bradycardia in COVID-19 patients is frequently reported. It is not always benign and should be managed promptly when there is evidence of advanced heart block.
Pediatric Hand Fractures and Congenital Differences: An Analysis of Data From the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery

Purpose Pediatric patients with hand trauma and congenital differences are treated across multiple surgical subspecialties. The purpose of this study was to assess operative trends over an 11-year period using the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery databases to better understand which surgeons were caring for pediatric hand fractures and birth differences in the first 2 years of their practice. Methods We queried the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery databases for surgical procedures performed by applicants for the oral examinations between 2004 and 2014. Candidates self-identified as general orthopedic surgeon , pediatric orthopedic surgeon, hand surgeon (orthopedic and plastic), and general plastic surgeon. This included a total of 2,453 Board applicants. A total of 6,835 surgeries for birth differences or hand trauma were identified and reviewed for patients Results There were 5,759 trauma and 1,076 congenital difference surgeries. A total of 4,786 (70%) surgeries were performed by orthopedic surgeons. Fellowship-trained hand surgeons (orthopedic and plastic) performed 3,809 (56%) surgeries. Pediatric orthopedic surgeons performed 608 (9%) surgeries. Over the 11 years, general orthopedic surgeons performed 4.2 fewer surgeries per year, whereas surgeons in hand orthopedics and pediatric orthopedics performed 10.8 and 4.7 additional surgeries per year. There were 3.1 fewer general orthopedic surgeons per year, whereas there were 3.6 and 1.4 additional surgeons in hand orthopedics and pediatric orthopedics each year, respectively. The number of surgeries and the number of surgeons submitting surgeries did not significantly change for those in general plastics or hand plastics. Conclusions This analysis of early practice patterns over 11 years demonstrates that the increasing numbers of surgeons in pediatric orthopedics and hand orthopedics are performing more surgeries compared with other fields. Clinical relevance The care of children with hand injuries and congenital differences is evolving, with direct implications for residency and fellowship education.
Immortalized neural cell lines for CNS transplantation.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the physiological and functional properties of neural cell lines, either spontaneously arising or immortalized with oncogenes, as a means to replace lost neurons and ultimately restore function in the damaged mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Immortalized neural cell lines have provided important insight into fundamental principles of developmental neurobiology. These cell lines maintain the capacity to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes despite continued passage in cell culture, a property that is evident both in vitro and in vivo . The fact that many of these cell lines differentiate after engraftment into the CNS with morphological and functional properties, indistinguishable from endogenous neurons and glia, highlight three crucial conclusions from the studies discussed in the chapter. Firstly, the pluripotentiality of many immortalized neural precursor cell lines in vivo demonstrates that they can appropriately respond to epigenetic signals from the host CNS. Secondly, these data unequivocally confirm that the neonatal, and more importantly from a therapeutic consideration, the adult CNS continue to express those signals and can direct specific and regionally appropriate differentiation of those engrafted cells. Lastly, the data reviewed in the studies, discussed in the chapter, indicate that some neural cell lines can recognize micro-environmental signals from the lesioned adult CNS and/or the CNS genetically deficient in a specific neural cell type and preferentially differentiate along a lineage that is essential for functional repair.
The Case Against Tax Incentives for Organ Transfers

Each year some 6,700 Americans die while awaiting an organ transplant. On its face, this fact seems almost inconsequential, representing less than 3% of American deaths annually. However, for the nearly 100,000 patients on the transplant wait list (and their families), nothing could be more consequential. What is more, the demand for transplantable organs is sure to rise as (1) more diseases become subject to prevention or cure, making organ failure the first sign of medical problems; (2) the success rate for transplants increases, leading to wider use; and (3) barriers to inclusion on the wait list are removed. In this article, I leave to one side the much-debated question about whether it is ethical to permit individuals to sell and buy organs. Instead, I examine the arguments for creating tax incentives for organ donations in light of the goals, principles and practices of our tax system and conclude that currently tax incentives are an inefficient and inappropriate means to encourage increased donations of organs. First, I argue that allowing such incentives would be directly contrary to our current tax treatment of donations in that it would allow an item never included in the tax base to offset income included in it. Second, using the progressive nature of our tax system to reduce the value of any such incentives to low income taxpayers (or to deny individuals whose income falls below a certain level the incentive at all) is paternalism and cannot be justified by a reduction in the possible coercive effect of such incentives. Third, I contend that opaque means-tax incentives rather than direct payments-should not be employed where the end is as hotly contested as is the commodification of our bodies. In Part II of this article, I provide a brief overview of the current system of organ procurement in the United States, the systemic changes proposed to increase permissible harvesting of organs, and proposed financial and non-financial incentives for organ donation. Part III focuses on the broad goals and principles of our tax system and how tax incentives work. Part IV reviews the primary rationales for using tax incentives to encourage organ donations and argues that they undermine the goals and principles of the tax system. In addition, it raises additional questions in an effort to help guide future debate and policy-making in this field.
A Database System to Advance Subsurface Sensing and Imaging

The CenSSIS Image Database System is a scientific database that enables effective collaboration, scientific data sharing and accelerates fundamental research. We describe a state-of-the-art system that uses the Oracle RDBMS and J2EE technologies to provide remote, Internet-based data access. The system incorporates efficient submission and retrieval of images and metadata, indexing of metadata for efficient searching, and complex relational query capabilities.
Real-time VLSI architecture for palm rejection using Wronskian Determinant

Several Human Interface Technology applications require reliable palm rejection. Palm rejection in upcoming touch or Pad technology has a need of hardware implementation with requirements of low power and small area. This paper introduces a hardware implementation of a real-time palm rejection based on Wronskian Determinant. This detection algorithm offers regularity, low complexity and accuracy as well as robustness against global illumination changes. The proposed architecture is able to process incoming frames on-the-fly, therefore requiring a small amount of memory. The maximum frame rate is 15 fps, however the implementation is flexible enough to allow analysis of less frames if required. Processing unit consist of a basic processing element implemented in pipeline fashion and adder tree to produce final results. The architecture was implemented using a XCV800 FPGA. The power consumption of the whole system is 93 mW.
Vibrationally Excited C 4 H

Rotational spectra in four new excited vibrational levels of the linear carbon chain radical C4H were observed in the millimeter band between 69 and 364 GHz in a low pressure glow discharge, and two of these were observed in a supersonic molecular beam between 19 and 38 GHz. All have rotational constants within 0.4% of the ground vibrational state of C4H and were assigned to new bending vibrational levels, two each with and vibrational symmetry. The new levels are tentatively assigned to the and bending vibrational modes (both with symmetry), and the and combination levels ( symmetry) on the basis of the derived spectroscopic constants, relative intensities in our discharge source, and published laser spectroscopic and quantum calculations. Prior spectroscopic constants in the and levels were refined. Also presented are interferometric maps of the ground state and the level obtained with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) near 257 GHz which show that C4H is present near the central star in IRC+10216. We found no evidence with the SMA for the new vibrationally excited levels of C4H at a peak flux density averaged over a synthesized beam of Jy/beam in the 294–296 and 304–306 GHz range, but it is anticipated that rotational lines in the new levels might be observed in IRC+10216 when ALMA attains its full design capability.
Laser Diagnostics Of Photochemistry And Reaction Dynamics

Experiments will be described which illustrate how tunable dye lasers are used to determine the quantum state distributions of the free radicals that are produced in photochemical systems. Other experiments will be described to show how lasers can be used to accurately measure the effects of internal energy upon the rate of chemical reactions.
Factors influencing prostate cancer specific mortality in patients receiving delayed androgen deprivation therapy for metastasis after biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy

4571 Background: For men developing PSA failure after radical prostatectomy (RP), administration of immediate androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has not been shown to improve survival compared to delaying ADT until evidence of metastatic disease. We evaluated factors influencing prostate cancer (PCa) specific mortality (PCSM) in a cohort of PSA era patients developing metastases after RP treated with delayed ADT. Methods: 3,658 men had RP by a single surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 4/82 until 6/05. 553 had PSA failure. 216 developed radiographically evident distant metastasis. Of these, 91 men formed the study cohort: initially treated during the PSA era (1987–2005), received ADT only after documented metastasis, and having complete data. 41 of these men died. Median failure times were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method. Prognostic impact was estimated as the hazard ratio (HR) derived from the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Median followup from RP was 10 yrs (range 2–18). Actuarial me...
Usefulness of Serum Lipase, Esterase, and Amylase Estimation in the Diagnosis of Pancreatitis—a Comparison

Sera of 19 individuals with clinically established pancreatitis were analyzed for lipase activity on emulsion-type and aqueous substrates. Serum amylase concentrations were compared. Results obtained on the first and subsequent days of hospitalization clearly indicated that methods for lipase determination in which an emulsion-type substrate is used are of the greatest aid in diagnosing pancreatitis (90 to 92% of patients with pancreatitis had supranormal results). Amylase determinations were nearly as useful as an index (78% correlation), but "lipase" values obtained with methods in which aqueous substrates are used had limited clinical usefulness (29 and 32% correlation). Serum lipase elevations in cases of pancreatitis were generally greater than amylase elevations, with some exceptions. Serum lipase should be determined with a method in which emulsion-type substrates are used. Lipase and amylase values supplement one another.
Analysis of Body Measurements and Wing Shape to Discriminate Rhagoletis pomonella and Rhagoletis zephyria (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Washington State

Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a quarantine pest of apple (Malus sp.) in Washington state that is almost identical morphologically to Rhagoletis zephyria Snow, a nonpest of apple. Historically, the longer ovipositor in R. pomonella has been used to separate it from R. zephyria, despite overlap in ovipositor lengths. Here, the objectives were to determine whether use of multiple body measurements and wing shape can improve discrimination of the species. Ovipositor lengths allowed 94.6% correct identification of female R. pomonella but only 7.0% correct identification of R. zephyria. We found that multiple body measurements and wing shape can better separate these species. Canonical variates analysis (CVA) of nine body measurements in female flies largely separated the species. In contrast, CVA of nine body measurements poorly separated the males of these species. Discriminant analysis using nine body measurements classified female R. pomonella and R. zephyria with 95.4 and 100% accuracy, respectively. Geometric morphometrics and CVA separated wing shapes between species in both sexes. Bookstein shape coordinates indicated that the wing of R. pomonella is more tapered at the tip than that of R. zephyria. Use of wing shape in an assignments test identified female R. pomonella with 98.5% and female R. zephyria with 99.0% accuracy, and it correctly identified 100% of flies whose identities were questionable based on ovipositor lengths. Results indicate that use of multiple body measurements or wing shape is an improvement over the use of ovipositor length alone for identifying female R. pomonella and R. zephyria in Washington state.
INFECTIOUS BOVINE RHINOTRACHEITIS VIRUS REPLICATION, CYTOPATHOLOGY, AND PLAQUE FORMATION IN THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF NUCLEIC ACID ANALOGUES

Abstract Stevens, Jack G. (University of Washington, Seattle), and Neal B. Groman. Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus replication, cytopathology, and plaque formation in the presence and absence of nucleic acid analogues. J. Bacteriol. 87:446–453. 1964.—Cytopathology induced by infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus was correlated with the one-step growth cycle. Nuclear alterations, including the development of inclusion bodies, preceded the appearance of virus. It was found that similar effects occurred in the presence of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BUDR) and 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FUDR), compounds which depress the yield of “standard” virus from a range of 116 to 500 to less than 0.5 plaque-forming units per cell. As with known members of the herpesvirus group, IBR virus plaques developed and enlarged indefinitely in the presence of specific antibody. An analysis of the mechanism operative in this process was undertaken. The evidence suggested that neither viral nor subviral particles capable of replicating “standard” virus passed between cells during the first 8 hr of infection. This is the time preceding the release of extracellular virus from initially infected cells. With BUDR and FUDR, it was shown that plaques also developed in this system in the virtual absence of production of “standard” infectious virus. However, a class of analogue-dependent virus was found which may have been at least partly responsible for plaque formation in the analogue-treated system. The relative contributions of subviral particles or of a self-sustaining molecular disorganization to the process have not been completely assessed as yet.
The Outer Radiation Belt and Auroræ

Diurnal variations were observed in the latitude of the hydrogen lines in auroras at College, Alaska. The variation is approxirnately sinusoidal with latitude minima at local midnight. The magnitude of the shift during geomagnetically quiet periods requires the solar wind to penetrate to within 4 to 5 earth radii from the center of the earth. This corresponds to a translational kinetic energy density of about 300 to 6OO kev/cm/sup 3/ for the wind. which is within the energy range suggested by other measurements. The position of the belt must have a diurnal variation such that the tips are always over the auroral regions at night, and the day side is slightly compressed from the usual dipole shape by the solar wind. The meager space-probe observations of the belt are tabulated and tend to support the unsymmetric model. (B.O.G.)
Tillage and agricultural sustainability

Agricultural sustainability implies an increasing trend in per capita productivity to meet the present needs without jeopardizing the future potential. Soil tillage, soil surface management to alleviate soil-related constraints to crop production, is a basic and an important input with short- and long-term effects on sustainability. An important effect of soil tillage on sustainability is through its impact on the environment e.g. soil degradation, water quality, emission of greenhouse gases from soil-related processes, etc. The need to attain agricultural sustainability is particularly urgent in several tropical eco-regions and soils of low-carrying capacity in the tropics. Soil tillage influences atricultural sustainability through its effects on soil processes, soil properties, and crop growth. However, there is no one blueprint of a universally applicable sustainable tillage system. Appropriate tillage systems are soil- and crop-specific and their adaptation is governed by both biophysical and socio-economic factors. In addition to increasing crop yields, tillage methods must also facilitate soil and water conservation, improve root system development, maintain a favorable level of soil organic matter content, and reverse degradative in the soil's life-support processes. Important components or sub-systems of conservation-effective tillage systems include mulch farming, no-till or reduced tillage systems, use of cover crops and planted fallows, agroforestry, raised beds or ridge-tillage, and soil inversion or deep plowing. The ecological limits for the applicability of these components or sub-systems differ widely. The efforts of a multi-disciplinary team (comprising soil scientists, agricultural engineers, agronomists, economists and social scientists) are needed to develop site-specific tillage methods to achieve both short- and long-term goals of agricultural sustainability.
Social Media, Public Scholarship, and Injury Prevention

This marks the Emory Center for Injury Control's fifth special issue on injury prevention and control. Each year we have tried to identify important themes for injury prevention and public health, such as bridging research to practice, multidisciplinary collaborations, and vulnerable populations. This year our focus is on using social media in injury prevention practice and research.
Relationship between visible and heritable chromosome damage in trout cells and embryos

The disruption of chromosome segregation which is detected visually by the anaphase aberration (aa) test suggests that unequal amounts of DNA are distributed to daughter cells and possibly to subsequent cell generations. To investigate this possibility trout cell cultures and trout embryos (blastodisc) were exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and the nitrosamide, MNNG, respectively. They were then examined by flow cytometry to determine if anaphase damage resulted in unequal DNA distribution to daughter cells. Both B[a]P and MNNG produced a significant increase (P < 0·01) in aa in cultured cells after 48 h exposure. These values returned to normal by 10 days in the absence of the genotoxic agents, except for the highest concentration (0·5 μg/ml MNNG), which showed only a 50% recovery by that time. Likewise, the coefficient of variation (CV) of nuclear DNA content of the cells also rose significantly after treatment and remained elevated for as long as 14 days following exposure. Experiments with rainbow trout embryos also showed a significant increase in both aa and CV following exposure to MNNG. Flow cytometric analysis of DNA content of trout cells and embryos following exposure to mutagens showed an unequal distribution of DNA that was transmissible through several cell generations. These findings indicate that visible anaphase aberrations could predict heritable genetic defects such as those associated with aneuploidy.
Quantitative trait loci increasing acylsugars in tomato breeding lines and their impacts on silverleaf whiteflies

Solanum pennellii LA716, a wild relative of tomato, produces acylsugars, an insect resistance compound with activity against many tomato insect pests. Breeding of cultivated tomato using S. pennellii LA716 as a donor parent has led to the development of the elite acylsugar-producing tomato breeding line CU071026. CU071026 contains five introgressed S. pennellii genomic regions, and produces acylsugars at moderate levels that are effective against insect pests. A BC1F1 population was created by crossing the F1 CU071026 × S. pennellii LA716 with CU071026 as the recurrent parent; this BC1F1 population was used to identify additional regions of the S. pennellii genome important for further improvement of acylsugar production. This population was genotyped with 94 markers in the segregating regions and phenotyped for level of acylsugar production. Using QTLNetwork 2.1 for the detection of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and epistatic interactions, this study identified five QTL for total acylsugar level. Additionally, two epistatic interactions between QTL were found to control significant levels of total acylsugar production. Two of the QTL identified were further evaluated in silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) field cage trials using acylsugar breeding lines that differ for the presence/absence of these QTL. While high levels of silverleaf whitefly resistance were observed in all acylsugar breeding lines, lines containing the additional QTL on either chromosomes 6 or 10 had increased levels of total acylsugar production and reduced incidence of whitefly. Acylsugar lines containing the chromosome 6 QTL also had increased density of the type IV glandular trichomes which produce and exude acylsugars.
Determination of lactose intolerance by breath analysis

Lactose tolerance was evaluated by measuring the amount of hydrogen present in expired air at 30-min intervals for 8 hr after a test dose was given. One Afro-American and five Chinese men showed peak bacterial production of hydrogen 21/2–3 hr after taking 48 gm of lactose as such or as milk, and had sustained high values near 100 ppm hydrogen in expired air. Under the same conditions, Caucasians who tolerated milk well had less than 20 ppm hydrogen in the breath. The method offers several advantages over other diagnostic tests and is particularly well suited to field use.
Further investigations of the effect of replacing lithium by sodium on lithium silicate scintillating glass efficiency

Abstract Ce 3+ doped lithium ( 6 Li) silicate glasses are thermal neutron detectors. Prior work showed that when sodium (Na) is substituted for Li the scintillation efficiency, under beta particle stimulation, increased and then decreased as the sodium (Na) content was increased. When all the 6 Li was replaced by Na no scintillation was observed. Raman spectra, acquired using a visible excitation source, provided no evidence of anomalous behavior. SEM microscopy did show some phase separation, but there was no obvious correlation with the scintillation efficiency. We have reexamined these glass samples using deep UV Raman excitation which reduces fluorescence interference. The newly acquired spectra show evidence of phase separation in the glasses. Specifically we see a peak at 800 cm − 1 Raman shift which can be assigned to a vitreous silica moiety that results from phase separation. There is a strong correlation between this peak's area, the scintillation efficiency, and the Na content. The observed trend suggests that phase separation enhances scintillation and addition of Na reduces the amount of phase separation. We also see evidence of at least two defect structures that can be tentatively assigned to a three-membered ring structure and an oxygen vacancy. The latter is fairly strongly correlated with enhanced scintillation efficiency.
Immune from It All

Mucosal surfaces in our guts and airways are “points of first contact” with elements of the outside world, and many of the same biological mechanisms at play in our guts are also at play in our lungs. Thus, it is no surprise that these surfaces are both equipped with immune and host defense
Benefit-cost analysis of brief physician advice with problem drinkers in primary care settings.

Background.Few studies have estimated the economic costs and benefits of brief physician advice in managed care settings.Objective.To conduct a benefit-cost analysis of brief physician advice regarding problem drinking.Design.Patient and health care costs associated with brief advice were compared w
A Comparison of the Rates of Regeneration from Old and from New Tissue.

they lie in separate chromosomes. Further the gene for the character of the base of the grain segregates independently of the color genes. It, therefore, probably lies in a fourth chromosome. The seven characters given in table 1 are very closely if not absolutely linked with the character of the base. If these seven characters may be supposed to be due to separate pairs of genes these must lie in this fourth chromosome. Still a ninth pair of genes is located in this fourth chromosome, viz., that for smoothness (lack of pubescence) on the back of the upper grain. This gene is apparently located at a slight distance from the group discussed above since it shows about 1.5% of crossovers with the members of that group. The gene for pubescence on the back of the lower grain is linked with the gene for black color and is, therefore, to be regarded as located in the same chromosome. The per cent of crossovers between these two genes is probably less than 0.7%.
Sexual Abuse and Eating Disorders in a Community Sample of Mexican American Women.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between sexual abuse and eating disorders in a voluntary community sample of Mexican American women. Eighty eating disorder cases were compared to 110 healthy controls on presence of sexual abuse and on characteristics of the abuse. The Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text revision) and the Eating Disorder Examination were used to determine diagnoses and psychiatric comorbidity. Results indicated that compared to controls, cases were more likely to report sexual abuse and had experienced more instances and longer duration of abuse. For the majority of cases, sexual abuse occurred before onset of eating disorder symptoms. There was no relationship between sexual abuse and type of eating disorder or psychiatric comorbidity. Sexual abuse seems to be a risk factor for disordered eating in Mexican Americans. Prolonged abuse and revictimization may increase this risk.
Chicanas and Higher Education: Three Decades of Literature and Thought

The severe under representation of Chicanas in higher education reveals the need to chronicle the evolution of the field of Chicanas and higher education. This article highlights key studies and significant events related to the field of Chicanas and higher education for three decades, beginning with the 1970s and ending with the 1990s. The author synthesizes the schools of thought influential for each decade and concludes with a summary and recommendations for further research.
Characterization and comparison of polyurethane networks prepared using soybean‐based polyols with varying hydroxyl content and their blends with petroleum‐based polyols

Polyurethane Networks (PUNs) were synthesized using polyols derived from soybean oil, petroleum, or a blend of the two in conjunction with diisocyanate. The soybean-based polyols (SBPs) were prepared using air oxidation, or by hydroxylating epoxidized soybean oil. Some of the networks were subjected to several solvents to determine their respective swelling behavior and solubility parameters. Sol-fractions were also determined, and DMA experiments were utilized to monitor the changes in storage modulus and tan δ with temperature for networks with sol and with the sol extracted. A linear relationship was noted between the hydroxyl number of a SBP and the glass transition temperature of its corresponding unextracted PU network within the range of hydroxyl numbers (i.e., 55–237 mg KOH/g) and glass transition temperatures (i.e., −21–+83°C) encountered in this work. This same linear relationship was realized between the weighted hydroxyl number of soy and petroleum-based polyol blends and the glass transition temperature of the resulting unextracted and extracted network PUs within the ranges utilized in this study (i.e., 44–57 mg KOH/g, −54–19°C). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1432–1443, 2006
Habitat Use and Feeding Ecology of Riverine Juvenile American Shad

Abstract We examined premigratory populations of American shad Alosa sapidissima in the upper Delaware River to determine habitat and microhabitat use, differential prey use among habitat types, and habitat suitability indices for this previously unmodeled life stage. Both seining and diving techniques were used to quantify juveniles in six habitat types with six physical habitat covariables. Plankton and drift samples also were compared with stomach contents within habitats. We found no relation between relative abundance of juveniles and habitat type, which suggests general use of most riverine habitats. Physical habitat variables likewise did not affect use of habitat within ranges recorded, with two exceptions: (1) a positive relationship between abundance and water temperature in riffles and (2) a positive relationship between abundance and percent submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) cover in SAV habitats. Opportunistic use of prey items was apparent; however, juveniles selected chironomid larvae and ...
Image Fusion Method Based on Universal Hidden Markov Tree Model in the Contourlet Domain

Considering the statistical characteristics of contourlet coefficients of images, we propose an image fusion method based on the universal contourlet hidden Markov tree (uHMT) model. A salience measure and a match measure are presented according to the probability of a contourlet coefficient belonging to the high state of the uHMT model which needs no training. Experimental results prove the effectiveness of our method in the field of visual quality and objective evaluations.
Effectiveness of Palliative Procedures for Intra-Abdominal Sarcomas

Nearly half of patients with intra-abdominal (retroperitoneal, visceral, or pelvic) sarcoma undergo more than one operation. When the objective shifts from cure to palliation, the clinical quandary of doing no harm and maximizing benefit is magnified. Knowledge of the effectiveness of a procedure at achieving its palliative intent, as well as its attendant morbidity and mortality, is therefore paramount during this deliberation. A retrospective review was performed of all patients with a diagnosis of intra-abdominal sarcoma who underwent a palliative procedure between 1982 and 2003. A procedure was defined as palliative if it was explicitly performed to relieve symptoms. Ten percent (112 of 1084) of patients with a diagnosis of intra-abdominal sarcoma underwent a total of 156 palliative procedures. The most frequent system for which a palliative procedure was performed was gastrointestinal (68 of 156; 44%). Overall, 71% of patients had improvement of symptoms 30 days after the operation, whereas only 54% of patients remained symptom free after 100 days. Although 54% of gastrointestinal tract obstructive symptoms were successfully relieved at 30 days, only 23% of patients remained symptom free at 100 days. The overall operative morbidity was 29%, and postoperative mortality was 12%. Patients undergoing procedures intended to palliate gastrointestinal obstruction encountered the greatest morbidity (19 of 40; 48%). Successful palliation of many symptoms associated with advanced intra-abdominal sarcoma may be achieved. However, even in highly selected patients, the progressive and pervasive nature of the disease limits the opportunity to attain sustained relief for gastrointestinal obstructive symptoms.
High-pressure methane oxidation behind reflected shock waves

Experiments on CH 4 oxidation behind reflected shock waves were conducted at elevated pressures, and the results compared to a detailed kinetics model. Mixtures of CH 4 and O 2 dilute in either argon or nitrogen were studied over a wide range of stoichiometry (=0.5–4.0), bath gas dilution (90.0–99.5%), pressure (9–480 atm), and temperature (1410–2040 K), corresponding to total concentrations from 5.6×10 −5 to 3.6×10 −3 mol/cm 3 . Reaction progress was monitored using narrow-line laser absorption of OH at 306 nm, infrared emission of CH 4 near 3.4 μm, and pressure measurements. The measured species time-histories and pressure traces were assembled into an extensive database of characteristic reaction times, peak OH mole fractions, and ignition delay times that can be used for comparisons with detailed kinetics mechanisms. The chemical kinetics model utilized in the present comparisons is the latest GRI mechanism, GRI-Mech 1.2. As a whole, agreement between the model predictions and the experimental measurements is good, particularly for ignition delay times. However, based on the results of certain CH 4 profiles, improvements in the model for high-pressure, fuel-rich conditions are needed. Sensitivity and species contribution analyses were used to identify the most important reactions at pressures up to 500 atm, some of which require more accurate rate coefficients. As pressure increases, the CH 3 removal pathways are altered, the CH 3 formation pathways remain the same, and reactions involving HO 2 become important.
Experiments with a Three-Dimensional Statistical Objective Analysis Scheme Using FGGE Data

A three-dimensional (3D), multivariate, statistical objective analysis scheme (referred to as optimum interpolation or OI) has been developed for use in numerical weather prediction studies with the FGGE data. Some novel aspects of the present scheme include: (1) a multivariate surface analysis over the oceans, which employs an Ekman balance instead of the usual geostrophic relationship, to model the pressure-wind error cross correlations, and (2) the capability to use an error correlation function which is geographically dependent. A series of 4-day data assimilation experiments are conducted to examine the importance of some of the key features of the OI in terms of their effects on forecast skill, as well as to compare the forecast skill using the OI with that utilizing a successive correction method (SCM) of analysis developed earlier. For the three cases examined, the forecast skill is found to be rather insensitive to varying the error correlation function geographically. However, significant differences are noted between forecasts from a two-dimensional (2D) version of the OI and those from the 3D OI, with the 3D OI forecasts exhibiting better forecast skill. The 3D OI forecasts are also more accurate than those from the SCM initial conditions. The 3D OI with the multivariate oceanic surface analysis was found to produce forecasts which were slightly more accurate, on the average, than a univariate version.
Quasi-equilibrium theory for the distribution of rare alleles in a subdivided population: justification and implications.

Abstract This paper examines a quasi-equilibrium theory of rare alleles for subdivided populations that follow an island-model version of the Wright–Fisher model of evolution. All mutations are assumed to create new alleles. We present four results: (1) conditions for the theory to apply are formally established using properties of the moments of the binomial distribution; (2) approximations currently in the literature can be replaced with exact results that are in better agreement with our simulations; (3) a modified maximum likelihood estimator of migration rate exhibits the same good performance on island-model data or on data simulated from the multinomial mixed with the Dirichlet distribution, and (4) a connection between the rare-allele method and the Ewens Sampling Formula for the infinite-allele mutation model is made. This introduces a new and simpler proof for the expected number of alleles implied by the Ewens Sampling Formula.
An In Vitro Model of Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia

An in vitro preparation of rabbit right atrium, including the A-V node (AVN) and bundle of His, was utilized to evaluate the mechanism of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Microelectrode recordings from atrium and AVN were obtained. During sinus rhythm the atrial cycle was explored with atrial premature depolarizations (APD). Fifty episodes of an arrhythmia with characteristics identical to SVT in man were produced in six of 40 rabbits. In vitro, SVT: (1) was initiated by a single APD showing prolonged conduction in the AVN; (2) had initial cycles similar to atrial echoes; (3) in most instances showed 1:1 A-V conduction; (4) lasted 20 to 500 cycles; and (5) could be ended by a single APD which penetrated the AVN. Reentry in the upper AVN was established by the recording of action potentials from nodal cells which showed marked electrotonic "humps" during repolarization. SVT and atrial echoes could not be produced after damaging or sectioning the upper AVN. An in vitro model of SVT supports th...
“Frustrated,” “Depressed,” and “Devastated” Pediatric Trainees: US Academic Medical Centers Fail to Provide Adequate Workplace Breastfeeding Support

Background:Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is recommended until about 6 months of age. Pediatricians are at the forefront of encouraging mothers to achieve this goal, yet pediatricians who parent during their training may face substantial barriers in achieving their own breastfeeding goals.Objectives:This study aimed to assess breastfeeding support available to US pediatricians in training and the effect of trainees’ personal experiences on their attitude toward breastfeeding.Methods:An online survey was emailed to American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Medical Students, Residents, and Fellowship Trainees members.Results:There were 927 respondents, of which 421 had children and 346 breastfed their children. Almost 80% agreed that 6 months is the ideal duration for EBF. One in 4 did not have access to or were not aware of a private room to express milk or breastfeed. Forty percent needed to extend the duration of their training for a longer maternity leave, with breastfeeding a factor for longer leave amo...
Effects of scanning rate on relaxation-induced blurring in magnetic particle image

We measured the relaxation times of PSFs acquired at a range of scanning rate, which was varied by changing the excitation field strength. As excitation scanning rate increased, measured relaxation times decreased (Figure 1b). This effect is likely due to the stronger magnetic torque acting on the particles. Relaxation field delays were calculated for the same data to observe how relaxation time delays translated to delays in field after taking into account the scanning rate. As the excitation field was scanned faster, relaxation field delays increased (Figure 1c). FWHM measurements followed a similar trend as the relaxation field delays and increased as scanning rate increased (Figure 1d). Although faster scanning decreases relaxation times, increasing scanning rate exacerbates image blur due to relaxation.
Emotional Maltreatment, Peer Victimization, and Depressive versus Anxiety Symptoms During Adolescence: Hopelessness as a Mediator

Extensive comorbidity between depression and anxiety has driven research to identify unique and shared risk factors. This study prospectively examined the specificity of three interpersonal stressors (emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and relationally oriented peer victimization) as predictors of depressive versus anxiety symptoms in a racially diverse community sample of adolescents. We expanded on past research by examining hopelessness as a mediator of the relationships between these interpersonal stressors and symptoms. Participants included 225 adolescents (55% African American; 59% female; M age = 12.84 years) who completed measures at baseline (Time 1) and two follow-up assessments (Times 2 and 3). Symptoms of depression and anxiety (social, physical, total) were assessed at Time 1 and Time 3, whereas intervening emotional maltreatment, peer victimization, and hopelessness were assessed at Time 2. Hierarchical linear regressions indicated that emotional abuse was a nonspecific predictor of increases in both depressive symptoms and symptoms of social, physical, and total anxiety, whereas relationally oriented peer victimization predicted depressive symptoms specifically. Emotional neglect did not predict increases in depressive or anxiety symptoms. In addition, hopelessness mediated the relationships between emotional abuse and increases in symptoms of depression and social anxiety. These findings suggest that emotional abuse and relationally oriented peer victimization are interpersonal stressors that are relevant to the development of internalizing symptoms in adolescence and that hopelessness may be one mechanism through which emotional abuse contributes to an increased risk of depression and social anxiety.
Stress-Driven Collective Nucleation of Dislocation Loops

This paper presents an analysis of the collective nucleation of glide dislocation loops under the bias of a high shear stress. It introduces the concept of an ‘induced’ stress field associated with the planar distribution of glide dislocation loops. It shows that, due to the ‘induced’ field, glide dislocations nucleate in a collective, self-catalytic fashion at critical stresses and temperatures.
Vitamin C and gallstone formation: a preliminary report.

Gallstone formation in hypovitaminotic C guinea-pigs fed a high cholesterol diet was associated with qualitative changes in the gallbladder bile, namely, a high cholesterol concentration, a lowered bile acid content and diminished phospholipid-to-cholesterol and bile acid-to-cholesterol ratio.
Isomorphic chain graphs for modeling spatial dependence in ecological data

Graphical models (alternatively, Bayesian belief networks, path analysis models) are increasingly used for modeling complex ecological systems (e.g., Lee, In: Ferson S, Burgman M(eds) Quantative methods for conservation biology. Springer, Berlin Heilin Heideslperk New York, pp.127–147, 2000; Borsuk et al., J Water Res Plann Manage 129:271–282, 2003). Their implementation in this context leverages their utility in modeling interrelationships in multivariate systems, and in a Bayesian implementation, their intuitive appeal of yielding easily interpretable posterior probability estimates. However, methods for incorporating correlational structure to account for observations collected through time and/or space—features of most ecological data—have not been widely studied; Haas et al. (AI Appl 8:15–27, 1994) is one exception. In this paper, an “isomorphic” chain graph (ICG) model is introduced to account for correlation between samples by linking site-specific Bayes network models. Several results show that the ICG preserves many of the Markov properties (conditional and marginal dependencies) of the site-specific models. The ICG model is compared with a model that does not account for spatial correlation. Data from several stream networks in the Willamette River valley, Oregon (USA) are used. Significant correlation between sites within the same stream network is shown with an ICG model.
Sector Investment Growth Rates and the Cross Section of Equity Returns

We examine the importance of the information contained in sector investment growth rates for explaining the cross section of equity returns. We propose an empirical specification that outperforms the capital asset pricing model and Cochrane’s (1996) model and performs at least as well as the Fama‐French (1993) and Lettau‐Ludvigson (2001) models in explaining the 25 Fama‐French size‐sorted and book‐to‐market‐sorted portfolios, as well as other sets of test assets.
Hyperthyroidism with interferon-ribavirin therapy for hepatitis C: a case report and proposed treatment algorithm.

Hyperthyroidism with interferon-ribavirin therapy for hepatitis C: a case report and proposed treatment algorithm