cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Constitutionally Conforming Agency Adjudication

In June 2017 the D.C. Circuit issued a judgment that essentially reaffirms the constitutionality of current appointments procedures for administrative law judges (ALJs) in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). After conducting an en banc hearing in the case, the en banc court split evenly over whether the ALJs are “Officers of the United States” subject to the constitutional requirement of appointment by the president, a department head, or a court of law. The evenly divided vote resulted in the affirmance of the D.C. Circuit’s earlier panel decision finding that the ALJs are not “officers”—continuing the court’s split with the Tenth Circuit, which has concluded the ALJs are “officers.” The continued split and the en banc posture of the case mean this issue may receive consideration by the Supreme Court. This essay responds to a widely cited article by Professor Kent Barnett that suggested ALJs should be appointed by neither the President or an agency head, even if the courts eventually conclude they are “officers.” In particular, Professor Barnett contends that executive branch appointment of agency adjudicators creates such a significant threat to ALJ impartiality that due process considerations may require a court of law such as the D.C. Circuit—rather than the executive branch—to appoint ALJs. This essay refutes those concerns. Tying together legal scholarship on due process and the Appointments Clause, this essay contends: The Article II clause that vests executive power in the President, as well as the text and drafting history of the Appointments Clause, together mandate that agency adjudicators must be appointed by executive branch actors—not by courts of law. As long as these adjudicators handle issues properly resolved through executive adjudication as a historical matter, there are no constitutional partiality concerns with the executive branch appointment—or even removal—of agency adjudicators. Rather, the transparency protections of the Appointments Clause provide the appropriate constitutional mechanism for accountability in executive adjudication.
AB1094 Association between use of traditional chinese medicine and medication adherence among chinese-american rheumatology patients

Background Chinese-Americans (CA) are a fast-growing US immigrant group with high utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and worse SLE and RA outcomes than Caucasians (1,2). The effect of TCM use on adherence to prescribed western medications for systemic rheumatic diseases is unknown. Objectives To evaluate whether TCM use is associated with adherence to western medicines prescribed for systemic rheumatic diseases among CA patients. Methods Patients with systemic rheumatic diseases were recruited from 2 rheumatology clinics that serve a predominantly CA immigrant population. Inclusion criteria were speaking Mandarin or English and having medication(s) prescribed by the rheumatologist. TCM use, adherence, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) domains, and other variables were assessed using validated instruments available in English and Chinese. Adherence was classified as high or medium/low based on the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (3). Medication complexity was assessed using the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) (4); higher score indicates more complexity. Results 177 enrolled, mean age 54 (range 20–97), 62% female, 73% ≤high school education, 75% Medicaid (subsidized insurance), and only 18% spoke English. Diagnoses were RA (43%), SLE (17%), SpA (16%), Sjogren9s (8%), gout/CPPD (6%), and other (10%). 49% reported TCM use in the past year, most commonly tuina massage (48%), acupuncture (47%), and herbs (39%). 27% reported high adherence. Table 1 shows significant univariate associations with high adherence. In multivariate analysis adjusting for all variables in Table 1, only TCM use (OR 2.6, p=0.027) and higher MRCI (OR 1.1, p=0.019) were associated with high adherence. Conclusions Among poorly integrated and low socioeconomic status CA rheumatology patients, TCM use was statistically significantly associated with high adherence to western medication, as was higher MRCI. TCM use does not appear to represent an alternate but rather complementary approach to disease management in these patients. Future studies should evaluate whether TCM use is associated with disease activity and outcomes over time. References Barton JL, et al. Racial and ethnic disparities in disease activity and function among persons with rheumatoid arthritis from university-affiliated clinics. Arthritis Care Res 2011;63:1238–1246. Mok MY, Li WL. Do Asian patients have worse lupus? Lupus 2010;19:1384–1390. Morisky DE, et al. Predictive Validity of a Medication Adherence Measure in an Outpatient Setting. J Clin Hypertens 2008;10:348–354. George J, et al. Developmennt and Validation of the Medication Regimen Complexity Index. Ann Pharmacoepidemiol 2004;38:1369–1376. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Monitoring vital signs over multiplexed radio by near-field coherent sensing

Monitoring the heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate and breath effort of a patient is critical to managing their care, but current approaches are limited in terms of sensing capabilities and sampling rates. The measurement process can also be uncomfortable due to the need for direct skin contact, which can disrupt the circadian rhythm and restrict the motion of the patient. Here we show that the external and internal mechanical motion of a person can be directly modulated onto multiplexed radiofrequency signals integrated with unique digital identification using near-field coherent sensing. The approach, which does not require direct skin contact, offers two possible implementations: passive and active radiofrequency identification tags. To minimize deployment and maintenance cost, passive tags can be integrated into garments at the chest and wrist areas, where the two multiplexed far-field backscattering waveforms are collected at the reader to retrieve the heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate and breath effort. To maximize reading range and immunity to multipath interference caused by indoor occupant motion, active tags could be placed in the front pocket and in the wrist cuff to measure the antenna reflection due to near-field coherent sensing and then the vital signals sampled and transmitted entirely in digital format. Our system is capable of monitoring multiple people simultaneously and could lead to the cost-effective automation of vital sign monitoring in care facilities. The external and internal mechanical motion of a person can be directly modulated onto multiplexed radio-frequency signals using near-field coherent sensing, allowing vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure and respiration rate to be monitored without direct contact to the skin.
3-D treatment planning system—Leksell Gamma Knife treatment planning system

Abstract Leksell Gamma Plan (LGP), the treatment planning system for the Leksell Gamma Knife (LGK) stereotactic radiosurgery, has evolved from the primitive KULA system to the present-day powerful version of image-guided stereotactic radiosurgery. Through many years of development, LGP has improved on its dose calculation accuracy, speed, and user interface. This allows more accurate irradiation of the target while sparing the nearby normal tissues and critical structures better.
Randomized Trial of a Training Program to Improve Home Visitor Communication around Sensitive Topics.

Strong communication skills are necessary to engage families, perform accurate assessments, and motivate behavior change around sensitive issues encountered in home visiting. A two-arm, cluster-randomized trial evaluated the impact of a trans-model communications training course for home visitors. Fourteen home visiting programs in Maryland were assigned to a training intervention (n = 7 programs; 30 visitors) or wait-list control group (n = 7 programs; 34 visitors). Independent observers assessed training fidelity. Visitor’s attitudes, knowledge, and confidence were assessed through surveys. Their skills were assessed through coding of video-recorded visits with standardized mothers. Data were collected at baseline, within 2 weeks post-training, and at 2 months post-training. Regression models accounted for clustering within programs and controlled for characteristics on which study groups differed at baseline. Independent observers rated the training highly on fidelity and acceptability. Home visitors rated it as useful, consistent with their model, and worth the effort. Immediately following the training, the training group scored higher than the control group on a range of indicators in all domains—knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and skills in using motivational communication techniques. At 2 months post-training, impacts on knowledge and attitudes persisted; impacts on confidence and observed skill were attenuated. The training course showed favorable immediate impacts on knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and skills, and long-term impacts on home visitor knowledge and attitudes. The findings underscore the need for ongoing reinforcement of skills following training.
Multi-Family Psychoeducation Groups For Childhood Mood Disorders: A Program Description And Preliminary Efficacy Data

Existing literature suggests family-based psychoeducation effectively reduces relapse rates, thereby lowering costs and improving quality of life for adults with schizophrenia and major mood disorders. However, similar programs for families with impaired children are lacking. This paper reports on efforts to develop, implement, and test the efficacy of a six-session, manual-driven multi-family psy-choeducation group therapy program for families of children or adolescents with a mood disorder. In this paper we provide a clinical description of the program along with pilot data, which suggest consumer satisfaction as well as improvement in family climate following participation in this multifamily psychoeducation program.
XPS and EXAFS studies of the reactions of Co(III) ammine complexes with GaAs surfaces

The chemisorption of Co(II) and Co(III) complexes onto GaAs surfaces has been investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and radiotracer techniques. XPS of (100)-oriented n-GaAs single crystals exposed to aqueous (pH > 10) (Co{sup III}(NH{sub 3}){sub 5}X){sup n+} (X = NH{sub 3}, Br{sup {minus}}, HO{sup {minus}}) solutions indicated the deposition of a Co(II)-oxo overlayer of approximate stoichiometry Co(OH){sub 2}, with a coverage of (0.2-2.4) {times} 10{sup {minus}8} mol of Co/cm{sup 2} projected area of GaAs. The reaction stoichiometry between Co(III) and GaAs was confirmed by quantitative chemical and x-ray fluorescence analysis, as well as by XPS analysis. X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated that the oxidation state of the adsorbed Co (from either Co(III) or Co(II) complexes) from aqueous pH = 12 electrolytes was Co(II).
Conscientizacion y Comunidad: A Dialectical Description of Education as the Struggle for Freedom

This paper contributes to those analyses that have discussed Hegel'sinfluence on Freire, and Freire's rethinking of Hegel. Yet, my “narrative” of the dialectic of conscientizacion, which I presenthere, is a novel attempt to “read” both thinkers simultaneously.Thus, in this paper I am exploring, and not didactically “proving” Gadotti's (1994) important, yet unqualified,claim that Hegel's dialectic ``can be considered the principaltheoretical framework of (Freire's) Pedagogy of the Oppressed.It could be said that the whole of his theory of conscientization has its roots in Hegel'' (p. 74). And in thisexploration, I am not demonstrating Freire's ``expansion'' ofHegel's dialectic (Schutte, 1990), nor taking a positionon whether or not the dialectic of Freire's Pedagogy of theOppressed supersedes the Hegelian dialectic (Torres, 1976). Nor am I offering a ``comparison'' of the two dialectics(Torres, 1994). (Of course, having made these claims,I am, as it were, taunting the reader to deconstruct mypiece.) My aim here is to immerse, or insert, myself intothe Freirean/Hegelian dialectic itself. I attempt to situatemyself within that peculiar position of the dialecticianwho ``braids'' ideas through synthetic textual analysis.I use a third person descriptive perspective thatincorporates the ``voices'' of Freire and Hegel, and, thereby, weave a ``new'' synthesized account of theemergence of critical consciousness within the formaleducational setting.
Resin Based Standards for Biological Energy Dispersive X-Ray and Electron Energy Loss Microanalysis

Elemental standards, or calibration specimens, can perform several important functions in biological microanalysis. Firstly for the quantification of EDS data from ultrathin biological section using Halls’ method (1971) they provide a means of determining the weight factor for a given element. Secondly they provide an objective and reproducible way of testing the performance of the analytical system in such areas as its absolute sensitivity and its freedom from system induced artifacts (Williams and Steel 1987). Thirdly they provide a library of peaks and edges for use in the iterative reconvolution quantification techniques developed for application to cases where severe peak or edge overlaps occur in a biological system (Leapman and Swyt 1987), for use in statistical tests to determine the validity of an edge in a noisy spectrum (Joy 1982), and for use as comparison spectra for such cases as those where the valence state of an element in an unknown is to be determined. In order to meet these needs in our own laboratory we have been developing a family of calibration specimens containing elements of biological interest at concentrations from 10 to in excess of 100 mmol/Kg.
Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Spine Surgery: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Design:Meta-analysis.Objective:Despite the increasing importance of tracking clinical outcomes using valid patient-reported outcome measures, most providers do not routinely obtain baseline p...
Surveillance Testing and Preventive Care After Fontan Operation: A Multi-Institutional Survey

More children with single ventricle heart disease are surviving after Fontan surgery. This circulation has pervasive effects on multiple organ systems and has unique modes of failure. Many centers have created multidisciplinary programs to care for these patients. Our aim was to survey such programs to better understand current approaches to care. We hypothesized that significant variability in surveillance testing strategy would be present. Eleven academic institutions with established Fontan care programs performing a combined estimated 300 Fontan surgeries per year, with a total population of 1500–2000 Fontan patients, were surveyed using a REDCap survey regarding surveillance testing and basic practice philosophies. Fontan care programs were structured both as consultative services (64%) and as the primary clinical team (9%). Electrocardiograms (73%) and echocardiograms (64%) were most commonly obtained annually. Serum studies, including complete blood count (73%), complete metabolic panel (73%), and Brain-type natriuretic peptide (54%), were most commonly obtained annually. Hepatic testing consisted of liver ultrasound in most centers, obtained biennially (45%) or > every 2 years (45%). Liver biopsy was not routinely recommended (54%). Neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed at most institutions (54%), with a median frequency of every 3–4 years. There is considerable variability in the surveillance testing regimen and management strategy after a Fontan procedure at surveyed programs. There is an urgent need for surveillance guidelines to reduce variability, define quality metrics, streamline collaborative practice, and prospective research to better understand the complex adaptations of the body to Fontan physiology.
Parental Income and Wealth Loss and Transfers to Their Young Adult Children

As young people transition to adulthood, many rely on financial support from their parents to complete schooling and to live independently. Evidence suggests that there has been a gradual lengthening of the time young adults take to transition to adulthood. Young people attempting to move out of their parents' home, complete college, or enter the workforce during the Great Recession faced uncertain economic times, increasing their need for financial support. At the same time, the income and wealth losses experienced by young adults' parents may have disrupted transfers from them. We analyze the impact of large and unexpected declines in parents' income and wealth during and immediately after the Great Recession on monetary transfers to their young adult children using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) and the PSID Transition to Adulthood study. We find parents' financial support of their young adult children declined during the Great Recession. The likelihood of receiving a transfer declined from 74% in 2005 to 57% in 2009. Parents' loss of income was a factor in the amount of decrease but on average was relatively modest - a $10,000 parental income loss decreased transfers to their adult children by $109. However, parents experiencing large declines in income, those at the 75th and 95th percentile of income loss, reduced transfers to adult children by $1,150 and $1,700, respectively. Declines in parental transfers that reduce college completion rates, increase student loan debt and decrease likelihood of homeownership may have long term consequences for financial well-being.
Increased Risk of Cancer in Men With Peyronie's Disease: A Cohort Study Using a Large United States Insurance Claims Database.

Abstract Background Men with Peyronie’s disease (PD) may have an increased prevalence of certain comorbidities, including malignancy. We sought to examine the clinical relationship between PD and subsequent diagnosis of malignancy. Methods Using data from the IBM Health MarketScan claims database from 2007 to 2013, we compared men with PD to a control group of men without PD or erectile dysfunction matched for age and duration of follow-up. We compared incidence of 18 categories of malignancy between both groups using a Cox regression model. Results In total, 48,423 men with PD and 484,230 controls were identified. The mean age within both cohorts was 50 ± 9.4 years old, and mean follow-up time was approximately 4.4 ± 2.1 years. After being controlled for age, year of evaluation, obesity, smoking, number of outpatient visits, number of urologist visits, and duration of follow-up, men with PD had an increased risk of all cancers (hazard ratio = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.06–1.14), stomach cancer (1.43, 1.06–1.14), testis cancer (1.39, 1.05–1.84), and melanoma (1.19, 1.02–1.38) when compared with controls. The strengths in using the MarketScan database are the anonymous nature of the data, accessibility, and the power provided by the large number of patient visits recorded. Limitations include a lack of detail in certain facets of patient clinical data, and the lack of long-term follow-up to assess the impact of time on other potentially associated conditions. Conclusions This manuscript is the first to our knowledge to describe a relationship between PD and cancer. Men with PD may be at increased risk for certain malignancies compared with age-matched controls. Further investigation is needed to explore the clinical implications of these findings. Pastuszak AW, Thirumavalavan N, Kohn TP, et al. Increased Cancer Risk in Men With Peyronie’s Disease: A Cohort Study Using a Large US Insurance Claims Database. Sex Med 2019;7:403–408.
Foreign body responses in central nervous system mimic natural wound responses and alter biomaterial functions

Abstract Biomaterials hold promise for diverse therapeutic applications in the central nervous system (CNS). Little is known about molecular factors that determine CNS foreign body responses (FBRs) in vivo, or about how such responses influence biomaterial function. Here, we probed these factors using a platform of injectable hydrogels readily modified to present interfaces with different representative physiochemical properties to host cells. We show that biomaterial FBRs mimic specialized multicellular CNS wound responses not present in peripheral tissues, which serve to isolate damaged neural tissue and restore barrier functions. Moreover, we found that the nature and intensity of CNS FBRs are determined by definable properties. For example, cationic, anionic or nonionic interfaces with CNS cells elicit quantifiably different levels of stromal cell infiltration, inflammation, neural damage and amyloid production. The nature and intensity of FBRs significantly influenced hydrogel resorption and molecular delivery functions. These results characterize specific molecular mechanisms that drive FBRs in the CNS and have important implications for developing effective biomaterials for CNS applications.
Transparency Assessment in National Systems

This chapter proposes a new conceptual framework for assessing transparency at the country level. It identifies three distinct interpretations of transparency: access to information; two-way communication; and predictability, or decision-making based on clear and publicly known rules. Each represents an increasingly demanding form of transparency, but all are tied to democratic accountability and the rule of law. Using the case of Romania, the chapter illustrates how such a framework can be employed to assess the evolution of transparency in a relatively recent democracy. Findings indicate that, while the virtues of transparency have been advocated by international organizations, governments, and civil society, the focus has primarily been on access to information—whether through freedom of information acts or open data. However, realizing the democratizing potential of transparency requires a multifaceted approach. This chapter suggests that transparency advocates should pay more attention to issues such as increasing citizen participation, opening up decision-making rather than just data, strengthening the rule of law, and fighting corruption. In other words, it argues for a more holistic discourse and practice of transparency.
Qupai in Chinese music: melodic models in form and practice

This multi-authored collection of ten essays is presented by its editor Alan Thrasher as providing what had been missing in world musicology: a book-length Western-language study of Chinese qupai (...
Transformative Learning and the Arts: A Literature Review:

Between 2005 and 2017 yielded fertile ground for research studies and articles about transformative learning and the arts within the field of adult education. The main questions this article seeks ...
Possible boundary tissue function in isolated seminiferous tubules.

In view of the expanding use of isolated tubule preparations since their introduction by Christensen and Mason (1), it may be appropriate to consider the composition of such preparations. It is frequently implied that the only functional components in tubules devoid of Leydig cells are the Sertoli cells and germinal elements. It is the purpose of these remarks to focus attention on the boundary tissue of the seminiferous tubules and the possibility that peritubular elements may be important participants of tubular metabolism and physiology.
Differential contribution of bone marrow-derived infiltrating monocytes and resident macrophages to persistent lung inflammation in chronic air pollution exposure.

Chronic exposure to particulate matter < 2.5µ (PM2.5) has been linked to cardiopulmonary disease. Tissue-resident (TR) alveolar macrophages (AΦ) are long-lived, self-renew and critical to the health impact of inhalational insults. There is an inadequate understanding of the impact of PM2.5 exposure on the nature/time course of transcriptional responses, self-renewal of AΦ, and the contribution from bone marrow (BM) to this population. Accordingly, we exposed chimeric (CD45.2/CD45.1) mice to concentrated PM2.5 or filtered air (FA) to evaluate the impact on these end-points. PM2.5 exposure for 4-weeks induced an influx of BM-derived monocytes into the lungs with no contribution to the overall TR-AΦ pool. Chronic (32-weeks) PM2.5 exposure on the other hand while associated with increased recruitment of BM-derived monocytes and their incorporation into the AΦ population, resulted in enhanced apoptosis and decreased proliferation of TR-AΦ. RNA-seq analysis of isolated TR-AΦ and BM-AΦ from 4- and 32-weeks exposed mice revealed a unique time-dependent pattern of differentially expressed genes. PM2.5 exposure resulted in altered histological changes in the lungs, a reduced alveolar fraction which corresponded to protracted lung inflammation. Our findings suggest a time-dependent entrainment of BM-derived monocytes into the AΦ population of PM2.5 exposed mice, that together with enhanced apoptosis of TR-AΦ and reorganization of transcriptional responses, could collectively contribute to the perpetuation of chronic inflammation.
In vitro import of proteins into chloroplasts

Reconstitution of precursor transport using isolated intact chloroplasts was first demonstrated in the late 1970s using the precursor to the small subunit of ribulose bis-phosphate carboxylase [1,2]. Subsequent optimization and characterization has demonstrated that the in vitro reconstitution assay works with a number of precursor proteins [3] and faithfully mimics intra-organellar targeting as well as transport into the chloroplast [4, 5]. The in vitro reconstitution assays have been very useful in studying the details of the transport process as well as confirming the intracellular location of putative chloroplastic precursor proteins after the isolation of cDNA clones [6, 5]. Those readers desiring a detailed study of precursor protein transport into chloroplasts should consult the extensive literature on this topic [7–9]. This chapter is aimed at researchers with a cDNA clone encoding a putative precursor protein who wish to evaluate the transport competence of the precursor to confirm the intracellular location of the gene product.
Functional Limitations, Social Integration, and Daily Activities in Late Life

Objectives Disability in late life has been associated with increases in receiving care and loss of autonomy. The Disablement Process Model suggests that physical impairments lead to functional limitations that contribute to disabilities in managing household, job or other demands. Yet, we know surprisingly little about how functional limitations are related to activities throughout the day among community-dwelling adults, or the possible moderating role of social integration on these associations. Methods Community-dwelling adults (N = 313) aged 65+ completed a baseline interview assessing their functional limitations, social ties, and background characteristics. Over 5 to 6 days, they answered questions about daily activities and encounters with social partners every 3 hours on handheld Android devices. Results Multilevel logistic models revealed that functional limitations are associated with increased likelihood of activities associated with poor health (e.g., TV watching, medical appointments), and reduced likelihood of social activities, or physical activities, chores, or leaving the home. Most moderation analyses were not significant; family and friends did not mitigate associations between functional limitations and daily activities, with the exception of medical appointments. Individuals with functional limitations were more likely to attend medical appointments when with their social partners than when alone. Discussion This study provided modest indication that functional limitations in community-dwelling older adults are associated with patterns of activity that may lead to further limitations, disability or loss of autonomy. Findings warrant longitudinal follow-up to establish subsequent patterns of decline or stability.
Androgynous Names: Good for Women-Owned Businesses?

The number of women-owned businesses has grown over the last two decades but women entrepreneurs still face challenges. Recent randomized experiments document that female gender signals elicit perceptions of lower entrepreneurial competence and quality (Shane et al. 2015, Thebaud 2015) or investment worthiness (Woods et al. 2014), suggesting that muting these gender signals could lead to more positive entrepreneurial outcomes for women. Policymakers have strived to reduce discriminatory practices and promote women-led businesses, yet scholarly research on what women entrepreneurs can do on their own to overcome biases is limited (e.g., Kanze et al. 2018). This study examines the use of androgynous (gender-neutral) names and asks whether this approach offers any potential boost to women’s entrepreneurship and why. Building upon economic theories of statistical discrimination, name reputation effects and selection as well as social psychology theories of role congruity (Eagly & Diekman 2005) and parental influence on gender role socialization in children (Weinrabu et al. 1984), I establish why androgynous names might affect entrepreneurial entry and performance. Moreover, using a novel longitudinal real estate dataset that include agents’ actual gender, ethnicity, entrepreneurial choices, clients and performance combined with Social Security Administration datasets of names that enable coding for androgyny, I find female real estate agents with an androgynous name are more than twice as likely to become brokerage owners, a commonly male role. After distinguishing between those born with an androgynous name versus those who intentionally adopt one, I find that the intentional use yields a stronger impact on entrepreneurial outcomes, suggesting the selection effect is stronger than parental influence. Further cross-industry data analysis shows that androgynous names are significantly more prevalent among women-business owners than in the general population, providing support that the connection between androgynous names and greater incidence of entrepreneurship among women is a generalizable connection. This study contributes to research examining the gender gap between male and female-owned businesses, including the emerging scholarly work examining what can close the gap.
Association between predoctoral evidence-based practice training and later use of peer-reviewed journals: National dental PBRN.

Objective We examined whether evidence-based practice (EBP) during dental school was associated with the increased use of peer-reviewed literature during subsequent clinical practice for National Dental Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) dentists. We also sought to understand whether this association was moderated by being a dental specialist. Methods We analyzed cross-sectional data from 1228 dentists participating in the PBRN. We used logistic regression to examine the association between self-reported EBP training during dental school and the use of peer-reviewed journals in clinical practice, controlling for the number of years since dental school graduation and dental practice type. We stratified the data by dental specialists and examined effect modification using the Breslow-Day test for homogeneity of the odds ratio. Results The prevalence of peer-reviewed journal use by PBRN dentists in clinical practice was 87% (n = 1070) with no statistical evidence of effect modification by dental specialists on the EBP peer-reviewed journal use relationship (p > 0.05). After controlling for years since dental school graduation and dental practice type, dentists who self-reported EBP training during dental school had greater odds of using peer-reviewed journals in clinical practice than dentists who did not self-report EBP training during dental school (OR, 1.47; 95%CI = 1.01, 2.15). Conclusion The use of peer-reviewed published literature by PBRN dentists who had EBP predoctoral training is one important step in the EBP process by which practicing dentists can implement evidence-based findings, interventions, and policies into routine health care and public health settings. These findings add to the body of support for EBP curricula in dental education.
Decomposition of Reaching Movements Enables Detection and Measurement of Ataxia

Technologies that enable frequent, objective, and precise measurement of ataxia severity would benefit clinical trials by lowering participation barriers and improving the ability to measure disease state and change. We hypothesized that analyzing characteristics of sub-second movement profiles obtained during a reaching task would be useful for objectively quantifying motor characteristics of ataxia. Participants with ataxia (N=88), participants with parkinsonism (N=44), and healthy controls (N=34) performed a computer tablet version of the finger-to-nose test while wearing inertial sensors on their wrists. Data features designed to capture signs of ataxia were extracted from participants’ decomposed wrist velocity time-series. A machine learning regression model was trained to estimate overall ataxia severity, as measured by the Brief Ataxia Rating Scale (BARS). Classification models were trained to distinguish between ataxia participants and controls and between ataxia and parkinsonism phenotypes. Movement decomposition revealed expected and novel characteristics of the ataxia phenotype. The distance, speed, duration, morphology, and temporal relationships of decomposed movements exhibited strong relationships with disease severity. The regression model estimated BARS with a root mean square error of 3.6 points, r2 = 0.69, and moderate-to-excellent reliability. Classification models distinguished between ataxia participants and controls and ataxia and parkinsonism phenotypes with areas under the receiver-operating curve of 0.96 and 0.89, respectively. Movement decomposition captures core features of ataxia and may be useful for objective, precise, and frequent assessment of ataxia in home and clinic environments.
Secondary parenchymal CNS involvement by lymphoma including rare types: Follicular and EBV-positive NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type

Abstract Background Secondary CNS involvement by systemic lymphomas (SCNSL) is uncommon, but when it occurs, is usually due to diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Three recent unusual cases serve to highlight diagnostic challenges. Objective To report SCNSL from DLBCL and two unusual lymphoma types: follicular lymphoma with high-grade transformation to DLBCL and NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKL), nasal type. Results SCNSL in the DLBCL case occurred at 7-year interval from primary in a 54-year-old woman who presented with stroke-like symptoms and a right postcentral gyrus 2.6 × 2.9 × 2.6 cm. mass. The follicular lymphoma occurred at 6-month interval in a 69-year-old woman with 1 month of diplopia and 2 weeks of cognitive decline; multifocal lesions involved temporal lobe, subependymal periventricular areas, brainstem, cerebellum, hypothalamus, corpus callosum and gyrus rectus. The ENKL occurred at 25-month interval from nasal biopsy in a 45-year-old man with 1 week of altered mental status; multifocal cerebral and brainstem lesions were identified. Histological features in cases 1 and 3 were identical to the primary lymphoma, with high-grade transformation to DLBCL in the follicular lymphoma. Conclusion Unusual features in our series include longer interval from primary to relapse in case 1 with DLBCL (usually
Forced unfolding of protein-inspired single-chain random heteropolymers

Synthetic random heteropolymers (RHPs) with high chemical heterogeneity can self-assemble into single-chain nanoparticles that exhibit features reminiscent of natural proteins, such as topological polymorphism. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, this work investigates the structure and single-chain mechanical unfolding of a library of four-component RHPs in water, studying the effects of sequence, composition, configuration, and molecular weight. Results show that compactified RHPs can have highly dynamic unfolding behaviors which are dominated by complex side-chain interactions and prove markedly different from their homopolymer counterparts. For a given sequence and conformation, an RHP’s backbone topology can strongly impact its unfolding response, hinting at the importance of topological design in the nanoscale mechanics of heteropolymers. In addition, we identify enthalpically-driven reconfiguration upon unfolding, observing a solvent-shielding protection mechanism similar to protein stabilization by PEGylation. This work provides the first computational evidence for the force-induced unfolding of protein-inspired multicomponent heteropolymers.
Human Rights: Contested, Triumphant, and Hegemonic

The Liberal Project and Human Rights: The Theory and Practice of a New World Order. By John Charvet, Elisa Kaczynska-Nay. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008. 434 pp., $29.99 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-521-70959-0). Civilising Globalisation: Human Rights and the Global Economy. By David Kinley. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 256 pp., $39.99 (ISBN-13: 978-0-511-65596-8). Human Rights in Asia: A Reassessment of the Asian Values Debate. Edited by Leena Avonius, Damien Kingsbury. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. 254 pp., $90.00 hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-0-230-60639-5). The idea of human rights permeates virtually every aspect of international politics today, whether invoked by political elites, advocates, or academics. Arguments appealing to human rights have been advanced to both justify and denounce wars; human rights are invoked as the rallying cry for both advocates and critics of free trade; and depending on who one asks, the advent of liberal, rights-based government may either be the endpoint in humankind's ideological evolution that cannot be improved upon (Fukuyama 1992) or may simply be an ideological smokescreen behind which powerful actors seek to eliminate rival ideologies and political movements (Gong 1984). Yet despite the widespread violation of human rights throughout the globe, and the profound double standards with which even liberal states behave when it comes to human rights, the various norms embodied in international human rights law are endorsed by a vast majority of states, global corporations are increasingly accepting human rights concerns as relevant to their activities, and it is becoming much more difficult for perpetrators of human rights atrocities to escape the reach of international criminal justice. Human rights have indeed become a “hegemonic discourse” in at least two senses. First, they have become the most broadly endorsed basis for the expression of political legitimacy, and second, the idea of human rights has become the chosen conceptual framework for discussing, debating, and attempting to improve the human condition throughout the globe (Donnelly 2003:38). At the same time, this process that Kirsten Sellars (2002) once called the “rise and rise of human rights” has not been uncontested. The theory and logic of liberal human rights have come under assault from a host of critics in academic circles, including communitarians, Marxists, cultural relativists, post-structuralists, and authoritarians. Furthermore, human rights as political practice have been viewed with suspicion by corporate …
S. pombe Strain Maintenance and Media

Fission yeast can be grown and maintained using similar culture methods to those employed for budding yeast. The optimal media for S. pombe is somewhat different than that employed for S. cerevisiae, although budding yeast media can be used if necessary. Good sterile technique is essential to prevent contamination by airborne molds or bacteria.
Employing Questionnaires in terms of a Constructivist Epistemological Stance: Reconsidering Researchers’ Involvement in the Unfolding of Social Life

In this article, I delve into what it might mean to employ questionnaires without regarding them simply as a way of attempting to discern relationships of correlation or causality between defined variables (as in positivist and post-positivist conceptions of questionnaires). I shall consider the implications of researchers using questionnaires on the basis of alternative paradigmatic orientations. I shall discuss, in particular, interpretivist stances and more constructively-oriented stances (as qualitatively-oriented paradigmatic positions) with reference to different understandings of questionnaire use. I shall also reflect on how qualitative positions that embrace a constructivist epistemological stance can lead to a redirection of questionnaires in relation to more “usual” (post-positivist-directed) usages. In the course of the discussion I make a case, drawing on a version of constructivism, for researchers taking responsibility for their involvement—no matter what methods are used—in the unfolding of the social worlds of which research is a part. Taking into account the constructivist epistemological understanding that questionnaires—as well as other research methods—contribute to the construction of responses rather than merely “finding” responses from research participants, I suggest that some responsibility needs to be taken by those employing questionnaires for the potential social impact of these on research participants as well as wider audiences.
The Not-So-Lazy Days of Summer: Experimental Interventions to Increase College Entry among Low-Income High School Graduates.

Despite decades of policy intervention to increase college entry among low-income students, substantial inequalities in college going by family income remain. Policy makers have largely overlooked the summer after high school as an important time period in students’ transition to college. During the post-high school summer, however, students must complete a range of financial and informational tasks prior to college enrollment, yet no longer have access to high school counselors and have not engaged yet with their college community. Moreover, many come from families with little college-going experience. Recent research documents summer attrition rates ranging from 10 to 40 percent among students who had been accepted to college and declared an intention to enroll in college as of high school graduation. Encouragingly, several experimental interventions demonstrate that students’ postsecondary plans are quite responsive to additional outreach during the summer months. Questions nonetheless remain about how to maximize the impact and cost effectiveness of summer support. This chapter reports on several randomized trials to investigate the impact of summer counselor outreach and support as well as the potential roles for technology and peer mentoring in mitigating summer attrition and helping students enroll and succeed in college. The authors conclude with implications for policy and practice.
The Population-dependent Requirement by Cultured Mammalian Cells for Metabolites Which They Can Synthesize II. GLUTAMIC ACID AND GLUTAMINE; ASPARTIC ACID AND ASPARAGINE

Abstract Cultured mammalian cells can synthesize both glutamic acid and glutamine in amounts sufficient for growth. The necessary conditions are (a) a sufficiently high population density, approaching that of a saturated culture, and (b) glutamine synthetase activity sufficiently high to utilize the newly formed glutamic acid effectively. Three strains of rat tumor cells in culture had widely varying biosynthetic capacities for asparagine, with corresponding differences in the minimum population densities permitting growth and in the precursors necessary. At extremely high population densities the 3-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene-induced carcinoma cell could grow in the absence of both aspartic acid and asparagine, the carbon skeleton then deriving from glucose and glutamine. The Jensen sarcoma cell could also synthesize aspartic acid; however, exogenous aspartic acid had to be provided in order to permit growth, the minimum effective concentration varying inversely with the population density. Although the Walker 256 cell could also synthesize aspartic acid and could transport an exogenous supply into the cell, the strain here studied would not grow under any conditions in the absence of preformed asparagine, indicative of an almost complete block in asparagine synthesis from aspartic acid and glutamine. Possible determinants of these population-dependent requirements are discussed.
Antimagic Properties of Graphs with Large Maximum Degree

An antimagic labeling of a graph with m edges and n vertices is a bijection from the set of edges to the integers such that all n vertex sums are pairwise distinct, where a vertex sum is the sum of labels of all edges incident with the same vertex. A graph is called antimagic if it has an antimagic labeling. In this article, we discuss antimagic properties of graphs that contain vertices of large degree. We also show that graphs with maximum degree at least are antimagic.
Deletion of both Id2 and Id3 in developing T cell promotes NKT lymphoma formation in mice (TUM2P.887)

NKT lymphoma is a rare form of tumor, the etiology and pathogenesis of which is still largely unknown. There are also no animal models to study its course. The Id2 and Id3 genes and their targets, E proteins, have been demonstrated to be involved in multiple lymphoma and cancer subtypes, but their role in the development of NKT lymphomas is unexplored. Here we show that combined deletion of Id2 and Id3 by LckCre in early T cell development results in NKT cell expansion, which rapidly progresses into malignancy. Adoptive transfer experiments indicate that the malignant cells are able to invade healthy tissue. cDNA Microarray analysis of NKT lymphoma and pre-malignant NKT cells showed several cytokine signaling pathways are altered during tumor progression. Therefore, regulation of E proteins by Id2 and Id3 may play a role in NKT lymphoma development. Furthermore, our double knockout mice may provide a model to study mechanisms involved in human NKT lymphoma progression.
Four-dimensional chiral N = 1 type I vacua with and without D5-branes

In this paper we consider compactifications of type I strings on Abelian orbifolds. We discuss the tadpole cancellation conditions for the general case with D9-branes only. Such compactifications have (perturbative) heterotic duals which are also realized as orbifolds (with non-standard embedding of the gauge connection). The latter have extra twisted states that become massive once orbifold singularities are blown up. This is due to the presence of a perturbative heterotic superpotential with couplings between the extra twisted states, the orbifold blow-up modes, and (sometimes) untwisted matter fields. Anomalous U(1) (generically present in such models) also plays an important role in type 1-heterotic (tree-level) duality matching. We illustrate these issues on a particular example of Z3 ⊗ Z3 orbifold type I model (and its heterotic dual). The model has N = 1 supersymmetry, U(4)3 ⊗ SO(8) gauge group, and chiral matter. We also consider compactifications of type I strings on Abelian orbifolds with both D9- and D5-branes. We discuss tadpole cancellation conditions for a certain class of such models. We illustrate the model building by considering a particular example of type I theory compactified on Z6 orbifold. The model has N = 1 supersymmetry, [U(6) ⊗ U(6) ⊗ U(4)]2 gauge group, and chiral matter. This would correspond to a non-perturbative chiral vacuum from the heterotic point of view.