cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Automating neurosurgical tumor resection surgery: Volumetric laser ablation of cadaveric porcine brain with integrated surface mapping.

Objective Current surgical instruments for soft tissue resection including neurosurgical procedures rely on the accuracy and precision of the human operator and are fundamentally constrained by the human hand. Automated surgical action with the integration of intraoperative data sources can enable highly accurate and fast tissue manipulation using laser ablation. This study presents the first experiments with a prototype designed for automated tumor resection via laser ablation. We demonstrate targeted soft tissue resection in porcine brain with an integrated device that combines 3D scanning capabilities with a steerable surgical laser and discuss implications for future automated robotic neurosurgical procedures. Study design and methods A device consisting of a two-axis galvanometer for steering a cutting laser and a 3D surface profiler is used to perform volumetric removal of tissue of ex vivo porcine brain. Three-dimensional surface profiles are gathered between cuts and used to estimate ablation rate. Results Volumetric ablation of porcine brain tissue is performed and subsequently surface profiled. The average ablation rates across the area cutting areas were 2.6 mm3 /s and 3.7 mm3 /s for the initial and subsequent cuts, respectively. A Kruskal-Wallis and post-hoc Tukey test show statistical significance between the initial and subsequent cuts. Accuracy between cuts when benchmarked against a human surgeon varied from 47 to 88%. Conclusion A feed-forward volumetric resection is demonstrated with sensing and cutting housed within a single device, thereby opening the potential for automated soft tissue resection as necessary during the surgical removal of pathologic tissues. High variance around target cut depths motivates future work in developing a closed-loop ablation tool as well as characterization of laser-tissue interactions for predictive modelling. Objective Lasers Surg. 50:1017-1024, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
"Why aren't we there yet?" Re-examining standard paradigms in imaging of OA: summary of the 2nd annual workshop on imaging based measures of osteoarthritis.

Summary Objective This white paper constitutes an overview of presentations and discussions from the 2nd annual osteoarthritis (OA) imaging workshop. Design This workshop brought together the communities of basic OA researchers, orthopedists and rheumatologists, imaging scientists, instrument manufacturers, and pharmaceutical and regulatory representatives to try to identify those factors that have limited imaging [focusing mostly on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] from making larger inroads into understanding and treating OA ("why aren't we there yet"), and to delineate future directions for success. Results The meeting was successful in raising awareness and questions about how we may proceed in this process. There was a general consensus that a change in direction is needed for OA imaging research to succeed in yielding a better understanding of OA and development of preventive and therapeutic procedures. Conclusions Our current paradigms are limiting the potential for MRI, by limiting how trials are designed and interpreted. Many basic questions remain in biology, pathophysiology, pain, and biomechanics; these questions need to be identified and specific imaging protocols need to be developed to address them. The OA research communities need to work alongside the regulatory, pharmaceutical, and MRI industries to support the new ideas and engage in the positive reinforcement of resources to further the new studies.
BRIEFLY UNIDENTIFIED : A STUDY OF A PECULIAR SOURCE OF IDENTIFICATION

In May of 1992, unidentified human remains were received at the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida for identification. The decedent was identified as a white female in her early sixties between 62 and 63 in. in stature. Significant trauma was observed at various skeletal sites. The identity of the decedent was meant to be obscured due to the decapitation of the head and removal of the lower arms including the hands. Examination of the clothing revealed that the first initial and last name of the decedent had been written in ink inside the label of the underpants. Subsequently, this information was matched with missing persons reports. Identification of the decedent was confirmed by comparison of antemortem and postmortem radiographs.
A polymerase chain reaction-based method for the detection of hepatitis A virus in produce and shellfish.

Outbreaks of gastroenteritis that are suspected to be of viral origin are on the rise. Thus, there is a need for regulatory agencies entrusted with food safety to develop adequate techniques for the detection of viruses in foods. We have established a general procedure for the detection of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in shellfish that, with minor modifications, is also applicable to fresh produce such as cilantro. Total RNA was isolated from shellfish or cilantro, followed by isolation of poly(A)-containing RNA. Because HAV genomic RNA contains a poly(A) tail, the isolation of poly(A)-containing RNA also enriches HAV genomic RNA. Reverse transcription was used to convert the RNA to cDNA, and then amplification was carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Reamplification with internal primers was used to improve the quality and the quantity of amplified DNA, allowing for post-PCR analysis such as sequence identification of the viral strain. With this procedure, multiple samples could be analyzed in four...
Narrative Language Pedagogy and the Stabilization of Indigenous Languages.

This paper discusses recent trends in language pedagogy that emphasize movement from a psycholinguistic to a more sociocultural view of language teaching and learning. Nourished primarily by sociocultural theory and Hinton’s (2002, 2003) efforts to promote the stabilization of indigenous languages, the author presents Narrative Language Pedagogy, a model for teaching non-dominant languages that centers on authentic conversations as the focus of instruction.
Green Landscapes: Exogenous Economic Benefi ts of Environmental Improvement

A past study of the landscape architecture profession and resulting marketing strategy emphasized the value added by design services (Bookout 1994). It supported the notion that design was not necessarily a luxury, a loss-leader, or other marginal(ized) component of the built environment, but had real value. Nonetheless, the marketing still smacked of triviality – the notion that landscape architectural contributions were something akin to an “after-market” product of land development rather than a fundamental element of the building process. We argue here that the benefits of environmental improvement through mitigation and prevention form a more core component of land-use decision-making. The environment provides numerous goods and services to communities. Of course it provides life-sustaining elements for food, air, water. It provides raw materials for production of other goods and services. It also provides regulation of ecological processes, habitat, recreation, identity, pleasure, and many other tangible and less-tangible benefits. Variations in the quality of environmental goods and services quite logically lead to variations in their potential valuation. The production of particular qualities and quantities of environmental goods and services falls well within the scope of the design and planning professions. As such, they act as agents of landscape change in both direct (the construction of particular places, in particular ways) and less direct ways (through the generation of economic – among other – benefits). A proper accounting for the benefits of particular landscape goods and services can lead to different decisions about the provision of those goods and services, affecting the future state of the landscape. There are numerous challenges to examining the benefits associated with environmental change. A major challenge is that many of the potential benefits must be imputed from other measures, as they are not directly accounted for in the marketplace. The indirect accounting is due to several factors, but of particular interest here is the classic problem of public goods. The landscape, in addition to being a source of resources, is also used as a sink for waste products. When a pollutant is added to the environment, the benefits (the avoidance of treating or eliminating the pollutant) accrue to the entity that produced the pollutant. However, the costs, in terms of environmental degradation, are borne by entities not receiving the benefits (such as downstream or downwind residents).
A Class of Partially Replicated Two Level Fractional Factorial Designs

Resolution III fractional factorial designs are often used in the initial phases of an experiment to screen factors, but it may be desirable to include partial replication of the design to allow for the unbiased estimation of error while maintaining the orthogonality of the main effects. This paper proposes a new class of partially replicated two-level fractional factorial designs based on Hadamard matrices. Construction of these designs is discussed and their relative performance is evaluated by comparing them with competing fractional factorial designs.
TCT-523 RVOT/Ao Ratio on Computed Tomography Better Predicts RV Dysfunction and Invasive Hemodynamic Abnormalities as Compared to RV/LV Ratio in Patients with Pulmonary Embolism

Assessment of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is commonly used to assess clinical severity and formulate management decisions. Calculated via computed tomography (CT) imaging, the ratio between the diameters of the right and left ventricles (RV/LV)
The effect of breast volume on toxicity using hypofractionated regimens for early stage breast cancer for patients.

Abstract Purpose Hypofractionated radiation therapy (HFRT) remains underused, despite multiple randomized trials showing the equivalence of HFRT to conventional fractionated radiation therapy (CFRT). We sought to retrospectively review the relationship between breast volume and toxicity for HFRT versus CFRT. Methods and materials Data from 114 patients who received a diagnosis of early stage breast cancer and were treated with lumpectomy and whole breast radiation alone were reviewed. Breast cancer laterality, stage, grade, estrogen/progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status, and systemic therapy use were recorded. Length of follow-up was calculated using the last day of radiation treatment and the date of the most recent follow-up. Results The median follow-up was 42 months. A total of 83 patients were treated with HFRT and 31 with CFRT. Rates of grade ≥2 skin toxicity were significantly higher in patients undergoing CFRT compared with HFRT (76% vs 28%; P 25 cm, the percentage of patients with grade 2 skin toxicity was 43% for HFRT versus 57% for CFRT (P = .67). The volume of breast tissue receiving >105% of the total prescription dose, including boost, was not significantly different for HFRT versus CFRT (P = .70). Conclusions Use of HFRT resulted in lower acute skin toxicity rates compared with CFRT. Large breast size (volume ≥1000 cm3) was associated with lower acute grade 2 toxicity with the use of HFRT despite achieving similar dosimetry compared with CFRT.
Signal Propagation Through Piecewise Transmission Lines for Interpretation of Reflectometry in Photovoltaic Systems

We present a framework for analyzing electromagnetic signal propagation through piecewise-defined transmission lines with arbitrary, series-connected impedances. While the formulation is general and scalable, we apply it here to propagation through a photovoltaic module with cables on either side acting, with a home run cable, as a section of an inhomogeneous transmission line. Understanding propagation through this unit of a series-connected string of photovoltaic modules is necessary to enable the use of time-domain reflectometry techniques for monitoring the status of individual components in series-connected strings within large photovoltaic arrays.
What Are the Unique Considerations in Renal Transplant Patients with Abdominal Pain

Mortality and morbidity related to renal transplants are relatively uncommon. Many presentations of abdominal pain in the renal transplant patient will be unrelated to the transplant itself. However, immunosuppression may mask symptoms. It also increases the risk of both infectious complications and other medication-related effects. Ultrasound and computed tomography are highly useful in this patient population. Intravenous contrast is likely safe in transplanted kidneys, but caution is advisable in patients with reduced renal function.
Peripheral GABA receptors regulate colonic afferent excitability and visceral nociception.

Key points While the presence of GABA receptors on primary afferents has been well described, most functional analyses have focused on the regulation of transmitter release from central terminals and/or signalling in the sensory neuron cell body. Evidence that GABA receptors are transported to peripheral terminals and that there are several sources of GABA in the colon raise the possibility that GABA signalling in the periphery may influence colonic afferent excitability. GABAA and GABAB are present and functional in the colon, where exogenous agonists decrease the excitability of colonic afferents and suppress visceral nociception. Endogenous GABA release within the colon is sufficient to establish the resting excitability of colonic afferents as well as the behavioural response to noxious stimulation of the colon, primarily via GABAA receptors. Peripheral GABA receptors may serve as a viable target for the treatment of visceral pain. Abstract It is well established that GABA receptors at the central terminals of primary afferent fibres regulate afferent input to the superficial dorsal horn. However, the extent to which peripheral GABA signalling may also regulate afferent input remains to be determined. The colon was used to explore this issue because of the numerous endogenous sources of GABA that have been described in this tissue. The influence of GABA signalling on colonic afferent excitability was assessed in an ex vivo mouse colorectum pelvic nerve preparation where test compounds were applied to the receptive field. The visceromotor response (VMR) evoked by noxious colorectal distension was used to assess the impact of GABA signalling on visceral nociception, where test compounds were applied directly to the colon. Application of either GABAA or GABAB receptor agonists attenuated the colonic afferent response to colon stretch. Conversely, GABAA and GABAB receptor antagonists increased the stretch response. However, while the noxious distension-induced VMR was attenuated in the presence of GABAA and GABAB receptor agonists, the VMR was only consistently increased by GABAA receptor antagonists. These results suggest that GABA receptors are present and functional in the peripheral terminals of colonic afferents and activation of these receptors via endogenous GABA release contributes to the establishment of colonic afferent excitability and visceral nociception. These results suggest that increasing peripheral GABA receptor signalling could be used to treat visceral pain.
Twenty-Five Years of Progress in the Science of “Geological” Tsunamis Following the 1992 Nicaragua and Flores Events

We review a set of 47 tsunamis of geological origin (triggered by earthquakes, landslides or volcanoes) which have occurred over the past 25 years and provided significant new insight into theoretical, experimental, field, or societal aspects of tsunami science. Among the principal developments in our command of various aspects of tsunamis, we earmark the development of the W-phase inversion for the low-frequency moment tensor of the parent earthquake; the abandonment of the concept of a maximum earthquake magnitude for a given subduction zone, controlled by simple plate properties; the development and implementation of computer codes simulating the interaction of tsunamis with initially dry land at beaches, thus introducing a quantitative component to realistic tsunami warning procedures; and the recent in situ investigation of current velocities, in addition to the field of surface displacements, during the interaction of tsunamis with harbors. Continued research remains warranted, notably in the field of the real time identification of “tsunami earthquakes” whose tsunamis are larger than expected from their seismic magnitudes, especially conventional ones. The recent tragedy during the 2018 Krakatau flank collapse, along a scenario which had been quantitatively forecast, also emphasizes the need for a continued effort in the education of the populations at risk.
Nitrogen-fixing and non-fixing trees differ in leaf chemistry and defence but not herbivory in a lowland Costa Rican rain forest

Nitrogen-fixing plants provide critical nitrogen inputs that support the high productivity of tropical forests, but our understanding of the ecology of nitrogen fixers – and especially their interactions with herbivores – remains incomplete. Herbivores may interact differently with nitrogen fixers vs. non-fixers due to differences in leaf nitrogen content and herbivore defence strategies. To examine these potential differences, our study compared leaf carbon, nitrogen, toughness, chemical defence and herbivory for four nitrogen-fixing tree species (Inga oerstediana, Inga sapindoides, Inga thibaudiana and Pentaclethra macroloba) and three non-fixing species (Anaxagorea crassipetala, Casearia arborea and Dipteryx panamensis) in a lowland tropical rain forest. Leaf chemical defence, not nutritional content, was the primary driver of herbivore damage among our species. Even though nitrogen fixers exhibited 21.1% higher leaf nitrogen content, 20.1% lower C:N ratios and 15.4% lower leaf toughness than non-fixers, we found no differences in herbivory or chemical defence between these two plant groups. Our results do not support the common hypotheses that nitrogen fixers experience preferential herbivory or that they produce more nitrogen-rich defensive compounds than non-fixers. Rather, these findings suggest strong species-specific differences in plant–herbivore relationships among both nitrogen-fixing and non-fixing tropical trees.
Human Mutagenicity Monitoring: Studies with 6-Thioguanine Resistant Lymphocytes

The field of human mutagenicity testing is maturing, with a resultant refinement in concepts and objectives. The screening of new chemical agents in order to identify those which may cause genetic damage is now only one form of mutagenicity testing. Screening tests attempt to identify the mutagens among new chemicals in hopes of achieving the ideal — i.e., the identification and elimination of dangerous chemicals before humans become exposed to them. By contrast, there are now also monitoring tests. As the name implies, these tests permit the monitoring of human populations for evidence of genetic damage resulting from mutagens present in the environment.
Neurological Changes and Depression: 2020 Update.

This article covers current research on the relationship between depression and cognitive impairment in older adults. First, it approaches the clinical assessment of late-life depression and comorbid cognitive impairment. Cognitive risk factors for suicide are discussed. Research is then provided on neuropsychological changes associated with depression, discussing subjective cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia profiles. In addition, literature regarding neuroimaging and biomarker findings in depressed older adults is presented. Finally, therapeutic models for treatment of late-life depression are discussed, including psychotherapy models, holistic treatments, pharmacologic approaches, and brain stimulation therapies.
Helicobacter pylori is Associated with Less Fistulizing, Stricturing, and Active Colitis in Crohn's Disease Patients.

Introduction A potential protective role of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection against the development of Crohn's disease (CD) has been postulated. There is a lack of studies evaluating the association of HP with CD phenotypes. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features and disease activity of patients with CD who were diagnosed with HP infection. Methods The charts of 306 consecutive patients from the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) database at the University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville from January 2014 to July 2016 were reviewed. Ninety-one CD patients who were tested for HP were included, and the frequencies of strictures, fistulas, and colitis in surveillance biopsies in these patients were evaluated. Results Of the 91 CD patients tested for HP, 19 had HP infection. A total of 44 patients had fistulizing/stricturing disease, and 62 patients had active colitis. In the univariate analysis, patients with HP infection had less fistulizing/stricturing disease (21.1% vs. 55.6%, p = 0.009) and less active colitis (42.1% vs. 77.1%, p = 0.005). In the multivariate analysis, HP infection remained as a protective factor for fistulizing/stricturing disease phenotype (OR: 0.22; 95%CI: 0.06-0.97; p = 0.022) and active colitis (OR: 0.186; 95%CI: 0.05-0.65; p = 0.010). Conclusion HP infection was independently associated with less fistulizing/stricturing disease and less active colitis in CD patients. Our study suggests CD patients with a history of HP infection are less prone to complications.
Increasing Quit Attempts by Transitioning to Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes Versus Reducing Number of Cigarettes Per Day: A Secondary Analysis of an Exploratory Randomized Trial.

INTRODUCTION The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed reducing nicotine with very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes. In contrast, reducing nicotine by reducing number of cigarettes per day (CPD) is common. Our prior findings demonstrate that VLNC cigarettes decreased dependence more and were more acceptable than reducing CPD. This secondary analysis explored which reduction strategy increased quit attempts (QA), self-efficacy, or intention to quit more. METHODS This is a secondary analysis of 68 adult daily smokers not ready to quit randomized to smoke VLNC cigarettes versus reduce CPD over 5 weeks. All participants smoked study cigarettes with nicotine yield similar to most commercial cigarettes ad lib for 1 week (baseline). Participants were then randomized to gradually reduce to 70%, 35%, 15%, and 3% of baseline nicotine over 4 weeks by either (1) transitioning to lower nicotine VLNC cigarettes or (2) reducing the number of full nicotine CPD. All participants received nicotine patches to aid reduction. We assessed (1) QAs using nightly and weekly self-reports, (2) Velicer's Self-Efficacy to Quit measure weekly, and (3) the Intention-to-Quit Ladder nightly. RESULTS More CPD (41%) than VLNC (17%) participants made any QA (odds ratio = 3.4, 95% confidence interval = 1.1, 10.5). There was no difference in QAs ≥24 h. Self-efficacy increased for VLNC but not CPD participants (interaction: F = 3.7, p < .01). The condition by time interaction for intention-to-quit was not significant. CONCLUSIONS Reducing number of CPD increased QAs more than reducing nicotine via switching to VLNC cigarettes. The lack of difference in longer QAs suggests replication tests are needed. IMPLICATIONS Reducing the frequency of smoking behavior (ie, CPD) could be a more effective strategy to increase QAs than reducing the magnitude of nicotine in each cigarette (ie, VLNC) per se.
Argovis: A Web Application for Fast Delivery, Visualization, and Analysis of Argo Data

AbstractSince the mid-2000s, the Argo oceanographic observational network has provided near-real-time four-dimensional data for the global ocean for the first time in history. Internet (i.e., the “...
Digital library evaluation measures in academic settings: Perspectives from scholars and practitioners:

Evaluation criteria and appropriate measures are critical to the success of digital library evaluation. The key problem is a lack of specific measures, especially from a heuristic perspective, corr...
Irrtümer und Missverständnisse: Wie funktioniert Wissenschaft wirklich?

Es ist ein weitverbreitetes Marchen, dass die Wissenschaft unweigerlich zur Wahrheit fuhrt, weil sie empirische Belege nutzt, um eine Theorie zu belegen. Ein weiteres besagt, Wissenschaft konne uns uberhaupt keinen Anhaltspunkt dafur liefern, was wir glauben sollen, weil sie nichts anderes hervorbringt als „blose Theorien“. Diese beiden Irrtumer sind tatsachlich eng miteinander verknupft.
B2: Bridging Code and Interactive Visualization in Computational Notebooks

Data scientists have embraced computational notebooks to author analysis code and accompanying visualizations within a single document. Currently, although these media may be interleaved, they remain siloed: interactive visualizations must be manually specified as they are divorced from the analysis provenance expressed via dataframes, while code cells have no access to users' interactions with visualizations, and hence no way to operate on the results of interaction. To bridge this divide, we present B2, a set of techniques grounded in treating data queries as a shared representation between the code and interactive visualizations. B2 instruments data frames to track the queries expressed in code and synthesize corresponding visualizations. These visualizations are displayed in a dashboard to facilitate interactive analysis. When an interaction occurs, B2 reifies it as a data query and generates a history log in a new code cell. Subsequent cells can use this log to further analyze interaction results and, when marked as reactive, to ensure that code is automatically recomputed when new interaction occurs. In an evaluative study with data scientists, we find that B2 promotes a tighter feedback loop between coding and interacting with visualizations. All participants frequently moved from code to visualization and vice-versa, which facilitated their exploratory data analysis in the notebook.
A method of using Si L-edge for O/Si and N/Si quantitative ratio analysis by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS).

Abstract In EELS core loss excitation, inverse jump ratio is defined as a ratio between intensity of a pre-core-loss-edge and a signal of the core loss excitation after background subtraction. A linear relationship between inverse jump ratio of Si L-edge and O/Si and N/Si intensity ratio is found for electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis. This relationship is used to analyze O/Si and N/Si atomic ratio to quantify the elemental distribution in SiON films and the result is compared with XPS analysis on the same SiON films. The method is applied to blanket wafer elemental analysis and can be used for flash memory structure (3D NAND) to obtain atomic ratios of N/Si and O/Si for tunnel oxide at sub-nanometer scale.
Comparison of virtual reality visual field testing to humphrey visual field testing in an academic ophthalmology practice

Purpose : Humphrey visual field testing is considered the gold standard. Yet, the machine is expensive and large and the test is time consuming and difficult for patients. Virtual visual field testing is convenient, cost effective and may offer an alternative to Humphrey testing. This study compares a commercially available virtual reality visual field to the Humphrey automated perimetry in a comprehensive academic practice. Methods : During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual reality visual field testing was implemented in the Department of Ophthalmology at Stony Brook University. This study retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent virtual visual field testing (VVF) using the BOLT strategy from Virtual Field.io from July 2020 through December 2020. Of these patients, those who had a prior Humphrey 24-2 SITA standard visual field (HVF) performed within 12 months were included. All ocular diagnoses were included. Primary outcome data collected included mean deviation, pattern standard deviation, visual field index, fixation losses, test duration, and false positives and negatives. Results : A total of 76 patients underwent VVF testing. Of these, 50 eyes of 48 patients had a HVF performed in the prior 12 months and were included in the final analysis (M: 43.75%, F: 56.25%, mean age 55.28). VVF demonstrated no difference in ratio of fixation losses (mean difference -0.08, p=0.45) or number of false negatives (mean difference 2.07%, p=0.05) but had significantly less false positives (mean difference 5.13%, p=0.05). There was no statically significant difference in the mean deviation of the VVF compared to the HVF (mean difference 4.11, p= 0.45). The VVF had a lower pattern deviation (mean difference -0.23, p=0.05) and visual field index (mean difference -2.87, p=0.05) compared to the HVF. Test duration was shorter with the VVF by 2.4 minutes (mean difference 2.43, p=0.05). Pearson's correlation coefficients for mean deviation, pattern deviation and virtual field index were 0.74 (p<0.01), 0.65 (p<0.01), and 0.71 (p<0.01). Conclusions : Virtual visual field testing using the BOLT strategy was similar to the Zeiss Humphrey SITA-Standard 24-2. VVF testing provides advantages over HVF in terms of cost effectiveness, portability and efficiency. However, prospective studies are needed to assess virtual field reproducibility and progression analysis.
Hyalinizing Trabecular Adenoma of the Thyroid Gland

Smears of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy specimens of 24 histologically proven and MIB-1–positive hyalinizing trabecular adenomas stained with Papanicolaou or Diff-Quik were stripped from the original slides, transferred to charged slides, destained, and restained with MIB-1. Positive immunoreactivity with MIB-1 in a peripheral cytoplasmic pattern was present in 17 specimens, no immunoreactivity was seen in 4 specimens, and equivocal staining was seen in 3 specimens. Papanicolaou-stained smears of papillary thyroid carcinoma, medullary thyroid carcinoma, thyroid follicular neoplasm, and Hurthle cell adenoma (5 specimens each) were treated similarly. None of the control cases stained with MIB-1 had the peripheral cytoplasmic pattern. Hyalinizing trabecular adenoma can be distinguished reliably from other thyroid neoplasms by MIB-1 staining of destained cells from FNA biopsy specimens.
Development and Psychometric Testing of a Children's Version of the Herth Hope Index.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Hope in children is critical however multidimensional tools to measure hope are almost nonexistent. The aim of study is to develop and psychometrically evaluate a multidimensional children's version of the well-regarded Herth Hope Index for those 8-12 years old. METHODS Phase one; qualitative study of hope in children, construction of the Herth Hope Index - Child Version (HHI-C), and validation by focus groups. Phase two; pilot testing with 22 children. Phase three; psychometric evaluation with 125 children. RESULTS Cronbach's alpha of 0.856 with 3-week test-retest reliability of 0.966. Construct validity supported factorial isolation of three factors: (a) inner positive readiness; (b) interconnectedness with self and others; (c) temporality and future. CONCLUSION Psychometric findings support the use of the HHI-C as a multidimensional tool to measure hope in children.
Isolated Enterococcus faecalis pulmonary valve endocarditis without precipitating risk factors: A case report describing delayed need for surgery three years after antimicrobial therapy.

Introduction and importance Isolated Enterococcus faecalis pulmonary valve endocarditis (PVE) without precipitating risk factors is exceeding rare, as fewer than ten cases have been published in the literature, most of which did not require surgical intervention. Case presentation An elderly individual presented for evaluation of dyspnea, fatigue, dizziness, weight loss, and a low-grade fever. The patient denied intravenous drug abuse, blood-borne viral infection, cardiac trauma, congenital heart disease, and immunocompromise. Echocardiography identified a large vegetation on the right pulmonary valve leaflet consistent with isolated PVE. Blood cultures grew E. faecalis. Computed tomography failed to reveal an infectious source. The patient completed a six-week course of antibiotics and was followed with serial echocardiography for three years, but subsequently developed severe pulmonic insufficiency and right heart failure necessitating pulmonary valve replacement. Clinical discussion Isolated PVE is responsible for less than 2.0% of all cases of infective endocarditis. The vast majority of reported cases are associated with risk factors and are caused by gram-positive organisms including Staphylococcus species and Streptococcus viridans. Echocardiography identifies most cases of isolated PVE. Septic embolization of vegetation fragments to lung parenchyma is common. Surgery is reserved for patients who are unresponsive to antibiotics or those who develop severe pulmonary insufficiency with symptoms of right heart failure, as seen here. Conclusion We present an unusual case of isolated E. faecalis PVE without known risk factors that required pulmonary valve replacement three years after antimicrobial therapy.
Quark-Gluon Backscattering in the Regge Limit at One-Loop

At small momentum transfer, the quark-gluon scattering cross section d{\sigma}/dt has a power-law divergence in the backward scattering region where the outgoing quark is nearly collinear to the incoming gluon. In this Regge limit |t|<< s, the leading behavior of the 2 2 amplitude can be described by the exchange of Glauber quarks. In Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) at leading power, Glauber quark exchange is given by five non-local Glauber quark operators, of which only one is generated at tree-level. We show that at leading power the QCD amplitude for quark-gluon backscattering at one-loop can be exactly reproduced by SCET using the tree-level Glauber operator. The agreement between QCD and SCET of the ultraviolet, infrared, and rapidity divergences as well as all logarithms, Glauber phases and finite parts for all polarizations of the external gluons is a strong check on the effective theory. We find that the entire one-loop matching vanishes -- there is no correction to the operator generated at tree-level, and the coefficients of the other four operators remain zero at one-loop. This suggests that SCET with Glauber operators may be useful for uncovering new aspects of Regge physics in a systematically improveable way.
TU-A-304-00: Imaging, Treatment Planning, and QA for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)

Increased use of SBRT and hypo fractionation in radiation oncology practice has posted a number of challenges to medical physicist, ranging from planning, image-guided patient setup and on-treatment monitoring, to quality assurance (QA) and dose delivery. This symposium is designed to provide updated knowledge necessary for the safe and efficient implementation of SBRT in various linac platforms, including the emerging digital linacs equipped with high dose rate FFF beams. Issues related to 4D CT, PET and MRI simulations, 3D/4D CBCT guided patient setup, real-time image guidance during SBRT dose delivery using gated/un-gated VMAT or IMRT, and technical advancements in QA of SBRT (in particular, strategies dealing with high dose rate FFF beams) will be addressed. The symposium will help the attendees to gain a comprehensive understanding of the SBRT workflow and facilitate their clinical implementation of the state-of-art imaging and planning techniques. Learning Objectives: 1. Present background knowledge of SBRT, describe essential requirements for safe implementation of SBRT, and discuss issues specific to SBRT treatment planning and QA. 2. Update on the use of multi-dimensional (3D and 4D) and multi-modality (CT, beam-level X-ray imaging, pre- and on-treatment 3D/4D MRI, PET, robotic ultrasound, etc.) for reliable guidance of SBRT. 3. Provide a comprehensive overview of emerging digital linacs and summarize the key geometric and dosimetric features of the new generation of linacs for substantially improved SBRT. 4. Discuss treatment planning and quality assurance issues specific to SBRT. Research grant from Varian Medical Systems
Xenopus as an Experimental Organism

The South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, is used extensively as a model system to study development. It is easy to maintain a breeding colony of frogs, females can be induced to lay eggs all year round and hundreds of embryos can be generated that grow synchronously from a single fertilization. Embryos are easily amenable to microsurgery at any stage of development and adult frogs survive surgeries performed under limited aseptic conditions. The ease of injecting oligonucleotides or messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) into Xenopus leavis embryos has contributed to the discovery of genes with key functions in development. Another singularity of Xenopus leavis is the ease to manipulate its oocytes before fertilization; this has been a powerful tool to identify the function of maternally deposited mRNAs in development. Transgenic procedures are being developed using the related species Xenopus tropicalis and this will broaden the contribution of Xenopus to the understanding of early development. Key concepts: Xenopus laevis is easy to raise and feed in large colonies in the laboratory. The female Xenopus can be induced to spawn repeatedly at any season, making it possible to obtain embryos all year round. Xenopus leavis eggs are quite large, and are usually laid in large numbers that are fertilized in vitro. Xenopus leavis oocytes can easily be obtained and manipulated before fertilization, making it possible to study the function of maternally deposited mRNAs. The Xenopus embryos develop outside the female and are amenable to manipulation at any stage of development. The mechanism of tissue formation has been elucidated from research carried out on Xenopus leavis embryos. Xenopus leavis is an excellent model for studying body axis formation. The early development of Xenopus is very fast, making it possible to study a full developmental programme in about three days. The sequencing of the diploid genome, the ease of obtaining and injecting large numbers of eggs and the relatively short lifespan makes Xenopus tropicalis a very promising model for transgenic studies of organogenesis. Eggs of Xenopus leavis provide a model of choice for studying the regulation of the cell cycle. Keywords: frog; embryology; tissue formation; gene function; cell cycle
Intergenerational Relations: Themes, Prospects, and Possibilities

This commentary provides an examination of the articles within this issue with a focus on common themes throughout. Each article is briefly reviewed in the context of how it contributes to four overarching themes of current intergenerational research. The articles within this issue also have implications for developing policy that fosters intergenerational relationships. This commentary concludes with a discussion of the complex issues that arise in creating such policy and utilizes Allport's (1954) “contact hypothesis” as a framework to guide future policy work addressing the myriad of issues within the realm of intergenerational relationships.
The Theology of the First Letter to the Corinthians

This study shows that the common view of 1 Corinthians as mainly about 'ethics' and therefore of little importance for 'theology' needs correcting. Furnish argues that 1 Corinthians is an even better place to take the apostle's theological pulse than the allegedly 'more theological' letters to the Galatians and Romans, because here it is especially evident how his thinking about the gospel took place within the crucible of his missionary and pastoral labours. Paul's complex theological legacy is not a systematic theology or even the basis for constructing a theological system. However, we come close to the heart of Paul's legacy in his clear-sighted identification of the gospel with the saving power of God's love as disclosed in Christ, and his insistence that those who are called to belong to Christ are thereby summoned to be agents of God's love wherever in the world they have received that call.
A hierarchical Ant-Colony heuristic for architecture synthesis for on-chip communication

Architecture synthesis and high level synthesis are the paradigms to efficiently organize computations and communications at the high level. While research has been extensively conducted to solve those two problems, a gap between those two paradigms still exists. This paper presents an algorithm for architectural tradeoff for on-chip communication at operation-level granularity. Applied to practical Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and image processing applications, the algorithm can generate superior results over the state-of-the-art ones, while running in sub-quadratic time. Due to the low run time complexity, the algorithm is able to provide task-level applications with solutions that completely describe when and where operations and operands are executed and transferred, respectively. In practice, this opens an opportunity to substantially narrow the gap between high level and architecture level synthesis.
Round-Trip Engineering for Maintaining Conceptual-Relational Mappings

Conceptual-relational mappings between conceptual models and relational schemas have been used increasingly to achieve interoperability or overcome impedance mismatch in modern data-centric applications. However, both schemas and conceptual models evolve over time to accommodate new information needs. When the conceptual model (CM) or the schema associated with a mapping evolved, the mapping needs to be updated to reflect the new semantics in the CM/schema. In this paper, we propose a round-trip engineering solution which essentially synchronizes models by keeping them consistent for maintaining concep- tual-relational mappings. First, we define the consistency of a conceptual-relational mapping through "semantically compatible" instances. Next, we carefully analyze the knowledge encoded in the standard database design process and develop round-trip algorithms for maintaining the consistency of conceptual-relational mappings under evolution. Finally, we conduct a set of comprehensive experiments. The results show that our solution is efficient and provides significant benefits in comparison to the mapping reconstructing approach.
Intergenerational Solidarity: Strengthening Economic and Social Ties By Cruz Saco, M. A. and Zelenev, S. B.

“The war between the generations” and “intergenerational inequity” are notions that have emerged in recent years to suggest the existence of a simmering conflict between young and old as described,...
Estimating ice temperature from short records in thermally disturbed boreholes

A technique to estimate undisturbed ice temperature is discussed for sensors placed in boreholes that have been heated to the melting point during drilling, and for which only a limited time span of temperature record is available. A short temperature record after the hole refreezes commonly results when using hot-water or steam drills, where measurements are constrained by logistics, ice deformation, sensor drift or other problems, or where the refreezing time is long because of near-freezing ice temperatures or large hole sizes. Short data records are also typical in ongoing drilling programs where temperature information may be necessary for the program itself. Building on analyses by Lachenbruch and Brewer (1959) and a numerical model by Jarvis and Clarke (1974), it is shown that estimates of undisturbed temperatures can be made from records of temperature that extend only marginally beyond the initial refreezing. Complex effects of hole size, heating history, and the thermodynamic and geometrical effects of a moving boundary (the freezing borehole walls) are important to temperature decay immediately after freeze-up, so that the standard technique of comparing temperature decay to an inverse of time model is not applicable, and comparsion has to be made to a numerical model of heat flow to a refreezing borehole. Data from Ice Stream B, Antarctica, are compared to the numerical model to illustrate the technique. Data are also compared to simpler (inverse time) thermal models, and a potential for error is pointed out, since a short data record can be spuriously matched with the simpler, one or two free-parameter, models.
First, Assume a Can Opener

In his article “Beyond Unions and Collective Bargaining,” Leo Troy articulated a description of a system of individual representation. This response questions basic assumptions of that description and attempts to describe the complex interactions between unionized and unorganized work. It also suggests looking for empirical evidence by examining New Zealand's experiences under the sort of system Troy advocates.
Empirical model of electro-oculogram.

Electro-oculography is used as electrodiagnostic test in ophthalmology. The results show considerable variability. For this study a multivariate experiment was designed to help identifying independent variables contributing to the light peak to dark trough ratio and to test which response parameter carries the least variance. No sex difference was found for the peak to trough ratio. Trough and peak potentials are highly correlated. The standard error of the peak to trough ratio is 0.17 or about 10% of the peak to trough ratio. Up to 71 percent of the variance can be accounted for when one light and dark phase of 12.5 minutes each is used. The empirical model is less precise in its predictive value than a formal model, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the variance.
A theoretical analysis for the effect of focal contact formation on cell-substrate attachment strength.

For many cell types, growth, differentiation, and motility are dependent on receptor-mediated adhesion to ligand-coated surfaces. Focal contacts are strong, specialized, adhesive connections between cell and substrate in which receptors aggregate and connect extracellular ligand to intracellular cytoskeletal molecules. In this paper, we present a mathematical model to examine how focal contact formation affects cellular adhesive strength. To calculate adhesive strength with and without focal contacts, we use a one-dimensional tape peeling analysis to determine the critical tension necessary to peel the membrane. Receptor-ligand bonds are modeled as adhesive springs. In the absence of focal contacts, we derive analytic expressions for the critical tension at low and high ligand densities and show how membrane morphology affects adhesion. Then, focal contacts are modeled as cytoplasmic nucleation centers which bind adhesion receptors. The extent of adhesive strengthening upon focal contact formation depends on the elastic rigidity of the cytoskeletal connections, which determines the structural integrity of the focal contact itself. We consider two limits to this elasticity, very weak and rigid. Rigid cytoskeletal connections give much greater attachment strengths. The dependence of attachment strength on measurable model parameters is quite different in these two limits, which suggests focal contact structure might be deduced from properly performed adhesion experiments. Finally, we compare our model to the adhesive strengthening response reported for glioma cell adhesion to fibronectin (Lotz et al., 1989. J. Cell Biol. 109:1795–1805). Our model successfully predicts the observed detachment forces at 4 degrees C and yields values for the number of fibronectin receptors per glioma cell and the density of cytoskeletal connection molecules (talin) involved in receptor clusters which are consistent with measurements for other cell types. Comparison of the model with data at 37 degrees C suggests that while cytoskeletal cross-linking and clustering of fibronectin receptors significantly increases adhesion strength, specific glioma cell-substratum attachment sites possess little mechanical rigidity and detach through a peeling mechanism, consistent with the view that these sites of