cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Employing a mobile health decision aid to improve decision-making for patients with advanced prostate cancer and their decision partners/proxies: the CHAMPION randomized controlled trial study design

Metastatic prostate cancer remains a lethal malignancy that warrants novel supportive interventions for patients and their decision partners and proxies. Decision aids have been applied primarily to patients with localized disease, with minimal inclusion of patients with advanced prostate cancer and their decision partners. The use of a community patient navigator (CPN) has been shown to have a positive supportive role in health care, particularly with individuals from minority populations. Research is needed to evaluate decision support interventions tailored to the needs of advanced prostate cancer patients and their decision partners in diverse populations. Guided by Janis and Mann’s Conflict Model of Decision Making, the Cancer Health Aid to Manage Preferences and Improve Outcomes through Navigation (CHAMPION) is a randomized controlled trial to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a mobile health (mHealth), CPN-administered decision support intervention designed to facilitate communication between patients, their decision partners, and the healthcare team. Adult prostate cancer patients and their decision partners at three mid-Atlantic hospitals in the USA were randomized to receive enhanced usual care or the decision intervention. The CHAMPION intervention includes a theory-based decision-making process tutorial, immediate and health-related quality of life graphical summaries over time (using mHealth), values clarification via a balance sheet procedure with the CPN support during difficult decisions, and facilitated discussions with providers to enhance informed, shared decision-making. The CHAMPION intervention is designed to leverage dynamic resources, such as CPN teams, mHealth technology, and theory-based information, to support decision-making for advanced prostate cancer patients and their decision partners. This intervention is intended to engage decision partners in addition to patients and represents a novel, sustainable, and scalable way to build on individual and community strengths. Patients from minority populations, in particular, may face unique challenges during clinical communication. CHAMPION emphasizes the inclusion of decision partners and CPNs as facilitators to help address these barriers to care. Thus, the CHAMPION intervention has the potential to positively impact patient and decision partner well-being by reducing decisional conflict and decision regret related to complex, treatment-based decisions, and to reduce cancer health disparities. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03327103 . Registered on 31 October 2017—retrospectively registered. World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set included in Supplementary Materials.
Analyses of polymorphisms of intron 2 of OPRK1 (kappa-opioid receptor gene) in association with opioid and cocaine dependence diagnoses in an African-American population.

Abstract Rationale The dynorphin/ kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) system (encoded by PDYN and OPRK1 genes respectively) is highly regulated by repeated exposure to drugs of abuse, including mu-opioid agonists and cocaine. These changes in the dynorphin/KOR system can then influence the rewarding effects of these drugs of abuse. Activation of the dynorphin/KOR system is also thought to have a role in the pro-addictive effects of stress. Recent in vitro assays showed that the OPRK1 intron 2 may function as a genomic enhancer in the regulation KOR expression and contains a glucocorticiod-responsive sequence site. We hypothesize that SNPs in intron 2 of OPRK1 are associated with categorical opioid or cocaine dependence diagnoses, as well as with dimensional aspects of drug use (i.e., magnitude of drug exposure). Methods This study includes 577 subjects ≥18 years old, with African ancestry (AA) from the USA. They were divided into three groups: 152 control subjects, 142 persons with lifetime opioid dependence diagnosis (OD), and 283 subjects with lifetime cocaine dependence diagnosis (CD). Five SNPs (rs16918909, rs7016778, rs997917, rs6473797, rs10111937) that span 10 Kb nucleotides in intron 2 of the OPRK1 were used for the association analyses. Genotyping was performed with the Smokescreen® array or sequencing of PCR amplified DNA fragments. Association analyses for OD and CD diagnoses and the OPRK1 intron 2 alleles were carried out with Fisher’s exact test. The Kreek-McHugh-Schluger-Kellogg (KMSK) scales were used for dimensional measure of maximum exposure to specific drugs, using Mann-Whitney tests. Results Two SNPs, rs997917 and rs10111937 showed point-wise significant allelic association (p 0.05). However, significant associations of several genotype patterns (diplotypes) were found with cocaine dependence, but none for opioid dependence. The most significant genotype pattern with cocaine dependence diagnosis occurred for rs6473797 and rs10111937 (pcorr =0.036, odds ratio=1.92, FDR Conclusions This study provides additional support of potential importance of regulatory regions of intron 2 OPRK1 in development of cocaine and opioid dependence diagnoses, in a population with African-American ancestry.
An Examination of Social Inferencing Skills in Males and Females Following Traumatic Brain Injury

ABSTRACT Objective This study examines sex differences in social inferencing deficits after traumatic brain injury (TBI), and examines the odds of males and females being impaired while controlling for potential confounders. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Outpatient.USA and a University in Canada. Participants One hundred five participants with TBI (60 males, 45 females) and 105 healthy controls (HC; 57 males, 48 females). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), which includes 1) Emotional Evaluation Test (EET), 2) Social Inference-Minimal (SI-M) test, and 3) Social Inference-Enriched (SI-E) test. Results Within the HC sample, males and females performed similarly on all three TASIT subtests. Within the TBI group, males had significantly lower scores than females on EET (P = 0.03), SI-M (P=0.01) and SI-E (P=0.04). Using impairment cutoffs derived from the HC sample, significantly more males with TBI (30%) were impaired on the EET than females(16.7%); impairment was similar between males and females on SI-M and SI-E. When adjusting for executive functioning and education, the odds of being impaired on the EET did not significantly differ for males and females (OR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.16 - 1.40; P = 0.18). Conclusions While more males with TBI have emotion perception deficits than females, the difference appears to be driven by education and executive functioning. Research is needed in larger samples with more definitive norms to better understand social inferencing impairments in males and females with TBI, and translation to interpersonal behaviors.
Computer Simulation Methods for Nonadiabatic Dynamics in Condensed Systems

As nuclear rearrangements take place during chemical reactions, the reacting molecules can undergo nonradiative electronic excitation or relaxation. These radiationless changes in electronic state or nonadiabatic transitions are particularly important when the electronic states of the reacting system are close in energy, as is often the case for reactions of molecules in excited electronic states. When the energy difference between these close-lying electronic states is comparable to the energy of the nuclear motion, transfer of energy between nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom can have a profound effect on the outcome of these types of reactions. Electronically nonadiabatic effects are thus important in many fundamental molecular processes including: excited-state electronic energy transfer, charge transfer reactions, and quenching of electronic excitation. These types of electronic transitions can also play an important role in chemical reactions of ground-state species at room temperature.
Crafting identity in Zimbabwe and Mozambique

With this first comprehensive history of the Ndau of eastern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique, Elizabeth MacGonagle moves beyond national borders to show how cultural identities are woven from historical memories that predate the arrival of missionaries and colonial officials on the African continent. Drawing on archival records and oral histories from throughout the Ndau region, her study analyzes the complex relationships between social identity and political power from 1500 to 1900. Ndauness has been created and recreated within communities through marriages and social structures, cultural practices that mark the body, and rituals that help to sustain shared beliefs. A sense of being Ndau continues to exist into the present, despite different colonial histories, postcolonial trajectories, and official languages in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. MacGonagle's study of ethnic identities among the marginalized Ndau sheds light on the conflicts and divisions that haunt southeast Africa today. This compelling interpretation of the crafting of identity in one corner of Africa has relevance for readers interested in identity formation and ethnic conflict around the world. Elizabeth MacGonagle is assistant professor of African History at the University of Kansas.
Stochastic geometry and perception

Recently the concept of a proximity measure has emerged as a computational cornerstone for modelling human perception. In particular, for visual perception a proximity measure is an index defined over pairs of images that quantifies the degree to which the two objects are alike as perceived by a respondent at the particular time of measurement. Analyses of these proximity measures have been done almost solely under the purview of the multidimensional scaling (MDS) technique.
Lattices in Semisimple Groups and Invariant Geometric Structures on Compact Manifolds

The aim of this paper is to describe a geometrization of the Mostow-Margulis theory of rigidity and representations of discrete subgroups of semisimple groups. More precisely let H be a connected semisimple Lie group and Γ ⊂ Halattice subgroup. Let G be another Lie group. The general problem considered by Mostow and Margulis was to study the homomorphisms π: Γ → G. The Mostow rigidity theorem of course deals with the case in which G is semisimple and π(Γ) is a lattice in G, and the Margulis superrigidity theorem deals with the more general case in which π(Γ) is merely assumed to be Zariski dense in G. While we shall recall the precise results later, we simply remark here that the ultimate conclusion is that one can essentially understand all such homomorphisms. Roughly speaking, π either extends to a smooth homomorphism of H or π(Γ) has compact closure (in which case one also has information on the closure), or is a combination of these cases. A geometric generalization of the notion of a homomorphism Γ → G is of course the notion of an action of Γ by automorphisms of a principal G-bundle.
Methods and Applications

In this chapter, a variety of operator-theoretic methods are developed within the context of determining the spectra of Toeplitz operators.
Biologically Inspired Autonomous Rover Control

Robotic missions beyond 2013 will likely be precursors to a manned habitat deployment on Mars. Such missions require robust control systems for long duration activities. Current single rover missions will evolve into deployment of multiple, heterogeneous cooperating robotic colonies. This paper describes the map-making memory and action selection mechanism of BISMARC (\underline{\rm B}iologically \underline{\rm I}nspired \underline{\rm S}ystem for \underline{\rm M}ap-based \underline{\rm A}utonomous \underline{\rm R}over \underline{\rm C}ontrol) that is currently under development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA (Huntsberger and Rose, i>Neutral Networks, 11(7/8):1497–1510). BISMARC is an integrated control system for long duration missions involving robots performing cooperative tasks.
The Absolute Bourgeois: Artists and Politics in France, 1848-1851

Caravaggio's Roman altarpiece, "Death of the Virgin," in the Louvre, is often considered shockingly realistic and radically secular in content. Pamela Askew reveals its imagery to be as rich in metaphor and allusion as it is salient in its dramatic immediacy. The painting, notorious for its rejection by the fathers of the church of the Discalced Carmelites in Rome, S. Maria della Scala, was nevertheless praised by Caravaggio's contemporaries. Askew's analysis of the interdependency of formal and iconographical elements stresses Caravaggio's emphasis upon the body of the Virgin and offers new suggestions of why the image, despite its theological orthodoxy, may not have accorded with the Marian ideals of the reformed order. An earlier dating for the work is also proposed and its historical background enriched by new information on the hitherto obscure patron, Laerzio Cherubini. Caravaggio is shown to allude to Cherubini's active interest in a philanthropic institution for women with which the church of S. Maria della Scala was allied, through his exceptional inclusion of the figure of the Magdalen in a scene of the Dormition. Askew seeks to place the Death of the Virgin within the artistic and literary as well as social, theological, and spiritual contexts that contributed to its pictorial shaping. The Roman congregation of the Discalced Carmelites is investigated as is the tenor of its spirituality, and Caravaggio's formulation of the theme is interpreted in relation to his own pictorial synthesis of time passed and time future in time present.
A Due Process Challenge to the Constitutionality of the Death Penalty in the United States

The underpinning for an untested challenge to the constitutionality of the death penalty in the United States is provided. The proposed challenge relies on the logical force of a Lockean argument against the death penalty, a relevant collection of recent empirical findings and related commentary from the literature of the social sciences, an appeal to a fundamental principle of justice, and the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment to the U. S. Constitution.
Outside-In – Inside-Out: Seventh-Grade Students' Mathematical Thought Processes

Building on the research of Vygotsky regarding the role of social interaction and the zone of proximal development (ZPD) in learning and development, this paper explored the relation between students' oral thought processes and written thought processes. It is argued that the practice of writing provides a context for a new learning zone: the ‘zone of proximal practice’ (ZPP). In this new zone, students independently organize their thinking about mathematical concepts and ideas. An interpretative case study of seven middle grade students is presented to support this contention. The case study describes the strategies and procedures students employed while solving mathematical problems and documents students' oral and written thought processes through interview protocols and writing samples. The position that students' mathematical understanding is further developed through writing as a communicative tool, while taking advantage of mediated social practices, is discussed to make clear the rationale for introducing a new learning zone.
Landscape patterns as habitat predictors: building and testing models for cavity-nesting birds in the Uinta Mountains of Utah, USA

The ability to predict species occurrences quickly is often crucial for managers and conservation biologists with limited time and funds. We used measured associations with landscape patterns to build accurate predictive habitat models that were quickly and easily applied (i.e., required no additional data collection in the field to make predictions). We used classification trees (a nonparametric alternative to discriminant function analysis, logistic regression, and other generalized linear models) to model nesting habitat of red-naped sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus nuchalis), northern flickers (Colaptes auratus), tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), and mountain chickadees (Parus gambeli) in the Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah, USA. We then tested the predictive capability of the models with independent data collected in the field the following year. The models built for the northern flicker, red-naped sapsucker, and tree swallow were relatively accurate (84%, 80%, and 75% nests correctly classified, respectively) compared to the models for the mountain chickadee (50% nests correctly classified). All four models were more selective than a null model that predicted habitat based solely on a gross association with aspen forests. We conclude that associations with landscape patterns can be used to build relatively accurate, easy to use, predictive models for some species. Our results stress, however, that both selecting the proper scale at which to assess landscape associations and empirically testing the models derived from those associations are crucial for building useful predictive models.
Electron-Positron Annihilation and the Structure of Hadrons

The last two months have been very exciting ones in elementary particle physics. They have been filled with the most rapid and unexpected discoveries that I can recall. The highlight of this period is undoubtedly the finding of very narrow boson resonances, 1–4 the ψ’s at 3.1 and 3.7 GeV.
Delay in state feedback control over a network

Conditions for stabilization are given for linear and nonlinear systems controlled over a communication network. The network introduces an unknown delay and state dependent interference effects. Explicit formulas for the gains are given. In addition we introduce a notion of polynomial observability, relevant in the problem, for a delay system.
Hemophilus and pneumococcal peritonitis in children with the nephrotic syndrome.

Two children are reported whose nephrotic syndrome was complicated by peritonitis due to H. influenzae type b. In Pittsburgh, the leading organism for peritonitis in nephrosis remains D. pneumoniae with a disproportionately high incidence in black children. Although H. influenzae is a rare cause of this complication, it should be considered along with the other previously recognized etiological bacterial agents. Addendum: Since this manuscript was submitted, the child designated as Case 1 developed peritonitis once again, this time due to D. ptwumoniae. This episode occurred during November 1974 and was successfully treated with intravenously administered penicillin during a five-day hospitalization. At the time of that admission, her IgG was again only 45 mg/100 ml, suggesting that low serum antibody levels may indeed be important in the pathogenesis of Peritomtis and nephrosis.
La imagen variable de la mujer en las crónicas de la exploración y conquista españolas del sureste de norteamérica, 1513-1600

Seis conquistadores fracasaron en sus tentativas para conquistar el sureste de Norteamerica en el siglo XVI. Igual que en otras cronicas de la conquista, a primera vista la mujer no figura prominentemente en las cronicas de esta region -conocida en aquel entonces como "la Florida"- situada al margen del imperio espanol en el Nuevo Mundo. Sin embargo, en esta lectura detenida de las cronicas del sureste se nota que la mujer, tanto espanola como india, no solamente estaba presente en la conquista sino que desempeno una variedad de papeles sorprendentes.
Graduate laboratory courses in microelectronics

An overview is given of specific laboratory objectives for the Master's degree program of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the State University of New York, Binghamton. The program is a combination of a three-credit project and three one-credit graduate laboratory courses. Emphasis is on the laboratory course requirements in the microelectronics area. The five laboratory courses in the microelectronics group are described. The experiments outlined represent current capability and are determined to some degree by the equipment now available. Time commitments are set for the one-credit load by analogy with undergraduate laboratories. Topic covered by the laboratory classes are: IC fabrication, semiconductor device testing, thick film hybrids, thin film deposition techniques and MOS VLSI design. >
Integrin regulation of cell-cell adhesion during epithelial tubule formation

The extracellular matrix plays an important role in regulation of epithelial development and organization. To determine more precisely the function of extracellular matrix in this process, the initial steps in collagen-mediated formation of epithelial tubules were studied using a model cell culture system. Previous studies have demonstrated that incubation of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells with a collagen gel overlay induces (beta)1 integrin-regulated epithelial remodeling accompanied by extensive cell rearrangements and formation of epithelial tubules. During epithelial remodeling there was extensive disruption of the epithelial junctional complex. Progressive opening of tight junctions was observed over 8 hours using transepithelial resistance measurements and immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated that tight and adherens junction proteins were dispersed throughout the apical and basolateral membranes. Junction complex disruption allowed the formation of apical cell extensions and subsequent migration of selected cell sheets from the epithelial monolayer. Confocal microscopy demonstrated the presence of adherens junction (E-cadherin, (alpha)-catenin, (beta)-catenin, plakoglobin) and desmosomal (desmoplakin-1/2, plakoglobin) proteins on, and within, cell extensions demonstrating that cell junctions had undergone considerable disassembly. However, groups of cell extensions appeared to be associated by E-cadherin/catenin-mediated interactions. Association of E-cadherin/catenin complexes with the epithelial cytoskeleton was analyzed by differential detergent extraction. SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analysis demonstrated that adherens junction proteins were primarily cytoskeleton-associated in control cells. During integrin-regulated remodeling, there was a progressive reduction in the interaction of adherens junction proteins with the cytoskeleton suggesting that they play an important role in the maintenance of epithelial integrity. Since loss of transepithelial electrical resistance and disruption of junctional complexes were inhibited by an antifunctional integrin antibody, we propose that activation of integrin signaling pathways regulate junctional complex stability, cell-cell interactions and cell migration. These observations provide evidence that integrin-regulated MDCK epithelial tubule formation can serve as a model system for studying rearrangements of epithelial sheets which occur during development.
Capillary Sprout Endothelial Cells Exhibit a CD36low Phenotype : Regulation by Shear Stress and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-Induced Mechanism for Attenuating Anti-Proliferative Thrombospondin-1 Signaling

Endothelial cells acquire distinctive molecular signatures in their transformation to an angiogenic phenotype that are indicative of changes in cell behavior and function. Using a rat mesentery model of inflammation-induced angiogenesis and a panel of known endothelial markers (CD31, VE-cadherin, BS-I lectin), we identified a capillary sprout-specific endothelial phenotype that is characterized by the marked down-regulation of CD36, a receptor for the anti-angiogenic molecule thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1). TSP-1/CD36 interactions were shown to regulate angiogenesis in this model as application of TSP-1 inhibited angiogenesis and blockade of both TSP-1 and CD36 accelerated angiogenesis. Vascular endothelial growth factor, which was up-regulated in the in vivo model, elicited a dose- and time-dependent down-regulation of CD36 (ie, to a CD36low phenotype) in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells that had been conditioned to a CD36low phenotype with VEGF were found to be refractory to anti-proliferative TSP-1 signaling via a CD36-dependent mechanism. The loss of exposure to wall shear stress, which occurs in vivo when previously quiescent cells begin to sprout, also generated a CD36low phenotype. Ultimately, our results identified the regulation of endothelial cell CD36 expression as a novel mechanism through which VEGF stimulates and sustains capillary sprouting in the presence of TSP-1. Additionally, CD36 was shown to function as a potential molecular linkage through which wall shear stress may regulate both microvessel sprouting and quiescence.
Sparing of the hippocampus and limbic circuit during whole brain radiation therapy: A dosimetric study using helical tomotherapy.

Introduction: The study aims to assess the feasibility of dosimetrically sparing the limbic circuit during whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI). Methods and Materials: We contoured the brain/brainstem on fused MRI and CT as the target volume (PTV) in 11 patients, excluding the hippocampus and the rest of the limbic circuit, which were considered organs at risk (OARs). PCI and WBRT helical tomotherapy plans were prepared for each patient with a 1.0-cm field width, pitch = 0.285, initial modulation factor = 2.5. We attempted to spare the hippocampus and the rest of the limbic circuit while treating the rest of the brain to 30 Gy in 15 fractions (PCI) or 35 Gy in 14 fractions (WBRT) with V100 ≥ 95%. The quality of the plans was assessed by calculating mean dose and equivalent uniform dose (EUD) for OARs and the % volume of the PTV receiving the prescribed dose, V100. Results: In the PCI plans, mean doses/EUD were: hippocampus 12.5 Gy/14.23 Gy, rest of limbic circuit 17.0 Gy/19.02 Gy. In the WBRT plans, mean doses/EUD were: hippocampus 14.3 Gy/16.07 Gy, rest of limbic circuit 17.9 Gy/20.74 Gy. The mean V100 for the rest of the brain (PTV) were 94.7% (PCI) and 95.1% (WBRT). Mean PCI and WBRT treatment times were essentially identical (mean 15.23 min, range 14.27–17.5). Conclusions: It is dosimetrically feasible to spare the hippocampus and the rest of the limbic circuit using helical tomotherapy while treating the rest of the brain to full dose.
Strategies of "real" opponents in eliciting cooperative choice in a Prisoner's Dilemma game:

Early work by Scodel et al. (1959) and in our laboratory has revealed that, contrary to expectancy (Luce and Raiffa, 1957), iteration of a two-person, two-choice Prisoner's Dilemma game in which choice was simultaneous for both persons resulted in growing competition rather than ultimate cooperation. That, iteration would produce a cooperative resolution, is logical and fitting, out of consideration both for maximum gain and for cordial social regard. Rapoport and his followers (see Rapoport and Chammah, 1965) have since found that a prolonged iterative seriesmuch longer than that previously employed by other researchers-recapitulated the general growth of competition up to about 100 iterations, but thereafter, subject pairs tend to segregate into "hawks" (those who continued in mutual competition), "doves" (those who achieve fairly complete mutual cooperation), or "mugwumps" (those who move away from
Organizational justice in sport

Abstract Research on organizational justice in sport has evolved during the past fifteen years. Much of that research has focused on the perceived fairness of equity, equality, and need when making resource distributions (distributive justice) in intercollegiate athletics. Generally, those involved with intercollegiate athletics believe resource decisions based on equality and need are the most fair, but decisions appear to be based on different principles. Scholars have also begun examining the fairness of decision-making processes (procedural justice) and the communication of those decisions (interactional justice), and how organizational justice impacts organizational outcomes, such as job satisfaction. Additionally, research has expanded to include sport settings beyond intercollegiate athletics. This article summarizes the state of research by first reviewing the general organizational justice literature to conceptually describe the constructs of interest before providing a detailed examination of sport management specific research. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research on organizational justice in sport management.
Simulation of unidirectional high speed local area bus networks with multipacket messages

Abstract With an ever-increasing use of fiber-optics as transmission media, there is a growing interest in high speed local area networks (LAN). In this paper we consider a slotted unidirectional bus LAN in which each station attempts to transmit into an empty slot persistently with a preassigned probability until success. Messages are assumed to have variable sizes and segmented into fixed size packets where each packet fits into one slot. Fair access can be achieved if access probabilities are assigned properly to all stations. Three assignments are considered: uniform, linearly decreasing, and exponentially decreasing probabilities. The average delay and queue size performance of the network is studied through computer simulation for every assignment. It has been shown that all these cases widely differ in their performances. The order of performance (from better to worse) in these cases is: optimal, constant, linear, and exponential.
Assessing the Determinants of NCAA Football Violations

What are the factors that cause members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) intercollegiate sports cartel to cheat? We develop a model that reflects the multi-institutional aspects of the decision process involved in the determination of major football program NCAA violations including university performance and incentives, rival behavior, and NCAA enforcement. Prior research is prone to omitted variable bias since studies have typically focused on only one of those components. The data sample includes all major football programs from 1981 to 2011, with 3,420 annual institution observations. Our empirical results confirm the multidimensional aspects of the cheating calculus. University characteristics and leadership, conference rivals, public/private university status, and different NCAA enforcement regimes are all significant contributors to the decision to cheat on the NCAA cartel.
Simultaneous demonstration of horseradish peroxidase and acetylcholinesterase

Simultaneous demonstration of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) has been achieved by staining frozen sections with a modified Koelle-Friedenwald thiocholine method for AChE followed directly by the Graham-Karnovsky procedure for HRP. By using sodium sulfite instead of sodium sulfide in the AChE procedure, the final reaction product appears as black AChE granules that contrast sharply with the yellowish-brown HRP granules.
ATG induction is associated with an increase in anti-HLA antibodies after kidney transplantation.

Anti-human histocompatibility antigen antibodies (HLA-Ab) are deleterious after kidney transplant and may be increased after T-cell depleting agents are given. A retrospective case control study was conducted to evaluate increase in HLA-Ab in 27 kidney transplant recipients who had received antithymocyte globulin (ATG) induction compared with 27 control subjects. A greater than 10% increase in class I or class II HLA-Ab was found in 6 (22.2%) of ATG subjects versus only 1 (3.7%) of non-ATG subjects (p = 0.05). In females, 6/14 ATG subjects developed increased HLA-Ab ≥10% compared with none of the control subjects (p = 0.016). In sensitized subjects, 4/10 in the ATG group developed increased HLA-Ab ≥10% versus none of the controls (p = 0.043). There was no difference in number or severity of acute rejection episodes or estimated glomerular filtration rate 6 months after transplant between the two treatment groups. We conclude that ATG induction may result in increased posttransplant HLA-Ab, particularly in subjects at higher immunologic risk. Further studies are necessary to determine the natural history, clinical consequences, appropriate therapy, and mechanisms responsible for HLA-Ab in this setting.
Iteration abstraction in Sather

Sather extends the notion of an iterator in a powerful new way. We argue that iteration abstractions belong in class interfaces on an equal footing with routines. Sather iterators were derived from CLU iterators but are much more flexible and better suited for object-oriented programming. We retain the property that iterators are structured, i.e., strictly bound to a controlling structured statement. We motivate and describe the construct along with several simple examples. We compare it with iteration based on CLU iterators, cursors, riders, streams, series, generators, coroutines, blocks, closures, and lambda expressions. Finally, we describe experiences with iterators in the Sather compiler and libraries.
Northern fur seal thermoregulation: Thermal responses to forced activity on land

Abstract 1. 1.|Temperatures from 11 different sites representing core, trunk periphery, and hindflippers were measured in 86 harvested northern fur seals after they had been forcibly driven overland under a variety of terrestrial conditions. This has enabled an assessment of their thermal responses to various extrinsic and intrinsic heat loads. 2. 2.|Hyperthermia resulted from forced terrestrial activity, but the level of hyperthermia varied with ambient conditions. Solar radiation led to overheating, and rain or condensation on vegetation that wet the fur, aided heat loss and helped prevent overheating. 3. 3.|The present investigation quantitatively confirms previous suggestions that the effectiveness of fur insulation over the seals' trunk requires that the large bare flippers, with thine xpandable webbing, assume the major role of dissipating heat. Due to their limited heat loss capability on land, the fur seal's primary response to forced terrestrial activity is involuntary heat storage and tolerance of hyperthermia to approximately 43°C.
THE CAVERNICOLOUS CARIDEAN SHRIMPS OF BERMUDA (ALPHEIDAE, HIPPOLYTIDAE, AND ATYIDAE)

ABSTRACT Four species of caridean shrimps inhabit the anchialine habitats of two caves on Bermuda. One represents a new genus and species (Somersiella sterreri), and one a new species (Typhlatya iliffei). A range extension is provided for Barbouria cubensis (von Martens), and Automate dolichognatha De Man (=Automate gardineri Coutiere) is reported from a new habitat and is refigured.
The Structure of Death Penalty Arguments

In death penalty debates, advocates on both sides have advanced a staggering number of arguments to defend their positions. Many of those arguments fail to support retaining or abolishing the death penalty, and often this is due to advocates pursuing a line of reasoning where the conclusion, even if correctly established, will not ultimately prove decisive. Many of these issues are also interconnected and shouldn’t be treated separately. The goal of this paper is to provide some clarity about which specific issues really determine whether the institution of capital punishment is morally permissible. The issues can be broadly grouped into three categories: substantive; procedural (comparative); and procedural (noncomparative). Substantive debates regard the inherent moral status of the death penalty, while procedural debates regard how the death penalty is applied in practice, with two types of injustice that can result. Substantive issues have the potential to be the most decisive, for if the death penalty is inherently immoral there’s no need to even raise procedural questions. However, it appears difficult for either side to make a clearly compelling argument on substantive grounds. In regards to the procedural arguments, the concerns of noncomparative justice lead to stronger arguments than the comparative concerns, for the irrevocable nature of the death penalty can play a role in the former but not the later. Overall, abolitionists have a clear advantage in this debate, as they only have to make their case on one of these fronts, while supporters must defend themselves on all three fronts.
Modifications of Alkaline Microgel Electrophoresis for Sensitive Detection of DNA Damage

The alkaline microgel electrophoresis technique was modified to achieve a substantial increase in sensitivity for the detection of radiation-induced DNA damage in human lymphocytes. This increased sensitivity was achieved through: (1) the addition of free radical scavengers to the electrophoresis solution to reduce DNA damage generated during alkaline unwinding and electrophoresis; (2) the modification of the electrophoresis unit to achieve a more uniform electric field; (3) the use of YOYO-1, a DNA dye, producing fluorescence 500-fold more intense than ethidium bromide; and (4) the introduction of an image analysis system for the quantitation of DNA migration. In addition to increasing sensitivity, these modifications have increased the speed with which observations can be quantified, and improved reproducibility from experiment to experiment. In human lymphocytes, these modifications have resulted in an increased sensitivity of several fold, allowing the detection of DNA damage in the range of 50 mGy. T...
A direct radioisotopic assay for acetylcholinesterase

Abstract A very sensitive and rapid assay method for determining acetylcholinesterase activity has been developed. The method employs acetyl-1-C14-choline as a substrate and a preferential extraction of the acetic acid-1-C14 formed by enzymic activity after the unhydrolyzed substrate is bound with ion-exchange resin. Total acetylcholinesterase activity of rat blood plasma and whole blood was measured by this method.
Site-specific Incorporation of Keto Amino Acids into Functional G Protein-coupled Receptors Using Unnatural Amino Acid Mutagenesis

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are ubiquitous heptahelical transmembrane proteins involved in a wide variety of signaling pathways. The work described here on application of unnatural amino acid mutagenesis to two GPCRs, the chemokine receptor CCR5 (a major co-receptor for the human immunodeficiency virus) and rhodopsin (the visual photoreceptor), adds a new dimension to studies of GPCRs. We incorporated the unnatural amino acids p-acetyl-L-phenylalanine (Acp) and p-benzoyl-L-phenylalanine (Bzp) into CCR5 at high efficiency in mammalian cells to produce functional receptors harboring reactive keto groups at three specific positions. We obtained functional mutant CCR5, at levels up to approximately 50% of wild type as judged by immunoblotting, cell surface expression, and ligand-dependent calcium flux. Rhodopsin containing Acp at three different sites was also purified in high yield (0.5-2 microg/10(7) cells) and reacted with fluorescein hydrazide in vitro to produce fluorescently labeled rhodopsin. The incorporation of reactive keto groups such as Acp or Bzp into GPCRs allows their reaction with different reagents to introduce a variety of spectroscopic and other probes. Bzp also provides the possibility of photo-cross-linking to identify precise sites of protein-protein interactions, including GPCR binding to G proteins and arrestins, and for understanding the molecular basis of ligand recognition by chemokine receptors.
Numerical estimates of the spectrum for anharmonic PT symmetric potentials

In this work, we wish to revisit the energy spectrum for the anharmonic potentials , where N = 2,3,4,6,8 and s = −1,i,+1. By expanding the Hamiltonian matrices in terms of simple harmonic oscillator (SHO) states, we have numerically evaluated the energy eigenvalue spectrum of matrix truncations of up to 1000 × 1000. By extrapolating the minimum and the maximum of the energy spectrum as a function of matrix size, we are then able to determine the energy spectral range in the thermodynamic limit. Our results for the energy spectra are in disagreement with the work of Bender and Boettcher (1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 80 5243) who studied a class of Hamiltonians with potential energies of the form V (x) = + x2(ix)r. They maintain that when r ⩾ 0, the spectrum is discrete, entirely real and positive extending to infinity. We find that the energy spectrum for potentials with r = 0,1,2,6,8 is not consistent with those results, whereas for r = 4 the spectrum is positive and discrete. Questions are raised about methods used by Bender to determine the energy spectrum as a function of r.
The radiobiology and physics of brachytherapy.

The fundamental principles of radiobiology are the same for external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and implant treatments (brachytherapy). The relative importance of these basic principles, however, are very different in the two forms of therapy. With brachytherapy, the radiation dose is much more localized, and the delivery greatly accelerated in comparison with conventional EBRT. Highly conformal dose distributions are achieved by exploiting the physical properties of radiation sources, and this strict spatial limitation of the radiation dose permits aggressive treatment schedules to be employed. In appropriately selected patients the biological effects of brachytherapy translate into improved tumor control and reduced damage to normal tissues. Several implantation modes are available. Interstitial implants are surgical procedures in which radiation sources are placed within tissues, either by percutaneous perforation (as with transperineal prostate implants) or with open exposure of the target region (as in resection bed implantation for soft-tissue sarcomas). Intracavitary procedures involve placement of sources within a body cavity (e.g., within the uterus or vagina). Intraluminal brachytherapy places sources within the lumen of hollow viscera (e.g., within the esophagus or bronchus). In endovascular brachytherapy, sources are threaded within vascular spaces such as the coronary arteries or peripheral vessels. Contact therapy is the placement of sources in direct apposition to a target tissue (e.g., placement of a strontium source in brief contact with a ptyregium or conjunctival Kaposi's sarcoma lesion). Implants may be temporary (removed at the conclusion of treatment) or permanent. Brachytherapy employs a variety of radiation sources that are selected to match physical properties with the clinical application. The prescribed dose may be delivered very rapidly in a few discrete treatments (high dose rate, HDR), continuously over an extended period of time (low dose rate, LDR), or in a pulsed fashion designed to emulate the continuous approach (pulsed dose rate, PDR). Brachytherapy can be used as a boost technique to supplement conventional EBRT or as the sole form of radiation treatment. Intraoperative techniques involve brief treatment of exposed target tissues, with adjacent sensitive structures often shielded or displaced to safety; this can be accomplished with HDR brachytherapy applicators (HDR-IORT) or with collimated electron beams (IOERT). Intraoperative approaches are typically employed as boost treatments. This article reviews the radiobiology and physics of brachytherapy to help medical oncologists, surgeons, students, and other health-care providers who encounter implant patients in a multi-modality context understand the issues raised by specific clinical situations. It can also provide a review for the radiation oncologist or medical physicist revisiting the use of brachytherapy.
Effects of gamma radiation on Brugia malayi infective larvae and their intracellular Wolbachia bacteria

Prior studies have shown that irradiated filarial larvae are developmentally stunted but capable of inducing partial immunity to filariasis in animals. The mechanisms for these effects are poorly understood. Recent studies suggest that intracellular Wolbachia bacteria are necessary for the normal development, reproduction and survival of filarial nematodes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of irradiation on Wolbachia in Brugia malayi infective larvae (L3) and on L3 development. The L3 were exposed to 0, 25, 35, 45, 55, 65 or 75 krad of gamma irradiation from a 137 Cesium source and cultured in vitro at 37°C in NCTC/IMDM medium with 10% FCS for 12 days. Irradiation prevented molting of L3 to the L4 stage in a dose-dependent manner. Electron microscopy studies showed that irradiation damaged Wolbachia (25 krad) or cleared them from worm tissues (45 krad). In addition, majority of the irradiated L3s failed to develop the L4 cuticle. Real-time PCR studies showed that irradiation reduced Wolbachia DNA in worm tissues. Parallel in vivo studies confirmed decreased development of irradiated L3 in jirds, with associated effects on Wolbachia. Jirds injected s.c with normal L3 developed antibodies to Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) shortly after the onset of microfilarial patency. In contrast, jirds injected with irradiated L3 did not develop microfilaremia or antibodies to wsp. Additional studies are needed to test the hypothesis that irradiation retards growth and development of filarial L3 by killing Wolbachia.
Dispatcher assistance and automated external defibrillator performance among elders.

Objectives: Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) provide an opportunity to improve survival in out-of-hospital, ventricular fibrillation (VF) cardiac arrest by enabling laypersons not trained in rhythm recognition to deliver lifesaving therapy. The potential role of emergency dispatchers in the layperson use of AEDs is uncertain. This study was performed to examine whether dispatcher telephone assistance affected AED skill performance during a simulated VF cardiac arrest among a cohort of older adults. The hypothesis was that dispatcher assistance would increase the proportion who were able to correctly deliver a shock, but might require additional time. Methods: One hundred fifty community-dwelling persons aged 58-84 years were recruited from eight senior centers in King County, Washington. All participants had received AED training approximately six months previously. For this study, the participants were randomized to AED operation with or without dispatcher assistance during a simulated VF cardiac arrest. The proportions who successfully delivered a shock and the time intervals from collapse to shock were compared between the two groups. Results: The participants who received dispatcher assistance were more likely to correctly deliver a shock with the AED during the simulated VF cardiac arrest (91% vs 68%, p ? 0.001). Among those who were able to deliver a shock, the participants who received dispatcher assistance required a longer time interval from collapse to shock [median (25th, 75th percentile) ? 193 seconds (165, 225) for dispatcher assistance, and 148 seconds (138, 166) for no dispatcher assistance, p ? 0.001]. Conclusions: Among older laypersons previously trained in AED operation, dispatcher assistance may increase the proportion who can successfully deliver a shock during a VF cardiac arrest.
Feasibility of utilizing the 200-inch Hale telescope as a deep-space optical receiver

Capturing the very faint optical communications signals expected from the Mars Laser Communication Demonstration (MLCD) experiment to fly aboard the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) in 2009 requires a sensitive receiver placed at the focus of a large collecting aperture. For the purpose of demonstrating the potential of deep-space optical communication, it makes sense to employ a large astronomical telescope as a temporary receiver. Because of its large collecting aperture, its reputation as a well-run instrument, and its relative convenience, the 200-inch Hale Telescope on Palomar Mountain is being considered as a demonstration optical 'antenna' for the experiment. However, use of the telescope in this manner presents unique challenges to be overcome, the greatest of which is pointing the telescope and maintaining the communication link to within a few degrees of the Sun. This paper presents our candidate approaches for adapting the Hale telescope to meet the demonstration requirements, modifications to the facilities and infrastructure, the derivation of requirements for baffles and filters to meet the near-Sun pointing objectives, and initial data on the potential of candidate modifications to meet the requirements.