cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Barriers Driving Racial Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Screening in African Americans

Colorectal cancer screening has been shown to decrease mortality from colorectal cancer. Screening disparities continue to exist among ethnic minorities, particularly for African Americans. We herein review the barriers of colorectal cancer screening in this population. At its foundation are patient barriers, which are further compounded by physician-related barriers and the idiosyncrasies of the healthcare system. Interventions to address the barriers include patient outreach, provider education, and healthcare legislation addressing financial barriers. Recent research has focused on factors predicting intentions to undergo colorectal cancer screening. Underlying all of the barriers is the systemic racism that affects and influences the healthcare system as much as all other institutions and contributes to inequities in the delivery of effective cancer prevention efforts. Perpetual disparities in CRC screening within the African American community are due to multifactorial barriers from the individual patient to provider and healthcare system and societal influences. An awareness of the behavioral and systemic factors that affect African Americans must underpin efforts to reach full equity in delivering CRC screening to this often medically underserved segment of our society.
Investigating Ferroelectric Minor Loop Dynamics and History Effect—Part I: Device Characterization

Doped HfO2-based ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET) is being actively explored as an emerging nonvolatile memory device with the potential for in-memory computing. In this work, we identify a new challenge of ferroelectric partial switching, namely “history effect” in minor loop dynamics. We develop a testing protocol to experimentally measure different transition paths in both ferroelectric capacitors (FeCap) and 28-nm high- ${k}$ metal-gate (HKMG) FeFET in Part I. The measurement results suggest that the intermediate states programming condition depends on the prior states that the device has gone through, and the condition may vary even when the transition occurs between the same starting and ending states. In Part II, a physics-based phase-field multidomain switching model is used to understand the origin of the history effect.
Silk Hydrogels with Controllable Formation of Dityrosine, 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine, and 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine-Fe3+ Complexes through Chitosan Particle-Assisted Fenton Reactions.

The oxidation of tyrosine residues of silk fibroin involves the generation of dityrosine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). However, it remains a challenge to selectively control the reaction p...
Learning from Team Quizzes in CS2

Collaborative assessments, in which students take an individual assessment and then retake it with peers, are valued by students and contribute to learning. We studied a collaborative assessment technique as part of an instructional strategy called Team-Based Learning (TBL). This environment differs from those of prior studies on collaborative assessments in computing. Specifically, TBL uses teams over informal groups and 'medium-stakes' formative assessment that provides accountability for learning. We asked whether collaborative quizzes contribute to immediate conceptual understanding in CS2 and whether students improve the use of and attitudes toward peer learning over time. In our within-subjects study, we found learning gains on average and with three of five quizzes. We used a self-reported measure of team learning to model improvements in score, but it was not predictive. Looking across quizzes, we found modest evidence of improved learning over time, and by using pre/post semester surveys, we found an improvement in two of three measures of attitude towards peer learning.
Validating bad entity ranking in the Panama Papers via open-source intelligence

The Panama Papers network maintained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) represents a large set of relationships between people, companies, and organizations involved in the creation of offshore companies in tax-haven territories, mainly for hiding their assets. The Panama Papers network includes people or companies that had affairs with the Panamanian offshore law firm Mossack Fonseca, often with the purpose of laundering money. In our previous work, we proposed a ranking algorithm, namely the Suspiciousness Rank Back and Forth (SRBF) algorithm, that, given the Panama Papers network, leverages a blacklist of known bad entities to assign a degree of suspiciousness to each entity in the network. This algorithm proved to be efficient in detecting known bad entities in the Panama Papers, but we were not able to verify the accuracy of the produced entity ranking for non-blacklisted entities. In this paper, we propose to use the open-source intelligence (OSINT) methodology as a modern derivative of classical ethnographic and archaeological research methods that help us in validating with external open source data the ranking result of the Suspiciousness Rank Back and Forth algorithm. More specifically, we conduct a parallel, but independent, investigation using OSINT to assess the claims of SRBF algorithm. We identify positive outcomes from this study, describe current gaps in our process, and propose solutions to the gaps in order to better integrate the OSINT methodology with the SRBF ranking approach.
The Greatest Judge in American History

Review of Richard Brookhiser. John Marshall: The Man Who Made the Supreme Court. Basic Books, 2018.
La cámara que tiembla: sobre el bombardeo al Palacio de La Moneda y algunas imágenes que nos mueven

While the iconic images of the bombardment of La Moneda Palace on September 11, 1973 have been relentlessly reproduced and revisited in fiction and nonfiction film, to the point they have become the “burden of representation” of Chilean cinema, there are other images from that day that have been scarcely seen. This article seeks to reflect about the affective dimension of archival images, looking at the “raw” footage registered by the journalist Juan Angel Torti the same day of the military coup. Torti donated his piece to the Cineteca Nacional de Chile in 2010 and its 13min. length are reproduced entirely in La conciencia de golpe (Manlio Helena-Urzua, 2009, 45min.) a documentary made by a film student. The article suggests that due to the distance inscribed in Torti’s footage by the shaking camera, the impressive ellipsis of the document (notably, the absence of La Moneda in flames and the lack of images for the day after the bombardment) – as well its material qualities (16mm, color, no sound), this footage provides little information, yet constitutes today a profoundly affective experience of the past.
Supervision and Professional Development in Child Welfare

This chapter discusses the importance of clinical supervision in child welfare practice and will highlight ways that supervisors and child welfare workers and other professionals can best structure and benefit from clinical supervision. It describes effective models of strengths-based supervision and how to enhance supervision interactions and its impact on family-centered practice and other child welfare practice outcomes. This chapter also outlines strategies and planning in professional development for child welfare professionals, including various issues related to promoting self-care, professional development (education and training), legal and ethical issues, licensing, and ensuring child welfare practitioner safety at home and on the job. The chapter discusses issues related to longevity, burnout and secondary traumatic stress, job satisfaction, retention, and professional goals and what the research says about promoting healthy personal and professional practices for child welfare professionals.
Editorial: preface to the special issue on embodied cognition and technology for learning

In this preface to the special issue on embodied cognition and technology for learning, we begin with a brief overview of embodied cognition. We then provide a summary of the papers included in this special issue, noting the features of each paper that make a unique contribution to the special issue topic. Finally, we close by considering the questions and future directions for research on embodied cognition and technology that the special issue offers.
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF SOIL-MOISTURE SYSTEMS

Soil-moisture systems are analyzed using a numerical technique and a digital computer. The technique is applicable to unsteady-flow systems in non-homogeneous soils. Variable initial and boundary conditions may be considered. Nonlinear multivalued relationships between matrix moisture content, capillary potential, and hydraulic conductivity may be incorporated. The method is applicable in theory to one-, two-, or three-dimensional systems. It is applied herein to a one-dimensional unsteady-flow system. The method is used to study the effects of evaporation and soil-moisture hysteresis on a draining mass of infiltrated rainfall.
Combustion Dynamics and Control for Ultra Low Emissions in Aircraft Gas-Turbine Engines

Future aircraft engines must provide ultra-low emissions and high efficiency at low cost while maintaining the reliability and operability of present day engines. The demands for increased performance and decreased emissions have resulted in advanced combustor designs that are critically dependent on efficient fuel/air mixing and lean operation. However, all combustors, but most notably lean-burning low-emissions combustors, are susceptible to combustion instabilities. These instabilities are typically caused by the interaction of the fluctuating heat release of the combustion process with naturally occurring acoustic resonances. These interactions can produce large pressure oscillations within the combustor and can reduce component life and potentially lead to premature mechanical failures. Active Combustion Control which consists of feedback-based control of the fuel-air mixing process can provide an approach to achieving acceptable combustor dynamic behavior while minimizing emissions, and thus can provide flexibility during the combustor design process. The NASA Glenn Active Combustion Control Technology activity aims to demonstrate active control in a realistic environment relevant to aircraft engines by providing experiments tied to aircraft gas turbine combustors. The intent is to allow the technology maturity of active combustion control to advance to eventual demonstration in an engine environment. Work at NASA Glenn has shown that active combustion control, utilizing advanced algorithms working through high frequency fuel actuation, can effectively suppress instabilities in a combustor which emulates the instabilities found in an aircraft gas turbine engine. Current efforts are aimed at extending these active control technologies to advanced ultra-low-emissions combustors such as those employing multi-point lean direct injection.
Paradigms of Denotational Mathematics for Cognitive Informatics and Cognitive Computing

The abstract, rigorous, and expressive needs in cognitive informatics, intelligence science, software science, and knowledge science lead to new forms of mathematics collectively known as denotational mathematics. Denotational mathematics is a category of expressive mathematical structures that deals with high level mathematical entities beyond numbers and sets, such as abstract objects, complex relations, behavioral information, concepts, knowledge, processes, and systems. Denotational mathematics is usually in the form of abstract algebra that is a branch of mathematics in which a system of abstract notations is adopted to denote relations of abstract mathematical entities and their algebraic operations based on given axioms and laws. Four paradigms of denotational mathematics, known as concept algebra, system algebra, Real-Time Process Algebra (RTPA), and Visual Semantic Algebra (VSA), are introduced in this paper. Applications of denotational mathematics in cognitive informatics and computational intelligence are elaborated. Denotational mathematics is widely applicable to model and manipulate complex architectures and behaviors of both humans and intelligent systems, as well as long chains of inference processes.
The unquiet ice.

The article explains that due to global warming, the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica can potentially migrate into the sea, raising water levels globally. As global temperatures have increased, liquid water has built up below the ice sheets and could act as the lubrication that the ice sheets need to slip into the ocean. INSETS: World's Greatest Ice Sheets;Inundation from the Ice Sheets;THE BREAKUP OF LARSEN B;INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR
Inhibition of HeLa cell protein synthesis during adenovirus infection. Restriction of cellular messenger RNA sequences to the nucleus.

The mechanism by which adenovirus type 2 inhibits HeLa cell protein synthesis has been investigated by a quantitative analysis of the synthesis and metabolism of cellular and viral hnRNA† sequences. By the time labeling of cellular proteins is maximally inhibited, 16 hours following adenovirus infection under the conditions we have used, all of the newly made messenger RNA sequences reaching the cytoplasm are viral-specific. Thus, the gradual shift from translation of cellular to translation of viral mRNA species that begins following entry of adenovirus-infected cells into the late phase of the productive cycle, can probably be explained simply by competition between the two types of mRNA for available ribosomes. In order to investigate the mechanism(s) by which adenovirus infection exerts this dramatic change in the biogenesis of HeLa cellular mRNA sequences, the hnRNA fraction has been isolated quantitatively from infected cells after pulselabeling or a pulse-chase. Cellular and viral transcripts were then distinguished by hybridization to viral DNA. The results of these experiments reveal that the rate of synthesis of cellular hnRNA sequences remains constant throughout the course of adenovirus type 2 infection. Moreover, poly(A) is apparently added normally to cellular hnRNA sequences synthesized during the late phase of productive adenovirus infection. This newly synthesized, poly(A)-containing hnRNA cannot be distinguished from the corresponding fraction isolated from mockinfected cells by hybridization to cDNA prepared using uninfected HeLa cell, cytoplasmic, poly(A)-containing RNA as template: it also appears to be metabolized with kinetics similar to those observed in uninfected cells.
What Controls the Timing of Striatal Spiny Cell Action Potentials in the Up State

The excitatory and inhibitory components of synaptic conductance in the Up state of the striatal spiny neuron were studied in cells whose voltage-sensitive ion channels were blocked by intracellular application of cesium, QX-314, and D-890. The Up state was driven by a large synaptic conductance, ranging from 13 to 46 nS. From the reversal potential of the Up and Down states, it was possible to estimate the relative contribution of the excitatory and inhibitory conductance components as 85–67% and 15–33%, respectively. The frequency spectra of the membrane fluctuations produced by excitation and inhibition were estimated by holding the cells far from or near to the reversal potential for excitatory synaptic transmission. The spectrum for excitation was dominated by slow components, interpreted as the time course of correlations among cortical neurons. The spectrum for inhibition exhibited high-frequency components in the gamma range, not present in the excitatory input. Action potentials in the Up state were triggered from fast membrane potential events, whose time course matched that of inhibitory fluctuations rather than excitatory ones. It was proposed that the timing of action potentials is controlled by disinhibition events, perhaps arising from the pallido-striatal pathway.
The Levels of Speech Usage rating scale: comparison of client self-ratings with speech pathologist ratings.

Abstract Background: The term ‘speech usage’ refers to what people want or need to do with their speech to fulfil the communication demands in their life roles. Speech–language pathologists (SLPs) need to know about clients’ speech usage to plan appropriate interventions to meet their life participation goals. The Levels of Speech Usage is a categorical scale intended for client self-report of speech usage, but SLPs may want the option to use it as a proxy-report tool. The relationship between self-report and clinician ratings should be examined before the instrument is used in a proxy format. Aims: The primary purpose of this study was to compare client self-ratings with SLP ratings on the Levels of Speech Usage scale. The secondary purpose was to determine if the SLP ratings differed depending on whether or not the SLPs knew about the clients’ medical condition. Methods & Procedures: Self-ratings of adults with communication disorders on the Levels of Speech Usage scale were available from prior research. Vignettes about these individuals were created from existing data. Two sets of vignettes were created. One set contained information about demographic information, living situation, occupational status and hobbies or social activities. The second set was identical to the first with the addition of information about the clients’ medical conditions and communication disorders. Various communication disorders were represented including dysarthria, voice disorders, laryngectomy, and mild cognitive and language disorders. Sixty SLPs were randomly divided into two groups with each group rating one set of vignettes. The task was completed online. While this does not replicate typical in-person clinical interactions, it was a feasible method for this study. For data analysis, the client self-ratings were considered fixed points and the percentage of SLP ratings in agreement with the self-ratings was calculated. Outcomes & Results: The percentage of SLP ratings in exact agreement with client self-ratings was 44.9%. Agreement was lowest for the less-demanding speech usage categories and highest for the most demanding usage category. There was no significant difference between the two groups of SLPs based on knowledge of medical condition. Conclusions & Implications: SLPs often need to document the speech usage levels of clients. This study suggests the potential for SLPs to misjudge how clients see their own speech demands. Further research is needed to determine if similar results would be found in actual clinical interactions. Until then, SLPs should seek the input of their clients when using this instrument.
Effect of fish oil n-3 fatty acids on cerebral microcirculation

Dietary fish oil containing the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6) is being consumed by many individuals in an effort to reduce t...
Signaling the omission of a response-contingent outcome reduces discriminative control

The effect of training a positive discriminative stimulus (S+ ) as a signal for the nonreinforcement of an instrumental response (S−) on the ability of that stimulus to evoke its original instrumental response was examined in three experiments using rats. In all three experiments, two different stimuli were established as S+s for different response-outcome relations. In Experiment 1, an S+ was less effective in controlling its original response after it had undergone training as an S− for a new response that earned the same outcome than it was after training as an S− for a response that earned a different outcome. Experiment 2 established that this effect was not mediated by Pavlovian inhibitory conditioning produced by the negative correlation between the S+ and the outcome during S− training. Simply arranging a negative correlation between S+ and the outcome whose occurrence it had previously signaled did not impair the ability of that S+ to elicit its original response. In Experiment 3, the response-evoking properties of an S+ were found to be undermined by using the S+ as a signal for the simple extinction of a new response trained with the same outcome, but not with a different outcome. These results suggest that positive discriminative stimuli use their associations with the outcomes earned in their presence to control the responses that earned those outcomes.
Measuring outcome after severe TBI

AbstractObjectives: To review current scales for measuring outcome following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and discuss changes in the types and use of these scales for the purposes of facilitating comparative effectiveness research.Methods: Functional, psychosocial/neurocognitive, and quality of life (QOL) scales used for assessing outcome following TBI are presented, along with the limitations of each. Core common data element scales are noted, and parametric, preference-based scales for performing comparative effectiveness research are discussed.Results: Many of the common outcome scales used in TBI research, including the Glasgow outcome scale (GOS), are functional measures. The emotional, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of recovery are increasingly recognised, and metrics assessing these domains are becoming more common. Quality of life scales, which can be either directly used or translated into parametric preference-based indices for comparative effectiveness research are important for assessing ...
Phylogenetic revision of the claudin gene family.

Abstract Claudins are four-transmembrane proteins acting to collectively regulate paracellular movement of water and ions across cellular tight junctions in vertebrate tissues. Despite the prominence of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a developmental model and the existence of an annotated genome, the diversity and evolutionary history of these claudins, with respect to other vertebrate groups, is poorly described. In this study, we identify 54 zebrafish claudins, including 24 that were previously unreported, and infer homology of the encoded polypeptide sequences with other vertebrate claudin groups using Bayesian phylogenetic analysis. In this analysis, 197 vertebrate claudin and claudin-like proteins were classified into discrete ‘superclades’ of related proteins. Based on these groupings, an interim reclassification is proposed, which will resolve ambiguity in the present nomenclature of several vertebrate models. Fifty-two of the 54 identified claudins were detected in cDNA preparations from whole, adult zebrafish, and 43 exhibited distinct tissue expression profiles. Despite prolific expansion of the claudin gene family in teleost genomes, these claudins can still be broadly separated into two functional groups: (1) “classic” claudins that characteristically contain an equal number of opposing, charged residues in the first extracellular loop (ECL1) and (2) “non-classic” claudins that typically have an ECL1 containing a variable number of charged residues. Functional analysis of these groups indicates that ‘classic’ claudins may act to reduce overall paracellular permeability to water and dissolved ions, whereas ‘non-classic’ claudins may constitute pores that facilitate selective ion permeability.
The Comparative Potency of Hydrocortisone Analogs in Suppressing Growth of Hair in the Rat12

Whitaker and Baker (1, 2) have demonstrated that naturally-occurring adrenocortical steroids induce local inhibition in growth of hair in the rat when applied directly to the skin. They showed also that the descending order of effectiveness of these compounds is hydrocortisone, cortisone, corticosterone, 11-dehydrocorti-costerone and 11-desoxycorticosterone (3). With the objective of finding a still more potent compound, several analogs of hydrocortisone have been compared with respect to their capacity to suppress growth of hair. The results are reported herein.
Comparison of naïve and expert subjects in the assessment of small color differences

Determination of the role of subject experience in the development of accurate color difference formulas is of potentially critical concern. As part of a larger multivariable experiment investigating the minimum inter- and intra-subject variability possible among a set of subjects, a study was conducted to compare the performance of 25 novice versus 25 expert visual assessors for a set of 27 pairs of colored textile samples using a controlled psychophysical method and several statistical techniques including t-test, ANOVA, and Standardized Residual Sum of Squares (STRESS) functions. Experts exhibited approximately 43% higher visual difference ratings than novice subjects when assessing sample pairs having small color differences. In addition, a statistically significant difference at the 95% confidence level was found between the judgments made by novice and expert assessors. According to the STRESS function, however, CMC(1:1) and CIEDE2000(1:1) color difference formulas do not show a significant difference in performance when the visual data from either group of subjects are compared.
Comparative cytology of the oral cavities of snuff users.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of smokeless tobacco (snuff) on the epithelium of the oral cavity. STUDY DESIGN: Cytologic smears were taken from the oral cavities of 22 snuff users and 19 control subjects. The samples were stained with the Papanicolaou method and accessed for cellularity, anucleated cells, micronuclei and broken egg nuclei. RESULTS: An average of 7,624 cells per slide were found in the user group and 1,348 in the control. An average of 3,619 (47.5% ) anucleated cells in the user group and 33.1 (2.5%) in the control were found per slide. Users with lesions had a significantly higher rate of anucleation than those without lesions. A total of 216 micronuclei were found in the user group and 46 in the control group. The broken egg nucleus was commonly found in both groups. The broken egg phenomenon is described as a nucleus that is in two portions and connected by a thin band of Feulgen-negative material. CONCLUSION: The regular use of snuff causes loss of cell cohesion, hyperkeratosis and an increased incidence of micronuclei. The relationship of these conditions to the development of oral cancer is unclear. The most likely anomaly that may be associated with carcinogenesis is the micronucleus.
Perspectives on the Proposal for a Generally Accepted Accounting Curriculum: A Wake‐Up Call for Academics

INTRODUCTION In the last century, the training and education of certified public accountants has been the subject of many debates and political struggles (Van Wyhe 1994). The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) prevailed in one very long-standing debate when a majority of its members voted in 1989 to require 150 hours of education for membership after the year 2000. While that vote did not actually affect whether an applicant hoping to take the Uniform CPA Examination is considered educationally qualified to do so, the vote set in motion legislative activity that has resulted in most states now requiring 150 hours of education either to take the CPA exam or to be licensed as a CPA. In a recent proposal related to the 150-hour rule, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) attempted to change the curriculum requirements for CPA examination candidates. In this commentary I provide my interpretation of the influences that led NASBA to make its recent curriculum proposal (hereafter, the Proposal) and also led a majority of academics and practitioners to subsequently reject it. I then consider some lessons that academics might learn from NASBA’s ill-fated venture and raise questions that we must ask (and answer) if we are to constructively influence the future. I also address what the future holds for collegiate accounting programs. Will we have a generally accepted accounting curriculum set by external regulators with minimal input from educators? Such a possibility requires educators to re-examine seriously the mission of university accounting education and its interface with the needs of society and the accounting profession (which are not necessarily one and the same).
Some theorems in topology and a possible biological implication

In a previous paper (Bull. Math. Biophysics,16, 317–48, 1954) a transformationT of one graph into another was suggested, which may describe the relations between organisms of different complexity. In this paper some topological properties of the transformationT are studied. It is shown that the fundamental group of the transformed graph is homomorph to the fundamental group of the original graph. An expression is derived for the number of points in a point base of the transformed graph in terms of the number of points of the point base of the original when the point base of the latter consists only of residual points, and it is shown that the ratio of the number of points of the point base to the total number of points of the graph is in that case greater in the transformed graph than in the original. A combinatorial problem arising in connection with the transformationT is solved by deriving the number of possible ways in whichn-n i indistinguishable elements may be arranged inn i classes, permitting some of then i classes to be empty. The possible biological meaning of the increased ratio of the number of points of the point base to the total number of points of the graph is discussed. It is suggested that it may be interpreted as a decrease of regenerating ability with increase of differentiation of the organism. Those considerations suggest the possibility of deriving some general biological laws from the consideration of the properties of the transformation only, regardless of the choice of the primordial graph.
High-resolution diffraction gratings

We describe the properties of diffractive gratings induced in nematicliquid crystal thin films by fringing electrostatic fields induced by interdigitated ITO electrodes. The index of refraction variation produced by fringing fields gives rise to strong diffraction with resolution constrained only by the available lithography.
Photobleaching with a subnanosecond laser flash

In standard fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) applications for measuring lateral diffusion rates and adsorption/desorption kinetics of fluorescent molecules at biological or model membranes, irreversible bleaching is induced by a bright excitation flash of at least millisecond time scale. It has been presumed that the bleaching event is of a low probability and the significant bleached population that develops during the flash results from each molecule undergoing thousands of excitation/deexcitation cycles before a bleaching event occurs. In some FRAP experiments, notably polarized FRAP (PFRAP) for measuring molecular rotational diffusion rates, it is desirable to use much shorter (subnanosecond) bleaching pulses. However, subnanosecond pulses are shorter than the fluorescence lifetime, so that any fluorophore will experience at most only one visit to the excited state during the bleaching pulse. If bleaching occurs only by the same processes as in slower FRAP experiments, one would thereby expect only minimal bleaching regardless of the bleach intensity. Moreover, the ability of fast polarized pulses to imprint an anisotropic orientational pattern in the postbleach unbleached fluorophore, an ability essential for PFRAP, is not at all guaranteed, particularly if two-photon processes are involved in high-intensity short bleach pulses. In this study, bleaching depths are measured as a function of subnanosecond pulse intensity on a small labeled protein covalently immobilized on fused silica. We show that bright subnanosecond laser flashes do indeed produce significant bleaching, that both two photon effects and reversible bleaching are involved, and that polarized bleaching does produce an anisotropic orientational pattern of unbleached fluorophore. We also postulate a theoretical molecular state model which semiquantitatively accounts for the experimentally observed dependence of reversible bleaching on bleaching pulse intensity.
Early developmental changes in [3H]nicotine binding in the human brainstem

Little is known about the developmental profile of nicotinic cholinergic receptors in the developing human brain, despite the potential importance of such information in understanding the pathogenesis of neurological abnormalities or increased risk for the sudden infant death syndrome in offspring exposed to nicotine in utero. In this study, we determined the distribution of [3H]nicotine binding in the developing human brainstem by quantitative tissue autoradiography. In midgestational fetuses, [3H]nicotine binding sites were heavily concentrated in tegmental nuclei related to cardiopulmonary integration, arousal, attention, rapid eye movement sleep, and somatic motor control. Over the last half of gestation, [3H]nicotine binding decreased 60-70% in the tegmental nuclei, with a significant difference in binding between midgestation and early infancy. In contrast, there was essentially no change in [3H]nicotine binding in the major cerebellar-relay nuclei (principal inferior olive and griseum pontis) between the same time-points. Tritium quenching by increasing lipid (myelin) content in tissue sections did not account for the decreases in [3H]nicotine binding in tegmental nuclei. Based upon the high levels of [3H]nicotine binding at midgestation, combined with experimental data demonstrating trophic properties for acetylcholine, we postulate that nAChRs a role in the development of the brainstem tegmentum during this period, and that once this role is fulfilled, nicotinic cholinergic binding decreases and remains low thereafter. Alternatively, nicotinic cholinergic receptors may be critical for other developmentally related functions and/or neurotransmission in the brainstem tegmentum at midgestation. The high levels of [3H]nicotine binding in the brainstem tegmentum at midgestation and its rapidly changing profile over late gestation further suggest that mid-to-late gestation is a developmental period during which this region is likely to be most vulnerable to the harmful effects of nicotine in maternal cigarette smoke. The baseline information provided in this study is potentially relevant towards understanding attention deficits and risk for the sudden infant death syndrome in offspring exposed to cigarette smoke in utero.
SU‐FF‐T‐56: A Simple Method for Dose Fusion From Multi‐Modality Treatment: Brachytherapy to External Beam Therapy

Purpose: In case of suboptimal dose to 90% volume (D90) obtained from post‐implant dosimetry study after prostate brachytherapy, it is difficult to determine what needs to be done next. If additional external beam radiation were needed, then there is no standard operating procedure for boost treatment. In order to avoid treating prostate regions that received adequate or very high dose from radioactive seeds, we need to transfer the dose matrix information from seed implant software to external beamtreatmentsoftware as accurate as possible. Therefore, we have explored the feasibility of such task that is accomplished by using commonly used Variseed® and Eclipse® programs with proper interface. Method and Materials: Four weeks after prostate seed implant, CT scans were performed on the whole pelvis of patients using our standard protocol for prostate planning. The acquired CT datasets were reconstructed using different sizes of field of view (FOV). The images with limited FOV focusing on prostate were imported into Variseed® for post‐operation implant evaluation, while images with full FOV were imported in Eclipse® treatment planning system (TPS) for future boost planning. Results:Dose matrix resulted from the post‐op evaluation was exported from Variseed® in standard DICOM format and imported into Eclipse TPS. The brachytherapydose matrix was registered with the patient images with full FOV in Eclipse TPS. Targets for dose boost were defined based on the isodose curves from brachytherapy. An external photonbeam plan was then generated to delivery dose to compensate for selected underdosed cold regions. Conclusion: Accurate external beamradiation treatment planning utilizing cold‐spot treatingIMRT technique can be accomplished using our planning protocols. The proposed technique can be utilized to safely deliver additional external radiation dose using IMRT technique after suboptimal brachytherapy procedure.
Words of War: The Iraqi Tower of Babel

This paper surveys the linguistic aspects of the Anglo-American occupation of Iraq’s multilingual society, focusing first on the multilingual character of Iraqi society and the Arabic, Kurdish, and other languages spoken in this rapidly changing society. Discussion then moves to an examination of the inherent difficulties in working across an English-Arabic/Kurdish divide and concludes by discussing the puzzling inability of the American government to grapple effectively with the linguistic challenges of political and military operations in the Middle East.
Thermodynamic properties of molybdenum pentafluoride vapor

Abstract There are calculated for 298 K and higher temperatures the standard entropies of the liquid and the important gas species (monomer, dimer, and trimer) of MoF 5 , and their differences in enthalpy and Gibbs energy. Besides estimated mean heat capacities, the input data are: the vapor pressure at one temperature and the saturated-vapor density at two temperatures (based on measurements in this laboratory); the standard entropies of the three gas species (estimated from published spectroscopic data on the crystal and monomer); and an ion-abundance proportion (from a published mass-spectral study). This ion proportion is corrected for fragmentation after demonstrating that changes in the ion proportions for a similar fluoride, RhF 5 , can be explained by assuming that the rates of fragmentation of the dimer and trimer are equal. For those input data considered most uncertain (the vapor pressure, the entropies of dimer and trimer, and the ratios of mass-spectral ionization efficiencies) several sets of values covering their respective estimated ranges of uncertainty are used alternatively in the calculations. Results at 298.15 K—expressed in the form “preferred value (probable range due to uncertainty)”, with H o and G o relative to the liquid, and S o —are as follows: liquid, S o = 46 (44.5 to 49) cal th K −1 mol −1 ; monomer, H o = 19 (17 to 22) kcal th mol −1 , G o = 8.5 (7.5 to 11.5) kcal th mol −1 , S o = 80.6 cal th K −1 ; dimer, H o = 15.7 (15 to 16) kcal th mol −1 , G o = 6.48 (6.45 to 6.51) kcal th mol −1 , S o = 123 (121 to 127) cal th K −1 mol −1 ; trimer, H o = 17.7 (16 to 21) kcal th mol −1 , G o = 8.4 (8.1 to 8.7) kcal th mol −1 , S o = 169 (161 to 185) cal th K −1 mol −1 . The calculated mole fractions of monomer, dimer, and trimer in the saturated vapor at 298.15 K average 0.027, 0.94, and 0.035, respectively.
Stress and Burnout in Suburban Teachers

AbstractIn order lo assess the sources and extent of satisfaction, stress, and burnout in suburban teachers, a group of teachers (n = 365) was administered a 65-item Likert-type Teacher Attitude Survey (TAS). Satisfaction consisted of experiences that make teachers feel sensitive to and involved with students as well as colleagues; stresses were related to excessive paperwork, unsuccessful administrative meetings, and the lack of advancement opportunities in teaching. Although the majority of teachers surveyed had not lessened their involvement in their work and were still committed to teaching, 20-25% appeared vulnerable to burnout, and 10-15% appeared to be already burned out. Most at risk were those at a certain age level t34-44) and those teaching at a junior high school level. Issues that were addressed with respect to burnout included teacher-administrator relationships and teachers’ perceived lack of a psychological sense of community.
Dose, time, and fraction size issues for late effects in head and neck cancers

This paper contains a statistical analysis of the dose-time factors influencing late complications in 784 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the pharynx or larynx treated with external beam irradiation only at the University of Florida. The patients include 560 who received continuous course once-a-day therapy, 116 who received twice-a-day treatment, and 108 who received a once-a-day split course regimen. Both 2+ and 3+ complications were considered. Fifty-six patients developed either of these complications. The factors included in the analysis were site and size of the primary, total dose, fraction size, and treatment time. The linear-quadratic model was used to incorporate fraction size into the analysis. Proportional hazards analysis, which models the time to occurrence of the late complication, was used to quantify the joint influence of the above patient and fractionation variables on the incidence of late effects. The occurrence of the late effects was heterogeneous, with only a weak relationship to the patient and fractionation variables. The influence of the size of the primary was significant, with larger primaries associated with higher complication rates independent of fractionation variables. For oropharynx primary sites there was no significant effect of the fractionation variables. For larynx and hypopharynx, excluding T1-T2 true vocal cord, there was a significant effect of total dose and fraction size. The alpha/beta ratio was estimated to be 7.8 Gy (95% confidence interval, 3.0, infinity). There was no significant effect of overall treatment time. The estimated 2+ complication rate at 1 year from 68 Gy given in 2 Gy fractions in 50 days is 0.1% for T 1-2 vocal cord, 4.1% for T1-T2 supraglottic larynx, 3.8% for T3 supraglottic larynx and vocal cord, 14.9% for T4 supraglottic larynx, 6.7% for T1-T2 tonsil and soft palate, 7.6% for T3-T4 tonsil and soft palate, 7.0% for T1-T2 pyriform sinus and pharyngeal wall, and 13.0% for T3-T4 pyriform sinus and pharyngeal wall.
The relationships between parenting stress, parenting behaviour and preschoolers' social competence and behaviour problems in the classroom

Young children develop social and emotional competence through interactions with others in the two major contexts in which they spend time: home and preschool. This study examined whether parenting stress in the home context is related to the children's behaviour while in preschool. Previous research has suggested that parenting stress negatively influences parenting behaviour, which in turn has been shown to impact children's development. This study examined the direct relationship between parenting stress and children's behaviour in two types of preschool programmes: private day care centres and Head Start. Parenting stress was significantly related to teacher ratings of social competence, internalizing behaviours, and externalizing behaviours, and the effects of parenting behaviour do not appear to mediate this relationship. Parenting stress was most strongly related to children's social competence. Parents' reports of expectations for their child's behaviour appear to weakly moderate the relationship between externalizing behaviour and parenting stress. This study suggests that examination of a parent's level of stress, in addition to parenting practices, may be important in research and interventions with preschool children's behaviour and social competence. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Discussion of Similarity of Client and Therapist

Studies assessing the effect of similarity of client and therapist on the process or outcome of therapy have produced inconclusive results. Many have reported at least one finding that similarity h...
II-VI electro-optical devices for visible-wavelength modulation

Electro-absorptive and electro-refractive modulation and switching are shown using various proof-of-concept devices at room temperature. In a multiple quantum well structure, the field-induced broadening of the confined excitons leads to a transmission change of more than 30 percent. The Pockels effect is used to modulate and switch blue-green light by means of MBE-grown ZnSe waveguides with cladding layers of (Zn,Mn)Se on n-GaAs substrates. In a retarder geometry, the strained birefringent planar waveguide demonstrates a contrast ratio larger than 80:1 at 2.485 eV. Applying the electric filed via stripe-contacts on the top cladding layer, the waveguiding for TE-polarized light can be confined in lateral direction. In the center of the lateral waveguide channel, the contrast ratio is better than 16:1 at 2.48 eV. Switching between adjacent channels is accomplished with a contrast ratio better than 5:1.
A new entropy power inequality

A strengthened version of Shannon's entropy power inequality for the case where one of the random vectors involved is Gaussian is proved. In particular it is shown that if independent Gaussian noise is added to an arbitrary, multivariate random variable, the entropy power of the resulting random variable is a concave function of the variance (power) of the added noise. The strengthened inequality is shown to hold for the class of stable distributions.
MYH9 genetic variants associated with glomerular disease: what is the role for genetic testing?

Genetic variation in MYH9, encoding nonmuscle myosin IIA heavy chain, has been associated recently with increased risk for kidney disease. Previously, MYH9 missense mutations have been shown to cause the autosomal-dominant MYH9 (ADM9) spectrum, characterized by large platelets, leukocyte Dohle bodies, and, variably, sensorineural deafness, cataracts, and glomerulopathy. Genetic testing is indicated for familial and sporadic cases that fit this spectrum. By contrast, the MYH9 kidney risk variant is characterized by multiple intronic single nucleotide polymorphisms, but the causative variant has not been identified. Disease associations include human immunodeficiency virus-associated collapsing glomerulopathy, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, hypertension-attributed end-stage kidney disease, and diabetes-attributed end-stage kidney disease. One plausible hypothesis is that the MYH9 kidney risk variant confers a fragile podocyte phenotype. In the case of hypertension-attributed kidney disease, it remains unclear if the hypertension is a contributing cause or a consequence of glomerular injury. The MYH9 kidney risk variant is strikingly more common among individuals of African descent, but only some will develop clinical kidney disease in their lifetime. Thus, it is likely that additional genes and/or environmental factors interact with the MYH9 kidney risk variant to trigger glomerular injury. A preliminary genetic risk stratification scheme, using two single nucleotide polymorphisms, may estimate lifetime risk for kidney disease. Nevertheless, at present, no role has been established for genetic testing as part of personalized medicine, but testing should be considered in clinical studies of glomerular diseases among populations of African descent. Such studies will address critical questions pertaining to MYH9-associated kidney disease, including mechanism, course, and response to therapy.
Root extraction by Al-Kashi and Stevin

In this paper, we study the extraction of roots as presented by Al-Kashi in his 1427 book “Key to Arithmetic” and Stevin in his 1585 book “Arithmetic”. In analyzing their methods, we note that Stevin’s technique contains some flaws that we amend to present a coherent algorithm. We then show that the underlying algorithm for the methods of both Al-Kashi and Stevin is the same.