cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Concrete‐filled steel tube columns under earthquake loads

Summary Concrete-filled steel tubes (CFTs) have been used throughout the world in structures of varying heights and structural configurations, both in nonseismic and in high seismic zones. This review summarizes the behavior of circular and rectangular concrete-filled steel tube beam‐columns and braces, particularly focused on their behavior when subjected to cyclic seismic loading. It begins with a discussion of the monotonic behavior of CFTs subjected to axial, flexural, and torsional loading, and summarizes the effects on CFT behavior of creep, shrinkage, composite action and residual stresses. The synopsis of monotonic behavior provides a basis for the subsequent discussion of research on the cyclic behavior of CFTs. The article concludes with a summary of publications in which current CFT design provisions are outlined for several non-seismic and seismic specifications throughout the world.
Counseling With Gifted and Talented Students

The purpose of this article is to focus on the counseling function of school guidance personnel. In this article, the authors present a general model within which this counseling function occurs. Various areas of concern for gifted students are discussed; for example, personal and social concerns; education concerns, career concerns. These are not offered as distinct, sterile categories of students' concerns. Nor are students themselves being placed in "pigeon- holes". Rather, a loose, flexible structure is suggested within which these concerns or areas of interest can be placed and examined. As a result, school counselors and others can better understand and provide for these concerns of gifted and talented youngsters.
PP079. Evidence of placental and vascular endothelial apotosis and dysfunction by elevated serum human chorionic gonadotropin, soluble selectin and soluble Fas in HELLP syndrome.

Abstract Introduction The etiology of Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzyme, and Low Platelets (HELLP) syndrome remains unknown. We hypothesized that placental and vascular endothelial apoptosis and dysfunction might be the pathogenesis of HELLP syndrome. Objectives To determine maternal serum levels and association among human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), soluble Fas (sFas), and E-selectin (sE-selectin) in HELLP syndrome. Methods Forty-two singleton pregnant women were studied. Fourteen patients were with HELLP syndrome and 28 patients were healthy gravidas. The serum levels of total beta-hCG, sFas, and sE-selectin were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassays. Mann-Whitney test and Spearman rank correlation were used for statistical analyses. Data were expressed as median and ranges. P value less than 0.05 is considered statistically significant. Results There were no significant differences in maternal age, gestational age, parity or race in patients with and without HELLP syndrome. The median levels of serum total beta-hCG, sFas, and sE-selectin were significantly higher in women with HELLP syndrome than in healthy gravidas {total beta-hCG: 52,168 (14,936-213,445)mIU/mL vs. 17,942 (966-176,600)mIU/mL, p =0.016; sFas: 8.20 (3.0-22.6)U/ml vs. 5.8 (1.2-18.5)U/ml, p =0.001; sE-selectin: 107.7 (26.2-194.7)ng/mL vs. 23.0 (11.1-107.7)ng/mL, p r =0.32, p =0.039) and sE-selectin levels ( r =0.32, p =0.038). Serum sFas levels were also significantly correlated with serum sE-slectin ( r =0.47, p =0.003) Conclusion Our data suggest that placental and vascular endothelial apoptosis in preeclampsia may further lead to placental and endothelial dysfunction as the possible pathogenesis in HELLP syndrome
Electronic spreadsheet implementation of a lot sizing procedure for a single-card Kanban system

Abstract A cost based procedure to evaluate lot sizing alternatives for a single-card kanban system (also known as “push-pull” system) using a specific production strategy is implemented in an electronic spreadsheet. The spreadsheet and a case study are used to illustrate the cost procedure and sensitivity analysis. Inventory carrying, storage, and handling costs are considered in the procedure. The lot sizing alternatives generated for the case study were based on the utilization of pallet and tray capacity, and a bottleneck process which complicated the implementation of the “push-pull” strategy.
Piagetian Conservation in College Students: A Classroom Demonstration

College students are often surprised to learn that a preoperational child can be misled by a Piagetian conservation task. A simple demonstration can show how the students themselves can be misled i...
Antibiotic-refractory sinusitis.

A 64-YEAR-OLD MAN WITH A HISTORY OF CHRONIC SINUSITIS PRESENTS WITH left periorbital swelling and subtle left ptosis (FIGURE 1). His past medical history is otherwise unremarkable. He was treated with amoxicillinclavulanate, 875 mg/125 mg, twice per day for 10 days for presumed sinusitis. He experienced mild temporary improvement. Symptoms recurred within a month, and he was given a second course of amoxicillin. Physical examination reveals worsening left periorbital swelling, unilateral nasal blockade, and persistent subtle left ptosis. The neurological examination results are normal, and ptosis is thought to be secondary to palpebral swelling. Lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly are absent. Laboratory test results are unremarkable. What Would You Do Next?
Histologic monitoring of murine mammary tumor lysis induced by an autologous serum factor.

AbstractAn autotumorolytic factor (SFIII), derived from a serum fraction of mammary tumor-bearing mice, has been demonstrated to be active when injected into the donor mouse. Gross and histologic assessment of tumors was made at 3, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hr postinjection of SFIII. Concomitantly, lymph node, spleen, liver, kidney, thymus, and lung tissues were examined in these treated tumor animals and compared to non-tumor-bearing animals and a single animal exhibiting spontaneous tumor breakdown. Tumor destruction began at 3 hr postinjection with interlobular connective tissue breakdown accompanied by hemorrhage. Infiltration of connective tissue, where still present, by lymphocytes, plasma cells, and macrophages progressively increased with time. Lysis of tumor tissue subsequently spread to intralobular epithelium resulting in large cavitations containing fragmented tissue and debris, characterized by coagulative and liquefactive necrosis and caseation. Lymphoid tissues showed no significant immune rea...
Ambient toxicity testing in the Chesapeake Bay watershed using freshwater and estuarine water column tests

This study was designed to identify toxic ambient areas in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by using the following three estuarine and two freshwater 8-d water column toxicity tests: sheeps-head minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus, larval survival and growth test; grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, larval survival and growth test; copepod, Eurytemora affinis, life cycle test; fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas, larval survival and growth test; and Ceriodaphnia dubia, survival and reproduction test. Ambient water was collected from the following locations and transported back to our laboratory for testing: Elizabeth River (VA), Patapsco River (MD), Wye River (MD), and Potomac River (three freshwater and two saltwater stations). The Potomac River stations were located at Indian Head (MD), Freestone Point (VA), Possum Point (VA), Morgantown (MD), and Dahlgren (VA). A suite of inorganic and organic contaminants and water quality conditions were evaluated in ambient water during the tests. Results from the water column tests demonstrated no significant ranking of sensitivity among the three saltwater tests, but rather supported the need for multispecies tests because different species displayed varying sensitivity to different types of contaminants. Biological effects were reported from at least one test species tested in ambient water from Elizabeth River, Patapsco River, Indian Head, Morgantown, and Dahlgren. These results demonstrate that selected ambient areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed are toxic, based on various biological indicators.
Major and trace element composition of Skaergaard plagioclase; geochemical evidence for changes in magma dynamics during the final stage of crystallization of the Skaergaard intrusion

Plagioclase separates from the Layered Series (LS), Upper Border Series (UBS), and Marginal Border Series (MBS) of the Skaergaard intrusion were analyzed to examine major and trace element variations. In general, plagioclase from the LS, UBS, and MBS show similar trends in major elements vs. crystallization: SiO2, Na2O, and K2O progressively increase, and CaO and MgO progressively decrease with fractionation. No abrupt changes in the trends of major components of Skaergaard plagioclase during the differentiation of the intrusion are observed. Trace elements in plagioclase reflect changes in the Skaergaard magma and changes in plagioclase distribution coefficients with differentiation. Sr, Ga, and probably Ba are included elements in Skaergaard plagioclase, but were excluded from the other cumulus phases, and as a result systematically increased in the magma and plagioclase during differentiation. Be, Cs, Hf, Rb, Ta, U, and Zr, and the transition metals Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Sc, V, and Zn were excluded elements in Skaergaard plagioclase, and remained low in plagioclase during differentiation. Changes in the abundances of these elements in plagioclase during differentiation reflect changes in their abundance in the magma. With the exception of the lower zone, which is enriched in the light rare earth elements, rare earth elements in LS plagioclase, in general, increase with differentiation of the Skaergaard intrusion, but decrease dramatically at the UZa/UZb boundary where abundant apatite first appears. Rare earth elements in UBS plagioclase followed a similar trend to LS plagioclase, except during the initial and final stages of differentiation. UBS plagioclase is much more enriched in rare earth elements during the final 20% of crystallization, except for Eu, which is similar in plagioclase from the two series. The observed trends suggest that the floor and roof sequences became isolated from each other and that the floor sequence may have been more reducing and the roof sequence more oxidizing during the final 20% of crystallization. As the Skaergaard magma ceased convection, or convected as isolated cells, during the final stages of differentiation, volatile elements may have accumulated in the UBS magma, resulting in an increase in ƒO2, and a decrease in Eu/Sm in UBS plagioclase. The observed trends of rare earth elements in plagioclase from the LS and UBS fit well with theoretical calculations that assume closed-system crystallization, and would be difficult to reconcile with any model requiring significant discharge of magma from the chamber during the final 20% of crystallization. The enrichment of light rare earth elements in plagioclase, suggests that the lower part of the intrusion re-equilibrated with a late, light rare earth element-rich fluid or melt. The recharge model proposed by earlier workers to explain anomalous Sr and Nd isotopes appears unlikely in light of the two to fourfold enrichment of light rare earth elements in these samples.
Pioneering Interdisciplinary Research Initiatives for Oceans and Human Health

Following the release of the report From Monsoons to Microbes by the National Research Council in 1999, efforts began to promote federal sponsorship of research and education in a new scientific discipline focusing on how the ocean affects human health. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) initiated a joint program to establish and sustain several research Centers for Oceans and Human Health (COHH) at nonfederal institutions. Shortly thereafter, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) mounted a similar initiative to establish intramural centers at existing NOAA facilities as well as an extramural grants program. This profile reviews the history and current state of these developments.
Numerical analysis of directionally unstable crack propagation in adhesively bonded joints

This paper investigates the directional stability of crack propagation in adhesively bonded joints. First, an analytical model analyzing the energy balance during the crack propagation in double cantilever beam specimens is presented, and the directional stability of cracks is predicted. The results are consistent with the predictions made by Fleck, Hutchinson, and Suo (Int. J. Solids Struct. 27 (13) (1991) 1683) using a stress analysis approach, and also are consistent with experimental observations. Similar to the situation in homogeneous solids, cracks in adhesively bonded joints also tend to be directionally unstable when the T-stress is positive (tensile) whereas tend to be directionally stable when the T-stress is negative (compressive). Both interface mechanics and the finite element method are then employed to analyze the stress state at the crack tip and to predict crack trajectories. Through extending the criteria for direction of crack propagation to bi-material systems, the trajectory for directionally unstable cracks is simulated. The simulation result accurately reflects the alternating nature of directionally unstable cracks in adhesive bonds such as the characteristic length and the overall shape.
Supine oblique views of the cervical spine: A poor proxy for the lateral view

To determine whether supine 45° oblique radiographs of the cervical spine can accurately detect and quantify anteroposterior intervertebral plane displacements, an observer performance study was performed. A normally aligned dry cervicothoracic vertebral specimen and the same specimen with varying degrees of subluxation at one or more levels were radiographed in anteroposterior, lateral, and 45° oblique projections, in a simulated supine position. Twenty-five sets of radiographs were obtained, of which three were normal. In the remaining 22 sets, there were 43 intervertebral segments with an abnormal anteroposterior displacement. Since each intervertebral level (C2-T1) was individually evaluated, the study sample consisted of 150 intervertebral segments. Blinded to experimental conditions, six observers evaluated every intervertebral level on each lateral and oblique image in isolation. The data for each projection were compared using alternative free-response operator characteristic and free-response forced-error methodologies. Significant differences in diagnostic accuracy were detected between the horizontal lateral and the supine oblique views to detect malalignment. Although supine oblique views detected many subluxations, they produced numerous false-negative and false-positive results. The findings of this study suggest that supine oblique views may be a useful part of the standard evaluation of the acutely injured cervical spine; however, they may not reliably portray clinically important anteroposterior displacements.
Robertsonian fusion between homologous chromosomes in a natural population of the least cotton rat. Sigmodon minimus (Rodentia, Cricetidae).

Die diploide Chromosomenzahl vonSigmodon minimus, einem Nager der Familie der Cricetiden ist 30. Im Karyotyp befindet sich kein grosses metazentrisches Chromosom. Bei Tieren aus einer Population von Silver City, New Mexico, wurden 29 Chromosomen gefunden. Eines davon war relativ gross und metazentrisch. Beim Paaren der Chromosomen in Meiose ist es evident, dass das metazentrische Chromosom das Fusionsprodukt von 2 homologen Chromosomen ist.
Systematic differences in employee stock ownership plan contributions: some evidence

Abstract Under current federal law, ESOPs are intended to provide an employee benefit and also meet corporate financial objectives. These dual purposes may not always be compatible. This study examines total retirement plan contributions, using data from Department of Labor Form 5500s, and demonstrates systematic differences in those contributions between companies establishing the ESOP for different reasons. A significant increase in benefits after the ESOP is implemented is found in those firms using the ESOP primarily as an employee benefit with no apparent finance objectives, while a significant decrease in benefits is found in those firms using the ESOP primarily for corporate finance reasons. The difference in benefits suggests that the reason an ESOP is adopted may make a difference to the employees of the firm. Further analysis links total retirement contributions to a measure of firm productivity. ESOPs with positive increases in total retirement benefits are associated with increases in sales per employee.
Gender differences in psychosocial predictors of texting while driving.

A sample of 158 male and 357 female college students at a midwestern university participated in an on-line study of psychosocial motives for texting while driving. Men and women did not differ in self-reported ratings of how often they texted while driving. However, more women sent texts of less than a sentence while more men sent texts of 1–5 sentences. More women than men said they would quit texting while driving due to police warnings, receiving information about texting dangers, being shown graphic pictures of texting accidents, and being in a car accident. A hierarchical regression for men’s data revealed that lower levels of feeling distracted by texting while driving (20% of the variance), higher levels of cell phone dependence (11.5% of the variance), risky behavioral tendencies (6.5% of the variance) and impulsivity (2.3%) of the variance) were significantly associated with more texting while driving (total model variance = 42%). A separate regression for women revealed that higher levels of cell phone dependence (10.4% of the variance), risky behavioral tendencies (9.9% of the variance), texting distractibility (6.2%), crash risk estimates (2.2% of the variance) and driving confidence (1.3% of the variance) were significantly associated with more texting while driving (total model variance = 31%.) Friendship potential and need for intimacy were not related to men’s or women’s texting while driving. Implications of the results for gender-specific prevention strategies are discussed.
A Survey of Radiation Damage in Semiconductor Detectors

Examples of radiation damage in lithium-drifted detectors, lithium-drifted silicon detectors, and high-purity germanium detectors are discussed. The general patterns of damage, lithium-precipitation, annealing and recovery of detectors are outlined, and the observations are discussed.
Recombinant Hirudin Prevents Postoperative Fibrin Formation after Experimental Cataract Surgery

Purpose: The authors studied the effect of a direct acting antithrombin agent, desulfatohirudin variant 1 (Revasc, Ciba-Geigy, Ltd., Basel, Switzerland), on postoperative fibrin formation after cataract surgery in rabbits. Methods: Phacoemulsification was performed in a masked fashion on 28 eyes of 28 New Zealand white rabbits. Ten control group eyes had lactated Ringer's solution in the infusion and an intracameral injection (∼1.5 ml) at the end of the case. Ten group 1 eyes received hirudin 100 μg/ml in the infusion and intracameral injection. Eight group 2 eyes had 100 μg/ml hirudin in the intracameral injection only. Using slit-lamp examination, all eyes were graded for the amount of fibrin and intraocular hemorrhage in a masked fashion on postoperative day 1. Results: Comparison of the mean postoperative fibrin grade (0–4) in group 1 (mean = 0.3), group 2 (mean = 0.25) and the control group (mean = 3.4) revealed a statistically significant difference between hirudin-treated and control eyes ( P = 0.0002 for group 1, P = 0.0005 for group 2). No intraocular hemorrhage was noted in any group. Conclusions: Recombinant hirudin significantly decreases postoperative fibrin formation in a rabbit cataract extraction model. Intracameral injection of hirudin alone appears to be at least as effective as infusion of hirudin throughout the case. With further study, this agent has potential for use in cataract surgery on patients known to be at high risk for postoperative fibrin formation.
A comparison of particle filters and multiple-hypothesis extended Kalman filters for bearings-only tracking

Bearings-only tracking is widely used in the defense arena. Its value can be exploited in systems using optical sensors and sonar, among others. Non-linearity and non-Gaussian prior statistics are among the complications of bearings-only tracking. Several filters have been used to overcome these obstacles, including particle filters and multiple hypothesis extended Kalman filters (MHEKF). Particle filters can accommodate a wide range of distributions and do not need to be linearized. Because of this they seem ideally suited for this problem. A MHEKF can only approximate the prior distribution of a bearings-only tracking scenario and needs to be linearized. However, the likelihood distribution maintained for each MHEKF hypothesis demonstrates significant memory and lends stability to the algorithm, potentially enhancing tracking convergence. Also, the MHEKF is insensitive to outliers. For the scenarios under investigation, the sensor platform is tracking a moving and a stationary target. The sensor is allowed to maneuver in an attempt to maximize tracking performance. For these scenarios, we compare and contrast the acquisition time and mean-squared tracking error performance characteristics of particle filters and MHEKF via Monte Carlo simulation.
Medical status of adolescents at time of admission to a juvenile detention center.

Purpose: To examine the medical status and history of health care utilization of adolescents at the time of their admission to a juvenile detention facility. Methods: Data were collected over an 18-month period on all detainees admitted for the first time to a juvenile detention facility in a major southeastern city in the United States. Information was gathered through a private, confidential interview completed by a medical social worker and a physical examination by a physician. Information was obtained regarding past medical history, complaints at the time of admission, health care utilization, and physical examination. Results: Approximately 10% of teenagers admitted to a detention facility have a significant medical problem (excluding drug/alcohol abuse, or uncomplicated sexually transmitted diseases) that requires medical follow-up. The majority of these conditions were known to the adolescent at the time of admission. Only a third of adolescents admitted to the detention facility reported a regular source of medical care, and only about 20% reported having a private physician. A majority of all the detainees had already fallen behind in or dropped out of school. More than half of the families of the adolescents with a medical problem appeared to be unable or unwilling to assist in ensuring proper medical follow-up. Conclusions: A significant percentage of adolescents entering a detention facility have a medical problem requiring health care services. Detention facilities offer an opportunity to deliver and coordinate medical care to high-risk adolescents. Programs linking public and pri vate health care providers with the correctional care system may provide juveniles with an acceptable option for obtaining needed health care services.
Sustained Remission of Metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma with Treatment of HIV Infection

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive skin cancer of presumed neuroendocrine origin. 1 The prognosis for metastatic MCC is typically very poor, despite treatment.2
An unusual cause of neonatal apnoea (Discussion and Diagnosis)

The Case Presentation can be found on page 772. DISCUSSION While apnoea is a common problem in preterm infants, in term neonates, apnoea should always raise concern for a pathologic cause. This differential diagnosis of apnoea in the term neonate is broad. As episodes are usually brief, it can be difficult to classify occurrences as central, obstructive or mixed. Initial work-up should focus on identifying potentially treatable, life-threatening conditions such as sepsis, metabolic disturbances, accidental or intentional poisoning, abusive head injury, seizures and cardiovascular causes. To my knowledge, neonatal apnoea has not been previously described in the literature as presentation of gastric teratoma. Although the overall prevalence of neonatal teratomas is unknown, themost common form, sacrococcygeal teratoma, occurs once in every 14,900 live births (1). While rare, neonatal teratomas represent the most common congenital tumours and comprise 35% of neonatal tumours (2). The majority of teratomas in children and adults arise from gonadal sites; however, teratomas in neonates most commonly arise from extra-gonadal sites such as the sacrococcygeal area and mediastinum. Gastric teratomas account for less than one percentage of neonatal teratomas (3). To date, there are nine reported cases of neonatal gastric teratomas in the literature. Clinical presentations described by previous authors include severe anaemia, gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal distension and respiratory distress (4–6). Neonatal teratomas are usually benign; therefore, complications are related to mass effect rather than malignant potential. Surgical resection is curative, but complete resection is often challenging due to the location of these tumours. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) should be followed as a marker of incomplete resection or recurrence (7). Interpretation of serum AFP in the neonatal period is challenging as levels are normally elevated at birth and decline over the first year of life. In this patient, serum AFP was 3225 ng/mL prior to resection, 40.5 ng/mL at 2 months and 1.5 ng/mL at 1 year of age. Yearly MRI has not shown evidence of recurrence. The patient is now 5-year old. He is growing appropriately and performing well in school.
A model generation and compilation system for improving electrical performance

The EPOXY system statically builds the equations that model circuit performance and sensitivity information. Although this approach requires more memory, the computation involved in evaluating circuit performance is significantly reduced. These equations are compiled internally for even faster evaluation. Transistor sizing alone may not be sufficient for meeting the required performance goals for a defined functional block. Therefore, this system considers local circuit changes such as inserting buffer stages, rearranging transistors within a pull-up or pull-down tree, and splitting large transistors so that cell height and width can be traded off. These circuit changes are implemented by directly modifying the performance equations. The benefits of deriving a static set of performance equations are described. Since compiling the performance equations offers a tremendous reduction in the overall running time, an examination is made of how EPOXY copes with the problems associated with feedback in a circuit and circuit-level modifications. Issues dealing with the equation aspects of formulating the transistor sizing program as a nonlinear optimization problem are presented. A discussion is presented of several evaluation techniques that are supported by EPOXY's internal compiler. Execution times and storage requirements are evaluated. >
Optimal control of a viral disease

Treatment of a viral disease process is interpreted as the optimal control of a dynamic system. Evolution of the disease is characterized by a nonlinear, fourth-order ordinary differential equation that describes concentrations of pathogenic antigens (or pathogens), plasma cells, and antibodies, as well as a numerical indication of patient health. The dynamic equations are controlled by therapeutic agents that affect the rate of change of system variables. Control histories that minimize a quadratic cost function are generated by numerical optimization over a fixed time interval, given otherwise lethal initial conditions. Tradeoffs between cost function weighting of pathogens, organ health, and use of therapeutics are evaluated. Optimal control solutions that defeat the virus and preserve organ health are demonstrated for individual and combined therapies. It is shown that control theory can point the way toward new protocols for treatment and cure of human diseases.
Using efficiency analysis and targeted intervention to improve operational performance and achieve cost savings in the endoscopy center.

Background With an increasing demand for endoscopy services, there is a greater need for efficiency within the endoscopy center. A validated methodology is important for evaluating efficiency in the endoscopy unit. Objective To use the principles of operations management to establish a validated methodology for evaluating and enhancing operational performance in the endoscopy center. Design Biphasic prospective study with pre-intervention and post-intervention efficiency data and analysis. Setting Tertiary-care referral teaching hospital. Patients Scheduled outpatients undergoing endoscopy. Intervention Determination of the rate-limiting step, or bottleneck, of the endoscopy unit and reducing inefficiencies. Main Outcome Measurements Staffing costs and a novel performance metric, True Completion Time (TCT). Results Data were prospectively recorded for 2248 patients undergoing a total of 2713 procedures (phase I: 255 EGD, 305 colonoscopy, 91 EGD/colonoscopy, 375 EUS, 44 ERCP, 75 EUS/ERCP; phase II: 243 EGD, 328 colonoscopy, 99 EGD/colonoscopy, 335 EUS, 38 ERCP, 109 EUS/ERCP). The bottleneck of the operation was identified as the 10-bed communal pre-procedure/recovery room. On-time procedure starts increased by 51% ( P P Limitations This study is not directly tied to quality outcomes, and inpatient procedures transported to the endoscopy unit were not directly studied. Conclusion Room turnover time and room-to-endoscopist ratio are not necessarily the driving parameters behind endoscopy unit efficiency. A focus on developing a methodology for identifying factors constraining operational efficiency can improve performance and reduce costs in the endoscopy center.
A Parent-Mediated Intervention that Targets Responsive Parental Behaviors Increases Attachment Behaviors in Children with ASD: Results from a Randomized Clinical Trial.

The current study is a randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of Focused Playtime Intervention (FPI) in a sample of 70 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This parent-mediated intervention has previously been shown to significantly increase responsive parental communication (Siller et al. in J Autism Dev Disord 43:540–555, 2013a). The current analyses focus on children’s attachment related outcomes. Results revealed that children who were randomly assigned to FPI showed bigger increases in attachment-related behaviors, compared to children assigned to the control condition. Significant treatment effects of FPI were found for both an observational measure of attachment-related behaviors elicited during a brief separation-reunion episode and a questionnaire measure evaluating parental perceptions of child attachment. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Defect Diffusion During Annealing of Low-Energy Ion-Implanted Silicon

We present a new approach for investigating the kinetics of defect migration during annealing of low-;energy, ion-implanted silicon, employing a combination of computer simulations and atomic-resolution tunneling microscopy. Using atomically-clean Si(111)-7×7 as a sink for bulk point defects created by 5 keV Xe and Ar irradiation, we observe distinct, temperature-;dependent surface arrival rates for vacancies and interstitials. A combination of simulation tools provides a detailed description of the processes that underly the observed temperature-dependence of defect segregation, and the predictions of the simulations agree closely with the experimental observations.
Chordoid glioma: a neoplasm unique to the hypothalamus and anterior third ventricle.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Chordoid glioma is a new clinicopathologic entity that occurs in the region of the hypothalamus/anterior third ventricle. The aims of this study were to describe the characteristic radiographic features of chordoid glioma, identify specific imaging features that may enable differentiation of chordoid glioma from other suprasellar tumors, and increase neuroradiologists9 awareness of this newly described tumor, facilitating prospective diagnosis. METHODS: CT scans and/or MR images of six patients with chordoid glioma were reviewed retrospectively to determine whether any characteristic radiographic features would emerge. Reports of the clinical presentation, pathologic findings, and radiographic findings of another six patients were reviewed and included, for a total patient population of 12 (mean age ± SD, 46 ± 13 years). RESULTS: Imaging features were strikingly similar for all tumors. In each case, the mass was ovoid, was well circumscribed, was located in the region of the hypothalamus/anterior third ventricle, and enhanced uniformly and intensely. Tumors were hyperdense to gray matter on CT scans and were isointense on T1-weighted MR images and slightly hyperintense on long-TR MR images. In two patients, vasogenic edema extended into the optic tracts, and in three, there was hydrocephalus. CONCLUSION: Chordoid glioma is a recently described unique histopathologic entity that has been added to the World Health Organization glioma classification scheme and must be included in the differential diagnosis of a suprasellar mass. Distinctive imaging features are its location, ovoid shape, hyperdensity on CT scans, and uniform intense contrast enhancement.
Assuming exponential decay by incorporating viscous damping improves the prediction of the coeffcient of friction in pendulum tests of whole articular joints

A pendulum test with a whole articular joint serving as the fulcrum is commonly used to measure the bulk coefficient of friction (COF). In such tests it is universally assumed that energy loss is due to frictional damping only, and accordingly the decay of pendulum amplitude is linear with time. The purpose of this work was to determine whether the measurement of the COF is improved when viscous damping and exponential decay of pendulum amplitude are incorporated into a lumped-parameter model. Various pendulum models with a range of values for COF and for viscous damping were constructed. The resulting decay was fitted with an exponential function (including both frictional and viscous damping) and with a linear decay function (frictional damping only). The values predicted from the fit of each function were then compared to the known values. It was found that the exponential decay function was able to predict the COF values within 2 per cent error. This error increased for models in which the damping coefficient was relatively small and the COF was relatively large. On the other hand, the linear decay function resulted in large errors in the prediction of the COF, even for small values of viscous damping. The exponential decay function including both frictional and constant viscous damping presented herein dramatically increased the accuracy of measuring the COF in a pendulum test of modelled whole articular joints.
How Much Should Judges Be Paid? An Empirical Study on the Effect of Judicial Pay on the State Appellate Bench

How much should judges be paid? We first survey the considerable history of the debate and identify the implicit causal claims made about the effect of judicial pay. We find that claims about the effect of pay on the composition and quality of the judiciary have remained remarkably similar over the past two hundred years. In contrast, claims about the effect of pay on judicial independence have changed as the meaning of judicial independence itself has shifted. We take advantage of the large variation in real salaries and opportunity costs for state appellate court judges across states from 1977 to 2007 to empirically test these claims. We find that judicial salaries have a small but significant effect on the likelihood of exit and thus the length of judicial tenure and a small effect on the background of judges that join the bench. Preliminary analysis of trial court behavior suggests a much larger effect of pay for trial court judges.
Immunoprecipitation Assay of Alpha-fetoprotein Synthesis by Cultured Mouse Hepatoma Cells Treated with Estrogens and Glucocorticords

This investigation was to study the biosynthesis of 3H-labeled alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) by cultured mouse hepatoma (HEPA-2) cells. Both the function and regulation of this oncodevelopmental gene are unknown. However, evidence indicates that mechanisms controlling the expression of AFP involve aspects of both normal embryonic development and neoplastic transformation. The secretion of AFP was analyzed during different phases of the growth cycle to provide information on AFP production using standard culture conditions. The highest rate of secretion occurred during the stationary phase, followed by the late logarithmic and early logarithmic phases of growth, respectively. The production of AFP was then determined following the addition of glucocorticords and estrogens in an attempt to understand hormonal factors that may be involved. Studies utilizing estradiol-17β indicated that the secretion of AFP did not appear to be sensitive to this steroid even though sucrose density gradient analysis of HEPA-2 cytosol, for estrogenic receptors, revealed competitive binding moieties in the 8S and 4S regions of the gradient. In contrast, the secretion of the total complement of proteins, including AFP, was significantly stimulated by the glucocorticords, dexamethasone and corticosterone. Analysis of HEPA-2 cytosol for glucocorticord receptors revealed binding components in the 7S and 3–4S regions of the gradient. The 3H-dexamethasone binding appeared to be stereospecific since nonlabeled dexamethasone, but not nonlabeled estradiol-17β, effectively displaced the bound radioactivity. The glucocorticoid-binding component in HEPA-2 therefore displayed characteristics reported for glucocorticord receptors in normal liver and other hepatomas.
Invited Commentary: Observational Research in the Age of the Electronic Health Record

Historically, clinical epidemiologic research has been constrained by the costs and time associated with manually identifying cases and abstracting clinical data. In this issue, Carrell et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2014;179(6);749-758) report on their impressive success using natural language processing techniques to correctly identify cases of cancer recurrence among women with previous breast cancer. They report a 10-fold decrease in the need for chart abstraction, though with an 8% loss in case detection. This commentary outlines some recent history associated with the development of "high-throughput clinical phenotyping" of electronic health records and speculates on the impact such computational capabilities may have for observational research and patient consent.
AIDS 2012: epidemiology, resources, and control.

Last month's column addressed the advances and goals of the scientific community as representatives met in Washington, DC, for the biennial International AIDS Conference—AIDS 2012 (Flaskerud, 2013)...
3D CMOS-memristor hybrid circuits: devices, integration, architecture, and applications

In this paper, we give an overview of our recent research efforts on monolithic 3D integration of CMOS and memristive nanodevices. These hybrid circuits combine a CMOS subsystem with several layers of nanowire crossbars, consisting of arrays of two-terminal memristors, all connected by an area-distributed interface between the CMOS subsystem and the crossbars. This approach combines the advantages of CMOS technology, including its high flexibility, functionality and yield, with the extremely high density of nanowires, nanodevices and interface vias. As a result, the 3D hybrids can overcome limitations pertinent to other 3D integration techniques (such as through-silicon vias) and enable 3D circuits with unprecedented memory density (up to 1014 bits on a single 1-cm2 chip) and aggregate interlayer communication bandwidth (up to 1018 bits per second per cm2) at manageable power dissipation. Such performance represents a significant step towards addressing the most pressing needs of modern compact electronic systems.
Similarity and Political Patriarchy during the American Founding

How did the American founders reconcile their revolutionary rhetoric of liberty and equality to ongoing patriarchy? Scholars generally argue that the founders perceived men and women to be differen...
An Investigation Of Advanced Web Educational Applications In Accounting

The Accounting Education Series monograph (Albrecht and Sack 2001) is only the most recent call for changes in accounting education. The authors emphasize that the current model of accounting education is broken; as illustrated by the following characteristics: It involves too much lecture, dependence on textbooks, is too bound by class time, and maintains a "faculty knows best" attitude; It lacks creativity, does not develop students' ability to learn new skills, and does not exploit modern technology (Albrecht and Sack 2001).
Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Re-Engineer the Study of Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

In a seminal paper by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka’s group in 20071, researchers transformed human skin fibroblasts into pluripotent stem cells, which by definition can self-renew (divide to produce more stem cells) or differentiate into any type of cell. Thus, differentiated cells were “induced” backward in development into pluripotent stem cells. This approach has enabled scientists to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from patients or healthy individuals, and differentiate the person-specific iPSCs into any cell of interest, including human neurons. Until this breakthrough, live human neurons were inaccessible to study in this capacity. With iPSC-derived neurons, scientists can now perform controlled experiments to identify molecular and structural changes that contribute to pathology, examine drug responses, and investigate methods to reverse pathology. While skin fibroblasts are the most well-characterized cell type used to generate iPSCs, other cells including blood monocytes are also being reprogrammed into iPSCs. For iPSCs’ transformative impact in biomedical science, Dr. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012. Before iPSCs were available, basic research to understand neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia had relied on several methods, including patient neuroimaging, post mortem human tissue analysis, transgenic mouse models, and cell lines, to investigate disease mechanisms. Human neuroimaging provides important information about patient brain structure and function but has limited application for elucidating cellular and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis and treatment. Transgenic animals and in vitro cellular systems have excellent application for mechanistic studies, but the results have unclear relevance for human disease. With the invention of human iPSCs, investigators are given a unique opportunity to gain mechanistic insight by using cell lines with a direct link to human disease. Methods have also been developed to directly differentiate somatic cells into neurons without generating iPSCs. However, because of their capacity for indefinite self-renewal, iPSCs provide a renewable resource of stem cells that can be expanded, frozen, and distributed, thus allowing an unlimited number of studies from a single patient.
Show or No-Show - That Is the Question: Lack of Outpatient Follow-up a After Acute Stroke. (P2.131)

BACKGROUND: Outpatient follow-up is a critical component of patients’ overall stroke care. However, a majority of discharged stroke patients fail to follow up in our outpatient stroke clinic. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective chart review for all patients discharged from our institution between July 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012 with a primary diagnosis of either ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke (n= 507). Patients included had scheduled outpatient follow-up within 6 months of discharge. We examined the impact of discharge disposition, geographic location of patients’ home residence, and insurance status on the likelihood of completing appointments. RESULTS: Of the 507 patients, 39 patients (8%) expired prior to discharge. Only 159 (31%) completed follow up in our stroke clinic within 6 months of discharge. 124 (24%) patients were discharged to an inpatient rehab hospital, with only 34% of these (n= 42) completing follow up. Of those discharged home (n=282, 56%), only 111(29%) completed appointments. Of the 37 patients with other discharge plans (ex. skilled nursing facility), 5 (14%) followed up. 65 patients discharged resided in our primary market (Fayette County). Of these, 44 (67%) followed up. 442 patients lived out of county, with 289 of these residing more than one county (> 1 hour approximately). Of these only 47% completed appointments. Payer types included Medicaid [n=54 (11%)], Medicare [n=322 (64%)], managed care [n=77 (15%)], and self-pay [n=39 (8%)]. Follow up rates for these groups were 31%, 29%, 45%, and 31% respectively. CONCLUSION: Poor follow up rates were seen overall. Medicare, Medicaid, and self-pay patients were least likely to follow up. Patients discharged to inpatient rehabilitation or nursing facilities had a low follow-up rate, as did those patients living at a geographic distance from our facilities. Better education of the importance of follow-up prior to discharge is needed. Disclosure: Dr. Chaudhary has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lee has nothing to disclose.
A control-theoretic approach to the plasma confinement problem

The problem of confining a collisionless plasma by means of external electromagnetic fields is formulated as an optimal control or variational problem. The paper begins with a formal development of the equations governing the plasma motion. Then, various mathematical formulations of the confinement problem are discussed. Specific results are obtained for the simplified case where confinement is achieved by means of a spatially uniform, time-varying magnetic field. Physical interpretations of these results are also given.
Reporting standard compliance in publications of vestibular schwannoma patients treated with microsurgery.

BACKGROUND In 2003, Kanzaki and colleagues published a set of reporting standards for vestibular schwannoma (VS) to serve as a guide for future publication, with the specific purpose of promoting standardization of reporting results in VS. OBJECTIVE Here, the current published body of literature on VS cases treated with microsurgery was reviewed to determine its degree of adherence to consensus guidelines. METHODS A comprehensive search of the English language literature was performed to identify studies reporting outcome data in patients treated with microsurgery for VSs. Each publication was reviewed to determine whether it had properly reported each of the 7 items relevant to surgical management described in the Consensus Meeting reporting guidelines. The number of studies that had included each of the key items before and after the publication of the reporting guidelines was compared. RESULTS After the publication of the standards, there were a significantly greater proportion of studies that properly reported the nature of the tumor and facial nerve function. Since the publication of the Consensus Meeting Guidelines, there also were trends toward greater proportions of articles that properly reported the size, hearing function, preoperative symptoms, and postoperative complications of the patients treated. CONCLUSION Since the release of the reporting system guidelines for VS, the focus of the publications seems to have shifted away from basic clinical characteristics and toward posttreatment neurologic function. Future studies reporting the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes for patients with VS cases should strive to include all the elements described in the Consensus Meeting guidelines.