cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surjectivities, octonions and differential Galois theory

ABSTRACTWe provide an explicit description of the torsors associated to the three groups related to the octonions—the exceptional Lie group G2 and the spin groups Spin7 and Spin8—and construct generic differential Galois extensions for those groups.
Association of IFIH1 and pro-inflammatory mediators: Potential new clues in SLE-associated pathogenesis

Antiviral defenses are inappropriately activated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and association between SLE and the antiviral helicase gene, IFIH1, is well established. We sought to extend the previously reported association of pathogenic soluble mediators and autoantibodies with mouse Mda5 to its human ortholog, IFIH1. To better understand the role this gene plays in human lupus, we assessed association of IFIH1 variants with soluble mediators and autoantibodies in 357 European-American SLE patients, first-degree relatives, and unrelated, unaffected healthy controls. Association between each of 135 genotyped SNPs in IFIH1 and four lupus-associated plasma mediators, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-β, and IP-10, were investigated via linear regression. No significant associations were found to SNPs orthologous to those identified in exon 13 of the mouse. However, outside of this region there were significant associations between IL-6 and rs76162067 (p = 0.008), as well as IP-10 and rs79711023 (p = 0.003), located in a region of IFIH1 previously shown to directly influence MDA-5 mediated IP-10 and IL-6 secretion. SLE patients and FDRs carrying the minor allele for rs79711023 demonstrated lower levels of IP-10, while only FDRs carrying the minor allele for rs76162067 demonstrated an increased level of IL-6. This would suggest that the change in IP-10 is genotypically driven, while the change in IL-6 may be reflective of SLE transition status. These data suggest that IFIH1 may contribute to SLE pathogenesis via altered inflammatory mechanisms.
Sharing Antimicrobial Reports for Pediatric Stewardship (SHARPS): A Quality Improvement Collaborative.

Background Although many children's hospitals have established antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs), data-driven benchmarks for optimizing antimicrobial use across centers are lacking. We developed a multicenter quality improvement collaborative focused on sharing data reports and benchmarking antimicrobial use to improve antimicrobial prescribing among hospitalized children. Methods A national antimicrobial stewardship collaborative among children's hospitals, Sharing Antimicrobial Reports for Pediatric Stewardship (SHARPS), was established in 2013. Characteristics of the hospitals and their ASPs were obtained through a standardized survey. Antimicrobial-use data reports were developed on the basis of input from the participating hospitals. Collaborative learning opportunities were provided through monthly webinars and annual meetings. Results Since 2013, 36 US hospitals have participated in the SHARPS collaborative. The median full-time equivalent (pharmacist and physician) dedicated to 30 of these ASPs was 0.75 (interquartile range, 0.45-1.4). To date, the collaborative has developed 26 data reports that include benchmarking reports according to specific antimicrobial agents, indications, and clinical service lines. The collaborative has conducted 27 webinars and 3 in-person meetings to highlight the stewardship work being conducted in the hospitals. The data reports and learning opportunities have resulted in approximately 36 distinct stewardship interventions. Conclusion A pediatric antimicrobial stewardship collaborative has been successful in promoting the development of and innovation among pediatric ASPs. Additional research is needed to determine the impact of these efforts.
Deformation mechanisms in a proton-irradiated austenitic stainless steel

Samples of austenitic 304 L stainless steal have been irradiated with 3.4 MeV protons to a total dose of 1 dpa. The microstructure of the irradiated stainless steel has been quantified by transmission electron microscopy and shown to be similar to that found in neutron-irradiated core components. Constant extension rate tensile tests have been performed at strain rates of 3 {times} 10{sup {minus}7} s{sup {minus}1} and 3 {times} 10{sup {minus}8} s{sup {minus}1} to strains of up to 27% at 23 C and 288 C. The resulting microstructures were characterized using electron and optical microscopy. Deformation of the unirradiated material is similar to that reported by others in previous work on austenitic steels, consisting of dislocation source activation and formation of dense dislocation networks with increasing strain. In the irradiated samples tested at 288 C, deformation consists of dislocation source activation at grain boundaries punching dislocations through the grain interior to the opposing grain boundaries. The dislocations create channels that are free of radiation-produced defects and on which dislocation motion is concentrated. Dislocations in the channels pile-up at the boundaries, creating regions of highly localized stress concentration at the grain boundary. The mechanism by which this stress relieved is still unknown.more » Deformation at 23 C consists of the nucleation and propagation of microtwins across the width of the grains.« less
Evaluation of RNA Blood Biomarkers in Individuals at Risk of Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND Substantial progress has been made in the discovery of blood biomarkers for Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects more than 4 million worldwide. Olfactory dysfunction and dopamine deficits usually precede motor symptoms years before the onset of PD. A readily accessible biomarker useful for identifying patients at risk of PD is expected to accelerate clinical trials. OBJECTIVE To evaluate previously identified PD blood RNA biomarkers in a cohort of asymptomatic individuals at risk of PD. METHODS Here we tested 16 previously identified PD RNA biomarkers using quantitative PCR assays in a total of 269 blood samples at baseline from hyposmic and normosmic participants enrolled in the Parkinson's Associated Risk Syndrome study. RESULTS Expression levels of four biomarkers, SOD2, PKM2, ZNF134, and ZNF160 were negatively correlated with the total Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, thus suggesting these biomarkers may be useful to stratify patients prior to the onset of motor symptoms. Levels of SOD2 were upregulated in hyposmic males compared to females, whereas levels of PKM2 were upregulated in hyposmic males compared to normosmic males and hyposmic females. Further, levels of SOD2 were upregulated in males with abnormal dopamine transporter (DAT) scans compared to females with abnormal DAT scans. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that some of these biomarkers may be useful for stratification of individuals at risk for PD and that there may be sex differences in the expression of some biomarkers. Future studies in larger longitudinal studies will be key to assessing the validity of these findings.
Keynote Lecture to the WCCBME Biomedical Engineering’s Many Foundations

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this World Congress. We come from all over the world to share our knowledge of the field we love, exchange our views, and promote friendship. Our field is huge. If I were allowed to choose one word to characterize our field, I would say that it is diverse: diverse with a unified purpose. Our unified purpose is to understand the health and disease of man and animals, and to do what we can for the benefit of human beings. Together, we bring the entire field of engineering to serve medical research and health science. We use the engineering approach. We value scientific and humanitarian understanding. We believe that true understanding is the foundation of everything that is worthwhile. We use pure science. We use engineering science. We use technology. We develop new and old materials, tools, mathematics, computing techniques, informatics, laboratories and clinical trials. We hope to add clarity and definitiveness to our understanding of diseases, clinical approaches, medicine, surgery, physical exercise, nutrition, healing, and the sense of well-being. Knowledge has no boundaries; it cannot be compartmentalized. Hence, for us, diversity is normal; it is the key.
Variational analysis of non-Lipschitz spectral functions

We consider spectral functions f ∘ λ where f is any permutation-invariant mapping from Cn to R, and λ is the eigenvalue map from the set of n × n complex matrices to Cn, ordering the eigenvalues lexicographically. For example, if f is the function “maximum real part”, then f ∘ λ is the spectral abscissa, while if f is “maximum modulus”, then f ∘ λ is the spectral radius. Both these spectral functions are continuous, but they are neither convex nor Lipschitz. For our analysis, we use the notion of subgradient extensively analyzed in Variational Analysis, R.T. Rockafellar and R. J.-B. Wets (Springer, 1998). We show that a necessary condition for Y to be a subgradient of an eigenvalue function f ∘ λ at X is that Y* commutes with X. We also give a number of other necessary conditions for Y based on the Schur form and the Jordan form of X. In the case of the spectral abscissa, we refine these conditions, and we precisely identify the case where subdifferential regularity holds. We conclude by introducing the notion of a semistable program: maximize a linear function on the set of square matrices subject to linear equality constraints together with the constraint that the real parts of the eigenvalues of the solution matrix are non-positive. Semistable programming is a nonconvex generalization of semidefinite programming. Using our analysis, we derive a necessary condition for a local maximizer of a semistable program, and we give a generalization of the complementarity condition familiar from semidefinite programming.
Hollywood Films as Social Studies Curriculum: Advancing a Critical Media Literacy Approach to Analyzing Black Male Representation

Critical media literacy approaches to teaching are a pedagogical imperative in twenty-first century education. It is increasingly important educators rethink what constitutes media and extend this conceptualization to Hollywood film as directors and producers also communicate sociopolitical messages. This article explores the intersection of critical media literacy, Hollywood film, and Black males through the lens of Black cultural projection. We use prior research to argue Black males are portrayed as endangered in school curriculum, namely social studies, and this portrayal parallels what students encounter when watching Hollywood films. The significance of this multimodal distortion of Black males is crucial to consider as films are increasingly used in social studies classrooms. We offer a critical analysis of the Hollywood film The Blind Side as an example of Black cultural projection; then conclude with a call for critical media literacy to be applied towards the use of film in social studies classrooms.
Use of the 532-nm Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser for the treatment of recalcitrant repigmentation in vitiligo

Vitiligo is a disorder characterized by the development of depigmented patches and macules. Patients with extensive involvement may opt for complete depigmentation using monobenzyl ether of hydroquinone (MBEH).1 However, after depigmentation, a subset of patients note repigmentation that is significantly darker than their original skin tone and is resistant to treatment with MBEH.2 Here we present a vitiligo patient who had recalcitrant repigmentation after depigmentation with MBEH, which was responsive to treatment with the 532-nm Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (QS Nd:Yag) laser.
Glutamate and Anoxic Neuronal Death in Vitro

Identifying the factors responsible for the exquisite sensitivity of the brain to anoxia and ischemia has been very difficult with currently available preparations. During the past three years, our laboratory has utilized two fairly well characterized in vitro preparations to study the effects of anoxia on central mammalian neurons. The experiments described below, which employed cultures of dissociated hippocampal neurons and slices of rat hippocampus, implicate the synaptic release of glutamate (Glu) in the pathophysiology of anoxic neuronal death.
ETHANOL AS A TERATOGEN

Interest in the possible teratogenic effects of ethanol has been renewed by the recent reports describing a common pattern of abnormal physical and mental development in children of alcoholic mothers. In view of the inherent questions regarding possible nutritional and other environmental variables in chronic alcoholism, mice were utilized to test the teratogenic effects of alcohol in a controlled situation. C57BL/6H mice were fed a liquid diet containing 17, 25, or 30% of the total calories as ethanol from Days 5–10 of gestation. Control mice were either given lab chow ad lib or pair-fed a liquid diet with sucrose substituted isocalorically for ethanol-derived calories. Pregnant females were sacrificed on Gestation-Day 19 and the fetuses examined for anomalies. Significantly more fetuses from alcohol-treated mothers receiving diets containing 25 or 30% of the total daily calories as ethanol were malformed or resorbed when compared to pair-fed or lab chow controls. Anomalies included skeletal, cardiovascular, ophthalmic, abdominal and urogenital defects. These anomalies are similar to those reported in children of alcoholic women. Acetaldehyde, rather than ethanol per se, may be responsible for the effects observed. Fetuses from dams fed liquid diets containing 25% ethanol-derived calories from Gestation-Days 5 through 10 or 12 through 19 were found upon gas chromatographic analysis to contain 18% or 40% of maternal blood acetaldehyde levels, respectively. As previously reported, the placenta does, however, act as an efficient metabolic barrier to acetaldehyde. The mechanism of action of ethanol-induced anomalies remains a complex question.
Tough Love: The Influence of an Agent's Negative Affect on Students' Learning

In this paper we explored the relationship between learning gains and affective displays of an animated pedagogical agent. Students read information on the topic of computer literacy while receiving either positive or negative affective responses from an on-screen animated agent. Analyses revealed that only students with low prior knowledge were influenced by the emotion displayed by the animated agent. We discuss the generalizability of our findings to other domains and the implications of these results on intelligent tutoring systems that are emotionally intelligent.
Analogies in Science Teaching

Analogies may be in the form of metaphors, similes, examples, and visual representations used during instruction to compare what the student already knows with new information the student will learn (Venville & Treagust, 1997).
A Case Series of Parechovirus Encephalopathy: Apnea and Autonomic Dysregulation in Critically Ill Infants:

This article aims to describe a rare cause of severe encephalitis in 2 cases of infants with signs of intracranial hypertension and severe autonomic dysregulation. The authors conclude that human parechoviruses are becoming a more recognized cause of encephalitis because of the increasing use of rapid detection methods. With early recognition of this clinical entity, improved care can be administered.
A Pilot Study of the Impact of a Single Dose of Zolendronic acid on Biomarkers in Breast Cancer.

e23248Background: In randomized trials for early stage breast cancer, patients who received adjuvant zolendronic acid (ZA) had superior disease-free survival and greater tumor shrinkage. Preclinica...
On the Origins of Aristocracy

This chapter examines the precursor to the gentry, namely, the warrior-aristocracy, which was a characteristic feature of aristocratic empires. After describing the general traits of the aristocratic empire, the author considers a trio of different cultural traditions which typically arose in the most advanced of the ancient aristocratic societies. He argues that the Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Hebrews all developed distinctive forms of aristocratic humanism, and that Greece, China, and India also produced their own versions of a dualism pitting ascetic supernaturalism against hedonistic materialism.
Natural Breast Symmetry in Preoperative Breast Cancer Patients.

Plastic surgeons aim to achieve breast symmetry during cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery. They rely on measures of breast size, position, and projection to determine and achieve breast symmetry, but normative data on symmetry in preoperative breast reconstruction patients are scarce. Methods A statistical evaluation was performed to examine the relationship of breast symmetry to demographic and clinical factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), race, and cancer status in a sample population of 87 patients who were scheduled to undergo mastectomy and breast reconstruction. The sternal notch to nipple (SN-N) distance and breast volume were measured on three-dimensional images, and distance and volume ratios across the left and right breasts were compared to determine symmetry. Ptosis grades were recorded and grade agreement (match) across the left and right breasts was assessed to determine shape symmetry. Results A substantial portion of women (41.4%) showed SN-N distance differences >5 mm and 50.6% exhibited a volume difference >50 mL between their right and left breasts. Multiple linear regression modeling did not show any association between age, BMI, and cancer status and the SN-N and volume ratios. Race showed an association with volume symmetry but not with SN-N symmetry. A higher BMI increased the likelihood of ptosis disagreement. Additionally, tumor size did not impact overall breast symmetry. Conclusion This study provides normative data on the extent of breast asymmetry in preoperative patients that can guide physicians in setting realistic goals for reconstruction procedures and manage patients' expectations related to outcomes.
Sensitivity of urinary pathogens for patients discharged from the emergency department compared with the hospital antibiogram

Data for hospital antibiograms are typically compiled from all patients, regardless of disposition, demographics and other comorbidities. We hypothesized that the sensitivity patterns for urinary pathogens would differ significantly from the hospital antibiogram in patients that were discharged from the emergency department (ED). We evaluated a retrospective cohort of all adult patients with positive urine cultures treated in the 2016 calendar year at an inner-city academic ED. Positive urine cultures defined by our institution’s microbiology department. Investigators conducted a structured review of an electronic medical record (EMR) to collect demographic, historical and microbiology records. We utilized a one-sample test of proportion to compare the sensitivity of each organism for discharged patients to the hospital published antibiogram. Alpha set at 0.05. During the study period, 414 patients were discharged from the ED and found to have positive urine cultures; 20% age > 60 years old, 85% female, 79% Hispanic, 33% diabetic. The most common organisms was E. coli (78%). E. coli was sensitive to Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole for 59% vs. 58% in our antibiogram (p = 0.77), Ciprofloxacin 81% vs. 69% (p < 0. 001), Nitrofurantoin 96% vs 95%; (p = 0.25). K. pneumoniae was sensitive to Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole 87% vs. 80% in our antibiogram (p = 0.26), Ciprofloxacin 100% vs. 92% (p = 0.077), Nitrofurantoin 86% vs 41% (p < 0.001). For our predominantly Hispanic study group with a high prevalence of diabetes, we found that our hospital antibiogram had relatively good value in guiding antibiotic therapy though for some organism/antibiotic combinations sensitivities were higher than expected.
Hypoplasia of vertebrobasilar arteries

The term “hypoplasia of the vertebral artery” often used in clinical practice, is not exactly defined. We studied vertebral angiograms of 160 patients, paying attention to seven defined points, measuring the inner diameter of the vertebrobasilar arteries. The frequency of hypoplasia was recorded. The findings in patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) were correlated with those of other neurological patients. VBI patients had a significantly higher rate of vertebrobasilar hypoplasia and those with vertebrobasilar hypoplasia had permanent neurological deficits more frequently than other VBI patients.
Life Event Detection using Conversations from Social Media

Neste trabalho, investigamos a deteccao de eventos de vida de midias sociais atraves de algoritmos de classificacao de aprendizado de maquina. Um grande desafio esta relacionado ao fato que as postagens de midias sociais sao normalmente curtas, o que dificulta a captura do um contexto associado a elas. Esta falta de contexto normalmente implica em grande ambiguidade, e consequentemente, em desempenho ruim na classificacao. Neste trabalho propomos o uso de conversas como uma maneira de aumentar o contexto disponivel e assim melhorar o desempenho da classificacao de eventos de vida. Comparamos o desempenho na classificacao de postagens contra conversas, e discutimos diferentes maneiras de construir classificadores para conversas. Finalmente, descrevemos o desempenho de diferentes tipos de classificadores em um conjunto de dados de teste de 20,000 postagens.
Counseling in an Andragogical Approach

Follow this and additional works at: http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_IACE-browseall Part of the Community College Leadership Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Higher Education Commons, Instructional Media Design Commons, International and Comparative Education Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons, Other Education Commons, Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons, Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons, and the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons
Early Detection Of COVID-19 Using A Smartwatch

Abstract Wearable devices digitally measuring vital signs have been used for monitoring health and illness onset and have high potential for real-time monitoring and disease detection. As such they are potentially useful during public health crises, such as the current COVID-19 global pandemic. Using smartwatch data from 31 infected individuals identified from a cohort of over 5000 participants, we investigated the use of wearables for early, presymptomatic detection of COVID-19. From physiological and activity data, we first demonstrate that COVID-19 infections are associated with alterations in heart rate, steps and sleep in 80% of COVID-19 infection cases. Failure to detect these changes in the remaining patients often occurred in those with chronic respiratory/lung disease. Importantly the physiological alterations were detected prior to, or at, symptom onset in over 85% of the positive cases (21/24), in some cases nine or more days before symptoms. Through daily surveys we can track physiological changes with symptom onset and severity. Finally, we develop a method to detect onset of COVID-19 infection in real-time which detects 67% of infection cases at or before symptom onset. Our study provides a roadmap to a rapid and universal diagnostic method for the large-scale detection of respiratory viral infections in advance of symptoms, highlighting a useful approach for managing epidemics using digital tracking and health monitoring.
Zebra rock and other Ediacaran paleosols from Western Australia

Zebra rock is an ornamental stone from the early Ediacaran, Ranford Formation, around and in Lake Argyle, south of Kununurra, Western Australia. It has been regarded as a marine clay, liquid crysta...
Learning to Work in a Materials Recovery Facility: Can Humans and Machines Learn from Each Other?

Workplace learning often requires workers to learn new perceptual and motor skills. The future of work will increasingly feature human users who cooperate with machines, both to learn the tasks and to perform them. In this paper, we examine workplace learning in Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), i.e., recycling plants, where workers separate waste items on conveyer belts before they are formed into bales and reprocessed. Using a simulated MRF, we explored the benefit of machine learning assistants (MLAs) that help workers, and help train them, to sort objects efficiently by providing automated perceptual guidance. In a randomized experiment (n = 140), we found: (1) A low-accuracy MLA is worse than no MLA at all, both in terms of task performance and learning. (2) A perfect MLA led to the best task performance, but was no better in helping users to learn than having no MLA at all. (3) Users tend to follow the MLA’s judgments too often, even when they were incorrect. Finally, (4) we devised a novel learning analytics algorithm to assess the worker’s accuracy, with the goal of obtaining additional training labels that can be used for fine-tuning the machine. A simulation study illustrates how even noisy labels can increase the machine’s accuracy.
Modular dual mobility total hip arthroplasty is a viable option for young, active patients : a mid-term follow-up study

Aims Dual mobility (DM) implants have been shown to reduce the dislocation rate after total hip arthroplasty (THA), but there remain concerns about the use of cobalt chrome liners inserted into tit...
Differential Roles of Cysteinyl Cathepsins in TGF-β Signaling and Tissue Fibrosis

TGF-β signaling, Smad activation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) production contribute to tissue fibrosis. Here we demonstrate that TGF-β enhances the expression of cysteinyl cathepsins CatS and CatK, but reduces CatB and CatL expression in mouse kidney tubular epithelial cells (TECs). TECs from Ctss-/- and Ctsk-/- mice show reduced expression of nuclear membrane importer protein importin-β, Smad-2/3 activation, and ECM production, yet those from Ctsb-/- and Ctsl-/- mice display increased importin-I² expression, Smad-2/3 activation, and ECM production, but reduced nuclear membrane exporter RanBP3 expression. CatS and CatK form immunocomplexes with the nuclear membrane importin-β and RanBP3 more effectively than do CatB and CatL. On the plasma membrane, CatS and CatK preferentially form immunocomplexes with and activate TGF-β receptor-2, while in contrast CatB and CatL form immunocomplexes with and inactivate TGF-β receptor-1. Unilateral ureteral obstruction-induced renal injury tests differential cathepsin activities in TGF-β signaling and tissue fibrosis. TECs in fibrotic tissues exhibit decreased CatB and CatL, but increased CatS and CatK activities. CatB- or CatL-deficiency exacerbates fibrosis, while CatS- or CatK-deficiency protects kidneys from fibrosis. These results shed novel mechanistic insight into how these closely related cysteinyl cathepsins can exert opposing effects in the TGF-β signaling cascade independent of their proteolytic properties. Funding: This work is supported by grants from the National Institute of Health [HL080472 to PL, HL123568 and HL60942 to GPS], and the RRM Charitable Fund to PL. Declaration of Interest: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest. Ethical Approval: All animal procedures conformed to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals published by the US National Institutes of Health and were approved by the Harvard Medical School Standing Committee on Animals (protocol #03759).
The Interplay of Semantic and Surface Structure Acquisition

This paper is designed to report on a theory of language acquisition embodied in a computational model, which is rather unique among theories of language acquisition in the degree to which it assumes an interplay between surface syntax and considerations of meaning. Since the theory is explicit as to where this interplay takes place, it will be possible to discuss the necessity of both semantic and surface structure in concrete terms. The theory and its computational model are both called PST -the Problem Solving Theory. The creation and improvement of PST has been taking place, with some interruptions, since 1967. The latest version of the computational model is called Instance 3.
College Education and Attitudes toward Democracy in China: An Empirical Study.

The modernization theory contends that there is a link between education and democracy. Yet few empirical studies have been done to investigate the role of higher education on promoting democratic values in the Chinese context. Using China General Social Survey 2006, this paper generates several findings which are not completely consistent with the existing theoretical explanations on political development. Specifically, the college-educated Chinese citizens not only agree that there is need to improve democracy, but support various types of political participation and resist the government-oriented petitioning. However, though entrepreneurial elites (private business owners) and political elites (Chinese communist party members) demonstrate preference to democracy in principle, empirical evidence suggests that they are much less likely to support political participation that challenges the authoritarian regime in China compared to knowledge-based elites (college-educated adults).
TU‐AB‐BRB‐00: New Methods to Ensure Target Coverage

The accepted clinical method to accommodate targeting uncertainties inherent in fractionated external beam radiation therapy is to utilize GTV-to-CTV and CTV-to-PTV margins during the planning process to design a PTV-conformal static dose distribution on the planning image set. Ideally, margins are selected to ensure a high (e.g. >95%) target coverage probability (CP) in spite of inherent inter- and intra-fractional positional variations, tissue motions, and initial contouring uncertainties. Robust optimization techniques, also known as probabilistic treatment planning techniques, explicitly incorporate the dosimetric consequences of targeting uncertainties by including CP evaluation into the planning optimization process along with coverage-based planning objectives. The treatment planner no longer needs to use PTV and/or PRV margins; instead robust optimization utilizes probability distributions of the underlying uncertainties in conjunction with CP-evaluation for the underlying CTVs and OARs to design an optimal treated volume. This symposium will describe CP-evaluation methods as well as various robust planning techniques including use of probability-weighted dose distributions, probability-weighted objective functions, and coverage optimized planning. Methods to compute and display the effect of uncertainties on dose distributions will be presented. The use of robust planning to accommodate inter-fractional setup uncertainties, organ deformation, and contouring uncertainties will be examined as will its use to accommodate intra-fractional organ motion. Clinical examples will be used to inter-compare robust and margin-based planning, highlighting advantages of robust-plans in terms of target and normal tissue coverage. Robust-planning limitations as uncertainties approach zero and as the number of treatment fractions becomes small will be presented, as well as the factors limiting clinical implementation of robust planning. Learning Objectives: 1. To understand robust-planning as a clinical alternative to using margin-based planning. 2. To understand conceptual differences between uncertainty and predictable motion. 3. To understand fundamental limitations of the PTV concept that probabilistic planning can overcome. 4. To understand the major contributing factors to target and normal tissue coverage probability. 5. To understand the similarities and differences of various robust planning techniques 6. To understand the benefits and limitations of robust planning techniques
CS2 and Java's comparator interface

This paper discusses the distinct roles of Java's Comparable and Comparator interfaces for addressing natural orderings and application-specific orderings, respectively. We illustrate the Comparator interface as a tool for software reuse with examples of multi-key and indirect orderings.
The Effect of Mediated Partnerships in Two-Sided Economic Search

In this paper we investigate the effect of mediated partnerships over agents' equilibrium strategies in two-sided economic search. A mediated partnershipis formed when an agent acts as a mediator, establishing a partnership between a pair of agents it encountered along its search, thereby reducing the other agents' amount of search. Surprisingly, this reduction in market friction induced by mediated partnerships does not always improve market efficiency. Use of mediated partnerships changes the equilibrium strategies used by agents in two-sided search models and introduces substantial computational complexity. This computational complexity is overcome with an innovative algorithm that facilitates equilibrium calculation.
New Program Restructuring Technology

Compilers for vector and parallel computers advertise the ability to automatically detect the parallelism in sequential loops. Sometimes these compilers change the structure of nested loops, for instance by interchanging loops, to uncover more parallelism. The technology used for parallelism discovery can also be used to optimize nested loop algorithms for many other architectural characteristics, such as memory hierarchies, or limited interprocessor connection networks. While much of this technology has been successfully commercialized, recent research has discovered new technology and transformations. The potential for these new optimizations and how they will interface with users is discussed.
The ground state energy of Schrödinger operators

We study e(λ) = inf spec ( - Δ + λV) and examine when e(λ) < 0 for all λ ╪ 0. We prove that - cλ^2 ≤ e(λ) ≤ - dλ^2 for suitable V and all small |λ|.
Some hydrogen atom abstraction reactions of CF2H and CFH2 radicals, and the C ? H bond dissociation energy in CF2H2

By photolyzing (CF2H)2CO and (CFH2)2CO the hydrogen atom abstraction reactions of CF2H radicals with (CF2H)2CO, H2, D2, CH4, C2H6, nC4H10 and isoC4H10, and the reactions of CFH2 radicals with (CFH2)2CO and nC4H10, have been studied. Arrhenius parameters for these reactions are compared with related systems. From a knowledge of the activation energies for the forward and reverse reactions a value of the bond dissociation energy, D(CF2HH) = 97.4 ± 1.3 kcal mole−1 at a mean temperature of 543°K is obtained. This value is subject to much uncertainty due to possible compensation effects in the Arrhenius parameters. These effects are discussed for this and the other reactions, and the data suggest that D(CF2HH) is approximately 100 kcal mole−1, and that D(CFH2H) is very similar. Other literature data tend to confirm these approximate values.
Psychiatric Symptom Endorsements in Children and Adolescents Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comparison to Typically Developing Children and Adolescents

Children and adolescents diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) frequently exhibit symptoms that are not associated with the core features of ASD. These symptoms may meet criteria for an additional diagnosis; however, accurate assessment of comorbid psychiatric conditions in ASD has been hindered by a lack of measures designed for this specific purpose. The newly constructed assessment measure, Autism Spectrum Disorders-Comorbid for Children (ASD-CC) has been developed specifically for examining comorbid psychiatric disorders in ASD. Therefore, this study set out to assess differences in the endorsement rates of psychiatric symptoms in children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD compared to their same aged typically developing peers, utilizing the ASD-CC. Results of the analyses revealed significant differences between children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD compared to those without ASD. The subscales (i.e., of the ASD-CC) worry/depressed, under-eating, over-eating, avoidant behavior, and repetitive behavior all contributed to the significant difference between groups. The implications of the significant and non-significant results as well as directions for future research are discussed.
The role of attention in chemosensation

The nervous system is capable of fully processing only a small fraction of the information typically impinging on the sense organs at any moment. Attention provides an important mechanism for selecting some information to be processed extensively, albeit often limiting the processing of other information. Two main questions are: Can attention be directed toward particular stimuli within a single modality, for example, toward sweet-producing versus sour-producing gustatory stimuli? Can attention be directed toward a particular chemosensory modality, for example, toward gustatory versus olfactory constituents of flavors? Evidence suggests that people have at least some ability to attend selectively to particular chemosensory modalities and flavor stimuli. Selective attention to a single modality may reflect the preferential monitoring of neural activity in that modality, whereas selective attention to particular stimuli within a modality may represent preferential monitoring of neural activity of those neurons in the modality that are most sensitive to the attended stimuli.
A comparison of two methods for testing detergents

A comparative study has been made of two common methods of measuring detergency. It has been shown that the method involving the measurement of light reflectance of soiled and washed fabrics gives results which lead to essentially the same conclusions as does the method involving the determination of the light transmission of wash liquors for a typical non-ionic detergent and a typical anionic detergent. The two methods did not give comparable results when tallow soap was used.
Polymer science and technology for new generation photonics and biophotonics

Polymeric materials hold considerable promise for photonics, the science and technology utilizing photons. They are also finding applications for nanophotonics, created by fusion of photonics and nanotechnology, and for biophotonics, an emerging field that utilizes light for optical diagnostics as well as for light-guided and activated therapy. This article presents selected examples of applications of polymeric media for nanophotonics and biophotonics. Merits of polymeric nanocomposites containing many nanosize constituents for manipulation of optical properties and introduction of multifunctionalities are described. Nanocomposites containing inorganic quantum dots dispersed in a polymer matrix exhibit increased photogeneration efficiency, broad spectrally tunable photoresponse, and enhanced carrier mobility, which are useful for many optoelectronic applications such as in broad band solar cells and photorefractivity. Polymer-dispersed liquid crystals containing quantum dots exhibit significantly large photorefractive figure of merits. Polymeric nanoparticles, in the form of nanoclinics, for photodynamic therapy is provided as an example of biophotonics applications.
The numerical solution of large systems of linear differential equations

In chemical engineering and process control, the numerical solution of large systems of linear, time-invariant, differential equations must often be considered. Standard numerical techniques such as the Runge-Kutta method usually require excessive computational time. Since often the time solution of only a few variables is desired in such large systems, a method has been developed to take advantage of this and allows the solution of large systems of differential equations to be obtained in an extremely fast and efficient manner. The basis of the method is to solve for the poles and zeros of the system and then to find the time solution in terms of these poles and zeros.
Bonds without Bondsmen: Tenant-Right in Nineteenth-Century Ireland

Tenant-right, or a tenant's right to sell his holding, was one of the most puzzling institutions of nineteenth-century Irish land tenure. Historians have argued that the institution reflects the tenants' assertions of a proprietary interest in the land, an assertion often backed up by threats and violence. In this article we argue that landlords respected tenant-right because they could profit from the instistution. Our model reflects comments by contemporaries and explains that tenant-right functioned as a bond aganist nonpayment of rent and was part of a rational landlord's income-maximizing strategy.
Fatal Pulmonary Microsporidiosis Due to Encephalitozoon cuniculi Following Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

Microsporidia are ubiquitous obligate eukaryotic intracellular parasites that are now felt to be more akin to degenerate fungi than to protozoa. Microsporidia can be highly pathogenic, causing a broad range of symptoms in humans, especially individuals who are immunocompromised. The vast majority of human cases of microsporidiosis have been reported during the past 20 years, in patients with HIV/AIDS, while only relatively rare cases have been described in immunocompetent individuals. However, microsporidia infections are being increasingly reported in patients following solid-organ transplanation, where the main symptom has been diarrhea. The authors report the first case of pulmonary microsporidial infection in an allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipient in the United States and only the second case in the world. The patient, with a history of Hodgkin disease followed by acute myelogenous leukemia received a T-cell-depleted graft, but succumbed to respiratory failure 63 days post transplantation. An open lung biopsy, taken just before death, was originally thought to show toxoplasmosis. The correct diagnosis of microsporidiosis was made postmortem by light and electron microscopy. DNA polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed the diagnosis and furthermore revealed it to be the dog strain of the microsporidia species Encephalitozoon cuniculi. Although to date rarely diagnosed, microsporidial infection should also be considered in the differential diagnosis of, e.g., unexplained pulmonary infection in bone marrow transplant patients.
ULTRASONOGRAPHY OF THE EQUINE STIFLE

Ten stifles from 5 clinically sound adult horses were scanned by high-resolution ultrasound. Normal anatomic structures seen consistently included the subcutaneous tissue, the medial, middle and lateral patellar ligaments, the medial and lateral collateral ligaments, the femoral trochlear ridges, and menisci. Cruciate ligaments could not be visualized in the standing horse. Four stifle specimens obtained from 2 of these normal horses at necropsy were scanned in a water bath to create optimal technical conditions. The sonographic appearance of stifle specimens was similar to that found in live horses. Results from ultrasonographic examination of 3 horses with stifle abnormalities were described to illustrate some applications of ultrasonography in the evaluation of the equine stifle. In these horses, ultrasound was a valuable diagnostic tool to study joint effusion, synovial thickening, articular cartilaginous and subchondral defects, and soft tissue/bony injuries.
Opportunities for nursing-dental collaboration: Addressing oral health needs among the elderly

Providing quality oral health care for the growing elderly population is a major challenge, particularly for those residing in long-term care institutions. The Surgeon General's report on oral health in America (2000) noted that elders are at particularly high risk for oral health problems, and poor oral health in seniors has been linked to general systemic health risks such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, poor nutrition, and respiratory infection. This article outlines the need for greater attention to oral health care for the elderly in both nursing education and practice, and describes opportunities for effective inter-professional collaboration between nursing and oral health professionals. It also provides specific recommendations for fostering such collaboration. Working together, nurses and dental professionals can raise awareness of this issue, promote higher standards for oral care, and improve oral health and quality of life for elderly Americans.
A mixed mean-value and crank-based model of a dual-stage turbocharged SI engine for Hardware-In-the-Loop simulation

Closed loop combustion control of internal combustion engines becomes a necessity to meet today's fuel economy and emission requirements. Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation of engine systems plays an important role in developing and validating real-time engine control systems. Traditionally the engine models used for the HIL simulation are so-called mean value ones that simulate average engine operational behaviors, while the development and validation of closed loop combustion control require crank-based (or event based) feedback signals, such as in-cylinder pressure signals, in an HIL simulator. In this paper, a mixed mean valve and crank-based engine model was developed for a dual-stage turbocharged engine. This engine model contains both cycle-to-cycle combustion information and averaged engine dynamics such as air flow, speed, torque, etc. GT-Power engine model was developed to obtain calibrations for the Simulink real-time engine model built for the real-time HIL simulator.
Eine empirische Untersuchung zum Schülerhandeln mit Cabri-géomètre

Dieser Beitrag fast Ergebnisse einer empirischen Untersuchung zusammen, in der das Augenmerk auf Schulervorstellungen und Schulerhandeln beim Einsatz moderner Geometriesoftware gerichtet war. Das im Projekt am meisten verwendete Programm war Cabri-geometre. Mit qualitativen Verfahren werden Schuler-Cabri-Interaktionen analysiert und als Fallstudien prasentiert. Solche Fallstudien zeigen im Detail, wie durch die dynamischen Werkzeuge Cabris neben dem erweiterten Spielraum des Machbaren auch die Komplexitat der jeweiligen Lernsituation zunimmt.
Modulation of chondrocyte proteoglycan synthesis by endogeneously produced nitric oxide.

As first shown by Stadler et al. [1], articular chondrocytes synthesize copious amounts of free radical nitric oxide (NO) following activation by interleukin-1 (IL-1). Present research is directed towards identifying a role for NO in the physiology or pathophysiology of chondrocytes and cartilage. Suppression of proteoglycan synthesis is one of the major metabolic responses of chondrocytes to IL-1 [2]. By inhibiting proteoglycan synthesis, IL-1 interferes with one of the main processes involved in maintaining the integrity of articular cartilage. In so doing, it may potentiate cartilage loss in both osteoand rheumatoid arthritis. The present paper reports data implicating NO in the process through which IL-1 inhibits proteoglycan synthesis by articular chondrocytes.
MACC1 is related to colorectal cancer initiation and early-stage invasive growth.

Objectives: To investigate metastasis associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) and MET expression in colorectal adenoma, Tis, early-stage invasive (T1 and T2), and advanced adenocarcinoma with liver metastasis using immunohistochemistry. Methods: Ninety-three paraffin-embedded colorectal tumor specimens were immunohistochemically analyzed for MACC1 and MET protein expression. Results: MACC1 expression was upregulated in the transition from adenoma to Tis; its expression was further elevated during tumor progression from Tis to early invasive carcinoma. MET expression was constant from adenoma to Tis and to T1 but significantly increased as tumor progression to T2. Both MACC1 and MET expression were enhanced in advanced carcinoma with liver metastasis. Conclusions: Stepwise elevation of MACC1 expression in key points of colorectal cancer development suggests that MACC1 may contribute to cancer initiation and early invasive growth. High expression of both MACC1 and MET may relate to distant metastasis.