cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preventing and Managing Toxicities of High-Dose Methotrexate

: High-dose methotrexate (HDMTX), defined as a dose higher than 500 mg/m2, is used to treat a range of adult and childhood cancers. Although HDMTX is safely administered to most patients, it can cause significant toxicity, including acute kidney injury (AKI) in 2%-12% of patients. Nephrotoxicity results from crystallization of methotrexate in the renal tubular lumen, leading to tubular toxicity. AKI and other toxicities of high-dose methotrexate can lead to significant morbidity, treatment delays, and diminished renal function. Risk factors for methotrexate-associated toxicity include a history of renal dysfunction, volume depletion, acidic urine, and drug interactions. Renal toxicity leads to impaired methotrexate clearance and prolonged exposure to toxic concentrations, which further worsen renal function and exacerbate nonrenal adverse events, including myelosuppression, mucositis, dermatologic toxicity, and hepatotoxicity. Serum creatinine, urine output, and serum methotrexate concentration are monitored to assess renal clearance, with concurrent hydration, urinary alkalinization, and leucovorin rescue to prevent and mitigate AKI and subsequent toxicity. When delayed methotrexate excretion or AKI occurs despite preventive strategies, increased hydration, high-dose leucovorin, and glucarpidase are usually sufficient to allow renal recovery without the need for dialysis. Prompt recognition and effective treatment of AKI and associated toxicities mitigate further toxicity, facilitate renal recovery, and permit patients to receive other chemotherapy or resume HDMTX therapy when additional courses are indicated. Implications for practice High-dose methotrexate (HDMTX), defined as a dose higher than 500 mg/m2, is used for a range of cancers. Although HDMTX is safely administered to most patients, it can cause significant toxicity, including acute kidney injury (AKI), attributable to crystallization of methotrexate in the renal tubular lumen, leading to tubular toxicity. When AKI occurs despite preventive strategies, increased hydration, high-dose leucovorin, and glucarpidase allow renal recovery without the need for dialysis. This article, based on a review of the current associated literature, provides comprehensive recommendations for prevention of toxicity and, when necessary, detailed treatment guidance to mitigate AKI and subsequent toxicity.
Bombarding Graphene with Oxygen Ions: Combining Effects of Incident Angle and Ion Energy To Control Defect Generation

Ion bombardment is a key physical process in the ion implantation and irradiation of graphene, with important implications for tuning graphene’s electronic properties and for understanding the material’s behavior in irradiative environment. Using molecular dynamics with a reactive force field, this work systematically investigates the influence of the incident angle on the generation of defects and vacancies during the bombardment process. It is found that larger incident angles (between the incident line and the surface of graphene) ranging from 70° to 90° are desired for substitution and single vacancy, whereas smaller incident angles ranging from 30° to 50° are favored for forming double vacancies, multiple vacancies, and in-plane disorder. Oxygen ions with the incident angle of 70° produce the highest probability of ion substitution, and the ions at 40–60 eV and 70° yield the highest quality of doping with minimum other defects. These results demonstrate that bombarding graphene along oblique directio...
Proteomic analysis of FFPE tissue: barriers to clinical impact.

Archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues and their associated diagnostic records represent an invaluable source of retrospective proteomic information on diseases for which clinica...
Emerson on Language: Poetics of Religious Experience

Language and religion are ineluctably connected in Emerson’s thought. Religion reflects an individual’s desire to inscribe the world with meaning that is manifest in and through language.1 As part of his reconsideration of Christian orthodoxy and of the assumption that meaning is revealed, referential or prescriptive, Emerson explored the notion that meaning is created. ‘Language,’ he wrote in his journal, ‘is made up of the Spoils of all actions, trades, arts, games, of men. Every word is a metaphor borrowed from some natural or mechanical, agricultural or nautical process. … It is like our marble footslab made up of countless shells & exuviae of a forgone World’ (JMN 7:206). This description of language as a composite of a broad range of creative endeavors reflects the significance he placed on both its historicity and its metaphoricity.
Diagnosis and Management of Infantile Esotropia

Infantile esotropia presents as a large-angle esodeviation during the first 6 months of life. Diagnosis is made with a thorough history and complete ophthalmologic examination. Patients usually exhibit alternate fixation and cross fixation. Associated findings include dissociated vertical deviation, inferior oblique overaction, latent nystagmus, and smooth pursuit asymmetry. Treatment aims at providing normal ocular alignment early in life (6 months–2 years of age) to help promote binocularity and subsequent surveillance to prevent amblyopia. A successful result of treatment is good ocular alignment and peripheral binocular vision, although rare patients achieve some level of stereopsis. Treatment often involves bilateral medial rectus recessions, but additional surgical interventions early or later in life may be necessary.
From Immigrant to Practitioner: A Perspective

In this chapter, the author addresses the factors that may lead medical students to desire further medical education outside of their home country or where they have attended medical school and explores the process in which a medical student who is educated outside of the United States elects to obtain a medical residency in the United States and eventually pursue a medical career in the United States. The author also explores the current immigration processes available for an international medical graduate to enter the United States and the specific and varied immigration programs available to these students. The author reviews the steps the student must take to obtain a residency in the United States while concurrently elaborating on the medical organizations in the United States that the student must engage with in his or her quest for a residency. Finally, the author reviews the process of obtaining a medical position in the United States after completion of residency training and introduces the reader to the varied organizations that have an impact on medical practice. The unique adverse forces that may impact how IMGs are treated in obtaining post residency positions are also discussed.
An Investigation of Relational Risk and Promotive Factors Associated with Adolescent Female Aggression

Despite growing trends in adolescent female aggression, much adolescent aggression research has focused on males to the exclusion of their female counterparts. Using relational-cultural and social role theories, the current study identifies the risk and promotive factors associated with adolescent female aggression. Using data from the Rural Adaptation Project (a 5 year longitudinal panel study of youth from two rural, ethnically diverse, low income counties in North Carolina), a 2-level hierarchical linear model was estimated (N = 3580). Internalizing symptoms, association with delinquent friends, peer pressure, and parent–child conflict emerged as risk factors whereas teacher support was a significant promotive factor. Results suggest that interventions should focus on negative relationships in both the parent and peer domains and underscore the need for mental health services for aggressive girls.
Extensive Amazonian-aged fluvial channels on Mars: Evaluating the role of Lyot crater in their formation

Widespread Amazonian-aged fluvial channels have been mapped proximal to Lyot crater, a ~225 km diameter impact basin in the northern lowlands of Mars. Comparable in area to some Noachian/Hesperian fluvial systems, their morphology differs, being dominated by broad, shallow braided channels. Using new developments in the study of cratering, water inventory and climate history, we assess eight different models for their origin. Dewatering of excavated ice-rich Lyot ejecta and contact melting from hot Lyot ejecta superposed on surface ice deposits are the most plausible channel origins. The existence of this extensive Amazonian fluvial system is attributed to: (1) the large size of Lyot, and its consequent hot ejecta, and (2) the presence of surface ice at the time of impact, attributed to obliquity changes redistributing polar ice to the mid-latitudes, a relatively common occurrence in martian geologic history.
Wiffle Ball: Turning a Backyard Favorite into an Appropriate Physical Education Unit

Wiffle ball is a classic game that has been played by people of all ages. Although there is a potential for inactivity due to limited opportunities to be actively engaged, increased activity time and overall development can occur through appropriate teaching methods. This article explores teaching wiffle ball using the sport education model. The potential for maximizing student learning and enjoyment are discussed, along with suggestions for setting up an appropriate season of play in physical education.
An Automated System for Interactively Learning Software Testing

Testing is an important, time-consuming, and often difficult part of the software development process. It is therefore critical to introduce testing early in the computer science curriculum, and to provide students with frequent opportunities for practice and feedback. This paper presents an automated system to help introductory students learn how to test software. Students submit test cases to the system, which uses a large corpus of buggy programs to evaluate these test cases. In addition to gauging the quality of the test cases, the system immediately presents students with feedback in the form of buggy programs that nonetheless pass their tests. This enables students to understand why their test cases are deficient and gives them a starting point for improvement. The system has proven effective in an introductory class: students that trained using the system were later able to write better test cases -- even without any feedback -- than those who were not. Further, students reported additional benefits such as improved ability to read code written by others and to understand multiple approaches to the same problem.
Characterizing the Adherence Profiles of Virulent Vibrio parahaemolyticus Isolates

The human pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a leading cause of seafood-borne illness in the USA, and infections with V. parahaemolyticus typically result from eating raw or undercooked oysters. V. parahaemolyticus has been shown to be highly resistant to oyster depuration, suggesting that the bacterium possesses specific mechanisms or factors for colonizing oysters and persisting during depuration. In this study, we characterized eight different V. parahaemolyticus strains for differences in resistance to oyster depuration, biofilm formation, and motility. While each strain exhibited distinct phenotypes in the various assays, we determined that biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces, such as glass or plastic, does not directly correlate with bacterial retention in oysters during depuration. However, we did observe that the motility phenotype of a strain appeared to be a better indicator for persistence in the oyster. Further studies examining the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed colonization differences by these and other V. parahaemolyticus strains may provide beneficial insights into what critical factors are required for proficient colonization of the Pacific oyster.
A Moving Boundary Modeling Approach for Heat Exchangers with Binary Mixtures

Abstract In this paper, a modeling approach for a heat exchanger that uses a binary mixture is presented. A moving boundary method assuming a linear spatial distribution of enthalpy could result in a considerable steady state prediction error, due to the temperature glide of a binary mixture. Motivated from this, a more accurate moving boundary method that incorporates analytic enthalpy distributions is presented. The enthalpy profiles are derived by defining a specific heat capacity at each thermodynamic phase of a binary mixture and by solving crossflow heat transfer equations. The proposed approach results in accurate predictions compared with those of a detailed model using the Finite Volume Method (FVM). The corresponding computation time is two to three times slower than that of a conventional moving boundary approach, but the approach is still computationally advantageous compared with the FVM model.
San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science: Next Steps

Author(s): Luoma, Samuel N. | Abstract: Abstracts are not presented with Editorials. -SFEWS Editors
Oxygen Reduction by Homogeneous Molecular Catalysts and Electrocatalysts.

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a key component of biological processes and energy technologies. This Review provides a comprehensive report of soluble molecular catalysts and electrocatalysts for the ORR. The precise synthetic control and relative ease of mechanistic study for homogeneous molecular catalysts, as compared to heterogeneous materials or surface-adsorbed species, enables a detailed understanding of the individual steps of ORR catalysis. Thus, the Review places particular emphasis on ORR mechanism and thermodynamics. First, the thermochemistry of oxygen reduction and the factors influencing ORR efficiency are described to contextualize the discussion of catalytic studies that follows. Reports of ORR catalysis are presented in terms of their mechanism, with separate sections for catalysis proceeding via initial outer- and inner-sphere electron transfer to O2. The rates and selectivities (for production of H2O2 vs H2O) of these catalysts are provided, along with suggested methods for acc...
Performance of an under-loaded denitrifying bioreactor with biochar amendment.

Abstract Denitrifying bioreactors are recently-established agricultural best management practices with growing acceptance in the US Midwest but less studied in other agriculturally significant regions, such as the US Mid-Atlantic. A bioreactor was installed in the Virginia Coastal Plain to evaluate performance in this geographically novel region facing challenges managing nutrient pollution. The 25.3 m3 woodchip bed amended with 10% biochar (v/v) intercepted subsurface drainage from 6.5 ha cultivated in soy. Influent and effluent nitrate-nitrogen (NO3–N) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations and flowrate were monitored intensively during the second year of operation. Bed surface fluxes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2) were measured periodically with the closed dynamic chamber technique. The bioreactor did not have a statistically or environmentally significant effect on TP export. Cumulative NO3–N removal efficiency (9.5%) and average removal rate (0.56 ± 0.25 g m−3 d−1) were low relative to Midwest tile bioreactors, but comparable to installations in the Maryland Coastal Plain. Underperformance was attributed mainly to low NO3–N loading (mean 9.4 ± 4.4 kg ha−1 yr−1), although intermittent flow, periods of low HRT, and low pH (mean 5.3) also likely contributed. N removal rates were correlated with influent NO3–N concentration and temperature, but decreased with hydraulic residence time, indicating that removal was often N-limited. GHG emissions were similar to other bioreactors and constructed wetlands and not considered environmentally concerning. This study suggests that expectations of NO3–N removal efficiency developed from bioreactors receiving moderate to high NO3–N loading with influent concentrations exceeding 10–20 mg L−1 are unlikely to be met by systems where N-limitation becomes significant.
Expression of endothelin receptor subtypes and their messenger RNAs in diabetic rat prostate: effect of insulin treatment.

Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes causes an upregulation in the expression of endothelin (ET) receptors in the rat prostate (Eur J Pharmacol 310:197, 1996). We examined the effects of insulin treatment, started 8 weeks after the induction of diabetes, on the expression and distribution of ET receptors and their respective mRNAs in the rat prostate. The densities, pharmacological properties and distribution of ET receptors in the rat prostate were examined using radioligand receptor binding and autoradiographic studies, and gene expression of ET receptors was evaluated utilizing the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). STZ-injected rats had smaller prostates and reduced serum testosterone levels than control and insulin treated diabetic animals. ET receptor density was shown to be significantly higher in the prostate from diabetic rats than those from either control or insulin treated diabetic animals. The pharmacological profile of prostatic ET receptors was similar in all groups (approximately 80% ETA; 20% ETB subtype). ET receptors were predominantly localized to the prostatic stroma. Induction of diabetes increased the expression of mRNA levels of ETA and ETB receptors, and insulin treatment reversed this upregulation to control levels. These results indicate that (1) ET receptor subtypes are expressed in the rat prostate as transcription and translation products; (2) insulin can normalize the diabetes-induced upregulation in the expression of ET receptors and their respective mRNAs; and (3) diabetes-induced regression of the prostate may involve an alteration in ET receptors.
Role of Passive Mechanical Properties of Outer Hair Cells in Determination of Cochlear Mechanics

The feasibility of a resonant mechanical system in the cochlea, consisting of outer hair cells (OHCs) and the tectorial membrane (TM), playing a significant role in frequency selectivity has been investigated. As proposed initially by Zwislocki (J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 67, 1679–1688, 1980), such a resonant OHC-TM system, with stiffness provided by the sensory hairs of the three rows of OHC and mass by the overlying TM, would be mechanically coupled to the basilar membrane (BM) via the sensory hairs and would vibrate in a plane parallel to the reticular lamina. Since the TM mass is estimated to be 1/5 – 1/4 of the mass of the organ of Corti, OHC-TM vibrations would have a significant effect upon BM frequency selectivity if OHC-TM resonant frequency along the length of the cochlea were close to the BM frequency at the same location.
Optimizing Synchronization, Flow, and Robustness in Weighted Complex Networks

Complex biological, social, and technological systems can be often modeled by weighted networks. The network topology, together with the distribution of available link or node capacity (represented by weights) and subject to cost constraints, strongly affect the dynamics or performance of the networks. Here, we investigate optimization in fundamental synchronization and flow problems where the weights are proportional to (k i k j )β with k i and k j being the degrees of the nodes connected by the edge. In the context of synchronization, these weights represent the allocation of limited resources (coupling strength), while in the associated random walk and current flow problems, they control the extent of hub avoidance, relevant in routing and search. In this chapter, we review fundamental connections between stochastic synchronization, random walks, and current flow, and we discuss optimization problems for these processes in the above weighted networks.
Neighbourhood effects and beyond: Explaining the paradoxes of inequality in the changing American metropolis:

American cities today are simultaneously the same and different from Wilson’s classic portrayal in The Truly Disadvantaged ([1987] 2012), first published over 30 years ago. Concentrated poverty and...
Quantitative framework for coffee leaf rust (hemileia vastatrix), production and futures

The livelihood of at least 120 million people worldwide depends on the coffee supply chain. Coffee rust is among the main diseases that attack the coffee plant and is caused by the Hemileia vastatrix fungus at temperatures between 10 - 30° C. Coffee rust infestation leads to production losses of over $1 billion annually worldwide. Coffee is the second largest traded commodity worldwide, with about $100 billion in volume traded annually. Understanding if there is a relationship between Temperature, Rainfall, Rust, Production and Futures coffee rust variables is important. This research offers the first known quantitative framework for describing and visualizing the correlation between coffee rust, amount of coffee produced and futures prices. .
European ruling parties’ electoral strategies and overseas enfranchisement policies

Emigrants’ ideologies and partisan attitudes may diverge from other voters’: overseas voters are ideologically self-selected, receive distinctive information about campaigns and have experiences abroad that are likely to shape their political views. Parties, anticipating these emigrant attitudes, can manipulate overseas voting availability to give the vote primarily to their own supporters. Alternatively, parties may expect newly enfranchised voters to provide electoral support in gratitude for the right to vote. To distinguish these separate processes, this project undertakes a case study of Turkey to trace a ruling party’s strategic expectations as it makes overseas-enfranchisement decisions. To see how generalisable these results are, the study further extends to a statistical analysis of differences in vote choice between voters at home and abroad across all 23 European countries that report overseas votes separately, using an original dataset encompassing 121 elections. Both the case study and the statistical analysis suggest that emigrant-enfranchising parties tend to garner overseas voters’ support in a lasting way. This suggests that overseas enfranchisement most often appears to involve incumbent parties (correctly) expecting long-term ideological compatibility with their overseas nationals, not simply exchanging the franchise for short-term, transactional support.
The Critical Role of Parents in Pediatric Cancer-Related Pain Management: a Review and Call to Action

Even with optimized medical management, pain remains an inevitable part of pediatric cancer care. The most effective interventions for nonpharmacologic pain management within pediatric psychology include parent skills training. This review specifically explored the role of parents in cancer-related pain management with the goal of defining a set of evidence-based skills that could translate to improved pediatric cancer pain management. Pain is now widely understood to be both a sensory and emotional experience. As a result, within pediatric non-cancer pain management there is increasing application of the biopsychosocial model for pain management, inclusive of evidence-based psychological intervention. This review, specifically focusing on the role of parent training in cancer-related pain management, finds few interventions that systematically included parents. There is a need for continued evidence-based innovation and knowledge dissemination in this area of care. This paper highlights a critical gap in translational science within pediatric cancer pain management, namely, that parents who have a child with cancer are not reliably gaining access to well-established, evidence-based psychological skills training that can help to mitigate pain and pain-related stress. Based on the literature, the authors provide recommendations for generating adaptable, evidence-informed interventions that support and empower parents to help their child with pain management through all phases of cancer treatment.
The method history report: an adaptable tool for communicating immunogenicity assay development and validation.

Over the developmental lifetime of a therapeutic protein, the immunogenicity assay validation history can become substantial, frustrating review of clinical immunogenicity within the biologics lice...
Being PAL: Uncertainty and Coping in r/PregnancyAfterLoss.

Women who become pregnant again following miscarriage or stillbirth are in a particularly vulnerable position as they grapple with uncertainty about the current pregnancy’s viability and outcomes. ...
Treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a review of efficacy and safety:

Objective:To review current literature for the efficacy and safety of treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Data sources:A PubMed l...
Health Mindset Correlates with Health-Related Quality of Life Assessment in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis

PURPOSE Mindset theory describes two different categories: “fixed”, in which a particular personal characteristic is seen as unchangeable, and “growth”, in which the characteristic is viewed as malleable and subject to improvement. Recently, the concept of mindset has been applied to the study of health beliefs and how they influence wellness behaviors. The Scoliosis Research Society Questionnaire (SRS-30) is a specific instrument to measure health-related quality of life in patients with scoliosis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how health mindset correlates with an adolescent’s health-related …
Fractionation, Characterization, and Valorization of Lignin Derived from Engineered Plants

There is an urgent need to address the societal and sustainability challenges in the food, energy, and water (FEW) nexus at the global level. Research on improving the efficiency and sustainability of lignocellulosic conversion technologies and development of biomass feedstocks that are amenable to pretreatments has become a focus of the research community over the past few years. Genetic manipulation of lignin is a promising approach to generate biomass feedstocks with favorable properties. However, it is relatively unexplored in the area of understanding the effects of lignin modification on fractionation, characterization, and upgrading of lignin streams from engineered biomass feedstocks. There is a knowledge gap in linking the chemical complexity of lignin with its biological, spatial, and functional deposition with respect to how to separate and utilize the feedstock in a biorefinery. This knowledge is necessary for development of lignin-engineered plants and downstream processing technologies. This review recapitulates recent progress in lignin genetic modification and the leading technologies to fractionate and characterize lignin streams. Possible lignin valorization pathways including oxidative and reductive catalysis, electrocatalysis, and biological upgrading, in particular for use with engineered biomass feedstocks, are also discussed. Challenges and the outlook for future development are also briefly reviewed.
Ethnic Identity Achievement, Identity Verification, and Self-worth

Ethnic identity achievement is the outcome of an exploration process that results in a stable and secure understanding of one’s ethnic group. The achievement process helps people understand and cope with racial discrimination and prejudice they experience and is thus essential for the development of positive self-worth for youth and young adults. However, the theoretical relationship between ethnic identity achievement and self-worth is not entirely clear. Drawing on an ethnically diverse sample of college students (N = 1504), we test a theoretical model hypothesizing that ethnic identity achievement helps people verify their ethnic identity. In turn, this enhances how people feel about themselves as a member of their ethnic group (group-specific self-worth), and thus how they feel about themselves generally (global self-worth). We find support for our hypotheses with no evidence of gender or ethnic variation. By integrating the ethnic identity achievement model with principles from identity theory, our findings provide theoretical elaboration to the ethnic identity achievement process as well as the role played by group-specific self-worth in the verification of social identities.
The Riemann Problem with Umbilic Lines for Wave Propagation in Isotropic Elastic Solids

The governing equations for plane waves in isotropic elastic solids are a 6×6 system of hyperbolic conservation laws. It is shown that, for the Riemann problem, the system is equivalent to a prototype 2×2 system of hyperbolic conservation laws. We then discuss simple wave curves, shock curves, umbilic points and umbilic lines for systems which possess a potential. This is the case for hyperelastic materials which possess a complementary strain energy. For the third-order hyperelastic materials it is shown that one may have (i) a straight umbilic line, or (ii) an umbilic curve which is a hyperbola, parabola or ellipse. The case (ii) is studied in detail here.
Mutagenesis in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the mutagenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and compares it with what is known about the same process in E. coli. It also discusses the experimental systems available for mutation research in bakers' yeast, the result of investigations concerning induced and spontaneous mutagenesis in nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, and the conclusions regarding the mechanisms of mutagenesis. Direct screening methods are used for isolating mutants exhibiting either enhanced or diminished levels of spontaneous mutagenesis. A variety of mutations, which reduce spontaneous mutation rates are isolated, one of which is an allele of the REV3 gene. The phenotypes of excision-deficient mutants, that are tabulated, indicate that excision repair in Saccharomyces, as in E. coli, is essentially error-free. The products of at least nine and probably 12 or more genes are concerned with excision repair in yeast. Mutations in nine of these genes prevent the excision of all, or at least a fraction, of pyrimidine dimers and block an early stage in this process, before or at about the incision stage.
Degrees of exclusivity in disjunctive databases

Ever since the emergence of the relational database model, the problem of incompleteness has been studied extensively. Declarative semantics for disjunctive databases widely adopt two methodologies representing opposite ends of the spectrum - Minker's GCWA interprets disjunctions exclusively while Ross and Topor's DDR interprets them inclusively. We argue that the use of either one as the semantics is limiting. For example, in a blood group relation, saying that the blood group of John is A or B, BG(John,A) ∨ BG(John,B) can be interpreted exclusively while the statement supplier S1 supplies part P1 or P2 to project J1, supplies(S1, P1, J1) ∨ supplies(S1, P2, J1) need not necessarily be exclusive. In this paper, we present a model that allows the nature of the disjunctions to be represented explicitly and show its relation to other semantics for disjunctive databases. A notable feature of this extension is that it does not require variables in order to represent indefinite information.
Instrumental Development of Teachers’ Reasoning in Dynamic Geometry

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14244/198271991322 To contribute to understanding how teachers can develop geometrical understanding, we report on the discursive development of teachers’ geometrical reasoning through instrument appropriation while collaborating in an online dynamic geometry environment (DGE). Using the theory of instrument-mediated activity, we analysis the discourse and DGE actions of a group of middle and high school mathematics teachers who participated in a semester-long, professional development course. Working in small teams, they collaborated to solve geometric problems. Our results show that as teachers appropriate DGE artifacts and transform its components into instruments, they develop their geometrical knowledge and reasoning in dynamic geometry. Our study contributes to a broad understanding of how teachers develop mathematical knowledge for teaching. Keywords : Dynamic geometry, Instrumental genesis, Mathematical knowledge for teaching, Collaboration. Normal 0 21 false false false PT-BR X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabela normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
Self-Determination in the Post-Colonial Era

Nationalism — the principle of homogeneous cultural units as the foundations of political life, and of the obligatory cultural unity of rulers and ruled — is indeed inscribed neither in the nature of things, nor in the hearts of men, nor in the pre-conditions of social life in general, and the contention that it is so inscribed is a falsehood which nationalist doctrine has succeeded in presenting as self-evident. But nationalism as a phenomenon, not as a doctrine presented by nationalists, is inherent in a certain set of social conditions; and those conditions, it so happens, are the conditions of our time.1
Low‐k Materials: Recent Advances

From a historical point of view, the search for new low-k and ultra-low-k materials has always been dictated by industrial needs, resulting in a strong connection between fundamental research and technology. Although a variety of potential candidates has been reported in the literature during the past decade, integration is the deciding factor driving the selection of the most promising materials for a given technology node [1]. For instance, the industry flirted briefly with organic polymers [2–7]. Besides the anticipated thermal stability challenges, this class of materials, known to be tough and crack-resistant, had other issues, such as softness, large coefficient of thermal expansions (CTE) and delamination. While most of these problems were mitigated by material reengineering and chip redesign, solutions occurred too late, relegating the organic polymers to possible hybrid build applications [8]. For the new low-k materials, it was expected that their electrical and mechanical properties would be comparable to those of silicon dioxide [9, 10], the insulating material of reference for the quite conservative semiconductor industry. Chemical modification of the silicon network, first by introduction of fluorine and eventually by the addition of carbon, was then adopted as the lower risk path to introducing low-k materials in the back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) [1]. At that time, silicates and
The Criticality of C-Suite Team Intelligence (TQ) in Economic Value Creation

Eighty-five percent (85%) of board directors reported they are generally dissatisfied with their top management team’s ability to generate results. This reflects the generally-held belief that the top management team (TMT) has a significant impact on firm results, however, a direct correlation between TMT effectiveness based demographic elements including compositional diversity, education, experience, colocation, and team size, to financial outcomes, in past research, has been inconclusive. This study examines the relationship between Top Management Team (TMT) behavioral characteristics – namely Team Intelligence (TQ) – and corporate profitability. Using team as the unit of analysis, our study explains the critical impact of TQ on corporate financial performance. Employing a survey comprised of a new comprehensive measure of team dynamic, as well as existing measures for collective team outcomes, we collected data from 123 upper echelon executives of public companies. Our objective was to understand how TQ impacts the ability of TMTs to leverage the knowledge and experience of the team to generate measurable economic value. This quantitative study reveals a strong and significant predictive relationship between TMTs and economic value creation, isolating a key driver of a firm’s relative profitability performance, and predicting if the organization out- or underperforms their competitors. The implication of this study is that a reliable and valid method to assess the TQ of the TMT now exists and allows us to understand the current contribution to and future potential for economic value creation from corporate executives.
68-Year-old man with chronic diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting

68-year-old man presented with a history of myocardial infarction and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), as well as a 3-year history of diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting that had worsened over the previous 1 to 2 months. The patient reported 6 to 8 loose stools per day, bilious vomiting every 3 to 4 days, epigastric abdominal pain, anorexia, and involuntary weight loss (10 kg during the previous year) but no melena, hematochezia, or hematemesis. He denied foreign travel. The patient was hospitalized several times for dehydration at an institution elsewhere, with normal findings on abdominal radiography and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), benign polyps revealed on colonoscopy, and inflammatory changes of the lower esophagus shown on esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) (no biopsies were performed). The patient was admitted to our institution because of dehydration due to persistent diarrhea and vomiting. The patient’s medications were irbesartan at 150 mg/d, metoprolol at 100 mg twice daily, and aspirin at 81 mg/d. Notably, he had been noncompliant with pantoprazole, prescribed for GERD, due to concern that this medication contributed to his symptoms. Besides aspirin, the patient denied regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. He reported a 50-pack-year smoking history and mild alcohol use. Physical examination revealed an illappearing man. Vital signs were notable for orthostatic changes. Findings on examination of the abdomen were unremarkable. Laboratory test results revealed the following (reference ranges shown in brackets): erythrocytosis (hemoglobin, 18.7 g/dL [13.5-17.5 g/dL]), leukocytosis (white blood cell count, 26.2 × 10 9 /L [3.5-10.5 × 10 9 /L]), and an elevated creatinine level (2.6 mg/dL [0.9-1.4 mg/ dL]), all of which resolved with intravenous fluid hydration. Hepatic and pancreatic enzyme levels were normal. Fecal leukocytes and stool cultures including ova and parasites, Giardia lamblia, and Clostridium difficile were all negative. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen showed thickening of the walls and folds of the stomach, distal duodenum, and proximal jejunum (Figure 1).
Identification of distinctive volatile compounds in fish sauce

To make clear the distinctive odorants of fish sauce, addition tests were carried out with respect to deodorized fish sauce samples. Volatiles from the headspace gas of nontreated fish sauce and deodorized fish sauce were characterized by gas chromatography-olfactometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Four compounds contributing to the distinctive odor of fish sauce were 2-methylpropanal, 2-methylbutanal, 2-ethylpyridine, and dimethyl trisulfide. Addition tests (quantitative descriptive analysis) with respect to the four odorants showed that contributors to the fishy aroma were 2-ethylpyridine and dimethyl trisulfide and that all four odorants contributed to the sweaty aroma. Furthermore, the fecal note of fish sauce was essential with 2-ethylpyridine and dimethyl trisulfide, and the rancid note was essential with all four odorants.
A Phase II Trial of Temozolomide and IFN-α in Patients with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

The combination of temozolomide (TEM) and interferon-α (IFN-α) previously demonstrated a 30% response rate in metastatic melanoma. A single institution, phase II trial evaluating the efficacy of TE...
Direct visualization of changes of lymphatic function and drainage pathways in lymph node metastasis of B16F10 melanoma using near-infrared fluorescence imaging

The lymphatic system provides an initial route for cancer cell dissemination in many cancers including melanoma. However, it is largely unknown how the lymphatic system changes during tumor progression due in part to the lack of imaging techniques currently available. In this study, we non-invasively imaged changes of lymphatic function and drainage patterns using near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging. Dynamic NIRF imaging following intradermal injection of indocyanine green (ICG) was conducted in C57BL/6 mice prior to inoculation of B16F10 murine melanoma cells to the dorsal aspect of the left hindpaw for baseline data or directly to the popliteal lymph node (PLN) and until 21 days post-implantation (p.i.). A series of acquired fluorescent images were quantified to measure lymphatic contractile function. Computed tomography (CT) was also performed to measure the volume of tumor-draining lymph nodes (LNs). We observed significant reduction of lymphatic contractility from 7 days p.i. until 21 days p.i.. Altered lymphatic drainage patterns were also detected at 21 days p.i. in mice with tumor in the paw and at 11 days p.i. in mice with tumor in the PLN, due to lymphatic obstruction of normal lymphatic drainages caused by extensive tumor invasion of draining LNs. Since lymphatic function and architecture were progressively altered during tumor growth and metastasis, non-invasive NIRF imaging may provide a new method to stage disease. In addition, this novel technique can be used as a diagnostic method to non-invasively assess lymphatic response as mechanism of therapeutic action.
Fluorescence calibration research of microspheres in a microfluidic chip

Fluorescence calibration is usually done by preparing bio-samples with a series of concentrations and measuring their corresponding fluorescence intensities. A simplified approach is studied by using a microfluidic chip and microspheres. The fluorescence calibration can be carried out on the chip with only one concentration of the microspheres. Microspheres with the diameter of 1~5μm are very useful in bio-detection research. These microspheres are manufactured using high-quality, ultraclean polystyrene microspheres and loaded with a variety of proprietary dyes. They can be labeled with biotin-, NeutrAvdin-, streptavidin- and protein, which can be used as tracers for bio-detections. A microfluidic chip was successfully fabricated for the experiment, and preliminary experimental results have proved the feasibility of the approach for fluorescence calibration.
Memory Rehabilitation: Integrating Theory and Practice. By Barbara A. Wilson

Memory Rehabilitation: Integrating Theory and Practice. By Barbara A. Wilson (New York: The Guilford Press, 2009), 284 pp., $48.00 (hdbk), ISBN 978-1-60623-287-3.In this most recent book by well kn...
Versatile Method for the Detection of Covalently Bound Substrates on Solid Supports by DART Mass Spectrometry

Analysis of substrates directly on solid phase resins without the need for separate cleavage conditions remains an outstanding challenge in the field of solid phase synthesis. We now present the first example of simultaneous cleavage and mass spectrometric analysis of peptides from solid supports using direct analysis in real time (DART) mass spectrometry. We have shown that this method is compatible with a diverse array of solid phase resins and is suitable for analysis of both peptides and organic substrates.
Selective Down-Regulation of Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes in Tissues from Rats with Pheochromocytoma*

We have used an animal model of pheochromocytoma and radioligand-binding techniques to examine the effects of high levels of circulating norepinephrine and dopamine on adrenergic receptor subtypes in several peripheral tissues. New England Deaconess Hospital rats with transplanted pheochromocytomas were hypertensive and had levels of plasma norepinephrine and dopamine 50-fold greater than those of controls. The number of beta-adrenergic receptors in membranes prepared from the renal cortex and the left ventricle from these rats was decreased about 50%, but the animals had no significant decrease in the overall number of beta-adrenergic receptors in pulmonary membranes. beta-Receptor affinity was unaltered in animals with pheochromocytoma. Competition for [125I]iodocyanopindolol binding to beta-receptors by subtype-selective agents indicated a selective decrease of about 80% in the number of beta 1-adrenergic receptors in renal cortical and pulmonary membranes, without a decrease in beta 2-adrenergic receptor number. Rats with pheochromocytoma also had about a 70% decrease in the number of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in membranes from renal cortex and lung, but no significant decrease in the number of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in hepatic membranes and no decrease in the number of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors in renal cortical and hepatic membranes. These results indicate that rats in which pheochromocytomas are transplanted show adrenergic receptor subtype- and tissue-specific down-regulation. Although the selective down-regulation of alpha 1- and beta 1-adrenergic receptors may reflect a response to the preponderance of norepinephrine in these animals, the results indicate that different tissues and different adrenergic receptor subtypes may have varying susceptibility to down-regulation in response to increased circulating catecholamines in vivo.
A rapid quantitative method for the analysis of sesquiterpene phytoalexins by high performance liquid chromatography

A new high performance liquid chromatographic technique has been developed for the rapid analysis of sesquiterpene phytoalexins such as capsidiol, rishitin, lubimin and phytuberol. This method employs a cyanopropyl-bonded phase column with an isocractic mixture of hexane and isopropanol. When used with a flame ionization detector the lower limits of detection are about 0.1 μg and the response of the detector is linear in the range 0.1–30 μg. With the UV detector at 205 nm, the lower limits of detection are about 0.1 μg for capsidiol and rishitin and 0.5 μg for lubimin, phytuberol and debneyol. The response of the UV detector is linear in the range 0.5–30 μg. Although both detectors proved to be useful, the signal response with the flame ionization detector was proportional to the mass of each of the phytoalexins, while the signal with the UV detector was proportional to the number of carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the compounds.
The Use of Mechanical Thrombectomy Devices in the Management of Acute Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease

A number of percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy devices are currently being used or undergoing clinical evaluation for the treatment of acute and chronic limb-threatening ischemia. Preliminary studies on the safety, efficacy, and device limitations have spurred an interest in percutaneous techniques for thrombus debulking as stand-alone therapy or an adjunct to pharmacologic thrombolysis. The devices have various mechanisms or combinations of mechanisms to optimize thrombus removal. Efficacy of thrombus removal is balanced by the propensity for vessel wall damage and distal embolization, especially for wall-contact devices (Arrow-Trerotola device and Cragg and Castaneda brushes). Initial experience in hemodialysis graft occlusion has subsequently moved on to peripheral arterial occlusions. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved eight mechanical thrombectomy devices (MTDs) for use in thrombosed hemodialysis grafts, only the AngioJet LF140 is currently approved for use in peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Nevertheless, numerous clinical articles and abstracts have reported the "off-label" use of MTDs in the management of limb-threatening ischemia. A description of the eight MTDs and a review of the current literature on use of MTDs for acute peripheral arterial occlusive disease are provided.