cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Focus is key: Panic-focused interpretations are associated with symptomatic improvement in panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy.

ABSTRACTObjective: This study examines whether, in panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP), interpretations of conflicts that underlie anxiety (panic-focused or PF-interpretations) are specifically associated with subsequent panic disorder (PD) symptom improvement, over and above the provision of non-symptom-focused interpretations. Method: Technique use in Sessions 2 and 10 of a 24-session PFPP protocol was assessed for the 65 patients with complete outcome data randomized to PFPP in a two-site trial of psychotherapies for PD. Sessions were rated in 15-min segments for therapists’ use of PF-interpretations, non-PF-interpretations, and PF-clarifications. Robust regressions were conducted to examine the relationship between these interventions and symptom change subsequent to the sampled session. Interpersonal problems were examined as a moderator of the relationship of PF-interpretations to symptom change. Results: At Session 10, but not at Session 2, patients who received a higher degree of PF-i...
Derivation and validation of thoracic sarcopenia assessment in patients undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

Abstract Objective Sarcopenia, as assessed by computed tomography (CT)-based measurements of muscle mass, is an objective and patient-specific indicator of frailty, which is an important predictor of operative morbidity and mortality. Studies to date have primarily focused on psoas-defined sarcopenia, which may not be valid among patients with thoracic aortic disease. Using psoas sarcopenia as the reference for sarcopenia, the purpose of this study was to create and to validate a new thoracic-level method of measuring sarcopenia as a novel method to assess frailty among patients undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair. Methods Prospectively collected data of patients undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair for thoracic aortic dissection, aneurysm, or injury using a conformable thoracic graft were reviewed. Patients with preoperative abdominal and thoracic CT imaging were included. Thoracic muscle mass was measured on axial images at the T12 level using our newly established standardized computer-assisted protocol. Psoas sarcopenia was measured at the L3 level using standard methods. Optimal sex-specific diagnostic T12 measurements were determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. A subset of scans were reviewed in duplicate by two trained observers and intraobserver and interobserver reliability tested by intraclass correlation coefficient. Agreement between T12 and L3 sarcopenia was tested by Cohen κ (scale, 0-1). Results There were 147 patients included for analysis, including 34 dissection, 80 trauma, and 33 aneurysm patients. ROC curve analysis yielded sarcopenic cutoff values of 106.00 cm2/m2 for women and 110.00 cm2/m2 for men at the T12 level. Based on ROC curve analysis, overall accuracy of T12 measurements was high (area under ROC curve, 0.91 for men and 0.90 for women). Quantitative interobserver and intraobserver reliability yielded excellent intraclass correlation coefficient values (>0.95). Qualitative interobserver reliability yielded nearly perfect Cohen κ values (>0.85). Qualitative intraobserver reliability of calculating sarcopenia at both the T12 and L3 levels was fair for both readers (0.361 and 0.288). There was additionally a general correlation between changes in muscle area at L3 with changes at T12 during 48 months. Conclusions Thoracic sarcopenia can be readily and reliably reproduced from CT-derived measurement of T12-level muscle area. This approach may be used as an alternative method to objectively define sarcopenia in patients without abdominal CT imaging. Future studies to assess the predictability of thoracic vs abdominal sarcopenia on postoperative outcomes will enhance the utility of these tools.
Towards using trapped ions as memory nodes in a photon-mediated quantum network

Quantum networking exploits features of quantum mechanics to provide ultrasecure networks that are both tamper-proof and tamper-evident. Such networks can be implemented as distant memory nodes connected via photon-based interfaces. Trapped ions are nearly ideal quantum network nodes due to the precise control possible over both their internal and external degrees of freedom as well as for their superior performance as long-term quantum memories. Photon-based qubits are the natural choice to transfer information within the network due to their ability to transmit quantum information over long distances and the capability to process information ”on-the-fly” between the memory nodes. We present the quantum research being done at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) with a focus on trapped ion qubits, the short- and long-term goals of the lab, and some of the unique resources we have access to at AFRL.
Tree Endophytes: Cryptic Drivers of Tropical Forest Diversity

Roots and leaves comprise two of the largest microbial habitats on Earth, particularly in tropical forests where root and leaf surface areas are extremely high and microbes are abundant and diverse. Fungal and bacterial endophytes are primarily acquired via contagious spread from the surrounding environment. The soil is an important reservoir for both fungal and bacterial endophytes; we term this a soil microbial bank and suggest that it functions similarly to a soil seed bank. Because most (~75%) studies have found a strong positive relationship between plant diversity and soil microbial diversity, we predict that as plant diversity increases so will endophyte taxonomic and functional diversity. Once inside plant host tissues, endophytes can act as mutualists and increase plant performance directly by producing plant hormones, or indirectly by decreasing fungal or insect damage by up to 80%. Recent studies, however, have demonstrated that there are costs associated with hosting “beneficial” endophytes for tropical trees. This is important because it challenges more traditional dichotomies (e.g., beneficial or deleterious) about endophytes and suggests that there are highly complex and context-dependent trade-offs and costs involved in plant-endophyte interactions. Though they comprise a cryptic component of tropical forests, plant-microbe interactions may typically regulate tree diversity, composition, and forest function at neighborhood and even regional scales. For example, pathogens may maintain tree diversity by reducing the fitness of common species in areas where plant host density is high or where hosts are close to reproductive conspecific adults. Moreover, plant-endophyte interactions, whether pathogenic or mutualistic, may comprise an entirely novel dimension of niche differentiation for coexisting tree species. Overall, tree endophytes in tropical forests are complex, yet critical drivers of forest dynamics and function.
Genome and transcriptome profiling of relapsed and metastatic osteosarcoma.

11522Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is characterized by genomic complexity and significant genetic heterogeneity. However, it is unknown whether relapse and metastatic samples incur additional insul...
Avatar: Enabling Immersive Collaboration via Live Mobile Video

Live mobile video streaming is gaining popularity around the world, thanks in part to increasingly pervasive smartphone ownership and cellular broadband coverage. We see an opportunity for mobile video streaming to enable new task-oriented experiences such as remote shopping, virtual interactive tourism, auditing and verification, mobile crowdsourcing, and remote physical-world games. We posit that such applications may eventually lead to new employment opportunities for remote agents in developing countries. In this paper we report our experiences conducting a technology probe for one such use case: an 'escape-the-room' physical puzzle game where some of the team members remotely interacted with a video stream that was produced by other team members who were physically present in the escape room. We designed and built a mobile streaming system called Avatar which we deployed in our study with 26 participants. We report findings from our study, including observations about appropriate communication modalities for remote collaborative game playing, as well as unexpected interactions and points of friction between participants.
At the birth of pediatric anesthesia in Mexico: An interview with Dr. Estela Melman, a pioneering woman in medicine

Dr. Estela Melman (1939-present), Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, the American British Cowdray Medical Center, Mexico, is an influential pioneer who has shaped the scope and practice of pediatric anesthesia in Mexico and throughout the world. Her early work to reintroduce neural blockade into routine pediatric anesthetic care, particularly the caudal approach to the epidural space, helped to transform current anesthesia practice. Based on a series of interviews held with Dr. Melman between 2016 and 2017, this article reviews the remarkable career of a pioneering pediatric anesthesiologist.
Influence of Scribes on Patient-Physician Communication in Primary Care Encounters: Mixed Methods Study.

Background: With the increasing adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems, documentation-related burdens have been increasing for health care providers. Recent estimates indicate that primary care providers spend about one-half of their workdays interacting with the EHR, of which about half is focused on clerical tasks. To reduce documentation burdens associated with the EHR, health care systems and physician practices are increasingly implementing medical scribes to assist providers with real-time documentation. Scribes are typically unlicensed paraprofessionals who assist health care providers by documenting notes electronically under the direction of a licensed practitioner or physician in real time. Despite the promise of scribes, few studies have investigated their effect on clinical encounters, particularly with regard to patient-provider communication. Objective: The purpose of this quasi-experimental pilot study was to understand how scribes affect patient-physician communication in primary care clinical encounters. Methods: We employed a convergent mixed methods design and included a sample of three physician-scribe pairs and 34 patients. Patients’ clinical encounters were randomly assigned to a scribe or nonscribe group. We conducted patient surveys focused on perceptions of patient-provider communication and satisfaction with encounters, video recorded clinical encounters, and conducted physician interviews about their experiences with scribes. Results: Overall, the survey results revealed that patients across both arms reported very high satisfaction of communication with their physician, their physician’s use of the EHR, and their care, with very little variability. Video recording analysis supported patient survey data by demonstrating high measures of communication among physicians in both scribed and nonscribed encounters. Furthermore, video recordings revealed that the presence of scribes had very little effect on the clinical encounter. Conclusions: From the patient’s perspective, scribes are an acceptable addition to clinical encounters. Although they do not have much impact on patients’ perceptions of satisfaction and their impact on the clinical encounter itself was minimal, their potential to reduce documentation-related burden on physicians is valuable. Physicians noted important issues related to scribes, including important considerations for implementing scribe programs, the role of scribes in patient interactions, how physicians work with scribes, characteristics of good scribes, and the role of scribes in physician workflow.
Retrospective motion compensation for edited MR spectroscopic imaging.

Abstract Edited magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) is capable of mapping the distribution of low concentration metabolites such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or and glutathione (GSH), but is prone to subtraction artifacts due to head motion or other instabilities. In this study, a retrospective motion compensation algorithm for edited MRSI is proposed. The algorithm identifies movement-affected signals by comparing residual water and lipid peaks between different transients recorded at the same point in k-space, and either phase corrects, replaces or removes affected spectra prior to spatial Fourier transformation. The method was tested on macromolecule-unsuppressed GABA-edited spin-echo MR spectroscopic imaging data acquired from 8 healthy adults scanned at 3T. Relative to non-motion compensated data sets, the motion compensated data had significantly less subtraction artifacts across subjects. The residual choline (Cho) peak in the spectrum (which is well resolved from as a different chemical shift from GABA and is completely absent in a spectrum without subtraction artifact) was used as a metric of motion artifact severity. The normalized Cho area was 5.14 times lower with motion compensation than without motion compensation. A ‘removal-only’ version of the technique is also shown to be promising in removing motion-corrupted artifacts in a GSH-edited MRSI acquisition acquired in 1 healthy subject. This study introduces a motion compensation technique and demonstrates that retrospective compensation in k-space is possible and significantly reduces the amount of subtraction artifacts in the resulting edited spectra.
Learning to Signal in the Goldilocks Zone: Improving Adversary Compliance in Security Games

Many real-world security scenarios can be modeled via a game-theoretic framework known as a security game in which there is a defender trying to protect potential targets from an attacker. Recent work in security games has shown that deceptive signaling by the defender can convince an attacker to withdraw his attack. For instance, a warning message to commuters indicating speed enforcement is in progress ahead might lead to them driving more slowly, even if it turns out no enforcement is in progress. However, the results of this work are limited by the unrealistic assumption that the attackers will behave with perfect rationality, meaning they always choose an action that gives them the best expected reward. We address the problem of training boundedly rational (human) attackers to comply with signals via repeated interaction with signaling without incurring a loss to the defender, and offer the four following contributions: (i) We learn new decision tree and neural network-based models of attacker compliance with signaling. (ii) Based on these machine learning models of a boundedly rational attacker’s response to signaling, we develop a theory of signaling in the Goldilocks zone, a balance of signaling and deception that increases attacker compliance and improves defender utility. (iii) We present game-theoretic algorithms to solve for signaling schemes based on the learned models of attacker compliance with signaling. (iv) We conduct extensive human subject experiments using an online game. The game simulates the scenario of an inside attacker trying to steal sensitive information from company computers, and results show that our algorithms based on learned models of attacker behavior lead to better attacker compliance and improved defender utility compared to the state-of-the-art algorithm for rational attackers with signaling.
Values and Perceptions of the Traditional Gross Anatomy Courses at Tufts University School of Medicine

Human Gross Anatomy has customarily been taught as a didactic course supplemented with practical laboratory instruction. However, given strong directives from the Liaison Committee on Medical Educa...
To Be Young and Homeless

If asked to describe a “typical” homeless person, few people would think of a child living with a parent in a shelter for the homeless. Yet perhaps the most alarming change in the homeless population during the 1980s has been the dramatic rise in the number of homeless families with children.
Family History of Eating Disorder and the Broad Autism Phenotype in Autism

Autism features occur frequently among individuals with eating disorders (ED). This co-occurrence is not well understood but there is speculation that select traits (e.g., rigidity) are common to both autism and ED. To explore the co-occurrence of autistic traits and ED features, we used the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC; N = 2,623 families) to test whether first-degree relatives of individuals with autism with a history of ED features had more autism traits, as measured by the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAP-Q), compared to relatives with no history of ED. The frequency of individuals with ED features was 2.2% (N = 57) among mothers, <1% in siblings, and not present in fathers. We restricted our analyses to mothers. Compared to mothers with no history of ED, those with a history of ED had significantly higher scores on the BAP-Q Total Score and each of the three BAP-Q domains. More importantly, when the BAP-Q was used as a classification tool, we found that when compared to mothers with no history of ED, those with a history of ED were most likely to fall into the clinically significant range on the BAP-Q Rigid domain. Our results suggest that a history of ED features among mothers of individuals with autism is associated with the presence of autistic traits. This extends previous work showing a relationship between autism and ED and expands the range of neuropsychiatric traits that have relevance to the BAP among family members of individuals with autism. LAY SUMMARY: Using information from the Simons Simplex Collection we tested whether mothers of individuals with autism with a history of eating disorder had more autism traits (i.e., similar to those in autism but milder) compared to mothers with no history of eating disorder. The most striking difference between the groups was the presence of rigidity in mothers with a history of eating disorder. This extends previous work showing a relationship between autism and eating disorders and suggests the utility of studying eating disorders in future family studies of autism. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1573-1581. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
New Evidence in the 'More Guns, Less Crime' Debate: A Synthetic Controls Approach

For nearly fifteen years, there has been a vigorous debate about the deterrence effects of laws that grant citizens the presumptive right to publicly carry concealed handguns (so-called "right-to-carry" laws). The proposition that state-level right-to-carry (RTC) laws reduce crime was first proposed and endorsed in a widely discussed 1997 paper by John Lott and David Mustard. Numerous studies of the "More Guns, Less Crime" premise have since been published, both supporting and refuting the Lott-Mustard hypothesis. What virtually all these studies have in common is that they employ difference-in-difference methods that are commonplace for analyses of legislation using panel data. Yet, despite general methodological consistency, studies of this topic have produced strongly conflicting estimates of the effects of RTC laws. In this study, we offer new evidence on the effect of state-level RTC laws using a recently developed econometric technique that allows for transparent, data-driven case studies of each RTC law adoption over a fifteen-year period. We apply the synthetic control case control method developed by Abadie, Diamond, and Hainmuller (2010) to compare crime rates of treated states (RTC adopters) with crime rates in a convex combination of similar but untreated states (non-RTC adopters). Contrary to previous studies of this topic, our results are generally unaffected by making changes to the model specification. We find virtually no evidence that RTC laws reduce crime. In most states, we find that RTC laws appear to have no strong effect on crime in either the positive or negative direction. There are some states, though, where we find modest evidence that RTC legislation led to higher rates of aggravated assault. This finding is in line with recent aggregate estimates of the impact of RTC laws.
Dealing with Anxious Patients: An Integrative Review of the Literature on Nonpharmaceutical Interventions to Reduce Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Medical or Dental Procedures.

Objectives: State (situational) anxiety can create suboptimal outcomes for patients across a variety of health care specializations. While anxiolytic medications reduce anxiety, problematic side effects can compromise outcomes. These challenges have spurred searches for nonpharmaceutical approaches to alleviate patient anxiety. This systematic literature review, largely following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, aimed to determine patterns and effectiveness of interventions across medical health care specialty areas, including dentistry. Methods: A systematic review was conducted, using PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases, with search terms related to anxiety, specific interventions, and medical or dental procedures. Hand searching for additional citations was performed on the bibliographies of dissertations, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews that met article inclusion criteria. The search process yielded 48,324 articles and 257 dissertations published in English between 1974 and 2018. Each abstract was evaluated for inclusion by two reviewers, yielding 718 articles that were read and evaluated for outcomes, risk of bias, pretest and post-test, controls and quality, using a Critical Appraisal Skills Programme instrument. Of these, 408 articles, describing 501 experimental trials, were accepted for inclusion in this analysis. Results: A total of 50,343 patients were included in these experiments, with an overall success rate of 71% for reducing patient anxiety. Results are summarized by health care specialty area: surgery, oncology, cardiology, obstetrics/gynecology, dentistry, and pain/trauma, and the following diagnostic testing and intervention areas: imaging, colonoscopy, mechanical ventilation, and other. The largest number of experiments (114) was in the surgery category. The types of interventions included music, education, relaxation, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), massage, distraction, hypnosis, acupuncture/acupressure, social support, aromatherapy, nature sounds, natural visual stimuli, special garment, and other. The largest numbers of experiments were done with music (143) and education (130). Discussion: The following interventions were most successful, reducing anxiety in over 70% of experiments: music, CBT, relaxation, massage, acupuncture/acupressure, hypnosis, and natural sounds. Confidence in results is limited by publication bias, small sample sizes, and the lack of placebo controls. Directions for future research are discussed.
On the prescription of boundary conditions for nonlocal Poisson's and peridynamics models.

We introduce a technique to automatically convert local boundary conditions into nonlocal volume constraints for nonlocal Poisson's and peridynamic models. The proposed strategy is based on the approximation of nonlocal Dirichlet or Neumann data with a local solution obtained by using available boundary, local data. The corresponding nonlocal solution converges quadratically to the local solution as the nonlocal horizon vanishes, making the proposed technique asymptotically compatible. The proposed conversion method does not have any geometry or dimensionality constraints and its computational cost is negligible, compared to the numerical solution of the nonlocal equation. The consistency of the method and its quadratic convergence with respect to the horizon is illustrated by several two-dimensional numerical experiments conducted by meshfree discretization for both the Poisson's problem and the linear peridynamic solid model.
Beer, ritual, and identity: Ethnoarchaeological and archaeological study in Konso, southern Ethiopia

Abstract The drinking of African Indigenous beers is an expression of a variety of identities from age, gender, status, ethnicity, and can serve to either bond or exclude people in a community. Beer has a deep history in Africa connecting the living with their ancestors, as well as motivating people to work as a form of reciprocity or economic payment. This study analyzes the intersection of beer and pottery using both archaeological and ethnoarchaeological analyses of pottery by examining the Konso society in southern Ethiopia. Beer production and consumption is essential as it is the agency that brings together different Konso lineages and serves as a daily food, reciprocal exchange, and a ritual libation. This paper uses previous ethnoarchaeological use-alteration analysis of household pottery assemblages as a baseline to compare to archaeological pottery assemblages from two Konso leather worker sites occupied over the last century. The archaeological pottery assemblages from these two Konso sites indicates that they were producing beer to increase their economic well being and drinking beer as part of their daily food.
History of the University of Pennsylvania, 1740-1940

In writing this book Dr. E. W. Mumford, Secretary of the University, has given me invaluable assistance at every turn and I find it difficult to express adequately my sense of obligation and gratitude to him. I can only say that without his advice and help, generously offered and unsparingly given, I would not have begun and could not have finished the book. Other officers of the University and of the alumni societies, especially Dean Pepper, Mr. George E. Nitzsche, Recorder, Mr. C. S. Thompson, Librarian, Mr. C. J. Miel, Manager of the University Fund and Mr. Horace M. Lippincott, Editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette and General Magazine have offered and given me much help. Colleagues in the Faculty, some of them now in retirement, responded promptly, fully, and thoughtfully to my questions about their respective departments. I collected in this way much information that it has proved impossible, unfortunately, to include in this book. I hope they will not be disappointed. Limitations of space soon asserted themselves and it became evident that a single volume could include little more than an account of the establishment and early circumstances of departments that have had a long and interesting history, and a mere mention rather than a full discussion of much that was significant. Limitations of time stood equally in the way. The two years or somewhat more that have been given to the preparation of the history did not give time to gain familiarity with such a complex body as the University has come to be, beyond the vague knowledge gained by one who has grown up with it. The volume entitled The University of Pennsylvania Today provides a partial corrective to these deficiencies, and contains much material I have with a heavy heart laid aside. Comments All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations used for purposes of scholarly citation, none of this work may be reproduced in any form by any means without written permission from the publisher. For information address the University of Pennsylvania Press, 3905 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112. Reprinted from History of the University of Pennsylvania, 1740-1940, by Edward Potts Cheyney (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1940). This book is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/penn_history/5
Disease in the History of Modern Latin America: From Malaria to AIDS and From Popular Medicine to Medical Populism: Doctors, Healers, and the Public Power in Costa Rica 1800–1940

Disease in the History of Modern Latin America: From Malaria to AIDS. Diego Armus, ed. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2003. 326 pp. From Popular Medicine to Medical Populism: Doctors, Healers, and the Public Power in Costa Rica 1800–1940. Steven Palmer. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2003. 329 pp.
A Sense of Style

This paper explores a compositional environment developed by the authors for simulating diverse musical styles. The methodology used for linking real-time musical instrument physical models with algorithms that mimic performance practices of Western and non-Western musics is described, as well as the ethical and aesthetic issues that necessarily result from this work. The compositional environment consists of several components: a set of real-time synthesis models implemented in RTcmix (real-time cmix), a LISP-based kernel in which "performance rules" are encoded, and a variety of high-level interfaces allowing for the creation and investigation of synthetic musical styles. These interfaces range from a basic ’style-space’ graphical system to an a-life model of music/cultural evolution, as well as a fundamental paradigm of interaction which has the interesting feature of exploring the pedagogy of learning to "play" a given computer instrument within a simulated musical tradition. All of this work is rooted in an expanded concept of musical representation, one which proceeds from the notion that music is generally best represented through performance rather than through abstract symbolic notation. In this environment, the locus of musical style is found in the actual realization of music instead of within a reductive, generated set of notes (or notes+rules). This captures the essence of musical style associated with many improvisatory traditions, both Western and non-Western. Musical cultures in which notation is an alien intrusion can be rendered directly using this expanded representation scheme. Modelling of cultural styles raises important questions about the ethical and aesthetic relationships existing between the synthetic style and the real music that inspired it --concerns that go beyond the standard copyright/ownership issues involved in direct sampling or quotation of extant music. Under the rubric of computer music, what we do is not really "real". However, the implications of what we do are rapidly becoming very real. What is appropriate appropriation? What compromises must be reached when musical cultures collide? The authors have been in contact with various organizations involved in the promotion of indigenous musics in order to address these complex issues.
New Medium for the Isolation and Enumeration of Pseudomonads

A new medium containing 200 ppb of 2-hydroxy-2′,4,4′-trichlorodiphenyloxide (CH3565) and 10 ppm of cetyl-trimethyl-ammonium bromide (Cetrimide) in tryptic soy agar was developed and tested with 19 pure cultures of Pseudomonas, 20 microorganisms of other genera, commercially prepared ground beef, and laboratory-prepared inoculated ground beef. The new medium, CETCH agar, was compared with an antibiotic-containing medium. CETCH agar provided greater pseudomonad recoveries, a shorter incubation period prior to plate counting, and greater ease of preparation.
Trade-offs between the accuracy and integrity of autobiographical narrative in memory reconsolidation

Lane et al. propose an integrative model for the reconsolidation of traces in their timely and impressive article. This commentary draws attention to trade-offs between accuracy and self-narrative integrity in the model. The trade-offs concern the sense of agency in memory and its role in both implicit and explicit memory reconsolidation, rather than balances concerning degrees of emotional arousal.
Homology Modeling With Internal Coordinate Mechanics: Deformation Zone Mapping and Improvements of Models via Conformational Search

Five models by homology containing insertions and deletions and ranging from 33% to 48% sequence identity to the known homologue, and one high sequence identity (85%) model were built for the CASP2 meeting. For all five low identity targets: (i) our starting models were improved by the Internal Coordinate Mechanics (ICM) energy optimization, (ii) the refined models were consistently better than those built with the automatic SWISS-MODEL program, and (iii) the refined models differed by less than 2% from the best model submitted, as judged by the residue contact area difference (CAD) measure [Abagyan, R.A., Totrov, M.J. Mol. Biol. 268:678-685, 1997]. The CAD measure is proposed for ranking models built by homology instead of global root-mean-square deviation, which is frequently dominated by insignificant yet large contributions from incorrectly predicted fragments or side chains. We demonstrate that the precise identification of regions of local backbone deviation is an independent and crucial step in the homology modeling procedure after alignment, since aligned fragments can strongly deviate from the template at various distances from the alignment gap or even in the ungapped parts of the alignment. We show that a local alignment score can be used as an indicator of such local deviation. While four short loops of the meeting targets were predicted by database search, the best loop 1 target T0028, for which the correct database fragment was not found, was predicted by Internal Coordinate Mechanics global energy optimization at 1.2 A accuracy. A classification scheme for errors in homology modeling is proposed.
Secreted osteopontin is highly polymerized in human airways and fragmented in asthmatic airway secretions.

Author(s): Arjomandi, Mehrdad; Frelinger, Jessica; Donde, Aneesh; Wong, Hofer; Yellamilli, Amritha; Raymond, Wilfred | Abstract: BackgroundOsteopontin (OPN) is a member of the small integrin-binding ligand N-linked glycoprotein (SIBLING) family and a cytokine with diverse biologic roles. OPN undergoes extensive post-translational modifications, including polymerization and proteolytic fragmentation, which alters its biologic activity. Recent studies suggest that OPN may contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma.MethodologyTo determine whether secreted OPN (sOPN) is polymerized in human airways and whether it is qualitatively different in asthma, we used immunoblotting to examine sOPN in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid samples from 12 healthy and 21 asthmatic subjects (and in sputum samples from 27 healthy and 21 asthmatic subjects). All asthmatic subjects had mild to moderate asthma and abstained from corticosteroids during the study. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between airway sOPN and cellular inflammation.Principal findingsWe found that sOPN in BAL fluid and sputum exists in polymeric, monomeric, and cleaved forms, with most of it in polymeric form. Compared to healthy subjects, asthmatic subjects had proportionately less polymeric sOPN and more monomeric and cleaved sOPN. Polymeric sOPN in BAL fluid was associated with increased alveolar macrophage counts in airways in all subjects.ConclusionsThese results suggest that sOPN in human airways (1) undergoes extensive post-translational modification by polymerization and proteolytic fragmentation, (2) is more fragmented and less polymerized in subjects with mild to moderate asthma, and (3) may contribute to recruitment or survival of alveolar macrophages.
COX-2 Polymorphism, use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and risk of colon cancer in African Americans (United States)

The inducible Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 enzyme plays an important role in inflammation and carcinogenesis. Recent reports suggest that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the COX-2 gene may alter enzyme function and in turn modify an individual’s risk of colon cancer. We explored the association between the COX-2 Val511Ala SNP and risk of colon cancer among 240 African American cases and 326 African American controls in a population-based, case-control study in North Carolina. We used unconditional logistic regression models to determine the odds ratios (ORs) for genotype and risk of colon cancer. We observed a non-statistically significant inverse association between any Ala COX-2 genotype and risk of colon cancer (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.33, 1.16) among African Americans. The inverse association was present among non-regular NSAID users, use ≤ 3 times/week, (OR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.32, 1.37) and regular NSAID users, use ≥3 times/week for ≥3 months, (OR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.11, 1.54). Our results suggest that the COX-2 Val511Ala SNP does not antagonize the effect of NSAIDs on colon cancer risk and provides support that NSAID use and the COX-2 Val511Ala SNP may contribute to a reduced risk of colon cancer among African Americans.
Ageing and Transageing: Transgenerational Hauntings of the Self

In this article, I examine the dissonant experience of ageing in the context of two different but related models of the psyche: a vertical model to which repression is central and a horizontal model that emphasizes dissociation. I compare the structure of Freud's melancholic self, as Abraham and Torok (1994) have revised it, with the postmodern, poststructuralist, and post-Freudian self, which is characterized by dissociation and emphasized by relational psychoanalytic theorists. I argue that dissociation is the more capacious model for the consideration of the experience of ageing because it can serve an incorporative or an introjective function. In its defensive, incorporative role, it maintains ghostly specters of youth as consuming objects of loss and desire. In its creative introjective role, dissociation initiates a dynamic and creative process in which multiple self-states of past and present are available for recognition and enactment. In this latter form of the dissociative state, the melancholic...
Considering Student Veterans on the Twenty-First-Century College Campus:

We will soon be seeing more student veterans enrolling in institutions of higher education than since WWII. David T. Vacchi provides guidance on how to serve this important population of students.
Anomalous venous connection of the superior vena cava to the left atrium.

Abstract Abnormal drainage of caval blood into the left atrium represents a rare cause of obligatory cyanosis. Most reported cases have presented at a young age in association with other cardiac defects.1,2 We report a case of partial drainage of superior vena cava (SVC) blood into the left atrium in an asymptomatic, cyanotic 74-year-old man.
Oxidation of metallic alloys to produce high Tc superconducting oxide/Ag microcomposites

A metallurgical/high temperature oxidation method has been developed to produce high T c superconductors. Metallic precursor alloys were produced by vacuum melting and rapid solidification. Ag was added to the alloy to improve processing and mechanical properties. These alloys were subjected to controlled oxidation and annealing to convert them into high T c superconductors. Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O/Ag superconducting microcomposites with zero resistance at 104-110 K were produced in this way. The oxidation kinetics and oxide structure were studied by thermogravimetry, electron microscopy and microanalysis. The formation of the superconducting oxides was studied by establishing a set of temperature-time-transformation (TTT) diagrams. Mechanical deformation was also introduced to produce samples with a textured microstructure and improved J c (∼10000 A/cm 2 at 77 K). The metallic oxidation method has advantages in mass production of superconductors in the forms of long ribbons and coils with improved mechanical properties
Are we sure that Mobile Health is really mobile? An examination of mobile device use during two remotely-delivered weight loss interventions

Abstract Background The "m" in mHealth is often thought of as the ability to receive health information and monitor behaviors on the go. Little is known about how people actually use mobile vs. traditional access methods and if access method affects engagement and health outcomes. Methods This study examines the 3-month outcomes of two mobile weight loss interventions (Pounds Off Digitally (POD) and mobile POD (mPOD)) where participants were required to own a mobile device for study entry and received weight loss information via podcast. Only participants in both studies who were randomized to receive the same theory-based podcast (TBP) were used in this analysis. In POD, 41 participants were randomized to the TBP condition (37 to a control not included in this analyses). In mPOD, 49 participants were randomized to the TBP ( n =49) and 47 to the TBP+mobile group (a self-monitoring app and Twitter app for social support). The goal of this study is to examine how participants accessed study components and to examine how type of device impacts engagement and weight loss. Results Examining data from both studies in aggregate, despite a mobile delivery method, 58% of participants reported using a non-mobile device to access the majority of the podcasts (desktop computers), 76% accessed the podcasts mostly at their home or work, and 62% were mainly non-mobile (e.g., sitting at work) when listening. Examining objective download data for mPOD, 49% of downloads (2889/5944) originated from non-mobile delivery methods vs. mobile platforms (3055/5944). At 3 months, 55% of Twitter posts originated from the website ( n =665 posts) vs. a mobile app ( n =540; 45%). There was no difference in the number of podcasts participants reported listening to by device. There were more Twitter posts by mobile app users (51±11) than Twitter website users (23±6, p p =0.055) in greater weight loss among mobile users for podcasts (−3.5±0.5%) as compared to non-mobile users (−2.5±0.5%). Weight loss was significantly greater in Twitter mobile app users (−5.6±0.9%) than website users (−2.2±0.5%, p Conclusion Type of device used for podcast listening did not affect engagement but there was a trend toward greater weight loss among mobile users. Method of Twitter posting was associated with engagement and weight loss with mobile app users posting more to Twitter and losing more weight.
Late Cenozoic deformation of the Kura fold-thrust belt, southern Greater Caucasus

Although the geometry and kinematics of the first-order structures accommodating Arabia-Eurasia convergence are relatively well known in Turkey and Iran, major shortening structures remain poorly understood within the central portion of the collision zone, in eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus. New remotely sensed neotectonic mapping, synthesis of regional geologic and stratigraphic data, and balanced cross sections suggest that the Kura fold-thrust belt has accommodated the majority of Arabia-Eurasia convergence since the early Pliocene between the longitudes of ∼45°E and ∼49°E. This belt lies southeast of the N80°W-striking Greater Caucasus Mountains and forms an eastward-narrowing band of elevated topography that roughly parallels the range front for ∼400 km along strike. The belt is separated from the Greater Caucasus to the north by the 10- to 25-km-wide Alazani Basin and comprises a series of predominantly south-verging folds deforming Eocene–Quaternary flysch and molasse. To document structural geometries within the Kura fold-thrust belt, we have used the Real-time Interactive Mapping System (RIMS) software to analyze Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), visible to near-infrared (VNIR), and digital elevation model (DEM) data. This neotectonic mapping indicates an along-strike, eastward decrease in both structural complexity and the degree to which deformed geomorphic surfaces are dissected. Existing geologic maps indicate a corresponding eastward decrease in the depth of exposure. By integrating the structural geometries determined in our analysis of remote-sensing data with existing geologic data, we have constructed two balanced cross sections, which suggest these systematic along-strike variations result from a west-to-east decrease in total shortening within the Kura fold-thrust belt. We interpret this variable shortening to stem from eastward propagation of the Kura fold-thrust belt. Comparison of our preliminary total shortening estimates with those predicted by current plate motions suggest that the Kura fold-thrust belt has accommodated ∼30%–40% (∼25 km) of total Arabia-Eurasia convergence since 5 Ma, and thus forms a first-order structural system within the central portion of the collision zone.
Low-bit-rate morpho-subband coding

Recent success of linear subband coders is mainly attributed to the invention of data organization strategies exploiting the underlying dependency across subbands thus raising the PSNR 1-3 dB above transform coders. Nevertheless, they suffer from the ringing effect at low bit rates caused by linear filtering. In this paper, we propose a novel hierarchical image decomposition and quantization scheme which exploits the advantages of both linear and morphological filtering in eliminating the ringing effect and maintaining good texture representation. More importantly, the proposed morpho-subband decomposition scheme enables the incorporation of quantization into the decomposition. As a result, all existing algorithms to efficiently represent wavelet coefficients can be applied to representing the so-called morpho-subband coefficients as well. This increases the PSNR by 2-3 dB compared to existing morphological-linear subband decompositions reported in the literature.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Recovery of optical properties from interstitial spectroscopy for photodynamic therapy treatment planning

Knowledge of optical properties is required to determine light dose in photodynamic therapy. We have designed an interstitial optical probe, consisting of six helically arranged side-firing fibers enclosed in a 1.1 mm diameter encapsulant, that can be used to determine these values. White light is delivered by one fiber and detected by the others. Based on a Monte Carlo (MC) model of the probe, the absorption (μa) and reduced scattering (μs') coefficients of the sample are determined. Recovery was verified in tissue-simulating phantoms containing MnTPPS or intact human erythrocytes as absorbers and Intralipid as scatterer. Mean errors in recovery of μa and μs' were 9% and 19%, respectively. In phantoms containing erythrocytes, hemoglobin oxygen saturation was recovered with mean error of 12%. Using the MC model, we mapped the volumes sampled by particular spectroscopy fibers. For μa = 0.1 cm-1 and μs' = 20cm-1, 49% of photon packets detected at the fiber adjacent to the source sampled a radius further than 5 mm from the probe, while 24% of photon packets sampled further than 7.5 mm. When μs' was reduced to 10 cm-1, 54% of photon packets traversed a radius greater than 5 mm from the probe and 29% sampled further than 7.5 mm. Changing the value of μa to 0.2 cm-1 did not have an effect on the sampled volume. We also provide a new probe design that aims to improve upon the accuracy of the current probe by incorporating a wider range of source-detector separations.
Haloacetate-induced oxidative damage to DNA in the liver of male B6C3F1 mice

Brominated and chlorinated haloacetates (HAs) are by-products of drinking water disinfection. Dichloroacetate (DCA) and trichloroacetate (TCA) are hepatocarcinogenic in rodents, but the brominated analogs have received little study. Prior work has indicated that acute doses of the brominated derivatives are more potent inducers of oxidative stress and increase the 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) content of the nuclear DNA in the liver. Since, DCA and TCA are also known as weak peroxisome proliferators, the present study was intended to determine whether this activity might be exacerbated by peroxisomal proliferation. Classical responses to peroxisome proliferators, cyanide-insensitive acyl-CoA oxidase activity and increased 12-hydroxylation of lauric acid, were elevated in a dose-related manner in mice maintained on TCA and clofibric acid (positive control), but not with DCA, dibromoacetate (DBA) or bromochloroacetate (BCA). Administration of the HAs in drinking water to male B6C3F1 mice for periods from 3 to 10 weeks resulted in dose-related increases in 8-OH-dG in nuclear DNA of the liver with DBA and BCA, but not with TCA or DCA. These findings indicate that oxidative damage induced by the haloacetates is, at least in part, independent of peroxisome proliferation. In addition, these data suggest that oxidative damage to DNA may play a more important role in the chronic toxicology of brominated compared to the chlorinated haloacetates.
Economics of electrical propulsion for earth- orbit to lunar-orbit cargo transfer.

Cost effectiveness of electrical propulsion for logistic support of advanced lunar operations