cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Automated detection of clinically significant macular edema by grid scanning optical coherence tomography.

Objective To compare the detection of clinically significant diabetic macular edema (DME) by an optical coherence tomography (OCT) grid scanning protocol and biomicroscopic examination. Design Retrospective case series. Participants Outpatients at the Doheny Eye Institute. Methods The clinical and imaging records of a consecutive series of 71 eyes of 40 patients referred for DME who underwent OCT using the both the Macular Grid 5 (MG5) scanning protocol (to allow a more evenly distributed sampling of points in the macula) and the standard Fast Macular Thickness Map (FMTM) pattern were reviewed. An automated algorithm was developed to generate a retinal thickness map using the MG5 data, which was then compared with a normative database to identify presumed areas of retinal edema. Clinically significant macular edema (CSME) was also identified by clinical examination and stereoscopic fundus photographs for comparison with the results of the OCT protocols. Main Outcome Measures Sensitivity and specificity of scanning protocols. Results Optical coherence tomograms were inspected visually, and automatically detected retinal boundaries were found to be correct in 69 of 71 MG5 scans and in 65 of 71 FMTM scans. Macular Grid 5 scanning was performed twice in each eye, and the repeatability (pooled standard deviation) of the total area of edema was 0.48 mm 2 (coefficient of variation, 6.8%). Sensitivity and specificity of the MG5 for detection of CSME relative to the clinical examination were 89% and 86%, respectively, with κ being 0.74. Macular Grid 5 and FMTM assessment of foveal CSME also showed good agreement, with κ being 0.68. Conclusions The analysis algorithm for the OCT MG5 grid scan seems to be accurate and repeatable. Automated detection of CSME by the MG5 analysis correlated well with the clinical grading and standard OCT analysis (FMTM). Macular Grid 5 provides more information regarding the perifoveal macula than FMTM and may be of value to clinicians in planning treatment and in future studies of macular edema.
Selenium Effects on Prostate Cell Growth

Epidemiological and clinical data suggest that selenium may prevent prostate cancer, but the biological effects of selenium on normal or malignant prostate cells are not well known. We evaluated the effects of sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) or l-selenomethionine (SeMet) on monolayer and anchorage-independent growth in a series of normal primary prostate cultures (epithelial, stromal, and smooth muscle) and prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, PC-3, and DU145). We observed differential, dose-dependent growth inhibition and apoptosis within prostate cancer cells (compared with normal prostate cells) treated with 1-500 microM of Na2SeO3 or SeMet. Na2SeO3 more potently inhibited growth at any given concentration. The androgen-responsive LNCaP cells were the most sensitive to selenium growth suppression (IC50s at 72 h for Na2SeO3 and SeMet were 0.2 and 1.0 microM, respectively). Growth of the primary prostate cells virtually was not suppressed (IC50s at 72 h for Na2SeO3 and SeMet were 22-38 and >500 microM, respectively). We also observed that DNA condensation and DNA fragmentation (terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase dUTP nick end labeling/fluorescence-activated cell sorting) were elevated in selenium-treated cells and that activated caspase-3 colocalized with terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase dUTP nick end labeling-stained cells by immunofluorescence. Higher basal poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) expression levels and PARP cleavage (a substrate for caspase-3) were observed during apoptosis in tumor cells, compared with normal cells. Selective tumor cell death was associated with an increase in sub-G0-G1 cells after propidium iodide staining and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. SeMet caused an increase in arrest in the G2-M phase of the cell cycle selectively in cancer cells. Inhibition of cancer cell growth by SeMet was associated with phosphorylation of P-Tyr15-p34/cdc2, which caused growth arrest in the G2-M phase. Anchorage-independent growth of prostate cancer cells in soft agar was sensitive to selenium. Our results suggest that Na2SeO3 is the more potent inducer of apoptosis in normal and cancer prostate cells. Our SeMet results involving PARP and G2-M cell-cycle arrest (cited above) indicate that SeMet selectively induces apoptosis in cancer but not primary cells of the human prostate. Our overall findings are relevant to the molecular mechanisms of selenium actions on prostate carcinogenesis and help demonstrate the selective, dose-dependent effects of selenium (especially SeMet) on prostate cancer cell death and growth inhibition.
Tissue-specific expression pattern of human endothelial lipase in transgenic mice

Endothelial lipase (EL), a new member of the triacylglycerol lipase gene family, is a key enzyme in HDL metabolism. The EL expression pattern in humans was reported to be unique and complementary to that documented for lipoprotein lipase. The regulatory elements responsible for the tissue-specific EL expression are not identified yet. In order to confine these sequences to a defined region of the EL promoter, we analyzed EL mRNA expression in human EL transgenic mice expressing EL under the control of the endogenous human promoter. We identified small intestine, mammary gland, adipose tissue and the adrenal gland as previously unknown tissues to express EL. Our data demonstrate that regulatory elements within 11.4 kb of 5' and 9.9 kb of 3' human EL flanking region promote the expression of EL in small intestine, ovary, testis, mammary gland, brain, lung, aorta, adipose tissue and the adrenals, whereas regulatory sequences located between 27.4 and 11.4 kb of 5' or 9.9 and 48.7 kb of 3' human EL flanking region seem to be responsible for kidney-specific EL expression.
Multimodal Nonlinear Optical Microscopy and Applications to Central Nervous System Imaging

Multimodal nonlinear optical (NLO) imaging is poised to become a powerful tool in bioimaging given its ability to capitalize on the unique advantages possessed by different NLO imaging modalities. The integration of different imaging modalities such as two-photon-excited fluorescence, sum frequency generation, and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering on the same platform can facilitate simultaneous imaging of different biological structures. Parameters to be considered in constructing a multimodal NLO microscope are discussed with emphasis on achieving a compromise in these parameters for efficient signal generation with each imaging modality. As an example of biomedical applications, multimodal NLO imaging is utilized to investigate the central nervous system in healthy and diseased states.
Palladium diffusion into bulk copper via the (100) surface

Using low-energy electron microscopy, we measure the diffusion of Pd into bulk Cu at the Cu(100) surface. Interdiffusion is tracked by measuring the dissolution of the Cu(100)-c(2 × 2)-Pd surface alloy during annealing (T>240 °C). The activation barrier for Pd diffusion from the surface alloy into the bulk is determined to be (1.8 ± 0.6) eV. During annealing, we observe the growth of a new layer of Cu near step edges. Under this new Cu layer, dilute Pd remaining near the surface develops a layered structure similar to the Cu(3)Pd L 1(2) bulk alloy phase.
Broad network-based predictability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene loss-of-function phenotypes

We demonstrate that loss-of-function yeast phenotypes are predictable by guilt-by-association in functional gene networks. Testing 1,102 loss-of-function phenotypes from genome-wide assays of yeast reveals predictability of diverse phenotypes, spanning cellular morphology, growth, metabolism, and quantitative cell shape features. We apply the method to extend a genome-wide screen by predicting, then verifying, genes whose disruption elongates yeast cells, and to predict human disease genes. To facilitate network-guided screens, a web server is available http://www.yeastnet.org.
Dispensing Rates of Four Common Hearing Aid Product Features: Associations With Variations in Practice Among Audiologists

The purpose of the study was to develop and examine a list of potential variables that may account for variability in the dispensing rates of four common hearing aid features. A total of 29 potential variables were identified and placed into the following categories: (1) characteristics of the audiologist, (2) characteristics of the hearing aids dispensed by the audiologist, (3) characteristics of the audiologist's patient population, and (4) evidence-based practice grades of recommendation for each feature. The potentially associative variables then were examined using regression analyses from the responses of 257 audiologists to a dispensing practice survey. There was a direct relation between price and level of hearing aid technology with the frequency of dispensing product features. There was also a direct relation between the belief by the audiologist that a feature might benefit patients and the frequency of dispensing that feature. In general, the results suggested that personal differences among audiologists and the hearing aids audiologists choose to dispense are related more strongly to dispensing rates of product features than to differences in characteristics of the patient population served by audiologists. An additional finding indicated that evidence-based practice recommendations were inversely related to dispensing rates of product features. This finding, however, may not be the result of dispensing trends as much as hearing aid manufacturing trends.
Association of Prediabetes and Diabetes With Stroke Symptoms: The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study

OBJECTIVE Stroke symptoms among individuals reporting no physician diagnosis of stroke are associated with an increased risk of future stroke. Few studies have assessed whether individuals with diabetes or prediabetes, but no physician diagnosis of stroke, have an increased prevalence of stroke symptoms. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This study included 25,696 individuals aged ≥45 years from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study who reported no history of stroke or transient ischemic attack at baseline (2003–2007). Glucose measurements, medication use, and self-reported physician diagnosis were used to categorize participants into diabetes, prediabetes, or normal glycemia groups. The presence of six stroke symptoms was assessed using a validated questionnaire. RESULTS The prevalence of any stroke symptom was higher among participants with diabetes (22.7%) compared with those with prediabetes (15.6%) or normal glycemia (14.9%). In multivariable models, diabetes was associated with any stroke symptom (prevalence odds ratio [POR] 1.28 [95% CI 1.18–1.39]) and two or more stroke symptoms (1.26 [1.12–1.43]) compared with normal glycemia. In analyses of individual stroke symptoms, diabetes was associated with numbness (1.15 [1.03–1.29]), vision loss (1.52 [1.31–1.76]), half-vision loss (1.54 [1.30–1.84]), and lost ability to understand people (1.34 [1.12–1.61]) after multivariable adjustment. No association was present between prediabetes and stroke symptoms. CONCLUSIONS In this population-based study, almost one in four individuals with diabetes reported stroke symptoms, which suggests that screening for stroke symptoms in diabetes may be warranted.
Review of Evidence on the Potential for Major Earthquakes and Volcanism in the Long Valley-Mono Craters-White Mountains Regions of Eastern California

The Long Valley-Mono Craters region of eastern California lies within a tectonically active zone that extends from the Salton Trough northward across the central Mojave Desert to the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada mountains and beyond into west-central Nevada. We refer to this tectonically active zone as the eastern California and central Nevada seismic belts, which include large-scale surface faulting produced during several moderate to great earthquakes over the last 112 years as well as numerous fault scarps and volcanic centers of late-Quaternary age. The Long Valley-Mono Craters region stands out in this zone for having produced both the largest (700,000 years ago) and the most recent (500 years ago) volcanic eruptions and for having maintained an exceptionally high level of seismic activity throughout this century. Four major earthquakes (M6.8 to 8.0) have occurred along the eastern California and central Nevada seismic belts since 1872 leaving three major gaps. The central gap, the White Mountains seismic gap, includes the northern end of Owens Valley, Mono Lake, adjacent parts of Nevada as well as the Long Valley-Mono Craters region. Recent clusters of moderate earthquakes, including four M-6 earthquakes that occurred at the southern margin of Long Valley caldera in May-1980, have partially encircled the White Mountains gap raising concern over the likelihood of a major, gap-filling earthquake within the coming years. The repeated occurrence of earthquake swarms in the south moat of Long Valley caldera following the May-1980 earthquakes, together with leveling evidence for inflation of the resurgent dome by more than 40 cm since mid-1979, has raised concern over the possibility of renewed volcanism along the ring-fracture system in the south moat of the caldera. An intense earthquake swarm in the south moat in January-1983, which included two M-5 events, and deformation data consistent with possible dike intrusion along the ring-fracture system, served to reenforce this concern. The U.S. Geological Survey has placed the Long Valley region under continuous surveillance to track future activity. This surveillance involves a range of seismic and deformation monitoring systems, programs for measuring gas emission and sampling of fumarole and hot spring temperatures, flow rates, and chemistry.
Effect of methotrexate on the immune response in children with acute lymphatic leukaemia

Lymphocyte count, lymphocyte subpopulations identified by monoclonal antibodies and mitogen stimulation assays with phytohaemagglutinin, concanavalin A, pokeweed mitogen and staphylococcal protein A, were used to quantitate the effect of methotrexate on the immune response in children with acute lymphatic leukaemia on maintenance therapy. Methotrexate exerted a profound but apparently short-term effect on these parameters as it is prescribed in current maintenance schedules for childhood acute lymphatic leukaemia. A significant drop in lymphocyte count, affecting all subpopulations, was observed 4 h after oral or intramuscular administration of methotrexate which had reverted to pre-methotrexate values one week after the drug was given. Lymphocyte function was markedly affected, with a major decrease in mitogen responsiveness 1 h after methotrexate and a reversion to pre-methotrexate values by 48 h. A selectivity of suppressor T cells to methotrexate is proposed as being responsible for early recovery. Scheduling of methotrexate in current maintenance programmes would therefore appear to allow adequate time for recovery of immunoresponsiveness between doses.
Fish stress and mortality can be predicted using reflex impairment

Fish stress and mortality can be significant problems in both capture and culture operations. In addition to inexpensive and real-time metrics, ones that are simple to use are also desirable for measuring fish stress and predicting mortality. Current methods to define stress rely on expensive, laboratory-based measurements of changes in fish pathology such as disease, necropsy and histology, in physiology such as plasma cortisol, lactate, glucose and ions and in complex behaviour determined from swimming, feeding and predator evasion. All of these methods are often not rigorously linked to fitness outcomes. An alternative is to observe reflex impairment as a direct sign of stress which can be easily and rapidly measured in free swimming or restrained fish responding to peripheral stimuli such as gravity, light, sound and touch. Reflex impairment is correlated with stress and mortality outcomes, eliminating the need for prolonged holding or monitoring of fish. A few examples of reflexes that may be impaired include orientation, startle responses, fin erection, body flex upon restraint, operculum and mouth clamping or gaping, gag response and vestibular‐ocular response. Reflex impairment combines the effects of stressors and their interactions and is not dependent on fish size, motivation states and acclimation which make it a consistent sign of stress across a wide range of stressor types and fish ages. Use of reflex impairment to measure stress and predict mortality would significantly improve monitoring of fish health and welfare in many types of field operations such as commercial and recreational fishing, aquaculture, live transport, stock enhancement and tagging.
Pathogenesis of NUT Midline Carcinoma

NUT midline carcinoma (NMC), an aggressive form of squamous cell carcinoma, is defined by the presence of acquired chromosomal rearrangements involving NUT, usually BRD4-NUT fusion genes and, less commonly, NUT-variant fusion genes involving BRD3 or still-uncharacterized genes. Improved diagnostic tests reveal that although rare, NMCs occur in people of any age and may be indistinguishable from more common squamous cell carcinomas of adulthood. NMCs have simple karyotypes whose hallmark is genomic instability, suggesting that NMC arises through a distinct pathogenic pathway representing a genetic shortcut to the phenotype of squamous cell carcinoma. Mechanistically, BRD-NUT fusion proteins appear to act by blocking differentiation, possibly by sequestering histone acetyltransferase activity. Accordingly, histone deacetylase inhibitors or BET inhibitors, the latter of which inhibit binding of BRD-NUT proteins to chromatin, induce terminal differentiation of NMC cells. These insights provide a rationale for targeted therapy of NMC, which is almost uniformly refractory to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Theopathology: Concept, Assessment, Intervention:

Defines theopathology as the knowledge regarding a believer's concept of God which meets the criteria for a personality disorder as presented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Diso...
Iron is prioritized to red blood cells over the brain in phlebotomized anemic newborn lambs.

Critically ill preterm and term neonates are at high risk for negative iron balance due to phlebotomy that occurs with frequent laboratory monitoring, and the high iron demand of rapid growth. Understanding the prioritization of iron between red blood cells (RBCs) and brain is important given iron’s role in neurodevelopment. Ten neonatal twin lamb pairs (n = 20) underwent regular phlebotomy for 11 d. Lambs were randomized to receive no iron or i.v. daily iron supplementation from 1 to 5 mg/kg. Serum hemoglobin concentration and reticulocyte count were assayed, iron balance calculated, and iron content of RBCs, liver, brain, muscle, and heart measured at autopsy. Among phlebotomized lambs: (i) liver iron concentration was directly related to net iron balance (r = 0.87; P < 0.001) and (ii) brain iron concentration was reduced as a function of net iron balance (r = 0.63) only after liver iron was depleted. In animals with negative iron balance, total RBC iron was maintained while brain iron concentration decreased as a percentage of the iron present in RBCs (r = −0.70; P < 0.01) and as a function of reticulocyte count (r = −0.63; P < 0.05). Phlebotomy-induced negative iron balance limits iron availability to the developing brain.
Hereditary Nonspherocytic Hemolysis With Erythrocyte Phosphofructokinase Deficiency

Hereditary nonspherocytic hemolysis associated with abnormal erythrocyte phosphofructokinase activity was demonstrated in a young man. Enzyme activity in the propositus, his mother, and maternal grandmother was approximately 60% of normal controls. There was markedly increased lability of enzyme activity on in vitro storage. Kinetic studies revealed increased sensitivity to adenosine triphosphate inhibition. Erythrocyte adenosine triphosphate levels were depressed. The absence of muscle disease and the presence of normal in vivo lactate production following ischemic exercise differentiated this kindred from those with Type VII glycogen storage disease.
Abstract T P120: Clinical Demographic Effects on Functional Outcome in Patients Following Decompressive Hemicraniectomy for Malignant Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction

Background: Malignant MCA infarction is a devastating disease representing 1-10% of strokes. Evidence from recent randomized controlled trials show improved survival and functional outcomes following decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) compared with optimal medical. Ideal patient selection remains somewhat controversial. The current study examines the effects of demographic and clinical variables on functional outcomes in patients surviving one or more years following DHC. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent DHC for malignant MCA infarction at our institution from 03/2006 to 04/2012. We collected and compared demographic and clinical variables including age, gender, race, timing of DHC, side of infarction, IV TPA administration, and additional cerebral territorial involvement (ACA or PCA). The mean mRs was calculated for each group and the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney two tailed test was used to calculate statistical significance. Results: A total of 32 patients met inclusion/exclusion criteria. There was no statistical difference in functional outcomes between patients ≤60 years of age and those >60 years (p=0.51). No statistical difference was observed between males and females (p=0.84)). Patients who received their DHC within 48 hours of their stroke were more likely to have a better outcome than patients who received DHC after 48 hours (p=0.024). Other variables including race, cerebral dominance involvement, IV TPA administration, or additional cerebral territory involvement did not show statistical significance with respect to functional outcomes (p=0.22, p=0.462, p=0.597, and p=0.614 respectively). Conclusion: In this retrospective study, early DHC done within 48 hours of stroke was the only clinical variable shown to improve functional outcomes 1 year or more later among survivors of patients receiving DHC for malignant MCA infarction. No difference in functional outcome was seen based on age, gender, race, IV TPA administration, dominant MCA involvement, and additional cerebral territorial co infarction. Patient selection should be individualized and larger studies are needed to better assess this patient population, especially in the elderly.
A Research Guide and a Bibliography for Korean Law Resources in English

This research guide with a bibliography attempts to help American legal scholars, law students, legal practitioners, and law librarians to conduct research on the law of the Republic of Korea ("South Korea") in English. The guide focuses on bibliographies, indexes, research guides, online databases, and books written or translated in English. In order to help Korean law researchers determine how useful or important a research resource/tool is for its specific research purpose, the guide also provides a brief annotation for indexes and bibliographies, research guides, and databases. In the last chapter, the guide includes a bibliography related to Korean law under the title, “Treatises,” where I selectively compiled about 240 books and doctoral dissertations about Korean law in English (1945-2008) that researchers can get in the United States either through their own library or through interlibrary loan request.
Work Function of Vanadium Dioxide Thin Films Across the Metal-Insulator Transition and the Role of Surface Nonstoichiometry

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) undergoes a sharp metal-insulator transition (MIT) in the vicinity of room temperature and there is great interest in exploiting this effect in novel electronic and photonic ...
Expanding functionality of recombinant human collagen through engineered non-native cysteines.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in extracellular matrices and is commonly used as a tissue engineering scaffold. However, collagen and other biopolymers from native sources can exhibit limitations when tuning mechanical and biological properties. Cysteines do not naturally occur within the triple-helical region of any native collagen. We utilized a novel modular synthesis strategy to fabricate variants of recombinant human collagen that contained 2, 4, or 8 non-native cysteines at precisely defined locations within each biopolymer. This bottom-up approach introduced capabilities using sulfhydryl chemistry to form hydrogels and immobilize bioactive factors. Collagen variants retained their triple-helical structure and supported cellular adhesion. Hydrogels were characterized using rheology, and the storage moduli were comparable to fibrillar collagen gels at similar concentrations. Furthermore, the introduced cysteines functioned as anchoring sites, with TGF-β1-conjugated collagens promoting myofibro...
Atomic Force Microscopy of Carbon Nanotubes and Nanoparticles

Very hot carbon vapor was deposited on highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and on sapphire substrates. Using atomic force microscopy, the obtained carbon structures are analyzed. It is found that carbon nanotubes and cones had formed on the graphite substrate but not on sapphire. Instead, spherical-type nanoparticles are analyzed on sapphire. A particle with double-conical shape is found on the graphite substrate. The two observed cone angles 19° and 60° are explained by perfect network closure of sectors of curled graphene sheets.
Focal Cortical Dysplasia Type IIB and Human Papillomavirus

Researchers at Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA tested the hypothesis that human papillomavirus type 16 oncoprotein E6 (HPV16 E6) is present in human focal cortical dysplasia type IIB (FCDIIB) specimens.
Survey on the estrogen activity in organic extracts of water body from the Ganzhou reach of Ganjiang River

Objective To comprehend the pollution status by endocrine disrupting chemicals in Ganjiang River,thereby provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of the pollution in Ganzhou River.Methods Water samples were collected at three sites located at the upstream,midstream and downstream from the Ganzhou reach of Ganjiang River in high-and low-water season respectively,the organic substances were extracted,separated and condensed by macroporous resin XAD-2,then measure the activity of estrogen using cell proliferation assay in MCF-7 cells.Results The estrogen were found in all the water samples from the Ganzhou reach of Ganjing River,the activity was higher in the midstream and upstream than in the downstream,which were higher in river side and high-water season than that in the river center and low-water season,respectively.Conclusions The results suggested that the water body in Ganjiang River has been polluted by endocrine disrupting chemicals,and it should be quite urgent for making a corresponding prevention and control strategy.
A Discussion on China's Credit System: from Creditum to Social Contract

This article dugs into the evolutional path of the concept of credit,and discusses such issues as the construction of China's social credit system accordingly.Firstly,we take a brief retrospect on the initial connotation of the word 'credit',pointing out that it was just certain kind of financial contract in the Middle Ages.Secondly,the evolution of the concept from pure financial contract to general social contract is traced.The authors set the macroeconomic organizational evolution as a coordinate,in which the connation and the importance of credit are dotted and demonstrated.Finally,we explore the situations of China's credit and come up with constructive ideas to rebuild its social credit system.
Effects of endotoxin on the pregnant baboon and fetus

Effects of E. coli endotoxin upon uterine activity and maternal and fetal condition were studied in four pregnant baboons and their fetuses. Uterine activity increased significantly following administration of endotoxin to the mother. Endotoxin also produced maternal circulatory collapse, severe acidosis, and profound fetal asphyxia resulting in death. Death also occurred in three of the four mothers within 24hours without amelioration of their conditions.
Integrated hormonal-immunological-vascular (H-I-V triad) systems interactions in the rheumatic diseases.

An expanded paradigm for the diffuse rheumatic diseases is presented which focuses upon the integrated interactions of hormonal, immunological and vascular systems, i.e. the "H-I-V" triad. The reciprocal interactions between the (neuro)hormonal and immunological systems are increasingly recognized in experimental models and human examples of these diseases. Other important two-way interactions, e.g. between the hormonal and vascular systems, are also believed to be operating, but are relatively unexplored at present. An overview of the triad interactions between these vital regulatory systems of the body is offered. These interactions are further influenced by their relationships to broader genetic controls, physiological modulators, and environmental influences. Earlier, physiopathogenic stages of these evolving rheumatic disorders need to be understood, if prevention and optimal healing are to be achieved in the future.
Using Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as Education in Advanced Practice Registered Nursing Education

Approximately 3 million nurses make up the U.S. health care workforce. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Medicine (2011) supported the call to strengthen the nursing profession by establishing global standards of educational criteria and outcomes. Throughout the world, health education is affected by fundamental inadequacies related to static, fragmented, and content-oriented curricula. There are inadequacies in our curricula, and nursing faculties are facing challenges with clinical placements (both the number and quality of these placements); therefore, alternative methods of providing practice to students need to be considered. A transformative agenda comprising changes in the way students are taught fully harnessing the potential of information and communications technology (i.e., simulation) is necessary. Simulated patient encounters and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations are 2 means to achieve needed practice in a safe environment. The purpose of this article is to show, by using simulation, how students can practice and be evaluated within their clinical practice role in a safe, controlled environment. In addition, this practice can (a) enable students to increase the complexity of their understanding and their autonomy and (b) educate students about social accountability, health and gender equity, social justice, and human rights.
Chemical enrichment of the pre-solar cloud by supernova dust grains

The presence of short-lived radioisotopes (SLRs) in solar system meteorites has been interpreted as evidence that the solar system was exposed to a supernova shortly before or during its formation. Yet results from hydrodynamical models of SLR injection into the proto-solar cloud or disc suggest that gas-phase mixing may not be efficient enough to reproduce the observed abundances. As an alternative, we explore the injection of SLRs via dust grains as a way to overcome the mixing barrier. We numerically model the interaction of a supernova remnant containing SLR-rich dust grains with a nearby molecular cloud. The dust grains are subject to drag forces and both thermal and non-thermal sputtering. We confirm that the expanding gas shell stalls upon impact with the dense cloud and that gas-phase SLR injection occurs slowly due to hydrodynamical instabilities at the cloud surface. In contrast, dust grains of sufficient size (> 1 micron) decouple from the gas and penetrate into the cloud within 0.1 Myr. Once inside the cloud, the dust grains are destroyed by sputtering, releasing SLRs and rapidly enriching the dense (potentially star-forming) regions. Our results suggest that SLR transport on dust grains is a viable mechanism to explain SLR enrichment.
Atoning in purgatory

This article develops a new argument – The Argument from Atonement – that commonplace Christian assumptions about heaven imply the existence of purgatory. According to this argument, many Christians will die with residual moral guilt due to possessing unfulfilled moral debts towards fellow non-divine humans. Some of these debts cannot be fulfilled immediately after death and are not completely fulfilled or cancelled by Jesus's atoning work. Christians with such debts are fit neither for heaven nor for hell and thus must occupy purgatory until their moral debts are fulfilled.
Leo Kamenev, Lloyd George and the Attempt to Arrange an Armistice

If the Soviet government had reason to be suspicious and unsure of the intentions of its adversaries in the West, European statesmen had equally good reason to be apprehensive and uncertain about Soviet intentions. On 24 July, for instance, the Director of British Intelligence, Sir Basil Thomson, wrote to Lloyd George’s private secretary:
A visible midpoint approach for point robot path planning in cluttered environment

Obstacle avoidance and navigational plan from start to goal among a cluttered environment is a complex problem for a robot. This paper presents the combination of midpoint approach with visible criteria for robot navigation in the configuration space of robot where the obstacles are in static by nature. The midpoints are calculated in such a fashion so that each tunnel starts with at least one or more midpoint created in the environment. The proposed method follows visible criteria to connect the midpoints in the environment. This method provides the possible paths from source to destination. After formation of all the paths, Dijkstra's shortest path method is used for determining of actual shortest path.
Improved Standard Errors of Standardized Parameters in Covariance Structure Models: Implications for Construct Explication

Because measurement scales of observed variables in social and behavioral sciences are often arbitrary, and because the sample correlation matrix, unlike the sample covariance matrix, is scale independent, analyses of correlation structures based on sample correlation matrices are desirable, and often done (e.g., Velicer & Jackson, 1990; Goffin & Jackson, 1992). The problem is that most popular covariance structure software is built around the sampling theory designed to analyze covariance structures. This theory is based on the multivariate sampling distribution of a covariance matrix, which is not the same as that of a correlation matrix. A number of papers have addressed problems relevant to this issue in the contexts of exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). These address problems of parameter estimation, tests of hypotheses, and standard error estimation. Our main focus here will be on the problem of standard error estimation. This is critical to accurate decision-making regarding the interpretation of constructs and the necessity of parameters such as factor loadings as indicators of such constructs. Since typical practice in factor analysis is to interpret a factor by its highly loading variables in a standardized solution, it is also important to verify that such loadings are statistically significantly different from zero. For example, if one uses confirmatory factor analysis in a sequential system for personality scale construction (e.g., Jackson, 1970), it would be essential to be able to determine whether or not the loading of a particular item on the trait factor that it is hypothesized to reflect is significantly different from zero. Furthermore, confirmatory factor analyses of the higher-order structure of personality scales (e.g., Jackson, Paunonen, Fraboni, & Goffin, 1996) could not be meaningfully interpreted in the absence of accurate estimates of the standard errors of the parameters. The previous examples are only two of a multitude of possible examples where the estimation of standard errors assumes a prominent role in the evaluation of construct validity. In this paper, we provide some new methods to achieve this purpose.
An Unlikely Collaboration: How Academic and Special Libraries Can Help Each Other Survive

ABSTRACTThis column uses the occasion of James Matarazzo and Toby Pearlstein receiving the 2016 John Cotton Dana Award from the Special Libraries Association to reflect on their unique partnership,...
A Study of Model-Order Reduction Techniques for Verification

As formal verification techniques for cyber-physical systems encounter large plant models, techniques for simplifying these models into smaller approximate models are gaining increasing popularity. Model-order reduction techniques take large ordinary differential equation models and simplify them to yield models that are potentially much smaller in size. These approaches typically discover a suitable projection of the state space into a smaller subspace, such that by projecting the dynamics in this subspace, an accurate approximation can be obtained for a given initial set and time horizon of interest. In this paper, we present a study of model-order reduction techniques for verification with non-rigorous error bounds. We design experiments based on the proper orthogonal decomposition technique for finding reduced order models. We find that reduced order models are particularly effective and precise whenever a suitable reduced order model can be found in the first place. We attempt to characterize these models and provide future directions for reduced order modeling.
Date Rape and Other Forced Sexual Encounters Among College Students

This survey explores the incidence of date rape and other forms of forced sexual behavior among college students at a large urban university. It is estimated that approximately 10% of college femal...
Veganism: ethics in everyday life

This article examines the disjunction between ethical vegans’ private morals regarding animals and their public presentation of them as an instance of American individualism. Using in-depth interviews and observations of vegan gatherings, I find that most vegans, those who employ what I call “strategic individualism,” think of veganism as a general moral imperative—that humans ought to be vegan as a matter of social justice for animals—yet they frequently individualized their positions when interacting with nonvegans to avoid interpersonal conflict and thereby engage nonvegans. Rather than discuss morals as collective obligations, which they privately believe, vegans who use strategic individualism present morals as individual choices and experiences. The differences in their private morals and their public presentation demonstrate that individualism may be better understood less as a fundamental orientation, which is the dominant approach in cultural sociology, so much as an interactional strategy to achieve particular goals.
Consider Yourself Asked: Introduction to Political Social Work

Political social work is a social work practice that explicitly attends to power dynamics in policy-making and to political mechanisms for eliciting social change. Political social work includes expanding political participation, influencing policy agendas, working on campaigns or in electoral offices, and holding elected office. It is a form of practice, as well as related research and theory, through which social workers fulfill their ethical responsibility to engage in social and political action for social justice and human rights.
Effects of Before-School Physical Activity on Obesity Prevention and Wellness.

Introduction The effects of Build Our Kids Success—a 12-week, 1-hour before-school physical activity program—on BMI and social–emotional wellness among kindergarten to eighth grade students was examined. Study Design This was a nonrandomized trial. Setting/participants Participants were from 24 schools in Massachusetts; there were 707 children from kindergarten to eighth grade. Intervention Children registered for Build Our Kids Success in 2015–2016 participated in a 2 days/week or 3 days/week program. Nonparticipating children served as controls. Main outcome measures At baseline and 12 weeks, study staff measured children’s heights/weights; children aged ≥8 years completed surveys. Main outcomes were 12-week change in BMI z-score, odds of a lower BMI category at follow-up, and child report of social−emotional wellness. Analyses were completed in March−June 2017. Results Follow-up BMI was obtained from 67% of children and self-reported surveys from 72% of age-eligible children. Children in the 3 days/week group had improvements in BMI z-score (−0.22, 95% CI= −0.31, −0.14) and this mean change was significantly different than the comparison group (−0.17 difference, 95% CI= −0.27, −0.07). Children in the 3 days/week group also had higher odds of being in a lower BMI category at follow-up (OR=1.35, 95% CI=1.12, 1.62); significantly different than the comparison group (p Conclusions A 3 days/week before-school physical activity program resulted in improved BMI and prevented increases in child obesity. Both Build Our Kids Success groups had improved social−emotional wellness versus controls. Trial registration This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT03190135.
ATRIAL SEPTAL DEFECT OCCLUDER ASSOCIATED CUL-DE-SAC AS A SOURCE OF THROMBOEMBOLISM AND STROKE

Late complications following transcatheter atrial septal defect (ASD) closure remain a diagnostic challenge and can be associated with significant morbidity. A 57-year-old man with ASD closure with a transcatheter septal occluder 13 years ago presented with recurrent transient ischemic attacks (3
The Clinical Course of Patients With Prostate-Specific Antigen ≥100 ng/ml: Insight Into a Potential Population for Targeted Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening.

Objective To characterize men presenting to a tertiary care safety-net hospital with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values ≥100 ng/mL and to identify a potential population for targeted PSA screening. Materials and Methods Retrospective review of 100 randomly selected patients of a total of 204 who presented to Grady Memorial Hospital from 2004 to 2011 with initial PSA ≥100 ng/mL was performed. Demographics, disease characteristics, and survival status were obtained via the Tumor Registry and a combination of electronic medical records and older paper charts, with missing data from paper charts excluded on analyses. Results Sixty-five patients were newly diagnosed with prostate cancer on presentation and 35 were previously diagnosed. Median PSA at presentation was 405.5 ng/mL (minimum, 100 and maximum, 7805), 81% had metastatic disease, and 94% had Gleason ≥7. Median Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment score was 8. Median age at presentation was 67.4 years (minimum, 40.8 and maximum, 90.6). Eighty-nine percent of patients were African American, 24% lived alone, 12% were homeless or incarcerated, 51% were insured by Medicare or Medicaid, and 47% were uninsured. Only 1% had human immunodeficiency virus, 19% had diabetes, and 13% had chronic kidney disease. Of the 65 newly diagnosed patients, only 23% had ever been screened and 9% were previously biopsied. Median time from presentation to death was 17.8 months (minimum, 0.16 and maximum, 107.1). Conclusion Among men presenting with PSA ≥100 ng/ml at a safety-net hospital, the majority were African American, of lower socioeconomic status, and had metastatic disease. Uniform absence of prostate cancer screening may expose greater numbers of at-risk men to similar outcomes. Discussion is needed regarding targeted PSA screening in higher risk, vulnerable patients.
Specificity and mechanism of pepsin action on synthetic substrates.

Studies on the specificity and mechanism of pepsin action have involved the use of several types of synthetic substrates. In the early work, substrates related to Z-Glu-Tyr (1) or Ac-Phe-Tyr (2) were largely employed; for a review, see (3). In particular, much use had been made of acyl dipeptides of the type A-X-Y, where X and Y are aromatic L-amino acid residues forming the sensitive peptide bond. Because the pKa of the carboxyl group falls in the pH range of pepsin activity, the pH dependence of the kinetic parameters is a function of the ionization of prototrophic groups in both the enzyme and the substrate. The methyl or ethyl esters, or amides, of acyl dipeptides have also been used extensively, but because of their limited solubility in aqueous solution, variable amounts of organic solvents had to be added. Such solvents, even in relatively low concentration, markedly inhibit pepsin action (4,5). To obviate this difficulty, another type of pepsin substrate was introduced, in which a cationic group (the imidazolium group of a His residue, the α-ammonium group, a pyridinium group, or a morpholinium group) is present. By means of such substrates, in particular of the general structure Z-His-X-Y-OMe, the primary specificity of pepsin was defined as a preference for hydrophobic L-amino acid residues in both the X- and Y- positions (10); substitution of either Phe residue of Z-His-Phe-Phe-OMe by its D-enatiomer renders the X-Y bond resistant to pepsin action (6). The favorable effect of an aromatic and planar substituent at the β-carbon of the X and Y residues was emphasized by the finding that when X is β-cyclohexyl-L-alanyl, the value of kcat is much lower than that found for the corresponding substrate in which X or Y = Phe, and is similar to that for substrates in which the X- or Y-position is occupied by an aliphatic amino acid residue larger than Ala (Nva, Nle, Leu, Met). Apparently, the side chains of these amino acids can interact with a portion of the enzymic region that binds planar aromatic groups. It was also shown that the replacement of Phe in the X-position by Val or Ile rendered the X-Y bond resistant to pepsin action than when X = Gly, indicating that when the X-position is occupied by a residue that is branched at the β-carbon, one of the catalytic groups of pepsin may be prevented from attacking the carbonyl group of the sensitive bond. Moreover, the importance of the β-methylene group as a structural element of the X-Y unit was underlined by the finding that replacement of either Phe residue of Z-His-Phe-Phe-OMe by a L-Phenylglycyl residue also rendered the X-Y bond resistant to pepsin action (11).
Reduced lateral orbitofrontal cortex volume and suicide behavior in youth with bipolar disorder.

Objectives Structural abnormalities in cortical and subcortical regions, including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), are altered during brain development in adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD), which may increase risk for suicide. Few studies have examined the neural substrates of suicidal behavior in BD youth. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between suicide behavior and the OFC in youth with BD. Methods Thirty-seven participants with BD and 26 non-psychiatric controls, ages 13-21 years, completed a diagnostic interview and mood rating scales. Lifetime symptoms of suicide ideation and behavior were examined using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging on a 3T Siemens Verio scanner. Morphometric analysis of brain images was performed using FreeSurfer. Results Eighteen participants with BD had a history of suicide attempt (SA). Bipolar youth with a history of SA showed reduced left lateral OFC volumes compared to controls, but there was no difference between BD attempters and non-attempters. Controls and BD non-attempters had significantly greater OFC cortical thickness than BD attempters. Additionally, there was a significant negative correlation between OFC volumes and suicide lethality, demonstrating that as suicide lethality increased, OFC volume in BD youth was reduced. Conclusions The OFC is involved in decision-making, impulsivity, and reward circuitry which have shown to be impaired in BD. Reduced OFC volume and its association with lethality of suicide suggest that suicide behavior in BD may be related to the emerging neuroanatomical substrates of the disorder, particularly abnormalities of the OFC.