cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synovial sarcoma presenting as an avascular mass: radiologic-pathologic correlation

Synovial sarcoma is a well-recognized soft tissue malignancy that typically arises in young adults. It is now generally accepted that its origin is likely from undifferentiated mesenchymal tissue with variable epithelial differentiation and a highly specific chromosomal translocation in more than 95 % of cases. The lesion typically presents as a slow-growing soft tissue mass, with MR imaging demonstrating a heterogeneous mass with variable amounts of low-, intermediate- and high-signal intensity on fluid-sensitive images and prominent heterogeneous enhancement, reflecting its vascularity. The relative hypervascularity of synovial sarcoma has been well established and is reflected in its enhancement on MR imaging studies. Contrast enhancement on MR imaging has been long used as a marker for tissue vascularization and perfusion, with malignant lesions generally being more vascular and enhancing more rapidly. We recently encountered a patient with a high-grade synovial sarcoma with no discernable necrosis and no vascularity on contrast-enhanced MR images with the subtraction technique, despite enhancement in adjacent regional metastatic lymph nodes. The pathologic basis for this unusual imaging appearance was a paucity of small-caliber vessels within the sarcoma due to extensive hyalinization of the mass.
Managing Risks in Complex Projects

Dealing effectively with risks in complex projects is difficult and requires management interventions that go beyond simple analytical approaches. This is one finding of a major field study into ri...
Filler Choices in the Rubber Industry

Abstract A wide variety of inorganic fillers are produced for the rubber industry. The most important are the clays, precipitated silicas and silicates, and the ground and precipitated calcium carbonates. The silicas and silicates provide the broadest particle size range falling into the carbon black range from FEF (N550) to finer than SAF (N110). The clays and calcium carbonates are in the larger carbon black particle size range from coarser than thermal black (N990) to FEF (N550). if particle size were the only important parameter determining the usefulness of rubber fillers, these products would meet the requirements presently served by carbon black. Their failure to be interchangeable with the carbon blacks is due to their lower modulus and reinforcement performance. These deficiencies are caused by the nature of their surfaces, which are generally more polar and hydrated than carbon black. This makes them more difficult to adhere to and interact with the rubber phase. In order to improve the surface ...
Expressing Symmetry Breaking in DRAT Proofs

An effective SAT preprocessing technique is the addition of symmetry-breaking predicates: auxiliary clauses that guide a SAT solver away from needless exploration of isomorphic sub-problems. Symmetry-breaking predicates have been in use for over a decade. However, it was not known how to express the addition of these predicates in proofs of unsatisfiability. Hence, results obtained by symmetry breaking cannot be validated by existing proof checkers. We present a method to express the addition of symmetry-breaking predicates in DRAT, a clausal proof format supported by top-tier solvers. We applied this method to generate SAT problems that have not been previously solved without symmetry-breaking predicates. We validated these proofs with an ACL2-based, mechanically-verified DRAT proof checker and the proof-checking tool of SAT Competition 2014.
Electromagnetic Design of Aircraft Synchronous Generator with High Power-Density

This paper discusses the methodology for the electromagnetic design of an aircraft synchronous generator with high power-density. A new method is proposed to more accurately model the air-gap of a salient pole rotor through expanding the inverse of an effective air-gap function. The corresponding magnetic fields from the rotor and stator windings, as well as the expressions of back EMF, are derived using the air-gap model. The stator inner diameter and length are designed by considering a proper cooling scheme and maximum peripheral-speed of the rotor. This allows for design of the stator winding and slot geometry, including the derivation of a formula for the stator core thickness. The air-gap and salient pole shoe face can be designed using the desired specifications for power factor and torque angle. The rotor windings and geometry are subsequently designed. Following the above procedure, a 200 KVA high power-density synchronous generator with 12 krpm rotational velocity is obtained. Finally, the design is verified and finely tuned using ANSYS RMxprt, Maxwell FEM software, and SimuLink.
Testicular vein syndrome

Abstract A case of left hydronephrosis caused by thrombophlebitis of the left testicular vein is presented. Excision of the involved venous segment with ureterolysis relieved the hydronephrosis. A theory is suggested of a possible male counterpart on the ovarian vein syndrome.
Dietary carotenoids and bacterial infection in wild and domestic convict cichlids ( Amatitlania spp.)

Honest signaling of carotenoid-based ornaments may be reinforced by dietary limitation and by competing physiological demands for carotenoids. This study measured dietary carotenoids in a natural population of the convict cichlid Amatitlania siquia, a species in which females possess carotenoid-based ventral coloration. The zoonotic pathogen Edwardsiella spp. was detected in wild A. siquia, but carotenoids in the stomachs of wild fish did not vary significantly with parasite infection. We followed this with a laboratory experiment on domestic convict cichlids to test whether increased dietary carotenoid (s-carotene) would decrease oxidative stress and facilitate clearance of experimental infections of Edwardsiella tarda. Fish maintained on a medium carotenoid diet (similar to the diets of wild fish) recovered from E. tarda infections more rapidly than fish on control diets, though fish on high carotenoid diets did not experience a similar benefit. There was an interaction between carotenoid diet and E. tarda such that uninfected fish on the medium carotenoid diet were significantly more colorful along their ventral surface compared to fish on the control and high carotenoid diets. Neither diet nor E. tarda infection affected oxidative damage, antioxidant capacity, or carotenoid content of the skin. From our field and laboratory data we conclude that carotenoid intake by wild convict cichlids occurs at a rate sufficient to affect bacterial infection and ventral coloration, but more data are needed from wild populations to verify the functional significance of these interactions.
The Textual Form of Knowledge: Occult Miscellanies in Ancient and Medieval Chinese Manuscripts, Fourth Century B.C. to Tenth Century A.D.

In 1900 an itinerant Daoist holy man, Wang Yuanlu 王圓祿, unblocked the entrance to a cave at the Buddhist caves (Mogaoku 莫 高窟) near Dunhuang 敦煌, Gansu, revealing a cache of medieval paper manuscripts (scrolls and booklets) that had not been seen since the cave was sealed in the early eleventh century. The cave, numbered Cave 17 in modern Dunhuang studies, appears to have been a manuscript depository used by the local Buddhist establishment before being sealed when the populace of Dunhuang feared an attack by Islamic Karakhanid forces who in 1006 occupied Khotan (west of Dunhuang on the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert).
RBone: A Self-Organized Resilient Overlay Network

An RBone must be formed and maintained for each different type of security update notification to ensure delivery of the needed security updates. Composed of Revere nodes and the logical links between them, an RBone is the basis of security update dissemination. During security update dissemination, Revere forwards security updates from one node on the RBone to another along the virtual link between them.
Duhamel's Principle

This chapter explains Duhamel's principle applicable to linear parabolic and hyperbolic partial differential equations. It yields an integral representation in terms of the solution of a more tractable partial differential equation. The idea is that to solve a parabolic partial differential equation with a time varying source function and time varying boundary conditions, only a parabolic partial differential equation with a constant source term and constant boundary conditions needs to be solved. The chapter describes the detailed procedure as well as examples. It also highlights that the procedure for hyperbolic partial differential equations is analogous to the procedure for parabolic partial differential equations.
Fire risks due to unintentionally energized metal structures

Improperly grounded electrical equipment can lead to a fire within a home. If electrical equipment in a home is not properly grounded, then an electric fault may cause metal structures (such as hea...
What IS News

This gripping question that sociologist Herbert Gans first asked in his seminal 1979 book, Deciding What’s News, is now more relevant than ever. The concept of mass communication has changed signif...
Effects of Vortical and Entropic Forcing on Detonation Dynamics

Experiments [3] have shown that detonations in non-ideal conditions, i.e., subject to strong boundary turbulence, support an irregular induction region characterized by hot spots and incomplete combustion. The present research examines the interaction of detonation with turbulence with emphasis on structural changes in the induction region. Both entropic and vortical turbulent fluctuations are considered, and related to each other by a strong Reynolds analogy.
Evolutionary Theory and the Reality of Macro-Probabilities

Evolutionary theory is awash with probabilities. For example, natural selection is said to occur when there is variation in fitness, and fitness is standardly decomposed into two components, viability and fertility, each of which is understood probabilistically. With respect to viability, a fertilized egg is said to have a certain chance of surviving to reproductive age; with respect to fertility, an adult is said to have an expected number of offspring.1 There is more to evolutionary theory than the theory of natural selection, and here too one finds probabilistic concepts aplenty. When there is no selection, the theory of neutral evolution says that a gene’s chance of eventually reaching fixation is 1/(2N), where N is the number of organisms in the generation of the diploid population to which the gene belongs. The evolutionary consequences of mutation are likewise conceptualized in terms of the probability per unit time a gene has of changing from one state to another. The examples just mentioned are all “forward-directed” probabilities; they describe the probability of later events, conditional on earlier events. However, evolutionary theory also uses “backwards probabilities” that describe the probability of a cause conditional on its effects; for example, coalescence theory allows one to calculate the expected number of generations in the past that the genes in the present generation find their most recent common ancestor.
Epidemiology of Trauma

Epidemiology of Trauma: Injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the United States. It is the prime reason for years of life lost, and medical costs in the care of children.
A solid-state [2 + 2] photodimerization involving coordination of Ag(I) ions to 2-pyridyl groups

AbstractPhotoreactive Ag(I) complexes of p-toluenesulfonate ions with the unsymmetrical alkene trans-1-(4-acetoxyphenyl)-2-(2-pyridyl)ethylene 1 is reported. The crystal [Ag(p-tol)(1)2]•(H2O) (p-to...
Abstract 191: Paracrine role of endothelial cells in HER3-mediated colon cancer cell survival

INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Median survival of patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC) is ~2.5 years and patients often become resistance to systemic therapy within 1 year of treatment. Therefore, a better understanding of the regulation of CRC cell survival pathways is necessary in the development of new therapeutic strategies that will improve outcomes for patients with mCRC. We have previously demonstrated that endothelial cells (ECs) from the liver, the most common site of CRC metastases, secrete soluble factors in the conditioned medium (CM) that, in turn, increase the cancer stem cell phenotype in CRC cells. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we sought to (1) elucidate the paracrine role of liver ECs in mediating CRC cell growth and chemoresistance, and (2) determine the mechanism(s) involved. METHODS: Primary ECs from non-malignant liver parenchyma were isolated and confirmed. CRC cells were incubated with either their own CM (control) or CM from ECs. The effect of CM on CRC cell growth was determined by the MTT assay. The effect on chemoresistance was determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)-based assay for apoptosis after treating CRC cells with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) either in control CM or EC CM. Effects of CM on CRC tumor growth in vivo was determined using a subcutaneous (subQ) xenograft tumor model. CRC cells were pretreated with control or EC CM and then injected subQ in an inoculation mixture of Matrigel and concentrated CM. Tumor burden was assessed over time by bioluminescence with in vitro imaging system (IVIS) and by measuring tumor volume with calipers. RESULTS: CM from liver ECs significantly increased cell growth and chemoresistance in CRC cells in vitro via activating the AKT pathway. We identified human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3, also known as ERBB3) being the only receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) activated by EC CM. Furthermore, we found that inhibition of HER3, either by a HER3 inhibitor or by HER3 siRNAs, blocked EC CM-induced AKT activation, cell growth, and chemoresistance in CRC cells. In our in vivo tumor model, CRC cells treated with EC CM formed larger tumors with higher growth rates than that with control CM. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated a paracrine role of liver ECs in promoting cell growth and chemoresistance via activating HER3-AKT in CRC cells. Identification of the liver EC-secreted factor(s) for activating CRC-associated HER3 is currently under study. This study suggested a potential strategy of treating mCRC patients with HER3 antibodies/inhibitors that are already being assessed in clinical trials for various cancer types. Citation Format: Rui Wang, Rajat Bhattacharya, Fan Fan, Xiangcang Ye, Delphine Boulbes, Lee M. Ellis. Paracrine role of endothelial cells in HER3-mediated colon cancer cell survival [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 191.
From a Trinitarian Theology of Religion to a Trinitarian Theology of Religions: Bridging ‘First Theology’ and ‘Second Theology’:

This paper examines the problem of a theology of religions without the Trinity and the problem of overemphasizing interreligious dialogue without taking the inner communion identity of the church s...
Stable Alluvial Canal Design

The hypothesis of minimum stream power for stable alluvial channels has been used to derive a condition for alluvial channels in equilibrium. A method incorporating this condition with a flow-resistance formula and a sediment-discharge formula has been developed to compute the width, depth, and slope of stable alluvial channels for a given set of water and sediment discharges. Applying this method yields a design chart that provides the stable width and depth of alluvial canals with trapezoidal shape for a given set of water discharge, channel slope, sediment size, and side slope. Comparing data from some regime canals and small experimental canals has shown good agreement between the observed data and analytical predictions.
Pictorial review of non-traumatic thoracic emergencies in the pediatric population

Non-traumatic thoracic emergencies are commonly encountered emergencies in children. These require prompt diagnosis in order to establish timely management, especially since these patients can rapidly decompensate with hemodynamic and respiratory failure. The objective of this article is to review various non-traumatic emergent chest pathologies in the pediatric population that a radiologist can encounter in a day-to-day practice. These thoracic emergencies are divided into pleuroparenchymal, cardiac, vascular, esophageal, mediastinal, and thoracic cage etiologies. The timely diagnosis of these conditions is essential for the acute management of these emergencies.
Molecular Vibrational Frequencies with Multiple Quantum Protons within the Nuclear-Electronic Orbital Framework

The nuclear-electronic orbital (NEO) approach treats all electrons and specified nuclei, typically protons, on the same quantum mechanical level. Proton vibrational excitations can be calculated using multicomponent time-dependent density functional theory (NEO-TDDFT) for fixed classical nuclei. Recently the NEO-DFT(V) approach was developed to enable the calculation of molecular vibrational frequencies for modes composed of both classical and quantum nuclei. This approach uses input from NEO-TDDFT to construct an extended NEO Hessian that depends on the expectation values of the quantum protons as well as the classical nuclear coordinates. Herein strategies are devised for extending these approaches to molecules with multiple quantum protons in a self-contained, effective, and computationally practical manner. The NEO-TDDFT method is shown to describe vibrational excitations corresponding to collective nuclear motions, such as linear combinations of proton vibrational excitations. The NEO-DFT(V) approach...
Continuing History: Carrying Forward Constant Information Between Well Child Visits

Background A unique aspect of pediatric primary care is the frequency of early preventive care visits. There are 10 recommended well-child visits (WCV) from birth to age 2 years. Repetitive requests within short time intervals for contextual information pertinent to the child’s welfare are redundant and may negatively affect the provider-parent relationship. Objectives To describe an electronic health record (EHR) discrete data Continuing History form associated with age-specific WCV encounter templates. The Continuing History …
Deep learning segmentation of gadolinium-enhancing lesions in multiple sclerosis:

Objective:The aim of this study is to assess the performance of deep learning convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in segmenting gadolinium-enhancing lesions using a large cohort of multiple sclero...
Intraventricular choroid plexus tumors: clinical characteristics and impact of current management on survival

Choroid plexus tumors (CPTs) represent one of the most common intraventricular tumors. Although most are benign, they often reach considerable sizes before clinical manifestation, challenging their surgical management. We aim to describe the clinical characteristics and the impact of current management on the survival of patients harboring intraventricular CPT. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried to identify biopsy-proven intraventricular CPT patients (2004–2015). Demographic and patterns of care were described, the log-rank method was used to independently analyze survival according to age, WHO grade and extent of resection (EOR). Multivariate analysis was performed to investigate the impact of prognostic factors on overall survival (OS). A total of 439 CPT patients with known WHO grade were included. WHO grade I tumors were more frequent in adults, while WHO grade III tumors were more common in pediatric population. Most CPTs were benign, with a median tumor size of 3–4 cm. Mean tumor size in pediatric population was greater than in adult population (4.39 cm vs. 2.7 cm; p 0.0.5). Five- and ten-year OS among all patients was 87% and 84%, respectively. EOR was not associated with survival for any WHO grade. On multivariable analysis, only patient age (p = 0.022), WHO grade (p = 0.003) and medical comorbidity scores (p = 0.002) were independently associated with OS after diagnosis. Patients with CPTs present at different stages of life, with sizable tumor burden and distinct WHO grade prevalence. Considering their favorable survival, efforts to improve tumor control should be meticulously weighed against the long-term risk associated with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Redesigning OmpA Loops Using Canonical Outer Membrane Protein Loop Structures

ABSTRACT Protein loops can be difficult to design and predict. There have been multiple different algorithms developed to predict the structure of loops. Outer membrane proteins are all beta barrels and these barrels have a variety of well-documented loop conformations. Here we test three different algorithms to predict the structure of outer membrane protein loops. We find the PETALS algorithm is superior for this purpose. We then experimentally test the effect of replacing the long loops of outer membrane protein OmpA with twelve shorter designed loops. Though we succeeded in creating the smallest known outer membrane barrel, we find that the designed loops do not have a strong effect on OmpA folding.
Future Invasive Species Research Challenges and Opportunities

Introductions of new invasive species continue with ever-expanding global trade, and the increase in invasive species does not show any sign of saturation for most taxonomic groups. However, some non-native species may arrive in an area and fail to become established or have no measurable impact. Thus, the protection of valued ecosystems depends on reliable knowledge about the species that are or might be invading, the ecosystems that are being invaded, the potential magnitude of different types of harm, the availability and effectiveness of management responses, and the desired state of ecosystems under protection. Primary research is a vital means of gathering that knowledge.
Cyborg Crafts: Second SKIN (Soft Keen INteraction)

Traditional handcraft and modern cyborg culture share a common goal: democratize creation through demonstrations and education. Cyborg Crafts blends techniques from the fiber arts with cyborg-inspired technologies (e.g., open-source biosensing EEG headsets and RFID implants). Second SKIN (Soft Keen INteraction), intended to support this practice, is a handmade collection of four modular soft wearable sensors with a temperature-dependent dynamic display. Each sensor has unique sensor-specific outer shell textures based on non-woven textile techniques, and each supports a different sense: momentary switch, pressure sensor, pinch sensor, and a gesture-detecting, capacitive touch sensor. The interactions of pressing, pinching, and touching are encouraged by sensor-specific extruded designs lending to finger placement. The outer shell textures are made from a mixture of flaxseed mucilage and silicone rubber. Thermochromic pigment additives endow display functionality to these passive devices through the application of heat in excess of 86°F.
Culture: The Link to Learning Transfer:

Organizations worldwide spend large amounts of money and resources on developing their employees, yet the money invested in professional learning (PL) yields low to moderate results at best. Becaus...
Developing a protocol for adapting multimedia patient-reported outcomes measures for low literacy patients.

Background Self-administration of patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) by patients with low literacy is a methodologic and implementation challenge. There is an increasing emphasis on patient-centered care and wider adoption of PROMs to understand outcomes and measure healthcare quality. However, there is a risk that the use of PROMs could perpetuate health disparities unless they are implemented in an inclusive fashion. We present a protocol to adapt validated, text-based PROMs to a multimedia format (mPROMs) to optimize self-administration in populations with limited literacy. We describe the processes used to develop the protocol and the planned protocol implementation. Methods/Design Our study protocol development was guided by the International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) protocol for translating and culturally adapting PROMs to different languages. We used the main components of IQOLA’s protocol to generate a conceptual framework to guide development of a Multimedia Adaptation Protocol (MAP). The MAP, which incorporates human-centered design (HCD) and takes a community-engaged research approach, includes four stages: forward adaptation, backward adaptation, qualitative evaluation, and validation. The MAP employs qualitative and quantitative methods including observation, cognitive and discovery interviews, ideation workshops, prototyping, user testing, co-creation interviews, and psychometric testing. An iterative design is central to the MAP and consistent with both the IQOLA protocol and HCD processes. We will pilot test and execute the MAP to adapt the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Upper Extremity Short Form for use in a mixed literacy hand and upper extremity patient population in Baltimore, Maryland. Discussion The MAP provides an approach for adapting PROMs to a multimedia format. We encourage others to evaluate and test this approach with other questionnaires and patient populations. The development and use of mPROMs has the potential to expand our ability to accurately capture PROs in limited literacy populations and promote equity in PRO measurement.
Association Between Intimate Partner Violence Subtypes and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Hazardous Substance Use.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common problem for women in the United States and is associated with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as hazardous use of substances li...
Production of Gallium-66, A Positron Emitting Nuclide for Radioimmunotherapy

Excitation functions for production of 66Ga via α-induced nuclear reactions on enriched 66Zn have been measured with Eα≤27.3 MeV and Eα≤43.7 MeV employing the stack-thin target technique. In addition, the induced activity of 67Ga in the same sets of targets allowed an evaluation of the excitation functions of the corresponding nuclear reactions.
Mediated Bodies and Learning Space

Heather Greenhalgh-Spencer’s essay, “Re-thinking Bodies in the Traditional Classroom,” applies Michel Foucault’s framework of discipline and surveillance to analyze contemporary debates regarding online education. The essay suggests the need “to take a closer look at the ways bodies are actually used/produced in schooling spaces” (emphases added). To do so, Greenhalgh-Spencer interrogates “four practices/objects of the traditional classroom: the gaze, the chair, the desk, and the ability to move and touch” (emphasis added). Moreover, the author aims to dispel the myth that traditional classrooms are “automatically more humanizing” (emphasis added) than online schooling spaces and the assumption that physical bodies together in social space necessarily lead to individual and collective educational benefits. Indeed, Greenhalgh-Spencer employs insights from diverse theoretical traditions (post-structural history, visual culture, and somatics) to illustrate how classrooms deploy disciplinary techniques of normalization in everything from attention, bodily movement within the room, and physical comportment. While the effects of these techniques may or may not have educational benefits, they are nonetheless quite “harmful” (at least physically) to the (student) bodies that must conform to these regulatory practices. The author concludes that these harmful effects of the “traditional classroom” threaten the potential for “humanizing” spaces of education. In contrast, then, she offers an (admittedly) brief speculative discussion of the potential for online schooling to provide students opportunities for embodied learning through the “freedom” and “choice” of movement. This form of embodied learning, she argues, may ultimately allow for a type of schooling that is “more empowering.”
Investigation of PNPLA3 and IL28B Genotypes on Diabetes and Obesity After Liver Transplantation: Insight Into Mechanisms of Disease

To identify genetic risks for obesity and diabetes postliver transplantation (LT), LT recipients underwent genotyping for IL28B rs12979860 (n = 295) and PNPLA3 rs738409 (n = 205) polymorphism in both donors and recipients. The development of obesity and diabetes/impaired fasting glucose (IFG) was determined 1-5 years post-LT. Recipient PNPLA-3 genotype was independently associated with obesity (BMI > 30) at 3 years posttransplant (genotype CC 33.7%, CG 48.3% and GG 82.4%, p = 0.002), with an odds ratio (OR 2.54, CI 1.38-4.66, p = 0.003), associated with the G allele. Diabetes/IFG diagnosed within 5 years posttransplant associated with PNPLA-3 non-CC genotype (HR 1.59, 1.12-2.26, p = 0.010), but not IL28B TT genotype (HR 1.46, 0.94-2.27, p = 0.092). No genotype variable was independently predictive of diabetes/IFG. The combination of PNPLA-3 non-CC and IL28B TT genotype was associated with increased risk of diabetes/IFG compared to PNPLA-3 CC, IL28B non-TT (HR 2.64, CI 1.30-5.39, p = 0.008). Donor genotypes were not associated with any of the outcomes analyzed. In conclusion, PNPLA-3 non-CC genotype is associated with posttransplant obesity but not independently with diabetes/IFG. The lack of donor related risk suggests a peripheral rather than central mechanism of insulin resistance in liver transplant recipients.
Self-perceived peer acceptance in preschoolers of differing economic and cultural backgrounds.

ABSTRACTSelf-evaluation begins in early childhood and becomes more nuanced as children get older. However, little is known about the specific factors that predict self-perception and in particular peer acceptance, early in life. This is especially true for low-income children and children of different ethnicities. This study examined 4-year-old children's feelings of social acceptance relative to teachers' perceptions. It also explored whether temperament, language skills, traditional parenting, and teachers' perceptions of peer acceptance were related to children's self-perceptions. Using 94 preschoolers from different cultural and economic backgrounds as participants, results of a mixed model analysis of variance indicated that the relation between children's self-perceptions and teachers' ratings were not uniform across economic and cultural groups. In addition, results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that traditional parenting was one of the strongest predictors of children's...
Prevalence of Escherichia coli Associated with a Cabbage Crop Inadvertently Irrigated with Partially Treated Sewage Wastewater

Preharvest contamination of field crops may have many sources, including feces, soil, and irrigation water. In March 2000, a sewage spill released unchlorinated tertiary-treated effluent into a creek used to irrigate commercial produce. A field of young cabbage transplants was irrigated with creek water as the contaminated water flowed past this land. Cabbage samples were taken from plots within this field, and Escherichia coli was isolated from the roots of these plants but not from the edible portion of the cabbage. No E. coli was isolated from water samples or from control samples taken from a nearby cabbage field watered with chlorinated municipal water. The cabbage field under study had not been fertilized with manure for at least 2 years prior to the contamination incident. Six different E. coli serotypes were identified, although none of them proved to be pathogenic. These serotypes were separated into five groups by a RiboPrinter; the resulting groups correlated well with the serotypes and the locations in the field from which these strains were isolated. We previously found that certain nonpathogenic E. coli strains displayed lower levels of adherence to lettuce seedling roots in a hydroponic adherence assay. The E. coli field strains displayed variable patterns of adherence to lettuce seedlings: strain MW421 showed significantly lower root and shoot adherence levels than did the other field strains, while strains MW423 and MW425 showed significantly higher root and shoot adherence levels. These data suggest that water quality is of paramount importance for the food safety of growing crops.
Maternal antibody responses to the 52-kd SSA/RO p200 peptide and the development of fetal conduction defects.

Objective To identify a finer level of antibody specificity for risk of congenital heart block (CHB) than reactivity to 52-kd SSA/Ro (Ro 52). Methods Serum from mothers enrolled in the Research Registry for Neonatal Lupus and the observational PR Interval and Dexamethasone Evaluation (PRIDE) study was evaluated for reactivity against peptide aa200-239 of Ro 52 (p200), recently reported to be associated with a higher risk of CHB. Results The majority of 156 Ro 52–positive sera tested were reactive with p200 (>3 SD above control), irrespective of the clinical status of the child. Optical density (OD) values of p200 did not differ significantly among mothers of children with CHB (mean ± SD 0.187 ± 0.363), mothers of children with rash (mean ± SD 0.176 ± 0.356), and mothers of children without neonatal lupus (mean ± SD 0.229 ± 0.315). Reactivity against p200 was found in 80 of 104 mothers of children with CHB (77%), 24 of 30 mothers of children with rash (80%), and 21 of 22 mothers who delivered healthy children and had no children with neonatal lupus (95%) (P not significant for all comparisons). Sera from 4 mothers of children with CHB with varied p200 titers (OD range 0.025–1.818) bound to the surface of nonpermeabilized apoptotic, but not proliferating, human fetal cardiocytes. In 32 Ro 52–positive women who completed the PRIDE study (22 with no child with neonatal lupus, 7 with a child with CHB, and 3 with a child with rash) in whom p200 levels were determined during pregnancy, the correlation between level of p200 (OD range 0.000–1.170) and maximal fetal PR interval (range 115–168 msec) was not significant (ρ = 0.107, P = 0.58). Conclusion Reactivity to p200 is a dominant but not uniform anti–Ro 52 response in women whose children have CHB. Since exposure to this antibody specificity was observed with a similar frequency in children without CHB born to mothers with anti–Ro 52, additional factors are necessary to convert risk to disease expression.
Time-dependent density-functional theory for ultrafast interband excitations

We formulate a time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) in terms of the density matrix to study ultrafast phenomena in semiconductor structures. A system of equations for the density-matrix components, which is equivalent to the time-dependent Kohn-Sham equation, is derived. From this, we obtain a TDDFT version of the semiconductor Bloch equations, where the electronic many-body effects are taken into account, in principle, exactly. As an example, we study the optical response of a three-dimensional two-band insulator to an external short-time pulsed laser field. We show that the optical absorption spectrum acquires excitonic features when the exchange-correlation potential contains a $1∕{q}^{2}$ Coulomb singularity. A qualitative comparison of the TDDFT optical absorption spectra with the corresponding results obtained within the Hartree-Fock approximation is made.
The effect of discounting on inventory lot sizing models

Abstract This paper examines the conditions under which discounting effects should be considered in modeling inventory systems. Four classical inventory models were considered: basic EOQ, finite production rate, backorder, and general. The results indicate that the significance of the discounting effects depends on the parametric values in the first two models; whereas the discounting effects are significant regardless of the parametric values in the last two models.
Liquid and solid monolayers

A discussion of long-range crystalline order, dimensionality, and diffusion suggests the reasons for solidlike heat capacities of helium monolayers having relatively low characteristic temperatures and large interatomic spacings.
Canonic LC equivalent network transformations

The paper presents a procedure for generating an arbitrary n-port LC canonic network from a known canonic form. A transformation, called the parametric transformation, establishes the relationship between the element values of the two canonic networks. It is established that in certain cases these resulting matrix equations can be solved analytically to establish the canonic forms corresponding to any given canonic network.
The Relative Efficiency of Ranked Set Sampling in Ordinary Least Squares Regression

Ranked set sampling was developed for situations where measurement cost is expensive compared with unit acquisition. This paper presents results of simulations and theory examining the impact of balanced ranked set sampling on the relative efficiencies of the slope and intercept estimators of an ordinary least squares regression. Perfect ranking of either the independent or the dependent variable is assumed throughout. In contradistinction to most of the published ranked set sampling work, it is demonstrated that balanced ranked set sampling offers at most little improvement in the relative efficiencies of the slope estimator at any sample size.
The structure of glycogen from the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

Abstract 1. 1. A sample of glycogen from the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, was subjected to a chain length analysis. 2. 2. The sea urchin glycogen was similar in its branching pattern to that of some other invertebrates, but was slightly more highly branched than rabbit liver glycogen.
A comparison of mothers' and fathers' speech to their 3-year-old sons

The language patterns of 10 mothers and 10 fathers with their firstborn 3-year-old sons were compared. Ten-minute mother-son and father-son conversations were recorded independently in the home during a free-play session with standard play mterials. The findings of this study indicate that although mothers and fathers used a similar number of utterances in conversing with their sons over a 10-minute period, their patterns of speech were different on a number of quantitative measures including MLU, MLU of five longest utterances, percent of imperatives, and percent of questions. In general, fathers' communication was viewed as more controlling and involving the child less, while mothers' communication was viewed as more child-centered and involving the child more.
Does Motivation Predict Persistence and Academic Success

This study researches the relationship between motivation and academic success as measured by the Valence, Instrumentality, and Expectancy Scale. Utilizing Vroom’s Expectancy Theory as the framework, the research assesses the responses of 375 nurse assistant students in the state of Illinois to evaluate the self-report of the constructs of Vroom’s Expectancy theory in relation to their performance on a standardized high stakes test.
Nonlinear saturation spectra of electric fields and density fluctuations in drift wave turbulence

The detection of drift waves in the nonlinear evolution of a space plasma process driven at long wavelengths is considered, adducing measurements of the electric field and density fluctuation power spectra as evidence. Since the driving mechanism is clearly at long wavelengths, the detection of drift waves suggests that they may play an important role in the transfer of wave energy from long to short wavelengths in a low beta plasma. The saturated spectral density is compared with theoretical results in order to estimate the anomalous diffusion rate. The observed spectral form and amplitude is in excellent agreement with drift wave predictions.
Methodologies for realizing the potential of health impact assessment

Abstract Health impact assessment (HIA), a systematic assessment of potential health impacts of proposed public polices, programs, and projects, offers a means to advance population health by bringing public health research to bear on questions of public policy. The United States has been slow to adopt HIA, but considerable strides have been made in many other countries, and under the auspices of the World Health Organization and World Bank. Varied applications in these diverse milieu have given rise to diverse approaches to HIA—quantitative/analytic, participatory, and procedural—each with distinct disciplinary foundations, goals, and methodologies. Suitability of these approaches for different applications and their challenges are highlighted, along with areas in which methodologic work is most needed and most likely to advance the field from theory and infrequent application to more routine practice in the United States.
The influence of canopy green vegetation fraction on spectral measurements over native tallgrass prairie

Abstract Spectral vegetation indices (SVIs) calculated from remotely sensed data are routinely used to monitor spatial and temporal changes in vegetation biophysical characteristics. The most commonly used SVI, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), has been criticized because of its sensitivity to atmospheric conditions and substrate reflectivity, as well as its insensitivity to increases in vegetation biomass past particular thresholds. Yet, the use of NDVI remains widespread and is attractive because of the ease with which it is calculated. This article examines the utility of NDVI for monitoring the biophysical characteristic of green vegetation fraction (GVF) in comparison to other SVIs suggested as improvements. Statistical relationships between spectral response, presented in the form of SVIs, and GVF of a native tallgrass prairie canopy are explored. Broadband spectra were gathered from close-range during the 1999 growing season at the Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS), located in the Flint Hills region of Kansas, USA. Through simple regression analyses, spectra were related to GVF estimates derived from digital color photographs. SVIs evaluated are the NDVI, the Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and the square of scaled NDVI (N*2). Results show that NDVI and N*2 were statistically related to GVF (R2 for NDVI=.77, N*2=.78) throughout the growing season. The least-squares line defining the relationship between N*2 and GVF approximated a 1:1 line. For June sample dates, all three SVIs were significant statistical predictors of GVF (R2 for NDVI=.89, N*2=.91, SAVI=.89). Regression coefficients for late-season sample dates were weaker, yet still significant in statistical terms (R2 for NDVI=.70, N*2=.70). While encouraging, these results suggest that further analyses are required to determine the usefulness of SVIs calculated from broadband devices for estimation of GVF when leaf litter dominates the scene.
Results from the recent flights of the IBM/SAO x-ray telescopes

The instruments on board our Normal Incidence X-ray Telescopes payload and the results obtained during the most recent flights will be described. The payload was launched three times during the 1991 - 1993 period, the last time on April 12, 1993. It contained a main telescope with an 11 inch diameter multilayer coated mirror for (lambda) equals 63.5 angstroms and photographic film as detector. Smaller telescopes for either (lambda) equals 304 angstroms or (lambda) equals 193 angstroms used electronic detection and direct transmission of analog or digital data to the ground station. The flight on the day of the solar eclipse in July 1991 gave us an opportunity to perform a soft-ray knife edge test with the limb of the moon. From the experiment we derive upper limits for the figure errors of the telescope mirror, and we conclude that large mirrors with diffraction limited resolution better than 0.01 arcsec can now be fabricated.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A methodology for determining mechanical properties of macromolecules from ensemble motion data

Abstract This paper presents a methodology for directly determining macromolecular stiffness parameters from ensemble measurements of inter-atomic distances. These stiffness parameters can be used to derive empirical statistical potentials which, by definition, have the effects of solvent built in. A Gaussian network model is used together with methods from equilibrium statistical mechanics to formulate the problem. Ensemble distance measurements could come from a number of experimental modalities including FRET or NMR. The computational method presented here relies on the existence of a complete baseline structure (e.g., from crystallography), but no a-priori assumption of interatomic potentials is required.
Elevated prolactin levels in bronchogenic carcinoma

The frequency and significance of hyperprolactinemia was studied in 21 consecutive, untreated male patients with bronchogenic carcinoma. Seven patients (33%) were found to have elevated serum prolactin (hPRL) levels. No correlation was demonstrated between increased hPRL levels, tissue histology, or tumor burden. L-dopa suppression and/or TRH stimulation tests were obtained in three untreated patients with hyperprolactinemia. The results of these tests were considered normal suggesting hypothalamic control.
Experimental Infection of Brook Trout with Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus Types 1 and 2

Abstract Fry of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis became infected and diseased after immersion exposure to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), but a long-lasting IHNV carrier state was not induced. Duplicate groups of 100 fish were immersed for 6 h in baths containing a type 1 (Round Butte, RB) or a type 2 (Rangen, RA) IHNV isolate at a high or low dose. Brook trout mortalities induced by immersion in a bath of the RB or RA IHNV isolate at 102 plaque-forming units (pfu) per milliliter were equivalent (1 and 0%), but fish were more susceptible to infection with RA IHNV. Only the single dead fish in the RB group was infected, but 24% of the RAexposed fish were infected 1 week after exposure. At a dose of 106 pfu/mL, exposure to RB IHNV resulted in a higher mortality (35%) and prevalence of infection (89% of live fish sampled at 1 week postexposure), but no infectious virus was detectable by 5 weeks after exposure. In contrast, RA IHNV exposure at a dose of 104 pfu/mL resulted in only 5% mortalit...
Effect of blending low-grade anthracite products with bituminous coals on combustion characteristics in a bench-scale stoker simulator

Abstract The combustion behavior of blends of two low-grade anthracite byproducts with two bituminous coals was determined in a bench-scale test apparatus that was designed to simulate the combustion conditions (bed density, bed height, air flow rate, and particle residence time) on a travelling-grate stoker. Axial temperature profiles in the bed at various locations, pressure drops across the bed, and flue gas compositions were monitored at regular time intervals during the experimental runs. Residual ash was analyzed for carbon burnout and clinkering potential. The study revealed that the particle size distribution of the coals influenced the bed conditions during combustion and ultimately the carbon burnout. Blending anthracite byproducts, of appropriate size distribution, with bituminous coals decreased the pressure drop across the bed during combustion and reduced the clinkering potential by reducing the caking properties of the blend and improving the air distribution through the bed. Tempering the fuel bed (with water) had a greater effect on combustion performance than the particle size distribution of the feed coals, since tempering was found to alter the size distribution by agglomerating the fines. Tempering lowered the bed density, produced rapid and uniform travel of the ignition plane, and increased the carbon burnout. Several correlations between the condition of the fuel bed during combustion and the carbon conversion efficiency were obtained.