cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
istance-Mediated Christian Higher Education: Student Perceptions of the Facilitative Nature of Selected Instructional Development Factors

A national survey was conducted to assess student perceptions of the helpfulness of specific instructional development factors in a distance education print-based program. Participants were all students who had successfully completed at least one distance education correspondence course with Global University or were currently enrolled in their first course. Instructional development factors studied included lesson openers, lesson outlines, lesson artwork, written objectives, amount of information presented before a study question is asked, typographical features, graphic art, study questions, answers to study questions, self tests, and unit progress evaluations. Basic demographic information was collected and survey respondents located their perceptions of instructional development factor helpfulness both on a Likert scale and on a rank-order scale. Respondents also were asked for comments on the instructional development factors studied. Differences among respondent groups were examined. Major findings include a tiered ranking by all groups showing formative evaluation factors to be the most helpful, content organization and presentation factors next most helpful, and visual enhancement features (graphic art, typographical design) the least helpful. Overall, perceptions of the facilitative nature of the instructional development factors were similar among most groups. Older students seem to focus more on organization while younger students exhibit a balance between their perceptions of the facilitative nature of content and testing. Students enrolled in their first course perceive several of the formative evaluation factors to be less helpful than do more experienced students while at the same time perceiving content pacing to be more helpful than do more experienced students.
Qualitative methods: what are they and why use them?

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of reasons why qualitative methods have been used and can be used in health services and health policy research, to describe a range of specific methods, and to give examples of their application. DATA SOURCES: Classic and contemporary descriptions of the underpinnings and applications of qualitative research methods and studies that have used such methods to examine important health services and health policy issues. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Qualitative research methods are valuable in providing rich descriptions of complex phenomena; tracking unique or unexpected events; illuminating the experience and interpretation of events by actors with widely differing stakes and roles; giving voice to those whose views are rarely heard; conducting initial explorations to develop theories and to generate and even test hypotheses; and moving toward explanations. Qualitative and quantitative methods can be complementary, used in sequence or in tandem. The best qualitative research is systematic and rigorous, and it seeks to reduce bias and error and to identify evidence that disconfirms initial or emergent hypotheses. CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative methods have much to contribute to health services and health policy research, especially as such research deals with rapid change and develops a more fully integrated theory base and research agenda. However, the field must build on the best traditions and techniques of qualitative methods and must recognize that special training and experience are essential to the application of these methods.
Capital Markets for SMEs -- Evolution, Lessons Learned, and Implication

Capital Markets for Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs), also called alternative capital markets (ACM), alternative new markets, secondary board, have become increasingly important topic in the financial sector. The paper looks into the evolution of ACM and then draws lessons and policy implication.
Supersonic Free Turbulent Mixing Layers

Experimental investigations indicate that the spreading rate of supersonic free turbulent mixing layers is substantially lower than that of incompressible flows. In the 1972 Working Conference on Free Turbulent Shear Flows at NASA Langley,1 no level of turbulent closure schemes succeeded in predicting adequately the observed reduced spreading rate in high Mach number, high Reynolds number free shear layers without introducing significant empiricism or “data fitting.” This is contrary to the common optimism for the extension of incompressible methods to high Mach number flows which saw considerable success with wall shear layers in the past. A predictive method which will remedy this situation has been developed.
How Authors Think about Their Writing, Dictating, and Speaking

A recent study (Gould, 1978) showed that adults, after a few hours practice, dictate one-page letters of various complexities as well as they write them. This was true for time to compose and for quality of the resulting letters as judged by outside raters. These results are contrary to the common assumption that dictating requires a long time to learn. Why then do people not dictate more often? This study tested the hypothesis that authors just learning to dictate believe their written documents to be superior to their dictated documents. To test this, adult subjects, after being trained to dictate, composed letters of various complexities, sometimes writing them and sometimes dictating them. They were required to rate a letter's quality three times: immediately after composing it, after receiving it back from the typist and proof-editing it, and two weeks later. The results confirmed the hypothesis: subjects initially rated their written letters superior to their dictated letters, but subsequently both ...
Potential role of dietary n−3 fatty acids in the prevention of dementia and macular degeneration

Dementia and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are major causes of disability in the elderly. n-3 Fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are highly concentrated in brain and retinal tissue and may prevent or delay the progression of dementia and AMD. Low dietary intakes and plasma concentrations have been reported to be associated with dementia, cognitive decline, and AMD risk. The major dietary sources of DHA are fish and fish oils, although dietary supplements are available. At this point, it is not possible to make firm recommendations regarding n-3 fatty acids and the prevention of dementia and AMD. Our own unpublished observations from the Framingham Heart Study suggest that ≥ 180 mg/d of dietary DHA (≈2.7 fish servings/wk) is associated with an ≈50% reduction in dementia risk. At least this amount of DHA is generally found in one commercially available 1-g fish oil capsule given daily.
API Computer Profiles: Correlation of API 20E with API 10S

A comparison of identifications of 201 clinical isolates with the 21-test API 20 Enteric kit and the subset of tests in API 10S indicated 85.6% agreement at the species level and 93.5% agreement at the genus level.
Chemical controls on the magnesium content of amorphous calcium carbonate

Abstract Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is a metastable phase that forms in diverse biogeochemical settings. This material can incorporate significant amounts of magnesium and other elements, but the conditions that regulate composition are not established. Using a mixed flow reactor method, we synthesize Mg-free ACC (control) and amorphous magnesium calcium carbonate (ACMC) under controlled chemical conditions to determine the relationship between composition and inorganic solution chemistry. Input solutions contained a constant initial Mg/Ca ratio of 5/1 with variable total carbonate concentration, pH, and supersaturation. Within the reactor, input solution chemistry evolves in proportion to the extent of precipitation whereby the initial Mg/Ca ratio increases to values as high as 14 at steady state conditions. By this approach, we produce reproducible quantities of ACMC with 24 to >70 mol% Mg to give compositions of Mg(0.24–0.72)Ca(0.76–0.28)CO3·1.42–1.63H2O. The primary control on ACMC composition is the steady state solution composition that develops in the reactor during precipitation. Analysis of the data shows the Mg content of ACMC is regulated by the interplay of three factors at steady state conditions: (1) Mg/Ca ratio; (2) total carbonate concentration; and (3) solution pH. Using the Henderson–Kracek model to estimate the partition coefficients for the Mg content of ACMC, we find KD is approximately constant at 0.047 ± 0.003 when steady state pH is less than 9.5, but values of KD triple as steady state pH increases from 9.5 to 10.3. Our KD values are lower than previous estimates that are based upon initial solution composition. In contrast, our estimates of KD are determined from the solution chemistry at steady state conditions and for pH conditions that are less extreme than previous experimental studies. We suggest the approach of using steady state composition to estimate KD gives a more accurate representation of relationships between ACMC composition and local conditions. The findings demonstrate local pH and total carbonate concentration can be regulated at the time of formation to produce Mg amorphous carbonates of a designated composition.
Evaluation of Selective Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) Receptor Agonists as Therapeutic Agents for the Treatment of Asthma

Prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) released in asthmatic airways has bronchodilator properties and inhibits allergen-induced bronchoconstriction and release of inflammatory mediators. Although considered as a potential treatment for asthma, PGE 2 also has some proinflammatory properties. PGE 2 acts through four different receptor subtypes (EP1, EP2, EP3, and EP4) that may explain some of PGE 2 ’s diverse effects. In a mouse model of allergic inflammation in which the four receptors were individually deleted, only EP3 −/− mice showed an enhancement of inflammation, whereas an EP3 agonist was inhibitory, with PGE 2 being inactive. Thus, EP3 agonists may lead to a new approach for the treatment of asthma. However, other PGE 2 receptor subtypes may also have beneficial effects, and a greater understanding of the signaling pathways of these receptor subtypes will help to clarify the role of these receptors in asthma.
Noninvasive diagnosis of cardiac allograft rejection using echocardiography indices of systolic and diastolic function.

Abstract Background Limited and conflicting data exist on the diagnosis of cardiac allograft rejection with the use of echocardiography. The purpose of our study was to evaluate various systolic and diastolic indices, including newer tissue Doppler imaging techniques, in diagnosing cardiac allograft rejection. Methods We prospectively performed 426 echocardiography studies at the time of endomyocardial biopsy in 54 cardiac transplant patients. We measured left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic dimensions, mitral inflow pattern and annular velocities, and the myocardial performance index. Biopsies were assessed for cellular rejection and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). Results Mild cellular rejection was diagnosed in 74 biopsy specimens and significant cellular rejection in 10 biopsy specimens. AMR was diagnosed in 30 biopsy specimens. In patients with mild or significant cellular rejection, no significant differences in echocardiographic parameters were observed. In patients with AMR, LV fractional shortening was significantly reduced compared with those with no AMR (mean ± SD 31.8 ± 8.9% vs 36.0 ± 7.1%; P = .02). Conclusions Although 1 echocardiographic parameter was statistically different in the setting of rejection, lack of consistency and overlap between nonrejection and rejection groups does not permit definitive noninvasive diagnosis of cardiac allograft rejection using this imaging modality.
Research strategies for optimizing pregnancy outcomes in minority populations

The elimination of disparities in pregnancy outcomes is a common goal of clinicians and scientists and requires the collaboration of many disciplines to address the complexities of this still-increasing perinatal health concern. This commentary synthesizes the presentations and dialogue from a multidisciplinary workgroup meeting that was sponsored by the National Institute of Nursing Research in 2003. Concepts that are central to our understanding of the development and expression of such disparities are summarized, and approaches that are recognized as important in multiple disciplines that include basic, clinical, and social sciences are presented. Research strategies to foster a multidisciplinary research agenda are presented as a basis for future endeavors to improve pregnancy outcomes.
A Multiplex Reverse Transcription (RT) High-Fidelity PCR Protocol for the Detection of Six Viruses that Cause Potato Tuber Necrosis

Viruses that cause necrotic symptoms in potato tubers can be difficult to distinguish based on symptoms and frequently require multiple molecular tests to identify the pathogen. In this study, a multiplex RT PCR high fidelity PCR protocol was developed using previously validated primers that could accurately detect six important potato viruses and detect multiple viruses in a single sample simultaneously. To test the protocol, 53 tubers previously tested using conventional PCR were retested using this multiplex protocol and blindly evaluated. In every case, the multiplex PCR results were consistent with previous findings. In addition, the multiplex PCR protocol also detected several mixed infections that were previously undetected. The results demonstrate that this technique could be a valuable assay not only for diagnostic laboratories, but also for seed certification and regulatory agency laboratories to diagnose the virus(es) that may be present in tubers with surface or internal necrotic symptoms.
Interactive images in the operating room

Fluoroscopy has made endourology possible, but its two dimensionality and poor tissue contrast limit its applications. Recent advances in computer technology are making it possible for surgeons to interact with three-dimensional CT and MR images. Initial interactive navigation systems tracked the position of surgical instruments on previously acquired images using optical, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic devices. More recently, real-time imaging and instrument tracking have become possible, such as with the open interventional MR scanners. The problems created by patient motion and tissue deformation during manipulation may thereby be overcome.
Influence of moderate nutritional stress during gestation on reproduction of Collared peccaries (Tayassu tajacu)

This study examined the influences of moderate restrictions in maternal energy and protein intake during gestation on reproductive success and foetal development in the Collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu). Sixteen captive females from southern Texas were bred during January 1983 and randomly assigned to one of four experimental rations for the duration of gestation. Experimental diets were formulated in a factorial design with two levels of energy (HE = high, ME = moderate) and protein (HP = high, MP = moderate). Only females on the HEHP diet gained weight during gestation. Moderate restrictions of energy or protein had no influence on the number of young born alive, litter size, litter weight and length of gestation. Foetal development was only minimally affected by prolonged restrictions in protein intake. This study suggests that nutrition-related prenatal mortality between implantation and parturition may not be the most important mechanism limiting herd recruitment during moderate periods of drought in southern Texas.
Pausing in multiple fixed- ratio schedules

Pigeons were maintained on multiple fixed-ratio schedules with food reinforcement for a keypeck response. A regular pattern of short-short-long-long-etc. was employed for the fixed-ratio sequence within a session. Pausing following reinforcement was shown to be determined by the length of the forthcoming fixed ratio, the relation of this fixed-ratio length to the schedule paired with it, and the place of the fixed ratio in the patterned sequence. The sequential effect indicated shorter pauses for a given fixed ratio when its completion would be followed by the shorter fixed ratio, and longer pausing at the point of transition from a shorter to a longer fixed ratio.
Response of thermal stressed bobwhite to organophosphorus exposure

Constant and intermittent cold stressed juvenile northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) were exposed to chlorpyrifos, an organophosphorus insecticide, following avian dietary LC(50) test procedures. Chlorpyrifos concentrations ranged from 100 to 1000 ppm; ambient temperatures (T(a)) included 35.0 (control), 32.5, 30.0 and 27.5 degrees C. Survival decreased significantly under constant cold conditions. Non-survivors averaged 33% weight loss, but survivor weight dropped with increasing dose and decreasing T(a). Control quail at all temperatures maintained a constant body temperature (T(b)); however, T(b) of dosed quail fell with increasing dose and decreasing T(a). Non-surviving cold stressed quail had higher cholinesterase (ChE) activity that non-survivors at 35 degrees C; in addition, dead quail failed to average the 50% inhibition of ChE used to implicate a ChE depressant in death. Daily exposure of quail to 12 h of warmth increased survival. Survivors of intermittent cold stress experienced less weight loss than constant cold survivors due to reduced metabolic costs. Synergistic effects were evident in juvenile northern bobwhite exposed simultaneously to chlorpyrifos and cold stress; however, mortality and certain sublethal effects were mitigated when cold exposure was intermittent.
Ethanol-induced changes in membrane ATPases: inhibition by iron chelation.

Abstract The effect of chronic ethanol intake, with and without an iron chelator, on the activity of rat membrane ATPases was investigated. Using the intragastric feeding model, male Wistar rats (250 g) were fed a liquid diet and ethanol for 1 month. In control pair-fed animals, ethanol was isocalorically replaced by dextrose. In addition to the above groups, two groups of animals (dextrose or ethanol-fed) also received an oral iron chelator (1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-one, L 1 ) (25 mg/kg/day for 30 days). The blood ethanol levels were maintained between 150 and 300 mg/dL. Red cells were washed immediately with ice-cold saline, membranes were prepared, and ATPases were measured. The mean Ca 24+ pump ATPase in animals fed ethanol was lower than in dextrose-fed controls. In contrast, Na + /K + pump ATPase was enhanced following chronic ethanol treatment. The addition of 1 1 ) to the diet prevented the changes in both the Ca 2+ -ATPase and Na + /K + -ATPase in ethanol-fed rats. Although the exact mechanism for the prevention of changes in ATPase activity by L 1 is unknown, it is not a result of non-specific interaction between the chelator and membranes. Incubation of purified membranes with different concentrations of L 1 for 60 min at 37° had no effect on the activity of the ATPase. In conclusion, chronic intake of ethanol specifically inhibited Ca 2+ pump ATPase and enhanced Na + /K + -ATPase in rat red blood cell membranes. The iron chelator, L 1 , corrected both of these ethanol-induced changes.
Neonatal DNA methylation patterns associate with gestational age

Risk for adverse neonatal outcome increases with declining gestational age (GA), and changes in DNA methylation may contribute to the relationship between GA and adverse health outcomes in offspring. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the association between GA and more than 27,000 CpG sites in neonatal DNA extracted from umbilical cord blood from two prospectively-characterized cohorts: (1) a discovery cohort consisting of 259 neonates from women with a history of neuropsychiatric disorders and (2) a replication cohort consisting of 194 neonates of uncomplicated mothers. GA was determined by obstetrician report and maternal last menstrual period. The associations between proportion of DNA methylated and GA were evaluated by fitting a separate linear mixed effects model for each CpG site, adjusting for relevant covariates including neonatal sex, race, parity, birth weight percentile and chip effects. CpG sites in 39 genes were associated with GA (false discovery rate < 0.05) in the discovery cohort. The same CpG sites in 25 of these genes replicated in the replication cohort, with each association replicating in the same direction. Notably, these CpG sites were located in genes previously implicated in labor and delivery (e.g., AVP, OXT, CRHBP and ESR1) or that may influence the risk for adverse health outcomes later in life (e.g., DUOX2, TMEM176A and CASP8). All associations were independent of method of delivery or induction of labor. These results suggest neonatal DNA methylation varies with GA even in term deliveries. The potential contribution of these changes to clinically significant postnatal outcomes warrants further investigation.
An Optical Method For Surface Curvature Testing

Inspection and measurement of surface quality play increasingly an important role in most machining and polishing processes. A typical example is the manufacturing of magnetic disks. The quality of a disk file essentially depends on the surface flatness of the substrate material. For many measurement aspects largearea topography variations are of less interest than high local changes of slope and curvature of the surface to be tested. Mathematically, the surface curvature is expressed as the second derivative of the profile function of the substrate, while the first derivative is known as the slope. Rapid local variations of the slope, that means high curvature values, cause high vertical accelerations of the magnetic head flying over the disk surface in fractions of a micrometer flight-height. Such irregularities of the substrate in the azimuthal disk direction would lead to uncontrolled fluctuations of the air gap between disk and head causing an attenuation of the write/read signal, to head vibrations, or even to a direct contact of the head with the disk (head crash). In the radial direction, the high-speed radial positioning of the head by voice coil driven motors also may cause a head crash at high local changes of the disk slope. Limits of the tolerable head accelerations, found by experience and theoretically by calculations, are listed in manufacturing specifications. For a fast, large area disk quality inspection and evaluation, a compact and highly sensitive measuring method has been developed. A testing tool based on this method displays the test area superimposed with a clear fringe pattern on a TV screen. The fringe pattern represents the surface curvature. From this, both components of the disk curvature, the azimuthal as well as the radial component, can be measured. Coherent optical interference and Moire techniques are the basic principles of the method providing the fringe pattern of the surface area under test. Each fringe interconnects locations of equal surface slopes. Consecutive, iso-slope fringes differ by a constant angular slope increment. The lateral spacing between adjacent iso-slope fringes - or generally the density of fringes - is proportional to the second derivative of the profile function of the disk and thus related to its radius of curvature. Therefore, the map of fringes indicates the areas of low and high head accelerations.
Reactive sintering of Ni3Al under compression

Abstract Reactive sintering of Ni3Al was performed with uniaxial compressive stresses ranging from 0 to 120 MPa, using elemental powders with the stoichiometric composition preheated to 620°C in a vacuum of 7 × 10−3 Pa. It was shown that both compressive stress and heat flow strongly affected the reaction process and, hence, the structure and density of reaction-sintered products. Without compression, reaction-sintered products had a relative density up to 98% and were mainly composed of Ni3Al with uniformly distributed fine pores and large shrinkage cavities located in the center. Green density has little effect on densification. There was no effect from a compressive stress when it was applied to specimens after the onset of the self-sustaining reaction. When a green compact self-ignited under a pre-loaded compressive stress (50 MPa), a highly densified product (relative density as much as 99.3%) was obtained. In addition, the product, which was composed of Ni3Al, NiAl and Ni, did not contain large shrinkage cavities. A detailed description of the entire reaction process is given on the basis of electron probe microanalyses and thermodynamic considerations.
Destruction of State and Society in Somalia: Beyond the Tribal Convention

One of the casualties of the gruesome nightmare that is gripping Somalia has been the capacity to think historically and systematically about the nature of the malady, and to find practical ways of controlling the present in order to build a more sustainable future. As explained by Ahmed Samatar: ‘the fullness of understanding a given situation is [not] coterminous with the immediate and experiential.Rather, any visible elements of a particular reality are usually signals that other more discrete factors could be at work’. For far too long, those opposed to Siyad Barre's regime refused to go beyond the General and his constellation of clients to identify ‘the enemy’. Their unwillingness to engage in any hard-headed analysis and their hostility to critical scholarship has undoubtedly helped to condemn the very people they ‘wanted’ to liberate.
The validity of using patient self-report to assess psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia

Brief, reliable and valid measures of psychosis can be very useful in both clinical practice and research, and for identifying unmet treatment needs in persons with schizophrenia. This study examines the concurrent validity and receiver operating characteristics of the psychosis scale of the Revised Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-R). The study was conducted with 71 adults with schizophrenia who were randomly sampled from a large mental health clinic. Study participants at the West Los Angeles Veterans Healthcare Center were assessed using the BASIS-R, a subjective, self-report measure, and the UCLA Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), a clinician-rated measure administered by highly trained research staff. The psychosis scale of the BASIS-R shows good concurrent validity with the psychosis items on the BPRS. Using the BPRS as the gold standard for measuring psychosis, receiver operating characteristics suggest that both the weighted and unweighted versions of the BASIS-R psychosis scale adequately identify psychosis that is moderate or greater or severe. The performance of the two versions was similar. Unweighted scores are easier to calculate, and we therefore recommend cutoff scores based on the unweighted BASIS-R. We identified a cutoff score of 0.5 to best detect moderate or greater psychosis, and a cutoff score of 1.0 to best detect severe or extremely severe psychosis. The BASIS-R has potential as an assessment tool and screening instrument in schizophrenia.
Vision-guided navigation using SHOSLIF

This paper presents an unconventional approach to vision-guided autonomous navigation. The system recalls information about scenes and navigational experience using content-based retrieval from a visual database. To achieve a high applicability to various road types, we do not impose a priori scene features, such as road edges, that the system must use, but rather, the system automatically derives features from images during supervised learning. To accomplish this, the system uses principle component analysis and linear discriminant analysis to automatically derive the most expressive features (MEF) for scene reconstruction or the most discriminating features (MDF) for scene classification. These features best describe or classify the population of the scenes and approximate complex decision regions using piecewise linear boundaries up to a desired accuracy. A new self-organizing scheme called recursive partition tree (RPT) is used for automatic construction of a vision-and-control database, which quickly prunes the data set in the content-based search and results in a low time complexity of O(log(n)) for retrieval from a database of size n. The system combines principle component and linear discriminant analysis networks with a decision tree network. It has been tested on a mobile robot, Rome, in an unknown indoor environment to learn scenes and the associated navigation experience. In the performing phase, the mobile robot navigates autonomously in similar environments, while allowing the presence of scene perturbations such as the presence of passersby.
Characterization of fluid-flow resistance in root cultures with a convective flow tubular bioreactor

Agrobacterium transformed root cultures of Hyoscyamus muticus were grown in a recirculating 2 L tubular bioreactor system. Performance of this convective flow reactor (CFR) was compared to a bubble column (BC) reactor of the same geometry: replicated CFR experiments produced an average tissue concentration of 556 ± 4 grams fresh weight per liter in 30 d whereas the bubble column produced only 328 ± 5 grams per liter corresponding to 25.3 ± 0.0 and 14.3 ± 0.5 grams dry weight per liter, respectively. Because media nutrient levels were maintained sufficiently high to saturate growth rate, the improved performance of the CFR is attributed to enhanced convective mass transfer. The pressure drops observed for flow through roots grown within the reactors were more than an order of magnitude higher than previously obtained by placing roots grown in shake culture into defined geometries. The experimentally observed flow resistance was much higher than would be predicted from correlations using the root diameter as the characteristic diameter for flow resistance. Several lines of evidence suggest that root hairs are a substantial contributor to the observed high flow resistance in these transformed root cultures. Pressure drop increased nonlinearly with velocity which could not be adequately described by a modified form of the Ergun equation. Kyan et al's (1970) equation, although predicting such curvature, relies almost exclusively on an empirical packing deflection term to describe the hydrodynamic behavior. Implications of these results to the design of submerged reactor systems for root culture are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 60: 375–384, 1998.
Definitive irradiation in multidisciplinary management of localized Ewing sarcoma family of tumors in pediatric patients: outcome and prognostic factors.

Abstract Purpose To assess the effect of radiation dose on local tumor control of the Ewing sarcoma family of tumors in 79 patients with localized disease treated at a single institution. Methods and materials Thirty-seven patients received vincristine, actinomycin D, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin, and 42 received vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide, with alternating cycles of ifosfamide and etoposide; all underwent definitive radiotherapy (median dose, 37.5 Gy) with either low-dose ( Results The cumulative incidence of local treatment failure at 10 years was 30.4% and that of disease recurrence was 40%. The overall survival rate was 64.5%. Patient age ≥14 years and tumor size ≥8 cm were adverse prognostic factors for local treatment failure; patient age ≥14 years was also associated with worse survival. Although the radiation dose alone did not predict for local treatment failure, the cumulative incidence of local failure at 10 years was 19% when tumors p = 0.084). Conclusion Tumor size and patient age predict for local tumor control in patients with Ewing sarcoma family of tumors treated with systemic therapy and definitive radiotherapy. Patients treated with reduced-dose radiotherapy experienced unacceptably high rates of local recurrence.
Dealkylation of Coenzyme B12 and Related Organocobalamins: Ligand Structural Effects on Rates and Mechanisms of Hydrolysis

Rates and mechanisms of dealkylations of coenzyme B12, Ado-B12, and of five related organocobalamin compounds, including 2‘,5‘-dideoxyadenosyl, 3‘,5‘-dideoxyadenosyl, 2‘,3‘,5‘-trideoxyadenosyl, 1,5-dideoxyribofuranosyl, and tetrahydrofurfuryl complexes (2‘dAdo-B12, 3‘dAdo-B12, 2‘,3‘ddAdo-B12, 1dRF-B12, and THFF-B12, respectively), were determined in acidic solutions. In each case, competitive homolytic and acid-induced hydrolytic cobalt−carbon bond decomposition pathways were identified. Two mechanisms were observed for Co−C bond hydrolysis: the first, involving initial depurination followed by elimination from an organometallic intermediate, predominates for 2‘dAdo-B12 and 2‘,3‘-ddAdoB12; the second path, involving ring-opening protonation at the ribofuranosyl oxygen, analogous to hydrolyses of simple β-hydroxy and β-alkoxy complexes, predominates for the other four complexes. The rates of both hydrolysis pathways exhibited a marked dependence on the ligand functional groups. Ado-B12, the most substitut...
EXISTENCE, UNIQUENESS, AND STABILITY OF SOLUTIONS TO CHANDRASEKAR'S INTEGRODIFFERENTIAL EQUATION FOR X AND Y FUNCTIONS.

Abstract A generalization of the initial value integrodifferential equations of Chandrasekar for X and Y functions is investigated. The generalization includes the equations of numerical interest in which integrals are replaced by a Gaussian quadrature. Local existence and uniqueness is proven for a broad class of initial conditions. Questions of global existence, solution boundedness and Liapunov stability are resolved for general positive initial conditions. Solutions corresponding to the “nonconservative case” in radiative transfer problems are shown to be stable; those corresponding to the “conservative case” are shown to be unstable.
Growth regulator from spinal cord: produced in cultures of glial cells.

Abstract Spinal cord cell cultures produced a regulatory factor which inhibited myogenesis. After serial passage (× 3) production of this factor continued as neuronal cells disappeared and large, pale polygonal cells rich in cytoplasmic microfilaments with morphology of astrocyte precursors became predominant. These glial cells responded to dibutyryl cyclic AMP by assuming a star-shaped appearance with multiple, radiating cytoplasmic processes. Cultures active in production of the growth regulator also produced nonneuronal-type enolase and glutamine synthetase. It is suggested that the growth regulator is produced by astrocytic glia in culture.
Alkaline scale formation in boiling sea water brines

Abstract A laboratory method for the study of alkaline scale is described. Evaporator conditions are easily simulated in experiments of relatively short duration (5 hours). Reproducible results have been achieved by chemical analysis for total scale which consisted of mixtures of calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide. Experiments with natural sea water show the amount and composition of alkaline scale to be a function of temperature, brine concentration, bicarbonate ion concentration, and flow conditions through the evaporator. The transition between calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide was shown to be influenced by factors other than temperature. A new mechanism for alkaline scale formation is proposed in this paper. The first step involves a unimolecular breakdown of bicarbonate ion to form hydroxide ion. This concept is in disagreement with the generally accepted mechanism described in the literature.
On: From Psychical Treatment to Psychoanalysis

Dear Editors,In connection with the paper, From psychical treatment to psychoanalysis (IJP 89:827–43, 2008) by the late eminent Freud scholar Gerhard Fichtner, a friend for many years, I would like...
The Risks of Overfishing

On page 517 of this issue, Costello et al. ( 1 ) paint a dismal picture of the state of the world's fisheries. The authors report that globally, the vast majority of exploited fish populations have been depleted to abundance levels well below those recommended by conventional management guidance. Of even greater concern, most species are on a continuing trajectory of decline. These insights were gleaned from analyses of data from previously unassessed fish populations. These poorly understood fisheries, which represent about 80% of the world's fish catch, are in much worse shape than the relatively well-studied fisheries on which previous global status reviews have relied ( 2 , 3 ).
Approximate Gaussian representation of evolution equations. I: Single degree of freedom nonlinear equations

We have developed a generalization of the method of statistical linearization to enable us to describe transient and other nonstationary phenomena obeying stochastic nonlinear differential equations. This approximation technique provides an optimal Gaussian representation with time-dependent parameters. The algorithm specifies a set of ordinary differential equations for the Gaussian parameters in terms of the time-dependent average nonlinearities. We apply the general formalism developed herein for single degree of freedom dissipative systems to a particular example.
Dense flow visualization using wave interference

Dense flow visualization and streamlines are among the most popular methods in numerous applications of scientific visualization. Because very few works synthesize the benefits of these approaches into one framework, we propose a hybrid technique. In this work, we present a novel method of dense flow visualization that produces high contrast images (typical of streamline approaches), with manageable spatial frequency. We begin by introducing a notion of a streamline thickness function and thickness wave sources, and then compute the resulting image as a coherent wave interference pattern. We show that this problem is equivalent to finding the dominant eigenvector of a sparse matrix and employ the power iterations numerical scheme to demonstrate an efficient parallel implementation. We conclude by discussing possible quality improvement strategies and extensions of our method to other domains, including 3D flows.
Enthalpy of fusion and cryoscopic constant of N-methylacetamide

Abstract In view of a discrepancy in the literature, the enthalpy of fusion of N-methylacetamide has been redetermined. The value obtained is (31.78±0.16) cal g−1. The cryoscopic constant calculated from this result is (5.77±0.02) K kg mol−1.
First metatarsophalangeal arthrodesis for treatment of hallux rigidus: a retrospective study.

This was a retrospective study of 17 patients (21 operated feet) treated with first metatarsophalangeal arthrodesis for hallux rigidus of varying severity levels. Patients were evaluated according to a modified American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society hallux metatarsophalangeal-interphalangeal rating scale containing 60 subjective and 30 objective points. At an average follow-up time of 28.1 months, patients demonstrated a mean subjective improvement from 21.2 to 47.8/60, with mean total scores improving from 39.1 to 75.6/90. A comparison of pre- and postoperative radiographic angular measurements demonstrated a significant improvement (p = .001) in intermetatarsal, first metatarsal declination, and lateral talo-first metatarsal angles. Significant positive correlations were found between subjective results and patient age (p = .05) and the preoperative lateral talo-first metatarsal angles (p = .001).
Live Birth from Previously Vitrified Oocytes, After Trophectoderm Biopsy, Revitrification, and Transfer of a Euploid Blastocyst

Our objective is to describe a successful live birth from oocyte vitrification followed by thaw, fertilization, blastocyst culture, trophectoderm biopsy, vitrification, and subsequent thaw. Fifteen mature oocytes were frozen from a patient with uterine factor infertility. Thirteen oocytes survived the thaw, and five underwent trophectoderm biopsy and were refrozen. Three euploid embryos were obtained. A single euploid embryo was transferred in the second thaw cycle to a known recipient leading to the delivery of a normal male infant. This case report is proof of the concept that preimplantation screening and diagnosis is an option for fertility preservation patients.
Waldenström macroglobulinaemia and IgM monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: emerging understanding of a potential precursor condition

Previously thought to be best described as a plasma cell disorder, Waldenstrom macroglobulinaemia (WM) is now understood to be a distinct clinicobiological entity. WM shares B-cell origin and certain other features with both chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma (MM). WM and CLL arise from B-cells at discrete stages in their maturation process, and MM arises from B-cells that have fully differentiated into plasma cells. While MM has a well-known precursor condition, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), CLL and WM may also have associated precursor states, monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) and IgM MGUS, respectively. This review explores the features that link or distinguish these haematolymphoid malignancies, with special attention to emerging data regarding IgM MGUS and its unique relationship to WM, and identifies important gaps in our understanding of the putative precursor conditions, MBL and IgM MGUS.
RAPIDS: a radiology patient information data system for mammography

At the University of Florida, billing and results reporting are done through the Radiology Information System, and the radiologists needed software to meet the ACR requirements and to keep track of data on needle localizations and implants. Prior to this project all data were kept manually on paper and using various non-integrated software packages.
Global solutions for small data to the Hele-Shaw problem

The authors analyse an equation governing the motion of an interface between two fluids in a pressure field. In two dimensions, the interface is described by a conformal mapping which is analytic in the exterior of the unit disc. This mapping obeys a non-local nonlinear equation. When there is no pumping at infinity, there is conservation of area and contraction of the length of the interface. They prove global in time existence for small analytic perturbations of the circle as well as nonlinear asymptotic stability of the steady circular solution. The same method yields well-posedness of the Cauchy problem in the presence of pumping.
Pregnancy and low back pain

Back pain is ubiquitous in today’s society and is particularly common during pregnancy. There are multiple factors contributing to these symptoms during pregnancy including pelvic changes as well as alterations to loading. Potential imaging modalities are limited during pregnancy due to the desire to limit ionizing radiation exposure to the fetus. Treatments are generally conservative, exercise-based interventions and alternative modalities may also be considered. Low back pain associated with pregnancy does generally resolve postpartum.
Thermomechanics of shallow magma chamber pressurization: Implications for the assessment of ground deformation data at active volcanoes

Abstract In this study, we utilize thermomechanical models to investigate how magma chambers overpressurize as the result of either magmatic recharge or volatile exsolution. By implementing an adaptive reservoir boundary condition we are able to track how overpressure dissipates as the magma chamber expands to accommodate internal volume changes. We find that the size of the reservoir greatly impacts the resultant magma chamber overpressure. In particular, overpressure estimates for small to moderate-sized reservoirs (1–10 km 3 ) are up to 70% lower than previous analytical predictions. We apply our models to Santorini volcano in Greece where recent seismic activity and ground deformation observations suggested the potential for eruption. The incorporation of an adaptive boundary condition reproduces Mogi flux estimates and suggests that the magma reservoir present at Santorini may be quite large. Furthermore, model results suggest that if the magma chamber is >100 km 3 , overpressures generated due to the high magma flux may not exceed the strength of the host rock, thus requiring an additional triggering mechanism for eruption. Although the adaptive boundary condition approach does not calculate the internal evolution of the magma reservoir, it represents a fundamental step forward from elastic Mogi models and fixed boundary solutions on which future investigations of the evolution of the magma can be built.
Effects of water temperature and flavoring on voluntary dehydration in men.

Effects of water temperature and flavoring on fluid consumption and body weight losses were studied in fourteen unacclimatized men (21-33 years) during 6 hr of treadmill exercise (4.8 km.hr-1, 5% grade for 30 min.hr-1) in a hot environment. Subjects consumed each of four beverages (15 degrees C water, 40 degrees C water, 15 degrees C flavored water, and 40 degrees C flavored water) on four nonconsecutive days. We identified two groups of individuals by body weight (BW) loss during the cool water trial: drinkers (D) who lost less than 2% initial BW (0.80 +/- 0.15%) and reluctant drinkers (RD) who lost more than 2% (2.53 +/- 0.12%). Although sweat losses were not different between the two groups, D consumed 31% more cool water than RD and experienced 68% less BW loss. Compared to the warm water trial, 6 hr consumption of cool water was significantly increased in both D (59%) and RD (141%) and BW loss was dramatically reduced in both groups. Flavoring significantly enhanced warm water consumption and reduced BW loss in RD only. Reduced consumption of warm water increased rectal temperature, heart rate and plasma osmolality in both groups. The results of this study indicate that either flavoring or cooling warm water will enhance fluid intake and reduce body weight deficits in men reluctant to drink.
A rotating-magnet based wireless electrical power transfer for biomedical implants

Transformer-based inductively coupled near-field wireless links have been extensively studied in the past three decades as a means of transferring power to implanted biomedical devices. Even with deliberative optimizations, the reported maximum transferred power is limited to 275 mW over 1-cm[1]. In this paper, a novel wireless power transfer link is described that uses a rotating magnet to transfer power. The rotating-magnet-based power transfer link is able to deliver 678 mW over a 1-cm distance wirelessly. The advantages of this new method are briefly analyzed by comparing with the existing transformer-based power transfer links.