cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Differences for Anterior Knee Pain between Sexes in Adolescent Basketball Players

Diagnostic Differences for Anterior Knee Pain between Sexes in Adolescent Basketball Players difference in the prevalence of specific patellofemoral disorders that cause anterior knee pain in adolescent basketball players undergoing pre-participation screening. A total of 810 (688 female and 122 male) basketball players from a single county public school district. Main outcome measures: Prior to the start of three consecutive basketball seasons, participants were evaluated for anterior knee pain. Testing consisted of completion of the Anterior Knee Pain Scale. Those with positive findings completed an IKDC form, a standardized history and a physician-administered physical examination. Anterior knee pain was noted in 410 of 1620 knees (25.3%). 26.6% of female knees and 18.0% of male knees were affected (p<0.05). Patellofemoral dysfunction (PFD) was the most common diagnosis with an overall prevalence of 6.4% (7.3% females; 1.2% males). Less common were Sinding-Larsen- Johanssen disease (SLJ), 4.8% (5.0% females; 3.7% males), Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD) 2.5% (2.3% females; 4.1% males); and plica syndrome 2.3% (2.1% females; 3.3% males). The remaining diagnoses (trauma, fat pad syndrome, IT band and pes anserine bursitis) had a combined prevalence of 1.7% (1.9% females; 1.6% males). Conclusions: PFD was significantly more common in females (p<0.05). Anterior knee pain was more common in adolescent female basketball players than in adolescent male basketball players.
INTRALUMINAL ANTIBODIES TO MACROPHAGE MIGRATION INHIBITORY FACTOR DECREASE SUBSTANCE P INDUCED INFLAMMATORY CHANGES IN THE RAT BLADDER AND PROSTATE

ABSTRACTPurpose: Noxious stimuli induce substance P (SP) secretion from nerve terminals, resulting in plasma extravasation, edema and hyperalgesia, commonly referred to as neurogenic inflammation. Since SP is a short-lived molecule, additional proinflammatory mediators maintain continued inflammation. The bladder contains stores of preformed macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a proinflammatory cytokine, which is released into the lumen in response to SP. MIF may act in an amplifying manner to maintain or increase inflammation. Inducing inflammatory changes with SP, while sequestering released luminal MIF with an antibody, tested this hypothesis.Materials and Methods: In anesthetized rats the ureters were cut to isolate the bladder and the bladder contents were replaced with saline or antiMIF antibody (5 or 15 μg/ml), immediately followed by systemic SP or saline. Changes in the expression of inflammatory cytokines, and histological changes in the bladder and prostate were evaluated 1 hour later...
Model of a Kuiper Belt Small Grain Population and Resulting Far-Infrared Emission

We have calculated a simple model of the expected Kuiper Belt (KB) small grain population and the thermal emission that would arise from such grains. We have also sought observational evidence for this emission. The model assumed equilibrium between grain creation by collisional fragmentation of comets and removal by Poynting-Robertson radiation drag, radiation pressure-driven ejection, mutual collisions, and sublimation. The model far-IR intensity scales as the square of total KB mass. Comparison of our model with observations of the zodiacal dust rules out emission from trans-Neptunian dust representing more than about 0.3 M of KB comets. This agrees with recent HST reports of a population of comet-sized bodies in the KB which has a minimum mass of about 0.04 M, although that population can be extrapolated to include as much as 1 M in the volume of our model. The model KB dust fractional bolometric luminosity (Ldust/Lstar) would have about 10-2 and 10-4 of the values for the grain disks around Vega and β Pic, respectively. A preliminary search in COBE DIRBE data reveals nonuniform bands near the ecliptic of cold (T = 20-30 K) emission prominent at wavelengths of 140 and 240 μm but not prominent relative to zodiacal emission at shorter (IRAS) wavelengths. Most of this emission is probably not from solar system material.
Measured and estimated GFR in healthy potential kidney donors.

Abstract Background: Nonradiolabeled iothalamate clearance is an accurate way to determine glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Objectives of this study are to define the normal range of nonradiolabeled iothalamate clearance in potential kidney donors and assess whether creatinine-based GFR estimates are accurate in this population. Methods: Medical records of 365 potential kidney donors were reviewed. GFR was measured using clearance of nonradiolabeled iothalamate. Linear regression analysis was used to determine age- and sex-specific normal range values for GFR and serum creatinine. The abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and Cockcroft-Gault prediction equations were used to estimate GFR from serum creatinine levels. Results: GFR declined significantly with increasing age ( P P P P = 0.826). A 20-year-old had a mean nGFR of 111 mL/min/1.73 m 2 that declined by 4.9 mL/min/1.73 m 2 /decade. Correlation between measured nGFR and estimated GFR was weak ( r = 0.26 for abbreviated MDRD equation; r = 0.35 for Cockcroft-Gault equation). Conclusion: This study of nonradiolabeled iothalamate clearance for the measurement of GFR in potential kidney donors established age-adjusted normal values. In healthy individuals, GFR cannot be estimated accurately using the abbreviated MDRD or Cockcroft-Gault prediction equations.
Lagrangian support vector machines

An implicit Lagrangian for the dual of a simple reformulation of the standard quadratic program of a linear support vector machine is proposed. This leads to the minimization of an unconstrained differentiable convex function in a space of dimensionality equal to the number of classified points. This problem is solvable by an extremely simple linearly convergent Lagrangian support vector machine (LSVM) algorithm. LSVM requires the inversion at the outset of a single matrix of the order of the much smaller dimensionality of the original input space plus one. The full algorithm is given in this paper in 11 lines of MATLAB code without any special optimization tools such as linear or quadratic programming solvers. This LSVM code can be used "as is" to solve classification problems with millions of points. For example, 2 million points in 10 dimensional input space were classified by a linear surface in 82 minutes on a Pentium III 500 MHz notebook with 384 megabytes of memory (and additional swap space), and in 7 minutes on a 250 MHz UltraSPARC II processor with 2 gigabytes of memory. Other standard classification test problems were also solved. Nonlinear kernel classification can also be solved by LSVM. Although it does not scale up to very large problems, it can handle any positive semidefinite kernel and is guaranteed to converge. A short MATLAB code is also given for nonlinear kernels and tested on a number of problems.
Comparison of Normalization Methods for Construction of Large, Multiplex Amplicon Pools for Next-Generation Sequencing

Constructing mixtures of tagged or bar-coded DNAs for sequencing is an important requirement for the efficient use of next-generation sequencers in applications where limited sequence data are required per sample. There are many applications in which next-generation sequencing can be used effectively to sequence large mixed samples; an example is the characterization of microbial communities where <or=1,000 sequences per samples are adequate to address research questions. Thus, it is possible to examine hundreds to thousands of samples per run on massively parallel next-generation sequencers. However, the cost savings for efficient utilization of sequence capacity is realized only if the production and management costs associated with construction of multiplex pools are also scalable. One critical step in multiplex pool construction is the normalization process, whereby equimolar amounts of each amplicon are mixed. Here we compare three approaches (spectroscopy, size-restricted spectroscopy, and quantitative binding) for normalization of large, multiplex amplicon pools for performance and efficiency. We found that the quantitative binding approach was superior and represents an efficient scalable process for construction of very large, multiplex pools with hundreds and perhaps thousands of individual amplicons included. We demonstrate the increased sequence diversity identified with higher throughput. Massively parallel sequencing can dramatically accelerate microbial ecology studies by allowing appropriate replication of sequence acquisition to account for temporal and spatial variations. Further, population studies to examine genetic variation, which require even lower levels of sequencing, should be possible where thousands of individual bar-coded amplicons are examined in parallel.
Salmonella Prevalence in Market-Age Turkeys On-Farm and at Slaughter

The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of Salmonella in market-age turkeys on-farm and at slaughter (i.e., before and after feed withdrawal, catching, loading, transportation, and preslaughter holding). Thirty birds were randomly selected from each of 6 commercial turkey flocks scheduled to be loaded and shipped to the abattoir during the evening of the same day. Selected birds were euthanized on the farm, and the cloacal contents, large intestine, crop, ceca, liver and gallbladder, and spleen were aseptically collected. At the abattoir, 30 birds from the same flock were randomly selected from the slaughter line, and the crop, ceca, liver and gallbladder, and spleen were collected for subsequent culture at the laboratory. All flocks studied were positive for Salmonella at slaughter. No statistical difference was found between the overall prevalence on-farm and at slaughter. At both sampling points, the overall prevalence found was 33.3%. Diverging prevalence estimates were obtained based on the different sample types collected on-farm and at slaughter. In both cases, cecal content samples had the highest relative sensitivity (73.3% on-farm and 68.3% at slaughter). This study demonstrates that the preslaughter practices of feed withdrawal, catching, loading, transportation, and holding do not significantly alter the prevalence of Salmonella in market-age turkeys. Therefore, our results suggest that it may be possible to monitor the Salmonella status of turkey production farms based on samples collected at the abattoir.
Regulation Dynamics of WGD Genes during Yeast Metabolic Oscillation

Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its close relatives are characterized by their propensity to ferment even in the presence of oxygen. It was hypothesized that whole-genome duplication (WGD) led to the development of this efficient fermentative lifestyle (WGD-fermentation hypothesis, Piskur 2001. In this study, we found that a significantly higher proportion of WGD genes than non-WGD genes are dynamically regulated during metabolic oscillation in response to oxygen change. The same data set also shows that the WGD genes, as compared with the smaller scale duplicate genes, are enriched with pairs where both copies have cyclic expression during the metabolic oscillation (either with the same or different phases). These results provide new evidences for the WGD-fermentation hypothesis and new insights into the relationship between the genome duplication and the evolution of new lifestyles in eukaryotic organisms.
The Need for Sleep: Discriminating between Fatigue-Related and Nonfatigue-Related Truck Accidents

Truckdriver fatigue is a major factor in driving accidents. The National Transportation Safety Board found fatigue to be the most frequently cited probable cause (31%) of fatal-to-the-truckdriver accidents (1990). This study examined the factors affecting fatigue in truckdrivers. One hundred and seven single vehicle, heavy truck accidents were investigated and classified as either fatigue-related or nonfatigued-related accidents. Measures from the 96 hours previous to the accident were obtained from the drivers’ log books including the amount of time awake, driving, on-duty, and sleeping in the 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours before the accident. A multiple discriminant analysis showed that the duration of the last sleep period, the amount of time spent sleeping in the past 24 hours, and the presence of split sleep periods were the factors that best discriminated between the fatigue and nonfatigue related accidents. The implications for regulations and training are discussed.
FTY720 Blocks Egress of T Cells in Part by Abrogation of Their Adhesion on the Lymph Node Sinus

Egress of lymphocytes from lymphoid tissues is a complex process in which Gαi-mediated signals play a decisive role. We show here that although FTY720, an agonist of the sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P)1 receptor, induces S1P1 receptor internalization sufficiently in the presence or absence of Gαi2 or Gαi3, the drug blocks egress of wild-type (WT) and Gαi3-deficent T cells, but not Gαi2-deficient T cells, in both WT and Gαi2-deficient hosts. Intravital imaging of lymph nodes revealed that all three groups of T cells approached and engaged cortical sinusoids similarly in the presence or absence of FTY720. The cells also entered and departed the sinus at an almost identical frequency in the absence of the drug. However, after engagement of the sinus, most WT and Gαi3-deficient T cells retracted and migrated back into the parenchyma in FTY720-treated animals, due to a failure of the cells to establish adhesion on the sinus, whereas Gαi2-deficient T cells adhered firmly on the sinus, which prevented their retraction, facilitating their transmigration of the lymphatic endothelial barrier. These data confirm egress of Gαi2−/− T cells independent of S1P-mediated chemotaxis and failure of FTY720 to close lymphatic stromal channels and argue for the first time, to our knowledge, that FTY720 induces lymphopenia in part by impairing T cell adhesion to the sinus in a manner dependent on Gαi2.
Central-complex control of movement in the freely walking cockroach

To navigate in the world, an animal's brain must produce commands to move, change direction, and negotiate obstacles. In the insect brain, the central complex integrates multiple forms of sensory information and guides locomotion during behaviors such as foraging, climbing over barriers, and navigating to memorized locations. These roles suggest that the central complex influences motor commands, directing the appropriate movement within the current context. Such commands are ultimately carried out by the limbs and must therefore interact with pattern generators and reflex circuits that coordinate them. Recent studies have described how neurons of the central complex encode sensory information: neurons subdivide the space around the animal, encoding the direction or orientation of stimuli used in navigation. Does a similar central-complex code directing movement exist, and if so, how does it effect changes in the control of limbs? Recording from central-complex neurons in freely walking cockroaches (Blaberus discoidalis), we identified classes of movement-predictive cells selective for slow or fast forward walking, left or right turns, or combinations of forward and turning speeds. Stimulation through recording wires produced consistent trajectories of forward walking or turning in these animals, and those that elicited turns also altered an inter-joint reflex to a pattern resembling spontaneous turning. When an animal transitioned to climbing over an obstacle, the encoding of movement in this new context changed for a subset of cells. These results indicate that encoding of movement in the central complex participates in motor control by a distributed, flexible code targeting limb reflex circuits.
WAVE INDUCED OSCILLATIONS OF HARBORS WITH VARIABLE DEPTH

A numerical method is presented to treat the wave-induced oscillations of a harbor with a variable depth and width. A two-dimensional finite difference approach is used inside the harbor matched at the entrance to a solution for the open-sea based on the Helmholtz Equation which includes incident, reflected, and radiated wave energy. Examples of the response and the modal shapes of the water surface are presented for harbors with simple and complex shapes.
Control of Metabolic Processes by cAMP-Dependent Protein Phosphorylation

Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are catalyzed by protein kinases and phosphoprotein phosphatases according to the following general equation: $$\Pr otein\underset{{_{Phosphatase}^{Phosphoprotein}}}{\overset{{\Pr oteinKinaese,ATP}}{\longleftrightarrow}}\Pr otein - P$$
National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 1996 summary.

OBJECTIVES: This report describes ambulatory care visits made to physician offices within the United States. Statistics are presented on selected physician, patient, and visit characteristics of ambulatory care visits. METHODS: The data presented in this report were collected from the 1996 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS). The NAMCS is part of the ambulatory care component of the National Health Care Survey, which measures health care utilization across various types of providers. The NAMCS is a national probability sample survey of visits to office-based physicians in the United States. Sample data are weighted to produce annual estimates. RESULTS: During 1996, an estimated 734.5 million visits were made to physician offices in the United States, an overall rate of 2.8 visits per person. One quarter of the NAMCS visits were made to general and family physicians, which was significantly higher than the other 13 specialties. Persons 75 years and over had the highest rate of physician office visits, 6.3 visits per person. Females had a significantly higher rate of visits to physicians offices than males did overall, as did white persons compared with black persons. Of all visits made to these offices in 1996, 87 percent were covered by some form of insurance, and 8.7 percent were paid "out-of-pocket." There were an estimated 87.6 million injury-related visits during 1996, or 33.1 visits per 100 persons. Three-quarters of these visits were for unintentional injuries. Language: en
Dynamic Spectrum Estimation with Minimal Overhead via Multiscale Information Exchange

In this paper, a multiscale approach to spectrum sensing in cognitive cellular networks is analyzed. Observing that wireless interference decays with distance, and that estimating the entire spectrum occupancy across the network entails substantial energy cost and communication overhead, a protocol for distributed spectrum estimation is defined by which secondary users maintain fine-grained estimates of the spectrum occupancy of nearby cells, but coarse-grained estimates of that of distant cells. This is accomplished by arranging the cellular network into a hierarchy of increasingly coarser macro-cells and having secondary users fuse local spectrum estimates up the hierarchy. The spectrum occupancy is modeled as a Markov process, and the system is optimized by defining a probabilistic framework for spectrum sensing and information exchange that balances improvements in spectrum estimation against energy costs. The performance of the multiscale scheme is evaluated numerically, showing that it offers substantial improvements in energy efficiency over local estimation. On the other hand, it is shown that schemes that attempt to estimate the state of the whole network perform poorly, due to the excessive cost of performing information exchange with far away cells, and to the fact that, knowing the spectrum occupancy of distant cells, which experience low interference levels, results in a small increase in reward.
GeoTopo: A PoP-level Topology Generator for Evaluation of Future Internet Architectures

Network topology plays a critical role while designing and evaluating network protocols. Most existing topology generators are insufficient to reflect the real world network demands to a topology or to capture the Internet topology evolution such as the "flattening" Internet. They focused on the graph properties of a topology, thus, lacking of ability to model engineering features of the network. Some state-of-art topology generators that consider engineering factors fail to capture trends in both intra-AS and inter-AS connections, which are equally important for evaluating future network protocols. We have developed a topology generator GeoTopo, which is to our best knowledge the first scalable topology generator modeling engineering factors for both intra-AS and inter-AS topology generation. The engineering factors that GeoTopo considers include demographic and geographic features as well as business interests of ASes. We use GeoTopo to create and study three classes of topologies: the topology characterized mainly by graph-properties (Status Quo topology), the topology driven by peering at Internet Exchange Points (IXP topology) and the topology characterized by country backbones (CB topology). The SQ topology follows the degree-based model and serves as a baseline for capturing topology features. The IXP and CB topologies model two major directions of the Internet "flattening". The three classes of topologies enable us to analyze the impact of engineering factors on topology generation such as AS peering policies, IXP deployment and AS geo-settings. GeoTopo's ability to generate projected future Internet topologies make it a valuable tool for the design and evaluation of Future Internet Architectures that is currently under consideration in the research community. We use the evaluation of Global Name Resolution Service (GNRS), a key component shared by name-based network architectures, as an example application to demonstrate GeoTopo's capability to capture the mobility of network entities, the locality of the traffic, and the impact of the evolving network.
Signal Processing Using Gaussian Slowness Period Packets

We propose a local frequency/slowness decomposition to account for non-stationarity in seismic data. This is an alternative to both patch-based processing, where the data are broken up into overlapping windows, and compressive frames that usually rely on sparsity-promoting regularization. Gaussian Slowness Period Packets (GaSPs) allow for both non-stationary signals and imposing a variety of prior knowledge. We show examples of using GaSPs in data interpolation, and adaptive subtraction.
Control of Larvae of the House Fly and the Horn Fly in Manure of Insecticide-Fed Cattle

Larvae or eggs of the house fly, Musca domestica L., or the horn fly, Haemalobia irritans (L.), or both, were added to manure from cattle fed 11 insecticides for 10 days. The numbers of adults that emerged were used to calculate the effects of the treatments. Mg per kg per day of insecticides effective against horn fly larvae were: 0.5 (lowest dosage tested) of Bay 37341 ( O, O -diethyl O -[4-(methylthio)-3,5-xylyl] phosphorothioate); 1.0 of Bay 37342 ( O, O -dimethyl O -[4-(methylthio)-3,5-xylyl] phosphorothioate); 10.0 (only dosage tested) of bromophos; 2.5-5.0 of famphur; 0.5-1.0 of fenthion; 1.5 (but not 2.0) of Imidan® ( O, O -dimethyl S -phthalimidomethyl phosphorodithioate); 10.0 (only dosage tested) of Shell SD-8447 (2-chloro-1-(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl)vinyl dimethyl phosphate); and 2.5 of Stauffer R-3828 ( S-(p -chloro- alpha -phenylbenzyl) O, O -diethyl phosphorodithioate). Mg per kg per day of insecticides effective against house fly larvae were: 5.0 of Bay 37342 (partially effective) and 10.0 (only dosage tested) of bromophos and SD-8447.
The Dense Bodies of Human Platelets: Inherent Electron Opacity of the Serotonin Storage Particles

Platelets fixed in glutaraldehyde and then in osmic acid or potassium dichromate contain dense bodies which are known to be rich in serotonin. Opacity of the particles is believed to be due to a highly specific reaction between glutaraldehyde, serotonin and osmic acid. The present study has examined dense bodies of platelets in negatively stained whole mount preparations, unstained whole mounts, and glutaraldehyde fixed, plastic embedded cells not exposed to osmium or dichromate. The results demonstrate that dense bodies in platelet hyaloplasm are innately electron opaque. Osmic acid and potassium dichromate may deposit in dense bodies, but the metal containing oxidizing fixatives are not the primary cause of opacity to the electron beam. It is suggested that the inherent electron opacity may be due to a nucleation of heavy metals in the matrix of dense bodies.
Excretion Rate of Hippuric Acid in Man

SummaryThe excretion of hippuric acid in normal adults following intravenous injection is exceedingly high: about 44% is eliminated in 15 minutes when 2.26 g of sodium hippurate are administered. In various renal disorders the speed of excretion is diminished.
On the Chemical Basis of Chromosome Banding Patterns

A comparative study of the staining characteristics of four reagents for human chromosomes has been carried out. The four reagents are: (I) quinacrine mustard, as an alkylating agent, (II) the dihydroxy derivative of quinacrine mustard, (III) quinacrine, and (IV) 9-amino-6-chloro-2-methoxyacridine. The last reagent does not possess the amino substituted side chain even though it has the same intercalating nucleus. Comparison of the first three compounds in their staining and banding behavior suggested the initial step leading to banding may be the displacement of the nucleoprotein sites in hcromosomes. The Q and G banding could be blocked experimentally by treating the chromosome preparation with dimethylamine solution. This result may suggest that these sites have weaker basic proteins (nonhistone proteins?). The use of compound IV, which does not have the side chain in the molecule but does have the same intercalating chromophore, did not lead to banding and gives indirect support to this hypothesis. A combined use of compound IV and quinacrine may be useful for the determination of total DNA vs. banding DNA.
The diagnostic value of MRI in atypical elbow injury in children

Objective:To approach the diagnostic value and characteristic appearance of MRI in atypical elbow injury in children.Methods:To analyze MRI appearance of 41 children who were suspected of having atypical elbow injury.All patients performed lateral and postero-antarior position of the elbow X-ray films and 3 cases performed CT scan.Results:In 41 cases,31(75.6%) were diagnosed as atypical children elbow injury by MR.Among patients who had no fracture on X-ray or CT examination,epiphyseal injury was found in 7 cases,3 cases had articular cartilage fracture;bone contusion in 18 cases;none had tendon injury.On the X-ray or CT image,6 cases had a clear diagnosis of fracture but can not show articular surface involvement.MR confirmed the diagnosis of X-ray or CT image,and 3 patients of them had atypical fracture.Three cases had simple fracture without atypical injury,conservative treatment was accepted by gypsum fixation;5 cases only had simple soft tissue injury or joint effusion,no treatment was needed.Four cases had two fractures at the same time.Two cases had suspicious fracture on X-ray but MR explicitly excluded bone injury and only had soft tissue swelling.Conclusion:MRI is the first choice for examination of children's elbow atypical injury and can clearly show the location,nature and extent of children's elbow atypical injury which is very helpful to the diagnosis.
The Nursing in Combined Blood Purification Treatment on Critically Ill Children with Acute Renal Failure

Objective: To explore the nursing effect of continuous blood purification(CBP) combined with hemoperfusion(HP) treatment on critically ill children with acute renal failure(ARF).Methods:Fifteen critically ill children with ARF were treated with CBP combined with HP were studied.The specially-designated nurses and strict observation were carried out in the treatment process.The changes of indexes were observed including vital signs,blood urea nitrogen(BUN),serum creatinine(Cr),central venous pressure(CVP),mean arterial pressure(MAP)etc before and after the treatment.The statistical analysis of the results was performed using the SPSS statistical package version 13.0.Significance was taken as a p value less than 0.05.Results:The level of blood BUN,SCr were significantly reduced after CBP combined HP treatment,and the differences were statistically significant(P0.05);the hemodynamics and vital signs of patients were kept stable during the treatment.Conclusion:Strict observation,careful and safe nursing during the blood purification treatment are of great significance to the critically ill children with ARF.
Innovative Instructional Strategies for Teaching Dance

ABSTRACTWhen teaching dance movement, attention must be paid to both pedagogical and subject content. Even if the teacher is familiar with the subject matter (perhaps an expert in that area), he or she often needs instruction in the organization of that content for effective teaching. The instructional strategies presented here will assist the novice teacher in developing a movement concept into a scheme that will support successful learning. This scheme is presented as a taxonomy that can be applied to any style of dance movement and any skill level.
WE‐AB‐BRA‐11: Improved Imaging of Permanent Prostate Brachytherapy Seed Implants by Combining an Endorectal X‐Ray Sensor with a CT Scanner

Purpose: To test feasibility of the use of a digital endorectal x-ray sensor for improved image resolution of permanent brachytherapy seed implants compared to conventional CT. Methods: Two phantoms simulating the male pelvic region were used to test the capabilities of a digital endorectal x-ray sensor for imaging permanent brachytherapy seed implants. Phantom 1 was constructed from acrylic plastic with cavities milled in the locations of the prostate and the rectum. The prostate cavity was filled a Styrofoam plug implanted with 10 training seeds. Phantom 2 was constructed from tissue-equivalent gelatins and contained a prostate phantom implanted with 18 strands of training seeds. For both phantoms, an intraoral digital dental x-ray sensor was placed in the rectum within 2 cm of the seed implants. Scout scans were taken of the phantoms over a limited arc angle using a CT scanner (80 kV, 120–200 mA). The dental sensor was removed from the phantoms and normal helical CT and scout (0 degree) scans using typical parameters for pelvic CT (120 kV, auto-mA) were collected. A shift-and add tomosynthesis algorithm was developed to localize seed plane location normal to detector face. Results: The endorectal sensor produced images with improved resolution compared to CT scans. Seed clusters and individual seed geometry were more discernable using the endorectal sensor. Seed 3D locations, including seeds that were not located in every projection image, were discernable using the shift and add algorithm. Conclusion: This work shows that digital endorectal x-ray sensors are a feasible method for improving imaging of permanent brachytherapy seed implants. Future work will consist of optimizing the tomosynthesis technique to produce higher resolution, lower dose images of 1) permanent brachytherapy seed implants for post-implant dosimetry and 2) fine anatomic details for imaging and managing prostatic disease compared to CT images. Funding: LSU Faculty Start-up Funding. Disclosure: XDR Radiography has loaned our research group the digital x-ray detector used in this work. CoI: None.
Weber on Sects, Schools, and the Spirit of Capitalism

After departing from Tuskegee, the Webers ventured north to visit relatives in Knoxville, Tennessee and Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Helene Weber was particularly keen to hear news of the so-called colonial children, that is, the grandchildren from her father's first marriage. Helene's father, Georg Frederick Fallenstein, and his first wife, Elizabeth Benecke, had six children, several of whom, when they came of age, moved to the New World. Among these was Fritz Fallenstein (aka Francis Miller or “Uncle Fritz”), Helene's half-brother, who “as an adolescent had left the despotic pressure of home and secretly escaped overseas.” Francis himself had six children – these were the relatives the Webers visited in Knoxville and Mt. Airy in the fall of 1904. Max and Marianne already knew Bill Miller, whom they had hosted along with his father for a visit to Freiberg in 1895. Of the Miller children, Max and Marianne first stayed with Bill and his family for several days in Knoxville in early October, after which they traveled (by way of Asheville, North Carolina and a brief tour of the Biltmore estate) to Mt. Airy, where they spent several more days with other members of the Miller (Fallenstein) clan, including Jim and Jeff Miller. Picking up on themes he first explored in Tonawanda, New York, Weber, while visiting his American stepcousins, collected more data on Protestant sects and their relationship to modern capitalism. Weber used several telling encounters from his time in the American West and South to illustrate the connections between membership in a Protestant sect and participation in the world of business, all of which he recounted in his 1906 essay, “Churches and Sects in North America.” The first of these was the story of a German nose specialist who had recently started a medical practice in Cincinnati. Upon receiving his first patient, the German doctor asked the man to explain “the nature of his complaint.” To the doctor's “considerable astonishment, the very first statement of the man was the announcement: I am from the Second Baptist Church on X street.” The “bewildered doctor” struggled to understand the “causal connection” between the patient's church membership and his “maladies of the nose.”
Scaling Limits of Capacitorless Double Gate DRAM Cell

In this paper, we consider the scaling of Capacitor-less Single Transistor (1T-0C) DRAM by classical (CL) and quantized-ballistic (QB) methods to establish that (1) it may be difficult to scale 1T-0C cell below 30nm channel length even with ultrathin (< 3nm) body because of the quantum confinement effects, (2) cumulative drain disturb time must be limited to ensure reasonable retention times, (3) the surround gate structures such as silicon nanowires (as 1T-0C cells) are expected to have more significant confinement effects, and (4) practical considerations such as the process variations in cell geometry and single events upsets are likely to remain important scaling concerns.
Microgrid energy management based on approximate dynamic programming

Microgrid energy management stands for challenging optimization problem where continuous (economic dispatch) and discrete optimization (unit commitment) tasks are solved. Often Microgrid optimization leads to complex problem where optimization methods usually meet curse of dimensionality. We adopt approximate dynamic programming (ADP) as the promising optimization technique which can overcome curse of dimensionality. In this paper, energy management system based on ADP is introduced and its behavior is demonstrated on small scale Microgrid which is connected to distribution network and includes wind turbine, chiller plant, thermal storage and cooling load. The paper describes policy search approach to ADP and selected approximation architectures in the context of energy optimization. The ADP results are compared with the results of the solution based on dynamic programming approach.
Organocatalytic Synthesis of Methylene-Bridged N-Heterobiaryls.

A one-step synthesis of 1,1′- and 2,2′-methylene-bridged N-heterobiaryls directly from the corresponding N-heterocycles in a reaction with methylmagnesium chloride in the presence of catalytic amounts of N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine under thermal and microwave conditions is reported. The split-and-merge methylenation of 2,2′-N-heterobiaryls and the direct ortho-alkylation of quinoline and isoquinoline with Grignard reagents have also been developed. Mechanistic studies identified several intermediates and provided insight into the formation and roles of magnesium hydride species in the process.
Machine-Shop Engineering Roots of Taylorism: The Efficiency of Machine-Tools and Machinists, 1865–1884

In 1903, Frederick W. Taylor, one of the pioneers of science-based shop management, wrote that “There is a close analogy between the methods of modern engineering and this type of management” (Taylor, 1903:66). The analogy he referred to was in fact between the improvement of the efficiency of labor and the improvement of the efficiency of machine-tools in mechanical engineering shops; for, underlying his innovative ideas in management were the technical methods the economic concerns, and even the cultural values of science based mechanical engineering of the mid-to-late nineteenth century. Taylor’s essential methods and ideas derive from the mentality of the machine shop, from his workplace and its engineering theory and practice in the years before the period 1880 – 1884 when he conducted his first metal cutting and stopwatch time-studies. During those years and earlier, advanced American machine-tool engineering manufacturers had promoted the rationalization of machines to make them more efficient and more profitable. These machine-tool engineers, proprietors of industries and employers of machinists in shops, led the movement for the application of scientific methods to mechanical engineering as opposed to older rule of thumb methods.
Intelligent Tires?A Review of Tire Characterization Literature

In this article, previous literature on the intelligent tire has been reviewed, especially focusing on the estimation of tire characteristics such as tire forces and contact patch characteristics of a loaded rolling tire. The contact patch features and the global deformation of tire are identified as the key factors for the tire force estimation. In this review article, the measurement values to characterize these estimation parameters and the corresponding sensors are investigated. The estimated tire features and associated algorithms are presented based on the type of measurements. It is revealed that numerous dynamic features including wheel forces, slippage in contact, contact length on dry and wet roads, and hydroplaning can be identified by using the intelligent tire system. From this review, the authors of this article suggest that intelligent tire can be exploited to analyze the tire characteristics themselves besides the application for the advanced vehicle control. However, for the purpose of tire characteristic analysis, the well-established physical concepts must be employed into the estimation process. This review article is expected to provide resources to researchers or developers who are interested in the advanced vehicle controls integrated with intelligent tire system, and who want to utilize the intelligent tire for the purpose of tire performance analysis as well.
The Primary Care Pediatrician and the Care of Children With Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate

Orofacial clefts, specifically cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P), are among the most common congenital anomalies. CL/P vary in their location and severity and comprise 3 overarching groups: cleft lip (CL), cleft lip with cleft palate (CLP), and cleft palate alone (CP). CL/P may be associated with one of many syndromes that could further complicate a child's needs. Care of patients with CL/P spans prenatal diagnosis into adulthood. The appropriate timing and order of specific cleft-related care are important factors for optimizing outcomes; however, care should be individualized to meet the specific needs of each patient and family. Children with CL/P should receive their specialty cleft-related care from a multidisciplinary cleft or craniofacial team with sufficient patient and surgical volume to promote successful outcomes. The primary care pediatrician at the child's medical home has an essential role in making a timely diagnosis and referral; providing ongoing health care maintenance, anticipatory guidance, and acute care; and functioning as an advocate for the patient and a liaison between the family and the craniofacial/cleft team. This document provides background on CL/P and multidisciplinary team care, information about typical timing and order of cleft-related care, and recommendations for cleft/craniofacial teams and primary care pediatricians in the care of children with CL/P.
Comparison of static lateral behavior of three pile group configurations using three-dimensional finite element modeling

The lateral resistance of three pile group configurations was investigated using three dimensional (3-D) finite element modeling. The three pile groups considered in the study were a vertical pile group, a battered pile group, and a mix of vertical and battered piles in a group. The study was motivated by the full-scale static load test that was conducted on the M19 pier foundation in the I-10 twin span bridge in Louisiana. The static lateral resistance of the M19 battered pile group was investigated previously using a 3-D finite element simulation and verified with the aid of experimental results. In the present study, the M19 battered pile group model was used as the basis for the vertical and mixed pile groups for developing their 3-D finite element models. The nonlinear material behavior was accounted for using elastoplastic constitutive models such as the concrete damaged plasticity model and the anisotropic modified Cam clay model. The lateral resistance of the pile groups was investigated in terms ...
A Method for Measuring Sub-Annual Ring Widths of Pinus Edulis for Seasonal Climate Reconstructions

Pinus edulis is one of the most ubiquitous tree species in the US Southwest. It accounts for over a fifth of the total number of trees in New Mexico alone. Its prevalence and relatively long-lived nature makes it an ideal candidate for dendroclimatological studies of the North American Monsoon. The problem occurs with delineating the boundary of the earlywood and latewood for sub-annual reconstructions. In this study, we present a novel method (“the resin duct method”) for delineating the latewood boundary using resin ducts of P. edulis from three sites in New Mexico. The climate sensitivity of partial ring widths of P. edulis is then explored and compared to co-occurring Pinus ponderosa, which has a clear latewood boundary. The method of using resin ducts for delineating latewood in P. edulis resulted in a statistically significant relationship when compared to the latewood widths of co-occurring P. ponderosa. Although we found a similar climate response of P. edulis when compared to P. ponderosa, P. edulis latewood was a poor predictor of North American Monsoon precipitation unlike P. ponderosa. However, P. edulis earlywood has a statistically significant correlation with cool-season precipitation, making it useful for cool-season climate reconstructions in the Southwest.
A CRISPR Way to Diagnose Infectious Diseases

A new method for detecting infectious disease involves the use of a genetic probe and an enzyme that is activated once the probe specifically binds the DNA of the pathogen.
Law and Aging

A notable demographic characteristic of the twentieth century has been the increase in the number and percentage of older persons. Particularly in industrialized nations, an increasing percentage of the population is aged 65 and older. These aging populations, whose members often suffer physical and mental disabilities, create significant challenges to law and legal institutions, particularly with respect to public benefit programs. The elderly specifically require assistance in obtaining and paying for health care, in making up for lost income due to retirement or age discrimination, and in obtaining adequate housing. Many countries provide public subsidies to meet these needs. Yet the mental incapacity and/or dependence of many seniors places them in a special relationship with the state. Where a person is mentally incapable of making decisions, the law must address the need for a substitute decision-maker (or guardian) while respecting the autonomy and self-determination of the elderly. This issue is particularly actue in health care matters, wherein the law must establish which party—patient, family, or physician—should decide the level of appropriate care for an elderly patient.
Haftung für fehlerhafte Arzneimittel

Die Darstellung und Analyse der Haftung des pharmazeutischen Herstellers fur arzneimittelbedingte Gesundheitsbeeintrachtigungen setzt zunachst voraus, dass die das Arzneimittelrecht pragenden Begriffe erlautert werden. Daruber hinaus ist zwecks eines besseren Verstandnisses der jungsten Reformen die Entwicklung des Arzneimittelhaftungsrechts sowie dessen Einordnung in das System des allgemeinen Arzneimittelrechts im Uberblick zu erortern.
Sleep Deprivation and Human Development

The function of sleep is unclear though many have postulated its role in energy conservation, functional restoration, detoxification, synaptic plasticity, and necessity for overall development and well-being. Sleep is also essential in the consolidation of memory, which in turn is important for neurocognitive development. Sleep patterns and requirements change across the lifespan. Sleep deprivation can be caused by sleep fragmentation and restriction and has serious consequences on neurocognitive development. From infancy through adolescence and adulthood, sleep problems may have a negative impact on language development, behavior, mood, cognition, and overall functioning. Recognition of sleep problems and good sleep hygiene is important to minimize the effects of sleep deprivation.
Correlation of the Signals from Detectors in the Presence of a Stochastic Neutron Field

The source of correlation for the signals from detectors in the presence of a stochastic neutron field is analyzed for a variety of circumstances. A general methodology, based on a master equation ...
Implications of Cancer Stem Cells for Tumor Metastasis

Metastasis is the dissemination of cancer cells from primary tumors to distant sites. This phenomenon accounts for greater than 90% of deaths associated with cancer (1). Dissemination of cancer cells is a complex process involving a sequence of diverse functional steps, such as detachment from the primary tumor tissue, migration and homing to a different anatomical site, and survival and growth into a metastatic cancerous lesion. Traditional observations suggest that this phenomenon is mediated by late-stage genetic alterations which program cancer cells for active mobilization and distant-site engraftment.
From Ophiolites to Oceanic Crust: Sheeted Dike Complexes and Seafloor Spreading

Persistent, coordinated plate separation and dike intrusion generate sheeted dike complexes in oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridge spreading centers and other magmatic rifts. Although sheeted dike complexes were first described in ophiolite complexes, investigations of dikes, dike intrusion events and sheeted dike complexes in the oceanic crust have provided new constraints on how sheeted dike complexes form and their significance for the accretion of oceanic crust at spreading centers. Despite the general appearance of a monotonous array of side-by-side intrusions, details of sheeted dike complexes hold important keys to understanding the fundamentals of the tectonics, magma plumbing networks and hydrothermal/biological systems at mid-ocean ridges. In situ investigations of sheeted dikes and related upper crustal units in seafloor exposures provide fundamental observations that have implications for deformation during spreading, the reconstruction of ophiolite complexes, and the restoration of ophiolite structures to spreading center reference frames.