cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulation of the antibody repertoire through control of HCDR3 diversity

In man, as in mouse, diversification of the antibody repertoire appears to follow a strict developmental program whereby antigen specificities are serially acquired during ontogeny. When compared to the adult repertoire, the fetal antibody repertoire is highly enriched for polyreactive specificities of low affinity. Although the mechanisms governing the development of this fetal repertoire differ between human and mouse, the composition and structure of the fetal antibodies produced by both species are quite homologous. Specifically, both species use similar V gene segments and restrict the sequence and structure of the third complementarity determining region (HCDR3) of the antibody heavy chain. The precise role that this restriction of the HCDR3 might play in the development of immunocompetence in the human remains to be elucidated.
Rostrocaudal variation of fiber type composition in rat intercostal muscles.

We used the histochemical stain for ATPase to compare the fiber-type composition of rat internal and external intercostal muscles from thoracic (T) segments 2–5, 8, and 11. At each level, type II fibers were more numerous than type I fibers, type II B fibers were more numerous than II A fibers, and type I fibers were more numerous in external than in internal intercostals. However, fiber type composition varied from segment to segment. For example, the proportion of type II A fibers increased in a rostrocaudal gradient in internal but not external intercostals, and type I fibers were more prevalent at rostral and caudal than at intermediate levels in both internal and external intercostals. These results provide a basis for interpreting previous physiological and molecular studies which have compared intercostal muscles from different segmental levels.
The blow-up for weakly coupled reaction-diffusion systems

In this paper we consider a weakly coupled parabolic system with nonnegative exponents in the forcing functions. We find the conditions which result in blow-up in finite time. Also, we obtain the blow-up rate.
Supporting all learners in school-wide computational thinking

The purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary school teachers with limited computer science experience in a high-need school integrated computational thinking into their instruction. The researchers conducted a cross-case analysis across different instructional contexts (e.g., general education classrooms, library, art) that included multiple observations and interviews over four months. Major themes included: (a) a wide range of implementation models emerged depending on teaching contexts, (b) ongoing professional development and embedded coaching resulted in increasing participation in computing education, (c) teachers and administrators viewed barriers to implementing computing from a problem solving framework, and (d) struggling learners, including students with disabilities and those living in poverty, benefitted from computing education that included scaffolding, modeling, and peer collaboration. After initial hesitation, teachers taught computing with support and coaching.Administrative support included freedom to take instructional risks.Teachers integrated computing into core instruction due to time constraints.Computing benefitted students at risk for academic failure.Student collaboration included teacher-promoted and student-initiated models.
Preparation of Silica and Alumina Single Oxides from Commercial Preformed Sols

High surface area silica and alumina powders were prepared from four commercially available colloidal silicas (Nyacol 830, 2040, 9950, and 2034DI) and three colloidal aluminas (Dispal 23N4−20, 18N4−20, and 11N7−12). Particle size distributions of the sols were obtained from dynamic light-scattering experiments and found to deviate significantly from the nominal sizes reported by the manufacturer. The sols were gelled via several methods, dried, and calcined at 773 K and above. A spherical particle packing model based on the measured sol particle size distributions was found to account for important textural properties such as surface area and pore volume of the calcined silica powders. For the calcined alumina powders, a better predictor for the textural properties was the crystallites whose aggregates form the precursor alumina sol. Nitrogen adsorption, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction studies of the calcined silica and alumina powders were used t...
Attenuation correction in hybrid positron emission tomography

Attenuation effects are more severe for coincidence imaging than for single-photon imaging. The capability to measure and correct attenuation now exists with dedicated positron emission tomography (PET) scanners. Attenuation correction may or may not improve lesion detection in various situations, but it definitely produces a more realistic radioactivity distribution and is essential for quantitation, which is an important PET capability. For hybrid PET systems, though, which are relatively new and in which neither the performance nor the cost of the scanner can be compromised much compared with the conventional nuclear medicine device alone, attenuation correction is still novel. Just as the entire modality of PET imaging on hybrid gamma cameras has expanded very rapidly, the capability to achieve attenuation correction has quickly followed. Both radioactive source-based and x-ray-based systems exist that provide adequate maps for attenuation correction, and the x-ray systems go even further to provide anatomic detail to aid in image interpretation.
Reconfigurable context-sensitive middleware for pervasive computing

Context-sensitive applications need data from sensors, devices, and user actions, and might need ad hoc communication support to dynamically discover new devices and engage in spontaneous information exchange. Reconfigurable Context-Sensitive Middleware facilitates the development and runtime operations of context-sensitive pervasive computing software.
Implementation of extended Kalman Filter on FPGA

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concepts and consequences of implementing the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) on the FPGA. The methods of Runge-Kutta and Taylor-Heun are applied to approximate the continuous time update. The methods of Rugge-Kutta and Gauss-Legendre are used to solve the Riccati equation in order to update the discrete time measurement. The simulation on Matlab Simulink and implementation on the hardware in-loop are completed. Tradeoff between clock frequency, hardware resources and design accuracy are analyzed in the design. Recommended works describe the limitation of the design and give the suggestion on how to save the hardware resources and increase the accuracy.
Electron transfer between multicharged ions and neutral species

A reduced coupling matrix-element formula has been developed for application to the class of reactions ${A}^{+z}+B\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{A}^{+z\ensuremath{-}1}+{B}^{+}$, where $4\ensuremath{\le}z\ensuremath{\le}54$. The reduced coupling matrix elements have been combined with an absorbing-sphere model based on the Landau-Zener method to obtain a relatively simple formalism for obtaining the electron transfer total cross sections. The method assumes a large number of final product channels available for reaction and is applicable for relative velocities ${v}_{\mathrm{rel}}\ensuremath{\le}1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{8}$ cm/sec. For such electron transfer reactions, the cross sections at a given velocity are dependent primarily on the charge state of the incident ion and the ionization potential of the target atom; also, for a given colliding pair, the cross section is found to be almost independent of the relative velocity. Cross sections have been calculated for H, He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, and ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ targets. For the cases of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ and Ar there are experimental data available; the comparison between theory and experiment is quite favorable.
Genetic Testing and Genetic Counseling in Cardiovascular Genetic Medicine: Overview and Preliminary Recommendations

In this emerging era of cardiovascular genetic medicine, increasing responsibility will be placed on cardiovascular practitioners to be aware of the latest clinical genetic testing methods and the knowledge base needed to interpret genetic test results. Some cardiovascular specialists will develop the expertise within the field to order genetic testing and interpret results, while other practitioners will refer patients to centers of excellence in cardiovascular genetic medicine. A previous article in the Cardiovascular Genetic Medicine: Clinical Perspectives and Future Applications series1 highlighted an increasing recognition of the cardiomyopathies (hypertrophic [HCM], dilated [DCM], arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia [ARVD]) and channelopathies (long QT syndrome [LQTS] and others) as genetic diseases, and focused on the importance of a targeted family history as a critical part of patient evaluation. The goal of this article, second in the series, is to provide a general framework for understanding the principles of genetic testing and genetic counseling. We review the growing number of genetic tests currently available to cardiac specialists, the selection of an appropriate test, and the numerous genetic counseling issues raised by the testing process. We also provide our preliminary recommendations for genetic testing in cardiovascular genetic medicine.
Transient response optimization of vibrating structures by Liapunov's second method

Abstract Liapunov's second method is applied to minimize an integrated square performance measure for damped vibrating structures subjected to initial excitation. The method reduces the calculation of the performance measure and its derivatives with respect to design parameters to the solution of a set of linear algebraic equations. The computational effectiveness of the method is illustrated by applying it to the classical vibration absorber and to a cantilever beam carrying an absorber at its midpoint.
A study of thermal convection in non-Newtonian fluids

This study considers steady-state, finite amplitude thermal convection in a non-Newtonian fluid. Pseudoplastic (power-law) fluids are considered for a power-law exponent n in the range 1 ≤ n ≤ 9. Finite-difference solutions are obtained for two-dimensional periodic convective modes in a horizontally infinite fluid layer heated from below. The results show that the patterns of convective motions differ only slightly from those in a fluid of constant viscosity for n [lsim ] 3 while for n [gsim ] 3 significant differences are observed. An average viscosity is introduced which provides a good correlation of heat transfer across the layer with the Rayleigh number for the complete range of n considered.
Valley incision by debris flows: Evidence of a topographic signature

[1] The sculpture of valleys by flowing water is widely recognized, and simplified models of incision by this process (e.g., the stream power law) are the basis for most recent landscape evolution models. Under steady state conditions a stream power law predicts that channel slope varies as an inverse power law of drainage area. Using both contour maps and laser altimetry, we find that this inverse power law rarely extends to slopes greater than ∼0.03 to 0.10, values below which debris flows rarely travel. Instead, with decreasing drainage area the rate of increase in slope declines, leading to a curved relationship on a log-log plot of slope against drainage area. Fieldwork in the western United States and Taiwan indicates that debris flow incision of bedrock valley floors tends to terminate upstream of where strath terraces begin and where area-slope data follow fluvial power laws. These observations lead us to propose that the steeper portions of unglaciated valley networks of landscapes steep enough to produce mass failures are predominately cut by debris flows, whose topographic signature is an area-slope plot that curves in log-log space. This matters greatly as valleys with curved area-slope plots are both extensive by length (>80% of large steepland basins) and comprise large fractions of main stem valley relief (25–100%). As a consequence, valleys carved by debris flows, not rivers, bound most hillslopes in unglaciated steeplands. Debris flow scour of these valleys appears to limit the height of some mountains to substantially lower elevations than river incision laws would predict, an effect absent in current landscape evolution models. We anticipate that an understanding of debris flow incision, for which we currently lack even an empirical expression, would substantially change model results and inferences drawn about linkages between landscape morphology and tectonics, climate, and geology.
Two-scale modeling of solute transport in an experimental stratigraphy

Summary A high-resolution non-stationary hydraulic conductivity map is generated based on an experimental stratigraphy. A heterogenous model is created, incorporating the complete conductivity variation. A hydrostratigraphic model (HSM) is also created which divides the space into discrete lithofacies units. For each unit, an equivalent conductivity is estimated using numerical up-scaling. Under a lateral hydraulic gradient, steady-state, incompressible groundwater flow experiments are conducted in both models. Within each flow field, conservative pulse-input line-source tracer is simulated. In the heterogeneous model, the tracer exhibits both scale-dependency in the observed longitudinal macrodispersivity and persistent long tailing associated with anomalous, non-Fickian dispersion. In comparison, HSM-predicted, global mean relative error of hydraulic head is 1.5%, that of groundwater flux is 0.77%. Using (small) hydrodynamic dispersivities, the HSM closely predicts the evolution of the tracer moments. A certain degree of tailing is also predicted, as this model has captured the largest scale, between-unit velocity variations. However, detailed plume shape is not captured, nor are the arrival and tailing of the breakthrough curves. Using macrodispersivity (both unit-specific and time-dependent), the breakthrough prediction has improved, especially the solute arrival time. Both macrodispersion models also capture the development of breakthrough asymmetry as well as power-law tailing. However, the development of a steep front and multiple peak concentrations are not captured. Similar observations are also found for a continuous-source injection. Overall, for the chosen boundary condition, the advection–dispersion equation can be used by the lithofacies model to capture certain key aspects of the bulk flow and transport behaviors, although displacement mapping reveals that heterogeneity-induced dispersion is correlated both in time and space, a likely result of the correlated velocity field.
Endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation in Type 2 diabetes: interaction of AGE/RAGE and TNF-α signaling

the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) interacts with a diverse range of endogenous ligands termed advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are formed by the Maillard reaction, a nonenzymatic process linking reducing sugar groups to proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. AGEs
The Impact of Stress Hormones on Post-traumatic Stress Disorders Symptoms and Memory in Cardiac Surgery Patients

The relationship and interactions between stress hormones and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are well established from both animal and human research studies. This interaction is especially important in the post-operative phase of cardiac surgery where the development of PTSD symptoms will result in increased morbidity and mortality and prolong length of stay for critically ill cardiac surgery patients. Cardiopulmonary bypass itself will independently result in massive inflammation response and release of stress hormones in the perioperative period. Glucocorticoid may reduce this response and result in reduction of PTSD symptom clusters and therefore improve health outcome. In this review, we plan to conduct a systemic review and analysis of the literatures on this topic.
Topographically Induced Drag and Mixing at a Small Bank on the Continental Shelf

Recent turbulence measurements over a small bank on the continental shelf off Oregon reveal a previously undetected site for intense mixing of the coastal ocean. The flow is hydraulically controlled and turbulence diffusivities over the bank are more than 100 times greater than estimates made on the shelf away from topography. The total drag exerted by the bank on the flow field is a combination of bottom friction plus form drag (analogous to mountain drag) and is comparable to the Coriolis force. This drag is sufficient to decelerate the flow over the bank in a matter of hours.
Competition for Nutrients and Optimal Root Allocation

The allocation of resources among roots and shoots represents the largest flux of resources within a plant and therefore should have been selected to maximize benefits to plants. Yet, it is unclear why some species like temperate grasses have such high root length density (RLD). Either the slow rate of diffusion of inorganic N in soils or interplant competition could explain the high RLD of temperate grasses. Using a fine-scale model of nutrient dynamics in the soil and plant growth, a cost–benefit approach was used to assess optimal allocation rates for plants that accounted for value of both carbon and nitrogen. In the absence of interplant competition, resource benefits are maximized with very little root length except in extremely dry soils for ammonium. In the presence of a competitor, optimal allocation of N to roots is much greater and increases as ability of competitors to produce root length increase. Competition for inorganic nitrogen generates a classic aspect of the tragedy of the commons, the “race for fish”, where plants must allocate more resources to acquisition of the limiting resource than is optimal for plants in the absence of competition. As such, nutrient competition needs to be directly addressed when understanding plant- and ecosystem-level resource fluxes as well as the evolution of root systems.
Region-of-interest tomography using exponential radial sampling

The authors combine several ideas, including nonuniform sampling and circular harmonic expansions, into a new procedure for reconstructing a small region of interest (ROI) of an image from a set of its projections that are densely sampled in the ROI and coarsely sampled outside the ROI. Specifically, the radial sampling density of both the projections and the reconstructed image decreases exponentially with increasing distance from the ROI. The problem and data are reminiscent of the recently formulated local tomography problem; however, the authors' algorithm reconstructs the ROI of the image itself, not the filtered version of it obtained using local tomography. The new algorithm has the added advantages of speed (it can be implemented entirely using the FFT) and parallelizability (each image harmonic is computed independently). Numerical examples compare the new algorithm to filtered backprojection. >
Visible Light Transparency for Polycrystalline Ceramics of MgO·2Al2O3 and MgO·2.5Al2O3 Spinel Solid Solutions

Magnesium aluminate spinel solid solutions with the alumina-rich compositions MgO·2Al2O3 and MgO·2.5Al2O3 have been prepared as polycrystalline ceramics with average in-line transmissions at 550 nm of 85.5 ± 0.3% and 80.9 ± 0.4%, respectively. Starting powders are prepared from combinations of high purity Mg(OH)2 and γ-Al2O3 thoroughly mixed in an aqueous slurry, and the solids are collected, dried, calcined, mixed with LiF sintering aid, and sieved. The optimum amount of LiF added varies with the alumina composition of the spinel solid solution. The powders are sintered into dense ceramics by hot pressing at 1600°C under vacuum and 20 MPa uniaxial load followed by hot isostatic pressing at 1850°C under 200 MPa in Ar. Both compositions exhibit exaggerated grain growth with average sizes well over 500 μm. Knoop hardness measurements are 11.2 ± 0.3 GPa for MgO·2Al2O3 and 11.0 ± 0.4 GPa for MgO·2.5Al2O3.
A Comparative Study of Competency-based Courses Demonstrating a Potential Measure of Course Quality and Student Success

While competency-based education is growing, standardized tools for evaluating the unique characteristics of course design in this domain are still under development. This preliminary research study evaluated the effectiveness of a rubric developed for assessing course design of competency-based courses in an undergraduate Information Technology and Administrative Management program. The rubric, which consisted of twenty-six individual measures, was used to evaluate twelve new courses. Additionally, the final assessment scores of nine students that completed nine courses in the program were evaluated to determine if a correlation exists between student success and specific indicators of quality in the course design. The results indicate a correlation exists between measures that rated high and low on the evaluation rubric and final assessment scores of students completing courses in the program. Recommendations from this study suggest that quality competency-based courses need to evaluate the importance and relevance of resources for active student learning, provide increased support and ongoing feedback from mentors, and offer opportunities for students to practice what they have learned.
From Education to Action: The Immediate and Long-Term Results of Intergroup Dialogue on BSW Students' Social Justice Activity

This article examines the effect of intergroup dialogue (IGD) on BSW students’ levels of social justice activity a year after completing the course. Twenty- seven undergraduate social work students on two campuses of a sectarian college completed surveys that ranked their levels of activity along the McClintock Action Continuum immediately after and a year after participating in an IGD program. Students self- reported a significant increase in social justice actions a year after IGD participation. Implications for research and social work education are discussed.
Long-Term Outcome in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy

Researchers at University of Greifswald, Germany; and Cleveland Clinic, OH, studied the long-term seizure outcome in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) and identified factors predictive of seizure remission.
Posteromedial Approach for Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of Talar Process Fractures

Fractures of the posteromedial process of the talus are frequently the result of high-energy trauma to the lower extremity. The treatment of these uncommon injuries may be unfamiliar and challenging to many surgeons. Significant pain and disability can result if these injuries are not recognized or treated appropriately. Open reduction and internal fixation via a posteromedial approach with screws is a mainstay of operative treatment for simple fractures. In cases of fracture impaction and/or comminution, a medial uniplanar external fixator may be used to improve intraoperative fracture visualization and mini-fragment plates and screws can be used to secure areas of comminution.Level of Evidence: Level V, expert opinion.
Abstract TP315: Ethnic Differences In Rehabilitation Services During Acute Stroke Hospitalization

Introduction: Mexican Americans (MAs) have higher stroke incidence compared with non-Hispanic whites (NHWs). Differential use of rehabilitation services could impact stroke outcome. This study was performed to compare the utilization of rehabilitation between MA and NHW in the acute stroke hospital setting. Hypothesis: MAs have less access to rehabilitation services during acute stroke hospitalization. Methods: Data were obtained from the BASIC (Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi) Project, a population-based study in Texas. All first strokes identified between July 2009 and June 2011 in patients over the age of 44 were included. Rehabilitation services were abstracted from medical records using the Joint Commission’s definitions. Primary outcome measures were whether the patient was 1) assessed , 2) recommended , and 3) received rehabilitation during the acute hospital stay. Receipt of physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and speech pathology (SP) were also specified. Rehabilitation services were compared by ethnicity using Fisher’s Exact tests and/or random effects logistic regression to account for hospital specific effects. Results: 390 validated strokes met inclusion criteria, 63% were MA. There were no ethnic differences in the rehabilitation services (Table 1). Among those who received rehabilitation services, MAs were more likely to receive OT than NHWs in unadjusted analysis (1.87 [C.I. 1.18-2.94]); however, this association was not apparent after accounting for the hospital in which care was received. Conclusions: Encouragingly, availability and receipt of inpatient rehabilitation services after stroke in this community is high and no ethnic differences in access are present. While rehabilitation services during acute stroke hospitalization does not appear to explain ethnic differences in stroke outcome, future work should examine post-discharge rehabilitation services.
ADHD & Tourette Syndrome

The efficacy of methylphenidate (MPH) and clonidine (CLON), alone and in combination, in 136 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and chronic tic disorder, was evaluated in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind clinical trial, and reported by the Tourette Syndrome Study Group from the University of Rochester, NY.
Five-year study of medical or surgical treatment in children with severe reflux: radiological renal findings. The International Reflux Study in Children.

The renal findings on intravenous urography (IVU) are reported in 306 children (73 boys, 233 girls) from eight European centres entered into an international study comparing medical and surgical management of children with urinary tract infection and severe vesico-ureteric reflux followed for 5 years. One hundred and fifty-five children were randomly allocated to medical and 151 to surgical treatment. Protocol and investigative techniques were standardised and randomisation, data collection and analysis were performed centrally in Essen, Germany. At entry 149 (49%) has established renal scarring (79 medical, 70 surgical). Children with normal kidneys (105), areas of thinned parenchyma (52) and grade of reflux were also evenly distributed. IVU was repeated at 6, 18 and 54 months and serial urine culture,99mtechnetium-dimercaptosuccinic acid scans and plasma creatinine estimations were performed. Two hundred and seventy-two children (89%) completed this follow-up. In 174 children (57%), (90 medical, 84 surgical) there was renal growth without morphological change. New renal scars developed in 19 children treated medically and 20 surgically; 12 (5 medical, 7 surgical) developed in previously normal kidneys. Six followed post-operative obstruction. No significant difference in outcome was found between medical or surgical management in terms of the development of new renal lesions or the progression of established renal scars.
Digital integration of granulocyte aggregation responses. A simple and reproducible method for the quantitation of granulocyte adhesiveness.

The pulmonary leukostasis and lung dysfunction associated with intravascular complement activation results from C5a-mediated granulocyte (GR) aggregation, a phenomenon which can be reproduced in vitro using standard nephelometric techniques. To produce a more subjective measure of the extent and rate of GR aggregation responses we added a digital integrator to the system. The validity of this approach was substantiated by the close correlation between the aggregating and chemotactic activities of C5a andN-formyl-metionine-leucine-phenylalanine. Use of this technique enabled us to define the dose-response relationship of the aggregation produced by the cationophore A23187 and the inhibitory effect of tetracaine on divalent cationdependent aggregation responses. The aggregation produced by these three stimuli does not result primarily from simple cross-linking of surface charges because, unlike the passive cell-cell association produced by the cation poly-l-lysine, it is not inhibited by anionic poly-l-glutamic acid. The importance of microtubules as regulators of GR adhesiveness was substantiated by the inhibitory effects of colchicine (but not lumicolchicine) on aggregation in this system. These data suggest that this integration of light transmission increments is a useful adjunct to this basic technique, whether used as a bioassay for chemotactic stimuli or as a model to study the many factors which regulate GR adhesiveness.
Research on intelligent vehicles based on servo information acquisition system

To deal with the problem of the low detection accuracy and the small detection range of intelligent vehicles with the fixed de-tection system,a servo detection system with laser sensors and a new control strategy are proposed.In the design of the system,the detection system is fixed on a servo platform,and finally the track information can be calculated by the angle between the platform and the body.Moreover,the PD strategy is adopted to control the servo platform.Our result shows that the detection range is extended,the detection accuracy is improved,and the possibility of losing the track information is reduced in the high speed mode.Besides,the average speed is increase by 0.6m/s with continuous and smooth steering.
Influence of Gray-scale Morphological Operations on Eliminating Over-segmentation of Watershed Segmentation

Objective To combine watershed operation with some pretreatment methods to reduce the effect of over-segmentation on image,and to apply grayscale morphological opening to pretreatment of image fragments of CR chest to study the influences on the results of segmentation in Watershed Operation.Methods A total of 100 image fragments were cut out from 20 CR chest images stored in PACS.5 image fragments of each image only contained lung issues without skeletons and foreign-body interferences.Every small image and processed image after the operations by disk structure were convoluted with Sobel Edge operation and corresponding images were obtained.Original images were counted to obtain the number of enclosed shapes,post-pretreative enclosed shapes,segments undetected by original images,and post-pretreative undetected segments.These statistics were performed with paired t-test.Results The mean of regions detected by original images was 14.5,while that detected by post-pretreated images was 9.48(r=0.656,p0.0001,t=11.967).The 95% confidence interval was 4.188-5.852,which showed there were no significant differences between the two regions.The means of undetected regions were 0.26 and 0.15,respectively(r=-0.021,p=0.834,t=1.054).The 95% confidence interval was-0.097~0.317,which suggested that there were no significant differences between these two undetected regions.Conclusion Image pretreatment with Grayscales Morphological Opening can effectively reduce false-positive lesions over-segmented with Watershed Operation,and not increase undetected rate of segmentation with it.
Sacral tumors: A hidden problem

Twenty-three cases of proven primary or secondary sacral neoplasms were reviewed to summarize our experience and suggest appropriate modes of diagnosis. Twenty patients (83%) presented with symptoms indistinguishable from lumbosacral disc syndrome. There was an average delay in diagnosis from onset of symptoms of 8.2 months. Initially, 15 patients were interpreted as having normal lumbosacral spine films; however, in review, 12 of these studies did show subtle changes.Computerized tomography was performed in eight patients; seven showed abnormalities. Radionuclide scans were initially positive in 11 of 15 patients. Other roentgenographic procedures were less useful. Overlying bowel gas, sacral anatomy, and inability to detect moderate demineralization hinders earlier diagnosis. A high degree of suspicion and knowledge of the difficulty of diagnosis is needed for sacral tumors. Evaluation should be complete and correlated with clinical history. If all studies are negative, they should be repeated at frequent intervals.
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Several Disorders on a Continuum or One?

In 1943, Leo Kanner described 11 children as having come into the world without the usual disposition to make social contact, a condition he called early infantile autism (Kanner, Nerv Child 2:217–250, 1943). In his description of these 11 children, Kanner noted that despite limited interest in the social world, they were highly engaged with nonsocial aspects of the environment and had difficulties with change. In 1944, Hans Asperger, an Austrian pediatrician, described four children who had difficulty integrating socially into groups despite seemingly adequate cognitive and verbal skills, a condition he called autistischen psychopathen im kindesalter, which translates in English to “autistic personality disorders in childhood” (Asperger, Archive fur psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten 117:76–136, 1944). Asperger was apparently unaware of Kanner’s classic description of autism, thus the focus both authors made on the marked social dysfunction is remarkable and speaks to the centrality of social deficits as the defining feature of these disorders.
Philologie und Geschichte im Dialog. Historische Leseforschung im Spannungsfeld von disziplinärer Kompetenz und interdisziplinärem Erkenntnisinteresse

Die mit der ›kulturalistischen Wende‹ einhergehende Verwischung herkommlicher disziplinarer Grenzziehungen hat - auch und gerade innerhalb der deutschen Germanistik - die Frage nach der fachlichen Identitat der geisteswissenschaftlichen Disziplinen erneut in den Mittelpunkt einer Debatte geruckt, die sich bereits seit ihren Anfangen durch »chaotische Vielfalt« auszeichnet.1 Die in diesem Zusammenhang aus germanistischer Perspektive formulierten Positionen sind in der Tat heterogen: Sie reichen vom Versuch der Rettung eines scheinbar durch die Tradition legitimierten Fachverstandnisses mit Hilfe der Berufung auf die Besonderheit des poetischen Textes2 bis hin zum Postulat einer ›Superdisziplin‹ Kulturwissenschaft, deren integrative Kraft auf langere Sicht zu einer Verdrangung wenn nicht gar Eliminierung der uberlieferten geisteswissenschaftlichen Disziplinen fuhren durfte.3 Der Verlauf der mit bemerkenswerter Intensitat gefuhrten Auseinandersetzung um das Profil der im Zeichen einer kulturwissenschaftlichen Reformulierung der Geisteswissenschaften stehenden gegenwartigen und zukunftigen Germanistik macht deutlich, dass weder das Beharren auf der Autonomie des Kunstwerks und der Relevanz eines universell geltenden dichterischen Kanons, dessen Pflege dem Literaturwissenschaftler obliegt, noch jene Haltung, welche eine Modernisierung der Germanistik nur noch im Modus ihrer Selbst-auflosung zu erkennen vermag, mehrheitsfahig sind.
Innovative Pathways to Meaningful Work: Older Adults as Volunteers and Self-Employed Entrepreneurs

A recent report issued by the United Nations stated, “The global share of older people (aged 60 years or over) increased from 9.2 per cent in 1990 to 11.7 per cent in 2013 and will continue to grow as a proportion of the world population, reaching 21.1 per cent by 2050” (Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2013, p. xii). We refer to these trends as “disruptive demographics” because the population shifts are not only dramatic, but they also have the potential to ignite conversations about some of the positive contemporary experiences associated with the aging of the population. Furthermore, disruptions caused by the aging of the workforce may well foster the discovery of new opportunities for innovative and productive roles, that is, new forms of paid work and/or volunteering that can be assumed by older adults during the period of time that has conventionally been considered to be the “retirement years.”
Sexism in the Schools: Implications for the Education of Gifted Girls

AbstractOver the past 25 years, since the passage of Title IX, there has been much progress in terms of gender equity in the United States; however, subtle but persistent barriers to the academic and career success of gifted girls remain. Some of the roots of the problem lie in the day-to-day experiences of girls and boys in the classroom. This paper describes research on the ways gifted girls are made “invisible” through curriculum and patterns of class enrollment and interaction. The merits and limitations of several suggested ways to improve the educational environment for gifted girls are presented.
Microbial Load of Fresh Produce and Paired Equipment Surfaces in Packing Facilities Near the U.S. and Mexico Border.

ABSTRACT Several produce-associated outbreaks have been linked to the packing facility. Equipment surfaces may be an important source of contamination. The goal was to assess whether the microbial load of packing facility surfaces is associated with the microbial load of produce. From November 2000 to December 2003, 487 matched produce (14 types) and equipment surfaces (six production steps) were sampled from eight packing facilities in the United States near the border with Mexico and enumerated for aerobic plate counts (APC), Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, and coliforms. Bivariate correlations were assessed by Spearman's ρ, and adjusted associations were assessed by multilevel mixed linear regression models. In general, the microbial load both increased and decreased on produce (0.2 to 1.0 log CFU/g) and equipment surfaces (0.5 to 3.0 log CFU/cm2) across production steps. Equipment surface and produce microbial loads were correlated, but correlations varied from none to high depending on the equipment ...
A Feasibility Study to Determine if Microbicidal Activity can be Measured in Dexamethasone-Treated Macrophage Cultures

Macrophages play a major role in host resistance by ingesting and killing microorganisms. If these normal phagocytic processes are impaired by chemotherapeutic agents, host resistance decreases and susceptibility to infectious diseases increases accordingly. This may be the case with the glucocorticoid steroids since these agents suppress other macrophage functions (1,6,7). However, whether glucocorticoids act directly on macrophages in vivo to reduce host resistance by inhibiting their normal phagocytic functions remains to be established.
The antioxidant effects of melatonin in surgical brain injury in rats.

Background Surgical brain injury (SBI) to normal brain tissue can occur as inevitable sequelae of neurosurgical operations. SBI can contribute to post-operative complications such as brain edema following blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption leading to neurologicaldeficits. Melatonin is a commonly used drug with known antioxidant properties and neuroprotective effectsinexperimental animalstudies(Chenet al.,JPinealRes
Tape Libraries with Automatic Reel Transport

The majority of data processing systems are still tape-oriented. Large response times, low access frequencies and batch processing characterize this type of application. Cost considerations generally lead to magnetic tapes being used as data storage devices in preference to magnetic disks, even when their use prevents application of direct data access methods. Analysing the system aspect of a tape-oriented application, it is tempting to conceive a tape library with an automatic reel transport system. With such a system, all magnetic tapes with a reasonable usage factor would be stored in a suitable reel transport system equipped with a read/write station and the whole system housed in a single unit, connected to the central processor.
Bazedoxifene-induced vasodilation and inhibition of vasoconstriction is significantly greater than estradiol.

Objective A new strategy for menopausal hormone therapy replaces medroxyprogesterone with the selective estrogen receptor modulator bazedoxifene. While the agonist or antagonist activity of bazedoxifene has been examined in other tissues, the current study explored the impact of bazedoxifene on resistance artery reactivity. We hypothesized that bazedoxifene may induce greater vasoprotective effects than estradiol due to enhanced activation of the G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor. Methods We measured the vasodilation of mesenteric resistance arteries from adult male and female wild-type and G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor knockout mice (n = 58) in response to increasing concentrations of bazedoxifene, medroxyprogesterone, and estradiol, and also the impact of these compounds on the responses to phenylephrine and sodium nitroprusside. Results Bazedoxifene-induced vasorelaxation was greater than estradiol and blunted phenylephrine-induced contraction-an effect not observed with estradiol. Neither estradiol nor bazedoxifene altered relaxation to sodium nitroprusside. The combination of bazedoxifene + estradiol promoted greater vasodilation than medroxyprogesterone + estradiol, and opposed phenylephrine-induced contraction, whereas medroxyprogesterone + estradiol failed to attenuate this response. Both bazedoxifene + estradiol and medroxyprogesterone + estradiol enhanced sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation in females. Vascular responses were similar in both sexes in wild-type and G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor knockout mice. Conclusion Bazedoxifene and bazedoxifene + estradiol relaxed mesenteric arteries and opposed vasoconstriction to a greater degree than estradiol or medroxyprogesterone + estradiol. These effects were independent of sex and G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor expression. We conclude that bazedoxifene may provide vascular benefits over estrogen alone or estrogen plus progestogen combinations in postmenopausal women.
Chapter 9 – Residual Stress and Distortion Modeling of Electron Beam Direct Manufacturing Ti-6Al-4V✶

In this work, a finite element model is developed for predicting the thermo-mechanical response of Ti-6Al-4V during electron beam deposition. A three-dimensional thermo-elasto-plastic analysis is performed to model distortion and residual stress in the workpiece and experimental in situ temperature and distortion measurements are performed during the deposition of a single bead wide, 16 layer high wall build for model validation. Post-process Blind Hole Drilling residual stress measurements are also performed. Both the in situ distortion and post-process residual stress measurements suggest that stress relaxation occurs during the deposition of Ti-6Al-4V. A method of accounting for such stress relaxation in thermo-elasto-plastic simulations is proposed where both stress and plastic strain is reset to zero, when the temperature exceeds a prescribed stress relaxation temperature. Inverse simulation is used to determine the values of the absorption efficiency and the emissivity of electron beam deposited wire-fed Ti-6Al-4V, as well as the appropriate stress relaxation temperature.
Spatial and temporal distribution of blue water in the Limpopo River Basin, Southern Africa: A case study

Abstract Water is vital for human survival and ecosystem health. In arid and semi-arid areas like the Limpopo River Basin (LRB) in Southern Africa, water is a precious commodity. The study of spatial and temporal distribution of freshwater components is an important step toward sustainable planning and management of water resources. This case study applied the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to characterize freshwater availability and scarcity in the LRB. SWAT predictions of hydrologic fluxes in the basin are generally satisfactory when compared to measured streamflow records, although uncertainties persist in model estimates. Estimates of streamflow, herein referred to as blue water, varied from 0.2 to 570 mm/year between 1984 and 2013 over the basin. The analysis revealed alternating cycles of one to two years of water surplus periods and three to five years of dry periods during the study period. The results also indicated that, considering the natural water yield, 20% of the basin (mostly east) has enough water, while the remaining 80% continues to experience dryness and water stress.
Update on Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) remains a challenging disease afflicting children and adults, resulting in an estimated $120 million per year in United States healthcare-related costs, with annual costs per patient approaching $60,000. Although the prevalence of RRP has declined, RRP remains the most common benign laryngeal neoplasm in children. RRP is unique in its high rate of multisite recurrence, its high burden on patient quality of life, and its high associated healthcare costs. This article summarizes current understanding of the natural history and quality of life burden of RRP, and basic science advancements in prevention and treatment.
Current Status of Research on Providing Sight to the Blind by Electrical Stimulation of the Brain.

Recent technological advances suggest that by connecting a television camera and associated circuitry to the visual centers of the brain, it may be possible to restore at least a limited amount of ...
Coaxing cancer control by modulating COX-2

Mouse models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma respond to immunotherapy when given in combination with the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib.
In Vivo Two-Color 2-Photon Imaging of Genetically-Tagged Reporter Cells in the Skin.

Fibroblasts are mesenchymal cells that change their morphology upon activation, ultimately influencing the microenvironment of the tissue they are located in. Although traditional imaging techniques are useful in identifying protein interactions and morphology in fixed tissue, they are not able to give insight as to how quickly cells are able to bind and uptake proteins, and once activated how their morphology changes in vivo. In the present study, we ask 2 major questions: 1) what is the time-course of fibroblast activation via toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) interaction and 2) how do these cells behave once activated? Using 2-photon imaging, we have developed a novel technique to assess the ability of LPS-FITC to bind to its cognate receptor, TLR4, expressed on peripheral fibroblasts in the genetic reporter mouse line; FSP1cre; tdTomatolox-stop-lox in vivo. This unique approach allows researchers to create in-depth, time-lapse videos and/or pictures of proteins interacting with live cells that allows one to have an increased level of granularity in understanding how proteins can alter cellular behavior.
Interferons and Intravenous Immunoglobulin

In patients with severe, sight-threatening ocular inflammatory disease, successive therapeutic failures with conventional immunosuppressants may occur. In such cases, treatment with either exogenous interferon or intravenous immunoglobulin may be attempted. Increasingly, the highly complex interactions and manifold mechanisms of action of these immunomodulators are being unraveled. For interferons, there is a prodigious body of evidence demonstrating high response rates for ocular Behcet disease and the uveitis associated with multiple sclerosis, though patients with etiologically varied uveitis may also derive significant benefit. More so, it has become evident that uveitic cystoid macular edema is exceptionally sensitive to systemic interferon therapy. For intravenous immunoglobulin, rationale for its use in diseases involving pathogenic autoantibodies, such as ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid, is solid; indeed, even treatment-resistant cases of this disease respond favorably in most instances. Other uveitic entities, including birdshot chorioretinitis and Behcet disease, may also benefit from immunoglobulin therapy. Side effects are common and numerous with interferons, though rarely do they mandate treatment cessation. Exogenous immunoglobulins are much better tolerated, although serious adverse events may rarely occur. Further elucidation of their mechanisms of action and thoughtful consideration of how recombinant interferons and immunoglobulin may be applied to aberrant ocular immune physiology will permit more discriminate patient selection, maximizing treatment benefits while mitigating risk and cost.