cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determination of critical cooling rates in metallic glass forming alloy libraries through laser spike annealing

The glass forming ability (GFA) of metallic glasses (MGs) is quantified by the critical cooling rate (R C). Despite its key role in MG research, experimental challenges have limited measured R C to a minute fraction of known glass formers. We present a combinatorial approach to directly measure R C for large compositional ranges. This is realized through the use of compositionally-graded alloy libraries, which were photo-thermally heated by scanning laser spike annealing of an absorbing layer, then melted and cooled at various rates. Coupled with X-ray diffraction mapping, GFA is determined from direct R C measurements. We exemplify this technique for the Au-Cu-Si system, where we identify Au56Cu27Si17 as the alloy with the highest GFA. In general, this method enables measurements of R C over large compositional areas, which is powerful for materials discovery and, when correlating with chemistry and other properties, for a deeper understanding of MG formation.
Measuring Domestic Violence in an Alcoholic Population

A survey of 107 adults receiving residential treatment for substance abuse was conducted, to determine characteristics of domestic violence in relationships. The survey incorporated instruments to measure the degree of substance abuse (the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test or MAST) as well as types and frequencies of domestic violence (the Conflict Tactics Scale or CTS-N). Findings are then compared to a national study of 2143 normals (Straus, Gelles, & Steinmetz, 1980) to ascertain differences in domestic violence. Findings indicate that 83% ofalcoholic subjects behaved violently in past relationships, compared to 28% of the normal population. Fifty-five percent of the alcoholics had been violent in a relationship during the past year, compared to 16% of the normals who were violent during that time. The findings also indicate that violence in alcoholic relationships is far more frequent and severe than in nonalcoholic relationships. The implications of these findings for clinical practice are discussed. Several researchers have noted a high correlation between alcohol abuse and domestic violence (Fojtik, 1977; Forrest, 1980; Gayford, 1975; Rosenbaum, 1981; Roy, 1977; Snell et. al, i964; Walker, 1979). While the correlation has been estimated (Black, 1981; Kinney & Leaton, 1983), researchers have not quantified the violence exhibited in alcoholic
MicroRNA-21 and long non-coding RNA MALAT1 are overexpressed markers in medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Abstract Background Non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), are well-recognized post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. This study examines the expression of microRNA-21 (miR-21) and lncRNA MALAT1 in medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTCs) and their effects on tumor behavior. Methods Tissue microarrays (TMAs) were constructed using normal thyroid (n = 39), primary tumors (N = 39) and metastatic MTCs (N = 18) from a total of 42 MTC cases diagnosed between 1987 and 2016. In situ hybridization with probes for miR-21 and MALAT1 was performed. PCR quantification of expression was performed in a subset of normal thyroid (N = 10) and primary MTCs (N = 32). An MTC-derived cell line (MZ-CRC-1) was transfected with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting miR-21 and MALAT1 to determine the effects on cell proliferation and invasion. Results In situ hybridization (ISH) showed strong (2 + to 3 +) expression of miR-21 in 17 (44%) primary MTCs and strong MALAT1 expression in 37 (95%) primary MTCs. Real-time PCR expression of miR-21 (P Conclusion There is increased expression of miR-21 and MALAT1 in MTCs. This study also showed an in vitro pro-oncogenic effect of MALAT1 and miR-21 in MTCs. The results suggest that overexpression of miR-21 and MALAT1 may regulate MTC progression.
Abstract B15: Comprehensive cistromic characterization of SOX10, a lineage-specific genetic dependency in melanoma, via the integration of functional genomic approaches

Melanoma accounts for less than 5% of skin cancers, but a majority of skin cancer deaths. Genomic studies and drug discovery programs have led to the development of targeted therapies, including BRAF and MEK inhibitors, but the inevitable resistance to these targeted agents necessitates a greater understanding of melanoma biology and genetics. By integrating genome-wide functional genomic and transcriptomic data, we have identified SOX10 as a lineage-specific genetic dependency in melanoma independent of BRAF or NRAS mutation status. Subsequent analyses indicate that SOX10 dependency is highly correlated with SOX10 gene expression and functional in vitro experiments have confirmed the role of SOX10 in the proliferation and growth of melanoma cell lines regardless of their sensitivity to MAPK pathway inhibitors. Chromatin immunoprecipitation of endogenous SOX10 followed by sequencing (SOX10 ChIP-seq) combined with transcriptomic profiling (RNA-seq) following SOX10 depletion by shRNA in a panel of melanoma cell lines determined the SOX10 cistrome, the set of SOX10 target genes across the melanoma genome. Integration of the SOX10 cistrome with genetic dependency data may lead to novel therapeutic approaches in melanoma. Citation Format: Terence Wong, Cory Johannessen, Jingyu Fan, Henry Long, Shirley Liu, Levi Garraway. Comprehensive cistromic characterization of SOX10, a lineage-specific genetic dependency in melanoma, via the integration of functional genomic approaches [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Opportunities and Challenges of Exploiting Synthetic Lethality in Cancer; Jan 4-7, 2017; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2017;16(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B15.
Cognitive genomics: Searching for the genetic roots of neuropsychological functioning.

Objective Human cognition has long been known to be under substantial genetic control. With the complete mapping of the human genome, genome-wide association studies for many complex traits have proliferated; however, the highly polygenic nature of intelligence has made the identification of the precise genes that influence both global and specific cognitive abilities more difficult than anticipated. Method Here, we review the latest developments in the genomics of cognition, including a discussion of methodological advances in the genetic analysis of complex traits, and shared genetic contributions to cognitive abilities and neuropsychiatric disorders. Results A wealth of twin and family studies have provided compelling evidence for a strong heritable component of both global and specific cognitive abilities, and for the existence of "generalist genes" responsible for a large portion of the variance in diverse cognitive abilities. Increasingly sophisticated analytic tools and ever-larger sample sizes are now facilitating the identification of specific genetic and molecular underpinnings of cognitive abilities, leading to optimism regarding possibilities for novel treatments for illnesses related to cognitive function. Conclusions We conclude with a set of future directions for the field, which will further accelerate discoveries regarding the biological pathways relevant to cognitive abilities. These, in turn, may be further interrogated in order to link biological mechanisms to behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record
THE INDEPENDENT PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF EXERCISE ABILITY AND CAPACITY IN PATIENTS REFERRED FOR STRESS TESTING

The perceived lack of independent prognostic value prompted the NICE guidelines to recommend against exercise testing. We hypothesize that the inability to exercise and lower exercise capacity are associated with higher all-cause mortality. This retrospective cohort study includes consecutive
Hand-assisted laparoscopic retroperitoneal donor nephrectomy: A single-institution experience of over 500 cases-Operative technique and clinical outcomes.

Objective Although there are several variations of laparoscopic living-donor nephrectomies, there is no consensus as to the best technique. Our objective was to describe our technique and assess the outcomes of our approach to hand-assisted laparoscopic retroperitoneal donor nephrectomies. Methods From July 2001 to October 2015, 507 consecutive hand-assisted laparoscopic retroperitoneal donor nephrectomies were performed. Their clinical information was retrospectively reviewed including warm ischemia time, skin incision to kidney ready time, estimated blood loss, adverse intraoperative events, and postoperative complications. Results Mean incision time to kidney removal was 135 minutes (55-260), mean warm ischemia time was 125 seconds (30-390), and mean blood loss was 83 mL (20-500). Average length of stay was 3 days (1-6). There were no significant differences between left and right kidney donors based on demographics, length of hospital stay, or warm ischemia time. There were no conversions to open surgery. Complications occurred in 4.9% of patients (25/507), including 4 cases of perioperative bleeding. Conclusions This is a single-center series describing the safety and efficacy of the hand-assisted laparoscopic retroperitoneal donor nephrectomy for both right and left sides. It does not require intraperitoneal manipulation and allows for safe extraction of either kidney with minimal warm ischemia time.
Design of ungrounded CPW GaN-on-Si MMICs

This work presents a study of circuit component design in a new GaN-on-Si process being developed by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. The process uses a thick silicon substrate with no through-vias with a multi-layer stack-up. Examples of components required for MMIC design include lines of various impedances, shorted and open stubs, tees, meander lines, and capacitors. Because the fabrication process requires the use of ungrounded CPW lines, underpasses are necessary to connect ground planes and a study of 50-Ohm lines with several underpass spacings is performed. The large range of dimensions and dielectric constants presents a challenge for full-wave simulations, and a comparison between Ansys HFSS and Sonnet Software is presented for a variety of passive circuit components implemented in the GaN-on-Si MMIC stack-up.
Polydnaviruses: General Features

Polydnaviruses (PDVs) are unique among DNA viruses in having segmented double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes that are largely noncoding. PDVs occur only in obligate mutualistic relationships with parasitic wasps in the families Braconidae and Ichneumonidae. Two genera are recognized, the Bracovirus found in braconid wasps and the Ichnovirus found in ichneumonid wasps. PDV replication has been detected only in the reproductive tract of some female parasitic wasps where the virus replicates from integrated, proviral DNA and subsequently accumulates in the oviduct lumen. Virus particles are injected with the wasp egg, venom, and ovarian proteins into the lepidopteran hosts of the parasitic wasp. PDV gene expression in host cells causes many of the physiological alterations observed in parasitized larvae and enables the survival of the parasitoid and its development within the lepidopteran host. Genome sequence analyses further demonstrate the novel features of this virus. Most viral genes are members of gene families thought to represent diverse virulence genes. Some PDV gene families have introns and the genomes generally lack genes thought to be involved in virus replication. These genome features are shared between BVs and IVs even though the two genera are not thought to be evolutionary related. The common selection pressures on virus replication and function appear to have driven convergent evolution in the two PDV genera.
Burnout in neurology: Extinguishing the embers and rekindling the joy in practice.

In recent years, physician burnout—characterized by symptoms of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and low sense of accomplishment—has been measured and is highly prevalent across many fields of medicine. Previous studies have shown that burnout is a major problem among US neurologists, with over 60% reporting symptomatology in at least one of these areas.1 Of considerable concern to our profession, health care delivery systems, and policy makers, is the solid evidence that burnout is associated with adverse patient safety and with physician turnover.2 In response to this mounting evidence, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Neurology, and other professional bodies have been developing recommendations and interventions to address potential drivers of burnout. In 2018, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education faculty survey included for the first time questions measuring faculty well-being/burnout.3 While these measures are not yet being used to assess individual programs, proactive leaders are devoting resources toward addressing faculty well-being, in anticipation of possible accountability with respect to training program certification. The message for all is clear: medicine must identify the root causes of burnout, and more importantly, put the joy back in medicine. To ignore burnout now will change the future of how we practice and who chooses a career in medicine.
Exosomes from GM-CSF expressing embryonic stem cells are an effective prophylactic vaccine for cancer prevention

The antigenic similarity between embryos and tumors has raised the idea of using embryonic material as a preventative vaccine against neoplastic disease. Indeed, we have previously reported that a vaccine comprises allogeneic murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and murine fibroblasts expressing GM-CSF (to amplify immune responses) successfully blocks the outgrowth of an implantable cancer (Lewis lung carcinoma; LLC) and lung tumors generated in mice using a combination of a mutagen followed by chronic pulmonary inflammation. However, such a vaccine is obviously impractical for application to humans. The use of fibroblasts to generate GM-CSF is needlessly complicated, and intact whole ESCs carry the hazard of generating embryomas/teratomas. Here, we report the successful application of an alternative prophylactic vaccine comprises exosomes derived from murine ESCs engineered to produce GM-CSF. Vaccination of mice with these exosomes significantly slowed or blocked the outgrowth of implanted LLC while control exosomes lacking GM-CSF were ineffective. Examination of tumor-infiltrating immune cells from mice vaccinated with the GM-CSF-expressing exosomes showed robust tumor-reactive CD8+ T effector responses, Th1 cytokine responses, and higher CD8+ T effector/CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T regulatory cell ratio in the tumors. We conclude that a similar vaccine derived from GM-CSF- expressing human ESCs can be employed as a preventative vaccine for humans with an increased risk of developing cancer.
A resonant pair of warm giant planets revealed by TESS

We present the discovery of a pair of transiting giant planets, TOI-216b and c, using four sectors of TESS photometry. TOI-216 is a $0.87 M_{\odot}$ dwarf orbited by two transiters with radii of $8.2 R_{\oplus}$ and $11.3 R_{\oplus}$, and periods of $17.01$d and $34.57$d, respectively. Anti-correlated TTVs are clearly evident indicating that the transiters orbit the same star and interact via a near 2:1 mean motion resonance. By fitting the TTVs with a dynamical model, we infer masses of $26_{-11}^{+24} M_{\oplus}$ and $190_{-80}^{+220} M_{\oplus}$, establishing that the objects are planetary in nature and have likely sub-Kronian and Kronian densities. TOI-216 lies close to the southern ecliptic pole and thus will be observed by TESS throughout the first year, providing an opportunity for continuous dynamical monitoring and considerable refinement of the dynamical masses presented here. TOI-216 closely resembles Kepler-9 in architecture, and we hypothesize that in such systems these Saturn-analogs failed to fully open a gap and thus migrated far deeper into the system before becoming trapped into resonance, which would imply that future detections of new analogs may also have sub-Jupiter masses.
Man with foot pain.

A 52-year-old man presented to the emergency department with pain between the great and second toe of the right foot. Pain began the previous day while walking and improved with rest. Similar episodes of pain had occurred intermittently over the past 5 years. There had been no trauma to the foot. The patient denied fever, chills, rash and vomiting. On examination, vital signs were unremarkable. There was mild oedema with significant tenderness in the dorsal webspace between the great and second toe of the right foot. A …
MRI for correlative imaging of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system: A guide for nuclear medicine physicians

1282 Learning Objectives 1. Know the normal anatomic appearance of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system on MRI. 2. Recognize MRI patterns of diseases of the dopaminergic system and other pathologic processes presenting with similar or overlapping symptomatology. 3. Understand MRI acquisition sequences appropriate for imaging the dopaminergic system. Recent advances in dopaminergic system imaging with new tracers such as DaT scan (Ioflupane 123I) have allowed us to delve into previously unexplored pathophysiology. For anatomic correlation, MRI is becoming the dominant technique compared with CT, owing to advantages from increased spatial resolution, newer sequences and multidimensional acquisition techniques. MRI correlation may be unfamiliar to nuclear medicine physicians because MRI techniques are not currently an ACGME learning requirement. This educational exhibit illustrates the normal anatomic location of the main nuclei, tracts and striatal projections of the dopaminergic system on MRI. It will explain appropriate imaging sequences that display or correspond to the anatomic location of disease processes. The most common finding in Parkinson’s disease is dopaminergic neuronal volume loss within the substantia nigra’s pars compacta. This is identified on MRI as a lateral-to-medial gradient of loss of normal signal associated with decreased width, best demonstrated on the coronal slices. The MRI sequences most sensitive to changes in signal and volume of the dopaminergic system are T2, Proton Density (PD) and diffusion. More advanced imaging techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging and regional brain iron content imaging sequences, such as susceptibility-weighted imaging, have been recently studied for evaluation of the dopaminergic system. Examples of imaging with these techniques will be demonstrated. This exhibit may improve the skill and level of confidence of physicians correlating MRI with functional SPECT Ioflupane 123I imaging.
Thromboelastography with Platelet Studies (TEG® with PlateletMapping®) After Rattlesnake Envenomation in the Southwestern United States Demonstrates Inhibition of ADP-Induced Platelet Activation As Well As Clot Lysis

Hematologic effects of North American rattlesnake envenomation can include fibrinogenolysis and thrombocytopenia, depending on species, geography, and other variables. During treatment, these effects are routinely monitored through assessment of fibrinogen concentrations and platelet counts. However, these tests provide no information about fibrinolysis or platelet dysfunction, both of which can also occur with venom from some species. This was a retrospective chart review of patients admitted to a quaternary care academic hospital (Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix) in the southwestern United States for treatment of rattlesnake envenomation, over an approximately 1-year period from March 2017 through April 2018. Patients who had thromboelastography with platelet studies (TEG® with PlateletMapping®) during their care were included. Twelve patients were identified for this study. Four patients exhibited inhibition of ADP-induced platelet activation: one had normal fibrinogen and platelet count, two had concurrent hypofibrinogenemia, and one had concurrent thrombocytopenia. Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab (ovine) reversed platelet inhibition in the single patient for whom serial thromboelastographs were available. Fibrinolysis was present in seven patients and resolved in the two patients with serial thromboelastographs. Inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation and fibrinolysis occurred independent of hypofibrinogenemia and thrombocytopenia, indicating fibrinogen concentration (or protime) and platelet count monitoring alone is insufficient to assess the extent of hematologic toxicity in rattlesnake envenomation. Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab (ovine) reversed platelet inhibition in one case, suggesting platelet inhibition could also be used in treatment decisions. Fibrinolysis could also be reversed, although the timing to antivenom administration was less clear.
Inducing Constituency Trees through Neural Machine Translation.

Latent tree learning(LTL) methods learn to parse sentences using only indirect supervision from a downstream task. Recent advances in latent tree learning have made it possible to recover moderately high quality tree structures by training with language modeling or auto-encoding objectives. In this work, we explore the hypothesis that decoding in machine translation, as a conditional language modeling task, will produce better tree structures since it offers a similar training signal as language modeling, but with more semantic signal. We adapt two existing latent-tree language models--PRPN andON-LSTM--for use in translation. We find that they indeed recover trees that are better in F1 score than those seen in language modeling on WSJ test set, while maintaining strong translation quality. We observe that translation is a better objective than language modeling for inducing trees, marking the first success at latent tree learning using a machine translation objective. Additionally, our findings suggest that, although translation provides better signal for inducing trees than language modeling, translation models can perform well without exploiting the latent tree structure.
Risk informed validation framework for external flooding scenario

Abstract Safety of nuclear plants against external flooding has gained significant attention following the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. In United States, Oyster Creek nuclear plant was safely shutdown when high storm surge during hurricane Sandy caused a potential flooding threat. Subsequently, the nuclear energy industry experienced a significant activity in Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) for external flooding. Increasingly, methods of computational fluid dynamics including advanced simulation codes are being considered to evaluate the sequence of events during different scenarios of flooding at a plant. One of the key limitations in the use of advanced codes for external flooding is related to a lack of credibility of such simulations. The motivation of this study is to develop a formal validation approach that provides a basis to quantify credibility of risk assessments that are based on advanced simulation codes. In this study, we illustrate the application of existing performance based risk-informed validation framework to an external flooding event. However, it is determined that a direct application of this approach to flooding is restricted due to a lack of relevant data to evaluate experimental fragilities for flooding failures. Therefore, we take a simple synthetic example to evaluate the applicability of the proposed framework to validation of flooding PRA scenario and update the proposed framework as needed.
A rational approximation method for solving acoustic nonlinear eigenvalue problems

Abstract We present two approximation methods for computing eigenfrequencies and eigenmodes of large-scale nonlinear eigenvalue problems resulting from boundary element method (BEM) solutions of some types of acoustic eigenvalue problems in three-dimensional space. The main idea of the first method is to approximate the resulting boundary element matrix within a contour in the complex plane by a high accuracy rational approximation using the Cauchy integral formula. The second method is based on the Chebyshev interpolation within real intervals. A Rayleigh–Ritz procedure, which is suitable for parallelization is developed for both the Cauchy and the Chebyshev approximation methods when dealing with large-scale practical applications. The performance of the proposed methods is illustrated with a variety of benchmark examples and large-scale industrial applications with degrees of freedom varying from several hundred up to around two million.
Breeding Methods for Outcrossing Plant Species: II. Hybrid Cultivars

Abstract Hybrid cultivars are considered to be the most advanced population structure to enhance crop performance from the capture of genetic uniformity and polyheterozygosity (i.e., hybrid vigor). To be economically feasible, however, the crop value of the hybrid cultivar as compared with the OP must also exceed the increased costs of hybrid seed production. Recurrent selection is used to increase the frequency of desirable alleles in incipient parent lines and also to achieve fixation (homozygosity). Inbreeding depression is often encountered following successive cycles of self- or sib-matings to attain allele fixation. Sib-mating is employed instead of self-pollination to retard the fixation process and allow repulsion to be converted into coupling linkages. Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, is considered to be the diametric end of the inbreeding depression spectrum. In other words, they are the extremes of the same genetic/physiological/developmental phenomenon. Heterosis is a dynamic statistic that is highly dependent on genotypes, environments, phenotypes, and the method by which phenotypes are measured. The “dominance” and “overdominance” theories were advanced in the early 20th century to explain the mechanistic bases of heterosis. More recent molecular studies have demonstrated that heterosis can be attributed to both theories when considering a broad spectrum of examples. Following the assembly of germplasm, a program of pedigree or recurrent selection is invoked to produce two or more inbred lines that exhibit high mutual combining abilities. The most prevalent strategy is to employ recurrent selection for GCA in early generations followed by selection for SCA. Selection for GCA in early generations greatly reduces the need to perform labor- and space-intensive diallels and half-diallels. Alternatively, reciprocal recurrent selection may be used for all or most of the program to simultaneously select for mutual combining ability. Sib- and half-sib mating may be employed as an alternative to self-pollination to retard the rate of drive to fixation and allow more opportunities for recombination events to occur. Doubled haploids can greatly reduce the time required for inbred parent development, but this strategy limits recombination and is subject to technical and resource barriers. Opportunities for achieving efficiencies with MAS are substantial in recurrent selection and selecting for heterosis. While production of hybrid corn seeds is relatively easy, most crop species that feature hermaphroditic flowers and are capable of self-pollination present more of a challenge for hybrid seed production. Genetic variants that embody changes in floral structure and function such as gynoecy, male sterility, and self-incompatibility have been adapted as tools for the production of large quantities of genetically pure hybrid seeds. Constructing parental genotypes that possess high combining ability concomitantly with genes for reproductive traits presents more challenges to the plant breeder.
On Infinite Groups whose Finite Quotients have Restricted Prime Divisors

‎The effect of restricting the set of primes dividing the orders of the finite quotients of a group is investigated‎. ‎Particular attention is paid to abelian‎, ‎soluble‎, ‎locally soluble and locally finite groups‎. ‎The connection with the extraction of roots is explored‎.
Lizard athletes have a home-field advantage

![Graphic][1] Home-field advantage is a sports phenomenon where the home team tends to have an advantage over the visiting team. The causes of home-field advantage are debated, but range from physiological adaptions of players to the home-field climate, to psychological and behavioral effects
Early diagnosis and treatment of vascular ring in infants

Objective This study aimed to summarize the method of diagnosis and surgical treatment for congenital vascular ring in infants.Methods A retrospective analysis of clinical data of 16 cases (male =11; female =5) with congenital vascular rings from March 2008 to July 2011were conducted.Patients’ agesranged from 4 months to 3.2 years old (mean 2.2 years 1.7).Preoperative 64 slice CT chest with three-dimensional reconstruction of the great vessels and trachea were performed,The diagnosis included double aortic arch in 3 cases; right aortic arch with left ligament and aberrant left subclavian artery in 7 cases; right aortic arch with aberrant left innominate artery in 1 case,left aortic arch with aberrant right subclavian artery in 2 cases; pulmonary artery sling in 3 cases.Clinical manifestations of childrenincluded recurrent respiratory tract infection,chronic cough,wheezing,respiratory distress,dysphagia,and vomiting.13 patients underwent surgical repair; 3 cases of pulmonary artery sling had surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass; while the others had off-pump surgery,including l case of aortopexy surgery.Results No operative mortality was seen in any patient.Postoperative complication included 1 case of chylothorax and 1 case of left vocal cord palsy.The mean follow-up period was 6 months.Gastrointestinal symptoms disappeared 2 weeks after the operation.6 patients still had wheezing,recurrent respiratory tract infection 3 months after the operation.By 6 months,2 patients had wheezing,and chronic cough.Only 1 patient still had wheezel year after operation.Significant reduction of seizure frequency was obtained comparing with the previous status and normal growth and development were achieved.Conclusions In infants and young children with recurrent pneumonia,breathing difficulties unexplained wheezing,dysphagia,the possibility of vascular ring should be borne in mind.Early detection,and surgical treatment should be offered. Key words: Vascular ring,congenital; Arch of the aorta; Infants
A Novel Treatment of Acne Fulminans with Adalimumab: A Case Report.

Acne fulminans (AF) is a rare and highly inflammatory severe form of acne most commonly seen in adolescent males. Unlike acne vulgaris, AF presents with associated systemic manifestations including, but not limited to, malaise, myalgia, arthralgia, fever, anorexia, and weight loss. It is often an extremely painful condition of sudden onset and can occur years after mild or moderate acne vulgaris. While the inciting agent for this condition has been postulated to be an explosive hypersensitivity reaction to the bacterium Propionobacterium acnes, increased androgens, namely testosterone, have also been reported to play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease process. Additionally, environmental triggers such as air pollution and exposure to halogenated hydrocarbons during occupational activities in enclosed, high temperature settings have been identified as possible etiologies or exacerbating factors. AF is primarily a clinical diagnosis. Isotretinoin, in combination with systemic steroids, are generally the treatments of choice for this disease entity. A Caucasian male in his early 40’s presented to the authors’ clinic with a chief complaint of painful acneiform nodules, cysts, papules, pustules, and abscesses on his back, chest, neck, shoulders, upper arms, and thighs for several months. This case report demonstrates a refractory case of AF with significant clinical improvement after six weeks of topical treatment with subcutaneous adalimumab in combination with oral doxycycline. This case provides evidence supporting the role of Adalimumab in the treatment of AF in addition to the other inflammatory conditions currently FDA approved for treatment with this tumor-necrosis factor (TNF) alpha inhibitor. These conditions include plaque psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Old BoysA Clubs and Upward Mobility Among the Educational Elite

This paper studies how exclusive social groups shape upward mobility and whether inter-actions between low- and high-status peers can integrate the top rungs of the economic and social ladders. Our setting is Harvard in the 1920s and 1930s, where new groups of students arriving on campus encountered a social system centered on exclusive old boys’ clubs. Combining archival and Census records, we first show that students from prestigious private feeder schools are overrepresented in old boys’ clubs, while academic high achievers and ethnic minorities are almost completely absent. Club members earn 32% more than other students and are more likely to work in finance and join country clubs, both characteristic of the era’s elite. We then use random variation in room assignment to show that exposure to high-status peers expands gaps in college club membership, adult social club membership, and finance careers by high school type, with large positive effects for private school students and zero or negative effects for others. To conclude, we turn to more recent cohorts. We show that the link between exclusive college clubs and finance careers persists across the 20th century even as Harvard diversifies, and that elite university students from the highest-income families continue to out-earn their peers. Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.
Learning to teach mathematics with robots: Developing the ‘T’ in technological pedagogical content knowledge

A multiple case study was conducted to investigate how Lego robotics instruction incorporated into a middle grades mathematics methods course could inform pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) TPACK through the lens of Social Constructivist Theory. The qualitative data analysis revealed that when instruction on Lego robotics technology is integrated into semester long mathematics methods courses, PSTs are able to improve their TPACK knowledge in regard to the robotics. Overall, the findings suggest instruction of educational technology tools should be incorporated into methods courses over a longer duration of time, and in depth, to better support the development of PSTs’ TPACK. To meet the demands of the teacher shortages while simultaneously supporting the needs of school districts, this research provides preliminary evidence of the need to incorporate content-specific technology into all methods courses.
An investigation of project-based learning and computer simulations to promote conceptual understanding in eighth grade mathematics

The goal of this study was to explore the use of interdisciplinary PBL projects for teaching mathematical concepts according to NCTM (2000) goals for mathematics instruction. This study sought to answer the question: what are the teaching issues and evidence of student learning of mathematical concepts over a series of three interdisciplinary PBL projects involving STELLA™ modeling software which are designed to engage students, integrate technology, and provide a context for learning mathematics based on the 5 NCTM (2000) goals? HyperStudio™ was used as a communication tool with which students built artifacts of understanding. This study was a naturalistic case study employing videotaped observations, interviews, student-peer reviews and student generated artifacts of learning as data sources. Data were categorized into two variable clusters: Teaching and Learning. Implementation issues for three computer-based PBL simulations are discussed. Themes that emerged from analysis of the data are grouped into teaching themes and learning themes. Themes relating to teaching include the struggle to form a community of learners, relevancy of the simulations to middle school students, need for group-worthy projects, helping students balance creativity and content, lesson adaptation, and critical review and student reflection on constructive feedback. Findings of the study suggest the students were able to meet a majority of the expected content goals. Themes relating to learning include the struggle to find a balance between creativity and content, ownership and control, engagement with the simulations, and students' ability to think and express themselves mathematically. Recommendations are made for teachers who wish to implement PBL, simulations, and similar teaching strategies and for researchers who are studying similar learning environments.
Physical Models of Evolution Processes

The world we are living in can be understood only as the result of a long evolution process. Big progress in understanding evolution has been achieved in the last 10–20 years due to the development of a theory of self-organizing processes ❘1❘.
Complications in Hemipelvic Resection/Allograft Reconstruction for Bone Sarcomas: Are They Prohibitive to Limb Salvage?

Primary malignant bone tumors of the pelvic acetabular region present as difficult management problems for the orthopaedic surgeon. Although the option of limb salvage is appealing, the area of involvement is often adjacent to major neurovascular structures which are violated by the soft tissue mass of the sarcomatous lesion. Loss of the sciatic nerve will often yield a limited, functionless, lower extremity. These considerations lead to the management option of a formal hemipelvectomy [4, 15,24].
Chapter 19. Anti-Diabetic Agents

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses studies focusing on anti-diabetic agents. Diabetes mellitus in humans is broadly classified in two types: the maturity onset type, characterized by a relative decrease in functional insulin, and the juvenile type in which there is a complete lack of insulin. Both groups suffer from the acute symptoms of diabetes, elevated fasting glycemia, glycosuria, glucose intolerance, and derangements in handling other substrates, in addition to the long-term complications of neuropathy, retinopathy, and microangiopathy. Recent studies on the morphology of the beta-cells of the pancreatic Islets of Langerhans—the cells responsible for synthesis, storage, and release of insulin—described the functional areas of synthesis and storage of insulin as well as some facets of the release of the stored hormone. Insulin is synthesized on the ribosomes and “packaged” in the Golgi apparatus to produce storage granules. When appropriately stimulated, these granules migrate to the outer edge of the beta-cell, possibly via the microtubular system, fuse with the cell membrane and expel their contents extracellularly by emiocytosis. The chapter highlights recent advances in anti-diabetic agents as well as concepts regarding the etiology of diabetic complications. The current methods of therapy are also elaborated.
Comparing Severity of Impairment for Different Permanent Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Injuries

The labor market impact of upper extremity musculoskeletal injuries that result in permanent disability was estimated using data from the State of California. Administrative data on disability evaluations and resulting ratings was matched to data on the earnings of over 7000 injured workers. Using these data, labor market experience pre- and postinjury was tracked. Each injured worker was matched to a set of control workers who worked at the same firm, had the same tenure at the firm, and earned the same income at the time of injury. By comparing the injured and uninjured workers, lost earnings and the impact of injury on return to work was estimated. Evidence of considerable lost earnings resulting from injury was found. The results are compared to “disability ratings” that are used to set compensation under California's workers' compensation program. The disability rating was also found to predict poorly differences across upper extremity injuries in losses. In particular, those with shoulder injuries have larger losses than those with elbow or wrist injuries, despite receiving the same disability ratings.
Tritium handling safety and operating experience at the Tritium Systems Test Assembly

The Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA) is designed to develop and demonstrate, in full scale, technologies necessary for safe and efficient operation of tokamak fusion reactors. The TSTA currently consists of systems for pumping DT gas mixtures for removing impurities; for separating the isotopes of hydrogen; for storage of hydrogen isotopes; for gas analysis; and for assuring safety by the necessary control, monitoring, and detritiation of effluent gaseous streams. TSTA also has several small-scale experiments to develop and test new equipment and processes necessary for fusion reactors. Data on component reliability, failure types and rates, and waste quantities are presented. Operational experience under normal, abnormal, and emergency conditions is presented. The DOE (US Department of Energy) requirements for the operation of a tritium facility like TSTA include specifications on personnel training, emergency preparedness radiation protection, safety analysis, and preoperational appraisals. >
Polyribitol Phosphate Synthetase of Staphylococcus aureus

The particle-bound polyribitol phosphate synthetase of Staphylococcus aureus catalyzes the synthesis of polyribitol phosphate from cytidine diphosphate ribitol. One phosphate residue and ribitol from the substrate are transferred simultaneously to some endogenous acceptor (the nature of which is unknown) with stoichiometric formation of CMP as the second product of the reaction. The reaction is thus strictly analogous to the reactions of cytidine nucleotides in phospholipid synthesis. In the presence of uridine diphosphate acetylglucosamine, the transferase also present in these particles catalyzes a glycosylation of the growing ribitol phosphate polymer which is highly efficient when compared to the transfer which occurs when polyribitol phosphate is added exogenously as acceptor. The implications of these findings for the biosynthesis of teichoic acid are discussed.
Retrospective Cataloging of Maps in a Small Liberal Arts College

Abstract In February 2002, members of Saint Anselm College Geisel Library's Cataloging Unit started a project to retrospectively catalog the Library's small, but diverse, collection of cartographic materials. The Cataloging Unit of Geisel's Technical Services Department is comprised of two full-time catalogers plus one half-time cataloger. The Library's Government Documents Department (Geisel is a selective, 15% depository), where much of these materials are housed, does not have a dedicated cataloging staff. The collection of approximately 950 titles included topographic series maps, topographic/bathymetric maps (367), CIA country study maps (480), remote sensing image maps (20), hanging wall maps (6), globes (3), political ward maps (40), atlases (21), and monographic maps from the late 19th and early 20th centuries (10). This article describes the planning, requirements and challenges faced by a Baccalaureate College Liberal Arts library performing an inhouse retrospective cataloging project of cartogr...
Contingency triggered voltage instability in power systems

An algorithm is presented for identifying critical generators and loads in power systems with voltage problems. It is based on sensitivity analysis of generated reactive powers with respect to load requirements. System loading based on a small number of independent parameters and an algorithm for identifying critical single-line outages based on the information from sensitivity analysis are proposed. The algorithm was tested on a 39-bus system. The method does not guarantee that the outages critical for the transfer of active powers will be identified, but it identifies those outages which may result in severe voltage problems in a heavily loaded system. >
Elastic Strips: Real-Time Path Modification for Mobile Manipulation

The elastic strip framework presented in this paper is a new approach to real-time obstacle avoidance for robots with many degrees of freedom. The avoidance behavior can be integrated with task execution, a capability necessary for the application of mobile manipulation to dynamic real-world environments. The elastic strip initially represents a collision-free path generated by a planner. As the environment changes, the elastic strip is incrementally modified to maintain a smooth, collision-free path. Since the elastic strip is entirely represented in workspace, costly computation in a high-dimensional configuration space is avoided. This results in an efficient modification procedure for the elastic strip, even for robots with many degrees of freedom. The general framework of elastic strips is introduced and its application to obstacle avoidance during task execution is discussed.
Extending MASIVE: the impact of stress on imitation-based learning

In this paper we model the conjecture that stress has a negative impact on imitation-based learning, in the context of the IETAL and MASIVE theories. We pose a central question: Which is worse - a loss of available information due to stress, or the acquisition of misinformation due to stress? This question is addressed by modeling a modified IETAL agent in the MASIVE environment for which imitation-based learning is affected by stress. We present an algebraic representation of the modified agent, thus giving an extension of earlier work designed to explore learning phenomena in human subjects. Our goal is to break ground in a new direction in order to develop a richer theory based on our previous work in the domain of cognitive robotics and multiagent systems.
Biomechanical, biochemical, and histological characterization of canine lumbar facet joint cartilage: Laboratory investigation

Object Tissue engineering appears to be a promising strategy for articular cartilage regeneration as a treatment for facet joint arthritis. Prior to the commencement of tissue engineering approaches, design criteria must be established to determine the required functional properties of the replacement tissue. As characterization of the functional properties of facet joint cartilage has not been performed previously, the objective of this study was to determine the biomechanical, biochemical, and histological properties of facet joint cartilage. Methods The in vitro testing was conducted using 4 lumbar spinal segments obtained from skeletally mature canines. In each specimen, articular cartilage was obtained from the superior surface of the L3–4 and L4–5 facet joints. Creep indentation was used to determine the compressive biomechanical properties, while uniaxial tensile testing yielded the Young modulus and ultimate tensile strength of the tissue. Additionally, biochemical assessments included determinati...
Photochemical fragmentation processes in laser ablation of organic solids

Abstract Studies on ultraviolet (UV) laser ablation of molecular solids have received considerable attention due to its proven and potential applications. Despite its active practical use the mechanisms of laser ablation are still being studied and debated. One crucial mechanistic discussion is on the relative importance of direct photodissociation of chemical bonds versus thermal ejection following rapid conversion of light energy into heat in the ablation processes. It is generally believed that these two processes are coupled in UV ablation resulting in difficulty in analyzing the relative importance of the two mechanisms. In the simulations presented here the breathing sphere model is enhanced allowing the photon absorption event to break a bond in the molecule and then have subsequent abstraction and recombination reactions. The initial system to model is chlorobenzene. Chlorobenzene is chosen because of simplicity of its fragmentation, entailing exclusively scission of the carbon–chlorine bond to yield phenyl and chlorine radicals. The results from the simulations allow us to study the photochemical events and their coupling with the thermal processes.