cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Masculinizing Genital Gender Confirmation Surgery.

Abstract Introduction This article is the third in a 3-part series focused on the comprehensive treatment of gender dysphoria. Multidisciplinary gender dysphoria care may involve a combination of counseling, social gender transition, hormone therapy, and gender confirmation surgery (GCS) to maximize physical characteristics congruent with a patient’s gender identity. Nonoperative management of gender dysphoria was covered in part 1. The focus of part 2 was feminizing GCS. In part 3, surgical considerations for masculinizing GCS are summarized, including a review of different phalloplasty techniques. This installment also includes information about adjunctive procedures, therapies, and products used by transgender men and women to express their gender identity. Aim To provide an overview of both genital and nongenital masculinizing gender confirmation procedures. To review phalloplasty techniques, preoperative considerations, complications, and outcomes. To summarize ancillary services and procedures available to transgender patients to facilitate their gender presentation. Methods A review of relevant literature through May 2017 was performed via PubMed. Main Outcome Measures To summarize ancillary products and services used by transgender patients and to review surgical considerations for masculinizing genitoplasty. Results A variety of nonsurgical ancillary services exist for transgender patients to aid their transition. A variety of phalloplasty procedures have been developed for transgender men who seek genital GCS. Most surgeons prefer radial forearm phalloplasty, including the authors whose surgical technique is described. Each phalloplasty approach is associated with its own benefits, drawbacks, and complications. Conclusion A variety of ancillary services and procedures that help transgender men and women communicate their gender identity in society is available and is an important adjunct to medical or surgical treatment of gender dysphoria. Pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative considerations of masculinizing genital gender confirmation procedures were reviewed. Hadj-Moussa M, Agarwal S, Ohl DA, et al. Masculinizing Genital Gender Confirmation Surgery. Sex Med Rev 2019;7:141–155.
Factors Associated With the Interhospital Transfer of Emergency General Surgery Patients

Abstract Background Transferred emergency general surgery (EGS) patients constitute a highly vulnerable, acutely ill population. Guidelines to facilitate timely, appropriate EGS transfers are lacking. We determined patient- and hospital-level factors associated with interhospital EGS transfers, a critical first step to identifying which patients may require transfer. Methods Adult EGS patients (defined by American Association for the Surgery of Trauma International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnosis codes) were identified within the 2008-2013 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (n = 17,175,450). Patient- and hospital-level factors were examined as predictors of transfer to another acute care hospital with a multivariate proportional cause-specific hazards model with a competing risk analysis to assess the effect of risk factors for transfer. Results 1.8% of encounters resulted in a transfer (n = 318,286). Transferred patients were on average 62 y old and most commonly had Medicare (52.9% [n = 168,363]), private (26.7% [n = 84,991]), or Medicaid insurance (10.8% [n = 34,279]). 67.7% were white. The most common EGS diagnoses among transferred patients were related to hepatic-pancreatic-biliary (n = 90,989 [28.6%]) and upper gastrointestinal tract (n = 60,088 [18.9%]) conditions. Most transferred patients (n = 269,976 [84.8%]) did not have a procedure before transfer. Transfer was more likely if patients were in small (hazard ratio 2.52, 95% confidence interval 2.28-2.79) or medium (1.32, 1.21-1.44) versus large facilities, government (1.19, 1.11-1.28) versus private facilities, and rural (4.58, 3.98-5.27) or urban nonteaching (1.89, 1.70-2.10) versus urban teaching facilities. Patient-level factors were not strong predictors of transfer. Conclusions We identified that hospital-level characteristics more strongly predicted the need for transfer than patient-related factors. Consideration of these factors by providers as care is delivered in the context of the resources and capabilities of local institutions may facilitate transfer decision-making.
Systematic Appraisal of the American College of Rheumatology Clinical Practice Guidelines.

Objective Because the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) practice guidelines affect the United States' and international treatment practice, we used the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument to characterize the quality of the guidelines and to identify potential areas for improvement. Methods Using the six quality domains in the AGREE II online tool, four reviewers assessed the practice guidelines available at the ACR website and the immediately previous version to summarize the domain scores for each guideline and examine trends over time. Results As of April 2016, the ACR website listed nine guidelines, four with immediate previous versions. Based on AGREE II, the minimum and maximum for each domain (with higher being better) of the current guidelines were 78-99 for Scope and Purpose, 57-99 for Stakeholder Involvement, 87- 96 for Rigor of the Methodology, 83-99 for Clarity of Presentation, 49-78 for Applicability, 69-85 for Editorial Independence, and 71-96 overall. Over time, although the average domain quality of the guidelines improved for all, the Applicability and Editorial Independence domains had the least amount of improvement. For the four guidelines with previous versions, the mean (SD) absolute improvements for each domain were 18 (±11) for Scope and Purpose, 13 (±8) for Stakeholder Involvement, 38 (±22) for Rigor of the Methodology, 25 (±15) for Clarity of Presentation, 22 (±12) for Applicability, 24 (±17) for Editorial Independence, and 31 (±5) overall. Conclusion Based on the AGREE II instrument, the ACR guidelines have achieved high quality over the past 16 years. The Applicability and Editorial Independence domains have the greatest potential for future improvement.
Cyclohexadienone Diazeniumdiolates from Nitric Oxide Addition to Phenolates

Sterically hindered phenols react with nitric oxide under basic condititons to give either cyclohexadienone diazeniumdiolates or oximates. Phenols with 2,6-di-tert-butyl and 4-methyl (butylated hyd...
Struggling Prior to a Teaching Event Results in Superior Short-Term Skills Acquisition in Novice Learners

Objective The act of generating an answer/solution before a learning episode has been shown to enhance performance, even if the learner produces incorrect answers/solutions. This phenomenon has been termed the pretesting effect. In essence, allowing a learner to struggle prior to instruction may be beneficial. The benefits of the pretesting effect have been demonstrated with declarative knowledge (i.e., facts). The objective of this study was to investigate whether the benefits of the pretesting effect extend to acquisition of procedural skill. Design Prospective, randomized, pretest–posttest experiment. Participants and Setting Forty-two first- and second-year medical students enrolled at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio completed this study. Interventions Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 instructional conditions. Participants in the teach-first (TF) condition watched a detailed instructional video of laparoscopic intracorporeal suturing and knot-tying (ICSKT) with auditory and text step-by-step instructions prior to attempting the exercise. In contrast, participants in the struggle-first (SF) condition attempted the ICSKT exercise prior to watching the instructional video. All participants completed 4 trials of ICSKT. The first trial was scored as the pretest and the final trial was the post-test. Results Participants in the TF group had higher pretest scores than participants in the SF group, however these differences were not significant. Despite the pretest deficit, participants in the SF group had higher post-test scores compared to the TF group (p = 0.03). Conclusions Allowing learners to struggle with a procedural skill prior to receiving instruction results in superior acquisition of psychomotor skills.
Video-guided real-to-virtual parameter transfer for viscous fluids

In physically-based simulation, it is essential to choose appropriate material parameters to generate desirable simulation results. In many cases, however, choosing appropriate material parameters is very challenging, and often tedious trial-and-error parameter tuning steps are inevitable. In this paper, we propose a real-to-virtual parameter transfer framework that identifies material parameters of viscous fluids with example video data captured from real-world phenomena. Our method first extracts positional data of fluids and then uses the extracted data as a reference to identify the viscosity parameters, combining forward viscous fluid simulations and parameter optimization in an iterative process. We evaluate our method with a range of synthetic and real-world example data, and demonstrate that our method can identify the hidden physical variables and viscosity parameters. This set of recovered physical variables and parameters can then be effectively used in novel scenarios to generate viscous fluid behaviors visually consistent with the example videos.
Carbon Dots: Zero-Dimensional Carbon Allotrope with Unique Photoinduced Redox Characteristics

Carbon dots (CDots) exploit and enhance the intrinsic properties of small carbon nanoparticles. Their optical absorptions and photoinduced redox characteristics are competitive with those of conventional semiconductor quantum dots at one end and fullerenes and other carbon nanomaterials at the other. Highlighted in this mini review are the effective photon harvesting over a broad spectral range by CDots and their subsequent excited-state charge transfer processes and interactions, which have enabled their use as sensors, for photodynamic effects, and in various energy conversion technologies.
The Learning of Stakeholders in a Community School: A Narrative History of Gardner Pilot Academy

A key dimension to social justice leadership is building authentic partnerships with families and community-based organizations to confront educational inequities. Authentic partnerships are respec...
The Case for User-Centered Artificial Intelligence in Radiology

Past technology transition successes and failures have demonstrated the importance of user-centered design and the science of human factors; these approaches will be critical to the success of artificial intelligence in radiology.
A quasi-solution approach to nonlinear problems?the case of the Blasius similarity solution

Using the simple case of the Blasius similarity solution, we illustrate a recently developed general method (Costin et al 2012 Nonlinearity 25 125–64; Costin et al 2012 arXiv:1209.1009) that reduces a strongly nonlinear problem into a weakly nonlinear analysis. The basic idea is to find a quasi-solution that satisfies the nonlinear problem and boundary conditions to within small errors. Then, by decomposing the true solution , a weakly nonlinear analysis of E, using the contraction mapping theorem in a suitable space of functions provides the existence of the solution as well as bounds on the error E. The quasi-solution construction relies on a combination of exponential asymptotics and standard orthogonal polynomial representations in a finite domain.
Nonalcoholic Fatty Pancreatic Disease (NAFPD)

NAFPD is a novel disease entity that is gaining popularity similar to NAFLD. It has an association with features of the metabolic syndrome, especially obesity. Given increased awareness, it is being diagnosed more commonly and at times is discovered as an incidental finding on imaging. Research thus far has shown that it carries clinical significance and can lead to pancreatitis as well as surgical risk, and even potentially pancreatic cancer. Though treatment strategies are not well established, given the links to metabolic syndrome one of the common approaches is weight loss. Medications such as oral hypoglycemic agents have been studied in animals but there have yet to be studied in humans. As NAFPD still remains a mystery in many ways, it requires further research into the pathophysiology as well as the long-term consequences and management.
Subcortical brain segment volumes in Gulf War Illness and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Abstract Aims There is controversy about brain volumes in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Gulf War Illness (GWI). Subcortical regions were assessed because of significant differences in blood oxygenation level dependent signals in the midbrain between these diseases. Materials and method Magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition with gradient echo (MPRAGE) images from 3 Tesla structural magnetic resonance imaging scans from sedentary control (n = 34), CFS (n = 38) and GWI (n = 90) subjects were segmented in FreeSurfer. Segmented subcortical volumes were regressed against intracranial volume and age, then iteratively analyzed by multivariate general linear modeling with disease status, gender and demographics as independent co-variates. Key findings The optimal model for all subjects used disease status and gender as fixed factors with independent variables eliminated after iteration. Volumes of anterior and midanterior corpus callosum were significantly larger in GWI than CFS. Gender was a significant variable for many segment volumes, and so female and male subjects were analyzed separately. CFS females had smaller left putamen, right caudate and left cerebellum white matter than control women. CFS males had larger left hippocampus than GWI males. Orthostatic status and posttraumatic distress syndrome were not significant covariates. Significance CFS and GWI were appropriate “illness controls” for each other. The different patterns of adjusted segment volumes suggested that sexual dimorphisms contributed to pathological changes. Previous volumetric studies may need to be reevaluated to account for gender differences. The findings are framed by comparison to the spectrum of magnetic resonance imaging outcomes in the literature.
Anti-Suit Injunctions and Jurisdictional Competition In Global FRAND Litigation: The Case For Judicial Restraint

The proliferation of international jurisdictional conflicts and competing “anti-suit injunctions” in litigation over the licensing of standards-essential patents has raised concerns among policy makers in the United States, Europe and China. This article suggests that national courts temporarily “stand down” from assessing global “fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory” (FRAND) royalty rates while international bodies develop a more comprehensive, efficient and transparent methodology for resolving issues around FRAND licensing.
E-Learning Environments: Actor Network Theoretic Inspirations into Localized Discovery

Virtual delivery of learning is widespread among many educational institutions which deploy learning management systems for this purpose. However, these systems yet fail to deliver similar experience with face-to-face learning environments despite added benefits they poses compared to face-to-face learning. This article study conceptual ideas, in particular actor-network theory, which can be used to design virtual learning environments.
CHAPTER 39 – Bending the Rules: Unusual Nucleic Acid Structures and Disease Pathology in the Repeat Expansion Diseases

This chapter discusses several unusual nucleic acid structures and disease pathology in the repeat expansion diseases. The repeat expansion diseases are a group of genetic disorders with an unusual mutational mechanism: they are caused by an expansion of a specific tandem repeat array. Many disorders in this category are also unusual as the repeat tract is located outside the open reading frame of the affected gene. The repeats responsible for these disorders have the ability to form a variety of different DNA and RNA secondary structures, many of which involve a bend or fold. All of the disease-associated repeats are somewhat unusual. Some repeats have unusual properties even when in duplexes with their complementary strand. The two strands of the Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) repeat can form parallel duplexes in addition to the typical antiparallel duplex. The individual strands of some of these repeats can also form homoduplexes, some of which have quite unusual conformations. Moreover, the favored mechanisms of disease pathology range from effects on chromatin structure to the sequestration of factors important for normal cell function.
Definition and Criteria for the Diagnoses of Anaphylaxis

It seems anti-intuitive that a phenomenon such as anaphylaxis, with explosive ­manifestations and distinct symptoms, should be difficult to define. However, since its discovery as a medical event in humans, there have been numerous different definitions. These definitions have evolved over approximately one century since the first demonstration of an anaphylactic event in an animal model.
Hard Disks on the Hyperbolic Plane

We examine a simple hard disk fluid with no long range interactions on the two-dimensional space of constant negative Gaussian curvature, the hyperbolic plane. This geometry provides a natural mechanism by which global crystalline order is frustrated, allowing us to construct a tractable model of disordered monodisperse hard disks. We extend free-area theory and the virial expansion to this regime, deriving the equation of state for the system, and compare its predictions with simulation near an isostatic packing in the curved space.
Interdisciplinary curriculum development in electronics packaging using course segmentation

A seed project for using course segmentation to facilitate curriculum development in graduate education has been initiated with the support of the National Science Foundation. Courses are divided into credit-bearing segments offered over portions of a term (e.g. a three credit course may be divided into three one-credit courses each given over one-third of the term). Core segments are then used as building blocks of other courses (additional branch segments), thereby reducing the effort associated with introducing new courses. Segmentation provides other benefits including operating efficiency (enrolment in core segments can be increased, helping to justify lower enrolment specialized branches), and reducing curricular credit hour requirements by permitting students in particular curricula to take selected segments. The segmentation concept has been applied to an interdisciplinary curriculum initiative in electronics packaging by the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) and Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments.
Modeling and comparing a startup dynamics in the US and Egypt

In today's world startups are playing a key role to stimulate the economy, solve pressing problems and create fulfilling employment opportunities. However, the failure rate of startups in the US, one of the most prominent countries for encouraging startups, has been eight out of ten, a very high proportion. In this thesis, I explore this topic further with a hypothesis that company's sustained success depends not only on its financial growth, but also its dynamic ability to continuously fulfill its key stakeholders' needs and aspirations, and its ability to adapt to the specific conditions of its evolving ecosystem. This thesis provides a new holistic, system-driven conceptualization of a startup and its internal dynamics from human resources, product development, customers, and financials. I develop a System Dynamics model to represent these internal dynamics and simulate it over a period of five years to gain more insight about a startup behavior. In addition, I bring in the impact of exogenous factors from the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a "second layer" of variables in the entrepreneurial model. Through a process of validating and comparing the model to the literature, I identify five key internal leverage points for the sustained success of the modeled startup. Moreover, after performing a sensitivity analysis to the model, I identify the key exogenous leverage points in studied entrepreneurship ecosystems. I then compare and contrast the US and Egyptian case by embedding the modeled startup in the Egyptian ecosystem. A significant change of the behavior of the modeled startup with a much lower final Firm Valuation and Job Attractiveness is observed. I conclude with a discussion of the high leverage points in the Egyptian ecosystem based on this analysis, and recommendations for entrepreneurs and policy makers.
Toward a Framework for Achieving a Sustainable Globalization

Widespread trade liberalization and economic integration characterize the current era of globalization. While this approach has resulted in significant job creation, improved living standards, and a wider variety of cheaper consumer goods and services, opponents question if globalization's benefits outweigh the dislocations and downsides that it causes. Protestors are intent on stalling or rolling back globalization's progression and our review of the history of globalization reveals that a backlash is not without precedent. The article carefully examines the myth and reality of these two opposing positions on four key areas of the globalization debate: jobs; inequality and poverty; national sovereignty and cultural diversity; and the natural environment. This information is then utilized to derive a broad set of feasible policy recommendations that could help bring about a more sustainable form of globalization.
Computing the Inner Product on Reconfigurable Buses with Shift Switching

The purpose of this work is to present two novel architectures for inner product computation. The proposed architectures incorporate shift switching into the reconfigurable buses. Given two arrays of N elements, each consisting of m bits, our first architecture achieves a latency of O((logN + logM)ta + (logN)tb), using Nm2 basic shift switches and m2 adders assuming that broadcasting on a bus takes tb time and an addition takes ta time. The second architecture extends the first one by pipelining and achieves a throughput of one inner product per lime unit, while keeping the latency unchanged. Replacing large number of adders with simple shift switches, both architectures improve the state of the art by reducing the amount of hardware for the computation.
L’aggiornamento cartografico dei Database Territoriali Integrati

L’architettura di riferimento per la sperimentazione della Procedura Di Aggiornamento e quella del Sigmater, un progetto e-gov di cooperazione appliactiva tra i piu significativi in Italia. In questa architettura i dati interscambiati con le porte di dominio vengono centralizzati ed integrati proprio in un DataBase Territoriale Integrato.
Voltage-dependent, pertussis toxin insensitive inhibition of calcium currents by histamine in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells.

Histamine is a known secretagogue in adrenal chromaffin cells. Activation of G-protein linked H1 receptors stimulates phospholipase C, which generates inositol trisphosphate leading to release of i...
Unstructured food webs: a model for aquaculture

Abstract Predictions derived from the unstructured food web model developed by Isaacs (1972, 1973) and later modified by Lange and Hurley (1975) can be derived straightforwardly from a simple box model involving plant biomass, heterotroph biomass, and detritus. Differential equations rather than matrices are used to describe the transfer of materials between these boxes. By recasting these equations, several restrictions present in the original model as well as in the Lange and Hurley reformulation can be relaxed. The model was therefore generalized to allow for (1) a distinction between organic inputs due to plant photosynthesis and to applied feeds, (2) a difference in the turnover rates of the plants, heterotrophs, and detritus, and (3) the effect of harvesting a cash crop. This more general model is used to predict the potential biomass of heterotrophs in a freshwater prawn pond, and to predict the outcome of simple managerial manipulations on the system.
The current status of placebo in hospital practice

Despite a voluminous literature on the topic of placebo, there has been little documentation of either actual clinical practice of prescribing placebo or the attitudes that surround it. Through a questionnaire survey of all head nurses of clinical units in one health services area of Connecticut, data were obtained on current practices regarding placebo use in the natural hospital setting. Multiple reasons for placebo use in the natural hospital setting. Multiple reasons for placebo use were given, and it was noted that patients receiving placebo tended to be viewed in certain ways. The effectiveness of placebo in symptom relief was reported as nearly double that reported in the experimental literature. Methodologic issues of the study and of placebo investigation, in general, are discussed. Because common clinical problems appear to generate most instances of placebo use, several issues pertinent to medical education are raised. Some future directions for placebo research are proposed.
Viscoelastic Characterization of Perfused Liver: Indentation Testing and Preliminary Modeling

Computer-aided medical technologies are currently restricted by the limited understanding of the mechanical response of solid abdominal organs to finite loading conditions typical of surgical manipulation [5]. This limitation is a result of the difficulty in acquiring the necessary data on whole organs. To develop a constitutive model capable of predicting complex surgical scenarios, multiple testing modalities need to be simultaneously obtained to capture the fundamental nature of the tissue’s behavior under such conditions. In vivo tests are essential to obtain a realistic response, but their inherent difficulty and unknown boundary conditions makes them an impractical approach. Ex vivo tests are easy to control, but the response is unrealistic. A perfusion apparatus was previously developed that obtained near in vivo conditions for whole livers while allowing the ease of ex vivo testing [3]. This work presents the results from complete viscoelastic testing of whole-perfused livers with surgically relevant time-dependant indentation loading profiles to 35% nominal strain. These results will aid in the development of a constitutive model for the liver whose parameters can be related to the physical constituents of the tissue. As an intermediate modeling step, a 1D rheological modeling tool was used to identify the form and initial parameters for a constitutive model.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Context-sensitive data-driven crowd simulation

In terms of computation, steering through a crowd of pedestrians is a challenging task. The problem space is inherently high-dimensional, with each added agent giving yet another set of parameters to consider while finding a solution. Yet in the real world, navigating through a crowd of people is very similar regardless of the population size. The closest people have the most impact while those distant set a more general strategy. To this end, we propose a data-driven system for steering in crowd simulations by splitting the problem space into coarse features for the general world, and fine features for other agents nearby. The system is comprised of a collection of steering contexts, which are qualitatively different overall traffic patterns. Due to their similarity, the scenarios within these contexts have a machine-learned model fit to the data of an offline planner which serves as an oracle for generating synthetic training data. An additional layer of machine-learning is used to select the current context at runtime, and the context's policy consulted for the agent's next step. We experienced speedup from hours per scenario with the offline planner and 10 agents to an interactive framerate of 10FPS for 3,000 agents using our data-driven technique.
BMP Signaling Is Required Locally to Pattern the Dorsal Telencephalic Midline

BMPs have been proposed to pattern the medial-lateral axis of the telencephalon in a concentration-dependent manner, thus helping to subdivide the embryonic telencephalon into distinct forebrain regions. Using a CRE/loxP genetic approach, we tested this hypothesis by disrupting the Bmpr1a gene in the telencephalon. In mutants, BMP signaling was compromised throughout the dorsal telencephalon, but only the most dorsalmedial derivative, the choroid plexus, failed to be specified or differentiate. Choroid plexus precursors remained proliferative and did not adopt the fate of their lateral telencephalic neighbors. These results demonstrate that BMP signaling is required for the formation of the most dorsal telencephalic derivative, the choroid plexus, and that BMP signaling plays an essential role in locally patterning the dorsal midline. Our data fail to support a more global, concentration-dependent role in specifying telencephalic cell fates.
Calcified adrenal masses

We reviewed 106 cases of adrenal masses of all types in all age groups. Thirty-three contained calcium visible on radiographs, sonography, or computed tomography (CT). Neuroblastoma was the most common calcified adrenal mass (10 cases), and occurred only in children. Adrenal cyst (6 cases) was the most common calcified adrenal mass in adults. Other calcified adrenal masses included 5 cortical adenomas, 4 adrenal carcinomas, 3 cases of adrenal hemorrhage, 2 adrenal metastases, 2 pheochromocytomas, and 1 histoplasmoma. Calcification within an adrenal mass is therefore nonspecific. All the adrenal cysts had a characteristic radiographic pattern, showing only peripheral curvilinear calcification. The presence and pattern of calcium in an adrenal mass must be correlated with other imaging features (e.g., size, homogeneity, enhancement pattern, margination) to allow correct differential diagnosis. This can best be done by CT.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Chinese and American Creativity: Theoretical Perspectives

In August 2010, we co-chaired an invited symposium at the American Psycho-logical Association devoted to the creativity of Chinese people and their Westerncounterparts. The exciting work presented and the lively discussions convinced usto continue our work on this topic and bring together many of the same par-ticipants (and some new ones) for two special issues of the Journal of CreativeBehavior.In this ﬁrst special issue, we feature three theoretical papers that center on Chi-nese and American creativity. Mainland China is one of the fastest growing econo-mies in the world for the two following reasons: First, from the policy level, there isa great emphasis on promoting the development of creativity from the top leadersof the country in the recent decade (Niu, 2006; Peng & Plucker, this issue; Wu &Albanese, 2010). Most recently, China’s president Hu Jintao spoke at the opening ofthe National Scientiﬁc and Technological Innovation Convention in which he madethe promotion of creativity as the top priority in China’s next decade’s strategicdevelopment (Xinhua News Agency, July 7, 2012). Second, at the academic level,there is increasing interest in the past decade in studying creativity using participantsfrom Mainland China (Wu & Albanese, 2010).Three of the seven papers are theory-based reviews of the literature. We startwith Peng and Plucker’s (this issue) powerful review of the last two decades of Chi-nese policy changes with regard to creativity education. They highlight the manyaccomplishments and changes that have helped to develop Chinese creativity butalso point to valuable avenues for future work. Second, Niu (this issue) examinesConfucian ideology and how it continues to inﬂuence Chinese people’s perceptionof creativity to this day. Third, Lan and Kaufman (this issue) explore the similaritiesand differences between American and Chinese as they deﬁne and evaluate creativityproducts.In the next issue, we will present four empirical studies about Chinese and Amer-ican creativity. We believe that the integration of theory and research is necessarilyto inspire future work. We hope that you both enjoy these papers and ﬁnd them asthought-provoking as we have found.
Assembly of southern bean mosaic virus from its two subviral intermediates.

Abstract Upon treatment with EDTA and KCl (pH 7.5), virions of southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV) dissociate into two discrete subviral entities, a ribonucleoproteinaceous complex (RNPC) and spheroidal coat protein shells. These two entities can be separated with ultracentrifugation employing a 10% sucrose cushion. When the isolated RNPC and SBMV protein shells were mixed and maintained at 5° for 48 hr, a 100 S SBMV entity was formed. With dialysis (5°, 48 hr) against 0.01 M Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.5, containing divalent metal ions (Mg 2+ plus Ca 2+ plus Ni 2+ ), however, these two subviral SBMV components reassociated yielding 115 S virions which resembled native SBMV in morphology, infectivity, and resistance towards enzymes or sodium dodecyl sulfate.
Data fusion of association hypotheses in a distributed sensor network

ABSTRACT A fusion algorithm is presented for a multisensor tracking system, in which the local trackers are N-scan dataassociation filters. Previously, a fusion algorithm was given for the case where the local trackers are JPDA filters.Here, a fusion algorithm is presented for the more general case of local N-scan data association filters, of which the JPDA is a special case (N=0). The fusion equations consist of a simultaneous updating of the global hypothesis probabilities, and conditional global target state estimates. Two communication schemes between the local trackersand global processor are considered. A unidirectional communication scheme is examined in which the local trackerssend the updated hypothesis probabilities and conditional target state estimates to the global processor; the localnodes then continue to track without knowledge of the global estimates. A bidirectional communication scheme isexamined in which the local trackers send the updated hypothesis probabilities and conditional target state estimatesto the global processor. Upon completion of the data fusion, however, the global processor transmits the updatedglobal hypothesis probabilities and conditional target state estimates back to the local trackers. In order to reduce therequired communications rate, only M local hypothesis probabilities are retained at each iteration, with the remainingprobabilities truncated to zero. The effect of hypothesis pruning and varying the number of scans considered in thedata association is evaluated through simulations of a two-sensor system.
Strength and Functional Performance Recovery After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Preadolescent Athletes

Background:In the skeletally immature population, the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and ACL reconstructions appears to be increasing. Differences in surgical techniques, ph...
Dynamic heart model for the mathematical cardiac torso (MCAT) phantom to represent the invariant total heart volume

This manuscript documents the alteration of the heart model of the MCAT phantom to better represent cardiac motion. The objective of the inclusion of motion was to develop a digital simulation of the heart such that the impact of cardiac motion on single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging could be assessed and methods of quantitating cardiac function could be investigated. The motion of the dynamic MCAT's heart is modeled by a 128 time frame volume curve. Eight time frames are averaged together to obtain a gated perfusion acquisition of 16 time frames and ensure motion within every time frame. The position of the MCAT heart was changed during contraction to rotate back and forth around the long axis through the center of the left ventricle (LV) using the end systolic time frame as turning point. Simple respiratory motion was also introduced by changing the orientation of the heart model in a 2 dimensional (2D) plane with every time frame. The averaging effect of respiratory motion in a specific time frame was modeled by randomly selecting multiple heart locations between two extreme orientations. Non-gated perfusion phantoms were also generated by averaging over all time frames. Maximal chamber volumes were selected to fit a profile of a normal healthy person. These volumes were changed during contraction of the ventricles such that the increase in volume in the atria compensated for the decrease in volume in the ventricles. The myocardium were modeled to represent shortening of muscle fibers during contraction with the base of the ventricles moving towards a static apex. The apical region was modeled with moderate wall thinning present while myocardial mass was conserved. To test the applicability of the dynamic heart model, myocardial wall thickening was measured using maximum counts and full width half maximum measurements, and compared with published trends. An analytical 3D projector, with attenuation and detector response included, was used to generate radionuclide projection data sets. After reconstruction a linear relationship was obtained between maximum myocardial counts and myocardium thickness, similar to published results. A numeric difference in values from different locations exist due to different amounts of attenuation present. Similar results were obtained for FWHM measurements. Also, a hot apical region on the polar maps without attenuation compensation turns into an apical defect with attenuation compensation. The apical decrease was more prominent in ED than ES due to the change in the partial volume effect. Both of these agree with clinical trends. It is concluded that the dynamic MCAT (dMCAT) phantom can be used to study the influence of various physical parameters on radionuclide perfusion imaging.
Simplified Polymer Mimics of Cross-Linking Adhesive Proteins

Marine mussels and barnacles attach themselves to surfaces by depositing mixtures of proteins and then cross-linking these polymers for curing of their adhesive. Obtaining large quantities of these biological materials for applications development has proven to be problematic. Here we present the synthesis, reactivity, and adhesive characteristics of simplified polymer mimics of bioadhesives. A polystyrene backbone is used to take the place of the protein polyamide chain. Cross-linkable catechol groups are appended to the polystyrene in order to mimic 3,4-dihydroxystyrene (DOPA), the key cross-linking group in mussel adhesive proteins. We show that poly[(3,4-dimethoxystyrene)-co-styrene] polymers exhibit curing analogous to that of the proteins after which they were modeled. The styrene−catechol copolymers also display enhanced adhesion upon cross-linking. This report demonstrates a reductionist approach to developing new polymeric materials on the basis of principles learned from nature.
A simple mechanical mixer for small viscous lipid-containing samples

Abstract The construction and performance characteristics of a simple device for rapid and convenient hydration and mixing of small volumes (10–500 μl) of viscous hydrated lipid samples for use in X-ray diffraction/scattering and other applications are described. The mixer has been used successfully over the past several years in studies of the equilibrium properties of lipid mesophases and of the kinetics and mechanism of phase transitions. It is a low dead-volume (3.6–11.2 μl) device that was built to facilitate maximal transfer of homogeneously hydrated lipid from the mixer into 1 mm diameter X-ray capillaries with minimal loss of water during transfer and sample manipulation. The device consists of inexpensive, commercially available parts, the most important of which are two microsyringes joined by a small-bore coupling needle. Also described in this report is a technique for determining the water content of the small volume, hydrated samples prepared with the mixer and an accessory for conveniently heating and/or degassing samples during mixing. Inadvertent sample heating that occurs during mixing is described.
Napsin A is differentially expressed in sclerosing hemangiomas of the lung.

Context.—Sclerosing hemangiomas (SH) are lung tumors characterized by surface cuboidal cells and round stromal cells. The cell of origin remains controversial, though immunohistochemical and ultras...
Analytical Model for Prediction of Fatigue Life of Asphalt Concrete, Including Size Effect

A local energy criterion is applied to the problem of a quasi-static extension of a subcritical crack embedded in a viscoelastic-plastic matrix. It extends the Griffith fracture criterion to include fatigue. The derived expression for the fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) governs the subcritical crack growth to the point of gross instability. It utilizes only the material properties of the dense graded asphalt concrete mixes (DGAC), which are the dynamic modulus in bending, the flexural tensile strength, the fracture toughness and the normalized creep compliance function. The derived expression uses a new concept by Kharlab (1990) for the size effect by combining both the infinite and finite stresses at a crack tip in the mechanics of fracture. Published fatigue data for a large number of asphalt concrete mixes is used to validate the new analytical expression for the FCGR. The raw test data extracted from Majidzadeh et al. (1976) include dynamic modulus, indirect tensile strength, fracture toughness, cree...
Diagnosis and treatment of central venous access-associated infections.

This paper provides readers with a basic understanding of the types of central venous access–associated infections as well as appropriate diagnostic techniques. Preventive measures are the most effective way to reduce rates of catheter-associated infection and are discussed in detail. Diagnosis and treatment of each type of infection are reviewed for nontunneled central venous catheters, tunneled dialysis catheters, and venous access ports. Readers should be able to employ the methods described in this paper to reduce the rate of central venous access–associated infections at their hospitals.
Energy levels of 1s 2 2sr 2pk configurations in the C i and N i sequences, in S, Cl, Ar, K, Ca

The results of three different methods of calculation are compared, with extrapolation and fitting of observational data, to obtain values for the energy levels and intervals of the 2sr2pk configurations for the elements from sulfur to scandium. Some auxiliary results are also obtained, such as fine-structure parameters which account well for the observed splittings, and intercombination-line wavelengths of interest for the solar corona.
Temporal helium isotopic variations within Hawaiian volcanoes: Basalts from Mauna Loa and Haleakala

Abstract Helium isotope ratios in basalts spanning the subaerial eruptive history of Mauna Loa and Haleakala vary systematically with eruption age. In both volcanoes, olivine mineral separates from the oldest samples have the highest 3He/4He ratios. The Haleakala samples studied range in age from roughly one million years to historic time, while the Mauna Loa samples are radiocarbon dated flows younger than 30.000 years old. The Honomanu tholeiites are the oldest samples from Haleakala and have 3He/4 ratios that range from 13 to 16.8× atmospheric, while the younger Kula and Hana series alkali basalts all have 3He/4 close to 8×atmospheric. A similar range is observed on Mauna Loa; the oldest samples (roughly 30,000 years) have 3He/4 ratios of 15 to 20 × atmospheric, with a relatively smooth decrease to 8 × atmospheric with decreasing age. The consistent trend of decreasing 3He/4He ratio with time in both volcanoes, coherence between the helium and Sr and Nd isotopes (for Haleakala), and the similarity of 3He/4 in the late stage basalts to depleted mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) helium, argue against the decrease being the result of radiogenic ingrowth of 4He. The data strongly suggest an undegassed (i.e., high 3He/(Th + U)) mantle source for the early shield building stages of Hawaiian volcanism. and are consistent with the hotspot/mantle plume model. The data are difficult to reconcile with models for Hawaiian volcanism that require recycled oceanic crust or derivation from a MORB-related upper mantle source. We interpret the decrease in 3He/4 with volcano evolution to result from an increasing involvement of depleted mantle and/or lithosphere during the late stages of Hawaiian volcanism.
Polymeric nanocomposite for memory application

Recently conjugated polymers and conjugated organic molecules have drawn a great deal of attention, since they are uniquely suited for thin film, large area, mechanically flexible devices. On the other hand, polymer/inorganic nanocomposite have also been pursued to deliver unique electronic properties in various device applications such as organic light-emitting diodes, organic thin film transistors, and solar cells. Here we demonstrate a nanocomposite based on polyaniline nanofibers decorated with gold nanoparticles and apply this composite into memory devices. The electronic property shows an electric bistable effect in a two terminal sandwiched structure. These two bistable states have different conductivities by three orders of magnitude. The mechanism is likely involving electric-field induced charge transfer between the polymer and nanoparticles. This nanocomposite material provides a unique functionality and possibility to open a new direction for future organic electronics.
Debye–Hückel theory for rigid‐dipole fluids

The dipolar analog of classical linearized Debye–Huckel theory is formulated for a finite fluid system of arbitrary shape composed of rigid polar molecules. In contrast to the ionic case, the dipolar Debye–Huckel (DDH) theory is nonunique due to an inherent arbitrariness in the choice of a local field E*. This nonuniqueness is expressed in terms of a parameter ϑ related to the ellipticity of the spheroidal cavity used to define E*. The theory then leads to an expression for the direct correlation function c (ϑ) as a function of ϑ. Only the short‐range part of c (ϑ) depends upon ϑ; the long‐range part equals −φd/kT for all ϑ, where φd is the bare dipole–dipole potential. This result for c (ϑ) implies the existence of the dielectric constant e for all ϑ and leads to a formula for e (ϑ). The DDH results for c (ϑ) and e (ϑ) are formally identical to the ’’mean‐field’’ results of Ho/ye and Stell (obtained for an infinite system by a γ→0 limiting procedure) in which ϑ represents a ’’core parameter.’’
The evolution of episodic memory

One prominent view holds that episodic memory emerged recently in humans and lacks a “(neo)Darwinian evolution” [Tulving E (2002) Annu Rev Psychol 53:1–25]. Here, we review evidence supporting the alternative perspective that episodic memory has a long evolutionary history. We show that fundamental features of episodic memory capacity are present in mammals and birds and that the major brain regions responsible for episodic memory in humans have anatomical and functional homologs in other species. We propose that episodic memory capacity depends on a fundamental neural circuit that is similar across mammalian and avian species, suggesting that protoepisodic memory systems exist across amniotes and, possibly, all vertebrates. The implication is that episodic memory in diverse species may primarily be due to a shared underlying neural ancestry, rather than the result of evolutionary convergence. We also discuss potential advantages that episodic memory may offer, as well as species-specific divergences that have developed on top of the fundamental episodic memory architecture. We conclude by identifying possible time points for the emergence of episodic memory in evolution, to help guide further research in this area.
AIDS prevention: Africa's circumcision challenge

To combat the spread of HIV, health officials plan to circumcise 20 million men in Africa, but some have concerns about the aftermath.