cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Consideration of Occult Infection and Sepsis Mimics in the Sick Patient Without an Apparent Infectious Source.

Abstract Background Evaluation and treatment of the acutely ill patient is typically complicated by multiple comorbidities and incomplete medical histories. This is exemplified by patients with sepsis, whose care is complicated by variable presentations, shifting definitions, and a variety of potential sources. Many practitioners fail to consider and recognize less-common sources of infection in a timely manner. Additionally, multiple noninfectious conditions can present with the fever and tachycardia typical of the septic patient. The errors of anchoring and premature closure may lead to delay in, or failure of, diagnosis of these conditions. Objective This review addresses the evaluation of the acutely ill-appearing patient without an apparent source, focusing on occult sources of infection and conditions that mimic sepsis. Discussion Musculoskeletal, cardiac, neuraxial, and abdominal sources of sepsis should be considered in the acutely ill patient. Indwelling devices should be carefully examined for signs of infection. Consideration for sepsis mimics, such as neuroleptic malignant syndrome, malignant hyperthermia, medication toxicity, and thyroid storm, in patients who fail to respond to standard therapies for sepsis, may lead the physician to potentially reversible life-threatening diagnoses and management. Conclusion In the seemingly septic patient who does not respond to antimicrobials and fluids, the differential should be broadened to include acutely life-threatening conditions that can mimic sepsis. A review of the patient's medical history, medications, and recent exposures can assist in identifying the source of the patient's elevated body temperature and tachycardia. Consideration of potential sources and other mimics of sepsis is needed in the emergency department.
Severity of illness assessment with application of the APACHE IV predicted mortality and outcome trends analysis in an academic cardiac intensive care unit.

Abstract Purpose To assess trends in life support interventions and performance of the automated Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) IV model at mortality prediction compared with Oxford Acute Severity of Illness Score (OASIS) in a contemporary cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). Methods and materials Retrospective analysis of adults (age ≥ 18 years) admitted to CICU from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2015. Temporal trends were assessed with linear regression. Discrimination of each risk score for hospital mortality was assessed with use of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values. Calibration was assessed with Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. Results The study analyzed 10,004 patients. CICU and hospital mortality rates were 5.7% and 9.1%. APACHE IV predicted death had an AUROC of 0.82 (0.81–0.84) for hospital death, compared with 0.79 for OASIS (P Conclusions Contemporary CICU patients are increasingly ill, observed in upward trends in comorbid conditions and life support interventions. APACHE IV predicted death and OASIS showed good discrimination in predicting death in this population. APACHE IV and OASIS may be useful for benchmarking and quality improvement initiatives in the CICU, the former having better discrimination.
First-principles study of the impact of the atomic configuration on the electronic properties of Al x Ga 1 -x N alloys

We employ first-principles calculations in the formalism of standard and hybrid density functional theory to study the electronic and structural properties of wurtzite ${\text{Al}}_{x}{\text{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\text{N}$ alloys. We address the discrepancies observed in literature regarding essential electronic properties of these alloys and we investigate the dependence of these properties on the atomic ordering and composition. We show that the bowing parameter is significantly affected by the atomic ordering, ranging from zero to strong downward bowing. The effects of atomic ordering of the alloys on their band offset with respect to the pure phases are also investigated. Finally, using the effective band structure approach, we study the electronic band structure of the random alloys.
Arctic Coastal Systems: Evaluating the DAPSI(W)R(M) Framework

Abstract The coastal systems of the five littoral Arctic countries are diverse in their environments and societies. Yet, they share similarities related to climate changes and development pressures. Outside of Russia, these coasts differ from many mid-latitude coastal systems due to relatively sparse infrastructure and populations, and all Arctic nations are facing the more rapid onset of warming in the North. The DAPSI(W)R(M) framework has yet to be thoroughly applied to the Arctic coasts. While application of the framework for each coastal system is beyond the scope of this chapter an overview is warranted that (1) characterizes the Arctic coastal systems, (2) applies DAPSIWRM with a recognition that there are biophysical, sectoral, jurisdictional, and cultural differences across Arctic coastal systems, and (3) highlights the environmental management complexity of the social-ecological systems along the pan-Arctic coasts.
Children with chronic health conditions and maltreatment re-report

Abstract Background To better protect children from chronic maltreatment, it is vital to understand characteristics of families most at-risk for ongoing child protective service (CPS) investigations. Families of children with chronic health conditions that require hospitalization may be at an increased risk of a subsequent report shortly after the close of an investigation. Objective This study compares the length of time to a new maltreatment investigation – both any investigation and substantiated – following an initial investigation for families of children with different chronic health conditions, including asthma, life-threatening allergic reactions, and other conditions requiring hospitalization. Methods Data on families of children 2 months to 17 years of age (n = 2414) following an index CPS investigation from a merger of the 2010 cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) and the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) are used. Results Using cox regression models, families of children with chronic health conditions requiring hospitalization were investigated for any allegation more quickly than families of children without such chronic conditions (hazard ratio = 1.60, p Conclusion The results suggests that the risk for re-reporting for families of children with different chronic health problems depend on type of chronic health condition. Investigations may be triggered for families of children with complex conditions unrelated to maltreatment, but potentially due to contact with multiple service systems.
The Ebb of the pink tide: the decline of the left in Latin America

Following lengthy periods of authoritarian rule, democratization and the subsequent rise of ideologically-left “Pink Tide” governments in Latin America and its quintessential leaders (Hugo Chavez, ...
Recent and planned hydrodynamic instability experiments on indirect-drive implosions on the National Ignition Facility

ABSTRACT At National Ignition Facility (NIF), yield amplification due to alpha particle heating approached ~3 in the highest performing inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions, while yield amplification of ~15-30 is needed for ignition. Hydrodynamic instabilities are a major factor in degradation of implosions while understanding and mitigation of the instabilities are critical to achieving ignition. This article describes recent and planned hydrodynamic instability experiments with several focused platforms that have been developed to directly measure these instabilities in all phases of ICF implosions. Measurements of ripple-shock generation at OMEGA laser have indicated initial seeds for the instabilities in three ablators - plastic (CH), beryllium, and high-density carbon (HDC). Hydrodynamic Growth Radiography (HGR) platform was used to measure instability growth at the ablation front in the acceleration phase of implosions. This platform used pre-imposed 2-D perturbations for growth factor measurements at different perturbation wavelengths and was also used to measure growth of “native roughness” modulations, fill tubes, and capsule support membranes or “tents”. Also, in the acceleration phase several new experimental platforms have been or are being developed to measure instability growth at the ablator-ice interface. In the deceleration phase of implosions, “self-emission” and “self-backlighting” platforms were developed to measure perturbations near peak compression. This article reviews recent progress and results.
Abstract WMP39: Protein Phosphatase 1 Regulatory Subunit 12C Contributes to Atrial Myosin Light Chain Dephosphorylation in Atrial Fibrillation

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases stroke risk five-fold. Atrial hypocontractility from atrial myosin light chain (MLC2a) dephosphorylation contributes to stroke risk in AF. Recent prot...
Mice Are Not Humans: The Case of p53

Mouse models represent powerful tools in cancer research that have influenced much of our understanding of tumor development and our current anticancer strategies. Yet, central signaling pathways differ considerably between mouse and human, including gene regulatory networks (GRNs) of the most important tumor suppressor p53 and its oncogenic sibling p63.
INTEGRITAS BERPERILAKU KUDUS BERDASARKAN 1 PETRUS 1:13-25 TERHADAP KOMITMEN PELAYANAN PADUAN SUARA ADONAI

Integrity to behave holy is a life that shows as befits the family of God, which is to live a life that matches the calling. A life that should be "blameless, a life of moral integrity and complete surrender. The purpose of this paper is to answer the question: What does Integrity mean is holy? how to prove the integrity of holy behavior is very important as a servant of God and in order to be able to create God's servants who have honesty and pleasing before God? how to prove that the impact of integrity behaving holy towards commitment in service is needed by choir service and in order to create maximum service that pleases God? The research method used is qualitative using a grounded research design. The results of the study are (1) Integrity is a picture of a person who has quality in all dimensions of his life. (2) how to prove the integrity of holy behavior is very important as a servant of God and in order to be able to create servants of God who have honesty and are pleasing before God; (3) Integrity of Holy Behavior in Creating God's Servant who Does Not Obey Lust, Living in Fear of God, and Behaving in Truth Obedient Haw Lust is an earthly system that is contrary to God's plan. Abstrak Integritas berperilaku kudus merupakan kehidupan yang menunjukkan sebagaimana layaknya keluarga Allah, yakni menjalani kehidupan yang berpapadan dengan panggilan. Kehidupan yang seharusnya “tidak bercacat, kehidupan yang berintegritas moral dan penyerahan yang seutuhnya. Tujuan penulisan ini menjawa pertanyaan: Apakah yang dimaksud dengan Integritas berlaku kudus ? bagaimana membuktikan integritas berperilaku kudus sangatlah penting sebagai seorang pelayan Tuhan dan guna untuk dapat menciptakan pelayan Tuhan yang memiliki kejujuran dan berkenan di hadapan Tuhan? bagaimana membuktikan bahwa dampak integritas berperilaku kudus terhadap komitmen dalam pelayanan sangat dibutuhkan oleh pelayanan paduan suara dan guna untuk menciptakan pelayanan yang maksimal dan menyenangkan hati Tuhan? Metode peneltian yang digunakan adalah kualitatif ini menggunakan desain penelitian grounded. Hasil penelitian adalah (1) Integritas merupakan gambaran seorang pribadi yang memiliki kualitas diri dalam segala dimensi kehidupannya. (2) bagaimana membuktikan integritas berperilaku kudus sangatlah penting sebagai seorang pelayan Tuhan dan guna untuk dapat menciptakan pelayan Tuhan yang memiliki kejujuran dan berkenan di hadapan Tuhan; (3) Integritas Berperilaku Kudus dalam Menciptakan Pelayan Tuhan yang Tidak Menuruti Hawa Nafsu, Hidup dalam Takut akan Tuhan, dan Berperilaku Taat Kebenaran Haw Nafsu yaitu sistem duniawi yang bertentangan dengan rencana Allah.
Exoskeletal-assisted walking may improve seated balance in persons with chronic spinal cord injury: a pilot study

STUDY DESIGN Pre-post intervention. OBJECTIVE To explore the potential effect of exoskeletal-assisted walking (EAW) on seated balance for persons with chronic motor complete spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING A SCI research center. METHODS Eight participants who were over 18 years of age with chronic SCI and used a wheelchair for mobility were enrolled. Seven able-bodied participants were used for normal seated balance comparative values. Participants with chronic SCI received supervised EAW training using a powered exoskeleton (ReWalkTM) for a median 30 sessions (range from 7 to 90 sessions). Before and after EAW training, seated balance testing outcomes were collected using computerized dynamic posturography, providing measurements of endpoint excursion (EPE), maximal excursion (MXE), and directional control (DCL). Modified functional reach test (MFRT) and the sub-scales of physical functioning and role limitations due to physical health from the Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) were used to identify changes in functional activities. RESULTS After EAW training, seated balance significantly improved in total-direction EPE and MXE (P < 0.01 and P < 0.017 respectively). The results of MFRT and sub-scales of physical functioning and role limitations due to physical health improved after EAW training but were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS EAW training may have the potential to improve seated balance for persons with chronic motor complete SCI. Due to the limitations of the study, such as small sample size and lack of a control group, further studies are needed to clarify the effect of improving seated balance through EAW training.
LIMITing tumours with an immunogenic lncRNA.

Overcoming immune resistance mechanisms in patients with cancer is critical for successful immunotherapy. A new study now identifies LIMIT as an immunogenic long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that intrinsically regulates anti-tumour immune responses, thereby highlighting the therapeutic potential of targeting lncRNAs to improve the outcome of cancer immunotherapy.
Dynamic Imaging Using Deep Bilinear Unsupervised Learning (Deblur)

Bilinear models such as low-rank and compressed sensing, which decompose the dynamic data to spatial and temporal factors, are powerful and memory efficient tools for the recovery of dynamic MRI data. These methods rely on sparsity and energy compaction priors on the factors to regularize the recovery. Motivated by deep image prior, we introduce a novel bilinear model, whose factors are regularized using convolutional neural networks. To reduce the run time, we initialize the CNN parameters by pre-training them on pre-acquired data with longer acquistion time. Since fully sampled data is not available, pretraining is performed on undersampled data in an unsupervised fashion. We use sparsity regularization of the network parameters to minimize the over-fitting of the network to measurement noise. Our experiments on free-breathing and ungated cardiac CINE data acquired using a navigated golden-angle gradient-echo radial sequence show the ability of our method to provide reduced spatial blurring as compared to low-rank and SToRM reconstructions.
Theta-Alpha Variability on Admission EEG Is Associated With Outcome in Pediatric Cerebral Malaria.

Purpose Pediatric cerebral malaria has high rates of mortality and neurologic morbidity. Although several biomarkers, including EEG, are associated with survival or morbidity, many are resource intensive or require skilled interpretation for clinical use. Automation of quantitative interpretation of EEG may be preferable in resource-limited settings, where trained interpreters are rare. As currently used quantitative EEG factors do not adequately describe the spectrum of variability seen in studies from children with cerebral malaria, the authors developed and validated a new quantitative EEG variable, theta-alpha variability (TAV). Methods The authors developed TAV, a new quantitative variable, as a composite of multiple automated EEG outputs. EEG records from 194 children (6 months to 14 years old) with cerebral malaria were analyzed. Independent EEG interpreters performed standard quantitative and qualitative analyses, with the addition of the newly created variable. The associations of TAV with other quantitative EEG factors, a qualitative assessment of variability, and outcomes were assessed. Results Theta-alpha variability was not highly correlated with alpha, theta, or delta power and was not associated with qualitative measures of variability. Children whose EEGs had higher values of TAV had a lower risk of death (odds ratio = 0.934, 95% confidence interval = 0.902-0.966) or neurologic sequelae (odds ratio = 0.960, 95% confidence interval = 0.932-0.990) compared with those with lower values. Receiver operating characteristic analysis in predicting death at a TAV threshold of 0.244 yielded a sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 70% for an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.755. Conclusions Theta-alpha variability is independently associated with outcome in pediatric cerebral malaria and can predict death with high sensitivity and specificity. Automated determination of this newly created EEG factor holds promise as a potential method to increase the clinical utility of EEG in resource-limited settings by allowing interventions to be targeted to those at higher risk of death or disability.
Clinical efficacy, timing, and outcomes of ERCP for management of bile duct leaks: a nationwide cohort study

Background and study aims Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) can safely and effectively manage postsurgical or traumatic bile duct leaks (BDLs). Standardized guidelines are lacking regarding effective management of BDLs. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy, clinical outcomes, and complications of different ERCP techniques and intervention timing using a nationwide database. Patients and methods We performed a retrospective analysis of the IBM Explorys database (1999–2019), a pooled, national, de-identified clinical database of over 64 million unique patients across the United States. ERCP timing after BDL was classified as emergent ( 3 days). ERCP technique was classified into sphincterotomy, stent or combination therapy. ERCP complications were defined as pancreatitis, duodenal perforation, duodenal hemorrhage, and ascending cholangitis within 7 days of the procedure. Results Expectant ERCP had a decreased risk of adverse events (AEs) compared to emergent and urgent ERCP (P = 0.004). Rehospitalization rates also were lower in expectant ERCP (P Conclusion Our study suggests that ERCP does not need to be performed emergently or urgently for management of BDLs. Combination therapy is superior to stenting but not sphincterotomy; however, future prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.
Patient-reported chronic rhinosinusitis disease control is a valid measure of disease burden.

BACKGROUND Disease control is an important treatment goal for chronic uncurable conditions such as chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The objective of this study was to determine whether patient-reported CRS disease control is a valid reflection of disease burden. METHODS Prospective longitudinal study of 300 CRS patients (35% CRS with nasal polyps, 65% CRS without nasal polyps). At enrollment and at a subsequent follow-up timepoint, all participants were asked to rate their CRS disease control as "not at all," "a little," "somewhat," "very," or "completely", as well as to complete a 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and the 5-dimension EuroQol general health questionnaire from which the visual analogue scale (EQ-5D VAS) was used. RESULTS At enrollment and follow-up timepoints, patient-reported CRS disease control was significantly correlated with SNOT-22 and EQ-5D VAS scores. The change in patient-reported CRS disease control was significantly correlated with change in SNOT-22 and change in EQ-5D VAS scores. There was significant cross-sectional and longitudinal correlation between patient-reported control and all SNOT-22 subdomain scores. A SNOT-22 score of ≤ 25 points or lower, or an EQ-5D VAS score of ≥77 was predictive of having well - (i.e. "very" or "completely") controlled CRS. CONCLUSIONS Patient-reported CRS disease control is a valid measure of CRS disease burden and general QOL. A patient-reported assessment of CRS disease control could be considered as a component of a more comprehensive measure of CRS disease control.
Future predictor for vehicle steering guidance - sensitivity analysis and experimental results

The accessible information to the driver is important in vehicle handling problems. Under severe weather conditions, it may not be easy for the driver to steer the vehicle safely. A guidance display, which includes both the road information and the future position of the vehicle, is developed to assist the driver in handling the vehicle. The observer-based vehicle state and the driver's steering input are used to predict the vehicle future position at a prescribed look-ahead distance. An approximation method was proposed in previous research to predict the position without integrating the vehicle dynamic equation into future time. Sensitivity analysis is performed in this paper to study the effect of the vehicle parameters on the predicted vehicle future position. Experiments are conducted to verify the approximate future predictor and the effectiveness of the guidance display.
Virtual Economies as Financial Literacy Sandboxes: Case Study in Gaia Online

University of Minnesota Ed.D. dissertation. August 2012. Major: Teaching and Learning. Advisors:Joyce Strand, Terrie Shannon. 1 computer file (PDF); ix, 277 pages.
Changes in Gene Expression Following EMF Exposure

Experiments were designed to examine the effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure on specific gene expression, an effect that can be deleterious, beneficial, or neutral, depending on the long-term consequences; however, the proof of a reproducible, quantitative biological effect (such as change in gene expression) will lead to latter experiments aimed at determining the relative contribution of these changes to cellular consequences. Past work by ourselves and by others has shown that measures of gene expression are extremely sensitive indicators of the cellular and biological effects of ionizing radiation, with transcriptional changes being detected by exposure of cells to doses of {gamma}-rays as low as 0.01 cGy that have no pronounced cellular consequences. On the basis of this work, the authors hypothesized that measures of gene expression will be equally sensitive to EMF effects on cells.
Strengthening schedules through uncertainty analysis

In this paper, we describe an approach to scheduling under uncertainty that achieves scalability through a coupling of deterministic and probabilistic reasoning. Our specific focus is a class of oversubscribed scheduling problems where the goal is to maximize the reward earned by a team of agents in a distributed execution environment. There is uncertainty in both the duration and outcomes of executed activities. To ensure scalability, our solution approach takes as its starting point an initial deterministic schedule for the agents, computed using expected duration reasoning. This initial agent schedule is probabilistically analyzed to find likely points of failure, and then selectively strengthened based on this analysis. For each scheduled activity, the probability of failing and the impact that failure would have on the schedule's overall reward are calculated and used to focus schedule strengthening actions. Such actions generally entail fundamental trade-offs; for example, modifications that increase the certainty that a high-reward activity succeeds may decrease the schedule slack available to accommodate uncertainty during execution. We describe a principled approach to handling these trade-offs based on the schedule's "expected reward," using it as a metric to ensure that all schedule modifications are ultimately beneficial. Finally, we present experimental results obtained using a multi-agent simulation environment, which confirm that executing schedules strengthened in this way result in significantly higher rewards than are achieved by executing the corresponding initial schedules.
How much do M&M's weigh?

Summary This article presents activities appropriate for the first half of a general introductory statistics course. All activities revolve around the same data set collected early in the course. The activities require students to make decisions about how they should proceed.
Imaging evidence for Hubbard Glacier advances and retreats since the last glacial maximum in Yakutat and Disenchantment Bays, Alaska

High-resolution 2-D multichannel seismic data, collected during the 2012 UTIG-USGS National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program survey of Disenchantment and Yakutat Bays in southeast Alaska, provide insight into their glacial history. These data show evidence of two unconformities, appearing in the form of channels, and are interpreted to be advance pathways for Hubbard Glacier. The youngest observable channel, thought to have culminated near the main phase of the Little Ice Age (LIA), is imaged in Disenchantment Bay and ends at a terminal moraine near Blizhni Point. An older channel, thought to be from an advance that culminated in the early phase of the LIA, extends from Disenchantment Bay into the northeastern edge of Yakutat Bay, turning southward at Knight Island and terminating on the southeastern edge of Yakutat Bay. Our interpretation is that Hubbard Glacier has repeatedly advanced around the east side of Yakutat Bay in Knight Island Channel, possibly due to the presence of Malaspina Glacier cutting off access to central Yakutat Bay during times of mutual advance. We observe two distinct erosional surfaces and retreat sequences of Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay, supporting the hypothesis that minor glacial advances in fjords do not erode all prior sediment accumulations. Interpretation of chaotic seismic facies between these two unconformities suggests that Hubbard Glacier exhibits rapid retreats and that Disenchantment Bay is subject to numerous episodes of outburst flooding and morainal bank collapse. These findings also suggest that tidewater glaciers preferentially reoccupy the same channels in bay and marine settings during advances.
Design Principles for Peptide-Amphiphile-Induced Liposomal Receptor-Targeting with Intracellular Thermosensitivity

Thermosensitive stealth liposomes were created by mixing lipids and PEGylated lipids with single-tail peptide-amphiphiles. We demonstrated for the first time that the peptide-amphiphiles provided receptor-specific binding and cell internalization while inducing the thermosensitive properties of the liposomes. The formulations were stable at 37 °C in the presence of serum, with faster release of their encapsulated load at 41 °C compared to stealth liposomes without the peptide-amphiphiles or commercially available thermosensitive stealth liposomes. The thermosensitive properties of our formulation were also examined in vivo. Preliminary work showed increased release of the encapsulated calcein after heating the liver of a mouse with a dual-mode ultrasound array system for 20 s to 41–43 °C, 4 h after receiving tail vein injections of the liposomes, compared to a mouse that received the liposomal injections but no heating. The receptor-targeting ability of the peptide-functionalized liposomes was examined in vitro with MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Our liposomes outperformed the other formulations as they showed specific binding, receptor-mediated endocytosis, and increased intracellular temperature-triggered release of encapsulated calcein.
Medication Costs, Adherence, And Health Outcomes Among Medicare Beneficiaries

In a two-year period more than two million elderly Medicare beneficiaries did not adhere to drug treatment regimens because of cost. This poor adherence tended to be more common among beneficiaries with no or partial medication coverage and was associated with poorer health and higher rates of hospitalization. The risk for cost-related poor adherence was especially pronounced among lower-income beneficiaries with high out-of-pocket drug spending. We argue that this pattern of cost-related poor medication adherence should inform the design of Medicare prescription drug benefit legislation.
Bateman's principle is reversed in a cooperatively breeding bird

Bateman's principle is not only used to explain sex differences in mating behaviour, but also to determine which sex has the greater opportunity for sexual selection. It predicts that the relationship between the number of mates and the number of offspring produced should be stronger for males than for females. Yet, it is unclear whether Bateman's principle holds in cooperatively breeding systems where the strength of selection on traits used in intrasexual competition is high in both sexes. We tested Bateman's principle in the cooperatively breeding superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus), finding that only females showed a significant, positive Bateman gradient. We also found that the opportunity for selection was on average higher in females, but that its strength and direction oscillated through time. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that sexual selection underlies the female trait elaboration observed in superb starlings and other cooperative breeders. Even though the Bateman gradient was steeper for females than for males, the year-to-year oscillation in the strength and direction of the opportunity for selection likely explains why cooperative breeders do not exhibit sexual role reversal. Thus, Bateman's principle may not hold in cooperative breeders where both sexes appear to be under mutually strong sexual selection.
Physical Disability on Children's Television Programming: A Content Analysis

Research Findings: Media representations of physical disability can influence the attitudes of child audiences. In the current study, the depiction of physical disability was analyzed in more than 400 episodes of children's television programming to better understand how media depict physical disability to children and, in turn, how exposure may influence children's attitudes toward this social minority. Characters with a physical disability were rare. When present, characters with a physical disability tended to be older White males. The disabilities were not central to the characters' importance, but the characters themselves were not central to the plot. A majority of characters with a physical disability were depicted as morally good, attractive, and satisfied with life. Able-bodied characters were shown as treating characters with a physical disability the same way they treated other able-bodied characters. Practice or Policy: The results of the current study could be utilized by policymakers, media ...
Mental illness and the Roman physician: the legacy of Soranus of Ephesus.

Soranusś writings survive only in fragments, and we know virtually nothing about the details of his life and death. Yet his legacy of acute clinical observation, and his emphasis on the importance ...
Improved survival in patients with Stage III-IV Head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy as primary local treatment modality.

Purpose To evaluate the overall and cause-specific survival in patients with Stage III-IVb head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with radiotherapy (RT) as the primary local treatment modality. Methods and Materials The survival of patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage III-IVb head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with primary RT was queried using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. The effect of the year of treatment on overall and cause-specific survival was analyzed as a categorical and continuous variable. The patterns of care for these patients were also evaluated. Results Between 1988 and 2004, 6,759 patients were identified. Survival was significantly improved in patients treated more recently. When analyzed as a continuous variable, each year was associated with a 3% and 4.1% reduction in the relative risk of overall and cause-specific mortality, respectively ( p p Conclusions The overall and cause-specific survival of patients with Stage III-IVb head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with primary RT has improved with time. The improvement is consistent with that observed in a large meta-analysis of randomized patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy.
Suppressor of sable, a Putative RNA-Processing Protein, Functions at the Level of Transcription

The Drosophila melanogaster su(s) gene product negatively regulates the expression of mutant alleles with transposon insertions in the 5'-transcribed region by an unknown mechanism. We have investigated here su(s) function through in vivo structure-function analysis, heterologous reporter gene assays, and in vivo transcriptional induction experiments. We have shown that mutations of two arginine-rich motifs (ARMs), an acidic region, or two CCCH zinc fingers affect the ability of Su(s) to downregulate the expression of an insertion mutant allele and to autoregulate genomic su(s) transgenes. Using yeast and HeLa cell assays, we found that, when tethered to the promoter region, the N- and C-terminal regions of Su(s) can repress reporter gene expression, and all three motifs, but most significantly the ARMs, contribute to the repression activity. Finally, we showed that, in vivo, Su(s) inhibits the transcriptional induction of a transgene with an insertion in the first exon but does not affect induction of a similar transgene with a consensus 5' splice site near the upstream boundary of the insertion. Together, these results reveal a link between Su(s), transcription, and pre-mRNA processing.
Increasing the Kinase Specificity of K252a by Protein Surface Recognition

Here we describe a miniature protein (1) that presents the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) recognition epitope found within the heat-stable Protein Kinase Inhibitor protein (PKI) and a miniature protein conjugate (1-K252a) in which 1 is joined covalently to the high-affinity but nonselective kinase inhibitor K252a. Miniature protein 1 recognizes PKA with an affinity that rivals that of PKI and, in the context of 1-K252a, leads to a dramatic increase in kinase specificity.
Electromagnetic properties of small-particle composites

Abstract Recent advances in the electromagnetics of composite materials are reviewed. In particular, linear and non-linear optical properties of small-particle aggregates are considered. The effects of fractal morphology, such as a localization of dipolar eigenmodes and large fluctuations of local fields, are analyzed.
Molecular dynamics simulations of some amorphous and crystalline photonic materials

Constant pressure molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been used to simulate amorphous and crystalline forms of BaTiO 3 and TiO 2 . Simulation results for pure RaTiO 3 and TiO 2 glasses show fourfold titanium coordination with a Ti–O bond distance of 1.8 A, consistent with experimental evidence for the structure of titania doped glasses for all optical switching and ultra low expansivity (ULE) TiO 2 –SiO 2 glasses. Radial distribution function data for crystalline, liquid, and amorphous forms of BaTiO 3 were also obtained. The displacement polarization and its contribution to susceptibilities have been calculated by application of an electric field to the simulation cell. The calculated ionic dielectric constants ( K i ) for simulated NaCI (crystal), TiO 2 glass, and TiO 2 (crystal) were 3.34, 5.96, and 19.4 as compared to the experimental values of ≍3.34, 3–10, and 78, respectively. The calculated cubic nonlinear susceptibility (ξ 3 ) values for NaCI (crystal), TiO 2 (glass), and TiO 2 (crystal) were, respectively, 0.194, 2.175, and 4.68 (x 10 −18 m 2 V −2 ). The increase in ξ 3 values is consistent with experimentally observed trends of the linear refractive indices. Improved agreement between experimental and calculated values of susceptibilities and dielectric constant was obtained for materials with higher ionicity.
Time- and space-optimality in B-trees

A B-tree is compact if it is minimal in number of nodes, hence has optimal space utilization, among equally capacious B-trees of the same order. The space utilization of compact B-trees is analyzed and compared with that of noncompact B-trees and with (node)-visit-optimal B-trees, which minimize the expected number of nodes visited per key access. Compact B-trees can be as much as a factor of 2.5 more space efficient than visit-optimal B-trees; and the node-visit cost of a compact tree is never more than 1 + the node-visit cost of an optimal tree. The utility of initializing a B-tree to be compact (which initialization can be done in time linear in the number of keys if the keys are presorted) is demonstrated by comparing the space utilization of a compact tree that has been augmented by random insertions with that of a tree that has been grown entirely by random insertions. Even after increasing the number of keys by a modest amount, the effects of compact initialization are still felt. Once the tree has grown so large that these effects are no longer discernible, the tree can be expeditiously compacted in place using an algorithm presented here; and the benefits of compactness resume.
Solvation and phase separation in ABA block copolymers

A conceptual scheme is presented for classifying the phase behavior of ABA block copolymers and solvents. The effect of solvent fraction ϕS on microphase separation is described for macroscopically homogeneous systems, but more attention is focused on the limits of solubility. A “miscibility map” is developed in terms of solubility parameters δA, δB, and δS and used to define regions of macrophase separation, complete miscibility, and partial miscibility. Combined with known triblock molecular structure, the miscibility map can be used to predict the character of solvated systems and guide the selection of solvents for special purposes. A survey of reports in the literature shows qualitative consistency with this treatment. New observations are reported on solvation of a polystyrene–polybutadiene–polystyrene polymer in numerous solvents; these are used to infer microstructural information and define the miscibility map more realistically.
High frequency diffraction by wedges

Methods for handling high frequency fields are briefly reviewed. They are illustrated by the diffraction of a ray optical field by a curved wedge. The necessary formulas are collected or referred to for a direct application to the problem. The corresponding canonical problem, diffraction of a plane wave by a straight wedge, is presented from a point of view that shows the filiation of some diffraction factors and suggests generalization to other problems such as the diffraction by higher order wedges.
Quantitative Analysis of Retinal Vessel Diameter Reduction after Photocoagulation Treatment for Retinopathy of Prematurity

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility of using semiautomated analysis of digital fundus images to quantify effects of photocoagulation on retinal vessel diameter in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Design Case series. Methods Fourteen eyes of seven patients with threshold ROP and 12 eyes of six controls were included. Fundus images were captured before and after photocoagulation, or one to three weeks apart in controls, using an NM200D camera (Nidek, Inc, Aichi, Japan). VesselMap software (Imedos, Jena, Germany) measured vessel diameter. The t test analysis was used to assess vessel changes. Results The authors observed a significant reduction in average largest retinal vein diameter of −18% ± 16% (±1 standard deviation). The average largest artery diameter trended down by −12% ± 16%. Compared with controls, diameter reduction was significant in veins ( P = .014) and arteries ( P = .016). Conclusions The diameter of retinal vessels decreases after photocoagulation. VesselMap analysis of digital images is feasible and may be helpful in quantifying treatment effects.
Air: an effective indicator of intravenously located epidural catheters

The authors conducted a two-part study to evaluate the efficacy of 1 ml of air as a "test dose" for detection of intravenously located epidural catheters. In part 1, a Doppler fetal heart rate monitoring probe was placed over the precordium of 33 laboring patients in whom functioning epidural catheters were in place. Each patient received, more than 90 s apart, in random order: 10 ml of agitated saline (containing less than 0.5 ml of air microbubbles) via a peripheral vein; 2 ml of air via the epidural catheter; and a sham injection (i.e., nothing injected). In all 33 cases, a blinded observer identified Doppler changes 10-30 s following the injection of air (microbubbles) via peripheral vein. Doppler changes were never heard following epidural air injection (P less than 0.001 compared with iv air microbubble injection) or the sham injection (P less than 0.001 compared with iv air microbubble injection). In part 2, the authors listened for Doppler heart tone changes while injecting 1 ml of air via catheters that were accidentally inserted in the epidural veins of five other patients. Unequivocal Doppler changes compatible with intracardiac air always occurred within 3 s, and no signs or symptoms of air embolism developed. The results suggest that 1 ml of air may be a suitable indicator of iv epidural catheter location.
Management of the Patient with Severe Angina Pectoris

Severe angina pectoris may be reduced to tolerable levels by suppressing below the pain threshold those factors elevating systolic blood pressure and heart rate and prolonging systolic ejection period. Their product parallels myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2) as noted in several excellent reviews. The level of this product associated with angina, the "angina index," defines the individual threshold for onset of angina. Prevention of angina-inducing physical and psychic stress is desirable, but often impractical, and the use of nitroglycerin preceding or following stress may lead to years of acceptable life. Prolonged, spontaneous, or readily induced angina, especially with a change in pattern, may be due to an acute coronary occlusive episode, whether defined as a prodromal period or an actual myocardial infarct. This form of attack requires close observation and appropriate care. The psychic stress-prone patient may repeatedly present a benign duplicate of such pain production, producing a diagnostic ...
Personality theory and clinical social work practice

This paper investigates the relevance of personality theories for clinical social work practice. Writings in comparative personality theory and the epistemology of clinical psychology and social work are sources. Clinical action, the time with a client, and clinical reflection, the thinking about or presenting of the client, are seen as importantly different “moments” in practice. Clinical action is characterized by humanistic, narrative forms of thought more than scientific, paradigmatic ones. Formal theory informs action indirectly through its shaping of the clinician's philosophy, attention, and priorities. Clinical reflection is shaped more directly by formal theories and benefits from the holding of multiple theories.
Addison's disease associated with thyroid insufficiency and atrophy (Schmidt syndrome).

INTRODUCTION THE close association of the thyroid and adrenal cortex and the dependence of both organs on the function of the anterior pituitary are known. The exact nature of the interactions of these glands is less well understood. Although many recent publications (1–5) have reported the effect of adrenocortical hormones on thyroid function, little attention has been directed to the effect of adrenal insufficiency on the thyroid gland. The literature also reflects confusion about the metabolic relationships of these glands. Very few cases of Addison's disease with complete clinical appraisal of the status of the thyroid and postmortem examination have been reported since the adoption of the newer diagnostic tests for thyroid function. We have reviewed the literature and re-evaluated all cases of Addison's disease seen at the University Hospital since 1938, giving special attention to clinical and laboratory evidence of thyroid insufficiency. We are reporting 35 cases of Addison's disease, many with ext...
Phase behavior of bent-core molecules

Recently, a new class of smectic liquid crystal phases characterized by the spontaneous formation of macroscopic chiral domains from achiral bent-core molecules has been discovered. We have carried out Monte Carlo simulations of a minimal hard spherocylinder dimer model to investigate the role of excluded volume interactions in determining the phase behavior of bent-core materials and to probe the molecular origins of polar and chiral symmetry breaking. We present the phase diagram of hard spherocylinder dimers of length-diameter ratio of 5 as a function of pressure or density and dimer opening angle $\ensuremath{\psi}.$ With decreasing $\ensuremath{\psi},$ a transition from a nonpolar to a polar smectic A phase is observed near $\ensuremath{\psi}=167\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{},$ and the nematic phase becomes thermodynamically unstable for $\ensuremath{\psi}l135\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}.$ Free energy calculations indicate that the antipolar smectic A $(\mathrm{Sm}A{\mathrm{P}}_{A})$ phase is more stable than the polar smectic A phase $(\mathrm{Sm}A{\mathrm{P}}_{F}).$ No chiral smectic or biaxial nematic phases were found.