cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pineal region tumors in children.

Purpose of review Pineal tumors are rare in children, with pineoblastoma and germ cell tumors (GCTs) being the most common. Here we discuss recent advances in treatment and controversies in the management of these tumors. Recent findings There is significant heterogeneity in the clinical behavior of pineoblastoma in children. We will discuss differences in outcome of children with pineoblastoma who are less than and greater than 3 years of age, and between pineoblastoma and nonpineal supratentorial primitive neuro-ectodermal tumors when treated with multiple different strategies. Significant controversies exist in the treatment of GCTs as well, including the levels of tumor markers in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid that are required to establish without biopsy the diagnosis of a GCT, the role of surgery in GCTs and the optimal treatment for germinomas as well as mixed malignant GCTs. Summary Although pineoblastoma in infants and very young children still remains a therapeutic challenge, significant progress has been made in the treatment of pineal GCTs with treatment strategies using a combination of chemotherapy and reduced dose and volume irradiation, resulting in increased survival rates and reduced long-term morbidity.
Manipulation of host angioneogenesis: A critical link for understanding the pathogenesis of invasive mold infections?

Despite progress over the last decade, opportunistic mold infections continue to be associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Given the propensity of mold...
Of Victims and Executioners: Argentine State Terror, 1975–1979

Scholars have found that state terror has been employed frequently against subdued, if not fully compliant, populations. Scholars have argued that regimes may attack groups whose characteristics seem incongruent with their own ideological agendas. Having fully internalized a set of doctrines, and being prone to exaggerate the extent and depth of the security threats facing them, authoritarian regimes may provoke long periods of unrestrained, disproportionate and unnecessary state terror. Drawing from the recent scholarly attempts to stipulate the conditions associated with the appearance of state terror, we delineate two major ideologies which have guided the Argentine military to perpetrate state terror as standard policy. In national security and free market ideologies, we claim, the Argentine rulers of the Proceso period found the rationale for making the disappearance of real and perceived adversaries a daily governmental routine. Combined, these ideologies provided motives to sustain high levels of repression and guidelines to select its victims. We examine social characteristics of the victims of Argentine state terror and analyze organizational and legal forms of coercion to reveal patterns that are consistent with ideological predispositions. We then demonstrate that individuals suffered a greater probability of victimization if they were members of particular trade unions perceived by the government to have obstructed its achievement of economic and security goals. These and other trends lead us to conclude that ideology was a motivating force behind the infamous Argentine “Dirty War.”
Feminist surveillance studies

Feminist Surveillance Studies asks us to consider how the “periodic media spectacles of deadly terrorist threats remind publics what is at stake if ‘we’ do not adopt and uniformly submit to new sur...
Solitary wave solutions and modulational instability in a system of coupled complex Newell-Segel-Whitehead equations

Abstract By virtue of the modulational instability (MI) and phase amplitude ansatz approach, a system of coupled complex Newell–Segel–Whitehead equations (NSWEs), which describes isotropic systems near a subcritical oscillatory instability, is investigated. The constraints that allow the MI procedure to transform the system under consideration into a study of the roots of a polynomial equation of the fourth degree are obtained. A number of examples are analyzed graphically, to overcome the complexity of the dispersion relation and its dependence on many parameters. The existence of a variety of MI gain spectrum is observed. The influence of the cubic-quintic nonlinearity and the magnitude of the plane wave solutions of the system on the MI are also analyzed. Various novel solitary-wave solutions of the system, such as bright-bright, dark-dark, and dark-bright wave solutions, are analytically obtained using direct approach under some constraint conditions.
Analysis of gait: A method of measurement

Over the years, locomotion has been explained in many terms. In the clinic, the principal motions of ambulation are determined by observable gait patterns. In order to understand these gait patterns, we must look at gait on a biomechanical level.
Evaluation of gaseous ozone and hydrogen peroxide treatments for reducing Fusarium survival in malting barley.

The use of Fusarium-infected barley for malting can lead to mycotoxin production and decreased malt quality. Methods for treatment of Fusarium-infected barley might prevent these safety and quality defects and allow use of otherwise good-quality barley. Gaseous ozone and hydrogen peroxide (HP) were evaluated for effectiveness in reducing Fusarium survival while maintaining germinative energy (GE) in barley. Gaseous ozone treatments (GOT) included concentrations of 11 and 26 mg/g for 0, 15, 30, and 60 min. HP treatments included 0, 5, 10, and 15% concentrations with exposure times of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 min. For GOT, in naturally Fusarium-infected barley, a statistically significant (P 0.05) effect on GE in sound barley at either concentration over the full 30-min exposure time. For HP, Fusarium survival was significantly decreased (50 to 98%) within 5 min of exposure. With the exception of two treatments (10 and 15% HP agitated for 20 min), GE was not statistically significantly different from the control in naturally Fusarium-infected barley. In sound barley, HP had no significant (P > 0.05) effect on GE. The results suggest that GOT and HP might have potential for treatment of Fusarium-infected malting barley.
Introducing dramatic inquiry as visual art education

ABSTRACTThis article defines dramatic inquiry, exploring its possible contributions to discourses on subjectivity, embodied pedagogy, and relational knowing in art education. As a communal, ensemble endeavor emerging from the discipline of drama education, dramatic inquiry offers strategies for enhancing arts education's critical inquiries by facilitating imaginative, transformative dialogues from within visual culture phenomena. Theoretical reflections on dramatic inquiry's origins and its potential educational value are accompanied by suggestions for teaching and learning practices that inspire “critical questions that envision alternative just futures” (Desai, 2009, p. 25) and imagine their fruition. Building on Heathcote's (1984) work in drama education and Edmiston's explicitly critical, socio-cultural orientation (Freire, 1970; hooks, 1994; Kumashiro & Ngo, 2007) we explore Edmiston's (2011) seven key dimensions of dramatic inquiry through their use in K–12 classrooms and their resonance with contem...
Flow injection analysis of aromatic sulphonyl haloamines

Flow-injection determination of chloramine-T, dichloramine-T, dibromamine-T, bromamine-T, chloramine-B, dichloramine-B, dibromamine-B, bromamine-B and dichloramine-N in solution, through a spectrophotometric procedure is described. A simplified flow-injection apparatus with a two-channel system is employed. The carrier streams are starch-KI mixture (0.5∶5.0%) and 1 M H2SO4 and are merged before injection of haloamine. A sampling frequency of 280h−1 has been achieved. The effect of reagent concentrations, flow parameters and interferents on the analysis has been investigated. Concentrations of haloamines were in the range of 1–60 ppm.
Fast Nonlinear Ultrasound Propagation Simulation Using a Slowly Varying Envelope Approximation

Medical systems usually consider linear propagation of ultrasound, an approximation of reality. However, numerous studies have attempted to accurately simulate the nonlinear pressure wave distortion and to evaluate the contribution of harmonic frequencies. In such simulations, the computation time is very large, except for the method based on the angular spectrum scheme where the derivative order is reduced using the Fourier transform. However, the harmonic computation is usually limited to the second harmonic because of quasi-linear approximation. In this paper, a slowly varying envelope approximation (SVEA) is used in the Fourier domain to compute the entire nonlinear distortion induced, including high harmonics and nonlinear mixing frequencies. The simulation by SVEA is evaluated by comparison with other simulation tools. The obtained deviation and difference remain low enough to fully validate such an approximation. Moreover, the simulator is implemented on a GPU to obtain a very fast tool, where the full nonlinear distorted $\text {3-D}+t$ field is computed in less than 10 s.
Legal Implications for Accommodating Students With Disabilities in Teacher Preparation Field Placements

The goal of Special Education is to help individuals with disabilities transition to meaningful adult roles. When students with disabilities pursue education majors, Special Education Faculty must ...
End-to-end regression testing for distributed systems

Even with substantial advances in tools and research techniques, distributed systems remain challenging to test. One frustrating aspect of distributed systems development is the resurfacing of old problems due to code changes. Regression test suites replicate previously known bugs and ensure they do not resurface as the code evolves. Conventional unit regression tests miss a substantial amount of distributed system problems; end-to-end testing is almost always required in order to reproduce complex bugs. We describe a framework for regression testing that bridges a gap between local ad-hoc experiments and end-to-end stress testing, potentially lowering the recurrence of critical bugs.
Association between Electronic Medical Record Implementation of Default Opioid Prescription Quantities and Prescribing Behavior in Two Emergency Departments

Larger quantities of opioid tablets for initial prescriptions are associated with transition to continued use.1 Default options, or conditions that are set in place unless an alternative is actively chosen, have been shown to influence behavior in many contexts, including increasing the rates of prescribing generic versus brand-name drugs to over 98% in primary care.2,3 Leveraging default options in electronic medical record (EMR) prescribing orders thus represents a promising approach to guide clinicians towards prescribing smaller quantities of opioid tablets, thus reducing continued use, misuse, and diversion. In 2015, the emergency departments (EDs) of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP, annual volume 68,000) and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PMC, annual volume 41,000) adopted a new EMR (Epic, Verona, WI) to replace a homegrown EMR (EMTRAC). EMTRAC required the clinician to enter the number of tablets for opioid prescriptions. Since the implementation of the new EMR, when a clinician types in an ED discharge opioid prescription order, a preference list appears with a default quantity of 10 tablets displayed first. The clinician can “opt out” by selecting a quantity of 20 tablets, which is displayed second, by modifying either of these orders, or by clicking on “Database Lookup,” where a new health system default of 28 tabs is displayed, as well as manual entry options. We evaluated the effect on prescribing behavior associated with the implementation of an EMR opioid default supply quantity for our most common opioid discharge prescription in two EDs.
Electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) battery-related burns presenting to US emergency departments, 2016

Currently, an estimated 7.9 million US adults use electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Although published reports have identified fires and explosions related to use of ENDS since 2009, these reports do not provide national estimates of burn injuries associated with ENDS batteries in the US. We analyzed nationally representative data provided in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) to estimate the number of US emergency department (ED) visits for burn injuries associated with ENDS batteries. We reviewed the case narrative field to gain additional insights into the circumstances of the burn injury. In 2016, 26 ENDS battery-related burn cases were captured by NEISS, which translates to a national estimate of 1007 (95%CI: 357–1657) injuries presenting in US EDs. Most of the burns were thermal burns (80.4%) and occurred to the upper leg/lower trunk (77.3%). Examination of the case narrative field indicated that at least 20 of the burn injuries occurred while ENDS batteries were in the user’s pocket. Our study provides valuable information for understanding the current burden of ENDS battery-related burn injuries treated in US EDs. The nature and circumstances of the injuries suggest these incidents were unintentional and would potentially be prevented through battery design requirements, battery testing standards and public education related to ENDS battery safety.
Electrical Stimulation and Bone Healing: A Review of Current Technology and Clinical Applications

Pseudarthrosis is an exceedingly common, costly, and morbid complication in the treatment of long bone fractures and after spinal fusion surgery. Electrical bone growth stimulation (EBGS) presents a unique approach to accelerate healing and promote fusion success rates. Over the past three decades, increased experience and widespread use of EBGS devices has led to significant improvements in stimulation paradigms and clinical outcomes. In this paper, we comprehensively review the literature and examine the history, scientific evidence, available technology, and clinical applications for EBGS. We summarize indications, limitations, and provide an overview of cost-effectiveness and future directions of EBGS technology. Various models of electrical stimulation have been proposed and marketed as adjuncts for spinal fusions and long bone fractures. Clinical studies show variable safety and efficacy of EBGS under different conditions and clinical scenarios. While the results of clinical trials do not support indiscriminate EBGS utilization for any bone injury, the evidence does suggest that EBGS is desirable and cost efficient for certain orthopedic indications, especially when used in combination with standard, first-line treatments. This review should serve as a reference to inform practicing clinicians of available treatment options, facilitate evidence-based decision making, and provide a platform for further research.
Non-invasive Management Options for Erectile Dysfunction When a Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitor Fails.

Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) are the drug of choice for medical management of erectile dysfunction (ED). On-demand PDE5Is have an overall efficacy of 60–70% for ED; 30–35% of patients fail to respond to a PDE5I, and 30–50% of non-responders can be salvaged with detailed counseling on proper use and physician follow-up to ensure that the patient has been prescribed an appropriate and full PDE5I clinical trial. True non-responders may be offered intracavernosal injections of erectogenic drugs, intraurethral alprostadil, or surgical insertion of a penile prosthesis. Such options are not discreet and are associated with more adverse effects than PDE5Is. Thus patients may request additional non-invasive medical management options. This review describes published literature on patients who failed to respond to an on-demand PDE5I regimen and were treated with a non-invasive PDEI-based regimen, including switching from one PDE5I to another; increasing the dose of PDE5I above the labeled dosage range; using two PDE5Is concurrently; using a daily PDE5I regimen; or combining a PDE5I with a testosterone supplement, α-adrenergic antagonist, intraurethral or intracavernosal alprostadil, vacuum erection device, or low-intensity shock wave therapy. The limitations of published clinical trials do not allow for sufficient evidence to recommend one option over another. Therefore, in PDE5I-refractory patients, the choice of a specific next step should be individualized based on the preference of the patient and his sexual partner, the advantages and disadvantages of the various options, the concurrent medical illnesses and medications of the patient, and the patient’s response to treatment.
Contact Angle of Superfluid Helium Droplets on a Cesium Surface

We present pictures of superfluid drops on several cesium surfaces prepared in different ways. These pictures are used to determine the temperature dependence of the contact angle. The results show that the temperature dependence of the helium-cesium surface tensions depends on the wetting temperature. The relationship between these results and other recent measurements of the temperature dependence of the contact angle is discussed.
Studies on compression wood—Part I: Distribution of lignin in compression wood of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.)

Normal and compression wood from red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) and, to a limited extent, balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Carr.) was subjected to treatment with hydrofluoric acid and decay by the brown rot fungiLenzites trabea Persoon ex Fries andLenzites saepiaria Wulfen ex Fries. The texture and distribution of the lignin remaining after these treatments were studied in transverse and longitudinal sections by electron microscopy. In agreement with previous investigations, the lignin in the secondary wall of normal tracheids was found to form a continuous network. The results obtained with compression wood tracheids showed that there was an isotropic layer with a high lignin concentration located immediately insideS 1, but that this region also contained polysaccharides which were probably oriented in a transverse direction with respect to the fiber axis. The inner part ofS 2, containing the helical cavities, had a uniform distribution of lignin in the form of a continuous network. There was no evidence for a radial distribution of lignin in compression wood tracheids nor for the absence of lignin from the inner portion ofS 2, as had been stated by earlier investigators. The polysaccharides in the cell wall of the compression tracheids, and especially those located in the outer part ofS 2, were partially inaccessible to both acids and fungi. The latter penetrated the wood both through the lumens and through the intercellular spaces.Lenzites saepiaria was by far the more efficient of the two fungi used.
The Non-graphical Foundation: Coase and The Law’s Irrelevance

The irrelevance of law in an ideal world that Coase posited is the foundation for scientific policy analysis. The chapter briefly explores potential deviations from the ideal that may justify rules, such as transaction costs, distributive concerns, systematic errors, negotiation holdouts, and aversion to risk.
Periprosthetic Fracture of Greater Trochanter in Total Hip Replacement Stemming from Pin Site Placement in Navigation-Assisted Surgery

Surgeons are looking to use computer computer-assisted surgery (CAS) in total hip arthroplasty (THA) in order to quantify leg length measurement, angular cup placement, and enhance stability to provide enhanced accuracy in implant placement. As a result, CAS in THA is gaining popularity. This technology employs the use of pins and provides the surgeon with real-time feedback on positioning intraoperatively. Previous total knee arthroplasty (TKA) literature has reported pin-associated complications such as infections, neuropraxia, and suture abscess. To our knowledge, there have been reports of tibial stress fracture after CAS TKA, but this is the first report of a pin causing fracture of the greater trochanter leading to dislocation in THA. Further studies may be warranted to optimize pin placement for trackers to prevent fractures of the greater trochanter.
Comparing Computer-Based Sight-Word Interventions in Students with Intellectual Disability: Self-Determined Versus Fixed Response Intervals

Adapted alternating treatment designs were used to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of two computer-based sight-word-reading interventions among three elementary school students with an intellectual disability. Each intervention provided 30 stimulus–response–stimulus–response learning trials. One intervention included fixed 3-s response intervals. The second intervention had each participant self-determine each response interval. Results suggest that both interventions caused similar increases in sight-word acquisition. Following the experimental phase, each student was given 5 opportunities to choose which intervention they would complete; 100% of the time (i.e., 15/15), students chose the self-determined intervention. Discussion focuses on the importance of student preference and future research on the relationship between allowing students to self-determine response intervals and learning, attention, inappropriate behaviors, on-task behaviors, and preference.
Recipient Vessel Selection in Head and Neck Reconstruction.

Objective: Recipient vessel caliber may be the single most important variable for flow to free tissue transfer. We performed cadaveric dissection of the external carotid artery and its branches to analyze average diameter in order to determine an algorithm for recipient vessel selection in head and neck reconstruction. Methods: The external carotid artery and branches were exposed on 3 lightly embalmed male human cadavers, aged 82 to 85 years. Each vessel was dissected, and luminal diameters were recorded with calipers. Results: The proximal ECA had the greatest average diameter (4 ± 0.6 mm) and potential flow; followed by distal ECA (2.85 ± 0.4 mm) facial (2.0 ± 0.6 mm), lingual (1.65 ± 0.6 mm), superior thyroid (1 ± 0.3 mm), and superficial temporal (0.85 ± 0.4 mm). There was a trend towards size variation between sides of the same cadaver. Conclusion: The external carotid artery has the greatest internal diameter and potential blood flow. It should be considered, when feasible, especially for defects of the upper third of the head. For defects of the lower third, the facial artery and the lingual artery should be utilized before the smaller diameter superior thyroid artery. Vessel selection is more challenging in the setting of radiation therapy, complex trauma, and prior neck surgery. In these settings, it is useful to have knowledge of the vascular anatomy and an objective algorithm for recipient vessel selection.
Electrolyte Disorders in Pregnancy

In pregnancy, central nervous system and hormonal changes lead to altered regulation of salt and water. This chapter discusses the differential diagnosis for hyponatremia and hypernatremia during pregnancy and the management in the pregnant woman.
Proper secretion of the serpin antithrombin relies strictly on thiol-dependent quality control

The protein quality control machinery of the endoplasmic reticulum (ERQC) ensures that client proteins are properly folded. ERQC substrates may be recognized as nonnative by the presence of exposed hydrophobic surfaces, free thiols, or processed N-glycans. How these features dictate which ERQC pathways engage a given substrate is poorly understood. Here, using metabolic labeling, immunoprecipitations, various biochemical assays, and the human serpin antithrombin III (ATIII) as a model, we explored the role of ERQC systems in mammalian cells. Although ATIII has N-glycans and a hydrophobic core, we found that its quality control depended solely on free thiol content. Mutagenesis of all six Cys residues in ATIII to Ala resulted in its efficient secretion even though the product was not natively folded. ATIII variants with free thiols were retained in the endoplasmic reticulum but not degraded. These results provide insight into the hierarchy of ERQC systems and reveal a fundamental vulnerability of ERQC in a case of reliance on the thiol-dependent quality control pathway.
I-SPY 2: a Neoadjuvant Adaptive Clinical Trial Designed to Improve Outcomes in High-Risk Breast Cancer

The I-SPY 2 trial is an adaptive clinical trial platform designed to improve outcomes in high-risk breast cancer patients by testing new drugs in the neoadjuvant setting. The intent of this review is to discuss background, study structure, innovation, and outcomes of the I-SPY 2 trial. I-SPY 2 evaluates new agents combined with standard therapy with pathologic complete response (pCR) as the primary endpoint. I-SPY-2 uses clinical biomarkers to classify breast cancer into 10 subtypes, with Bayesian adaptive randomization to allow individualized patient assignment to therapy arms to maximize treatment effects. A total of 7 drugs have graduated from I-SPY 2. Multiple new agents are currently in active enrollment in I-SPY 2. I-SPY 2 uses an individualized approach in clinical trial design to improve high-risk breast cancer outcomes. The purpose of this review is to encourage further research and innovation in this area and bring more precise treatment options to breast cancer patients.
Lateral cervical abscesses: NSQIP-P perspective on length of stay, readmission, and reoperation.

Abstract Objectives Identify risk factors and determine perioperative sequelae of children undergoing lateral cervical abscess incision and drainage. Methods Pediatric patients who underwent lateral cervical abscess incision and drainage aged 1–18 years were retrospectively queried via ACS-NSQIP-P (2012–2016) utilizing CPT code 21501. Analyzed outcomes include age, time to surgery, operative time, total length of stay, readmission, and reoperation. Results A total of 1917 children were identified, with a mean age at time of surgery of 4.05 years (95% CI 3.86–4.25). The mean number of days from hospital admission to operative intervention was 1.24 days (95% CI 1.16–1.31), with a mean total length of stay of 3.64 days (95% CI 3.46–3.82). The mean number of days from hospital admission to surgery was significantly lengthened in younger children (P = .0001) and pediatric patients of non-Caucasian origin (P Conclusion Younger children are more likely to have delays from hospital admission to definitive surgical intervention, but this does not appear to affect total length of stay. Recognition of pertinent clinical factors may assist in optimizing perioperative risk assessment and promote timely procedural planning in the pediatric subpopulation.
Drivers of Cost in Primary Single-Level Lumbar Fusion Surgery.

Study Design:Retrospective cohort.Objectives:Allocating cost is challenging with traditional hospital accounting. Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) is an efficient method to accurately ass...
Bone Fragments and Bone Grease Manufacturing: A Review of Their Archaeological Use and Potential

The presence of small bone fragments in the archaeological record has been frequently used to infer the activities of bone grease and/or soup manufacturing. This article explores the possibility th...
Consecutive Patterns: From Permutations to Column-Convex Polyominoes and Back

We expose the ties between the consecutive pattern enumeration problems associated with permutations, compositions, column-convex polyominoes, and words. Our perspective allows powerful methods from the contexts of compositions, column-convex polyominoes, and of words to be applied directly to the enumeration of permutations by consecutive patterns. We deduce a host of new consecutive pattern results, including a solution to the $(2m+1)$-alternating pattern problem on permutations posed by Kitaev.
Plate Tectonics and Earthquake Potential of Spreading Ridges and Oceanic Transform Faults

We use the Harvard CMT catalog to separate ocean-ridge seismicity into spreading and transform sub-catalogs. We use the tapered Gutenberg-Richter distribution to estimate the total seismic moment rates of plate-boundary zones from limited catalogs of large events. We present the plate boundary model PB1999 and use it to associate marine earthquakes with particular plate boundary segments. We then combine these tools to estimate corner magnitudes ( c m ), spectral slopes ( β ), and coupled lithosphere thicknesses for all spreading ridges and oceanic transform faults. The distribution of spreading earthquakes is consistent with "normal" 2 3 β = (although β is not well constrained) and with uniform c 5.8 m = . Coupled lithosphere thickness along ridges decreases quasi-exponentially (from about 500 m to under 50 m) as spreading rate increases. Oceanic transform faults also have "normal" 2 3 β ≅ , but their corner magnitudes decrease from about 7.1 to about 6.3 with increasing relative plate velocity. Oceanic transform faults also show a quasi-exponential decrease in coupled lithosphere thickness (from about 3000 m to about 300 m) as relative plate velocity increases. Perhaps this is due to formation of serpentine along slow ridges and transforms and its absence from fast ridges and transforms. Spreading ridges and oceanic transform faults both have imperfect seismic coupling because: (i) all detailed local studies of seismogenic lithosphere thickness exceed our mean values for coupled thickness, and (ii) if coupling were perfect, and seismogenic lithosphere thickness were as small as our estimated coupled thickness, it would require unreasonable stress drops or rupture shapes to explain the moments of the largest earthquakes.
Digital Watermarking and Steganography: Fundamentals and Techniques

In addition to providing students, researchers, and other professionals with mechanical information regarding digital watermarking and steganography, this work also provides them with the framework needed to develop extensive advanced algorithms. It shows how robust high-capacity watermarking techniques can be successfully used to enlarge the hiding capacity while maintaining the robustness of the watermark. Several robust algorithms are presented to illustrate the framework and provide assistance in understanding and implementing fundamental principles. Alternatives to traditional strategies are presented. The principles taught are illustrated with plentiful graphs and examples in order to simplify the problems and make highly complicated theories readily understandable.
An infinite family of summation identities

Theta functions have historically played a prominent role in number theory. One such role is the construction of modular forms. In this work, a generalized theta function is used to construct an infinite family of summation identities. Our results grew out of some observations noted during a presentation given by the author at the 1992 AMS-MAA-SIAM Joint Meetings in Baltimore.
Determinants of American Stock Prices on a Firm- Specific Level

As of January 2011, there were $ 14 trillion invested in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and $55.6 trillion invested in all stock exchanges around the world (World Federation of Exchanges, 2011). To put that number into perspective, the US gross government debt at the same time was $13.5 trillion (US Government Debt, 2011). The US annual GDP, which is the highest in the world, was $14.58 trillion (WorldBank, 2011). Stocks are equities that allow investors to put their money into a company with the hopes of achieving a higher return than that of a savings account or bond. Stock prices fluctuate often and are considered indicators of how well a company is doing. Due to uncertainty there is risk, but if one is skilled at picking stocks then there is the potential for great reward as well. This fact makes knowing the determinants of stock prices very valuable and extensively studied. This article is available in The Park Place Economist: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/parkplace/vol20/iss1/17 The Park Place Economist, Volume XX 85 DETERMINANTS OF AMERICAN STOCK PRICES ON A FIRM-SPECIFIC LEVEL
The difficulty for subducted oceanic crust to accumulate at the Earth's core‐mantle boundary

[1] Seismic tomography has revealed two large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs) in the lowermost mantle beneath the central Pacific and Africa. The LLSVPs are further shown to be compositionally different from their surroundings. Among several hypotheses put forth in recent years to explain the cause of the LLSVPs, one postulates that they are thermochemical piles caused by accumulation of subducted oceanic crust at the core-mantle boundary (CMB). Mineral physics experiments indicate that oceanic crust becomes denser than the surrounding mantle at lower mantle pressures. In addition, seismic observations provide evidence of subducted slabs arriving at the CMB. However, a major question pertains to whether subducted oceanic crust can survive viscous stirring associated with mantle plumes and accumulate into piles with the same spatial scale as LLSVPs. We perform a set of high-resolution convection calculations to examine this hypothesis by investigating the interaction of thin oceanic crust (6 km) with mantle plumes. Our results show that as subducted oceanic crust is swept toward upwelling plume regions, the majority of it is viscously stirred into the surrounding mantle. Only a small amount of oceanic crust may accumulate at the base of plumes, but it is consistently entrained away into the plume at a rate equal to or greater than it is accumulated. We find that it is difficult for subducted oceanic crust to accumulate into large thermochemical piles at the CMB.
Feasibility of non-invasive determination of the stability of propagation reserve in patients

This study investigates the feasibility of using surface ECG recordings to assess stability of cardiac propagation. Our novel method customizes a reaction-diffusion model of cardiac excitation using measurements of patient's repolarization dynamics. The customized model determines the stability-of-propagation reserve (SoPR) that measures the proximity of the patient's minimum level of refractoriness to the critical level associated with conduction instability. Using measurements from 15 patients, we compared SoPRs determined from the unipolar intracardiac electrograms and from the surface ECG leads. SoPRs computed from intracardiac and surface measurements correlated, and a formula was developed that estimated the intracardiac SoPR from surface measurements with 5% accuracy. Thus, this study may lead to new noninvasive tests for the risk of sudden cardiac death.
Microchips: an all-language literature survey including books and patents.

We now present the third, and final, part of our series of all-language literature surveys on microanalytical devices. It categorizes and lists books, book chapters, reviews, editorials, papers, abstracts, and patents on the topic of analytical microchips that have been published up to the middle of 2001. It is intended to serve as a convenient entry point into the microchip literature for those wishing to gain an insight into the scope and diversity of this important and rapidly expanding branch of science. The database has been compiled from searches of OVID Medline, INSPEC, BIOSIS, PubMed, various patent databases, and the personal databases of members the IFCC Working Group on Nanotechnology. The listing of references for each of the 18 categories and the combined database can be found at Clinical Chemistry Online (http://www.clinchem.org/content/vol48/issue9/). Previous surveys focused on microarrays (1) and nanotechnology (2), and the databases can be found at www.clinchem.org/cgi/content/full/47/8/1479/DC1/12 and http://www.clinchem.org/content/vol48/issue4/, respectively. An analytical microchip is a miniature analyzer that has at least one micrometer-sized component [e.g., microchannel, microchamber, or microfilter; for recent reviews of this topic, see Refs (3)(4) …
Anomaly detection for diagnosis

The author presents a method for detecting anomalous events in communication networks and other similarly characterized environments in which performance anomalies are indicative of failure. The methodology, based on automatically learning the difference between normal and abnormal behavior, has been implemented as part of an automated diagnosis system from which performance results are drawn and presented. The dynamic nature of the model enables a diagnostic system to deal with continuously changing environments without explicit control, reaching to the way the world is now, as opposed to the way the world was planned to be. Results of successful deployment in a noisy, real-time monitoring environment are shown. >
Spatial accuracy and performance of a mixed-order, explicit multi-stage method for unsteady flows

SUMMARY We assess the spatial accuracy and performance of a mixed-order, explicit multi-stage method in which an inexpensive low-order scheme is used for the initial stages, and a more expensive high-order scheme is used for the final stage only. Compared with the use of a high-order scheme for all stages, we observe that the mixed-order scheme achieves comparable accuracy and convergence while providing a speed-up of a factor of two on mesh sizes of O(106 − 107) tetrahedron. For calculations with significant adaptive mesh refinement, a more modest speed-up of 30% is obtained. Published 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Pregnancy-related dropouts and gender inequality in education: A life-table approach and application to Cameroon

In this study, I used a life-table approach to estimate how much hypothetical reductions in pregnancy-related dropouts would help close the gender gap in educational attainment. Using the schooling histories of 6,686 pupils, I partitioned Cameroon’s gender gap in education into “pregnancy-related” and “non-pregnancy-related” components and simulated the impact of reductions in pregnancy-related dropouts on this gap. The results suggest that such reductions would have substantial payoffs in this setting, but payoffs would be the greatest where societies also address gender inequities before puberty and outside the realm of pregnancy. Reductions in pregnancy-related dropouts complement but do not replace efforts to reduce gender discrimination in schooling. Recent data from Demographic and Health Surveys should make it possible to extend this analysis to other countries.
Emotional Labor Since The Managed Heart

The phrase "emotional labor" was coined by sociologist Arlie Hochschild in 1983 in her classic book, The Managed Heart. Jobs requiring emotional labor typically necessitate contact with other people external to or within the organization, usually involving face-to-face or voice-to-voice contact, especially in service work. In this article, the authors summarize Hochschild's pathbreaking work and assess the state of the current multi- and interdisciplinary literature on emotional labor. They distinguish between two interrelated areas of research on emotional labor. The first area involves predominantly, though not exclusively, qualitative case studies of employees at workplaces in the service sector. A second set of studies, primarily quantitative, investigates the link between emotional labor at home, in different jobs, or in nurturing activities (a specific form of emotional labor) and its consequences for individual employees' job satisfaction, productivity, and pay.
Metabolism of free and sulfoconjugated DHEA in brain tissue in vivo and in vitro.

Abstract Two rhesus monkey brains were perfused in vivo either with 14C-DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) and 3H-DHEA sulfate or with 3H-DHEA. Plasma from the jugular vein and the brain were analyzed for free and conjugated metabolites. Many more free than sulfoconjugated steroids were withdrawn from the blood. These were not stored to a large extent. Up to 16% of DHEA were metabolized to ring D hydroxylated Δ5-compounds. When fresh human fetal brain was incubated with 3H-DHEA, 5.9% of the free steroids were sulfurylated. 30% were converted mainly to ring D hydroxylated Δ5-metabolites.
Use of single heart cells from chick embryos for the Na+ current measurements.

To record the fast Na+ current, spheroidal heart cells enzymatically-dispersed from 3 ∼ 18-day-old chick embryos were used for voltage clamping. The peak of currents in response to voltage steps of 200 ms long from holding potentials of -90∼ -105 mV were measured. The current-voltage curves for the peak inward current showed U-shaped relations; the averaged peak current of about -1400 pA was observed at about -30 mV and the current reversed sign at +40 ∼ + 50 mV. Both the peak current and the reversal potential values showed marked [Na]o- dependence, i.e. reduced by 36% and by 20 mV, respectively, for a halved [Na]o. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) partially (10-6 M) or completely (10-5 M) suppressed the current. The steady-state inactivation of the current (h∞) was characterized by the half inactivation voltage of around -80 mV and the slope factor of -4∼ -8 mV. The half activation voltage and the slope factor for the steady-state activation (m∞) were -55 mV and 4-6 mV, respectively. The electrophysiological and pharmacological properties were similar between young (3-day-old) and old (15-18-day-old) embryonic heart cells, excepting the much smaller current and the slower onset of TTX action in young embryonic hearts.
Design and Validation of a Knee Brace With Feedback to Reduce the Rate of Loading

The repetitive nature of walking can lead to repetitive stress and associated complications due to the rate of loading (ROL) experienced by the body at the initial contact of the foot with the ground. An individual's gait kinematics at initial contact has been suggested to give rise to the ROL, and a repetitive, high ROL may lead to several disorders, including osteoarthritis. We present the design, development, and validation of a knee brace that provides feedback to the user during gait. The feedback consists of an auditory signal when the specific parameters of knee angle or tibial acceleration 50 ms prior to contact are exceeded. Nine women were recruited for the gait analysis, and the gait characteristics with and without the brace and feedback are analyzed. Our results indicate that using a knee brace with feedback can effectively change the gait kinematics used during walking, leading to a reduced ROL experienced at initial contact. Using a knee brace with feedback is a novel approach to gait retraining. Al-though the kinetics of how the subjects change in gait pattern is unknown, the reduced ROL experienced is significant and warrants further investigation.
Antiproton-hydrogen scattering at low-eV energies

In the scattering of negative particles other than the electron by atoms at lab-frame energies around 10 eV, an elastic process termed “brickwall scattering” might lead to a high probability for scattering angles around 180°. For an antiproton slowing in hydrogen, this backward scattering would result in the loss of nearly all of its energy in a single collision, since it and a hydrogen atom have nearly the same mass. Such energy loss would have a significant effect on the energy distribution of antiprotons at energies where capture by the protons of hydrogen is possible and might, thereby, affect the capture rate and the distribution of capture states. In the semiclassical treatment of the problem with an adiabatic potential energy, brickwall scattering is indeed present, and with a substantial cross section. However, this model appears to underestimate inelastic processes. Based on calculations for negative muons on hydrogen atoms, these processes appear to occur for about the same impact parameters as brickwall scattering and thus substantially reduce its effect.
Faith-Based Partnerships Promoting Health.

This chapter examines partnerships between faith-based organizations and health care institutions and health-related entities.
Activation barriers in photosensitized pyrimidine dimer splitting

Pyrimidine dimers, which form by a symmetry allowed (π + π) photocycloaddition reaction, are subject to photosensitized cycloreversion by electron donors, such as indoles. In a linked dimer–indole system, photoinitiated electron transfer occurs intramolecularly from indole to dimer to produce a charge-separated species (dimer−.–indole+.). This species undergoes cycloreversion in competition with back electron transfer. Studies of the temperature dependence and solvent dependence of this competition have allowed the relative values of the activation parameters for the competing processes to be determined. In water (5–65°C) the free energy of activation of splitting minus that of back electron transfer (ΔΔG≠ = ΔG - ΔG) was found to be 1·3 kcal mol−1. The enthalpy of activation difference (ΔΔH≠) was found to be 1·1 kcal mol−1 and the entropy of activation difference (ΔΔS≠) was found to be −0·51 cal mol−1 K−1. In EPA (diethyl ether–isopentane–ethanol, 5:5:2; −85 to 25°C) the value of ΔΔG≠ remained the same, but the entropy and enthalpy contributions were different (ΔΔH≠ = 0·72 kcal mol−1; ΔΔS≠ = −1·8 cal mol−1 K−1). The results have been interpreted in terms of the effect of the polarity of the solvent on the transition states for the two competing processes. Enthalpy effects retard splitting more in water than in EPA, whereas entropy effects favor back electron transfer more in EPA than in water. Potential implications of these results for the mechanism of enzymatic photocycloreversion of pyrimidine dimers in DNA are considered.
Mechanism of mitochondrial stress-induced resistance to apoptosis in mitochondrial DNA-depleted C2C12 myocytes.

In this study, we show that partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion (mitochondrial stress) induces resistance to staurosporine (STP)-mediated apoptosis in C2C12 myoblasts. MtDNA-depleted cells show a 3–4-fold increased proapoptotic proteins (Bax, BAD and Bid), markedly increased antiapoptotic Bcl-2, and reduced processing of p21 Bid to active tBid. The protein levels and also the ability to undergo STP-mediated apoptosis were restored in reverted cells containing near-normal mtDNA levels and restored mitochondrial transmembrane potential. Inhibition of apoptosis closely correlated with sequestration of Bax, Bid and BAD in the mitochondrial inner membrane, increased Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL, and inability to process p21 Bid. These factors, together with the reduced activation of caspases 3, 9 and 8 are possible causes of mitochondrial stress-induced resistance to apoptosis. Our results suggest that a highly proliferative and invasive behavior of mtDNA-depleted C2C12 cells is related to their resistance to apoptosis.
The ultrastructure of the keratinizing epithelia of the incisor and molar gingivae of the albino rat: similarities and differences.

Ultrastructural differences suggest that the keratinizing epithelium of the incisor gingiva (IG) is more rigid and durable than that of the molar gingiva (MG). The more numerous and larger collagen fibrils of the lamina propria, the more dense and homogeneous basal lamina, the more numerous anchor filaments distributed along the basal lamina and the larger and more frequently occurring hemidesmosomes along the base of basal cells all provide the IG epithelium with a firmer base and stronger attachment than the MG. The presence of many and long filaments in the IG and their aggregation into bundles inserted into the attachment plaques of desmosomes also suggest that this epithelium is tougher than the MG. This is further emphasized by the larger size of the desmosomes and their more frequent occurrence along the plasma membrane of cells of the IG. The ultrastructure of membrane-coating granules and their role in membrane modifications appear to be the same in both the IG and MG. As the irregularly shaped keratohyalin granules of the IG increase in size, the dense amorphous material spreads out over the bundles of tonofilaments. On the other hand, as the spherical keratohyalin granules of the MG grow in size, they maintain their spherical shape and do not appear to be associated with or spread out over the filaments. The flattened horny cells of the IG with smooth contours and joined together by closely spaced desmosomes appear to be more protective and less easily detached by the abrading stress of mastication than those of the MG, which are irregular in shape with convoluted cell membranes and widely spaced desmosomes.