cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Co-morbid conditions in use of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke.

AbstractBackground: The objective of this study was to characterize the comorbidities in a population of patients with an acute ischaemic stroke, comparing patients that received recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) to those that did not receive rt-PA.Method: In a retrospective sample of 663 patients admitted for acute ischaemic stroke, this study analysed the effects of co-morbid conditions in the use of rt-PA. It determined non-cerebrovascular risk factors (comorbidities) that differentiate patients who received rt-PA from those who did not receive rt-PA.Result: Patients with a history of carotid stenosis, CHF and previous strokes are significantly (p < 0.05) associated with high risk of not receiving rt-PA. A significant number of patients with a history of hypertension and smoking received rt-PA (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The findings indicate that certain risk factors including carotid stenosis, CHF and previous stroke history impact the treatment of patients with acute ischaemic stroke, spec...
Rectus Hematoma As A Complication Of Cardiac Catheterization Related To High Femoral Access Site

The case described by Dr. Ahmet Solylu is an interesting sad case of fatal rectus sheath hematoma. The author contributes this complication solely to enaxaparin and other anticoagulants. However, the fact that this patient underwent cardiac catheterization before the occurrence of her rectus hematoma was ignored in this case report. Rectus hematoma could be secondary to cardiac catheterization. We had similar case of rectus hematoma after coronary angiography which was associated with high femoral access site without anticoagulation. It occurred after discharge and the patient needed blood transfusion. However, the patient recovered without the need for surgical intervention.
The Double Bind for Women: Exploring the Gendered Nature of Turnaround Leadership in a Principal Preparation Program

In this study of nine participants in a turnaround principal preparation program, Jennie Miles Weiner and Laura J. Burton explore how gender role identity shaped participants' views of effective principal leadership and their place within it. The authors find that although female and male participants initially framed effective leadership similarly, their conceptualizations of themselves as leaders, the feedback they felt they received regarding their skills, and their access to employment were sharply divided based on gender and had real implications for how women viewed their leadership capabilities and potential success as school leaders.
Surface effects in ferroelectrics: Periodic slab computations for BaTiO3

Abstract Total energies, electronic structure, surface energies, polarization, potentials and charge densities were studied for slabs of BaTiO3 using the Linearized Augmented Plane Wave (LAPW) method. The depolarization field inhibits ferroelectricity in the slabs, and the macroscopic field set up across a ferroelectric slab is sufficient to cause electronic states to span the gap and give a metallic band structure, but the band shifts are not rigid and O p states tend to pile up at the Fermi level. There are electronic surface states, especially evident on TiO2 surfaces. The dangling bonds bond back to the surface Ti's and make the surface stable and reactive. The BaO surfaces are more ionic than the bulk.
Affirmative action in College Admissions: An argument against Racial Preferences and the Promise of Economic Affirmative Action

In June of 2003, the debate over the use of race-based preferential treatment in university and college admissions reached the chambers of our nation’s highest court. In two controversial cases, the United States Supreme Court upheld the use of race as a “plus” factor in the college admissions process. While the decision was a victory for advocates of racial affirmative action, the use of preferential treatment of racial minorities does not address the real problem of college admissions: the growing economic segregation on America’s campuses of higher education. It is the belief of the author that affirmative action in college admissions must continue, but that preferences should target economic disadvantage rather than race in the admissions process.
Clinical Strategies for Sampling Word Recognition Performance

Purpose Computer simulation was used to estimate the statistical properties of searches for maximum word recognition ability (PB max). These involve presenting multiple lists and discarding all sco...
The Meaning and Strategic Use of Factor Analysis

The general surveys of multivariate analysis methods in other chapters in this and the first edition give some idea of the relation of factor analysis to other methods in a mathematical sense. However, factor analysis differs also in a wide, experimental, strategic sense, from, for example, both multiple-correlation linear equations, and discriminant functions, in not arbitrarily choosing a criterion variable or criterion group, but in arriving at a reduced number of abstract variables and a weighting of observed variables according to structural indications in the data itself. It is thus a means of creating concepts, not merely of employing them or checking their fit to new data, though the new methods of Maxwell, Lawley, and Joreskog also fit it for hypothesis testing.
Focused Ultrasound for Treatment of Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are common smooth muscle tumors of myometrial cells, which can result in substantial symptoms affecting the quality of life of women. Currently, patients have several options available for treatment ranging from uterine-sparing surgeries (myomectomy), hysterectomy, and nonsurgical options, such as uterine artery embolization, magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS), or cryoablation. MRgFUS is one of the least invasive treatment options outside medical therapy. MRgFUS ablation combines therapy delivered by an ultrasound transducer with imaging, guidance for therapy, and thermal feedback provided by magnetic resonance imaging. In 2004, the MRgFUS system ExAblate 2000 (InSightec, Haifa, Israel) was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for clinical treatments of uterine fibroids. Data on safety and long-term efficacy are ongoing to establish the unique usefulness of this therapy in targeted treatment of leiomyoma through the integration of MR imaging. Multiple clinical trials detail several efficacy outcomes including symptom improvement, leiomyoma shrinkage, and use of alternative procedures. Additionally, favorable pregnancy outcomes following MRgFUS have been reported. Applications of MRgFUS have recently expanded into the realm of adenomyosis treatment. MRgFUS has been deemed a safe and effective method of fibroid treatment and offers the advantages of no incisions or blood loss, speedy recovery, and a cost-effective means of treatment.
Beaching the London Whale

This chapter exposes how JPMorgan Chase engaged in high-stakes credit derivatives trading, lost billions of dollars, and then tried to blame the losses on a single trader dubbed the London Whale. It describes the Levin-led inquiry that opened a window onto the bank’s hidden world of high-risk derivatives trading and exposed a JPMorgan derivatives trading culture that piled on risk, misstated derivative values, disregarded risk limits, manipulated risk assessment models, and hid losses. The chapter also recounts the role of JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon in the facts and investigation, and explains how the London whale fiasco led to new regulatory safeguards and enforcement actions.
Integration of Personalized Health Planning and Shared Medical Appointments for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

ObjectivesThis study describes the feasibility of implementing personalized health planning (PHP) within shared medical appointments (SMAs) for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The PHP-SMA approach was designed to synergize the benefits of SMAs with those of PHP, enabling greater patient enga
MIR93 (microRNA -93) regulates tumorigenicity and therapy response of glioblastoma by targeting autophagy

Macroautophagy/autophagy is a natural intracellular process that maintains cellular homeostasis and protects cells from death under stress conditions. Autophagy sustains tumor survival and growth when induced by common cancer treatments, including IR and cytotoxic chemotherapy, thereby contributing to therapeutic resistance of tumors. In this study, we report that the expression of MIR93, noted in two clinically relevant tumor subtypes of GBM, influenced GSC phenotype as well as tumor response to therapy through its effects on autophagy. Our mechanistic studies revealed that MIR93 regulated autophagic activities in GSCs through simultaneous inhibition of multiple autophagy regulators, including BECN1/Beclin 1, ATG5, ATG4B, and SQSTM1/p62. Moreover, two first-line treatments for GBM, IR and temozolomide (TMZ), as well as rapamycin (Rap), the prototypic MTOR inhibitor, decreased MIR93 expression that, in turn, stimulated autophagic processes in GSCs. Inhibition of autophagy by ectopic MIR93 expression, or via autophagy inhibitors NSC (an ATG4B inhibitor) and CQ, enhanced the activity of IR and TMZ against GSCs. Collectively, our findings reveal a key role for MIR93 in the regulation of autophagy and suggest a combination treatment strategy involving the inhibition of autophagy while administering cytotoxic therapy. Abbreviations: ACTB: actin beta; ATG4B: autophagy related 4B cysteine peptidase; ATG5: autophagy related 5; BECN1: beclin 1; CL: classical; CQ: chloroquine diphosphate; CSCs: cancer stem cells; GBM: glioblastoma; GSCs: glioma stem-like cells; HEK: human embryonic kidney; IB: immunoblotting; IF: immunofluorescent staining; IR: irradiation; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3; MES: mesenchymal; MIR93: microRNA 93; MIRC: a control miRNA; miRNA/miR: microRNA; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; NSC: NSC185085; PN: proneural; qRT-PCR: quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction; Rap: rapamycin; SQSTM1/p62: sequestosome 1; TCGA: the cancer genome atlas; TMZ: temozolomide; WT: wild type; ZIP93: lentiviral miRZIP targeting MIR93; ZIPC: lentiviral miRZip targeting control miRNA.
On the specification of heterochromatic brightness

For many years it has been known that luminance, the CIE quantity best correlated with perceived brightness, does not work well for many colors. Consequently, the CIE charged a technical committee to find a better solution. The National Research Council of Canada, responding to the committee, has produced a function that can be used to correct luminance to produce predictions for brightness matches. This function, which is empirical, based on the extensive data that have been taken on brightness, is summarized in this report.
Transgenerational Self-Reconstruction of Disrupted Chromatin Organization After Exposure To An Environmental Stressor in Mice

Exposure to environmental stressors is known to increase disease susceptibility in unexposed descendants in the absence of detectable genetic mutations. The mechanisms mediating environmentally-induced transgenerational disease susceptibility are poorly understood. We showed that great-great-grandsons of female mice exposed to tributyltin (TBT) throughout pregnancy and lactation were predisposed to obesity due to altered chromatin organization that subsequently biased DNA methylation and gene expression. Here we analyzed DNA methylomes and transcriptomes from tissues of animals ancestrally exposed to TBT spanning generations, sexes, ontogeny, and cell differentiation state. We found that TBT elicited concerted alterations in the expression of "chromatin organization" genes and inferred that TBT-disrupted chromatin organization might be able to self-reconstruct transgenerationally. We also found that the location of "chromatin organization" and "metabolic" genes is biased similarly in mouse and human genomes, suggesting that exposure to environmental stressors in different species could elicit similar phenotypic effects via self-reconstruction of disrupted chromatin organization.
Transcranial Doppler ultrasound findings in children with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury following abusive head trauma

Abusive head trauma (AHT) is the leading cause of fatal head injuries for children under 2 years. The objective was to evaluate, using transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD), whether children with AHT have a similar neurovascular response to injury compared with children without AHT. Retrospective sub-analysis of previously prospectively acquired data in a pediatric intensive care unit in a level 1 trauma hospital. TCD was performed daily until hospital day 8, discharge, or death. Neurologic outcome was assessed using the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOS-E Peds) at 1 month from initial injury. Sixty-nine children aged 1 day to 17 years with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury were enrolled. Fifteen children suffered AHT and 54 had no suspicion for AHT. Fifteen children with AHT underwent 80 serial TCD examinations; 54 children without AHT underwent 308 exams. After standardization for age and gender normative values, there was no statistically significant difference in mean cerebral blood flow velocity of the middle cerebral artery (VMCA) between children with and without AHT. There was no difference in the incidence of extreme cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV, greater or less than 2 standard deviations from normative value) between groups. Within the AHT group, there were no statistically significant differences in VMCA between children with a favorable (GOS-E Peds 1–4) versus unfavorable neurologic outcome (GOS-E Peds 5–8). Children with AHT have no significant differences in VMCA or percentage of extreme CBFV in the middle cerebral artery compared to with those without AHT.
Postoperative Free Flap Breast Protocol Optimizing Resources and Patient Safety.

Background As deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flaps have gained popularity in breast reconstruction, the postoperative care of these patients, including the appropriate hospital length-of-stay and the need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission, has become a topic of debate. At our institution, we have adopted a pathway that aims for discharge on postoperative day 3, utilizing continuous tissue oximetry without ICU admission. This study aims to evaluate outcomes with this pathway to assess its safety and feasibility in clinical practice. Methods A retrospective review was performed of patients undergoing DIEP flap breast reconstruction between January 2013 and August 2014. Data of interest included patient demographics and medical history as well as complication rates and date of hospital discharge. Results In total, 153 patients were identified undergoing 239 DIEP flaps. The mean age was 50 years (standard deviation [SD] = 10.2) and body mass index (BMI) 29.4 kg/m2 (SD = 5.2). Over the study period, the flap failure rate was 1.3% and reoperation rate 3.9%. Seventy-one percent of patients were discharged on postoperative day 3. Nine patients required hospitalization beyond 5 days. Theoretical cost savings from avoiding ICU admissions were $1,053 per patient. Conclusion A pathway aiming for hospital discharge on postoperative day 3 without ICU admission following DIEP flap breast reconstruction can be feasibly implemented with an acceptable reoperation and flap failure rate.
Opening the Gates of Our Being: Charting a Way Out of Fear with Jean Vanier and Emmanuel Mounier

This essay draws the work of Jean Vanier and Emmanuel Mounier into dialogue, primarily on the topic of moving from a society built on fear to one built on love and communion. To accomplish this, th...
Lower Mortality and Morbidity with Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin for Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Spine Trauma.

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review of prospectively collected data. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes between patients receiving LMWH versus UH in a retrospective cohort of patients with spine trauma. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Although multiple clinical trials have been conducted, current guidelines do not have enough evidence to suggest low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) or unfractionated heparin (UH) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in spine trauma. METHODS Patients with spine trauma in the Trauma Quality Improvement Program datasets were identified. Those who died, were transferred within 72 hours, were deemed to have a fatal injury, were discharged within 24 hours, suffered from polytrauma, or were missing data for VTE prophylaxis were excluded. A propensity score was created using age, sex, severity of injury, time to prophylaxis, presence of a cord injury, and altered mental status or hypotension upon arrival, and inverse probability weighted logistic regression modeling was used to evaluate mortality, venous thromboembolic, return to operating room, and total complication rates. E values were used to calculate the likelihood of unmeasured confounders. RESULTS Those receiving UH (n = 7172) were more severely injured (P < 0.0001), with higher rates of spinal cord injury (32.26% vs. 25.32%, P < 0.0001) and surgical stabilization (29.52% vs. 22.94%, P < 0.0001) compared to those receiving LMWH (n = 20,341). Patients receiving LMWH had lower mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.42-0.53; P < 0.001; E = 3.68), total complication (OR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.88-0.95; P < 0.001; E = 1.39), and VTE event (OR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.72-0.88; P < 0.001; E = 1.81) rates than patients receiving UH. There were no differences in rates of unplanned return to the operating room (OR: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.80-1.27; P = 0.93; E = 1.11). CONCLUSION There is an association between lower mortality and receiving LMWH for VTE prophylaxis in patients with spine trauma. A large randomized clinical trial is necessary to confirm these findings. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3.
Mandel's problem reloaded

Abstract Mandel's problem considers the time-dependent, quasi-static deformation of a rectangular, laterally pervious specimen of fluid-saturated, poroelastic material after confinement by a suddenly applied, steady load from the top and bottom. Biot's theory of poroelastodynamics is used to generalize the analytical solution to this problem by accounting for the inertial body forces when the specimen is subjected to harmonic excitation. The poroelastodynamic solution entails and extends the well-known Mandel-Cryer effect of coupled poroelasticity in frequency domain.
COVID-19: Impact on Orthopaedic Graduate Medical Education in the U.S.: AOA Critical Issues Symposium.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 crisis has challenged the U.S. health-care system in a variety of ways, including how we teach and train orthopaedic surgery residents and fellows. During the spring of 2020, the cessation of all elective surgical procedures and the diminished number of outpatient visits challenged graduate medical education. While residency programs in less affected areas may not have had to make many dramatic adjustments, some of those located in pandemic hotspots had to redirect trainees from orthopaedic rotations to COVID-19 units. No matter the region, the time that trainees have spent in rotations has been altered, and absences have occurred due to quarantines. This symposium summarizes the impact of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic on residency and fellowship programs from the perspectives of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), a program director, and a graduating resident. Although new opportunities for virtual curricula, virtual surgical simulation, and virtual interviews have been innovated, residency programs and residents report primarily a negative effect from the pandemic due to decreased surgical volumes and the limitation of patient-care experiences. Ultimately, program directors have an obligation to the program, the trainee, and the general public to graduate only those residents and fellows who are truly prepared to practice independently; they have the responsibility of making the final decision regarding graduation. The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to underscore the need for competency-based medical education. Assessing competency includes evaluation of the knowledge, the operative skills, the nonoperative patient-care skills, and the professional behavior of each and every individual graduating from orthopaedic residency and fellowship training programs. A hybrid model for time and competency-based training, with established national standards not only for accreditation for our training programs but also for board certification of our graduating residents, was enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic and is highlighted in this symposium.
Probabilistic observation model correction using non-Gaussian belief fusion

Abstract This paper presents a framework for state estimation which tolerates uncertainty in observation model parameters by (1) incorporating this uncertainty in state observation, and (2) correcting model parameters to improve future state observations. The first objective is met by an uncertainty propagation approach, while the second is achieved by gradient-descent optimization. The novel framework allows state estimates to be represented by non-Gaussian probability distribution functions. By correcting observation model parameters, estimation performance is enhanced since the accuracy of observations is increased. Monte Carlo simulation experiments validate the efficacy of the proposed approach in comparison with conventional estimation techniques, showing that as model parameters converge to ground-truth over time, state estimation correspondingly improves when compared to a static model estimate. Because observation models cannot be known with perfect accuracy and existing approaches do not address parametric uncertainties in non-Gaussian estimation, this work has both novelty and usefulness in most state estimation contexts.
Communication Lower Bounds for Nested Bilinear Algorithms.

We develop lower bounds on communication in the memory hierarchy or between processors for nested bilinear algorithms, such as Strassen's algorithm for matrix multiplication. We build on a previous framework that establishes communication lower bounds by use of the rank expansion, or the minimum rank of any fixed size subset of columns of a matrix, for each of the three matrices encoding the bilinear algorithm. This framework provides lower bounds for any way of computing a bilinear algorithm, which encompasses a larger space of algorithms than by fixing a particular dependency graph. Nested bilinear algorithms include fast recursive algorithms for convolution, matrix multiplication, and contraction of tensors with symmetry. Two bilinear algorithms can be nested by taking Kronecker products between their encoding matrices. Our main result is a lower bound on the rank expansion of a matrix constructed by a Kronecker product derived from lower bounds on the rank expansion of the Kronecker product's operands. To prove this bound, we map a subset of columns from a submatrix to a 2D grid, collapse them into a dense grid, expand the grid, and use the size of the expanded grid to bound the number of linearly independent columns of the submatrix. We apply the rank expansion lower bounds to obtain novel communication lower bounds for nested Toom-Cook convolution, Strassen's algorithm, and fast algorithms for partially symmetric contractions.
Mitochondrial DNA and MitomiR Variations in Pancreatic Cancer: Potential Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers.

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease with poor prognosis. Only about 15–20% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer can undergo surgical resection, while the remaining 80% are diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In these cases, chemotherapy and radiotherapy only confer marginal survival benefit. Recent progress has been made in understanding the pathobiology of pancreatic cancer, with a particular effort in discovering new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, novel therapeutic targets, and biomarkers that can predict response to chemo- and/or radiotherapy. Mitochondria have become a focus in pancreatic cancer research due to their roles as powerhouses of the cell, important subcellular biosynthetic factories, and crucial determinants of cell survival and response to chemotherapy. Changes in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) have been implicated in chemoresistance and metastatic progression in some cancer types. There is also growing evidence that changes in microRNAs that regulate the expression of mtDNA-encoded mitochondrial proteins (mitomiRs) or nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins (mitochondria-related miRs) could serve as diagnostic and prognostic cancer biomarkers. This review discusses the current knowledge on the clinical significance of changes of mtDNA, mitomiRs, and mitochondria-related miRs in pancreatic cancer and their potential role as predictors of cancer risk, as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and as molecular targets for personalized cancer therapy.
Water and salt transport properties of pentiptycene-containing sulfonated polysulfones for desalination membrane applications

Abstract A series of pentiptycene-containing disulfonated polysulfone copolymers (PENT-BP) were synthesized via condensation polymerization. Water and salt transport properties (solubility, diffusivity and permeability) were characterized for acid-form membranes (PENT-BP(H)) and compared with triptycene-based sulfonated polysulfones (TRP-BP(H)) and a non-iptycene-containing 4,4′-biphenol-based series (BPS(H)) of polysulfones to investigate the effect of pentiptycene on membrane performance. At comparable water content, the PENT-BP(H) exhibited increased water and salt permeability due to the additional free volume introduced by the pentiptycene units. Enhanced water/salt permeability selectivity of PENT-BP(H) series was also observed due to a significantly higher diffusivity selectivity. At comparable water permeance ( P w D ~ 8 × 10 − 6 c m 2 / s ), the salt rejection of PENT-BP (H) copolymers obtained from dead-end filtration reached 91–93% at 400 psi, higher than that of a corresponding BPS(H) series. This study suggests that incorporation of iptycene moieties into polymer backbone is an effective strategy to enhance desalination membrane performance.
U.S. Fathering

As enthusiasm for evaluating the U.S. father figure built momentum in the 1980s one generalized interest of several researchers has been to track the father’s amount and type of nurturing—caretaking behaviors and the scope and intensity of attitudes toward his children. As was described earlier, a typical research method has been to (1) survey fathers, (2) survey mothers, and then (3) compare the surveyed parent’s profiles. The results of these studies suggested that fathers, even though quite capable of exhibiting an egalitarian parenting quotient parallel to mothers, had nurturing quotients that were lower than the mothers.
GABAergic Neuronal Circuitry in the Periaqueductal Gray Matter

The midbrain periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) has been implicated in a wide range of possible functions including antinociception, reproductive behavior, and components of the defense reaction (Besson; Ogawa et al.; Bandler and Depaulis, this volume). Stimulation of the PAG, using electrodes or excitatory amino acids, has been very useful for characterizing the effects that can be elicited from the PAG, by essentially treating the PAG as a “black box,” bypassing intrinsic circuitry to ultimately activate efferent axons. Thus, our knowledge is limited concerning the neuronal circuitry internal to the PAG that regulates individually or collectively, its putative functions. This chapter describes results of anatomical, pharmacological, and electrophysiological studies suggesting that GABAergic neuronal elements play a prominent role in the intrinsic neuronal circuitry of the PAG. Based on this information, it seems likely that GABAergic neurons in the PAG are local circuit interneurons, and that GABAergic elements exert potent tonic inhibitory control over a variety of putative PAG functions including antinociception. To begin characterizing the anatomical basis for such GABAergic controls in the PAG, our work has combined the methods of immunocytochemistry with retrograde tracing at the electron microscopic level. These studies demonstrated that GABA-immunoreactive axon terminals synapse directly on neurons that give rise to the major projection from the PAG to the medullary nucleus raphe magnus (NRM).
Doping-dependent specific heat study of the superconducting gap in Ba ( Fe 1 − x Co x ) 2 As 2

We report a doping, magnetic field, and low-temperature-dependent study of the specific heat of the iron-arsenide $\text{Ba}{({\text{Fe}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\text{Co}}_{x})}_{2}{\text{As}}_{2}$ at underdoped $(x=0.045)$, optimal-doped $(x=0.08)$ and overdoped ($x=0.103$ and 0.105) regimes. By subtracting the lattice specific heat the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the electronic specific heat has been studied. The temperature and field dependencies of the superconducting part of ${C}_{p}$ exhibit similar behavior for all doping concentrations. The temperature variation in the electronic specific heat as well as its field dependence cannot be described by a single isotropic $s$-wave gap, pointing to a complex gap structure in the system. The lack of doping dependence indicates that the gap structure does not change significantly as a function of doping. We also observe a significant residual linear term of unknown origin in the specific heat of $\text{Ba}{({\text{Fe}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\text{Co}}_{x})}_{2}{\text{As}}_{2}$ which suggests that inhomogeneity may be an important factor in Co-doped ${\text{BaFe}}_{2}{\text{As}}_{2}$.
Boundary Projection Acceleration: A New Approach to Synthetic Acceleration of Transport Calculations

A new class of synthetic acceleration methods, which can be applied to transport calculations regardless of geometry, discretization scheme, or mesh shape, is presented. Unlike other synthetic acce...
Deregulation of genes related to TGF-β signaling pathway via aberrant methylation in human cancers

4180 The transforming growth factor (TGF)-β super family plays a complex dual function in carcinogenesis acting as a tumor suppressor gene or an oncogene during different stages of cancer pathogenesis. Although mutations of type I and II receptor genes or Smad genes are well recognized in some types of cancers, a little is known about the molecular mechanism of other components in TGF-β superfamily signaling pathway. We investigated silencing, via methylation, of both facilitative (RUNX3) and inhibitory (HPP1 and DRM/Gremlin) genes regulating this signaling pathway by studying cell lines (n = 30) and primary tumors (n = 220) representing the major forms of human cancers (lung, breast, colorectal, bladder, and prostate cancers). RUNX3 is a member of RUNT domain family and interacts with Smad proteins, suggesting a key molecule in TGF-β signaling pathway. Loss of RUNX3 expression with hemizygous deletion or promoter methylation was reported in gastric cancers. HPP1 is a transmembrane receptor containing follistatin like domains and has the potential to inhibit TGF-β superfamily signaling. Aberrant methylation was reported in several cancers. DRM/Gremlin is an antagonist of TGF-β superfamily, bone morphogenetic proteins. Loss of DRM/Gremlin expression was observed, but the mechanism of its silencing is not clearly established in human cancers. Here we show that loss of RUNX3, HPP1, and DRM/Gremlin mRNA expression by reverse transcription PCR in human lung and breast cancer cell line is associated with promoter methylation (concordance: 92-100%) and reactivated their expression after treatment with a demethylating agent, 5-aza-2’-deocxycytidine. We also examined promoter methylation of the three genes in major types of human tumors by methylation specific PCR. Methylation frequencies of each gene were as follows: RUNX3 (23-43%), HPP1 (32-64%), and DRM/Gremlin (21-65%). We found that the three genes related to TGF-β superfamily signaling pathway, RUNX3, HPP1, and DRM/Gremlin, are often methylated and silenced in human cancers. Our results provide strong evidence that TGF-β signaling pathway is frequently deregulated via epigenetic changes of facilitative and inhibitory genes in the major human cancer types.
Forward drop-leakage current tradeoff analysis of a junction barrier Schottky (JBS) rectifier

This paper demonstrates the trade-off relationship of forward voltage drop (V/sub F/) and leakage current (I/sub R/) of a junction-barrier-controlled Schottky (JBS) rectifier as compared to a conventional Schottky barrier rectifier (SBR). The JBS rectifier has been considered as a potential candidate for achieving low forward voltage drop (V/sub F/) while maintaining reasonable reverse characteristics for over a decade. However, to date, there is no definitive V/sub F/-I/sub R/ trade-off study of the JBS rectifier as compared to SBR at rated operating conditions. Our experimental results show that JBS has a V/sub F/-I/sub R/ trade-off advantage over SBR at low current density for an optimized process and device geometry; and almost no improvement is found at a current density used typically for a power Schottky rectifier.
Planar Pol(o)arity

Asymmetric localization of planar cell polarity (PCP) proteins is essential for tissue integrity, but how asymmetric localization is regulated during cell division is not known. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Shrestha et al. (2015) show that mitotic Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) links internalization of PCP proteins to cell-cycle progression.
Repurposing of rutin for the inhibition of norovirus replication

Drug repurposing is a strategy employed to circumvent some of the bottlenecks involved in drug development, such as the cost and time needed for developing new molecular entities. Noroviruses cause recurrent epidemics and sporadic outbreaks of gastroenteritis associated with significant mortality and economic costs, but no treatment has been approved to date. Herein, a library of molecules previously used in humans was screened to find compounds with anti-noroviral activity. Antiviral testing for four selected compounds against murine norovirus infection revealed that rutin has anti-murine norovirus activity in cell-based assays.
Characterization of Thermally Degraded Asphaltene Fractions Using Gel Permeation Chromatography

Abstract Petroleum asphaltene goes through three stages of mass reduction under thermogravimetric analysis from 25°C to 1,000°C at a heating rate of 1°C/min. The products from thermal degradation of asphaltene at three different temperature intervals are collected. Two residual fractions left in the sample cup are also obtained at two specific temperatures. The collected fractions and the residual fractions are characterized using gel permeation chromatography. The fraction collected between 25°C and 350°C demonstrates similar molecular weight distribution to that collected between 350°C and 450°C, with both fractions showing a typical molecular weight distribution for polymeric material. The fraction collected between 450°C and 650°C illustrates three different molecular weight distributions. The chromatogram of the residual fraction obtained at 350°C resembles that of the undegraded asphaltene. The residual fraction obtained at 450°C also demonstrates three different molecular weight distributions. The ...
A NOVEL NOZZLE FOR MORE EFFICIENT SPERM ORIENTATION TO IMPROVE SORTING EFFICIENCY OF X AND Y CHROMOSOME-BEARING SPERM

Efficient high-resolution detection of DNA for flow cytometric sorting of X and Y chromosome-bearing sperm is dependent on effectively orientating the sperm head to the laser beam in orthogonally configured flow systems. Normally, a beveled needle is required to enlarge the fraction of properly orientated sperm (flat side facing the laser beam). In this report, a modification to a standard jet-in-air nozzle for improved sperm orientation is presented. Inside the modified nozzle (novel nozzle), orientation forces are applied lower in the nozzle than in the current beveled injection needle system. The nozzle was tested with sperm heads from several species. This study shows that use of the nozzle to orientate cattle, swine, rabbit, mouse, and human sperm effectively improves the percentage of sperm that are properly oriented. The percentage of sperm heads oriented by use of the former system (beveled needle) ranges around 30% for most species. With the newly designed nozzle, that percentage ranges around 60%. At least a twofold increase in analysis is achieved. It was found that, unlike results with the beveled needle, the percentage of properly oriented sperm was independent of the sample rate. The introduced nozzle is a significant improvement over the beveled needle system for the analysis and sorting of sperm on the basis of DNA content. In addition to the improvement in sorted sperm production brought about by the novel nozzle when fitted to standard-speed cell sorters, it clearly also has significant potential for improving the efficiency of the Beltsville Sperm Sexing Technology for separating X and Y chromosome-bearing sperm when adapted to high-speed cell-sorting systems. Cytometry 33: 476–481, 1998. Published 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Prognostication and certainty in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Objective. Prognostication is central to developing treatment plans and relaying information to patients, family members, and other health care providers. The degree of confidence or certainty that a health care provider has in his or her mortality risk assessment is also important, because a provider may deliver care differently depending on their assuredness in the assessment. We assessed the performance of nurse and physician mortality risk estimates with and without weighting the estimates with their respective degrees of certainty. Methods. Subjective mortality risk estimates from critical care attendings (n = 5), critical care fellows (n = 9), pediatric residents (n = 34), and nurses (n = 52) were prospectively collected on at least 94% of 642 eligible, consecutive admissions to a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). A measure of certainty (continuous scale from 0 to 5) accompanied each mortality estimate. Estimates were evaluated with 2 × 2 outcome probabilities, the κ statistic, the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve, and the Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit χ2 statistic. The estimates were then reevaluated after weighting predictions by their respective degree of certainty. Results. Overall, there was a significant difference in the predictive accuracy between groups. The mean mortality predictions from the attendings (6.09%) more closely approximated the true mortality rate (36 deaths, 5.61%) whereas fellows (7.87%), residents (10.00%), and nurses (16.29%) overestimated the mean overall PICU mortality. Attendings were more certain of their predictions (4.27) than the fellows (4.01), nurses (3.79), and residents (3.75). All groups discriminated well (area under receiver operating characteristics curve range, 0.86–0.93). Only PICU attendings and fellows did not significantly differ from ideal calibration (χ2). When mortality predictions were weighted with their respective certainties, their performance improved. Conclusions. The level of medical training correlated with the provider9s ability to predict mortality risk. The higher the level of certainty associated with the mortality prediction, the more accurate the prediction; however, high levels of certainty did not guarantee accurate predictions. Measures of certainty should be considered when assessing the performance of mortality risk estimates or other subjective outcome predictions.
Ureteral obstruction caused by hemorrhagic corpus luteum cyst.

Abstract Two cases of hemorrhagic corpus luteum cyst causing ureteral obstruction are presented. A review of the literature revealed 6 similar cases. Retroperitonealization of ovarian tissue seems to be the important predisposing factor.
The e-mail gossip number and the connected domination number☆

Abstract Our object is to introduce eg(G), the e-mail gossip number of a connected graph G, and derive a simple equation expressing this new invariant in terms of the known [1] connected domination number cd(G). As a corollary we see that determining each of these numbers is N P-hard. In general we follow the graph theoretic notation and terminology of [2]. Throughout G = (V,E) is a connected graph with |V| = n nodes.
Liquid Immiscibility in Silicates

THE occurrence of liquid immiscibility in silicate melts has been established experimentally since 1927 (ref. 1). The compositions of the liquids are extreme in a geological sense and are found only at very high temperatures. These and other considerations2 have precluded any serious advancement of theories using liquid immiscibility as a possible explanation for the generation of different magmas.
Psychometric Evaluation of Romanian Translations of the Behavior Problems Inventory-01 and the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form

Psychometric properties of Romanian translations of the Behavior Problems Inventory-01 (BPI-01; Rojahn, Matson, Lott, Esbensen, & Smalls, 2001) and the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form (NCBRF; Aman, Tasse, Rojahn, & Hammer, 1996) were explored. Respondents completed the instruments for 115 children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Internal consistency of both instruments' total scales was good to excellent (Cronbach's α ranging from .88 to .95) and the subscale internal consistencies were fair to excellent (with α ranging from .74 to .94). The results based on bivariate Spearman correlations and multiple regression analyses provided strong convergent and discriminant validity of both instruments. Overall, the Romanian versions of the behavior rating scales had very good reliability (internal consistencies) and convergent and discriminant validity. It is hoped that this study will be a catalyst for Romanian clinicians and researchers as well as for transcultural researchers working with R...
Movin' on Up: Black Women Decisionmakers in Entertainment Television

The author analyzes the influences of black women as decisionmakers and creators in entertainment television and focuses on the effects black women have had on the system during the period 1999–2004. She also assesses whether a black presence has made a difference in the process and the products produced for television viewers.
Dynamic Camera Calibration in Support of Intelligent Transportation Systems

An algorithm with which to estimate mean vehicle speed from roadside cameras owned by a traffic management agency is presented. These roadside cameras are not calibrated nor are calibration marks available in the scene. However, estimating camera calibration coefficients is the most important step in extracting quantitative information about the three-dimensional world from the two-dimensional image. Within this frame-work an algorithm is presented that performs a simplified dynamic calibration and estimates mean vehicle speed. Many algorithms depend on point correspondences between the earth coordinates and the image coordinates as well as targets of known shape to obtain accurate results. However, in the work presented, the goal is to estimate the mean of a distribution of vehicle speeds, and it is demonstrated that a simplified form of calibration is adequate for making an accurate mean speed estimate. Dynamic camera calibration is performed with training sets of 10-s video sequences. The proposed meth...
A new correlation for Tc from Cu 2p absorption

Abstract We studied the Cu 2p x-ray absorption spectra of the superconductor La2−xSrxCuO4 in the doping regime x=0-0.6 and found that the intensity of the satellite peak is a reliable measure of the doping-induced hole concentration. From the Cu 2p absorption spectra taken in this work on the La2−xSrxCuO4 system and from those published for other high-temperature superconductors, we found that the energy separation between the satellite peak and the main peak, which is the ligand-hole energy, increases with Tc.
Bifurcation and stability of periodic traveling waves for a reaction-diffusion system

v) plane having a stable critical point at (1,O) and unstable critical points at (0,O) and (cos &, , sin &). Moreover, if we take 0 < & < rc, then flows starting with /3, < /I < rc make large excursions before decaying to (1, 0), whereas those with 0 < /? < & decay monotonically to (l,O). This “excitability” is a feature in common with the nonlinear vector field in the Hodgkin-Huxley equations, and also with the simpler FitzHugh-Nagumo equations. We begin by describing some results of numerical simulations we made of
Response variability for humans receiving continuous, intermittent, or no positive experimenter feedback

Undergraduates made an “x” on a series of blank sheets of paper in a study designated as an “acquisition of a manual skill.” Each mark was designated as “correct” or “incorrect” by the E, but according to a pre-fixed order rather than according to characteristics of the response. Variability in location of the mark on the page was lowest during trials in which each mark was “correct,” intermediate when an average of every third mark was “correct,” and highest when no marks were “correct.” Increased variability during these latter two conditions is attributable to trials following marks which were “incorrect.” Evidence demonstrating control of response variability for human Ss by the schedule of E feedback is thus provided.
A systematic approach in managing post-deployment system changes

In current IT practices, the task of managing post-deployment system changes often falls in no-man's land.
Robust Optimal Control using Polynomial Chaos and Adjoints for Systems with Uncertain Inputs

The objective of this note is to show how one can combine Polynomial Chaos Expansions (PCE) and adjoint theory to efficiently obtain sensitivitiesfor robust optimal control. A non-intrusive PCE method is used to analyze the constraint equations for the state (which depends on uncertain inputs), namely the governing equations of the dynamical system. Adjoint solutions are constructed for each of the polynomial basis functions used in the approximate expansion. The combination of the gradient for each basis-adjoint pair is used to form the overall gradient. The resulting gradient can be used to improve an initial guess in an iterative optimization procedure. The repeated use of the non-intrusive PCE method, the adjoint solver and the gradient estimate can be used to determine optimal control laws for the governing system in the presence of uncertainties. The formulation of the optimal control problem is presented in the context of the flow equations where the expected value of a functional is to be minimized. The boundary shape is the control. The associated cost of this approach in an optimization setting is equal to the cost of a PCE analysis (� Q deterministic simulations) plus Q (number of unknowns in the PCE expansion) adjoint solves for each iteration of a steepest-descent algorithm. However, this cost can be further reduced for certain objective functions using an intrusive formulation for the adjoint equations. 11
Invariance relations for random walks on simple cubic lattices

In recent work, we have built upon seminal contributions of Montroll and Weiss to develop invariance relations for random walks on k = 2 hexagonal and square-planar lattices. In this study, we extend our approach to determine invariance relations for random walks on k = 3 finite, simple cubic lattices subject to periodic boundary conditions. Use of these invariance relations allows one to calculate estimates of the overall mean walklength before trapping, and we show that the results obtained are in excellent agreement with numerically-exact calculated values. The results and analysis presented here yield insights on the problem of self-avoiding walks on cubic lattices.