cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fetal Type Rhabdomyoma of the Soft Palate in an Adult Patient: Report of One Case and Review of the Literature

Rhabdomyoma is a rare benign tumor with skeletal muscle differentiation. Rhabdomyoma is further classified into cardiac, adult, fetal, and genital subtypes. Out of these, fetal type rhabdomyoma (FTR) is the rarest. Only a small number of cases have been recorded in the literature. FTR typically affects male infants and young children and occurs predominantly in the head and neck region. FTR is exceedingly rare in the adult, with less than 30 cases reported. The classic FTR is composed of primitive undifferentiated spindle cells with scant eosinophilic cytoplasm embedded in a myxoid stroma. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells are positive for desmin, muscle specific actin, and myogenin. Awareness and proper recognition of this rare entity is of considerable importance to avoid misdiagnosis of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. In this study, we report one case of FTR in an adult patient and reviewed the literature about the clinical and pathologic presentation of FTR in the adult.
A multidimensional analysis of content preferences for leisure-time media.

This research examined the general structure underlying preferences for various types of content in three leisure-time media: books, motion pictures and television programs. The technique of multid...
Measurements of the Gamma Abundance of Silicon-31

Direct determination of the induced 31p concentrations in neutron transmutation doped silicon may be obtained by measurements of absolute activities of 31Si by detection of the 1.266 MeV gamma-rays that are emitted, provided the gamma abundance is known. In previous work it was inferred that the gamma abundance of 31Si is significantly lower than the accepted value of 7 × 10-4. To confirm this result a 4 π proportional counter and a calibrated Ge(Li) detector were used to measure both the absolute beta and gamma activities, respectively, of thin silicon samples. The resultant gamma abundance of 31Si was found to be 5.9 × 10-4 ± 5%.
A truthful online auction mechanism for deadline-aware cloud resource allocation

Auction-based resource allocation and pricing mechanisms have attracted substantial research interests to enhance the utility gain and fairness of cloud platforms. A fundamental problem in cloud resource auction design that has not been fully addressed is how to ensure the timely execution of applications while allocation decisions have to be made online. Adding to the complexity of designing a truthful and efficient mechanism is that application requests are normally heterogeneous in resource demand and execution requirement. In this paper, we present a novel online combinatorial auction mechanism for deadline- aware multi-resource allocation for cloud platforms, which achieves both strategy-proofness and approximate efficiency on social welfare.
Salt marsh denitrification is impacted by oiling intensity six years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Abstract Coastal salt marshes provide the valuable ecosystem service of removing anthropogenic nitrogen (N) via microbially-mediated denitrification. During the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill, oil exposure killed marsh plants in some regions and contributed to rapid compositional shifts in sediment microbial communities, which can impact ecosystem denitrification capacity. Within 3–5 years of the spill, plant biomass and microbial communities in some impacted marshes can recover to a new stable state. The objective of this study was to determine whether marsh recovery 6 years after the DWH oil spill results in subsequent recovery of denitrification capacity. We measured denitrification capacity (isotope pairing technique), microbial 16S rRNA gene composition, and denitrifier abundance (quantitative PCR) at sites subjected to light, moderate, and heavy oiling during the spill that were not targeted by any clean-up efforts. There were no differences in plant belowground biomass, sediment extractable NH4+, inorganic nitrogen flux, 16S rRNA composition, 16S rRNA diversity, or denitrifier functional gene (nirS, norB, and nosZ) abundances associated with oiling status, indicating that certain drivers of ecosystem denitrification capacity have recovered or achieved a new stable state six years after the spill. However, on average, denitrification capacities at the moderately and heavily oiled sites were less than 49% of that of the lightly oiled site (27.7 ± 14.7 and 37.2 ± 24.5 vs 71.8 ± 33.8 μmol N m−2 h−1, respectively). The presence of heavily weathered oiled residue (matched and non-matched for MC252) had no effect on process rates or microbial composition. The loss of function at the moderately and heavily oiled sites compared to the lightly oiled site despite the comparable microbial and environmental factors suggests that oiling intensity plays a role in the long-term recovery of marsh ecosystem services.
Operative and Nonoperative Group Definitions.

IN MANY algebra courses, the defini tion of a "group" is given to introduce the student to an abstract algebraic structure. In asking the student to reproduce this defi nition at a later date, the instructor is often faced with a myriad1 of statements that sometimes resemble the original definition. It is the purpose of this article to discuss some of the more common of these "re wordings" and determine their validity. The most common definition of a group is as follows:
Modern world trends in the service sphere and their influence on the public services system

The article is devoted to the study of the development of the service sector among other sectors of the economy. The social way of the vast majority of human history has not relied on the service sector, traditionally the leading role was played by sectors related to the extraction of natural raw materials, the production of products of agriculture and forestry, fishing, etc. According to the so-called three-sectoral model of the economy, these industries were the primary sector of the economy. However, during the transition of society to the post-industrial period, there was a sharp change in the correlation of the share of services in comparison with the share that accounted for the share of production. It was found out that the basis of these processes lay first of all changes in the system of social needs. It is disclosed that for today the proper level of the process of commodity production can be provided only with the involvement of certain types of services. This process is called externalization of services. This allows the production facilities to optimize their activities, in particular, by attracting legal, accounting, logistics services, etc. It has been established that the efficiency of a modern economy depends to a large extent on the integration of the sphere of services with the sphere of material production. It is revealed that the development of the infrastructure of the newest communication technologies today serves as a guarantee of success in realization of new opportunities in the market of services. In particular, in today’s conditions there is a rapid development of those services, for which the personal contact between the service provider and the recipient is not obligatory, since the process can take place in a remote mode. The influence of global changes on the subjects of natural monopolies is evaluated, as the development of technologies creates the preconditions for attracting to the markets alternative providers of services.Particular attention is paid to transnational companies that have an impact on the globalization of the services sector in an effort to eliminate barriers to scale up their activities. Trends in the service sector in general will inevitably affect the functioning of the public service delivery system.
Traveling down the Long Road to Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Prevention.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus, a chronic autoimmune disease that usually begins in childhood, affects more than 1.25 million Americans,1 and its worldwide prevalence is increasing. Although insulin was ...
Intimate Partner Violence in Same-Sex Relationships: An Analysis of Risk and Rearrest:

Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) among same-sex couples remains relatively rare. Moreover, few studies examine risk and the likelihood of reoffending among such couples. The present stud...
On Fatou's theorem

Let E be a set on the unit circle T of $$\mathbb C$$. We prove that there exists an $$f \in H^\infty $$ which has no radial limits on E but has unrestricted limit at each point of $$T {\setminus } E$$ if and only if E is an $$F_\sigma $$ of measure zero. The necessity of the condition that E is an $$F_\sigma $$ is almost obvious and the necessity of the condition that E is of measure zero follows from Fatou’s theorem.
Crying the News: A History of America’s Newsboys: DiGirolamo, Vincent. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019, 712 pp., $34.49 (hardcover).

Vincent DiGirolamo’s Crying the News: A History of America’s Newsboys is a monumental, 712-page book that affords a vast panorama of the newspaper industry’s “most marginal workers” (2). Tracing fi...
South Asians with type 2 diabetes in an urban US Diabetes Center: A cross sectional study of clinical characteristics

Abstract Aims To compare baseline characteristics, anthropometric measurements, prevalence of diabetes-related complications, and Hemoglobin A1c lowering response to incretin-based therapy between South Asians (SA), African Americans (AA) and Non- Hispanic Whites (NHW) in an urban Diabetes Center in the United States. Methods Retrospective chart review of patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) at the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology from 2010–16 was performed. 223 adult patients (ages 18–85) with T2D were enrolled, including 41 SA (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka), 138 AA, 44 NHW. HbA1C at the initiation of incretin therapy and at follow-up 3 months later was collected in each subgroup. Results Comparison of baseline characteristics revealed that SA with T2D had lower BMI (28.7 kg/m2 + 5.3) compared to NHW (34.9 kg/m2 + 7.3) and AA (33.2 kg/m2 + 8.0) (p Conclusions Similar to previous studies, SA with T2D had lower BMI and higher prevalence of CAD compared to AA and NHW in this study. The use of incretin-based therapy in SA did not result in any significant improvement in HbA1C compared to other ethnicities.
Older adults experiences with ambulation during a hospital stay: A qualitative study

Abstract Older adults often lose their ability to independently ambulate during a hospital stay. Few studies have investigated older adults’ experiences with ambulation during hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to understand older adults' perceptions of and experiences with ambulation during a hospital admission. A qualitative study using Inductive Content Analysis was conducted. Community-dwelling older adults (N = 11) were recruited to participant in five focus group meetings each lasting 90 min. All individuals participated in each focus group. Participants described high complexity in deciding whether or not they could ambulate. Six categories were identified: Uncertainty, Restriction Messaging, Non-Welcoming Space, Caring for Nurse and Self, Feeling Isolated, and Presenting Self. This study provides a detailed understanding of older adults’ experiences and perceptions of a hospital stay. Findings from this study can serve as a foundation for future interventions to improve older adult patient ambulation during hospitalization.
Le Châtelier Principle

Detailed study and a second look at the zeroth law of thermodynamics is presented in Sect. 9.1, and the zeroth law is reconfirmed in the study presented in Sect. 9.1.1. The requirement that entropy must be maximum possible is analyzed in Sect. 9.2. The extremum in energy, namely that energy must be the minimum possible, is discussed in Sect. 9.2.4. The fact that the physical consequences of both these extrema are similar is noted and emphasized. Of course, as noted in a footnote, there are other extremum principles that are also equivalent to that for the entropy and internal energy. These refer to the system enthalpy, the Helmholtz free energy, and the Gibbs potential. Similarity of their predictions to the entropy and energy extrema is noted. Thermodynamic flows of heat energy and molecules are studied in Sects. 9.2.1 and 9.2.2. Isothermal compression is treated in Sect. 9.2.3. Thermodynamic motive forces and thermodynamic flows are described in detail in Sect. 9.3. Physical criteria for thermodynamic stability is studied in Sect. 9.4. Le Châtelier’s principle and stable self-equilibrium are analyzed in Sects. 9.4.1 and 9.4.2. Two required inequalities, being called the first and second requirement, are given in (9.34) and (9.35). They are described in Sects. 9.5 and 9.5.1. Finally, the important subject of thermodynamic intrinsic stability is discussed in Sect. 9.6. The chapter concludes with a summary.
Targeted knockdown of the adenosine A2A receptor by lipid NPs rescues the chemotaxis of head and neck cancer memory T cells.

In solid malignancies, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the immunosuppressive molecule adenosine, which accumulates in the tumor, suppresses cytotoxic CD8+ T cell functions including chemotaxis and tumor infiltration. Adenosine functions through binding to the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) present on T cells. In order to increase T cell migration into the tumor, the negative effect of adenosine must be abrogated. Systemic drug treatments targeting A2AR are available; however, they could lead to negative toxicities due to the broad expression of this receptor. Herein, we developed a lipid nanoparticle (NP)-based targeted delivery approach to knock down A2AR in T cells in order to increase their chemotaxis in the presence of adenosine. By using flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and 3D-chemotaxis, we demonstrated that CD45RO-labeled nanoparticles delivering ADORA2A gene-silencing-RNAs decreased ADORA2A mRNA expression and rescued the chemotaxis of HNSCC CD8+ memory T cells. Overall, the data indicate that targeting the adenosine signaling pathway with lipid NPs is successful at suppressing the inhibitory effect of adenosine on the chemotaxis of HNSCC memory T cells, which could ultimately help increase T cell infiltration into the tumor.
Latent Class Analysis of Individual-Level Characteristics Predictive of Intervention Outcomes in Urban Male Adolescents

Preventive intervention research dictates that new techniques are needed to elucidate what types of interventions work best for whom to prevent behavioral problems. The current investigation applies a latent class modeling structure to identify the constellation of characteristics—or profile—in urban male adolescents (n = 125, aged 15) that interrelatedly predict responses to a brief administration of an evidence-based program, Positive Adolescent Choices Training (PACT). Individual-level characteristics were selected as predictors on the basis of their association with risk behaviors and their implication in intervention outcomes (e.g., mental health, stress exposure, temperament, cognitive function, stress reactivity and emotion perception). Outcome measures included virtual reality vignettes and questionnaire-style role play scenarios to gauge orientations around aggressive conflict resolution, communication, emotional control, beliefs supporting aggression and hostility. A three-class model was found to best fit the data: “NORMative” (NORM), with relatively low symptomatology; “Mental Health” problems (MH-I) with elevated internalizing symptoms; and “Mental Health-E + Cognitive Deficit” (MH-E + Cog) with elevated mental health symptoms paired with cognitive decrements. The NORM class had positive PACT effects for communication, conflict resolution, and aggressive beliefs. Moderation was evidenced by lack of positive PACT effects for the MH-I and MH-E + Cog groups. Also, PACT classes with MH issues showed marginally significant worsening of aggressive beliefs compared to control students in the same class. Results suggest that a latent class model may identify “signatures” or profiles of traits, experiences and other influences that collectively—and more realistically—predict variable intervention outcomes with implications for more effectively targeting interventions than singular factors.
Production and purification of anhydrous sodium sulfide

Anhydrous sodium sulfide (Na2S) is a key component in sodium-sulfur batteries as well as an important chemical reagent. However, anhydrous Na2S is currently prohibitively expensive for applications...
Measuring Managerial Ability: A Retrospective and Review of the Literature

In this paper, we discuss the managerial ability score (MA Score) developed in Demerjian et al. (2012). In the first section, we provide an overview of the development of the score, including the conceptual definition of managerial ability; the implementation of the score using DEA and regression analysis; and some limitations of the score. In the next section, we review research that has used the MA Score as a primary variable. The review, organized by topic, includes papers on firm performance, financial reporting, tax reporting, firm information environment, investment, debt contracting, and executive hiring and compensation contracting. In the final section we recommend directions for future work. This includes extending the original model presented in Demerjian et al., and ways that the growing literature on managerial ability can link to other streams of research.
Pediatric surgical site infection (SSI) following ambulatory surgery: Incidence, risk factors and patient outcomes.

BACKGROUND Inpatient surgical site infections (SSIs) cause morbidity in children. The SSI rate among pediatric ambulatory surgery patients is less clear. To fill this gap, we conducted a multiple-institution, retrospective epidemiologic study to identify incidence, risk factors, and outcomes. METHODS We identified patients aged <22 years with ambulatory visits between October 2010 and September 2015 via electronic queries at 3 medical centers. We performed sample chart reviews to confirm ambulatory surgery and adjudicate SSIs. Weighted Poisson incidence rates were calculated. Separately, we used case-control methodology using multivariate backward logistical regression to assess risk-factor association with SSI. RESULTS In total, 65,056 patients were identified by queries, and we performed complete chart reviews for 13,795 patients; we identified 45 SSIs following ambulatory surgery. The weighted SSI incidence following pediatric ambulatory surgery was 2.00 SSI per 1,000 ambulatory surgeries (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37-3.00). Integumentary surgeries had the highest weighted SSI incidence, 3.24 per 1,000 ambulatory surgeries (95% CI, 0.32-12). The following variables carried significantly increased odds of infection: clean contaminated or contaminated wound class compared to clean (odds ratio [OR], 9.8; 95% CI, 2.0-48), other insurance type compared to private (OR, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.6-9.8), and surgery on weekend day compared to weekday (OR, 30; 95% CI, 2.9-315). Of the 45 instances of SSI following pediatric ambulatory surgery, 40% of patients were admitted to the hospital and 36% required a new operative procedure or bedside incision and drainage. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that morbidity is associated with SSI following ambulatory surgery in children, and we also identified possible targets for intervention.
Hmong Culture Club as a Place of Belonging: The Cultivation of Hmong Students’ Cultural and Political Identities

In this article, I draw on a year-long ethnographic study of an after school “Hmong Culture Club” to illuminate the ways in which it provides students with a place of belonging. I reveal the ways in which Hmong students in this setting take up ideologies of multiculturalism in response to a sense of the “loss” of Hmong culture. I explore the ways in which the Hmong Club provided Hmong students with a place to belong that simultaneously cultivated their cultural and political identities. Ultimately, I suggest that school extracurricular cultural clubs may provide insights to subtractive schooling (Valenzuela, 1999) as well as ways forward for understanding the importance of spaces for (ethnic, racial) group identity. This article will advance knowledge of the spaces of co-curricular ethnic student clubs that are the contexts for the changing dynamics of immigrant culture and identity.
Transplantation of retinal pigment epithelial cells and immune response in the subretinal space

Purpose To evaluate the fate of retinal pigment epithelial cell (RPE) allografts in the subretinal space. Methods Transplantation was performed in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats. Two rat strains, BD IX and LEJ, which have incompatible major histocompatibility complex (MHC) haplotypes, were selected as healthy RPE donors. Transplantation was performed when recipients were 19 to 21 days old. Host systemic immunity was enhanced by challenge with donor spleen cells 2 weeks after RPE transplantation. Control subjects were administered injections of saline or host spleen cells. The animals were killed at 3 or 5 months of age. The extent of photoreceptor rescue was determined by counting the maximum layers of surviving photoreceptor nuclei in histologic sections. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis of the grafts was performed with host- and donor-specific primers. Results Despite the absence of acute immune rejection, chronic rejection occurred and was evidenced by an increased loss of photoreceptor cells in immunologically challenged RCS rats. Grafts with disparity at MHC class I and class II lost their ability to rescue photoreceptor cells more readily than did grafts with disparity at MHC class II alone. Furthermore, the donor RPE cells that were normally MHC class II-negative expressed MHC class II mRNA in the subretinal space after transplantation. Conclusions Systemic immunity appeared to exert a slow but significant influence in the subretinal space. Therefore, in planning future trials involving human subjects, the immunologically privileged status of the subretinal space should be regarded as imperfect.
Orientational anisotropy of the upper critical field in single-crystal YBa2Cu3O7 and Bi2.2CaSr1.9Cu2O8+x.

We have measured the dependence of the upper critical magnetic field upon orientation for single-crystal samples of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ and Bi/sub 2.2/CaSr/sub 1.9/Cu/sub 2/O/sub 8+//sub x/ via four-probe resistance. We find continuous behavior of H/sub c//sub =/(theta) for small deviations from parallel orientation for the Y sample, as expected for an anisotropic, three-dimensional superconductor. For the Bi sample, however, our data are more consistent with a thin-film model, exhibiting a cusp at parallel orientation, suggesting that Bi/sub 2.2/CaSr/sub 1.9/Cu/sub 2/O/sub 8+//sub x/ is a quasi-two-dimensional system.
Insertions of a Novel Class of Transposable Elements With a Strong Target Site Preference at the r Locus of Maize

The r locus of maize regulates anthocyanin synthesis in various tissues of maize through the production of helix-loop-helix DNA binding proteins capable of inducing expression of structural genes in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway. The complex r variant, R-r:standard (R-r), undergoes frequent mutation through a variety of mechanisms including displaced synapsis and crossing over, and intrachromosomal recombination. Here we report a new mechanism for mutation at the R-r complex: insertion of a novel family of transposable elements. Because the elements were first identified in the R-p gene of the R-r complex, they have been named P Instability Factor (PIF). Two different PIF elements were cloned and found to have identical sequences at their termini but divergent internal sequences. In addition, the PIF elements showed a marked specificity of insertion sites. Six out of seven PIF-containing derivatives examined had an element inserted at an identical location. Two different members of the PIF element family were identified at this position. The seventh PIF-containing derivative examined had the element inserted at a distinct position within r. Even at this location, however, the element inserted into a conserved target sequence. The timing of PIF excision is unusual. Germinal excision rates can range up to several percent of progeny. Yet somatic sectors are rare, even in lines exhibiting high germinal reversion rates.
Synthesis of nonlinear control of switching topologies of buck-boost converter using fuzzy logic

An intelligent fuzzy logic inference pipeline for the control of a DC-DC buck-boost converter was designed and built using a semi-custom VLSI chip. The fuzzy linguistics describing the switching topologies of the converter was mapped into a look-up table that was synthesized into a set of Boolean equations. A VLSI chip-a field programmable gate array (FPGA)-was used to implement the Boolean equations. Features include the size of RAM chip independent of number of rules in the knowledge base, on-chip fuzzification and defuzzification, faster response with speeds over giga fuzzy logic inferences per sec (FLIPS), and an inexpensive VLSI chip.
Coalition of the carpal bones.

Eight patients with carpal coalition are recorded in a predominantly white population with an incidence of 0.11%. These most commonly involve the lunate and triquetral, and the capitate and hamate, and less commonly fusion of the trapezium and trapezoid with the scaphoid. One of the patients had an associated symphylangism and another brachydactyly. Other conditions associated with carpal coalition are enumerated.
Cerebral Venous Development in Relation to Developmental Venous Anomalies and Vein of Galen Aneurysmal Malformations

Cerebrovascular venous development and intracranial vascular malformations are extensive topics for which volumes of text may be devoted. However, a basic knowledge of the embryology of cerebral venous system and venous architecture is essential for understanding of cerebral vascular malformations. The aim of this work is to provide the reader with a brief overview of the development of the cranial venous anatomy. We will highlight the superficial and deep venous systems with special attention to developmental venous anomalies and vein of Galen aneurysmal malformations.
Response to Dr C Dame

We thank Dr Dame for his thoughtful comments on our paper.1, 2 We agree that the primary purpose of this work was to query the long-term safety of high-dose rEpo, as the study sample is clearly too small to establish efficacy, particularly with the three rEpo treatment doses used, giving a maximum of 10 subjects per group.3 The University of Washington is a referral center for the state of Washington, and so unless patients are prospectively followed in a study situation, long-term follow-up is frequently done at the referral sites. Despite this, we felt it was important to determine the long-term outcomes of as many patients who received high-dose Epo as possible, given that such use is still in its early stages. To date, there have been a limited number of clinical studies in preterm infants to test the safety and efficacy of early treatment with rEpo. The available studies are heterogeneous in their approach to rEpo treatment with variations in timing, duration and cumulative rEpo doses.4 As our report contains the only available long-term outcome data for extremely low birth weight infants treated with early high-dose rEpo, we consider it important to inform clinicians caring for preterm infants of these outcomes, recognizing that our study had limitations that preclude us from making recommendations about the most suitable rEpo-dosing strategy for effective neuroprotection in preterm neonates.
High-frequency transient voltage measuring techniques

Transient voltages continue to cause insulation failures of transformers in a variety of applications. There is evidence that some voltage transients may include frequency components up to 100 mc (megacycles) of substantial peak-to-peak amplitude. Conventional techniques for securing reasonably accurate oscillographic recordings of high-frequency transients were found to be inadequate. Systems were devised which couple the oscillograph to the point of voltage measurement by 50-ohm cables. Through the combination of special signal-cable filters and relatively simple shielding techniques, the effects of spurious signals upon the oscillographic recording of high-frequency transient voltages can be virtually eliminated.
Multifield Analog Prediction of Short-Term Climate Fluctuations Using a Climate State vector

Abstract A theoretical framework is developed to consider the abilities of analog techniques for the prediction of short-term climate fluctuations. The basic element of the framework is the definition of a “climate state vector.” This vector points to the position of a “climate particle” whose motion in a multi-dimensional hyper-space represents the time evolution of the climate system. The particle has a number of properties that describe regional covariability of various climatic fields. A series of metrics are assigned to the space in which the climate particle moves. These metrics are used to select past states of the climate system which are analogs to a “current” state. The subsequent prediction is made based on the past evolution of the climate state Vector. Forecasts made with the analog selection techniques are evaluated in terms of the local and global skills that attend them. Thus both the spatial and temporal dependence of the skill score field is examined. Predictions were made for the season...
Hemolytic uremic syndrome in solid-organ transplant recipients.

Post-transplant hemolytic uremic syndrome characterized by microangiopathic hemolysis, thrombocytopenia, and renal failure is an infrequent but potentially serious complication in organ transplant recipients. Hemolytic uremic syndrome developed in 2% (2/100) of our consecutive liver transplants. We report our patients and review a total of 91 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome in adult solid organ transplant recipients reported in the literature. Ninety percent were observed in renal transplant recipients, 8% in liver, and 1% each in lung and heart transplant recipients. Eighty percent and 96% of cases occurred within 90 days and 1 year, respectively, post-transplantation. In renal transplant recipients, 23% of cases were due to post-transplant recurrence of hemolytic uremic syndrome. In 50% of renal transplant recipients and in all norenal solid-organ transplant recipients, hemolytic uremic syndrome was attributed to cyclosporin or tacrolimus therapy. Notably, infections were not a significant precipitating factor for post-transplant hemolytic uremic syndrome. Graft loss attributable to hemolytic uremic syndrome occurred in 43% of renal transplant recipients while renal transplantation and hemodialysis were required in the lung and heart transplant recipients due to hemolytic uremic syndrome induced renal failure. The overall mortality was 13% (12/91). Physicians caring for transplant recipients need to be aware of this potentially severe graft and life-threatening disorder since prompt recognition and removal of identifiable risk factors is critical in the management of post-transplant hemolytic uremic syndrome.
Viral inhibition of the phytohemagglutinin response of human lymphocytes and application to viral hepatitis.

SummaryThe PHA-stimulated leukocyte cultures from healthy donors were inoculated with representatives from picornavirus, picodnavirus, arbovirus, myxovirus, paramyxovirus, rhabdovirus, reovirus, adenovirus and papovavirus groups. Cultures were harvested after 6 days of incubation and assayed for virus multiplication and for DNA synthesis of the leukocytes by uptake of thymidine-3H. Virus replication and inhibition of the PHA response of the lymphocytes by these viruses were limited primarily to viruses which replicated and assembled in the cytoplasm of the cell. Leukocytes from 15 patients with viral hepatitis were studied, and in 8 of them the cells were hyporesponsive to PHA stimulation after 3 days of incubation. This pattern was observed in all samples taken within the first week after onset of jaundice. Sera from patients with viral hepatitis when added to normal leukocyte cultures showed some inhibition of the PHA response, but the effect could not be serially passed to fresh cultures. The same patt...
Six-electrode method for the measurement of the passive electrical properties of brain envelopes.

In a previously-described four-terminal electrical model consisting of six branch impedances representing the passive electrical properties of the brain envelopes, alternating current signals were applied directly to two terminals of the tissue electrode system for determination of the lumped impedances of the model and for observation of transmission through the system. To obtain impedance values of the electrode-tissue system which would be representative of tissue impedance, electrode polarization impedance of the four electrodes of the model has been reduced by applying the signals to two additional electrodes inserted into the brain to form a dipole signal generator. An electronic half-bridge technique augments the sensitivity of the measurements.
The alpha v beta 1 integrin functions as a fibronectin receptor but does not support fibronectin matrix assembly and cell migration on fibronectin

The fibronectin receptor, alpha 5 beta 1, has been shown to be required for fibronectin matrix assembly and plays an important role in cell migration on fibronectin. However, it is not clear whether other fibronectin binding integrins can take the place of alpha 5 beta 1 during matrix assembly and cell migration. To test this, we expressed the human alpha v subunit in the CHO cell line CHO-B2 that lacks the alpha 5 subunit. We found that the human alpha v combined with CHO cell beta 1 to form the integrin alpha v beta 1. Cells that expressed alpha v beta 1 attached to and spread well on fibronectin-coated dishes, but did so less well on vitronectin-coated dishes. This, along with other data, indicated that alpha v beta 1 functions as a fibronectin receptor in CHO-B2 cells. The alpha v beta 1-expressing cells failed to produce a fibronectin matrix or to migrate on fibronectin, although the same cells transfected with alpha 5 do produce a matrix and migrate on fibronectin. The affinity of the alpha v beta 1-expressing cells for fibronectin was fourfold lower than that of the alpha 5 beta 1-expressing cells. In addition, alpha v beta 1 was distributed diffusely throughout the cell surface, whereas alpha 5 beta 1 was localized to focal adhesions when cells were seeded onto fibronectin-coated surfaces. Thus, of the two fibronectin receptors, alpha v beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1, only alpha 5 beta 1 supports fibronectin matrix assembly and promotes cell migration on fibronectin in the CHO-B2 cells. Possible reasons for this difference in the activities of alpha v beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 include the lower affinity of alpha v beta 1 for fibronectin and the failure of this integrin to localize in adhesion plaques on a fibronectin substrate. These results show that two integrins with similar ligand specificities and cell attachment functions may be quite different in their ability to support fibronectin matrix assembly and cell motility on fibronectin.
No Child Left Behind: flowers don’t grow in the desert

Abstract The No Child Left Behind legislation purports to effectively eliminate the long standing “achievement gap” between poor and minority students and their white [sic.] peers. We employ a multi-method approach to investigate (1) the discursive dominance and construction of NCLB, (2) the quantitative validity of the law's implicit causal model of educational achievement and reform, and (3) the experiences of teachers forced to negotiate the demands of NCLB in “failing” schools. Using data drawn from federal and state policy documents, U.S. Census, the State of Connecticut Department of Education, and interviews with teachers from urban schools, we find that: (1) Through the advocacy of state regulated systems of accountability and the imposition of “scientifically proven” pedagogical methods, NCLB constructs a model that removes the effects of structural inequalities from consideration. (2) Quantitative analysis of data drawn from Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) displays the inadequacy of this model. (3) Interviews with urban teachers further validate the inadequacy of this model and the importance of social structural variables in understanding and/or addressing the “achievement gap.”
Posterior lamellar eyelid reconstruction with a hard palate mucosal graft

A graft of hard palate mucosa is a satisfactory substitute for the posterior lamella of tarsus and conjunctiva in eyelid reconstruction. The graft may be harvested after administration of local anesthesia in adults, provides structural support as well as a mucosal surface, and contracts minimally. The palatal donor site heals with a minimum of postoperative care. Results in four eyelids with severe cicatricial entropion were satisfactory. The only observed complication was apparent partial keratinization of one graft in a patient with Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
Model Predictive Control for a Full Bridge DC/DC Converter

This paper investigates the implementation of both linear model predictive control (LMPC) and nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) to a full bridge dc/dc converter under starting, overload, and load step change conditions. The control objective is to regulate the output voltage without violating the peak current constraint. The integrated perturbation analysis and sequential quadratic programming method is employed to solve the nonlinearly constrained optimal control problems with 300 μ s sampling time. The experimental results reveal that both the LMPC and NMPC schemes can successfully achieve voltage regulation and peak current protection. The experimental results are reported and several observations, seemingly counterintuitive, are analyzed to offer insight into the use of MPC for these challenging applications.
Structural asymmetries of language-related gray and white matter and their relationship to language function in young children with ASD

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are highly variable in their language abilities, but the neural bases of these individual differences are poorly understood. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography were used to examine asymmetries in language-related gray- and white-matter and their relationships to language ability in a sample of 20 children with ASD, aged 4–7 years, and a reference sample of 20 typically developing (TD) children, aged 6–11 years. Children with ASD did not differ significantly from TD children in gray matter asymmetries, but were significantly less left-lateralized than TD children in the volume and radial diffusivity (RD) of the arcuate fasciculus (AF). They did not differ in the fractional anisotropy (FA) or the mean or axial diffusivity of the AF. Within the ASD group, exploratory analyses revealed that decreased leftward/increased rightward asymmetry of pars opercularis was associated with higher language ability and bilaterally increased FA and decreased RD of the AF. In conclusion, children with ASD exhibited atypical asymmetry in language-related white-matter structure as well as an atypical pattern of brain-language relationships that suggest that they may meet language milestones and acquire normal language via a different neurodevelopmental trajectory from TD children.
Psychophysical evidence for separate channels for the perception of form, color, movement, and depth

Physiological and anatomical findings in the primate visual system, as well as clinical evidence in humans, suggest that different components of visual information processing are segregated into largely independent parallel pathways. Such a segregation leads to certain predictions about human vision. In this paper we describe psychophysical experiments on the interactions of color, form, depth, and movement in human perception, and we attempt to correlate these aspects of visual perception with the different subdivisions of the visual system.
New Rules for Business in a Flat World: A Trustees Call to Action

As policymakers, community college trustees have a responsibility to help keep their communities strong. How they do this is by helping to give everyone a chance for higher education. Thomas Friedman says that John F. Kennedy's vision was to put a man on the moon. His vision is to put every American on a campus. To do this, trustees can use these 7 “New Rules of Business:” (a) having a renewed focus on higher education accountability, (b) continued anxiety over college affordability, (c) waning public support, (d) growing expectations, (e) increasing competition, (f) changing demographics, and (g) the growing leadership crisis.
Staurosporine-induced death of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells: a distinction between caspase-3-dependent steps of apoptosis and the critical lethal lesions.

To test the role of caspase 3 in apoptosis and in overall cell lethality caused by the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine, we compared the responses of MCF-7c3 cells that express a stably transfected CASP-3 gene to parental MCF-7:WS8 cells transfected with vector alone and lacking procaspase-3 (MCF-7v). Cells were exposed to increasing doses (0.15-1 microM) of staurosporine for periods up to 19 h. Apoptosis was efficiently induced in MCF-7c3 cells, as demonstrated by cytochrome c release, processing of procaspase-3, procaspase-8, and Bid, increase in caspase-3-like DEVDase activity, cleavage of the enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, DNA fragmentation, changes in nuclear morphology, and TUNEL assay and flow cytometry. For all of these measures except cytochrome c release, little or no activity was detected in MCF-7v cells, confirming that caspase-3 is essential for efficient induction of apoptosis by staurosporine, but not for mitochondrial steps that occur earlier in the pathway. MCF-7c3 cells were more sensitive to staurosporine than MCF-7v cells when assayed for loss of viability by reduction of a tetrazolium dye. However, the two cell lines were equally sensitive to killing by staurosporine when evaluated by a clonogenic assay. A similar distinction between apoptosis and loss of clonogenicity was observed for the cancer chemotherapeutic agent VP-16. These results support our previous conclusions with photodynamic therapy: (a) assessing overall reproductive death of cancer cells requires a proliferation-based assay, such as clonogenicity; and (b) the critical staurosporine-induced lethal event is independent of those mediated by caspase-3.
Food security in HIV/AIDS response: insights from Homa Bay, Kenya.

This paper examines the viability and effectiveness of a pilot farming initiative in reversing impacts of HIV/AIDS on the most affected households in Homa Bay, Kenya. The paper argues that once patients are stable, they can effectively be engaged in farming with minimal financial and technical support, resulting in enhanced food security of the affected households. More importantly, it helps to reduce HIV/AIDS-related stigma and improve the individual’s self-esteem. Some of the key challenges of the pilot initiative were the limited number of agricultural extension workers and absence of facilities to enable them to deliver services to the farmers, the high cost of farm inputs, the unavailability of farm inputs when they were needed, poorly developed agricultural markets, and the absence of irrigation facilities. The paper recommends the sensitive scaling-up of this approach. However, farming initiatives by HIV/AIDS service NGOs should be linked to at least three key aspects: (a) treatment, care and support to HIV/AIDS affected households; (b) micro grant schemes or subsidies to enable farmers to purchase farming tools and farm inputs; and (c) comprehensive on-farm training support. To ensure effectiveness and wider reach, government needs to view agriculture through an HIV lens and promote a multisectoral approach that recognises the relationship between HIV/AIDS and food security. A number of immediate actions are required to strengthen this relationship, such as increased public investment to augment extension services, subsidise farm inputs, and develop infrastructure including agricultural markets. Keywords: HIV and AIDS, food security, agriculture, Kenya.
Recombination of three ultracold fermionic atoms.

Three-body recombination of identical, spin-polarized fermionic atoms in the ultracold limit is investigated using model interactions. The mechanisms for recombination are parametrized by the ``scattering volume'' ${V}_{p}$ and described in the framework of the adiabatic hyperspherical representation. We have calculated the recombination rate ${K}_{3}$ as a function of ${V}_{p}$ and have found ${K}_{3}\ensuremath{\propto}|{V}_{p}{|}^{8/3}$ for small $|{V}_{p}|$. Recombination near a two-body Feshbach resonance can thus be significant.
Tuberculosis Skin Testing Among HIV-Infected Pregnant Women in Miami, 1995 to 1996

OBJECTIVE: Approximately 6000 women deliver annually at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where 2.4% of women has human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and 60% is foreign-born. We conducted a retrospective review of prenatal records among HIV-infected women to evaluate tuberculin skin testing (TST). STUDY DESIGN: We determined how many women had TSTs placed and read, and the TST results. RESULTS: We identified 207 HIV-infected women, 87% of such women delivering in 1995 to 1996. Most did not know their HIV status before seeking prenatal care (109, 54%) and most (176, 85%) had TSTs done. Of the women, 45 had positive TSTs, 96 had negative TSTs, and 35 were anergic. Most results were not recorded using millimeters of induration. Two women (1%) had active tuberculosis (TB) disease. CONCLUSION: Overall, 21% of all HIV-infected women had positive TSTs and 1% had active TB disease. Focused TB skin testing should be part of routine prenatal care in clinics serving populations at high-risk for TB, such as those with HIV infection and the foreign-born.
Bridge-indentation precracking of glass bars

Bridge indentation precracking was first reported by Sadahiro et al., and has been used by a number of subsequent investigators. The procedure involves placing a half-penny starter crack, formed by Vickers indentation, at the center of the bottom surface of a rectangular bar specimen. The bar is loaded between pusher and anvil platens. The bridge span S produces tensile bending stress on the bottom surface of the bar, which contains the starter crack. With increasing load, the crack grows stably outward and inward, and at a certain load the crack will propagate unstably (pop-in) to a straight, through-section crack of length c. The method is very convenient for producing sharp, through-section precracks in ceramic bars without the need for saw cutting or fatigue cycling. However, the effects of bridge geometry and friction on the precracking results will be presented here which point to an important influence of the friction between the specimen and anvil platens.