cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emotional Robot to Examine Differences in Play Patterns and Affective Response of Children with and Without ASD

Robots are often employed to proactively engage children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in well-defined physical or social activities to promote specific educational or therapeutic outcomes. However, much can also be learned by leveraging a robot's unique ability to objectively deliver stimuli in a consistent, repeatable way and record child-robot interactions that may be indicative of developmental ability and autism severity in this population. In this study, we elicited affective responses with an emotion-simulating robot and recorded child-robot interactions and child-other interactions during robot emotion states. This research makes two key contributions. First, we analyzed child-robot interactions and affective responses to an emotion-simulating robot to explore differences between the responses of typically developing children and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Next, we characterized play and affective responsivity and its connection to severity of autism symptoms using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) calibrated severity scores. This preliminary work delivers a novel and robust robot-enabled technique for (1) differentiating child-robot interactions of a group of very young children with ASD (n=12) from a group of typically developing children (n=15) and, (2) characterizing within-group differences in play and affective response that may be associated with symptoms of autism severity.
Ich gönne mir das Wort Gott

Gott in der Literatur unserer Zeit? Die Frage scheint schon lange beantwortet zu sein: »Verschwiegen« und verborgen, »verloren« und verabschiedet sei er, sogrundlegende Studien zur Thematik. Die hinter der Frage aufscheinende Suche finde nur ein Ergebnis: »Gott liebt es, sich zu verstecken«. Der Blick in die Gegenwartsliteraturkonnte dann nur eines erbringen: eine erneute Bestatigung derGottesverdunstung, der resignativen Einsicht in die standig schwindende Prasenzdes Gottesgedanken in der Gegenwartskultur.
Report from the 2016 University of California, San Francisco, Center for Reproductive Sciences retreat.

On June 2-3, 2016, the Center for Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), hosted its annual meeting in partnership with the Wiley-Blackwell Journal Molecular Reproduction and Development (MRD). The meeting was held at the Observation Post at the Presidio of San Francisco, in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Meeting participants included clinicians, scientists, students, and post-doctoral fellows. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Echo: Doppler II

Doppler echocardiography is an important tool in the assessment of valvular regurgitation. Indexes that are used include color Doppler, pulsed wave Doppler, and continuous wave Doppler. In mitral valve regurgitation, echocardiography allows characterization of the valve morphology, the severity of regurgitation, and associated hemodynamic and anatomic effects.
Exploring the Future of Development Learning: The Open Learning Campus.

The Open Learning Campus is changing the landscape for development learning around the world. By incorporating innovative ways of sharing knowledge across development professionals, partners, and clients, OLC provides learners a real opportunity to seamlessly and efficiently learn and grow, thereby increasing motivation and retention. This study explores the Open Learning Campus, its knowledge sharing tools and systems, as well as its impact within and outside the World Bank Group.
Seeking Ways to Inform the Uninformed: Improving the Informed Consent Process in Online Social Science Research:

Participants often do not read consent forms in social science research. This is not surprising, especially for online studies, given they do not typically offer greater risk than what is encountered in daily life. However, if no one is reading, are participants really informed? This study used previous research to craft experimentally manipulated consent forms utilizing different visual presentations (e.g., greater use of line spacing, bullets, bolding, diagrams). Participants (n = 547) were randomly exposed to one of seven form variations. Results found no significant differences between forms in reading or comprehension. Open-ended questions asked participants why they do not read consent forms and what would influence them to read the forms. Participants most frequently stated forms need to be shorter, and important information needs to be highlighted. We suggest improvements to informed consent forms, including removing much of the information that is constant across forms, and only including unique ...
Dual-Interlocked Logic for Single-Event Transient Mitigation

A combinational logic family, termed dual-interlocked logic (DIL), designed for single-event transient (SET) mitigation has been fabricated at a 16nm/14nm bulk FinFET technology generation and irradiated with heavy ions. Through both simulation and heavy-ion irradiation, DIL is shown to be robust to both single- and dual-node strikes. Results are compared to cascode voltage switch and standard logic to show the effectiveness of the logic family in mitigating SETs at the gate level. Three exemplar radiation-hardened-by-design synchronous systems using DIL, spatial triple modular redundancy (TMR), and temporal TMR are compared across area, power, delay, and hardness relative to an unhardened baseline system. The system utilizing DIL exhibits desirable tradeoffs compared to spatial and temporal TMRs.
Abstract 408: Enzyme Modified LDL Induces Migration and Calcification of Human Coronary Artery SMCs

Background: Enzyme modified LDL (ELDL) is present in human atherosclerotic lesions and is a major foam cell-forming modified LDL for murine vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) as reported by us previously. Here we study ELDL and its effects on human coronary artery SMC (HCASMC) in vitro. Methods and Results: Incubation of HCASMC with 10 μg/ml ELDL (trypsin, cholesterol esterase modified) resulted in significant foam cell formation (analyzed by Oil Red O, lipid measurement) compared to HCASMC incubated with oxidized LDL (200 μg/ml; -75%, p 25%, p Conclusions: ELDL is highly potent in inducing foam cells in cultured HCASMC. Whole genome expression and bioinformatics analysis indicate up-regulation of pathways linked to osteochondrogenic transformation. BMP-2 and ANGPTL4 are significantly upregulated in ELDL-induced HCASMC foam cells. These results point to the potential of ELDL to induce migratory and osteoblastic effects in HCASMC with potential implications in SMC migration and calcification in human atherosclerosis.
Imaging of pediatric pathology in the intensive care nursery using a custom handheld, ultra-compact, swept-source OCT probe (Conference Presentation)

OCT is the gold standard for clinical diagnosis and treatment of many retinal diseases. Most clinical OCT systems are table top systems that can only image seated, compliant patients that can fixate. These systems are incapable of imaging several important patient populations including bedridden patients and infants. In this work we describe the use of a custom, light weight, handheld OCT probe based on a high speed swept source engine for imaging in the intensive care nursery. The probe uses custom optics, optomechanics, and a MEMS mirror to achieve a weight of only 211g. The portability and imaging speed of this probe facilitates repeat, volumetric, bedside imaging in a challenging imaging environment. To date we have imaged over 43 pre-term and full-term infants in the intensive care nursery, with some patients having up to 15 imaging sessions starting at 30 weeks post menstrual age. Volumetric OCT enables visualization of the complex 3D structures associated with retinal pathology that is unavailable to slower, B-scan based probes. Repeat imaging shows the development of both normal and diseased retinal structures. We believe that OCT imaging of these infants will reveal retinal abnormalities, enable further study of pediatric retinal diseases, and allow for better management and prediction of future visual outcomes.
Laser Heterodyne Probes

The technique Laser heterodyne probing goes to the late 1960’s when it was first applied to visualise surface acoustic wave field distributions. Since then, the applications have broadened out into a number of other areal such as imaging, optical communications and metrology.
Preparation of extended in vitro cultures of bovine hepatocytes that are hormonally responsive.

Hepatocytes isolated from male dairy calves were used in monolayer culture or in suspension culture to determine their suitability for the study of hormonal regulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis. The rate of gluconeogenesis (nanomoles of 2.5 mM [2-14C]propionate incorporated into glucose.microgram of DNA-1.hour-1) was higher for monolayers than for suspension cultures. Gluconeogenesis and ureagenesis (nanomoles of urea N formed.microgram of DNA-1.3 hours-1) were similar in monolayers cultured for 24 and 48 h but declined by 120 h. Ureagenesis was barely detectable in suspension cultures. Glucagon (10 nM) increased gluconeogenesis from propionate in monolayers but was without effect on suspension cultures. Actinomycin D (800 nM) and cycloheximide (200 microM) abolished glucagon stimulation of gluconeogenesis, suggesting that glucagon acts to mediate gene expression. Prolonged exposure (45 h) of monolayers to insulin (1,000 nM) decreased basal gluconeogenic rates but did not affect glucagon-stimulated gluconeogenesis. Prior incubation with glucose or valerate did not affect gluconeogenesis. Cells can be successfully maintained in serum-free media for 41 h at the expense of diminished basal gluconeogenic activity. Culture of bovine hepatocytes as monolayers provides a useful tool for the study of chronic and acute hormonal regulation of specific liver functions in the bovine.
THROMBOCYTE SIZE DISTRIBUTION ANALYSIS

A new method of analyzing platelet size distribution derived from an Electrozone™ computerized platelet size analyzer is discussed. The method utilizes a modification of a Gaussian distribution to curve fit the data. The new procedure provides an excellent fit of the distribution. In addition it furnishes values for the mean channels size and two parameters relating to the standard deviation of the curve. Studies are being done to determine the diagnostic significance of these parameters.
Effect of boar exposure at time of insemination on factors influencing fertility in gilts.

The effect of boar exposure during artificial insemination (AI) on semen backflow, fertilization, and embryo quality was evaluated. Gilts (approximately 170 d) were induced into estrus with PG600, and ovulation was synchronized using hCG 72 h later. Estrus detection was initiated after PG600 and continued at 12-h intervals. At estrus, gilts were allotted to receive boar exposure (BE, n = 20) or no boar exposure (NBE, n = 20) during AI. Gilts receiving NBE were identified to be in estrus prior to AI and the boar was then removed for 1 h, whereas gilts in the BE group received 15 min of exposure during AI. Insemination occurred in crates at 12 and 24 h after onset of estrus with 3 x 10(9) sperm/80 mL. Backflow was collected continuously with samples taken at time 0, (during AI), and at 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 2, 4, and 8 h after first and second AI. The effect of treatment was evaluated for time of insemination (min), backflow (mL), and sperm in backflow samples. Oviducts were flushed 2 d after first AI to evaluate the effect oftreatment on fertilization rate, accessory sperm numbers on embryos (scored 1 to 5), and embryo quality. There was no effect of first or second AI; therefore, data were pooled. Average duration of AI was 3.7 +/- 0.2 min and was not influenced by BE (P 0.10). However, more accessory sperm (P or = 11 sperm/embryo) compared to BE embryos ( 0.10). In conclusion, AI in the presence of a mature boar did not affect total semen leakage, sperm loss, fertilized embryos, or embryo quality. The importance of boar exposure during insemination was evident from less leakage during insemination, but had no effect on fertility; this suggests that the elimination of boar exposure during AI may not be deleterious to reproductive performance.
1935. “Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality Be Considered Complete?”: The EPR Experiment and Complementarity

This chapter offers an analysis of Bohr’s exchanges with Einstein concerning the completeness and locality of quantum mechanics, most especially Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen’s article and Bohr’s reply, both published under the same title—“Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality Be Considered Complete?”—in 1935. EPR’s article introduced a thought experiment, the EPR experiment, and offered a particular argument concerning it, EPR’s argument (to be distinguished from the EPR experiment), which led EPR to conclude that quantum mechanics is incomplete, or else nonlocal, in the sense of entailing instantaneous physical connections between events, connections forbidden by relativity. These conclusions were questioned by Bohr in his reply, which offers a different analysis of the EPR experiment and derives different conclusions concerning its meaning and implications. While important for Bohr and Einstein (and a few others at the time), the EPR experiment and the Bohr–Einstein exchange concerning it had been somewhat marginal to the debate concerning quantum theory, until Bell’s and related theorems discovered in the 1960s and then the experimental findings associated with these theorems. These developments have brought the EPR experiment to center stage of this debate, indeed largely defined now by the key questions posed by the experiment, especially those concerning the locality of quantum phenomena and quantum mechanics.
Expansion behavior and pair correlations in continuously excited Rydberg systems

We study cumulative excitation of Rydberg atoms in blockaded and facilitated regimes. In order to observe the evolution of the system into a steady state, we employ excitation durations extending to longer than the kinetic time scale and the Rydberg-atom lifetime. Despite the presence of strong van der Waals repulsion, the most probable separation between atoms remains fixed due to the continual Rydberg excitation. This indicates that the time scale on which facilitated excitation replenishes the expanding Rydberg-atom cloud is faster than the van der Waals expansion time scale. The cloud expansion velocities are observed to be slower than the terminal velocity of Rydberg-atom pairs prepared at the facilitation radius and subject to binary van der Waals interaction. Atom statistics in the facilitated regime show bimodal Poissonian distributions, an observation we attribute to the statistical nature of the facilitation process. One peak is due to facilitation avalanches that produce many Rydberg atoms and the other reflects cases in which the facilitation does not gain traction.
Drug-induced acute pneumonitis following initiation of flecainide therapy after pulmonary vein isolation ablation in a patient with mitral stenosis and previous chronic amiodarone use.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most commonly encountered sustained tachyarrhythmia. Flecainide is a class IC antiarrhythmic drug used frequently for treatment of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.1 Common cardiac and noncardiac side effects of flecainide are well described and recognized in clinical practice. Subacute flecainide lung toxicity has been described in a small number of case reports2, 3, 4 but is not commonly recognized or well understood. Here we report a case of acute drug-induced pneumonitis after flecainide administration and discuss key points in the recognition and management of this rare but potentially serious clinical scenario.
Reporting and Categorization of Blood Culture Contaminants in Infants and Young Children: A Scoping Review.

Background Blood cultures are obtained routinely for infants and young children for the evaluation for serious bacterial infection. Isolation of organisms that represent possible contaminants poses a management challenge. The prevalence of bacteremia reported in this population is potentially biased by inconsistent contaminant categorization reported in the literature. Our aim was to systematically review the definition and reporting of contaminants within the literature regarding infant bacteremia. Methods A search of studies published between 1986 and mid-September 2016 was conducted using Medline/PubMed. Included studies examined children aged 0 to 36 months for whom blood culture was performed as part of a serious bacterial infection evaluation. Studies that involved children in an intensive care unit, prematurely born children, and immunocompromised children or those with an indwelling catheter/device were excluded. Data extracted included contaminant designation methodology, organisms classified as contaminants and pathogens, and contamination and bacteremia rates. Discussion Our search yielded 1335 articles, and 69 of them met our inclusion criteria. The methodology used to define contaminants was described in 37 (54%) study reports, and 16 (23%) reported contamination rates, which ranged from 0.5% to 22.8%. Studies defined contaminants according to organism species (n = 22), according to the patient's clinical management (n = 4), and using multifactorial approaches (n = 11). Many common organisms, particularly Gram-positive cocci, were inconsistently categorized as pathogens or contaminants. Conclusions Reporting and categorization of blood culture contamination are inconsistent within the pediatric bacteremia literature, which limits our ability to estimate the prevalence of bacteremia. Although contaminants are characterized most frequently according to organism, we found inconsistency regarding the classification of certain common organisms. A standardized approach to contaminant reporting is needed.
Quantitative Ultrasound and the Pancreas: Demonstration of Early Detection Capability.

OBJECTIVES To show that quantitative ultrasound biomarkers attenuation (AC) and backscatter (BSC) coefficients are effective tools to detect early changes in acute pancreatitis, using a cerulein-induced pancreatitis rat model. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 68) were divided into 8 groups: uninjected cage controls, saline-injected controls, and cerulein-injected rats euthanized at 2, 4, 15, 24, 48, and 60 hours after injection. Pancreatic AC and BSC (25-55 MHz) were estimated in vivo (Vevo 2100, VisualSonics, Toronto, CA) and ex vivo (40-MHz transducer). The pancreas of each rat was evaluated histopathologically. RESULTS Changes in both in vivo and ex vivo AC and BSC relative to controls reflected temporal histomorphologic changes. Overall, there were decreased AC and BSC at early time points and then rebound toward control values over time. Maximal in vivo AC and BSC decreases occurred at 2 hours after cerulein injection. Attenuation coefficient changes corresponded well with early pancreatic edema and acinar cell vacuolation, with rebound as edema decreased, autophagy/cellular death occurred, and histiocytic infiltrates and fibrosis manifested. Backscatter coefficient decreased early but rebounded as autophagy and apoptosis increased, only to fall as acinar atrophy peaked, and fibrosis and histiocytic infiltration increased. CONCLUSIONS Cerulein-induced pancreatitis is an excellent model for studying ultrasonic AC and BSC biomarkers during the early stages of acute pancreatitits, reflecting microscopic structural changes. Edema followed by cell shrinkage and apoptosis, then histiocytic infiltration and fibrosis, has certain similarities with the morphologies of some forms of pancreatic carcinoma. This suggests that quantitative ultrasound may be very useful for early detection of disease onset or response to therapy for not only acute pancreatitis but also pancreatic cancer.
Competence for Criminal Adjudication: The Emerging Significance of Decisional Competence

The practice of assessing and adjudicating competence for criminal adjudication in the United States developed largely without assistance from the U.S. Supreme Court or other appellate courts for most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. However, the need for appellate guidance became evident in the 1980s, especially regarding the significance of mental or emotional conditions that can impair capacity for rational decision-making. In a series of articles in the early 1990s, I called attention to emerging issues regarding “decisional competence” and speculated about possible approaches for resolving them. During the past twenty-five years, some governing principles have come into view, but important issues remain unresolved. After a brief review of the historical and conceptual foundations of the competence requirement, the article focuses on two decisions in which the Supreme Court has addressed decisional competence. In Godinez v. Moran (1993), the Court ruled that a pretrial finding that the defendant was competent to stand trial established that he was competent to waive representation by counsel and plead guilty because the test for competence is the same in all three contexts. However, in Edwards v. Indiana (2007), the Court held that a defendant who is competent to stand trial while being represented by counsel may not be competent to represent himself at trial. Although these decisions are not strictly contradictory, they are in deep tension with one another. This article attempts to set the law on a coherent path by highlighting the significance of doubts about decisional competence in both cases. In so doing, it sometimes draws on a personal account of the recent intellectual and scientific history of competence for criminal adjudication.
Incidence and Risk of Severe Ileus after Orthopedic Surgery: A Case-Control Study:

BackgroundPost-operative ileus (POI) is common and can be associated with significant morbidity.Questions/PurposesWe aimed to identify the incidence of and risk factors associated with severe post-...
A Real-Time Search for Interstellar Impacts on the Moon

Abstract The discovery of ‘Oumuamua and CNEOS 2014-01-08 allowed for a calibration of the impact rate of interstellar objects. We propose a new telescope in lunar orbit to study in real-time interstellar meteoroid impacts and to serve as a laboratory for hypervelocity collisions. We show that a telescope with diameter D a ≳ 2 m would be capable of detecting ≳ 1 interstellar meteoroid impacts (among hundreds of Solar System meteoroid impacts) per year. For each meteoroid, measurements of the reflected sunlight and shadow, as well as the impact's optical flash and crater, would allow for the determination of the 3D velocity, mass, density, and composition, as well as the radiative efficiency.
Cost Analysis of Audiovisual-Assisted Therapeutic Ambiance in Radiation Therapy (AVATAR)-Aided Omission of Anesthesia in Radiation for Pediatric Malignancies.

Abstract Purpose Because children cannot reliably remain immobile during radiation therapy (RT) for cancer anatomy targeting requiring millimeter precision, daily anesthesia plays a large role in each RT session. Unfortunately, anesthesia is a source of financial burden for patients' families and is invasive and traumatic. This study attempts to assess the cost-savings benefit of audiovisual-assisted therapeutic ambiance in radiation therapy (AVATAR)-aided omission of pediatric anesthesia in RT. Methods and Materials The baseline time of anesthesia during RT was derived from documented anesthesia billing time during RT simulation at our institution and from the published literature. Current Procedural Terminology and relative value unit codes encompassing anesthesia-related charges from radiation oncology and anesthesia were analyzed in concert with this value to calculate the total cost of pediatric anesthesia per RT session. Results The mean number of RT fractions administered per patient with AVATAR-directed anesthesia omission at our institution was 19.0, similar to the 17.6 previously reported. At a mean anesthesia time exceeding 30 minutes (with mean RT duration of 4 weeks), the cost of pediatric anesthesia per RT fraction in non-AVATAR sessions was $1,904.35, yielding a total RT treatment anesthesia cost of $38,087.00 per patient (including simulation). Patients at our institution were not billed for AVATAR-assisted RT. Conclusions The ability of AVATAR to obviate the need for daily anesthesia in pediatric RT provides substantial cost-savings. These findings argue for increased utilization of AVATAR and for analyses of RT targeting the accuracy of AVATAR versus conventional anesthesia-guided treatment of pediatric malignancies.
Quasiparticle conductance in spin valve Josephson structures

We study the quasiparticle current in clean ferromagnetic Josephson structures of the form ${S}_{1}/{F}_{1}/N/{F}_{2}/{S}_{2}$, where $S,F$, and $N$ denote superconducting, ferromagnetic, or normal layers, respectively. Our focus is on the structure of the conductance $G$ as a function of bias $V$, emphasizing the subgap region. We use a fully self-consistent numerical method, coupled to a transfer matrix procedure to extract $G(V)$. We choose material parameters appropriate to experimentally realized Co Cu Nb structures. We find a resonance peak structure as a function of the intermediate layer thickness and of the misalignment angle $\ensuremath{\phi}$ between $F$ layers. To understand this resonance structure, we develop an approximate analytic method. For experimentally relevant thicknesses, the conductance has multiple subgap peaks, which oscillate in position between low and critical bias positions. These oscillations occur in both $\ensuremath{\phi}$ and the layer thicknesses. We compare our results with those obtained for the spin valve structures $({F}_{1}/N/{F}_{2}/{S}_{2})$ and discuss the implications of our results for the fabrication of spin Josephson devices.
Manipulating music to communicate automation reliability in conditionally automated driving: A driving simulator study

Abstract With increasing vehicle automation, drivers are likely to engage in non-driving related tasks. However, before fully autonomous vehicles can be achieved, drivers remain the fallback when automation limits are reached and/or in unexpected situations. Transition from automated to manual control could be particularly difficult for drivers who are “out-of-the-loop”. To support safe and smooth control transition, we adopted the blended sonification approach in manipulating background music to convey information about the reliability level of the automation. A driving simulator study consisting of 36 participants was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of sonification feedback—three levels of system reliability was mapped to background music pitch levels—on takeover events. Participants were assigned to one of three groups that received continuous sonification feedback, intermittent sonification feedback, or no feedback about automation reliability. The proposed blended music sonification was found effective in increasing monitoring behavior and decreasing visual response times to takeover requests during automated driving. Steering control in a takeover scenario that required substantial amount of maneuvering also benefitted from having sonification feedback. There was some evidence that sonification feedback provided continuously was more effective than when it was provided intermittently, possibly related to observed differences in the associated glance patterns. In conclusion, blended sonification may be an effective approach in helping drivers stay on the loop during automated driving, although the study was limited to the choice of music examined. Our future work will investigate how best to combine automation reliability information and traffic situational information to better support situation awareness and facilitate task-switching in automated driving.
Should PLEX Be Used for Severe AKI and/or Pulmonary Hemorrhage in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis (AAV)? COMMENTARY

“To plasmapherese (PLEX) or not to PLEX” is a question in the induction therapy for patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (1). Drs. Glassock and Derebail present differing yet sometimes overlapping conclusions to this question in their virtual debate. Their erudite analysis carefully examines the available literature from their respective pro or con positions. To focus the issues, let us consider three real-life patients who illustrate the quandary of when, or whether, PLEX should be used. A 32-year-old mother of three is coughing up blood in the emergency room, complaining of worsening fatigue over the past 3 weeks. Physical examination 7 months prior was unremarkable; hemoglobin was 12.8 mg/dl, and serum creatinine was 0.7 mg/dl. Urinalysis was not performed. She describes new, dark, “tea-colored” urine over the past 2 days. Urinalysis shows numerous red blood cells and red cell casts. Kidney biopsy reveals pauci-immune necrotizing and crescentic glomerulonephritis (GN) with necrosis and crescents in three of seven glomeruli. There is minimal or no interstitial infiltrate, fibrosis, or tubular atrophy. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) ANCA is positive at a titer of 93 (normal <20). High-resolution chest computed tomography reveals diffuse alveolar infiltrates with minimal bronchial abnormalities involving multiple lung lobes. Oxygen saturation is 88% on 2 L of oxygen. The diagnosis is MPO ANCA with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage and necrotizing and crescentic GN. In addition to glucocorticoids and intravenous cyclophosphamide/rituximab, would you order plasmapheresis? Dr. Derebail would argue that this patient should receive plasmapheresis. Dr. Glassock specifies that no randomized, controlled trials of PLEX as therapy for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage are available and concludes that “PEXIVAS is not very informative regarding the utility of PLEX …
The Causal Relationship of Sex, Pregnancy, Lactation, and Breastfeeding and the Meaning of "Because of . . . Sex" Under Title VII

This article explores the decisions of a number of courts that have found that lactating and breastfeeding women are not entitled to the protections of Title VII and explains why those decisions are wrong. The article then explains how these issues should be treated under the normal application of Title VII principles, including the scope of protected groups generally and principles of sexual stereotyping, and discusses how the theories of disparate treatment and disparate impact would be applied to claims of discrimination against lactating women. Finally, the article explains why the recent enactment of a provision in the Health Care Bill requiring employers to provide breaks to lactating women to express milk does not eliminate the need for courts to recognize discrimination on the basis of lactation and breastfeeding as sex discrimination under Title VII.
Independent transcriptomic and proteomic regulation by type I and II protein arginine methyltransferases.

Summary Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) catalyze the post-translational monomethylation (Rme1), asymmetric (Rme2a), or symmetric (Rme2s) dimethylation of arginine. To determine the cellular consequences of type I (Rme2a) and II (Rme2s) PRMTs, we developed and integrated multiple approaches. First, we determined total cellular dimethylarginine levels, revealing that Rme2s was ∼3% of total Rme2 and that this percentage was dependent upon cell type and PRMT inhibition status. Second, we quantitatively characterized in vitro substrates of the major enzymes and expanded upon PRMT substrate recognition motifs. We also compiled our data with publicly available methylarginine-modified residues into a comprehensive database. Third, we inhibited type I and II PRMTs and performed proteomic and transcriptomic analyses to reveal their phenotypic consequences. These experiments revealed both overlapping and independent PRMT substrates and cellular functions. Overall, this study expands upon PRMT substrate diversity, the arginine methylome, and the complex interplay of type I and II PRMTs.
Antwort des Autors: Ist Freuds Theorie gut fundiert?

Logisch und historisch galten die klinischen Daten [zur Definition s. Anm. 3 im einleitenden Beitrag, S. 3] von der Couch als Hauptgrundlage des psychoanalytischen Unternehmens; sie dienten sowohl als heuristischer Wegweiser als auch zur empirischen Unterstutzung (Jones 1959, S. 3). Entsprechend war die Untersuchungsanordnung in Grundlagen2 durch 2 Fragen vorgegeben: 1) Sind die Beobachtungen, die der Analytiker in der Behandlungssitzung macht, als „Daten“zuverlassig, und 2) wenn dem so ist, stutzen sie tatsachlich die Verdrangungslehre, den „Grundpfeiler, auf dem das Gebaude der Psychoanalyse ruht“? (1914b, S. 54)3.
An online health informatics elective course for doctor of pharmacy students.

Objective. To describe the development and assessment of an online elective health informatics course and determine its potential for universal integration into doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curricula.Design. A 2-credit hour online elective course was developed and offered to all PharmD students; voiced-over Powerpoint lectures were used to deliver content.Assessment. Assessment of student performance was measured using quantitative metrics via discussion questions, quizzes, written papers, and examinations. Qualitative findings were measured through discussion questions, a goal-setting classroom assessment technique, and an end-of-course reflection. Students report finding value in the course and recognizing how the knowledge gained could impact their future practice as pharmacists. Conclusion. An online course in health informatics can be an effective way to deliver content and provide a blueprint for continued integration of the content into curricula.
Recreational gasoline sniffing: Acute gasoline intoxication and latent organolead poisoning: Case reports and literature review

Abstract Gasoline is a readily obtainable intoxicant that unfortunately lends itself to habitual abuse by sniffing, a practice found particularly among children and adolescents. The concerted effects of the multiple hydrocarbon and other constituents of gasoline result in a predictable acute toxic syndrome. Organoleads, primarily tetraethyl lead (TEL), cause a separate toxicologic symptom-sign complex that overlaps with the initial acute toxic syndrome. The different clinical symptomatology, effects on hemoglobin synthesis, and response to chelation therapy are all in keeping with the view that organolead poisoning is a separate and distinct toxicologic entity from that of classical elemental lead poisoning or “plumbism.”
Women, weight and eating disorders

Abstract This article presents a socio-cultural and political-economic perspective on eating disorders. We argue that the current outbreak of eating disorders and weight obssession among women is part of a larger historical transformation of women's bodies into commodities through a “marriage” between capitalistic and patriarchal interests. These interests have transformed women's body image increasingly toward an ultra-slender ideal. We explore the relationship between eating disorders and ultra-slenderness by focusing on the eating habits and attitudes of a sample of college students. Results indicate that women were more likely than men to follow an ultra-slender “cultural” model of ideal weight. Women who follow a cultural model were three times more likely to score abnormally high on a standard measure of eating disorders than women who follow a less stringent “medical” model of ideal weight. These results are not confounded with psychological correlates typically associated with clinical eating disorders. We discuss alternative visions and solutions to eating disorders from a socio-cultural and political-economic perspective.
Assessing health status and quality-of-life instruments: Attributes and review criteria

The field of health status and quality of life (QoL) measurement – as a formal discipline with a cohesive theoretical framework, accepted methods, and diverse applications – has been evolving for the better part of 30 years. To identify health status and QoL instruments and review them against rigorous criteria as a precursor to creating an instrument library for later dissemination, the Medical Outcomes Trust in 1994 created an independently functioning Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). In the mid-1990s, the SAC defined a set of attributes and criteria to carry out instrument assessments; 5 years later, it updated and revised these materials to take account of the expanding theories and technologies upon which such instruments were being developed. This paper offers the SAC's current conceptualization of eight key attributes of health status and QoL instruments (i.e., conceptual and measurement model; reliability; validity; responsiveness; interpretability; respondent and administrative burden; alternate forms; and cultural and language adaptations) and the criteria by which instruments would be reviewed on each of those attributes. These are suggested guidelines for the field to consider and debate; as measurement techniques become both more familiar and more sophisticated, we expect that experts will wish to update and refine these criteria accordingly.
The Big Picture: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

When I learned the theme of this issue was “Sports and Statistics,” I'll admit I felt some trepidation. Although many of my students dream about jobs as sports statisticians—and others became inter...
On the role of γ-ray emission from nucleon unbound states in the mechanism of compound nuclear reactions

Abstract The compound statistical theory for nuclear reactions was employed to compute total cross sections for many levels in 61Cu and 60Ni populated via (4He, pγ) and (4He, 2pγ) reactions on 58Ni. Angular momentum effects and photon emission from the continuum were included in the formalism. Decay to the well-known discrete states in 61Cu and 60Ni is treated separately and for higher excitations the level spectrum is represented by a level-density expression. The cross sections for many levels in 61Cu and 60Ni were calculated as a function of excitation energy in the 61Cu compound nucleus from where the γ-cascades originate in competition with nucleon emission. Spectra of protons populating levels in 61Cu and 60Ni via (4He, pγ) and (4He, 2pγ) reactions were also calculated. Fermi-gas-model expressions for nuclear level densities were employed with nuclear moments of inertia approaching the rigid-rotor value with increasing excitation energy. The calculated level cross sections and particle spectra were compared with recent experimental results to determine the level-spacing parameter a as 1 10 A . By comparison with experimental independent yields ratios for many levels in 60Cu the following quantities were deduced: (a) the moment of inertia as (0.7–0.8) I rig, for 8–12 MeV of excitation in 61Cu and (b) the fraction of decay of the continuum states by quadrupole radiation. The γ-transition strength for E1 of M1 and E2 radiations were obtained from (4He, pγ)/(4He, 2pγ) cross-section ratios and were found to correspond to E1 or M1 retardation factors of ≈ 350 or ≈ 7, respectively, and to E2 enhancement factors of ≈ 35 over the single-proton estimates. At the higher bombardment energies it is found that the 9 2 and 11 2 states in 61Cu are populated via cascades through the yrast line with ≈ 25 % of the yield carried by dipole radiation. The states with J ≦ 7 2 are populated primarily by quadrupole transitions not involving the yrast line. The variation with bombardment energy of the independent yield ratios for the levels in 61Cu and 60Ni is well reproduced. The region in the EJ diagram for 61Cu where γ-emission dominates is also deduced.
Effect of Atilmotin, a Motilin Receptor Agonist, on Esophageal, Lower Esophageal Sphincter, and Gastric Pressures

Background Motilin, an endogenous gastrointestinal (GI) hormone, increases upper gastrointestinal tract motility and is associated with phase III of the gastric migrating motor complex. The motilin receptor agonist, atilmotin, at doses of 6, 30 or 60 μg intravenously (IV), increases the early phase of gastric emptying. Prior studies at higher doses of 100–450 μg IV demonstrated that some subjects developed noncardiac chest pain.
Sex Role Orientation and Marital Adjustment.

The relationship between sex-role orientation and marital adjustment was investigated. Using a sample of 112 married couples, husbands and wives separately completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. It was hypothesized that an androgynous sex-role orientation, which incorporates both instrumental and expressive capacities, would be most positively related to self and spousal marital adjustment, while an undifferentiated orientation would be least related. Results indicated that in general both androgynous and sex-typed individuals and their spouses were significantly higher in marital adjustment than were undifferentiated individuals and their spouses. In addition, spousal sex-role types were found to be related and couples in which both partners were classified as undifferentiated reported the lowest levels of marital adjustment while androgynous couples and sex-typed couples reported greater levels of marital adjustment. Results are discussed in relation to support for a symbolic interaction/role theory interpretation of the association between sex-role orientation and marital adjustment.
Special Tutorial: The Organization of Electronic Cyclic Memories

Cyclic memories are memories in which data rotate cyclically past a read/write port. The most common cyclic memories in use today are mechanical drums and fixed-head disks. In the past, small electronic cyclic memories have been made from MOS technology; more recently they have been made from charge-coupled devices and magnetic bubbles. Because of advances in integrated technology, large electronic cyclic memories that might be replacements for drum and disk memories are likely to become available. Whereas it is difficult to predict what technology will eventually emerge for electronic auxiliary memories, present projections suggest that cyclically organized memories based upon magnetic bubbles or charge-coupled devices are potential candidates. The disadvantage of cyclic organization is that access time due to memory latency may be excessive. The problem we investigate in this paper is how to modify electronic cyclic memories in relatively minor and inexpensive ways so as to decrease rotational latency in a system environment.
A multiple instrument approach to quantifying the movement patterns and habitat use of tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier) and Galapagos sharks (Carcharhinus galapagensis) at French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii

We equipped individual tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier Peron and Lesueur, 1822) and Galapagos (Carcharhinus galapagensis Snodgrass and Heller, 1905) sharks with both acoustic and satellite transmitters to quantify their long-term movements in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands). Tiger sharks exhibited two broad patterns of behavior. Some individuals were detected at French Frigate Shoals (FFS) year round, whereas others visited FFS atoll in summer to forage on fledging albatross, then swam thousands of kilometers along the Hawaiian chain, or out into open ocean to the North Pacific transition zone chlorophyll front, before returning to FFS in subsequent years. These patterns suggest tiger sharks may use cognitive maps to navigate between distant foraging areas. Different patterns of spatial behavior may arise because cognitive maps are built up through individual exploration, and each tiger shark learns a unique combination of foraging sites. Galapagos shark detections were all associated with FFS, suggesting these sharks may be more resident around oceanic islands. Both Galapagos and tiger sharks primarily used the mixed layer (<100 m depth) and made occasional deeper dives through the thermocline down to 680 m. Results show reef-associated sharks utilize a wide variety of habitats ranging from shallow atoll lagoons to deep reefs and open ocean and may provide important trophic links between these habitats.
Multi-Scale Modeling and Experimental Validation for Component Fatigue Life Prediction

A fatigue failure prediction procedure is discussed based on a two scale micro meso mechanical model for metallic structures. This model predicts the fatigue life and accounts for physical quantities like the mean stress effect in high cycle fatigue. Another model developed at meso-scale level with BCJ (Bammann, Chiesa and Johnson, 1996, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Tatsumi, Watanabe and Kambe (Editors), 359–376) internal state variables, is used to predict progressive damage in ductile materials. This meso-scale model is incorporated within the general purpose finite element software ABAQUS through a user subroutine VUMAT. A lug joint specimen is simulated using the BCJ model modified for fatigue and the location of the crack initiation sites is found. Experiments are conducted with the lug joint specimen under fatigue loading and the models are validated for the fatigue life prediction and location of the damage sites.© 2007 ASME
A variational method for efficient determination of SEM poles

A method is presented as an ancillary to the method of moments in computing the singularity expansion description of the transient response of a scatterer. The method is based on the variational character of a generalized Rayleigh quotient. The Rayleigh quotient approximation to the matrix eigenvalue which vanishes at a pole provides an alternative to the determinant as the objective of a zero search algorithm. The alternative is more economical to compute. It is necessary to have an estimate of the correct pole location in order to initiate the Rayleigh quotient procedure. Results of computational examples and suggestions of various ways through which one may estimate the pole location are presented.
Increased performance of hydrogen storage by Pd-treated LaNi4.7Al0.3, CaNi5 and Mg2Ni

Abstract In this study, a palladium treatment of LaNi 4.7 Al 0.3 , CaNi 5 and Mg 2 Ni is demonstrated to greatly improve the hydrogen storage performance of these intermetallic alloys. Mechanical grinding a small amount of palladium with the hydrogen storage alloys can lower the activation pressures to sub-atmospheric level at room temperature and significantly increase hydrogen absorption/desorption rates without changing the PCI behaviors. The PCI behavior of the palladium treated alloys was determined by a straight forward rule of mixtures calculations. The addition of palladium helps the disassociation of molecular hydrogen, and the mechanism of the treatment on the activation and hydrogen absorption/desorption of the alloys can be explained by hydrogen spillover for the absorption process and reverse hydrogen spillover for the desorption process.
Challenges of Tourism in a Dynamic Island Destination: The Case of Cuba

Abstract Shifting political and economic structures have put Cuban tourism on a fluctuating course of economic development. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba has turned again to tourism – an economic partner reminiscent of the pre-revolutionary era – to generate foreign exchange and stimulate investment The study analyses tourism in a non-market economy by examining Cuba's historic relationship with tourism. A literature review clusters Cuban tourism development issues and a destination audit and visitors' satisfaction survey evaluates Cuba's tourism product and key service issues. The rise of Cuban tourism is associated with a thriving black market, supply shortages, absent employee incentives, poor quality service delivery, resident apartheid, prostitution and telecommunication shortfalls. Regardless of these problems, Cuba maintains an exotic appeal due to its natural and cultural resources, its politics and its people. The case study raises questions regarding Cuba's long-term viability as a non...