cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rechallenging Recurrent Glioblastoma with Intra-Arterial Bevacizumab with Blood Brain-Barrier Disruption Results in Radiographic Response.

Background High-dose bevacizumab delivered via super selective intra-arterial cerebral infusion (SIACI) is one promising clinical trial combination for patients with glioblastoma (GBM). Although both continuous intravenous and intra-arterial administration of bevacizumab, and rechallenge with intravenous bevacizumab, have demonstrated improved survival, this is the first description of rechallenging GBM with SIACI of bevacizumab. Case Description We report a case of a 43-year-old woman with recurrent GBM who had received treatment from 3 clinical trials, including a rechallenge with SIACI of bevacizumab. First, she enrolled into a phase I/II trial for patients newly diagnosed with GBM ( NCT01811498 ) and received 3 doses of SIACI bevacizumab over 180 days in addition to standard of care chemotherapy and radiation. Following progression, as indicated on her magnetic resonance imaging scan, she consented for a separate clinical trial for her disease and received 2 cycles of temozolomide with an investigational agent. The patient was removed from the study on tumor progression. Subsequently, she was rechallenged with SIACI of bevacizumab via a third clinical trial ( NCT01269853 ) and then completed 3 intravenous infusions. After completing the third trial, her magnetic resonance imaging scan demonstrated improvement based on Response Assessment In Neuro-Oncology criteria. Conclusions This is the first report to highlight the effect of rechallenging a patient with SIACI of bevacizumab following disease progression after initial bevacizumab treatment and subsequent alternate clinical trial failure. There is a need to conduct further clinical trials to evaluate the benefits of rechallenge with SIACI versus intravenous bevacizumab for GBM and further explore theories of bevacizumab resistance.
Monitoring Laws: Profiling and Identity in the World State

Our world and the people within it are increasingly interpreted and classified by automated systems. At the same time, automated classifications influence what happens in the physical world. These entanglements change what it means to interact with governance, and shift what elements of our identity are knowable and meaningful. In this cyber-physical world, or 'world state', what is the role for law? Specifically, how should law address the claim that computational systems know us better than we know ourselves? Monitoring Laws traces the history of government profiling from the invention of photography through to emerging applications of computer vision for personality and behavioral analysis. It asks what dimensions of profiling have provoked legal intervention in the past, and what is different about contemporary profiling that requires updating our legal tools. This work should be read by anyone interested in how computation is changing society and governance, and what it is about people that law should protect in a computational world.
ABACUS: audio based access control utility for smarthomes

Home Voice Assistants (HVAs), like the Amazon Echo, are increasingly being used to control devices in a smarthome. This paper presents ABACUS, an audio based access control utility for smarthomes. ABACUS is designed to be run on a HVA, and makes use of the sounds in the home to provide additional context information to support richer access control rules. ABACUS also includes a pictorial utility to help non-expert users configure these rules.
[R]evolving Towards Mad: Spinning Away from the Psy/Spy-Complex Through Auto/Biography

I’ve had psychiatric disabilities for much of my life. Life changes caused me to reflect on who I was in the world and to accept them. I began to identify myself as Disabled, and then as Mad, and to unpack the meaning of Madness and neurodivergence in neoliberal culture. I wondered what emerging Mad Studies activism and scholarship might look like. Here, I’ll write about my Mad identity, and my vision of what Mad Studies scholarship might become in a society dominated by psychiatrism, saneism, and the psy-complex. I’ll deploy a performative, poetic narrative to understand and push back against linear, rational discourses to which Mad Studies is naturally opposed, as it offers new ways of thinking and being in a Mad Mad Mad world.
Establishing the learning curve for elbow arthroscopy: surgeon and trainee perspectives on number of cases needed and optimal methods for acquiring skill

Background Elbow arthroscopy has increased in frequency as its indications have widened. Despite this growth, a learning curve has not yet been defined. Hypothesis We hypothesized that there would be significant differences in perspective between trainees and established surgeons for the number of cases needed to reach each skill level and what they felt are the most valuable training tools. Methods Orthopedic attending physicians and trainees were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing participant demographics, case volumes required to reach defined skill levels (novice, safe, competent, proficient, and expert), and the efficacy of various learning methodologies for elbow arthroscopy. The value of educational methods was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = not at all valuable; 5 = extremely valuable). Results The study population consisted of 323 total participants, of whom 224 (69.3%) were attending surgeons and 99 (30.7%) were trainees (resident or fellow physicians). According to the attending physicians, the mean numbers of cases needed to reach each skill level were 19 to be safe, 42 to be competent, 93 to be proficient, and 230 to be expert. These case numbers were not significantly different from the perspectives of trainees. Across the respondents, there were no significant differences in the number of cases needed to reach each level of skill based on the respondents’ level of training, years of experience, type of fellowship, or self-reported skill level.Although both groups highly valued live surgery (4.7 of 5) and cadaveric practice (4.6 of 5) for acquiring skill, attendings placed higher value on reading (4.0 vs. 3.3, P Conclusions There was considerable agreement among attending surgeons and trainees in terms of the number of cases needed to attain various skill levels of elbow arthroscopy, which was consistent regardless of fellowship background, self-reported skill level, career length, and elbow arthroscopy case volume. However, there was some disagreement between attending surgeons and trainees over the most valuable methods for acquiring surgical skill with trainees placing less value on textbooks, surgical videos, and formal courses compared with attending surgeons. An understanding of the elbow arthroscopy learning curve will help trainees and their training programs establish case volume targets before safe, independent practice. Future studies should aim to clinically validate this learning curve.
Mathematics and Executive Function Competencies in the Context of Interventions: A Quantile Regression Analysis

Research on young children’s development of executive function (EF) and early mathematics has established relationships between the two, but studies have not investigated whether these relations di...
Enabling allogeneic therapies: CIRM-funded strategies for immune tolerance and immune evasion

A major goal for the field of regenerative medicine is to enable the safe and durable engraftment of allogeneic tissues and organs. In contrast to autologous therapies, allogeneic therapies can be produced for many patients, thus reducing costs and increasing availability. However, the need to overcome strong immune system barriers to engraftment poses a significant biological challenge to widespread adoption of allogeneic therapies. While the use of powerful immunosuppressant drugs has enabled the engraftment of lifesaving organ transplants, these drugs have serious side effects and often the organ is eventually rejected by the recipient immune system. Two conceptually different strategies have emerged to enable durable engraftment of allogeneic therapies in the absence of immune suppression. One strategy is to induce immune tolerance of the transplant, either by creating "mixed chimerism" in the hematopoietic system, or by retraining the immune system using modified thymic epithelial cells. The second strategy is to evade the immune system altogether, either by engineering the donor tissue to be "invisible" to the immune system, or by sequestering the donor tissue in an immune impermeable barrier. We give examples of research funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in each of these areas, ranging from early discovery-stage work through clinical trials. The advancements that are being made in this area hold promise that many more patients will be able to benefit from regenerative medicine therapies in the future.
COVID-19 and the Law: A Compilation of Legal Resources

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a number of questions concerning the law. These legal issues involve not only international law, but also the national laws of the nation-states affected by this global crisis. Commentators from around the world have considered many of these legal issues and offered their insights in a variety of online forums. This matrix brings together all known resources (e.g., journal articles, online commentaries, opinion-editorials, and press statements) on the legal aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides internet hyperlinks to all of these online publications. Aggregating nearly 1,000 legal resources, the compilation is organized by 33 topics and subtopics, including: • INTERNATIONAL LAW (International Law: Generally, Advisory Court Opinions, Demographics and Discrimination, Development, Disaster Relief Law, Global Health Security, Human Rights, Information and Cyber, International Criminal Law, International Environmental Law, International Humanitarian Law, International Migration Law and Travel, International Peace and Security, International Trade Law, Investment Treaties, Maritime Security and Safety Law, State Obligations, State Responsibility, Terrorism, Transnational Organized Crime); • NATIONAL LAW (Civil Liability, Employment Law, Intellectual Property); • NATIONAL SECURITY LAW (Civil Liberties and Rights, Continuity of Government, Emergency Powers, Federalism, Immigration, Information and Cyber, Law Enforcement, Military Support, Surveillance); and • LAW-RELATED TOPIC (Teaching Law).
4G Antipode: Remote Control of a Ground Vehicle From Around the World

Remote control of vehicles (in the air, on the land, and on the sea) is usually performed with a custom radio link. However, with the prevalence of cellular networks, command and control via 4G cellular networks is possible. In this work, we demonstrate control of a remote-controlled vehicle at two points on the Earth that are almost the antipodes (opposite sides of the Earth), at a distance of 18 500 km apart. A remote video link is also provided. This demonstrates the longest distance yet of control of a vehicle via a 4G cellular link.
Sudden switching in two-state systems

Analytic solutions are developed for two-state systems (e.g. qubits) strongly perturbed by a series of rapidly changing pulses, called 'kicks'. The evolution matrix may be expressed as a time-ordered product of evolution matrices for single kicks. Single, double and triple kicks are explicitly considered, and the onset of observability of time ordering is examined. The effects of different order of kicks on the dynamics of the system are studied and compared with effects of time ordering in general. To determine the range of validity of this approach, the effect of using pulses of finite widths for 2s–2p transitions in atomic hydrogen is examined numerically.
Abstract 14523: N-acetylcysteine for the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation After Noncardiac Thoracic Surgery: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial

Introduction: Adding N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to amiodarone may mitigate inflammation and oxidative stress, preventing postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF). NAC, reported to reduce cardiac surger...
The potential use of MALDI Sepsityper™ technology for rapid diagnosis of septicemia in dairy calves

Neonatal calf diarrhea is the leading cause of calf mortality in the United States and can be associated with more severe sequela including septicemia. The current preferred method for diagnosing septicemia in these patients is culture-based and can take a week or more to provide bacterial identification. Therefore, this method is impractical to use when rapid treatment is necessary. In most instances, farm personnel give antibiotics empirically without confirmation of sepsis or identification of the causative agent, raising concerns over unnecessary or suboptimal antibiotic administration. A more recent alternative method for diagnosing bacteremia involves utilization of a Sepsityper™ kit in conjunction with matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), though this has not been employed extensively in veterinary medicine. This kit provides the ability to prepare a small sample of positive blood culture fluid for rapid bacterial identification, ultimately detecting bacteria causing sepsis 1 to 3 days sooner than traditional diagnostic measures. The sensitivity and specificity of this method for diagnosing septicemia has not been established in veterinary medicine. Therefore, the objective of this study was to ascertain these values and compare the use of Sepsityper with MALDI to current culture-based methods of detecting sepsis in diarrheic dairy calves. We hypothesized that the Sepsityper method would demonstrate more rapid and sensitive results for detecting bacteremia than traditional culture-based methods.
Inelastic equation of state for solids

Abstract A complete inelastic equation of state (IEOS) for solids is developed based on a superposition of thermodynamic energy potentials. The IEOS allows for a tensorial stress state by including an isochoric hyperelastic Helmholtz potential in addition to the zero-kelvin isotherm and lattice vibration energy contributions. Inelasticity is introduced through the nonlinear equations of finite strain plasticity which utilize the temperature dependent Johnson–Cook yield model. Material failure is incorporated into the model by a coupling of the damage history variable to the energy potentials. The numerical evaluation of the IEOS requires a nonlinear solution of stress, temperature and history variables associated with elastic trial states for stress and temperature. The model is implemented into the ALEGRA shock and multi-physics code and the applications presented include single element deformation paths, the Taylor anvil problem and an energetically driven thermo-mechanical problem.
Large- and Medium-sized Arteries Remaining in Transmural Scar Distal to Permanent Coronary Ligation Undergo Neointimal Hyperplasia and Inward Remodeling.

This study aimed to investigate the structural integrity and dynamic changes in chronically occluded residual arteries found in post–myocardial infarction (MI) scar. A transmural MI was induced in ...
Examining Path Sequences to Identify Categories of Teacher Informational Website Use During Ongoing Professional Development

Informational resource websites have been used in conjunction with teacher professional development (PD) programs to support teachers’ learning activities and to provide just-in-time and on-demand information. Investigations into ways in which these websites are used in conjunction with PD activities can reveal important details about professional learning processes, as well as providing a way to evaluate whether resource websites are useful and have impact on professional learning. In this mixed-methods study, the authors investigate sequences of informational website page views using a co-occurrence matrix algorithm approach to identify high-frequency sequences of pages visited by 56 PD participants during a 14-week ongoing PD program. From these sequences, the authors use a qualitative coding process identify five broad categories of website use among the teacher participants. The identification of these categories is a useful step toward developing more robust understandings of the effects of using informational websites in conjunction with other PD activities.
The role of orientation in the MEL response of OLEDs

Magneto electroluminescence (MEL) is emerging as a powerful tool to study spin dynamics in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). The shape of the MEL response is typically used to draw qualitative inference on the dominant process (singlet fission or triplet fusion) in the device. In this study, we develop a quantitative model for MEL and apply it to devices based on rubrene, and three solution processable anthradithiophene emitters. The four emitters allow us to systematically vary the film structure between highly textured, poly-crystalline to amorphous. We find significant diversity in the MEL, with the textured films giving highly structured responses. We find that the additional structure does not coincide with energy anti-crossings, but intersections in the singlet character between adjacent states. In all cases the MEL can be adequately described by an extended Merrifield model. Via the inclusion of charge injection, we are able to draw additional information on underlying physics in OLED devices.
Withlacoochee River County Park, a Little Gem in the Great Green Swamp

Mid-summer. The Florida sandhill is a desperate location for any living thing. The sun is unrelenting and all of the recommendations about a wide-brimmed hat, drinking plenty of water, donning light clothing, and being ‘summer smart’ seem ineffective. Not a single bird sings in the tremendous heat and the only sound comes from the brush of wiregrass, the crackle of last fall’s turkey oak leaves, and the crunch of longleaf pinecones under foot. The environment offers fewer obstacles here than an oak hammock or a pine flatwood system, and a kicked pinecone soars into the goal of a patch of saw palmetto twenty feet from my boot. I throw up my arms indicating ‘goal!’ before the heat reminds me who is boss around here. Then a rumble of thunder, gathering clouds and the promise of a rain offer a possible respite. But first I retreat a couple of hundred feet to the banks of the slow, gathering waters of the Withlacoochee River.
A Study of Feasibility and Diversity of Web Audio Fingerprints

Prior measurement studies on browser fingerprinting have unfortunately largely excluded Web Audio API-based fingerprinting in their analysis. We address this issue by conducting the first systematic study of effectiveness of web audio fingerprinting mechanisms. We focus on studying the feasibility and diversity properties of web audio fingerprinting. Along with 3 known audio fingerprinting vectors, we designed and implemented 4 new audio fingerprint vectors that work by obtaining FFTs of waveforms generated via different methods. Our study analyzed audio fingerprints from 2093 web users and presents new insights into the nature of Web Audio fingerprints. First, we show that audio fingeprinting vectors, unlike other prior vectors, reveal an apparent fickleness with some users' browsers giving away differing fingerprints in repeated attempts. However, we show that it is possible to devise a graph-based analysis mechanism to collectively consider all the different fingerprints of users and thus craft a stable fingerprinting mechanism. Our analysis also shows that it is possible to do this in a timely fashion. Next, we investigate the diversity of audio fingerprints and compare this with prior techniques. Our results show that audio fingerprints are much less diverse than other vectors with only 95 distinct fingerprints among 2093 users. At the same time, further analysis shows that web audio fingerprinting can potentially bring considerable additive value (in terms of entropy) to existing fingerprinting mechanisms. We also show that our results contradict the current security and privacy recommendations provided by W3C regarding audio fingerprinting. Overall, our systematic study allows browser developers to gauge the degree of privacy invasion presented by audio fingerprinting thus helping them take a more informed stance when designing privacy protection features in the future.
Contrast-enhanced proton radiographic sensitivity limits for tumor detection.

Purpose: Proton radiography may guide proton therapy cancer treatments with beam’s-eye-view anatomical images and a proton-based estimation of proton stopping power. However, without contrast enhancement, proton radiography will not be able to distinguish tumor from tissue. To provide this contrast, functionalized, high-Z nanoparticles that specifically target a tumor could be injected into a patient before imaging. We conducted this study to understand the ability of gold, as a high-Z, biologically compatible tracer, to differentiate tumors from surrounding tissue. Approach: Acrylic and gold phantoms simulate a tumor tagged with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Calculations correlate a given thickness of gold to levels of tumor AuNP uptake reported in the literature. An identity, ×3, and ×7 proton magnifying lens acquired lens-refocused proton radiographs at the 800-MeV LANSCE proton beam. The effects of gold in the phantoms, in terms of percent density change, were observed as changes in measured transmission. Variable areal densities of acrylic modeled the thickness of the human body. Results: A 1-μm-thick gold strip was discernible within 1 cm of acrylic, an areal density change of 0.2%. Behind 20 cm of acrylic, a 40-μm gold strip was visible. A 1-cm-diameter tumor tagged with 1 × 105 50-nm AuNPs per cell has an amount of contrast agent embedded within it that is equivalent to a 65-μm thickness of gold, an areal density change of 0.63% in a tissue thickness of 20 cm, which is expected to be visible in a typical proton radiograph. Conclusions: We indicate that AuNP-enhanced proton radiography might be a feasible technology to provide image-guidance to proton therapy, potentially reducing off-target effects and sparing nearby tissue. These data can be used to develop treatment plans and clinical applications can be derived from the simulations.
Abstract W P340: Emergency Department Nurses Collaborate With Long Term Care Facilities for Stroke Patients

Background and Purpose: Stroke treatment is often delayed before patients reach the emergency department (ED). Some patients arrive in time to receive medication that can reverse new stroke symptoms. Some are not as fortunate. They are either admitted to the palliative unit, or discharged only to live with their new disabilities possibly for the rest of their lives. In 2013, nurses observed many long term care (LTC) patients were not getting to the ED in time to receive tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), a medication used to reverse stroke symptoms. The purpose of this process improvement was to increase the number of LTC patients with stroke symptoms arriving in the ED within the tPA window. Methods: To determine how many patients from nursing homes were missing the tPA window, data from the ED’s records was abstracted from the month of June 2013. The sample size was all patients who presented with possible stroke symptoms, and who were also from LTC facilities. Surprisingly, 100% of LTC patients presen...
X-Ray and Bremsstrahlung Production in Nuclear Reactions

While the role of the atomic electrons in nuclear physics has been explored thoroughly, nuclear effects on atomic interactions have remained relatively unstudied. Atomic electrons can play an important role in γ-decay (internal conversion) or beta decay (electron capture) especially when the normal nuclear decay rates are small, e.g., when they are suppressed by unfavorable selection rules or energies. Aside from providing the all-important Coulomb field, nuclei have little effect on the atom, however. Through hyperfine interactions, nuclei perturb atomic energy levels slightly (and vice versa). These interactions have been the subject of many studies. In the case of atomic collisions, nuclear interactions play no role unless the two atomic nuclei come together, a relatively unlikely process. Atomic excitation normally occurs at impact parameters of the order of the atomic or inner-shell radii, which are enormous compared with the size of the nuclei. Also, in spite of this, atomic physicists generally avoid making measurements of electron excitation cross sections or probabilities in collisions where nuclear reactions are possible. Most measurements are made with low-energy projectiles that cannot overcome the nuclear Coulomb barrier.
Abstract: semantic technology at the new york times: lessons learned and future directions

At last year’s International Semantic Web Conference, The New York Times Company announced the release of our Linked Open Data Platform available at http://data.nytimes.com . In the subsequent year, we have continued our efforts in this space and learned many valuable lessons. In our remarks, we will review these lessons; demonstrate innovative prototypes built on our linked data; explore the future of RDF and RDFa in the News Industry and announce an exciting new milestone in our Linked Data efforts.
Opportunities for Scaling FET's for Gigascale Integration (GSI)

Using two-and three dimensional analytical and numerical models, scaling limits derived from small-geometry degradation of subthreshold characteristics are compared for six different FET structures in bulk Si, SOI and GaAs technologies. For Si devices, the low impurity channel MOSFET can be scaled down to L min = 0.045?m and the dual gate SOI MOSFET to L min = 0.028?m. The GaAs MESFET can be scaled to L min = 0.13?m and the AlGaAs/GaAs MODFET to 0.095?m. The key physical effect which enables small values of L min is the relative strength of the coupling between the gate and channel charge distributions.
An investigation of the presence and nature of phyllosilicates on the surfaces of C asteroids by an analysis of the continuum slopes in their near-infrared spectra

Abstract– To understand the nature of C asteroid surfaces, which are often related to phyllosilicates and C chondrites, we report near-infrared spectra for a suite of phyllosilicates, heated to 100–1100 °C in 100 °C intervals, and compare the results for telescope IRTF spectra for 11 C asteroids. As C asteroids have relatively featureless spectra, we focus on “continuum plots” (1.0–1.75 μm slope against 1.8–2.5 μm slope). We compare the continuum plots of the 11 C asteroids and our heated phyllosilicates with literature data for C chondrites. The CI, CR, CK, and CV chondrite meteorites plot in the C asteroid field, whereas CM chondrites plot in a close but discrete field. All are well separated from the large phyllosilicate field. Heating kaolinite and montmorillonite to ≥700 °C moves their continua slopes into the C asteroid field, whereas chlorite and serpentine slopes move into the CM chondrite field. Water losses during heating are generally 10–15 wt% and were associated with a 20–70% albedo drop. Our data are consistent with surfaces of the C asteroids consisting of the dehydration products of montmorillonite whereas the CM chondrites are the dehydration products of serpentine and chlorite. The presence of opaque minerals and evaporites does not provide quantitative explanations for the difference in continua slopes of the phyllosilicates and C asteroids. The CM chondrites can also be linked to the C asteroids by heating. We suggest that the CM chondrites are interior samples, and the presence of a 3 μm feature in C asteroid spectra also indicates the excavation of material.
Molecular correlations with fracture in fibers and granular-filled composites

Results are presented for an experimental electron spin resonance study of chain-scission kinetics in oriented nylon fibers and in granular-filled elastomer composites. A reaction-rate molecular model is proposed as a tool to predict failure under various loadings. The model assumes a statistical distribution in stress on the polymeric chain structure. Interfacial failure in the filled composites is examined. Failure at the interface between the filler and the matrix may be largely adhesive or cohesive, depending on the magnitude of the interactive forces. It appears that the mechanical behavior of both single-component and filled composites depends on the composite nature of the structure. The electron spin resonance technique is shown to be suitable for experimental observation of phenomena directly related to atomic occurrences.
Issues in Parsing

Based on the arguments presented in this paper, there is good reason to believe that natural language parsing, in its initial syntactic stage, does not need: a highly structured lexicon empty categories or trace elements, or the goal of describing only the grammatical structures of a language.
Wheelchair Transfer Simulations to Enhance Procedural Skills and Clinical Reasoning.

OBJECTIVE We describe an educational intervention that involved simulation scenarios of medically complex patients to teach transfer training and promote clinical reasoning. METHOD Scenarios were developed with practitioner input that described (1) a patient who was acutely ill, (2) a critical medical management event that occurred during a bed-to-wheelchair transfer of the patient, and (3) an occupational need. Transfer training, using the scenarios, occurred in a high-technology laboratory with SimMan(®) and a mock hospital suite. Evaluation was based on student performance and perceptions of simulation effectiveness. RESULTS On average, students completed 66%-88% of the transfer items correctly. Student performance suggested that the simulation scenarios were more difficult than practitioners rated them. Students rated the simulation scenarios as effective teaching tools. CONCLUSION Scenario use in simulations for transfer training makes a positive curricular contribution to teaching procedural skills and clinical reasoning simultaneously.
Men as Teachers

This paper describes an empowerment-based program to improve the parenting abilities of low-income African American men. Eight African American male consumers of a Head Start Program developed self-help groups on parenting and participated in training to colead those groups. Content analysis was used to define the major themes which the men discuss in their groups. The themes included having control of one's own destiny; challenging racism; the meaning of fatherhood; the need to work as a collective to resist oppression; teaching children about violence, sexuality, and substance abuse; fostering pride in the African American culture; and teaching children to survive in a racially hostile world.
Investigating Students' Ideas About Buoyancy and the Influence of Haptic Feedback

While haptics (simulated touch) represents a potential breakthrough technology for science teaching and learning, there is relatively little research into its differential impact in the context of teaching and learning. This paper describes the testing of a haptically enhanced simulation (HES) for learning about buoyancy. Despite a lifetime of everyday experiences, a scientifically sound explanation of buoyancy remains difficult to construct for many. It requires the integration of domain-specific knowledge regarding density, fluid, force, gravity, mass, weight, and buoyancy. Prior studies suggest that novices often focus on only one dimension of the sinking and floating phenomenon. Our HES was designed to promote the integration of the subconcepts of density and buoyant forces and stresses the relationship between the object itself and the surrounding fluid. The study employed a randomized pretest–posttest control group research design and a suite of measures including an open-ended prompt and objective content questions to provide insights into the influence of haptic feedback on undergraduate students’ thinking about buoyancy. A convenience sample (n = 40) was drawn from a university’s population of undergraduate elementary education majors. Two groups were formed from haptic feedback (n = 22) and no haptic feedback (n = 18). Through content analysis, discernible differences were seen in the posttest explanations sinking and floating across treatment groups. Learners that experienced the haptic feedback made more frequent use of “haptically grounded” terms (e.g., mass, gravity, buoyant force, pushing), leading us to begin to build a local theory of language-mediated haptic cognition.
A Clinical Screening Procedure for Assessing Consonant Cluster Production

This paper describes a 64-item clinical screening task designed to assess the accuracy of children's consonant cluster productions. This procedure is designed to help speech-language pathologists develop intervention programs to improve children's production of clusters by facilitating the identification of error patterns. Once such patterns have been identified, individualized treatment programs designed to maximize generalization may be developed. The task was administered to 100 4- and 5-year-old subjects to assess the technical adequacy of the procedure. Internal consistency reliability of the task was high, and the procedure was also shown to assess an appropriately diverse array of word-initial and word-final consonant clusters. Finally, the construct validity of the task was supported by factor analytic procedures.
Comparing Panelists' Understanding of Standard Setting across Multiple Levels of an Alternate Science Assessment.

Large-scale assessment programs, including alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS), must provide evidence of technical quality and validity. This study provides information about the technical quality of one AA-AAS by evaluating the standard setting for the science component. The assessment was designed to have three levels of cognitive difficulty, where each student is administered only the most appropriate level. The current study investigated panelists' levels of understanding during standard setting to explore whether there were differences based on cognitive level of the test. Data were collected at various time points through the use of open- and closed-ended questionnaires. Panelists reported that they understood the Performance Level Descriptor development and standard setting tasks and had common concerns and levels of understandings across levels of the AA-AAS.
Business implications of knowledge-based systems

This two part paper explores management issues raised by expert systems (ES). In the first section, a brief history of ES is presented, and the competitive potential of ES is analyzed from a business policy perspective. The second section, appearing in the next issue, discusses development and implementation issues of ES. Both sections highlight similarities and differences between expert systems and other types of information systems.
Polyamines as olfactory stimuli in the goldfish Carassius auratus.

SUMMARY Electrophysiological responses of goldfish olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) and goldfish behavioral responses to polyamines were investigated in vivo . Electro-olfactogram (EOG) recordings indicated that polyamines (putrescine, cadaverine and spermine) are potent olfactory stimuli for goldfish with estimated electrophysiological thresholds of 10 –8 –10 –7 mol l –1 , similar to that for L-arginine, the most stimulatory amino acid. Although thresholds were similar, the magnitude of the EOG responses to intermediate (10 –5 –10 –4 mol l –1 ) and high (10 –3 mol l –1 ) concentrations of polyamines dwarfed the responses to amino acids and related single amine containing compounds (amylamine and butylamine). The EOG responses to 0.1 mmol l –1 putrescine, cadaverine and spermine were, respectively, 4.2×, 4.3× and 10.3× the response of the standard, 0.1 mmol l –1 L-arginine. Electrophysiological cross-adaptation experiments indicated that polyamine receptor sites are independent from those to L-amino acids (alanine, arginine, glutamate, lysine, methionine and ornithine), bile salts (sodium taurocholate and taurolithocholate), the single amine containing compounds (amylamine and butylamine) and ATP. Further, the cross-adaptation experiments revealed the existence of independent receptor sites for the different polyamines tested. Pharmacological experiments suggested that polyamine odorant transduction does not primarily involve the cyclic AMP and IP 3 second messenger pathways. Behavioral assays indicated that polyamines are attractants that elicit feeding behavior similar to that elicited by L-amino acids.
VIRTUAL STATES AND RESONANCES.

Abstract The distinction between an s-wave virtual state and a resonance is explained by exhibiting the characteristic phase shifts and scattering cross-section shapes attributable to each. They are described in both R-matrix and S-matrix terms, and the relation between these two parametrizations is explained. As an application, in the two succeding papers we investigate the energy dependence of the s-wave neutron strength function and show how it is affected by the presence of a virtual state in the complex optical potential. Such a state is expected to occur for A ≈ 50 and A ≈ 150, where the 3s and 4s optical states are slightly unbound.
Light, puberty, and aggression: A proximal mechanism hypothesis

Rapidly accumulating evidence indicates that light reduces the human pineal's inhibitory effect on the gonads. Artificially extended daily photoperiods, by allowing increased production of gonadal steroids, have probably accentuated the secular growth trend and may be causing males, especially adolescents and young adults, to have an overready hormonal response to situations which elicit aggressive behavior.
SU-EE-A4-02: Evaluation of Ultrasound Localization Versus MV Portal Images of Fiducial Markers in Prostates

Purpose: This pilot study evaluated prostate localization by comparing ultrasoundimages to orthogonal MV portal images of fiducial markers implanted into the prostate. Method and Materials: Each prostate patient had gold fiducial markers implanted into his prostate prior to simulation. The Restitu™ ultrasound system (Resonant Medical, Inc.) was used to acquire the ultrasoundimages. The first ultrasoundimage was acquired immediately prior to acquiring the CT simulation image. These images were fused using the CT isocenter, and the prostate reference volume was contoured for each patient. This contour included a portion of the inferior bladder wall near the trigone to assist with daily localization. Each day, therapists acquired an ultrasoundimage and overlaid the prostate reference volume contour onto the current image. Orthogonal MV portal images were then acquired. Displacements of imaged fiducials from their expected locations as observed on the DRRs were removed by shifting the couch if the displacements exceeded 5 mm. Following treatment, the location of each fiducial in all 3 directions was measured on the final portal images for each day and averaged to measure the final prostate location. Differences in where the ultrasoundimage and where the portal images of fiducials would locate the prostate were compared. Results: For 11 patients, the differences are less than 6.1 mm within the 95% confidence interval. For 1 patient, ultrasound imaging did not consistently reproduce the prostate location to within 10 mm as compared to fiducials via our technique. Sources of deviation include slight discrepancies in calibrating the ultrasound systems, slice spacing, different users, fusion discrepancies, image quality, and random uncertainties. Conclusion: For most patients, ultrasound and ports of fiducials provide comparable localization information for prostates. However, sources of disagreement still exist. Anatomical landmarks can be useful in most cases but can also be misleading if improperly used.
On the Erdős-Sós conjecture for graphs having no path with k+4 vertices

Abstract When G is a graph with average degree greater than k − 2 , Erdős and Gallai proved that G contains a path on k vertices. Erdős and Sos conjectured that under the same condition, G should contain every tree on k vertices. Several results based upon the number of vertices in G have been proved including the special cases where G has exactly k vertices (Zhou), k + 1 vertices (Slater, Teo and Yap), k + 2 vertices (Woźniak) and k + 3 vertices (Tiner). To strengthen these results, we will prove that the Erdős-Sos conjecture holds when the graph G contains no path with k + 4 vertices (no restriction is imposed on the number of vertices of G ).
Geometric Liouville gravity

A new geometric formulation of Liouville gravity based on the area preserving diffeomorphism is given and a possible alternative to reinterpret Liouville gravity is suggested, namely, a scalar field coupled to two-dimensional gravity with a curvature constraint.
l-lactate or pyruvate stimulated growth of novikoff rat hepatoma cells

Novikoff rat hepatoma cells (subline N1S1-67) grew when 30 mM L-lactate or pyruvate was substituted for D-glucose in Swim's medium 67 supplemented with dialyzed calf bovine serum. A 2.6-fold increase in cell number (1.34 generations) was obtained. RNA, DNA, protein and dry weight increased in proportion to the cell number. In control medium lacking L-lactate, pyruvate or D-glucose, cell growth of 0.42 generation was obtained. Growth with L-lactate was dependent on the L-lactate concentration up to 30 mM at which the greatest increase in cell number occurred. Significant growth did not occur when D-lactate, glycerol, acetate, alpha-ketoglutarate, succinate or malate, each at 30 mM, was substituted for D-glucose. Growth in the medium containing L-lactate was not due to the utilization of D-glucose or some other substrate carried into the culture with the inoculum. Medium contamination by D-glucose was insufficient to explain the growth obtained in the medium containing L-lactate, but could have accounted for growth in the control medium. Throughout growth, the concentration of L-lactate in the medium remained unchanged. The increase in cell number cannot be explained by L-lactate triggering the utilization of glycogen, nor by oxidation and degradation of protein, amino acids, fatty acids, or carbohydrate moieties of glycoprotein in the medium. L-Lactate does not serve as a significant carbon or energy source in the growth of these cells.
The renin-angiotensin system and hypertension

Presentation of the Forum is made possible by grants from Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals Inc., Smith Kline & French Laboratories, Burroughs Wellcome Company, Ciba Pharmaceutical Company, and Boehringer Ingelheim Ltd.
Production of RNA for Transcriptomic Analysis from Mouse Spinal Cord Motor Neuron Cell Bodies by Laser Capture Microdissection

Preparation of high-quality RNA from cells of interest is critical to precise and meaningful analysis of transcriptional differences among cell types or between the same cell type in health and disease or following pharmacologic treatments. In the spinal cord, such preparation from motor neurons, the target of interest in many neurologic and neurodegenerative diseases, is complicated by the fact that motor neurons represent <10% of the total cell population. Laser capture microdissection (LMD) has been developed to address this problem. Here, we describe a protocol to quickly recover, freeze, and section mouse spinal cord to avoid RNA damage by endogenous and exogenous RNases, followed by staining with Azure B in 70% ethanol to identify the motor neurons while keeping endogenous RNase inhibited. LMD is then used to capture the stained neurons directly into guanidine thiocyanate lysis buffer, maintaining RNA integrity. Standard techniques are used to recover the total RNA and measure its integrity. This material can then be used for downstream analysis of the transcripts by RNA-seq and qRT-PCR.
Fitness and habitat segregation of British tree‐hole mosquitoes

. 1 Populations of three mosquitoes, Aedes geniculutus (Olivier), Anopheles plumbeus Stephens and Culex torrentium Martini, were found in three types of tree holes: rot holes penetrating the bark of the host tree and exposed, or deeper, more cryptic, bark-lined buttress holes. Aedes geniculatus occupied all three tree-hole types but reached their greatest abundance in exposed buttress holes; A.plumbeus predominated in rot holes; C.torrentium occupied buttress holes exclusively. 2 After a 1 month period of winter freezing, larvae of A.plumbeus survived better than larvae of A. genicularus. Freeze resistance of A.plumbeus increased from cryptic buttress to rot holes. Freeze resistance of A.geniculatus declined from exposed buttress to cryptic buttress to rot holes and was markedly higher in more protected than in more exposed macrohabitats. 3 Among manipulated larval cohorts of A.geniculutus and A.plumbeus, survivorship, pupation success, pupal weight, and/or biomass yield did not differ among tree-hole types or was the reverse of freeze-related survivorship. Despite seasonal differences in fitness correlates, annual fitness may be similar among tree-hole types for both species. Manipulations carried out at a single census or during a single season are therefore likely to produce misleading information about fitness variation among sub-habitats. 4 Both species should exploit a broad range of tree-hole types but A.plumbeus occupies more restricted types of tree holes than does A.geniculutus. The restricted habitat usage by A.plumbeus does not parallel their fitness among tree-hole types in southern Britain but does resemble that of other tree-hole anophelenes. We therefore propose that habitat selection by A.plumbeus is more likely due to their phylogenetically determined physiological tolerances and behaviour than to competition from coexisting A.geniculatus.
Biochemical origins of lactaldehyde and hydroxyacetone in Methanocaldococcus jannaschii.

The biochemical routes for the metabolism of methylglyoxal and the formation of lactaldehyde and hydroxyacetone in Methanocaldococcus jannaschii have been established. The addition of methylglyoxal and NADH, NADPH, F420H2, or DTT to a M. jannaschii cell extract stimulated the production of both lactaldehyde and hydroxyacetone. Using appropriately labeled NADH, NADPH, and F420H2, hydride transfer was only observed from F420H2 to lactaldehyde. It was shown that cell extracts of this Archaea readily catalyzed the F420H2-dependent reduction of methylglyoxal to lactaldehyde, a precursor of the lactate found in coenzyme F420. This conversion was established by measuring the incorporation of deuterium from (5RS)[5-2H1]F420H2 into the C-2 position of the formed lactaldehyde. In vivo generated (5R)[5-2H1]F420H2 was also found to incorporate deuterium into lactaldehyde. The experimental data indicated that the pro-R hydrogen of F420H2 was transferred during the reduction. The stereochemistry of this transfer was op...
Costs and benefits of maternal behaviour in the green lynx spider (Oxyopidae, Peucetia viridans)

Abstract I examined the adaptiveness of maternal behaviour in the green lynx spider Peucetia viridans (Hentz), by measuring the costs and benefits to the female of egg-sac tending. P. viridans guards her egg sac for 6–8 weeks until the young have emerged and dispersed. I removed females from egg sacs in the field either immediately after oviposition or after they had guarded the egg sacs for 2 weeks, and compared the fate of these sacs with that of control sacs which had females present throughout. Survival rates of egg sacs were significantly improved by the presence of a female. The major sources of mortality were ant predation and sac dislodgement, both of which were significantly reduced by a guarding female, and mantispid brood parasitism, which was not affected by the female. To measure the spiders' lifetime reproductive output, I allowed caged females to construct egg sacs. Half had their first egg sac removed shortly after oviposition, while half were allowed to guard. Significantly more non-guarding than guarding females produced second egg sacs. Thus for the green lynx spider, egg sac guarding decreases lifetime egg production, but increases offspring survival. Under north Florida conditions, the benefits of guarding outweight the costs, and the females have a higher lifetime reproductive success than if they did not guard.