cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
No Expertise Required: How D.C. Has Erred in Expanding Its Expert Testimony Requirement

In addressing an appeal by Allen Iverson from a negligent supervision verdict against him, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia noted that the former NBA star’s “argument stem[med] from a peculiar aspect of common law negligence in the District of Columbia.” That peculiar aspect is D.C.’s expert testimony requirement, which requires expert testimony to establish the pertinent standard of care unless the subject in question is within the realm of common knowledge and everyday experience of the jurors. Such a requirement is not anomalous in the professional malpractice context, and the Iverson court claimed that D.C.’s requirement was in fact born out of such cases.According to the court, though, the D.C. Court of Appeals has deviated from the norm by “[r]ecently…requir[ing] expert testimony in a wider variety of cases,…even those that might initially seem to fall within jurors’ common knowledge.” Such cases include disputes regarding the application of hair relaxer, the placement of monkey bars eight feet above hard packed mud, and the failure to remove a dead, prominently leaning tree. In each case, the result is the same: The D.C. Court of Appeals finds that the plaintiff cannot recover without expert testimony concerning the pertinent standard of care. This essay argues that D.C. has improperly expanded its expert testimony requirement and should circumscribe it to malpractice cases and trials involving truly technical matters.
Intraoperative imprint cytology of ovarian transitional cell (Brenner) tumors: a retrospective study.

Literature on fine-needle aspiration of ovarian transitional cell tumor or Brenner tumors is sparse and mostly confined to isolated case reports of metastatic transitional cell tumors. We undertook a retrospective study of intraoperative imprint cytology of ovarian transitional cell tumors to better define the cytologic features of this uncommon ovarian tumor. Between 2005 and 2012, a total of 19 ovarian transitional cell tumors were recorded in our surgical pathology files, 10 of which had concomitant imprint cytologic material available for review. The 10 patients included in this study ranged in age between 43 and 73 years (mean age: 54 years). Nine neoplasms were histologically benign and one was borderline. Nine cases had satisfactory cytologic material for review. The cytologic features can be summarized as follows: the eight benign tumors showed abundant naked nuclei in the background, small and large clusters of tumor cells, abundant cytoplasm, smooth nuclear membranes, and lack of nuclear pleomorphism and mitoses. Single plasmacytoid cells with dense blue abundant cytoplasm, perinuclear vacuoles, nucleoli, microfollicle formation, nuclear grooves, binucleation/multinucleation, and extracellular eosinophilic material were some of the other features that were appreciated. The cytologic features of the one case of borderline transitional cell tumor were similar to those of the benign tumors except for the presence of rare mitoses, easily identifiable nuclear pleomorphism and irregular nuclear membranes. This study highlights some characteristic cytologic features of benign/borderline transitional cell tumors of the ovary which can be of help in recognizing this uncommon neoplasm. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2014;42:660–663. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Group Work with Seniors Who Have Alzheimer's or Dementia in a Social Adult Day Program

ABSTRACT Social workers have a common misconception that group work concepts are not applicable when working with people who have Alzheimer's Disease or other related dementia. This paper will explore how concepts that are central to group work are beneficial to practice with these populations. The concepts to be examined are: (a) stages of group development; (b) non-verbal content; (c) communication patterns; and (d) group norms.
Statistical characterization and Monte-Carlo simulation of low-frequency noise variations in foundry AMS/RF CMOS technology

Statistical characterization of low-frequency noise enables the prediction of 1/f noise with dispersions. The impact of downscaling on the low-frequency noise performance of foundry AMS/RF CMOS technology is thus evaluated. Meanwhile, a novel modeling approach uses Monte-Carlo simulation is developed which includes statistical variations of individual device to capture the fluctuations in frequency and amplitude of the low-frequency noise of deep-sub-micrometer CMOS.
Accuracy of Transthoracic Echocardiography in Assessing Retro-aortic Rim prior to Device Closure of Atrial Septal Defects

Objective Deficient retro-aortic rim has been identified as a risk factor for device erosion following trans-catheter closure of atrial septal defects (ASDs). Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the primary screening method for subjects for possible device closure of ASD, but its reliability in measuring retro-aortic rim size has not been assessed previously. Design A single-institution cross-sectional analysis of children and adults referred for trans-catheter device closure of single ostium secundum ASD from January 1, 2005 to April 1, 2012 with reviewable TTE and trans-esophageal echocardiogram images was performed. Inter-rater reliability of measurements was tested in a 24% sample. Accuracy of TTE measurement of retro-aortic rim was assessed using a Bland–Altman plot with trans-esophageal echocardiogram measurement as the gold standard. Test characteristics of TTE detection of deficient retro-aortic rim were calculated. Risk factors for misclassification of deficient retro-aortic rim were assessed using receiver operator characteristic curves. Risk factors for measurement error were assessed through multivariate linear regression. Results In total, 163 subjects of median age 5 years (range: 0.3–46 years) were included. Trans-thoracic echocardiography had 90% sensitivity, 84% specificity, 90% positive predictive value, and 83% negative predictive value to detect deficient retro-aortic rim. Bland–Altman plot demonstrated no fixed bias (P = .23), but errors in measurement increased on average as the aortic rim increased in size (P < .001). Prespecified patient level risk factors did not affect receiver operator characteristic curve area under the curve, nor were any patient-level risk factors independently associated with increased measurement error on TTE. Conclusions TTE is a sensitive and specific screening test for deficient retro-aortic rim across a range of patient ages and sizes.
The Russian Concept of Work: Suffering, Drama, and Tradition in Pre‐ and Post‐Revolutionary Russia

The Russian Concept of Work: Suffering, Drama, and Tradition in Pre- and Post-Revolutionary Russia. Anna Feldman Leibovich. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1995. 166 pp.
Expert critics: operationalizing the judgement/decision-making literature as a theory of “bugs” and repair strategies

Abstract Humans are well-known for being adept at using their intuition and expertise in many situations. However, in some settings even human experts are susceptible to errors in judgement, and a failure to recognize the limits of knowledge. This happens often especially in semi-structured situtations, where multi-disciplinary expertise is required, or when uncertainty is a factor. At these times our natural ability to recognize and correct errors fails us, since we have faith in our reasoning. One way to deal with such problems is to have a computerized “critic” to assist in the process. This article introduces the concept of automated critics that collaborate with human experts to help improve their problem solving performance. A critic is a narrowly focused program that uses a knowledge base to help it recognize (1) what types of human error have occurred, and (2) what kinds of criticism strategies could help the user prevent or eliminate those errors. In discussing the “errors” half of this knowledge base, there is a difference between the expert's knowledge and his or her judgement. The focus in this article is more on judgement than on knowledge but both are addressed. To build automated critics it is important to understand the use and behavior of human critics. For this reason critic theory, principles and rules for design are described in this article. These are presented by showing various types of criticism encountered across a variety of generic tasks, such as medical diagnosis, coaching forecasting and authoring among many others. Thus a model of expert cognition and rules for identifying cognitive biases are presented. This rule base exploits four decades of literature on the psychology of judgement and decisionmaking as a generative theory of “bugs” in expert intuition and as a deep knowledge from which rules about buggy behavior are drawn. For the commonly recurring expert errors, specific preventive and corrective strategies are also reviewed and considerations for criticism presentation and deployment are explained. Particular attention is given to rules about when and how criticism should be offered. By consulting and attempting to operationalize the judgement and decisionmaking literature within the critiquing approach, this establishes criticism-based problem solving as a novel way to bridge the gap between the traditional domain knowledge-rich approaches of AI and the domain-independent, theory-rich approaches of decision analysis. Attention is also devoted to the obstacles to, and opportunities for, further bridging this gap.
Issues in respiratory motion compensation during external-beam radiotherapy.

Abstract Purpose: To investigate how respiration influences the motion of lung and pancreas tumors and to relate the observations to treatment procedures intended to improve dose alignment by predicting the moving tumor’s position from external breathing indicators. Methods and materials: Breathing characteristics for five healthy subjects were observed by optically tracking the displacement of the chest and abdomen, and by measuring tidal air volume with a spirometer. Fluoroscopic imaging of five radiotherapy patients detected the motion of lung and pancreas tumors synchronously with external breathing indicators. Results: The external and fluoroscopic data showed a wide range of behavior in the normal breathing pattern and its effects on the position of lung and pancreas tumors. This included transient phase shifts between two different external measures of breathing that diminished to zero over a period of minutes, modulated phase shifts between tumor and chest wall motion, and other complex phenomena. Conclusions: Respiratory compensation strategies that infer tumor position from external breathing signals, including methods of beam gating and dynamic beam tracking, require three-dimensional knowledge of the tumor’s motion trajectory as well as the ability to detect and adapt to transient and continuously changing characteristics of respiratory motion during treatment.
A class of 6-j symbols for SO(2l+1) in terms of rotation matrices for SO(3)

It is shown that a 6-j symbol for SO(2l+1) in which four primitive spinor representations (1/21/2. . .1/2) appear is directly related to an SO(3) rotation matrix possessing a rank of l+1/2 and characterised by the Euler angles (0, 1/2 pi , 0). An interpretation is given in terms of a rotation operator exp(1/2i pi Ty) acting in the combined spin and quasispin space of an atomic l shell, whose states mod T, MT) are defined in a quasiparticle scheme in which four coupled spinors (1/21/2. . .1/2) are used.
Solid-state association in organotin compounds containing bulky organic groups. Tricyclohexyltin hydroxide

Abstract Tricyclohexyltin hydroxide is shown to share the hydroxy-bridged polymeric structure of its methyl analogue on the basis of the ambient temperature 119m Sn Mossbauer spectrum, similar QS value and its ν(OH) in the infrared. Fragments larger than the parent molecular ion are observed in the mass spectrum, but these may arise from a rapid dehydration/condensation to bis(tricyclohexyltin) oxide.
Tissue characterization in cerebral ischemia using multiparameter MRI

After pre-processing and segmentation, the proposed method scores tissue regions between 1 and N. Score 1 is assigned to normal white matter and score N to CSF. Lesion zones are assigned a score based on their relative levels of similarities to white matter and CSF. To evaluate the method, 15 rats were imaged by a 7T MRI system at one of the three time points (acute, sub-acute, chronic) after MCA occlusion. Then, they were sacrificed and their brains were sliced and prepared for histological studies. MRI of 2 or 3 slices of each rat brain, using 2 DWI (b equals 400, b equals 800), 1 PDWI, 1 T2WI, and 1 T1WI, was used and an MRI score between 1 and 100 (N equals 100) was found for each region. Segmented regions were mapped onto the histology images and were scored by an experienced pathologist, from 1 to 10. MRI scores were validated using histology scores. To this end, correlation coefficients between the two scores (MRI and histology) were found. The results showed excellent correlations between MRI and histology scores at different time points.
A three-dimensional torsional spring analogy method for unstructured dynamic meshes

We present a three-dimensional spring analogy method for updating the position of unstructured dynamic meshes that features torsional springs for controlling the arbitrary motion of the grid points. We show that these torsional springs can be designed to prohibit the interpenetration of neighboring tetrahedra, and therefore to provide the method of spring analogy with the robustness needed for enlarging its range of applications. We illustrate the proposed spring analogy method with the solution of three-dimensional flow problems with complex moving boundaries, and where the unstructured meshes undergo significant deformations. We highlight the advantages of this method with respect to robustness and mesh quality, and address its computational performance.
Otoacoustic emissions, auditory evoked potentials and self-reported gender in people affected by disorders of sex development (DSD)

Both otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) are sexually dimorphic, and both are believed to be influenced by prenatal androgen exposure. OAEs and AEPs were collected from people affected by 1 of 3 categories of disorders of sex development (DSD) - (1) women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS); (2) women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH); and (3) individuals with 46,XY DSD including prenatal androgen exposure who developed a male gender despite initial rearing as females (men with DSD). Gender identity (GI) and role (GR) were measured both retrospectively and at the time of study participation, using standardized questionnaires. The main objective of this study was to determine if patterns of OAEs and AEPs correlate with gender in people affected by DSD and in controls. A second objective was to assess if OAE and AEP patterns differed according to degrees of prenatal androgen exposure across groups. Control males, men with DSD, and women with CAH produced fewer spontaneous OAEs (SOAEs) - the male-typical pattern - than control females and women with CAIS. Additionally, the number of SOAEs produced correlated with gender development across all groups tested. Although some sex differences in AEPs were observed between control males and females, AEP measures did not correlate with gender development, nor did they vary according to degrees of prenatal androgen exposure, among people with DSD. Thus, OAEs, but not AEPs, may prove useful as bioassays for assessing early brain exposure to androgens and predicting gender development in people with DSD.
Significance of Angle in the Statistical Comparison of Forensic Tool Marks

In forensics, fingerprints can be used to uniquely identify suspects in a crime. Similarly, a tool mark left at a crime scene can be used to identify the tool that was used. However, the current practice of identifying matching tool marks involves visual inspection of marks by forensic experts which can be a very subjective process. As a result, declared matches are often successfully challenged in court. Hence, law enforcement agencies are particularly interested in encouraging research in more objective approaches. Our analysis is based on comparisons of profilometry data, essentially depth contours of a tool mark surface taken along a linear path. Chumbley et al. pointed out that the angle of incidence between the tool and the marked surface can have a substantial impact on the tool mark and on the effectiveness of both manual and algorithmic matching procedures. To better address this problem, we describe how the analysis can be enhanced to model the effect of tool angle and allow for angle estimation...
Prostate cancer on the internet: impact on patients and how technology helps physicians and researchers.

Abstract The Internet is a repository of information unparalleled in history. The abundance of published material about prostate cancer has never been greater. Couple this with burgeoning pharmaceutical public-relations budgets and the result is a bewildering maze of hundreds of thousands of prostate cancer–oriented Internet pages. Our purposes are to help practitioners understand the profound handicap that patients are faced with when they attempt to search the Internet for information about their newly diagnosed disease and to succinctly evaluate the presence or absence of key aspects of prostate cancer on some of the most easily accessible sites. Part two of this paper will then discuss 4 of the most valuable Web sites for the prostate cancer specialist. Surfing the World Wide Web can be frustrating and timeconsuming, but it can also be rewarding and informative.
Late relapse and mortality in stage I large bowel cancer.

The outcome was determined for patients with Stage I cancers of the large bowel (colon, rectum, and anus) who were treated from 1982–1989. In 119 consecutive patients, the 5-year survival was approximately 70% (72% by the absolute direct method; 67% by the actuarial life table method). Although the overall 5-year survival was similar to numerous other published reports, it was disturbing to observe that 41 % of the living patients had relapsed. Furthermore, although 88/119 (67%) were alive at last report, 2–7 years after treatment, only 23 (19%) were believed to be free of cancer. We conclude that follow-up for more than 5 years and the assessment of disease-free survival are required to evaluate the outcome from Stage I large bowel cancer. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Faecal incontinence in men referred for specialty care: a cross-sectional study.

Aim Little is known about men with faecal incontinence. We compared clinical findings and quality of life in a large cohort of men and women with faecal incontinence to guide its evaluation and treatment in men. Method We analysed men and women presenting to a tertiary referral centre with faecal incontinence between 2005 and 2013. Demographics, physical examination, anorectal physiology testing, symptom severity (Fecal Incontinence Severity Index) and quality of life (Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale) were recorded. We determined differences between men and women and analysed the association between gender and quality of life. Results Data were obtained from 144 men and 897 women. Men with faecal incontinence were slightly younger than women (55.3 vs 57.6 years, P = 0.001), more likely to report coexisting constipation (P = 0.004) and more likely to have normal internal and external sphincter function on physical examination (both P < 0.001). Anorectal physiology testing revealed fewer sphincter defects (P < 0.05) and less pudendal neuropathy (P < 0.05) in men compared with women. Although symptom severity and overall quality of life were similar, men had improved coping and less embarrassment compared with women after we adjusted for important clinical factors. Conclusion Men with faecal incontinence presenting to a tertiary referral centre are more likely than women to have a mixed presentation characterized by constipation and less sphincter dysfunction. They exhibited better coping and less embarrassment than women. These findings should be taken into consideration when evaluating and treating men with faecal incontinence.
On high-frequency oscillatory viscous flows

The equations governing high-frequency oscillatory viscous flows are investigated through the separation of the steady and the unsteady parts. All Reynolds number ranges are studied and the orders of magnitude of the steady streaming produced by the Reynolds stresses are established.The oscillating circular cylinder at low Reynolds numbers is studied through the method of inner and outer expansions. Steady recirculating cells exist near the cylinder. The results compare very well with experiments. Analytic expressions for the streamfunction and the drag coefficient are obtained.The oscillating flow towards an infinite plate is investigated in detail. The steady streaming is caused by the steady component of the Reynolds stress. The pressure gradient always causes reverse flow near the solid boundary.
Targeting Cancer Cells with Dendrimers

Bifunctional PAMAM-based dendrimers that selectively target cancer cells are described in this issue of Chemistry & Biology [1]. The targeting moiety for folate receptor is complexed to an imaging or therapeutic agent by a DNA "zipper"—a versatile strategy to create libraries of novel drugs.
Athletes, Athletic Performance, and Conditions in the Environment

(1972). Athletes, Athletic Performance, and Conditions in the Environment. Quest: Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 56-60.
Autoradiographic localization of leptin binding in the choroid plexus of ob/ob and db/db mice.

Theobesegene product, leptin, is synthesized in adipose tissue and is a circulating factor regulating body weight. To identify the location of leptin receptors in the brain we have performed an autoradiographic study of the binding of [125I]leptin to frozen sections of mouse brain. Dense specific binding of [125I]leptin was found only in the choroid plexus which is located in the dorsal part of the third ventricle and lateral ventricles. Specific binding of [125I]leptin was found in theob/obanddb/dbmice. These findings further our understanding of the sites and mechanism of action of leptin on brain centers regulating body weight.
Xenon-Iodine Dating: Sharp Isochronism in Chondrites

Measurements of the accumulation of Xel29 from radioactive decay of extinct 1129 in meteorites show that the 1129/ 1127 ratio in high-temperature minerals in diverse chondrites was 10-4 at the time of cooling. The uniformity in the ratio indicates that the minerals cooled simultaneously within 1 or 2 million years.
Dynamics of Sector Switching: Hazard Models Predicting Changes from Private Jobs to Public and Nonprofit Sectors

Policy makers and public managers emphasize the importance of bringing private sector experience and skills into the public and nonprofit sectors. One result is an increased focus on privatization and contracting out, developments to which researchers have been attentive. However, the long-standing practice of hiring people with industrial experience into the public and nonprofit sectors has received remarkably little attention. Using event history analysis, this article looks at switching patterns.
LKB1 tumor suppressor regulates AMP kinase/mTOR-independent cell growth and proliferation via the phosphorylation of Yap

The liver kinase B1 (LKB1) tumor suppressor inhibits cell growth through its regulation of cellular metabolism and apical-basal polarity. The best understood mechanism whereby LKB1 limits cell growth is through activation of the AMP-activated-protein-kinase/mammalian-target-of-rapamycin (AMPK/mTOR) pathway to control metabolism. As LKB1 is also required for polarized epithelial cells to resist hyperplasia, it is anticipated to function through additional mechanisms. Recently, Yes-associated protein (Yap) has emerged as a transcriptional co-activator that modulates tissue homeostasis in response to cell-cell contact. Thus this study examined a possible connection between Yap and LKB1. Restoration of LKB1 expression in HeLa cells, which lack this tumor suppressor, or short-hairpin RNA knockdown of LKB1 in NTERT immortalized keratinocytes, demonstrated that LKB1 promotes Yap phosphorylation, nuclear exclusion and proteasomal degradation. The ability of phosphorylation-defective Yap mutants to rescue LKB1 phenotypes, such as reduced cell proliferation and cell size, suggest that Yap inhibition contributes to LKB1 tumor suppressor function(s). However, failure of Lats1/2 knockdown to suppress LKB1-mediated Yap regulation suggested that LKB1 signals to Yap via a non-canonical pathway. Additionally, LKB1 inhibited Yap independently of either AMPK or mTOR activation. These findings reveal a novel mechanism whereby LKB1 may restrict cancer cell growth via the inhibition of Yap.
Radiative decay of boson resonances

Abstract The partial decay rates of higher-spin boson resonances B ∗ for the process B ∗ → B + γ have been evaluated in a model in which the higher spin boson states at rest are assigned to a representation of the dynamical group O(4,2).
Acoustic response of the B cell in noctuid moths

Abstract Spike activity of the B cell, a unit in the tympanic organ of noctuid moths, was monitored during both stationary flight and acoustic stimulation. This neuron was previously considered ( Treat and Roeder , 1959) unresponsive to sound and was thought to be a sensor for thoracic deformations accompanying flight movements. The present study did not reveal changes in B cell spike repetition rate related to active wing flapping, but did reveal a decline in the tonic repetition rate with the onset of an acoustic stimulus. Experimental results indicate that this inhibition of B spike activity is, at least in part, indirect, with the acoustic sense cells serving as the primary receptors. B cell inhibition is most marked with rapidly pulsed, relatively intense bursts of ultrasound. Lowintensity continuous tones evoke little or no change in the B spike repetition rate. The relationship between B spike activity and that of the acoustic sense cells (A cells) is complex. There is roughly an inverse correlation between the two spike activities with the onset and with the cessation of an acoustic stimulus, but B spike activity changes during the stimulus with no concomitant change in A cell spike activity. The possible significance of this complex functioning is considered in relation to avoidance behaviour in flying moths.
IGF-2 mediates intestinal mucosal hyperplasia in retinoblastoma protein (Rb)-deficient mice.

Purpose We have previously demonstrated a hyperplastic phenotype when Rb expression was disrupted within the intestinal epithelium. These findings mimic resection-induced adaptation suggesting a possible mechanistic role for Rb during adaptation. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate a mechanism for how Rb deficiency induces intestinal hyperplasia.
A new Hamiltonian method in nonlinear gyrokinetic theory

Nonlinear gyrokinetic theory for a general magnetic field in the low‐beta approximation is derived using a new Hamiltonian method. Gyroaveraged equations resulting from Hamiltonian procedures based on Darboux and Lie transform techniques [Phys. Fluids 24, 1730 (1981)] exhibit an unphysical dependence on the unit vectors used to describe the velocity perpendicular to the local magnetic field. The new method removes this unphysical dependence by modifying the Darboux algorithm and establishes the relationship between Hamiltonian gyrokinetic theory and the standard explicitly gyroaveraged theory.
An iterative ellipsoid-based anomaly detection technique for intrusion detection systems

Intrusion detection datasets play a major role in evaluating machine learning techniques for Intrusion Detection Systems. The Intrusion detection datasets are generally very large and contain many noncontributing features and redundant data. These drawbacks lead to inaccurate intrusion detection and increased computational cost when machine learning techniques are evaluated. Several data cleaning techniques have been proposed to eliminate redundant records and noncontributing features. These techniques reduce the size of the datasets significantly and make the characteristics of the data closer to the characteristics of intrusions in a real network. This paper identifies anomaly problems in normal and intrusion attacks data, and proposes an ellipsoid-based technique to detect anomalies and clean the intrusion detection datasets further. Publically available KDD'99 and NSL-KDD datasets are used to demonstrate its performance. It reveals an interesting property, i.e. monotonically decreasing behavior, of the NSL-KDD dataset.
Adsorption of egg phosphatidylcholine to an air/water and triolein/water bubble interface: use of the 2-dimensional phase rule to estimate the surface composition of a phospholipid/triolein/water surface as a function of surface pressure.

Phospholipid monolayers play a critical role in the structure and stabilization of biological interfaces, including all membranes, the alveoli of the lungs, fat droplets in adipose tissue, and lipoproteins. The behavior of phospholipids in bilayers and at an air−water interface is well understood. However, the study of phospholipids at oil−water interfaces is limited due to technical challenges. In this study, egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC) was deposited from small unilamellar vesicles onto a bubble of either air or triolein (TO) formed in a low-salt buffer. The surface tension (γ) was measured using a drop tensiometer. We observed that EPC binds irreversibly to both interfaces and at equilibrium exerts ∼12 and 15 mN/m of pressure (Π) at an air and TO interface, respectively. After EPC was bound to the interface, the unbound EPC was washed out of the cuvette, and the surface was compressed to study the Π/area relationship. To determine the surface concentration (Γ), which cannot be measured directly, compr...
On empirical likelihood for a semiparametric mixture model

SUMMARY Plant and animal studies of quantitative trait loci provide data which arise from mixtures of distributions with known mixing proportions. Previous approaches to estimation involve modelling the distributions parametrically. We propose a semiparametric alternative which assumes that the log ratio of the component densities satisfies a linear model, with the baseline density unspecified. It is demonstrated that a constrained empirical likelihood has an irregularity under the null hypothesis that the two densities are equal. A factorisation of the likelihood suggests a partial empirical likelihood which permits unconstrained estimation of the parameters, and which is shown to give consistent and asymptotically normal estimators, regardless of the null. The asymptotic null distribution of the log partial likelihood ratio is chi-squared. Theoretical calculations show that the procedure may be as efficient as the full empirical likelihood in the regular set-up. The usefulness of the robust methodology is illustrated with a rat study of breast cancer resistance genes.
A Novel Method to Decrease Electric Field and SAR Using an External High Dielectric Sleeve at 3T Head MRI: Numerical and Experimental Results

We present experimental and numerical simulation results showing that high dielectric materials (HDMs) located outside of a RF head coil decrease the electric field (E-field, |E|) with minimum change of the RF magnetic field (B1+) at 3T MRI imaging. Compared to previous research using HDMs located between the RF coil and sample, our method locating the HDM outside the coil allowed an increased sample size and more flexibility of HDM thickness optimization. Numerical simulation results showed more than 30% decrease in the local SAR at the boundary region of the head model. Validating experimental results showed a 21% decrease in the maximum |Etotal| using a HDM made of distilled water.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Comparison of three methods of antifungal susceptibility testing with the proposed NCCLS standard broth macrodilution assay: Lack of effect of phenol red

Three microtiter plate adaptations of the NCCLS proposed standard for antifungal susceptibility testing were evaluated and compared to the NCCLS broth macrodilution method. Thirteen different fungi, including yeasts and moulds were studied. The first microtiter based method was performed exactly as described for the tube dilution assay, with the exception of performance of the assay in 100 microliter in wells of the microtiter plate. The second assay was the same as the first, except for the deletion of phenol red from the RPMI 1640. The third microtiter assay was based on the reduction of the formazan dye, XTT, after only 24 hours of incubation. All three microtiter methods compared favorably with the macrodilution method, when visually read after either 24 or 48 hours of incubation. Minimum inhibitory concentrations obtained by the XTT assay were usually lower than those obtained by the methods requiring a visual end point determination. Results were reproducible and comparable to those obtained with the NCCLS method. We conclude that microtiter plate adaptation of the NCCLS proposed standard is feasible and the presence of phenol red does not alter the results with the drugs tested. A 24 hour assay using XTT may provide a quicker and more quantitative method of susceptibility testing of fungi. Further investigation of this approach is warranted.
Identification of active retinaldehyde dehydrogenase isoforms in the postnatal human eye.

Background/Objectives Retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (RALDH2) has been implicated in regulating all-trans-retinoic acid (atRA) synthesis in response to visual signals in animal models of myopia. To explore the potential role of retinaldehyde dehydrogenase (RALDH) enzymes and atRA in human postnatal ocular growth, RALDH activity, along with the distribution of RALDH1, RALDH2, and RALDH3 in the postnatal eye was determined.
A survey of surface hemorheological experiments on the inhibition of fibrinogenin formation employing surface layers of fibrinogen systems with heparins and other substances. A contribution on antithrombogenic action.

In earlier studies using a modified Weissenberg Rheogoniometer, we found decreased rigidity or torque values (tau) in surface layers of heparin plasma, when compared to tau of oxalate plasma from the same blood withdrawal (Thrombosis Res. 1, 1-17, 1972). In subsequent studies of the viscoelasticity of surface layers of highly purified fibrinogen (97-100% clottability) of human and bovine origin, we found, with some heparins, marked lowering of surface viscous moduli (eta's) and of surface elastic moduli (Gs). With some heparins no changes in tau, eta's and Gs occurred. Certain low molecular weight (LMW) preparations of heparins showed decreases, but some did not. This is also the case with heparins of low and high affinity for antithrombin. Calcium heparin and Ca2+ alone always increased eta's and Gs, when added to the fibrinogen system. N-desulfated heparin both decreased or did not change eta's and Gs. Preparations of fibrinogen in dog plasma, to which sodium heparin was added, resulted in a decrease of tau values. These results appear to emphasize that plasma proteins other than fibrinogen, and other plasma constituents, may affect surface hemorheological values. These findings suggest needed interface studies of fibrinogen systems to which plasma or plasma constituents are added. We found also that other substances, i.e., dextran MW 20,000; dextran sulfate MW 17,000; sodium hyaluronate and depolymerized hyaluronate decreased tau, eta's and Gs markedly. Recent findings in the literature are discussed in relation to thrombogenesis in which fibrinogenin gelation is considered as the initial phase of blood clotting. Fibrinogenin is the new term for initial fibrinogen aggregation and subsequent fibrinogen gelation without thrombin participation. The inhibition of fibrinogenin formation extra vivum is considered to be a valid indicator of antithrombogenic activity of substances which play a significant role in investigations on the therapy and prevention of thrombotic conditions.
Conditional Tests on Basins of Attraction with Finite Fields

An iterative method is given for computing the polynomials that vanish on the basin of attraction of a steady state in discrete polynomial dynamics with finite field coefficients. The algorithm is applied to dynamics of a T cell survival network where it is used to compare transition maps conditional on a basin of attraction.
PREOPERATIVE PROGRAMS IN ANESTHESIOLOGY

Anesthesiology as a specialty is evolving out of the operating room because of the changing health environment of managed care. Our specialty is now involved in the intensive care unit, pain clinic, postanesthesia care unit, and preoperative clinic. Because of the emphasis on cost-containment, the concept of anesthesiologists as the "perioperative physicians" has expanded owing to our ability to follow the patient through each phase of the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative period. In 1947, Dr. Lee proposed that an anesthetic outpatient department could contribute considerably to preventive medicine. 32 He suggested that the department be staffed by members of the anesthesia department and that the benefits would include increased patient care as well as increasing personal contact between anesthesiologist and patient. Unfortunately, the idea did not gain popularity because preoperative evaluations could be done easily by seeing the patient the night before surgery in the hospital ward. By the 1990s, outpatient surgery had grown owing to economic factors. The benefits of contacting the patient prior to his/her arrival in the holding area had been clearly demonstrated. 47 Because of this shift, many hospitals have responded to the demand for efficient, cost-saving, high-quality health care for surgical patients with the creation of preoperative clinics and perioperative programs. The clinics focus on all aspects of preparation of the patient for surgery including medical, nursing, and administrative procedures. The primary goal is to streamline this process and facilitate movement of the patient through anesthesia and surgery. Their role is to encompass a broader scope of patient management from admission through discharge. Initial reports suggest a high acceptance among patients, with improved patient care, increased efficiency, and cost savings. 26,46 In this article, we will evaluate preoperative programs in terms of organization, staffing, and cost efficiency; discuss preoperative evaluations and who should do them; and present several models of clinics that have been developed.
Phonemic awareness in hyperlexic children

Children with hyperlexia who learn to read spontaneously before the age of five are impaired in reading and listening comprehension but have been found to have word recognition skills well above their measured cognitive and linguistic abilities. Even though many reports have been published about these children, to date, only one study has investigated whether children with hyperlexia also have strong phonemic awareness skill. In the present study, several phonemic awareness measures were administered to two children with hyperlexia and one child with above average word identification skills who started to read words at a very early age. The results show that all three childrens' levels of phonemic awareness were low and not commensurate with their word reading skill. Wide inter- and intra-individual variations were found on all of the phonemic awareness measures. These findings pose a number of questions for researchers investigating the condition of hyperlexia.
Symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease after lung transplantation

Purpose Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is associated with allograft dysfunction after lung transplantation (LTX). We attempted to identify outcomes in LTX recipients with clinical evidence of GERD.
Surface potential theory of multilayer adsorption from gas mixtures

Abstract Methods of calculating equilibria for adsorption of gas mixtures are compared. It is shown that methods proposed earlier by Myers and Prausnitz [14], by Cook and Basmadjian [16], by Lewis [11] and by Arnold [3] are based upon the assumption of an ideal adsorbed solution but differ in their choice of standard states. All of these methods fail for multilayer adsorption because the standard state is undefined. A new surface-potential theory of multilayer adsorption is proposed; it is based upon the formation of an ideal adsorbed solution at high surface coverage where the vapor is close to condensation. The new theory agrees with published experimental data for adsorption isotherms of Types I and II.
Expression and location of a baculovirus DNA-binding protein within the host cell

Antiserum prepared against the basic DNA-binding protein (6.9K) of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) was used to follow the time course and localization of this protein within the infected host cell. Using indirect fluorescent antibody assays, the basic protein of the input virus was detectable at early times postinfection (pi). A dramatic increase in the intensity of fluorescence was observed by 15 hr pi and remained at a very high level throughout the time course examined (48 hr pi). The 6.9K protein was detectable at the ultrastructural level using gold-conjugated protein A by 12 hr pi. This correlates well with the timing of the transcript for this protein, the appearance of the 6.9K protein in infected cell lysates resolved in denaturing polyacrylamide gels, and the fluorescent antibody studies. At 12 hr pi the 6.9K was distributed throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus; but by 24 hr following infection, very few gold particles were observed in the cytoplasm. The nuclear localized 6.9K was observed associated with virions and anti-6.9K antibodies were capable of binding to this protein prior to and following occlusion. Gold label was not found on fibrous structures or associated with polyhedrin within the infected nuclei.
Big blue transgenic mouse lacl mutation analysis

In this report the authors describe a rapid general method for mutant blue plaque molecular analysis. The mutant analysis discussed here resulted from radon inhalation exposure. The described method circumvents Stratagene's plasmid isolation and ensuing sequence analysis of the entire lac1 gene. The authors have adapted the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis for localizing mutations within the lac1 coding region. Three overlapping PCR products of approximately 450 bp representing the entire lac1 coding region are used for SSCP analysis. Those PCR products with an altered SSCP electrophoretic migration focus the mutation to a smaller region of the lac1 gene that is analyzed by direct cycle sequencing. 5 refs., 1 fig.
Weight-related attitudes and behaviors of women who diet to lose weight: a comparison of black dieters and white dieters.

Obesity is a significant health problem among black women in the United States. Black women are two to three times more likely than white women to be obese. The present study sought to examine race difference in attitudes and beliefs about dieting, motivations underlying dieting efforts, and actual dieting strategies and behaviors. To achieve this aim, a subset of female survey respondents (n = 324) was drawn from a pool of more than 20,000 subscribers to Consumer Reports. All survey respondents had made at least one dieting effort within 3 years of the time of the study. For this study, we used all black female respondents (n = 162) and a matched sample (i.e., matched on age, educational attainment, and personal income) of white women (n = 162). Black women did weigh significantly more than Caucasian women, therefore, BMI was used as a covariate in all subsequent analyses. Black and white women were significantly different in a number of domains. Compared to white women, black women experienced less social pressure about their weight, initiated dieting later in life, and were significantly less likely to diet at each developmental milestone. However, the two groups of women did not differ in reasons for undertaking their most recent dieting efforts, or in the types of weight loss strategies they had employed. Nor were there differences between the black and white women in methods for coping responses with dietary relapse or in rates of disordered eating. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for both treatment and prevention of obesity in black women.
The SILVAH saga: 40+ years of collaborative hardwood research and management highlight silviculture

The advent of even-age management in eastern forests in the 1960s improved regeneration of shade-intolerant and shade-intermediate species through much of the region. However, in the Allegheny hardwood stands of northern Pennsylvania, half of the even-aged regeneration harvests failed to create new forests. USDA Forest Service Research and Development (FSR&D) initiated a partnership with federal, state, industrial, and private forest landowners to solve this problem using silviculture. The partners developed inventory procedures and decision charts to identify regeneration assets and barriers as well as silvicultural treatments to mitigate the barriers. FSR&D training sessions ensured a common silvicultural vocabulary and common practices, later computerized in the SILVAH decision support system. In 2000, the partnership expanded SILVAH to mixed-oak forests of the mid-Atlantic region. Land management agencies in Pennsylvania and several other eastern states have adopted SILVAH. It provides a consistent framework for research-management cooperation, for sharing the results of silvicultural research, and for making silvicultural decisions in the forest types covered by the system.
Exposure to fuel-oil ash and welding emissions during the overhaul of an oil-fired boiler.

The health effects of exposure to vanadium in fuel-oil ash are not well described at levels ranging from 10 to 500 μ g/m3. As part of a larger occupational epidemiologic study that assessed these effects during the overhaul of a large oil-fired boiler, this study was designed to quantify boilermakers' exposures to fuel-oil ash particles, metals, and welding gases, and to identify determinants of these exposures. Personal exposure measurements were conducted on 18 boilermakers and 11 utility workers (referents) before and during a 3-week overhaul. Ash particles < 10 μm in diameter (PM 10 , mg/m3) were sampled over full work shifts using a one-stage personal size selective sampler containing a polytetrafluoroethylene filter. Filters were digested using the Parr bomb method and analyzed for the metals vanadium (V), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and arsenic (As) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was measured with an Ogawa ...