cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adenosquamous carcinoma arising in a mucinous cystadenoma of the pancreas.

Background Approximately 500 cystic neoplasms of the pancreas have been reported, and among these the mucinous pancreatic cystadenomas are known to have malignant potential. We report a rare case of a mucinous cystadenoma containing adenosquamous carcinoma. Methods We studied the histochemical and immunohistochemical staining characteristics of the tumor by staining with hematoxylin/eosin, Alcian Blue/Periodic Acid Schiff, and with immunoperoxidase-labelled antibodies against carcinoembryonic antigen, epithelial membrane antigen, low and high molecular weight cytokeratins, the proliferation antigen Ki-67, and the tumor suppressor antigen p-53. The K-ras oncogene was analyzed by direct sequencing. Results This case illustrates the usual presentation and features of this unusual tumor—a middle aged woman with abdominal pain and no history of alcohol abuse or abdominal trauma. The mucinous cystic tumor of her pancreas was composed predominantly of benign epithelium with areas of a malignant component that were identified by thorough sampling. Conclusion We discuss the nomenclature of these neoplasms and suggest that continuing efforts to subclassify mucinous cystic pancreatic tumors histologically may not be necessary, since the tumors are all histologically similar and are malignant or have malignant potential, and for all, treatment should include resection. J. Surg. Oncol. 64:159–162 © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Making connections through texts in language teaching

Language is not just a tool for communication. It is also a resource for creative thought, a framework for understanding the world, a key to new knowledge and human history, and a source of pleasure and inspiration. The Connections Standard is about linking language and literature study to other disciplines (for example, art, music, film, history, among others) and about getting students to experience unique viewpoints available only through a particular language and its cultures. This presentation will argue for the importance of analyzing texts (written, oral, visual, audio-visual) in language teaching. The goal is to give students the chance to position themselves in relation to distinct viewpoints and distinct cultures and to make connections between language and other symbolic ways of making meaning, connections between language and other disciplines, and connections between language and culture. These connections are not easy to make, but they are essential if we are to prepare our students for the broadest range of language use and allow them to achieve their full communicative potential.
Enhanced erosion of tungsten plasma-facing components subject to simultaneous heat pulses and deuterium plasma

Abstract When an ELM occurs in tokamaks, up to 30% of the pedestal energy can be deposited on the wall of the tokamak causing heating and material loss due to sublimation/evaporation and melt layer splashing of plasma-facing components (PFCs) and expansion of the ejected material into the plasma. A short-pulse laser system capable of reproducing the thermal load of an ELM heat pulse has been integrated into the existing PFC research program in PISCES, a laboratory facility capable of reproducing plasma-materials interactions expected during normal operation of large tokamaks. An Nd:YAG laser capable of delivering up to 1 J of energy over a 7 ns pulsewidth is used for the experiments. Laser heat pulse only, H+/D+ plasma only, and laser plus plasma experiments were conducted and initial results indicate enhanced erosion of tungsten exposed to simultaneous plasma and heat pulses, as compared to exposure to separate plasma-only or heat pulse-only conditions.
Use of the continuous slope-area method to estimate runoff in a network of ephemeral channels, southeast Arizona, USA

The continuous slope-area (CSA) method is an innovative gaging method for indirect computation of complete-event discharge hydrographs that can be applied when direct measurement methods are unsafe, impractical, or impossible to apply. This paper reports on use of the method to produce event-specific discharge hydrographs in a network of sand-bedded ephemeral stream channels in southeast Arizona, USA, for water year 2008. The method provided satisfactory discharge estimates for flows that span channel banks, and for moderate to large flows, with about 10–16% uncertainty, respectively for total flow volume and peak flow, as compared to results obtained with an alternate method. Our results also suggest that the CSA method may be useful for estimating runoff of small flows, and during recessions, but with increased uncertainty.
Constraints on supernovae dimming from photon-pseudoscalar coupling

An alternative mechanism that dims high redshift supernovae without cosmic acceleration utilizes an oscillation of photons into a pseudoscalar particle during transit. Since angular diameter distance measures are immune to the loss of photons, this ambiguity in interpretation can be resolved by combining CMB acoustic peak measurements with the recent baryon oscillation detection in galaxy power spectra. This combination excludes a nonaccelerating dark energy species at the 4{sigma} level regardless of the level of the pseudoscalar coupling. While solutions still exist with substantial noncosmological dimming of supernovae, they may be tested with future improvement in baryon oscillation experiments.
The Role of Coupled Positive Feedback in the Expression of the SPI1 Type Three Secretion System in Salmonella

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a common food-borne pathogen that induces inflammatory diarrhea and invades intestinal epithelial cells using a type three secretion system (T3SS) encoded within Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI1). The genes encoding the SPI1 T3SS are tightly regulated by a network of interacting transcriptional regulators involving three coupled positive feedback loops. While the core architecture of the SPI1 gene circuit has been determined, the relative roles of these interacting regulators and associated feedback loops are still unknown. To determine the function of this circuit, we measured gene expression dynamics at both population and single-cell resolution in a number of SPI1 regulatory mutants. Using these data, we constructed a mathematical model of the SPI1 gene circuit. Analysis of the model predicted that the circuit serves two functions. The first is to place a threshold on SPI1 activation, ensuring that the genes encoding the T3SS are expressed only in response to the appropriate combination of environmental and cellular cues. The second is to amplify SPI1 gene expression. To experimentally test these predictions, we rewired the SPI1 genetic circuit by changing its regulatory architecture. This enabled us to directly test our predictions regarding the function of the circuit by varying the strength and dynamics of the activating signal. Collectively, our experimental and computational results enable us to deconstruct this complex circuit and determine the role of its individual components in regulating SPI1 gene expression dynamics.
Price-ending practices and cultural differences in the food service industry: a study of Taiwanese restaurants

Menu price endings communicate more than economic worth. Restaurateurs encourage consumers to attribute intrinsic meaning to specific price endings, such as quality and value, but these derived meanings are not universally accepted. This study indicates that Taiwanese restaurateurs use price-ending digits in varying frequencies and may attribute different meanings to menu price-ending digits compared to US restaurateurs. For instance, digit 4 is perceived as a negative number and rarely used for price-ending purposes by the Taiwanese. Although digit 8 is perceived as a lucky number, it is used less frequently than digits 0 and 5. There is an emerging trend to use digit 9 as a price-ending choice in the quick service restaurant (QSR) segment indicating adoption of Western pricing practices. In spite of widespread westernization, the Taiwanese still hold many traditional cultural beliefs that affect their pricing strategies. Food production methods have remained largely traditional, although there is an emerging trend to adopt Western methods in the QSR segment.
The pharyngeal bone musculature of the carp, Cyprinus carpio.

The carp, Cyprinus carpio, was found to have eight pairs of muscles inserting on the pharyngeal bones. These were the levator arcus branchialis V, retractor os pharyngeus superioris, retractor os pharyngeus inferioris, cleithropharyngeus superficialis, cleithropharyngeus profundus, coracobranchialis posterior, transversus ventralis V and subarcualis rectus communis. Complete morphological descriptions of the muscles are given along with relevant osteological information. The pharyngeal muscles function in mastication by moving the bones and their attached teeth against the chewing pad so that crushing and grinding of food occurs during occlusion. In addition, certain pharyngeal bone muscles enlarge the lumen of the posterior pharynx thereby admitting food to the region of the teeth and chewing pad. The homologies of some of these muscles are considered along with the historical details pertinent to the establishment of a suitable nomenclature for the pharyngeal bone muscles.
Reading Like a Historian: A Document-Based History Curriculum Intervention in Urban High Schools

Enthusiasm about the instructional potential of primary sources dates to the late nineteenth century and has been echoed recently in the work of literacy experts, historians, and educational psychologists. Yet, no extended intervention study has been undertaken to test the effectiveness of primary source instruction in real history classrooms. This study, with 236 11th-grade students in five San Francisco high schools, represented the first extended curriculum intervention in disciplinary reading in an urban district. The Reading Like a Historian (RLH) curriculum constituted a radical departure from traditional textbook-driven instruction by using a new activity structure, the “Document-Based Lesson,” in which students used background knowledge to interrogate, and then reconcile, historical accounts from multiple texts. A quasi-experiment control design measured the effects of a 6-month intervention on four dimensions: (a) students’ historical thinking; (b) their ability to transfer historical thinking st...
U.S. Long-term coastal contaminant temporal trends determined from mollusk monitoring programs, 1965–1993

Abstract Data from four large-scale programs that monitored chemical concentrations in marine mollusks were assembled to determine long-term trends in U.S. coastal waters. The programs were the 1965–1972 national Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitoring project, the EPA ‘Mussel Watch’ Program of 1976–1978, the ongoing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Mussel Watch Project that began in 1986, and the ongoing State of California's Mussel Watch Program that began in 1977. When concentrations from the four projects were evaluated together at common sites, decreasing national trends were found for PCBs, DDT and its metabolites, and dieldrin. When data from three of the four large-scale monitoring projects were evaluated for trace elements, decreasing trends were found for lead, cadmium, and silver. For copper, decreasing and increasing trends were approximately equal except for California where at five sites increasing trends were indicated. No trends were found for PAHs, nickel or zinc concentrations.
Penile implant success in patients with corporal fibrosis using multiple incisions and minimal scar tissue excision.

Abstract Objectives. To establish the efficacy of “minimal scar tissue excision” in the treatment of penile fibrosis. Methods. Thirty-four patients with extensive penile fibrosis who underwent placement of penile implant from October 1989 to April 1998 were evaluated by a chart review of the patient’s follow-up data. Function of the implant was evaluated at follow-up visits. The follow-up ranged from 4 to 84 months (mean 23.7, median 22). All patients had undergone minimal scar tissue excision of the fibrous tissue in the penis. Results. All patients underwent successful introduction of the penile implant, and in no patient was the procedure abandoned because of technical difficulty. Intraoperatively, 1 patient developed a tear in the crus. It was not recognized during the initial operation but was repaired at a subsequent date by Gore-Tex grafting. The Uniflate prosthesis of another patient failed 2 years after the initial surgery and was replaced with the Mentor alpha-1 implant. None of the patients developed infection. All the patients had a functioning implant at the time of last review. Conclusions. Minimal scar tissue excision is a safe and effective method in the management of extensive penile fibrosis.
Tracking in the United States : descriptive statistics from NELS

Abstract Although there is a general sense among educational researchers that the practice of ability grouping is widespread, national descriptive statistics on the subject are scarce. This note presents data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 that suggest a sizeable majority of 8th and 10th grade students are tracked. Also, it is found that informal tracking patterns in the 8th grade and 10th grade seem to be broadly similar. Lastly, we note that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, blacks, and Hispanics are more likely to be enrolled in lower track classes and less likely to be in upper track classes.
Problem-solving cancer care education for patients and caregivers.

Purpose: A program evaluation was conducted to explore the potential effects of a 90-minute problem-solving education session for persons with advanced cancer and their families. Description of program: Patients with advanced cancer and their families, who were visiting a tertiary-care outpatient setting, were invited to attend a 90-minute individualized educational session that taught basic problem-solving principles using a cognitive-behavioral framework. Pre-education and posteducation data were collected about the confidence of participants in providing care, their feelings about being informed about resources, and their perceptions of their problem-solving ability. Results: At baseline, most participants reported low confidence about their ability to provide cancer care and felt uninformed about community resources, but they viewed themselves as moderate-to-good problem solvers. Forty-two educational sessions were delivered to 49 caregivers and 40 patients. Two months later, participants reported feeling more informed about community resources and achieved higher posteducation scores for problem-solving ability. More caregivers than patients reported that reading The Home Care Guide for Cancer made a great deal of difference in their approach to home care. Clinical implications: Most educational sessions for families affected by cancer focus on delivering information, not on building skills. These findings suggest that a one-on-one educational session that teaches problem-solving skills can be successfully delivered in a busy clinic setting. Family caregivers are especially likely to benefit from this program.
Men and Nostalgia for Violence: Culture and Culpability in Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club

Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club (1997) addresses the identity crisis of white, heterosexual, American men in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, interrogating a paradoxical cultural environment that makes heroes of aggressive men while debasing aggressive impulses. The novel exposes contradictions within culture that obscure and confound masculinity, prompting, among men, a nostalgia for displaced traditions.
THE MANEGAON DIOGENITE

A new analysis of the Manegaon hypersthene achondrite is presented and compared with the other eight known falls of this class.
Improved reproducibility of left atrial and left ventricular measurements by guided three-dimensional echocardiography.

Abstract Objectives. The objective of this study was to determine whether guided three-dimensional echocardiography could improve the reproducibility of left atrial and left ventricular anteroposterior measurements over that of standard unguided twodimensional echocardiography. Background. Although these measurements are standard indexes for evaluating chamber size, their use is limited by significant interobserver variability largely due to variable image plane positioning. To improve measurement accuracy and reproducibility, we have developed a three-dimensional echocardiograph that displays the line of intersection of the real-time image with a previously saved orthogonal reference image. This display shows the relation of the real-time image to anatomic landmarks in its third, nonvisualized dimension and may be used to guide image positioning. Methods. Three pairs of operators independently performed unguided two-dimensional and guided three-dimensional examinations on three groups of 10 patients each. The left atrium was measured in a piane through the inferior surface of the aortic cusps and the left ventricle in a plane perpendicular to its long axis 1 cm below the mitral leaflet tips. Interobserver variability of these measurements on unguided parasternal long-axis images and on guided short-axis images was assessed. Results. The standard ungnided two-dimensional examination was associated with an interobserver variability of 14.6% and 9.1% for atrial and ventricular measurements, respectively. Guided three-dimensional echocardiography significantly reduced interobserver variability to 5.0% and 3.1%, respectively, for the same measurements (p Conclusions. Significant interobserver variability occurs with standard unguided two-dimensional echocardiographic measurement of left atrial and left ventricular dimensions. Guided three-dimensional echocardiography achieves a nearly threefold improvement of reproducibility of these measurements and provides the basis for improved serial evaluation and comparison of atrial and ventricular size by different operators.
The role of CREB-H transcription factor in triglyceride metabolism.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Cyclic-AMP-responsive-element-binding protein H (CREB-H) is a transcription factor that is highly and selectively expressed in liver and small intestine. Here I summarize recent findings on the role of CREB-H in lipid metabolism. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies have demonstrated that hepatic CREB-H is transcriptionally activated by fasting, and induces lipid metabolism genes, such as Apoa4, Apoa5, and Apoc2 apolipoproteins which exhibit stimulatory effects on lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Consistent with the essential role of LPL in triglyceride clearance, CREB-H-deficient mice showed hypertriglyceridemia, associated with defective production of these apolipoproteins and decreased LPL activity. DNA sequencing of the CREB3L3 gene (encoding CREB-H) identified multiple nonsynonymous mutations in CREB3L3 in individuals with extreme hypertriglyceridemia. SUMMARY Recent studies uncover a novel function of CREB-H in the regulation of triglyceride metabolism in rodents and humans. In liver and small intestine, CREB-H induces LPL coactivators, Apoa4, Apoa5, and Apoc2 that facilitate triglyceride clearance from plasma.
Contacting mechanical seal design using a simplified hydrostatic model

Abstract While hydrostatic theory of mechanical face seal operation is well understood, there has always been some difficulty in applying this idea to the design of seals that contact. In this paper, a simple mixed friction model of seal load support is formulated. Surface roughness is an essential parameter. Mechanical contact load support and hydrostatic load support are both considered. Load support equilibrium is always satisfied. The minimum film thickness and leakage are found. Considering both fluid and mechanical contact friction, the total power consumption is found. The model works equally well for convergent or divergent films. This model is combined with both thermally—caused and pressure—caused radial taper effects using a simple relationship. Using very few algebraic equations, one can solve for the equilibrium operating conditions for practical seals. Design guidelines concenrning balance ratio, presure rotation coefficient, thermal rotation coefficient, and initial taper are developed by studying various nondimensional parameters which arise from this simple model. Typical seal performance is predicted and compared to some experimental data. The model can be easily used by others and provides immediate and practical results for seal design.
Determination of adenine nucleotide levels and adenylate energy charge ratio in two Spartina species

Abstract A method was developed for measuring adenine nucleotide levels in vascular plant tissue and the use of the adenylate energy charge (EC) ratio as a monitor of environmental stress in coastal plant communities. This method, which utilizes bioluminescence resulting from the reaction of ATP with the luciferin—luciferase substrate—enzyme complex, was found to be sensitive, reproducible and suitable for field sampling. Extraction of the adenylates from feeeze-dried tissue in boiling 1 m M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid plus 5% polyvinylpolypyrrolidone solution yielded the highest ATP levels and recovery rates (98, 97 and 89% of added ATP, ADP and AMP, respectively) of the extraction solutions and extractant modifications tested. Sources of variation due to sampling, storage of tissue, extraction and analysis of the adenine nucleotides, and natural changes in the environment were examined in two ecologically important salt-marsh macrophytes, Spartina alterniflora Loisel. and Spartina patens (Aiton) Muhl. Also, the relatively greater stress associated with low-productivity inland Spartina marshes compared to high-productivity streamside sites was correctly delineated by the EC ratio methodology.
A rare foreshock sequence of the 20 January 2007 Odaesan, Korea, earthquake to measure the existence of preseismic velocity changes

[1] Dilatancy theory and laboratory studies predict that there may be changes in the velocity of seismic waves in the Earth's crust preceding large earthquakes due to cracks opening up in response to stress changes. These changes, however, have been extremely difficult to find in the field. Because we do not know where or when the next earthquake will strike, often there is not sufficient instrumentation to capture such a signal if it exists with active sources. But natural sources such as repeating earthquakes offer hope of measuring a preseismic signal. To date, however, they have not measured a preseismic signal, perhaps due to insufficient temporal sampling, especially if the signal is short lived. We examine a rare foreshock sequence of nine near-repeating events with fine temporal sampling all occurring within 3 days of the Mw 4.6 main shock with the last event occurring an hour before. The nearest event occurred within 114 m of the main shock hypocenter. This presents a unique opportunity to measure preseismic velocity changes at the depth of the main shock, which is 9.4 km. Because the foreshocks are not exact repeats, slight position differences bias the velocity change measurements. The locations of these events are known precisely, however, which allows for us to correct for these biases by treating the events as a source array, improving the measurement precision by up to an order of magnitude. We observe no apparent preseismic velocity change signal, but we are able to place an upper bound on its existence ranging from 0.01% to 0.08%.
Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Multiple Gestations

Since the first in vitro fertilization infant was born in England in 1978, the practice of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has steadily increased as the technology and success rates have improved. The incidence of multiple gestations has also increased, primarily owing to the practice of transferring multiple embryos during an ART cycle. Guidelines for infertility clinics have been outlined, along with strategies to limit the number of embryos transferred (depending on the age of the patient) to achieve a lower risk of multiple births. Since 1997, a decrease has occurred in the number of embryos transferred and the percentage of gestations with three or more fetuses, accompanied by a steady increase in the percentage of live births per cycle.
Building Biomechanical Models Based on Medical Image Data: An Assessment of Model Accuracy

The goals of this work were to (i) establish a method for building subject-specific biomechanical models from medical image data, (ii) construct a subject-specific model of the elbow, and (iii) quantify the accuracy of soft tissue excursions estimated from the model. We developed a kinematic model of the elbow joint and its surrounding musculature from magnetic resonance images of a 6′4′’ male cadaver specimen in one limb position. Moment arms estimated from the model (i.e., the changes in muscle-tendon lengths with elbow flexion angle) were compared to moment arms measured experimentally from the same specimen. In five of the six muscles studied, the model explained 84%–94% of the variation in the experimental data. Model estimates of peak elbow flexion moment arm were within 13% of the experimental peaks. Our results suggest that subject-specific musculoskeletal models derived from medical image data have the potential to substantially improve estimates of soft tissue excursions in living subjects.
The role of patients' expectations in the development of anticipatory nausea related to chemotherapy for cancer.

Abstract Although anticipatory nausea (AN), which is reported by one-third of patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer, is thought to develop primarily by classical conditioning, response expectancies may also be important. The role of patients' expectations of nausea in the development of AN was examined in 63 female cancer patients receiving their first course of chemotherapy. Twenty women (32%) expected to experience nausea and twelve (19%) reported AN before the third cycle. Pretreatment expectations predicted AN at cycle three (Spearman's r=0.41, P = 0.001). AN developed in 40% of patients who expected nausea, 13% of those who were uncertain whether they would develop it, and no patients who did not expect nausea. Logistic regression indicated that expecting nausea was the strongest predictor (χ2 =13.15; P
Monitoring extra-matrical hyphae of a vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus with an immunofluorescence assay and the soil aggregation technique

Abstract An immunofluorescence assay (IFA) was used to compare the amount of extra-matrical hyphae of the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungus Glomus versiforme (Karst) Berch colonizing seedlings of White Cedar, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murr.) Parl., with different root densities in three soil mixes. Restriction (binding) of the root mass with nylon screening decreased root density and also decreased the density of VAM hyphae detected per root length or per soil volume. Top growth of transplanted seedlings was not affected by root restriction. More VAM fungal external hyphae, determined by IFA and the sand aggregation method, formed in river sand than in silt loam with similar percentages of intraradical VAM colonization. More soil aggregates formed in silt loam than in sand regardless of the presence of VAM fungal hyphae. Depending on experimental design, the aggregation method for estimating VAM external hyphae may be limited to use in sandy soil. IFA reacted specifically with G. versiforme hyphae in mineral soil or sand, but was ineffective in peat soil due to nonspecific staining and autofluorescence of organic matter.
The Pittsburgh STOP Program: Disseminating an Evidence-Informed Intervention for Low-Income Pregnant Smokers

Purpose. Prenatal smoking is a preventable risk factor for poor perinatal outcomes and is more prevalent in pregnant smokers of low socioeconomic status (SES). We describe the intervention model and factors associated with quitting from the Pittsburgh STOP Program, an evidence-informed dissemination intervention for low-SES pregnant smokers. Setting. STOP is delivered in community health care clinics serving economically disadvantaged women. Participants. Participants were 856 pregnant women who were current smokers (93%) and recent quitters (7%). Most were white (59%) or black (35%), single (74%), young (mean age = 25), and experiencing an unplanned pregnancy (84%); 90% were insured by Medicaid/uninsured. Methods. An evidence-informed intervention for community pregnant women was delivered individually in a single-group pre-post evaluation design. Measures were demographics, participation and retention, smoking status, satisfaction, and cost. Analyses included descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Results. Participants attended an average of 4.7 sessions. Dropout rate after the first session was 5%. Over 11% of smokers quit; 48% of preenrollment spontaneous quitters remained abstinent. Factors significantly associated with quitting included race, mother's age, nicotine dependence, and number of sessions attended. Limitations. STOP is a community program with self-selected participants and no control group. Conclusion. Low-income pregnant smokers will engage in an evidence-informed cessation program tailored for this group, with quit rates that compare to controlled research results.
Unusual causes of benign biliary strictures with cholangiographic features of cholangiocarcinoma.

Focal strictures occurring at the hepatic duct confluence, or within the common hepatic duct or common bile duct in patients without a history of prior surgery in that region or stone disease, are usually thought to represent cholangiocarcinoma until proved otherwise. However, not uncommonly, patients undergo surgical exploration for a preoperative diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma, based on the cholangiographic appearance of the lesion, only to find histologically that the stricture was benign in nature. Despite sophisticated radiographic, endoscopic, and histologic studies, it is often impossible before laparotomy to distinguish malignant from benign strictures when they have the characteristic radiographic appearance of cholangiocarcinoma. Even at the risk of overtreating some benign cases, most agree that aggressive surgical resection is the treatment of choice, given the serious consequences resulting from a failure to diagnose and adequately treat cholangiocarcinoma. Four patients who presented to our institution between February 1991 and June 2000 underwent laparotomy for a preoperative diagnosis of biliary tract malignancy based on clinical presentation and cholangiographic findings. The final pathology report in all patients showed marked fibrosis and inflammation of the biliary duct without evidence of malignancy. A review of the patient data and the relevant literature identified benign causes of focal extrahepatic biliary strictures associated with concomitant disease processes in two of the four patients. We present these cases and discuss the benign etiologies with emphasis on the role of surgery in both diagnosis and treatment.
Programmatic and Teaching Initiatives for Ethnically Diverse Nursing Students: A Literature Review

summary Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the evidence of programmatic and teaching initiatives implemented by nursing faculty to enhance the academic success rates of ethnically diverse students (EDS). Methods: A search of the literature in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and MEDLINE databases, wherein primary sources about programmatic and teaching initiative to promote academic success among EDS, was conducted. Using specific the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature subject headings and Medical Subject Headings, 230 articles were retrieved from both databases. A total of 22 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2011 were included in the literature review. Results: We found that evidence on the predominant programmatic and teaching initiatives for EDS academic success was inconclusive. The most common programmatic and teaching initiatives implemented by nursing faculty were peer mentoring, faculty-student mentoring, social networking, academic support, and financial support. Conclusion: Although positive student outcomes were reported about programmatic and teaching initiatives for EDS, the evidence remained inconclusive. Recommendations for policy and future research in this area of nursing education research were provided.
SKETCH-PLAN METHOD FOR ESTIMATING PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC FOR CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICTS AND SUBURBAN GROWTH CORRIDORS

There is a growing need for quantitative traffic-estimating tools to improve pedestrian transportation safety, access, and mobility. A sketch-plan method is introduced to estimate peak-hour pedestrian trips for crossings at intersections (node) and parallel sidewalk-midblock (link) locations. This tool integrates pedestrian travel into routine trip-estimating by applying standard traffic data to quantify pedestrian trips. The method presented is based on access-egress mode trip generation and applies peak vehicle-per-hour turning movements, transit vehicle or passenger counts, and walk and bike counts or projections to produce total peak pedestrian-per-hour (pph) trips. A previous method used trip rates based on land use to generate pph trips. However, that model is 20 years old, requires detailed land use data, and does not distribute and assign pedestrian trips. The following sketch-plan method was developed in a case-study of a suburban growth corridor in Plattsburgh, New York. Sample applications of p...
Reflected Brownian motion in the quadrant: tail behavior of the stationary distribution

Let Z be a two-dimensional Brownian motion confined to the non-negative quadrant by oblique reflection at the boundary. Such processes arise in applied probability as diffusion approximations for two-station queueing networks. The parameters of Z are a drift vector, a covariance matrix, and a "direction of reflection" for each of the quadrant's two boundary rays. Necessary and sufficient conditions are known for Z to be a positive recurrent semimartingale, and they are the only restrictions imposed on the process data in our study. Under those assumptions, a large deviations principle (LDP) is conjectured for the stationary distribution of Z, and we recapitulate the cases for which it has been rigorously justified. For sufficiently regular sets B, the LDP says that the stationary probability of xB decays exponentially as x??, and the asymptotic decay rate is the minimum value achieved by a certain function I(?) over the set B. Avram, Dai and Hasenbein (Queueing Syst.: Theory Appl. 37, 259---289, 2001) provided a complete and explicit solution for the large deviations rate function I(?). In this paper we re-express their solution in a simplified form, showing along the way that the computation of I(?) reduces to a relatively simple problem of least-cost travel between a point and a line.
Statistical Pattern Recognition for TWC Diagnosis

Ideas from statistical pattern recognition are applied to the problem of diagnosing degraded automotive three-way catalysts using oxygen sensors. A brief overview of statistical pattern recognition is given. 'A novel method of processing the oxygen sensor signals converts the time signals into ensembles of vectors. Using the tools of pattern recognition, the ensembles are described statistically, and classifiers are derived from the statistical descriptions. The resulting classifiers are tested against four different aging categories, and the performance is quantified via the operating characteristic. Techniques to achieve arbitrary levels of performance are discussed.
Identification of the amine-polyamine-choline transporter superfamily 'consensus amphipathic region' as the target for inactivation of the Escherichia coli GABA transporter GabP by thiol modification reagents. Role of Cys-300 in restoring thiol sensitivity to Gabp lacking Cys.

The Escherichia coli γ-aminobutyric acid transporter GabP ( gab permease) contains a functionally significant cysteine residue (Cys-300) within its consensus amphipathic region (CAR), a putative channel-forming structure that extends out of transmembrane helix 8 and into the adjoining cytoplasmic loop 8-9 of transporters from the amine-polyamine-choline (APC) superfamily. Here we show that of the five cysteine residues (positions 158, 251, 291, 300 and 443) in the E. coli GabP, Cys-300 is the one that renders the transport activity sensitive to inhibition by thiol modification reagents: whereas substituting Ala for Cys-300 mimics the inhibitory effect of thiol modification, substituting Ala at position 158, 251, 291 or 443 preserves robust transport activity and confers no resistance to thiol inactivation; and whereas the robustly active Cys-300 single-Cys mutant is fully sensitive to thiol modification, other single-Cys mutants (Cys at 158, 251, 291 or 443) exhibit kinetically compromised transport activities that resist further chemical inactivation by thiol reagents. The present study reveals additionally that Cys-300 exhibits (1) sensitivity to hydrophobic thiol reagents, (2) general resistance to bulky (fluorescein 5-maleimide) and/or charged {2-sulphonatoethyl methanethiosulphonate or [2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl] methanethiosulphonate} thiol reagents and (3) a peculiar sensitivity to p -chloromercuribenzenesulphonate (PCMBS). The accessibility of PCMBS to Cys-300 (located midway through the lipid bilayer) might be related to the structural similarity that it shares with guvacine (1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid), a transported GabP substrate. These structural requirements for thiol sensitivity provide the first chemical evidence consistent with channel-like access to the polar surface of the CAR, a physical configuration that might provide a basis for understanding how this region impacts the function of APC transporters generally [Closs, Lyons, Kelly and Cunningham (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268 , 20796-20800] and the gab permease particularly [Hu and King (1998) Biochem. J. 300 , 771-776].
Child Emotion Regulation and Peer Victimization: The Moderating Role of Child Sex

This study examined the role of child sex in the link between child emotion regulation (ER) and peer victimization. Three facets of ER (i.e., regulation coping, inhibition, dysregulation) were considered within the context of three emotions (i.e., anger, sadness, worry) using two reporters: children (n = 114; 62 % girls; M age = 9.3 years; 57 % White) and a maternal caregiver. Mothers and children completed questionnaires on children’s ER strategies and peer victimization. Results of correlation and moderation analyses suggested that ER related to victimization with patterns varying by child sex and emotion type. Specifically, girls with anger regulation difficulties were at greater risk for victimization compared to boys with anger regulation difficulties. For boys, inhibition of sadness and worry and dysregulated worry significantly related to increased victimization. Applications to ER theory as well as applied prevention/intervention efforts are discussed.
Hamlet and The Seagull

quently in the literary productions of the last three centuries that readers are hardly surprised to find it quoted twice in Chekhov's The Seagull. The earliest reference to the possibility that these quotations are clues to a fundamental connection between the two plays was in an anthology which prefaced The Seagull with several reasons for believing that "to some extent at least, Chekhov had Shakespeare's play in mind when he was working on his own play".' More recently the view was expressed that The Seagull "is saturated with echoes from Hamlet',2 but without many supporting details. Since the parallelism is still generally considered incidental, I feel justified in exploring the extent to which Chekhov drew on Hamlet to establish the mood, conceive the characters, and construct the plot of his first dramatic masterpiece. If the connection were immediately apparent, of course, it would have been settled long ago. Instead, most of the efforts to account for the characters and incidents of The Seagull center around certain biographical details. Probably the most illuminating bit concerns Chekhov's once feeling compelled to kill a bird which his friend, the painter Levitan, had wounded badly. This event gains credence as the germ of the plot (in the Jamesian sense) if we may trust the story that Levitan at least once pretended to commit suicide when his love affair was going badly, and-still more apocryphal-that he once dramatically tossed a dead seagull on the ground before his beloved.? Other efforts to explain the origin of the play have supposed that Chekhov used himself as a character, or created several characters out of the various facets of his personality. It is not difficult to garner statements from Chekhov's letters and journals which are patently similar to views expressed by Trigorin (the successful author), by Trepleff (the budding genius), and by Dorn (the physician). Of these portraits, Trigorin may actually be "the completest picture of himself that the 'objective-minded' Chekhov ever cared to paint."4 The personal papers of the dramatist contain no hint that he drew on Hamlet in producing The Seagull. Yet from them we learn enough about his views to feel confident that this particular Shakespearian tragedy was one of his touchstones for literary creation. In i888, seven years before he wrote The Seagull, Chekhov planned to collaborate on a one-act skit to be called "Hamlet,
Is there a Role for Radiotherapy in the Management of Upper Gastrointestinal Malignancies

Radiation therapy has several established roles in the management of upper gastrointestinal malignancy. These roles parallel those for which radiation is used in other anatomic regions (e.g., single and multimodality management with curative intent, organ preservation, and palliation). This article provides a brief summary of the use of radiotherapy in the management of upper gastrointestinal malignancies. It includes applications for radiotherapy used with curative and palliative intent.
Past Freshwater Changes

Freshwater systems are among the most diverse and highly impacted natural systems in the world. Freshwaters harbor approximately 30,000 described species, including a staggering 41% of all fish species. The provision of water for human consumption and use constitutes a huge set of ecosystem services provided by rivers and lakes, one that is largely oversubscribed. Extinction rates are therefore very high in freshwater systems as dams, diversions for human uses, and pollution take their toll on these habitats. Extinction rates among freshwater taxa may be three or four times those of their terrestrial counterparts in the near future. For these reasons, the impacts of climate change on freshwater systems have immense consequences for biodiversity and human endeavor alike.
Old and New Formalisms

The history of Anglo-American New Criticism has been recounted a number of times, and there is no need to recapitulate it in detail here, but a brief sketch may be useful since most contemporary formalisms do not simply abandon New Criticism but attempt to revise and reconstitute certain aspects of it. As John Mclntyre and Miranda Hickman note, “today’s reinvigorated forms of close and surface reading can valuably be informed by — in fact, need the support of — historically based reevaluations of the New Criticism.”1 We can start with a lightning prehistory. If the idea of the poem as an objective structure displaying a complex rather than simple unity is one concept at the heart of New Critical theory and practice, then it would be possible to begin a genealogy of the movement with Aristotle. As W. K. Wimsatt has remarked, The kind of oneness implied not only in Aristotle’s general theory of organic form but in his theory of verbal mimesis is the oneness of a thing which has heterogeneous, interacting parts He sees the whole as more than the sum of its parts if only in that it includes the relations among the parts.2
Analyzing the Environmental Implications of Emerging Technologies

Emerging and controversial technologies, like synthetic biology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, require decision making that is both scientifically sound and ethical. This chapter discusses approaches that can be used by the practitioner and researcher to identify, characterize, and predict possible risks to public health and ecosystems.
Improving the light-induced degradation of hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells using fabrication at elevated temperatures and low pressure

viii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Motivation for Thin-film Solar Cells 2 1.2 Physics of Amorphous Silicon Thin-Film Solar Cells 5 1.3 Light-Induced Degradation in a-Si:H Solar Cells 8 Chapter 2 Fabrication of a-Si:H Solar Cells 13 2.1 Plasma-enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition 13 2.2 Sputtering of Indium Tin Oxide 15 2.3 Aluminum Evaporation 15 Chapter 3 Device Characterization 17 3.1 Current versus Voltage 17 3.2 Quantum Efficiency and QE Ratio 19 3.3 Defect Density using Capacitance Measurements 21 3.4 Subgap Absorption 24 3.5 Device Thickness 25 Chapter 4 Degradation Setup and Measurements 28 4.1 Specifications 28 4.1.1 Light Source 29 4.1.2 LabVIEW Program 29 4.1.3 Motor Controller 30 4.2 Completed Degradation Setup 30 4.3 Example Results 31 Chapter 5 Results 32 5.1 Standard Samples 32
Outcomes After Mastectomy and Lumpectomy in Elderly Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Introduction Survival in elderly patients undergoing mastectomy or lumpectomy has not been specifically analyzed.
Race Is a Risk for Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients With Gastric Cancer.

The frequency of lymph node metastasis in each T stage of gastric cancer has not been as well described for Western populations as it has for Asian populations. This study aimed to determine these frequencies and to investigate risk factors associated with lymph node metastases in a racially diverse U.S. population. A prospectively maintained database of 8260 patients with gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma treated at our institution from 1995 to 2013 was reviewed to identify those who underwent surgical resection without preoperative therapy. Associations between clinicopathologic variables and lymph node metastasis were tested with uni- and multivariate analyses. The study identified 218 patients with a pathologic diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent upfront gastrectomy. These study subjects included 115 white (53 %), 19 black (9 %), and 41 Asian (19 %) patients. At least 15 lymph nodes were examined in 148 (68 %) of the patients. The lymph node metastasis rates were 10 % for stage T1a, 34 % for stage T1b, 44 % for stage T2, 73 % for stage T3, and 95 % for stage T4 tumors. Univariate analysis showed that submucosal invasion, race, 15 or more lymph nodes examined, and lymphovascular invasion were associated with lymph node metastasis in T1 and T2 tumors. The multivariate analysis showed all but lymphovascular invasion to be independent risk factors for nodal metastasis. The rates of lymph node metastasis observed in this study were higher than those reported in Asian reports. Race was an independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis. Caution is therefore needed when evidence from Asian countries is extrapolated to more racially diverse Western countries.