cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electronic Properties of Amorphous Semiconductors: An Introduction

A self-contained, introductory review of several aspects of the electronic properties of amorphous semiconductors (primarily tetrahedrally bonded thin films and chalcogenide glasses) is given. The general features of the electronic bands in simple covalently bonded semiconductors are discussed. Principal emphasis is given to the relationship of these features to elementary viewpoints of covalent bonding; the cluster Bethe-lattice technique for calculating the density-of-states is described as an example of the possible theoretical refinements. Next the experimental knowledge of the bandedge density-of-states, and of electrical transport phenomena associated with bandedge states, is described. Optical spectroscopy, conductivity, thermopower, Hall effect, and transient drift mobility results are summarized. Finally an introduction to electronic defects in amorphous semiconductors is presented. The concepts of atomic relaxation and electronic correlation energies are introduced, and three special topics are treated: negative correlation energy defects in chalcogenide glass semiconductors, chemical doping of amorphous hydrogenated silicon, and the hydrogen-glass model for defect stability effects in amorphous hydrogenated silicon.
Sibling Roles in Family–School Partnerships for Students With Disabilities During Transition Planning:

Strong family–school partnerships are crucial throughout K–12 education as they enable the development and implementation of meaningful educational programs for students with disabilities. This is ...
Advancing Multiple Imputation for Latent Profile Analysis.

The treatment of missing data is problematic when conducting latent profile analysis (LPA) when indicator data are missing at random, conditional on auxiliary variables (AVs). This is true even if ...
Network spread of invasive species and infectious diseases.

Abstract Landscape heterogeneity, non-local spreading mechanisms, and long-distance transportation connections can affect the spread of an invasive species or infectious disease. In this paper, we introduce a mathematical model that combines a vector-based transportation network with models for continuous invasive spread. Given a strongly connected, directed graph of transportation rates, we assume that carriers can transport a biological invader to distant sites. Following a possible latent stage, the invader then possibly establishes in the new location and spreads outwards in the continuous domain. Numerical results are shown for the invasion of Bromus tectorum in Rocky Mountain National Park based on the presence probability model of Strickland et al. (2013) and compare favorably with data. Analysis of the network component of the model reveals a unique, stable steady-state solution of the infected vectors.
Impact of Visual Cues on the Magnitude and Variability of the Accommodative Response in Children With Emmetropia and Uncorrected Hyperopia and Adults

Purpose We investigated the effect of blur and disparity cues on accommodative accuracy (lag) and variability (time [RMS] and frequency domain [LFC]) in the developing visual system. Methods A total of 59 children (3-9 years, spherical equivalent refractive error [RE] = -0.3- +4.91 diopters [D]) and 10 adults (23-31 years, RE = -0.37-+1.15D) participated. Accommodation was measured in the right eye for 1 minute at 100 and 33 cm using photorefraction (25 Hz) for three conditions: blur + disparity (binocular, 20/50 optotypes), blur-only (monocular, 20/50 optotypes), disparity-only (binocular, difference-of-Gaussian stimulus). The effect blur and disparity cues have on accommodative accuracy, RMS, and LFC was assessed. Results Lag, RMS, and LFC increased (P < 0.001) from 100 to 33 cm for each condition in children and adults. In children, accommodation was most accurate and stable when blur and disparity cues remained in the stimulus and became significantly less accurate and more variable (P < 0.001) when blur or disparity cues were removed at 33 cm. In adults, accommodation was significantly less accurate and more variable only when blur was removed from the stimulus (P < 0.022). Children with RE matched to adults had less accurate and more variable accommodative responses at near than adults when cues were removed (P ≤ 0.02). Conclusions In children and adults, an increase in RMS and LFC is related to an increase in accommodative lag. Children's accommodative systems do not compensate as efficiently as adults when blur and disparity cues are removed, suggesting children <10 years old do not have a mature afferent visual pathway.
Increasing Skin to Skin Care in the NICU – Efficacy of a Resident Initiative

Background: The practice of skin to skin care (SSC) has been shown to have several benefits including facilitating breast feeding, decreasing infections, improving mother infant bonding, promoting physiological stability and improving temperature control. Several means of increasing SSC in the NICU have been studied, including nursing education. Limited data exists for the efficacy of a resident physician driven intervention to increase SSC. Aim: We prospectively assessed the efficacy of a pediatric resident initiative in increasing skin to skin care in the NICU. …
The Historical, Political, and Demographic Context of Leadership in Africa

This chapter looks at the social, political, economic, and demographic diversity and transformation in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania to provide the context in which leadership takes shape. It argues that Africa’s leaders are forced to respond to cultural, historical, and political diversity along with political, technological, and demographic transformation. These countries have rapidly growing economies that provide new spaces for new leaders. Especially important are issues of age, gender, urbanization, and education. Leaders draw on varied histories, values, and societal structures as well as education and technology to deal with these changing times, making flexibility, adaptability, and continued learning an important aspect of their leadership.
BRADYCARDIA PACING-FACILITATED VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION STORM: A RARE CASE REPORT

Short-long-short (SLS) sequences can initiate 30% of VT/VF. We report a rare case of VF storm in a patient with VDD pacing triggered by SLS. A 56-year-old man with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (10%) due to severe mitral and aortic regurgitation underwent MitraClip repair. Due to sustained LV
Religion and reactance to COVID-19 mitigation guidelines.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, religious gatherings have become intense hot spots for the spread of the virus. In this research, we focus on the religiosity of communities to examine whether religiosity helps or hinders adherence to mitigation policies such as shelter-in-place directives. Prior research has made opposing predictions as to the influence of religiosity. One stream predicts greater adherence because of rule-abiding norms and altruistic tendencies, whereas another has predicted lower adherence as a reaction against the restriction of personal and religious freedom. We used shelter-in-place directives as an intervention in a quasiexperiment to examine adherence over 30 days as a function of religiosity in the most populous metropolitan areas in the United States. When a shelter-in-place directive had not been imposed, religiosity did not affect people's movements. However, when the directive was imposed, higher religiosity resulted in less adherence to shelter-in-place directives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
ENaC in Salt-Sensitive Hypertension: Kidney and Beyond

The main goal of this article is to discuss the role of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in extracellular fluid and blood pressure regulation. Besides its role in sodium handling in the kidney, recent studies have found that ENaC expressed in other cells including immune cells can influence blood pressure via extra-renal mechanisms. Dendritic cells (DCs) are activated and contribute to salt-sensitive hypertension in an ENaC-dependent manner. We discuss recent studies on how ENaC is regulated in both the kidney and other sites including the vascular smooth muscles, endothelial cells, and immune cells. We also discuss how this extra-renal ENaC can play a role in salt-sensitive hypertension and its promise as a novel therapeutic target. The role of ENaC in blood pressure regulation in the kidney has been well studied. Recent human gene sequencing efforts have identified thousands of variants among the genes encoding ENaC, and research efforts to determine if these variants and their expression in extra-renal tissue play a role in hypertension will advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of ENaC-mediated cardiovascular disease and lead to novel therapeutic targets.
Mean platelet volume and cardiac-surgery-associated acute kidney injury: a retrospective study.

Increased mean platelet volume (MPV) may indicate platelet activation, platelet aggregation, and a resulting prothrombotic state. Such changes in the postoperative period have been associated with organ injury and adverse outcomes. We hypothesized that changes in MPV after cardiac surgery are associated with both a higher risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality. In this retrospective study, we evaluated consecutive patients undergoing adult cardiac surgery patients between 12 December 2011 and 5 June 2018. The change in MPV was derived by calculating the difference between the baseline MPV before surgery and the average postoperative MPV just prior to the occurrence of AKI. We defined postoperative AKI according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes Clinical Practice Guideline for Acute Kidney Injury as either a ≥ 50% increase in serum creatinine in the first ten postoperative days, or an increase of ≥ 0.3 mg·dL−1 during any 48-hr window across the ten-day postoperative period. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between MPV change and postoperative AKI and mortality. Of the 4,204 patients studied, 1,373 (32.7%) developed postoperative AKI, including 83 (2.0%) and 38 (0.9%) who developed stages II and III AKI, respectively. Compared with patients who had an increase in median postoperative MPV of 0.2 femtolitre (fL), those with an increase of 0.8 fL had an 80% increase in the odds of developing AKI (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI],1.36 to 2.38; P < 0.001) and were almost twice as likely to progress to a higher severity AKI (aOR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.28 to 2.16; P < 0.001). Change in MPV was not associated with mortality (aOR,1.32; 95% CI, 0.92 to 1.89; P = 0.14). Increased MPV change in the postoperative period was associated with both increased risk and severity of AKI, but not mortality.
Cord blood DNA methylome in newborns later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder reflects early dysregulation of neurodevelopmental and X-linked genes

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with complex heritability and higher prevalence in males. The neonatal epigenome has the potential to reflect past interactions between genetic and environmental factors during early development and influence future health outcomes. We performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of 152 umbilical cord blood samples from the MARBLES and EARLI high-familial risk prospective cohorts to identify an epigenomic signature of ASD at birth. Samples were split into discovery and replication sets and stratified by sex, and their DNA methylation profiles were tested for differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between ASD and typically developing control cord blood samples. DMRs were mapped to genes and assessed for enrichment in gene function, tissue expression, chromosome location, and overlap with prior ASD studies. DMR coordinates were tested for enrichment in chromatin states and transcription factor binding motifs. Results were compared between discovery and replication sets and between males and females. We identified DMRs stratified by sex that discriminated ASD from control cord blood samples in discovery and replication sets. At a region level, 7 DMRs in males and 31 DMRs in females replicated across two independent groups of subjects, while 537 DMR genes in males and 1762 DMR genes in females replicated by gene association. These DMR genes were significantly enriched for brain and embryonic expression, X chromosome location, and identification in prior epigenetic studies of ASD in post-mortem brain. In males and females, autosomal ASD DMRs were significantly enriched for promoter and bivalent chromatin states across most cell types, while sex differences were observed for X-linked ASD DMRs. Lastly, these DMRs identified in cord blood were significantly enriched for binding sites of methyl-sensitive transcription factors relevant to fetal brain development. At birth, prior to the diagnosis of ASD, a distinct DNA methylation signature was detected in cord blood over regulatory regions and genes relevant to early fetal neurodevelopment. Differential cord methylation in ASD supports the developmental and sex-biased etiology of ASD and provides novel insights for early diagnosis and therapy.
Eve as Cyborg: The Eden Myth as a Blueprint for Artificial Women

The essay argues that the figure of the female cyborg introduced by Donna Haraway has yet to live up to its post-gender emancipatory promise. Both Haraway and Jack Halberstam contrast the female cyborg with the biblical Eve and her mythic origins in the garden of Eden. I argue that the figure of Eve is actually an ancient precursor to the female cyborg. Even more than the Greek myth of Pygmalion, the Eden myth shares common elements with later stories of man-made women. Like them, Eve was made to satisfy male desire, but then followed her own desires. Like later stories of female cyborgs, the representation of Eve reflects both male desire and male fear. After analyzing both Ovid’s Pygmalion and Genesis 2-3, I trace common elements through the nineteenth century science fiction novel L’Eve future and the twenty-first century film Ex Machina. Like Eve, the female cyborgs in these works are built in a garden and their “emancipation” occurs only within the confines of androcentric heteronormative gender patterns.
Associations of firearm dealer openings with firearm self-harm deaths and injuries: A differences-in-differences analysis.

Background Firearm dealer density is correlated with firearm interpersonal violence, but no quasi-experimental studies have assessed whether changes in dealer density lead to changes in firearm self-harm injuries and deaths. We assessed whether openings of firearm dealers are associated with short-term changes in local firearm self-harm injury rates. Methods We identified 718 openings of firearm dealers in California using licensing data, 2014-2016. We defined exposure regions based on aggregations of zip codes defined by proximity to firearm dealer openings and matched each opening to four control regions on time and determinants of firearm injury. We applied a differences-in-differences approach to compare rates of firearm self-harm, in the month before and after each opening, in places with and without openings. Results Firearm dealer openings were not associated with acute, local changes in firearm self-harm relative to places without openings (ratio of rate ratio: 0.90 [95% CI:0.68-1.19]). Results were robust to numerous sensitivity and secondary analyses. Conclusion We found no associations of firearm dealer openings with acute, localized firearm self-harm deaths and injuries. Our focus on acute, local effects; broad availability of dealers and firearms; durability of firearms; or strong confounding-control may explain these null findings.
Computational investigations of selected enzymes from two iron and α-ketoglutarate-dependent families

DNA alkylation is used as the key epigenetic mark in eukaryotes, however, most alkylation in DNA can result in deleterious effects. Therefore, this process needs to be tightly regulated. The enzymes of the AlkB and Ten-Eleven Translocation (TET) families are members of the Fe and alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent superfamily of enzymes that are tasked with dealkylating DNA and RNA in cells. Members of these families span all species and are an integral part of transcriptional regulation. While both families catalyze oxidative dealkylation of various bases, each has specific preference for alkylated base type as well as distinct catalytic mechanisms. This perspective aims to provide an overview of computational work carried out to investigate several members of these enzyme families including AlkB, ALKB Homolog 2, ALKB Homolog 3 and Ten-Eleven Translocate 2. Insights into structural details, mutagenesis studies, reaction path analysis, electronic structure features in the active site, and substrate preferences are presented and discussed.
Chapter 27 – The Molecular Response to Renal Injury: How Does Chronic Renal Damage Suppress Normal Repair Processes?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects millions of people in the United States, where recent studies place prevalence at greater than 13% in the adult population. In addition to a burden of excess cardiovascular risk, patients with CKD also exhibit an increased susceptibility to acute kidney injury and reduced capacity for subsequent repair after further renal insults. This chapter examines the differences between complete “adaptive” repair of the kidney and the “maladaptive” repair that is common in the context of CKD and aging. The features of CKD known or suspected to affect the ability of the damaged kidney to respond appropriately to further insult are discussed. These include changes in the control of the cell cycle, increases in numbers of senescent and G2/M arrested tubular cells, alterations in the behavior of renal pericytes, microvascular loss, and resultant chronic renal hypoxia.
Interaction and intelligent behavior

This thesis addresses situated, embodied agents interacting in complex domains. It focuses on two problems: (1) synthesis and analysis of intelligent group behavior, and (2) learning in complex group environments. Behaviors are proposed as the appropriate level for control and learning. Basic behaviors are introduced as building blocks for synthesizing and analyzing system behavior. The thesis describes the process of selecting such basic behaviors, formally specifying them, algorithmically implementing them, and empirically evaluating them. All of the proposed ideas are validated with a group of up to 20 mobile robots using a basic behavior set consisting of: avoidance, following, aggregation, dispersion, and homing. The set of basic behaviors acts as a substrate for achieving more complex high-level goals and tasks. Two behavior combination operators are introduced, and verified by combining subsets of the above basic behavior set to implement collective flocking and foraging. A methodology is introduced for automatically constructing higher-level behaviors by learning to select among the basic behavior set. A novel formulation of reinforcement learning is proposed that makes behavior selection learnable in noisy, uncertain multi-agent environments with stochastic dynamics. It consists of using conditions and behaviors for more robust control and minimized state-spaces, and a reinforcement shaping methodology that enables principled embedding of domain knowledge with two types of shaping functions: heterogeneous reward functions and progress estimators. The methodology outperforms two alternatives when tested on a collection of robots learning to forage. The proposed formulation enables and accelerates learning in complex multi-robot domains. The generality of the approach makes it compatible with the existing reinforcement learning algorithms, allowing it to accelerate learning in a variety of domains and applications. The presented methodologies and results are aimed at extending our understanding of synthesis, analysis, and learning of group behavior. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
The relevance of new data structure approaches for dense linear algebra in the new multi-core/many core environments

For about ten years now, Bo Kagstrom's Group in Umea, Sweden, Jerzy Wasniewski's Team at Danish Technical University in Lyngby, Denmark, and I at IBM Research in Yorktown Heights have been applying recursion and New Data Structures (NDS) to increase the performance of Dense Linear Algebra (DLA) factorization algorithms. Later, John Gunnels, and later still, Jim Sexton, both now at IBM Research also began working in this area. For about three years now almost all computer manufacturers have dramatically changed their computer architectures which they call Multi-Core, (MC). It turns out that these new designs give poor performance for the traditional designs of DLA libraries such as LAPACK and ScaLAPACK. Recent results of Jack Dongarra's group at the Innovative Computing Laboratory in Knoxville, Tennessee have shown how to obtain high performance for DLA factorization algorithms on the Cell architecture, an example of an MC processor, but only when they used NDS. In this talk we will give some reasons why this is so.
The evolution of antibiotic-resistant microbes in foods and host ecosystems.

In the years between the introduction of antibiotic therapy and the mid-1970s, antibiotic-resistant bacteria were generally restricted to the hospital setting and epidemic diseases which were not major issues in much of the industrialized world. In this chapter, the development of tetracycline-resistant (Tcr) fish pathogens and bacteria associated with aquaculture environments is discussed. Antibiotic residues may be found in a variety of foods produced around the world. Currently, unlabeled but high levels of cephalosporins (ceftiofur) are allowed in some foods. Rules exist which aim to minimize the level of antibiotic residues found in food products; however, not all foods are tested, nor is it clear that the standards required by farms in North America and Europe are followed when the food is produced for overseas consumption. The majority of the novel genes were mobile elements carrying antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. Enterococci are normal inhabitants of the intestinal flora of most mammals, birds, and humans, as well as from soil, surface waters, plants, vegetables, raw foods such as milk and meat, and fermented meats such as Italian salami or raw sausage. Studies have shown that fish foods, even unlabeled ones, may contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria and/or antibiotic residues. This chapter also illustrates a few examples in which specific antibiotic resistance genes, regions of DNA, and/or plasmids have been found in bacteria from very different ecosystems, from different parts of the world, and in bacteria that are host species-specific.
Nuclear resonance fluorescence in Pb 2 0 6 , 2 0 7 , 2 0 8 and Bi 209

Using bremsstrahlung produced with 6.6 and 9.7 MeV beams, nuclear resonance fluorescence measurements were made on targets of $^{206,207,208}\mathrm{Pb}$ and $^{209}\mathrm{Bi}$. Ground state transition widths for previously unknown energy levels with widths $\ensuremath{\gtrsim}1$ eV were obtained. An interpretation of several of these levels in terms of a particle-core weak coupling model is suggested.NUCLEAR REACTIONS $^{206,207,208}\mathrm{Pb}$, $^{209}\mathrm{Bi}$$\ensuremath{\gamma},\ensuremath{\gamma}$; resonance fluorescence with 9.7 and 6.6 MeV bremsstrahlung. Levels measured ${E}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$, ${I}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$ at 125\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} (lab); deduced $\frac{g\ensuremath{\Gamma}_{0}^{}{}_{}{}^{2}}{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$.
Stone Trees: Monuments, Architecture, and the Immobilization of Yoruba Kingship in the Save Hills, Benin

The political organization of the Shabe kingdom underwent repeated episodes of transformation over the latter half of the second millennium CE. Drawing on ethnographic, oral-historical, and recent archaeological research in the Save hills area of central Benin, I demonstrate that Shabe authorities created elaborate political narratives emphasizing their exclusive control over immobile resources as a strategy for maintaining power. Archaeological evidence shows that by the 18th century Shabe authority was being cast in relation to the Oyo empire, Ile-Ife, and other Yoruba polities. The construction and continued maintenance of monuments lent veracity to political narratives, as well as further immobilizing authority and access to resources. As relations with the neighboring kingdom of Dahomey became increasingly volatile throughout the 19th century, the Shabe monarchy was able to “dig in” and assert even greater authority through the control of immobile resources, despite archaeological evidence for a shrinking population in the Save hills. French colonial administrative policies reduced the economic and legal powers of Shabe authorities in the 20th century, but it also cemented the social basis for the monarchy’s continued dominance in matters of local history and culture.
Networking and Information Sources of Independent Restaurateurs

Relationships between types of informal networks, business characteristics of small independent restaurants, and demographic descriptions of the owners/managers of these businesses were investigated.Data were gathered by mailed questionnaire from a responding sample of 135 owners/managers of independent restaurants. Information regarding networking behavior, suchas whom restaurant owners/managers contacted and how frequently they contacted these sources, owner/manager demographic data, and business information concerning size, number of years in operation, financial performance, and type of restaurant was gathered.The study indicated that relationships exist between networking behavior and demographic characteristics of managers, and between networking behavior and certain business characteristics.
The delineation of the fourth walking leg segment is temporally linked to posterior segmentation in the mite Archegozetes longisetosus (Acari: Oribatida, Trhypochthoniidae).

SUMMARY Acari (mites and ticks) lack external segmentation, with the only indication of segmentation being the appendages of the prosoma (chelicerae, pedipalps, and four pairs of walking legs). Acari also have a mode of development in which the formation of the fourth walking leg is suppressed until the nymphal stages, following a hexapodal larva. To determine the number of segments in the posterior body region (opisthosoma) of mites, and to also determine when the fourth walking leg segment is delineated during embryogenesis, we followed the development of segmentation in the oribatid mite Archegozetes longisetosus using time-lapse and scanning electron microscopy, as well as in situ hybridizations of the A. longisetosus orthologues of the segmentation genes engrailed and hedgehog. Our data show that A. longisetosus patterns only two opisthosomal segments, indicating a large degree of segmental fusion or loss. Also, we show that the formation of the fourth walking leg segment is temporally tied to opisthosomal segmentation, the first such observation in any arachnid.
Implementation of a Transdisciplinary Team for the Transition Support of Medically and Socially Complex Youth

Purpose This article reports the ongoing work of a statewide transition support program which serves youth ages 11 to 22 with medically complex conditions and socially complex lives. Methods Seven years of transition support services have led to program evolution demonstrated via a descriptive summary of the patients along with both families' and primary care providers' responses to satisfaction surveys. An illustrative case is used to highlight the types of expertise needed in specialized transition service delivery for patients with significant complexity. The team's analysis of their transdisciplinary work processes further explains the work. Results Nearly three hundred youth with complex needs are served yearly. Families and primary care providers express high satisfaction with the support of the services. The case example shows the broad array of transition-specific services engaged beyond the usual skill set of pediatric or adult care coordination teams. Transdisciplinary team uses skills in collaboration, support, learning, and compromise within a trusting and respectful environment. They describe the shared responsibility and continuous learning of the whole team. Conclusions Youth with complex medical conditions and complex social situations are at higher risk for problems during transition. Serving this population with a transdisciplinary model is time consuming and requires advanced expertise but, with those investments, we can meet the expectations of the youth, their families and primary care providers. Successful transdisciplinary teamwork requires sustained and focused investment. Further work is needed to describe the complexity of this service delivery along with distinct transition outcomes and costs comparisons.
The Non-Equilibrium Structure of a Trichloro-ethene Methane Laminar Diffusion Flame

ABSTRACT Experimental measurements of scalar quantities in laminar counter-flow diffusion flames of mixtures of trichloroethylene (TCE) with methane have been compared with an equilibrium calculation. The data are correlated in terms of a mixture fraction. Data for stable major and minor species were obtained by using gas sampling with gas chromatography (GC) and a GC/mass spectrometer in flames with high (248 s−1) and low (175 s−1) strain rates. Calculations indicated that TCE mass fractions at equilibrium were very small, even at a relatively low temperature (600 K). However, the GC measurements showed that TCE persisted well into the flame. Strain rate was found to have a small but measurable effect on the correlation of species mass fractions and temperature with mixture fraction. The comparison of equilibrium predictions with measurements in mixture fraction space suggests that finite rate chemistry and chemical kinetics should be considered in the modeling of chlorinated hydrocarbon turbulent diffus...
Future Directions for Evidence-Based Pain Management

Many people with spinal cord injury (SCI)—related chronic pain report inadequate relief of pain from the currently available treatment options. As such, it is imperative that the field of SCI pain move forward with novel treatment strategies that are supported by sound scientific investigation. Consensus on an SCI pain classification scheme and collection of standardized pain outcome measures in SCI would facilitate these research endeavors. Controlled trials of novel pharmacological agents and promising combination drug treatments as well as alternative therapies (e.g., massage, acupuncture, exercise) are recommended. The need for advancement in the area of SCI pain management is particularly urgent considering the reports of sensory side effects related to cellular transplant therapies utilized in studies of neuronal regeneration.
Surveillance of upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma: the role of ureteroscopy, retrograde pyelography, cytology and urinalysis.

Purpose: A select group of patients with upper tract transitional cell carcinoma are treated with ureteroscopic resection. We determine the validity and accuracy of urinalysis, bladder cytology, upper tract biopsy/cytology and retrograde pyelography for the detection of recurrent upper tract transitional cell carcinoma compared to endoscopic findings.Materials and Methods: Patients with ureteroscopically treated upper tract transitional cell carcinoma were followed with surveillance every 3 to 6 months. Surveillance included urinalysis with dipstick and microscopic examination, bladder cytology, retrograde pyelography read by a urologist and radiologist, and ureteropyeloscopy with cytology and biopsy of suspicious areas. Not all results were available for all surveillance procedures. Measures of sensitivity and specificity for the aforementioned surveillance procedures were determined relative to endoscopic findings that were defined as the standard. Confidence intervals were also estimated. Initially, a ...
“It’s Way out of my League” Low-income Women’s Experiences of Medicalized Infertility

The cultural construction of motherhood represents women of low socioeconomic status (SES) as excessively fertile, placing them outside of the infertility discourse. Previous research on infertility reinforces poor women’s exclusion by focusing on the experiences of women receiving medical treatment, typically women of high SES. In this article, the author explores how 20 poor and working-class women negotiate their experiences of infertility. In-depth interviews expose the contextual experiences of infertility among women of low SES, specifically revealing the structural inequality apparent within those experiences. The women are not passive objects of dominant discourses; they are active subjects in resisting, redefining, and accepting the discourses according to their contexts. Women of low SES are outsiders—within to dominant understandings and resolutions to infertility. Their unique insights not only provide a more nuanced understanding of infertility but they also begin to deconstruct the stratifie...
Preeclampsia is Associated With Global Cerebral Hemodynamic Changes

To compare blood flow-velocity parameters in the anterior and posterior cerebral arteries between normotensive and preeclamptic pregnant women. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound was used to measure peak, end-diastolic, and mean velocities in the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) and posterior cerebral artery (PCA) of 22 normotensive and 12 preeclamptic women in the third trimester. All measurements were performed with the subject in the left lateral position. Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded with each Doppler measurement. The mean pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI), and cerebral perfusion pressure for each artery was averaged and compared. Statistical significance was set at P <.05. Preeclamptic women had higher cerebral perfusion pressure in both ACA and PCA (64.7 ± 5.9 and 78.1 ± 7.6 compared with 42.4 ± 2.6 and 54.1 ± 4.1 mmHg, P <.05), lower PI (0.83 ± 0.05 and 0.71 ± 0.04 compared with 0.96 ± 0.04 and 0.84 ± 0.02, P <.05), and lower RI (0.55 ± 0.02 and 0.49 ± 0.02 compared with 0.60 ± 0.02 and 0.55 ± 0.01, P <.05) than normotensive pregnant women. Preeclamptic patients have globally elevated cerebral perfusion pressure and lower resistance in the cerebral circulation than normotensive pregnant women.
Signet-ring cell lymphoma.

In a small cleaved, follicular center cell (poorly differentiated) lymphoma the majority of the cells appeared vacuolated by light microscopy. This is an example of the recently described signet-ring cell lymphoma. lmmunoperoxidase staining demonstrated that the cells contained IgG/K. Ultrastructural observations indicated that small vacuoles coalesce to form the large vacuoles, which contain microvesicles approximately 50 nm in diameter.
A quantitative assessment of muscle spindle formation in reinnervated and non-reinnervated grafts of the rat extensor digitorum longus muscle

Abstract Free grafting of the rat extensor digitorum longus muscle disrupts the neurovascular supply and results in degeneration and subsequent regeneration of both muscle and nerve. Reinnervation of one group of grafts was prevented by severing and ligating the sciatic nerve. Thirty days after surgery, the number of muscle spindles in each graft was determined by examination of serial sections at the light-microscopic level. Non-operated control muscles contained 37.86 ± 3.02 ( s.d. ) spindles per muscle. Means for the reinnervated and non-reinnervated grafts were 15.63 ± 3.89 and 18.38 ± 5.15 respectively. At the time of surgery, all of these grafts had been treated with 0.75% bupivacaine, a local anesthetic which, combined with the grafting technique, ensures degeneration of all muscle fibers. An additional group of grafts was not subjected to this treatment and contained a mean of 27.40 ± 2.19 spindles. The embryogenesis of muscle spindles is dependent upon interaction between sensory nerves and developing myotubes. The conditions for the formation of these stretch receptors in regenerating muscle have been less clear. Their formation in non-reinnervated grafts demonstrates that this process, unlike spindle development in the embryo, does not require the presence of nerves. When reinnervation of a graft is allowed, large numbers of nerve fibers have been observed in muscle spindles. It is not yet known whether or not the normal pattern of innervation, essential for proper function of the spindle, is restored.
Synthesis, Resistivity, and Thermal Properties of the Cubic Perovskite NH2CH=NH2SnI3and Related Systems

Abstract Combining concentrated hydriodic acid solutions of tin(II) iodide and formamidine acetate in an inert atmosphere results in the precipitation of a new conducting organic–inorganic compound, NH 2 CH=NH 2 SnI 3 , which at room temperature adopts a cubic perovskite structure. The lattice constant for NH 2 CH=NH 2 SnI 3 is found to be a =6.316(1) A, which is approximately 1.2% larger than that for the isostructural compound CH 3 NH 3 SnI 3 . The electrical resistivity of a pressed pellet of the new compound exhibits semimetallic temperature dependence from 10 to 300 K, with evidence of a structural transition at approximately 75 K. NH 2 CH=NH 2 SnI 3 begins to slowly decompose in an inert atmosphere at temperatures as low as 200°C, with bulk decomposition/melting occurring above 300°C. The properties of the formamidinium-based perovskite are compared with those of the related cubic (at room temperature) perovskite CH 3 NH 3 SnI 3 and the mixed-cation system (CH 3 NH 3 ) 1− x (NH 2 CH=NH 2 ) x SnI 3 .
Public goods provision, inequality and taxes

The impact of redistributive policies on voluntary contributions is still not well understood. While a higher level of redistributive taxation decreases the price of voluntary giving, it also changes the income distribution by decreasing income inequality. This paper provides a controlled laboratory experiment to investigate the net impact of the tax rate on public goods provision. The experimental findings show that while the participants decrease their voluntary contributions as the pre-tax income distribution becomes more equal, they increase their contributions with taxation. These findings have important implications for government policies regarding privately provided public goods.
A Convergence of rRNA and mRNA Quality Control Pathways Revealed by Mechanistic Analysis of Nonfunctional rRNA Decay

Eukaryotes possess numerous quality control systems that monitor both the synthesis of RNA and the integrity of the finished products. We previously demonstrated that Saccharomyces cerevisiae possesses a quality control mechanism, nonfunctional rRNA decay (NRD), capable of detecting and eliminating translationally defective rRNAs. Here we show that NRD can be divided into two mechanistically distinct pathways: one that eliminates rRNAs with deleterious mutations in the decoding site (18S NRD) and one that eliminates rRNAs containing deleterious mutations in the peptidyl transferase center (25S NRD). 18S NRD is dependent on translation elongation and utilizes the same proteins as those participating in no-go mRNA decay (NGD). In cells that accumulate 18S NRD and NGD decay intermediates, both RNA types can be seen in P-bodies. We propose that 18S NRD and NGD are different observable outcomes of the same initiating event: a ribosome stalled inappropriately at a sense codon during translation elongation.
Thermal Stability of Nafion® in Simulated Fuel Cell Environments

Nafion{reg_sign} is an important polymer electrolyte for polymer electrolyte fuel cell applications due to its inertness and high proton conductivity. Operation of these fuel cells for extended periods of time at temperatures approaching 100 C introduces concerns of the thermal stability of the Nafion electrolyte. To simulate the conditions in a fuel cell, Nafion samples were loaded with fuel-cell grade platinum black and heated under atmospheres of nitrogen, 5% hydrogen, or air in a thermal gravimetric analyzer. The products of decomposition were taken directly into a mass spectrometer for identification. In all cases, Nafion was found to be thermally stable up to 280 C, at which temperature the sulfonic acid groups began to decompose. A mechanism for the decomposition is proposed which explains many of the evolved compounds observed during heating.
Ethnicity and physician-older patient communication about alternative therapies.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe ethnic differences in physician-patient communication about alternative therapies, using a data set comprised of audiotapes and transcripts of primary care medical visits. Methods: The data set was collected during 1995 at the family practice and general medicine clinics at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM. Twenty-seven (27) resident physicians and 205 of their Hispanic and non-Hispanic white patients age 50 and over participated. Results: Almost 18 percent of patients reported using one or more alternative therapies during the preceding month. Herbal medicine was the most widely used therapy. Eighty-three percent (83%) of patients who reported using an alternative therapy in the previous month did not tell their physicians. Physicians asked one or more questions about alternative therapies during only 3.4% of encounters. Only 2% of patients asked their physicians one or more questions about alternative therapies. Th...
Optimal Myopic Allocation of a Product with Fixed Lifetime

Allocation policies of a perishable product from a regional centre to n locations in the region are analysed. Optimal myopic rules are derived for two general classes of policies: rotation policies, where unused product that is not outdated is returned to the centre; and retention policies, where returns to the centre are not possible. Costs are charged for every unit short or outdated. It is shown that the optimal myopic rule minimizes both shortage and outdate costs for one period, it is simple to implement in a realistic environment and is independent of the unit costs. Analytic solutions are given for several demand distributions. Finally, an example of application in blood management is presented.
Doc2 is a Ca2+ sensor required for asynchronous neurotransmitter release

Synaptic transmission involves a fast synchronous phase and a slower asynchronous phase of neurotransmitter release that are regulated by distinct Ca(2+) sensors. Though the Ca(2+) sensor for rapid exocytosis, synaptotagmin I, has been studied in depth, the sensor for asynchronous release remains unknown. In a screen for neuronal Ca(2+) sensors that respond to changes in [Ca(2+)] with markedly slower kinetics than synaptotagmin I, we observed that Doc2--another Ca(2+), SNARE, and lipid-binding protein--operates on timescales consistent with asynchronous release. Moreover, up- and downregulation of Doc2 expression levels in hippocampal neurons increased or decreased, respectively, the slow phase of synaptic transmission. Synchronous release, when triggered by single action potentials, was unaffected by manipulation of Doc2 but was enhanced during repetitive stimulation in Doc2 knockdown neurons, potentially due to greater vesicle availability. In summary, we propose that Doc2 is a Ca(2+) sensor that is kinetically tuned to regulate asynchronous neurotransmitter release.
Some approximate relations between terms of the hypergeometric, binomial and poisson distributions

The approximations herein derived are for individual terms of the hypergeometric, binomial and Poisson distributions. They give,simple expressions for the approximate relative errors in the use of either of two binomial approximations to the hypergeometric, and also of the Poisson to either the hypergeometric or the binomial. They may be used to estimate errors involved or as corrections to provide closer approximations to desired probabilities.
Active noise control using a distributed mode flat panel loudspeaker

A flat panel distributed mode loudspeaker (DML) has many advantages over traditional cone speakers in terms of its weight, size, and durability. However, its frequency response is uneven and complex, thus bringing its suitability for active noise control (ANC) under question. This paper presents experimental results demonstrating the effective use of panel DML speakers in an ANC application. Both feedback and feedforward control techniques are considered. Effective feedback control with a flat panel speaker could open up a whole range of new noise control applications and has many advantages over feedforward control. The paper develops a new control algorithm to attenuate tonal noise of a known frequency by feedback control. However, due to the uneven response of the speakers, feedback control is found to be only moderately effective even for this narrow-band application. Feedforward control proves to be most capable for the flat panel speaker. Using feedforward control, the sound pressure level can be significantly reduced in close proximity to an error microphone. The paper demonstrates an interesting application of the flat panel in which the panel is placed in the path of sound and effectively used to block sound transmission using feedforward control. This is a new approach to active noise control enabled by the use of flat panels and can be used to prevent sound from entering into an enclosure in the first place rather than the traditional approach of attempting to cancel sound after it enters the enclosure.
“A case for non-invasive, awake, nonanesthetized, unrestrained imaging”

For neurological conditions, the ability to image brain function during certain physiological conditions is important in elucidating developmental, behavioral, and disease state conditions. Accomplishing this entails imaging a subject in an awake and alert state, but this has its challenges. Primarily, the blurring effect of subject motion during imaging studies is a limiting factor. Until now, the options available to minimize this have been restricted to the use of chemical, e.g. anesthetics, and/or physical restraints such as attaching head immobilization hardware to minimize subject motion induced blurring. Because both physical and chemical restraints perturb normal brain function, the results thus obtained are biased. Furthermore, the plethora of available anesthesia and the varying imaging protocols make it difficult to compare study results both inter- and intra-study. Current efforts towards near-normal state, awake imaging will be presented along with preclinical results obtained from imaging mice.
Invariant multiresolution analysis: theory and applications

The characterization and construction of translation invariant multiresolution system is discussed. Multiresolution basis that provides optimal performance in approximating functions with different translation is considered. Translation variance is defined to be the variance of the energy when projecting input signal under different translation to the vector space constructed by multiresolution basis. It is proved that the translation variant property of all the multiresolution basis onto themselves is a complete representation of the translation variant property of the multiresolution system. By considering scale limited signal expansion in multiresolution analysis, optimal signal adapted multiresolution basis function is defined. The results are used to design optimal signal adapted translation invariant multiresolution basis. Simulation results on the signal adapted translation invariant multiresolution basis in detection problems are presented. The constructed system outperforms tradition multiresolution system that uses translation variant basis.