cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preview of Assimilation Theory of Meaningful Learning and Retention

Meaningful reception learning primarily involves the acquisition of new meanings from presented learning material. It requires both a meaningful learning set and the presentation of potentially meaningful material to the learner. The latter condition, in turn, presupposes (1) that the learning material itself can be nonarbitrarily (plausibly, sensibly, and nonrandomly) and nonverbatimly related to any appropriate and relevant cognitive structure (i.e., possesses “logical” meaning) and (2) that the particular learner’s cognitive structure contains relevant anchoring ideas to which the new material can be related. The interaction between potentially new meanings and relevant ideas in the learner’s cognitive structure gives rise to actual or psychological meanings. Because each learner’s cognitive structure is unique, all acquired new meanings are perforce themselves unique.
Species Diversity, Overview

Species richness is the simplest measure of species diversity and is either a count of the number of, or the list of, species inhabiting a given area or habitat. Measures of species diversity are formed from species richness by further classifying the species by attributes, such as abundance, size, or ecological role. Measures of species diversity link to many ecological and evolutionary processes such as population dynamics, competition, community dynamics, adaptive radiation, and the evolution of phenotypic plasticity. Species diversity is the basis for the diversity of higher taxa and ecological associations such as communities and biomes.
Primary central nervous system neoplasms in African hedgehogs

In this retrospective study, we describe the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical findings in a series of primary central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms in African hedgehogs (Atelerix albivent...
Executive functions and clinical symptoms in children exposed to maltreatment.

There is evidence of an association between childhood maltreatment and lifelong cognitive impairment. Few studies investigate cognitive functioning in maltreated children. The objective of this stu...
A study of positioning orientation effect on segmentation accuracy using convolutional neural networks for rectal cancer.

Purpose Convolutional neural networks (CNN) have greatly improved medical image segmentation. A robust model requires training data can represent the entire dataset. One of the differing characteristics comes from variability in patient positioning (prone or supine) for radiotherapy. In this study, we investigated the effect of position orientation on segmentation using CNN. Methods Data of 100 patients (50 in supine and 50 in prone) with rectal cancer were collected for this study. We designed three sets of experiments for comparison: (a) segmentation using the model trained with data from the same orientation; (b) segmentation using the model trained with data from the opposite orientation; (c) segmentation using the model trained with data from both orientations. We performed fivefold cross-validation. The performance was evaluated on segmentation of the clinical target volume (CTV), bladder, and femurs with Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and Hausdorff distance (HD). Results Compared with models trained on cases positioned in the same orientation, the models trained with cases positioned in the opposite orientation performed significantly worse (P 0.05). The average DSC values were 0.74 vs 0.84, 0.85 vs 0.88, and 0.91 vs 0.91 for CTV, bladder, and femurs, respectively. The corresponding HD values (mm) were 16.6 vs 14.6, 8.4 vs 8.1, and 6.3 vs 6.3, respectively. The models trained with data from both orientations have comparable accuracy (P > 0.05), with average DSC of 0.84, 0.88, and 0.91 and HD of 14.4, 8.1, and 6.3, respectively. Conclusions Orientation affects the accuracy for CTV and bladder, but has negligible effect on the femurs. The model trained from data combining both orientations performs as well as a model trained with data from the same orientation for all the organs. These observations can offer guidance on the choice of training data for accurate segmentation.
Strength and Motion in the Shoulder, Elbow, and Hip in Softball Windmill Pitchers.

Background Softball pitching is a ballistic, complex movement that requires an underhand windmill motion to create force and ball velocity. In addition to proper pitch biomechanics, upper and lower extremity strength and joint motion likely contribute to ball location accuracy and velocity. Yet, the number of studies reporting muscle strength and joint range of motion among softball pitchers is scarce. Objective To assess differences between throwing and nonthrowing shoulder, elbow, and hip (lead and trail leg) strength and range of motion (ROM) in high school and collegiate level softball windmill pitchers. Design Cross-sectional study. Participants Thirty-three female softball pitchers (24 high school, 9 collegiate) were recruited from local teams. Methods Goniometric joint ROM and handheld dynamometer strength measurements of the bilateral shoulders, elbows, and hips were measured. Main outcome measurements Goniometric joint ROM of the bilateral elbows (flexion, extension), shoulders, and hips (flexion, extension, internal rotation [IR], external rotation [ER]). Handheld dynamometer strength measurements of the bilateral shoulders (flexion, extension, abduction, IR, ER), elbows (flexion, extension), and hips (flexion, extension, IR, ER, abduction). Results Across all pitchers, there was greater shoulder flexion ROM in the nonthrowing limb than in the throwing limb (P = .004). There was greater hip extension in the lead leg than trail leg. Among high school pitchers, there was greater shoulder ER (x = 105.792 ± 7.11) than collegiate pitchers (x = 100.1 ± 6.92), P = .05. There was no difference in total arc of shoulder rotational motion (ER+ IR) between throwing and nonthrowing limbs across all pitchers, nor between high school and collegiate pitchers. Strength measures demonstrated greater throwing limb shoulder abduction (P = .006) and IR strength (P = .001) than the nonthrowing shoulder across all pitchers. Elbow flexion strength was significantly greater than the nonthrowing side (P = .001). No difference was noted in hip strength between lead and trail lower extremities. Conclusions Developing normative data for softball pitchers upper and lower extremity strength and range of motion may allow providers to assess players more comprehensively and identify athletes out of the expected value range. This information may help in guiding strength and conditioning programs for softball pitchers. Level of evidence III.
Regrown Vertical GaN p–n Diodes with Low Reverse Leakage Current

Vertical c-plane GaN p–n diodes, where the p-GaN layer is formed by epitaxial regrowth using metal–organic chemical-vapor deposition, are reported. Current–voltage (I–V) performance similar to continuously grown p–n diodes is demonstrated, including low reverse leakage current and reverse breakdown voltage in excess of −600 V, despite the lack of field management structures to increase the reverse breakdown voltage. Secondary-ion mass spectrometry analysis of regrown interfaces reveals that the primary source of Si at the regrown interface (“Si spike”) is ex situ contamination during wafer handling prior to loading for regrowth. Continuously grown p–n diodes with intentional Si doping at the p–n junction do not show degraded I–V performance for Si sheet concentrations < 8 × 1011 cm−2. Regrown diodes where the n-type drift layer is (plasma) dry-etched before p-GaN regrowth demonstrate significantly higher reverse leakage current. From these results, we conclude that the presence of Si < 8 × 1011 cm−2 and the epitaxial regrowth process are not responsible for performance degradation. Removal of dry-etch-induced current leakage mechanisms, prior to epitaxial regrowth, should enable a method for selective-area p-type doping control that could lead to realization of high-performance vertical power transistors.
Total Synthesis of (+)-Calyculin A and (−)-Calyculin B: Cyanotetraene Construction, Asymmetric Synthesis of the C(26−37) Oxazole, Fragment Assembly, and Final Elaboration

A convergent total synthesis leading to (+)-calyculin A and (−)-calyculin B (1 and 2), antipodes of the potent, highly selective and remarkably cell-permeable phosphatase inhibitors calyculins A and B, has been achieved. In the preceding paper we outlined the asymmetric synthesis of the C(9−25) spiroketal dipropionate subunit (+)-BC; herein we describe construction of the C(1−8) cyanotetraene, an asymmetric synthesis of the C(26−37) oxazole, fragment assembly and final elaboration to (+)-1 and (−)-2. Highlights of the synthesis include: application of a one-pot three-component Suzuki reaction for the construction of phosphonate A, a bifunctional triene precursor of the light sensitive C(1−8) cyanotetraene subunit, an asymmetric synthesis of the C(26−32) oxazole (−)-D, exploiting the Silks−Odom 77Se NMR protocol to assess enantiomeric purity, construction of the C(33−37) subtarget (−)-E in a highly stereocontrolled fashion via an acyliminium ion, and a concise, highly efficient sequence for fragment assem...
Patterns of Clinical Presentation of Thrombotic Thromboxytopenic Purpura. Is There a Racial Difference?. A Single Institution Experience.)

Abstract 4653 Background: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare but serious disease that has been reported more frequently in African-Americans (AA). While recent reports have showed an increased incidence of TTP amongs AA patients, there is no data with regards to the patterns of clinical presentation in this racial subgroup and if there is any difference as compared to other racial subgroups. Patients and methods: In this retrospective study we reviewed characterstics and clinical presentation of 91 patients with the diagnosis of TTP. Sixty four patients were AAs (70%). The second largest racial subgroup was Caucasians (24 patients, 26%). Demographics, lab values and symptoms were compared between AAs and Caucasians. Continuous variables were compared using two-sided two-sample t-tests. Alternatively, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used if the data were not normally distributed. Categorical variables were compared using Chi-square tests. Results: AA patients were older [median age of 47.6 years as compared to 40 years, P-value of 0.057] and more likely to be females [68.8%, (n=44/64) as compared to 45.8%, (n=11/24), P-value of 0.048]. As for laboratory evaluation, AA patients were more likely to have positive ANA [44% (n=22/64) as compared to 14.3% (n=2/24), P-value of 0.042] and higher ESR (median of 75.5 as compared to 40.7, P-value 0.03). Other laboratory evaluation including hemoglobin, platelet counts and creatinine were comparable. The most common patterns of clinical presentation in AA patients were in the form of constitutional symptoms (fatigue, malaise and generalized weakness) which were seen in 67% of patients (n=43), followed by neurological symptoms (mainly headache and confusion) in 53% of pateints (n=34). Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain) were seen in 44% of patients (n=28). This pattern was comparable to what is seen in Caucasian patients. Skin symptoms were reported less frequently in AA as compared to Caucasians (17.2% vs. 41.7%, p = 0.016). Conclusion: While AA patients are more likely to be females, older and have positive ANA, the clinical presentation of TTP is similar among different racial subgroups (African Americans and Caucasians). Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Applying the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm in Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy Practica

Four faculty members from Regis University share their application of the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP) in Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy Practica. Using the IPP they guide the learners in an intentional way to integrate values and action in service to others. Faculty use the IPP to support learners and invite them to thoughtfully engage with the elements of the paradigm. A discussion and review of how the faculty incorporates the five IPP elements in the practica setting is provided.
A case-control study of gait balance control in veterans with chronic symptoms following mTBI

Abstract Background Numerous investigations suggest mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) may result in persistent gait balance control deficits. Furthermore, military Veterans with symptoms of chronic mTBI often present with physical symptoms that may be associated with impaired gait balance control which may lead to prolonged recovery, difficulty performing activities of daily living, and increased disability. It is therefore important to objectively quantify gait balance deficits in Veterans with chronic mTBI. Research Question Is gait balance control impaired in a group of Veterans with chronic symptoms of mTBI when compared to healthy matched Veterans? Methods Eight Veterans with symptoms of chronic mTBI (1 F/7 M) and eight healthy matched Veterans (1 F/7 M) completed a gait balance assessment under single- (ST) and dual-task (DT) conditions. Gait balance control was quantified with whole body center of mass (COM) total medial-lateral (ML) displacement and peak ML velocity, which were calculated from camera-based motion capture. Results Veterans with chronic mTBI walked with greater ML COM displacement (approximately 25 % increase) in both ST and DT walking (main effect of group, p = 0.018) when compared to healthy Veterans. The peak ML COM velocity was affected for both groups by performing a concurrent cognitive task (interaction effect, p = .012). Slower ML COM velocities in healthy Veterans suggest the adoption of a conservative balance control strategy, while faster ML COM velocities for Veterans with chronic mTBI may indicate a diminished ability to control ML momentum. Significance Increased frontal plane COM motion under both ST and DT walking was observed in Veterans with chronic mTBI symptoms many years after injury. This suggests gait balance control may be adversely affected during divided attention gait and highlights the need for comprehensive gait analysis in the management of these individuals.
Fusion, the Competition, and the Prospects for Alternative Fusion Concepts

Although we have achieved great progress in the scientific understanding of fusion, there is some question whether our present, mainline approach to a fusion reactor will lead to a sufficiently attractive commercial product able to compete in the energy market place of the 21st century. This is a result of the projected low power density, high complexity, large unit sizes, and very high development costs. We assess these attributes relative to other future competitive energy sources and offer the thesis that any step change in the reactor product may lie in the exploration of novel, relatively unexplored or revisited physics concepts rather than in refined engineering for the present single approach. We then provide an overview of potential alternative fusion concepts under the following classification system: (1) Low density magnetic confinement, (2) Inertial confinement concepts, (3) High density magnetic confinement schemes, (4) Non-thermonuclear concepts, and (5) Coulomb barrier reduction concepts. To be considered a serious contender, any new candidate fusion scheme must point the way to an engineering realization that is a step- change in reactor attractiveness from our present approach. Specifically, this means we must clearly identify the potential for significantly lower capital costs, complexity, and development costs relative to those projected for the conventional tokamak.
Are national antitobacco campaigns reaching high-risk adolescents? A cross-sectional analysis from PATH Wave 2

Smoking education and prevention campaigns have had marked success in reducing rates of tobacco use among adolescents, however, disparities in use continue to exist. It is critical to assess if adolescents at risk for tobacco use are being exposed to antitobacco campaigns. We used data from Wave 2 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study to assess the relationship between exposure to three antitobacco campaigns and key characteristics related to higher risk of cigarette use using full-sample weights and Poisson regression models with robust variance. Adjusted models identified that exposure to antitobacco campaigns was more common among racial and sexual minority adolescents and adolescents who: reported exposure to tobacco marketing, spent more time using media and had household income greater than $25 000. While some high-risk youth are more likely to report exposure to campaigns, there are some priority groups that are not being reached by current efforts compared with non-priority groups, including youth living in households with income below the poverty line and adolescents who are susceptible to cigarette smoking. Future campaigns should consider targeting these groups specifically in order to reduce tobacco use disparities.
Functional characterization of two rare BCR-FGFR1+ leukemias.

8p11 myeloproliferative syndrome (EMS) represents a unique World Health Organization (WHO)-classified hematologic malignancy defined by translocations of the FGFR1 receptor. The syndrome is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by eosinophilia and lymphadenopathy, with risk of progression to either acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or T- or B-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia. Within the EMS subtype, translocations between breakpoint cluster region (BCR) and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) have been shown to produce a dominant fusion protein that is notoriously resistant to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Here, we report two cases of BCR-FGFR1 + EMS identified via RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Sanger sequencing revealed that both cases harbored the exact same breakpoint. In the first case, the patient presented with AML-like disease, and in the second, the patient progressed to B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Additionally, we observed that that primary leukemia cells from Case 1 demonstrated sensitivity to the tyrosine kinase inhibitors ponatinib and dovitinib that can target FGFR1 kinase activity, whereas primary cells from Case 2 were resistant to both drugs. Taken together, these results suggest that some but not all BCR-FGFR1 fusion positive leukemias may respond to TKIs that target FGFR1 kinase activity.
Association of Racial Residential Segregation Throughout Young Adulthood and Cognitive Performance in Middle-aged Participants in the CARDIA Study.

Importance Neighborhood-level residential segregation is implicated as a determinant for poor health outcomes in black individuals, but it is unclear whether this association extends to cognitive aging, especially in midlife. Objective To examine the association between cumulative exposure to residential segregation during 25 years of young adulthood among black individuals and cognitive performance in midlife. Design, Setting, and Participants The ongoing prospective cohort Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study recruited 5115 black and white participants aged 18 to 30 years from 4 field centers at the University of Alabama, Birmingham; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois; and Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, California. Data were acquired from February 1985 to May 2011. Among the surviving CARDIA cohort, 3671 (71.8%) attended examination year 25 of the study in 2010, when cognition was measured, and 3008 (81.9%) of those completed the cognitive assessments. To account for time-varying confounding and differential censoring, marginal structural models using inverse probability weighting were applied. Data were analyzed from April 16 to July 20, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures Racial residential segregation was measured using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic, and the mean cumulative exposure to segregation was calculated across 6 follow-up visits from baseline to year 25 of the study, then categorized into high, medium, and low segregation. Cognitive function was measured at year 25 of the study, using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Stroop color test (reverse coded), and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. To facilitate comparison of estimates,zscores were calculated for all cognitive tests. Results A total of 1568 black participants with available cognition data were included in the analysis. At baseline, participants had a mean (SD) age of 25 (4) years and consisted of 936 women (59.7%). Greater cumulative exposure to segregated neighborhoods was associated with a worse DSSTzscore (for high segregation, β = −0.37 [95% CI, −0.61 to −0.13]; for medium segregation, β = −0.25 [95% CI, −0.51 to 0.0002]) relative to exposure to low segregation. Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, exposure to residential segregation throughout young adulthood was associated with worse processing speed among black participants as early as in midlife. This association may potentially explain black-white disparities in dementia risk at older age.
Remembering and honoring the dead: Dia de los Muertos, Black Lives Matter and radical healing

The officer who murdered George Floyd by pressing his knee on his neck symbolizes the chokehold systemic racism and antiblackness has had on Black people. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has ...
Optimal Accelerated Test Framework for Time-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown Lifetime Parameter Estimation

A framework is presented to identify an optimal accelerated test region and accelerated test conditions for the accelerated test of logic circuits for time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB). Both gate-oxide breakdown and middle-of-line (MOL) TDDB are investigated. Separate test regions are identified for each wearout mechanism. Two digital circuits, an 8-bit fast Fourier transform (FFT) circuit and a Leon3 microprocessor are used to demonstrate the capability of the framework. The lifetimes of standard cells are combined to compute the circuit lifetime, by combining the Weibull distributions that characterize the lifetime distribution of each of the standard cells. The errors in estimating wearout parameters consist of two parts: the error in estimating the wearout parameters at accelerated test conditions and the forecasting accuracy at use conditions. By estimating the errors in wearout parameters at accelerated test conditions, the optimal accelerated test region is found by determining the test conditions producing a minimal error. Test conditions are selected by minimizing the error at use conditions. Given a forecasting error target, the required sample size at each test condition is found. This work also considers the impact of variation in circuit size, type, and process parameters on the selection of optimal test conditions.
Development of the Korean connective ultheyntey into a final particle of wishing and worrying

Abstract Recent studies demonstrate that connectives can develop into final particles that perform interactional functions in turn-final position. Using natural conversation data and the theoretical frameworks of (inter)subjectification and insubordination, I demonstrate that the Korean connective ultheyntey ‘ conjecture + but/so’ has developed into a final particle that expresses speakers' stances of wishing, regretting, worrying, or hedging. The functional shift of the logical connective into an emotive marker was enabled by its recurrent use in negative contexts. In particular, speakers often use the contrastive ultheyntey (‘ conjecture + but’) with conditional or deontic modal expressions to imagine an ideal situation that contrasts with a current, undesirable situation. Eventually, the co-occurrence of imagined ideal situations and ‘but’ engendered the final particle's sense of wishing or, in the past tense, regret. On the other hand, speakers often use the causal ultheyntey (‘ conjecture + so’) to express a reason for worry that they imagine. Speakers also employ it to provide the reason for a negative assessment, often without the main clause containing the actual negative assessment, to create a hedging effect. Through these uses of ultheyntey in providing a reason for a speaker's worry, it came to encode the meaning of worry.
Evaluating Spatial Associations in Inpatient Deaths Between Organ Procurement Organizations.

To improve the measurement of organ procurement organization (OPO) performance, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently proposed using inpatient deaths defined as the eligible pool of organ donors within an OPO as patients 75 years or younger that died from any cause that would not preclude donation. Methods To account for the geographic variation in OPO performance and organ availability across the United States, we utilized spatial analysis to appraise the newly proposed metric of inpatient deaths. Results Using spatial clustering that accounts for geographic relationships between Organ Procurement Organizations, the top 5 causes of donation-eligible death, and inpatient deaths, we identified 4 unique OPO clusters. Each group had a distinct demographic composition, cause of death, and inpatient death pattern. In multivariate analysis accounting for these geographic relationships, the spatial clusters remained significantly associated with the outcome of inpatient deaths (P < 0.001) and were the best-fitting model compared with models without the spatial clusters; this suggests that further risk adjustment of inpatient deaths should include these geographic considerations. Conclusions This approach provides not only a manner to assess donor potential by improving risk adjustment but also an opportunity to further explore geographic and spatial relationships in the practice of organ transplantation and OPO performance.
A task-based distributed parallel sparsified nested dissection algorithm

Sparsified nested dissection (spaND) is a fast scalable linear solver for sparse linear systems. It combines nested dissection and separator sparsification, leading to an algorithm with an O(N log N) complexity on many problems. In this work, we study the parallelization of spaND using TaskTorrent, a lightweight, distributed, task-based runtime in C++. This leads to a distributed version of spaND using a task-based runtime system. We explain how to adapt spaND's partitioning for parallel execution, how to increase concurrency using a simultaneous sparsification algorithm, and how to express the DAG using TaskTorrent. We then benchmark spaND on a few large problems. spaND exhibits good strong and weak scalings, efficiently using up to 9,000 cores when ranks grow slowly with the problem size.
Impact of telehealth visits on hydroxyurea response in sickle cell anemia

BACKGROUND It is important to ensure access to hydroxyurea (HU) for patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA) living in rural areas. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Pediatric Sickle Cell program's satellite clinics reduce the barrier of transportation to the university-based clinic. However, as compared with the university clinic, these satellite clinics do not offer immediate access to HU dosing laboratory results and a nurse clinician calls families with HU dose adjustments after the clinic visit. This study evaluated the impact of telehealth dosing adjustments on HU laboratory and clinical response as compared with university-based patients. METHODS A one-year retrospective chart review was performed to evaluate HU laboratory and clinical response based on clinic location and socioeconomic status for patients with SCA. We identified the number of clinic and acute care visits for one year and calculated the mean complete blood count and fetal hemoglobin (HbF) values for each patient. RESULTS We identified 107 academic center participants with SCA-prescribed HU and 65 satellite clinic participants. The mean age of participants was 11 ± 5 years. We identified no difference in HbF (13.3 ± 0.7 vs 11.7 ± 0.8, P = 0.13), Hb (8.46 ± 1.1 vs 8.55 ± 1.1, P = 0.59), mean corpuscular volume (91.0 ± 10.6 vs 91.7 ± 9.5, P = 0.67), or absolute neutrophil count (4.85 ± 2.3 vs 4.87 ± 2.3, P = 0.95) when comparing Birmingham versus satellite clinics. We also identified no difference in hospital admissions (0.99 ± 0.1 versus 0.85 ± 0.2, P = 0.49), based on clinic location. CONCLUSIONS The use of telehealth did not negatively impact laboratory response to HU. Future studies should identify novel approaches to improve access to HU among patients with SCA living in rural areas.
Islamic Law, Gender and Social Change in Post-Abolition Zanzibar

Introduction 1. The kadhi's courts colonised 2. Race and the impartial modern judiciary 3. The kadhis and gender 4. Litigants and the kadhi's courts 5. The kadhi's alienation and autonomy 6. Marriage, materialism and temporary compliance 7. Property, debt and inheritance 8. Bargaining for divorce 9. The kadhis, ethnicity and the perpetuation of master-slave relations Conclusion.
Spinal cord localization in the treatment of lung cancer: Use of radiographic landmarks

PURPOSE In the treatment of thoracic malignancies with radiotherapy, the critical dose-limiting structure is the spinal cord. Oblique fields typically are designed to exclude the spinal cord, and by convention, the field edge that shields the spinal cord is placed at the anterior border of the vertebral pedicles. Thus, the purpose of our study was to estimate the distance between the field edge and spinal cord in oblique fields that were designed by using the vertebral pedicle as a radiographic landmark. METHODS AND MATERIALS The spinal cord of a cadaver was wrapped in wire, and oblique fields were simulated at 15 degree intervals. The distance from the spinal cord to a field edge placed at the anterior border of the pedicle was measured. In the second investigation, a three-dimensional treatment planning system was used to simulate hypothetical fields using actual patient data from computed tomography (n = 10), and measurements identical to those in the anatomical model were made (n = 1,100). RESULTS The results of the anatomical and computed tomographic models were in close agreement (mean difference, 0.6 mm). The computed tomographic model predicted a mean field edge to spinal cord distance of 8.7 mm (95% confidence interval, 5.6-11.8 mm) for 30 degree/150 degree oblique fields and 8.0 mm (95% confidence interval, 4.7-11.7 mm) for 45 degree/135 degree oblique fields. This distance was greatest at levels T-1, T-2, and T-11 (8 to 20% greater). CONCLUSIONS The mean distance from a field edge placed at the anterior border of a vertebral pedicle to the spinal cord for commonly used oblique angles constitutes a sufficient margin to account for expected differences in daily positional variations and mechanical uncertainties.
Computational study of compressive loading of carbon nanotubes using quasi-continuum method

Abstract A reduced-order general continuum method is used to examine the mechanical behavior of single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) under compressive loading and unloading conditions. Quasi-static solutions are sought where the total energy of the system is minimized with respect to the spatial degrees of freedom. The obtained continuum solution is mapped back to the lattice structure of CNTs. We then provide a detailed analysis of buckled configurations for four different types of CNTs on the lattice level and show that, among the cases studied, the armchair CNT has the strongest resistance to the compressive loading. It is also shown that the buckled CNT will significantly lose its structural strength with the zigzag lattice structure. The post-buckling unloading of CNTs demonstrates that, after the occurrence of buckling, the CNT can return to its original state, making its use desirable in fields such as synthetic biomaterials, electromagnetic devices, or polymer composites.
Prevalence of organic neuro-ophthalmologic disease in patients with functional visual loss.

Abstract Purpose To determine the concurrence of various patterns of functional visual loss (FVL) and organic disease. Design A retrospective case series in a university neuro-ophthalmology practice. Methods A retrospective case series in which we reviewed the clinical histories and neuro-ophthalmologic examinations of 133 consecutive patients diagnosed with FVL between July 1999 and August 2001. Functional visual loss was defined as an apparent afferent or efferent dysfunction that was unassociated with or far out of proportion with an identifiable lesion of the visual pathways. Results A total of 133 patients were identified. Nineteen were pediatric, and 76 were female. Fifty-six had concurrent head or eye pain. Nineteen had a recent history of trauma, and 17 had a recent surgical procedure. The most common pattern of FVL was a normal visual field in the presence of reduced visual acuity. Seventy-one patients (53%) with FVL presented with abnormal neuro-ophthalmologic examinations. Thirteen patients had central scotomata, and all had concurrent retinal or optic nerve pathology. Only 18 patients had a known disability claim pending. Conclusion Although FVL was found in patients with no pathology, it was more common to find objective abnormalities on examination. This concurrence rate underscores the clinical necessity for following patients closely despite the diagnosis of FVL. No pattern of visual field constriction was routinely predictive of ophthalmologic or neurologic pathology except the presence of a central scotoma. The presence of a central scotoma in a nonorganic visual field should alert the practitioner to search for organic pathology.
The drosophila gastrulation gene concertina encodes a Gα-like protein

Gastrulation is a complex process requiring the coordination of cell shape changes and cell movements. In Drosophila, gastrulation begins immediately upon cellularization of the blastoderm stage embryo with the formation of the ventral furrow and posterior midgut. Cells that form both of these invaginations change their shape via apical constriction. Embryos from mothers homozygous for mutations in the concertina (cta) gene begin furrow formation by forming a zone of tightly apposed cells, constrict some cells, and then fail to constrict enough cells to form an organized groove. The cta gene has been cloned, and sequence analysis suggests that it encodes an alpha subunit of a G protein. G proteins have a role in cell-cell communication as mediators of signals between membrane-bound receptors and intracellular effectors. The phenotype of embryos from homozygous cta mothers suggests that the cta gene plays a role in a signal transduction pathway used during gastrulation.
Gender Regulation: Renée Richards Revisited

In 1976, a reporter at a tennis tournament identified the rookie standout Renee Clarke as Renee Richards, the former male professional tennis player Richard Raskind. The discovery of Richards, a male-to-female transsexual, immediately caused protest. While Richards’ very presence disrupted the socially constructed conceptions of ‘male’ and ‘female’ in sport – and her successful legal suit for inclusion into women's professional tennis challenged the long-standing system of segregation in athletics – she has continuously embraced societal understandings of gender difference. Building on previous research, the author utilises Richards’ two autobiographies and a 2009 oral history to analyse her embodiment of stereotypical femininity and later opposition to the International Olympic Committee's Stockholm Consensus. In addition, a comparison of the New York Supreme Court case – which ruled Richards eligible to compete professionally as a woman – and the Stockholm Consensus demonstrates the widespread concern w...
Stresses arising from trailing interface retraction in bubbles leaving sieve plate spargers

Abstract Interfacial phenomena frequently give rise to energetic fluid motions in the culture of plant and animals cells, and these motions may result in loss of cellular viability. Bubble disengagement processes have often been the center of attention in this regard. Recent work has shown, however, that surprisingly large interfacial velocities can be generated in aqueous solutions of glycerol by an elongation-retraction mechanism occurring just above the orifice following bubble formation at sieve-plate spargers. While it is evident that this process can occur under a variety of conditions, it is now clear that certain combinations of hole size, gas rate, and medium viscosity result in unusually energetic interfacial motions. An extensive investigation of this phenomenon has been completed, involving both the collection of experimental data and hydrodynamic modeling; this work has shown that shear stresses can be generated by this process that may be as large as 2000 to 3000 dynes/cm2 in 50% glycerol so...
Is It Time to Inform This Patient that Further Antineoplastic Drug Therapy Will Not Be of Clinical Value

A woman with heavy pre-treated ovarian cancer sought consultation regarding additional treatments. The case raises the vexing question of whether there may be a time in the course of the disease proce
Pathology of hyalohyphomycosis caused by Scedosporium apiospermum (Pseudallescheria boydii): an emerging mycosis.

The genus Scedosporium contains two medically significant species of emerging mycotic agents, S apiospermum and S prolificans, which have received scant attention. Scedosporium apiospermum is the anamorph, or asexual state, of the cosmopolitan fungus Pseudallescheria boydii, with both sharing the same risk factors for infection, clinical spectrum, and histopathologic features. Scedosporium prolificans is a recently recognized agent of bone, soft tissue, and joint infections that occurs with highest frequency in children and young adults. S prolificans may also cause potentially fatal disseminated infections in immunocompromised persons. The drug sensitivities of both Scedosporium species are significantly different from those of most other fungi, and thus identification of these organisms is important. Unfortunately, the pathological features of Scedosporium infections may be easily confused with other mycotic agents, resulting in delayed or inappropriate medical therapy. Because many pathologists and clinicians are unfamiliar with the significance of Scedosporium spp. infection, this communication describes three persons with differing clinical and pathological presentations of S apiospermum infection. In one patient with sickle cell disease and chronic mycotic sinusitis, fungal colonies of S apiospermum removed from the sinuses showed a pattern of alternating zones of mycelial hypercellularity and hypocellularity associated with conidiation, similar to a previous report of P boydii infection. The clinicopathologic features of an immunocompetent person with S apiospermum osteomyelitis, and a patient with S apiospermum infection of the brain after bone marrow transplantation, are also described.
Simulation and theory of fluids of axisymmetric molecules

Molecular dynamics simulation results, for fluids modelled using a slight modification of the gaussian overlap potential of Gay and Berne, are reported for pressure and internal energy and also for the residual Helmholtz free energy via thermodynamic integration. Simulation results have been used to test predictions from a nonspherical reference potential based perturbation theory and a sphericalized potential method. These theoretical methods are shown to work well, qualitatively and quantitatively, when compared with simulation results for both prolate and oblate molecules. This is in contrast with our earlier calculations using the original gaussian overlap potential model of Berne and Pechukas where only qualitative agreement with simulation results was obtained for the cases of highly anisotropic molecules. The perturbation expansion is further investigated through molecular dynamics simulations of fluids modeled using the nonspherical reference potential and the first order perturbation expansion is...
Burn care: infection and smoke inhalation.

Excerpt Every year in the United States nearly two million persons suffer burns that need medical attention. Of these, 130 000 are hospitalized, 70 000 require intensive care costing more than $300...
Epidemiologic and Diagnostic Studies of Patients with Suspected Early Lyme Disease, Missouri, 1990–1993

A retrospective case-control study investigated 45 Missouri outpatients with annular rashes meeting a surveillance case definition for erythema migrans and with onset in 1990-1991. Risk factors included being male, living near a body of water, and hunting. Twenty patients (44%) associated their rash with the bite of a tick; of these, 5 described an adult Amblyomma americanum. A typical rash was described as expanding over time and measuring 8 cm in diameter at 4 days after onset. Mild constitutional symptoms were common but fever was uncommon. Serologic tests failed to incriminate Borrelia burgdorferi or selected other arthropodborne pathogens. Skin specimens from suspected erythema migrans lesions of 23 Missouri patients sampled prospectively in 1991-1993 were culture-negative for B. burgdorferi. Thus, tick bite-associated annular rashes in Missouri remain idiopathic. Possible causes include infection with a novel A. americanum-transmitted pathogen and an atypical toxic or immunologic reaction to tick-associated proteins.
New results on the preference independence transformation

Abstract A preference independence transformation of U.S. consumption data, including leisure, shows that affordable free time is the transformed good with the largest share in the semidurables/ durables/leisure group. Other results concern the effect of the transformation on the group structure under weak separability.
Advocacy and Involvement: The Role of Parents in Western Islamic Schools

Abstract Muslim parents share many of the same ideals that other religious parents do when considering comprehensive religious schools. For those who see Islamic schooling as a viable option, supporters claim that these schools help to (1) preserve the culture and customs passed down from generation to generation, and (2) provide Muslim children with a proper identity consonant with one's home environment, thereby ensuring a positive sense of self. In this article the author will explore the role that Muslim parents play in Islamic schooling; in particular the author will examine the reasons why those parents who favor Islamic schools do, and what they hope to gain either for themselves or their children by enrolling them.
Reliability improvement of integrated circuits through alkali contamination reduction in dielectric films

ABSTRACT As geometries continue to shrink, the reduction of alkali ion contamination inintegrated circuits is imperative. A Motorola factory established a goal to achieve greaterthan an order of magnitude reduction in alkali ion levels through characterization andelimination of the sources. Various teams contributed to the overall goal by identifying sources and focusing on reducing or eliminating the alkali ion levels. Reliability improvements have been accomplished over the past three years utilizing this methodology.Key Words: Alkali, Ions, Contamination, Partitioning, Solvent, Sodium, Reliability 2. INTRODUCTION Throughout the history of semiconductor devices, researchers have studied themovement of alkali metal ions in oxide film layers.1'2 These studies have led to a greaterunderstanding of the effects of alkali ion contamination, such as sodium on integratedcircuit devices. In recognizing the need for continual alkali ion reduction in advancedtechnologies to provide improved performance and reliability, our factory created a goalthree years ago to reduce these levels by greater than an order of magnitude. To achievethis goal, an internal organization consisting of various teams each focused on specificareas was created. This organizational structure had previously been used successfullyin our factory.3Fig. 1 is a diagram of the organization and the interrelationship of the teams to
Brain ACE2 overexpression reduces DOCA-salt hypertension independently of endoplasmic reticulum stress

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was previously reported to contribute to neurogenic hypertension while neuronal angiotensin-converting enzyme type 2 (ACE2) overexpression blunts the disease. To assess which brain regions are important for ACE2 beneficial effects and the contribution of ER stress to neurogenic hypertension, we first used transgenic mice harboring a floxed neuronal hACE2 transgene (SL) and tested the impact of hACE2 knockdown in the subfornical organ (SFO) and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) on deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertension. SL and nontransgenic (NT) mice underwent DOCA-salt or sham treatment while infected with an adenoassociated virus (AAV) encoding Cre recombinase (AAV-Cre) or a control virus (AAV-green fluorescent protein) to the SFO or PVN. DOCA-salt-induced hypertension was reduced in SL mice, with hACE2 overexpression in the brain. This reduction was only partially blunted by knockdown of hACE2 in the SFO or PVN, suggesting that both regions are involved but not essential for ACE2 regulation of blood pressure (BP). DOCA-salt treatment did not increase the protein levels of ER stress and autophagy markers in NT mice, despite a significant increase in BP. In addition, these markers were not affected by hACE2 overexpression in the brain, despite a significant reduction of hypertension in SL mice. To further assess the role of ER stress in neurogenic hypertension, NT mice were infused intracerebroventricularlly with tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), an ER stress inhibitor, during DOCA-salt treatment. However, TUDCA infusion failed to blunt the development of hypertension in NT mice. Our data suggest that brain ER stress does not contribute to DOCA-salt hypertension and that ACE2 blunts neurogenic hypertension independently of ER stress.
24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 are both indispensable for calcium and phosphorus homeostasis

Abstract The essential role of vitamin D throughout the life of most mammals and birds as a mediator of calcium homeostasis is well established. In view of the complex endocrine system existent for the regulated metabolism of vitamin D 3 to both 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 [1,25(OH) 2 D 3 ] and 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 [24R,25-(OH) 2 D 3 ] (both produced by the kidney), an intriguing problem is to elucidate whether only one or both of these dihydroxyvitamin D 3 metabolites is required for the generation of all the biological responses mediated by the parent vitamin D 3 . In contrast to the accumulated knowledge concerning the short term actions of 1,25(OH) 2 -D 3 on stimulating intestinal calcium absorption and bone calcium reabsorption, relatively little is known of the biological function of 24,25(OH) 2 D 3 . We report now the results of a nine month study in which chicks were raised on a vitamin D-deficient diet from hatching to sexual maturity and received as their sole source of “vitamin D” either 24,25(OH) 2 D 3 or 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 singly or in combination. Specifically we are describing the integrated operation of the vitamin D endocrine system as quantitated by the individual measurement in all birds of 22 variables related to “vitamin D status” and as evaluated by the statistical procedure of multivariate discriminant analysis. Twelve of these variables involved detailed analysis of the bone including quantitative histology and the other 10 variables reflect various manifestations of vitamin D action, e.g. serum Ca 2+ and Pi levels, vitamin D-dependent calcium binding protein (CaBP) in the intestine and kidney, egg productivity etc. As evaluated by the multivariate analysis, it is clear that 24,25(OH) 2 D 3 and 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 are simultaneously required for normalization of calcium homeostasis.