cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Six general principles of intelligence

(1989). Six general principles of intelligence. International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence: Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 475-491.
Experience, time investment, and motivators of nursing journal peer reviewers.

Purpose: To describe nursing journal reviewers' professional backgrounds, reviewing experience, time investment, and perceptions of their role. Design: Exploratory descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: A 69-question survey containing both fixed-option and open-ended questions and accessed via the World Wide Web was completed by 1,675 nursing journal reviewers who had been invited to participate by editors of 52 nursing journals. Findings: Participants were from 44 countries, with 74% from the US, and 90% were nurses. The majority were doctorally prepared academics who were involved in research. They reported spending an average of 5 hours on each critique and completed an average of 7–8 reviews per year. The most common reason reported for becoming involved was personal contact with an editor. Lack of time because of competing work commitments was the most commonly cited barrier to reviewing and negative aspect of the role. The most common positive aspect was keeping up to date with the field. Conclusions: Nursing journal peer reviewers express rewards and challenges similar to those reported elsewhere for biomedical journal reviewers. Based on these findings, editors might consider new approaches to recruiting and supporting reviewers, and potential reviewers might gain insight into the role. Support of these distinguished scholars in this important role is critical to sustain the quality of scholarship that informs nursing practice, education, and research. Clinical Relevance: Clinicians, researchers, and educators who rely on the quality of the articles published in nursing journals can learn from this survey about the background and experiences of those who protect that quality by providing expert feedback to authors and editors.
Chromosome instability in cell lineages of amniocyte clones morphologically transformed by Simian virus 40

Abstract Seven clonally derived human amniocyte cell lines from independent Simian virus-40 transformation events were analyzed for chromosomal aberrations in the precrisis stage. The distribution of chromosomal aberrations over the haploid complement was nonrandom. With increasing passage number the of involved chromosomes increased, but the type of aberrations were the same: dicentric chromosomes and translocations due, respectively, to fusion of telomeres and breakage in the centromere regions. Interruptions to telomeres were also evident from extrachromosomal material terminally on the p arms, especially, of chromosomes #7 and #11. The cytogenetic similarities between the present results and those in transfection experiments are mentioned. All seven clones became highly heterogeneous over 10 to 20 passages (i.e., 30–60 population doublings) when, in general, transformed amniocytes enter crisis. The chromosomes which were nonrandomly involved in aberrations exhibited great diversity in types of rearrangements. Thus, for each clone multiple different rearrangements for specific chromosomes were observed in different cells. Most of these aberrations had a single step origin, which implies that breakage occurred repeatedly for the same chromosome in different cells, suggesting that the specific chromosome had become unstable in an earlier cell generation. Thus, we observed development of clonal chromosome instability, a phenomenon not reported for viral transformed cells.
A grade-six reading level key for the multiple affect adjective check list-revised.

Data from samples of College Students (n = 433), Adolescents (n = 746), and a community mental health center sample (Outpatients) (n = 202) were rescored using a scoring key that consisted of adjectives from the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List-Revised at or below the Grade 4 reading level (MAACL-R4). Factor analyses showed that, unlike the MAACL-R, a three-factor structure (Positive Affect 4, Anxious Depression 4, and Hostility 4) best described the 38 Grade 4 adjectives on the MAACL-R4. Estimates of reliability (internal consistency and test-retest) for each scale were acceptable. Correlations between scores on MAACL-R4 and four Self-rating Mood Scales showed expected convergent and discriminant validities. Also, patterns of means among the three groups could differentiate the nonreferred from referred samples.
The effect of pharmacological levels of dietary vanadium on the egg production, shell thickness and egg yolk cholesterol in laying hens and coturnix.

The addition of 100 p.p.m. of vanadium to a ration for White Leghorn laying hens caused a significant increase (p less than 0.01) in the egg shell thickness, but did not cause any significant change in the production, egg weight or egg ypok cholesterol content. The addition of 300 p.p.m. of vanadium caused a severe depression in the egg production which was the only symptom of vanadium toxicity to be observed. The addition of 50, 100, 200 or 300 p.p.m. vanadium to the ration of laying coturnix did not cause any significant change in egg production, egg weight, or egg yolk cholesterol content. The addition of the same levels of vanadium to one-day old male coturnix chicks did not cause any significant growth depression or mortality. We suggest that coturnix may be more resistant to vanadium toxicity than chickens.
Analytical expression of the force due to multiple TM plane-wave incidences on an infinite lossless dielectric circular cylinder of arbitrary size

A closed-form expression of the force on an infinite lossless dielectric cylinder illuminated by a TM incidence (electric field parallel to the cylinder's axis) is derived. The formula, expressed as a simple sum, is straightforward to compute and is shown to be faster converging than the direct application of the Maxwell stress tensor and the expansion of the fields in the cylindrical coordinate system. A generalization of the formula to multiple incidences is provided and is illustrated by studying the force due to a Gaussian beam on cylinders of various parameters. We show in this way that the effects of the gradient of the intensity profile on the transverse and longitudinal confinements are decoupled, due to the permittivity contrast and to the size of the particle. Since the formula we derive is exact and is therefore not limited to the Rayleigh or ray optics regime, we expect it to be important for the modeling of optical forces on elongated particles of arbitrary sizes.
Recent Developments in Earthquake Hazards Studies

In recent years, there has been great progress understanding the underlying causes of earthquakes, as well as forecasting their occurrence and preparing communities for their damaging effects. Plate tectonic theory explains the occurrence of earthquakes at discrete plate boundaries, such as subduction zones and transform faults, but diffuse plate boundaries are also common. Seismic hazards are distributed over a broad region within diffuse plate boundaries. Intraplate earthquakes occur in otherwise stable crust located far away from any plate boundary, and can cause great loss of life and property. These earthquakes cannot be explained by classical plate tectonics, and as such, are a topic of great scientific debate. Earthquake hazards are determined by a number of factors, among which the earthquake magnitude is only one factor. Other critical factors include population density, the potential for secondary hazards, such as fire, landslides and tsunamis, and the vulnerability of man-made structures to severe strong ground motion. In order to reduce earthquake hazards, engineers and scientists are taking advantage of new technologies to advance the fields of earthquake forecasting and mitigation. Seismicity is effectively monitored in many regions with regional networks, and world seismicity is monitored by the Global Seismic Network that consists of more than 150 high-quality, broadband seismic stations using satellite telemetry systems. Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) systems monitor crustal strain in tectonically active and intraplate regions. A relatively recent technology, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) uses radar waves emitted from satellites to map the Earth’s surface at high (sub-cm) resolution. InSAR technology opens the door to continuous monitoring of crustal deformation within active plate boundaries. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), along with other partners, has created ShakeMap, an online notification system that provides near-real-time post-earthquake maps of ground shaking intensity. These maps are especially useful for the coordination of emergency response teams and for the improvement of building codes. Using a combination of these new technologies, with paleoseismology studies, we have steadily improved the science of earthquake forecasting whereby one estimates the probability that an earthquake will occur during a specified time interval. A very recent development is Earthquake Early Warning, a system that will provide earthquake information within seconds of the initial rupture of a fault. These systems will give the public some tens of seconds to prepare for imminent earthquake strong ground motion. Advances in earthquake science hold the promise of diminishing earthquake hazards on a global scale despite ever-increasing population growth.
A Special Section

This month, we include a small special section that covers the broad nature of infrared radiometric sensor calibration. Guest editor Alan Thurgood has selected a sampling of papers from the annual symposium on Infrared Radiometric Sensor Calibration that is hosted by the Space Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The latest of these symposia was held 13–15 May 1997. The goal of the symposium is to provide a forum for those engaged in the calibration and evaluation of infrared radiometric sensors.
The Positives of Negative Emotions: Willingness to Express Negative Emotions Promotes Relationships

Four studies support the hypothesis that expressing negative emotion is associated with positive relationship outcomes, including elicitation of support, building of new close relationships, and heightening of intimacy in the closest of those relationships. In Study 1, participants read vignettes in which another person was experiencing a negative emotion. Participants reported they would provide more help when the person chose to express the negative emotion. In Study 2, participants watched a confederate preparing for a speech. Participants provided more help to her when she expressed nervousness. In Study 3, self-reports of willingness to express negative emotions predicted having more friends, controlling for demographic variables and extraversion. In Study 4, self-reports of willingness to express negative emotion measured prior to arrival at college predicted formation of more relationships, greater intimacy in the closest of those relationships, and greater received support from roommates across pa...
Phaeohyphomycosis in a Tertiary Care Cancer Center

Background. Phaeohyphomycosis is a rare opportunistic fungal infection. To assess the range of clinical presentations and outcomes of phaeohyphomycosis in patients with cancer, we reviewed cases diagnosed at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX). Methods. We searched the microbiology laboratory records for dematiaceous molds that had been isolated during the period from January 1989 through March 2008. Demographic and clinical data were abstracted from patients' medical records. Invasive phaeohyphomycosis was defined according to the criteria of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycosis Study Group for proven or probable invasive fungal disease. Archived dematiaceous mold isolates were tested for antifungal drug susceptibility. Results. Of 348 isolates of dematiaceous fungi recovered, only 39 isolates (11%), recovered from 39 patients, were associated with proven or probable invasive fungal disease (33 proven and 6 probable). The incidence rate of phaeohyphomycosis increased from 1.0 to 3.1 cases per 100,000 patient-days during the study period (P = .006). Of these 39 patients, 14 (36%) had a breakthrough infection while receiving prophylactic or empirical antifungal therapy. Sites of infection were the lungs (15 [38%] of 39 patients), skin (15 [38%]), sinuses (14 [36%]), and bloodstream (7 [18%]). Thirteen patients (33%) had a disseminated infection. Values of the serum galactomannan index were measured for 11 (28%) of 39 patients. The galactomannan index value was elevated (>0.5) in 5 (45%) of these 11 patients. The mortality rate at 12 weeks was 33%. Cox regression analysis revealed a significantly higher risk of death for patients with disseminated infection (hazard ratio, 5.7; P =.03) and a lower risk for patients who recovered from neutropenia within 30 days (hazard ratio, 0.2; P =.04). Isolates were frequently not susceptible to voriconazole and caspofungin. Conclusions. Although rare, dematiaceous molds are increasingly encountered in immunosuppressed patients with cancer. The propensity of these fungi for dissemination and for resistance to antifungal drugs presents management challenges.
How are windows used? Some notes on creating an empirically-based windowing benchmark task

Users of a windowing system were studied for the purpose of creating an empirically based windowing benchmark. Each filled out a paper questionnaire that sampled subjective opinions of windowing commands, and were observed for approximately 22 minutes while performing typical daily activities on the computer. Subjects were also asked to demonstrate a typical log-on procedure and were personally interviewed. Windowing command frequencies, and screen layout characteristics were collected and analyzed. The data revealed a relatively high use of a small number of commands that were primarily concerned with moving between windows. This study enabled the creation of a more accurate windowing benchmark task.
ION IMPLANTATION OF POLYMERS.

Ion implantation provides a mechanism for radically modifying the electronic and transport properties of a variety of polymers that are normally insulating. By using masks and tailoring the implanted species and ion energies, conducting paths in an insulating medium can be fabricated between specific reference points, an application of obvious relevance to the microelectronics industry. Specific results are reported for modification of the structure, electrical conductivity, thermoelectric-power, optical transmission and electron spin resonance for several polymers under a variety of implantation conditions. The temperature and frequency dependence of the conductivity suggest a onedimensional variable range hopping mechanism for conduction along the polymer chains. Comparison is made between implantation in the 200 keV and 2 MeV energy ranges.
Evaluation of a commercial real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for detection of environmental contamination with Clostridium difficile

Contaminated environmental surfaces are an important source for transmission of Clostridium difficile. However, there are no efficient and easy methods to assess contamination. The performance of a commercial real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was evaluated for detection of environmental toxigenic C. difficile in comparison with anaerobic culture followed by toxin testing of isolates. For 66 sites sampled, PCR had a sensitivity of 17.39%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100% and negative predictive value 69.35%. Increasing the PCR cycle threshold (CT) value to 45 increased sensitivity to 52% without decreasing specificity. The commercial PCR assay is not sufficiently sensitive for environmental monitoring, but improved sensitivity might be possible through CT value modification.
A Performance Analysis of Indirect Routing

Indirect routing involves sending messages between Internet end nodes through a specified intermediate node to effect a different end-to-end route than the default "direct" route. Indirect routing offers the potential for significant improvements in throughput performance by exploiting the Internet's richness in throughput diversity. We present a performance analysis of indirect routing, showing that it can result in a 33-49% increase in average throughput performance while incurring low overhead.
Life Insurance in Developing Countries

Many developing countries consider financial institutions that are locally incorporated or even state-owned monopolies an essential element of their economic and political independence. This cross-sectional study of developing countries presents some empirical tests of the relationship between financial development and the development of the life insurance sector and provides empirical evidence of the negative effect of a monopolistic market on life insurance growth.
MR of the spine in Guillain-Barré syndrome.

MR examination of the spine after injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine showed enhancement of the cauda equina in a case of Guillain-Barr√© syndrome. These MR observations may help confirm the diagnosis of Guillain-Barr√© syndrome.
Converting command-line applications into binary components: Research Articles

A binary component is a separately compiled program that can be used as a part of a larger program. Binary components generally conform to an accepted technology such as JavaBeans or ActiveX, and generally support a rich program interface containing properties, methods and events. Binary components are generally used in a graphical user interface (GUI) environment. There are a number of benefits to be realized by converting command-line software into binary components. The most important of these is that GUI environments are more popular and more familiar to most people than command-line environments. Using binary components can greatly simplify a GUI implementation, to the point where it is only slightly more complicated than a typical command-line implementation. However there are benefits that go beyond mere convenience. Binary components have much richer interfaces than command-line programs. Binary components are service-oriented rather than task-oriented. A task-oriented program has a main routine that is devoted to accomplishing a single task. A service-oriented component has no main routine or main function, but instead provides a variety of services to its clients. Binary components can be easily integrated with one another, which permits a design where each major feature of an application is implemented in a different component. Such a design encourages software reuse at the component level and facilitates low-impact feature upgrades. We first delineate a design-pattern-based methodology for converting command-line programs into components. We then illustrate these principles using two projects, a simulation system for digital circuits, and a data generation system for software and hardware testing. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Viewpoint Recognition in Cardiac CT Images

Position and orientation information is often lacking in DICOM datasets. This creates a need for human involvement or computationally expensive 3D processing for any analytical tool, such as a software-based cognitive assistant, to determine the viewpoint of an input 2D image. We report a solution for cardiac CT viewpoint recognition to identify the desired images for a specific view and subsequent processing and anatomy recognition. We propose a new set of features to describe the global binary pattern of cardiac CT images characterized by the highly attenuating components of the anatomy in the image. We also use five classic image texture and edge feature sets and devise a classification approach based on SVM classification, class likelihood estimation, and majority voting, to classify 2D cardiac CT images into one of six viewpoint categories that include axial, sagittal, coronal, two chamber, four chamber, and short axis views. We show that our approach results in an accuracy of 99.4 % in correct labeling of the viewpoints.
Nematode Communication with Plants is Surprisingly Complex and Multidimensional

Over a century of nematology research has focused on plant parasites that establish intimate symbioses with their host plants, yet the molecular basis of this interaction remains largely unknown. Central to the lifecycle of these obligate parasites is their ability to manipulate host tissue into specialized and dedicated feeding sites. This process is predicated on the ability of the nematodes to interject signaling cues to exploit the developmental plasticity of the host. Recent evidence, including the availability of significant amounts of parasitic genome data, points to diverse interactions that underpin a complex communication network. In this chapter, we examine the hierarchy of these interactions and propose a framework for placing the interactions in a formal context of parasitic symbioses.
Surface Oxidation Kinetics of an a-Si3 N4 and an Amorphous Si3 N4 Powder

Surface oxidation kinetics of an a-Si3 N4 submicron size and an amorphous nano-size powder have been studied using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Bremsstrahlung-excited Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The samples were oxidized by heating in air at temperatures between 850°C and 1000°C. The oxide thickness for each heating time and temperature was determined both from the relative O Is and N Is XPS peak intensities and from the Si02 and Si3 N4 Si KLL peak intensities. In each case, there was a good agreement between the oxide thickness value calculated from the XPS data and that obtained from the AES data. At these temperatures, oxidation followed a linear rate law. Activation energies of 15±1 kcal/mole and 27±1 kcal/mole were measured for the a-powder and the amorphous powder, respectively.
Rural-Urban Migrants in Industrial New England: The Case of Lynn, Massachusetts, in the Mid-Nineteenth Century

The rise of cities in the United States during the nineteenth century is one of the staple themes of American history. Urban historians have charted the course of growth for individual cities, and social historians have examined its impact on groups of urban dwellers. The simultaneous decline of the nation's rural population, which in part fed urban growth, has also been subjected to periodic analysis.' Historical scholarship concerning those developments, however, has been limited by the conceptual framework within which it has been carried out. The rural and urban halves of the process of transformation have rarely been brought together and viewed as interrelated phenomena. The problem is particularly evident among scholars of social and geographical mobility who have studied urban population movements and occupational change but who have almost invariably restricted their research to a single community, be it rural or urban. Within that context, generalizations about social mobility, in turn, have been limited to persistent residents in a given community. On occasion the characteristics of migrants are compared with those of persisters, but rarely is there any analysis of the previous or subsequent experiences of migrants beyond the boundaries of the community under study.2
Clearance of proteins from blood of normal and 6-mercaptopurine treated rabbits.

SummaryRates of elimination of iodinated heterologous and homologous albumins and globulins were studied in normal and 6-mercaptopurine treated animals. The half-life of exponential phase of antigen elimination was the same in normal and in 6-mercap-topurine treated animals. These results were similar to those obtained by others in X-irradiated and tolerant rabbits and support the view that the exponential phase of antigen elimination is not due to antibody formation.
Surface Conductivity and the Streaming Potential near a Rotating Disk-Shaped Sample

Surface conductivity can complicate the determination of a sample’s zeta potential from electrokinetic measurements. Correction factors have been derived to mitigate the problem for common systems such as particles, plates, and porous plugs. These factors are functions of the Dukhin number Du given by Ks/Ka where Ks is the surface conductivity, K is the electrolyte conductivity, and a is a length scale appropriate for the sample geometry. Here, the correction factor for the rotating disk geometry, in terms comparable to equations for particles, capillaries, and porous plugs, is shown to be f(Du) ≃ 1 + 1.516Du + 0.135Du2. The reciprocal of the f(Du) equation expresses the factor by which surface conductivity reduces the measured streaming potential for a given sample’s true zeta potential. The theory shows that surface conductivity is negligible in the rotating disk geometry for essentially all ionic strengths because the disk radius is the natural length scale for Du. The correction for surface conductivi...
Influence of Anti-syphilis Treatment on Pregnancy Outcome and Neonatal Prognosis

Objective To explore the influence of treatment against syphilis on pregnancy outcome and neonatal prognosis. Methods The data of 5 224 cases of pregnant women from January to December 2013 were analyzed. All the pregnant women were screened by toluidine red unheated serum test(TRUST) method. Then, T.pallidum passive partide agglutining assay(TPPA) was used to confirm those positive cases from TRUST. At last, 128 cases of syphilis in those pregnant women were confirmed. According to whether the pregnant women accepted antenatal examination and treatment, they were divided into treatment group and non-treatment group. The pregnancy outcome and neonatal prognosis of these two groups of women were then compared and analyzed. Results The pregnancy outcome of these two groups had comparatively big difference, but without significant difference(χ2=3.34, P 0.05). The neonatal prognosis of the two groups was significantly different(χ2=9.14, P 0.05). Moreover, TPPA showed positive in all newborn infants, and TURST showed 85 positive cases. Conclusion Early finding and treatment of pregnant women with syphilis by screening before pregnancy or during the early period of pregnancy can reduce abortion, stillbirth, fetal abnormalities, and the incidence of neonatal congenital syphilis.
Abstract B49: Histone H3K27 tri-methylation regulates DPYD expression and cellular sensitivity of 5-fluorouracil

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is a major determinant of the efficacy and toxicity of 5-fluorouracil in various cancer therapies. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within DPYD have been studied extensively for years. However, known SNPs do not explain most cases of altered DPD activity and response to 5-FU. Furthermore, variations of DPYD expression in cancer patients have been reported; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is unclear. This suggests that regulation of DPYD expression may be an additional mechanism to control DPD activity. In this study, we focused on epigenetic regulation of DPD and specifically investigated the role of histone methylation on DPYD expression. Inhibition of the H3K27 methyl-transferase Ezh2 by either GSK-126 or a dominant-negative histone H3 mutant significantly increased DPYD expression in various cell lines. The expression of thymidylate synthetase, a major target of 5-fluorouracil toxicity, was not altered. Consistent with elevated DPYD expression, cells that lost H3K27me3 were more resistant to 5-fluorouracil. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Ezh2 and H3K27me3 were enriched on the promoter and the first exon of DPYD in low-DPD expressing cells, but not in cell lines with high DPD levels. Additionally, the enrichment of H3K27me3 on the DPYD promoter was negatively correlated with cellular DPD activity in peripheral mononuclear cells from healthy volunteers. Finally, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeting of Ezh2 to the DPYD promoter artificially increased H3K27me3 and suppressed DPYD expression. Collectively, these data suggest that histone methylation can regulate DPYD expression, providing a previously unrecognized mechanism of 5-fluorouracil sensitivity. The tri-methylation of H3K27 is a potential biomarker for guiding individualized 5-FU therapy. Citation Format: Rentian Wu, Steven Offer, Calvin Jerde, Garrett Dunlap, Robert Diasio. Histone H3K27 tri-methylation regulates DPYD expression and cellular sensitivity of 5-fluorouracil. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Sep 24-27, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B49.
Testing an expanded theory of planned behavior model to explain marijuana use among emerging adults in a promarijuana community.

Opinions about marijuana use within the US are becoming increasingly favorable, making it important to understand how psychosocial influences impact individuals’ use within this context. Here we use the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to examine the influence of initial attitudes, norms, and efficacy to resist use on initial intentions, and then the effect of initial intentions on actual marijuana use measured one year later using data drawn from a community with relatively high use. We expanded the traditional TPB model by investigating two types of normative influence (descriptive and injunctive) and two types of intentions (use intentions and proximity intentions), reasoning that exposure to high use in the population may produce high descriptive norms and proximity intentions overall, but not necessarily increase actual use. By contrast, we expected greater variability in injunctive norms and use intentions and that only use intentions would predict actual use. Consistent with hypotheses, intentions to use marijuana were predicted by injunctive norms (and attitudes) and in turn predicted marijuana use one year later. By contrast, descriptive norms were relatively high among all participants and did not predict intentions. Moreover, proximity intentions were not predictive of actual use. We also found that increasing intentions to use over a one year period predicted greater use. Given the greater efficacy of theory-based as compared to non-theory-based interventions, these findings provide critical information for the design of successful interventions to decrease marijuana-associated harms.
Electrode Reactions on Heterogeneous Surfaces

The two basic premises of the discussion of electrode kinetics in the preceding chapter are: a) Each of the rate constants has the same value on any site of the surface. b) The current distribution is uniform across the surface.
Optimizing element positioning in sparse arrays for nearfield mm-wave imaging

In order to minimize hardware and processing complexity in a nearfield mm-wave imaging, it is important to reduce the number of receiving elements as much as possible without significantly compromising reconstruction quality. While array thinning has been long practiced for farfield antenna systems, nearfield array thinning is novel in that the figure of merit (or cost function) is based on the wideband point spread function of the array when viewed as a transmitter. Simulated annealing is used to optimize the element positions for a quarter-circle array for 83% and 90% thinning with minimal and reasonable PSF distortion.
To ventricular assist devices or not: When is implantation of a ventricular assist device appropriate in advanced ambulatory heart failure?

To ventricular assist devices or not: When is implantation of a ventricular assist device appropriate in advanced ambulatory heart failure?
A genome-wide profiling of brain DNA hydroxymethylation in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract Introduction DNA methylation is a key epigenetic mechanism in brain aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The newly discovered 5-hydroxymethylcytosine mediates DNA demethylation, is highly abundant in the brain, and is dynamically regulated by life experiences. However, little is known about its genome-wide patterns and potential role in AD. Methods Using a genome-wide capture followed by high-throughput sequencing, we studied the genome-wide distribution of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine at specific genomic loci in human AD brain and identified differentially hydroxymethylated regions (DhMRs) associated with AD pathology. Results We identified 517 DhMRs significantly associated with neuritic plaques and 60 DhMRs associated with neurofibrillary tangles. DNA hydroxymethylation in gene bodies was predominantly positively correlated with cis -acting gene expression. Moreover, genes showing differential hydroxymethylation were significantly enriched in neurobiological processes and clustered in functional gene ontology categories. Discussion Our results reveal a critical role of DNA hydroxymethylation in AD pathology and provide mechanistic insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying AD.
Access to Posthospitalization Acute Care Facilities is Associated with Payer Status for Open Abdominal Aortic Repair and Open Lower Extremity Revascularization in the Vascular Quality Initiative

Background Uninsured patients may not have access to postacute care facilities that play an important role in clinical recovery, and functional outcomes after vascular surgery. We sought to determine whether discharge disposition is associated with insurance status. Methods We retrospectively reviewed data from the Vascular Quality Initiative ® for patients who underwent open abdominal aortic repair, infrainguinal bypass, or suprainguinal bypass (SB) between January 2012 and July 2015. Mixed-effects logistic regression analysis with clustering at the surgeon and facility level was used to calculate 95% confidence intervals for discharge disposition to home, skilled nursing facility (SNF) or rehabilitation (Rehab) facility by payer status (Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial, Military/Veterans Affairs, Non-US Insurance, or Self-pay), with adjustment for patient, operative, and postoperative characteristics. Results The study cohort comprised 18,478 procedures (open abdominal aortic repair = 2,817; infrainguinal bypass = 11,572; suprainguinal bypass = 4,089) after we excluded procedures with missing data and in-hospital deaths. Twenty-four percent of the cohort was discharged to an SNF or Rehab site. On univariate analysis, the odds ratio (OR) of discharge home was 4.38 (95% CI: 3.33–5.77) for self-pay as compared to Medicare. On mixed-effects analysis, the adjusted odds of discharge home for self-pay as compared to Medicare remained high (OR = 3.09; 95% CI: 2.23–4.26), after adjustment for age, gender, race/ethnicity, preoperative ambulatory status, number of comorbidities, case urgency, total operative time, presence of a postoperative complication, procedure type, and length of stay. Adjusted odds for discharge to SNF (OR = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.15–0.46) and Rehab (OR = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.35–0.72) were lowest for self-pay status. Conclusions Access to postacute care facilities is associated with insurance status. Self-pay (uninsured) patients are less likely to have access to discharge services that may aid clinical recovery, and functional outcomes after major vascular surgery.
A Clean and Simple Route to Soft, Biocompatible Nanocapsules via UV-Cross-Linkable Azido-Hyperbranched Polyglycerol

The development of a simple, low-cost, and robust route to soft nanocapsules is an ever-present hurdle and requirement for their promising use in drug encapsulation and delivery. To date, several elegant strategies for nanocapsule formation have emerged. However, some of them fall short of one or several of the requirements including stability, biocompatibility, antifouling, and low cost which ultimately limit their potential impact. Owing to its inherent biocompatibility, low cost, and high functionalization characteristics, hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG) derivatives may offer a possible solution. Through esterification and azidation of HPG hydroxyl groups, an intriguing UV-cross-linkable HPG-azidomethylbenzoyl ester (denoted HPG-4-N3-MBE) is yielded. Over short irradiation periods, fairy uniform wholly polymeric HPG nanocapsules with diameters less than 100 nm can be formed which exhibit good stability due to abundant cross-linking primarily though nitrene–nitrene coupling to produce azo linkages rath...
Enrichment Preferences of Raptors at Elmwood Park Zoo

Environmental enrichment is often offered to animals in captivity to aid in enhancing quality of life by providing appropriate environmental stimuli that improve psychological and physiological well-being. Due to the limited amount of research conducted on raptors and enrichment, I sought to determine raptor preferences of enrichment types through the observation of captive bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and red-tailed hawks ( Buteo jamaicensis ) in the education department at Elmwood Park Zoo. I predicted that the raptors would interact more with natural enrichment items compared to ones that were man-made. Although results showed only the female bald eagle to interact enough with the enrichment items to gather an adequate number of observations, she was found to interact significantly more frequently with natural enrichment items compared to ones that were man-made ( p < 0.0001, FET). These results are not meant to infer that all female bald eagles prefer natural enrichment items over man-made ones, or that all male bald eagles and female and male red-tailed hawks do not prefer any enrichment items. Nonetheless, they justify future research on environmental enrichment preferences involving many more individuals and many more taxa to determine more appropriate enrichment regimens for captive birds of prey.
“Hallelujah”: Parody, Political Catharsis, and Grieving the 2016 Election with Saturday Night Live

In the aftermath of a bitter election, Kate McKinnon opened the November 12th episode of Saturday Night Live dressed as Hillary Clinton and singing Leonard Cohen’s classic, “Hallelujah.” The perfor...
ANGLES AND FIGURES

This chapter focuses on angles and figures. An angle is an amount of turning. An angle can be clockwise or counterclockwise. The full turn is divided into 360 equal parts; each called one degree, symbolized as 1°. A protractor is used to draw and measure angles. The protractor has two scales, both from 0° through 180°: the clockwise outer scale and the counterclockwise inner scale. A triangle is a three-cornered figure consisting of three line segments. Similar figures have the same shape but are not necessarily the same size. A scale drawing is similar in shape to the real object. Architects and engineers make scale drawings to guide workers and get measurements. The scale drawing is proportional to the real object.
Cytokine Immuno-Gene Therapy for Malignant Brain Tumors

The prognosis for patients with malignant glioma is poor. Conventional treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy have done little to affect long-term survival, and new methods of treatment are urgently needed. In this report, approaches involving cytokine gene therapy in treatment of malignant brain tumors are reviewed and contrasted with a strategy developed in this laboratory involving the use of allogeneic cells which have been genetically modified to secrete cytokines. In our studies, mice with an intracerebral glioma, melanoma, or breast carcinoma treated solely by intratumoral injections with allogeneic cells genetically modified to secrete interleukin-2 were found to survive significantly longer than mice in various control groups. The anti-tumor response was mediated predominantly by T-cell subsets (CD8+ and NK/LAK cells). The injections resulted in the killing of only the neoplastic cells; non-neoplastic cells were unaffected. Experiments involving treatment of animals with intracerebral tumor using subcutaneous injections of cytokine secreting allogeneic cells in the presence of tumor antigens demonstrated no effect in prolonging survival in spite of the development of a vigorous system antitumor immune response. Of special interest, mice injected intracerebrally with the cytokine-secreting allogeneic cells alone exhibited no neurologic defect and there were no adverse effects on survival. The injection of cytokine-secreting allogeneic cells into the microenvironment of an intracerebral tumor may induce an anti-tumor immune response capable of prolonging survival. This preclinical animal data directly translates into clinical treatments for patients with a malignant intracerebral tumor. Based upon data from our laboratory and from other Neuro-Oncologists, it is time to think about including immunotherapy in the treatment paradigm for malignant gliomas as a possible means of delaying recurrence.
The Role of Botulinum Toxin Injections for Esophageal Motility Disorders

The advancement of high-resolution esophageal manometry has led to improvement in the diagnosis of esophageal motility disorders. We reviewed the recent medical literature regarding the use of botulinum toxin (BTx) injections in the esophagus and the indications, current outcomes, and reported complications of this therapy. The response rates of BTx injection therapy vary depending on the esophageal motility disorder. Studies have shown that response is transient in achalasia patients and given the more effective therapies available, it is only recommended in patients who are not surgical candidates. In nonachalasia patients, studies of BTx injections have demonstrated improvement in dysphagia symptoms in patients with spastic disorders, though studies are small and largely retrospective. The available literature showed a variable response to BTx in esophagogastric junction outlet obstruction (EGJOO) and non-cardiac chest pain patients. Despite advances in diagnosing esophageal motility disorders, there is a need for further research in patient selection for esophageal BTx, dose and injection location, and disease-specific outcomes. Placebo-controlled trials are crucial to evaluate BTx efficacy and duration of response. Esophageal-directed BTx injections are beneficial in improving dysphagia in spastic motility disorders and in achalasia patients who are elderly or have multiple co-morbidities. There is a lack of evidence to support use in patients with EGJOO and non-cardiac chest pain, or for young or healthy achalasia patients.
Substance-Use Disorders in Later Life

Substance-Use Disorders among the Aged Screening older patients for alcohol-use disorder, prescription-drug misuse, and illicit-drug use is important. These disorders may be more complicated to man...
Mentorship, Mindset and Learning Strategies: An Integrative Approach to Increasing Underrepresented Minority Student Retention in a Stem Undergraduate Program

Nearly one half of students planning to earn a STEM degree either change majors or leave college without a degree. The completion percentage is much lower for underrepresented minorities, of whom less than one third complete their STEM degree within six years. At the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the STEM Boot Camp program was designed to improve the retention of underrepresented minorities in STEM majors, primarily by preparing incoming freshman for introductory gateway STEM courses in their freshman and sophomore years. The program (a two-week on-campus summer program with additional benchmarks through the subsequent fall semester) incorporated peer and faculty mentorship, mock lectures, faculty office hours and student projects. Students participated in workshops on learning strategies and growth mindset, discussions on expectations and potential challenges, and integration of students into academic culture. Program participants showed significantly higher pass rates in two of six focal STEM courses and significantly increased retention rates to year two compared to non-participant underrepresented minority students. Participants also passed 100% of course retakes in focal STEM courses. Participants performed similarly or better than non-underrepresented minority students, supporting the effectiveness of the program in reducing or eliminating the achievement gap through introductory STEM courses.
Disparities and Discrimination in Student Discipline by Race and Family Income

Black and poor students are suspended from U.S. schools at higher rates than White and nonpoor students. While the existence of these disparities has been clear, the causes of the disparities have not. We use a novel data set to examine how and where discipline disparities arise. By comparing the punishments given to Black and White (or poor and nonpoor) students who fight one another, we address a selection challenge that has kept prior studies from identifying discrimination in student discipline. We find that Black and poor students are, in fact, punished more harshly than the students with whom they fight.
Nietzsche, Agonistic Politics, and Spiritual Enmity:

This article examines the agonistic elements of Nietzsche’s thought in light of theorists who have sought to develop an agonistic democratic theory that would challenge democratic theory oriented b...
Similarities and Differences in Adolescents’ Organized and Civic Activity Networks across Rural and Non-Rural Communities

Youth are often involved in multiple organized and civic activities simultaneously, resulting in complex patterns or “networks” of participation. Little research has examined the network structure of adolescents’ organized and civic participation and whether these networks vary across communities. Examining activity networks may help identify specific forms of participation that are more widely and strongly connected with other activities, and may thus provide a gateway for becoming multiply involved. Youth (N= 902; Mage = 15.90; 55.7% female) from a rural (n= 476) and non-rural (n= 426) community completed measures assessing engagement in 25 civic and organized activities. Network analysis indicated that activities in the rural community had greater network density relative to the non-rural community. Volunteering to clean up the neighborhood was most central to both networks. Church attendance and community sports were more central for the rural network, whereas protesting and school arts were more central for the non-rural network. These findings suggest that volunteer activities may serve as a “hub” for organized and civic activity participation and highlight similarities and differences in the co-occurrence of activities across two distinct communities.
What Is Atelectasis

Atelectasis is defined by either partial or complete collapse of lung parenchyma. The following chapters review its imaging features and several underlying types. Typical patterns of lung collapse and their associated radiographic signs are also described. A brief overview of pleural and lobar anatomy is provided.
Developing effective combination therapy for pancreatic cancer: An overview.

Abstract Pancreatic cancer is a fatal disease. The five-year survival for patients with all stages of this tumor type is less than 10%, with a majority of patients dying from drug resistant, metastatic disease. Gemcitabine has been a standard of care for the treatment of pancreatic cancer for over 20 years, but as a single agent gemcitabine is not curative. Since the only therapeutic option for the over 80 percent of pancreatic cancer patients ineligible for surgical resection is chemotherapy with or without radiation, the last few decades have seen a significant effort to develop effective therapy for this disease. This review addresses preclinical and clinical efforts to identify agents that target molecular characteristics common to pancreatic tumors and to develop mechanism-based combination approaches to therapy. Some of the most promising combinations include agents that inhibit transcription dependent on BET proteins (BET bromodomain inhibitors) or that inhibit DNA repair mediated by PARP (PARP inhibitors).
Leading from the start: preservice teachers’ conceptions of teacher leadership

This qualitative action research project examined preservice teachers’ conceptions of teacher leadership. Through an analysis of preservice teachers’ writings in a graduate-level teacher leadership...