cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reference dataset of users' photon beam modeling parameters for the Eclipse, Pinnacle, and RayStation treatment planning systems.

Purpose The aim of this work was to provide a novel description of how the radiotherapy community configures treatment planning system (TPS) radiation beam models for clinically used treatment machines. Here we describe the results of a survey of self-reported TPS beam modeling parameter values across different C-arm linear accelerators, beam energies, and multileaf collimator (MLC) configurations. Acquisition and validation methods Beam modeling data were acquired via electronic survey implemented through the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) Houston Quality Assurance Center's online facility questionnaire. The survey was open to participation from January 2018 through January 2019 for all institutions monitored by IROC. After quality control, 2818 beam models were collected from 642 institutions. This survey, designed for Eclipse, Pinnacle, and RayStation, instructed physicists to report parameter values used to model the radiation source and MLC for each treatment machine and beam energy used clinically for intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Parameters collected included the effective source/spot size, MLC transmission, dosimetric leaf gap, tongue and groove effect, and other nondosimetric parameters specific to each TPS. To facilitate survey participation, instructions were provided on how to identify requested beam modeling parameters within each TPS environment. Data format and usage notes Numeric values of the beam modeling parameters are compiled and tabulated according to TPS and calculation algorithm, linear accelerator model class, beam energy, and MLC configuration. Values are also presented as distributions, ranging from the 2.5th to the 97.5th percentile. Potential applications These data provide an independent guide describing how the radiotherapy community mathematically represents its clinical radiation beams. These distributions may be used by the community for comparison during the commissioning or verification of their TPS beam models. Ultimately, we hope that the current work will allow institutions to spot potentially suspicious parameter values and help ensure more accurate radiotherapy delivery.
Effect of Vaping on Airway Barrier Function: A Pilot Study

Electronic-cigarettes (ECs) are battery powered devices (containing ~7X1011 free radicals/puff), vaporizes flavors with/without nicotine, which may aid smokers in quitting or attenuating their tobacco habits. To date, health concerns of vaping EC use among healthy & COPD is limited and whether regular use has any effect on airway epithelium. We aim to investigate if vaping alters the structure & function of the airway epithelial cells. Primary human bronchial epithelia from 5 healthy donors (NHBE, Lonza & Epithelix) were differentiated on an air-liquid interface & exposed to popular EC flavored aerosols (Tobacco/Mango) with/without nicotine compared to clean air control for 10 days using a Vitrocell exposure system connected to a peristaltic pump (CRM81 puffing regimen). Epithelial function was assessed by cell permeability (FITC-dextran assay & TEER), number of cilia, & ciliary beat frequency (CBF). Effects on cell-cell adhesion were measured by quantifying junctional protein abundance & functional effects of altered adhesion were measured by computing cellular motion over time. We observed that vaping EC aerosols increased permeability, as well as decreased number of cilia & CBF of the airway epithelia (Fig.1). In addition, decreased cell-cell adhesion was quantified by increased cellular motion over time. Our data suggests that vaping EC disrupts structural and functional integrity of airway epithelia, resulting in airway inflammation & lung diseases.
Erratum to “A Flying-Inductor Hybrid DC-DC Converter for 1-Cell and 2-Cell Smart-Cable Battery Chargers”

In [1] , some incorrect information was introduced in the biography of Dr. Hanh-Phuc Le. The correct information is as follows:
“The Same Effort and the Same Death”: The Memory of the Langalibalele Incident of 1873

The Langalibalele Incident of 1873 was one of the defining moments in the early history of the British Colony of Natal in Southern Africa. The dispute and ensuing rebellion would eventually lead to a clash between the white volunteers of the Natal Carbineers and a Hlubi contingent linked to Langalibalele at Bushman’s Pass, resulting in the death of three volunteers and two indigenous interpreters. Though Langalibalele’s challenge to colonial rule did not resonate on the same level as the more famous Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, it remains a key case study in understanding expanding imperial power in Southern Africa in the nineteenth century. With this in mind, it is fitting that the monument to the Anglo-Zulu War in the shadow of Pietermaritzburg’s City Hall stands across the street from the monument dedicated to those that died at Bushman’s Pass. This marker’s commemoration of the Langalibalele Incident and the deaths at Bushman’s Pass is telling of the complex memory of imperial history in Natal. This chapter will examine the incident itself, the response to the event in the colonial consciousness of Natal, and the later memory and commemoration of the incident and Langalibalele centrally in post-apartheid South Africa.
A SmartNIC-Accelerated Monitoring Platform for In-band Network Telemetry

Recent developments in In-band Network Telemetry (INT) provide granular monitoring of performance and load on network elements by collecting information in the data plane. INT enables traffic sources to embed telemetry instructions in data packets, avoiding separate probing or infrequent management-based monitoring. INT sink nodes track and collect metrics by retrieving INT metadata instructions appended by different sources of INT information. However, tracking the INT state in packets arriving at the sink is both compute intensive (requiring complex operations on each packet), and challenging for the standard P4 match-action packet processing pipeline to maintain line-rate. We propose a network telemetry platform in which the INT sink is implemented using distinct (C-based) algorithms on a SmartNIC in the monitoring host, complementing the P4 packet processing pipeline. This design accelerates packet processing and handles complex INT-related operations more efficiently than P4 match-action processing alone. While the P4 pipeline parses INT headers, a general-purpose Micro-C algorithms performs complex INT tasks (e.g. aggregation, event-detection, notification, etc.). We demonstrate that partitioning of INT processing significantly reduces processing overhead vs. a P4-on1y implementation, providing accurate, timely and almost loss-free event notification.
Genetic variants in anti-Müllerian hormone-related genes and breast cancer risk: results from the AMBER consortium

Circulating anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels are positively associated with time to menopause and breast cancer risk. We examined breast cancer associations with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the AMH gene or its receptor genes, ACVR1 and AMHR2, among African American women. In the AMBER consortium, we tested 65 candidate SNPs, and 1130 total variants, in or near AMH, ACVR1, and AMHR2 and breast cancer risk. Overall, 3649 cases and 4230 controls contributed to analyses. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for breast cancer were calculated using multivariable logistic regression. After correction for multiple comparisons (false-discovery rate of 5%), there were no statistically significant associations with breast cancer risk. Without correction for multiple testing, four candidate SNPs in ACVR1 and one near AMH were associated with breast cancer risk. In ACVR1, rs13395576[C] was associated with lower breast cancer risk overall (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.72, 0.97) and for ER+ disease (OR 0.75; CI 0.62, 0.89) (p < 0.05). Rs1220110[A] and rs1220134[T] each had ORs of 0.89–0.90 for postmenopausal and ER+ breast cancer (p ≤ 0.03). Conversely, rs1682130[T] was associated with higher risk of ER+ breast cancer (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.04, 1.32). Near AMH, rs6510652[T] had ORs of 0.85–0.90 for breast cancer overall and after menopause (p ≤ 0.02). The present results, from a large study of African American women, provide limited support for an association between AMH-related polymorphisms and breast cancer risk and require replication in other studies.
The Role of Twist in Kinked Flux Rope Emergence and Delta-Spot Formation

It has been observationally well established that the magnetic configurations most favorable for producing energetic flaring events reside in delta-spots, a class of sunspots dened as having opposite polarity umbrae sharing a common penumbra. They are frequently characterized by extreme compactness,strong rotation and anti-Hale orientation. Numerous studies have shown that nearly all of the largest solar ares originate in delta-spots, making the understanding of these structures a fundamental step in predicting space weather. Despite their important influence on the space environment, surprisingly little is understood about the origin and behavior of delta-spots. In this paper, we perform a systematic study of the behavior of emerging flux ropes to test a theoretical model for the formation of delta-spots: the kink instability of emerging flux ropes. We simulated the emergence of highly twisted,kink-unstable flux ropes from the convection zone into the corona, and compared their photospheric properties to those of emerged weakly twisted, kink-stable flux ropes. We show that the photospheric manifestations of the emergence of highly twisted flux ropes closely match the observed properties of delta-spots, and we discuss the resulting implications for observations. Our results strongly support and extend previous theoretical work that suggested that the kink instability of emerging flux ropes is a promising candidate to explain delta-spot formation, as it reproduces their key characteristics very well.
Coherent Optical Control of Quantum Dot Hole Spins using Triplet Trion States

We use optical transitions of positively charged excitons (trions) with one hole in an excited orbital to solve a long-standing challenge for quantum dots of having both fast optical spin control and efficient spin readout.
The Great Industrial Revolution in Europe: 1760–1860

The first (or “Great”) Industrial Revolution occurred in Europe from roughly 1760 to 1860, and marked the end of the centuries-long feudal era and the rise of modern capitalism. To understand the modern industrial economy, it is necessary to consider the profound structural changes that produced it in the 18th and 19th centuries. New industries replaced old systems or businesses with new technologies, products, markets, and business practices, resulting in dramatic changes in economic growth (a measure of material well-being), politics (new institutions, interests, and ideologies), and society (such as urbanization, changes in social mobility, and immigration). Anchored to the rationalist principles of the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution emphasized increased productivity across sectors, from agricultural labor to factory production. The Industrial Revolution encompassed and relied on dramatic changes to organizational management, capital structures, resource procurement, and political institutions, marking a culmination of societal transformation that manifested in an explosion of economic development.The word “revolution” suggests a period of radical change, a shift from an old order to a completely new one: the Industrial Revolution was such a shift. This note offers a historical overview of this hugely consequential period in economic history. Excerpt UVA-F-1926 Rev. May 29, 2020 The Great Industrial Revolution in Europe: 1760–1860 The first (or “Great”) Industrial Revolution in history occurred in Europe from roughly 1760 to 1860. It marked the end of the centuries-long feudal era and the rise of modern capitalism. To understand the modern industrial economy, it is necessary to consider the profound structural changes that produced it in the 18th and 19th centuries: · Industrial displacements of old systems or businesses by new technologies, products, markets, and business practices, in consequence of which, one observes · Dramatic changes in economic growth (a measure of material well-being), politics (new institutions, interests, and ideologies), and society (such as urbanization, changes in social mobility, and immigration). . . .
The role of experiential avoidance in the relationship between traumatic distress and yearning in sudden and unexpected bereavement

BACKGROUND Distressing preoccupation with the circumstances of the death, experiential avoidance, and yearning often manifest in pathological forms of grief following the sudden or unexpected death of a loved one. Traumatic distress-the emotional distress linked to circumstances or reminders of a death-often leads to avoidance behaviors, whereas yearning has been conceptualized as an emotional state which leads to proximity-seeking behaviors following bereavement. A gap exists in the literature explaining how these variables may interact and perpetuate one another. AIMS The present study aims to examine the role of experiential avoidance in the relationship between traumatic distress and yearning in a sample of suddenly and unexpectedly bereaved young adults. Results suggest that the association between traumatic distress and yearning may be partially mediated by experiential avoidance. Implications of these findings for theoretical models of grief and yearning are discussed. MATERIALS & METHODS Data include a sample of 606 bereaved young adults (Mage = 21.25; 77.4% female) who participated in a larger, online survey study conducted at two universities in the United States exploring the prevalence of trauma exposure in college students. RESULTS Mediation analysis demonstrated experiential avoidance as partially mediating the relationship between traumatic distress and yearning (ab = .21, SE = .10, 95% CI [.02, .40]) when controlling for presence at the scene of death or injury. This indirect effect accounted for 11.67% of the total effect. An additional moderated mediation analysis indicated this indirect effect was present across all levels of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) symptom severity. DISCUSSION Results indicate that the association between traumatic distress and yearning may be partially mediated by experiential avoidance across all levels of PGD symptom severity. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that bereaved individuals experiencing recurrent, death-related intrusive thoughts, imagery, and/or other memories related to the circumstances of the death may be more likely to experience intense yearning for the deceased in part due to attempts to avoid painful internal experiences associated with such cues.
Traumatic brain injury induces region-specific glutamate metabolism changes as measured by multiple mass spectrometry methods.

Summary The release of excess glutamate following traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in glutamate excitotoxicity and metabolic energy failure. Endogenous mechanisms for reducing glutamate concentration in the brain parenchyma following TBI are poorly understood. Using multiple mass spectrometry approaches, we examined TBI-induced changes to glutamate metabolism. We present evidence that glutamate concentration can be reduced by glutamate oxidation via a “truncated” tricarboxylic acid cycle coupled to the urea cycle. This process reduces glutamate levels, generates carbon for energy metabolism, leads to citrulline accumulation, and produces nitric oxide. Several key metabolites are identified by metabolomics in support of this mechanism and the locations of these metabolites in the injured hemisphere are demonstrated by MALDI-MS imaging. The results of this study establish the advantages of multiple mass spectrometry approaches and provide insights into glutamate metabolism following TBI that could lead to improved treatment approaches.
Therapist's Guide to Positive Psychological Interventions

Positive psychology - essentially the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive - is a relatively new discipline that has experienced substantial growth in the last 5-10 years. Research suggests that the principles and theories from this area of study are highly relevant to the practice of counseling and psychotherapy, and positive psychology presents clinicians and patients with a much needed balance to the more traditional focus on pathology and the disease model of mental health. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the best-researched positive psychological interventions. It emphasizes clinical application, providing a detailed view of how the research can be applied to patients. Covering the broaden-and-build theory, strengths-based therapy, mentoring modalities and more, the volume will provide numerous assessment tools, exercises and worksheets for use throughout the counseling and psychotherapy process. It summarizes the applications of research from positive psychology to the practice of counseling and psychotherapy. It provides clinician a variety of assessments, worksheets, handouts, and take home and in-session exercises to utilize in the process of conducting therapy from a positive psychological perspective. It also provides general treatment planning guidelines for the appropriate use of such assessments, worksheets, handouts, and exercises. Bibliography of positive psychology references to compliment the information provided in this book.
Set Theoretic Aspects of Atr0

Publisher Summary This chapter presents certain weak formal systems that are only strong enough to formalize certain aspects of mathematical practice. All of the systems considered in the chapter use classical logic. ATR 0 means the formal system of arithmetical transfinite recursion with quantifier free induction on the natural numbers. This is an interesting finitely axiomatizable subsystem of second order arithmetic. Although ATR 0 is a subsystem of second order arithmetic, ATR 0 is examined in the chapter from a set theoretic viewpoint. The chapter studies a certain finitely axiomatizable system of set theory ATR 0 s whose key axiom asserts that every well ordering is isomorphic to a von Neumann ordinal.
Relationships among attention function, exercise, and body mass index: a comparison between young breast cancer survivors and acquaintance controls.

Objective Although regular physical activity is associated with lower all-cause and disease-specific mortality among breast cancer survivors (BCS), most BCS do not meet its recommended guidelines. Attention function, a domain of cognition, is essential for daily tasks such as exercising, a form of planned physical activity. We tested the hypotheses that lower self-reported attention function in BCS would be associated with less exercise and higher body mass index (BMI) by comparing a group of 505 young BCS (45 years or younger at diagnosis and 3–8 years post-treatment) with 466 acquaintance controls (AC). Methods The groups were compared on self-reported physical and psychological outcomes. Mplus software was used to perform confirmatory structural equation modeling with a robust maximum likelihood estimator to evaluate hypothesized relationships among variables. The criteria for good model fit were having root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) 0.95, and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) < 0.08. Modification indices were used to better fit the model. Results The final model demonstrated good fit, with RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.98, and SRMR = 0.03. After controlling for demographics, parameter estimates revealed that, compared with AC, young BCS reported worse attention function (p < 0.001), more depressive symptoms (p < 0.001), and more fatigue (p < 0.001). Controlling for fatigue, depression, and anxiety, better attention function was associated with a greater likelihood of exercise in the past 3 months (p = 0.039), which in turn was associated with a lower BMI (p < 0.001). Conclusions The significant association between attention function and physical activity, if confirmed in a longitudinal study, will provide new targets for interventions aimed at improving physical activity and decreasing BMI among BCS. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparison of two data mining techniques to predict abnormal stock market returns

Two data mining techniques were compared for their ability to improve the prediction of abnormal returns using insider stock trading data. The two were neural networks (NN) and Multivariate Adaptive Regressive Splines (MARS). In the comparison, both analyzed abnormal stock market returns from the same 343 companies over the identical 4\frac{1}{2} year period (1/93-6/97). The major findings were: 1) both NN and MARS generally identified the same industries that had the most predictive abnormal stock returns 2) both found that predictions further in the future (12 and 9 months ahead) were more accurate than predictions closer to the trading date (6 and 3 months ahead) 3) both obtained better predictive accuracy using four - rather than two - months of back aggregated stock data 4) NN identified a substantially greater percentage of stocks in the group with the highest explained variance than did MARS 5) data from small and midsize companies led to higher predictive accuracy than data from large size (S&P 500) companies using NN, but not MARS. The findings illustrate that the very complex interaction between insider trading data and abnormal stock returns can be systematically analyzed using non-linear techniques. Of the two assessed, NN led to comparatively more accurate predictions than did MARS.
Production Efficiency and Diversification in Mexican Coffee-Producing Districts

Coffee production system is analyzed for 24 municipios (districts) in Veracruz, Mexico, from 1997 to 2002. A stochastic frontier approach is used to estimate an input distance function and to evaluate production efficiency. Results show the production process to be stable over time despite global price fluctuations. Production of staple crop (corn) with either coffee or other cash crops results in increased efficiency as a result of the economies of complementarity, while production of coffee with other cash crops leads to lower efficiency. Factors contributing to higher efficiency included higher population density, road availability, and higher altitude, typically associated with production of higher-quality coffee.
Statistical properties of the linear sigma model

The present work develops a simple approximate framework for initializing and interpreting dynamical simulations with the linear $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ model exploring the formation of disoriented chiral condensates in high-energy collisions. By enclosing the system in a rectangular box with periodic boundary conditions, it is possible to decompose uniquely the chiral field into its spatial average (the order parameter) and its fluctuations (the quasiparticles) which can be treated in the Hartree approximation. The quasiparticle modes are then described approximately by Klein-Gordon dispersion relations containing an effective mass depending on both the temperature and the magnitude of the order parameter; their fluctuations are instrumental in shaping the effective potential governing the order parameter, and the emerging statistical description is thermodynamicially consistent. The temperature dependence of the statistical distribution of the order parameter is discussed, as is the behavior of the associated effective masses; as the system is cooled, the field fluctuations subside, causing a smooth change from the high-temperature phase in which chiral symmetry is approximately restored towards the normal phase. Of practical interest is the fact that the equilibrium field configurations can be sampled in a simple manner, thus providing a convenient means for specifying the initial conditions in dynamical simulations of the nonequilibrium relaxation of the chiral field; in particular, the correlation function is much more realistic than those emerging in previous initialization methods. It is illustrated how such samples remain approximately invariant under propagation by the unapproximated equation of motion over times that are long on the scale of interest, thereby suggesting that the treatment is sufficiently accurate to be of practical utility.
Job Satisfaction of School Psychologists in the United States A National Study

This study was designed to determine the level of job satisfaction of school psychologists in the United States who are employed in a school setting. It replicates a previous national study (Anders...
Towards trusted systems from the ground up

Operating systems, the most fundamental software layer in virtually every computer system, are notoriously insecure and unreliable. A possible reason for this situation is that progress on language-based safety and security mechanisms has largely been ignored in the context of operating systems. There is a lack of mechanical checking of safety properties (both at compile- and run-time) as well as a framework and a mechanism for expressing, safely transporting and enforcing such properties. Our solution is to leverage language-based mechanisms by reversing the traditional relationship of operating systems and programming languages --- implement operating system functionality on top of a provably safe and secure language and its runtime environment instead of the other way round. We propose to leverage these mechanisms, many of which have been developed in the context of mobile code infrastructures, to build secure systems from the ground up. Such a system would be more secure, flexible and scalable compared to existing systems.
A time-dependent incompressible viscous BEM for moderate Reynolds numbers

The boundary element method is applied to transient viscous incompressible flow. The time-domain formulation allows a boundary-only solution for linear Stokes flow. For higher speed flows in which the nonlinear convective effects cannot be ignored, a volume integral must be retained. However, the introduction of reference velocities often limits the nonlinear region to the vicinity of obstacles or boundary surfaces. Additionally, the volume terms are rewritten to eliminate the need for the calculation of velocity gradients. A general purpose numerical implementation of this new formulation then produces a very attractive tool for engineering analysis. This implementation includes a Newton-Raphson algorithm, permitting accurate solutions up to the moderate Reynolds number range. Several numerical examples are provided to validate the present approach.
Brillouin-scattering study of the elastic anomaly in ferroelectric K H 2 P O 4

Brillouin-scattering measurements have been performed on potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) in the temperature range $113lTl291$ \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K with electric fields between 0 and 3937 V/cm. Values of the adiabatic $x\ensuremath{-}y$ shear elastic constant ${c}_{66}^{E,S}$ deduced from the experiment are presented in tabular form. The data are compared with the predictions of several free-energy expressions. The Slater-SUS (Silsbee, Uehling, and Schmidt) theory is shown to predict values of the elastic constant in reasonable agreement with the experimental values, but the SUS parameters which provide the best fit to the elastic-constant data are somewhat different from those which give a best fit to spontaneous-polarization data. The data are also compared to the predictions of three phenomenological free-energy expressions which are all variants of the Landau-Devonshire power-series expansion. The simple molecular-field expression is shown to give poor agreement with the ${c}_{66}^{E,S}$ data, and to require parameter values for even a poor fit which then predict unreasonably large values for the spontaneous polarization. Two other phenomenological free energies are considered, one having a tenth-power nonlinear polarization term and predicting a second-order transition, and another, proposed by Benepe and Reese, having fourth-and eighth-power nonlinear polarization terms and predicting a slightly first-order transition. These two phenomenological free energies have previously been utilized in the analysis of various thermodynamic properties of KDP, and it is found that both are able to predict values for the elastic constant ${c}_{66}^{E,S}$ in reasonable agreement with experiment while providing adequate predictions for the spontaneous polarization with the same parameters. The behavior of ${c}_{66}^{E,S}$ within 0.1 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K of the transition, however, favors the Benepe-Reese free energy.
Doublebreasted operations and the decline of construction unionism

Labor relations in the construction industry are conducted under a legal framework that is both different and more favorable to unions than is that in industry generally. One aspect of this favored union environment is that construction employers are more subject to challenge than other employers if they operate both union and nonunion subsidiaries (“doublebreasted operations”). For almost a decade, the construction unions have attempted to obtain legislation disallowing this practice on the erroneous claims that it is unique to the construction industry and responsible for the decline of construction unions. This article examines the facts of the case and concludes that having both union and nonunion construction subsidiaries is no different from having both union and nonunion manufacturing subsidiaries insofar as the structure and operational organization of such companies are concerned; that the initial National Labor Relation Board decision in regard to doublebreasted operations in the construction industry was merely an application of precedent of some years previous in other industries; and that construction industry doublebreasted operations are much more a result than a cause of union decline.
Astrophysical spouts: the jet set.

Despite the ubiquity of astrophysical jets, there is no generally accepted theory for the mechanism of their formation.
Benzylic oxidation and photooxidation by air in the presence of graphite and cyclohexene

Graphite is introduced as a convenient catalyst for cyclohexene-promoted photooxidation of p-xylene, ethylbenzene, and cumene by air. Availability of the reagent (air), lack of chemical waste, low toxicity, and reusability of the catalyst make the process a good green alternative of oxidation of these industrially important hydrocarbons.
Cognitive Ethology and the Intentionality of Animal Behaviour

: Cognitive ethologists are in need of a good theoretical framework for attributing intentional states. Heyes and Dickinson (1990) present criteria that they claim are necessary for an intentional explanation of behavior to be justified. They suggest that questions of intentionality can only be investigated under controlled laboratory conditions and they apply their criteria to laboratory experiments to argue that the common behavior of approaching food is not intentional in most animals. We dispute the details of their argument and interpretation of the laboratory experiments. While criteria such as those suggested have a role to play in comparative studies of cognition, both laboratory and field studies are important for assessing the applicability of intentional explanations across different taxa.
Assessment of non-invasive intervertebral motion measurements in the lumbar spine

This study compared the accuracy of new, FDA-approved, image-analysis software to conventional radiographic assessment techniques for the measurement of intervertebral motion. Six adult human cadaveric lumbar spines (L1-S1) were individually mounted in a custom Plexiglas device and electromagnetic sensors were rigidly mounted to the spinous processes of L3, L4, and L5. Lateral radiographs of the spines in neutral, full flexion, and full extension were digitized and analyzed both using the software and manually by three orthopedic surgeons. Compared to intervertebral rotations determined from the electromagnetic device, the errors in rotations reported by the software and surgeons were 0.47+/-0.24 degrees and 2.16+/-0.78 degrees , respectively. Rotations measured by the surgeons were significantly less accurate and more variable than that of the software (p<0.05).
Careers in Virology: Teaching at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution

A faculty position at a primarily undergraduate institution requires working with undergraduates in both the classroom and the research lab. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who are interested in such a career should understand that faculty at these institutions need to teach broadly and devise research questions that can be addressed safely and with limited resources compared to a research I university. Aspects of, and ways to prepare for, this career will be reviewed herein.
A sampling procedure to estimate risk probabilities in access-control security systems

Abstract Access-control security systems found in airports typically involve sophisticated technologies and procedures, and their associated sensitivity settings. These settings are often calibrated by the level of threat believed to be present in the environment. Determining this threat level can be quite challenging, but is essential to optimize system security. This paper presents a non-intrusive sampling procedure based on the observed number of alarms and clears that occur during security-system operations. The procedure can be used to estimate the threat probability, the probability that a given alarm is false and the probability that a given clear is false in access-control security systems. An illustrative example is presented to demonstrate the utility of these estimators.
Dynamic scheduling of stream programs on embedded multi-core processors

Stream computing has emerged as an important model of computation for embedded system applications particularly in the multimedia and network processing domains. In recent past several programming languages and embedded multi-core processors have been proposed for streaming applications. This paper examines the execution and dynamic scheduling of stream programs on embedded multi-core processors. The paper addresses the problem in the context of a multi-tasking environment with a time varying allocation of processing elements for a particular streaming application. As a solution the paper proposes a two step approach where the stream program is first compiled to gather key application information, and to generate re-targetable code. A light weight dynamic scheduler incorporates the second stage of the approach. The dynamic scheduler utilizes the static information and available resources to assign or partition the application across the multi-core architecture. The objective of the dynamic scheduler is to maximize the throughput of the application, and it is sensitive to the resource (processing elements, scratch-pad memory, DMA bandwidth) constraints imposed by the target architecture. We evaluate the proposed approach by compiling and scheduling benchmark stream programs on a representative embedded multi-core processor. We present experimental results that evaluate the quality of the solutions generated by the proposed approach by comparisons with existing techniques.
Energy restriction with different protein quantities and source: implications for innate immunity.

Objective: Physical age, energy restriction (ER), and weight loss have been reported to suppress indices of innate immunity, which may increase the risk of illness. To evaluate these interactions, we recruited older, postmenopausal women (50 to 80 years) to fill one of the following 9-week ER (1250 kcal/d) groups: beef [n = 14; reported intakes 46% carbohydrate (CHO):24% protein (PRO):30% fat], chicken (n = 15; 51% CHO:25% PRO:24% fat), or CHO (n = 14; 59% CHO:17% PRO:24% fat), or a non-intervention control (n = 11). Research Methods and Procedures: Fasting blood was collected before and after ER to determine leukocyte phenotype, neutrophil oxidative burst capacity, natural killer cell activity, stimulated interleukin-2 and interferon-γ production, and blood zinc and iron concentrations. Results: No significant effects of ER (8.6% weight loss) or PRO quantity and source were found for the majority of indices of innate immunity. Small but significant (p < 0.05) declines in interleukin-2 production were found in the chicken and CHO groups only; however, the clinical significance of this finding is not known. Discussion: In the present study, 9 weeks of moderate ER did not suppress immunity in postmenopausal women. Also, contrary to our hypothesis, differential zinc and iron intakes did not significantly alter immunity.
Prognostic factors in metastatic prostate cancer

Androgen deprivation therapy is the initial treatment choice for metastatic disease. When enrolling patients into androgen deprivation trials, it is important to consider stratification of enrollees based on prognostic factors that have been identified as important in determining the likelihood of response. Prognostic factors are also helpful in identifying which patients are less likely to respond to treatment; this information also would help to counsel patients. Performance status is an important prognostic factor; however, its impact is minimal because the great majority of men who receive treatment for advanced disease have a normal performance status
Biochemical genetics of endangered Colorado squawfish populations

Abstract We examined the relationships between two hatchery and two wild populations of the endangered Colorado squawfish Ptychocheilus lucius by use of starch gel electrophoresis of 44 presumptive locus products. Samples of fish from the Green and Colorado rivers were found to be very similar to two hatchery stocks established in 1973 and 1978 (unbiased genetic identity = 0.99; Nei 1978). At least 9 of the 44 loci were polymorphic. Average heterozygosities were high (2.6–5.3%) for an endangered species but were similar to those for nine other cyprinid genera. The proportion of polymorphic loci ranged from 9.1 to 13.6%, which was also high when compared with reported values of 4% for a congener. Genotypes deviated from Hardy–Weinberg proportions at two loci (EST-1*, GPI-2*) in the Colorado River samples and at one locus (EST-1*) in the Green River samples. Also, as a secondary objective we resolved five of the nine polymorphic loci from samples of fin tissue.
Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) 1-3 regulate astrocyte activation

Besides their traditional role in maintaining CNS homeostasis, astrocytes also participate in innate immune responses. Indeed, we have previously demonstrated that astrocytes are capable of recognizing bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, a common etiologic agent of CNS infections, and respond with the robust production of numerous proinflammatory mediators. Suppression of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), a DNA repair enzyme, has been shown to attenuate inflammatory responses in several cell types including mixed glial cultures. However, a role for PARP-1 in regulating innate immune responses in purified astrocytes and the potential for multiple PARP family members to cooperatively regulate astrocyte activation has not yet been examined. The synthetic PARP-1 inhibitor PJ-34 attenuated the production of several proinflammatory mediators by astrocytes in response to S. aureus stimulation including nitric oxide, interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and CCL2. The release of all four mediators was partially reduced in PARP-1 knockout (KO) astrocytes compared to wild-type cells. The residual inflammatory mediator expression detected in PARP-1 KO astrocytes was further blocked with PJ-34, suggesting either non-specific effects of the drug or actions on alternative PARP isoforms. Reduction in PARP-2 or PARP-3 expression by siRNA knock down revealed that these isoforms also contributed to inflammatory mediator regulation in response to S. aureus. Interestingly, the combined targeting of either PARP-1/PARP-2 or PARP-2/PARP-3 attenuated astrocyte inflammatory responses more effectively compared to knock down of either PARP alone, suggesting cooperativity between PARP isoforms. Collectively, these findings suggest that PARPs influence the extent of S. aureus-induced astrocyte activation.
The Making of an “Orateur National”: The French Reception of Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet's Oratorical Works (1750—2005)

Abstract Jacques-Benigne Bossuet (1627–1704) is today regarded as the most important French preacher of the Ancien Regime; yet, this was not always the case. In fact, before the nineteenth century, Bossuet's reputation was no greater than that of his contemporary counterparts, especially Louis Bourdaloue (1632–1704) and Jean-Baptiste Massillon (1662–1742). What happened to cause Bossuet's rise to rhetorical preeminence in post-revolutionary France? A survey of how French literary historians of the past three centuries have received Bossuet's oratorical works suggests an answer, as well as exposes the rhetorical dimensions of appropriation itself.
Efficacy and factors associated with successful outcome of sildenafil citrate use for erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and factors associated with successful treatment of sildenafil citrate for erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy (RP). METHODS Of the 470 patients who underwent RP at our institution between July 1998 and January 2000, 227 (48%) sought treatment for erectile dysfunction, and 174 (37%) were prescribed sildenafil citrate. The starting dose was 50 mg, which was increased to 100 mg if the patient did not have a positive response. Of the 174 patients, 104 (59.8%) had undergone a bilateral nerve-sparing (NS) procedure, 28 (16.1%) had undergone a unilateral NS procedure, and 42 (24.1%) had undergone a non-NS procedure. Erectile function was assessed by the abridged five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire, referred to as the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM), at baseline and 1 year after sildenafil use. The patients' charts were retrospectively reviewed to find factors associated with a successful outcome, which was defined as successful vaginal intercourse. Association with success was assessed by chi-square analysis and the Cochran Armitage test for trend. Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons was used, with an overall significance level of 0.05 for each factor assessed. RESULTS The mean age was 60.1 +/- 6.25 years, and the mean interval from RP to drug use was 3 months. After treatment with sildenafil, 100 (57%) of 174 patients responded to the drug: 79 (76%) of 104 in the bilateral NS group, 15 (53.5%) of 28 in the unilateral NS group, and 6 (14.2%) of 42 in the non-NS group. SHIM analysis showed that the magnitude of the improvement was greater in the bilateral NS group (19.97 +/- 1.12) than in the unilateral NS (15.89 +/- 3.38) or non-NS (10.06 +/- 2.0) groups (P <0.020). Four factors were significantly associated statistically with a successful outcome: the presence of at least one neurovascular bundle, a preoperative SHIM score of 15 or greater, age 65 years old or younger, and interval from RP to drug use of more than 6 months (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS The efficacy of sildenafil citrate after RP correlated with the degree of neurovascular bundle preservation, preoperative erectile function status, age, and interval before starting treatment.
The Meaning of Breast Cancer Risk for African American Women

Purpose: To describe African American women's experience of being at high risk for breast cancer. Design: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to guide in-depth interviews and analysis. Methods to ensure trustworthiness and rigor were included. Methods: Open interviews were conducted with 20 African American women who were at high risk for breast cancer (family history, personal history, genetic mutation). They were recruited from a cancer risk clinic and community-based settings. Data were transcribed verbatim, and themes were labeled among and between all interviews. Findings: Five themes were identified: (a) life-changing experience; (b) relationships: fears, support, and concerns; (c) the healthcare experience; (d) raising awareness; and (e) strong faith. Conclusions: Young women at high risk for breast cancer have unique emotional and support needs that are shaped by stage in life, relationships with significant others, their faith, and interactions with the healthcare delivery system. Clinical Relevance: Breast cancer does occur in young women. This highlights the need for timely and sensitive approaches to care when young women present with breast health concerns or abnormal breast findings.
Antiepileptic drugs in adolescents

Adolescence is a critical developmental period in which major metabolic changes occur. The majority of adolescents with epilepsy can be fully controlled with medications and can lead productive lives. A knowledge of basic principles of pharmacotherapy with AEDs will enable the physician to treat effectively most adolescents with epilepsy.
An Argument for the Bayesian Control of Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes

This technical note concerns the control of partially observable Markov decision processes characterized by a prior distribution over the underlying hidden Markov model parameters. In such instances, the control problem is commonly simplified by first choosing a point estimate from the model prior, and then selecting the control policy that is optimal with respect to the point estimate. Our contribution is to demonstrate, through a tractable yet nontrivial example, that even the best control policies constructed in this manner can significantly underperform the Bayes optimal policy. While this is an operative assumption in the Bayes-adaptive Markov decision process literature, to our knowledge no such illustrative example has been formally proposed.
Pyrimidine synthesis in tissue culture.

— Myelinated cerebellar tissue culture (organ culture) was used to assess the salvage and de novo pathways of pyrimidine synthesis in mammalian brain. Radioactive orotic acid and carbamyl aspartic acid were readily incorporated into UMP and into perchloric acid-insoluble RNA. The incorporation was effectively blocked by azauridine. Neither radioactive sodium bicarbonate or citrulline was incorporated into UMP or blocked by azauridine. [3H]Uridine, on the other hand, rapidly entered the cultures, was incorporated into UMP and perchloric acid-insoluble material, and was partially inhibited by azauridine. The failure to demonstrate activity of carbamyl phosphate synthetase suggests the potential importance of the salvage pathway and the likely dependence of the brain upon exogenous and endogenous pyrimidine precursors.
Understanding the Components of Information Privacy Threats for Location-Based Services

ABSTRACT: Given the increase in global positioning system enabled devices and the ubiquitous ability to connect wirelessly to information through location-based services, organizations are challenged to offer privacy-by-design support systems. Given this, we offer a conceptual framework to capture the impact of the individual component weights of concern for information privacy on behavioral intent of disclosing information. Through a sample of 217 respondents, our PLS model shows that privacy protection beliefs negatively impact concern for collection, unauthorized use, and improper access of information and that privacy risk beliefs positively impact concern for collection and existence of errors; additionally, concern for collection negatively impacts behavioral intentions to disclose information, as does concern for unauthorized use. With such detailed information, firms can address both cognitive and affective consumer concerns, enhance transparency, and communicate multiple services while handling p...
Zhuangzi—Playful wanderer

His batting stance was pure Skrimmer, the easy sink of the knees, the sense of prevailing silence, the dart of the hands to the ball. Good players tended to be good mimics: old footage of Aparicio,...