cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bayesian $k$ -Space–Time Reconstruction of MR Spectroscopic Imaging for Enhanced Resolution

A k -space-time Bayesian statistical reconstruction method (K-Bayes) is proposed for the reconstruction of metabolite images of the brain from proton (1 H) magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) data. K-Bayes performs full spectral fitting of the data while incorporating structural (anatomical) spatial information through the prior distribution. K-Bayes provides increased spatial resolution over conventional discrete Fourier transform (DFT) based methods by incorporating structural information from higher resolution coregistered and segmented structural MR images. The structural information is incorporated via a Markov random field (MRF) model that allows for differential levels of expected smoothness in metabolite levels within homogeneous tissue regions and across tissue boundaries. By further combining the structural prior model with a k -space-time MRSI signal and noise model (for a specific set of metabolites and based on knowledge from prior spectral simulations of metabolite signals), the impact of artifacts generated by low-resolution sampling is also reduced. The posterior-mode estimates are used to define the metabolite map reconstructions, obtained via a generalized expectation-maximization algorithm. K-Bayes was tested using simulated and real MRSI datasets consisting of sets of k-space-time-series (the recorded free induction decays). The results demonstrated that K-Bayes provided qualitative and quantitative improvement over DFT methods.
Adaptive nested rare event simulation algorithms

Nested simulation algorithms are used in several scientific investigations such as climate, statistical mechanics, and financial and actuarial risk management. Recently, these methods have also been used in the context of Bayesian computations and are referred to as Nested Sampling. In several of these problems, the inner level computation typically involves simulating events with very small probability, leading to rare event importance sampling methods. The quality of the resulting estimates depend on the allocation of computational resources between inner and outer level simulations. We introduce a novel adaptive rare event simulation algorithm that allocates the computational resources by taking in to account marginal changes in the rare event probabilities. We establish the consistency and efficiency of our algorithm and theoretically and numerically compare our results with the non-adaptive methods. We illustrate the proposed methods with several examples.
Gap analysis survey: an aid in transitioning to standardized curricula for nuclear medicine technology.

This article discusses the process by which the Society of Nuclear Medicine Technology Section (SNMTS) is assisting educators as they transition to comply with the fourth edition of the Curriculum Guide for Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology.Methods: An electronic survey was sent to a list of nuclear medicine technology programs compiled by the educational division of the SNMTS. The collected data included committee member demographics, goals and objectives, conference call minutes, consultation discussions, transition examples, 4- and 2-y program curricula, and certificate program curricula. Results: There were 56 responses to the survey. All respondents were program directors, with 3 respondents having more than one type of program, for a total of 59 programs. Of these, 19 (33.93%) were baccalaureate, 19 (28.57%) associate, and 21 (37.5%) certificate. Forty-eight respondents (85.71%) had accreditation through the Joint Review Commission on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology, 6 (10.71%) had regional accreditation, and 2 (3.57%) were accredited through other entities. Thirteen categories of required general education courses were identified, and the existing program curricula of 9 (69.2%) courses were more than 50% compliant with the fourth edition Curriculum Guide. The fact that no measurable gap could be found within the didactic professional content across programs was due to the lack of a degree requirement and content standardization within the profession. The data indicated that the participating programs offer a minimum of 1–15 contact hours in emerging technology modalities. The required clinical hours ranged from 765 to 1,920 for degree or certificate completion. The average number of clinical hours required for all programs was 1,331.69. Conclusion: Standardization of the number and types of courses is needed both for current baccalaureate programs and for clinical education. This standardization will guide programs in transitioning from a certificate or associate level to the baccalaureate level. The greatest obstacle is in expanding curricula to meet the recommendations of the fourth edition Curriculum Guide. Such expansion to entry-level competency may be met by incorporating hybrid imaging courses, secondary-level courses, and equivalency courses on the basic sciences and emerging technologies.
Intestinal Helminth Parasites of the Bay Goby, Lepidogobius lepidus (Perciformes: Gobiidae), from Bodega Bay, California, U.S.A

Abstract Twenty specimens of the bay goby, Lepidogobius lepidus, from Campbell Cove of Bodega Bay, California, U.S.A., were examined for intestinal helminths. Thirty-three cestode pleroceroids (Phyllobothrium sp.) were distributed randomly among 20 hosts (prevalence, 55%; mean intensity, 3.0; range, 1–13; confidence interval [CI], 1.18–5.09). There was no correlation between the standard length of the fish host and the number of cestode parasites. Three digeneans identified as Podocotyle enophrysi were found singly among the 20 hosts (prevalence, 15%; CI, 0.03–0.38). These helminth taxa are widely distributed among other fish hosts, but L. lepidus represents a new host record for Phyllobothrium sp. and P. enophrysi.
Dynamic Programming for Project Cost-Time Curves

Dynamic programming is used to solve the problems of deriving a project cost-time relationship, given the CPM network for the project and the cost-time relationships for all parts of it. The use of dynamic programming allows freedom from restriction in the kind of cost-time relationships used as data, but at the present stage of development of the method, only projects with certain classes of CPM networks can be treated. A simple numerical example is worked and the program and results are given for a computer worked example.
Water Conflicts in Western Coal Development

Coal development is increasing rapidly in the Northern Great Plains. Strip mining in the Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming Fort Union region may reach 977,000,000 tons/yr by 2000. Water requirements for surface strip mining are negligible, but significant quantities are required for conversion processes. Using the fastest rate of production currently projected, a total of 800,400 acre-ft a year could be needed. This much water is available in the region, but major conflicts exist: New storage reservoirs may be required to provide the water when needed; possible agricultural development may need all the water that can be made available; fish and wildlife needs, recreation uses, and environmental preservation may preclude development.
Reconstruction and analysis of dynamic shapes

Motion capture has revolutionized entertainment and influenced fields as diverse as the arts, sports, and medicine. This is despite the limitation that it tracks only a small set of surface points. On the other hand, 3D scanning techniques digitize complete surfaces of static objects, but are not applicable to moving shapes. I present methods that overcome both limitations, and can obtain the moving geometry of dynamic shapes (such as people and clothes in motion) and analyze it in order to advance computer animation. Further understanding of dynamic shapes will enable various industries to enhance virtual characters, advance robot locomotion, improve sports performance, and aid in medical rehabilitation, thus directly affecting our daily lives. My methods efficiently recover much of the expressiveness of dynamic shapes from the silhouettes alone. Furthermore, the reconstruction quality is greatly improved by including surface orientations (normals). In order to make reconstruction more practical, I strive to capture dynamic shapes in their natural environment, which I do by using hybrid inertial and acoustic sensors. After capture, the reconstructed dynamic shapes are analyzed in order to enhance their utility. My algorithms then allow animators to generate novel motions, such as transferring facial performances from one actor onto another using multilinear models. The presented research provides some of the first and most accurate reconstructions of complex moving surfaces, and is among the few approaches that establish a relationship between different dynamic shapes. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Factors Influencing Corporations to Outsource: A Case Analysis of MBE Corporation

The contracting out of an internal business process to a third party company could benefit corporations in their ability to focus on core competency, the increase of productivity, and ability to lower costs associated with running the organization. The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore and assist the decision makers in outlining the benefits their corporation would acquire by opting to outsource instead of using in-house employees to perform the customer service tasks. The participant population consisted of a purposeful sample of 20 members of the organizational management team with a range of 1 to 15 years of working experience. The findings confirmed the following themes (a) cost reduction and innovation, (b) clients achievement of a competitive advantage by enforcing cost reductions, (c) improve performance, and (d) firm can gain efficiencies. The proposed results could contribute to the understanding of the pros of outsourcing by corporations that are persistent in using in-house employees and skeptical about using third party outsourcing companies for their services.
/sup 81/Br and /sup 79/Br as detectors of solar neutrinos

Uncertainties in nuclear matrix elements that are important for the interpretation of proposed bromine solar neutrino experiments are evaluated. Some laboratory measurements that could reduce these uncertainties are suggested. The question of what can be learned about the interior of the sun by performing a bromine solar neutrino experiment is discussed with the aid of neutrino absorption cross sections that are calculated using simplifying assumptions.
Reconfigurable Delta Operator Eigenstructure Assignment for a Tailless Aircraft

We consider eigenstructure assignment for the design of a flight control system for a tailless aircraft. We extend an earlier continuous time design to the unified delta operator model that is valid for both continuous time and sampled data operation. We propose a new result that extends disk gain and phase margins to the delta operator system. Then, we consider symmetric lock in place failures of either the elevons or the all moving tips. We study the effect of the sampling period on the dutch roll damping, natural frequency, and phase margins to explain our choice of 25 samples/sec. We propose a novel eigenstructure assignment reconfiguration in which we first switch to a new recomputed gain to achieve satisfactory time responses. Then, we perform an optimization to achieve specifications on the disk gain and phase margins. We then switch to a second set of gains when the optimization achieves a feasible solution. This requires much less time than waiting for convergence to the optimal solution. We present simulation results using a full 6DOF nonlinear simulation. Our results show that an all moving tip failure causes the aircraft to become unstable whereas our eigenstructure assignment reconfigured flight control system yields responses that are similar to the unfailed responses. We also show that an elevon failure requires the feasible solution from an optimization to satisfy the disk gain and phase margin specifications in all channels.
The Folktale Origin of The Taming of the Shrew

HE title "The Taming of the Shrew", apart from Shakespeare's comedy, has been applied to many literary creations, subliterary pieces, and folktales in which a bad wife is improved. By folklorists, however, this designation has been reserved for Tale Type goT in the Aarne-Thompson Types AdX HEIR=> of the Folk-Tale, where it is summarized as follows: "The youngest of three sisters is a shrew. For their disobedience the husband shoots his dog and his horse. Brings his wife to submission. Wager: whose wife is the most obedient."' Similar to Type 90i is Tale Type I370, The Lazy Cat, in which a husband beats his cat for not working and simultaneously punishes his wife, who must hold the cat during the beating. In both tales a man cures his bad wife by administering cruel and irrational punishment to a recalcitrant animal; also, the texts of both types frequently share further traits, such as the wager on the wives' obedience. Other similar devices to tame a bad wife are sometimes found in folktales, and all of these stories involving some kind of violent trick by a husband make up an interrelated group of oral narratives which may be called "The Taming of the Shrew Complex". Considering the broad distribution of these tales and the evident relationship Shakespeare's play has to them, it is surprising that no lengthy study of the complex has been attempted. Although a few folklorists have commented upon individual texts of Types 90i, I370, and related tales, none has produced a definitive analysis of them.3 Shakespearian scholars have concerned themselves very little with folktale analogues of the play, but rather have concentrated upon the possible literary influences.
Studies of malformation syndromes of man XXXXIIB: Mother and son affected with the ulnar-mammary syndrome type Pallister

We report mother and son with the ulnar-mammary syndrome type Pallister: both had postaxial polydactyly in one upper limb and absence or hypoplasia of the axillary apocrine glands bilaterally. The mother had total lack of the mammary gland tissue and absence of one kidney. Her son also had unilateral oligodactyly, an absent ulna and hypoplasia of the ipsilateral shoulder girdle.
Γλώσσα, ξενοφοβία και εκπαίδευση

Σe αυτή τη συνέντeυξη ο καθηγητής Donaldo Macedo αναλύeι τις κοινωνικές διαστάσeις της διγλωσσίας και το φάσμα των πολιτισμικών διακρίσeων που αντιμeτωπίζουν οι μeτανάστeς. Καταθέτοντας τις δικές του eμπeιρίeς ως δίγλωσσος μαθητής στα σχολeία της Αμeρικής, τονίζeι τον κeντρικό ρόλο των eκπαιδeυτικών στο να αντιληφθούν την πολιτική διάσταση του έργου τους και να υιοθeτήσουν μια κριτική παιδαγωγική προσέγγιση στην eκπαίδeυση δίγλωσσων ατόμων. Τέλος, αναφέρeται στη σχέση του μe τον Paulo Freire και στον ρόλο που μπορούν να έχουν οι ακαδημαϊκοί ως διανοούμeνοι.
PREDICTION CURVES FOR WAVES NEAR THE SOURCE OF AN IMPULSE

The general problem of single-impulse induced waves has been under experimental investigation by the author for several years The present paper is confined to a presentation of the wave modes which are to be expected for various permutations of displacement velocity and displacement length at the impulse source Other portions of the study will be published elsewhere It is clear that a number of geometric arrangements in the laboratory may be made to generate impulse waves, for example, sudden upthrust or downdrop of a block on the tank bottom analagous to block faulting on the sea-floor in nature, or a hinged flap moving on the bottom analagous to the undulatory bottom motion which may occur during seismic disturbances on the sea floor However, it is my opinion that the impulse generator which is most simple and most easily related to contemporary generalized theory, is a single piston thrust at one end of the wave tank which pushes the fluid down channel (See Figure 1) As an additional simplification, the investigation is carried out for the flat bottom, fixed depth case, relegating the effect of varying depth to a later study.
Control of Mobile Sensor Networks: A State-of-the-Art Review

This paper presents a state-of-the-art survey in the broad area of Mobile Sensor Networks (MSNs). There is currently a great deal of interest in having autonomous vehicles carrying sensors and communication devices that can conduct ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) operations. Although this paper will discuss issues common to mobile sensor networks, the applications will generally be associated with autonomous vehicles, particularly Unmanned Vehicles (UVs). This paper will focus primarily on decentralized architectures, however, in the case of perfect and complete communications, the decentralized solution converges to a centralized one. Areas that are addressed are: 1. mission definition languages that allow the human to compose a mission defined in terms of tasks, 2. communication issues including hardware, software, and network connectivity, 3. task allocation among the assets generally by a market based approach, 4. path planning for individual agents including optimization of performance criteria considering risks and nofly zones, and 5. platform motion control using autopilots with and without GPS signals and including collision avoidance.
A New Supervisor with a New Agenda: A Principal Ponders Political Options and Risks.

A tenured respected principal learns that supervisory relationships with staff are only one side of the leadership coin. The other side turns up when a new assistant superintendent is assigned as h...
Observing Nebulosities: The Cygnus Superbubble

The Galactic star-forming complexes are best delineated by the distribution of the ionized interstellar matter which is always associated with active star-formation. Observations of these regions at specific emission lines are helpful in determining the overall distribution of the interstellar gas and dust, and also tracing supernova shock fronts and regions of strong stellar winds. Amateur astrophotography equipment is often useful in obtaining homogeneous coverage of large-scale star-forming fields that in some cases does not yet exist as part of professional all-sky surveys. For this project we observe the Cygnus star-forming complex in the Hydrogen-α, Hydrogen-β and Oxygen-III emission lines. We use a computer-guided modified Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera combined with a wide-angle lens to image a 22° x 17° field, including in this way all prominent star-formation sites in Cygnus.
Body: Obese Mode

The prevalence of obesity in the United States has been increasing at an alarming rate over the past twenty years. According to the 2003 – 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), approximately 66 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese. This has a dramatic effect on health care providers, who must equip their facilities with larger beds, larger wheelchairs and procedure tables capable of supporting weights approaching 1000 lbs (450 kg).
Natural Selection, Measuring

Natural selection arises from the relationship between phenotype and fitness. Because natural selection drives adaptive evolution, measuring selection is an integral part of evolutionary biology. Multiple regression, coupled with visualization of the fitness function, is the primary approach used to measure selection. This powerful method distinguishes direct and total selection on a trait, reveals complex fitness relationships, and estimates the parameters necessary to predict evolutionary change. However, measuring selection is not equivalent to uncovering the biological processes responsible for generating it. Manipulative experiments and comparative studies are required to identify the ecological agents causing the relationship between phenotype and fitness.
WE-B-201-02: Statistical Failings That Can Keep Us All in the Dark

Evidence is growing to suggest that many published clinical results cannot be replicated. At the same time, the number of published clinical papers is steadily increasing and most if not all base their conclusions on evidence provided by formal statistical tests. Medical physicists have a critical need to understand and be able to interpret the methods and results of these studies in order to judge their scientific quality and relevance. However many medical physicists have minimal or no training in the sort of practical statistical methods commonly found in the literature. They may therefore have an inadequate ability to detect statistical errors and limitations that are an unfortunately too frequent occurrence in clinical papers. In this session we will use published examples to demonstrate common statistical errors frequently encountered in peer-reviewed literature, distinctive symptoms that can help detect these errors, and explanations for how they might have been corrected. In the process, we will explain some of the basic concepts of inferential statistics. Some specific case studies we will cover will include misunderstanding the meaning of p-values and clinical significance, misinterpreting statistical power, not accounting for multiple-hypothesis testing, ignoring missing data, and faulty survival analysis. Learning Objectives: 1.Learn about the presence of statistical problems in published studies 2.Identify common signs and symptoms of potential problems in various types of statistical tests 3.Learn methods for correctly implementing statistical analyses of the type commonly found in clinical publications
Critical Review of the Contemporary State of the Theory and Design Methods of Ribbed Plates and Shells

As a result of analysis of the three-dimensional problem of elasticity theory for cylindrical shell, reinforced by annular ribs, it is shown, that the well-behaved problem formulation on the stress-strain state of the ribbed shell is possible only in the case, when at the initial relations deduction the ground width, on which the sheathing (the shell itself) and the rib are contacting, is taken into account. It is shown as well that in the framework of the applied shell theory it is impossible to study the stress distribution near the rib.
Serotonin and arginine-vasopressin mediate sex differences in the regulation of dominance and aggression by the social brain.

There are profound sex differences in the incidence of many psychiatric disorders. Although these disorders are frequently linked to social stress and to deficits in social engagement, little is known about sex differences in the neural mechanisms that underlie these phenomena. Phenotypes characterized by dominance, competitive aggression, and active coping strategies appear to be more resilient to psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared with those characterized by subordinate status and the lack of aggressiveness. Here, we report that serotonin (5-HT) and arginine–vasopressin (AVP) act in opposite ways in the hypothalamus to regulate dominance and aggression in females and males. Hypothalamic injection of a 5-HT1a agonist stimulated aggression in female hamsters and inhibited aggression in males, whereas injection of AVP inhibited aggression in females and stimulated aggression in males. Striking sex differences were also identified in the neural mechanisms regulating dominance. Acquisition of dominance was associated with activation of 5-HT neurons within the dorsal raphe in females and activation of hypothalamic AVP neurons in males. These data strongly indicate that there are fundamental sex differences in the neural regulation of dominance and aggression. Further, because systemically administered fluoxetine increased aggression in females and substantially reduced aggression in males, there may be substantial gender differences in the clinical efficacy of commonly prescribed 5-HT–active drugs such as selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitors. These data suggest that the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as PTSD may be more effective with the use of 5-HT–targeted drugs in females and AVP-targeted drugs in males.
Revenue adequacy of wholesale electricity markets with demand response providers

This paper investigates the fundamental issue of revenue adequacy in wholesale day-ahead electricity markets with the presence of standalone demand response providers (DRPs). In recent years, with the increasing need for flexibility to provide sustainable electricity services, standalone DRPs have emerged as a new form of market participants. Such providers serve as intermediate between ISOs and end-users, and are awarded for the aggregated net demand change committed to ISO. Compared with conventional load serving entities, the DRPs are not responsible for providing the electricity services to consumers. This paper formulates the energy market clearing process with the presence of such DRPs. It is shown from the formulation that ISO will inevitably face revenue inadequacy with the participation of DRPs in energy markets. Such inadequacy is independent of the choice of demand response baseline. Several possible solutions to this problem are proposed. This finding could shed some lights on future policy design of demand response markets with massive level of participation.
BENZENE METABOLISM AND TOXICITY IN CD-1, C57/B6, AND DBA/2N MICE

Publisher Summary Excessive benzene exposure in man leads to bone marrow depression and leukemia. In an experiment described in the chapter, it was demonstrated, using a mouse as an experimental model, that benzene toxicity is produced by its metabolic products. The differences in toxicity of several xenobiotic agents found in genetically inbred strains of mice seem to be related to differences in the metabolism of these agents. This chapter presents a comparison of the metabolism of benzene with its toxicity in C57/B6, DBA/2N, and CD-I mice. Toxicity and metabolism of several xenobiotics in genetically inbred strains of mice have been previously reported. Covalent binding of biologically active intermediates to cellular macromolecules appears to be responsible for carcinogenicity and/or organ toxicity of many xenobiotics. Evidence suggests that benzene is the most harmful to rapidly proliferating cells. It is because benzene depresses bone marrow activity, inhibits liver regeneration in rats, and depresses compensatory ovarian hypertrophy in hemispayed rats. Liver and kidney, with a majority of their cells in the Go phase of the cell cycle, are not undergoing rapid cell division. This data suggests that metabolites of benzene interact with critical functions of the rapidly proliferating cells of bone marrow.
Latent Murine Herpesvirus-4 Infection Arms NK Cells.

Abstract 3678 Poster Board III-614 Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes originally identified by their ability to kill target cells without prior sensitization. However, murine NK cells require an antecedent ‘arming’ event to translate cytotoxic effector proteins (perforin and granzymes) resulting in potent cytotoxic capacity. In contrast to mice, most NK cells (CD56dim) from the peripheral blood of healthy humans are armed with pre-formed perforin and granzyme B proteins and mediate killing of NK sensitive targets directly ex vivo. This suggests that NK cells from specific pathogen free (SPF) laboratory mice are lacking a critical arming event present in healthy humans, and provides an experimental system to elucidate the events that result in NK cell arming in vivo. Since latent herpesviruses are highly prevalent and alter multiple aspects of host immunity, we hypothesized that the immune environment created by a latent herpesvirus infection arms NK cells. NK cells from mice latently infected with Murid herpesvirus 4 (MuHV-4), a virus closely related to the human viruses Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), were armed as evidenced by increased granzyme B protein expression, cytotoxicity, and interferon-gamma production. Adoptive transfer experiments with naive NK cells indicated that NK arming occurred rapidly (≤ 72 hours) in the latently infected host and did not require acute infection. In addition, experiments utilizing a genetic variant of MuHV-4 that acutely infects mice similar to wild-type MuHV-4, but does not establish latency, confirmed that acute infection was not responsible for this NK cell modulation. Finally, NK cells armed by latent infection protected the host against a lethal RMA-S lymphoma challenge. Thus, the immune environment created by a latent herpesvirus infection arms NK cell function in vivo. These results indicate that some of the differences between human and SPF laboratory-mouse NK cell function may reflect a disparity in immune activation induced by chronic virus infection, as opposed to an intrinsic difference in the NK cells themselves. Moreover, these findings indicate that the activation state of the innate immune system needs to be taken into account when using mice to model immune responses against pathogens and tumors. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Pathology and Pathogenesis of Extrahepatic Biliary Atresia

To discuss the pathology and pathogenesis of extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA) is not a simple task, since we have no current evidence incriminating any particular pathogenesis, and since the pathology is, like all qualitative morphologic data, somewhat subjective.
Tumor-targeted nanoparticle delivery of HuR siRNA inhibits lung tumor growth in vitro and in vivo by disrupting the oncogenic activity of the RNA-binding protein HuR

Selective downregulation of the human antigen R (HuR) protein by siRNA may provide a powerful approach for treating lung cancer. To this end, we investigated the efficacy of transferrin receptor-targeted liposomal nanoparticle-based HuR siRNA (HuR-TfNP) therapy and compared with control siRNA (C)-TfNP therapy both, in vitro and in vivo using lung cancer models. In vitro studies showed HuR-TfNP, but not C-TfNP, efficiently downregulated HuR and HuR-regulated proteins in A549, and HCC827 lung cancer cells, resulting in reduced cell viability, inhibition of cell migration and invasion, and induction of G1 cell-cycle arrest culminating in apoptosis. However, HuR-TfNP activity in normal MRC-9 lung fibroblasts was negligible. In vivo biodistribution study demonstrated that fluorescently labeled HuR-siRNA or ICG dye–loaded TfNP localized in tumor tissues. Efficacy studies showed intratumoral or intravenous administration of HuR-TfNP significantly inhibited A549 (>55% inhibition) and HCC827 (>45% inhibition) subcutaneous tumor growth compared with C-TfNP. Furthermore, HuR-TfNP treatment reduced HuR, Ki67, and CD31 expression and increased caspase-9 and PARP cleavage and TUNEL-positive staining indicative of apoptotic cell death in tumor tissues compared with C-TfNP treatment. The antitumor activity of HuR-TfNP was also observed in an A549-luc lung metastatic model, as significantly fewer tumor nodules (9.5 ± 3.1; P
Youth Connections Scale-Child Version pilot study: Adapted tool for children in out-of-home placement

•Adapting and testing a measure of connectedness with caring adult for foster children•Dimensions include the number, strength and types of supportive connections.•Instrument shows strong test-retest reliability when piloted with children ages 9–14.
Carbon dioxide emission evaluation in construction operations using DES: a case study of carwash construction

This study aims to assess the carbon dioxide emission of carwash construction operation by applying computer-based simulation modeling. Discrete event simulation (DES) serves as an effective way to functionally evaluate carbon dioxide emission of a typical carwash construction. The DES model makes it possible to efficiently simulate and analyze carbon dioxide emission factors. This in turn requires project participants to find ways to decrease inverse environmental effects of the projects to respond to the increasing concern on such issues. This study is carried out by studying the process, data analysis, and simulation of the construction operation using Visio, Excel, and EZStrobe computer software. This simulation tool is practical for project participants and will offer them an idea of carbon dioxide emission in more realistic scenarios during construction operation.
Discharge to skilled-care or rehabilitation following elective anterior cervical discectomy and fusion increases the risk of 30-day re-admissions and post-discharge complications

Background: With a shift toward value-based and bundled-payment models, identification of areas of cost and quality improvement will be required. Though abundant literature is present on the predictors of discharge destinations, few studies have studied the impact of discharge to a skilled-care or rehabilitation facility on post-discharge outcomes following elective spine surgery. Methods: The 2015–2016 ACS-NSQIP database was queried using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes 22551 and 22552 to retrieve records of patients undergoing ACDF (≤3 levels). Patients who had concurrent posterior cervical spine procedures and surgery for malignancy and spinal deformity were excluded. Results: A total of 15,624 patients were finally included for analysis, 459 (2.9%) patients were discharged to a skilled care or rehabilitation facility. Age of ≥65 years, Black or African-American race, partially dependent or totally dependent functional health status, a LOS ≥3 days, a total operative time >150 min, ASA grade > II and inpatient surgery were significant predictors for a discharge to skilled care/rehabilitation facility. Following adjustment for pre-discharge clinical characteristics, discharge to skilled care or rehabilitation was an independent significant risk factor for renal complications (OR =8.22; 95% CI, 1.84–36.7; P=0.006) and 30-day readmissions (OR =1.63; 95% CI, 1.09–2.42; P=0.016). Conclusions: Discharge to skilled-care or rehabilitation facilities following elective ACDF is associated with higher odds of renal complications and 30-day readmissions. These results stress the importance of careful patient selection prior to discharge to inpatient care facilities to minimize the risk of complications.
1.8 – Zinc Enolates: the Reformatsky and Blaise Reactions

The Reformatsky reaction is the reaction of an α-halo ester with an aldehyde or ketone in the presence of zinc metal as shown in Scheme 1. The usual product of the reaction is a (β-hydroxy ester, which may be dehydrated in subsequent steps to give an unsaturated ester. A zinc ester enolate (1), the so-called Reformatsky reagent, is an intermediate in the reaction and the sequence is thus classified as an aldol condensation. Compared to the usual base-promoted aldol procedures, the distinguishing features of the Reformatsky reaction are the use of a metal-halogen redox reaction rather than an acid-base reaction to form the enolate, and the fact that the counterion of the enolate is zinc.
A BANG-BANG TYPE THEOREM FOR MEASURES

This chapter discusses a bang–bang type theorem for measures. In systems theory, a very important result is the bang–bang principle. Many forms of this theorem are available. The chapter presents a theoretical framework where bang–bang type theorems may be phrased. In this framework, measures are allowed to be controls. This setting includes point functions because, if f is in L 1 (μ), f may be identified with the measure m f ( A ) = ∫ A fdm . In this setting, it is natural to allow the measures to be only finitely additive rather than countably additive. The chapter presents the definition of an integral that integrates set functions rather than point functions. More specifically, if μ is a finitely additive set function and if K is a set function of a certain type, ∫μ dK denotes the limit of Σ μ( E ) K ( E ).
Growth kinetics of basic ammonothermal gallium nitride crystals

Abstract The ammonothermal method has been extensively studied for the last two decades because of its potential to produce high-quality bulk gallium nitride (GaN) boules at low cost. Currently, the ammonothermal literature lacks in situ, internal fluid temperature measurements during the crystal growth process. This study reports on internal fluid temperature measured simultaneously in the dissolution and growth zones for twelve basic ammonothermal GaN growth experiments (pressure range = 180–261 MPa; molar NH3:Na fill ratio = 20:1) on {0 0 0 1} and {1 0 1 ¯ 0}-orientation GaN seeds. Knowledge of the fluid temperature combined with mass-change measurements of the polycrystalline source and seed crystals has enabled the distinction of three growth regimes: a mass transport-limited regime at internal fluid density differences below 1.2 mol/L between dissolution and growth zones; a surface reaction-limited regime above the aforementioned critical fluid density difference and below growth zone fluid temperatures of ∼570 °C; and an apparent loss of solvent-limited regime above growth zone fluid temperatures of ∼570 °C. Analysis of growth in [0 0 0 1], [0 0 0 1 ¯ ], and [1 0 1 ¯ 0] has enabled the determination of activation energies of each respective GaN crystallographic orientation in the surface reaction-limited regime.
Spinal Intradural Escherichia coli Abscess Masquerading as a Neoplasm in a Pediatric Patient with History of Neonatal E. coli Meningitis: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Background Central nervous system abscesses frequently can be seen in the immunocompromised population and most commonly consist of intracranial collections in the adult patient. Spinal intradural abscesses are less commonly encountered, and there are even fewer numbers in the pediatric population with a concordant absence of documentation in the published literature. Case Description In this case report, we describe the presentation of a 2-year-old boy with a history of perinatal Escherichia coli meningitis at 2.5 months of age who was found to have an intradural spinal lesion, initially concerning for neoplasm, but later confirmed as an E. coli abscess following biopsy. He was managed with surgical aspiration of the abscess and a long course of intravenous antibiotics. The patient was treated with antibiotics with repeat imaging studies that revealed residual abscess that required re-aspiration at a later date. Conclusions Here we present an unusual disease process with an unusual disease pathogenesis in a pediatric patient currently residing in a developed country.
Effect of acute high-phosphate intake on muscle metaboreflex activation and vascular function.

This study was the first to investigate the influence of acute high-phosphate consumption on the pressor response during isometric handgrip and isolated muscle metaboreflex activation during postex...
Effect of Age on Local Anesthetic Central Nervous System Toxicity in Mice

In order to determine the effect of age on local anesthetic central nervous system toxicity, the median convulsant dose (CD50) and median lethal dose (LD50) of etidocaine, bupivacaine, lidocaine, and chioroprocaine were determined in immature, adult and elderly mice. The results indicate that there is little difference in the potential systemic toxicity of lidocaine and chloroprocaine between different age groups. However, the acute systemic toxicity of the highly lipid soluble agents, etidocaine and bupivacaine, was significantly less in elderly mice compared to the immature mice.
The Impact of Hospital Quality on Thyroid Cancer Survival

ObjectiveTo develop a composite measure of thyroid cancer–specific hospital quality and to evaluate the association between hospital quality and survival in patients with well-differentiated thyroi...
Adult and larval fish assemblages vary among small tributary mouths of Green Bay, Lake Michigan

Small tributaries of the Great Lakes serve as important habitat during critical life stages of many fish species, though temporal and spatial dynamics of the assemblage that uses these systems are ...
The Unequal Opportunity to Be Healthy: How Whole Foods Market's Wellness Program and Similar Models Create an Issue of Disparate Impact

With the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, employers were encouraged to develop wellness programs to promote the health of employees and combat rising healthcare costs. This Article uses the wellness program of Whole Foods Market as a case study in how these programs have a disparate impact on racial minority populations and thus serve to perpetuate racial stratification and inequality by offering better terms and/or conditions of employment to employees who exhibit desired health statuses. A claim of disparate impact under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is established if a party demonstrates that the business practice in question, while neutral on its face, has a disparate impact on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and the employer fails to demonstrate that the business practice is related to the job in question or is consistent with business necessity. Title VII does not prohibit employment practices that have a disparate impact on a protected class if the challenged policy differentiates on the basis of a conduct-based attribute thought to be within the control of the employee, i.e., a mutable characteristic. According to organizations such as the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychological Association, socioeconomic status is a consistent and reliable predictor of a vast array of outcomes in a person’s life, including physical health. Given long-standing socioeconomic inequality in the United States, racial minority populations are statistically more likely to exhibit negative health statuses. This unfortunate reality has been highlighted by the disproportional impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on racial minority populations. This Article addresses how Title VII fails to fulfill its mandate of employment equality by specifically addressing the lenient review of an employer’s business-necessity defense and how the consideration of health statuses as wholly mutable characteristics is inconsistent with reality given an analysis of behavioral and social determinants of health. This Article then calls for a reevaluation of the lenient review of employer’s business-necessity defense and a reframing of the mutability of health statuses to ensure Title VII fulfills its congressional mandate of equal employment opportunities for all.
Validation of the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument

Objectives: To assess the concurrent and predictive validity of the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLFDI). Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: University-based human physiology laboratory. Participants: One hundred one men and women aged 80.8±0.4. Measurements: A short physical performance battery (SPPB) and a self-paced 400-m walk (400-m W) were used as performance tests of lower extremity function. The LLFDI was used to assess self-reported function and physical disability. Partial correlations adjusted for age and body mass index were used to determine the concurrent and predictive validity of the LLFDI. Statistical significance was accepted at P<.004 using a testwise correction. Results: LLFDI Overall Function scores were moderately associated with the SPPB (r=0.65, P .004). Performance measures of function predicted disability limitations in the range of r=0.37–0.44 (P .004). Conclusion: These findings support the concurrent and predictive validity of the LLFDI. Results support the use of the LLFDI scales as a substitute for physical performance tests when self-report is a preferred data-collection format.
Teaching Cryptography to Continuing Education Students

Knowledge of mathematical foundations of Cryptography is of paramount importance for students wanting to succeed in graduate degree programs in Computer Science with concentration in security. Cryptography, a relatively new field, has yet to establish a core set of topics and the optimal sequence of their presentation to prepare students for a career in the field of IT security. This paper presents syllabi of two courses on public and private key cryptography offered to continuing education students at Boston University.
The Model Minority Thesis and Workplace Discrimination of Asian Americans

In the focal article, Ruggs et al. (2013) observed that there is a dearth of racial discrimination research beyond the traditional White–Black or White–nonWhite comparisons in the industrial–organizational (I–O) literature and urged researchers to treat each minority race separately because individuals may have unique experiences with discrimination based on different racial stereotypes associated with their race/ethnicity. I agree with the above assessments. Moreover, I argue that the overlook of negative consequences of positive stereotypes of some marginalized groups, such as Asian Americans, is another “missed opportunity” that has not been addressed in the focal article. Specifically, the traditional paradigm, which tends to exclusively focus on how negative stereotypes of a marginalized group (e.g., Blacks, individuals with disabilities) lead to workplace discriminations against them, may be too narrowly focused. In this commentary, I use Asian Americans as an example to illustrate how seemingly positive stereotypes, the model minority thesis, may also lead to workplace discrimination of Asian Americans, an often overlooked minority group in the discrimination literature.
Academic Insider Trading

Traditional antifraud theory presumes insider trading (IT) undermines financial market confidence expectations that investors play at a “fair game.” Losses sustained by shareholders ignorant of valuable secret, non-public information reveal a rigged game raising society’s capital costs. Public policy increasingly recognizes other harms: fiduciary breach incentives, subverted confidentiality, and injuries outside financial markets. Renewed IT interest compels reevaluation of justifications for IT’s restriction. The STOCK Act restricting Congressional IT and government intelligence consultancies converges with scrutiny of expert networks populated with academics into a generalizable understanding of insider hazards, thereby suggesting commonalities among all forms of insider threat.
Lipids in cancer.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses that the lipids to which attention has been directed by investigators in cancer are the phospholipids, lecithin, cephalin and sphingomyelin, cholesterol, free and combined as ester, and fat including the constituent fatty acids especially the unsaturated fatty acids. Of the phospholipids, cephalin is regarded as the structural phospholipid while lecithin and probably sphingomyclin are regarded as metabolic. The chapter highlights that most of the combinations of proteins, lipids, and metals are of extremely loose type as compared to the more familiar stable types of compounds. A chemical purity has always made implicit demand that a compound possess types of linkages that are clearly defined by chemical knowledge. The chapter also explores that most of the organs and tissues of the tumor-bearing animal became like the tumor in regard to concentrations of lipids. Exceptions were the brain and the spleen. The adrenals of different animals with a variety of tumors have been studied rather extensively: marked hypertrophy and loss of lipids were the characteristic findings, which have been attributed to adrenal cortical exhaustion.