cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of sexual function in women with pelvic floor dysfunction

This article reviews sexual function questionnaires used in urogynecology, impact of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) on sexual function, and impact of surgical treatment of PFD on sexual function, with a focus on the experience and publications of validated sexual function questionnaires in the urogynecologic literature. A review of the literature was performed to obtain data on sexual function and PFD focusing on those studies that utilized validated sexual function questionnaires. Validated questionnaires assure data that are reliable, quantifiable, and reproducible. Quality-of-life questionnaires, such as The King’s Health Questionnaire and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire, include a few questions addressing sexual function but really deal with the overall impact of incontinence and/or prolapse on the patient’s QOL or well-being and do not focus on sexual function. General questionnaires focused on sexual function include the Female Sexual Function Index and the Sexual History Form 12, which were designed to evaluate sexual function and have undergone validation and reliability testing in a general population. General questionnaires are not condition-specific and may not be sensitive enough to detect differences due to PFD. The Pelvic Organ Prolapse Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ) is a condition-specific questionnaire focused on sexual function for use in women with PFD and has undergone rigorous validation and reliability testing. Many recent publications examining the impact of urinary incontinence (UI), fecal incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) using validated generalized and disease-specific questionnaires have reported poorer sexual function in women with PFD. The PISQ has been used most commonly to evaluate sexual function after surgery for PFD, with increased PISQ scores in approximately 70%. Significant improvement is noted for sexual function related to physical and partner-related factors, with no changes for orgasm, desire, or arousal after surgical repair of PFD. Studies which used generalized sexual function questionnaires mainly found no change in sexual function following surgical treatment of POP and/or UI. In summary, the use of validated questionnaires shows that PFD is associated with a negative impact on sexual functions. Surgical correction of POP and/or UI improves sexual function in approximately 70% of patients, although some studies show no change with the use of non-condition-specific questionnaires.
An approach to providing a seamless end-user experience for location-aware applications

With an increasing number of businesses considering the possibility of launching location-aware, mobile commerce applications, the quality of the end-user experience will become more and more critical. We propose dynamic bookmarks and location domains as mechanisms to give consumers simple and straightforward access to a dynamically changing set of location-based services. Dynamic bookmarks are descriptions of services, which are bound to actual, registered, services as a user's location changes. Location domains provide meaningful location context for location-aware services. We discuss the motivation and background of our work in progress, describe the key concepts involved, and present a system architecture we have adopted.
A Review of Recent Clinical Trials and Guidelines on the Prevention and Management of Delirium in Hospitalized Older Patients

AbstractTreatment of acute illness in older adults is frequently complicated by the presence of delirium. Delirium is characterized by the development of an altered mental status over the course of hours to days, and can have a fluctuating course. Patients with delirium have difficulty paying attention to their environment, have disorganized thinking, and usually have an altered level of consciousness. While scientists continue to elucidate the pathophysiologic mechanisms associated with delirium, clinicians can identify patients at risk for delirium and diagnose it using valid instruments, such as the Confusion Assessment Method and Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit. Delirium is an independent risk factor for death, institutionalization, and dementia, and resolves in many patients by the time of hospital discharge. For patients admitted to medical units, optimal management of delirium includes reassessment of medications, pain, sleep, nutrition, mobility, need for physical restraint...
Effects of watershed liming onPicea rubens seedling biomass and nutrient element concentration

Effects of watershed liming on the biomass and tissue chemistry of planted Picea rubens Sarg. (red spruce) seedlings were investigated for two growing seasons after two subcatchments in a forested Adirondack, New York (U.S.A.) watershed were limed aerially with 6.89 t ha-1 of calcitic limestone (CaCO3). Picea rubens has been the focus of numerous atmospheric deposition research studies, but less well investigated for responses to amelioration. Picea rubens seedlings were planted in limed and reference subcatchments and harvested the first and second growing season after liming to measure total, foliar, and stem (i.e., branch) biomass, and concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, Al, Na, and P in the annual growth increment of foliage and branches. In the second year after liming, both foliage and stem biomass of seedlings from reference plots were at least 50% greater than seedling biomass from limed plots. Seedlings in limed areas had significantly greater foliar concentrations of Mg and P in the first year after liming, but not in the second year. Foliar Ca was not significantly different in limed than reference seedlings. Foliar Al concentrations were greater in reference than limed seedlings, but still below documented toxicity levels. Stem concentrations of Mg, K, and P in seedlings from limed areas decreased significantly between the first and second growing season after liming, while reference seedling stem concentrations either increased or declined only slightly. Correlations among foliar nutrients and foliar biomass from limed plots were negative and suggest an inverse dilution effect. Foliar Al concentrations were negatively correlated with Ca, Mg, K, and P in seedlings from reference plots, but positively correlated in limed plots. The adverse response of P. rubens seedlings to lime may reflect changes in nutrient availability associated with changes in soil pH.
A taxonomy of concepts for evaluating chess strength

This paper is an attempt to classify that which is important in chess. Other authors have chosen to make classifications relating to, for example, the material on the board, or whether there exists an attack on the king. We find that this is sufficient for an introductory treatment of the subject of advantages. However, the chess specialist understands that two apparently similar positions may, in fact, be quite different since there may be a very important difference in the features of each.Earlier attempts to develop test suites for evaluating human and computer chess strength [12, 8], although valuable, have had clear drawbacks in terms of their depth, range and number of positions examined. We present a taxonomy of positions in chess that require special knowledge. The taxonomy is what drives our selection of positions, and not vice-versa. It is easy to understand what a passed pawn is, and a bit of classic advice such as “Passed pawns must be pushed” makes use of the simple metric that a passed pawn becomes more valuable with each advance. However, there are outside passed pawns, protected passed pawns, blockaded passed pawns, and passed pawn masses. Each requires its own understanding, and frequently other features of a position can cause great variation in what may at first appear to be positions that should be treated very similarly.
HEAT TRANSFER TO DISPERSED SWIRL FLOW OF HIGH-PRESSURE WATER WITH LOW WALL SUPERHEAT

Heat transfer was studied to two-phase flow in the post-CHF dispersed flow regime under swirl conditions. Data were used for post-CHF water flow at high pressure, 15.9 MPa, inside a vertical tube with twisted-tape inserts. Data used were obtained under test conditions typical of heat exchanger operation with low wall superheats of 5-40°C. The mass flux range of the data was 910-1878 kg/m2 s, and three tape-twist ratios were used: 2.55, 5.03, and 7.52. The low wall superheat and the relatively high mass fluxes resulted in higher than predicted drop-wall heat transfer. The only existing heat transfer correlation for this flow situation was modified to include this heat exchanger parameter range.
CS06-02 Does the first exposure to addictive substances predict future dependence?

Aims The risk factors for trying a cigarette are well known, however we were interested in the factors that determine which youths become addicted to nicotine once they have tried it. Method To investigate this we followed a cohort of 1246 students (mean baseline age of 12.2 years) over 4 years. Subjects underwent 11 interviews during which we assessed 45 risk factors, measured diminished autonomy over tobacco with the Hooked On Nicotine Checklist, and evaluated tobacco dependence using the International Classification of Diseases-10 th revision. Cox proportional hazards models were used. Results Among 217 youths who had inhaled from a cigarette, the loss of autonomy over tobacco was predicted by feeling relaxed the first time inhaling from a cigarette (adJusted Hazard Ratio (HR)=3.26; 95% CI, 1.95-5.46; P Conclusion Once exposure to nicotine had occurred, remarkably few risk factors for smoking consistently contributed to individual differences in susceptibility to the development of dependence. An experience of relaxation in response to the first dose of nicotine was the strongest predictor of both dependence and lost autonomy. This association was not explained by trait anxiety or many other psychosocial factors. These results are discussed in relation to the theory that addiction is initiated by the first dose of nicotine.
Treadmill Aerobic Exercise Improves Quadriceps Strength in Patients with Chronic Hemiparesis Following Stroke: A Preliminary Report

Chronic neuromuscular impairments contribute to functional disability following stroke. Despite the widely held notion that only limited gains in motor performance are possible beyond the initial subacute stroke recovery period, we tested the hy pothesis that a "task-oriented" aerobic treadmill training program would improve lower extremity muscle strength and alter spastic reflexes in chronic hemiparetic patients. Fourteen subjects, aged 66 ± 3 (mean ± SEM) years, with mild to moderate hemi paresis and gait deviations due to remote stroke (>6 months) were entered in a pro gram of low intensity aerobic exercise (AEX) three times a week. Repeated measures of volitional (eccentric and concentric) and reflexive (spastic) torque generated by the quadriceps muscles were performed bilaterally using isokinetic dynamometry at four angular velocities (30°, 60°, 90°, and 120°/sec) before and after 3 months of AEX. Regular exercise training increased mean eccentric torque production significantly across all angular ...
Confinement free energy and chain conformations of homopolymers confined between two repulsive walls

Lattice Monte Carlo simulations of polymer solutions confined between two parallel plates were performed. The confinement free energy Deltamicro(conf) per chain and the radius of gyrations of the chains parallel and perpendicular to the plates were obtained. When the concentration of the confined solution is above the overlap concentration, Deltamicro(conf) is found to scale with Na/D in a power law, betaDeltamicro(conf) approximately (Na/D)(m), with an exponent m=1.10+/-0.02 for athermal walls where N is the number of monomers in a chain, D is the slit width, and a is the lattice spacing. The presence of a weak attractive polymer/wall interaction epsilon(w) does not change the scaling variable, but the exponent m increases slightly. Extrapolating the results to melt would suggest that the predictions made by de Gennes [C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris II 305, 1181 (1987)] about the confinement free energy cost per chain in polymer melt is correct as far as the scaling variable is concerned, but is incorrect about the exponent m observed. The implication of this result on the predicted force between plates immersed in polymer melt is discussed. The parallel dimensions of the confined chain is expanded when the slit width D is narrow, however, the expansion is reduced at high concentration. It is conceivable that in melt the chain is not expanded when confined in a repulsive slit.
Stigma and AIDS: Three Layers of Damage

Stigmata associated with HIV/AIDS can be organized into three layers. First, over 95% of persons with AIDS in the United States belong to social groups whose fundamental human rights had been truncated long before HIV had appeared—gay men, injection drug users, African-Americans, and Hispanics, and sex workers. All of these people had been isolated, ostracized, or constrained by law and/or tradition from occupying full citizenship. Long-term stigmatization has profound effects on the lives of the disdained, including the development of counterculture. In the case of gay men, for example, stigmatization led widely to creating and fostering a milieu of short-term, often anonymous, relationships as opposed to monogamy. Thus society's attitudes actually caused AIDS by guaranteeing transmission of HIV And, finally, stigmata intrude on prevention, in that society is inhibited from creating or supporting programs that are humane and sensitive to the needs of vulnerable people.
L. G. Zakharova’s Aleksandr II and the Abolition of Serfdom in Russia and P. A. Zaionchkovskii’s School of Historians

This essay examines the genesis of Larisa Georgievna Zakharova’s classic book, Aleksandr II and the Abolition of Serfdom in Russia, as a crucial moment in the development of Petr Andreevich Zaionchkovskii’s “school” of imperial Russian historians. The article analyzes the early years of the Zaionchkovskii school and Zakharova’s place in it, her search from 1970 to 1983 for a defensible doctoral dissertation, her book on the abolition of serfdom, and her 1983 doctoral dissertation defense. Using her book as a focal point, the essay identifies the common values that held members of Zaionchkovskii’s school together, but also explores the intellectual disagreements and personal tensions between Zaionchkovskii and Zakharova, his favorite student and hand-picked successor. The article demonstrates that, following Zaionchkovskii’s death in September 1983, Zakharova perpetuated his school by re-fashioning it after her own image and likeness.
An improved main reflector design for compact range applications

Compact ranges offer many advantages over other types of ranges, and as a result much effort is being directed toward the improvement of their performance. The use of concave edge contours and blended rolled edge terminations to reduce the unwanted energy diffracted into the target zone from the termination of the main reflector is discussed. The proposed shaping of the edge contour minimizes the diffracted fields by virtue of reducing the spread factor; whereas, the blended rolled edge terminations reduce the diffracted fields by creating a smooth transition in the reflected field. Two design examples are treated in order to illustrate these concepts.
Planar laser-micro machined bulk PZT bimorph For in-plane actuation

We demonstrate a PZT bimorph technology for integrated chip-scale in-plane nano-motion actuators. Bulk PZT actuators are micro-machined to define beams by laser-cutting through a PZT-4 plate while also defining arbitrary 2D electrode patterns on top and bottom surface of the beams by using a commercial laser cutting tool with backside alignment capability. Lateral actuators that are 5, 10 and 20 mm long, 0.45 mm wide, and 0.5 mm thick were characterized with single and dual side laser patterned electrodes. The in-plane bimorph displacements are in the range of 0.02 to 0.64 microns/volt. The out of plane displacement sensitivity of these actuators were simulated to be ~ 100's ppm/V compared to the desired in plane actuation. We also report doubling of the actuator tip displacement for the same applied voltages in the dual side electrode actuators, when compared to the single sided actuators.
Measuring the 4:11 effect: the power failure and the Internet

If you were one of the unfortunate millions affected by the USA Northeast blackout of 2003, then loss of Internet connectivity probably was not your biggest problem. Whether trapped in a subway, stranded in an airport, simmering in unrelenting heat, or just sitting in the dark, 50 million people experienced inconveniences far more trying than loss of E-mail and Web surfing capacities.
A probabilistic semantic model for image annotation and multimodal image retrieval

This paper addresses automatic image annotation problem and its application to multi-modal image retrieval. The contribution of our work is three-fold. (1) We propose a probabilistic semantic model in which the visual features and the textual words are connected via a hidden layer which constitutes the semantic concepts to be discovered to explicitly exploit the synergy among the modalities. (2) The association of visual features and textual words is determined in a Bayesian framework such that the confidence of the association can be provided. (3) Extensive evaluation on a large-scale, visually and semantically diverse image collection crawled from Web is reported to evaluate the prototype system based on the model. In the proposed probabilistic model, a hidden concept layer which connects the visual feature and the word layer is discovered by fitting a generative model to the training image and annotation words through an Expectation-Maximization (EM) based iterative learning procedure. The evaluation of the prototype system on 17,000 images and 7,736 automatically extracted annotation words from crawled Web pages for multi-modal image retrieval has indicated that the proposed semantic model and the developed Bayesian framework are superior to a state-of-the-art peer system in the literature.
Middle ultraviolet remote sensing of the equatorial thermosphere during a geomagnetic storm

Abstract. We present measurements of the equatorial middle ultraviolet airglow taken during the week of 21-28 May 2000, including a strong geomagnetic storm on 24 May. Limb spectra were taken by the Ionospheric Spectroscopy and Atmospheric Chemistry (ISAAC) experiment on the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS). OII lines near 247.0nm and NII lines near 214.3nm provide a measure of thermospheric O and N2 changes, respectively. Our results show increases in airglow brightness of both emissions during the storm that we interpret as increases in the concentrations of both species, but the ratio of intensities that correspond to O/N2 is lower than expected during and after the storm. We also invert the emission profiles using discrete inverse theory, to obtain a measure of thermospheric neutral temperatures during this time. Although temperatures increase after the main phase of the storm, the increases do not correlate with the observed features in the intensity ratio. These data could be explained by vertical winds and tides modifying the equatorial neutral composition during storms, in addition to common heating responses.
The Psychology of Competitive Advantage: An Adjacent Possibility

This article argues that the field of industrial–organizational (I–O) psychology should expand its focus from studying individual and small-group behavior to also studying how psychology contributes to organizational strategy and sustained competitive advantage. The field of strategy has recently sought to understand the microfoundations of competitive advantage, and I–O psychology brings much expertise to inform the study of such microfoundations. However, most I–O research pays little attention to strategic issues. In this article, I provide an introduction to strategic management, focusing primarily on the resource-based determinants of competitive advantage. I then discuss the potential benefits of I–O science and practice tackling important strategic issues yet also note the challenges and likely evolutions that will be necessary in our theory and research. The field of personnel selection is used as an illustration, but other areas of I–O are also considered.
Continuously Proliferative Stem Germ Cells Partially Repopulate the Aged, Atrophic Rat Testis after Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist Therapy

Aging in the male human is accompanied by testicular atrophy, although relatively little is known about the mechanisms underlying germ cell loss. Testicular atrophy in the aged Brown Norway rat, an animal model for studies of aging in the human, has been attributed to a loss of spermatogonial stem cells. However, examination of testicular cross-sections from 27-mo-old Brown Norway rats indicated that approximately 14% of type A spermatogonia were stem cells. Furthermore, using bromodeoxyuridine labeling, we found that approximately 47% of these stem cells were actively dividing, with a cell cycle time of approximately 12.6 days. Both serum and testicular interstitial fluid testosterone levels were depressed in the aged rat. Therapy with the GnRH agonist, leuprolide, which has been empirically shown to reverse testicular atrophy in other models of germ cell loss, also partially restored spermatogenesis in the aged Brown Norway rat. The extent of testicular atrophy varied considerably, not only within the control and leuprolide-treatment groups but also between the left and right testes of the same animals. No significant difference was found between the mean percentage of populated tubules in 31-mo-old control animals (16.2 6 28%, mean 6 SD) and 31-mo-old leuprolide-treated animals (20.9 6 19.8%), but categorical comparisons showed that significantly fewer leuprolide-treated animals and testes contained #1% populated tubules, indicating that GnRH agonist therapy stimulates differentiation of type A spermatogonia. An increase in the ratio of soluble to membrane stem cell factor mRNA levels was present in aged rats and partially reversed following leuprolide therapy. aging, GnRH, spermatogenesis, testes
Learning latent structure: Carving nature at its joints

Reinforcement learning algorithms provide powerful explanations for simple learning and decision making behaviors and the functions of their underlying neural substrates. Unfortunately, in real world situations that involve many stimuli and actions, these algorithms learn pitifully slowly, exposing their inferiority in comparison to animal and human learning. Here we suggest that one reason for this discrepancy is that humans and animals take advantage of structure that is inherent in real-world tasks to simplify the learning problem. We survey an emerging literature on “structure learning”—using experience to infer the structure of a task—and how this can be of service to reinforcement learning, with an emphasis on structure in perception and action.
A Two Microphone-Based Approach for Source Localization of Multiple Speech Sources

This paper proposes a two microphone-based source localization technique for multiple speech sources utilizing speech specific properties and novel clustering algorithms. Voiced speech is sparse in the frequency domain and can be represented by sinusoidal tracks via sinusoidal modeling which provides high local signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). By utilizing the inter-channel phase differences (IPDs) between the dual channels on the sinusoidal tracks, the source localization of the mixed multiple speech sources is turned into a clustering problem on the IPD versus frequency plot. The generalized mixture decomposition algorithm (GMDA) is used to cluster the groups of points corresponding to multiple sources and thus estimate the direction of arrival (DOA) of the sources. Experiments illustrate the proposed GMDA algorithm with the Laplacian noise model can estimate the number of sources accurately and exhibits smaller DOA estimation error than the baseline histogram based DOA estimation algorithm in various scenarios including reverberant and additive white noise environments. Experiments suggest that appropriate power thresholding can be a simple and good approximation to the sinusoidal modeling, for the purpose of selecting time-frequency points with high local SNR, with slight loss in performance.
Light and shadow in the life and work of Louise Nevelson.

The life and work of the artist Louise Nevelson are examined through the lens of her ideas about light and shadow. Nevelson developed several ways of dealing with a basic fault established in childhood. Some ideas of Christopher Bollas are used in understanding the artist’s relationships with art dealers who served her as transformational objects. The artist became the grandmother of environmental sculpture in America and saw her work as a bridge between the third and the fourth dimension—an idealized realm and a popular concept in twentieth-century art that she related directly to light and shadow. Colette Roberts, a dealer with whom she worked, allowed Nevelson to arrive at a signature style. Arne Glimcher, who represented her for twenty-four years, provided the material and psychological comfort that allowed Nevelson to explore new materials and new styles and to arrive at aesthetic solutions of remarkable power and sophistication through her eighty-ninth year. From the time she met Roberts in 1953 unt...
Production and extraction of sugars from switchgrass hydrolyzed in ionic liquids

Background: The use of Ionic liquids (ILs) as biomass solvents is considered to be an attractive alternative for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. Acid catalysts have been used previously to hydrolyze polysaccharides into fermentable sugars during IL pretreatment. This could potentially provide a means of liberating fermentable sugars from biomass without the use of costly enzymes. However, the separation of the sugars from the aqueous IL and recovery of IL is challenging and imperative to make this process viable. Results: Aqueous alkaline solutions are used to induce the formation of a biphasic system to recover sugars produced from the acid catalyzed hydrolysis of switchgrass in imidazolium-based ILs. The amount of sugar produced from this process was proportional to the extent of biomass solubilized. Pretreatment at high temperatures (e.g., 160°C, 1.5 h) was more effective in producing glucose. Sugar extraction into the alkali phase was dependent on both the amount of sugar produced by acidolysis and the alkali concentration in the aqueous extractant phase. Maximum yields of 53% glucose and 88% xylose are recovered in the alkali phase, based on the amounts present in the initial biomass. The partition coefficients of glucose and xylose between the IL and alkali phases can be accurately predicted using molecular dynamics simulations. Conclusions: This biphasic system may enable the facile recycling of IL and rapid recovery of the sugars, and provides an alternative route to the production of monomeric sugars from biomass that eliminates the need for enzymatic saccharification and also reduces the amount of water required.
Automated software engineering using concurrent class machines

Concurrent Class Machines are a novel state-machine model that directly captures a variety of object-oriented concepts, including classes and inheritance, objects and object creation, methods, method invocation and exceptions, multithreading and abstract collection types. The model can be understood as a precise definition of UML activity diagrams which, at the same time, offers an executable, object-oriented alternative to event-based statecharts. It can also be understood as a visual, combined control and data flow model for multithreaded object-oriented programs. We first introduce a visual notation and tool for Concurrent Class Machines and discuss their benefits in enhancing system design. We then equip this notation with a precise semantics that allows us to define refinement and modular refinement rules. Finally, we summarize our work on generation of optimized code, implementation and experiments, and compare with related work.
Resources for Studying Statistical Analysis of Biomedical Data and R

The past decade has seen explosive growth in digitized medical data. This trend offers medical practitioners an unparalleled opportunity to identify effectiveness of treatments for patients using summary statistics and to offer patients more personalized medical treatments based on predictive analytics. To exploit this opportunity, statisticians and computer scientists need to work and communicate effectively with medical practitioners to ensure proper measurement data, collection of sufficient volumes of heterogeneous data to ensure patient privacy, and understanding of probabilities and sources of errors associated with data sampling. Interdisciplinary collaborations between scientists are likely to lead to the development of more effective methods for explaining probabilities, possible errors, and risks associated with treatment options to patients. This chapter introduces some online resources to help medical practitioners with little or no background in summary and predictive statistics learn basic statistical concepts and implement data analysis on their personal computers using R, a high-level computer language that requires relatively little training. Readers who are only interested in understanding basic statistical concepts may want to skip the subsection on R.
A Multiple Degree-of-Freedom Approach to Nonlinear Beam Vibrations

The steady-state free and forced response and stability for large amplitude motion of a beam with clamped ends is investigated. Elastic restraint of the ends is included in order to relate theory with experiment. A multimode analytical and numerical technique is used to obtain theoretical solutions for both response and stability. Experimental results largely confirm the results of the analysis. It is concluded that, while single mode analyses are adequate in some cases, there are circumstances where a multimode analysis is essential to predict the observed results. Nomenclature Am = amplitude of the rath mode E = Young's modulus F = transverse force FQ = generalized force h = beam thickness I = second moment of area of the cross section Ks = axial spring factor k = axial spring constant ki = rotational spring constant L = beam length PO = initial axial tension Pom = nondimensional amplitude of the generalized harmonic force t = time w = transverse displacement x = axial coordinate Mmkin,Fim, = modal constants GmrsjGmgrs
Preparation for ending therapeutic relationships

The affective components that arise as speech-language pathologists (SLPs) interact with the clients they serve and how these factors impact the process of ending therapy and SLPs' job satisfaction were discussed within the lead article to this scientific forum (Hersh, 2010 ). The development of a decision-making paradigm for dismissal is an expected outcome of training programs for SLP students, but this area may need more emphasis in the curriculum. Graduate students in the United States often complete practicum experiences in 10-12 weeks. Their assignments may require continuing an intervention program initiated by others, and they generally move to another practicum site before their patients' dismissal. This training schedule may limit the opportunities to develop a solid foundation in dismissal guidelines and practices unless this area is emphasized. Increased efforts to engage students in focused discussions about patient dismissal from the time treatment is initiated might lead to greater confidence in making these decisions independently after graduation. Discussions of dismissal should include case load management, service delivery models, review of practice guidelines from credentialing organizations and funding sources. Development of the counseling skills needed to promote improved understanding of the affective components that impact both SLPs and their patients must be cultivated.
The time of our lives: Life span development of timing and event tracking

Life span developmental profiles were constructed for 305 participants (ages 4 –95) for a battery of paced and unpaced perceptual–motor timing tasks that included synchronize– continue tapping at a wide range of target event rates. Two life span hypotheses, derived from an entrainment theory of timing and event tracking, were tested. A preferred period hypothesis predicted a monotonic slowing of a preferred rate (tempo) of event tracking across the life span. An entrainment region hypothesis predicted a quadratic profile in the range of event rates that produced effective timing across the life span; specifically, age-specific entrainment regions should be narrower in childhood and late adulthood than in midlife. Findings across tasks provide converging support for both hypotheses. Implications of these findings are discussed for understanding critical periods in development and age-related slowing of event timing.
Phosphorylation of C/EBPβ at a Consensus Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase/Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 Site Is Required for the Induction of Adiponectin Gene Expression during the Differentiation of Mouse Fibroblasts into Adipocytes

Stimulation of adipogenesis in mouse preadipocytes requires C/EBPbeta as well as activation of the MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway. In this study, we demonstrate that phosphorylation of C/EBPbeta at a consensus ERK/glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) site regulates adiponectin gene expression during the C/EBPbeta-facilitated differentiation of mouse fibroblasts into adipocytes. First, we show that exposure of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to insulin, dexamethasone (DEX), and isobutylmethylxanthine (MIX) leads to the phosphorylation of C/EBPbeta at threonine 188. Pretreating the cells with a MEK1-specific inhibitor (U0126) significantly attenuates this activity. Similarly, these effectors activate the phosphorylation of T188 within an ectopic C/EBPbeta overexpressed in Swiss mouse fibroblasts, and this event involves both MEK1 and GSK3 activity. We further show that expression of C/EBPbeta (p34kD LAP isoform) in Swiss mouse fibroblasts exposed to DEX, MIX, and insulin induces expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and some adiponectin but that it does not activate expression of FABP4/aP2. In fact, complete conversion of these fibroblasts into lipid-laden adipocytes, which includes activation of FABP4 and adiponectin expression, requires their exposure to a potent PPARgamma ligand such as troglitazone. Expression of a mutant C/EBPbeta in which threonine 188 has been modified to alanine (C/EBPbeta T188A) can induce PPARgamma production in the mouse fibroblasts, but it is incapable of stimulating adiponectin expression in the absence or presence of troglitazone. Interestingly, replacement of T188 with aspartic acid creates a C/EBPbeta molecule (C/EBPbeta T188D) that possesses adipogenic activity similar to that of the wild-type molecule. The absence of adiponectin expression correlates with a reduced amount of C/EBPalpha in the adipocytes expressing the T188A mutant suggesting that C/EBPalpha is required for expression of adiponectin. In fact, ectopic expression of PPARgamma in C/EBPalpha-deficient fibroblasts (NIH 3T3 cells) produces a modest amount of adiponectin, whereas expression of both PPARgamma and C/EBPalpha in NIH 3T3 cells facilitates production of abundant quantities of adiponectin. These data demonstrate that phosphorylation of C/EBPbeta at a consensus ERK/GSK3 site is required for both C/EBPalpha and adiponectin gene expression during the differentiation of mouse fibroblasts into adipocytes.
Poverty in Agrarian Developing Economies

This paper examines the determinants of poverty in agrarian developing economies. Based on data from the World Bank and a sample of thirty agrarian developing economies we find that the fraction of the population below the national poverty line is linearly dependent on urbanization as measured by the fraction of the total population living in urban areas, the maternal mortality ratio, the level of development as measured by purchasing power parity per capita gross national income, and the fraction of births attended by skilled health staff. We observe that the coefficient estimate of one explanatory variable, namely, the fraction of births attended by skilled health staff does not have its expected sign, possibly to the collinearity between this variable and the maternal mortality ratio as well as with the level of purchasing power parity per capita GNI. Statistical results of such empirical examination will assist governments in agrarian developing countries focus on appropriate policies in order to reduce poverty.
The Theory of Wholes and Parts and Husserl’s Explication of the Possibility of Knowledge in the Logical Investigations

My proximate aim in this paper is to clarify the vital role of the IIIrd “Investigation” in Husserl’s project for his Logical Investigations (LI)1.My ultimate aim is to show how the LI opened the way to — indeed, constituted — a realist understanding of consciousness (as well as language) and reality.
Evidence for a positron bound state on the surface of a topological insulator

We describe experiments aimed at probing the sticking of positrons to the surfaces of topological insulators using the Positron Annihilation induced Auger Electron Spectrometer (PAES). A magnetically guided beam was used to deposit positrons at the surface of Bi2Te2Se sample at energy of ~2eV. Peaks observed in the energy spectra and intensities of electrons emitted as a result of positron annihilation showed peaks at energies corresponding to Auger peaks in Bi, Teand Se providing clear evidence of Auger emission associated with the annihilation of positrons in a surface bound state. Theoretical estimates of the binding energy of this state are compared with estimates obtained by measuring the incident beam energy threshold for secondary electron emission and the temperature dependence positronium(Ps) emission. The experiments provide strong evidence for the existence of a positron bound state at the surface of Bi2Te2Se and indicate the practicality of using positron annihilation to selectively probe the critically important top most layer of topological insulator system.
Medical coverage of recreational cycling events.

Recreational bicycling has become very popular, with participants spanning a wide range of ages, skill levels, and experience. This article provides a practical approach to the organization and application of medical care in this unique setting. We suggest guidelines for providing complete medical services during recreational cycling events.
Nocturnal Noninvasive Ventilation and Adjuncts in Disorders of Breathing Control

Treatment of sleep apnea characterized by high respiratory control chemosensitivity is challenging. The key polysomnographic characteristics are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) dominance of respiratory events that exhibit a self-similar metronomic timing and spontaneous improvement during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. As both sleep fragmentation and a narrow CO2 reserve or increased loop gain drive the disease, sedatives (to induce longer periods of stable NREM sleep and reduce the destabilizing effects of arousals in NREM sleep) and CO2-based stabilization approaches are logical. Adaptive ventilation reduces mean hyperventilation and can effectively treat central/complex apnea in a subset of patients, but can also induce ventilator-patient desynchrony. Enhanced expiratory rebreathing space (EERS, dead space during positive pressure therapy) directly stabilizes respiratory control by moving CO2 above the apnea threshold. Carbonic anhydrase inhibition can provide further adjunctive benefits. Provent, Winx, body positioning, and oral appliances can be part of effective multimodality therapy in individual patients.
Constitutive Activation of DNA Damage Checkpoint Signaling Contributes to Mutant p53 Accumulation via Modulation of p53 Ubiquitination

Many mutant p53 proteins exhibit an abnormally long half-life and overall increased abundance compared with wild-type p53 in tumors, contributing to mutant p53's gain-of-function oncogenic properties. Here, a novel mechanism is revealed for the maintenance of mutant p53 abundance in cancer that is dependent on DNA damage checkpoint activation. High-level mutant p53 expression in lung cancer cells was associated with preferential p53 monoubiquitination versus polyubiquitination, suggesting a role for the ubiquitin/proteasome system in regulation of mutant p53 abundance in cancer cells. Interestingly, mutant p53 ubiquitination status was regulated by ataxia–telangectasia mutated (ATM) activation and downstream phosphorylation of mutant p53 (serine 15), both in resting and in genotoxin-treated lung cancer cells. Specifically, either inhibition of ATM with caffeine or mutation of p53 (serine 15 to alanine) restored MDM2-dependent polyubiquitination of otherwise monoubiquitinated mutant p53. Caffeine treatment rescued MDM2-dependent proteasome degradation of mutant p53 in cells exhibiting active DNA damage signaling, and ATM knockdown phenocopied the caffeine effect. Importantly, in cells analyzed individually by flow cytometry, p53 levels were highest in cells exhibiting the greatest levels of DNA damage response, and interference with DNA damage signaling preferentially decreased the relative percentage of cells in a population with the highest levels of mutant p53. These data demonstrate that active DNA damage signaling contributes to high levels of mutant p53 via modulation of ubiquitin/proteasome activity toward p53. Implication: The ability of DNA damage checkpoint signaling to mediate accumulation of mutant p53 suggests that targeting this signaling pathway may provide therapeutic gain. Mol Cancer Res; 14(5); 423–36. ©2016 AACR .
Strategies for management of childhood non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas based upon stage and immunopathologic subtype Rationale and current results

Treatment of children with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) with intensive combined modality regimens, incorporating combination chemotherapy, involved field radiotherapy and prophylaxis of the central nervous system, reproducibly cures the majority, as demonstrated by a number of reports [1–4]. Cure of a majority of cases ought not to mask however the considerable heterogeneity characteristic of NHL, either in adult or pediatric age group. While virtually all lymphomas in children are high grade malignancies, significant differences in the relapse hazard with modern therapy are related to the primary site, stage and immunopathologic subtype (T or B). A rational strategy for success in management of childhood NHL therefore requires consideration of these factors. The review will outline such a strategy, rationale and recent results.
Experimental porphyria. I. Isolation of uroporphyrin I from bone marrow of lead poisoned rabbits.

Summary and Conclusions1. Crystalline uroporphyrin I has been isolated from the bone marrow of lead poisoned rabbits and found to be identical with uroporphyrin I isolated from the urine of a patient with photosensitive (erythropoietic) porphyria. 2. The bone marrow of rabbits with acute or chronic lead poisoning has been found to contain from 15 to 844 μg of uroporphyrin I per 100 ml. 3. In experimental lead poisoning, significant amounts of uroporphyrin are found in the circulating red blood cells only during the very acute stage. Erythrocyte coproporphyrin is likewise increased markedly only during the acute phase.
Kinetics and Mechanism of the C49 to C54 Titanium Disilicide Polymorphic Transformation

The kinetics and mechanism of the C49 to C54 TiSi2 polymorphic transformation have been investigated in a temperature range from 660 to 720 °C using in situ sheet resistance measurement and transmission electron microscopy. The kinetics results were correlated with the microstructural changes during the phase transformation. The main structural characteristics demonstrating the mechanism of the transformation were established by examining the nucleation and growth of the C54-TiSi2 in the polycrystalline C49-TiSi2 thin films. It was found that the C54 nuclei predominantly formed at grain edges (three-grain junctions) of the C49 phase and grew very fast by moving its incoherent interphase boundaries. Preliminary results have not revealed rigorous orientation relationships between the two phases. It is suggested that the C49 to C54 structural transition is massive in nature.
Development of the forest fire prevention information system in ArcGIS using VC

Based on secondary development technology of GIS and VC language,the forest fire prevention information system of Guangzhou city is developed.The technology feature of ArcGIS is introduced,and the developing method of the system,and the de-veloping procedure using API and MFC class library in ArcGIS environment.The design thinking,function module,main technical of this system are introduced,and some main source code is also given.It accomplishes computer simulation of fir spreading and fire directing suppression,which make the monitoring of forest fire much real-time,efficient.Fire suppression much in-time,the loss of forest fire is reduced greatly.
Spiroplasma sp. 16S rDNA in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and scrapie as shown by PCR and DNA sequence analysis.

The pathogenesis of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), which include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans and scrapie in sheep, remains an enigma. In this paper we present evidence for the association of Spiroplasma sp., a wall-less prokaryote, with TSE. We have shown PCR amplification of Spiroplasma 16S rDNA in TSEinfected brain tissues (13 of 13 CJD cases and 5 of 9 scrapie cases) and not in control brains (0 of 50). Direct sequencing of the amplified PCR products has confirmed the presence of Spiroplasma-like DNA in all 5 of the TSE brains tested. Our evidence is not necessarily in conflict with involvement of a PrP res a a protease-resistant host-derived protein referred to as the prion-in the pathogenesis of TSE, since there is evidence that another factor is involved. We propose a bacterium, namely Spiroplasma, as this associated factor although the role of Spiroplasma in TSE cannot he determined from these experiments. The presence of the nucleic acid sequence of this microbe in all cases of TSE in our laboratory and not in controls provides direct evidence of the association of Spiroplasma sp. with TSE.
Evaluating Educational Specialists

How do you evaluate the array of professional support staff in today’s schools who are neither administrators nor teachers? Counselors, school psychologists, librarians/media specialists, school nurses, and other professional support personnel represent a growing and invaluable group of educators who fulfill an array of duties and responsibilities which are fundamental to the support of students, teachers, and, indeed, the entire educational enterprise (Strange, 1994; Strange & Tucker, 1995a). “As American schools in recent decades have labored to include and educate all children, the role of these specialists has expanded to serve these students’ many and diverse needs” (Stronge & Tucker, 1995a, p. 123). Despite their growing importance in contemporary schooling, evaluation of educational specialists has been relatively rare, uneven, and inadequate (Gorton & Ohlemacher, 1987; Helm, 1995; Lamb & Johnson, 1989; Norton & Perlin, 1989; Stronge & Helm, 1991; Stronge, Helm, & Tucker, 1995; Tucker, Bray, & Howard, 1988).