cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shift happens; moving from the ivory tower to the mushroom factory

ABSTRACTThe values of higher education (HE) are undergoing a disruptive shift. How the rising cost of higher education is being shared between the student and society is driving many of the changes...
An analysis of Spanish use in award-winning children’s picturebooks

This study reports how authors use Spanish in award-winning Latinx children’s picturebooks in the USA. Teachers, families, and librarians use these books to support heritage language and culture or to broaden children’s understanding of cultures other than their own. Thus, how these books use Spanish matters because of the potential of these books to promote cultural and linguistic diversity to children. This study investigated how authors used Spanish, which characters spoke Spanish, and what language ideologies texts explicitly communicate. Across 9 books (award winners between 2010 and 2015), there were 78 instances of Spanish use, and 21 of these were complete sentences or exclamations. The books provided a high level of support for understanding Spanish. Supports include immediate translation, appositive explanations, contextual cues, and picture cues, with little use of fluid translanguaging, which more approximates the communicative practices of bilingual communities. The paper concludes with implications for teachers to develop critical language awareness among students in response to literature and suggestions for authors and publishers to represent Spanish-speaking communities in children’s literature.
“Blurred Lines:” Reflections of the Criminal Hero Figure

No longer does the hero figure stand as a paragon of virtue and adversary of vice; nor does the criminal figure stand as the quintessential specter of social delinquency. These blurred identity constructs must be considered in tandem with the factors contributing to their development. Utilizing the spectacle of the Martha Stewart insider-trading scandal and her subsequent reinvention allows an examination of the power of the media. The fraught but seemingly symbiotic relationship consumers have with their media and the public perceptions that arise from such a relationship is examined prompting the question of who is really controlling who?
A numerical design of experiment approach to understand aortic dissection onset and propagation

Aortic dissection is a sudden and life-threatening delamination event of the aortic wall, with an incidence of 35 cases per 100,000 per year, which requires rapid diagnosis and decision-making. In ...
Microglia Do Not Take Up Soluble Amyloid-beta Peptides, But Partially Degrade Them by Secreting Insulin-degrading Enzyme

Abstract Microglia play important roles in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in part, by affecting the clearance of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides. Most studies, however, used synthetic soluble Aβ (sAβ) at higher concentrations. The exact mechanisms underlying microglia-mediated clearance of physiological sAβ at very low concentrations remain unclear. Here we reported that there were much more Iba-1- and CD68-positive microglia and significantly less sAβ left in the brain of adult mice 5 days after the surgery of sAβ microinjection compared to 2 h after the surgery (p 0.05). The degradation of physiological sAβ was prevented by a highly selective insulin-degrading enzyme inhibitor (Ii1) but not by a phagocytosis inhibitor (polyinosinic acid) or pinocytosis inhibitor (cytochalasin B) in vitro. Furthermore, the reduction of synthetic and physiological sAβ in the brain was partially prevented by the co-injection of Ii1 in vivo (p
An Autonomous Diurnal Sweat Sampling Patch for Biomarker Data Analytics

Wearable sweat analysis possesses significant potential for transforming personalized and precision medicine, by capturing the longitudinal profiles of a broad spectrum of biomarker molecules that are informative of our body’s dynamic chemistry. However, the lack of established physiological criteria to provide personalized feedback, based on sweat biomarker readings, has prevented the translation of wearable sweat-based bioanalytical technologies into health and wellness monitoring applications. Accordingly, scalable sweat sampling tools are required to facilitate large-scale and longitudinal clinical studies focusing on interpreting sweat biomarker readings. However, conventional sweat induction-collection tools are bulky and require multi-step and manual operations. Accordingly, here, we devise a sweat sampling patch, which can be deployed for autonomous diurnal sweat induction-collection. The core of this patch is an addressable array of miniaturized and coupled iontophoresis/microfluidic interfaces that can be activated on-demand or at scheduled time-points to induce/collect sufficient sweat samples for analysis. The iontophoresis interface was designed following an introduced design space centering on sufficient sweat secretory agonist delivery at safe current levels. The microfluidic interface was fabricated following a simple, rapid, and low-cost fabrication scheme. To achieve autonomous operation, these interfaces were extended into an array format and coupled with a custom-developed flexible and wireless circuit board. To inform utility, periodically induced/collected sweat samples of an individual were analyzed in relation to meal intake. [2020-0194]
The absent musculocutaneous nerve: A systematic review

Abstract The musculocutaneous nerve is occasionally absent in humans. Accordingly, there may be unforeseen clinical implications regarding the atypical innervation of the musculature otherwise supplied by the musculocutaneous nerve. Case reports and prevalence studies have detailed the absence of the musculocutaneous nerve; however, a systematic review has not been conducted. Therefore, this report utilized Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines to identify 24 manuscripts for qualitative synthesis, including 16 cases and eight cross-sectional studies detailing 482 limbs from 241 individuals. The prevalence of the absence of the musculocutaneous nerve among limbs ranged from 1.66% (1:60 limbs) to 13.33% (4:30 limbs). However, females were under-represented among reports—only 8.7% (21:241) of the population studied. The review identified that in the absence of the musculocutaneous nerve, the biceps brachii, brachialis, and, when present, accessory head of the biceps brachii were almost always innervated by branches of the median nerve. The coracobrachialis was innervated by branches from, most commonly, the lateral cord and less commonly, the lateral root of the median nerve or a recurrent branch from the median nerve. In a typical median nerve injury, clinical manifestations would include motor and sensory deficits in the wrist and hand. However, a high median nerve injury occurring in the absence of a musculocutaneous nerve would have an atypical clinical presentation—specifically, weakness in shoulder and elbow flexion, weakness in supination, and also cutaneous sensory loss to the lateral forearm in addition to the typical median nerve palsy affecting the wrist and hand.
Distribution Network Reconfiguration to Increase Photovoltaic Hosting Capacity

A stochastic model is developed for analyzing the impact of network reconfiguration on improving photovoltaic hosting capacity (PVHC) of distribution networks. System voltage is used as the criterion to determine the PVHC of the network. The distribution network reconfiguration is modeled as an optimization problem to minimize voltage violations associated with increasing solar penetration in the network. The proposed methodology is evaluated in a three-phase, unbalanced, IEEE 37-node distribution test system. The effect of optimal reconfiguration on PV deployments in specific locations is also investigated. Results show that network reconfiguration could significantly improve PVHC, especially when PV units are located nearer to feeder ends and tie switches.
Is 'Man' Still the Subject of Administration? Antihumanism, Transhumanism, and the Challenge of Entangled Governance

Scientific advances are radically changing the relationship between government, knowledge, and citizens, thereby putting into question the content of the central subject/object of public administration — "humans." This article analyzes three interrelated problematizations in order to illuminate important aspects of this issue. The first, antihumanism, calls into question the plausibility of a universal, shared essence of humanity and "Man," Foucault's empirico-transcendental doublet. The second, transhumanism, concerns the question of whether new biotechnologies enable humans to overcome the determinism of their biological inheritance and actively participate in its expression. The third problematization revives Redford's formulation of "Man as the subject of administration." This is justaposed with antihumanism to describe anthropocentric administration, which historically presumed a passive relationship with objects of knowledge and, by extension, a certain mode of relating with citizens. The insights of transhumanism frame the main question: Is Man still the subject of administration? The question is elaborated by describing "entangled government," which is marked by a dynamic, interactive relationship between subjects and objects that complicates familiar modes of governing, knowledge creation, and human-object relationships. The implications of citizen participation in an entangled public administration receive particular attention.
The evolution of social entrepreneurial initiatives by women in India: a longitudinal assessment across sectors

Women have continued to form enterprises to address one or more of society's many social and environmental challenges, which have evolved throughout the world. This article looks at the key issues that motivate primarily Indian women social entrepreneurs in empowering the powerless by promoting literacy, creating opportunities for employment and financial independence, improving health and well-being, and advocating human rights. The concerns and achievements of women social entrepreneurs are classified into two distinct targeted domains - humanitarian and the environment. The development in the past, current state, and future promise of women in these sectors are discussed here, followed by how industry, governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have helped in this effort, and the significant challenges faced by women social entrepreneurs in India.
Polynomials with Given Spectral Pairs and Exactly Controllable Systems

In this chapter we consider the following problem: Given a pair of operators X ∈ L(y, x), T ∈ L(y) (here x and y are Banach spaces), construct, if possible, an operator polynomial L(λ) whose right spectral pair (with respect to the whole complex plane) is (X, T). By Theorem 6.6.1, a necessary condition is that col[XTi] i=0 p−1 is left invertible for some p; we shall see that this condition (if x, y are Hilbert spaces) is also sufficient. It turns out that this problem is very closely related to the problems concerning spectrum assignment in exactly controllable systems, an important topic in the modern systems theory.
From Acquisitions to Access: The Changing Nature of Library Budgeting

Column Editor's NoteThis JLA column posits that academic libraries and their services are dominated by information technologies, and that the success of librarians and professional staff is contingent on their ability to thrive in this technology-rich environment. The column will appear in odd-numbered issues of the journal, and will delve into all aspects of library-related information technologies and knowledge management used to connect users to information resources, including data preparation, discovery, delivery and preservation. Prospective authors are invited to submit articles for this column to the editor at kenning.arlitsch@montana.edu. The cost of building library collections continues to increase, forcing librarians to think differently about their budget models. Increasing costs of IT infrastructure needed to connect to information resources also adds to budget concerns. The idea of changing the emphasis of collections budgets to one of broader access is not new, but formally acknowledging t...
SPARC Deficiency Leads to Early-Onset Cataractogenesis

METHODS. Mice were rendered SPARC-deficient by a targeted disruption of the gene. Slit-lamp microscopy and histology were used to examine the eyes of SPARC-null and wild-type mice from birth to 14 months of age. RESULTS. SPARC-null mice developed opacities in the posterior cortex of the eye as early as 1.5 months after birth. The diffuse cataracts appeared to progress toward the anterior cortex and reached maturity in many animals by 35 months of age. Early stages of cataractogenesis in SPARC-null mice included inhibition of normal lens fiber cell differentiation, degeneration of fiber cells, vacuole formation at the equator, and liquefaction of the cortex. No cataracts were detected in wild-type mice up to the age of 8 months. CONCLUSIONS. The early onset of cataracts in SPARC-null mice establishes that the gene is essential to the maintenance of lens transparency. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1998;39:2674-2680)
Combinatorial Characters of Quasigroups

Over a century ago, when the character theory of finite abelian groups had become established, Dedekind began the programme of extending the theory to finite non-abelian groups. Having made little headway a decade later, he proposed the task to Frobenius. Developments progressed rapidly in Frobenius’ hands, along both Dedekind’s original group determinant approach and Frobenius’ new approach that is now considered part of the theory of association schemes. Shortly afterwards, representation theory methods using matrices took over, and have dominated ever since.
The LSU Low Temperature Gravity Wave Experiment

The field of experimental general relativity has come a long way in the past 15 years. In 1960 the tests of relativistic theories were generally felt to be the exclusive domain of the observational astronomer; only a relative few were even thinking about possible laboratory tests. One of these relative few is now the director of this course and the fact that there are so many attendees indicates that the field has indeed developed. In this paper we shall discuss but a small corner of the experimental gravitational effort: the design and construction of a cryogenic gravitational radiation detector. We have an unusual problem when we attempt to build a gravitational wave detector. Unlike detection schemes in spectroscopy, communications and radar where one searches for a known signal in unknown noise we must do the opposite and attempt to identify an unknown signal in the presence of noise, the properties of which are well defined.
Perspectives on the clinical significance of functional pain syndromes in children

Functional pain syndromes (FPS) characterize a subset of individuals who experience pain and related symptoms and disability without clear structural or disease etiology. In the pediatric population, FPS hold high clinical importance due to significant prevalence rates and potential to persist into adulthood. Although extensive research has been executed to disambiguate FPS, the syndromes that fall within its spectrum remain conceptually complex and sometimes ill-defined. This paper provides an overview of available research on the classification and multifaceted etiology of FPS in youth and their effects on interpersonal, psychological, and familial function. Vital aspects of a successful multidisciplinary approach to treating this population are described; however, it is evident that future research requires more longitudinal studies.
Zinc accumulation after target loss: an early event in retrograde degeneration of thalamic neurons

Accumulation of cytoplasmic zinc is linked with a cascade of events leading to neuronal death. In many in vivo models of zinc-induced cell death, toxic concentrations of synaptically released zinc enter vulnerable neurons via neurotransmitter- or voltage-gated ion channels. In vitro studies demonstrate, in addition, that zinc can be liberated from intracellular stores following oxidative stress and contribute to cell death processes, including apoptosis. Here we describe accumulation of intracellular zinc in an in vivo model of cell death in the absence of presynaptic zinc release. We focused on the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) because LGN neurons undergo apoptosis when separated from their target, the primary visual cortex (V1), and the LGN is mostly devoid of zinc-containing presynaptic terminals. Infant and adult rats and adult mice received unilateral ablation of V1, either by aspiration or kainate injection. One to 14 days later, brain sections were stained with selenium autometallography or fluorescently labeled to localize zinc, or stained immunochemically for activated caspase-3. V1 lesions led to zinc accumulation in LGN neurons in infant and adult subjects. Zinc-containing neurons were evident 1-3 days after aspiration lesions, depending on age, but not until 14 days after kainate injection. Zinc accumulation was followed rapidly by immunostaining for activated caspase-3. Our data indicate that like neurotrauma and excitotoxicity, target deprivation leads to accumulation of zinc in apoptotic neurons. Moreover, zinc accumulation in vivo can occur in the absence of presynaptic zinc release. Together these findings suggest that accumulation of intracellular zinc is a ubiquitous component of the cell death cascade in neurons.
Operating reserves and bulk-power reliability

Abstract Operating reserves are the front lines in the defense of electric systems against major generation and transmission outages. Operating reserves are provided by generating units that can increase their output rapidly to restore the system to generation/load balance after a major disturbance occurs. We examine the functions of and the requirements for operating reserves, and the data and analysis that support minimum-operating-reserve requirements. We obtained data on the number and severity of generator outages for three large US electrical systems, including a power pool, a regional reliability council, and a utility. These data show a range of 15 to 40 major (>500 MW) outages a year for systems ranging in size from 20 000 to 48 000 MW of peak demand. Finally, we discuss several emerging issues related to the underlying technical support for minimum reserve requirements, alternative ways to pay for these reserves, the data needed to support the analysis of these requirements, and the mix of functions that are currently included within operating reserves.
Selectively Myopic? Self-Esteem and Attentional Bias in Response to Potential Relationship Threats

Two experiments examined how low and high self-esteem people regulate attention in the face of uncertainty about their partner’s caring. We primed risk regulation processes by leading experimental participants to believe their partner’s caring and responsiveness was in question. We then assessed directed attention to the partner’s positive and negative qualities using a dot-probe paradigm. High, but not low, automatically directed attention away from their partner’s negative traits in response to uncertainty.
Economically Optimum Design of Cusum Charts

We present a procedure for the economic design of Cusum charts to control the mean of a process with a normally distributed quality characteristic. A model is derived which gives the long-ran average cost as a function of both the design parameters of the chart and the cost and risk factors associated with the process. The “pattern-search” technique is employed to determine the optimum values of the sample size, the sampling interval and the decision limit. The cost surfaces are investigated, numerically, to study the effects of changes in the design parameters and in some of the cost and risk factors.
Habitat use and movements of plains zebra (Equus burchelli) in response to predation danger from lions

Prey species must adapt their behavior to avoid predation. As a key prey item for lions (Panthera leo), plains zebras (Equus burchelli) were expected to respond to immediate threats posed by lions in their area. In addition, zebras were predicted to exhibit behavior tuned to reduce the potential for encounters with lions, by modifying their movement patterns in the times of day and habitats of greatest lion danger. We studied a population of approximately 600 plains zebra living in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya. We found that zebra abundance on or near a grassland patch was lower if lions had also been observed on that patch during the same day. Predation danger was highest in grassland habitat during the night, when lions were more active. Zebra sightings and global positioning system radio collar data indicated that zebras also reduced their use of grassland at night, instead using more woodland habitat. Zebras moved faster and took sharper turns in grassland at night. It is hypothesized that these more erratic movements assist zebras in avoiding detection or capture by lions. Key words: antipredator behavior, habitat choice, ungulates. [Behav Ecol]
The meaning of pure mathematics

There are two classical answers to the question what is the meaning of pure mathematics: (1) Formalism. Pure mathematics is a symbolic construction; it becomes meaningful only when it is applied to describe physical reality. (2) Platonism. Pure mathematics describes an ideal reality which exists independently of man. I cannot accept either of those answers. Formalism is unsatisfactory first because it ignores the structures imagined by mathematicians and underlying the symbols and second because many concepts of pure mathematics do not have any physical interpretation nor the slightest chance of getting one in the future (this is clear, e.g., about the cardinal 2!,, a paradoxical decompositions of the sphere, etc.). Platonism is unsatisfactory because it violates our instinctive drive to obey Ockham's principle of parsimony: entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem. I propose a third answer which I call intentionalism. Intentionalism says that pure mathematics is a description of finite structures consisting of finitely many individually imagined objects. (The term intentionalism is chosen for its contrast with extensionalism which accepts actually infinite sets and leads naturally to Platonism. The difference between intentionalism and formalism is more subtle, see Remark 4.3 below.) The idea of intentionalism is not new but it is not generally accepted. I think that this is so because hitherto intentionalism had a difficulty with the interpretation of quantifiers. For example the axioms of arithmetic cannot be literally true about any collection of imagined individual integers since man can imagine only finitely many of them. The main result of this paper is a. solution of this problem. Quantifiers will be explained away as a formal trick which mathematicians can but do not have to use. I will try to describe how mathematicians think in reality and I believe that, when they do not mechanically perform formal manipulations, they think in the
Measuring contraceptive values: an alternative approach.

Previous assessments of individuals' values for various contraceptive consequences have employed one of four methodologies: free elicitation, direct ratings, multiple regression, or factor analysis. All four methodologies are flawed because they produce group rather than individual values, rely on rating scales, and fail to incorporate information regarding consequence trade-offs. Axiomatic conjoint measurement is proposed as an alternative methodology and used to determine individuals' values for a selected set of contraceptive consequences at two stages of the family-planning career.
EFFECTS OF FINITE DIFFERENCE SCHEMES ON LES OF TURBULENT FLOW AROUND BLUFF BODY

LES simulations have been performed using different finite difference schemes derived by a general procedure for discretising the convective terms to evaluate their importance in the results of thesimulation. Two typical subgrid-scale stress models have also been examined. The flow past a square cylinder is taken as a benchmark test case of general flow around a bluff body. The code was initially validated at different low Reynolds number and then calculation results are compared with experimental data. Dynamic Smagorinsky model is seen to improve the solution marginally. Upwind-biased scheme of appropriately high order has been found to give satisfactory results.
Use of the Clinac‐35 for tissue activation in noninvasive measurement of capillary blood flow

Through adjustment of operating parameters responsible for the acceleration, steering, and focusing of electronse n r o u t e to the target, we have extracted a 30‐MV x‐ray beam from the Clinac‐35 linear accelerator that is suitable for use in photon activation − 1 5O decay studies of tissue perfusion. This beam is significantly more efficient than the ‘‘standard’’ 25‐MV beam in producing 1 5O i n s i t u through activation of tissue oxygen, thereby substantially reducing the dose to tissue required to yield a desired initial 1 5O activity. Production and characteristics of the higher energy beam are discussed, and data obtained from its application to measurement of capillary blood flow in animal tumors are presented and analyzed.
The ß1-Adrenergic Receptor Mediates the Pharmacogenetic Interaction of the ACE D Allele and ß-Blockers

The role of beta-receptor selectivity for the interaction between the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion polymorphism and beta-blocker therapy was investigated in 479 subjects with left ventricular dysfunction. Subjects were separated into no beta-blocker, beta1 -selective, and nonselective beta-blocker treatment groups. The D allele adversely affected transplant-free survival for subjects not on beta-blockers (p= 0.004). Treatment with selective beta1-blockers eliminated the impact of the D allele (p= 0.51) in a manner similar to nonselective beta1,2-blockers (p= 0.80). Treatment with beta1-blockers was sufficient to eliminate the adverse impact of the ACE D allele, suggesting this pharmacogenetic interaction is mediated through the beta1-receptor.
Identifying regions based on flexible user-defined constraints

The identification of regions is both a computational and conceptual challenge. Even with growing computational power, regionalization algorithms must rely on heuristic approaches in order to find solutions. Therefore, the constraints and evaluation criteria that define a region must be translated into an algorithm that can efficiently and effectively navigate the solution space to find the best solution. One limitation of many existing regionalization algorithms is a requirement that the number of regions be selected a priori. The recently introduced max-p algorithm does not have this requirement, and thus the number of regions is an output of, not an input to, the algorithm. In this paper, we extend the max-p algorithm to allow for greater flexibility in the constraints available to define a feasible region, placing the focus squarely on the multidimensional characteristics of the region. We also modify technical aspects of the algorithm to provide greater flexibility in its ability to search the solution space. Using synthetic spatial and attribute data, we are able to show the algorithm’s broad ability to identify regions in maps of varying complexity. We also conduct a large-scale computational experiment to identify parameter settings that result in the greatest solution accuracy under various scenarios. The rules of thumb identified from the experiment produce maps that correctly assign areas to their ‘true’ region with 94% average accuracy, with nearly 50% of the simulations reaching 100% accuracy.
Assessment and Intervention with Parents to Stabilize Children Who Have Witnessed Violence

When children are exposed to violence, interventions require the assessment of parents. Whether parents can create a safe environment, are able to hear their children's story of their exposure, and then can help them move forward in healthy life patterns, must be evaluated. When safety is established, treatment of parents must be focused on how the parent can enhance the child's sense of security and empathic connection. Assessment must identify the red flags that suggest a need for more intensive work with the parent to address these issues, before specific work with the child begins. Treatment can utilize the parent's best wishes for their child to help motivate parents do the work needed for their own and their children's recovery.
Caudate Volume in Offspring at Ultra High Risk for Alcohol Dependence: COMT Val158Met, DRD2, Externalizing Disorders, and Working Memory

Background: There is emerging evidence that the increased susceptibility to developing alcohol and substance use dis- orders in those with a family history of Alcohol Dependence (AD) may be related to structural differences in brain circuits that influence the salience of rewards or modify the efficiency of information processing. Externalizing disorders of childhood including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Conduct and Oppositional Disorders are a prominent feature of those with a positive family history. The caudate nuclei have been implicated in both the salience of rewards and in the pathophysiology of alcohol dependence and these often antecedent childhood disorders. Methods: Adolescent/young adult high and low-risk for AD offspring (N = 130) were studied using magnetic resonance imaging. Volumes of the caudate nucleus were obtained using manual tracing with BRAINS2 software and neuropsychological functioning determined. Childhood disorders were assessed as part of a long-term longitudinal follow-up that includes young adult assessment. Dopaminergic variation was assessed using genotypic variation in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and DRD2 genes. Results: High-risk subjects showed poorer Working Memory functioning. Caudate volume did not differ between high and low-risk subjects, but those with externalizing disorders of childhood showed reduced caudate volume. Variation in COMT and DRD2 genes was associated with Working Memory performance and caudate volume. Conclusions: Caudate volume is reduced in association with externalizing disorders of childhood/adolescence. Working Memory deficits appear in familial high-risk offspring and those with externalizing disorders of childhood. The dopaminergic system appears to be involved in both working memory performance and externalizing disorders of childhood.
Models to estimate maternally controlled genetic variation in quantitative seed characters

Estimating quantitative contributions to specific traits can be accomplished from a variety of genetic models (Mather 1949; Mather and Jinks 1971; Falconer 1981). Residual genetic effects, those beyond main and interaction effects of the embryo genotype, are often pooled under a single classification, termed maternal effects. Maternal contributions to seed-related traits can originate from various maternal sources (e.g., endosperm, testa and cytoplasm). Quantitative contributions of a maternal nature are not predictable from parental performance and effects are largely non-persistent over generations (Jinks et al. 1972). The methods used to determine maternal effects in quantitative traits often do not measure quantitative genetic parameters, while those that do are either complex or partially resolve potential contributions of individual sources of maternal effects. We present simple genetic models for estimating quantitative genetic parameters which take into account maternal effects expressed in the major seed tissues of higher plants.
OMICS-based personalized oncology: if it is worth doing, it is worth doing well!

The era of Personalized Medicine implies getting the right treatment to the right patient at the right schedule and dose at the right time. Tumor biomarker tests are keys to accomplishing this goal successfully. However, much of the translational research regarding tumor biomarker tests has been haphazard, often using data and specimen sets of convenience and ignoring many of the principles of the scientific method. In papers published simultaneously in BMC Medicine and Nature, McShane and colleagues have proposed a checklist of criteria that should be followed by investigators planning to conduct prospective clinical trials directed towards generating high levels of evidence to demonstrate whether a tumor biomarker test has clinical utility for a specific context. These criteria were generated in response to a roadmap reported by a committee convened by the U.S. Institute of Medicine for generation of omics-based biomarker tests. Taken together with several other initiatives to increase the rigor of tumor biomarker research, these criteria will increase the perception of value for tumor biomarker test research and application in the clinic.
Issues affecting residents’ attitudes about telephone medicine for ambulatory patients

Background: Telephone medicine is an important component of internists’ practices. Their patients’ calls are often complex and lead to further medical care. However, telephone medicine skills are seldom taught during internal medicine residencies. Purpose: This study sought to identify characteristics of residency education and issues important to residents that shape their attitudes about telephone management of ambulatory patients. Methods: Residents (N = 388) in 10 diverse programs were surveyed confidentially. Responses were grouped into descriptive and attitudinal items and analyzed using factor analysis. Descriptive scales and demographic items were used as independent variables to predict attitudinal scales. Results: The residents surveyed expressed discomfort with telephone medicine. However, they identified receiving performance feedback from a variety of sources, having access to consultants, having charts available, and documenting calls as important components to their satisfaction with teleph...
CONNECTION GEOMETRY AFFECTS RESISTANCE TO FLOW IN FONTAN CONNECTIONS: IN VITRO STUDIES † 174

Recent modifications to the original Fontan procedure have placed emphasis on the nature of the connection between the cavae and the pulmonary arteries. Since there is no ventricle acting as a pump to drive blood through the pulmonary circulation, a critical determinant of outcome is the overall resistance to flow across the surgical connection and pulmonary circuit. This study addressed the hypothesis that Fontan connection geometry significantly affects resistance to flow. Methods: Connections of the following three types were performed on explanted canine hearts; (1) atriopulmonary connection (APC), (2) lateral tunnel total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) and(3) partial cavopulmonary connection (intra-atrial baffle with posterior cavo-atriopulmonary connection) (PCPC). Anatomically correct transparent urethane flow models were constructed using injection molding and casting procedures. The models were perfused using a blood analog fluid at flow rates ranging from 2-7 L/min. A variable voltage pumping system allowed input voltage, which can be related to the rate of energy expenditure, to be recorded for each flow condition. Results: Resistances at constant flow differed for each geometry (p<.01). The TCPC had the lowest values of resistance for equivalent flows through each model followed by the PCPC and the APC. Resistance differentials increased with flow rate for each model(p<.05). Conclusions: Based on these experiments, we conclude that a lateral tunnel TCPC offers the least resistance flow among these commonly used connections. The observed increase in resistance differentials with flow may have implications regarding exercise capacity and suggests that minimizing resistance in the Fontan circuit may have significant implications for postoperative morbidity and survival. Figure
Extinction and population dynamics: New methods and evidence from Paleogene foraminifera

We apply a method of analyzing species abundance through time that may have great potential for describing extinction dynamics across ecological and geologic scales. We examine abundance fluctuations of populations of foraminifera in an upper Eocene-lower Oligocene stratigraphic section. Populations with greater abundance fluctuations apparently become locally extinct sooner. This earlier extinction may apply not only to local populations but to the species itself. These tentative results also give insight into the dynamics of fluctuations: populations with less density-dependent control show greater amplitudes in the abundance time series. It is the resulting "higher highs" and "lower lows" that seem to lead to the early extinction. Because the method is fractal based, it is a very robust approach to problems of gaps in and dating of the record, as illustrated with computer simulations.
Multisensory vocal communication in primates and the evolution of rhythmic speech

The integration of the visual and auditory modalities during human speech perception is the default mode of speech processing. That is, visual speech perception is not a capacity that is “piggybacked” on to auditory-only speech perception. Visual information from the mouth and other parts of the face is used by all perceivers to enhance auditory speech. This integration is ubiquitous and automatic and is similar across all individuals across all cultures. The two modalities seem to be integrated even at the earliest stages of human cognitive development. If multisensory speech is the default mode of perception, then this should be reflected in the evolution of vocal communication. The purpose of this review is to describe the data that reveal that human speech is not uniquely multisensory. In fact, the default mode of communication is multisensory in nonhuman primates as well but perhaps emerging with a different developmental trajectory. Speech production, however, exhibits a unique bimodal rhythmic structure in that both the acoustic output and the movements of the mouth are rhythmic and tightly correlated. This structure is absent in most monkey vocalizations. One hypothesis is that the bimodal speech rhythm may have evolved through the rhythmic facial expressions of ancestral primates, as indicated by mounting comparative evidence focusing on the lip-smacking gesture.
A Concept of Language for Technical Writing Students

Language in a technical writing course can be taught from the standpoint of its function in the student's papers. Three functions can be differentiated: generative—making later discussion necessary; substantive—giving supporting material from researched sources; and conclusive—making the author's conclusions clear and apparent.
Supervised Self-Organizing Map with classification uncertainty

The sensitivity and reliability of the classification output is an important subject for image classification. Classification accuracy in an inference process is always less than a desired accuracy in the actual classification process, thus this marginalized difference is considered as an element of uncertainty in the classification results. Failure to recognize uncertainty may lead to erroneous and misleading interpretations. Therefore, this research aims to quantify the uncertainty of the image classification. The Supervised Self-Organizing Map (SSOM) based on the neural network classification, which is a robust approach and improved image classification accuracy, with the synthetic dataset is used to evaluate the classification uncertainty. Monte Carlo simulation technique is applied to assess the reliability of the classification output by focusing on the uncertainty associated with the input data, training data, and the classifier. The results indicates that increasing the levels of noise have an extensive influence on the classification accuracy. SSOM with different sequences of training data produces the variation of classification accuracy. The minimum number of competitive layer neuron (NET) should correspond to the number of land cover diversities. Initial learning rate (LR) value depends on diversity of study area and the complexity of the input data. SSOM is likely to produce low accuracy and high uncertainty in areas of heterogeneity and large diversity. These results enhance the conceptual understanding of the uncertainty in classification accuracy and the results can also be a guideline to configure appropriate configuration of SSOM to improve classification result.
MAKING ENDS MEET: A COST COMPARISON OF LAPAROSCOPIC AND OPEN RADICAL RETROPUBIC PROSTATECTOMY

ABSTRACT Purpose: We compared the perioperative costs of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) and open radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) at a metropolitan hospital by developing a detailed computer model. Materials and Methods: Our predictive model incorporates institutional cost centers for operative time, operating room consumables, professional fees, hospital room and board, oral analgesics, autologous blood banking, blood transfusion and cystography. Versions with and without pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLND) were evaluated using 1 and 2-way sensitivity analyses. Operative times, lengths of stay and transfusion rates were derived from published series. We also reviewed individual hospital charges for 172 consecutive prostatectomy cases for comparison and validation of model predictions. Results: The model predicted cost premiums for LRP of 14.4% (without PLND) and 17.5% (with PLND). The actual hospital charge premium for LRP and PLND was 18.4%, which differed from the predicted cost premium by less than 1%. The most significant cost centers in order of importance were operative time, length of stay and consumables. To achieve cost equivalence with RRP, operative times would need to average 159 minutes (LRP and PLND) and 174 minutes (LRP alone) holding other factors constant. Cost equivalence could not be achieved by shortening hospital stay alone unless LRP were performed as an outpatient procedure. Conclusions: Our model predicts the perioperative costs of LRP to be greater than RRP by a factor of less than 1.2×. If disposable instruments and trocars are eliminated, and patients undergoing LRP and PLND are discharged on postoperative day 2, cost equivalence with RRP and PLND can be achieved with operative times of 3.4 hours.
The Angiographic Fate of Infarct Related Arteries with TIMI 2 Flow Following Thrombolysis for Acute Myocardial Infarction

In the GUSTO Angiographic Trial 1,175 patients underwent angiography at a mean of 97±12 min following thrombolysis with either t-PA, Streptokinase, or a combination of both agents. For all treatmen...
An Experimental Skin Sandwich Flap on an Independent Vascular Supply for the Study of Percutaneous Absorption

Further insights into the composite interactive processes of topically applied agents and percutaneous absorption and metabolism by functional skin in vivo have been hampered by the lack of a model system wherein the blood flow to and from the skin is independent but experimentally accessible. Utilizing microsurgical techniques, split-thickness skin grafting with syngeneic skin grafts, and the congenitally athymic (nude) rat, a skin sandwich flap system has been generated that has an independent but accessible vasculature and thus fills this void. We describe the methodology that has been developed to create the flap and present experiments that: (a) demonstrate a lack of significant collateral circulation; (b) quantify the microcirculation of the skin sandwich flap, host side, and graft side at various times during and after the flap has been generated, and note that blood flow to the flap is basically unchanged from host skin; (c) demonstrate the utility of the system in measuring the amount of [14C]benzoic acid that appears in the flap when deposited on the surface in volatile and nonvolatile vehicles as a function of time; and (d) demonstrate the fact that the flap can be reused, and that the total amount of [14C]benzoic acid absorbed across skin does not change in a substantial way as the flap ages.
Ultralow phase noise compact-sized X-band optoelectronic oscillator

We report the performance of an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) constructed with a DFB laser, a semiconductor Mach- Zehnder modulator, and a dielectric resonator based RF filter. We achieved a phase noise of -50 dBc/Hz at 10 Hz and -130 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz from a 10 GHz oscillation frequency, a performance comparable with that of an OEO constructed with a diode-pump YAG laser and a LiNbO3 modulator. The demonstration proves the feasibility of a high performance, low cost, and compact OEO.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Revisiting the United Nations decade for women: Brief reflections on feminism, capitalism and Cold War politics in the early years of the international women's movement

Synopsis Between 1975 and 1985, there were three U.N. conferences on women held in Mexico City, Copenhagen and Nairobi. This article is a brief reflection on the tensions that informed these first 10 years of the international women's movement seen from the point of view of the American women who believed that their leadership of that movement was being challenged by the strident anti-imperialist rhetoric of the Soviet Union and its allies. Soviet support for the international women's conferences was instrumental in forcing otherwise reticent American politicians to take the emerging international women's movement seriously. Fearing that socialist women would hijack the deliberations with their anti-capitalist “peace” agenda, U.S. congressmen became actively involved in constructing a definition of “appropriate” women's issues for the U.S. delegates attending the conferences, laying the bedrock of what would later become the relatively hegemonic, internationalized form of Western feminism that would ironically be exported to Eastern Europe after the collapse of communism in 1989.
From Sender to Receiver: Propagation and Environmental Effects on Acoustic Signals

SYNOPSIS. Acoustic signals transmitted over large distances differ significantly from those emitted by the signaler. Acoustic signals degrade in amplitude, spectral and temporal structure as they propagate through theenvironment. A great deal of work on acoustic communication is aimed at understanding the selective forces imposed by the environment on animal signals. I will discuss the physical constraints the environment puts on acoustic communication, and then discuss similarities in communication by anurans and insects that relate these environmental constraints to their signaling systems. Lastly, I show how changes in signals during propagation relate to changes in signal perception during phonotaxis, and thus, how propagation relates to mate choice and sexual selection
Three-tiered interest management for large-scale virtual environments

In the past there have been several approaches taken. In NPSNET [1], the world is broken into hexagons, each representing a multicast group. Each entity sends state information to a multicast group corresponding to the local hexagon it is in, while at the same time subscribing to many surrounding hexagons via their multicast groups. This approach, while not exact, works well when entities are distributed evenly within the virtual environment, but fails if all entities are clumped within the same cell.
Probabilistic multidimensional scaling: An anisotropic model for distance judgments

Abstract A probabilistic multidimensional scaling model is proposed in which the coordinates of each stimulus may be correlated and have distinct variances on each dimension. Maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters are obtained. The model is compared to deterministic and isotropic models. Properties of the model are described.