cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Real-time non-line-of-sight imaging

Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) imaging aims at recovering the shape of objects hidden outside the direct line of sight of a camera. In this work, we report on a new approach for acquiring time-resolved measurements that are suitable for NLOS imaging. The system uses a confocalized single-photon detector and pulsed laser. As opposed to previously-proposed NLOS imaging systems, our setup is very similar to LIDAR systems used for autonomous vehicles and it facilitates a closed-form solution of the associated inverse problem, which we derive in this work. This algorithm, dubbed the Light Cone Transform, is three orders of magnitude faster and more memory efficient than existing methods. We demonstrate experimental results for indoor and outdoor scenes captured and reconstructed with the proposed confocal NLOS imaging system.
Middle Pleistocene hominin behavior at the 700ka Acheulean site of la Noira (France)

Abstract Middle Pleistocene hominins occupied Europe as early as 700 ka. Data on subsistence and adaptation to environment remain limited due to the small number of sites, especially from 700 to 500 ka. Current consensus suggests that Middle Pleistocene populations periodically peopled and depopulated areas of Europe in response to climatic fluctuations. Most occupations are located in the South, while the North-West was only occupied during favorable climatic periods. During this time, significant behavioral changes occur, such as bifacial technology and more complex modes of flaking. Further north in France, in the Loire basin, the site of la Noira has well-developed bifacial tools at around 700 ka, The site is located along a river with abundant millstone slabs which were flaked on the site suggesting it may have served partially as a lithic workshop. We employ use-wear and residue analysis (optical light and scanning electron microscopy) of stone tools to reconstruct early Acheulean hominin behavior. While the lithics are composed largely of retouched and unretouched debitage, large cutting tools (bifaces and cleavers) are also present. We demonstrate that la Noira was not only a lithic workshop, but that a broad range of resources were being used by the hominins at the site, including wood, plants, mammals, and possibly birds and fish. Finally, we compare our results with contemporary sites and suggest that, in the early European Acheulean, Middle Pleistocene hominins had detailed local environmental knowledge, and were able to adapt to a wide range of environments, including cool, temperate, and Mediterranean.
Impact of Fat Grip Attachments on Muscular Strength and Neuromuscular Activation During Resistance Exercise.

ABSTRACT Krings, BM, Shepherd, BD, Swain, JC, Turner, AJ, Chander, H, Waldman, HS, McAllister, MJ, Knight, AC, and Smith, JW. Impact of fat grip attachments on muscular strength and neuromuscular activation during resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res 35(2S): S152-S157, 2021-The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of Fat Gripz (FG) on muscular activation and strength. Resistance trained men (n = 15; age = 22.4 ± 2.3 years; mass = 83.2 ± 11.1 kg) performed 2 experimental trials in a randomized order. Subjects completed 1 repetition maximum (1RM) testing with an Olympic barbell (OB) and with FG attached to an OB during the exercises of deadlift, bent-over row, upright row, concentration curl, and completed maximum repetitions of pull-ups until failure. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to measure muscle activity from 8 upper extremity muscles (trapezius, medial deltoid, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, extensor carpi radialis, and extensor carpi ulnaris), while performing maximal voluntary isometric contractions during 1RM trials and while performing maximum number of pull-ups. When using the FG, 1RM strength was significantly decreased for each exercise, and the maximal number of pull-ups completed was significantly lower. Electromyography muscle activity was significantly increased in the forearm and shoulder muscles, but significantly decreased in the upper arm muscles with the use of FG during deadlift, bent-over row, and pull-ups. However, there were no differences for EMG activity for upright row and concentration curl. Differences in maximal strength, pull-up performance, and EMG activity with FG use may be due to the different muscle length positions. Although FG training may increase neuromuscular activation, decrements in muscular strength may result in prescribing low training loads that may not be ideal for building muscular strength.
Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder in a Kidney Transplant Recipient

A 53-year-old man with ESKD underwent living donor kidney transplantation from his spouse who had a positive serum PCR for Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) at the time of donation. He received rabbit antithymocyte globulin induction and rapid corticosteroid taper with maintenance immunosuppressive therapy
A durable and inexpensive pump profiler to monitor stratified water columns with high vertical resolution.

Abstract A pump profiling system for real time sample collection has been constructed for a cost of
Mesenchymal stem cells for sensorineural hearing loss: protocol for a systematic review of preclinical studies.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the most common form of hearing impairment and is characterized by a loss of receptor hair cells and/or spiral ganglion neurons. Regenerative stem cell therapy could potentially restore normal hearing and slow the progression of hearing loss in patients. Preclinical animal studies have demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could be a promising new therapy for this condition. These findings have prompted investigators to begin human clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of MSCs for the treatment of SNHL. The objective of the proposed systematic review is to examine the efficacy of MSCs as a therapy for SNHL in animal models. We will include preclinical animal studies of SNHL in which MSCs are administered, and outcomes are compared against MSC-naive controls. The primary outcome will include audiologic tests that are routinely used in experimental studies of hearing loss, such as auditory brainstem response (ABR) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions testing (DPOAE). Secondary outcomes will include histology, microscopy, gene protein expression, and behavioral responses of animals. Electronic searches of MEDLINE via PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) will be performed. Search results will be screened independently and in duplicate. Data from eligible studies will be extracted, pooled, and analyzed using random effects models. Risk of bias and publication bias will be assessed using the Systematic Review Center for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) risk of bias tool and Funnel Plots/Egger’s regression tests, respectively. This systematic review will provide a summary of the efficacy of MSC therapy in animal models of SNHL, utilizing functional hearing assessment as a primary outcome. Findings from this review are important because they can elucidate research gaps that should be addressed in future preclinical studies and in turn can be translated into clinical studies. CAMARADES ( http://www.dcn.ed.ac.uk/camarades/ )
Adherence to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guidelines for Nonoperative Management of Knee Osteoarthritis.

Abstract Background The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has published evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) for the nonarthroplasty management of knee osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this study is to determine how closely our orthopedic providers adhered to the recommendations included in those CPGs. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 1096 consecutive ambulatory visits with primary diagnosis of knee OA at a single center. Demographic, radiographic, and treatment information was collected. The primary outcome was the frequency of agreement between our treatment recommendations and the AAOS CPGs. A secondary outcome was the associated costs of care. Results The total number of interventions generated during the visits was 1955. Adherence to the AAOS guidelines was 65% (362/557), 60% (226/377), and 40% (413/1021) in new/never treated, new/previously treated, and return patients, respectively. Intra-articular injection with either corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid was the most common intervention (32%) followed by physical therapy (29%). As the severity of OA increased, adherence to the AAOS guidelines decreased (61%, 60%, 54%, and 49% for Kellgren-Lawrence grades I through IV, respectively). The estimated annual costs associated with our treatment recommendations were $2,403,543.18, of which $1,206,757.8 (50.2%) was supported by evidence. The most expensive treatment intervention was intra-articular hyaluronic acid injection, which carried a strong evidence against its use. Conclusion Adherence to the recommendations contained within the AAOS CPGs was modest regardless of the Kellgren-Lawrence grade or history of treatment. Given the size of the affected patient population, there is a need for uniformly accepted guidelines to clarify the role and timing of the different treatment interventions. CPGs should be combined with education, patient engagement, and shared decision-making to minimize variation in treatment patterns, improve patient outcomes, and lower overall costs of care.
An FDR upper bound for an adaptive one-way GBH procedure under exchangeability

There has been some numerical evidence on the conservativeness of an adaptive one-way GBH procedure for multiple testing the means of equally correlated normal random variables. However, a theoretical investigation into this seems to be lacking. We provide an analytic, non-asymptotic FDR upper bound for such a procedure under the aforementioned multiple testing scenario. The bound is not tight but reasonably quantifies how bad the FDR of the procedure can be. As by-products, we extend two relevant existing results to the setting of p-values that are not necessarily super-uniform.
The Clinical Course and Management of Severe Esophagitis Dissecans Superficialis: A Case Report:

Esophagitis dissecans superficialis is a rare clinical endoscopic finding with poorly understood pathogenesis and ill-defined management. A 71-year-old man is admitted with progressively worsening dysphagia and odynophagia with endoscopic features most consistent with severe esophagitis dissecans superficialis. Extensive workup did not reveal an etiology, and he was subsequently treated with steroids, resulting in rapid, almost complete clinical and endoscopic recovery.
Temporal Expression and Cellular Localization of PAPPA2 in the Developing Kidney of Rat

PAPPA2 is a metalloproteinase which cleaves insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3 and IGFBP-5, and its role in pregnancy and postnatal growth is primarily studied. Using exclusion mapping, we reported a subcongenic (26-P) rat where a 0.71-Mbp region containing the pregnancy-associated plasma protein a2 (Pappa2) allele of salt-insensitive Brown Norway (BN) was introgressed into Dahl saltsensitive (SS) genetic background, resulting in the reduction of salt sensitivity. Pappa2 was differentially expressed in the adult kidney of 26-P and SS rats. Here, the expression and cellular localization of Pappa2 in embryonic and postnatal kidneys of 26-P and SS rats were examined. Pappa2 mRNA expression was 5-fold higher in the embryonic kidney (day 20.5) of the 26-P rat compared with the SS rat. Pappa2 mRNA expression progressively increased with the development of kidney, reaching a peak at postnatal day 5 before trending downward in subsequent stages of development in both strains. At all tested time points, Pappa2 remained higher in the 26-P compared with the SS rat kidney. Immunohistochemistry studies localized PAPPA2 in the ureteric bud (UB) and distal part of S-shaped body. PAPPA2 was colocalized with IGFBP-5 in the UB and Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransporter-stained tubules, respectively. Future studies are needed to determine the role of Pappa2 in kidney development and mechanistic pathways involved in this process.
3D mesostructures from 2D lithographically defined precursors (Conference Presentation)

Complex, three dimensional (3D) assemblies of nanomaterials provide sophisticated, essential functions in even the most basic forms of life. Compelling opportunities exist for analogous 3D structures in man-made devices, but design options are highly constrained by capabilities in fabrication and growth that are primitive compared to those found in biology. This talk describes a collection of recently developed routes to 3D mesostructures that rely on geometric transformation of lithographically defined two dimensional (2D) precursor micro/nanostructures by controlled processes of compressive buckling. We review the key concepts, and highlight some example applications at the bio-interface.
Do Cortisol Levels Predict the Outcome of Pediatric Oncology Patients Admitted to the PICU for Concerns of Sepsis

Introduction Sepsis is the leading cause of death in children worldwide and the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis in pediatric patients are often guided by studies of adult patients. Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in febrile pediatric oncology patients, with shock demonstrating even poorer outcomes. Steroid supplementation with hydrocortisone is recommended in patients with septic shock not responsive to fluid and vasopressors, despite the unknown underlying pathophysiological mechanism for …
High-Risk Airway Management in the Emergency Department. Part I: Diseases and Approaches

Abstract Background Successful airway management is critical to the practice of emergency medicine. Emergency physicians must be ready to optimize and prepare for airway management in critically ill patients with a wide range of physiologic challenges. Challenges in airway management commonly encountered in the emergency department are discussed using a pearl and pitfall discussion in this first part of a 2-part series. Objective This narrative review presents an evidence-based approach to airway and patient management during endotracheal intubation in challenging cases that are commonly encountered in the emergency department. Discussion Adverse events during emergent airway management are common, with postintubation cardiac arrest reported in as many as 1 in 25 intubations. Many of these adverse events can be avoided with the proper identification and understanding of the underlying physiology, preparation, and postintubation management. Patients with high-risk features including severe metabolic acidosis; shock and hypotension; obstructive lung disease; pulmonary hypertension, right ventricle failure, and pulmonary embolism; and severe hypoxemia must be managed with airway expertise. Conclusions This narrative review discusses the pearls and pitfalls of commonly encountered physiologic high-risk intubations with a focus on the emergency clinician.
FDG-PET Imaging of Dementia and Neurodegenerative Disease.

Dementia syndromes present a diagnostic challenge given their overlapping clinical features and insidious presentations. Cerebral 2-deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoroglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging modality commonly used in the evaluation of dementia. While its role in the clinical assessment of dementia is evolving, FDG PET allows for qualitative and quantitative characterization of major dementia syndromes and variants by means of detecting distinct patterns of cortical hypometabolism. Familiarity with these “metabolic signatures” in dementia syndromes can be helpful when interpreting cerebral FDG PET.
Recent progress on particle acceleration and reconnection physics during magnetic reconnection in the magnetically-dominated relativistic regime

Magnetic reconnection in strongly magnetized astrophysical plasma environments is believed to be the primary process for fast energy release and particle energization. Currently, there is strong interest in relativistic magnetic reconnection in that it may provide a new explanation for high-energy particle acceleration and radiation in strongly magnetized astrophysical systems. We review recent advances in particle acceleration and reconnection physics in the magnetically dominated regime. Much discussion is focused on the physics of particle acceleration and power-law formation as well as the reconnection rate problem. In addition, we provide an outlook for studying reconnection acceleration mechanisms and kinetic physics in the next step.
An updated life‐history scheme for marine fishes predicts recruitment variability and sensitivity to exploitation

Author(s): Petrik, Colleen M; Taboada, Fernando Gonzalez; Stock, Charles A; Sarmiento, Jorge L
Cisplatin and phenanthriplatin modulate long-noncoding RNA expression in A549 and IMR90 cells revealing regulation of microRNAs, Wnt/β-catenin and TGF-β signaling

The monofunctional platinum(II) complex, phenanthriplatin, acts by blocking transcription, but its regulatory effects on long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have not been elucidated relative to traditional platinum-based chemotherapeutics, e.g., cisplatin. Here, we treated A549 non-small cell lung cancer and IMR90 lung fibroblast cells for 24 h with either cisplatin, phenanthriplatin or a solvent control, and then performed microarray analysis to identify regulated lncRNAs. RNA22 v2 microRNA software was subsequently used to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) that might be suppressed by the most regulated lncRNAs. We found that miR-25-5p, -30a-3p, -138-5p, -149-3p, -185-5p, -378j, -608, -650, -708-5p, -1253, -1254, -4458, and -4516, were predicted to target the cisplatin upregulated lncRNAs, IMMP2L-1, CBR3-1 and ATAD2B-5, and the phenanthriplatin downregulated lncRNAs, AGO2-1, COX7A1-2 and SLC26A3-1. Then, we used qRT-PCR to measure the expression of miR-25-5p, -378j, -4516 (A549) and miR-149-3p, -608, and -4458 (IMR90) to identify distinct signaling effects associated with cisplatin and phenanthriplatin. The signaling pathways associated with these miRNAs suggests that phenanthriplatin may modulate Wnt/β-catenin and TGF-β signaling through the MAPK/ERK and PTEN/AKT pathways differently than cisplatin. Further, as some of these miRNAs may be subject to dissimilar lncRNA targeting in A549 and IMR90 cells, the monofunctional complex may not cause toxicity in normal lung compared to cancer cells by acting through distinct lncRNA and miRNA networks.
Association between the frequency of surgeries for video-assisted thoracic surgery and the incidence of consequent surgical site infections: a retrospective observational study based on national surveillance data

The association between the frequency of surgeries and the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs) has been reported for various surgeries. However, no previous study has explored this association among video-assisted thoracic surgeries (VATS). Hence, we aimed to investigate the association between the frequency of surgeries and SSI in video-assisted thoracic surgeries. We analyzed the data of 26,878 thoracic surgeries, including 21,154 VATS, which were collected during a national surveillance in Japan between 2014 and 2018. The frequency of surgeries per hospital department was categorized into low ( 100/year). Chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test was used for discrete explanatory variables, whereas Wilcoxon’s rank-sum test or Kruskal-Wallis test was used for continuous explanatory variables. Univariate analysis of the department groups was conducted to explore confounding factors associated with both SSIs and the department groups. We used a multiple logistic regression model focusing on VATS and stratified by the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (NNIS) risk index. The rates of SSIs in the hospital groups with low, moderate, and high frequency of surgeries were 1.39, 1.05, and 1.28%, respectively. In the NNIS risk index 1 stratum, the incidence of SSIs was significantly lower in the moderate-frequency of surgeries group than that in the other groups (odds ratio [OR]: vs. low-frequency of surgeries: 2.48 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20–5.13], P = 0.0143; vs. high-frequency of surgeries: 2.43 [95% CI: 1.44–4.11], P = 0.0009). In the stratum of NNIS risk indices 2 and 3, the incidence of SSI was significantly higher in the low-frequency of surgeries group (OR: 4.83, 95% CI: 1.47–15.93; P = 0.0095). The result suggests that for departments with low-frequency of surgeries, an increase in the frequency of surgeries to > 50 per department annually potentially leads to a decrease in the incidence of SSIs. This occurs through an increase in the experience of the departmental surgeons and contributes to the improvement of VATS outcomes in thoracic surgeries.
Comparative In Silico Analysis of Intensity Modulated Scanning Beam Proton Therapy (IMPT) and Volumetric Modulated Arc Photon Radiotherapy (VMAT) for the Post-Operative Treatment of Prostate Cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Limited data exist regarding the dosimetric techniques and potential advantages of modern scanning beam proton therapy relative to conventional photon therapy modalities for prostate cancer patients in the post-operative setting. Our purpose was to evaluate the dosimetric differences in IMPT versus IMRT for the post-operative treatment of prostate cancer. MATERIALS/METHODS The 3DCT data of 7 consecutive, post-prostatectomy patients treated at our institution with adjuvant or salvage IMPT in 2020 were used to generate VMAT and IMPT plans using 3 different beam arrangements: 2-field (opposed laterals), 3-field (opposed laterals inferiorly matched to posterior beam superiorly), and 4-field (opposed laterals inferiorly matched superiorly to 2 posterior oblique beams). Prescription was 50 Gy in 2 Gy fractions delivered to elective pelvic nodal regions (i.e., whole pelvis) and 20 Gy in 2 Gy fractions delivered to the prostate bed for a total dose of 70 Gy in 35 fractions. PT doses are reported in Gy (RBE) = 1.1 Gy. Dose goals for target and relevant organs at risk (OAR), as well as dose-volume histogram parameters were assessed. The paired 2-sided Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the 4-field IMPT versus VMAT plans, with P < .05 indicating statistical significance. RESULTS CTV coverage met pre-specified dose goals for all plans with 99% of CTVs receiving ≥ 100% of the prescription doses. The 2-, 3-, and 4-field IMPT plans showed similar doses to the bladder and bladder minus CTV (bladderless-CTV), while the 4-field IMPT plan showed the lowest mean and low to intermediate doses to the bowel cavity and rectum. For example, mean bowel cavity V15 and V45 for the 2-, 3-, and 4-field IMPT plans were respectively 549.2 ± 282.6 cc and 110.7 ± 39.8 cc, 303.0 ± 102.0 cc and 92.7 ± 32.6 cc, and 263.4 ± 97.3 cc and 90.6 ± 40.6 cc. Mean rectum V50 and V60 for the 2-, 3-, and 4-field IMPT plans were 26.8 ± 8.9% and 18.7 ± 7.4%, 28.9 ± 10.5% and 19.5 ± 8.0%, 24.3 ± 4.8% and 16.7 ± 4.1% respectively. When comparing the 4-field IMPT and VMAT plans, the rectal, bowel, and bladder parameters in Table 1 differed significantly. CONCLUSION The 4-field IMPT beam arrangement showed the greatest reductions in dose to the bowel cavity and rectum compared to VMAT and the 2- and 3-field IMPT arrangements. These data can inform the future clinical management and delivery of proton therapy for prostate cancer in the post-prostatectomy setting.
Investigations of the Recirculating Planar Crossed-Field Amplifier

Crossed-Field Amplifiers are widely used, broadband (>10% bandwidth) RF amplifiers that can achieve output powers of several megawatts. The Recirculating Planar Crossed-Field Amplifier (RPCFA) was initially designed by Exelby at the University of Michigan. 1 With a high-power (>150-kW) input signal operating at 3.05 GHz, the RPCFA had a measured gain of 8.7 dB and 10% bandwidth with up to 5-6 MW output power 1 . In recent experiments coupling the input to the output of the RPCFA directly with waveguide, a feedback loop was achieved, and oscillations were observed. The highest peak powers measured during the feedback-oscillation of the RPCFA were between 10-30 kW. These oscillations were observed late in the pulse. Oscillations were suppressed when attenuation was added into the feedback loop. 2 The delay-time between the measured microwave power peaks is being investigated when the feedback loop length is increased.
Effectiveness feature for micro-expression recognition

When an emotional state is involuntarily and spontaneously delivered with low intensity and short duration, micro expression (ME) occurs. Developing from psychological perspectives to computer vision standpoints, ME has obtained huge advancements and breakthroughs. A variety of feature extraction techniques have been introduced based on different outlooks. With exclusive characteristics of ME, geometric feature learning is involved in approaching the problem in this paper. Specifically, we propose a method where dominant facial regions of interest are extracted and used to further learn spatio-temporal features with space-time auto-correlation of gradients (STACOG) technique. The facial motion features are fed into a multi-layer perceptron network for emotion classification. The combination of ROIs and STACOG captures ME with respect to geometrical property along side with the temporal aspect in three dimensional space. This puts a stress on presumably suboptimal features, making them more salient and resilient for the classification stage. The framework is experimented on three well-known, state-of-the-art spontaneous ME databases CASMEII, SMIC and SAM.
Ecological Assessment of Crops Derived through Biotechnology

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses risk assessment of crops derived through biotechnology. Risk assessment is an important tool that has been developed to help individuals make informed decisions about the impacts from their human-based activities on people and society. It is new as a formal, science-based discipline, but has become fundamental to decision making in many industries and government activities. The chapter focuses on an approach to build an ecological risk assessment framework for genetically modified plants merging the concepts developed by the National Research Council and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with principles outlined elsewhere on ecological risk assessment specific to biotechnology. The chapter also explains key terminology and provides several examples of how the principles of ecological risk assessment can be applied to plants derived through biotechnology. A background on risk assessment with relevance to biotechnology is provided. Terms and phrases with relation to ecological risk assessment are explained. The chapter discusses ecological risk assessment principles and principles specific to genetically modified plants (GMPs), presents an ecological risk assessment model for GMPs, and describes tiered assessment for evaluating risk, measures of effects within tiers, risk characterization, risk management, and future research needs.
Absentee Landlords, Rent Control, and Healthy Gentrification: A Policy Proposal to De-Concentrate the Poor in Urban America

Empirical data overwhelmingly suggests that the presence of middle- and working-class homeowners is beneficial for inner-city communities. Yet, absentee landlords have a systematic financial advantage over resident landlords when it comes to purchasing homes in blighted neighborhoods. This advantage has disastrous effects for inner cities, as the communities with the greatest need for the stabilizing presence of middle- and working-class homeowners are the ones least likely to attract them. The lack of in-moving homeowners and the resulting increase in poverty cause declining neighborhoods to fall deeper into downward spirals. In this Article, I propose a rent control plan designed to attract middle- and working- class homeowners to blighted neighborhoods, and I argue that many positive outcomes will result. By designing this plan, I hope to challenge the conventional wisdom that rent control has only one legitimate purpose, reducing tenants' rents, and call attention to the externalities caused by the absentee landlord industry. Second, I provide a legal and economic model for inner cities to deconcentrate poverty and to better integrate the poor into mainstream society. Third, I develop a model for healthy gentrification whereby vicious cycles of poverty are transformed into virtuous cycles of stability.
Forensics and Learning

This special issue, Forensics and Learning, sheds light on the importance and centrality of forensics within the communication discipline. Arguably, there is no activity more intrinsic to the pedag...
Ethics in Small Minority Businesses

The management literature is replete with studies on business ethics. Unfortunately, most of these studies have dealt exclusively with ethics in large businesses. Although a handful of studies can be found on small business ethics, none has paid attention to the issue of ethics in small minority businesses. Similarly, several studies on ethics have utilized the Wood et al. (1988) 16-vignette ethics scale, although reliability and validity issues associated with the scale have never been fully addressed. In this study, a purification (via content analysis) of the above mentioned scale was performed. Three reliable factors were extracted from the purified scale. They were used to investigate the ethics in small minority businesses. The study found an association between business ethics and demographic and company-related variables. In the case of age of respondents, findings ran counter the usual relationship of age being positively related to ethical attitudes. The implications of these findings are also discussed.
Comparison of restriction endonuclease analysis, ribotyping, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis for molecular differentiation of Clostridium difficile strains.

Abstract A combined clinical and molecular epidemiologic analysis of 46 strains of Clostridium difficile, including 16 nosocomial isolates from one ward (outbreak ward) plus 17 other nosocomial isolates and 13 community-acquired isolates, was performed. HindIII digests of total cellular DNA were analyzed by restriction enzyme analysis (REA) and ribotyping; SmaI digests were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Isolates were assigned to typing groups on the basis of the profiles detected; isolates with closely related profiles were assigned to subgroups. The 16 isolates from the outbreak ward were resolved by both REA and PFGE into five distinct groups; 13 isolates represented two REA groups and three PFGE groups and two isolates were resolved as distinct groups by both techniques. DNA obtained from one isolate was persistently partially degraded, precluding analysis by PFGE. Seventeen sporadic nosocomial isolates were resolved by REA and PFGE into comparable numbers of groups (i.e., nine groups) and subgroups (i.e., 15 and 14 subgroups, respectively), with two isolates not evaluable by PFGE. The 13 epidemiologically unrelated community-acquired isolates were assigned to 11 groups by REA and to 12 groups by PFGE. Overall, ribotyping identified only nine groups among the 46 isolates. We conclude that REA and PFGE have comparable discriminatory powers for epidemiologic typing of C. difficile isolates and that ribotyping is appreciably less discriminatory. For a few isolates, partial DNA degradation prevented analysis by PFGE but not by REA or ribotyping; the cause of the degradation is unknown.
Researching Families and Communities: Social and Generational Change Edited by R. Edwards

Rosalind Edwards, a scholar of family studies, has edited the book Researching Families and Communities: Social and Generational Change, which anthropologists, developmentalists, family scientists,...
A vision of graded hemispheric specialization

Understanding the process by which the cerebral hemispheres reach their mature functional organization remains challenging. We propose a theoretical account in which, in the domain of vision, faces and words come to be represented adjacent to retinotopic cortex by virtue of the need to discriminate among homogeneous exemplars. Orthographic representations are further constrained to be proximal to typically left-lateralized language-related information to minimize connectivity length between visual and language areas. As reading is acquired, orthography comes to rely more heavily (albeit not exclusively) on the left fusiform region to bridge vision and language. Consequently, due to competition from emerging word representations, face representations that were initially bilateral become lateralized to the right fusiform region (albeit, again, not exclusively). We review recent research that describes constraints that give rise to this graded hemispheric arrangement. We then summarize empirical evidence from a variety of studies (behavioral, evoked response potential, functional imaging) across different populations (children, adolescents, and adults; left handers and individuals with developmental dyslexia) that supports the claims that hemispheric lateralization is graded rather than binary and that this graded organization emerges dynamically over the course of development. Perturbations of this system either during development or in adulthood provide further insights into the principles governing hemispheric organization.
Novel small peptides with neuroprotective and nootropic properties

The tripeptide thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and/or related analogues have shown neuroprotective activity across multiple animal trauma models as well as in a small clinical trial of spinal cord injury. The metabolic product of TRH (cyclo-his-pro) retains physiological activity. We have developed a number of novel cyclic dipeptides that are structurally similar to cyclo-his-pro, and have examined their neuroprotective activity across multiple in vitro models of neuronal injury and after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rodents. Four such compounds were found to reduce cell death after trophic withdrawal or traumatic injury in primary neuronal cultures; two also protected against glutamate or beta-amyloid neurotoxicity. All compounds significantly improved motor and cognitive recovery after controlled cortical impact injury in mice, and markedly reduced lesion volumes as shown by high field magnetic resonance imaging. Further, compound 35b, which is being developed for clinical trials, also showed considerable neuroprotection after fluid percussion induced TBI in rats, and improved cognitive function after daily administration in chronically brain injured rats. At a mechanistic level, the drugs attenuate both apoptotic and necrotic cell death in primary neuronal cultures, markedly reduce intracellular calcium accumulation after injury, and limit changes in mitochondrial membrane potential and associated cytochrome c release. In addition, microarray studies show that 35b reduces transcriptional changes after injury for a number of genes (and proteins) that may be associated with secondary injury, including cell cycle genes, aquaporins and cathepsins. It also upregulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), heat shock proteins (HSP) and hypoxia inducible factor (HIF). Thus, these novel dipeptides have multipotential actions that make them candidates for the treatment of both acute and chronic neurodegeneration.
Optimal rigid body motions, part 1: approximate formulation

Optimal rigid body angular motions are investigated in the absence of direct control over one of the angular velocity components, via an approximate dynamic model. An analysis of first-order necessary conditions for optimality with the proposed model reveals that, over a large range of boundary conditions, there are, in general, several distinct extremal solutions. A classification in terms of subfamilies of extremal solutions is presented. Second-order necessary conditions are investigated to establish local optimality for the candidate minimizers.
Consumer video understanding: a benchmark database and an evaluation of human and machine performance

Recognizing visual content in unconstrained videos has become a very important problem for many applications. Existing corpora for video analysis lack scale and/or content diversity, and thus limited the needed progress in this critical area. In this paper, we describe and release a new database called CCV, containing 9,317 web videos over 20 semantic categories, including events like "baseball" and "parade", scenes like "beach", and objects like "cat". The database was collected with extra care to ensure relevance to consumer interest and originality of video content without post-editing. Such videos typically have very little textual annotation and thus can benefit from the development of automatic content analysis techniques.We used Amazon MTurk platform to perform manual annotation, and studied the behaviors and performance of human annotators on MTurk. We also compared the abilities in understanding consumer video content by humans and machines. For the latter, we implemented automatic classifiers using state-of-the-art multi-modal approach that achieved top performance in recent TRECVID multimedia event detection task. Results confirmed classifiers fusing audio and video features significantly outperform single-modality solutions. We also found that humans are much better at understanding categories of nonrigid objects such as "cat", while current automatic techniques are relatively close to humans in recognizing categories that have distinctive background scenes or audio patterns.
The effect of written informed consent on detection of violence in the home.

UNLABELLED Studies of programmatic interventions for victims of violence in the home may require the use of informed consent. The use of informed consent may result in ascertainment bias, with victims of violence being less likely to participate. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of written informed consent on the detection of violence in the home during emergency department (ED) screening. METHODS The authors performed a nonrandomized, controlled trial of 3,466 patients at an urban university ED. On odd days, patients (n = 1,857) were read a brief scripted statement and screened using standardized questions. On even days, patients (n = 1,609) received standard written informed consent prior to the same screening questions (writ-IC). The main outcome was the number of cases of violence in the home detected using each screening protocol. RESULTS Fewer writ-IC patients participated in screening (82% vs 92%; p < 0.001). Despite a higher refusal rate in the writ-IC group, there was no difference in the number of victims detected by each screening method: choked/kicked/bit/punched? (writ-IC, 7.3 vs routine screen, 6.5%; p = 0.3); slapped/grabbed/shoved? (7.3 vs 6.7%; p = 0.4); threatened/actually used knife/gun to scare/hurt you? (8.3 vs 9.4%; p = 0.3); thrown object to harm you? (5.2 vs 4.6%; p = 0.4); forced sex? (5.8 vs 4.7%; p = 0.15); or afraid current/former intimate partner would hurt you physically? (13.9 vs 11.9%; p = 0.9). CONCLUSIONS A written informed consent process in screening for violence in the home is associated with a higher refusal rate than routine screening, but use of written informed consent does not result in a lower rate of detection for multiple forms of violence. The authors did not find any support for the hypothesis that the use of written informed consent would decrease detection of violence in the home.
Remote (inside-out) NMR. II. Sensitivity of NMR detection for external samples

Abstract The sensitivity of the NMR experient to samples located exterior to the NMR coil is investigated. Eight annular samples were constructed from a series of concentric glass cups. The FID signal amplitudes measured for these samples were compared directly to the signal obtained from a standard reference. The results of these measurements are analyzed in terms of a simple model, which may be useful in extrapolating to other sample geometries.
Adiabatically corrected scattering lengths and effective ranges for collisions of helium atoms

Abstract The accurate relativistically retarded potential of Janzen and Aziz [J. Chem. Phys. 107 (1997) 914] and the adiabatic correction of Komasa et al. [Chem. Phys. Lett. 304 (1999) 293] are used in a calculation of scattering lengths and effective ranges for 3 He– 3 He, 3 He– 4 He and 4 He– 4 He collisions; the binding energy and the number of Efimov states of the 4 He– 4 He dimer are also presented.
An Integrative Literature Review to Introduce Socio-Networked Learning A New Theoretical Framework for HRD

Human resource development (HRD) practitioners have a critical role to play in understanding interdisciplinary learning among cross-sector stakeholders addressing large-scale social issues. Recent ...
Electron transfer from Shewanella algae BrY to hydrous ferric oxide is mediated by cell-associated melanin.

Shewanella algae BrY uses insoluble mineral oxides as terminal electron acceptors, but the mechanism of electron transfer from cell surface to mineral surface is not well understood. We tested the hypothesis that cell-associated melanin produced by S. algae BrY serves as an electron conduit for bacterial–mineral reduction. Results from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and cell surface hydrophobicity assays indicated that extracellular melanin was associated with the cell surface. With H2 as electron donor, washed cell suspensions of melanin-coated S. algae BrY reduced hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) 10 times faster than cells without melanin. The addition of melanin (20 μg ml−1) to these melanin-free cells increased their HFO reduction rate two-fold. These results suggest that cell-associated melanin acts as an electron conduit for iron mineral reduction by S. algae BrY.
Continuous Production of Prions after Infectious Particles Are Eliminated: Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease

Rat septal cells, induced to enter a terminal differentiation-like state by temperature shift, produce prion protein (PrP) levels 7x higher than their proliferative counterparts. Host PrP accumulates on the plasma membrane, newly elaborated nanotubes, and cell-to-cell junctions, important conduits for viral spread. To find if elevated PrP increased susceptibility to FU-CJD infection, we determined agent titers under both proliferating and arresting conditions. A short 5 day arrest and a prolonged 140 day arrest increased infectivity by 5x and 122x (>2 logs) respectively as compared to proliferating cells. Total PrP rapidly increased 7x and was even more elevated in proliferating cells that escaped chronic arrest conditions. Amyloid generating PrP (PrP-res), the “infectious prion” form, present at ∼100,000 copies per infectious particle, also increased proportionately by 140 days. However, when these highly infectious cells were switched back to proliferative conditions for 60 days, abundant PrP-res continued to be generated even though 4 logs of titer was lost. An identical 4 log loss was found with maximal PrP and PrP-res production in parallel cells under arresting conditions. While host PrP is essential for TSE agent spread and replication, excessive production of all forms of PrP can be inappropriately perpetuated by living cells, even after the initiating infectious agent is eliminated. Host PrP changes can start as a protective innate immune response that ultimately escapes control. A subset of other neurodegenerative and amyloid diseases, including non-transmissible AD, may be initiated by environmental infectious agents that are no longer present.
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CRITERION‐RELATED VALIDATION OF SELECTION PROCEDURES: A CRITICAL REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The use of validated employee selection and promotion procedures is critical to workforce productivity and to the legal defensibility of the personnel decisions made on the basis of those procedures. Consequently, there have been numerous scholarly developments that have considerable implications for the appropriate conduct of criterion-related validity studies. However, there is no single resource researchers can consult to understand how these developments impact practice. The purpose of this article is to summarize and critically review studies published primarily within the past 10 years that address issues pertinent to criterion-related validation. Key topics include (a) validity coefficient correction procedures, (b) the evaluation of multiple predictors, (c) differential prediction analyses, (d) validation sample characteristics, and (e) criterion issues. In each section, we discuss key findings, critique and note limitations of the extant research, and offer conclusions and recommendations for the planning and conduct of criterion-related studies. We conclude by discussing some important but neglected validation issues for which more research is needed.
Theory of off-center impurities in silicon: Substitutional nitrogen and oxygen

The single-particle electronic structures and atomic displacements of substitutional nitrogen and oxygen in silicon are treated theoretically in a cluster representation using both the scattered-wave $X\ensuremath{\alpha}$ ($\mathrm{S}\mathrm{W}\ensuremath{-}X\ensuremath{\alpha}$) and modified neglect of diatomic overlap (MNDO) electronic-structure methods. Substitutional carbon and sulfur are treated to a lesser degree for the purpose of comparison. The impurity $X$ and its environment are simulated by the clusters $X{\mathrm{Si}}_{4}{\mathrm{H}}_{12}$ ($\mathrm{S}\mathrm{W}\ensuremath{-}X\ensuremath{\alpha}$ and MNDO) and $X{\mathrm{Si}}_{16}{\mathrm{H}}_{36}$ (MNDO only). In all cases, we find a localized occupied ${a}_{1}$ state in the gap with a localized unoccupied ${t}_{2}$ state above it when the impurity atoms are on center. Using computed MNDO total energies for $X{\mathrm{Si}}_{4}{H}_{12}$ as a function of impurity displacement, we find spontaneous displacement directions correctly predicted for neutral carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, and for negative oxygen. By monitoring the single-particle energies and eigenvectors, we identify the driving force for the spontaneous asymmetric displacements as a pseudo\char22{}Jahn-Teller effect. We further explore the total energy with respect to simultaneous impurity and near-neighbor-silicon displacements, where the effect of the host outside the cluster is simulated by "external springs" connected to the four silicon atoms of the cluster. We find that it is necessary to use effective springs that are quite different from those which follow from a valence-force treatment in order to reproduce the observed spontaneous displacements of the substitutional nitrogen and oxygen impurities. This failure of the simple valence-force treatment is discussed. Our results also suggest a model for the "thermal donor" in silicon, whereby a substitutional oxygen is pushed "on center" by the strain field due to surrounding oxygen interstitials.