cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting participation in dual language immersion using theory of planned behavior

Dual language immersion programs are increasing in popularity. Yet little is known about what motivates parents to enroll their children in dual language immersion. The theory of planned behavior p...
Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Corticospinal Excitability During Motor Training.

Background: Cerebellar activity can be modulated using cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (ctDCS) and, when applied concurrently with task training, has been shown to facilitate cognitive and motor performance. However, how ctDCS facilitates motor performance is not fully understood. Objective/Hypothesis: To assess the electrophysiological and motor performance effects of ctDCS applied during motor training. Methods: Fourteen healthy adults (age 28.8 ± 10.5 years) were randomly assigned to complete one session of finger tracking training with either simultaneous bilateral anodal or sham ctDCS. Training was completed in two 15 min epochs with a 5-min break (total 30 min stimulation, 2 mA). Tracking accuracy and corticospinal and intracortical excitability were measured immediately before and after the training period. Motor cortical excitability measures included resting motor threshold (RMT), motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude, cortical silent period (CSP) and short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI). Results: There was a significant interaction of Group * Time for MEP amplitude and CSP duration (p 0.06). Conclusions: ctDCS applied during task training is capable of modulating or interfering with practice-related changes in corticospinal excitability without disrupting performance improvement.
Magnesium acceptor in gallium nitride. I. Photoluminescence from Mg-doped GaN

Defect-related photoluminescence (PL) is analyzed in detail for $n$-type, $p$-type, and semi-insulating Mg-doped GaN grown by different techniques. The ultraviolet luminescence (UVL) band is the dominant PL band in conductive $n$-type and $p$-type GaN:Mg samples grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) and molecular beam epitaxy. The UVL band in undoped and Mg-doped GaN samples is attributed to the shallow $\mathrm{M}{\mathrm{g}}_{\mathrm{Ga}}$ acceptor with the ionization energy of 223 meV. In semi-insulating GaN:Mg samples, very large shifts of the UVL band (up to 0.6 eV) are observed with variation of temperature or excitation intensity. The shifts are attributed to diagonal transitions, likely due to potential fluctuations or near-surface band bending. The blue luminescence $(\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{L}}_{\mathrm{Mg}})$ band is observed only in GaN:Mg samples grown by HVPE or metalorganic chemical vapor deposition when the concentration of Mg exceeds ${10}^{19}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. The $\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{L}}_{\mathrm{Mg}}$ band is attributed to electron transitions from an unknown deep donor to the shallow $\mathrm{M}{\mathrm{g}}_{\mathrm{Ga}}$ acceptor. Basic properties of the observed PL are explained with a phenomenological model.
Epidural Analgesia Decreases Narcotic Requirements in Patients with Low Level Spina Bifida Undergoing Urological Laparotomy for Neurogenic Bladder and Bowel

Purpose:Concerns regarding anatomical anomalies and worsening neurological symptoms have prevented widespread use of epidural catheters in patients with low level spina bifida. We hypothesize that ...
Nutrients, signal transduction and carcinogenesis.

Choline-deficiency is an excellent model system in which to study how a nutrient can influence cell signaling and cause cancer. Choline is universally distributed in all cells. Choline’s most important functions are that it is needed to form acetylcholine (a major neurotransmitter), it is needed as a methyl donor, and it is a precursor for the biosynthesis of membrane phospholipids (including phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, choline plasmalogen, platelet activating factor and sphingomyelin) (Zeisel, 1990).
Environmental influence on growth history in marine benthic foraminifera

Energy availability influences natural selection on the ontogenetic histories of organisms. However, it remains unclear whether physiological controls on size remain constant throughout ontogeny or instead shift as organisms grow larger. Benthic foraminifera provide an opportunity to quantify and interpret the physicochemical controls on both initial (proloculus) and adult volumes across broad environmental gradients using first principles of cell physiology. Here, we measured proloculus and adult test dimensions of 129 modern rotaliid species from published images of holotype specimens, using holotype size to represent the maximum size of all species’ occurrences across the North American continental margin. We merged size data with mean annual temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, particulate organic carbon flux, and seawater calcite saturation for 718 unique localities to quantify the relationship between physicochemical variables and among-species adult/proloculus size ratios. We find that correlation of community mean adult/proloculus size ratios with environmental parameters reflects covariation of adult test volume with environmental conditions. Among-species proloculus sizes do not covary identifiably with environmental conditions, consistent with the expectation that environmental constraints on organism size impose stronger selective pressures on adult forms due to lower surface area-to-volume ratios at larger sizes. Among-species adult/proloculus size ratios of foraminifera occurring in resource-limited environments are constrained by the limiting resource in addition to temperature. Identified limiting resources are food in oligotrophic waters and oxygen in oxygen minimum zones. Because among-species variations in adult/proloculus size ratios from the North American continental margin are primarily driven by the local environment’s influence on adult sizes, the evolution of foraminiferal sizes over the Phanerozoic may have been strongly influenced by changing oceanographic conditions. Furthermore, lack of correspondence between among-species proloculus sizes and environmental conditions suggests that offspring sizes in foraminifera are rarely limited by physiological constraints and are more susceptible to selection related to other aspects of fitness.
Novel Approaches for The Development of Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccines

Influenza virus still represents a considerable threat to global public health, despite the advances in the development and wide use of influenza vaccines. Vaccination with traditional inactivate influenza vaccines (IIV) or live-attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIV) remains the main strategy in the control of annual seasonal epidemics, but it does not offer protection against new influenza viruses with pandemic potential, those that have shifted. Moreover, the continual antigenic drift of seasonal circulating influenza viruses, causing an antigenic mismatch that requires yearly reformulation of seasonal influenza vaccines, seriously compromises vaccine efficacy. Therefore, the quick optimization of vaccine production for seasonal influenza and the development of new vaccine approaches for pandemic viruses is still a challenge for the prevention of influenza infections. Moreover, recent reports have questioned the effectiveness of the current LAIV because of limited protection, mainly against the influenza A virus (IAV) component of the vaccine. Although the reasons for the poor protection efficacy of the LAIV have not yet been elucidated, researchers are encouraged to develop new vaccination approaches that overcome the limitations that are associated with the current LAIV. The discovery and implementation of plasmid-based reverse genetics has been a key advance in the rapid generation of recombinant attenuated influenza viruses that can be used for the development of new and most effective LAIV. In this review, we provide an update regarding the progress that has been made during the last five years in the development of new LAIV and the innovative ways that are being explored as alternatives to the currently licensed LAIV. The safety, immunogenicity, and protection efficacy profile of these new LAIVs reveal their possible implementation in combating influenza infections. However, efforts by vaccine companies and government agencies will be needed for controlled testing and approving, respectively, these new vaccine methodologies for the control of influenza infections.
Blogs: are they headed downwards in social networking? An empirical analysis

Many businesses today utilise blogs to expand opportunities to communicate, collaborate, and network. However, some believe it may be on a downward path as users today may prefer micro-blogging with Twitter and Facebook. Since the adoption of web services is typically bottom-up, it is important to understand perceptions toward workplace blogs, especially among the younger generation. A study of over four hundred users finds statistically significant evidence for reduced user perceptions of blogging over the years. The study also identifies four business areas that users find important for blogs, including employee networking and online sales. This research is one of the few recent works that show a relationship between importance and performance, previously assumed to be independent. For blogs, the relationship is found to be continuously increasing. The importance-performance analysis framework can now be used as a tool for decision-making by businesses as well providers of the blogging technology.
Stimulating the hippocampal posterior-medial network enhances task-dependent connectivity and memory

Successful episodic memory involves dynamic increases in activity across distributed hippocampal networks, including the posterior-medial (PMN) and the anterior-temporal (ATN) networks. We tested whether this up-regulation of functional connectivity during memory processing can be enhanced within hippocampal networks by noninvasive stimulation, and whether such task-dependent connectivity enhancement predicts memory improvement. Participants received stimulation targeting the PMN or an out-of-network control location. We compared the effects of stimulation on fMRI connectivity during an autobiographical retrieval task versus during rest within the PMN and the ATN. PMN-targeted stimulation significantly increased connectivity during autobiographical retrieval versus rest within the PMN. This effect was not observed in the ATN, or in either network following control stimulation. Task-dependent increases in connectivity within the medial temporal lobe predicted improved performance of a separate episodic memory test. It is therefore possible to enhance the task-dependent regulation of hippocampal network connectivity that supports memory processing using noninvasive stimulation.
Pre-Transplant Glomerular Hyperfiltration Is Not Associated with Renal Morbidity or Overall Mortality in Pediatric Patients

Introduction Glomerular hyperfiltration is defined as an abnormally high GFR. Consensus is lacking as to what GFR constitutes hyperfiltration, and its role as a risk factor for acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) is poorly understood. It has been shown that decreased GFR prior to transplant is associated with subsequent AKI, but there are no studies looking at the effect of pre-transplant hyperfiltration in pediatric transplant patients. Objectives Determine whether pre-transplant hyperfiltration is a risk factor for renal morbidity and overall mortality in pediatric SCT patients. Methods Hyperfiltration was defined as a GFR≥135 ml/min/1.73m2, which is the median value used in the literature. A normal GFR was defined as a GFR between 90 and 135 ml/min/1.73m2. We obtained a baseline nuclear medicine GFR for a cohort of 74 consecutive first allogeneic SCT patients > 2 years of age at time of transplant. Outcomes assessed included AKI, defined as a doubling of creatinine in the first year of transplant, need for renal replacement therapy, and 1 year event free survival. In patients who had at least 2 years of follow up, the outcome of CKD was defined as a GFR Results There was no association between hyperfiltration and transplant demographics (Table 1). 11 patients were excluded from analysis due to baseline GFR Conclusions Pre-SCT GFR≥135 ml/min per 1.73m2 was not associated with AKI, 1 year event free survival, or CKD at a median follow up time of 4.7 years. Further research is needed to determine whether a different threshold for hyperfiltration would have prognostic value. Follow up to assess long term risk of CKD is also warranted in these patients.
APPLICABILITY OF THE MADIT-CRT SCORE FOR PREDICTION OF THE LONG-TERM CLINICAL BENEFIT OF THE CARDIAC RESYNCHRONIZATION THERAPY BY QRS MORPHOLOGY

We have previously shown that a response score, including 7 baseline clinical and echocardiographic factors, can be used to predict CRT-D benefit among patients enrolled in MADIT-CRT over a median of 2.4 years. We aimed to evaluate the yield of the score for the assessment of the long-term clinical
Evidence for photochemical synthesis of fluoromethane

Photochemical generation of volatile fluoromethane in a dilute acetic acid medium is demonstrated. Radical halogen atom transfer (XAT) from an intermediate Cu–F transition metal fluorocomplex to abundant ˙CH3 generated by UV homolysis of acetic acid, rather than direct formation of free ˙F radicals, is hypothesized as being the synthetic route. The presence of Cu(II) is indispensable for CH3F formation. GC-MS identification of the gaseous products released from a photolysed 2% (v/v) solution of acetic acid containing 60 mg L−1 added Cu(II) as a sensitizer confirms synthesis of CH3F as the volatile fluorinated species, which is not detectable in the absence of Cu(II). Reaction efficiency remains unchanged whether the sample medium is exposed to V-UV radiation (185 nm) or germicidal UV-C radiation (primarily 254 nm and longer wavelengths) from the source. Experimental optimization of generation conditions (pH, irradiation time, UV wavelength, acetic acid concentration, metal ion sensitizer and concentration) was undertaken with a view to elucidation of mechanism as well as maximizing synthetic yield. Although the low yield (<1%) of CH3F currently precludes its efficacious use as a means of enhancing analyte introduction efficiency into atomic spectrochemical sources, this study demonstrates successful application of XAT to encompass PVG of the most difficult of the halogens to process in this manner and may provide insights into further studies to ultimately achieve higher yields.
Chapter 56 – Immunoglobulin Replacement

The concept of transfer of protection dates back to 1890, when Emil Behring and Shibasaburo Kitasato discovered that guinea pigs injected with killed diphtheria or tetanus bacilli developed a soluble substance that could be transferred to a second guinea pig to provide protection for an infectious challenge. This concept was extended to humans in the 1930s, but side effects were common. Immunoglobulin purification began when Cohn developed an ethanol fractionation method to separate plasma proteins into stable fractions in 1946. In 1952, Bruton described the first case of agammaglobulinemia and showed that subcutaneous injections with Cohn fraction II was an effective treatment. This landmark case began the modern era of immunoglobulin replacement. Many of the early cases of immunoglobulin replacement utilized intramuscular injections, because the products contained prekallikrein and other biologically active components and intravenous administration led to fever and cardiovascular symptoms. The Swiss Red Cross laboratories developed methods to adapt the Cohn fraction II for use intravenously by using exchange chromatography, and in 1981 the first commercial intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) became available in the United States. Today, patients have a wide variety of subcutaneous or intravenous immunoglobulin products and patients receive immunoglobulin replacement in their own homes, thus facilitating a higher quality of life. In this chapter, the uses of immunoglobulin and adverse events are reviewed.
Single Cell Mechanotype and Associated Molecular Changes in Urothelial Cell Transformation and Progression.

Cancer cell mechanotype changes are newly recognized cancer phenotypic events, whereas metastatic cancer cells show decreased cell stiffness and increased deformability relative to normal cells. To further examine how cell mechanotype changes in early stages of cancer transformation and progression, an in vitro multi-step human urothelial cell carcinogenic model was used to measure cellular Young's modulus, deformability, and transit time using single-cell atomic force microscopy, microfluidic-based deformability cytometry, and quantitative deformability cytometry, respectively. Measurable cell mechanotype changes of stiffness, deformability, and cell transit time occur early in the transformation process. As cells progress from normal, to preinvasive, to invasive cells, Young's modulus of stiffness decreases and deformability increases gradually. These changes were confirmed in three-dimensional cultured microtumor masses and urine exfoliated cells directly from patients. Using gene screening and proteomics approaches, we found that the main molecular pathway implicated in cell mechanotype changes appears to be epithelial to mesenchymal transition.
Absolute chemical potentials for complex molecules in fluid phases: A centroid reference for predicting phase equilibria

Solid–fluid phase equilibria are difficult to predict in simulations because bound degrees of freedom in the crystal phase must be converted to free translations and rotations in the fluid phase. Here, we avoid the solid-to-fluid transformation step by starting with chemical potentials for two reference systems, one for the fluid phase and one for the solid phase. For the solid, we start from the Einstein crystal and transform to the fully interacting molecular crystal. For the fluid phase, we introduce a new reference system, the “centroid,” and then transform to gas phase molecules. We illustrate the new calculations by predicting the sublimation vapor pressure of succinic acid in the temperature range of 300 K–350 K.
The effect of antibiotic use within 30 days of initiation of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) efficacy in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) in real-world setting.

417Background: There is emerging evidence that patients (pts) treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) may have a poorer response in the setting of antibiotic use (ABx), possibly due to neg...
Abstract 16923: Healthy Lifestyle is Inversely Associated With All-Cause Mortality Irrespective of Medication Burden

Introduction: The benefits of a healthy lifestyle in the context of a high disease and medication burden are not clear. Hypothesis: Healthy lifestyle is inversely associated with all-cause mortalit...
Psychosocial Impact of Cancer Care Disruptions in Women With Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in cancer care, and preliminary research suggests that these disruptions are associated with increased levels of psychosocial distress among cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to offer a descriptive report of the psychosocial functioning, perceived risk and fear of cancer progression, and COVID-19 pandemic impact and experiences in a unique, high-risk patient cohort: breast cancer survivors whose cancer treatment was delayed and/or changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 50 women with dual carcinoma in situ, lobular carcinoma in situ, or invasive breast cancer whose cancer surgery was postponed due to the pandemic. As they awaited delayed surgery or shortly after they received delayed surgery, participants completed questionnaires on psychosocial functioning (depression, anxiety, sleep, and quality of life), their perceived risk and fear of cancer progression, patient-provider communication about disruptions in their care, personal impact of the pandemic, worry/threat about COVID-19, and COVID-19 symptoms/diagnoses. Descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations were computed among continuous study variables. Independent samples t-tests explored group differences in psychosocial functioning between survivors who were still awaiting delayed surgery and those who had recently received it. Results: Overall, the sample denied that the pandemic seriously negatively impacted their finances or resource access and reported low-to-moderate levels of psychosocial distress and fear about COVID-19. Twenty-six percent had clinically significant levels of fear of cancer progression, with levels comparable to other recent work. About a third were still awaiting delayed cancer surgery and this group reported lower satisfaction with communication from oncology providers but overall did not seem to report more psychosocial difficulties than those who already had surgery. Conclusion: Shortly before or after primary breast cancer surgery that was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this sample of survivors appears to be generally managing well psychosocially. However, many psychosocial difficulties (e.g., fear of cancer recurrence/progression) typically have an onset after the completion of treatment, therefore, research should continue to follow this cohort of cancer survivors as the pandemic's direct impact on their care likely increases their risk for these difficulties later in survivorship.
Intestinal iron absorption is appropriately modulated to match physiological demand for iron in wild-type and iron-loaded Hamp (hepcidin) knockout rats during acute colitis

Mucosal damage, barrier breach, inflammation, and iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) typify ulcerative colitis (UC) in humans. The anemia in UC appears to mainly relate to systemic inflammation. The pathogenesis of this 'anemia of inflammation' (AI) involves cytokine-mediated transactivation of hepatic Hamp (encoding the iron-regulatory hormone, hepcidin). In AI, high hepcidin represses iron absorption (and iron release from stores), thus lowering serum iron, and restricting iron for erythropoiesis (causing anemia). In less-severe disease states, inflammation may be limited to the intestine, but whether this perturbs iron homeostasis is uncertain. We hypothesized that localized gut inflammation will increase overall iron demand (to support the immune response and tissue repair), and that hepatic Hamp expression will decrease in response, thus derepressing (i.e., enhancing) iron absorption. Accordingly, we developed a rat model of mild, acute colitis, and studied iron absorption and homeostasis. Rats exposed (orally) to DSS (4%) for 7 days had intestinal (but not systemic) inflammation, and biomarker analyses demonstrated that iron utilization was elevated. Iron absorption was enhanced (by 2-3-fold) in DSS-treated, WT rats of both sexes, but unexpectedly, hepatic Hamp expression was not suppressed. Therefore, to gain a better understanding of regulation of iron absorption during acute colitis, Hamp KO rats were used for further experimentation. The severity of DSS-colitis was similar in Hamp KOs as in WT controls. In the KOs, increased iron requirements associated with the physiological response to colitis were satisfied by mobilizing hepatic storage iron, rather than by increasing absorption of enteral iron (as occurred in WT rats). In conclusion then, in both sexes and genotypes of rats, iron absorption was appropriately modulated to match physiological demand for dietary iron during acute intestinal inflammation, but regulatory mechanisms may not involve hepcidin.
Population model of Temnothorax albipennis as a distributed dynamical system: I. self-consistent threshold is an emergent property in combination of quorum sensing and chemical perception of limited resource

House hunting of ant, such as Temnothorax albipennis, has been shown to be a distributed dynamical system. Such a system includes agent-based algorithm [1], with agents in different roles including nest exploration, nest assessment, quorum sensing, and brood item transportation. Such an algorithm, if used properly, can be applied on artificial intelligent system, like robotic swarms. Despite of its complexity, we are focusing on the quorum sensing mechanism, which is also observed in bacteria model. In bacterial model, multiple biochemical networks co-exist within each cell, including binding of autoinducer and cognate receptors, and phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle. In ant hunting, we also have ant commitment to the nest, mimicking binding between autoinducer and cognate receptors. We also have assessment ant specific to one nest and information exchange between two assessment ants corresponding to different nests, which is similar process to the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle in bacteria quorum sensing network. Due to the similarity between the two models, we borrow the idea from bacteria quorum sensing to clarify the definition of quorum threshold through biological plausible mechanism related to limited resource model. We further made use of the contraction analysis to explore the trade-off between decision split and decision consensus within ant population. Our work provides new generation model for understanding how ant adapt to the changing environment during quorum sensing.
Brenner tumors of the ovary

Abstract This paper is based upon the study of 17 cases of Brenner tumor of the ovary, including the 14 new cases herein reported. This brings the total of reported cases to 122, though new instances are being reported more and more frequently. The tumors are benign, and produce no characteristic symptoms. When small they are, therefore, likely to be found only accidentally in operations for other indications. They may, however, reach very large size, in which case they produce discomfort or pain, with perhaps the presence of a mass noticeable to the patient herself. The pathologic characteristics have been described in the paper. The essential elements are (1) the presence of nests or columns, often partially cystic, of rather uniform size and appearance embedded in (2) a matrix of fibromatous tissue which is sharply marked off from the surrounding ovarian stroma though there is no definite capsule. The tumors probably arise from the so-called Walthard islands of indifferent cells which may at times occur in the ovary, though other explanations have been suggested. The most interesting histologic characteristic is the frequently observed transition of the cells into a cylindrical type identical with that characterizing the ordinary pseudomucinous cystadenoma, so that large tumors of the latter variety may be produced, with only small nodular Brenner tumor vestiges in the wall to indicate their origin. There is logic, therefore, in the subdivision of Brenner tumors into the solid and cystic varieties. Three such tumors are included in our series. On the other hand the fibromatous reaction may be so striking as to produce large fibromas of the ovary. In such cases, of which 2 are included in our group of cases, the origin is indicated by the finding of the typical cell nests scattered either sparsely or richly throughout the tumor. There is little or no evidence to indicate that Brenner tumors exert any such endocrine effects upon sex characters as those which characterize granulosa cell carcinoma or arrhenoblastoma.
Abstract 81: Spatial Pattern and Ecologic Analysis of the Impact of Air Pollution on the Prevalence of Stroke, Coronary Heart Disease and Diabetes Mellitus, and Premature Death in the United States

We aimed to examine the associations of air pollutants and climate change with prevalence of stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD), diabetes (DM) and premature mortality. We used 2010-2013 daily monitoring air pollution data across 200 to 600 counties of 50 U.S. states, and health outcomes data from U.S. EPA and CDC. Six common air pollutant indicators were studied: particulate matters (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO), Ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and lead. Monthly, seasonally, and then a 4-yearly average pollutant level was estimated for each county. Air pollution index was weighted by population density. The results show that counties with higher levels of air pollutant indexes had significantly higher prevalence of stroke, CHD, DM and premature death rate (defined as subjects died before 75 years old). After adjustment for county-level socioeconomic status (median household income), these associations remained significant, except for a non-significant association of lea...
Anesthetic and obstetric considerations in a parturient with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome.

Objectif Expliquer la demarche anesthesique consideree chez des patientes enceintes atteintes du syndrome de (SKT). Le syndrome de Klippel-Trenaunay est une maladie vasculaire congenitale caracterisee par des hemangiomes cutanes, des varicosites veineuses et ľhypertrophie ďun membre. Il est associe a des complications hemorragiques et thrombotiques. Ľimportance de ce diagnostic, dont la presence ďanomalies vasculaires neuraxiales, est souvent sous-estimee par les obstetriciens et les anesthesiologistes. Ľanesthesie regionale de patients atteints du SKT a ete discutee par ďautres ; nous presentons un cas ou ľanesthesie regionale a presente un risque injustifie pour la patiente Une parturiente obese de 18 ans, dont le fœtus se presentait par le siege, a subi une cesarienne a 35 semaines de grossesse a la suite ďune preeclampsie evolutive. Malheureusement, aucune imagerie neurovasculaire de la colonne n’etait disponible. La patiente a subi une tentative de version cephalique externe, ľechec ďune induction obstetrique et, finalement, une cesarienne sous anesthesie generale. Ľenfant est ne sans stigmate du SKT. Ľhospitalisation a ete sans incident pour la mere et ľenfant qui ont recu leur conge. Les hemangiomes cutanes posterieurs lies au SKT peuvent etre associes a des malformations vasculaires peridurales et sous-durales initiales. La rupture de ces anomalies vasculaires pendant ľanesthesie regionale peut conduire a la formation ďhematome neuraxial qui pourraient etre combinee ensuite a une coagulopathie intravasculaire disseminee observee chez certains cas de SKT. Si les anomalies vasculaires neuraxiales ne peuvent etre exclues par radiographie, ľanesthesie regionale devrait etre evitee. De plus, peu importe la technique anesthesique choisie, le profil de coagulation de ces patientes devrait etre verifie a la recherche de signes de coagulopathie.
The role of adjuvant radiotherapy in the local management of desmoplastic melanoma

BACKGROUND In the current study, the authors sought to evaluate outcomes, specifically with respect to adjuvant radiotherapy (RT), for patients with desmoplastic melanoma. METHODS The records of 130 consecutive patients who presented between 1985 and 2009 with nonmetastatic desmoplastic melanoma and were treated curatively with either surgery alone (59 patients; 45%) or surgery and postoperative RT (71 patients; 55%) were retrospectively reviewed. Ages ranged from 21 years to 97 years (median age, 66 years). The location of the primary tumor was in the head and neck region in 62% of patients. Only 5 patients (4%) had lymph node involvement at the time of presentation. RESULTS The median follow-up was 6.6 years (range, 11 months-24 years). Overall survival rates at 5 years and 10 years were 69% and 53%, respectively. Disease-specific survival rates were 84% and 80%, respectively, at 5 years and 10 years. The actuarial rate of local recurrence was 17% at 5 years and beyond. Of the patients who underwent surgery without receiving postoperative RT, 14 (24%) experienced local recurrence. Of the 71 patients treated with surgery and postoperative RT, 5 (7%) experienced local recurrence. In a Cox multivariate regression model, improved local control was significantly associated with the receipt of postoperative RT (P = .009). CONCLUSIONS Surgery followed by postoperative RT appears to provide superior local control compared with surgery alone for patients with desmoplastic melanoma. Cancer 2014;120:1361–1368. © 2013 American Cancer Society.
The Iron Age

European archaeologists formulated the idea of an Iron Age early in the nineteenth century, as they began organizing the growing collections of antiquities in museums then being established in different parts of the continent (Kuhn 1976). Changes in agricultural technology and the large-scale earth-moving connected with the construction of railroads resulted in the discovery of great quantities of archaeological materials. At the same time, the growing awareness of and interest in Europe’s prehistoric past stimulated the establishment of many new museums and local antiquarian societies and led to ever more archaeological excavations. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, scholars concerned with archaeology began convening at international conferences to share discoveries and ideas about the growing field of study. The formulation of a detailed framework for the European Iron Age dates from these conferences of the 1870s and 1880s.
Evidence for multiple rhythmogenic networks in the rat en bloc preparation

The pre-Botzinger Complex is coextensive with a population of SP and DAMGO-sensitive inspiratory neurons, retained in the transverse slice preparation, which has been extensively used to study mechanisms for respiratory rhythm generation. Here, qualitatively different effects of peptidergic modulation were observed in two preparations reduced, and complete. The reduced preparation was either the standard transverse slice, or an en bloc preparation whose rostral margin corresponded with the rostral margin of the transverse slice. The complete preparation was an en bloc preparation whose rostral margin extended just past the vagus rootlets, approximately 600 μm past the rostral margin of the reduced preparation. In the reduced preparation, periods following peptider-gic modulation were distributed continuously, while in the complete preparation, periods were distributed multimodally. These observations suggest that additional rhythmogenic circuitry is retained in the complete preparation.
Meteorological Tower Measurements of a Surface Cold Front

Abstract measurements from the Boulder Atmospheric Observatory meteorological research tower are used to describe the structure and physical processes of a strong surface cold front. Analysis reveals that the horizontal gradients in temperature and wind velocity at the front are concentrated within a 200 m distance and measured vertical velocities exceed 5 m s−1 at the leading edge of the front. Calculations with the Miller frontogenesis equation show the magnitude and relative importance of cross-frontal confluence versus differential vertical motion (tilting) in forcing frontogenesis.
Vibrational spectra and crystal structure of 1,1-dichloroethylene

$^{\ast}$ Present address of E. D'Alessio: Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica. Avenida del Liberator 8250, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Silberman E. and Jones, E.A. Infrared Spectroscopy Laboratory, Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee, 37203.
The Role of Slip Transmission on Plastic Strain accumulationacross Grain Boundaries

Abstract In the present study our aim is to develop a deeper understanding of strain accumulation in the vicinity of grain boundaries (GBs) within a polycrystalline aggregate. We focus on the role of slip transmission in the uniaxial plastic deformation of a nickel-based superalloy,Hastelloy-X. Utilizing high resolution ex-situ digital image correlation (DIC) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), we establish the most likely dislocation reactions due to slip transmission and use this information to calculate the residual Burgers vector and plastic strain magnitudes across each interface. From our analysis, we quantitatively show an influence of the magnitude of the residual Burgers vector on plastic strains across GBs.
A Theoretical Model and Analysis of the Effect of Self-Regulation on Attrition from Voluntary Online Training

Abstract A theoretical model is presented that examines self-regulatory processes and trainee characteristics as predictors of attrition from voluntary online training in order to determine who is at risk of dropping out and the processes that occur during training that determine when they are at risk of dropping out. Attrition increased following declines in trainees' commitment to training and self-efficacy. Trainees lower in conscientiousness were more vulnerable to dropping out than those higher in conscientiousness, and this effect was fully mediated by self-regulatory processes. Conscientiousness also moderated the effects of commitment and self-efficacy on attrition—a high level of conscientiousness provided a buffer against dropping out when trainees' commitment and self-efficacy declined during training. The number of hours that trainees worked per week moderated the effort/attrition relationship; spending extra time reviewing increased attrition for trainees who worked longer hours and decreased attrition for trainees who worked shorter hours.
Volume changes in δ-plutonium from helium and other decay products

Abstract Small changes in volume are observed in plutonium, and several potential mechanisms have been proposed. In this paper, we provide a detailed theoretical analysis of volume changes due to the accumulation of helium and daughter products generated in the radioactive decay of plutonium. It is shown that volume changes in δ-phase plutonium caused by Am, U, and Np are significant and compensate to some degree the swelling from helium bubble formation and growth. Comparison with experimental results obtained so far suggests that the decay products dominate the rate of volumetric change in the long run.
The Iranian revolution and the study of discourses: A comment on Moaddel

(1994). The Iranian revolution and the study of discourses: A comment on Moaddel. Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies: Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 51-63.
Tensor Products, Reproducing Kernels, and Power Series

Abstract Tensor products of holomorphic discrete series representations in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces are decomposed by considering power series expansions of functions in the direction perpendicular to the diagonal in D × D .
Steel bridge retrofit evaluation

The development of a retrofit design aimed at retarding or eliminating fatigue crack growth in a large bridge can be a very difficult and expensive procedure. Analytical techniques frequently do not provide sufficient accuracy when applied to complex structural details. The Infrastructure Technology Institute (ITI) of Northwestern University, under contract to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), recently applied experimental state-of-the-art NDE technology to the Interstate 80 bridge over the Sacramento River near Sacramento, California (Bryte Bend). Acoustic emission monitoring was applied in conjunction with strain gage monitoring to aid in characterizing the retrofits' effect on existing active fatigue cracks. The combined test results clearly showed that one retrofit design was superior to the other.
How mass media simulate political transparency

Abstract Without mass media, openness and accountability are impossible in contemporary democracies. Nevertheless, mass media can hinder political transparency as well as help it. Politicians and political operatives can simulate the political virtues of transparency through rhetorical and media manipulation. Television tends to convert coverage of law and politics into forms of entertainment for mass consumption, and television serves as fertile ground for a self‐proliferating culture of scandal. Given the limited time available for broadcast and the limited attention of audiences, stories about political strategy, political infighting, political scandal and the private lives of politicians tend to crowd out less entertaining stories about substantive policy questions. Political life begins to conform increasingly to the image of politics portrayed on television. Through a quasi‐Darwinian process, media events, scandals, and other forms of politics‐as‐entertainment eventually dominate and weed out other ...
Sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and dreaming: Regional cerebral hemodynamics

Regional cerebral flow after inhalation of xenon 133 as well as polysomnography were recorded during daytime sleep and the awake state in patients with narcolepsy and sleep apnea. Brainstem-cerebellar (BSC) gray matter blood flow (Fg) values in the awake state were reduced below normal (p less than 0.05) in both narcolepsy and sleep apnea; in sleep apnea, bihemispheric Fg values were also reduced in the awake state. After sleep onset, Fg paradoxically increased in narcolepsy but decreased further in sleep apnea. Maximal regional Fg changes occurred in BSC regions in both groups of patients. Oral administration of methylphenidate hydrochloride (Ritalin) increased resting Fg values in awake narcoleptics, particularly in BSC regions, but attentuated Fg increases during sleep onset. Regional Fg values during visual dreaming or hypnagogic hallucinations in narcoleptics were maximally increased in right parietooccipital regions. In narcoleptics, impaired control of sleep-wake and REM mechanisms is attentuated by methylphenidate. In patients with sleep apnea, brainstem functional activity is low in the awake state but becomes critically reduced during sleep, culminating in apnea-stimulated arousal followed by repetitive cycles as sleep recurs.
Wall-angle effects on the application of a scalar diffraction code to the channel data simulations in the high NA conditions

We presented new way of fitting the result of the scalar diffraction simulation to that of the FDTD method by modifying the wall angle of the media to reduce the time for the channel data simulation
Charitable Collaborations in Bronzeville, 1928-1944 The Chicago Defender and the Regal Theater

In the twentieth century, race-based residential and commercial segregation that supported racial oppression and inequality became an elemental characteristic of urban black communities. Conflict-ridden, black-white relationships were common. However, the Chicago Defender Charities, Inc., the entity that sponsors the largest African American parade in the country and that emerged in 1947, embodied a tradition of charitable giving, self-help, and community service initiated in 1921 by Chicago Defender newspaper founder and editor, Robert S. Abbott. The foundation of this charitable tradition matured as a result of an early and sustained collaboration between Chicago’s white-owned Regal Theater and the black-owned Chicago Defender newspaper. Thus, in segregated African American communities, black and white commercial institutions, under certain conditions, were able to find important points of collaboration to uplift the African American communities of which they were a part.
Aerosol flow through a long micro-capillary: collimated aerosol beam

A micro-capillary system capable of generating a focused collimated aerosol beam (CAB) is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally. The approach is based on a manifestation of the Saffman force where high velocity (∼100 m/s) aerosol particles, flowing through a micro-capillary (d ∼ 100 μm and l ∼ 1 cm), migrate perpendicular to the centerline of the capillary. Upon exiting the micro-capillary system, the particles maintain momentum, and when the aerosol is comprised of solid-in-liquid dispersions such as Ag nanoparticle ink, the CAB approach enables printing of advanced materials features with linewidth ≤ 10 μm.
Transforming Growth Factor β Activates Smad2 in the Absence of Receptor Endocytosis

Like many other cell surface receptors, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) receptors are internalized upon ligand stimulation. Given that the signaling-facilitating molecules Smad anchor for receptor activation (SARA) and Hrs are mainly localized in early endosomes, it was unclear whether receptor internalization is required for Smad2 activation. Using reversible biotin labeling, we directly monitored internalization of the TGF-β type I receptor. Our data indicate that TGF-β type I receptor is endocytosed via a clathrin-dependent mechanism and is effectively blocked by depletion of intracellular potassium or by expression of a mutant dynamin (K44A). However, blockage of receptor endocytosis by these two means has no effect on TGF-β-mediated Smad2 activation. Furthermore, TGF-β-induced Smad2 activation was unaffected by inhibition of hVPS34 activity with wortmannin or inhibitory anti-hVPS34 antibodies. Finally, we demonstrated that Smad2 interacted with cell surface receptors and that a SARA binding-deficient Smad2 mutant was phosphorylated by the receptors. Thus, our findings suggest that receptor endocytosis is dispersible for TGF-β-mediated activation of Smad2 and that this activation can be mediated by both SARA-dependent and -independent mechanisms.
The infectivity of nuclear polyhedrosis virus DNA

Summary Trichoplusia ni multiply-enveloped nuclear polyhedrosis virus DNA is infectious provided it is circular and double-stranded. This has been shown by comparing linear, nicked circular (nc) and covalently closed (cc) DNA, with single-stranded derivatives, and by comparing naturally cccurring forms with forms generated enzymatically with ligase and S1 nuclease. cc-DNA has a low superhelical density and is as infectious as nc-DNA. The infectivity of the DNA is enhanced by basic proteins such as protamine and the major basic nucleocapsid protein of Heliothis zea baculovirus. The host range of the infectious DNA paralleled that of live virus and was restricted to lepidopteran cell lines.
Extracting the zero-gravity surface figure of a mirror through multiple clockings in a flightlike hexapod mount

An elegant and accurate way to determine the zero-gravity surface figure of an optic from ground-based interferometric metrology is to average the figures found in two or more configurations that are rotated with respect to the direction of gravity, so gravity forces in the frame of the optic cancel in the average. In a recent elucidation of this technique, we emphasized that care must be taken to ensure that mount forces at each attachment point similarly cancel, and we presented some specific mounting schemes that gave accurate zero-gravity surface determinations during fabrication and acceptance testing of the Space Interferometry Mission PT-M1 mirror. Here we show that multiconfiguration averaging techniques work well for the most important special case of a mirror in a flightlike hexapod mount clocked into either two or three symmetrically placed positions. We explicitly compute mount forces (axial forces in the six struts of the hexapod) and show that at any attachment point their average over multiple clocked configurations vanishes in the frame of the optic, ensuring the success of zero-gravity surface figure extraction.