cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mild traumatic brain injury and psychopathology in adolescence: evidence from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods

Abstract Purpose Emerging scientific evidence and media accounts document an association between mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and deleterious mental health outcomes in adulthood. This study focuses on exploring the relationship between mTBI and increased risk for psychopathology in a sample of adolescent youth. Methods Longitudinal data from adolescent youth aged 10–18 years (n = 1,827) from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods are analyzed. Multivariate negative binomial regression models are calculated to examine the relationship between mTBI and aggressive behavior, anxiety/depression, attention problems, somatic symptoms, and delinquency. Results Participants with a mTBI were significantly more likely to demonstrate an increase in symptoms of aggressive behavior, anxiety/depression, and delinquency while controlling for several confounders and prior levels of psychopathology. Conclusions Our results suggest that mTBI is an important environmental risk factor for increases in psychopathology during adolescence. Health professionals should begin to consider screening children for mTBI to better address the influence of this type of victimization experience on the emergence of symptoms for internalizing and externalizing problems during adolescence.
Development of a clinically relevant chemoresistant mantle cell lymphoma cell culture model.

Mantle cell lymphoma is an aggressive subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that claims the lives of tens of thousands of people every year. Although combination chemotherapy treatments such as CHOP ha...
Ectopic ACTH Production and Cushing’s Syndrome in a Patient with Parotid Acinic Cell Carcinoma with High-Grade Transformation: Tumor Context and Clinical Implications

We report a rare case of Cushing’s syndrome in a 59-year-old man who initially presented with concurrent acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid with high-grade transformation and co-existing papillary and medullary thyroid carcinomas, without noticeable cushinoid symptoms. Six-months later, he developed clinical features of Cushing’s syndrome which coincided with disease progression in the form of lung metastasis and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) production and protein expression was limited to the high-grade transformed component of acinic cell carcinoma and in the lymph node metastasis, and was absent in the conventional acinic cell carcinoma as well as in the papillary and medullary thyroid carcinoma. He received adjuvant chemotherapy and supportive management with interval improvement for 8 months followed by disease progression with increasing serum cortisol levels and bone metastasis. He was offered palliative chemotherapy, however, declined further therapy and was lost to follow up. We discussed clinical and pathologic implications of ectopic ACTH production associated with acinic carcinoma and also reviewed the literature of this rare paraneoplastic syndrome.
Joint Drone Association and Content Placement in Cache-Enabled Internet of Drones

Internet of drones (IoD), employing drones as the internet of things (IoT) devices, brings flexibility to IoT networks and has been used to provision several applications (e.g., object tracking and traffic surveillance). The explosive growth of users and IoD applications injects massive traffic into IoD networks, hence causing congestions and reducing the quality of service (QoS). In order to improve the QoS, caching at IoD gateways is a promising solution which stores popular IoD data and sends them directly to the users instead of activating drones to transmit the data; this reduces the traffic in IoD networks. In order to fully utilize the storage-limited caches, appropriate content placement decisions should be made to determine which data should be cached. On the other hand, appropriate drone association strategies, which determine the serving IoD gateway for each drone, help distribute the network traffic properly and hence improve the QoS. In our work, we consider a joint optimization of drone association and content placement problem aimed at maximizing the average data transfer rate. This problem is formulated as an integer linear programming (ILP) problem. We then design the Drone Association and Content Placement (DACP) algorithm to solve this problem with low computational complexity. Extensive simulations demonstrate the performance of DACP.
Discrepancies in Pianists’ Experiences in Playing Acoustic and Digital Pianos

Piano performers perceive differences when playing digital and acoustic pianos, but little is known about the elements of the differences. It is essential to clarify them in order to assess the consequences of using digital pianos as acoustic piano replacements in both performance and education situations.
Descriptive analysis of interventional radiology residency program directors in the United States.

Abstract Purpose To analyze the academic background, demographics and scholarly metrics of Interventional Radiology (IR) residency program directors (PDs) in the United States. Methods Online search of publicly available resources was performed from April 6–10, 2020. PDs and associate PDs of ACGME accredited integrated and independent IR residency programs were included in the study. The variables collected from publicly available sources included age, sex, academic background (including medical school, residency and fellowship), and scholarly activity (publications, citations and h-index). Nonparametric statistics including Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied to compare differences between groups. Results A total of 174 PDs and associate PDs from 110 unique integrated and independent IR residency programs were included in the study. One hundred fifty three (87.9%) were male and twenty one (12.1%) were female. The average age of PDs was 47.39 years (SD 8.99, median 45, range 34–74). Eighty six percent of the PDs were American medical school graduates, 97% received a MD degree or foreign equivalent, and 3% received a DO degree. There was no statistical difference between male and female PDs with regards to number of publications, average number of citations or mean h-index. Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology (FSIR) qualification was held by 21.3% and PDs with FSIR designation had significantly higher scholarly metrics. Conclusion IR Residency PDs are predominantly male and graduates of American medical schools. Women represent only 12% of the IR PD workforce with no significant difference in scholarly metrics of female PDs compared to male PDs. PDs with FSIR designation had significantly higher scholarly metrics.
Substitution patterns in capital inflows: Evidence from disaggregated capital flow data

Abstract Superficial examination of aggregate gross cross-border capital inflow data suggests that there was no substitution between portfolio inflows and bank loans in recent years. However, our novel analysis of disaggregate inflows shows interesting heterogeneity in advanced economies (AE) and emerging markets (EM), highlighting the importance of differentiating by types of instrument and borrowing sector. There has been substitution of bank loans for portfolio debt securities not only in the case of AE sovereign borrowers and AE corporate borrowers (from 2008), but also in the case of EM sovereign borrowers. However, in the case of AE corporate borrowers (before 2008) and EM corporate borrowers (from 2008), the relationship corresponds to complementarity across types of gross capital inflows, especially during periods of positive capital gross inflows after the global financial crisis. A large part of these patterns does not seem to be driven by a common phenomenon across countries, but rather by country-specific factors.
The Effect of Online Q&As and Product Reviews on Product Performance Metrics: Amazon.com as a Case Study

Online reviews have received an overwhelming interest in the recent decades. Comparatively speaking, the online product questions and answers (Q&As) have received less attention than online reviews...
HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer de-escalation strategies and trials: Past failures and future promise

HPV-associated oropharynx squamous cell carcinomas are radiosensitive and chemosensitive, thus, portending a favorable prognosis. Treatment de-intensification strategies aim to reduce toxicity while maintaining efficacy. Although approaches that have substituted cisplatin with cetuximab or omitted chemotherapy have not been successful, Transoral Robotic Surgery with de-intensified adjuvant therapy has been promising. Additionally, personalized approaches are taking advantage of tumor biology and utilizing tumor reduction or hypoxia on imaging as a predictive marker to successfully de-escalate radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Using Swing Resistance and Assistance to Improve Gait Symmetry in Individuals Post-Stroke

A major characteristic of hemiplegic gait observed in individuals post-stroke is spatial and temporal asymmetry, which may increase energy expenditure and the risk of falls. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of swing resistance/assistance applied to the affected leg on gait symmetry in individuals post-stroke. We recruited 10 subjects with chronic stroke who demonstrated a shorter step length with their affected leg in comparison to the non-affected leg during walking. They participated in two test sessions for swing resistance and swing assistance, respectively. During the adaptation period, subjects counteracted the step length deviation caused by the applied swing resistance force, resulting in an aftereffect consisting of improved step length symmetry during the post-adaptation period. In contrast, subjects did not counteract step length deviation caused by swing assistance during adaptation period and produced no aftereffect during the post-adaptation period. Locomotor training with swing resistance applied to the affected leg may improve step length symmetry through error-based learning. Swing assistance reduces errors in step length during stepping; however, it is unclear whether this approach would improve step length symmetry. Results from this study may be used to develop training paradigms for improving gait symmetry of stroke survivors.
Overexpression of Amyloid-β Protein Precursor Induces Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress and Activates the Intrinsic Apoptotic Cascade

Aberrant processing of amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP) into amyloid-β (Aβ) fragments underlies the formation of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Moreover, Aβ fragments, particularly Aβ(42), exert direct toxic effects within neurons including the induction of mitochondrial oxidative stress (MOS). Interestingly, individuals with Down syndrome (DS) frequently develop early onset AD as a major co-morbid phenotype. One hypothesis for AD associated with DS involves the overexpression of wild type (WT) AβPP protein, due to its location on chromosome 21. However, the mechanism by which the overexpression of WT AβPP might trigger MOS and induce cell death is presently unclear. Here we show that transient overexpression of DsRed2-tagged AβPP (WT) in CHO cells induces caspase-3 activation and nuclear fragmentation indicative of apoptosis. AβPP localizes to the mitochondrial fraction of transfected CHO cells and induces glutathione-sensitive opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) and cytochrome c release. MOS and intrinsic apoptosis induced by AβPP are significantly inhibited by co-expression of Bcl-2 or treatment with either glutathione or a pan-caspase inhibitor. The mPTP inhibitor, cyclosporin A, also significantly attenuates AβPP-induced apoptosis. AβPP-induced apoptosis is unaffected by a β-secretase inhibitor and is independent of detectable Aβ(42); however, a γ-secretase inhibitor significantly protects against AβPP overexpression, suggesting a possible role of the AβPP intracellular domain in cell death. These data indicate that overexpression of WT AβPP is sufficient to induce MOS and intrinsic apoptosis, suggesting a novel pro-oxidant role for AβPP at mitochondria which may be relevant in AD and DS disease pathologies.
Oxidative stress-inducing carbonyl compounds from common foods: novel mediators of cellular dysfunction.

The general increase in reactive oxygen species generated from glucose-derived advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) is among the key mechanisms implicated in tissue injury due to diabetes. AGE-rich foods could exacerbate diabetic injury, at least by raising the endogenous AGE. Herein, we tested whether, prior to ingestion, diet-derived AGEs contain species with cell activating (TNFα), chemical (cross-linking) or cell oxidative properties, similar to native AGEs. Glutathione (GSH) and GSH peroxidase (GPx) were assessed after exposure of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVECs) to affinity-purified food-AGE extracts, each exposed to 250°C, for 10 min, along with synthetic AGEs. Animal product-derived AGE, like synthetic methylglyoxal-bovine serum albumin (MG-BSA), AGE-BSA, and AGE-low density lipoprotein (AGE-LDL), induced a dose- and time-dependent depletion of GSH (↓60–75%, p < 0.01) and an increase in GPx activity (↑500–600%, p < 0.01), consistent with marked TNFα and cross-link formation (p < 0.05); this contrasted with the low bioreactivity of starch/vegetable AGE-extracts, which was similar to that of control BSA and CML-BSA and BSA (p:NS). Anti-AGE-R1,2,3 and —RAGE IgG each inhibited cell-associated 125I-dAGE by ∼30–55%; GSH/GPx were effectively blocked by N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC, 800 uM, p < 0.01) and aminoguanidine-HCl (AG, 100uM, p < 0.01). Thus, food-derived AGE, prior to absorption, contain potent carbonyl species, that can induce oxidative stress and promote inflammatory signals.
Micromagnetic Spin Structure

Magnetization inhomogenities, associated for example with grain boundaries, give rise to local spin-dependent potentials and affect the magnetoresistance. The local magnetization M(r) depends on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic properties, such as spontaneous magnetization and anisotropy, are determined on an atomic scale and are basically independent of the material’s real structure and history. Extrinsic properties, such as remanence and coercivity, are linked to magnetic hysteresis, realized on mesoscopic or macroscopic length scales, and are strongly real-structure dependent. The local magnetization M(r), which determines the magnetoresistance, is determined from a nonlinear and nonlocal micromagnetic energy functional containing the intrinsic properties as parameters. This chapter focuses on basic micromagnetic effects and on the spin structure at grain boundaries. Continuum and layer-resolved analytic calculations yield a quasi-discontinuity of the magnetization between misaligned and in-completely exchange-coupled grains and a disproportionally large grain-boundary magnetoresistance.
Canine Degenerative Myelopathy - An Emerging Disease Model for ALS (P6.102)

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness. Patients typically die within 3-5 years from onset of symptoms secondary to respiratory failure. Elucidation of the mechanisms underlying ALS and its treatment remain elusive to date with one of the reasons being lack of suitable disease models. The discovery of mutations in SOD1 in canine degenerative myelopathy (DM) has provided naturally-occurring disease model as a ‘tool’ for study of ALS. Objective: To share the natural history, clinical staging and histopathology of canine DM. Results: Canine DM is a naturally-occurring, adult-onset, progressive disease that, like ALS, leads to paralysis and death. The earliest clinical signs begin when the dog is 9 years or older. Asymmetric spastic weakness and general proprioceptive ataxia in the pelvic limbs (stage 1) progresses to paraplegia (stage 2) within 1 year from onset of signs. At disease onset, spinal reflexes are consistent with upper motor neuron (UMN) loss. Dog owners often elect euthanasia when their dog becomes paraplegic. When euthanasia is delayed, weakness spreads to the thoracic limbs (stage 3) and LMN signs emerge as flaccid quadriplegia (stage 4), widespread muscle atrophy, dysphagia and loss of bark. The pattern of clinical progression of canine DM is relatively uniform within breeds and between breeds. Histopathologic changes include gliosis and neuronal fiber degeneration and loss of sensory and motor pathways that are most severe in the mid- to caudal thoracic spinal cord. Conclusion: DM is a spontaneous disease with homogeneity at onset of clinical signs and disease progression that provides an unique opportunity to study the pathophysiology of SOD1 related mutation, do biomarker research that can be paralleled in human subjects and provide a large vertebrate model to do more rigorous pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic trials. Disclosure: Dr. Govindarajan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Coates has nothing to disclose.
Hydrodynamics and Contact Angle Relaxation during Unsteady Spreading

We have studied the unsteady spreading of a liquid on a solid surface by observing the liquid−air meniscus shape and analyzing it with the hydrodynamic theory for Stokes' flow. The unsteady spreading process exhibits both quasi-steady and unsteady regimes. The unsteadiness in our moderately high viscosity system arises from temporal relaxation of the contact angle rather than inertial effects or momentum diffusion. The quasi-steady regime can be accurately described by a model that ascribes a steady-state flow near the contact line. “Spontaneous” spreading, i.e., spreading to final state of zero contact line speed, is recognized as a special case of the general unsteady spreading process with the commonly used power laws for spreading occurring only under special conditions.
Computer simulation of the depolarized rayleigh scattering in fluid N2

Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations of the depolarized Rayleigh light scattering are reported for fluid N 2 at a temperature of 122 K. and at a series of densities ranging from the saturated liquid up to twice that value. The simulated spectral time-correlation functions include terms for both the allowed scattering arising from the anisotropy of the permanent polarizability and for the interaction-induced scattering due to the first-order dipole-induced-dipole changes in the molecular polarizability. Analysis of the time-correlation functions reveals surprisingly little change in the time-dependence with changing density. Minimal changes in the magnitudes of the terms arising from interaction-induction was observed. In fact, the only important change in the overall spectral function was due to a gradual growth of the negative ‘distinct’ contribution to the allowed part of the time-correlation function. The relation of these findings to other similar simulations is briefly discussed.
γ G Antibodies Appearing Early in the Primary Response of the Mouse.

SummaryEvidence is presented using the Farr technique that a 7S gamma G antibody represents a significant portion of the early primary antibody response to BSA in the inbred mouse. The adjuvant effect of endo-toxin with respect to this early 7S antibody was demonstrated. Correlation of this finding with the method selected for determining antibody activity is discussed.
Factor structure and diagnostic efficiency of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria for avoidant personality disorder in Hispanic men and women with substance use disorders

Abstract Objective This study examined the internal consistency, factor structure, and diagnostic efficiency of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) , criteria for avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) and the extent to which these metrics may be affected by sex. Method Subjects were 130 monolingual Hispanic adults (90 men, 40 women) who had been admitted to a specialty clinic that provides psychiatric and substance abuse services to Spanish-speaking patients. All were reliably assessed with the Spanish-Language Version of the Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders . The AVPD diagnosis was determined by the best-estimate method. After evaluating internal consistency of the AVPD criterion set, an exploratory factor analysis was performed using principal components extraction. Afterward, diagnostic efficiency indices were calculated for all AVPD criteria. Subsequent analyses examined men and women separately. Results For the overall group, internal consistency of AVPD criteria was good. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 1-factor solution (accounting for 70% of the variance), supporting the unidimensionality of the AVPD criterion set. The best inclusion criterion was "reluctance to take risks," whereas "interpersonally inhibited" was the best exclusion criterion and the best predictor overall. When men and women were examined separately, similar results were obtained for both internal consistency and factor structure, with slight variations noted between sexes in the patterning of diagnostic efficiency indices. Conclusions These psychometric findings, which were similar for men and women, support the construct validity of the DSM-IV criteria for AVPD and may also have implications for the treatment of this particular clinical population.
ON THE KINETIC THEORY OF STABLE AND WEAKLY UNSTABLE PLASMA. PART 1.

A kinetic theory is presented which is valid for both weakly unstable and stable plasma. The theory corrects the conventional Balescu—Guernsey—Lenard description for the weakly stable portions of the fluctuation spectrum. The theory is no longer Markoffian in the distribution function F alone but is in the pair F and Ik the spectrum of fluctuations. Further the evolution in time from an initially weakly unstable distribution to the stable regime can be described. Even after passage into the stable state the fluctuations can be large nd lead to enhanced diffusion across a magnetic field. The coefficient of spatial diffusion is given in this weakly stable (or untable) state. A strong coupling is found between plasmons and the particles in the distribution with velocities near the phase velocities of the plasmons. There is only weak thermal contact between the plasmons and these particles with the main body of the distribution whenever certain nonlinear processes are of secondary importance.
A menu of potential reinforcers in a methadone maintenance program

This study demonstrates the use of paired comparisons and interval scaling techniques for measuring the relative priority of program privileges available at a methadone maintenance clinic. Fifteen methadone program privileges were combined in all possible pairs (N = 105) on a reinforcer menu and administered to a group of 12 methadone patients and a second group of counselors (N = 4). Data were converted to interval scales using the law of comparative judgment to form a quantitative continuum from least to most preferable. Free methadone, free dental service, and more take-homes were ranked highest in both groups; however, patients showed less differentiation in their preference for these privileges. Dose decreases were least preferred. Results are discussed in terms of their clinical applicability in identifying privileges for potential use in modifying the behavior of drug abusers. The method of paired comparisons has excellent psychometric properties and may offer some advantages over other response scale formats.
Depression and Suicidal Behaviors in Medicare Primary Care Patients Under Age 65

OBJECTIVE: To examine suicidal behavior and depression prevalence among a group of Medicare patients under age 65 with functional impairment and recent significant health care services use.
What memory is for: Creating meaning in the service of action

I address the commentators' calls for clarification of theoretical terms, discussion of similarities to other proposals, and extension of the ideas. In doing so, I keep the focus on the purpose of memory: enabling the organism to make sense of its environment so that it can take action appropriate to constraints resulting from the physical, personal, social, and cultural situations.
Opposing effects of ABCG5/8 function on myocardial infarction and gallstone disease.

The research paradigm of using human genetic variation to unequivocally, causally, and directionally link a specific gene with a specific phenotype, trait, or disease has yielded extraordinary discoveries at an accelerating pace [(1–3)][1]. Increasingly, this approach has been of interest as a
The Effect of Alternate Flooding and Drying on the pH and Redox of Submerged Rice Soil

The pH and redox relationships of a rice soil subjected to alternate flooding and drying were measured during the growth of three successive rice crops in the greenhouse. The objective was to explain why greater nitrogen losses occur under alternating flooding and drying than under continual submergence. At 2 cm below the soil-water interface the pH dropped from 8.3 to approximately 7.0 in 40 days and remained there through 120 days. The redox (pe + pH) dropped from 16 to 4 under the same conditions. When alternate flooding and drying were imposed, the pH fluctuated from 8.0 during drying to near 7.6 during submergence while pe + pH shifted from 16 during drying to approximately 8 during flooding. Both pH and pe + pH dropped slightly with depth into the sediment reflecting greater accumulation of CO2 and depletion of O2. The findings in this study support the hypothesis that alternate flooding and drying causes the redox of rice soils to pass through the pe + pH range of 13 to 15 where theoretical considerations show that NO(g) is most stable and can function as a viable intermediate reaction product of denitrification in soils.
High-energy behavior of baryon- and lepton-number violating scattering amplitudes in the standard model

We calculate the coupling constant and energy dependence of the scattering amplitudes for baryon- and lepton-number violating processes in the context of the standard model, in the semiclassical approximation. It is found that, to leading order in this expansion, the spin-averaged total cross sections for these processes grow as a power of the c.m. energy and thus violate the bound imposed by unitarity.
Cybermediaries in Electronic Marketspace: Toward Theory Building

Abstract The increasing importance of electronic commerce makes it essential to develop a theory of virtual value chains. This article considers the intermediation process between producers and consumers within electronic markets. We argue that, contrary to existing wisdom, intermediaries will play a key role in electronic markets. Drawing on channel evolution literature and transaction cost economics, we present a set of propositions regarding the emergence of cybermediaries and the development of virtual channel systems.
You are what you eat: native versus exotic Crotalaria species (Fabaceae) as host plants of the Ornate Bella Moth, Utetheisa ornatrix (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae)

Crotalaria plants and Utetheisa ornatrix are closely linked to each other: the larvae destroy the seeds, while the moth depends on hostplants for alkaloids. To better understand the ongoing co-evolution, the present study examines how native hostplants compare to exotic ones. Leaf-feeding on Crotalaria pumila, C. rotundifolia, and C. incana, native to the moth’s range, led to faster larval development than on the exotic C. lanceolata, C. spectabilis, and C. pallida. Seed-feeding on all species of Crotalaria led to accelerated larval development and a resultant larger adult moth, and correlates with a higher nitrogen content in the plant tissues. These results add a novel dimension to the previous studies of reproductive biology of this model organism. In controlled settings, mature larvae showed preference for leaves of C. spectabilis over those of other species, perhaps due to the higher alkaloid content. Differences in morphology and phenology of Crotalaria determine the ecology of U. ornatrix populatio...
2012 Special Issue: Neural networks and the experience and cultivation of mind

Hard core neural network research includes development of mathematical models of cognitive prediction and optimization aimed at dual use, both as models of what we see in brain circuits and behavior, and as useful general-purpose engineering technology. The pathway and principles now exist to let us someday replicate learning abilities as elevated as what we see in the brain of the mouse-but how can this help us today in understanding and maximizing the much greater potential of the human mind, as addressed by many schools of thought all over the world for centuries? This paper discusses how we might use what we have learned at a lower level to better illuminate key phenomena in first person and clinical human experience such as Freud's ''psychic energy'', the role of traumatic experience, the interpretation of dreams, creativity, the cultivation of sanity and sensitivity, and the biological foundations of language.
The Game, the Pieces, and the Players: Generative Resources From Two Instructional Portrayals of Experimentation

Descriptions of disciplinary practices can suggest visions of authentic classroom activities. Designing activities that are effective, however, requires an additional framework for identifying a discipline's generative resources–that is, those learning targets that enable students to make disciplinary sense and progress in subsequent situations. This study represents an empirical exploration of the generative resources supported by alternative descriptions of experimentation, 1 focusing on its logical aspects and another on its measurement aspects. Each description of experimentation was portrayed in 1 of 2 concurrent 6th-grade units. In a broad capture of learning outcomes, assessment data suggest particular dimensions of learning–characterized here as game, pieces, and players–account for students' subsequent generative behavior. Striking differences in disciplinary facility were apparent from what students learned from these contrasting units, highlighting the instructional importance of supporting gen...
A Simplified Method for the Estimation of Amiodarone Hydrochloride by Reverse‐Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract Amiodarone is a class III anti‐arrhythmic agent and one of the most powerful drugs used in the treatment of ventricular and supraventricular tachycardias. The drug is available in the market as tablet and injectable formulations. In this study, a repeatable reverse‐phase high performance liquid chromatographic method for quality control purposes only has been developed for the estimation of amiodarone hydrochloride in a dosage form. A C‐8 column was used in the study. The mobile phase consisted of methanol, water, and acetic acid in a 95:4:1 ratio and the pH adjusted to 4.0 with aqueous ammonia. Nortriptyline was chosen as the internal standard and a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min was used with the buffer and water in 98:2 concentrations. The retention time for amiodarone hydrochloride and nortriptyline was approximately 3.5 and 1.8 min, respectively. The analytical method was found to be linear and stability indicating with the relative standard deviation within and between days being 2.48% and 3.26%, ...
INVESTIGATING DIFFERENCES IN EXAMINEE PERFORMANCE BETWEEN COMPUTER-BASED AND HANDWRITTEN ESSAYS

This study compared essay scores from paper-based and computer-based versions of a writing test for prospective teachers. Scores for essays in the paper-based version averaged nearly half a standard deviation higher than those in the computer-based version, after applying a statistical control for demographic differences between the groups of examinees taking the two versions. The statistical control was implemented by means of a propensity score, applying weights to members of one group to match the propensity score distribution of the other group. The score difference between the groups did not change substantially when the analysis was restricted to examinees taking the same mix of essay topics or to examinees taking one particular essay.
Radioguided parathyroidectomy in patients with familial hyperparathyroidism.

In patients with sporadic hyperparathyroidism (HPT), radioguided parathyroidectomy (RGP) has been shown to facilitate intraoperative localization of parathyroid glands, reduced operative time, and improve patient outcomes. No studies have focused on the role of RGP in patients with familial HPT. Between 3/01 and 6/05, 419 patients underwent RGP. Nineteen had familial HPT, including 12 with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN), and 94 had sporadic HPT with parathyroid hyperplasia. All patients were injected with sestamibi pre-operatively and a gamma probe was used intraoperatively. Radiotracer counts were recorded prospectively. In patients with familial HPT, the gamma probe detected all abnormal parathyroid glands with a mean in vivo radiotracer count of 157 ± 9% above background. Importantly, 5 patients (25%) had ectopic parathyroid glands localized by the probe in the thymus, thyroid and retroesophageal region. All resected hyperplastic parathyroid glands had ex vivo counts > 20%. All patients were cured after surgery with mean calcium and parathyroid hormone levels of 9.4 ± 0.1 mg/dl and 31 ± 7 pg/ml, respectively, and a mean hospital stay of 0.7 ± 0.1 days. In comparing the 2 groups, while patients with familial HPT had lower pre-operative parathyroid hormone levels, the ex vivo radiotracer counts were significantly higher. RGP in patients with familial HPT is technically feasible and perhaps more sensitive than in patients with sporadic hyperplastic disease. The gamma probe efficiently localized all parathyroid glands including those in ectopic locations, and resulted in high cure rates and short hospital stays. RGP is a viable and useful technique in patients with familial HPT.
Integrating Scholarship on Ethnicity into the Psychology of Women Course

This article presents the argument that instructors of courses in the psychology of women need to integrate the scholarship on ethnicity into their curriculum. We offer a possible structure for including this content by organizing the course discussions around major themes. The course consists of presentations based on these themes. Examples of films, topics, exercises, and popular books to be used are presented. Implications of incorporating the contents for other courses in the psychology curriculum are discussed.
Mapping of a human A2a adenosine receptor (ADORA2) to chromosome 22.

Using a probe derived from the recently cloned rat A2a receptor A2aR, a panel containing multiple human-rodent somatic cell hybrids was probed by Southern hybridization. A faint but specific signal was seen in the chromosome 22-only line. A human chromosome 22 cosmid library (LL22NC02, Lawrence Livermore Library) was then screened by Southern hybridization to the same probe; two cosmid clones (54C4 and 30D1) were isolated. Several restriction digests of both cosmids were rehybridized with the rat A2aR probe, and a 700-bp PstI fragment that specifically hybridized to the probe was subsequently cloned into plasmid Bluescript II. This subclone, designated pHUAD2, was then hybridized to a panel of 60 human-rodent somatic cell hybrid lines digested with SacI to address the possibility of related genes or pseudogenes located on other chromosomes. Two human bands of approximately 3 and 4 kb were seen in a total of four hybrid lines; two of these lines contain only chromosome 22. Although a previous report had suggested that the human A2a receptor resided on human chromosome 11 with a related sequence on human chromosome 11 with a related sequence on human chromosome 10, hybrids containing human chromosomes 10 and 11 did not hybridize to the probe.
Sintering of calcium oxide (CaO) during CO2 chemisorption: a reactive molecular dynamics study

Reactive dynamics simulations with the reactive force field (ReaxFF) were performed in NVE ensembles to study the sintering of two solid calcium oxide (CaO) particles with and without CO2 chemisorption. The simulated sintering conditions included starting adsorption temperatures at 1000 K and 1500 K and particle separation distances of 0.3 and 0.5 nm. The results revealed that the expansion of sorbent particles during CO2 chemisorption was attributed to the sintering of two CaO–CaO particles. Increasing the adsorption temperature resulted in more particle expansion and sintering. The shorter the distance between two particles, the faster the rate of sintering during CO2 adsorption. A detailed analysis on atom spatial variations revealed that the sorbent particles with a larger separation distance had a larger CO2 uptake because of less sintering incurred. The chemisorptions of CO2 on CaO particles sintered at high adsorption temperatures were also simulated to mimic the process of sorbent regeneration. It was found that regeneration would be more difficult for sintered particles than for fresh particles. In addition, a possible sintering barrier, magnesium oxide (MgO), was introduced to prevent CaO particles from sintering during CO2 chemisorption. It was found that the MgO particles could reduce the sintering of CaO particles during CO2 chemisorption. Simulation results from this study provided some guidelines on synthesizing or selecting sorbents with less sintering effect for multiple CO2 adsorption–regeneration cycles.
Strain-displacement mapping for a precision truss using Bragg gratings and identified mode shapes

A procedure for mapping strain measurements to nodal displacements for a 3.74 meter laboratory truss is presented and validated using experimental data. Assumptions of small displacements and a linear displacement-strain relationship were used to develop the strain- displacement mapping. Due to the assumed discrete nature of the space truss structure, the transformation depends only on kinematics and hence only geometric data is required for the mapping. The procedure is therefore valid for quasi-static deformations as well as dynamic deformations. Estimated displacements for several nodes are compared with truth measurements obtained from both a laser interferometer system and accelerometers. It is shown that the accuracy of the predicted displacement for a limited number of sensor depends not only upon the deformation state but also which degree of freedom is being estimated.
Geographic Factors in the Origin, Evolution, and Diffusion of Rock and Roll Music

Abstract This paper attempts to illustrate certain important concepts in the field of cultural geography through the study of a very popular phenomenon—Rock and Roll music. The roles that the White and Black rural South and various American cities played as culture hearths and centers of culture contact are discussed along with the effects of mass migrations and mass media on American musical tastes and styles. Rock and Roll is looked at from a diffusionist point of view in that throughout its evolution, various places played important parts as “way stations” as certain American musical styles gradually spread from rural southern shacks to New York recording studios.
Constructive existence and uniqueness for two-point boundary-value problems with a linear gradient term

Constructive existence and uniqueness theorems are established for nonlinear two-point boundary-value problems governed by the equation y''=f(x, y)+p(x)y', 0=
Low-Temperature Relaxation Effects in Pulsed-Field Electron-Paramagnetic-Resonance Spectra of Rare-Earth Ions

Spin-lattice relaxation effects have been observed in the pulsed-field EPR spectra of rare earths in yttrium aluminum garnet, yttrium gallium garnet, and Ca${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$. An analysis has been developed that permits evaluation of the spin-lattice relaxation rates. It is shown that for a number of Kramers-doublet rare-earth ions, at frequencies above 70 Gc/sec and at liquid-helium temperatures, the only important relaxation mechanism is the direct spin-phonon interaction due to modulation of the crystalline field by lattice vibrations. The effects of paramagnetic impurity concentration and low-lying excited states on relaxation rates have also been observed, and, where appropriate, their influence is included in the analysis and discussion.
Clinical experience with a spiral balloon centering catheter for the delivery of intracoronary radiation therapy.

Abstract Purpose . To develop and evaluate an intravascular radiation delivery catheter that incorporates a centering mechanism and that allows side branch and distal artery perfusion. Methods and Materials . The Galileo™ Centering Catheter (Guidant Vascular Interventions, Houston, TX) incorporates a rapid exchange tip design. A unique spiral balloon allows centering and facilitates perfusion to the distal artery and side branches. The catheter contains a dedicated dead-end lumen for source wire delivery to the lesion site. The treatment area is precisely defined by radiopaque markers. Results . In three clinical trials to date, radiation (or placebo) was delivered successfully to 300 of 312 patients (96%). With balloon inflation, TIMI grade 2 or 3 flow was achieved in side branches in 82% and in the distal artery in 77% of patients. Despite treatment (dwell) times ranging from 87 to 948 s (mean = 250 s), only 8% of patients required fractionation of treatment. Conclusion . The Galileo™ Centering Catheter is a safe and highly effective method for delivering intracoronary radiation therapy. Its unique design provides centering of the source while allowing side branch and distal coronary perfusion during treatment. This catheter would facilitate intracoronary radiation therapy and allow uniform and reproducible dose delivery to the target in the artery wall.
The Automated Backup Solution — Safeguarding the communications network infrastructure

The communications network infrastructure of a country plays a critical role in preserving national security, economic stability, and public safety in a local, national, or international crisis. This paper describes how a telecommunications switch and attached adjunct computer server at a telephone network switching center can be used to provide a reliable, automated, cost-effective way to perform the backup and remote storage of communications infrastructure software and data. The implementation of this backup and storage process — called the Automated Backup Solution — would make infrastructure software and data readily available in a crisis (e.g., a network outage or terrorist attack) and would speed up the restoration of the communications infrastructure in the event of a disaster. The Automated Backup Solution, which uses a high-bandwidth, transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP)-capable adjunct server, is an economical alternative to the physical media and the costly, unreliable, manual backup process that are currently used for backup and storage. This paper also demonstrates the usefulness of the Automated Backup Solution in preserving homeland security and offers insights into ways of implementing eleven communications-industry best practices.
Alternate Testing of RF Transceivers Using Optimized Test Stimulus for Accurate Prediction of System Specifications

In the recent past, with the emergence of System-on-Chip (SoC), focus has shifted towards testing system specifications rather than device or module specifications. While the problem of test accessibility for test stimulus application and response capture for such high-speed systems remains a challenge to the test engineers, new test strategies are needed which can address the problem in a practical manner. In this paper, the problem of testing the transmitter and the receiver subsystems of a RF transceiver for system level specification is addressed. Instead of using different conventional test stimuli for testing each of the system level specifications of RF subsystems, a specially crafted test stimulus is used for testing all the specifications from the response of the subsystem-under-test. A new simulation approach has also been developed to perform fast behavioral simulations in frequency domain for the system-under-test. In the test method, frequency domain test response spectra are captured and non-linear regression models are constructed to map the spectral measurements onto the specifications of interest. In the presented simulation results, the test stimuli have been validated using netlist level simulation of the subsystem-under-test and specifications have been predicted within an error of ±3% of the actual value.
Surgical monitoring of spinal cord function: cauda equina stimulation technique

Spinal cord and subcortical brain stem evoked potentials had an amplitude at least 2 times higher when the cauda equina rather than bilateral peripheral nerves was stimulated. Cauda equina stimulation is indicated when potentials to peripheral nerve stimulation are absent or are too low in amplitude to permit reliable surgical monitoring. The technique is essentially without risks, but should be performed with a small lumbar puncture needle (21 to 22 gauge), and is contraindicated in patients with general infections, increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure, or a hemorrhagic tendency (thrombocytopenia or anticoagulant therapy).
Sensitivity of ridge-type estimation methods to observation accuracy and sampling rate

Abstract Ridge-type estimation methods have been shown to provide increased solution accuracy over minimum variance methods in ill-conditioned estimation problems. The accuracy gained by the use of such methods is a function of the level of ill conditioning present in the problem, which is dependent on the accuracy of the observations and the sampling rate (over a given observation span). This study presents results of a simulation designed to demonstrate the sensitivity of ridge-type estimation methods to the observation accuracy and the sampling rate used in the estimation process. The results are analyzed, and conclusions are drawn concerning the effectiveness of ridge-type estimation methods in the type of ill-conditioned problems addressed here.
Gel electrophoresis of ion-stimulated ATPases from protoplast membranes of the diatom Nitzschia alba

Abstract A membrane fraction, consisting of plasma membranes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi membranes and mitochondria, was derived from protoplasts of the marine diatom Nitzschia alba. Detergent treatment of the membranes solubilized four of five ATPase activities characteristic of specific membranes of the diatom. In addition an Mg2+-dependent K+-stimulated ATPase activity, not previously observed in the membranes, was detected upon solubilization. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the five solubilized activities are represented by at least six different histochemically stained bands. Five of these bands are Mg2+-dependent ATPases, four of which are stimulated by Na+, K+ and Na+ plus K+. The sixth band is a Ca2+-dependent ATPase while a seventh band represents a Ca2+-dependent ADPase.