cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The moving valgus stress test produces more ulnar collateral ligament change in length during extension than during flexion: a biomechanical study.

Hypothesis and background Injuries to the elbow medial ulnar collateral ligament (mUCL) pose a diagnostic challenge, with the moving valgus stress test (MVST) currently accepted as the gold-standard clinical test. This study sought to biomechanically evaluate the change in length of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) during flexion-extension using a null hypothesis that the mUCL will not experience a greater change in length with movement than with static loading. Methods Seven fresh-frozen human cadaveric elbows were tested with static and dynamic valgus stress. We measured (1) ligament length with a multi-camera optical system, (2) elbow flexion with an incremental encoder, and (3) valgus deviation with an electronic inclinometer. With a force applied to the wrist to simulate a clinical stress examination, the elbow was flexed and extended in a physiological elbow simulator to mimic the flexion and extension of the MVST. Results The simulated MVST produced more elongation of the UCL compared with static stress testing (P Discussion and conclusion The MVST produces significantly more elongation of the mUCL than either a static test or a moving test in flexion. This study provides biomechanical evidence of the validity of the MVST as a superior examination technique for injuries to the UCL.
The Benefit of Primary Tumor Surgical Resection in Distant Metastatic Carcinomas of the Thyroid.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Thyroid cancer with distant metastasis (TCDM) at diagnosis has significantly worse survival rates when compared to localized/regional thyroid cancer. This study sought to report on the characteristics of patients presenting with TCDM and the potential survival advantage of surgical resection. STUDY DESIGN Data were acquired from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database with cases from 2004 to 2015. METHODS TCDM cases (n = 2,558) were identified from the SEER database. The Bonferroni correction was applied for multivariate analysis. Kaplan-Meier analysis was utilized to obtain disease-specific survival (DSS) rates. Cox regression analysis was utilized to identify independent factors significantly associated with survival. RESULTS The average age of diagnosis of TCDM was 62.0 (±17.5) years. Patients were predominantly white (74.6%), female (54.6%), in a relationship (56.0%), and between ages 36 and 80 years (76.4%). Cases consisted of papillary (57.2%), follicular (16.0%), medullary (8.9%), anaplastic (17.9%) TCDM histological variants. Overall 1-, 5-, and 10-year DSS rates were 72.0%, 56.8%, and 43.8%, respectively. Anaplastic and medullary variants had the worst 10-year DSS (0% and 25.5%, respectively). Patients who underwent surgical resection only and surgical resection with radiation were 49% and 59% less likely to die, respectively. Treatment, age, histology, T staging, relationship status, and metastasis site were determined to be significant predictors of survival. CONCLUSIONS Surgical resection with radiation was found to be a significant predictor of survival after applying the Bonferroni correction for all thyroid cancer variants except medullary. To increase survival, surgical intervention should be recommended in patients who are deemed to be medically tolerant of surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 131:1026-1034, 2021.
Correction for He et al., "MprAB Is a Stress-Responsive Two-Component System That Directly Regulates Expression of Sigma Factors SigB and SigE in Mycobacterium tuberculosis".

Volume 188, no. 6, p. 2134–2143, 2006, [https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.188.6.2134-2143.2006][1]. Page 2138, Fig. 4A: The sequence for the sigE proximal region was accidently given for the pepD intermediate region. The sequence for the pepD intermediate region should read “TCTCAGTGgaaTCTCAGTC.” [
Awareness and Knowledge Among Internal Medicine House-Staff for Dose Adjustment of Cardiovascular Drugs in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are vulnerable to adverse-drug events from cardiovascular drugs. To evaluate awareness and knowledge for appropriate dose adjustment of cardiovascular drugs in CKD patients among Internal Medicine house-staff (IMHS). Cross-sectional convenience sample survey in Fall 2015 among 341 IMHS from multiple academic institutions in the suburban New York City metropolitan area. Awareness was whether drug dose adjustment was needed. Knowledge was correct GFR level for drug dose adjustment. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted. We found overall high percentages and high odds for all cardiovascular drugs for incorrect awareness and knowledge. Postgraduate year (PGY)-1 had greater odds than PGY-3 for Carvedilol (OR: 5.56, 95% CI: 2.19–14.12, p < 0.001) and Digoxin (OR: 3.87, 95% CI: 1.37–10.95, p < 0.05), and lesser odds than PGY3 for Atenolol (OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.10–0.91, p < 0.05). Nephrology exposure during medical school rotation, renal clinic, or family history had lesser odds for Carvedilol (OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.21–0.97, p < 0.05), Simvastatin (OR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.16–0.97, p < 0.05), and Hydralazine (OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.12–0.81, p < 0.05). Nephrology exposure during residency (OR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.10–3.50, p < 0.05) and US osteopathic graduates (OR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.04–5.50, p < 0.05) each had greater odds for Enalapril (OR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.04–5.50, p < 0.05). International medical graduates had lesser odds than US graduates for Amlodipine (OR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.11–0.82, p < 0.05). IMHS had overall poor awareness and knowledge for dose adjustment for common cardiovascular drugs in patients with CKD. As the majority of CKD patients are managed by their primary care providers, training programs should ensure that IMHS have adequate education in Nephrology during their residency training.
Pairing of neonatal phencyclidine exposure and acute adolescent stress in male rats as a novel developmental model of schizophrenia

Abstract Improved understanding of the neurophysiological and neurochemical mechanisms underlying schizophrenia is essential for the identification of biological markers and developing new therapeutic targets. The development of behaviorally faithful, predictive animal models is crucial to this endeavor. We have developed a novel two-hit paradigm designed to recapitulate in rodents the developmental process leading to appearance of human schizophrenia symptomatology. The model pairs neonatal administration of the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) open-channel blocker phencyclidine (PCP 10 mg/kg) to male rats at 7, 9 and 11 days of age, with later adolescent exposure (34 days of age) to a single prolonged stress paradigm consisting of 2 h restraint, followed by 20 min of forced swimming. Four experimental groups were examined: vehicle and no stress (VEH-NS), vehicle plus stress (VEH-S), PCP and no stress (PCP-NS), and PCP plus stress (PCP-S). Only pairing of neonatal PCP with single prolonged adolescent stress caused deficits in novel object recognition memory and increased anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze task, without altering locomotor activity. In a separate cohort of animals, the PCP-S group showed significant reduction in magnitude of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) at Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses following a single pair of theta-burst stimuli (TBS), while LTP was diminished in both PCP treated groups when elicited by a second pair of TBS. These results suggest that the combination of neonatal PCP and acute adolescent stress are necessary for lasting cognitive impairment and anxiety-like phenotype, and that these behavioral impairments may be due to deficits in LTP in hippocampus, and perhaps elsewhere in the brain.
The Affordable Care Act and the Market for Higher Education

Through changing the connection between insurance and employment, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has affected people's incentives to obtain education. We employ a triple-difference strategy comparing counties with different levels of uninsurance pre-ACA and in states with different Medicaid expansion decisions across time to investigate changes in enrollment in different types of higher education institutions. We find that enrollment in less-than-two-year for-profit colleges increased more between high- and low-uninsurance counties in states that expanded Medicaid relative to states that did not do so, with nearly all the increase taking place after the 2012 Supreme Court decision that gave states the right to choose not to expand Medicaid. Differential enrollment is flat for all other comparable college types. We find this differential increase in less-than-two-year for-profit college enrollment to be remarkably general across demographic groups, although the effect is statistically and economically more significant for Hispanics. Studying effects on degree completion, we find strong evidence that the increase in enrollment led to an increase in certificates awarded, most prominently in vocational fields. This pattern is consistent with the notion that by relaxing job-lock, the ACA encouraged individuals to seek training in vocational fields that would facilitate employment in low-insurance industries. Our results are robust to controlling for confounders such as the differential impact of the Great Recession, changes in state appropriations for higher education, and differences in age composition across counties, thus ruling out the role of the young adult provision of the ACA in contributing to our results, and they survive a plethora of sensitivity checks.
Investigating the effects of flexor tendon shortening on active range of motion after finger tendon repair.

Evaluation of surgical effects is often done using simple cadaver experimentation. This study uses a robotic testbed to estimate the best-case clinical outcomes of flexor tendon shortening during repair surgery on cadaver hands. Nine fresh-frozen cadaver subjects were connected to an extrinsic index finger robotic muscle testbed and measurement system. The flexor digitorum profundus tendons were severed and surgically repaired at different shortening levels. The index finger's extrinsic tendons were robotically actuated using Hill-type muscle models to emulate the muscle force-length relationships. Extensor muscles were then activated to estimate the active ROM of the all-finger joints after surgery. The effects of metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint extension limits and extensor muscle activation were also investigated. The resulting interphalangeal joint ROM was clinically graded. Active ROM of the finger decreases as tendon shortening increases ( η p 2 = 0.92), like passive ROM. This results in a clinical reduction of functionality grade from Excellent to Good at 10 mm of shortening. Blocking MCP joint ROM and extensor activation also showed significant effects on recovered ROM ( η p 2 = 0.72 and 0.86). Significant 2-way interactions were also observed between shortening and MCP joint blocking ( η p 2 = 0.80) and between shortening and extensor activation ( η p 2 = 0.78). Results support clinical recommendations of limiting shortening to 10 mm. While this work provides additional experimental evidence for current surgical recommendations, it also validates a new robotic-cadaver methodology for predicting active hand recovery in terms of clinical measurements.
Impact of paternal education on epigenetic ageing in adolescence and mid-adulthood: a multi-cohort study in the USA and Mexico.

BACKGROUND Both parental and neighbourhood socio-economic status (SES) are linked to poorer health independently of personal SES measures, but the biological mechanisms are unclear. Our objective was to examine these influences via epigenetic age acceleration (EAA)-the discrepancy between chronological and epigenetic ages. METHODS We examined three USA-based [Coronary Artery Risk Disease in Adults (CARDIA) study, Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) and Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, Environment and Social Stressors (PROGRESS)] and one Mexico-based (Project Viva) cohort. DNA methylation was measured using Illumina arrays, personal/parental SES by questionnaire and neighbourhood disadvantage from geocoded address. In CARDIA, we examined the most strongly associated personal, parental and neighbourhood SES measures with EAA (Hannum's method) at study years 15 and 20 separately and combined using a generalized estimating equation (GEE) and compared with other EAA measures (Horvath's EAA, PhenoAge and GrimAge calculators, and DunedinPoAm). RESULTS EAA was associated with paternal education in CARDIA [GEEs: βsome college = -1.01 years (-1.91, -0.11) and β<high school = 1.05 (0.09, 2.01) vs college graduates] and FFCWS [GEEs: β<high school = 0.62 (0.00, 1.24)]. We found stronger associations for some paternal education categories among White adults (for GEE, βsome college = -1.39 (-2.41, -0.38)], men (βsome college = -1.76 (-3.16, -0.35)] and women [β<high school = 1.77 (0.42, 3.11)]. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that EAA captures epigenetic impacts of paternal education independently of personal SES later in life. Longitudinal studies should explore these associations at different life stages and link them to health outcomes. EAA could be a useful biomarker of SES-associated health and provide important insight into the pathogenesis and prevention of chronic disease.
Culturally Relevant Teaching: A Pivot for Pedagogical Transformation and Racial Reckoning

Gloria Ladson Billings dubbed culturally relevant teaching as an approach to teaching that positions instruction within a familiar cultural framework for diverse learners. This essay argues that cu...
Recoupling cross-scale interactions in tall fescue-invaded tallgrass prairie

Vegetation quantity and quality influence the degree to which large grazers shape grassland structural heterogeneity. Invasive plants threaten the function of cross-scale interactions that exist when multi-scale effects such as fire and grazing interplay to form patterns of grassland structural heterogeneity. We investigated how grazing pressure and time since fire at the patch scale influenced patch utilization and production as well as forage quality in experimental grassland pastures dominated by an invasive grass, tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceous). We also assessed the response of tall fescue utilization and production to interactive fire-and-grazing under moderate and heavy grazing pressure. We collected data on vegetation quantity and quality over two grazing seasons to evaluate the role of fire and grazing across time in shaping structural heterogeneity among patches in invaded tallgrass prairie in Iowa, USA. We anticipated greater initial patch-scale utilization in patches burned for the first time in two years than patches not burned in two years in our experimental pastures. We expected that greater utilization in recently-burned patches would reduce tall fescue production, mostly where grazing pressure was highest. The contrast in the availability of live herbage between patches was half the level typical for native-dominated tallgrass prairie. Under increased grazing pressure, the interplay between fire and grazing did not result in greater broad-scale heterogeneity (among-patch heterogeneity) or an invasive grass reduction in experimental pastures. Yet, increased grazing early in the season did promote native-grass production in this invaded grassland landscape. Our results suggest that the dominance of tall fescue mediates the lack of structural heterogeneity induced by patch-level prescribed fire and grazing. Unlike native perennial grasses, tall fescue provides access to forage in unburned patches through its low-stature growth form. Diminished cross-scale interactions through a weak coupling of fire and focal grazing in invaded tallgrass prairie may facilitate structural homogenization of fire-dependent grassland.
Amicus Brief -- Freddie Lee Hall v. State of Florida

IQ cutoffs violate the Constitution. In Atkins v. Virginia, the United States Supreme Court recognized three distinct components to intellectual disability: (1) an intelligence quotient; (2) deficits in adaptive functioning; and (3) onset prior to eighteen. The Florida Supreme Court interpreted Fla. Stat. § 921.137(1) to bar evidence of adaptive disability and early onset if a defendant scored above a 70 on an IQ test. As Justice Perry recognized in his partial dissent, that interpretation will "lead to the execution of a retarded man." The Amicus brief argues that the Florida Supreme Court's decision should be reversed because it prohibits the type of individualized consideration that the Court's death penalty jurisprudence demands. As evidenced in the juvenile context, reduced culpability is the basis upon which to spare individuals -- and certain groups -- from the death penalty. Florida's IQ cutoff prohibits such an inquiry, and is therefore unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment.
A Computational Architecture for Co-operative Systems

This paper argues that computer systems can be classified according to the relative amounts of cognitive processing that are required from the human user and the system software, and that co-operativity takes different forms in these different classes of systems. It proposes a generic architecture for the class of systems in which cognitive processing is interactively shared between computer and user, and argues that in an important sub-class of systems, much of what is normally understood by ”user-modelling” is unnecessary to provide co-operative responses to questions.
Efficient büchi universality checking

The complementation of Buchi automata, required for checking automata universality, remains one of the outstanding automata-theoretic challenges in formal verification. Early constructions using a Ramsey-based argument have been supplanted by rank-based constructions with exponentially better bounds. The best rank-based algorithm for Buchi universality, by Doyen and Raskin, employs a subsumption technique to minimize the size of the working set. Separately, in the context of program termination, Lee et al. have specialized the Ramsey-based approach to size-change termination (SCT) problems. In this context, Ramsey-based algorithms have proven to be surprisingly competitive. The strongest tool, from Ben-Amram and Lee, also uses a subsumption technique, although only for the special case of SCT problems. We extend the subsumption technique of Ben-Amram and Lee to the general case of Buchi universality problems, and experimentally demonstrate the necessity of subsumption for the scalability of the Ramsey-based approach. We then empirically compare the Ramsey-based tool to the rank-based tool of Doyen and Raskin over a terrain of random Buchi universality problems. We discover that the two algorithms exhibit distinct behavior over this problem terrain. As expected, on many of the most difficult areas the rank-based approach provides the superior tool. Surprisingly, there also exist several areas, including the area most difficult for rank-based tools, on which the Ramsey-based solver scales better than the rank-based solver. This result demonstrates the pitfalls of using worst-case complexity to evaluate algorithms. We suggest that a portfolio approach may be the best approach to checking the universality of Buchi automata.
Dimensions of Decision Making: Determining the Complexity of Politics on the High Court of Australia

While we know a great deal about the ideological divides that explain the behavior of U.S. Supreme Court Justices, we know very little about their counterparts in other countries. The liberal-conservative dimension captures a great deal of the variance around the behavior of justices on the Supreme Court, but little is known about the generalizability of this one-dimensional explanation to other national high courts. This paper attempts to determine the nature and complexity of agreement and disagreement among Justices on the High Court of Australia. Using data from High Court decisions from 1985-2000, I employ a multidimensional scaling technique to determine the number of cross-cutting issues dividing Justices in ideological space. I conclude that, unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, at least two dimensions are needed to accurately describe decision-making on the High Court.
Solid Medium for Culturing Black Smoker Bacteria at Temperatures to 120°C

Abstract A solid, highly thermostable medium, based on the new gelling agent GELRITE, was devised to facilitate the culturing of extremely thermophilic microorganisms from submarine hydrothermal vents. The medium remained solid at temperatures to 120°C at vapor pressures and hydrostatic pressures to 265 atm. It proved useful to its maximum tested limits in isolating colonies of black smoker bacteria from hydrothermal fluids recently collected at the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the Pacific Ocean.
A Validation Study of an Instrument Designed to Measure Teaching Effectiveness

This article reports the results of a validation study of Hudson's Teaching Evaluation Form (TEF), a measure of teaching effectiveness based on student evaluations. Analyses of data from two independent pilot tests (involving 1,707 students, Spring/Summer 1994) and from three schools of social work (1,649 students, Spring 1996) showed that internal consistency reliability coefficients were extraordinarily high across the five samples. The results of factor analysis demonstrated the content and construct validity of the TEF. Finally, comparison, through logistic regression, with deans' ratings of teaching effectiveness strongly supported the convergent construct validity of the instrument.
Sustained long-term hematologic efficacy of hydroxyurea at maximum tolerated dose in children with sickle cell disease

Hydroxyurea improves hematologic parameters for children with sickle cell disease (SCD), but its long-term efficacy at maximum tolerated dose (MTD) has not been determined. Between 1995 and 2002, hydroxyurea therapy was initiated for 122 pediatric patients with SCD including 106 with homozygous sickle cell anemia (HbSS), 7 with sickle hemoglobin C (HbSC), 7 with sickle/beta-thalassemia (HbS/ beta-thalassemia [6 HbS/beta0, 1 HbS/beta+]), and 2 with sickle hemoglobin OArab (HbS/OArab). Median age at initiation of therapy was 11.1 years. Hydroxyurea was escalated to MTD, with an average dose of 25.4 +/- 5.4 mg/kg per day; the average duration of hydroxyurea therapy has been 45 +/- 24 months (range, 6-101 months). Hydroxyurea was discontinued for 15 (12%) children with poor compliance. Mild transient neutropenia occurred, but no hepatic or renal toxicity was noted. Hydroxyurea therapy led to significant increases in hemoglobin level, mean corpuscular volume, and fetal hemoglobin (HbF) level, whereas significant decreases occurred in reticulocyte, white blood cell, and platelet counts and serum bilirubin levels. Children with variant SCD genotypes also had hematologic responses to hydroxyurea. HbF induction has been sustained for up to 8 years without adverse effects on growth or increased numbers of acquired DNA mutations. Long-term hydroxyurea therapy at MTD is well tolerated by pediatric patients with SCD and has sustained hematologic efficacy with apparent long-term safety.
Role of microbial fermentation in improvement of barley by water treatment.

SummaryWater-treated barley taken from drying oven contained many more bacteria than untreated barley, even though drying temperature was 70°C. The nutritional value of sterilized barley inoculated with Gram-positive rod isolated from dust, or with B. subtilis (ATCC 9943) and dried at 70°C was highly significantly improved. Large inoculations of the organism isolated and grown in nutrient broth elicited a significant growth response. This response was not as great as that obtained by water-treatment or addition of fungal enzyme to the feed. Autoclaving did not lower nutritional value of water-treated barley. This fact indicates that the change(s) responsible for improvement was effected prior to feeding and was not due to presence of an enzyme(s) produced during treatment process that later acts on barley in the digestive tract of the chick.
Crotalaria spectabilis toxicity in swine: characterization of the renal glomerular lesion.

Abstract Eighteen feeder pigs each received a cumulative dose of 84 g. of ground Crotalaria spectabilis seeds in 43 days. Varying degrees of lack of thrift were seen in all pigs. During the experiment 2 pigs died from crotalaria poisoning. The survivors were necropsied in 2 groups, 70 and 90 days after the experiment began. Five pigs had multiple petechial renal haemorrhages and subcapsular pitting. Mean numbers of glomerular tuft and parietal cells were significantly lower in both groups of test animals than in controls. Histologically, variable degrees of glomerular dilatation and reduced cellularity and haemorrhage of glomerular tufts occurred. Ultrastructurally, lesions were classified as moderate and severe. Moderate lesions consisted of cytoplasm swelling leading to occulusion of capillary lumina, detachment of endothelial cells, focal dense deposits in the basal lamina and a moderate increase in mesangial matrix. Severe lesions were characterized by the absence of endothelial and mesangial cells, and attenuation and thinning of basal lamina. In such cases, large spaces containing blood cells, amorphous proteinaceous material and occasionally collagen fibrils were seen in place of normal capillary lumina.
Tracking unmodified smartphones using wi-fi monitors

Smartphones with Wi-Fi enabled periodically transmit Wi-Fi messages, even when not associated to a network. In one 12-hour trial on a busy road (average daily traffic count 37,000 according to the state DOT), 7,000 unique devices were detected by a single road-side monitoring station, or about 1 device for every 5 vehicles.In this paper, we describe a system for passively tracking unmodified smartphones, based on such Wi-Fi detections. This system uses only common, off-the-shelf access point hardware to both collect and deliver detections. Thus, in addition to high detection rates, it potentially offers very low equipment and installation cost.However, the long range and sparse nature of our opportunistically collected Wi-Fi transmissions presents a significant localization challenge. We propose a trajectory estimation method based on Viterbi's algorithm which takes second-by-second detections of a moving device as input, and produces the most likely spatio-temporal path taken. In addition, we present several methods that prompt passing devices to send additional messages, increasing detection rates an use signal-strength for improved accuracy.Based on our experimental evaluation from one 9-month deployment and several single-day deployments, passive Wi-Fi tracking detects a large fraction of passing smartphones, and produces high-accuracy trajectory estimates.
Update in rheumatology: evidence published in 2014.

This Update summarizes studies published in 2014 that the authors consider highly relevant to the practice of rheumatology. Topics include arthritis treatment, vasculitides and scleroderma, and the...
Hydrogenation of the alpha,beta-Unsaturated Aldehydes Acrolein, Crotonaldehyde, and Prenal over Pt Single Crystals: A Kinetic and Sum-Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy Study

Sum-frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) and kinetic measurements using gas chromatography have been used to study the surface reaction intermediates during the hydrogenation of three alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes, acrolein, crotonaldehyde, and prenal, over Pt(111) at Torr pressures (1 Torr of aldehyde, 100 Torr of hydrogen) in the temperature range of 295-415 K. SFG-VS data showed that acrolein has mixed adsorption species of eta(2)-di-sigma(CC)-trans, eta(2)-di-sigma(CC)-cis as well as highly coordinated eta(3) or eta(4) species. Crotonaldehyde adsorbed to Pt(111) as eta(2) surface intermediates. SFG-VS during prenal hydrogenation also suggested the presence of the eta(2) adsorption species and became more highly coordinated as the temperature was raised to 415 K, in agreement with its enhanced C=O hydrogenation. The effect of catalyst surface structure was clarified by carrying out the hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde over both Pt(111) and Pt(100) single crystals while acquiring the SFG-VS spectra in situ. Both the kinetics and SFG-VS showed little structure sensitivity. Pt(100) generated more decarbonylation "cracking" product while Pt(111) had a higher selectivity for the formation of the desired unsaturated alcohol, crotyl alcohol.
A conversion algorithm for logarithms on GF(2n)

We present a method for expressing a root of one irreducible polynomial of degree n over GF(2) in terms of a basis of GF(2n) over GF(2) associated with another. This allows us, when both polynomials are primitive, to find logarithms relative to one polynomial from logarithms relative to the other.
Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas supplied by branches of the internal iliac arteries

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas are abnormal arteriovenous connections on the surface of the dura. They are supplied by branches of intercostal, lumbar, vertebral, middle sacral, or subclavian arteries and rarely by branches of the internal iliac arteries. We present four cases of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas supplied exclusively by branches of the internal iliac artery in which the clinical and magnetic resonance presentation were not suggestive of this unusual supply. In our experience, internal iliac artery supply was observed in 12.5% of cases of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas. We recommend that selective internal iliac arteriography be included in the angiographic evaluation of patients suspected of having a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula.
N-Type Ca2+ Channels in Cultured Rat Sphenopalatine Ganglion Neurons: An Immunohistochemical and Electrophysiological Study

Results from pharmacological studies have suggested that presynaptic N-type Ca2+ channels play an important role in regulating neuronal Ca2+ influx and transmitter nitric oxide (NO) release in isolated cerebral arteries. However, the presence of N-type Ca2+ channels in cerebral perivascular nerves has not been directly demonstrated. As a major source of cerebral perivascular NOergic innervation is the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG), adult rat SPGs were cultured and examined by whole-cell patch-clamp technique. One week after growing in the culture medium, significant neurite outgrowth from the SPG neuronal cells was observed. Both soma and neurites of these cells were immunoreactive for N-type Ca2+ channels, transmitter-synthesizing enzymes (choline acetyltransferase and NO synthase), and several neuropeptides (vasoactive intestinal peptide, neuropeptide Y, calcitonin gene-related peptide, substance P, and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide-38) that had been found in cerebral perivascular nerves in whole-mount vascular preparations. In current-clamp recordings, injection of a small depolarizing current caused action potential firing. In voltage-clamp recordings, the fast inward currents were blocked by tetrodotoxin and outward currents by tetraethylammonium, which is typical for neurons. Most Ca2+ currents isolated by blockade of sodium and potassium currents were blocked by ω-conotoxin, indicating that N-type Ca2+ channels are the dominant voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels regulating Ca2+ influx during membrane depolarization of SPG neurons. The ability to culture postganglionic SPG neurons provides an opportunity to directly study the electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of these neurons.
Relationship quality among HIV patients and their caregivers

Despite the increasing attention to caregivers of HIV patients, no previous study has systematically investigated the effects of the relationship quality between an HIV patient and their caregiver. The present study assessed 176 dyads consisting of an HIV-infected patient and their self-identified 'caregiver'. Relationship quality was measured by the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Dependent measures included the Beck Depression Inventory, SF-36 Physical Functioning Scale, Caregiver Strain Index and 4-day HIV treatment adherence. A substantial proportion of HIV patient-caregiver dyads reported difficulties in their relationships (17-66% depending upon FAD scale). The level of relationship difficulties was not strongly related to the type of patient-caregiver relationship. However, the quality of the HIV patient-caregiver relationship was significantly associated (p<0.05) with caregiver depression and burden as well as HIV patient depression, physical functioning and HIV medication adherence, even when the potential effects of length of HIV infection and social support were controlled. These results suggest that relationship quality is impaired in many patient-caregiver dyads and is uniquely associated with levels of depression, caregiver burden and treatment adherence.
The Competence to Act: Chicana Teacher Role Identity in Life and Career Narratives

Relationships between teachers' biographical experiences and their beliefs and practices have become central concerns in the area of teacher life history and teacher socialization research. Unfortunately, few teachers from cultural minority backgrounds have been included in this research. In the present study, the life and career narratives of two Chicana teachers are examined in order to identify the influences of biographical experiences on how they define their teacher role identity. In recognition of and building from the narrative form of the written and interview data from which the life and career narratives are constructed, teacher role identity is defined as a narratively constructed self-image that presents an identity-in-action in which teachers' competence to act is demonstrated through their actions across various occupational challenges and demands. The competence to act is the product of teachers' biographical experiences and is based on the appropriation of family values through which the case study teachers make connections between their family socialization and their current professional educator role.
Displacement of YY1 by differentiation-specific transcription factor hSkn-1a activates the P(670) promoter of human papillomavirus type 16.

Transcription from human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) P670, a promoter in the E7 open reading frame, is repressed in undifferentiated keratinocytes but becomes activated upon differentiation. We showed that the transient luciferase expression driven by P670 was markedly enhanced in HeLa cells cotransfected with an expression plasmid for human Skn-1a (hSkn-1a), a transcription factor specific to differentiating keratinocytes. The hSkn-1a POU domain alone, which mediates sequence-specific DNA binding, was sufficient to activate the expression of luciferase. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed the presence of two binding sites, sites 1 and 2, upstream of P670, which were shared by hSkn-1a and YY1. Site 1 bound more strongly to hSkn-1a than site 2 did. YY1 complexing with a short DNA fragment having site 1 was displaced by hSkn-1a, indicating that hSkn-1a's affinity with site 1 was stronger than YY1's. Disrupting the binding sites by nucleotide substitutions raised the basal expression level of luciferase and decreased the enhancing effect of hSkn-1a. In HeLa cells transfected with circular HPV16 DNA along with the expression plasmid for hSkn-1a, the transcript from P670 was detectable, which indicates that the results obtained with the reporter plasmids are likely to have mimicked the regulation of P670 in authentic HPV16 DNA. The data strongly suggest that the transcription from P670 is repressed primarily by YY1 binding to the two sites, and the displacement of YY1 by hSkn-1a releases P670 from the repression.
Extension of the partition sieve

Abstract We demonstrate the correspondence which lies behind certain partition identities used by Andrews in his partition sieve. This leads to an extension of his methods and a generalization of his results.
Intersection of biobanking and clinical care: should discrepant diagnoses and pathological findings be returned to research participants?

Diagnostic discrepancies occur when the diagnosis made on a biospecimen during the course of review at a biobank differs from the original clinical diagnosis. These diagnostic discrepancies detected during biobanking present unique challenges that are distinct from other types of research results or incidental findings. The proposed process for reporting diagnostic discrepancies or pathological incidental findings identified through a quality assurance evaluation at the biobank includes verification of the biospecimen identity, verification of the diagnosis within the biobank, and re-review of the case by the pathologist at the biospecimen collection site. If the pathologist at the biobank and the original pathologist do not reach agreement, an impartial and knowledgeable third party is consulted. The decision as to whether and how to notify research participants of any confirmed changes in diagnosis would be determined by institutional procedures. Implementation of this proposed process will require clear delineation of the roles and responsibilities of all involved parties in order to promote excellence in patient care and ensure that researchers have access to biospecimens of requisite quality. Genet Med 2012:14(4):417–423
Charge transfer and interfacial magnetism in (LaNiO 3 ) n /(LaMnO 3 ) 2 superlattices

(LaNiO${}_{3}$)${}_{n}$/(LaMnO${}_{3}$)${}_{2}$ superlattices were grown using ozone-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, where LaNiO${}_{3}$ is a paramagnetic metal and LaMnO${}_{3}$ is an antiferromagnetic insulator. The superlattices exhibit excellent crystallinity and interfacial roughness of less than one unit cell. X-ray spectroscopy and dichroism measurements indicate that electrons are transferred from the LaMnO${}_{3}$ to the LaNiO${}_{3}$, inducing magnetism in LaNiO${}_{3}$. Magnetotransport measurements reveal a transition from metallic to insulating behavior as the LaNiO${}_{3}$ layer thickness is reduced from five to two unit cells and suggest an inhomogeneous magnetic structure within LaNiO${}_{3}$.
Late Cenozoic Basalts from the Bandera Lava Field, Valencia County, New Mexico

In the Bandera lava field of western New Mexico both alkalic and tholeiitic basalts were erupted within a short period of time. The lava field is located at the intersection of two major lineaments which have also controlled the location of individual volcanic centers within the field. Both fissure flow and pyroclastic activity were common, although most of the material was ejected quiescently from fissures. Chemically both basalt types are impoverished in total strontium when compared to other basalts. Strontium isotopic ratios are low, and in contrast to many oceanic basalts the alkali basalts have the lowest ratios. Despite impoverishment of total strontium in both basalt types the alkali basalts have strontium contents sufficiently high to make them relatively insensitive to crustal contamination. If the higher ratios of the tholeiitic basalts are the result of crustal contamination, then the source material for both basalt types must have been impoverished in rubidium early in the history of the mantle.
SMOOTH: a simple way to model human walks

In addition to being realistic, a mobility model should be easy to understand and use. Unfortunately, most of the simple mobility models proposed thus far are not realistic and most of the realistic mobility models proposed thus far are not simple to use. In this work, we present SMOOTH, a new mobility model that is realistic and simple to use. SMOOTH imitates a recently published mobility model, SLAW, that is realistic but not simple to use. While SLAW was constructed by extracting statistical features of real human movement, it has input parameters that are very complex to set. SMOOTH, on the other hand, is realistic (as SMOOTH is based on the real GPS traces used by SLAW) and is simple to use (as SMOOTH avoids SLAW's complex input parameter.
Intrinsic magnetic discontinuities and solar X-ray emission

The fundamental theorem of magnetostatic equilibrium predicts that the bipolar magnetic fields of active regions on the sun contain tangential discontinuities as an intrinsic part of their equilibrium. It appears that rapid reconnection at these many tangential discontinuities (nanoflares) is the primary source of heat that produces the X-ray emitting corona. The X-ray corona is then a cloud of nanoflares.
Studies in astronomical time series analysis. III - Fourier transforms, autocorrelation functions, and cross-correlation functions of unevenly spaced data

This paper develops techniques to evaluate the discrete Fourier transform (DFT), the autocorrelation function (ACF), and the cross-correlation function (CCF) of time series which are not evenly sampled. The series may consist of quantized point data (e.g., yes/no processes such as photon arrival). The DFT, which can be inverted to recover the original data and the sampling, is used to compute correlation functions by means of a procedure which is effectively, but not explicitly, an interpolation. The CCF can be computed for two time series not even sampled at the same set of times. Techniques for removing the distortion of the correlation functions caused by the sampling, determining the value of a constant component to the data, and treating unequally weighted data are also discussed. FORTRAN code for the Fourier transform algorithm and numerical examples of the techniques are given.
Laser Fabrication Of Interconnect Structures On CMOS Gate Arrays

Maskless, automated, five minute interconnection of 1000 gate CMOS array die has been accomplished using discretionary laser-induced chemical vapor deposition. Eight 125-stage ring oscillators written on single CMOS gate array die were shown to have the device-limited performance of similar patterns manufactured by photolithographically patterned aluminum-silicon alloy. These results suggest the feasibility of using this method, Laser Pantography (LP), for rapid implementation of prototype and limited volume semicustom VLSI circuits immediately after their design is completed.
Template-removal-associated microstructural development of porous-ceramic-supported MFI zeolite membranes

Defect-free thin MFI zeolite films were synthesized on porous α-alumina and yttria-doped zirconia (YZ) substrates by an in situ crystallization method using tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) as a template. The microstructure evolution of the supported zeolite films during calcination for template removal was studied by high-temperature X-ray diffraction and in situ gas permeance. Removal of the template from the zeolite films occurs at 350–500°C and is accompanied by a substantial shrinkage in the zeolite framework. After the template is removed from the zeolite at high temperatures, the zeolite crystals expand on cooling while the support shrinks. A compressive stress develops in the zeolite film during the cooling process when the zeolite crystallites are bound to the support after template removal. Without annealing prior to template removal, this stress induces cracks in the YZ-supported MFI films. High-quality MFI membranes were obtained on both α-alumina and YZ supports by using a suitable calcination temperature program. Removal of the template can either create or enlarge intercrystalline gaps as the zeolite crystallites decrease in size and draw away from adjacent crystallites. These gaps constitute the microporous non-zeolitic pores affecting the permselectivity of single-gas permeation for H2 and SF6. Both alumina- and YZ-supported MFI membranes show very good separation properties for hydrogen and n-butane mixtures, although the YZ-supported MFI films appear to have larger non-zeolitic pores than the alumina-supported membranes.
Adaptive selection of sensors based on individual performances in a multisensor environment

ABSTRACT An important issue in the fusion of multisensor data in the context of scene interpretation and multilarget trackingis the ability to evaluate and characterize sensor performance and establish confidence factors for the individual sensors. This paper presents a methodology for adaptively determining sensor confidence factors based upon sensor performance as measured by the degree of consensus among the various sensors. The fusion process is based upon evidential reasoning and statistical clustering which utilize the sensor confidence factors. The sensor confidence factors are based upon sensor characteristics, environmental conditions, and sensor performance. The individual sensor performance is derived in terms ofthe fusion results and the degree of consensus between the individual sensor data and the fusion data. Experimental resultsare presented to illustrate the technique and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the methodology in scene interpretation. 1. INTRODUCTION Reliability of information gathering and processing systems has become an increasingly significant issue in recentyears. In order to improve the overall reliability of the system, the new generation of intelligent controllers rely heavily onredundant and/or complementary information channels. These channels gather information about similar or disparate featuresof the process under observation. A typical example of such systems is a multisensor multitarget tracker whose multichannelintelligent control structure can be used quite effectively. The objective of the tracker is to receive information about the sceneunder surveillance and to track objects of interest based on available information. This scene is usually scanned by an arrayof complementary or redundant sensors. These sensors report measurements of various features of the environment (scene)
On a class of optimization problems for framed structures

A unified treatment is presented for four types of problems on limit analysis of framed structures and related design problems. With the use of the lower bound theorem in plasticity these problems are formulated as standard linear programming problems. Two significant improvements are made. The new formulation of the design problems reduces the number of equations in the resulting linear program. An improved simplex algorithm for large and sparse linear programs is employed. The formulational and algorithmic Improvements provide large capacity and high efficiency that are indispensable for computational analysis and design of large and complex structures.
Lack of benefit of accumbens/capsular deep brain stimulation in a patient with both tics and obsessive–compulsive disorder

Lay summary: This case report illustrates lack of clinical efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for control of tics in a case of mild Tourette syndrome (TS) with severe comorbid obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). The brain target for stimulation was the anterior limb internal capsule (ALIC). Objective: To investigate the effect of anterior limb of internal capsule/nucleus accumbens (ALIC-NA) DBS on mild motor and vocal tics in a Tourette syndrome (TS) patient with severe OCD. Background: The optimum target to address symptoms of TS with DBS remains unknown. Earlier lesional therapy utilized thalamic targets and also the ALIC for select cases which had been diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders. Evidence regarding the efficacy of DBS for the symptoms of TS may aid in better defining a brain target's suitability for use. We report efficacy data on ALIC-NA DBS in a patient with severe OCD and mild TS. Methods: A 33-year-old man underwent bilateral ALIC-NA DBS. One month following implantation, a p...