cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Postoperative analgesia and intraoperative inhalational anesthetic requirements during umbilical herniorrhaphy in children: Postincisional local infiltration versus preincisional caudal epidural block

Abstract Study Objective: To determine the postoperative analgesic efficacy of, and the effects on, intraoperative inhalational anesthetic requirements of preincisional caudal epidural block versus postincisional infiltration of local anesthetic following umbilical herniorrhaphy in children. Design: Randomized, double-blind, prospective study. Setting: University medical center. Patients: 16 ASA status I and II patients (11 males, 5 females), ages 11 to 20 months, weighing up to 17 kg. Interventions: During standard anesthetic care, 16 children were randomized to receive either caudal block with 1.5 ml/kg of 0.2% bupivacaine (group 1) or local infiltration of the surgical site with up to 1.2 ml/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine (Group 2). Measurements and Main Results: Patients in Group 1 had significantly decreased pain scores and requirements for supplemental postoperative intravenous (IV) fentanyl. Five of eight patients in Group 1 did not require supplemental IV fentanyl during their in-hospital postoperative course, while all eight patients in Group 2 required supplemental IV fentanyl. The patients who received caudal epidural block also had decreased intraoperative requirements for isoflurane, shorter time to extubation (4.1 ± 0.8 min vs. 8.4 ± 1.5 min), and quicker discharge home (129 ± 13 min vs. 163 ± 22 min). Five of eight patients in Group 1 were ready for discharge at our usual time of 120 minutes, as opposed to one of eight patients in Group 2. Conclusion: Preincisional caudal epidural block is more effective in controlling pain following umbilical herniorrhaphy than is postincisional local infiltration.
Isomorphism theory for orthogonal groups over arbitrary integral domains

The isomorphism theory of matrix groups, which began over fields, has in recent years turned to rings. Developments over rings have been primarily in two separate directions: the first is concerned with the classical groups and their congruence groups over integral domains, while the second is concerned with algebraic groups and their arithmetic subgroups. So the first direction considers a very general underlying domain, while the second considers more general groups of matrices. For a historical account of these matters refer to the books of DieudonnC [12] and O’Meara [27] and the survey article by Mostow [22]. For more recent results consult the references of the present article. Regarding the first direction, which is considered here, the theory is complete (with isolated exceptions) for the linear groups in general, the symplectic groups in general, and the unitary groups under additional assumptions of isotropy. As in the classical situation over fields, every isomorphism between such groups is determined in a natural way by a “metric preserving” semilinear isomorphism of the underlying spaces. In sharp contrast, results for the orthogonal groups exist only for arithmetic and local domains, but not for arbitrary integral domains. Refer to O’Meara [26], Hahn [14] and Prasad [31] for example. It is the purpose of this paper to extend the isomorphism theory of the orthogonal groups from these special domains to arbitrary integral domains. One insurmountable obstruction becomes apparent quickly: in any dimension there exist free b-modules with anisotropic quadratic structure, the orthogonal groups of which are trivial (for instance, see 3.1 of [26]); take two such situations in different dimensions; these orthogonal groups are obviously isomorphic since they are trivial; but their spaces cannot be connected with a semilinear isomorphism since their dimensions are not equal. So isotropy assumptions are inevitable in the isomorphism theory of the orthogonal groups over arbitrary integral domains. It is the goal of this paper to prove that isotropy assumptions are also sufficient.
A Study of Some Properties Which Determine the Resolution of a Lead-Scintillator Sandwich Electromagnetic Shower Detector

Using the 10-50 GeV test beam at Fermilab we have studied the resolution of a lead-scintillator sampling shower counter system as a function of energy, sampling thickness, and photostatistics to confirm a design formula (?/E)2 = at/E + 1/N + other contributions, where t is the thickness of a sample measured in radiation lengths, N is the number of photoelectrons, ? is the rms energy resolution, and E is the incident energy.
Consequence Choice and Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities: Effects on Academic Engagement.

The difficulties students identified with emotional and behavior disabilities present sometimes strain inclusive educators. General education teachers often find themselves ill equipped to provide effective support for both students with and without disabilities. An effective intervention that may hold promise for included students with academic and behavior problems involves the use of choice; more specifically, consequence choice, which provides students with the ability to select their own reinforcement. The current study examined the effects of choice of reinforcement via a single-subject multielement design with baseline for four students with emotional disturbance or behavior disabilities educated in an inclusion setting. With an increase in task difficulty, the behavior of two students indicated a functional relation between engagement and choice and two additional students demonstrated a functional relation between the presence and absence of reinforcement. Students did not distinguish academic be...
The Multimodal Evaluation Module: Design and Validation of a Model-Based Tool to Predict Pilot Noticing of Multimodal Information on the Flight Deck

Flight decks present a great deal of information to pilots, much of it through the visual modality. As new automation and displays are included on the flight deck, including information such as spacing from a lead aircraft, wake vortex displays, and datalink, a text-based messaging system for communication with air traffic control, there is a real concern that these displays can over-burden a pilot’s already-challenged visual system. Auditory, tactile, or redundant modality displays are potential alternatives to yet another visual display. As design concepts are being developed for these new flight deck systems, it is necessary to identify their predicted effects on pilot performance. This paper describes the development and validation of a model-based tool to assist flight deck automation designers and human performance specialists in selecting information presentation modalities that best support pilot performance.
EHD micromixing reactor for particle synthesis

Abstract This paper presents a liquid-phase approach to particle production using electrohydrodynamic (EHD) mixing. EHD flows are used to disperse one miscible, reactive fluid into another, based on the capability to develop significant fluid velocities and turbulence by charge injection into dielectric fluids. Alcohol solvents, commonly used for sol–gel reactions, are very suitable for applying this EHD mixing approach. The rapid micromixing in the vicinity of the electrified injector allows the liquid-phase reactions to be conducted uniformly at high rates. This approach allows continuous production of non-agglomerated, monodispersed, submicron-sized particles. Experiments aimed at investigating the capability for EHD mixing to improve particle production were conducted in a continuous-flow system using the hydrolysis and condensation of zirconium tetra- n -butoxide in alcohols. Because of the rapid kinetics of this reaction system, the quality of ultrafine particles produced is greatly affected by the degree of early-stage mixing. Mixing of the reactant streams was shown to improve with increasing applied voltage, and a corresponding improvement in the homogeneity of the produced particles was determined. The EHD mixing approach was shown to have several possible advantages in comparison with batch reactions. The reaction can be conducted to produce quality particles at higher concentrations, and the particles produced by EHD mixing are more homogeneous. In addition, under the rapid micromixing conditions, it is possible to manipulate nucleation rates through the introduction of concentrated reactants, resulting in the capability to produce significantly smaller particles. This study indicates that reactors utilizing EHD mixing could be used for continuous, rapid production of homogeneous, ultrafine particles.
Four-Quark Model for the Mesons

A four-quark mechanism is proposed which generates virtually the entire known spectrum of (noncharm) meason states to remarkable accuracy. The ground-state ${0}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and ${1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ nonets are taken as input; exclusive of octet-singlet mixing there are no free parameters.
The Role of Conscious Awareness in Consumer Behavior

Consumer behavior can be influenced by mental processes that occur outside of conscious awareness. It is argued that in each domain of automaticity, researchers should specify the aspects of which consumers are presumably unaware. Three types of awareness are identified. These include awareness of (a) the environmental features that trigger an automatic process, (b) the automatic process itself, and (c) the outcome of that automatic process. Individuals may be unaware of one or more of these stages, thereby making the process nonconscious. With additional clarity regarding which aspects are nonconscious in which domains and the specific role that awareness plays, we can begin building a more comprehensive model of nonconscious processes in consumer behavior.
Making Memories: The Influence of Joint Encoding on Later Recall by Young Children

Abstract The premise of this research is that autobiographical memory is essentially social in origin and that the social-interactive aspects of an experience influence the content and form of what is later recalled. Two studies are reported in which an ongoing event was observed in order to track the way present experience enters past memory. In the first study, the talk between 3 1 2 -year-old children and their mothers during a visit to a museum was analyzed. In a second study, the effects of maternal style on 4 1 2 -year-old children′s encoding and later recall were examined. Strong effects of talk during the experience were found in both studies, confirming the hypothesis of a social-interactive effect on children′s encoding and later recall of a situation shared with an adult. It is proposed that autobiographical memory development and language are inextricably bound together because of the role of linguistic input in adult–child construction of experience. Implications of this model for children′s memory of traumatic events are discussed.
A computational approach to determining CVBEM approximate boundaries

The complex variable boundary element method (CVBEM) provides solutions of partial differential equations of the Laplace and Poisson type. Because the CVBEM is based upon convex combinations from a basis set of functions that are analytic throughout the problem domain, boundary, and exterior of the problem domain union boundary (except along branch cuts), both the real and imaginary parts of the CVBEM approximations satisfy the Laplace equation, leaving the modeling error reduction effort to be that of fitting the problem boundary conditions. In this paper, the approximate boundary approach is used to depict the goodness of fit between the CVBEM results and the problem boundary conditions. The approximate boundary is the locus of points where the CVBEM approximation function meets the values of the problem boundary conditions. Because of the collocation method, the approximate boundary necessarily intersects the problem boundary at least at the collocation points specified on the problem boundary. Consequently, adding nodes and collocation points on the problem boundary results in reducing the departure between the approximate boundary and the true problem boundary. Thus, the approximate boundary is developed by tracking level curves from the real and/or imaginary parts of the CVBEM approximation function. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Concurrent process monitoring with no reference signatures

A simple, inexpensive and time/space efficient signature technique for process monitoring is presented. In this technique, a known signature function is applied to the instruction stream at compilation phase and when the accumulated signature forms an m-out-of-n code, the corresponding instructions are tagged. Error checking is done at run-time by monitoring the signatures accumulated at the tagged locations to determine whether they form m-out-of-n codes. This approach of signature checking does not require the embedding of reference signatures at compilation, thereby leading to savings in memory as well as in execution time. The m-out-of-n code approach offers high error coverage and controllable latency. The results of the experiments conducted to verify the controllability of the latency are discussed. One of the distinguishing features of the proposed scheme is the elimination of reference signatures, which are the main source of memory and time overhead in the existing techniques. >
New Advances in Generation of High Repetition Rate Burst Mode Laser Output

We demonstrate the ability to generate bursts of high energy pulses from a custom Nd:YAG laser system. Output energy as high as 400 mJ/pulse for a twenty pulse sequence at 20 KHz is reported.
Evidence of Enhanced Precipitation Due to Irrigation over the Great Plains of the United States

[1] At the end of World War II, there was a rapid increase in irrigation over the Ogallala Aquifer in the Great Plains of the United States via groundwater withdrawal, and we hypothesize that this disruption of the local hydrological cycle has enhanced the regional precipitation. We examined station and gridded precipitation observations for the warm season months over and downwind of the Ogallala over the 20th century. Increases in precipitation of 15–30% were detected during July from the easternmost part of the aquifer to as far downwind as Indiana. The timing (1940s, July) and spatial pattern of the precipitation increase are consistent with the history of Ogallala irrigation and mechanisms by which increases in evapotranspiration can affect convection. Additionally, we conducted a vapor tracking analysis and found that evapotranspiration over the Ogallala Aquifer contributes to downwind precipitation and that the contribution is greater when the evapotranspiration is higher. This makes it hydrologically possible that the irrigation development was associated with the observed precipitation increases. Finally, there is no clear evidence that atmospheric circulation changes or modes of internal climate variability increased the July precipitation. Further analysis of the influence of Ogallala irrigation on precipitation will include the controlled analysis of climate model simulations that explicitly include irrigation.
Identifying patterns of immune-related disease: use in disease prevention and management

Background Childhood susceptibility to diseases linked with immune dysfunction affects over a quarter of the pediatric population in some countries. While this alone is a significant health issue, the actual impact of immune-related diseases extends over a lifetime and involves additional secondary conditions. Some comorbidities are well known (e.g., allergic rhinitis and asthma). However, no systematic approach has been used to identify life-long patterns of immune-based disease where the primary condition arises in childhood. Such information is useful for both disease prevention and treatment approaches.
Evaluation of a Computer-Assisted Antibiotic-Dose Monitor

OBJECTIVE:To examine the effect of a computer-assisted antibiotic-dose monitor used to reduce the number of days that patients receive excessive dosages of antibiotics and the number of adverse drug events (ADEs) secondary to antibiotics.DESIGN:Descriptive epidemiologic study of a two-year preintervention period and one-year intervention period.SETTING:The LDS Hospital, a tertiary care center in Salt Lake City, UT.PATIENTS:All patients aged • 18 years, admitted to LDS Hospital from April 1, 1993, to March 31, 1996, who received at least one of five targeted antibiotics (vancomycin, gentamicin, imipenem, cefazolin, cefuroxime), who had a serum creatinine or a urine creatinine clearance test result before antibiotic therapy, and who were never admitted or transferred to the shock/trauma/respiratory intensive care unit.METHODS:Each morning during the 12-month intervention period, the antibiotic-dose monitor checked the renal function of all patients who were receiving any of the five antibiotics. Pharmacists...
The effects of powerful and powerless speech styles and speaker expertise on impression formation and attitude change

This study examines the effect of three levels of speaker expertise and two features of powerful and powerless speech styles‐hedges and hesitations‐on impression formation and attitude change. The study found that levels of speaker expertise interacted with the presence or absence of hedges to affect impressions of speaker authoritativeness. Speaker expertise also interacted with the presence or absence of hesitations to change attitudes toward the speaker's message. The results are discussed in terms of their importance for the persuasive impact of powerful and powerless speech styles and their implications for expectancy violation theory as an explanation for power of speech style effects.
All-terrain vehicle legislation for children: a comparison of a state with and a state without a helmet law

Background. All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) continue to be a source of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population despite recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics that children Objective. To assess the effectiveness of ATV regulations for children on serious injuries by comparing ATV-related admissions to level I and II trauma hospitals in a state with and a state without ATV regulations. Design. Ecologic study. Patients. Children Outcome Measures. Injury types and cause of death were examined for all children. Comparisons were made by state (Pennsylvania [regulated] and North Carolina [unregulated]) for patterns of injury, place of injury, helmet use, and death. Results. There were 1080 children identified in the trauma registries between January 1997 and July 2000. Forty-four percent required intensive care. Head injuries were the primary cause of death (45.7%). Fewer North Carolina children than Pennsylvania children (16.7% vs 35.8%) wore helmets, and they were more likely to be Conclusions. Living in Pennsylvania was associated with decreased risk factors for ATV injury such as young age and riding unhelmeted. However, despite regulations, many children suffered serious morbidity and mortality. These data support the recommendation that children
Evolving coordinated spatial tactics for autonomous entities using influence maps

We evolve tactical control for entity groups in a naval real-time strategy game. Since tactical maneuvering involves spatial reasoning, our evolutionary algorithm evolves a set of influence maps that help specify an entity's spatial objectives. The entity then uses the A* route finding algorithm to generate waypoints according to the influence map, and follows them to achieve spatial objectives. Using this representation, our evolutionary algorithm quickly evolves increasingly better capture-the-flag tactics on three increasingly difficult maps. These preliminary results indicate (1) the usefulness of our particular influence map encoding for representing spatially resolved tactics and (2) the potential for using co-evolution to generate increasingly complex and competent tactics in our game. More generally, this work represents another step in our ongoing effort to investigate the co-evolution of competent game players in a real-time, continuous, environment that does not assume complete knowledge of the game state.
Synthesis and Antiallergenic Properties of 3-n-Pentadecyl- and 3-n-Heptadecylcatechol Esters

A synthetic procedure is described for the preparation of 3-n-pentadecyl- and 3-n-heptadecylcatechols and their acetate and alaninate esters. The Wittig reagent prepared from 2,3-dimethoxybenzyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (III) was coupled with 1-tetradecanal or 1-hexadecanal to give the olefins IV and V, respectively. Catalytic reduction of IV and V followed by demethylation with boron tribromide afforded VIII and IX. The acetates were prepared using acetic anhydride and pyridine, while the alaninates were prepared using N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-L-alanine and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide followed by remova of the tert-butoxycarbonyl group with hydrogen chloride gas. The esters were active in guinea pigs in the production of tolerance and desensitization or hyposensitization to poison ivy-type contact dermatitis.
Silicon waveguided components for the long-wave infrared region*

We propose that the operational wavelength of waveguided Si-based photonic integrated circuits and optoelectronic integrated circuits can be extended beyond the 1.55 µ mt elecom range into the wide infrared from 1.55 to 100 µm. The Si rib-membrane waveguide offers low-loss transmission from 1.2 t o6 µ ma nd from 2 4t o 100µm. This waveguide, which is compatible with Si microelectronics manufacturing, is constructed from silicon-on-insulator by etching away the oxide locally beneath the rib. Alternatively, low-loss waveguiding from 1.9 to 14.7 µ mi s assured by employing a crystal Ge rib grown directly upon the Si substrate. The Si-based hollow-core waveguide is an excellent device that minimizes loss due to silicon’s 6–24 µ mm ulti-phonon absorption. Here the rectangular air-filled core is surrounded by SiGe/Si multi-layer anti-resonant or Bragg claddings. The hollow channel offers less than 1. 7d B cm −1 loss from 1.2 to 100 µm.
On the ill-posedness of certain vehicular platoon control problems

We revisit the vehicular platoon control problems formulated by Levine and Athans and Melzer and Kuo. We show that in each case, these formulations are effectively ill-posed. Specifically, we demonstrate that in the first formulation, the system's stabilizability degrades as the size of the platoon increases, and that the system loses stabilizability in the limit of an infinite number of vehicles. We show that in the LQR formulation of Melzer and Kuo, the performance index is not detectable, leading to nonstabilizing optimal feedbacks. Effectively, these closed-loop systems do not have a uniform bound on the time constants of all vehicles. For the case of infinite platoons, these difficulties are easily exhibited using the theory of spatially invariant systems. We argue that the infinite case is a useful paradigm to understand large platoons. To this end, we illustrate how stabilizability and detectability degrade as functions of a finite platoon size, implying that the infinite case is an idealized limit of the large, but finite case. Finally, we show how to pose H/sub 2/ and H/sub /spl infin// versions of these problems where the detectability and stabilizability issues are easily seen, and suggest a well-posed alternative formulation based on penalizing absolute positions errors in addition to relative ones.
From Drafter to Engineer, Doctor to Nurse An Examination of Career Compromise as Renegotiated by Working-Class Adults Over Time

This article explored career compromise as negotiated by working-class adults pursuing science-related careers. Using a multiple case study method, we focused on eight individuals who participated in an interview about their career choices and then were followed longitudinally for 2 years. All participants were first-generation college students from working-class families and, at the start of the study, were enrolled at a community college. The results highlight key factors that influenced initial compromises including time and financial constraints, family obligations, and lacking requisite skills. In addition, renegotiations of initial career compromises were sparked by plateaus at work, role models, wanting more money, and having limited time. An extended window of time and financial resources were critical for sustained college pursuit 2 years later. Implications for career development initiatives are discussed.
The flagellar filament protein

The flagellar filament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452 Flagella isolation and composition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,452 Serological analyses of flagella. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,453 Properties of flagellins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,454 Concludingremarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
Whites See Racism as a Zero-Sum Game That They Are Now Losing

Although some have heralded recent political and cultural developments as signaling the arrival of a postracial era in America, several legal and social controversies regarding ‘‘reverse racism’’ highlight Whites’ increasing concern about anti-White bias. We show that this emerging belief reflects Whites’ view of racism as a zero-sum game, such that decreases in perceived bias against Blacks over the past six decades are associated with increases in perceived bias against Whites—a relationship not observed in Blacks’ perceptions. Moreover, these changes in Whites’ conceptions of racism are extreme enough that Whites have now come to view anti-White bias as a bigger societal problem than anti-Black bias.
Toward a Geography of “Religion”: Mapping the Distribution of an Unstable Signifier

Abstract Recent religious studies scholarship has examined the historical and cultural variability by which “religion” and “the sacred” have been constructed by scholars and by the public. This article argues that geographers of religion must take these deconstructive arguments to heart. Rather than assuming there is a universal feature of human life called “religion,” the author argues that the religious and the sacred should be studied by geographers as ways of distributing particular kinds of significance across geographic spaces. Rooted in modern distinctions of religious/secular and sacred/profane and in the Enlightenment urge to classify, constructs of religion are efforts to demarcate, purify, and territorialize. Postmodernization exacerbates the individualization of religion but also destabilizes the boundary between the sacred and the profane. If religion is, to paraphrase Michel Foucault, a “recent invention” that, with a shift in structural relations, might “be erased, like a face drawn in sand...
Loin pain hematuria syndrome: Pain relief with intrathecal morphine

Loin pain hematuria syndrome (LPHS) is characterized by hematuria and incapacitating loin pain. The pain experienced with LPHS is, in general, extremely difficult to treat. Many surgical and pharmacologic therapies have been directed at LPHS pain without success. This report documents successful pain control in a patient with LPHS using long-term intrathecal morphine delivered via an implantable pump. Intrathecal narcotic therapy may provide pain relief for the chronic pain of LPHS.
Unfavorable successional pathways and the conservation value of logged tropical forest

Conservation agencies are increasingly advocating that the survival of many tropical forest species may depend on disturbed forests and are directing scarce conservation resources to managing logged forests. This requires critical evaluation. In this 10-year study, we quantify tree community dynamics in three selectively logged areas harvested at different intensities and compare their recovery to two unlogged areas in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Over the 10 years, 527 of the original 4840 tagged trees (� 10 cm DBH) died; while the mortality rate was highest in the heavily logged area, it was only significantly greater than one of the unlogged sites. The density of new trees varied significantly among areas being highest in the lightly logged area, but the density of new recruits in the heavily logged area did not differ from the unlogged areas. Overall, the more heavily logged areas had higher growth rates than the unlogged or lightly logged areas. However, there was no difference among areas in the magnitude of the change in basal area; and in both 1990 (20+ years post-harvest) and 2000 the basal area in the heavily logged area was significantly less than the unlogged areas. In general, findings from the heavily logged area suggest that the ex- pectation that in logged areas a number of processes of forest regeneration will be accelerated relative to unlogged forest was not met. Thus, 30+ years after logging evidence suggests that forest recovery will be slower than expected. We also present evidence to suggest that the climate in the region is changing, which may account for changes in the population dynamics of certain species in the unlogged forests.
Expression of bcl-2 in reactive and neoplastic astrocytes: lack of correlation with presence or degree of malignancy

The bcl-2 protooncogene encodes a 26-kD protein that extends cell survival by blocking apoptosis. This protein has been found to be overexpressed in neoplastic neural cell lines, although its expression in reactive and neoplastic astrocytes in vivo has not been well characterized. The authors hypothesized that bcl-2 oncoprotein expression in gliomas might be positively correlated with the tumor's degree of malignancy. Sixty-three gliomas of various subtypes and histological grades were immunostained by bcl-2 protein and the percentage of positive cells was quantitatively assessed. All tumors contained neoplastic cells that were immunoreactive for the bcl-2 protein (range of cell positivity 1%-53%). It was found that bcl-2 expression did not vary significantly as a function of tumor subtype or grade (p < 0.1, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on ranks) as compared to the cell proliferation marker Ki-67 (MIB-1) in which a very significant correlation with tumor grade was noted (p < 0.0000001, one-way ANOVA on ranks). In fact, the highest percentage of bcl-2 immunoreactive cells was noted in low-grade gliomas, that is, in juvenile pilocytic astrocytomas and oligoastrocytomas. The specificity of bcl-2 overexpression was also assessed in 10 nonneoplastic lesions associated with prominent reactive astrocytosis. In nine of these cases (90%), bcl-2-positive reactive astrocytes were observed, often in large numbers, whereas relatively few Ki-67 immunoreactive cells were noted. The authors conclude that bcl-2 oncoprotein expression as assessed immunohistochemically does not correlate with glial tumor type or grade and its overexpression is not confined only to neoplastic conditions. Instead, the finding of robust bcl-2 expression in low-grade glial tumors and in reactive astrocytes warrants the inference that resistance to apoptosis is a nonspecific finding in astrocytes associated with both reactive and neoplastic conditions.
Enabling a Genetically Informed Approach to Cancer Medicine: A Retrospective Evaluation of the Impact of Comprehensive Tumor Profiling Using a Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Panel

Background. Oncogenic genetic alterations“drive”neoplastic cell proliferation. Small molecule inhibitors and antibodiesarebeingdevelopedthattargetanincreasingnumber ofthesealteredgeneproducts.Next-generationsequencing (NGS) is a powerful tool to identify tumor-specific genetic changes. To determine the clinical impact of extensive genetic analysis, we reviewed our experience using a targeted NGS platform (FoundationOne) in advanced cancer patients. Patients and Methods.We retrospectively assessed demographics, NGS results, and therapies received for patients undergoing targeted NGS (exonic sequencing of 236 genes and selective intronic sequencing from 19 genes) between April 2012 and August 2013. Coprimary endpoints were the percentage of patients with targeted therapy options uncovered by mutational profiling and the percentage who received genotype-directed therapy. Results. Samples from 103 patients were tested, most frequentlybreastcarcinoma(26%),headandneckcancers(23%), and melanoma (10%). Most patients (83%) were found to harbor potentially actionable genetic alterations, involving cell-cycle regulation (44%), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-AKT (31%), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (19%) pathways. Withmedianfollow-upof4.1months,21%receivedgenotypedirected treatments, most in clinical trials (61%), leading to significantbenefitinseveralcases.Themostcommonreasons for not receiving genotype-directedtherapywereselection of standard therapy (35%) and clinical deterioration (13%). Conclusion. Mutational profiling using a targeted NGS panel identified potentially actionable alterations in a majority of advanced cancer patients. The assay identified additional therapeuticoptionsandfacilitatedclinicaltrialenrollment.As timeprogresses,NGSresultswillbeusedtoguidetherapyinan increasingproportionofpatients.TheOncologist2014;19:1–7 ImplicationsforPractice:Targetednext-generationsequencing(NGS)identifiesgeneticalterationsthatmayconfersensitivityto approved and experimental targeted therapies in advanced cancer.The authors reviewed their experience with a targeted NGS assay and identified potentially actionable genetic alterations in 83% of tumors, with 21% of these patients receiving genotypedirectedtherapy.ThisstudyhighlightsthepromiseoftargetedNGSforidentifyingactionablegeneticalterations,facilitatingclinical
Plasticity in PYD assembly revealed by cryo-EM structure of the PYD filament of AIM2

Absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) is an essential cytosolic double-stranded DNA receptor that assembles with the adaptor, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), and caspase-1 to form the AIM2 inflammasome, which leads to proteolytic maturation of cytokines and pyroptotic cell death. AIM2 contains an N-terminal Pyrin domain (PYD) that interacts with ASC through PYD/PYD interactions and nucleates ASCPYD filament formation. To elucidate the molecular basis of AIM2-induced ASCPYD polymerization, we generated AIM2PYD filaments fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) and determined its cryo-electron microscopic (cryo-EM) structure. The map showed distinct definition of helices, allowing fitting of the crystal structure. Surprisingly, the GFP-AIM2PYD filament is a 1-start helix with helical parameters distinct from those of the 3-start ASCPYD filament. However, despite the apparent symmetry difference, helical net and detailed interface analyses reveal minimal changes in subunit packing. GFP-AIM2PYD nucleated ASCPYD filament formation in comparable efficiency as untagged AIM2PYD, suggesting assembly plasticity in both AIM2PYD and ASCPYD. The DNA-binding domain of AIM2 is able to form AIM2/DNA filaments, within which the AIM2PYD is brought into proximity to template ASCPYD filament assembly. Because ASC is able to interact with many PYD-containing receptors for the formation of inflammasomes, the observed structural plasticity may be critically important for this versatility in the PYD/PYD interactions.
Threshold behaviour of 3-body partial-wave amplitudes - II

The threshold behaviour of 3-body production processes is examined in potential theory. We use a decomposition into states with total angular momentumJ and componentM along a body-fixed axis. We shall treat in detail all possible limits for the momentap iof the final-state particles going to zero. Due to an unnoticed identity the results of a previous paper are altered. We shall also treat here the nonleading terms.
The Guilt of Hollow Men: Global Warming as Postmodern Apocalypse

Our traditional moral system will continue to lose authority with the rate of change likely accelerating. This is caused by secularism , which removes the ground from moral interdicts. The rate of change will accelerate as multicultural mixing of peoples denaturalizes moral conventions. One result will be what T. S. Eliot called “hollow men ” who do not live under judgment. As Irving Babbitt and Philip Rieff argue, traditional inner life requires moral striving, guilt, fear, and gratitude, all of which are attenuated in our humanitarian and therapeutic society. Traditional morality is being replaced by ethics and personal guilt by social guilt over stolen privilege . This is not felt for personal failings, but, as Kenneth Minogue argues, for occupying a privileged place in what is perceived to be an exploitative system. This guilt is expiated by working to overturn the system and institute social and environmental justice. Whether or not global warming is occurring, persons suffering from the social guilt over stolen privilege need to believe that it is occurring. Global warming is for them a literal apocalypse, a vision of the end of the world as we know it, in which a time of tribulation ushers in a new age of social and environmental justice.
The Upstream Problem in Constitutionalism

Scholars possess three basic approaches to studying constitutions. The first is known as the midstream perspective, the second as the downstream perspective, and the third as the upstream perspective in constitutionalism. Each of these perspectives enhances our understanding of constitutions in a different way. Midstream approaches to constitutionalism focus on a constitution’s existing written provisions. These are studied and interpreted in the present and applied to resolving a specific ongoing conflict. Lawyers and judges study constitutions from the midstream perspective. Downstream approaches focus on understanding a constitution’s effects at a later point in time. Scholars who work in this tradition are interested in how constitutions impact politics, the economy, or some other aspect of society. The downstream perspective often looks at constitutions on a macro scale, comparing different constitutions with one another. Social scientists study constitutions from the downstream perspective. The upstream perspective, meanwhile, focuses on understanding how constitutions are created in the first place. Instead of examining how constitutions affect society, scholars who study constitutions from the upstream perspective are interested in examining the influence of society on the constitution. In the past, historical scholarship has been most closely associated with the upstream perspective.While each of these approaches to understanding constitutions has its merits, the upstream perspective remains the most heavily neglected. Examining a constitution from the upstream perspective involves determining the factors that shaped that constitution in the first place. Yet it turns out that we possess few robust theories of constitution-making. Most of the existing upstream literature is comprised of single-case studies, and the scholars who have worked in this tradition have not traditionally sought to explain how new constitutions take shape with any kind of broad theoretical lens. This article seeks to reorient our approach to the study of constitutions and to advance a new understanding of how constitution-making should be understood. It attempts to contribute to our knowledge of the world’s constitutions by providing a new perspective on how constitutions come into existence. The author urges scholars to pay much closer attention to the choices that constitutional framers make, and ultimately to re-examine how we incorporate constitution-making into our overall study of the world's constitutions.
Voices in the Margins: Representation in Anti-Poverty Policy Battles

As states continue to innovate in the post- welfare reform universe, questions of representation remain. What groups participate in these new policy making processes? Do groups caught in the margins, such as low-income communities of color, receive representation in these policy battles? This paper assesses advocacy on behalf of the poor during national and state-level deliberations on anti-poverty policy. First, this paper establishes the dearth of advocacy voices at the national level in welfare reform policymaking. Analysis of congressional hearings and testimony concerning the 1996 welfare overhaul and the 2005 renewal demonstrate that governmental organizations are frequently asked to testify, while few citizen advocacy groups, and none specifically representing the poor generally, are engaged by the US Congress. Secondly, this paper examines two states in which new anti-poverty plans and initiatives are pending: Alabama and Illinois. Whose voices are being heard at the state level? Are marginalized groups among people living in poverty, such as people of color, being heard? Analysis of hearings, interviews with staff of local organizations, and media coverage provide evidence of the involvement of advocates at the state level.
Cadaveric study of anterior and posterior elbow endoscopy portals for endoscopic distal biceps repair: comparative anatomy-at-risk

The purpose of this study was to describe neurovascular structures-at-risk during establishment of five portals for access to distal biceps tendon (DBT) in cubital fossa, and to establish relative safety of these portal sites for such access. We hypothesized that all five portals are safe for endoscopic DBT exploration. Ten fresh frozen cadaveric elbows were dissected after placement of portals at five potential sites (four anterior, one posterior). Nine neurovascular structures (CV, cephalic vein; LCN, lateral cutaneous nerve; LV, leash of vessels; RN, radial nerve; SRN, superficial radial nerve; PIN, posterior interosseous nerve; RA, radial artery; BA, brachial artery; MN, median nerve) were dissected, and their distances from portal sites were measured. Statistical analysis was performed to determine relative portal safety, and risk of injury to neurovascular structures in relation to each portal was analyzed. Structures that were significantly “at risk” were RA (p = 0.006), SRN (p = 0.002), and PIN (p = 0.004). RA was significantly “at risk” of injury from portal 4 (p = 0.009). Similarly, SRN was “at risk” from portal 3 (p = 0.036), and the PIN was “at risk” from portal 2 (p = 0.003). Portal 1 (parabiceps portal) was safe for all neurovascular structures, however, portals 2–4 were significantly closer to neurovascular structures. RA, SRN, and PIN were significantly “at risk” as compared to other structures amongst the portals studied. Portal 5 was relatively safe for SRN and PIN. Portals 1 (parabiceps portal) and 5 (distal posterior) can be safely placed for endoscopic access to the DBT. Portal 4 (open distal anterior) may be used after careful open dissection and under direct vision. Portals 2 and 3 are not recommended for elbow endoscopy.
Alkane lengths determine encapsulation rates and equilibria.

A cylindrical capsule provides an environment for straight-chain alkanes that can properly fill the space through extended or compressed conformations. The encapsulation rates of a series of alkanes were examined and found to be dependent on guest length: the rates of uptake are C9 > C10 > C11, while complex stability is in the reverse order, C11 > C10 > C9. Direct competition experiments, pairwise or between all 3 alkanes, maintain this order as the longer alkanes sequentially displace the shorter ones. The distribution of species with time provides a clock for this complex system, which combines elements of self-sorting phenomena and dynamic combinatorial chemistry. The clock can be stopped by replacing the alkanes with the superior guest 4,4′-dimethylazobenzene, then restarted by irradiation.
An interesting case of straight back syndrome and review of the literature

Straight back syndrome is characterized by loss of the normal upper thoracic kyphosis, leading to a reduced anteroposterior diameter and squashing of the heart. Most patients are asymptomatic; if symptomatic, chest pain and palpitations are most common. On examination, the abnormal clinical findings simulate organic heart disease that needs to be ruled out by echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. A lateral chest radiograph is diagnostic. This condition is commonly associated with mitral valve prolapse and bicuspid aortic valve. We describe an interesting case of straight back syndrome with all the classic and rarely reported clinical findings.
A Large-Scanning-Angle, Electrothermal SCS Micromirror for Biomedical Imaging

This paper reports a 1mm-by-1mm single-crystal silicon (SCS)-based aluminum-coated micromirror (Fig. 1) that rotates 36° at a 7.5 mA d.c. current. Large, flat micromirrors with large scanning angles are required by applications such as medical imaging and interferometer systems. SCS micromirrors have been explored because of the manufacturability and flatness of SCS-based microstructures [1,2,3]. A previous SCS micromirror rotated 17° at 15 mA (d.c.) [3]. However, the buckling of the employed bimorph mesh structure resulted in a discontinuity in the angle versus current curve, which limited the usable scanning range to about 5°. From FEM simulation (Coventorware) we found that the orientation of the embedded poly-silicon resistor significantly changes the temperature behavior of the micromirror. Fig. 2 illustrates the difference between a previous design and the new design. The new design (Fig. 2(c)) has a transversely oriented serpentine poly-silicon resistor to obtain uniform heating along the transverse direction. This results in a continuous response curve (Fig. 2), and an even larger rotation angle. The micromirror is fabricated using deep reactive-ion-etch (DRIE) CMOS-MEMS processing [4].
Study of 173 Hf Levels Populated in the Decay of 173 Ta

The decay of $^{173}\mathrm{Ta}$ was studied using high resolution Ge(Li), Si(Li), and Si surface-barrier detectors in singles and coincidence modes. The $^{173}\mathrm{Ta}$ activity was produced via the reaction $^{165}\mathrm{Ho}(^{12}\mathrm{C}, 4n)^{173}\mathrm{Ta}$, at a carbon beam energy of 6.3-6.9 MeV per nucleon. All spectra were obtained from chemically separated Ta sources. Besides the previously known energy levels of $^{173}\mathrm{Hf}$, the following levels in keV were determined: 255.5, 451.9, 508.9, 635.8, 775.5, 785.3, 811.7, 927.5, 942.5, 1020.3, 1111.4, 1127.0, 1192.8, 1248.3, 1450.0, 1574.2, 1655.6, 1667.1, 1694.3, and 2263.3. Rotational bands based on the ${(\frac{1}{2})}^{\ensuremath{-}}[521]$ (g.s.), ${(\frac{5}{2})}^{\ensuremath{-}}[512]$ (107.2 keV), and ${(\frac{7}{2})}^{+}[633]$ (197.5 keV) Nilsson states were observed. The half-lives of the ${(\frac{5}{2})}^{\ensuremath{-}}[512]$ and the ${(\frac{1}{2})}^{+}[633]$ band heads were determined to be (182\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}20) nsec and (160\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}40) nsec, respectively. The probability of the radiative $E1$ transition between the [633] and [512] band heads was calculated within the framework of Nilsson model including the pairing and Coriolis interactions. From measurement of the ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+}$ end-point energy, the mass difference between $^{173}\mathrm{Ta}$ and $^{173}\mathrm{Hf}$ was determined to be 3670\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}200 keV.
Effect of mithramycin on kidney transamidinase of C3H mice.

SummaryMithramycin is an antitumor agent known to inhibit the synthesis of RNA and to produce severe renal toxicity. After 3 days of administration of mithramycin to normal mice, there was a significant decrease in kidney transamidinase activities compared to pair-fed control animals. It appears that transamidinase activity is localized in the tubular cells and the loss of enzyme activity is the result of the loss of the integrity of the kidney tubule cells.