cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The use of herbs and complementary and alternative medicine in pediatric preoperative patients.

Abstract Study objective To determine the use of herbs and complementary and alternative medicine among a pediatric preoperative population. Design Prospective, consecutive clinical study and survey questionnaire. Setting Children's Hospital pediatric preoperative clinic. Measurements and main results A total of 1,100 surveys were distributed to pediatric patients under the age of 18 years during their preoperative visit over an 8-month period. The survey consisted of a questionnaire about the use of herbs and complementary and alternative therapies within 1 year before the anticipated surgery. The patient or legal guardian was asked whether the patient had tried any of the complementary and alternative medical therapies within 1 year before the scheduled surgical procedure. Of 1,021 completed surveys received, 29.5% of these patients indicated they had tried one or more complementary and alternative therapies in the past year before the surgery, and 12.8% of the pediatric patients used herbal remedies before the surgery. Conclusions Herbs and complementary and alternative medical therapies are frequently used in pediatric populations. Anesthesiologists need to be aware the usage of various herbal supplements in pediatric patients. It is important then to determine the potential of drug and anesthetic interactions in the perioperative period.
Observing signs of pain in relation to self-injurious behaviour among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Background Self-injurious behaviour is a chronic condition among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for which there is no known cure. The pain hypothesis suggests that individuals who engage in self-injury have altered or diminished pain perception. The purpose of the present study was to assess how frequently individuals diagnosed with an intellectual and developmental disability who engage in chronic self-injury displayed non-verbal signs of pain in relation to their self-injury. Methods We videotaped four participants (aged 28–50 years) in their homes during times when they were likely to engage in self-injury. Using continuous recording measures, we coded videotapes for the frequency and duration of self-injury and expressions of non-verbal pain-related behaviours. Sequential analyses were conducted to identify temporal relations between pain-related behaviours and self-injury. Results Our data suggest that the existing measures of pain may be systematically related to instances of self-injury. The relationships, however, appear to vary depending on the person who engages in self-injury, the environmental contexts in which the self-injury occurs, and perhaps, the type of self-injury in which the person engages. Conclusions These results support some of the findings of Symons et al. and they raise questions about the blunted nociception hypothesis of self-injury.
The agile approach in an undergraduate software engineering course project

The rise in popularity of agile software development methodologies such as extreme programming (XP), crystal, DSDM and feature-driven development has opened an opportunity for the software engineering education community. How can one capitalize on the strengths of agile development models while still appealing to established software engineering practices? The typical introductory software engineering course makes use of a team-based project to reinforce software process activities. The project normally runs for one academic term during which students are led through life-cycle activities using a modified waterfall approach to software development. While useful in teaching software engineering process concepts, this approach limits the team's ability to utilize feedback from downstream process activities. It also limits the students' opportunity to understand process improvement from their own experiences. The ability to respond to project change is also dampened by the fact that teams do not have the time or resources in this format to modify, or refactor the design of a project component let alone incorporate a new or modified customer requirement. Agile methodologies promote an evolutionary approach to development using short incremental release cycles. We report on the experiences of conducting a team project in an introductory software engineering course using agile development techniques at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Teams have the opportunity to experience multiple iterations of the software engineering life cycle and evolve a product design that allows for discoveries made during implementation and through the introduction of changing customer requirements. The project integrates the concept of test-driven development. This agile technique addresses testing early in the development process and reinforces the value of unit testing. The incorporation of agile techniques is not only useful for students in an introductory course, but may also be applied to upper division software engineering courses.
A Framework for Analyzing the Underlying Inventions That Drive Technical Improvements in a Specific Technological Field

This paper presents a repeatable method to identify, describe and analyze the important inventions in an industry. The method involves qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis of patents to understand the inventions that have contributed to the growth of an industry. We present a process for mapping the inventions by their importance in an attempt to understand the set of inventions that contribute most significantly to the development of an industry. As a demonstration of the method, a set of 2484 patented inventions in the solar PV industry was selected as a case study. The case study results show that the conceptual basis for the method is useful in understanding technological change in an industry. For example, the analysis identifies important PV patents but none that are discontinuously important. These findings support the probable utility of the framework and have some preliminary broader implications to our understanding of technological development.
An Interactive Modeling Technique for Acquisition of Communication Skills: Separation of "Labeling" and "Requesting" in a Psittacine Subject.

An African gray parrot, previously taught by an interactive modeling technique to vocalize labels for several objects and instances of color and shape, was similarly taught to employ the vocalization “want” before an object label so as to discriminate functional “labeling” from “requesting.” The parrot's use of “want” subsequently generalized to novel situations. There was no decrease in the accuracy of labeling ability during training, a problem that arose when nonmodeling techniques were employed with chimpanzees. The results suggest that the procedure might be applicable to intervention programs for humans with specific communicative deficits.
Nursing organisation: an overview of the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital and nursing research

Abstract The first core of the Hospital started with few beds in a small street (via delle Zoccolette) and the religious Institute “Figlie della Carita di San Vincenzo de Paoli” was entrusted with the management of this new hospital, hosting children aged from four to twelve. In 1887 the Hospital moved to the building of the S. Onofrio ancient Convent, on the Gianicolo hill. This was bound to become the final premises of the Bambino Gesu Hospital. The hospital nursing service has been evolving in accordance with the hospital's objectives and can guarantee quality, safety, and resource management in nursing care provided by health care professionals according to their role and function. It is structured in Departments. Our nursing service belongs to Healthcare Department and our main responsibilities are technical coordination and programming, management and organizational consulting. The nursing service is structured into three levels: a strategic planning central level, an intermediate level providing nursing planning, coordination and management and a peripheral level. Our hospital is a Research Institute with the main objective of pursuing research projects in the biomedical field together with health services management and organization.
Comparison of Tooling Materials in Injection Molding of Microscale Features

Although high aspect ratio micro and nanoscale polymer features have been replicated in a range of polymers using injection molding, researchers have also used tooling inserts with a range of sizes, aspect ratios, and tooling materials. In this work, microscale features with molded in polymethylmethacrylates using three types of tooling with similar features. The tooling materials included silicon wafers with an antistiction coating, gold-coated nickel inserts, and a metal-polymer hybrid tooling. Tooling was evaluated based on the ease of melt filling and part ejection; the replication quality as characterized using optical profilometry, confocal microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy; and the damage to the tooling after repeated use. With lower aspect ratio features, the tooling type did not significantly affect replication, but for higher aspect ratio features the hybrid tooling provided far better replication than the silicon tooling. This difference was attributed to retardation of heat transfer in the features of the hybrid tooling. All three tooling materials exhibited polymer-free surfaces after injection molding.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Observer efficiency in discrimination tasks simulating malignant and benign breast lesions with ultrasound

We investigate an ideal observer approach to signal processing in ultrasonic imaging. In two-class discrimination tasks of the sort explored in this work, the ideal observer approach rests on the use of the likelihood ratio as a test statistic. We derive this test statistic in the domain of the radio frequency (RF) signal under multivariate Gaussian assumptions and we describe a power series approach for inverting the large covariance matrices that result. We also show how a Wiener-filter for deconvolution emerges from a first-order truncation of the power series. We then use the ideal observer approach to investigate performance in a number of tasks idealized from the use of ultrasonic imaging for the discrimination of malignant and benign breast tissue. We consider both standard B-mode processing, and the effect of Weiner filtering the RF data. We report the statistical efficiency of human observers in these tasks-as evaluated by psychophysical studies-with respect to the ideal observer. The ideal observer allows us to compute the statistical efficiency with which suboptimal observers-such as humans-perform these tasks and how they are influenced by signal processing parameters.
The motivation to be sedentary predicts weight change when sedentary behaviors are reduced

Obesity is correlated with a sedentary lifestyle, and the motivation to be active or sedentary is correlated with obesity. The present study tests the hypothesis that the motivation to be active or sedentary is correlated with weight change when children reduce their sedentary behavior. The motivation to be active or sedentary, changes in weight, and accelerometer assessed physical activity were collected for 55 families with overweight/obese children who participated in a nine-week field study to examine behavior and weight change as a function of reducing sedentary behavior. Children were studied in three 3-week phases, baseline, reduce targeted sedentary behaviors by 25% and reduce targeted sedentary behaviors by 50%. The targeted sedentary behaviors included television, video game playing, video watching, and computer use. The reinforcing value of sedentary behavior but not physical activity, was correlated with weight change, as losing weight was associated with lower reinforcing value of sedentary behaviors. Reducing sedentary behavior was not associated with a significant change in objectively measured physical activity, suggesting the main way in which reducing sedentary behavior influenced weight change is by complementary changes in energy intake. Estimated energy intake supported the hypothesis that reducing sedentary behaviors influences weight by reducing energy intake. These data show that the motivation to be sedentary limits the effects of reducing sedentary behavior on weight change in obese children. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00962247
Population-based surveillance study of Campylobacter infections in Finland

The annual incidence in 14 361 campylobacteriosis cases reported in Finland in 2002–2005 varied between 61 and 76/100 000 population. The mean incidence was highest (148/100 000) in the 25–29 years age group and lowest (range 21–24/100 000) in children aged 5–14 years and patients aged ⩾75 years. The number of domestic cases was low in winter and peaked in summer. A total of 622 strains isolated from domestic infections and 785 foreign travel-related strains were serotyped. Serotypes Pen 3 and Pen 37 had the strongest association with travel-related infections (96%, P 70% domestic within each serotype, P<0·001). Pen 2 and Pen 1,44 were less common in older than in younger patients. Of domestic strains, a higher proportion of Pen 2 strains was isolated in winter (18%) compared to the other serotypes (0–10%).
Islam and Power in the Twentieth Century

Reviewed Works: The Arab-African and Islamic Worlds: Interdisciplinary Studies by R. Kevin Lacey, Ralph M. Coury; Prayer Has Spoiled Everything: Possession, Power, and Identity in an Islamic Town of Niger by Adeline Masquelier; Controlling Knowledge: Religion, Power, and Schooling in a West African Muslim Society by Louis Brenner At the time of publication, author Heather J. Sharkey was associated with Trinity College. Currently, she is a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania.
Detection of Hemagglutinin Variants of the Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Virus by Pyrosequencing

For influenza viruses, pyrosequencing has been successfully applied to the high-throughput detection of resistance markers in genes encoding the drug-targeted M2 protein and neuraminidase. In this study, we expanded the utility of this assay to the detection of multiple receptor binding variants of the hemagglutinin protein of influenza viruses directly in clinical specimens. Specifically, a customized pyrosequencing protocol that permits detection of virus variants with the D, G, N, or E amino acid at position 222 in the hemagglutinin of the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus was developed. This customized pyrosequencing protocol was applied to the analysis of 241 clinical specimens. The use of the optimized nucleotide dispensation order allowed detection of mixtures of variants in 10 samples (4.1%) which the standard cyclic nucleotide dispensation protocol failed to detect. The optimized pyrosequencing protocol is expected to provide a more accurate tool in the analysis of virus variant composition.
Targeted cytolysins synergistically potentiate cytoplasmic delivery of gelonin immunotoxin

Targeted endocytic uptake is a first step toward tissue-specific cytoplasmic macromolecular delivery; however, inefficient escape from the endolysosomal compartment makes this generally impractical at present. We report here a targeted cytolysin approach that dramatically potentiates endosomal release of an independently targeted potent gelonin immunotoxin. Fibronectin domains engineered for affinity to EGF receptor or carcinoembryonic antigen were fused to the plant toxin gelonin or bacterial pore-forming cytolysins. These fusion proteins display synergistic activity in both antigen-specific cytotoxicity in vitro, enhancing potency by several orders of magnitude, and in tumor growth inhibition in vivo. In addition, the number of internalized gelonin molecules required to induce apoptosis is reduced from approximately 5 × 10(6) to less than 10(3). Targeted potentiation shows promise for enhancing cytoplasmic delivery of other macromolecular payloads such as DNA, siRNA, and miRNA.
Mechanism of heat transfer to liquid drops

The purpose of this investigation was to study the process of heat transfer to a liquid drop rising through another liquid. In experimental runs various-sized drops of S.A.E.-10 lubricating oil, kerosene, and xylene were heated with water; also, water drops were heated with various organic liquids. Theoretical calculations of temperature change were made, various mechanisms of heat transfer being assumed. The temperature change predicted with each mechanism was compared with the experimental results and the controlling mechanism thus determined for each system studied.
SEQUENCE OF THE MURINE INTERFERON-INDUCIBLE RNA-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE (PKR) DEDUCED FROM GENOMIC CLONES

The gene encoding the RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) was cloned from mouse genomic DNA and characterized by restriction mapping, Southern blot analysis and sequencing. The Southern analyses were consistent with the presence of a single copy of the Pkr gene in the mouse haploid genome. The genomic nucleotide (nt) sequence, when compared to that of previously determined cDNA nt sequences, revealed 16 exons encoding the 515-amino-acid PKR.
A hybrid-code differential analyzer

In a hybrid-code differential analyzer system, variables and parameters are represented by the combination of a coarse n-bit number and a continuously variable analog interpolation voltage. The hybrid-code system combines analog elements accurate to within p per cent of half-scale with the n-bit digital system to form an overall system with greatly improved accuracy within (p/2^n) per cent of half-scale. This paper describes a hybrid-code system employing a 5-bit-plus-sign number and an analog channel accurate to within one per cent of analog half-scale. Results of the sine-loop test verify that the predicted theoretical performance is achieved in practice. Further experiments study the performance of the hybrid-code system with a passive RC integrator replacing the active integrator in the analog channel of the hybrid-code integrator. Results of the sine-loop test indicate that sufficient accuracy for practical applications cannot be achieved with a realizable passive RC integrator.
FOOD ACQUISITION AND DIGESTION | Cost of Digestion and Assimilation

Digestion and assimilation of a meal generates an increase in energy expenditure that is collectively referred to as specific dynamic action (SDA). For fish, the SDA response is characterized by a rapid postprandial increase in oxygen consumption that generally peaks at 2–3 times fasting levels. Documented for 65 species of fishes, the magnitude and duration of the SDA response is significantly impacted by variation in meal size, meal composition, and body temperature. Regardless of meal type, composition, and size, the SDA of a fish is approximately equal to 12–16% of their meal energy. Contributing to SDA is a cascade of pre-absorptive (e.g., peristalsis and acid production) and post-absorptive (e.g., catabolism and protein synthesis) events.
NF-κB Signal Transduction by IKK Complexes

Transcription factor NF-κB plays a major role in many physiological and pathological processes while its regulation is best understood in inflammatory and immune system. The central event in NF-κB signaling pathway is the activation of IKK complex, the convergent point of diverse NF-κB activation signaling. This review addresses the cell signaling of IKK and NF-κB activation in response to various immune and inflammatory stimuli as revealed by the analysis of mice and cells lacking specific signaling transducers.
Borrowing from the Women's Movement "for Reasons of Public Security": A Study of Social Movement Outcomes and Judicial Activism in the European Union

Can an elite-sponsored outcome be a social movement outcome? In Kreil v. Germany, the European Court of Justice issued a judgment hailed as a feminist victory, censuring Germany’s exclusion of women from the military. But the women’s movement did not sponsor the case; it was an organizational achievement for the nascent court that extended its jurisdiction to public security while preserving its legitimacy among potentially non-cooperative member states. With this case, I reassess movement-elite relations in the context of past protests that forged discursive resources. The women’s movement did play an important role in this case: the court relied on discursive resources from past feminist activism to legitimize its decision and frame it as a matter of women’s rights, drawing attention away from its uncertain jurisdiction. I present a model of “borrowing” from movements, a relationship distinct from alliances and cooptation, to show how elite-sponsored outcomes can still be movement outcomes.
Injustice, Authority, and the Criminal Law

Suppose a state fails to treat a citizen as justice requires. It treats him as a second-class citizen and thus wrongs him. What difference does that failing make to how the state can or ought to respond when such a citizen culpably commits a crime and thus wrongs the state? What difference should a wrongdoer’s “rotten social background” make? Perhaps none. But some say that a state’s failure to treat a citizen justly means his crime should in whole or part be excused. Others say that a state’s failure to treat a citizen justly undermines its standing to punish him at all. I argue that the relationship between the state and a citizen it treats as second class is no longer one that defines or constitutes a moral community. The relationship is more like one that exists between an occupying power and those within the territory it occupies. The state as such lacks the authority to punish a citizen it has so wronged. It retains authority over him but the authority it retains is nothing more than the pallid authority to coerce.
Hemoglobin Variants Acquired Post-Exchange Transfusion in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Patients

Background Many SCD patients receive chronic transfusions for prevention or treatment of disease related complications. Complications of the chronic transfusion noted in these patients include allergic reactions, transfusion transmitted infections, iron overload, and alloantibody formation. Even though hemoglobin (Hb) variants are prevalent in the general population, reports of transfusion-acquired Hb variants are rare. We performed a retrospective analysis on all SCD patients who underwent red cell exchange (RBCEx) transfusions at our institution during 2011-2013 to identify the presence of Hb variants acquired as a result of RBCEx. Results We found 66 occurrences of acquired Hb variants in 30 SCD patients during the period examined. The most commonly acquired Hb variant was Hemoglobin C (HbC) (64/66 occurrences). More than half of the patients (19/30) acquired HbC on multiple occasions (2-6 times). One patient acquired HbJ and another patient acquired HbD/G in addition to HbC. The segments from donor units were available in some of these cases and hemoglobin electrophoresis (HBE) was performed to confirm the presence of the variant Hb in the donor segments corresponding to that seen on the post-RBCEx sample. Conclusions Heterozygous donors are asymptomatic and show no abnormalities during donor screening. Since HBE is not routinely performed on the donor specimen, it may go unrecognized until the post-transfusion recipient results pose diagnostic difficulties. There are no definitive guidelines on deferring these donors; hence one should be cognizant of these findings to prevent misdiagnosis. In a population where HbS negative blood is routinely requested, the effect of other Hb variants remains unknown. None of the patients in our study showed any adverse events due to the acquired Hb variants; however, this is of special concern in the pediatric population where a single RBC unit can contribute a significant portion of the exchanged blood volume. Additionally, donor centers may need mechanisms to confirm the findings and counsel the donors as needed.
Errors in radial velocity variance from Doppler wind lidar

Abstract. A high-fidelity lidar turbulence measurement technique relies on accurate estimates of radial velocity variance that are subject to both systematic and random errors determined by the autocorrelation function of radial velocity, the sampling rate, and the sampling duration. Using both statistically simulated and observed data, this paper quantifies the effect of the volumetric averaging in lidar radial velocity measurements on the autocorrelation function and the dependence of the systematic and random errors on the sampling duration. For current-generation scanning lidars and sampling durations of about 30 min and longer, during which the stationarity assumption is valid for atmospheric flows, the systematic error is negligible but the random error exceeds about 10 %.
Comings and Goings in the Infectious Diseases World

Dr Tolan has disclosed no financial relationship relevant to this commentary. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial product/device. About 30 years ago, as I was pondering subjects for my Master’s thesis, 2 brand new diseases reached the top of the list: toxic shock syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection/acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Both had burst onto the scene recently and remained somewhat mysterious. One of the novel and fascinating things about infectious diseases, as exemplified by my choices, is the …
Knowledge Discovery Applications in High-Throughput Polymer Characterization

The use of combinatorial libraries for screening cell-material interactions presents a significant need for robust informatics methods capable of extracting knowledge from large, combinatorial datasets. We describe the development oflocal quantitative metrics based on distributions of other cells and microstructures about each individual cell. The local metrics are shown to be superior to global, summary statistics in detecting sensitive effects of surface microstructure on proliferation of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts.
Race, Poverty, and Exclusionary School Security An Empirical Analysis of U.S. Elementary, Middle, and High Schools

As violence and crime within and around U.S. schools has drawn increased attention to school security, police, surveillance cameras, and other measures have grown commonplace at public schools. Soc...
An Approach to Calculate Current Stress Caused by Dynamic Voltage-Sharing Snubber Circuit During Thyristor Turning-on Process

To calculate turning-on current stress of thyristors caused by dynamic voltage-sharing snubber circuit,the defects of ideal switch model is analyzed and by means of orthogonal experiments the factors impacting on exponential voltage-source model of thyristor are researched.Utilizing the exponential voltage-source model,the formula to calculate the turning-on current stress is derived,and the simulation of the exponential voltage-source model is performed by PSCAD/ EMTDC software.The research shows that ideal switch model of thyristor cannot reflect the current stress objectively and accurately,so the exponential voltage-source model of thyristor should be applied in the calculation;the key parameter in the exponential voltage-source model of thyristor is influenced by many factors,in which the voltage plays the biggest role.
The effect of the maturity gap on delinquency and drug use over the life course: A genetically sensitive longitudinal design

Abstract Purpose Relatively few studies have assessed Moffitt's claims regarding the etiology of the offending groups in her taxonomic theory. This gap is especially evident regarding adolescence-limited (AL) offending where empirical analyses of the maturity gap (the disjunction between biological and social maturity during adolescence) have produced mixed findings. Additionally, genetically sensitive analyses of the effect of the maturity gap on delinquency is entirely lacking from the literature. The current study provides such an analysis. Methods Using a sample of monozygotic (MZ) twins ( N Indviduals = 524; N Twin pairs = 262) the current study addresses these gaps in the literature by assessing the influence of the maturity gap, parental conflict, and other theoretically relevant variables on delinquency and substance use in a sex-differentiated longitudinal analysis of MZ difference scores. Results Findings illustrated minimal influence of the maturity gap, parental conflict, and low self-control on delinquency and substance use in adolescence and adulthood. However, discordance in exposure to delinquent peers was associated with delinquency and substance use in adolescence but with little long-term effect. Conclusion Overall, the findings provide mixed support for Moffitt's ideas and illustrate the confounding effects of genetic factors in assessments of the etiology of antisocial behavior and tests of criminological theory.
Quality Aspects of Commercial Frozen Minced Fish Blocks

Imported frozen minced Alaska pollock blocks were inferior in flavor and texture when compared to minced blocks prepared from certain species of North Atlantic fish. Organoleptic scores were strongly influenced by the cooking method, that is, baked versus fried. Quality attributes assessed by objective tests (thiobarbituric acid, trimethylamine, dimethylamine, aerobic plate count) generally did not show strong correlation with sensory scores.
Have We Forgotten Auditory Sensory Memory? Retention Intervals in Studies of Nonverbal Auditory Working Memory

Researchers have shown increased interest in mechanisms of working memory for nonverbal sounds such as music and environmental sounds. These studies often have used two-stimulus comparison tasks: two sounds separated by a brief retention interval (often 3 to 5 s) are compared, and a “same” or “different” judgment is recorded. Researchers seem to have assumed that sensory memory has a negligible impact on performance in auditory two-stimulus comparison tasks. This assumption is examined in detail in this comment. According to seminal texts and recent research reports, sensory memory persists in parallel with working memory for a period of time following hearing a stimulus and can influence behavioral responses on memory tasks. Unlike verbal working memory studies that use serial recall tasks, research paradigms for exploring nonverbal working memory—especially two-stimulus comparison tasks—may not be differentiating working memory from sensory memory processes in analyses of behavioral responses, because retention interval durations have not excluded the possibility that the sensory memory trace drives task performance. This conflation of different constructs may be one contributor to discrepant research findings and the resulting proliferation of theoretical conjectures regarding mechanisms of working memory for nonverbal sounds.
A Study of the Conformational Isomerism of 1-Iodobutane by High Resolution Rotational Spectroscopy

Abstract The first microwave study of 1-iodobutane, performed by Steinmetz et al. in 1977, led to the determination of the B + C parameter for the anti-anti- and gauche-anti-conformers. Nearly 40 years later, this reinvestigation of 1-iodobutane, by high-resolution microwave spectroscopy, led to the determination of rotational constants, centrifugal distortion constants, nuclear quadrupole coupling constants (NQCCs), and nuclear-spin rotation constants belonging to both of the two previously mentioned conformers, in addition to the gauche-gauche-conformer, which was observed in this frequency regime for the first time. Comparisons between the three conformers of 1-iodobutane and other iodo- and bromoalkanes are made, specifically through an analysis of the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants belonging to the iodine and bromine atoms in the respective chemical environments.
[The role of tumor markers in urologic consultation for screening, diagnosis, and follow-up of bladder cancer].

PURPOSE Review the tumor markers for screening and diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. METHODS The published literature on bladder cancer markers was identified using a MEDLINE search and critically analyzed. The sensitivity and specificity of the various markers were compared. RESULTS Conventional non-invasive methods for diagnosis (symptoms and urine cytology) and for screening and follow-up of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder are not very sensitive and must not be considered sufficient. Some tumor markers seem to be a good alternative to the routine urinary cytology. CONCLUSION The role of tumor markers for screening and follow-up of bladder tumors as an alternative to cytology deserve consideration. In the future, more sensitive and specific markers may replace routine cystoscopy.
Enhancing Accuracy in a Touch Operation Biometric System: A Case on the Android Pattern Lock Scheme

The main objective of this research study is to enhance the functionality of an Android pattern lock application by determining whether the time elements of a touch operation, in particular time on dot (TOD) and time between dot (TBD), can be accurately used as a biometric identifier. The three hypotheses that were tested through this study were the following–H1: there is a correlation between the number of touch stroke features used and the accuracy of the touch operation biometric system; H2: there is a correlation between pattern complexity and accuracy of the touch operation biometric system; H3: there is a correlation between user training and accuracy of the touch operation biometric system. Convenience sampling and a within-subjects design involving repeated measures were incorporated when testing an overall sample size of 12 subjects drawn from a university population who gave a total of 2,096 feature extracted data. Analysis was done using the Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) Algorithm. Through this study, it was shown that the extraction of one-touch stroke biometric feature coupled with user training was able to yield high average accuracy levels of up to 82%. This helps build a case for the introduction of biometrics into smart devices with average processing capabilities as they would be able to handle a biometric system without it compromising on the overall system performance. For future work, it is recommended that more work be done by applying other classification algorithms to the existing data set and comparing their results with those obtained with DTW.
Crystallization of Membrane Proteins in Bicelles

The structural biology of membrane proteins remains a challenging field, partly due to the difficulty in obtaining high-quality crystals. We developed the bicelle method as a tool to aid with the production of membrane protein crystals. Bicelles are bilayer discs that are formed by a mixture of a detergent and a lipid. They combine the ease of use of detergents with the benefits of a lipidic medium. Bicelles maintain membrane proteins in a bilayer milieu, which is more similar to their native environment than detergent micelles. At the same time, bicelles are liquid at certain temperatures and they can be integrated into standard crystallization techniques without the need for specialized equipment.
Workshop: Use of 15N in field experiments involving measurement of biologically fixed nitrogen

It is widely known that in many experiments with nodulated legumes, the addition of successive increments of nitrogen fertilizer does not increase yield or nitrogen uptake, but gradually restricts nitrogen fixation and decreases nodulation to a point where no nodules are formed. Thus, neither yield nor nitrogen uptake are suitable measures of nitrogen fixation. Fortunately, by the use of 15N, the two sources of nitrogen available to a legume (i.e. atmospheric and soil nitrogen) can be separated, and their relative contributions can be measured and quantified. While not a substitute for other methods for studying the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by leguminous plants, it does make available an additional and important parameter to help interpret nitrogen fixation data.
Covering Condemnation, For The Goal of Freedom

An examination of reviews and articles on Elaine Brown's The Condemnation of Little B (2002) is necessary for any discussion of the objectives of this book and our collective struggle. It will be interesting to see how Condemnation has been defined, or re-defined, since Brown undoubtedly wants us to understand and ameliorate the wretched condition of Blacks in america. She examines the case of Michael Lewis, and the incarceration of Black children as adults in general, so that we can confront the national criminalization of Blackness and end the internment of Blacks within united states prisons. Although some reviewers are able to recognize the importance of Condemnation, they all miss the connection between the demonization of Blacks and americas political economic order.
Artificial Reef Programme in the Balearic Islands: Western Mediterranean Sea

Analysing the Balearic artificial reef programme so far, it is interesting that biological success seems to be related to the state of conservation of the seabed and the water column, rather than to fisheries production. It may be more interesting to focus on a different solution to the problem. Perhaps instead of deploying artificial structures it would be a better long-term investment to restore the natural environment and its balance directly by taking steps to stop environmental damage and avoid future problems. As the Balearic Islands are small in area and human impact is recent and not of an industrial nature this may be more feasible here than in other European coastal areas. The strengthening of fishing regulations (both commercial and recreational) and their thorough implementation may be more effective and naturally balanced than deploying artificial reefs to damage illegal fishing gear, something which has not proved to be totally effective. Regardless of the effectiveness of reefs, measures for the correct management of the coastal zone (Bohnsack, 1989) are necessary in the Balearics. The recent interest in using artificial reefs in many coastal areas and the problems and scepticism aroused (Cognetti, 1989; Ody, 1990) stress the need to have an accurate overview of the role of these devices on different seabeds. Experiments deploying reef units that have different aims, size, shape, composition and surface textures, on various types of seabed would provide this. Such information would provide a scientific database describing the impact of reef deployment and the relationship of these structures within various marine ecosystems as a whole, which could be used to model ideas for reef placement prior to executing extensive plans. Data relating to the use and catch on fishing grounds and related areas before and after reef deployment are also required. This information should include the amount and composition of the catches with the different gear used, as well as the size frequency distribution of the species caught. The knowledge gained from these experiments could be of great help to the developers or authorities involved in reef programmes.
Brown, Alexander Crum

British physician and chemist Alexander Crum Brown (1838–1922) made important contributions to vestibular physiology with his studies of the sense of rotation and his elaboration of the function of the semicircular canals of the internal ear. He independently deduced the essential features of the theory of endolymphatic shift proposed by Ernst Mach and Josef Breuer. However, Crum Brown’s theory went beyond theirs in suggesting the function of the ampullae and in showing how perception of rotation in any direction could be accomplished by the anatomical arrangement and functional yoking of pairs of semicircular canals in the two ears.
Cervical Dystonia and Executive Function: A Pilot Magnetoencephalography Study

Background: Cervical dystonia (CD) patients have impaired working memory, processing speed and visual-motor integration ability. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate changes in cerebral oscillations in CD patients during an executive function test, before and after administration of botulinum toxin. Methods: MEG data were collected from five CD patients while they performed a visual continuous performance task (CPT), before and after they received a botulinum toxin injection. MEG data was also collected on five controls matched for age and gender. Coherence source imaging was performed to quantify network connectivity of subjects. Results: Controls demonstrated two errors with visual CPT; CD patients demonstrated six and three errors pre- and post-botulinum toxin respectively. After botulinum toxin, mean time from cue to correct response was 0.337 s in controls, 0.390 s in patients before botulinum toxin injection, and 0.366 s after the injection. Differences in coherence between controls and patients were found in the following brain regions: Fronto-frontal, fronto-parietal, fronto-striatal, fronto-occipital, parieto-parietal and temporo-parietal. Intrahemispheric and interhemispheric networks were affected. Post injection, there was minimal change in coherence in the above-mentioned networks. Discussion: Neuropsychological testing suggests difference in coherence in frontal circuits between CD cases and controls during the visual CPT, which may reflect subjects’ increased difficulty with the task. Botulinum toxin is associated with minimal improvement with executive function in CD.
Quaternary Charge-Transfer Solid Solutions: Electronic Tunability through Stoichiometry

Charge-transfer (CT) cocrystals formed between π-electron donor and acceptor molecules present diverse electronic behavior that can be rapidly modified due to the exchangeable nature of the CT partners. Unfortunately, chemical modifications to the donor and/or acceptor molecules often result in altered crystal packing that yields unpredictable changes in charge transfer and electronic coupling. Formation of solid solutions between isomorphous CT cocrystals offers an approach to predictably tune the electronic performance of CT materials because the packing motif is unaffected by compositional changes. We have formed ternary and quaternary CT solid solutions containing 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (DMDBT), 4,6-dimethyldibenzoselenophene (DMDBS), 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ), and 2,3-dibromo-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone (DBQ) and have mapped the composition-dependent stability field for these materials using a combination of single-crystal X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, an...
Metasurface full-Stokes polarization camera (Conference Presentation)

Polarization is an important degree of freedom of light carrying information that is usually missing in other degrees of freedom. Polarimetric imaging is the process of measuring the state of polarization of light over an extended scene. It has several applications ranging from remote sensing to biological and medical imaging because it provides various pieces of information about the light source or the objects with which the light has interacted. So far polarization cameras have been made using polarization filters, and therefore suffer from two major drawbacks. First, there is a theoretical 50% upper limit on the efficiency of devices based on polarization filters. Second, to fully determine the state of polarization, multiple layers should be integrated in order to make polarization filters for circular or elliptical polarization states. Here, we present a polarization camera made using dielectric metasurfaces that operates based on separating and focusing orthogonal polarization states instead of polarization filtering. This allows for overcoming both drawbacks of current polarization camera designs. At the core of the design lies the capability of dielectric metasurfaces to fully control the polarization and phase of light. This enables designing and fabricating superpixels that separate and focus orthogonal polarization states of light on adjacent pixels on an image sensor over a single metasurface layer. Using this technique we have demonstrated full-Stokes polarization cameras with experimental efficiencies surpassing 60%, and superpixel dimensions reaching 4.8 µm×7.2 µm. We have also used this camera to form polarization images of custom-designed polarization targets.
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS

Solar cells produce electricity directly from sunlight, an essentially inexhaustible source. Major obstacles in cell costs and conversion efficiency still restrict their broad utilization. Many new materials and fabrication techniques are currently being investigated, and the long-term prospects of obtaining low-cost, efficient solar cells are bright.
Implicit and explicit state attachment among single and dual American citizens

With increasing levels of globalization and changing patterns of migration, there is a growing interest in the nature of citizenship. Dual citizenship is of particular interest because it is a cate...
Appropriate Use of Echocardiography for Palpitations in Pediatric Cardiology Clinics

BACKGROUND: Palpitations are a common complaint among pediatric patients presenting for outpatient cardiology evaluation. The incidence of causative structural or functional cardiac pathology is low in this patient population. In 2014, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published appropriate use criteria (AUC) for echocardiography in pediatric patients, including recommendations for the evaluation of palpitations. We assessed the frequency of echocardiograms …
The Impact of Vaccine Refusal on Physician Office Visits During the Subsequent 12 Months.

ABSTRACT We hypothesized that families who are nonadherent to the routine vaccination schedule (RVS) present less frequently for physician visits. We conducted a retrospective chart review to compare the number of visits made over the subsequent 12-month period by families that refused the RVS versus those who were adherent. Subjects were aged 0 to 4 years, enrolled to Keller Army Hospital, and had a diagnosis indicating the RVS was refused. Age-matched controls, who were adherent to the RVS, were randomly chosen for each case. Subjects made significantly more total visits than cases: 7 (interquartile range [IQR] = 1–20) versus 6 (IQR = 2–17), p = 0.0049. When each visit type was compared independently, there was no significant difference in the number of acute (p = 0.494) or emergency department (p = 0.077) visits between groups. However, subjects who refused to follow the RVS made significantly fewer routine care visits during the 1-year follow-up period compared to those that adhered to the RVS (p < 0....
Noteworthy diversity efforts and financial performance: Evidence from DiversityInc's top 50

Abstract This study provides evidence that diversity efforts are associated with improved organizational performance. We explore the benefits of diversity by analyzing long-term shareholder value (Tobin's q) and short-term performance (return on assets) of companies cited for being leaders in the area of diversity. Tobin's q is significantly higher for companies included on the DiversityInc Top 50 list than other companies, implying that diversity efforts increase long-term shareholder value. Companies on a DiversityInc list also have significantly better short-term financial performance, return on assets, than similar companies in their industry. We also conduct a Granger causation analysis, and the results are consistent with our interpretation that appearance on the DiversityInc list increases Tobin's q. Our study contributes to the literature by comparing companies notably recognized for diversity efforts to companies not recognized, and examining the long-term benefits of those efforts.
Paying for Digital Health Care - Problems with the Fee-for-Service System.

Paying for Digital Health Care After a substantial investment in information technology, providing digital health care is technically feasible. But patients and physicians can’t reap the benefits b...