cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Fall of Phaethon in Context: A New Synthesis of Mythological, Archaeological and Geological Evidence

The well-known classical myth of Phaethon must be the earliest recorded cautionary tale about teenage driving: taking control of the chariot of his father, the Sun-god, Phaethon set the world ablaze and endangered the cosmic order, until he was felled by Zeus’ thunderbolt and hurled to the earth. It has long been recognised that the tale must reflect some extraordinary astronomical event, recent attempts associating his fall with meteorite impact craters in southern Germany and Estonia. This geographic focus is too narrow. We examine parallels to the myth from ancient Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and the Levant, most previously unrecognised; the tendency of the Greeks to relocalise borrowed myths in the Aegean region or further westwards; and, above all, the unsolved problem aired long ago by Sir James Frazer regarding how remarkably analogous tales are known from as far afield as North America. A proposed impact crater in Iraq may emerge as a suitable candidate for the source of the myth in the Near East. Using developments in the current understanding of comets, meteor, streams and asteroids on earth-crossing orbits, we offer an explanation for both the similarities and differences between the global parallels to the Phaethon story.
Oxygen Transfer Measurements and Air Distribution for an Aeration Basin with Fine Bubble Diffusers

The off-gas method was used to study oxygen transfer efficiency in a long, narrow activated sludge basin. The basin was equipped with square, ceramic, fine pore diffuser plates arranged in a uniform longitudinal pattern at a depth of 4.3 m. Oxygen transfer efficiency, at 20°C and zero dissolved oxygen concentration, during the second and third years following diffuser cleaning, was between 15 and 17%. A uniform distribution of air to the tank was compared with a tapered air supply (more air at the inlet end and less at the outlet). The tapered air supply gave lower dissolved oxygen at the outlet and did not increase overall oxygen transfer. With a 3 to 5-fold variation in air flow, at either the inlet or outlet zone of the basin, the oxygen transfer efficiency, adjusted for zero dissolved oxygen, stayed constant.
Introduction: Deconstructing Women’s Empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa

What is empowerment? Is empowerment a static concept, or does it constantly vary and transform across time and different contexts? How can empowerment be studied amid societal and political transformation? Is it time to abandon the long-standing cultural paradigm applied to the study of gender and usher in a new era of feminist studies—one with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of women’s issues across the MENA region? To answer these questions, the analyses presented in this book shed light on some of the most critical issues impeding the advancement of women’s rights, such as patriarchy and Islam, barriers to women’s agency in the legal and socioeconomic realms, women’s access to the decision-making process, citizenship rights, and the impact of conflict on women’s status.
Influences of Economic, Social and Cultural Marginalization on the Association Between Alcohol Use and Sexual Risk Among Formerly Incarcerated Latino Men

Formerly incarcerated Latino men (FILM) have been significantly impacted by the HIV/AIDS and alcohol abuse epidemics in the United States. In this analysis, we examine the role of social, economic and cultural marginalization in the likelihood of alcohol-related sexual risk taking behavior among FILM. We recruited a non-random sample of FILM, ages 18–49 (n = 259). We performed logistic regression modeling to test four hypotheses examining the direct and moderating effects of socio-cultural factors. Drinking before sex was strongly associated with high likelihood of condomless intercourse (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 2.93; 95% CI 1.74, 4.94). Low acculturation and social marginalization factors were significant moderators of the association between high-risk alcohol use and sexual risk behavior among FILM. Our data suggest that risk reduction initiatives geared towards reducing alcohol-related sexual risk taking among FILM should target FILM with low levels of acculturation, and those with high levels loneliness, anxiety, and/or depression.
Combination therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.

Biologic therapies such as infliximab and adalimumab have become mainstays of treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. Early studies suggested that combination therapy (CT) with infliximab and an immunomodulator drug such as azathioprine may help optimize biologic pharmacokinetics, minimize immunogenicity, and improve outcomes. The landmark SONIC trial in Crohn's disease and the UC SUCCESS trial in ulcerative colitis demonstrated CT with infliximab and azathioprine to be superior to monotherapy with either agent alone at inducing clinical remission in treatment naive patients with moderate to severe disease. However, many unanswered questions linger. The role of CT in non-naive patients as well as the optimal duration of CT remains unknown. The effectiveness of CT with alternate biologics and/or alternate immunomodulators is not as clear, and it is unknown whether SONIC's conclusions can be extrapolated beyond infliximab and azathioprine. Also looming are the risks of CT including opportunistic infection and malignancy; specifically, lymphoma. This review lays out the evidence as it pertains to the risks and benefits of CT as well as the areas that require further research. With this information in hand, the practitioner may develop a treatment strategy that best suits each individual patient.
Effects of output speed threshold on real-time continuous emg human-machine interface control

Continuous EMG control of human-machine interfaces (HMIs) enables more direct and flexible control of output movements than discrete classification algorithms. However, EMG is a non-stationary signal and can add noise to continuous EMG control output. We studied the effect of an output speed threshold method to stabilize the movement prediction of a 2-DOF musculoskeletal model-based continuous EMG controller during a real-time virtual task. In each of several trials, three able-bodied subjects were instructed to move and align the palm and finger segments of a virtual hand with four different target postures on a computer screen. Three different thresholds on the model's predicted angular speed were applied in a randomized order across trials: no threshold, medium threshold (15 °/sec), and high threshold (30 °/sec); the virtual hand did not move if the predicted angular speed at the next timepoint did not exceed the threshold. We recorded completion time, overshoot, jerk, and number of failed trials to quantify task performance. In a separate block of trials, subjects reported their threshold preference following multiple pairwise comparisons. The number of overshoots decreased and jerk magnitude increased with higher threshold levels. The average completion time was lowest with the medium threshold for 2 subjects. All 3 subjects had lower failed trials with either the medium or high threshold. The subject preference score showed an inverse trend with the number of failed trials. In summary, the presented threshold method was successful in reducing overshoot and trial failures, and a threshold was preferred by all subjects over no threshold. Thus, an output speed threshold may improve the functional performance and user satisfaction of continuous EMG control for HMIs, such as powered upper limb prostheses.
Hepatosplenic γδ T‐cell lymphoma of two adolescents: Case report and retrospective literature review in children, adolescents, and young adults

HSTCL is a highly aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. Case series and accounts have reported the use of different chemotherapy regimens with diverse patient outcomes. Most long-term survivors had undergone high-dose chemotherapy with autologous or allogeneic HCT. We describe two pediatric patients with HSTCL who were treated with chemotherapy followed by allogeneic HCT. Both patients are alive and in complete remission 2 and 8 years after therapy. Multiagent chemotherapy followed with allogeneic HCT seems to provide patients who have chemotherapy-sensitive disease a long-term disease-free survival.
U.S. Foreign Language Student Digital Literacy Habits: Factors Affecting Engagement

In today’s academic contexts students are presented with a wide variety of digital technologies that present opportunities for authentic input and interactions with other speakers. Of special importance to consider is the cultivation of digital literacies and their connection with different factors (Guikema & Williams, 2014). Until now, there have been few attempts at linking extramural digital literacy practices with factors such as proficiency, study abroad experience or declared language majors. This study focuses on exploring students’ digital literacy practices in the L2 and draws a connection with the level of daily practices, language proficiency, study abroad experience, and declared language major. A pre-test survey was created and given to roughly 600 American Spanish L2 students that elicited information about tech-use across two indices: technology for language learning (e.g., dictionaries, apps) and technology for entertainment (e.g., movies, social media) in the L2. Surveys were taken before completing ACTFL certified tests in reading, speaking and listening. Findings indicate significant correlations for language proficiency, declared language major and study abroad experience and reported levels of technology use in the L2. Findings are discussed in reference to how to improve student engagement via digital means.
Age-dependent overall survival benefit of androgen deprivation therapy for metastatic prostate cancer:

BackgroundAndrogen deprivation therapy (ADT) remains a standard of care in metastatic prostate cancer. Recent prospective trials have explored addition of chemotherapy to ADT. We retrospectively ex...
Selection and Characterization of a Reovirus Mutant with Increased Thermostability

The environment represents a significant barrier to infection. Physical stressors (heat) or chemical agents (ethanol) can render virions noninfectious. As such, discrete proteins are necessary to stabilize the dual-layered structure of mammalian orthoreovirus (reovirus). The outer capsid participates in cell entry: (i) σ3 is degraded to generate the infectious subviral particle, and (ii) μ1 facilitates membrane penetration and subsequent core delivery. μ1-σ3 interactions also prevent inactivation; however, this activity is not fully characterized. Using forward and reverse genetic approaches, we identified two mutations (μ1 M258I and σ3 S344P) within heat-resistant strains. σ3 S344P was sufficient to enhance capsid integrity and to reduce protease sensitivity. Moreover, these changes impaired replicative fitness in a reassortant background. This work reveals new details regarding the determinants of reovirus stability.IMPORTANCE Nonenveloped viruses rely on protein-protein interactions to shield their genomes from the environment. The capsid, or protective shell, must also disassemble during cell entry. In this work, we identified a determinant within mammalian orthoreovirus that regulates heat resistance, disassembly kinetics, and replicative fitness. Together, these findings show capsid function is balanced for optimal replication and for spread to a new host.
The Standardized Letter of Evaluation Narrative: Differences in Language Use by Gender.

Author(s): Miller, Danielle T.; McCarthy, Danielle M.; Fant, Abra L.; Li-Sauerwine, Simiao; Ali, Aimee; Kontrick, Amy V. | Abstract: Introduction: Prior research demonstrates gender differences in language used in letters of recommendation. The emergency medicine (EM) Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE) format limits word count and provides detailed instructions for writers. The objective of this study is to examine differences in language used to describe men and women applicants within the SLOE narrative.Methods: All applicants to a four-year academic EM residency program within a single application year with a first rotation SLOE available were included in the sample. We used the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program to analyze word frequency within 16 categories. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared, and t-tests were used to describe the sample; gender differences in word frequency were tested for using Mann-Whitney U tests.Results: Of 1117 applicants to the residency program, 822 (82%) first-rotation SLOEs were available; 64% were men, and 36% were women. We did not find a difference in baseline characteristics including age (mean 27 years), top 25 schools (22.5%), Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society rates (13%), and having earned advanced degrees (10%). The median word count per SLOE narrative for men was 171 and for women was 180 (p = 0.15). After adjusting for letter length, word frequency differences between genders were only present in two categories: social words (women: 23 words/letter; men: 21 words/letter, p = 0.02) and ability words (women: 2 words/letter; men: 1 word/letter, p = 0.04). We were unable to detect a statistical difference between men and women applicants in the remaining categories, including words representing communal traits, agentic traits, standout adjectives, grindstone traits, teaching words, and research words.Conclusion: The small wording differences between genders noted in two categories were statistically significant, but of unclear real-world significance. Future work is planned to evaluate how the SLOE format may contribute to this relative lack of bias compared to other fields and formats.
Predictive validity of a DNA methylation-based screening panel for postpartum depression

Abstract Prenatal maternal depression increases the risk of negative maternal-infant health outcomes but often goes unrecognized. As a result, biomarker screening tests capable of identifying women at risk for depression are highly desirable. This study tested how demographic and clinical factors affect the predictive validity of a DNA methylation-based screening test for postpartum major depression (MD) using data from a longitudinal study of birth outcomes. Lifetime history of MD and current levels of postpartum depressive symptoms were assessed using an extended self-report version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), respectively. Predictive validity of the test was estimated in the PREG cohort using the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC), and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the impact of self-reported race, age, and pre-pregnancy history of MD. Data for N=103 pregnant participants (African-American=49; European-American=54) were available. The prediction model identified women who would develop high levels of postpartum depressive symptoms better within the subset of women with previous histories of MD (AUC = 0.94, 95% CI 0.79-1.00) compared to the full pregnant cohort (AUC = 0.62, 95% CI 0.46-0.79). This observation prompted secondary analyses to test the model specificity for postpartum depression. The model predicted lifetime history of MD moderately well in never-pregnant, mixed-sex cohort of adolescents (N=150; ages 15-20; AUC = 0.75, 95% CI 0.57-0.92) and performed slightly better in males versus females. Additional sensitivity analyses are needed to determine the extent of the model’s specificity for MD subtypes and if demographic or clinical factors influence the predictive validity of this model.
Improved Color Doppler for Cerebral Blood Flow Axial Velocity Imaging

Conventional color Doppler ultrasound imaging suffers from mutual frequency cancellation when applied to quantify axial blood flow velocities in the rodent brain where inverse flows exist within an ultrasound measurement voxel. Here, we report an improved color Doppler-based functional ultrasound imaging method (iCD-fUS) for axial blood flow velocity imaging of the rodent brain. By applying a directional filter and high frequency noise thresholding, iCD-fUS is able to accurately quantify blood flow velocities within the brain as validated with the ultrasound localization microscopy velocimetry method. We show that iCD-fUS is able to image and resolve the directional axial blood flow velocity throughout the entire coronal section of the brain at a temporal frame rate of up to 10 Hz with a spatial resolution of ~100 $\mu \text{m}$ . We further applied iCD-fUS to image the axial blood flow velocity change in response to whisker stimulation in an awake mouse, showing its potential for studying brain activation. With these capabilities, iCD-fUS provides a powerful, quantitative tool for in vivo chronic research.
A Position Paper of the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders.

actively at work on the concept of the terminology used in our field to identify children who are handicapped by their behavior. During the past two years a subcommittee appointed by the Executive Committee has been developing and revising a position paper which focuses on terminology. The entire text of the paper is presented on the following pages. The initial ideas for the paper's content were discussed and agreed upon in April 1983 at the Spring Executive Committee meeting. During the ensuing year a position statement was published in Behavioral Disorders and comments were solicited. A draft version of the position paper was prepared for the Spring Executive meeting in April 1984. In September 1984 38 persons in our field were sent copies of the draft for review, and their comments were solicited. Those comments were considered at the Fall Executive Committee meeting. At that meeting the Executive Committee finalized the content of the paper, and the final draft was completed in February 1985. While the text which follows represents the end product of the original subcommittee, it remains open for comments and consideration from the membership. In order to facilitate such comments, the Executive Committee conducted a program session entitled Issues in Terminology for Children Who Are Handicapped by Their Behavior during the 1985 CEC Conference in Anaheim. At that session the position was reviewed and five professionals responded, representing various perspectives on the issue. There was also an audience response period. If, after reading the paper, you wish to comment, please do so. Comments should be in writing and directed to Dr. Sharon Huntze, Department of Special Education, University of Missouri-Columbia, 515 South Sixth Street, Columbia, MO 65211, or to any other member of the Executive Committee.
Relevance of Diagnosed Depression and Antidepressants to PROMIS Depression Scores Among Hand Surgical Patients.

Purpose We aimed to test the utility of screening for depressive symptoms in the hand surgical office focusing on chances of heightened depressive symptoms in patients with no history of diagnosed depression and by quantifying ongoing depressive symptoms among patients diagnosed with depression accounting for antidepressant use. The clinical importance of this study was predicated on the documented negative association between depressive symptoms and hand surgical outcomes. Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed 351 patients presenting to a tertiary hand center between April 21, 2016, and November 22, 2017. Adult patients completed self-administered Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Depression computer adaptive tests at registration. Health records were examined for a past medical history of diagnosed depression and whether patients reported current use of prescription antidepressants. Mean PROMIS Depression scores were compared by analysis of variance (groups: no diagnosed depression, depression without medication, depression with medication). Four points represented a clinically relevant difference in PROMIS Depression scores between groups and Depression scores greater than 59.9 were categorized as having heightened depressive symptoms. Results Sixty-two patients (18%) had been diagnosed with depression. Thirty-four of these patients (55%) reported taking antidepressant medications. The PROMIS Depression scores indicated greater current depressive symptoms among patients with a history of diagnosed depression when not taking antidepressants (11 points worse than unaffected) and also among patients taking antidepressants (7 points worse than unaffected). Heightened depressive symptoms were detected in all groups but were more prevalent among those diagnosed with depression (36% with no medication, 29% with antidepressant medication) compared with unaffected patients (7%). Conclusions Depression screening for heightened depressive symptoms identifies 1 in 14 patients without diagnosed depression and 1 in 3 patients diagnosed with depression as having currently heightened depressive symptoms. Hand surgeons can use PROMIS Depression screening in all patients and using this to guide referrals for depression treatment to ameliorate one confounder of hand surgical outcomes. Type of study/level of evidence Symptom prevalence study II.
Mapping research topics at multiple levels of detail.

Institutional reviews typically rely on scientometrics, like the h-index and impact factors of their participants, to assess research productivity. Productivity is not the only review criterion however, and scientometrics can be difficult to generate and compare in multidisciplinary settings. “Distant reading” methods from the Digital Humanities can complement the current quantitative evaluation paradigm; these methods support qualitative narratives, comprehension, and discovery of knowledge by arranging vast bodies of text into graphs, maps, and trees. To test this idea, we apply distant reading methods to a multidisciplinary body of research authored by 240 researchers from the Earth Research Institute (ERI) at UC Santa Barbara over the past decade. We model cross-disciplinary topics of research publications and projects emerging at multiple levels of detail. From these, we design maps that reveal the latent thematic structure of multidisciplinary research. ERI’s researchers use and evaluate these maps of research topics in the context of an institutional review to “read” ERI’s body of research at a distance, i.e. at multiple levels of detail. We find that our approach strengthens the institutional review process by exposing thematic expertise, relationships between researchers, topical distributions and clusters of work, and the evolution of these aspects over time.
Progesterone Treatment Does Not Decrease Serum Levels of Biomarkers of Glial and Neuronal Cell Injury in Moderate and Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Subjects: A Secondary Analysis of the Progesterone for Traumatic Brain Injury, Experimental Clinical Treatment (ProTECT) III Trial.

Early treatment of moderate/severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) with progesterone does not improve clinical outcomes. This is in contrast with findings from pre-clinical studies of progesterone in ...
Reply to Zhang and Xu: Environment is indeed important in any phenotypic study.

I agree with both points made by Zhang and Xu (1). In particular, I agree that environment is an important factor in all trait-based tests of selection, as emphasized in ref. 2. Indeed, any … [↵][1]1Email: hbfraser{at}stanford.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
High responsivity GaAs photodiodes with self-embedded graphene quantum dots through one-step chemical etching

GaAs photodiodes with self-embedded graphene quantum dots and antireflection texture are formed by one-step etching. An enhancement of photocurrent and photoresponsivity (9.31mA/W) by ~22X and ~25X, respectively, with respect to the planar counterpart is demonstrated.
Applied Imitation Learning for Autonomous Navigation in Complex Natural Terrain

Rough terrain autonomous navigation continues to pose a challenge to the robotics community. Robust navigation by a mobile robot depends not only on the individual performance of perception and planning systems, but on how well these systems are coupled.When traversing rough terrain, this coupling (in the form of a cost function) has a large impact on robot performance, necessitating a robust design. This paper explores the application of Imitation Learning to this task for the Crusher autonomous navigation platform. Using expert examples of proper navigation behavior, mappings from both online and offline perceptual data to planning costs are learned. Challenges in adapting existing techniques to complex online planning systems are addressed, along with additional practical considerations. The benefits to autonomous performance of this approach are examined, as well as the decrease in necessary designer interaction. Experimental results are presented from autonomous traverses through complex natural terrains.
Horizontal Merger for Bargaining Position: Relative Size, Absolute Size, and Bargaining Power Effects

We construct a simultaneous bilateral bargaining model and demonstrate analytically that if bargaining power is any constant across a group of buyers, then bargaining position will not be improved through merger in the absence of relative size effects. However, differences in post-merger bargaining power can generate significant positive differences in post-merger bargaining position, a result that should be of interest to regulators.
Personal Management Skills: Getting the Most Out of Every Day

Some lawyers mistakenly believe that personal management skills are innate - one either has them or not. The reality is that these skills can be learned and honed over time. A lawyers may get a head start with personal charisma, or family role models, but there is nothing magic about these skills. In 1991, the ABA MacCrate Task Force described a continuum for the acquisition of professional skills and postulated that learning the skills of effective lawyering begins long before law school and extends throughout one's professional life. A lawyer should continue to grow professionally throughout his or her professional life.
Changes in lipid distribution in E. coli strains in response to norfloxacin.

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become an increasing threat, requiring not only the development of new targets in drug discovery, but more importantly, a better understanding of cellular response. In the current study, three closely related Escherichia coli strains, a wild type (MG1655) and an isogenic pair derived from the wild type (DPB635 and DPB636) are studied following exposure to sub lethal concentrations of antibiotic (norfloxacin) over time. In particular, genotype similarities between the three strains were assessed based on the lipid regulation response (e.g. presence/absence and up/down regulation). Lipid identification was performed using direct surface probe analysis (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, MALDI), coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, FT-ICR MS) followed by statistical analysis of variability and reproducibility across batches using internal standards. Inspection of the lipid profile showed that for the MG1655, DPB635 and DPB636 E. coli strains, a similar distribution of the altered lipids was observed after exposure to norfloxacin antibiotic (e.g. fatty acids and glycerol phospholipids are up and down regulated, respectively). Additionally, variations in the lipid distribution resemble the extent to which each strain can combat the antibiotic exposure. That is, the topA66 topoisomerase I mutation of DPB636 translates into diminished response related to antibiotic sensitivity when compared to MG1655 and the DPB635 strains. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Vanishing of the scalar density in the massless ’t Hooft model

A recent claim by Frishman asserts the existence of tachyonic modes in the scalar density of the massless ’t Hooft model. It is shown by two independent approaches to this problem that, in fact, the scalar density vanishes, thereby eliminating the possibility that such unphysical states could occur in the scalar propagator.
Divergence in contributing factors for suicide among men and women in Kentucky: recommendations to raise public awareness.

OBJECTIVES: The primary purpose of this study was to compile demographic information from 1999 to 2005 on suicides and examine specifically toxicology differences between men and women dying by suicide and differences in what type of intimate partner problems (IPPs) were cited as a precipitating circumstance. METHODS: In addition to death certificate data, coroner investigation reports were available for more than three-quarters of cases in 2005 detailing precipitating factors leading up to suicide. We linked toxicology results to death certificates and coroner investigation reports in the Kentucky Violent Death Reporting System database for statewide analysis. RESULTS: In 2005, IPP was documented as a contributing factor in 128 (29%) of all suicide cases where the circumstances were known. In 54 (42%) of the 128 cases, the coroner noted that the decedent's intimate was in the process of leaving, breaking up, had recently left, had recently separated, had recently filed for divorce, was awaiting divorce, or had a divorce recently finalized. Of those 54 cases involving IPPs, most (87%) of the suicide victims were men and were significantly different from the women. CONCLUSIONS: As a result of this study, we have two recommendations: (1) partnering with the media and community-based programs and services to systematically disseminate information on issues such as male IPPs and suicide, and (2) continuing and expanding the use of violent death surveillance to improve risk factor identification. With improved data gathering, targeted interventions can better address the various dynamics influencing the decision to take one's own life. Language: en
Validity, reliability, and usability of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test for autism spectrum disorders

Aim This study aimed to explore the test–retest reliability of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test for autism spectrum disorders (PEDI-CAT [ASD]), the concurrent validity of this test with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS-II), and parents' perceptions of usability. Method A convenience sample of participants (n=39) was recruited nationally through disability organizations. Parents of young people aged 10 to 18 years (mean age 14y 10mo, SD 2y 8mo; 34 males, five females) who reported a diagnosis of autism were eligible to participate. Parents completed the VABS-II questionnaire once and the PEDI-CAT (ASD) twice (n=29) no more than 3 weeks apart (mean 12d) using computer-simulated administration. Parents also answered questions about the usability of these instruments. We examined score reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and we explored the relationship between instruments using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. Parent responses were grouped by common content; content categories were triangulated by an additional reviewer. Results Intraclass correlation coefficients indicate excellent reliability for all PEDI-CAT (ASD) domain scores (ICC≥0.86). PEDI-CAT (ASD) and VABS-II domain scores correlated as expected or stronger than expected (0.57–0.81). Parents reported that the computer-based PEDI-CAT (ASD) was easy to use and included fewer irrelevant questions than the VABS-II instrument. Interpretation These findings suggest that the PEDI-CAT (ASD) is a reliable assessment that parents can easily use. The PEDI-CAT (ASD) operationalizes the International Classification of Function, Disability and Health for Children and Youth constructs of ‘activity’ and ‘participation’, and this preliminary research suggests that the instrument's constructs are related to those of VABS-II.
Reconstruction of the massive defect after excision of penoscrotal and perianal extramammary Paget's disease

Summary Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is a tumor affecting mainly the genital region. Surgery remains the standard treatment for EMPD. Flaps were needed if there were massive defect after appropriate wide excision, especially when the tumor was very extensive. This study presents two cases of penoscrotal and perianal EMPD that needed flap reconstruction after wide excision of the tumor. Both cases were successfully reconstructed with flaps.
An exact one-particle-irreducible renormalization-group generator for critical phenomena

An exact one-particle-irreducible renormalization-group generator for critical phenomena is derived by an infinitesimal saddle-point expansion. This replaces the usual field-theoretic loop-expansion for the free energy and Green's functions with an explicit differential equation.
Monitoring dynamic protein interactions with photoquenching FRET.

The mammalian cell nucleus is a dynamic and highly organized structure. Most proteins are mobile within the nuclear compartment, and this mobility reflects transient interactions with chromatin, as well as network interactions with a variety of protein partners. To study these dynamic processes in living cells, we developed an imaging method that combines the photoactivated green fluorescent protein (PA-GFP) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy. We used this new method, photoquenching FRET (PQ-FRET), to define the dynamic interactions of the heterochromatin protein-1 alpha (HP1α) and the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPα) in regions of centromeric heterochromatin in mouse pituitary cells. The advantage of the PQ-FRET assay is that it provides simultaneous measurement of a protein's mobility, its exchange within macromolecular complexes and its interactions with other proteins in the living cell without the need for corrections based on reference images acquired from control cells.
Action of thiazide on renal interstitial calcium.

Our investigation of the calciuretic action of salt loading1 reveals that Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats have higher basal renal cortical interstitial calcium (ISFCa2+) compared to Dahl salt-resistant (DR) rats and that a high salt diet decreases renal cortical ISFCa2+ in DS rats but not DR rats. The decrease in renal cortical ISFCa2+ was associated with an increase in urinary calcium excretion and blood pressure rise following the high salt diet. When coupled with the vasodilatory action of increased extracellular calcium,2,3 these findings suggest that a high salt diet may modulate blood pressure secondary to a disruption in a calcium-dependent vasodilatory effect normally occurring in the cortical region of the kidney. This study continues our investigation of the ISFCa2+ and calciuretic effect of increased dietary salt. Thiazides have been shown to be quite effective in lowering blood pressure, particularly within the African-American population.4 Although the effectiveness of diuretics is often ascribed to blood volume reduction, it is known that the subacute and long-term action of thiazides may not be subsequent to fluid loss but, rather, vasodilation.5 The mechanism of this vasodilatory action is unknown. In light of the potential for alterations in extracellular calcium modulation of vascular resistance,2,3 the excretion of calcium may be extremely important in the pathogenesis of hypertension development. Of interest is the finding that thiazides, in addition to increasing urinary sodium loss, significantly reduce urinary calcium excretion.6,7 Therefore, this study was designed to determine whether thiazide treatment altered renal ISFCa2+ in salt-sensitive hypertension. To accomplish this, we measured renal cortical ISFCa2+ in DS and DR rats following 1 week of treatment with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) while on control or high salt diet. We report that short-term treatment with HCTZ had no effect on renal cortical ISFCa2+ in DS rats on a high salt diet; however, HCTZ significantly reduced cortical ISFCa2+ in DR rats on a normal salt diet. These findings suggest that the short-term antihypertensive action of HCTZ is not due to increases in ISFCa2+.
Studies on the localization of tagged methionine within the pancreas.

SummaryMethionine labelled with radioactive sulphur (S35) was given intravenously to 4 cats, one normal, 3 treated so as to produce varying degrees of atrophy of the acinar tissue of the pancreas. The animals were sacrificed 8 hours after methionine was given, and various tissues were assayed for radioactive sulphur.In all animals high activity was found in pancreas, small intestine and liver. In the atrophic portion of the pancreas where a ligature had been placed around the body of that gland, low activity was found as contrasted with high activity found in the normal part of the gland. Where atrophy was incomplete, the activity found was intermediate between that of normal and atrophic tissue.It is concluded that the high activity of radioactive sulphur found in the pancreas of normal cats after administration of labelled methionine represents principally the metabolic activity of the exocrine portion of the pancreas.
An Escherichia coli Mutant Conditionally Altered in Respiratory Chain Components

Nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis was employed to isolate an Escherichia coli mutant conditionally altered in respiratory chain components. Mutant R25 was able to grow on glucose, fructose, and glycerol but failed to grow on succinate and acetate (suc-). Also, R25 exhibited leaky growth on DL-lactate, fumarate, and malate (lct*). The lct* mutation pleiotropically affected a number of respiratory chain components and its expression was conditional with the growth substrate. Glucose-grown R25 resting cell suspensions oxidized DL-lactate and formate; however, these two substrates were not oxidized by fructose- or glycerol-grown cell suspensions. The same conditional pattern was observed for the concentration of cytochrome components, the membrane-associated oxidation of NADH and formate, and formate phenazine methosulfate (PMS) reductase activity; succinate oxidase and PMS reductase activities were not exhibited by membranes under any growth condition due to the suc- mutation. R25 membrane-associated H +-transloc...
A Latching Capacitive RF MEMS Switch in a Thin Film Package

A latching capacitive RF MEMS switch has been successfully designed, fabricated and tested. The switch uses a long thin metal cantilever which is electrostatically held to an upper electrode at the free end and to a lower electrode at the beam root end forming an S-shaped actuator. The upper electrode sits on top of a thin dielectric shell which also serves as part of the package for the device. Slight dielectric charging holds the cantilever in either the on-state or off-state between switching pulses. In the latched states with no bias, insertion loss is 0.2 dB at 10 GHz and isolation is >20 dB in a narrow band around 10 GHz. Repeatable switching has been demonstrated for actuation voltages below 20 V. Hot-switched power handling has been tested up to 6 W at 10 GHz without failure.
PERIODIC DISTURBANCE REJECTION USING TWO DOF REPETITIVE CONTROL FOR A MOTOR/GEAR TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

Abstract In this paper, we design and analyse a two degree-of-freedom (TDOF) repetitive control system for a motor/gear transmission system with actuator saturation. Modifications are made for our previous design to incorporate the performance-limiting element, i.e. actuator saturation, to acquire lower order controller, and to achieve faster computation. Furthermore, structured singular value (μ) is used to evaluate and compare the nominal/robust performance and robust stability of our designs. The simulation results are presented to show the feasibility and effectiveness of the new design for periodic and non-periodic disturbance reduction for motor/gear transmission velocity regulation.
Integrated transcriptomic response to cardiac chronic hypoxia: translation regulators and response to stress in cell survival

Complementary deoxyribonucleic acid microarray data from 36 mice subjected for 1, 2, or 4 weeks of their early life to normal atmospheric conditions (normoxia) or chronic intermittent (CIH) or constant (CCH) hypoxia were analyzed to extract organizational principles of the developing heart transcriptome and determine the integrated response to oxygen deprivation. Although both CCH and CIH regulated numerous genes involved in a wide diversity of processes, the changes in maturational profile, expression stability, and coordination were vastly different between the two treatments, indicating the activation of distinct regulatory mechanisms of gene transcription. The analysis focused on the main regulators of translation and response to stress because of their role in the cardiac hypertrophy and cell survival in hypoxia. On average, the expression of each heart gene was tied to the expression of about 20% of other genes in normoxia but to only 8% in CCH and 9% in CIH, indicating a strong decoupling effect of hypoxia. In contrast to the general tendency, the interlinkages among components of the translational machinery and response to stress increased significantly in CIH and much more in CCH, suggesting a coordinated response to the hypoxic stress. Moreover, the transcriptomic networks were profoundly and differently remodeled by CCH and CIH.
Plasma ghrelin concentrations change with physiological state in a sciurid hibernator (Spermophilus lateralis).

Ghrelin is a recently discovered hormone which has profound effects on food intake and lipogenesis in mammals. In all mammals studied thus far, plasma ghrelin concentrations are increased before a meal and decrease immediately following a meal; ghrelin levels increase with fasting. The golden-mantled ground squirrel Spermophilus lateralis (also known as Callospermophilus lateralis (see Helgen et al., 2009) is a diurnal hibernator which has a robust annual cycle of body mass gain and loss that is primarily controlled by food intake. We hypothesized that in spring, summer, and autumn, the endogenous ghrelin concentrations of hibernators would be similar to those of non-hibernators, but that during the winter hibernation season, plasma ghrelin concentrations would be low or undetectable. We found that peripherally injected ghrelin significantly increased food intake in June. Plasma ghrelin concentrations were significantly increased through 5 days of fasting during a short-term fast in summer. Over a 24 h period, ghrelin concentrations increased at night and decreased during the day with drops corresponding to times when squirrels were eating. In January, ghrelin concentrations are low but measurable even while animals are at low body temperature (Tb). This is the first report of ghrelin concentrations in a non-photoperiodic hibernator. We suggest that ghrelin may be important for the regulation of food intake and the body mass cycle in mammals that hibernate.
A comparison of the thermal decomposition of preservatives, using thermogravimetry and rising temperature kinetics

The thermal behaviors of benzoic, sorbic and citric acids, which are three commonly used preservatives, were studied by thermogravimetry. The kinetic mechanisms of evaporation and/or decomposition in air and nitrogen were determined and compared. Benzoic acid completely evaporated via a zero-order kinetic mechanism. Sorbic acid partially evaporated by a zero-order kinetic mechanism, with the production of a transition compound. Citric acid decomposed to a transition compound by a combination of kinetic mechanisms. A majority of the process followed zero-order kinetic principles, with the evaporation of most of the sample. The activation energies of evaporation and the pre-exponential terms were calculated and compared.
Some Reflections on Babylonian Exchange during the End of the Third Millennium BC

For some products in the Ur III period, a sufficient number of texts provide their silver equivalences, and the ancient value of the products can be estimated. This paper suggests that we should envision two exchange systems in the Ur III period, which operated within two separate and rather different economic spheres. Local exchange took place, at a stated time and place, for the purpose of individual exchange of goods and services. Through this exchange, regular people would obtain a number of different necessities of life that were not provided by the temple and palace households. This was a barter exchange and the silver values encountered in the Ur III texts do not relate to this exchange. Silver was only used in large-scale transactions of goods and in more significant sales of real estate, humans or livestock. Although we may assume that there was a connection between the official silver equivalences and the actual values of the products and commodities in the local exchange, minor fluctuations and changes in the large-scale exchange system would not affect the bartering values in the local exchange. Nous possedons suffisamment de textes nous indiquant quel etait l'equivalent en argent de certains produits de la periode d'Ur III pour etre a meme d'estimer la valeur que ces derniers avaient dans l'antiquite. Le present article suggere qu'il nous faut imaginer, durant la periode d'Ur III, deux systemes d'echange operant dans le cadre de deux spheres economiques differentes. Les echanges locaux avaient lieu a un moment et a un endroit determines, dans le but d'echanger des biens et des services entre particuliers. Ces echanges permettaient aux gens du peuple de se procurer diverses choses necessaires a l'existence qui ne leur etaient pas fournies par l'intendance du temple et du palais. Il s'agissait d'un simple troc et la valeur en argent mentionnee dans les textes d'Ur III ne concernait pas ces echanges. L'argent n'etait utilise que lors de transactions de biens se traitant sur une grande echelle ou lors de ventes plus importantes de proprietes immobilieres, d'hommes ou de betail. Bien que l'on puisse supposer qu'il y ait eu un rapport entre l'equivalent officiel en argent et la valeur reelle des produits et des matieres premieres dans les echanges locaux, des fluctuations mineures et des changements dans le systeme d'echange a grande echelle n'affectaient pas la valeur des produits troques lors de ces echanges.
The Atlastin C-terminal Tail Is an Amphipathic Helix That Perturbs the Bilayer Structure during Endoplasmic Reticulum Homotypic Fusion

Fusion of tubular membranes is required to form three-way junctions found in reticular subdomains of the endoplasmic reticulum. The large GTPase Atlastin has recently been shown to drive endoplasmic reticulum membrane fusion and three-way junction formation. The mechanism of Atlastin-mediated membrane fusion is distinct from SNARE-mediated membrane fusion, and many details remain unclear. In particular, the role of the amphipathic C-terminal tail of Atlastin is still unknown. We found that a peptide corresponding to the Atlastin C-terminal tail binds to membranes as a parallel α helix, induces bilayer thinning, and increases acyl chain disorder. The function of the C-terminal tail is conserved in human Atlastin. Mutations in the C-terminal tail decrease fusion activity in vitro, but not GTPase activity, and impair Atlastin function in vivo. In the context of unstable lipid bilayers, the requirement for the C-terminal tail is abrogated. These data suggest that the C-terminal tail of Atlastin locally destabilizes bilayers to facilitate membrane fusion.
Efficient test data compression and decompression for system-on-a-chip using internal scan chains and Golomb coding

We present a data compression method and decompression architecture for testing embedded cores in a system-on-a-chip (SOC). The proposed approach makes effective use of Golomb coding and the internal scan chains of the core under test, and provides significantly better results than a recent compression method that uses Golomb coding and a separate cyclical scan register (CSR). The use of the internal scan chain for decompression obviates the need for a CSR. In addition, the novel interleaving decompression architecture allows multiple cores in an SOC to be tested concurrently using a single ATE I/O channel. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach by applying it to the ISCAS 89 benchmark circuits.