cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Eviction in early childhood and neighborhood poverty, food security, and obesity in later childhood and adolescence: Evidence from a longitudinal birth cohort

Abstract Eviction affects a substantial share of U.S. children, but its effects on child health are largely unknown. Our objectives were to examine how eviction relates to 1) children's health and sociodemographic characteristics at birth, 2) neighborhood poverty and food security at age 5, and 3) obesity in later childhood and adolescence. We analyzed data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal cohort of children born in 20 large U.S. cities. Children who lived in rental housing with known eviction histories and measured outcomes were included. We compared maternal and infant health and sociodemographic characteristics at the time of the child's birth. We then characterized the associations between eviction and neighborhood poverty and food security at age 5 and obesity at ages 5, 9, and 15 using log binomial regression with inverse probability of treatment and censoring weights. Of the 2556 children included in objective 1, 164 (6%) experienced eviction before age 5. Children who experienced eviction had lower household income and maternal education and were more likely to be born to mothers who were unmarried, smoked during pregnancy, and had mental health problems. Evicted and non-evicted children were equally likely to experience high neighborhood poverty at age 5 (prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.03, 95% CI 0.82, 1.29) but had an increased prevalence of low food security (PR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.46, 3.19). Obesity prevalence did not differ at age 5 (PR = 1.01; 95% CI 0.58, 1.75), 9 (PR = 1.08; 95% CI 0.715, 1.55); or 15 (PR = 1.05; 95% CI 0.51, 2.18). In conclusion, children who went on to experience eviction showed signs of poor health and socioeconomic disadvantage already at birth. Eviction in early childhood was not associated with children's likelihood of neighborhood poverty, suggesting that eviction may not qualitatively change children's neighborhood conditions in this disadvantaged sample. Though we saw evidence supporting an association with low child food security at age 5, we did not find eviction to be associated with obesity in later childhood and adolescence.
Development and Evaluation of Novel Science and Chemistry Identity Measures

Identity has been proposed as a mechanism to increase persistence within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education programs. To assess the impact of identity on STEM persistence, measures that produce valid and reliable data within a given STEM discipline need to be employed. Therefore, this study developed and evaluated the functioning of science and chemistry identity measures in the context of university-level chemistry courses. The developed measures were administered to students enrolled in general and organic chemistry courses at four universities across the United States. Validity and reliability evidence for the data provided by the novel measures was supported using confirmatory factor analysis and McDonald's omega. Additionally, two competing structural equation models (SEMs), designed to explore the relations between mastery experiences, verbal persuasion, situational interest, and science or chemistry identity, were tested and compared to previously reported results. Both SEMs produced acceptable data-model fit, therefore a superior model was chosen based on theoretical support. Within both SEMs, the direct pathway (relation) between mastery experiences and identity was nonsignificant. The more supported model proposed that the relation was indirect and facilitated through verbal persuasion and situational interest. While the indirect relation was supported in both courses, the predominate pathway varied by course. Limitations of the science identity measure, recommendations for future use of the Measure of Chemistry Identity (MoChI), and suggestions for the facilitation of positive identity formation within chemistry classrooms are discussed.
Russell McCormmach and the Empathetic Worldview

This essay is part of a special issue entitled “Looking Backward, Looking Forward: HSNS at 50,” edited by Erika Lorraine Milam.
Modern family: Texas critical care clinicians need to know about informal marriage

Critical care clinicians are legally and ethically obligated to identify the appropriate surrogate decision-makers for patients who lack capacity and cannot make medical decisions for themselves. When the identification of the appropriate surrogate is streamlined, patient care is improved due to an uninterrupted and consistent plan of care that adheres to patient preferences. However, the process of identifying this “appropriate” person can be complex, especially as interpersonal relationships have evolved over time. One such modern family relationship is informal marriage, a Texas-specific relationship formerly known as “common-law” marriage. Though crucially important, this relationship is can difficult to recognize and frequently misunderstood. Utilizing a case study that illustrates the impact the existence of an informal marriage has on medical decision-making, this paper seeks to demystify informal marriage by outlining what makes a relationship an informal marriage and provide tools to assist clinicians with identifying it. In an age where non-traditional relationships are more common, Texas critical care clinicians should be familiar enough with informal marriage to recognize it in their patients in order to efficiently identify surrogates and therefore improve patient care.
Systemic therapy for advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma after discontinuation of immune-oncology and VEGF targeted therapy combinations.

Several phase 3 studies reported positive results for combinations of Immune-Oncology (IO) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) targeted therapies in patients with metastatic clear cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC). However, there are limited data on outcomes to systemic therapy after IO-VEGF combinations. A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with metastatic ccRCC treated at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic who initiated systemic therapy post IO-VEGF including combinations with VEGF receptor (VEGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (IO-TKI) and combinations with the anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody bevacizumab (IO-Bev). The study objectives were to evaluate the objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) on systemic therapy post IO-VEGF. RECIST v1.1 criteria were used to determine radiological responses and progression. Survival estimates were evaluated with the Kaplan-Meier methods and the log-rank test from the start of systemic therapy post IO-VEGF to the event of interest. A total of fifty-nine patients were treated post discontinuation of IO-VEGF regimens which included IO-Bev (n = 35; 59%) and IO-TKI (n = 24; 41%). Fifty-eight patients (98%) received IO-VEGF regimens as part of a clinical trial. Subsequent therapies included cabozantinib (n = 22; 37%), axitinib (n = 18; 31%), pazopanib (n = 4; 7%), lenvatinib and everolimus (n = 4; 7%), mTOR inhibitor monotherapy (n = 3; 5%), axitinib and dalantercept (n = 2; 3%), sunitinib (n = 1; 2%), sorafenib (n = 1; 2%), and treatment with agents on unreported clinical trials (n = 4; 7%). Patients treated on unreported clinical trials were excluded from the efficacy analysis. Post IO-VEGF, the ORR was 25% and median PFS was 12.0 months (95% CI, 8.2–24.5). Median OS was 24.5 months (95% CI, 12–NE) and 12 months OS rate was 63.3% (95% CI, 48.6–74.9). We observed no differences post IO-VEGF OS when comparing IO- TKI vs IO-Bev (Log-rank p = 0.73). Post IO-VEGF, most patients received VEGFR-TKIs. In this setting, VEGFR-TKIs demonstrated clinical activity and remain a viable option for salvage therapy after progression on IO-VEGF.
Point-of-care Echocardiogram as the Key to Rapid Diagnosis of a Unique Presentation of Dyspnea: A Case Report.

Author(s): Moore, Michael; Dilcher, Brian; Minardi, Joseph; Quedado, Kimberly; Shaver, Erica | Abstract: Introduction: Dyspnea is commonly evaluated in the emergency department (ED).The differential diagnosis is broad. Due to the large volume of dyspneic patients evaluated, emergency physicians (EP) will encounter uncommon diagnoses. Early, liberal application of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may decrease diagnostic error and improve care for these patients.Case Report: We report a 48-year-old male presenting to the ED with cough and progressively worsening dyspnea for 11 months after multiple healthcare visits. Using POCUS, the EP was immediately able to diagnose a severe dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with left ventricular thrombus.Conclusion: Given that non-ischemic DCM is one of the most common etiologies of heart failure, often presenting with respiratory symptoms, POCUS is key to rapid diagnosis and, along with modalities such as electrocardiography and chest radiograph, should be standard practice in the workup of dyspnea, regardless of age or comorbidities.
Brief of Amicus Curiae Law Professors in Support of Plaintiffs-Appellees' Answering Brief (Kelsey Cascadia Rose Juliana, et al., v. U.S.)

Amicus curiae are law professors and scholars (listed on the signature page) who teach, research, and publish in the subject areas of constitutional, environmental, and climate law. Amici law professors are of the view that Plaintiffs have pled legally cognizable causes of action under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Amici present three points in support of Plaintiffs-Appellees’ Answering Brief. First, the lower court properly held that it has jurisdiction to hear Plaintiffs’ constitutional claims under the Due Process Clause for three reasons: (1) Plaintiffs have alleged and provided evidence of sufficient injury in fact that is fairly traceable to Defendants’ conduct and can be redressed by the court to satisfy standing requirements; (2) federal courts can exercise jurisdiction over Plaintiffs’ claims because the reference in Article III to “Cases” and “Controversies” is not frozen in time to what it was in the “courts at Westminster”; and (3) the Administrative Procedure Act is not jurisdictional and there is no need for litigants to pursue constitutional claims under it. This Court should reject Defendants’ arguments that the federal judiciary should shirk its constitutional responsibility in this case. Second, the lower court properly held that, with respect to those claims it addressed, Plaintiffs have pled constitutionally cognizable claims under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment, again for three reasons: (1) The Fifth Amendment encompasses Plaintiffs’ claim that government action has deprived them of a constitutionally- cognizable liberty interest in a stable climate system; (2) Plaintiffs’ due process claim for government inaction falls within the “state-created danger” exception to government immunity; (3) Plaintiffs have also pled a constitutionally cognizable equal protection claim under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Last, the logical extension of the Defendants’ arguments would virtually immunize government action from judicial review, and therefore should be rejected.
AI Risk Skepticism.

In this work, we survey skepticism regarding AI risk and show parallels with other types of scientific skepticism. We start by classifying different types of AI Risk skepticism and analyze their root causes. We conclude by suggesting some intervention approaches, which may be successful in reducing AI risk skepticism, at least amongst artificial intelligence researchers.
A Presidential Tribute to James M. Buchanan: In Appreciation of the Man, His Work, and His Example

Nobel laureate James McGill Buchanan proudly served as president of the Southern Economic Association from 1962-1963. In his presidential address “What Should Economists Do?,” he suggested that the study of economics is best approached by concentrating on exchange and the coordination that arises spontaneously when people pursue their own interests subject to market constraints. Buchanan’s address stood in stark contrast, at the time, to Lionel Robbins, who saw economics as the science of choices necessitated by scarcity and it fomented the rise of the two major economic methodologies widely discussed in the economics literature today as the “value paradigm” and the “exchange paradigm.” In this article, we utilize Buchanan’s 1963 presidential address as a starting point to discuss his effect on the cooperative and informational functions of markets as well as expressive voting.
Causes and Consequences of Earnings Manipulation: An Analysis of Firms Subject to Enforcement Actions by the Sec

This study investigates firms subject to accounting enforcement actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for alleged violations of GAAP. We investigate: (i) the extent to which the alleged earnings manipulations can be explained by extant earnings management hypotheses; (ii) the relation between the earnings manipulations and weaknesses in the firms' internal governance structures; and (iii) the capital market consequences experienced by the firms when the alleged earnings manipulations are made public. We find that an important motivation for earnings manipulation is the desire to attract external financing at low cost. We show that this motivation remains significant after controlling for contracting motives proposed in the academic literature. We also find that firms manipulating earnings are: (i) more likely to have boards of directors dominated by management; (ii) more likely to have a CEO who simultaneously serves as Chairman of the Board; (iii) more likely to have a CEO who is also the firm's founder; (iv) less likely to have an audit committee; and (v) less likely to have an outside blockholder. Finally, we document that firms manipulating earnings experience significant increases in their costs of capital when the manipulations are made public.
Quantification of irrigated lesion morphology using near-infrared spectroscopy.

There are currently limited means by which lesion formation can be confirmed during radiofrequency ablation procedures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of NIRS-integrated RFA catheters for monitoring irrigated lesion progression, ex vivo and in vivo. Open-irrigated NIRS-ablation catheters with optical fibers were fabricated to sample tissue diffuse reflectance. Spectra from 44 irrigated lesions and 44 non-lesion sites from ex vivo swine hearts (n = 15) were used to train and evaluate a predictive model for lesion dimensions based on key spectral features. Additional studies were performed in diluted blood to assess NIRS signatures of catheter-tissue contact status. Finally, the potential of NIRS-RFA catheters for guiding lesion delivery was evaluated in a set of in vivo pilot studies conducted in healthy pigs (n = 4). Model predictions for lesion depth (R = 0.968), width (R = 0.971), and depth percentage (R = 0.924) correlated well with measured lesion dimensions. In vivo deployment in preliminary trials showed robust translational consistency of contact discrimination (P < 0.0001) and lesion depth parameters (< 3% error). NIRS empowered catheters are well suited for monitoring myocardial response to RF ablation and may provide useful intraprocedural feedback for optimizing treatment efficacy alongside current practices.
Die Anfechtung der Vollmachtskundgaben

Die Frage nach der Anfechtbarkeit der Vollmachtskundgaben, von Frotz1 als Kardinalproblem bezeichnet, hat die rechtswissenschaftliche Lehre seit dem Inkrafttreten des BGB beschaftigt. Wer die Diskussion zuruckverfolgt, wird feststellen, das im Laufe der Jahrzehnte bald die eine, bald die andere Auffassung herrschend war. So gingen die Verfasser des BGB von der Anfechtbarkeit der Vollmachtskundgaben aus2. Diese Auffassung war um die Zeit, als das BGB in Kraft trat, herrschend3 und wurde auch noch spater von einer ganzen Reihe von Autoren4 vertreten. Demgegenuber setzte sich, vor allem unter dem Einflus der Arbeit von Wellspacher5, die Ansicht durch, das die Geltendmachung von Willensmangeln in den Fallen der in §§ 171 f. BGB geregelten Scheinvollmachten ausgeschlossen sei6. Erst in jungerer Zeit wurden Gegenstimmen7 laut, und mittlerweile kann wiederum die Ansicht als herrschend bezeichnet werden, die die ruckwirkende Beseitigung der Kundgabe einer erteilten Innenvollmacht im Wege der Anfechtung fur moglich halt8.
Electronic Properties of Metallic Nanoclusters on Semiconductor Surfaces: Implications for Nanoelectronic Device Applications

We review current research on the electronic properties of nanoscale metallic islands and clusters deposited on semiconductor substrates. Reported results for a number of nanoscale metal-semiconductor systems are summarized in terms of their fabrication and characterization. In addition to the issues faced in large-area metal-semiconductor systems, nano-systems present unique challenges in both the realization of well-controlled interfaces at the nanoscale and the ability to adequately characterize their electrical properties. Imaging by scanning tunneling microscopy as well as electrical characterization by current-voltage spectroscopy enable the study of the electrical properties of nanoclusters/semiconductor systems at the nanoscale. As an example of the low-resistance interfaces that can be realized, low-resistance nanocontacts consisting of metal nanoclusters deposited on specially designed ohmic contact structures are described. To illustrate a possible path to employing metal/semiconductor nanostructures in nanoelectronic applications, we also describe the fabrication and performance of uniform 2-D arrays of such metallic clusters on semiconductor substrates. Using self-assembly techniques involving conjugated organic tether molecules, arrays of nanoclusters have been formed in both unpatterned and patterned regions on semiconductor surfaces. Imaging and electrical characterization via scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy indicate that high quality local ordering has been achieved within the arrays and that the clusters are electronically coupled to the semiconductor substrate via the low-resistance metal/semiconductor interface.
Computer simulation and analysis: a study comparing the three kinds of human breast tumor tissue

In this paper we develop a time-dependent four-compartment model to simulate the distribution of indocyanine green (ICG) in healthy human breast tissue and tumor breast tissue. This program provides a development environment of model simulation and data analysis of the major factors that contribute to distribution of ICG in our model. The simulation results show that our time-dependent four-compartment model can describe the delivery of ICG injected intravenously into the human subject and assist in cancer diagnosis. The physiologic parameters of ICG delivery from capillary to binding site in human tumor tissue are simulated. This model can provide useful physiologic information of ICG uptake kinetics in human breast tissue and can be applied to other beacons. The model has been applied to the available data on ICG uptake and in 3 different types of breast carcinoma, under this, found that the model can distinguish 2-3 cancers quantitatively on the kinetic basis
Clustering-based blind maximum likelihood sequence detection for GSM and TDMA systems

A novel blind maximum likelihood sequence detector (MLSD) for GSM and TDMA based systems is proposed. The baseband data at the receiver are partitioned into clusters that are identified using a new class of unsupervised clustering algorithms known as K-Harmonic Means (KHM/sub p/). The KHM/sub p/ algorithms arc insensitive to the initialization of the cluster centers owing to a built-in boosting function, and thus provide reliable estimates of the cluster centers. The identified cluster representatives are then mapped to the corresponding combinations of input symbols using a discrete hidden Markov model formulation of the channel states and the mapping is used to compute the branch metrics in a cluster-based MLSD to perform signal detection. The proposed detector avoids any explicit channel modeling and training overhead and its performance is evaluated for the GSM systems.
Checkpoint Adaptation: Molecular Mechanisms Uncovered

Adaptation to the DNA damage checkpoint is a phenomenon long thought to be confined to the unicellular world. A new report in this issue of Cell by Yoo and colleagues (2004) suggests the presence of a checkpoint adaptation pathway in Xenopus egg extracts that displays interesting molecular parallels to adaptation in yeast.
Effects of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Immune Status on Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain in Hemophilic Subjects: Results From the Hemophilia Growth and Development Study

To determine the effects of hemophilia and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on the nervous system, the authors examined the relationship of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings to immunologic function and neurologic examination findings. Baseline examinations included physical and neurologic examination, immunologic and virologic testing, and MRI of the brain. On neurologic examination, muscle atrophy was considered to be related to hemophilia if adjacent joints had arthropathy due to bleeding. Muscle atrophy was considered non-hemophilia-related if unrelated to arthropathy or if muscle atrophy was diffuse. Subjects were boys aged 6 to 19 years, enrolled in a multicenter study of the effects of hemophilia and HIV infection on growth and development, all with congenital coagulopathies requiring factor infusions. Three hundred ten subjects had complete data including neurologic examination, T-cell subsets, HIV antibodies, and MRI. Subjects with HIV infection whose CD4+ counts were or = 200/microL and with HIV-negative subjects, all of whom had CD4+ counts > 200/microL. MRI studies were normal in 230. Abnormal MRI studies were more frequent in HIV-positive subjects with CD4+ counts or = 200 and 15.3% in HIV-negative subjects). Diffuse atrophy accounted for most of the excess abnormalities in HIV-positive subjects with CD4+ counts < 200 (77.3% of abnormal scans). Diffuse atrophy on MRI was associated with decreased muscle bulk on neurologic examination, but not with abnormal tendon reflexes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Abstract 17123: Warning Symptoms Prior to Sudden Cardiac Arrest: Spotlight on Sub-Acute Prevention

Introduction: Survival after sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains low despite significant developments in the field of resuscitation. While long-term strategies for primary prevention continue to evolve, the spotlight must shift to short-term primary prevention strategies. Sentinel events preceding SCA may be of special interest in this regard, especially in light of recent advances in communication and remote transmission technologies. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that “warning events” in the hours, days and weeks prior to SCA may identify a subgroup of SCA cases that will benefit from a timely 911 call for resuscitation. Methods and Results: From an ongoing prospective study of out-of-hospital SCA in an urban population of one million in the Northwestern US (2002-2012), we evaluated symptoms in the four weeks preceding SCA among middle-aged residents (35-65 years), using multiple sources. If symptoms were present and emergent health care sought, association with survival from SCA was assessed. Of 839 SCA cases with comprehensive assessment of symptoms (51±12 years, 75% males), 430 (51%) had symptoms, mainly chest pain and dyspnea. Symptoms recurred during the 24 hours preceding SCA in the majority (93%). Only 81 subjects (19%) called EMS (911) to report symptoms prior to SCA; these were more likely to be subjects with a history of heart disease (P=0.0001) and/or continuous chest pain (P<0.0001). Survival when 911 was called prior to SCA was 32.1% (95% confidence interval 21.7-42.4), compared to 6.0% (95% confidence interval 3.5-8.5) in those who did not call (P<0.0001). Conclusions: Warning symptoms are frequent prior to SCA but the vast majority of these are not acted upon. Survival from SCA was significantly higher (five-fold) when symptoms prompted a 911 call, indicating the significant potential to enhance SCA survival by closely coupling warning symptoms to emergent care.
Si/B(4)C narrow-bandpass mirrors for the extreme ultraviolet.

We report the results of extreme-ultraviolet reflectance measurements and structural characterization of multilayer mirrors made by sequential sputter deposition of Si and B4C. Compared with Si/Mo multilayers, Si/B4C have a much narrower bandpass (δλ) and better off-peak rejection but lower peak reflectance (R0). Mirrors with three different designs gave the following results: R0 = 0.275 and δλ = 0.31 nm at 13.1 nm and normal incidence; R0 = 0.34 and δλ = 1.1 nm at 18.2 nm and 45°; and R0 = 0.30 and δλ= 2.0 nm at 23.6 nm and 45°. These multilayers exhibited excellent stability on annealing at temperatures up to 600°C.
Early detection of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a low-incident but highly mortal disease. It accounts for only 3% of estimated new cancer cases each year but is currently the fourth common cause of cancer mortality. By 2030, it is expected to be the 2 nd leading cause of cancer death. There is a clear need to diagnose and classify pancreatic cancer at earlier stages in order to give patients the best chance at a definitive cure through surgery. Three precursor lesions that distinctly lead to pancreatic adenocarcinoma have been identified, and we have increasing understanding the non-genetic and genetic risk factors for the disease. With increased understanding about the risk factors, the familial patters, and associated accumulation of genetic mutations involved in pancreatic cancer, we know that there are mutations that occur early in the development of pancreatic cancer and that improved genetic risk-based strategies in screening for pancreatic cancer may be possible and successful at saving or prolonging lives. The remaining challenge is that current standards for diagnosing pancreatic cancer remain too invasive and too costly for widespread screening for pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, the promises of noninvasive methods of detection such as blood, saliva, and stool remain underdeveloped or lack robust testing. However, significant progress has been made, and we are drawing closer to a strategy for the screening and early detection of pancreatic cancer.
Growth hormone, IGF-I, and exercise effects on non-weight-bearing fast muscles of hypophysectomized rats

The effects of growth hormone (GH) or insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) with or without exercise (ladder climbing) in countering the effects of unweighting on fast muscles of hypophysectomized rats during 10 days of hindlimb suspension were determined. Compared with untreated suspended rats, muscle weights were 16-29% larger in GH-treated and 5-15% larger in IGF-I-treated suspended rats. Exercise alone had no effect on muscle weights. Compared with ambulatory control, the medial gastrocnemius weight in suspended, exercised rats was larger after GH treatment and maintained with IGF-I treatment. The combination of GH or IGF-I plus exercise in suspended rats resulted in an increase in size of each predominant fiber type, i.e., types I, I + IIa and IIa + IIx, in the medial gastrocnemius compared with untreated suspended rats. Normal ambulation or exercise during suspension increased the proportion of fibers expressing embryonic myosin heavy chain in hypophysectomized rats. The phenotype of the medial gastrocnemius was minimally affected by GH, IGF-I, and/or exercise. These results show that there is an IGF-I, as well as a GH, and exercise interactive effect in maintaining medial gastrocnemius fiber size in suspended hypophysectomized rats.
Roadblocks revisited : Neural change, stuttering treatment, and recovery from stuttering

Abstract In light of emerging findings concerning untreated recovery and neural plasticity, this paper re-examines the viability of an NIH conference recommendation [Cooper, J. A. (1990). Research directions in stuttering: Consensus and conflict. In Cooper, J. A. (Ed.), Research needs in stuttering: Roadblocks and future directions (pp. 98–100). Rockville, MD: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.] that adults who have recovered from stuttering might inform our understanding of the nature and treatment of persistent stuttering. It is suggested that those who have recovered could constitute a behavioral, cognitive, and neurophysiologic benchmark for evaluating stuttering treatment for adolescents and adults, while helping to identify the limits of recovery from a persistent disorder. This possibility seems especially promising because of findings from recent studies investigating untreated recovery during childhood and adulthood, the emerging evidence concerning neural plasticity and reorganization, and reports of neural system changes during stuttering treatment. Potential obstacles to applying findings from unassisted recovery to treatment do exist, but the benefits of attempts to fully understand stuttering certainly outweigh the difficulties. Educational objectives: After completing this activity, the learner will be able to: (1) describe two complexities involved in determining whether recovery from stuttering was assisted or unassisted; (2) discuss the implications for stuttering research of two neural plasticity research findings from areas other than stuttering; and (3) evaluate the possible implications for stuttering treatment of a coordinated research program that addresses behavioral, cognitive, and neurological characteristics of assisted and unassisted recovery from stuttering.
The preparation of Ln2MX5 where Ln = rare earths, M = Zr and Hf, and X = S, Se

Abstract Compounds of the title formula were prepared by reactions of the elements in evacuated silica tubes in the presence of iodine. The compounds formed for the following combinations: When M = Zr or Hf and X = S, all rare earths except Eu and Yb. When M = Zr and X = Se, rare earths between La and Tb, except Eu. When M = Hf and X = Se, rare earths La and Ce. X-Ray powder patterns were indexed on the basis of orthorhombic cells analogous to that of U3S5. Electrical measurements show high-resistivity semiconduction for La2ZrS5 and Ce2HfS5 but lower resistivity for Sm2HfS5, perhaps indicative of the presence of some Sm+2.
Tuning of excited state reduction potentials via expanded π-systems. Synthesis and characterization of [Ru(2,3-di(2′-pyridyl)benzo(g)quinoxaline)3](PF6)2

Abstract The synthesis of [Ru(dpb)3](PF6)2 (dpb2,3-di(2′-pyridyl)(benzo(g)quinoxaline)) is described. The electrochemical and spectral properties are examined and compared to related complexes. These properties follow the trends observed for homologous species, and indicate that the principal features controlling the electrochemical and spectral properties are the ligand reduction potential and the steric crowding around the metal center. The molecule shows an extremely low energy emission spectrum which is consistent with predictions based on the energy gap law.
Effects of continuous versus limited access to ethanol on ethanol self-administration

Eight male, experimentally naive Long-Evans rats were housed in operant chambers 23 h per day following initiation to self-administer ethanol. While housed in the chambers, the animals had continuous access to food pellets according to a fixed ratio 1 schedule of reinforcement, 10% ethanol (v/v) according to a fixed ratio 4 schedule of reinforcement and water in a drinking tube with licks recorded via a drinkometer. Over a series of experimental phases, daily availability of the ethanol solution was limited to 16, 6, 4, 2, or 1 30-min period per day. The 1 30-min period access was examined during the 12th hour or the second hour of the daily sessions. Over the course of the experiment, total responses on the lever that operated the dipper, g/kg per day and number of ethanol drinking bouts per day decreased significantly as the number of daily access periods decreased. On the other hand, the number of dippers presented per ethanol bout, g/kg per ethanol bout and ethanol bout duration increased, with significant increases in dippers per bout occurring when one 30-min access period per day was provided. These data indicate that the size of a single ethanol drinking bout can be increased somewhat by limiting the opportunity to obtain ethanol reinforcement and agrees with earlier research that has shown similar effects.
Potentially nilpotent sign pattern matrices

Abstract A sign pattern is said to be potentially nilpotent if it allows nilpotence. In this paper, a number of qualitative necessary or sufficient conditions for a sign pattern to allow nilpotence are established. The sign patterns that allow nilpotence of index 2 are investigated. For orders up to three, potentially nilpotent sign patterns are characterized. Potentially nilpotent tree sign patterns are also explored.
Proteomic Analysis of the Balance between Survival and Cell Death Responses in Cisplatin-Mediated Ototoxicity

Cisplatin, a widely used anticancer drug, preferentially damages outer hair cells (OHCs) of the inner ear. In this study, an antibody microarray was used to identify early changes in protein expression in the rat cochlea induced by cisplatin. Only small changes in hearing thresholds (4−34 dB elevation) were detected two days after cisplatin treatment (12 mg/kg). OHC function, measured by otoacoustic emissions, was slightly depressed (10 dB), and little or no receptor cell loss was observed. However, cisplatin induced large changes in the expression of 19 proteins involved in apoptosis, cell survival, or progression through the cell cycle. Fifteen of the proteins are novel to the study of the inner ear. Immunoblotting confirmed increases in the levels of the pro-survival activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2), of pro-apoptotic serine-threonine protein kinase, receptor interacting protein, and a 70/75 kDa nitrotyrosine bearing doublet of unknown function. Anti-nitrotyrosine antibodies localized these oxidatively damaged proteins to the stereocilia of OHCs, the Golgi-centrosome region of Hensen's cells, nuclei of outer pillar cells, and tunnel crossing fibers innervating OHCs. The results of this proteomic analysis reflect the commencement of ototoxic and cell survival responses before the observation of a significant functional or anatomical loss.
Monte Carlo Study of Phonon Heat Conduction in Silicon Thin Films Including Contributions of Optical Phonons

The Monte Carlo method has found prolific use in the solution of the Boltzmann transport equation for phonons for the prediction of nonequilibrium heat conduction in crystalline thin films. This paper contributes to the state-of-the-art by performing a systematic study of the role of the various phonon modes on thermal conductivity predictions, in particular, optical phonons. A procedure to calculate three-phonon scattering time-scales with the inclusion of optical phonons is described and implemented. The roles of various phonon modes are assessed. It is found that transverse acoustic (TA) phonons are the primary carriers of energy at low temperatures. At high temperatures T200 K, longitudinal acoustic (LA) phonons carry more energy than TA phonons. When optical phonons are included, there is a significant change in the amount of energy carried by various phonons modes, especially at room temperature, where optical modes are found to carry about 25% of the energy at steady state in silicon thin films. Most importantly, it is found that inclusion of optical phonons results in better match with experimental observations for silicon thin-film thermal conductivity. The inclusion of optical phonons is found to decrease the thermal conductivity at intermediate temperatures (50‐200 K) and to increase it at high temperature 200 K, especially when the film is thin. The effect of number of stochastic samples, the dimensionality of the computational domain (two-dimensional versus three-dimensional), and the lateral (in-plane) dimension of the film on the statistical accuracy and computational efficiency is systematically studied and elucidated for all temperatures. DOI: 10.1115/1.4000447
Laser Capture Microdissection: Understanding the Techniques and Implications for Molecular Biology in Nursing Research Through Analysis of Breast Cancer Tumor Samples

Aim: The purpose of this paper is to review the techniques and implications of laser capture microdissection (LCM) to isolate tissue and DNA of interest using breast biopsy tissue as an example. Ba...
An Evaluation of the Effect of Two Different Lengths of Inservice Training on Teacher Attitudes.

This investigation compares the effectiveness of two types of inservice training offered through the Arizona Portal School Program. Both methods were designed to provide teachers with positive attitudes toward activity-centered energy education. The methods differed in length and energy-related content with one course running for 5 sessions and the other for 15 sessions. The longer course placed more emphasis on content knowledge. Three types of attitudes were assessed: attitudes toward curricular change, opinions on energy concepts, and beliefs about science education. Although the longer course had a more positive effect on the participants' views of and willingness to participate in curricular change and the shorter course had a more positive effect on the participants' views of teaching activity-oriented science, both courses produced the same type of change in the participants' views of energy issues.
Coarse and fine control of citrate synthase from Bacillus subtilis.

Abstract The synthesis of citrate synthase (citrate oxaloacetate-lyase (CoA-acetylating), EC 4.1.3.7) from Bacillus subtilis was found to respond to a dual control: A specific feedback repression caused by glutamate (or α-ketoglutarate), the biosynthetic end product of the first half of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and a more general catabolite repression resulting from the accumulation of catabolic intermediates when cells were grown on glucose, a readily utilizable carbon source. The synthesis of aconitate hydratase (citrate (isocitrate) hydro-lyase, EC 4.2.1.3, formerly known as aconitase) from this organism is sensitive to similar metabolic signals 1 . Because the kinetic patterns of repression and depression of the two enzymes are similar, and since a plot of the specific activities of aconitate hydratase vs. those of citrate synthase from B. subtilis cultures grown under differing nutritional conditions results in a straight line, the suggestion is made that citrate synthase and aconitate hydratase may be subject to coordinate regulation. Kinetic studies on a partially purified enzyme preparation show ATP to be an inhibitor of citrate synthase. ATP inhibition is competitive with CoASAc but not oxaloacetate. The results of this investigation lead to the conclusion that while the synthesis of citrate synthase is sensitive to both anabolic and catabolic signals, once the enzyme is formed, its activity is regulated primarily by catabolic effectors.
Athletics, Academics, and Rankings: The Power of Competition

Please bear with me a moment as I write about sports. As you surely know, athletic events are a prominent part of U.S. college and university life. More than 1000 institutions are engaged in one or more of the 23 sports overseen by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ranging from water polo to tennis to cross country and football (see http://www.ncaa.org). Collegiate history reveals a longstanding interdependence between athletics and institutions (Toma 2003). For example, American football is traced to 1869 with a game between Rutgers and the College of New Jersey. College basketball dates from 1895, and in the mid-1850 s Harvard and Yale held the first U.S. intercollegiate competition in rowing. Athletics quickly became a vehicle for institution-building, far beyond its recreational origins as part of the “collegiate ideal.” As I write this brief editorial, “March Madness,” the frenzy that is the quest for the U.S. national championship in men’s and women’s college basketball, is underway. From late fall to early spring, basketball teams from across the nation compete with hopes to win individual games, to claim the regular season conference title, and to triumph in the conference tournament games. Then, they wait, while the NCAA selection committee considers the teams and announces with great fanfare the successful competitors for a berth in the NCAA basketball tournaments. Sixty-four men’s and 64 women’s teams are slated for competition over 3 weeks in late March and early April. For the uninitiated, the 64 teams are divided into regional competitions across four geographical areas, which spreads the excitement across the country. In each region, teams ranked 1–16 commence play; of course, the lowest ranked team plays the highest ranked, and the game is on. Like most games and disciplines, there is insider terminology: teams want to get through the first and second rounds to make it to round three, called the “Sweet Sixteen,” or to the “Final Four,” where two games yield the two finalists for the championship game. Teams board planes and trains; spectators scramble for tickets and hotel rooms; stay-at-home fans and others fill out brackets in serious and not-soserious competition to see who can predict the ultimate winners of each game and the overall tournament. While the onsite spectators number in the thousands, almost every game is televised, and the home viewing audience numbers in the millions. Innov High Educ (2013) 38:171–172 DOI 10.1007/s10755-013-9258-z
Evaluation of a sequential multi-modality imaging algorithm for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the pregnant female

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of a sequential multi-modality imaging algorithm for diagnosing acute appendicitis in pregnancy. This IRB-approved, HIPAA compliant study included 127 consecutive pregnant patients imaged for suspected appendicitis between October 2007 and May 2012; all patients initially underwent ultrasound (US) examination, followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) if results of US were negative or equivocal. Computerized tomography (CT) was reserved for cases with inconclusive US and MRI results. The EMR was reviewed, recording results of imaging examinations and clinical outcomes. The diagnostic performance of this sequential multi-modality imaging algorithm was calculated with pathology correlation. Two (1.9 %) of the 127 US examinations reported suspected appendicitis; 125 (98.4 %) were inconclusive. Of the 125 patients with inconclusive US examinations, 103 underwent MRI, of which eight (6.2 %) demonstrated findings of acute appendicitis. Of the 103 patients that received MRI, nine (8.7 %) underwent CT. One patient had a CT performed directly after an inconclusive US exam. No additional cases of appendicitis were detected with CT. The sensitivity and specificity of US alone was 12.5 and 99.2 %, respectively; MRI was 100 and 93.6 %; the sequential multi-modality modality algorithm including US, CT, and MRI was 100 and 98.3 %. The diagnostic performance of this sequential multi-modality imaging algorithm for diagnosing acute appendicitis in pregnancy is high. Given the low yield of US, MRI should be considered the first-line imaging test. Although CT was employed in a small fraction of inconclusive MRI examinations, it still has a role in the diagnostic work-up of the pregnant patient with suspected appendicitis.
Steady state multiplicity of fluidized bed reactors. The solid-circulation model

Abstract A solid circulation model is used to investigate the steady-state multiplicity features of a fluidized bed reactor in which a single, first-order, exothermic reaction occurs. The model predicts that up to five steady-state solutions may exist. Numerical examples seem to indicate that at most two of the states are stable. The temperature profiles computed by the solid-circulation model are similar to those computed by the axial conductivity model. A regular perturbation expansion is used to prove that the axial-conductivity model and the corresponding Danckwerts boundary conditions are a special limiting form of the solid-circulation model attained when the rate of solid exchange between the bubbles and the dense phase is high.
Desire for Control and the Use of Attribution Processes

The hypothesis that people engage in attribution processes to obtain a sense of control was tested In each of three experiments, subjects identified on an individual difference measure as high in a general desire for control (DC) were found to engage in attnbution processes more than subjects low in desire for control In Experiment 1, high-DC subjects were more likely to utilize attributionally relevant information when describing the cause of a writer's behavior than were low-DC subjects High-DC subjects in Experiment 2 were more likely to ask attribution questions about hypothetical events than were low-DC subjects In Expenment 3, high-DC subjects gave more attributions for their performance on a test than did low-DC subjects The findings are interpreted as support for the control motivation explanation for why people engage in attribution processes
A Very Short Test of Personality: The Behavioral Self-Rating (BSR) Form:

Reliability and validity data are presented for a factor analytically based short test of personality. The form is essentially a behavioral characteristics, self-rating check list. Use is recommended for screening purposes only where time is at a premium. The names of the five scores of the test are Assertiveness, Likeability, Intelligence, Emotionality, and Responsibility.
A Stimulus Control Model of Change in Behavioral Couples' Therapy: Implications for Contingency Contracting

Although contingency contracting is a popular strategy for use in treating distressed relationships, there is no direct evidence of its efficacy. A stimulus control model of change in behavioral couples' therapy states that the conditions under which an agreement was negotiated, regardless of the consequences specified in the agreement itself, are the primary determinants of whether the agreement is upheld. Once change is prompted, its maintenance is associated with stimuli generated by the negotiating session itself (that is, self-statements) and contingencies provided by concurrent changes occurring in therapy. Therefore, it is argued that explicit contingency contracting is unnecessary, and in fact contraindicated, for reasons which are elaborated. Hypotheses are offered which provide indirect tests of this model of change in behavioral couples' therapy.
Adriamycin cardiotoxicity in children: case reports, literature review, and risk factors

Two children with Wilms' tumor and prior thoracic radiation developed congestive heart failure at cumulative adriamycin doses of 350 mg/m2 and 400 mg/m2. Details of these two cases and a summary of previously reported adriamycin cardiotoxicity in children are presented. Dose recommendations and predictive tests are discussed.
A Mostly Sure-Footed Account of the Hand

The Sensory Hand . Neural Mechanisms of Somatic Sensation. By Vernon B. Mountcastle . Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2005. 630 pp. $85, £53.95, €78.30. ISBN 0-674-01974-1. Drawing on his career of research into the neurophysiology of sensation, the author provides a detailed consideration of the neural mechanisms that underlie the perceptual experiences evoked by touching the hand.