cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Evaluation of a Personal Narrative Language Intervention for School-Age Children With Down Syndrome

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of an intervention focused on improving personal narrative skills of school-age children with Down syndrome (DS) using an approach involving visual supports. Four females with DS, ages 10 through 15 years, participated in this multiple baseline across participants single-subject experimental design study. Participants completed 18 intervention sessions that targeted personal narrative goals. Parents completed a survey regarding their perspectives of the intervention. Two participants made small treatment gains in mean length of utterance. One participant had small to medium gains on all macrostructural measures. Parent perspectives were positive. Results support the feasibility of personal narrative interventions for individuals with DS when visual support is provided.
miRNAs as Biomarkers for Predicting the Progression of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is defined as a proliferation of neoplastic cells within the duct of the mammary gland that have not invaded into the surrounding stroma. DCIS is considered a precursor to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC); however, approximately half of DCIS may progress to IDC, if left untreated. Current research has shown that the genomic and transcriptomic changes are present in DCIS before the emergence of invasive disease, indicating that the malignant nature of the DCIS is defined before invasion. However, important questions remain surrounding the specific changes and processes required for malignant progression and identification of prognostic indicators of aggressiveness. miRNAs are small regulatory RNAs that can modulate gene expression by complementary binding to target mRNAs and inducing translational repression and/or mRNA degradation. In the past decade, research has shown that miRNA expression is dysregulated in IDC and that these changes are already present at the DCIS stage. Therefore, changes in miRNA expression may provide the necessary information to identify a clinical indicator of the aggressiveness of DCIS. Herein, we review the miRNA signatures identified in DCIS, describe how these signatures may be used to predict the aggressiveness of DCIS, and discuss future perspectives for DCIS biomarker discovery.
You have to (Br)enter to (Br)exit: The EU collaboration space:

Co-inventor data gathered from EU patents are used to measure collaboration in knowledge production between all pairs of nuts2 regions in the EU15 between 1980 and 2005. Gower’s similarity index is employed to visualize the inter-regional collaboration space. National borders exert a strong influence on inter-regional collaboration in the first period examined as regions within countries tend to cluster together. Over time, these national border effects relax especially for continental partners. UK inventors are relatively isolated over both periods. The data imply that (Br)exit might have little impact on the geography of collaboration for UK inventors.
Multi-Detector Computed Tomography Imaging Techniques in Arterial Injuries

Cross-sectional imaging has become a critical aspect in the evaluation of arterial injuries. In particular, angiography using computed tomography (CT) is the imaging of choice. A variety of techniques and options are available when evaluating for arterial injuries. Techniques involve contrast bolus, various phases of contrast enhancement, multiplanar reconstruction, volume rendering, and maximum intensity projection. After the images are rendered, a variety of features may be seen that diagnose the injury. This article provides a general overview of the techniques, important findings, and pitfalls in cross sectional imaging of arterial imaging, particularly in relation to computed tomography. In addition, the future directions of computed tomography, including a few techniques in the process of development, is also discussed.
The Effect of Computed Tomography Scans Oriented Along the Longitudinal Scaphoid Axis on Measurements of Deformity and Displacement in Scaphoid Fractures.

Purpose Reformatting computed tomography (CT) scans along the scaphoid longitudinal axis improves the ability to detect scaphoid fractures compared with reformats along the wrist axis. However, it remains unclear whether scaphoid axis reformats affect measurements of displacement or deformity, which are factors that drive the clinical decision to perform open reduction internal fixation. Our null hypothesis was that reformatting CT scans along the scaphoid axis does not affect measurements of fracture displacement and deformity. Methods Thirty patients with CT scans demonstrating scaphoid fractures (4 proximal pole, 17 midwaist fractures, and 9 distal) were identified and reformatted along 2 axes: the longitudinal axis of the scaphoid and the longitudinal axis of the wrist. The reformatted scans were sent to 2 musculoskeletal radiologists and 2 orthopedic hand surgeons who made the following measurements: (1) fracture gap, (2) displacement of the articular surface, (3) intrascaphoid angle, and (4) height to length (H:L) ratio. Results The reliability of each of the measurements cited above was compared for all raters between the 2 axes using intraclass correlation coefficients. Measurement of fracture gap and articular displacement trended toward more reliability in the wrist axis, whereas measurement of H:L ratio and intrascaphoid angle trended toward more reliability in the scaphoid axis. However, no differences in measurements between the 2 axes were statistically significant. Conclusions This study demonstrates that reformatting CT scans in line with the axis of the scaphoid does not result in more reliable measurements of displacement or deformity. Clinical relevance Measurements of displacement and deformity in scaphoid fractures can be made in the wrist axis with comparative reliability to those in the longitudinal scaphoid axis.
Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging offers the unprecedented opportunity to visualize specific brain chemicals including sites of drug action as well as distinct functional states of the living human brain using radioactive drugs. Over the last three decades, significant advances have been made both in the technology and in the development of novel radiopharmaceuticals for imaging of specific neural receptors and transporters in the living human brain using SPECT. Perfusion SPECT is routinely used for the clinical diagnosis and assessment of several neurological disorders. Neuroreceptor SPECT imaging has been useful in research to begin to identify the chemical state of different neuropsychiatric disorders that result from an imbalance of chemicals in the brain such as alcoholism, Alzheimer’s disease, bipolar disorder, cocaine dependence, major depression, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and tobacco dependence. While in its youth, neuroreceptor SPECT imaging holds tremendous potential in the clinical setting for the diagnosis of a myriad of psychiatric disorders for which currently there is no biological or chemical diagnostic tool. With continued progress in the development of radiopharmaceuticals and in the technology for the acquisition and image processing of SPECT data, SPECT imaging has the potential to radically change the way that neuropsychiatric disorders are diagnosed and treated.
Locating and Selecting Evidence-Based Preventive Curricula and Programs

McCall (2009) suggests that there is a new appreciation of the importance of research and evidence influencing mental health practice. This is particularly important given interventions often used in schools and in mental health clinics have not been evidence-based in the past (Waddell & Godderis, 2005). When a program is considered evidence-based, it was developed based on scientifically supported theory. The design of the program is described in detail. Outcomes are reported including outcomes over time. The original study to determine whether or not the program works was conducted in a scientific manner, and there is some positive outcome (Sherman, 2010). The requirements to use strong and proven programs have increased. Practitioners want to know what works to help children and adolescents.
Morgan, Thomas Hunt

Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866–1945) was an American evolutionary biologist and geneticist who pioneered the use of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster , as a laboratory animal for genetic studies. He discovered sex linkage and his work on recombination in Drosophila during the first half of the twentieth century paved the way for the mapping of genes to linear positions on a chromosome.
Morphology and Physiology of Plant Tumors

The tumor problem is basically a problem of growth. It is, moreover. a problem of the uncontrolled growth of altered cells by more or less random division. Rate of growth does not in itself characterize the tumor cell since certain normal cell types may grow and divide at considerably faster rates than do most tumor cells. The tumor cell need not, however, be lacking the capacity to differentiate and functionate. Certain malignant teratomata may retain these properties to a striking degree. The one biological characteristic that distinguishes the tumor cell from the normal cell is its capacity for the uncontrolled or autonomous growth within an organism. Without this there would be no tumors.
Tools for autonomous agents

In this paper, the author describes work on a suite of tools for representation, inference, decision making, and learning. The tools are centered around dynamic probabilistic networks, with application to the problem of driving in unrestricted highway traffic.
Tools of Probability

This chapter provides a refresher on probability and random processes that is essential for a healthy coverage of the remaining chapters of this book. The review will be done to the extent of our interest in the context of manufacturing systems.
Precision Measurements on the Muon, Muonium, Positronium, and Helium as Related to the Fundamental Atomic Constants

Quantum electrodynamics is our best understood and most precisely verified theory. Both the electron and the muon appear to be Dirac particles with conventional electrodynamic coupling. Electrons and muons partake in no strong interactions but they do have weak interactions. Precise measurements on these particles, both when free and when in the bound hydrogen-like systems of muonium (μ+ e−) and positronium (e+ e−) have been vital to the establishment and verification of the theory of quantum electrodynamics. Such measurements are also useful for obtaining information about certain of the fundamental atomic constants. For the interpretation of these measurements only the electromagnetic interactions need be considered because the weak interactions are small by comparison. The effects of strongly interacting particles on higher order radiative corrections become important1 only to an accuracy well beyond present experimental precision. In contrast, the effect of strong interactions on the hydrogen atom, which contains a proton, is considerably greater than the uncertainties of present-day experiments.
Religion, Immigration, and Refugees – Editorial to the Special Issue

International humanitarian crises face millions of refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants around the world. Ongoing crises exist in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, South Sudan, Congo, Burundi, Nigeria, and a...
Onramp to Scholarship: Putting Clinical Faculty Members on the Path to Academic Productivity.

Abstract:Many faculty members in the health professions who come from a clinical background lack the research experience to produce original scholarship. Most faculty development programs focus on supporting individual projects, which helps faculty members who are already pursuing an intellectual qu
Calibration of modern sedimentary δ2H plant wax-water relationships in Greenland lakes

Abstract Sedimentary plant wax distributions and isotopic compositions are powerful, widely applied paleoenvironmental proxies. However, there is conflicting evidence on the behavior of these proxies at high-latitude sites, where extreme climate and light conditions may uniquely influence plant physiology and growth. Here, we present modern sedimentary n-alkane and n-alkanoic acid abundances and compound-specific (δ2H and δ13C) isotope values from a 22-lake transect extending from northwest to southernmost Greenland, covering a large latitudinal and climatic gradient. Sedimentary plant waxes are similar in abundance and carbon isotopic composition across the transect, suggesting no major differences in biologic sources. There are strong correlations (r = 0.8–0.9) between δ2H values of many long-chain sedimentary waxes and those of modelled precipitation, with n-alkanes more tightly correlated to precipitation than n-alkanoic acids. Data presented here also demonstrate that δ2H values of mid-chain sedimentary waxes do not strongly correlate to the δ2H values of lake water when it decouples isotopically from precipitation (i.e. in glacier-fed and evaporatively-enriched lakes). This calls into question the common interpretation that mid-chain sedimentary waxes can be ascribed to aquatic plants. We contextualize our Greenland data with an updated global dataset of δ2H values of modern sedimentary waxes and precipitation. This update adds 100 + lakes from recently published literature to the seminal review presented by Sachse et al. (2012). This large new compilation suggests a global average apparent fractionation including Arctic data between n-C28 alkanoic acids and annual precipitation (eC28/ANN) of −99‰, and between n-C29 alkanes and annual precipitation (eC29/ANN) of −121‰. The latter value is remarkably consistent with the value first reported by Sachse et al. (2012).
RESILIENCE THROUGH CONNECTION: SOCIAL SUPPORT AND ELDER ABUSE, DISASTER, BEREAVEMENT, AND COMBAT

Elder abuse prevalence among community residing adults is 10%, but this prevalence is cut by more than half among those who report high levels of social connection. Relatedly, elder abuse outcomes are significant, producing increased prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders, the prevalences of which are, again, halved when one experiences abuse in the context of high social support. Similarly, mental health effects of natural disaster on older adults are virtually eliminated in the presence of high social support. Moreover, treatment for anxiety and depressive disorders is improved when high social support is present. We will present findings from five of our major studies in the aforementioned areas that underscore this point.
Associations Between Activities of Daily Living Independence and Mental Health Status Among Medicare Managed Care Patients

Background/objectives Although there is a strong cross-sectional association between dependence in activities of daily living (ADLs) and decreased mental health, it is largely unknown how the loss of specific ADLs, or the combination of ADLs, influences mental health outcomes. We examined the effect of ADL independence on mental health among participants in a large survey of Medicare managed care recipients. Design/setting Retrospective cohort study. Participants A total of 104,716 participants in cohort 17 of the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey, who completed the baseline and follow-up surveys in 2014 and 2016. Measurements Linear regression models estimated the effects of loss of ADL independence on change in Mental Component Summary (MCS) score. Results In an adjusted model, loss of independence in eating, bathing, dressing, and toileting were associated with three- to four-point declines in MCS, suggesting meaningful worsening. In a model that also included all six ADLs, loss of independence in each ADL was associated with declines in MCS, with the largest effects for eating and bathing. MCS decreased by 1.3 per each additional summative loss of ADL independence (P Conclusion Loss of ADL independence was associated with large declines in mental health, with personal care activities showing the largest effects. Additional research can help to characterize the causes of ADL loss, to explore how older adults cope with it, and to identify ways of maximizing resilience. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1301-1306, 2020.
Asymmetrical gait kinematics of free-ranging callitrichine primates in response to changes in substrate diameter and orientation

Arboreal environments present considerable biomechanical challenges for animals moving and foraging among substrates varying in diameter, orientation, and compliance. Most studies of quadrupedal gait kinematics in primates and other arboreal mammals have focused on symmetrical walking gaits and the significance of diagonal sequence gaits. Considerably less research has examined asymmetrical gaits, despite their prevalence in small-bodied arboreal taxa. Here we examine whether and how free-ranging callitrichine primates adjust asymmetrical gait kinematics to changes in substrate diameter and orientation, as well as how variation in gait kinematics affects substrate displacement. We used high-speed video to film free-ranging Saguinus tripartitus and Cebuella pygmaea inhabiting the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Ecuador. We found that Saguinus used bounding and half-bounding gaits on larger substrates versus gallops and symmetrical gaits on smaller substrates, and also shifted several kinematic parameters consistent with attenuating forces transferred from the animal to the substrate. Similarly, Cebuella shifted from high impact bounding gaits on larger substrates to using more half-bounding gaits on smaller substrates; however, kinematic adjustments to substrate diameter were not as profound as in Saguinus. Both species adjusted gait kinematics to changes in substrate orientation; however, gait kinematics did not significantly affect empirical measures of substrate displacement in either species. Due to their small body size, claw-like nails, and reduced grasping capabilities, callitrichines arguably represent extant biomechanical analogues for an early stage in primate evolution. As such, greater attention should be placed on understanding asymmetrical gait dynamics for insight into hypotheses concerning early primate locomotor evolution.
821-P: Highs and Lows and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: The Lived Experience of Young Adults with T1DM

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the body’s production of the hormone insulin. T1DM is diagnosed during childhood and adolescence and may have significant impacts on mental health. Understanding the impact of T1DM on mental health during adolescence may increase our understanding of the mental health needs of young adults with T1DM. Purpose: To describe the lived experiences of young adults with T1DM and how it relates to their mental health status during adolescence. Methods: A qualitative explorative study using semi-structured interviews. A purposive sample of young adults with T1DM were recruited through social media and through an announcement in the monthly, national newsletter of the College Diabetes Network. Participants were interviewed individually via Apple Facetime and Google Hangouts. Self-reported demographic and clinical information was also collected. Professionally transcribed data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The sample was comprised of 18 young adults, the mean age was 20.4 years ± 1.21. Average age of diagnosis was 9.7 years ± 3.76. The interviews generated 4 major themes: (1) isolation, (2) maturity, (3) social support, and (4) challenges experienced by participants. Conclusions/Implications: The young adults in this study report many positive and negative influences on mental health during adolescence. Many participants agreed that while they had support through family and friends, they felt they would best be reached by other people with T1DM. Participants also identified a lack of resources for managing T1DM in adolescence and negative judgement from healthcare providers regarding lifestyle/food choices. This research provides information about the importance of addressing mental health needs of young adults with T1DM during adolescence. Continued education for educators and health care providers regarding the importance of using person-centered non-judgement language is essential. Disclosure M. Ottignon: None. M. OConnor: None. C. Whitehouse: None.
Effects of fungicide chemical class, fungicide application timing, and environment on Fusarium head blight in winter wheat

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused mainly by Fusarium graminearum, can result in devastating economic losses in small grain cereal crops. Management of FHB is by a combination of strategies and tactics including cultivar resistance, fungicide application at anthesis, and cultural practices such as crop rotation, tillage, and irrigation management. This study evaluated, under field conditions, the effects of fungicide chemical class (triazole versus strobilurin), fungicide application timing, and environment on FHB and its associated mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON). A moderately resistant hard red winter wheat cultivar, Overland, consistently had lower levels of FHB index (= index), Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK), and DON, and higher yield compared to the susceptible hard red winter wheat cultivar Overley. The most effective fungicide treatment in reducing FHB, FDK, DON, and yield loss was Prosaro® (prothioconazole + tebuconazole) applied at early anthesis (BBCH 61; hereafter referred to as anthesis). Application of Prosaro 6 days post anthesis (DPA) achieved a slightly lower but comparable efficacy to that achieved by the anthesis application. Application of Prosaro at 12 DPA was least effective. The strobilurin fungicide Headline® (pyraclostrobin) was less effective than Prosaro in controlling FHB, FDK, and DON. In both cultivars, index, FDK, and DON were higher and yield was lower under irrigated compared to rain-fed conditions. These differences were more pronounced in a wet compared to a relatively dry growing season. The results from this study indicate that effective management of FHB can be achieved by combining cultivar resistance with a triazole fungicide applied at anthesis, and the window of fungicide application can be extended by up to 6 days post anthesis.
Automatic Characterization of Pelvic and Sacral Measures from 200 Subjects.

BACKGROUND An understanding of pelvic and acetabular morphology and orientation is required for accurate surgical reconstruction of the hip and spine, as well for component placement in a total hip arthroplasty. Our objectives were to develop an automated system for measuring pelvic and sacral orientations utilizing computed tomographic (CT) scans and to characterize these measures across 200 asymptomatic subjects. METHODS An automated feature recognition algorithm was created to identify acetabular and pelvic orientation across 200 scans generated for non-musculoskeletal conditions. Three-dimensional models were generated from CT data to serve as inputs to the algorithm. Acetabular orientation was defined by comparing a plane fit to the acetabular rim with the anterior pelvic plane. Pelvic inclination, pelvic tilt, and sacral slope were defined as the angles between landmarks identified across the pelvis: pubic tubercles, acetabular center, left and right anterior superior iliac spines, and sacral plate. RESULTS The mean sacral slope was 36.49°, the mean pelvic tilt was 15.60°, and the mean pelvic incidence was 52.05°. The mean sacropubic angle was 32.48° and the mean pelvic-Lewinnek angle was 8.93°. Significant differences between male and female subjects were observed in the sacral slope (mean difference, 4.72°; p < 0.05), pelvic tilt α (mean difference, 4.17°; p < 0.05), pelvic tilt γ (mean difference, 3.06°; p < 0.05), and the pelvic-Lewinnek angle (mean difference, 1.76°; p < 0.05). The comparison of acetabular orientation measures with those in a prior study of the same cohort yielded intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) all above 0.97. The validation of sacral orientation via manual measurement also yielded ICC values all at or above 0.97. CONCLUSIONS Our algorithm showed a high degree of consistency in acetabular orientation measures with respect to a prior study of the same cohort. The measures of pelvic orientation were found to be accurate and reliable when compared with manual measurements of the same data set. All measurements of pelvic orientation were consistent with the means reported in the literature. CLINICAL RELEVANCE An accurate and reproducible, automated technique for determining pelvic and acetabular orientation provides a way to characterize these measures as an aid in clinical diagnosis and preoperative planning.
Draft Genome Sequence of Fusarium sp. Strain DS 682, a Novel Fungal Isolate from the Grass Rhizosphere.

ABSTRACT The novel fungal strain, Fusarium sp. strain DS 682, was isolated from the rhizosphere of the perennial grass, Bouteloua gracilis, at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in Kansas. This fungal strain is common across North American grasslands and is resilient to environmental fluctuations. The draft genome is estimated to be 97.2% complete.
Bayesian inference for latent biologic structure with determinantal point processes (DPP).

Summary We discuss the use of the determinantal point process (DPP) as a prior for latent structure in biomedical applications, where inference often centers on the interpretation of latent features as biologically or clinically meaningful structure. Typical examples include mixture models, when the terms of the mixture are meant to represent clinically meaningful subpopulations (of patients, genes, etc.). Another class of examples are feature allocation models. We propose the DPP prior as a repulsive prior on latent mixture components in the first example, and as prior on feature-specific parameters in the second case. We argue that the DPP is in general an attractive prior model for latent structure when biologically relevant interpretation of such structure is desired. We illustrate the advantages of DPP prior in three case studies, including inference in mixture models for magnetic resonance images (MRI) and for protein expression, and a feature allocation model for gene expression using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. An important part of our argument are efficient and straightforward posterior simulation methods. We implement a variation of reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation for inference under the DPP prior, using a density with respect to the unit rate Poisson process.
Body Temperature in Feedlot Cattle

Body temperature is often used as an indicator of animal health status. In addition, body temperature can be used as a measure of heat stress, which occurs during the summer months and significantly impacts cattle performance and well-being. In a series of heat stress management and handling studies, tympanic temperatures (TT), an indicator of body temperature, were obtained in unrestrained feedlot cattle. In management studies, restricting feed intake to 85% of ad libitum lowered TT approximately 0.9 °F (0.5 °C), even after the period of feed restriction ended. Sprinkling feedlot surfaces was more effective in cooling cattle if sprinkling was done in the morning versus in the afternoon. Also, during hot days, TT of black-hided cattle can be over 0.9 °F (0.5 °C) greater than TT of white-hided cattle. In handling studies, moving cattle through working facilities requires an expenditure of energy causing an elevation of average body temperature between 0.5 and 1.4 °F (0.3 and 0.8 °C), depending on the ambient conditions. Effects of cattle movement and handling on body temperature needs to be taken into account when evaluating animal health studies. In addition, strategies designed to reduce the detrimental effects of heat stress while maintaining animal productivity need to be implemented. Furthermore, minimal handling of cattle during hot days is recommended for promoting animal well-being and comfort.
Impact Ionization and Degradation in Silicon Dioxide Films on Silicon

Degradation of silicon-dioxide films is shown to occur primarily near interfaces with contacting metals or semiconductors. This deterioration is shown to be caused by two mechanisms triggered by electron heating in the oxide conduction band. These mechanisms are trap creation and bandgap ionization by carriers with energies exceeding 2 and 9 eV, respectively. In this study, both are discussed with particular emphasis on the bandgap ionization process which has been a controversial issue for many years. A procedure by which each can be separately studied is demonstrated.
Acceptability, Impartiality, and Peremptory Norms of General International Law

Peremptory norms of general international law (jus cogens) are universally binding prohibitions that override any consideration for non-compliance (e.g., genocide and slavery). The question is how nonconsensual norms emerge from a consensual international legal order. It appears that either the peremptoriness of jus cogens renders consent superfluous to the norm’s binding force or consent divests jus cogens of its peremptory status. The goal of this paper is to resolve the dilemma by explaining why jus cogens is exempt from the general requirement of consent that binds states to the rules of international law. The paper provides an impartiality-based account of enforcement that explains why a state’s refusal to give consent to jus cogens may be overridden in a consensual legal order.
A model for management of delirious postacute care patients.

Although delirium has been shown to be a common, morbid, and costly problem for hospitalized older people, evidence has mounted that it may persist for weeks or months. Therefore, concern about delirium can no longer be confined to acute care. After an acute hospitalization, many older people are discharged to postacute care (PAC) facilities—rehabilitation hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. Although several models designed to prevent delirium in the hospital setting have been described, there have been few such efforts in the PAC setting. This article describes the development of a multifactorial delirium abatement program (DAP), a new model of care for older patients admitted to the postacute skilled nursing facility with delirium. The DAP is a nurse-led, unit-based intervention. The program consists of four modules based on best practices as defined by the peer-reviewed literature: standardized screening for symptoms and signs of delirium upon admission to the PAC unit, assessment and treatment of possible causes of and contributors to delirium, prevention and management of common delirium complications, and restoration of patient cognitive and self-care function. This article also presents the process of facility introduction, staff education on DAP content, and multidisciplinary outreach. Key strategies for DAP implementation are reviewed. Program adoption challenges and corresponding model refinements to enhance adherence and overall care quality are highlighted. Last, clinical adaptation of this research-derived program is discussed.
COEXISTENT MEGACOLON AND MEGAURETER Report of a Case with Normal Vesical Autonomic Innervation

A case of coexistent megacolon and bilateral megaureter is reported. Adequate histopathologic study revealed aganglionic rectum and colon and normal autonomic innervation to the bladder. These findings are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that a common etiology is responsible for both lesions. The agenesis of the peripheral autonomic ganglia that characterizes megacolon was not the cause of megaureter in this case.
Probing, Assessment, and Management during Interactions between Ground Squirrels and Rattlesnakes: Part 1: Risks Related to Rattlesnake Size and Body Temperature

The predator-prey relationship between California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) and northern Pacific rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) is a useful system for exploring conflict and assessment. Rattlesnakes are major predators of ground squirrel pups, but pose a less significant threat to adult squirrels. Adults approach, harass, and even attack rattlesnakes in defense of their pups. Two factors that may influence risk to both squirrel and snake during encounters are the size and body temperature of the rattlesnake. We used high-speed video to analyze the strikes of rattlesnakes of various sizes tested at different body temperatures. Results indicate that warmer snakes are more dangerous because they strike with higher velocity, greater accuracy, and less hesitation. Similarly, larger snakes are more dangerous because they can strike farther and at higher speeds, and keep their fangs embedded longer. Thus, ground squirrels would benefit from extracting information about a rattlesnake's size and temperature. The converse of our results is that cooler, smaller rattlesnakes may be more vulnerable. These snakes could mitigate their risk by avoiding dangerous adversaries and minimizing cues that divulge their weaknesses. Such tactics might explain the active probing that squirrels direct at rattlesnakes, which may function to overcome a snake's resistance to disclosing its vulnerability.
Simulation of Microstructural Evolution Using the Field Method

Morphological pattern formation and its spatio-temporal evolution are among the most intriguing natural phenomena governed by nonlinear complex dynamics. These phenomena form the major study subjects of many fields including biology, hydrodynamics, chemistry, optics, materials science, ecology, geology, geomorphology, and cosmology, to name a few. In materials science, the morphological pattern is referred to as microstructure, which is characterized by the size, shape, and spatial arrangement of phases, grains, orientation variants, ferroelastic/ferroelectric/ferromagnetic domains, and/or other structural defects. These structural features usually have an intermediate mesoscopic length scale in the range of nanometers to microns. Microstructure plays a critical role in determining the physical properties and mechanical behavior of materials. Today the primary task of material design and manufacture is to optimize microstructures— by adjusting alloy composition and varying processing sequences—to obtain the desired properties. Microstructural evolution is a kinetic process that involves the appearance and disappearance of various transient and metastable phases and morphologies. The optimal properties of materials are almost always associated with one of these nonequilibrium states, which is “frozen” at the application temperatures. Theoretical characterization of the transient and metastable states represents a typical nonequilibrium nonlinear and nonlocal multiparticle problem. This problem generally resists any analytical solution except in a few extremely simple cases. With the advent of and easy access to high-speed digital computers, computer modeling is playing an increasingly important role in the fundamental understanding of the mechanisms underlying microstructural evolution. In this article, methods recently developed for simulating the formation and dynamic evolution of complex microstructural patterns are reviewed. First, a brief account of the basic features of each method, including the conventional front-tracking method (also referred to as the sharp-interface method) and the new techniques without front-tracking are given. Detailed description of the simulation technique and its practical application focuses on the field method since it is the most familiar and it is a more flexible method with broader applications. The need to link the mesoscopic microstructural simulation with atomistic calculation as well as with macroscopic process modeling and property calculation is also briefly discussed. Keywords: microstructural evolution; principles; simulation methods; continuum field method; monte carlo method; cellular automata methods; microscopic field model; practical aspects; coherent ordered precipitates; diffusion-controlled grain growth; links; numerical logarithms; atomistic simulations; property calculation; problems
Aspartate transcarbamylase from Escherichia coli. The use of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate as a probe in the active site.

Abstract Spectrophotometric titration studies at pH 8.0 have revealed that pyridoxal 5'-phosphate binds as a Schiff base to the catalytic subunit of Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamylase with a stoichiometry of 3 pyridoxal phosphates per trimer and a dissociation constant of 0.9 µm. The ultraviolet absorption of the Schiff base near 430 nm is lost upon addition of the inhibitor N-(phosphonacetyl)-l-aspartate (PALA) or the substrate carbamyl-P. In steady state kinetic studies, pyridoxal-P was found to be a competitive inhibitor of carbamyl-P, with an inhibition constant of 4 ± 2 µm. Pyridoxal does not bind to or inhibit the catalytic subunit. These results imply that pyridoxal-P binds at the active site not only through a Schiff base but also through noncovalent, ionic interactions with the phosphate binding region. Reduction of the Schiff base with sodium borohydride yields an N-e-pyridoxyl-l-lysine derivative of the enzyme with 2.9 to 3.0 pyridoxal-P incorporated per catalytic trimer. This reduced derivative is inactive but still binds 3 molecules of PALA per catalytic trimer at pH 8.0. However, the binding of PALA is characterized by at least two dissociation constants in the range 100 to 10 µm. PALA binds much more tightly to unmodified catalytic subunit at pH 8 with a single dissociation constant of about 0.1 µm. Photo-oxidation of the unreduced catalytic subunit-pyridoxal-P Schiff base causes loss of 90% to 95% of the activity and loss of 2.0 ± 0.5 histidine residues per chain. No other amino acid is found to be modified by amino acid analysis. However, 0.5 ± 0.05 molecules per chain of an unknown derivative of pyridoxal-P derivative are covalently bound. Covalently linked dimers and trimers of the catalytic chains are also formed, especially at high protein concentrations. At low concentrations at which dimer and trimer formation is negligible, the covalent incorporation of 0.5 pyridoxal-P per chain does not account for the almost complete loss of enzyme activity. Therefore, the loss of histidine is correlated with loss of activity. These studies indicate that 1 lysine residue and 2 histidine residues are probably near the active site of aspartate transcarbamylase.
Childhood adversity, educational trajectories, and self-reported health in later life among U.S. women and men at the turn of the century

A major objective of current life course research is to specify the processes linking early childhood conditions to subsequent life course statuses that span educational, occupational, familial, and health domains across the life span. This study confronts at least two persistent challenges to the rigorous specification of the relationships among these variables. The first is that the point-in-time measurement of education as “years of schooling” masks considerable heterogeneity in the timing and curricular tracks of schooling and obscures our understanding of how and when education matters for life-course inequality. The second challenge involves interdependencies between aspects of life-course inequality, including educational achievement and health. The intertwining of these variables across the life course, and their usual conceptualization and measurement, limit the interpretation of their relationship and its generalizability across studies. We use data from three waves of the National Survey of Families and Households between 1987–1988 and 2001–2002 to explore trajectories of self-reported health, applying latent class cluster analysis (finite mixture models) to deal directly with these measurement and specification issues. Generally, we find mediating effects of education in mid- to late-life health demonstrating the pivotal role of education in life course processes. Women’s childhood backgrounds are more heterogeneous and temporally complex educational careers affect their self-assessed health more than men’s. Late degrees are linked to poor health trajectories among women, but not men. Also, marital history, number of births and health behaviors are associated in expected ways with women’s and men’s health trajectories at midlife.
Efficiency improvement techniques at low power levels for linear CDMA and WCDMA power amplifiers

Power amplifiers are significant contributors to current consumption within mobile phones resulting in continued focus on design techniques to improve power amplifier efficiency. The techniques presented here use variable bias current and supply voltage, which allow enhanced efficiency at low power levels, and variable load impedance, which provides tradeoffs for optimum linearity and efficiency as a function of power level and battery voltage.
Acute intracranial hemorrhage secondary to thrombocytopenia: CT appearances unaffected by absence of clot retraction.

PURPOSE To describe the in vivo CT appearance of acute intracerebral blood clots formed from anemic platelet-depleted blood. METHODS Three patients with intracerebral hemorrhage secondary only to thrombocytopenia were examined with CT within 2 1/2 hours after the onset of clinical symptoms. RESULTS There were no unusual CT features found in the intracerebral hemorrhages of patients with only thrombocytopenia. Specifically, a hyperdense zone(s) surrounded by areas of decreased density was identified. CONCLUSION Clot retraction (which cannot occur in patients with severe thrombocytopenia) is not necessary for the CT appearance of acute intracerebral hemorrhage.
Photodynamic Therapy for Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic, often suppurative dermatologic disorder that has been shown to principally affect apocrine gland-bearing skin. Hidradenitis suppurativa is a disease that has often been misdiagnosed, not adequately studied by clinical researchers, and often not appropriately treated by clinicians. Hidradenitis suppurativa is a difficult to treat dermatologic disorder. ALA-PDT and MAL-PDT can be used to improve the lives of those affected with hidradenitis suppurativa.
The Potent Lever of Toil: Nursing Development and Exportation in the Postcolonial Philippines

Although the colonial relationship between the Philippines and the United States precipitated nurse education and migration patterns that exist today, little is known about the factors that sustained them. During the first half of the twentieth century, for example, the Philippines trained its nurse workforce primarily for domestic use. After the country's independence in 1946, however, that practice reversed. Nurse education in the Philippines was driven largely by US market demand in tandem with local messages linking work and nationalism and explicit policies to send nurses abroad. As these ideologies and practices became firmly entrenched, nurse production not only exceeded the country's numerical requirements but focused largely on preparing practitioners for the health care needs of developed nations rather than the public health needs of the indigenous population. This historical trend has important present-day ramifications for the Philippines, whose continued exodus of nurses threatens its public...
Dynamics of wetting and spreading: A numerical study

We present results from a detailed numerical study of a Langevin model proposed by Abraham et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 65, 195 (1990)] for spreading and wetting of a liquid drop. In the partially wet case, we find that the system relaxes to a stable wetting angle. On the other hand, for the case of complete wetting, we find a precursor film advancing linearly with time and with a well-defined speed given in terms of the parameters of the above-mentioned model. We have also studied the possibility of a layering of the precursor film in the presence of longer-range interactions with the substrate. All our results are in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions based on the model.
True Histiocytic Lymphoma with Multiple Skin Nodules

A 73-year-old white woman developed multiple cutaneous nodules that fluctuated in size and occasionally regressed. The tumor cells infiltrating the dermis were histiocytic by light microscopy, marker studies, and electron microscopy. Similar cells were present in a bone marrow biopsy specimen. A diagnosis of true histiocytic lymphoma was made. The case illustrates some of the problems that may arise in evaluation of clinical and pathologic findings in a patient with a proliferative disorder of histiocytes and demonstrates the contribution that electron microscopy can provide in establishing the diagnosis.
The U.S. Federal Tax Consequences of Athletic Scholarships: Is the Recipient an Employee?—Effect on Gross Income and Dependency Status

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the current tax treatment of athletic scholarships for U.S. federal income tax purposes from the perspectives of the scholarship-recipient, the college or university, and the parents/guardians. The paper also prescribes an approach that could effectively eliminate tax liability to the scholarship recipient and the institution. In general, only the portion of the “qualified” scholarship that covers the value of room and board is included in the gross income (earned income) of the scholarship recipient. The portion pertaining to qualified tuition, fees, books, supplies and equipment is entirely excludable (IRC §117). Strong evidence exists suggesting that the scholarship-recipient has entered into a valid “pay to remain eligible” employment contract with the scholarship-granting institution. If the scholarship requires the student athlete to live on campus and use the university meal plan, the value of the room and board would then be excludable from gross income under § 119 – Meals and Lodging for the Convenience of the Employer. This interpretation has significant tax implications to the student-athlete and the institution since an exclusion from gross income under § 119 also excludes the item from FICA tax, resulting in considerable tax savings.
The history and future of nursing labor research in a cost-control environment

For the first time in nursing's history, the downsizing of hospitals, the increased use of managed care, reduced use of registered nurses and other factors may result in significant unemployment in nursing, with resulting downward adjustments in the wage. Understanding the labor supply response of nurses to changes in the wage is critical to predicting accurately how nurses will respond to changes in the market demand as it influences wages, and determining rational policy responses to the labor market. In this article, three generations of nursing labor research are summarized and critiqued. Methodological issues are discussed and specific directions for future studies are suggested.