cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two-Parameter Characterization of Crack Tip Fields in Edge-Cracked Geometries: Plasticity and Creep Solutions

Two-parameter descriptions of the crack tip stress fields in elastic-plastic materials are discussed in detail. It is shown analytically that the two-term asymptotic expansions for the near-tip stresses developed by Li and Wang [3] and Sharma and Ar-avas [4] can be represented in an alternative form in which the leading HRR-term can be replaced by the standard small-scale-yielding solution (with T = 0). A two-parameter characterization of the plane strain elastoplastic crack tip fields of edge-cracked geometries is presented. Detailed finite element calculations of edge-cracked bars loaded in tension (SENT) are carried out for different values of the crack length (a) to specimen width (W) ratio. The crack tip fields are characterized in terms of J-integral and the magnitude Q 1 of the second term of the elastoplastic crack tip asymptotic solution. Comparison are made with the alternative pairs of parameters (J,T) and (J,Q) that have been suggested by Hancock and co-workers ([21, 22, 23, 24]) and O'Dowd and Shih ([7, 8]) respectively, where T is the so-called elastic-T-stress and Q is a measure of the crack tip stress triaxiality. Plane strain creep solutions are also obtained for a shallow-cracked SENT specimen with a/W = 0.05. It is found that, whereas the region of dominance of the HRR-like term is essentially zero, a two-term asymptotic expansion similar to that used in elastic-plastic materials provides an accurate description of the spatial and temporal variations of the crack tip stresses of the creeping solid.
Understanding and Improving Secure Coding Behavior with Eye Tracking Methodologies

Secure coding is a mission that cannot be neglected as computing devices continue increasing. Every year, thousands of new software vulnerabilities are identified. Education is a crucial factor and a significant challenge to counter cyber threats. But gaining insight into how people learn has always been challenging. There is a considerable need for improved methodologies with active hands-on educational techniques for programmers to learn practical strategies to mitigate software vulnerabilities; to protect private data; and ultimately to write secure code in the first place. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first usage of eye tracking technologies to understand secure coding practices and to improve education. We focused on exploring the ways that students comprehended and learned to develop secure software. We recorded their eye gaze movements while they studied our hands-on learning module and mitigated the weaknesses within the source code. Our study involved 29 students mitigating software vulnerabilities via manual analysis of the source code. The eye tracking data allows us to objectively study and gain insight in order to understand and improve students learning behavior. Our analysis indicates that there is a distinction in the learning phase for students that answered correctly compared to students that did not provide the correct mitigation strategy. Specifically, our research indicates the most effective and efficient way to learn secure coding is to fully understand coding errors before working on the source code. Our findings also suggest that we can use reading patterns to understand student behaviors in order to be capable of developing improved hands-on learning material.
Outpatient antibiotic stewardship interventions: geographic scale and associations between antibiotic use and resistance

Abstract Background Antibiotic stewardship interventions aim to combat antibiotic resistance by reducing inappropriate antibiotic use. One obstacle to the rational design of outpatient stewardship programs is that small-scale pilot experiments that aim to reduce antibiotic resistance by reducing antibiotic use may produce results that are systematically different from results observed in larger-scale implementations. Here, we investigate the relationship between geographic scale and the effect of reductions in antibiotic use. Methods and findings First, we show that dynamical models of antibiotic resistance exhibit “spillover”, such that resistance in an intervention population is partly due to antibiotic use in surrounding populations, which attenuates the intervention’s effect size. Second, using observational antibiotic use and resistance data from US states and European countries for 3 pathogen-antibiotic combinations, we show that use-resistance associations are robust to aggregation above the level of US states or European countries. Finally, we did not detect differences in the strength of use-resistance associations measured between pairs of adjacent states or countries, which presumably have stronger spillover, compared to the associations among non-adjacent pairs. Conclusions These results imply that interventions at the level of US states will yield effect sizes that can be used to estimate the effects of regional or national interventions.
Differences in Re-excision Rates for Breast-Conserving Surgery Using Intraoperative 2D Versus 3D Tomosynthesis Specimen Radiograph.

Intraoperative specimen radiographs performed during breast conservation surgery for cancer reduces the need for re-excision for positive margins. We studied 2D versus 3D image-guided cavity margin excision and compared it to final pathology and need for additional surgery. We conducted a retrospective review of 657 breast-conserving operations performed for cancer from 2013 to 2018. Procedures were performed by four surgeons at a single tertiary institution with access intraoperatively to 2D and 3D radiographs. Data collected included demographics, intraoperative margin assessment, final pathology, and re-excision rates. A total of 466 patients had 2D and 191 had 3D specimen imaging. The 2D group had a lower mean age and a higher body mass index and proportion of minority patients than the 3D group (P < 0.01). In the 3D group, there was a higher percentage of patients with mammographically denser breasts (P < 0.06); 58% of patients in the 3D group had additional imaging-directed cavity margins excised versus 32% of patients in the 2D group (P < 0.01). In the 2D group, 44 patients (9%) had positive final margins versus 8 patients (4%) in the 3D group (P = 0.02). No difference was found on total volume of excision (P = 0.56). The re-excision rate for the 2D group was 11% versus 5% for the 3D group (P = 0.02; adjusted odds ratio = 0.41, 95% confidence interval 0.19–0.86). Re-excision rates using both modalities are low. A lower re-excision rate is independently associated with 3D tomosynthesis. This allows surgeons to excise additional margins at the index operation, decreasing reoperations and anxiety/costs for patients.
Recursive Multi-Scale Image Deraining With Sub-Pixel Convolution Based Feature Fusion and Context Aggregation

Along with several other low-vision based computer vision problems, single image deraining is also taken as a challenging one due to its ill-posedness. Several algorithms based on convolutional neural networks are devised that are either too simple to provide acceptable deraining results due to under-deraining or have a complex architectures that may result into over-deraining. In this paper we propose a deraining algorithm that is capable of boosting the reconstruction/deraining quality without the problem of over or under-deraining. Along with the originally proposed network, two of its’ light-weight versions with reduced computational costs are also devised. Basically, we propose a recursively trained architecture that has two major components: a front-end module and a refinement module. The front-end module is based on dense fusion of lower label features followed by sub-pixel convolutions (pixel shuffling based convolutions). To refine and generate the enhanced deraining results further, we cascade a refinement module to the front-end module using multi-scale Context Aggregation Network (CAN) which includes feature fusion and pixel shuffling based convolutions. We present the deraining results in terms of Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) on several benchmarks and compare with current state-of-the-art algorithms. With comprehensive experiments on both real-world and synthetic datasets and extensive ablation study, we demonstrate that our approach produces better results compared to existing methods.
Covid-19-Associated Myopathy Caused by Type I Interferonopathy.

Type I Interferonopathy in Muscle in a Man with Covid-19 Generalized, predominantly proximal weakness and a greatly elevated creatine kinase level developed in a man with Covid-19. Immunohistochemi...
Margin negative resection and pathologic downstaging with multiagent chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy in patients with localized pancreas cancer: A national cancer database analysis.

Abstract Purpose Margin-negative (R0) resection is the only potentially curative treatment for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Pre-operative multi-agent chemotherapy alone (MAC) or MAC followed by pre-operative radiotherapy (MAC + RT) may be used to improve resectability and potentially survival. However, the optimal pre-operative regimen is unknown. Methods Patients with non-metastatic PDAC from 2006 to 2016 who received pre-operative MAC or MAC + RT before oncologic resection were identified in the National Cancer Database. Univariable and multivariable (MVA) associates with R0 resection were identified with logistic regression, and survival was analyzed secondarily with the Kaplan Meier method and Cox regression analysis. Results 4,599 patients were identified (MAC: 3,109, MAC + RT: 1,490). Compared to those receiving MAC, patients receiving MAC + RT were more likely to have cT3-4 disease (76% vs 64%, p Conclusion For patients with localized PDAC who receive pre-operative MAC, the addition of pre-operative RT was associated with improved rates of R0 resection and pathologic response.
Medical provider stigma experienced by people who use drugs (MPS-PWUD): Development and validation of a scale among people who currently inject drugs in New York City.

Abstract Background Stigmatizing attitudes towards people who use drugs (PWUD) impact their access and retention in health care. Current measures of PWUD stigma in medical settings are limited. Therefore, we developed and validated theMedical Provider Stigma Experienced by PWUD (MPS-PWUD) scale. Methods As part of an ongoing clinical trial, we recruited HCV RNA positive people who inject drugs in New York City. Based on 164 participants, principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on fifteen stigma items answered on a 5-point Likert scale. We evaluated internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and assessed construct validity by comparing stigma levels with willingness to communicate health concerns with medical providers and likelihood to seek HCV treatment. Results PCA identified a 9-item scale with two components of stigmatization that explained 60.8 % of the total variance and overall high internal consistency (alpha = 0.90). Theenacted stigma (alpha = 0.90) consisted of 6 scale items related to the medical providers' stigmatizing actions or perceptions. The internalized stigma component (alpha = 0.84) included 3 scale items related to PWUD's shame or drug use disclosure. As hypothesized, higher levels of either stigma were associated with less likelihood to openly communicate with medical providers (p Conclusions The validated MPS-PWUD scale could help healthcare providers, harm reduction services and researchers measure stigma experienced by PWUD in medical settings in efforts to minimize the impact of stigma on limiting access to and retention of care for PWUD.
Help wanted: A qualitative study of what newspaper editors consider when hiring journalism school graduates:

This research examines what skills are needed by legacy newspaper hiring editors of their new employees hired after journalism school, including writing and reporting skills for print and online, c...
"House Calls" by Mobile Integrated Health Paramedics for Patients with Heart Failure: A Feasibility Study.

Background: Early readmissions following hospital discharge for heart failure (HF) remain a major concern. Among the various strategies designed to reduce readmissions, home evaluations have been observed to have a favorable impact. We assessed the feasibility of integrating community paramedics into the outpatient management of HF patients.Methods: Selected paramedics completed an educational HF curriculum. These Mobile Integrated Health Paramedics (MIHP) performed scheduled home visits 2- and 15-days post-discharge for patients with Stage C HF (Phase I) and patients with Stage D HF (Phase II). Facilitated by a Call Center, a process was created for performing urgent MIHP house calls within 60 minutes of a medical provider's request. A HF specialist, with an on-call emergency department command physician, could order an intravenous diuretic during home visits. During each phase of the study the incidence of 30-day HF readmissions, 30-day all-cause readmissions, emergency room evaluations, unplanned office encounters, as well as any adverse events were prospectively documented.Results: Collaborative relationships between our hospital network and local EMS organizations were created. There were 82 MIHP home visits. Eight patients received urgent home evaluations within 60-minutes post-request, one requiring transport to an ED. The incidence of all-cause 30-day readmissions in 20 Stage C and 20 Stage D patients was 15% and 40%, respectively. There were no adverse events attributable to the MIHP house calls.Conclusions: It is feasible to integrate MIHPs into the outpatient management of HF. Signals of effectiveness for reducing early readmissions were observed. Obstacles to creating an effective paramedic "House Calls" program were identified. A randomized trial is required to assess the value of this care process and its impact on early readmissions in patients with Stage C and Stage D HF.
Effect of College Work upon the Health of Women

(1899). Effect of College Work upon the Health of Women. American Physical Education Review: Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 279-280.
The Structure and Development of Adaptive Behaviors

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the adaptive behavior domain. It discusses the implications of extant research for theory development. The chapter emphasizes three main topics; (1) determining the structure of adaptive behaviors, (2) estimating lifespan developmental trends for the growth, maintenance, and aging of adaptive behaviors, and (3) investigating factors that may modify or moderate the development and aging of adaptive behaviors. A multidimensional representation of the adaptive behavior domain, including several adaptive behavior factors and the factors of maladaptive behavior, is adequate to study the structure of adaptive behaviors; the finding that different types of adaptive behaviors exhibit different life-span developmental trends strengthens this multifactorial structure. Considering all of these issues will lead in the direction of a fuller understanding of the life-span development of adaptive and maladaptive behaviors.
Immunomagnetic isolation and long-term culture of mouse type a spermatogonia

In the mammalian testis, type A spermatogonia proliferate and differentiate into sperm under the tight control of both endocrine and paracrine factors. In order to study the complex process of spermatogenesis at the molecular level, an in vitro system must be devised in which type A spermatogonia can be cultured for a prolonged period of time. Therefore, cocultures including type A spermatogonia and Sertoli cells, which act as nurse cells to the developing germ cells, are desirable. We have developed a method for the specific isolation of type A spermatogonia using magnetic beads and antibodies that recognize the c-kit receptor or the homophilic adhesion molecule, Ep-CAM. Purified spermatogonia could survive for a period of 25 days when cocultivated on Sertoli cell monolayers. Moreover, we recently established Sertoli cell lines that produce growth factors that are essential for the maintenance of spermatogonia in a proliferative state. Some of these Sertoli cell lines are able to reorganize into tubular structures when cultivated on a layer of Matrigel as extracellular matrix. We show here that type A spermatogonia associate specifically with the Sertoli cell tubules, and are able to replicate their DNA in this environment. Thus, these in vitro culture systems could be used for the long-term culture of primary, nonimmortalized type A spermatogonia.
A knowledge-based genetic heuristic for learning certainty factors

An expert network is a type of inference network that is derived from an expert system. One of the uses of expert networks is to to refine measures of certainty in knowledge bases using neural network learning techniques. Goal-directed Monte Carlo search (GDMC) is a parallel stochastic hillclimbing method that is being successfully used to refine certainty factors from data. This paper presents a new heuristic for GDMC that improves its performance by incorporating genetic algorithm techniques. >
Pavlov, psychoanalysis, and neuroses.

Pavlov’s discovery of experiment neurosis was serendipitous, yet it was made under the influence of Breuer and Freud’s case of Anna O. In 1914, Pavlov’s disciple N. R. Shenger-Krestovnikova, exploring the limits of visual discrimination in dogs, noticed that when the discrimination was difficult, the dogs’ behavior became disorganized. Pavlov drew an analogy between the condition of Shenger-Krestovnikova’s dogs and their disorganized behavior with Anna O.’s situation and her neurotic reaction. Pavlov concluded that he had demonstrated in the laboratory the elements of neurosis in animals and human alike. Schilder’s criticism of his position, his later study of human neuroses in clinical settings, and the views of Janet may have induced Pavlov to differentiate between animal and human neuroses.
Review article: the pathogenesis of diverticular disease--current perspectives on motility and neurotransmitters.

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011; 33: 799–800 Summary Background Low-fibre diet, structural abnormalities and ageing are traditional aetiological factors implicated in the development of diverticular disease. More recently, motility disorders are implicated in its causation leading to speculation that neurotransmitters play a role in mediating these disturbances. Aims To draw together studies on the role of neurotransmitters in the development of diverticular disease and its symptoms. Methods Medline, GoogleScholar and Pubmed were searched for evidence on this subject using the terms neurotransmitters, motility, diverticular disease and pathogenesis. Articles relevant to the subject were cited and linked references were also reviewed. Results Serotonin, which has been found to be an excitatory colonic neurotransmitter, has been found in early studies to be increased in colonic enterochromaffin cells. Acetylcholine, which is thought to be an excitatory neurotransmitter and cholinergic activity, has also seen to be increased in diverticular disease. These findings may suggest that an increase in excitatory neurotransmitters may result in the hypersegmentation thought to cause pulsion diverticula. Similarly, a decrease in nitric oxide which is inhibitory is found. Conclusions There is some evidence that neurotransmitters may play a role in the motility disturbances seen in diverticular disease; however, a clear role is yet to be ascertained.
Biospecimen repositories and cytopathology

Biospecimen repositories are important for the advancement of biomedical research. Literature on the potential for biobanking of fine-needle aspiration, gynecologic, and nongynecologic cytology specimens is very limited. The potential for biobanking of these specimens as valuable additional resources to surgically excised tissues appears to be excellent. The cervicovaginal specimens that can be used for biobanking include Papanicolaou-stained monolayer preparations and residual material from liquid-based cytology preparations. Different types of specimen preparations of fine-needle aspiration and nongynecologic specimens, including Papanicolaou-stained and Diff-Quik-stained smears, cell blocks. and dedicated passes/residual material from fine-needle aspiration stored frozen in a variety of solutions, can be used for biobanking. Because of several gaps in knowledge regarding the standard of operative procedures for the procurement, storage, and quality assessment of cytology specimens, further studies as well as national conferences and workshops are needed not only to create awareness but also to facilitate the use of cytopathology specimens for biobanking.
Verification of Parameterized Systems by Dynamic Induction

In this paper we present a visual approach to proving progress properties of parameterized systems using induction on verification diagrams. The inductive hypothesis is represented by an automaton and is based on a state-dependent order on process indices, for increased flexibility. This approach yields more intuitive proofs for progress properties and simpler verification conditions that are more likely to be proved automatically.
Dynamics of a Low-Dimensional Model for Short Pulse Mode Locking

Emerging ultra-fast mode-locked lasers are now capable of generating pulses in the few to sub-femtosecond regime. Using recent theoretical innovations around the short pulse equation, we characterize the mode locking dynamics using a low-dimensional representation of the pulse parameters. The theory is formulated using a variational approach, since linearization of the exact solution is not tractable. The dominant dynamics can be characterized in a geometrical way using phase-plane analysis. Of note is our ability to determine the underlying bifurcations that occur due to changes in the fiber laser cavity parameters, including the onset of the multi-pulsing instability. The theory can aid in design principles for generating robust and highly-stable mode-locked pulses.
On Solar System and Cosmic Rays Nucleosynthesis and Spallation Processes

A brief survey of nuclide abundances in the solar-system and in cosmic rays and of the believed mechanisms of their synthesis is given. The role of spallation processes in nucleosynthesis is discussed. A short review of recent measurements, compilations, calculations, and evaluations of spallation cross sections relevant to nuclear astrophysics is given as well. It is shown that in some past astrophysical simulations, old experimental nuclear data and theoretical cross sections that are in poor agreement with recent measurements and calculations were used. New astrophysical simulations using recently measured and reliably calculated nuclear cross sections, further researches in obtaining better cross sections, and production of evaluated spallation cross sections libraries for astrophysics are suggested. Subject headings: Nucleosynthesis, abundances — nuclear reactions, spallation cross sections, data libraries
IL10-driven STAT3 signalling in senescent macrophages promotes pathological eye angiogenesis

Macrophage dysfunction plays a pivotal role during neovascular proliferation in diseases of ageing including cancers, atherosclerosis and blinding eye disease. In the eye, choroidal neovascularization (CNV) causes blindness in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Here we report that increased IL10, not IL4 or IL13, in senescent eyes activates STAT3 signalling that induces the alternative activation of macrophages and vascular proliferation. Targeted inhibition of both IL10 receptor-mediated signalling and STAT3 activation in macrophages reverses the ageing phenotype. In addition, adoptive transfer of STAT3-deficient macrophages into eyes of old mice significantly reduces the amount of CNV. Systemic and CD163(+) eye macrophages obtained from AMD patients also demonstrate STAT3 activation. Our studies demonstrate that impaired SOCS3 feedback leads to permissive IL10/STAT3 signalling that promotes alternative macrophage activation and pathological neovascularization. These findings have significant implications for our understanding of the pathobiology of age-associated diseases and may guide targeted immunotherapy.
Review: Unfinished Spaces by Alysa Nahmias and Benjamin Murray, directors/producers

Alysa Nahmias and Benjamin Murray, directors/producers Unfinished Spaces Ajna Films, New York, 2011, DVD, 86 min., $19.99, http://www.shoppbs.org Early in the film Unfinished Spaces (Alysa Nahmias and Benjamin Murray), we see the famous photograph by Korda of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, young, long-haired, bearded, in their military fatigues, playing an ironic round of golf on the erstwhile-restricted course of the Country Club (it needed no more name than that) in 1961. Prior to the revolution, the Country Club was off limits to the vast majority of Cubans—although as the son of a wealthy landowner, it would not have been so for Fidel had he chosen to fulfill his expected role in society—and the near-exclusive domain of the legions of North American tourists whose expenditures on the island accounted for a significant portion of the GNP. Apparently it was on those links that Fidel had an epiphany and vowed to convert the golf course, a symbol of capitalist exploitation and exclusion, into a symbol of revolutionary humanism and freedom of expression: he wanted to build the best art schools, not just in Latin America, but in the entire world. Thus opens the fascinating journey of Unfinished Spaces as it reconstructs the dazzling moment of revolutionary, utopian vision and shows the political agendas that initially endorsed and later foreclosed on the dream. The enthusiasm with which the revolutionary leadership and ordinary citizens sought to remake Cuba found magnificent expression in this ambitious architectural project of a world-class complex of art schools, with separate schools for fine arts, drama, music, modern dance, and ballet. The film juxtaposes gorgeous if elegiac photography of the five schools in their present state—some nearly complete and some skeletal—with archival film footage, photographs, and interviews. While the contemporary photography captures the beauty and …
Acrylamide gel-sucrose gradient electrophoresis: a useful preparative method.

Abstract A method of preparative electrophoresis which utilizes the advantages of polyacrylamide gels and sucrose gradients is described. Data from enzyme purifications and suggested modifications for specific problems are presented.
Determination of the dynamic response of brittle composites by the use of the split Hopkinson pressure bar

In this work a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) setup was used to test brittle, polymeric-matrix composite materials. To provide a consistent and accurate way of performing data analysis, a scheme including dispersion correction, selection of starting points, stress homogeneity and limiting strain rate has been developed. Special emphasis is placed on determining stress homogeneity numerically and experimentally, which is used as a basis for the data analysis procedure. The number of frequencies needed for adequate dispersion correction in the SHPB was found to be a substantial function of the Nyquist frequency of the data acquisition system. Experimental results for a unidirectional graphite/epoxy composite material from quasi-static and SHPB tests are provided.
Quality Improvement in Oat

Abstract Oats (Avena sauva L.) are a nutritious, high protein grain crop with important food, feed and value-added applications. For commercial purposes, oat quality is frequently expressed as a grade, based on test weight, foreign matter, and the physical appearance of the grain. More detailed quality analyses may include evaluations for percent groat, kernel size and uniformity, and groat composition. Compositional components of economic importance include protein, fat, β-glucan and antioxidant concentrations. Exact quality specification for quality requirements can vary widely among applications. Feed applications favor higher protein and fat concentrations, and lower fiber. Food applications favor lower fat concentrations, and higher β-glucan. Production of high quality oat grain is dependent on the planting of high quality seed with current local adaptation, sound cultural practices, and favorable weather conditions. It is particularly important that seed planted produce plants resistant to current r...
Learning genetic epistasis using Bayesian network scoring criteria

Gene-gene epistatic interactions likely play an important role in the genetic basis of many common diseases. Recently, machine-learning and data mining methods have been developed for learning epistatic relationships from data. A well-known combinatorial method that has been successfully applied for detecting epistasis is Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MDR). Jiang et al. created a combinatorial epistasis learning method called BNMBL to learn Bayesian network (BN) epistatic models. They compared BNMBL to MDR using simulated data sets. Each of these data sets was generated from a model that associates two SNPs with a disease and includes 18 unrelated SNPs. For each data set, BNMBL and MDR were used to score all 2-SNP models, and BNMBL learned significantly more correct models. In real data sets, we ordinarily do not know the number of SNPs that influence phenotype. BNMBL may not perform as well if we also scored models containing more than two SNPs. Furthermore, a number of other BN scoring criteria have been developed. They may detect epistatic interactions even better than BNMBL. Although BNs are a promising tool for learning epistatic relationships from data, we cannot confidently use them in this domain until we determine which scoring criteria work best or even well when we try learning the correct model without knowledge of the number of SNPs in that model. We evaluated the performance of 22 BN scoring criteria using 28,000 simulated data sets and a real Alzheimer's GWAS data set. Our results were surprising in that the Bayesian scoring criterion with large values of a hyperparameter called α performed best. This score performed better than other BN scoring criteria and MDR at recall using simulated data sets, at detecting the hardest-to-detect models using simulated data sets, and at substantiating previous results using the real Alzheimer's data set. We conclude that representing epistatic interactions using BN models and scoring them using a BN scoring criterion holds promise for identifying epistatic genetic variants in data. In particular, the Bayesian scoring criterion with large values of a hyperparameter α appears more promising than a number of alternatives.
Myelin P0-glycoprotein: predicted structure and interactions of extracellular domain.

Protein zero (P0), a transmembrane glycoprotein, accounts for over 50% of the total protein in PNS myelin. The extracellular domain of P0 (P0-ED) is similar to the immunoglobulin variable domain, carrying one acceptor sequence for N-linked glycosylation. The x-ray diffraction analysis of PNS myelin has demonstrated reversible transitions that depend on pH and ionic strength, resulting in three distinct structures characterized by widths of about 36 A, 50 A (native), and 90 A between the extracellular surfaces of the membranes. In the current work, we considered the constraints imposed by these x-ray diffraction data on the orientation of P0-ED, and we propose how this immunoglobulin-like domain could be accommodated in the variable widths of the extracellular space between myelin membranes. The modeling made use of the finding that β-strand predictions for P0-ED are virtually superimposable with those of the VH domain of the phosphocholine-binding immunoglobulin M603 of mouse, which has a similar number of residues as P0-ED and a structure that has been solved crystallographically. The dimensions of P0-ED from the space-filling model, developed using PC- based molecular modeling software, were found to be 44 A× 25 A× 23 A. On the assumption that neither the shape nor the orientation of P0-ED changes appreciably, then the different widths at the extracellular apposition would easily accommodate P0-ED from apposed membranes if the molecules were oriented so that the β- strands were approximately perpendicular to the membrane surface. The apposed P0-EDs would fully overlap at the closest apposition of the membranes, partially overlap in the native state, and align end to end in the incompletely swollen state. The P0-ED regions analogous to the complementarity-determining regions of immunoglobulins can account for the recognition of P0-ED from apposed membranes in the incompletely swollen state. Two of the faces of P0-ED that show charge complementarity could account for the homophilic interactions of P0-ED from apposed membranes in the native state. This association can be stabilized further by hydrophobic interactions. The N- linked nonasaccharide after energy minimization fit into a cavity, which was at the base of P0-ED and which was lined with three positively charged residues. Thus, the carbohydrate may help to maintain the orientation of P0 at the membrane surface. Our model shows how the single immunoglobulin-like domain of P0 can account for distinct structural states of myelin membrane packing by homophilic interactions.
A national survey of practice patterns in the noninvasive diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis.

Abstract Purpose: Recent studies have recommended unilateral venous duplex scanning for the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients who are unilaterally symptomatic. Vascular laboratory accreditation standards, however, imply that bilateral leg scanning should be performed. We examined whether actual practice patterns have evolved toward limited unilateral scanning in such patients. Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to all 808 vascular laboratories in the United States that were accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL). To encourage candid responses, the questionnaires were numerically coded and confidentiality was assured. Results: A total of 608 questionnaires (75%) were completed and returned. Most of the respondents (442; 73%) were either community-hospital or office-based laboratories, and the remaining 163 (27%) were university or affiliated-hospital laboratories. Most of the laboratories (460; 76%) had been in existence for 9 years or more, and 65% had been ICAVL–accredited in venous studies for 3 years or more. Board-certified vascular surgeons were the medical directors in 54% of the laboratories. Duplex ultrasound scanning was the diagnostic method used by 98% of the laboratories. In patients with unilateral symptoms, 75% of the laboratories did not routinely scan both legs for DVT. A large majority (75%) believe that bilateral scanning is not clinically indicated. Only 57 laboratories (14%) recalled having patients return with a DVT in the previously unscanned leg, with 93% of these laboratories reporting between one and five such patients. This observation correlated with larger volumes of venous studies performed by those laboratories ( P Conclusion: Three quarters of the ICAVL–accredited vascular laboratories perform limited single-extremity scanning for the diagnosis of DVT in patients with unilateral symptoms. This broad clinical experience suggests that this practice is widespread in selected patients. Clinical protocols should be established to provide guidelines for local laboratory implementation. (J Vasc Surg 1999;29:799-806.)
Investigating stacking: How do registered nurses prioritize their activities in real-time?

Abstract Recent nursing graduates often find it challenging to prioritize competing tasks in the increasingly complex hospital environment. In order to develop a normative framework for task prioritization, Registered Nurses from a variety of settings were interviewed about how they prioritized their activities in the workplace. From 30 interviews, 422 prioritization decisions were coded when study participants were confronted with two tasks that could not be done simultaneously. The findings suggest a seven-level prioritization hierarchy of nursing activities: 1) addressing imminent clinical concerns, 2) high uncertainty activities, 3) significant, core clinical caregiving and managing pain, 4) relationship management, 5) documenting, helping others, and patient support, 6) system improvement and cleaning/preparing supplies, and 7) personal breaks and social interactions. Explicitly providing a normative framework for task prioritization during nursing education may help to accelerate learning this skill. For more experienced nurses, we believe that flexibility to deviate from this framework will be important for providing high-quality, personalized care that best matches the particular context. Relevancy to industry Nursing personnel comprises a significant portion of the human capital and operating budget for hospitals. Knowledge of what tasks are likely to be shed under severe workload conditions aids with optimizing hiring and allocation of nursing personnel.
Scaling properties of lithographic VCSELs

Data are presented demonstrating lithographic vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and their scaling properties. Lithographic VCSELs have simultaneous mode- and current-confinement defined only by lithography and epitaxial crystal growth. The lithographic process of these devices allows getting uniform device size throughout a wafer and easy scaling to manufacture very small lasers. The semiconductor's high thermal conductivity enables the small lithographic VCSEL to have lower thermal resistance than an oxide-aperture VCSEL, while the lithographic fabrication produces high VCSEL uniformity even at small size. Very dense packing is also possible. Devices of 3 μm to 20 μm diameters are fabricated and scaling properties are characterized. 3 μm lithographic VCSELs produce output power of 4.1 mW, with threshold current of 260 μA and slope efficiency of 0.76 W/A at emission wavelength of ~980 nm. These VCSELs also have single-mode single-polarization lasing without the use of a surface grating, and have >25 dB sidemode- suppression-ratio up to 1 mW of output power. Lifetime tests demonstrate that 3 μm VCSEL operates for hundreds of hours at high injection current level of 85 kA/cm2 with 3.7 mW output power without degradation. Scaling properties and low thermal resistance of the lithographic VCSELs can extend the VCSEL technology to manufacturable and reliable small size lasers and densely packed arrays with long device lifetime.
Calculation of shortening due to outcrop-scale deformation and its relation to regional deformation patterns

Abstract The objectives of this study are to: assess the regional contribution of outcrop-scale structures in well-exposed rocks of a tectonic province; and evaluate how failure to measure this scale of structure affects the assessment of regional deformation. The contribution of outcrop-scale structures to regional deformation has not been quantified previously because of the need for long continuous exposures to regionally characterize the structures. This study used 18.6 km of semi-continuous roadcut and streambed exposures in well-exposed Devonian clastic rocks to construct 1:200-scale profiles to address the objectives. Key results are: (1) outcrop-scale structures contribute about 1/6 to 1/4 of total regional shortening. (2) Submapscale shortening components from microscale and outcrop-scale structures equal mapscale shortening that would be interpreted from a regional cross-section. (3) Analysis of submapscale structures in the target blind thrust belt is needed to identify that the roof-sequence deformation preceded and continued through duplex formation. (4) The kinematic response of the roof sequence would be incorrectly identified as backthrusting if the shortening contribution of outcrop-scale structures is ignored. (5) Although measured outcrop-scale shortening does not match that predicted by the fractal analysis of other workers, the fractal approach to predicting deformation as a function of scale may still be valid.
Gap-fill type HSQ/ZEP520A bilayer resist process-(IV): HSQ-rod and HSQ-tip hardening processes

HSQ island formed by directly e-beam exposure (DE) and wet development is used as a dry etching mask material. However, the HSQ islands with high aspect ratio are susceptible to collapse during wet development process due to surface tension. To improve this, HSQ-rod and HSQ-Tip structures were achieved by dry stripping of ZEP520A after thermal reflow of ultra-thin HSQ (hydrogen silsesquioxane) gap-filled (GF) ZEP520A contact holes (C/H) in previous study. Aspect ratio of HSQ island formed by latter process is higher than that by the former since the latter is without wet develop procedure which tends to washout the HSQ island. In this paper, gap-fill processes followed by a hardening process to prevent bending of HSQ island are studied to form sub-50 nm HSQ islands (rod or tip) with high aspect ratio. Diluted HSQ is used to gap-fill the exposed ZEP520A C/H or C/H after thermal reflow. The hardening processes include high temperature baking and e-beam curing with high beam current. Experimental results are summarized below. Aspect ratio of GF type HSQ-rod larger than 7 is obtained. Bending of GF type HSQ island (rod or tip) with high aspect ratio is also observed. HSQ-rod hardened by high temperature baking tends to fracture. E-beam curing proves to be efficient for HSQ island (rod or tip) hardening and the required curing doses are dependent on HSQ-rod CD. Smallest HSQ-Tip CD hardened by e-beam curing is ~12.5nm. It is found that e-beam curing of GF type HSQ island and e-beam exposure of DE type HSQ island has the same effect and mechanism in cross-linking of HSQ molecules to increase mechanical strength.
Health communication and gender: A review and critique.

The purpose of this study is to establish the current state of research knowledge concerning patient gender and health communication. The relations among patient gender, health communication and compliance, and satisfaction variables were reviewed. It was found that there is a lack of research using patient gender as a meaningful variable in health communication research. Further- more, because of poor research designs in many studies, many of the conclu- sions about the role of gender in health communication interaction were found to be suspect. Suggestions for improving future research are (a) including patient gender as a significant variable in research designs; (b) using research procedures appropriate to the research being conducted; and (c) using a more descriptive, rules-based epistemological approach to forming research questions.
Impurity transport under steady-state magnetized plasma bombardment in PISCES-B Mod

Abstract Erosion and redeposition of materials is a critical issue in determining the lifetime of plasma-facing components as well as the plasma cleanliness in fusion reactors. In this work, both experimental and modeling efforts have been made to understand the fundamental aspects of the materials erosion and redeposition behavior under plasma bombardment, using the PISCES-B Mod facility, the WBC impurity transport code, and the VFTRIM and ITMC surface codes. A small impurity source made of molybdenum or boron embedded in a host surface of graphite is exposed to a steady-state, magnetically confined argon plasma. The plasma density is about 2 × 1012 cm−3, and the electron temperature is about 18 eV. The ion bombarding energy to the surface is set at 100 and 150 eV. The magnetic field is about 500 G. Under these experimental conditions, about 70% of the sputtered impurity atoms are calculated to be redeposited on the graphite surface, resulting in a distribution of impurity atom concentration on the graphite surface. The measured impurity redeposition profile indicates a decay across the magnetic field, and reaches a steady-state profile after a certain plasma exposure time. A good agreement has been found between the experimental data and the results of modeling.
Capturing the ethics education value of television medical dramas.

In the target article, “Medical and Nursing Students' Television Viewing Habits: Potential Implications for Bioethics,” Czarny and colleagues (2008) have documented what I have often observed, name...
Surgical services in low-income and middle-income countries

Although substantial progress has been made in addressing the burden of communicable and vaccine-preventable diseases in low-income and middle-income countries the burden of diseases that are surgically treatable is increasing and has been neglected. Both morbidity and mortality from surgically preventable (eg elective hernia repair) or treatable (eg strangulated hernia) disorders can be greatly decreased through simple surgical interventions. Why should a child die from appendicitis or a mother and child succumb to obstructed labour when simple surgical procedures can save their lives? Why should patients suffer permanent disability because of congenital abnormalities fractures burns or the sequelae of acute infections such as septic arthritis or osteomyelitis? Many complications of HIV infection (eg abscesses fistulas Kaposi sarcoma) are also amenable to simple surgical interventions. Available epidemiological information and experiential evidence lend support to the conclusion that basic surgical and anaesthetic services should be integrated into primary health-care packages. (excerpt)
Effect of Co doping on the structural, optical and magnetic properties of ZnO nanoparticles.

We report the results of a detailed investigation of sol?gel-synthesized nanoscale Zn1?xCoxO powders processed at 350??C with 0?x?0.12 to understand how the structural, morphological, optical and magnetic properties of ZnO are modified by Co doping, in addition to searching for the theoretically predicted ferromagnetism. With x increasing to 0.03, both lattice parameters a and c of the hexagonal ZnO decreased, suggesting substitutional doping of Co at the tetrahedral Zn2+ sites. For x>0.03, these trends reversed and the lattice showed a gradual expansion as x approached 0.12, probably due to additional interstitial incorporation of Co. Raman spectroscopy measurements showed a rapid change in the ZnO peak positions for x>0.03, suggesting significant disorder and changes in the ZnO structure, in support of additional interstitial Co doping possibility. Combined x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed clear evidence for tetrahedrally coordinated high-spin Co2+ ions occupying the lattice sites of ZnO host system, which became saturated for x>0.03. Magnetic measurements showed a paramagnetic behaviour in Zn1?xCoxO with increasing antiferromagnetic interactions as x increased to 0.10. Surprisingly, a weak ferromagnetic behaviour was observed for the sample with x = 0.12 with a characteristic hysteresis loop showing a coercivity Hc~350?Oe, 25% remanence Mr, a low saturation magnetization Ms~0.04?emu?g?1 and with a Curie temperature Tc~540?K. The XPS data collected from Zn1?xCoxO samples showed a gradual increase in the oxygen concentration, changing the oxygen-deficient undoped ZnO to an excess oxygen state for x = 0.12. This indicates that such high Co concentrations and appropriate oxygen stoichiometry may be needed to achieve adequate ferromagnetic exchange coupling between the incorporated Co2+ ions.
Observation of anomalous LO-phonon scattering in magnetically ordered EuS

Abstract The anomalous LO-phonon scattering previously reported in EuSe has now been observed in EuS. This scattering is only observable in the ferromagnetically ordered phase and exhibits a strong dependence on excitation energy.