cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impaired endothelium independent vasodilation in the cutaneous microvasculature of young obese adults.

Microvascular dysfunction contributes to the development of cardiovascular and metabolic disease. This study tested the hypothesis that young obese (BMI>30 kg m(-2)), otherwise healthy, adults (N=15) have impaired microvascular function relative to age and sex matched, lean (BMI 0.05). These results suggest attenuated endothelium-independent response to nitric oxide while endothelium-dependent vasodilation function is maintained.
Toward a Theory of School Capacity in New Immigrant Destinations: Instructional and Organizational Considerations.

Across the United States, immigrant enrollments in the public schools have rapidly increased, particularly in locales with little tradition of immigration, known as ”new immigrant destinations.” Despite the widespread nature of this trend, there is much to be learned about how schools are responding to this influx of immigrant students. This paper explores the nature and distribution of instructional and organizational capacity in this context, drawing on an empirical, statewide study of Wisconsin schools serving the new Latino diaspora to develop a theory of capacity in new immigrant destinations. We end with implications for theory and leadership practice.
Introduction to JTD Cough Section

Cough is among the most common complaints for which patients worldwide seek medical attention (1). Acute cough, defined as cough of less than 3 weeks’ duration, is often transient and self-limited, although it may cause significant morbidity (2). Chronic cough (>8 weeks duration) often responds to targeted therapy once the underlying cause is defined but, unfortunately, a significant subgroup of such patients proves refractory to thorough and appropriate management protocols (3). Indeed, the challenge presented by patients with chronic cough has led numerous respiratory societies to publish cough evaluation and management guidelines to aid clinicians in treating this difficult and complex patient population (4).
Arctic ice edge narratives: scale, discourse and ontological security

The Arctic ice edge highlights deliberations over the region's futures, either as explicit policy and research problems, or as implicit controls and innovations. This exploratory paper proposes a narrative approach to examine ontological security, identifying a common epistemic structure of knowing the ice edge in multiple ways, and of devising associated policy. These epistemic narratives weave discourse (ideas, concepts and knowledge) and scale (as relationships, networks and timelines) to provide coordinate systems of purpose and identity that unfold as the material world. Surreptitious, un-narrated or interfering changes can produce ontological insecurities, often leading to closed decisions in authoritarian forums. Research and policy designed for complexity anticipate ontological insecurities through democratic and deliberative narratives of earth system processes.
Inner-bremsstrahlung spectrum of55Fe with a Ge(Li) detector

The end point of the inner-bremsstrahlung spectrum in the electron-capture decay of55Fe was measured with a high-resolution (2.4 keV at 511 keV) Ge(Li) detector. The measured value of (218±3) keV represents considerable improvement in precision over the earlier scintillation-counter value of (220±10) keV. The resulting decay energy of (224.5±3) keV is comparable in precision to the55Mn(p, n)55Fe reaction value of (231±2) keV.
Volatility characterization of nanoparticles from single and dual-fuel low temperature combustion in compression ignition engines

ABSTRACTThis work explores the volatility of particles produced from two diesel low temperature combustion (LTC) modes proposed for high-efficiency compression ignition engines. It also explores mechanisms of particulate formation and growth upon dilution in the near-tailpipe environment. The number distribution of exhaust particles from low- and mid-load dual-fuel reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) and single-fuel premixed charge compression ignition (PPCI) modes were experimentally studied over a gradient of dilution temperature. Particle volatility of select particle diameters was investigated using volatility tandem differential mobility analysis (V-TDMA). Evaporation rates for exhaust particles were compared with V-TDMA results for candidate pure n-alkanes to identify species with similar volatility characteristics. The results show that LTC particles are mostly comprised of material with volatility similar to engine oil alkanes. V-TDMA results were used as inputs to an aerosol condens...
Effect of Extended Defects on the Enhanced Diffusion of Phosphorus Implanted Silicon

Extended defects resulting from ion implantation are believed to act in some cases as a driving force behind transient enhanced diffusion (TED). We use secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to study the diffusion enhancements of an underlying boron doped spike after creating implant damage in the near surface region. Diffusion enhancements are compared for silicon implants and phosphorus implants to distinguish between factors related to chemical species interactions versus those related to ion beam damage. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is used to investigate the existence and dissolution of extended defects. {311} extended defects are clearly visible in self-implanted samples but absent in phosphorus doped samples. The extended defects resulting from phosphorus implantation are small (20A to 60A diameter) “dot” defects barely resolvable by conventional TEM. methods. Despite the marked differences in defect morphology, diffusion enhancements in the boron marker layer are observable for both species. Results comparing the TED of a buried marker layer after P+ and Si+ show a larger overall effective diffusion length results after high dose (1x1014 cm−2) phosphorus implants. Visible defects in phosphorus implanted silicon are not the only source of TED, suggesting the existence of sub-microscopic phosphorus interstitial clusters (PIC). This provides important insight into the affect of phosphorus on TED.
Investigation on exposure to UV radiation among welders and cutters

Objective The UV radiation levels were measured while the workers engaged in the welding and cutting to understand the exposure levels of these workers. Methods The workers engaged manually in electric arc welding,gas shielded welding, plasma flame cutting and gas cutting were studied. The UV radiation levels around their eye areas were measured by the use of the detector with three probes at 254,290 and 365 nm band when they operated machines. Results The cutters had higher exposure,the highest value 36.24 μW/cm2was noted for the workers operated the gas cutting machine and 16.40 μW/cm2for the workers operated plasma flame cutting machine. Conclusion The ultraviolet-proof masks should be used to protect workers' eyes. The regular physical examination should be done for these workers,specifically eye examination.
Study on the Reform of Physical Education Curriculum in New Secondary Schools——Taking Xiaoshan institute of technology as an example

The requirements of university's integration and expansion of the secondary school are higher.It determines the reform of university curriculum.Physical education teaching,humanities and social impact of the teaching force it to walk in the forefront of the reform,far from his alma mater for the secondary school physical education curriculum has relative independence and the unity of the mechanism.From the continuation of history to the horizontal and vertical comparison,the physical education curriculum will play an extremely important role in the reform of the development of the institutes.
ADVERTISING SIGNALING EFFECTS FOR NEW BRANDS: THE MODERATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED BRAND DIFFERENCES

This research considers whether new, unknown brands may be able to signal high quality to consumers via an advertising spending signal. Signaling theory suggests that heavy advertising spending for an unknown brand may be ineffective in signaling quality because the brand has no reputation at stake. More recent theorizing, however, holds that advertising spending may itself serve as a bond and, therefore, influence quality judgments even for unknown brands. The results of a laboratory experiment are consistent with the latter position as we observe strong signaling effects on perceived quality for a new, unknown brand. Interestingly, though, this effect is moderated by subjects’ prior perceptions of brand differentiation, such that a negative effect of very high ad spending occurs when differences between brands in a product category are perceived as small. The results suggest that new brands, as well as established reputable brands, may be able to successfully signal quality by strong spending on adverti...
Automatic Management of Oil Burners in Opposed Wall Firing Boiler

The automatic management strategy of oil burners in opposed wall firing boiler is introduced.In order to insure symmetrical heat radiation of boiler,the cross principium and the inhibitive increase principium are put forward to limit the startup of each burner.The concept of layer is suggested to guarantee the system working in gear when some burners break down,and the management logic of layer startup and shutdown is developed accordingly.The selective program structure is introduced through setting the delay time and the pulse width of the serving command in order to implement the burner automatic startup and shutdown at the same layer.The control strategy of automatically increasing and decreasing oil burners is put forward by utilizing the changing of the oil pressure during boiler ignition,load ascending and dropping.
Developing a representative snow-monitoring network in a forested mountain watershed

Abstract. A challenge in establishing new ground-based stations for monitoring snowpack accumulation and ablation is to locate the sites in areas that represent the key processes affecting snow accumulation and ablation. This is especially challenging in forested montane watersheds where the combined effects of terrain, climate, and land cover affect seasonal snowpack. We present a coupled modeling approach used to objectively identify representative snow-monitoring locations in a forested watershed in the western Oregon Cascades mountain range. We used a binary regression tree (BRT) non-parametric statistical model to classify peak snow water equivalent (SWE) based on physiographic landscape characteristics in an average snow year, an above-average snow year, and a below-average snow year. Training data for the BRT classification were derived using spatially distributed estimates of SWE from a validated physically based model of snow evolution. The optimal BRT model showed that elevation and land cover type were the most significant drivers of spatial variability in peak SWE across the watershed (R2 = 0.93, p value
Robust Monte Carlo sampling using Riemannian Nosé-Poincaré Hamiltonian dynamics

We present a Monte Carlo sampler using a modified Nose-Poincare Hamiltonian along with Riemannian preconditioning. Hamiltonian Monte Carlo samplers allow better exploration of the state space as opposed to random walk-based methods, but, from a molecular dynamics perspective, may not necessarily provide samples from the canonical ensemble. Nose-Hoover samplers rectify that shortcoming, but the resultant dynamics are not Hamiltonian. Furthermore, usage of these algorithms on large real-life datasets necessitates the use of stochastic gradients, which acts as another potentially destabilizing source of noise. In this work, we propose dynamics based on a modified Nose-Poincare Hamiltonian augmented with Riemannian manifold corrections. The resultant symplectic sampling algorithm samples from the canonical ensemble while using structural cues from the Riemannian preconditioning matrices to efficiently traverse the parameter space. We also propose a stochastic variant using additional terms in the Hamiltonian to correct for the noise from the stochastic gradients. We show strong performance of our algorithms on synthetic datasets and high-dimensional Poisson factor analysis-based topic modeling scenarios.
Role of Inflammation in Diet-Induced Obesity: A Dissertation

Obesity results from expansion of white adipose tissue. The inability of white adipose tissue to adequately store lipids leads to ectopic deposition of lipids in non-adipose tissue that can lead to systemic insulin resistance. It is well known that insulin resistance correlates with inflammation of adipose tissue in obese animals and humans. Decreasing inflammation in the adipose tissue has been proven as a therapeutic strategy for improvement of insulin sensitivity in vivo. Numerous factors secreted by immune cells, including macrophages, have been suggested as regulating adipose tissue insulin sensitivity In the first part of my thesis, I describe the role of one such factor, CD40 in adipose tissue inflammation. The CD40-CD40L dyad acts as co-stimulation in the interaction of antigen-presenting cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells, with effector cells, such as T cells, in adaptive immunity. We found that CD40 knockout mice were smaller but surprisingly more insulin resistant and glucose intolerant compared to wild-type mice when fed a high fat diet. Consistent with their metabolic phenotype, knockout mice displayed increased adipose tissue inflammation with infiltration of immune cells including macrophages and T cells. Consistent with increased inflammation, CD40 knockout adipose tissue displayed decreased lipid storage. Deficiency of CD40 also led to increased lipid deposition in liver, which may be due to increased lipid release into circulation from the adipose tissue as well as increased lipid synthesis in the liver. CD40 knockout mice had increased hepatic insulin resistance and increased gluconeogensis
Computation of optimal group sequential designs

ABSTRACTWe propose a method of simulation to compute optimal group sequential tests that minimize the average sample size and meet significance level and power requirements. Optimal designs can be used in clinical trials directly, and provide a standard for assessing the eﬃciency of other designs as well. The proposed method is conceptually simple and straightforward.
Quantifying the Advantages of Counter Flow Helium First Wall Cooling A Thermal-Hydraulic Comparison of ITER TBM First Wall Cooling Designs

Three dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations using the commercial software FLUENT, were performed to evaluate the thermal hydraulic performance of a counter flowing helium first wall (FW) cooling system compared to a more simple unidirectional flowing FW cooling system
Multiphase reactivity of gaseous hydroperoxide oligomers produced from isoprene ozonolysis in the presence of acidified aerosols

Abstract Ozonolysis of alkenes results in the formation of primary ozonides (POZs), which can subsequently decompose into carbonyl compounds and stabilized Criegee intermediates (sCIs). The sCIs generated from isoprene ozonolysis include the simplest congener, formaldehyde oxide (CH2OO), and isomers of C4-sCI. Although the bimolecular reaction with H2O is expected to be the main fate of sCIs, it was reported that sCIs can also react with carboxylic acids and/or organic hydroperoxides leading to gas-phase oligomeric compounds. While the impact of the gas-phase composition (H2O, sCI scavenger) on the formation of such products was recently studied, their fate remains unclear. In the present work, formation of oligomeric hydroperoxides from isoprene ozonolysis, proposed as reaction products composed of the sCI as a chain unit and formed from the insertion of sCI into a hydroperoxide or a carboxylic acid, was systematically examined in the presence of aerosol with varying compositions. The effect of hydroxyl (OH) radicals on the gas- and particle-phase compositions was investigated using diethyl ether as an OH radical scavenger. Thirty-four oligomeric compounds resulting from the insertion of sCIs into organic hydroperoxides or carboxylic acids were identified using iodide chemical ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry. Large reactive uptake onto acidified sulfate aerosol was observed for most of the characterized gaseous oligomeric species, whereas the presence of organic coatings and the lack of aerosol water significantly reduced or halted the reactive uptake of these species. These results indicate that highly oxidized molecules, such as hydroperoxides, could undergo multiphase reactions, which are significantly influenced by the chemical composition of seed aerosol. Furthermore, in addition to functionalization and accretion, decomposition and re-volatilization should be considered in SOA formation.
Persistent foot ulcer due to ruxolitinib therapy for primary myelofibrosis

Primary myelofibrosis is characterized by bone marrow fibrosis, splenomegaly and presence of JAK-2 V617F mutation in more than 90% of patients. Ruxolitinib is a Janus kinase inhibitor used for the treatment of primary myelofibrosis. We describe herein a persistent foot ulcer development attributed to ruxolitinib therapy. We are unaware of any previous reports of this phenomenon in the scientific literature. A thorough examination of the lower extremities is perhaps necessary before initiating this oral agent. If ruxolitinib therapy cannot be safely discontinued, diligent wound care and a course of antibiotics are warranted.
Heterogeneity in polymer networks formed by a single copolymerization reaction: II. Post-gelation structure and pendants

Abstract Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are used to study polymer formation, network growth and topology of 3- and 6-functional systems derived from reactive precursors. Part I of this sequence explored the process prior to gelation and showed that crosslinking produces heterogeneous clusters that grow and coalesce at the gel point. Not only are there small, localized defects in the network, but their dendritic structure results in poorly crosslinked regions where clusters coalesce, leading to pendant structures which persist even at high conversion. 6-functional networks exhibit a greater variety of pendants than the 3-functional networks. For 6-functional crosslinkers, some pendants have two- and three-fold connections to the elastically active network and comprise a substantial fraction of local material. Visualizations of these pendants show possible types of imperfection in crosslinked polymer networks. Crosslinked polymers used in many applications are non-ideal networks containing structural and crosslinking defects which inevitably diminish function and durability.
Scaling of cytoskeletal organization with cell size in Drosophila

Spatially organized macromolecular complexes are essential for cell and tissue function, but the mechanisms that organize micron-scale structures within cells are not well understood. Microtubule-based structures such as mitotic spindles scale with cell size, but less is known about the scaling of actin structures within cells. Actin-rich denticle precursors cover the ventral surface of the Drosophila embryo and larva and provide templates for cuticular structures involved in larval locomotion. Using quantitative imaging and statistical modeling, we demonstrate that denticle number and spacing scale with cell length over a wide range of cell sizes in embryos and larvae. Denticle number and spacing are reduced under space-limited conditions, and both features robustly scale over a 10-fold increase in cell length during larval growth. We show that the relationship between cell length and denticle spacing can be recapitulated by specific mathematical equations in embryos and larvae and that accurate denticle spacing requires an intact microtubule network and the microtubule minus end-binding protein, Patronin. These results identify a novel mechanism of micro-tubule-dependent actin scaling that maintains precise patterns of actin organization during tissue growth.
Defining How We Get from Research to Practice: A Model Framework for Schools

In this chapter, the authors argue that stronger connections between research and practice in education are inherently a public good. The authors discuss recent efforts by the US Government to encourage production of better education research, and more effective application of this research to practice. The current educational policy climate, generated in large part by the 2001 passage of No Child Left Behind and reiterated through reauthorization in the Every Student Succeeds Act, places immense pressure on schools and districts to use evidence to inform their decisions regarding student learning. However, due to the complexity of these decisions, such mandates have often fallen short in ensuring that evidence is incorporated. The chapter establishes the context of national education policy regarding research evidence use and explores recent efforts which seek to better understand and motivate the use of research in schools to inform the public good. As this discussion reveals problematic assumptions and solutions, the authors propose a bi-directional model for understanding the relationship between research and practice, and highlight current efforts that support use of research evidence in schools and districts.
The compatibility condition for expressives revisited: A big data-based trend analysis

Abstract The main goal of this paper is to reevaluate the Compatibility Condition on the polarity/degree of emotional attitude for multiple expressive elements including slurs, epithets, anti-honorifics, intensifiers, and mitigators in Korean. The project provides new results obtained from a big data-based trend analysis including usages in Twitter, news articles, and blogs. Yoon (2015) investigated ethnic slurs that occur with other regular expressive elements, in order to examine the systematicity with which these expressive items interact with one another in determining emotional attitude. This prior analysis led to several important theoretical claims, but is limited in depending on intuition-based judgments and co-occurrence patterns in a relatively small corpus. For a general theory of compatibility of expressives, Korean is particularly important because its extensive use of expressives across lexical categories offers a perfect testing ground for examining dynamic interactions of various expressive items, and yet the findings are highly applicable to other languages. The present paper provides a follow-up study of Korean with more rigorous analysis of a larger data set that allows assessment of the validity of earlier claims. Two main issues are reexamined here: one concerns constraints on the Compatibility Condition and how to measure the degree of compatibility; and the second concerns how strict the compatibility condition of expressives is, and what happens if the condition is flouted. The new results from the big data-based trend analysis reveal which part of the prior theoretical analysis is valid in reality and which part requires revision. One implication of the current study is that, by specifying an Emotional Index for expressive items in the sentiment lexicon, the Compatibility Condition, as a grammatical constraint, predicts how multiple occurrences of compatible expressives can be used to strengthen a speaker's positive or negative emotion. Furthermore, we suggest a condition for rescuing by pragmatic effects as a secondary mode of pragmatic sanctioning in exceptional cases of co-occurrences of conflicting attitudinal components.
A Simulation Study to Compare Nonequivalent Groups With Anchor Test Equating and Pseudo-Equivalent Group Linking

In this paper we compare the newly developed pseudo-equivalent groups (PEG) linking method with the linking methods based on the traditional nonequivalent groups with anchor test (NEAT) design and illustrate how to use the PEG methods under imperfect equating conditions. To do this, we proposed a new method that combines the features of PEG linking and NEAT equating (referred as PEGAT) and compared it with NEAT and PEG. PEG mainly uses test takers' background variables to create PEG and then links scores on different forms whereas NEAT equating adjusts group differences in ability through the anchor test scores. The proposed method, PEGAT, uses background variables and anchor scores to adjust group ability differences. Using simulated data, these 3 linking methods were compared in 2 equating scenarios: small and large group difference in ability. The simulation design was based on real data on a test in operation. The test scores and the background variables were assumed to have a multivariate multinomial distribution. A log linear model was used to manipulate and produce simulated data. For PEG and PEGAT linking, 3 different sets of background variables were manipulated to study the impact of correlation strength of background variables to the total scores. Our results showed that NEAT linking outperformed PEG linking when the group ability difference was large, but that NEAT linking could be improved by incorporating the PEG adjustment procedure based on background variables. When the groups were similar in ability, PEG linking produced comparable results to NEAT. This finding justifies the use of PEG linking when a good anchor test is not available as well as the use of PEGAT when a good anchor is available but needs to be strengthened by background variables.
Actin Polymerization In Differentiated Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Requires Vasodilator-Stimulated Phosphoprotein (VASP)

Our group has shown that alpha agonists and phorbol esters increase net actin polymerization in differentiated vascular smooth muscle cells (dVSMC) and that actin polymerization is linked to contractility. However, the underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown. Inhibition of actin filament elongation by cytochalasin-D treatment decreases contractility without changing the level of myosin light chain phosphorylation in this tissue, suggesting that actin filament elongation processes are necessary for smooth muscle contraction. The enabled/vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (Ena/VASP) family of proteins is associated with actin filament elongation in non-muscle systems. In this study, we evaluated the possible functions of Ena/VASP in dVSMC. Among Ena/VASP proteins, only VASP is highly expressed in ferret aorta. High resolution 3-D deconvolved fluorescent images of immunostained freshly dissociated aorta cells show that VASP partially colocalizes with both alpha-actinin and vinculin, markers of dense bodies and dense plaques in dVSMC. Profilin, which is known to associate with monomeric G-actin and VASP to facilitate actin filament elongation also colocalizes with both alpha-actinin and vinculin, potentially identifying both the dense bodies and the dense plaques as hot spots of actin polymerization. Differential centrifugation and imaging data indicate that VASP may undergo subtle conformational or/and positional changes in response to stimuli. The EVH1 domain of VASP is known to be responsible for targeting VASP to its sites of action. Introduction of an expressed EVH1 domain of Ena/VASP, made as a chimeric protein with the TAT transduction tag, acted as a decoy to inhibit stimulus-induced increases in actin polymerization. In contrast, introduction of the EVH1 mutant F78S, which does not bind target poly-Pro sequences, had no effect. Thus, VASP may be involved in actin filament assembly at dense bodies and dense plaques in dVSMC. Support: NIH P01 HL86655.
HIF1 mediates a switch in pyruvate kinase isoforms after myocardial infarction.

Alternative splicing of RNA is an underexplored area of transcriptional response. We expect that early changes in alternatively spliced genes may be important for responses to cardiac injury. Hypox...
Accuracy of Transcutaneous CO2 Values Compared With Arterial and Capillary Blood Gases

BACKGROUND: Transcutaneous monitors are utilized to monitor a patient9s respiratory status. Some patients have similar values when comparing transcutaneous carbon dioxide (PtcCO2) values with blood gas analysis, whereas others show extreme variability. A retrospective review of data was performed to determine how accurately PtcCO2 correlated with CO2 values obtained by arterial blood gas (ABG) or capillary blood gas. METHODS: To determine whether PtcCO2 values correlated with ABG or capillary blood gas values, subjects9 records were retrospectively reviewed. Data collected included the PtcCO2 value at the time of blood gas procurement and the ABG or capillary blood gas PCO2 value. Agreement of pairs of methods (ABG vs PtcCO2 and capillary blood gas vs PtcCO2) was assessed with the Bland-Altman approach with limits of agreement estimated with a mixed model to account for serial measurements per subject. RESULTS: A total of 912 pairs of ABG/PtcCO2 values on 54 subjects and 307 pairs of capillary blood gas/PtcCO2 values on 34 subjects were analyzed. The PCO2 range for ABG was 24–106 mm Hg, and PtcCO2 values were 27–133 mm Hg. The PCO2 range for capillary blood gas was 29–108 mm Hg, and PtcCO2 values were 30–103 mm Hg. For ABG/PtcCO2 comparisons, the Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.82, 95% CI was 0.80–0.84, and P was CONCLUSIONS: Based on these data, capillary blood gas comparisons showed less variation and a slightly lower correlation with PtcCO2 than did ABG comparisons. After accounting for serial measurements per patient, due to the wide limits of agreement and poor repeatability, the utility of relying on PtcCO2 readings for this purpose is questionable.
Innovation for Pandemics.

Innovation for Pandemics What the world needs is a coordinated global approach to pandemics that will work regardless of whether the next pandemic is a product of humans or of nature. Specifically, we need better tools, an early detection system, and a global response system.
Yoga-Induced Myositis Ossificans Traumatica of the Scapholunate Ligament.

Background Myositis ossificans traumatica (MOT) involves the heterotopic development of lamellar bone after a traumatic injury. Despite being termed “myositis,” MOT is not limited to muscle but rather can involve tendons, fat, and fascia. “Traumatica” reflects that lesions are usually associated with a history of significant trauma, that is, fractures or surgery; however, many reports suggest they can also be linked to repetitive low-energy insults. In both cases, the inflammatory response secondary to tissue injury generates a proliferative osteoblastic cascade. Case Description We present a case of persistent wrist pain in a 43-year-old woman associated with yoga activities. Her radiographic studies demonstrated partial scapholunate (SL) ligament tear and an associated mass lesion. Surgical pathology revealed MOT involving the SL ligament. Literature Review MOT lesions in the upper extremity are usually localized around the elbow, and cases in the hand are relatively rare. There are no prior reports of occurrences within the wrist joint or in association with the SL ligament. However, biomechanical studies have quantified significant mechanical strains across the SL interval during various yoga poses. This pattern of microtrauma is capable of generating MOT. Clinical Relevance Upper extremity weight-bearing positions are common in yoga and subject the wrist, especially the SL interval, to high mechanical strains. This pattern of microtrauma should lead the clinician to suspect MOT when encountering a mass in the wrist, but malignancy and infection must be ruled out.
Diversity in student attitudes and motivations in the community college composition classroom

Current discussions of diversity tend to focus primarily on broad categories of difference within the student population—age, gender, race, ethnicity, ability. These discussions have been useful in making educators more aware of the diversity of students and student needs. Some critics, however, havebegun to question their value as a basis for classroom practice, arguing that the focus on the general qualities of large populations is of limited practical value to teachers, who work with individual students rather than populations, and who may therefore require more information on the nature of individual variation within populations. This thesis considers some of the ways in which the experience of individual students may relate to the larger patterns of diversity present in the classroom. Specifically, it explores ageand genderrelated patterns in student attitudes toward writing in six Iowa community college composition classes. Student attitudes were measured across four domains—control, writing apprehension, student agency, and collaboration. Gender appeared to have a significant effect on overall writing apprehension scores; differences in control scores by age x pre/post scores were moderately significant. Interactions between these patterns were considered; a significant age Xgender interaction was found in the writing apprehension domain. Finally, the study considered the relationship between these patterns and the experience of five individual students within the study population.
Advances in Drinking Water Treatment in the United States

The United States drinking water public health protection goal is to provide water that meets all health-based standards to ninety-five percent of the population served by public drinking water supplies by 2005. In 2002, the level of compliance with some eighty-five health-based standards was ninety-four percent. This significant accomplishment has been achieved through strong regulation and technical support to drinking water supply systems. The engineering and risk management research program that supports drinking water regulation has developed the Drinking Water Contaminant Management Framework to organize research related to control of a contaminant or group of contaminants in drinking water. The recent lowering of the arsenic drinking water standard serves as a case study for application of the Framework. Emerging research areas include the use of DNA based analytical techniques to advance our understanding of microbial contaminants in drinking water and water security. Real-time monitoring techniques will require significant advancement before they can be relied upon to insure drinking water protection.
Who benefits from bus rapid transit? Evidence from the Metro Bus System (MBS) in Lahore

Abstract Bus rapid transit (BRT) is a popular mode for government investment in public infrastructure, particularly in developing countries where capital resources are scarce. Enthusiastic evaluations of BRT systems worldwide are perhaps premature given that most such systems have been operational for only a short time. Further, little research on BRT systems from the user perspective is evident in the literature. The latter is problematic because one justification for government investment in BRT is the social benefit such systems bestow on groups who are traditionally without access to private modes of transportation. In order to explore the purported social benefits of a BRT system two series of multiple logistic regression models are fit. The first uses disaggregate data from inside a BRT service area and the second uses disaggregate data from inside and from outside a BRT service area. The rider and the commuter data sources, respectively, help to understand who benefits from the new Metro Bus System (MBS) in Lahore and how. To that end, descriptive results show that women are less representative of riders and of commuters, but inferential results show that females are more likely to commute via the MBS. In addition, usage patterns show that females are more habitual users and that they benefit greatly from the fare subsidy. Finally, efforts to further integrate the MBS with the greater public transportation network in Lahore will help to mitigate the monetary and the temporal costs of MBS usage which more so affect females.
Assessing Challenging Behaviors

The assessment of challenging behaviors has seen considerable advances in recent years. Traditionally, direct observation and frequency counts have been primary means of evaluation. This area of evaluation has been bolstered by survey measures that address a range of disruptive behaviors (e.g., the Behavior Problem Inventory—03). A third significant advance in assessment has been the development of experimental functional analysis and norm referenced functional assessment scales such as the Questions About Behavior Function. This chapter will be a general overview of these methods and how they are applied best to a range of problem behaviors.
Practical lessons from experience with the database design course project

In a typical database design and implementation course, it is not unusual to have a course project. This paper describes the evolution of such a project within such a course over eight semesters; I wish I had "known then what I know now", so to speak, and so it is hoped that this description will help others newly assigned to such a course, or might encourage further discussion of how to make such projects better experiences for students and instructor alike.
Anon-Emoji: An Optical See-Through Augmented Reality System for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders to promote Understanding of Facial Expressions and Emotions

Facial expressions are an important part of human communication. However, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are often suffering from difficulties of understanding non-verbal cues and form appropriate responses. Traditional approaches including labeling formatted photographs of human facial expressions from a third person's perspective could help them learn and improve such skills. Yet such training systems are often in lack of real time feedback. As Optical See-Through (OST) Augmented Reality (AR) headsets possess the advantages of near-eyes display and better depth alignment between virtual renderings and the environment, we decided on an OST AR approach for the system. In this paper, we present a system designed for OST AR headsets that occludes the subject's facial expressions with an emotion-presenting 3D emoji model. We hope this system could help us understand how children with ASD perceive emotions through standard emotion presenting systems and help them enhance their skills of understanding facial expressions.
Consideration of Al-Wajid graben tectono-stratigraphy by analysis of geophysical data, Saudi Arabia

Abstract Al-Wajid graben is one of the largest Precambrian fault-bound basins in Saudi Arabia. Seismic reflection data show a deep-seated dome structure in the middle of the graben, which can be interpreted as a salt dome, an inversion structure, or even an igneous pluton . This ambiguity makes it difficult to understand the tectono-stratigraphy of Al-Wajid graben. In this paper we sought to understand the tectono-stratigraphy of Al-Wajid graben by analysis of various remote sensing geophysical data including vertical seismic profile (VSP), gravity, magnetic and seismic reflection data. Determination of depth to basement from the magnetic data suggests that the dome structure is non-magnetic since the depth solutions were obtained at the bottom of the structure. Processing of the VSP data was useful in estimating some physical parameters for the structure in question such as acoustic impedance , velocity, and density. The estimated density is 2700 kg/m 3 , which suggests that the structure is unlikely to be salt and most likely to be a dense mafic or metamorphic of non-magnetic rocks. This interpretation is consistent with extension and subsidence of the graben. The integrated interpretation of seismic, VSP, gravity, and magnetic data proposes that Al-Wajid graben is a deep trough intruded by dense magmatic rocks before opening the graben. The cooling of these igneous rocks has caused local densification and continuous subsidence that implied downward bending of the crust, creating the basin as a cratonic graben. Since Precambrian, the graben has been affected by several tectonic phases of extension and compression, ending with positive inversion.
Phase Ib Study of Enzalutamide with or Without Sorafenib in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Lessons learned Androgen receptor as assessed by immunohistochemistry is expressed in a high proportion of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Enzalutamide at 160 mg orally daily is safe and tolerable in patients with advanced HCC but has no single-agent antitumor activity. Enzalutamide, a CYP3A4 inducer, at a standard dose of 160 mg reduces the exposure of sorafenib, a CYP3A4 substrate. Enzalutamide and sorafenib is safe and tolerable in patients with advanced HCC, but the addition of enzalutamide to sorafenib did not enhance the antitumor activity of sorafenib. Background Androgen receptor (AR) interference is deleterious to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in preclinical models. Methods This is a multicenter, phase Ib study of enzalutamide ± sorafenib in patients with advanced HCC. In part 1, a 3 + 3 dose de-escalation design with expansion established the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of enzalutamide in patients in whom sorafenib treatment had failed. In part 2, a 3 + 3 dose escalation with expansion established the safety of enzalutamide with sorafenib in treatment-naive patients with HCC. Secondary objectives included objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), pharmacokinetics (PK), and determination of AR expression by immunohistochemistry. A 7-day run-in with sorafenib alone in part 2 allowed assessment of the impact of enzalutamide on sorafenib pharmacokinetics. Results In part 1, 16 patients received enzalutamide 160 mg daily. No dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) occurred; 1 patient required dose reduction. Responses were not observed; median PFS and OS were 1.8 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.6-3.6) and 7 (95% CI: 3.6 to not reached [NR]) months, respectively. In part 2, patients received sorafenib 400 mg daily (4) or twice a day (8) both with enzalutamide at the recommended phase II dose-no DLTs were observed. ORR was 10% (95% CI: 0.3-44.5), and median PFS and OS were 2.9 (95% CI: 1.6 to NR) and 6.7 (95% CI: 4.6 to NR) months, respectively. Enzalutamide reduced sorafenib exposure by 60%. Tumor AR expression did not associate with outcome. Conclusion Enzalutamide is ineffective in HCC; further development is not supported by this study.
Authenticity as a Benchmark of Human Selfhood? On Kierkegaard’s Concept of the Self

First, this paper wants to ask how the term authenticity is attributed to persons, in order to figure out the semantic content of being authentical as used in philosophical debates and in ordinary language or in pop cultural codes as well. In a second step, I want to show which mostly implicit concept of selfhood is underlying this type of attribution, and what kind of social ideals and moral claims for being true to oneself or becoming a self are presupposed in the usage of the word. Drawing upon Soren Kierkegaard’s concept of the self, developed in his late work The Sickness unto Death (1848, translated 1941), I am going to ask if it is a false or merely an excessive demand to be ‘authentic’, or to what extent it is reasonable to argue for authenticity as a quality standard and benchmark for individual development. That means, in the terms of Kierkegaard, for being one’s own self or of really becoming a self. With his concise and groundbreaking analysis of the structure and dynamics of human selfhood, as this paper finally wants to show, it is possible to shed light onto both—people’s lifelong struggle for being truthful to themselves in their own perception as in the eye of others, as well as why people mostly fail in terms of that demand. Finally, the theoretical framework and alternative concepts of understanding selfhood put forward here should also give some hints for what really matters in personal development and normative goals in education.
Robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting: current knowledge and future perspectives

Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCAB) and totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting (TECAB) are the two existing strategies for robotic-assisted, surgical myocardial revascularization. In this review, we summarize the wide evidence available in the literature regarding the benefits of these two procedures, and detail the technical skills required to master robotic coronary surgery techniques.
Mechanistic Approach to Identify Densification Kinetics and Mechanisms of Zinc Oxide Cold Sintering

Cold sintering is an emerging process methodology that densifies ceramic powders at significantly reduced temperature. Among 4 densification process variables of the cold sintering (transient chemistry, sintering temperature, uniaxial pressure and time), this study extensively investigates the effects of temperature and time on sintering kinetics and mass transport mechanisms of zinc oxide nano powder. Uniaxial pressures of 175 - 350 MPa and sintering temperatures of 100 - 200 °C with dwell times up to 30 minutes are used to densify nano-powder compacts into a solid pellet with a relative density up to 98 ± 0.21%. Based on the experimental observations from non-isothermal and isothermal sintering methods, a 3-stage classification is proposed to identify physical models. During the initial stage of the cold sintering, liquid-assisted particle rearrangement accounts for up to 3% of the linear shrinkage. In the intermediate stage, pressure solution creep is employed as a governing mechanochemical mechanism. In the final stage, thin liquid films around grain boundaries may enable rapid mass and pore transport, leading to 4% of relative density increase. Surface area based sintering kinetics approach quantifies that the activation energy of the final stage is 29 ± 3.8 kJ mol−1, which is only 20% of the solid state sintering.