cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subplasmalemmal microfilaments and microtubules in resting and phagocytizing cultivated macrophages.

The subplasmalemmal organization of the free and glass-attached surfaces of resting and phagocytizing cultivated macrophages were examined in an attempt to define specific membrane-associated structures related to phagocytosis. From analysis of serial thin sections of oriented cells it was found that the subplasmalemmal region of the attached cell surface has a complex microfilament and microtubule organization relative to the subplasmalemmal area of the free surface. A filamentous network composed of 40–50-A microfilaments extended for a depth of 400–600 A from the attached plasma membrane. Immediately subjacent to the filamentous network was a zone of oriented bundles of 40–50-A microfilaments and a zone of microtubules. Additional microtubules were found to extend from the plasma membrane to the interior of the cell in close association with electron-dense, channellike structures. In contrast, the free aspect of the cultivated macrophage contained only the subplasmalemmal filamentous network. However, after a phagocytic pulse with polystyrene particles (14 µm diam) microtubules and oriented filaments similar to those found on the attached surface were observed surrounding the ingested particles. The observations reported in this paper provide support for the hypothesis that microfilaments and/or microtubules play a role in the translocation of plasma membrane required for the functionally similar processes of phagocytosis and cell attachment to glass.
Large, single-center, single-operator experience with transvenous lead extraction: outcomes and changing indications.

Background Lead extraction is increasingly necessary given the exponential growth in cardiac device implantation. Meanwhile, the tools, indications, and outcomes of this procedure continue to change. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine contemporary indications, outcomes, and complications of transvenous lead extraction in a large series of patients at a high-volume lead extraction center. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients undergoing lead extraction at a single, high-volume center. Patient and lead characteristics and the indications, outcomes, and need for laser assistance were analyzed. Results From January 2000 to March 2007, a total of 975 chronic endovascular leads were removed from 498 patients. Median implant duration was 5.7 years (range 0.5–32.7 years). Indications were infection (60.3%), mechanical lead failure (29.3%), and upgrade of device system (8.8%). Over the study period, lead malfunction decreased relative to other indications. Laser assistance for extraction was more likely with leads implanted longer than 3.4 years compared to less than 3.4 years (odds ratio 6.15, 95% confidence interval 3.35–11.28) and with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator leads compared to pacemaker leads (odds ratio 3.44, 95% confidence interval 1.84–6.43). Overall, 97.5% of the leads were completely removed. Major complications occurred in 2 (0.4%) patients. Only one patient required cardiac surgery. No deaths occurred. Conclusion In a high-volume center, lead extraction has a high success rate and low complication rate. Infection was the most common indication overall. Lead failure has decreased in relative proportion. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator leads and longer lead implant time are associated with a requirement for laser lead extraction.
Strategic Improprieties: Cultural Studies, the Everyday, and the Politics of Intellectual Properties

Reflecting on his nearly-completed book manuscript, The Origin of German Tragic Drama, Walter Benjamin mused in a 1924 missive to his dear friend Gerhard Scholem: ‘[W]hat surprises me most of all a...
Performance-Based Assessment and Educational Equity

The use of educational testing in the United States has been criticized for its inequitable effects on different populations of students. Many assume that new forms of assessment will lead to more equitable outcomes. Linda Darling-Hammond argues in this article, however, that alternative assessment methods, such as performance-based assessment, are not inherently equitable, and that educators must pay careful attention to the ways that the assessments are used. Some school reform strategies, for example, use assessment reform as a lever for external control of schools. These strategies, Darling-Hammond argues, are unlikely to be successful and the assessments are unlikely to be equitable because they stem from a distrust of teachers and fail to involve teachers in the reform processes.Darling-Hammond argues instead for policies that ensure "top-down support for bottom-up reform," where assessment is used to give teachers practical information on student learning and to provide opportunities for school com...
Fatigue behavior and damage modeling of SCS-6/titanium/titanium aluminide hybrid laminated composite

Abstract The fatigue behavior of the unnotched and notched silicon carbide fiber-reinforced titanium/titanium aluminide hybrid laminated composite was investigated at room temperature. The evolution of microstructural damage and its effect on stiffness and strength degradation was quantified as a function of loading cycles and applied stress levels. Fatigue crack propagation behavior and damage mechanisms in both the crack divider and crack arrester orientations were investigated. Micromechanical models coupled with computer simulation were used to predict the fatigue damage evolution, property degradation and fatigue life. Microstructural design to optimize the fatigue properties of a fiber-reinforced ductile/brittle laminated composite is also discussed.
Automated duplicate elimination in bibliographic systems

A computerized system for identifying and eliminating duplicate bibliographic citations collected from multiple data sources is presented. The system has been used successfully in building and maintaining databases at the Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical Information since 1984. Compressed keys for author and title fields are used to locate potential duplicates, which are further checked by comparing compressed keys for report number, patent number, CODEN, date, page, volume-issue, and publisher. To aid in comparison, each field is weighted according to its value in identifying and discriminating among duplicates.
PARENTAL ATTACHMENTS AND DELINQUENCY

Using the 1972 National Survey of Youth, we analyze attachment to mother and father along several dimensions (i.e., intimacy of communication, affectional identification, supervision, and family activities). We test two hypotheses: (1) as long as a child is strongly attached to one parent, strong ties to the other parent play an insignificant role in reducing delinquency further and (2) single-parent homes are not associated with delinquency as long as the child is strongly attached to the custodial parent. Generally, we find that children who are strongly attached to both parents have a lower probability of self-reported delinquency than children who are strongly attached to only one parent. Further, children living in single-parent homes who are strongly attached to the custodial parent generally have a greater probability of committing delinquent acts than children living in intact homes who are strongly attached to both parents.
Dynamical Response of Nanomechanical Oscillators in Immiscible Viscous Fluid for In Vitro Biomolecular Recognition

Dynamical response of nanomechanical cantilever structures immersed in a viscous fluid is important to in vitro single-molecule force spectroscopy, biomolecular recognition of disease-specific proteins, and the study of microscopic protein dynamics. Here we study the stochastic response of biofunctionalized nanomechanical cantilever beams in a viscous fluid. Using the fluctuation-dissipation theorem we derive an exact expression for the spectral density of displacement and a linear approximation for resonance frequency shift. We find that in a viscous solution the frequency shift of the nanoscale cantilever is determined by surface stress generated by biomolecular interaction with negligible contributions from mass loading due to the biomolecules.
Molecular Plant Breeding as the Foundation for 21st Century Crop Improvement

The fundamental discoveries of Darwin and Mendel established the scientific basis for plant breeding and genetics at the turn of the 20th century. Similarly, the recent integration of advances in biotechnology, genomic research, and molecular marker applications with conventional plant breeding
The Body Electric: GE, TV, and the Reagan Brand

As host of NBC's General Electric Theater from 1954 to 1962, Ronald Reagan enacted a new relationship between popular culture, corporate capitalism, and electronic media. Through his affiliation with General Electric and the celebrity he achieved through television, Reagan played an instrumental role in promoting the re-branding of the imagined community of the American nation as a republic of consumption. This phase of Reagan's career was a crucible for the formation of his political persona and political base.
Peers-assisted dynamic content distribution networks

Content distribution networks (CDNs) have been proposed to primarily distribute Web and some limited streaming audio/video content over the Internet. Current CDNs consist of fixed content nodes placed at strategic locations on the Internet to improve the service latency and to reduce server and network load. Although the approach of delivering content with a fixed CDN has enjoyed some successes, it is often difficult to upgrade and extend a CDN to serve more users due to a very high deployment cost. In this paper, we propose that a CDN be agile while delivering content. We make the case for a dynamic CDN architecture in which a CDN leverages local peers to deliver the CDN's content to local users. We define a formal problem for using peers to increase the capacity of a CDN and we propose an algorithm to help a CDN to dynamically recruit local peers to be part of the CDN. The CDN and the recruited local peers cooperate to serve content to other local users. Our performance evaluation shows promising results with the new dynamic CDN architecture. Our simple CDN growing strategies dramatically improve the average service latency in streaming video content
Combinatorial Control of Smooth Muscle–Specific Gene Expression

Alterations in the differentiated state of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are known to play a key role in vascular diseases, yet the mechanisms controlling SMC differentiation are still poorly understand. In this review, we discuss our present knowledge of control of SMC differentiation at the transcriptional level, pointing out some common themes, important paradigms, and unresolved issues in SMC-specific gene regulation. We focus primarily on the serum response factor–CArG box–dependent pathway, because it has been shown to play a critical role in regulation of multiple SMC marker genes. However, we also highlight several other important regulatory elements, such as a transforming growth factor β control element, E-boxes, and MCAT motifs. We present evidence in support of the notion that SMC-specific gene regulation is not controlled by a few SMC-specific transcription factors but rather by complex combinatorial interactions between multiple general and tissue-specific proteins. Finally, we discuss...
Building Watson: An Overview of the DeepQA Project

IBM Research undertook a challenge to build a computer system that could compete at the human champion level in real time on the American TV Quiz show, Jeopardy! The extent of the challenge includes fielding a real-time automatic contestant on the show, not merely a laboratory exercise. The Jeopardy! Challenge helped us address requirements that led to the design of the DeepQA architecture and the implementation of Watson. After 3 years of intense research and development by a core team of about 20 researches, Watson is performing at human expert-levels in terms of precision, confidence and speed at the Jeopardy! Quiz show. Our results strongly suggest that DeepQA is an effective and extensible architecture that may be used as a foundation for combining, deploying, evaluating and advancing a wide range of algorithmic techniques to rapidly advance the field of QA.
Squamous cell carcinoma of the soft palate, uvula, and anterior faucial pillar

This retrospective study concerns 188 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the soft palate, uvula, and anterior faucial pillar treated for cure between 1970 and 1983. Men predominated in the group (1.9:1) and 55% of the patients were between 60 and 70 years old. Mean duration of followup was 56.7 months. TNM stage distribution was 29, 67, 37, and 49 patients for stages I, II, III, and IV respectively; six patients were unstaged because of previous excisional biopsy. Treatment to the primary site consisted of radiotherapy for 150 patients, surgery alone for 28 patients, and combined therapy for 10 patients. Primary control for T stages 1 through 4 was: 91% (31 of 34), 77% (71 of 92), 77% (30 of 39), and 35% (6 of 17), respectively. One hundred twenty-eight patients were N0 at presentation, as compared to 60 patients with regional nodal metastasis. Regional control was obtained in 87.5% of patients with N0 necks and in 76.7% of those with nodal involvement. In patients with primary control, these figures were 89% and 81%. Overall determinant survival was 80% at 2 years, but fell to 67% at 5 years. In addition to advanced tumor stage, the survival rate was reduced by regional lymph node metastasis. Tumor extension to the tongue base diminished survival. Survival was poorer among patients with midline tumors or tumors that extended across the palatine arch (37 patients) than for those with unilateral primary tumors (151 patients) (p less than 0.05). Despite similar T-stage distribution, the incidence of regional nodal metastasis was 49% in the former group, compared with 28% in the latter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Great Silent Majority: Nixon's 1969 Speech on Vietnamization

Although forty-five years have passed since Nixon's famous “silent majority” speech on November 3, 1969, the address has loomed large in the collective memory of U.S. citizens through the Cold War,...
Frustration effect with a long delay

Ten Sprague-Dawley females were trained for 10 days in a straight alley with no obstruction of approach to the goal (four 45-mg pellets). During testing the rats received two nonblocked (0-sec delay) and four blocked (4-, 12-, 20-, and 60-sec delay) trials per day for 12 days. Significant frustration effects were obtained for both running speeds and ingestion rates. Both the 4- and 12-sec delays resulted in significantly faster running speeds than the 0-sec delays, and all delay intervals resulted in significantly faster ingestion rates than the 0-sec delay. The 4-sec delay yielded the fastest mean running speed. Plots of mean running speeds and ingestion rates across delay intervals indicate that delays had a similar effect on both.
A Quantitative Evaluation of High-Density Diffuse Optical Tomography: in vivo Resolution and Mapping Performance

Despite the unique brain imaging advantages of fNIRS, widespread neuroimaging acceptance has been hampered by low spatial resolution and image localization. We present a quantitative and in vivo compari-son of HD-DOT and two fNIRS geometries.
Property evaluation for heat resistance of condensate polishing treatment with anion resin and filtering element in air-cooling units

During high temperature period in summer,the temperature of condensate water in direct air-cooling unit may be over the inherit range of ion exchange resin,which are strong base anion exchange resin and filter element.The systemic study of heat resistance on condensate polishing treatment with anion exchange resin and filter element of powder resin filter at high temperature in the air-cooling unit was implemented.Six representative kinds of anion exchange resin were selected to implement the static experiments at 95℃.Three selected anion exchange resins,which meet the standard of electric power industry DL/T953-2005,were implemented dynamic experiments for heat-resistant at 70 ℃,75 ℃ and 80 ℃.Through testing the change of the rate of decline in anion exchange resin alkali groups and the extraction of the three anion exchange resins in the high temperature cycle,the thermal stability performance of anion exchange resin was inspected.The anion exchange resin with finer heat-resistant performance applied in power plant for determining the effect of silicon removal was selected.The organic extraction of winding filter element of powder resin filter at high temperature was tested.The result shows:(1) the exchange capacity of strong base groups of anion exchange resins is inversely proportional to run time and operation temperature at 70 ℃,75 ℃ and 80 ℃.The longer the operation time,the higher the operation temperature,the faster the exchange capacity of strong base groups decreased.Comparing the three selected kinds of anion resin,the heat-resistant performance of big hole of Ⅰtype styrene of anion exchange resin of Germany is better;(2) the heat resistance of polypropylene winding from different manufacturers varies greatly.The heat resistance of the two selected kinds of winding filter element in air-cooling unit can meet the technical requirements,but the operation temperature should not be more than 80 ℃.
Distribution of Escherichia coli O157 and Salmonella on Hide Surfaces, the Oral Cavity, and in Feces of Feedlot Cattle

To determine the distribution of pathogens on cattle hides at the feedlot, samples were collected from six hide surface locations (back, flank, hock, neck, perineum, and ventrum), the oral cavity, the rectal-anal junction, and the feces of feedlot cattle and subjected to Escherichia coli 0157 detection via culture methods and to Salmonella detection via PCR. E. coli 0157 was isolated from one or more of the sampling locations from 31 (42.5%) of the 73 animals sampled. Location-specific prevalence of E. coli 0157 was 5% for back samples, 5% for flank samples, 12% for hock samples, 7% for neck samples, 12% for perineum samples, 8% for ventrum samples, 1% for oral cavity samples, 4% for rectal-anal junction swabs, and 23% for fecal grab samples. Salmonella was isolated from one or more of these sample locations from 100% (50 of 50 samples) of all animals sampled. Location-specific prevalence of Salmonella was 76% for back samples, 74% for flank samples, 94% for hock samples, 76% for neck samples, 88% for perineum samples, 86% for ventrum samples, 94% for oral cavity samples, 64% for rectal-anal junction swabs, and 50% for fecal grab samples. The sampling locations that maximized the likelihood of finding E. coli 0157 and Salmonella (84 and 96%, respectively) if the animal was positive at one sampling location or more were the hock, perineum, and fecal grab. These data suggest that the use of multiple sample locations is useful when isolating these pathogens from feedlot cattle. Focusing on one sampling location may underestimate the prevalence.
A diaper-embedded disposable nitrite sensor with integrated on-board urine-activated battery for UTI screening

This paper reports a low-cost solution to the early detection of urinary nitrite, a common surrogate for urinary tract infection (UTI). We present a facile method to fabricate a disposable and flexible colorimetric [1] nitrite sensor and its urine-activated power source [2] on a hydrophobic (wax) paper through laser-assisted patterning and lamination. Such device, integrated with interface circuitry and a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) module can be embedded onto a diaper, and transmit semi-quantitative UTI monitoring information in a point-of-care and autonomous fashion. The proposed nitrite sensing platform achieves a sensitivity of 1.35 ms/(mg/L) and a detection limit of 4 mg/L.
POSTER: Semi-supervised Classification for Dynamic Android Malware Detection

Manually labeling the large number of samples of Android APKs into benign or different malicious families requires tremendous human effort, while it is comparably easy and cheap to obtain a large amount of unlabeled APKs from various sources. Moreover, the fast-paced evolution of Android malware continuously generates derivative and new malware families. These families often contain new signatures, which can escape detection that uses static analysis. These practical challenges can also cause classical supervised machine learning algorithms to degrade in performance. We propose a framework that uses model-based semi-supervised (MBSS) classification scheme built using dynamic Android API call logs. The semi-supervised approach efficiently uses the labeled and unlabeled APKs to estimate a finite mixture model of Gaussian distributions via conditional expectation-maximization and efficiently detects malware during out-of-sample testing. We compare MBSS with the popular malware detection classifiers such as support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (kNN) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Under the ideal classification setting, MBSS has competitive performance with 98% accuracy and very low false positive rate for in-sample classification. For out-of-sample testing, the out-of-sample test data exhibit similar behavior of retrieving phone information and sending to the network, compared with in-sample training set. When this similarity is strong, MBSS and SVM with linear kernel maintain 90% detection rate while kNN and LDA suffer great performance degradation. When this similarity is slightly weaker, all classifiers degrade in performance, but MBSS still performs significantly better than other classifiers.
Abstract 410: Stress Cardiac MRI in an Observation Unit Setting Reduces Index Hospitalization Cost in ED Patients With Chest Pain at Intermediate Risk for Acute Coronary Syndromes

Introduction Emergency department (ED) patients with chest pain at intermediate risk for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) often receive relatively expensive inpatient care involving 23 hours of observation and stress testing with echo or radioistotope imaging. Hypothesis Compared to inpatient care, observation unit (OU) stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) will reduce index hospitalization cost in ED patients at intermediate risk for ACS. Methods A single center clinical trial randomized 110 ED patients with intermediate risk chest pain (TIMI ≥2 or clinical impression) with a non-diagnostic ECG and a non-elevated initial troponin to OU CMR (OU care, serial cardiac markers and stress CMR) or inpatient care (admission, care determined by the admitting provider). Participant outcomes at 30 days were adjudicated by consensus of 2 blinded reviewers. Index hospitalization cost included hospital and physician costs. Hospital cost was calculated from itemized charges converted to cost using departmental-specific cost-to-charge ratios. Physician cost was calculated from work-RVUs using a Medicare conversion factor. A Wilcoxon-rank sum test and Cox PH modeling were used to conduct unadjusted and adjusted cost comparisons. The secondary outcome was correct cardiac disposition decision (excluding subjects leaving against medical advice (AMA)) based on the occurrence of ACS. Results 53 subjects were randomized to OU-CMR and 57 to usual care; 8/110 (7%) experienced ACS. In the OU CMR group, 49/53 underwent stress CMR. 11/53 were admitted, 1 left AMA, 41 were discharged, and 2 experienced ACS (MI=1, CABG=1) in association with the index visit. In the usual care group, 39/57 subjects initially received stress testing. 54/57 were admitted, 3 left AMA, and 6 experienced ACS (MI=2, angioplasty=4). At 30 days no subjects in either group experienced ACS after discharge. OU CMR was associated with reduced median index hospitalization cost before ($2062 vs $2680, p<0.001) and after adjusting for covariates (p=0.014). OU CMR improved correct cardiac disposition decisions (83% vs 11%, p<0.001). Conclusion In ED patients with intermediate risk chest pain, an OU CMR strategy reduces cost and improves cardiac disposition decisions with similar patient outcomes at 30 days.
Pediatric keratoconus: a review of the literature.

Purpose To describe the epidemiology and prevalence, rates of progression, difference between adult and pediatric populations, and therapeutic approaches to pediatric keratoconus from documented literature.
O6 Ankle sprain history in a cohort of retired national football league athletes

Study Design Cross-sectional survey. Objectives To examine ankle sprain history in retired National Football League (NFL) athletes and their association with physical and mental health. Background Ankle sprains are a common injury among athletes and are associated with long-term effects. Methods and Measures In 2001 and 2010, 1233 former NFL athletes that had played between 1940–2000 s) completed General Health Surveys (GHS). In 2001, respondents recalled ankle sprains sustained during their NFL careers and whether these injuries currently affected health. Responses were used to create a three-category measure identifying those: (1) without ankle sprain history (n=993); (2) with ankle sprain history, but without current effects on health (n=130); and (3) with ankle sprain history and current effects on health (n=110). In 2010, respondents completed the VR-36, a validated health assessment yielding physical and mental component summary scores (PCS and MCS, respectively); higher scores indicated better health. Multiple linear regression estimated mean differences for PCS and MCS among the ankle sprain history groups; covariates included age, position played, race/ethnicity, and years played. Differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI) excluding 0.0 were significant. Results Overall, 19.5% (n=240) reported ankle sprain histories during their NFL careers; 110 (45.8% of those with history) noted current effects on health. Mean PCS and MCS were 43.7±10.8 and 50.9±10.9, respectively. Controlling for covariates, mean PCS and MCS were lower in the ‘history and affected group’ than the ‘no history’ group (PCS difference=2.8; 95% CI:0.7–4.9; MCS difference=2.6; 95% CI:0.5–4.8) and ‘history but not affected’ group (PCS difference=3.6; 95% CI:0.9–6.3; MCS difference=2.9; 95% CI:0.1–5.6); no differences were found between the ‘no history’ and ‘history but not affected’ groups. Conclusions Future research needs to identify how previously-sustained ankle sprains affect current health in former professional athlete populations. Our findings may highlight the benefits of proper management and care of injuries to mitigate long-term adverse effects.
Investigate moped-car conflicts in China using a naturalistic driving study approach.

Abstract Problem Mopeds are a popular transportation mode in Europe and Asia. Moped-related traffic accidents account for a large proportion of crash fatalities. To develop moped-related crash countermeasures, it is important to understand the characteristics of moped-related conflicts. Method Naturalistic driving study data were collected in Shanghai, China from 36 car drivers. The data included 2,878 h and 78,296 km driven from 13,149 trips. Moped-car conflicts were identified and examined from the passenger car driver's perspective using kinematic trigger algorithms and manual video reduction. Results A total of 119 moped-car conflicts were identified, including 74 high g-force conflicts and 45 low g-force events. These conflicts were classified into 22 on-road configurations where both similarities and differences were found as compared to Western Countries. The majority of the conflicts occurred on secondary main roads and branch roads. Hard braking was the primary response that the car drivers made to these conflicts rather than hard steering. Discussions The identified on-road vehicle-moped conflict configurations in Shanghai, China may be attributed to the complicated traffic environment and risky behavior of moped riders. The lower prevalence of hard steering in Shanghai as compared to the United States may be due to the lower speeds at event onsets or less available steering space, e.g., less available shoulder area on Chinese urban roads. Conclusions The characteristics of moped-car conflicts may impact the design of active safety countermeasures on passenger cars. The pilot data from Shanghai urban areas suggest that countermeasures developed for China may require some modifications to those developed for the United States and European countries, although this recommendation may not be conclusive given the small sample size of the study. Future studies with large samples may help better understand the characteristics of moped-car conflicts.
Vaccines and Vaccination of Domestic Animals

Rabies is one of the oldest recorded diseases of animals, and once signs of the disease appear it is almost invariably fatal. For this reason, the emphasis of early research on rabies was toward the development of vaccines rather than on treatment. Europe was in the midst of a severe rabies epidemic in the 19th century when Pasteur, who had already developed vaccines against fowl cholera and anthrax, began work on vaccines against rabies. The early vaccines were intended for post-exposure treatment of humans, and required multiple inoculations to be successful. Prevention of rabies in man by the vaccination of dogs, the primary reservoir of the 19th century epidemic, was considered impractical because of the need for multiple vaccinations. Instead, laws placing taxes on dogs and requiring the compulsory wearing of muzzles on dogs in large towns were enacted and were successful in some parts of Europe.
Trapeziectomy with Thermal Capsular Modification

As recently as 10 years ago, the thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint, or basal joint, was inherently difficult to evaluate intraarticularly. Its curved articular surfaces required an extensive arthrotomy through much of its nearly circumferential stabilizing ligaments. The introduction of a small arthroscope allowed the thumb CMC articulation to be completely visualized without destabilizing the joint.1,2 Diagnostic thumb CMC arthroscopy eventually led to therapeutic arthroscopy, including the treatment of basal thumb arthritis, the most common hand arthrosis. With advancing technology, end-stage and intermediate-stage arthrosis may now be treated by arthroscopically-guided arthroplasty of the thumb basal joint. The development of miniaturized thermocouple probes allowed conditions of joint capsule laxity to be treated by thermal capsular shrinkage. Although early results are promising and the advantages over traditional open procedures are obvious, these techniques are still evolving and the long-term benefits and complications require further study. The purpose of this chapter is to present the current knowledge of arthroscopic treatment for thumb CMC arthrosis and joint hyperlaxity.
Myth-free space advocacy part III: The myth of educational inspiration

Abstract I argue against a common belief among space advocates that spaceflight is “educationally inspiring” in that it has a clear, positive impact on scientific literacy and on STEM education. On the basis of a variety of survey analyses I show that, while there is some indication that being scientifically literate makes a person more likely to support spaceflight, there is no clear indication that the extent of spaceflight activities (or the extent of funding for spaceflight) makes people more likely to be scientifically literate or to be supportive of spaceflight (at least in the United States). Regarding STEM education, while there is a correlation between US spaceflight spending and STEM degree conferrals, a similar correlation obtains between spaceflight spending and degree conferrals in virtually every other discipline, and between overall US spending on science and degree conferrals in virtually every discipline. Thus there is no clear evidence that spaceflight spending is uniquely inspirational for STEM. It follows that there is little evidence that clearly supports the idea that spaceflight is educationally inspiring in the ways that many space advocates have claimed, in both academic and popular settings.
Characterizing Liquid Phase Fabric of Unsaturated Specimens from X-Ray Computed Tomography Images

Pore-water in the funicular and pendular saturation regimes of the SWCC (Sr < 90%) assumes a complex fabric consisting of saturated pockets of water under negative pressure and a network of liquid bridges formed from menisci at the contact points of particles. Measurement and characterization of this liquid fabric for unsaturated soil assemblies over a range of saturation, stress, and deformation plays a pivotal role in improving our fundamental understanding of unsaturated soil behavior. However, lack of microstructural visualization techniques has hindered the consideration of liquid fabric distribution and evolution in macroscale geotechnical formulations. In this study X-ray CT scanning was used to monitor the changes in the liquid fabric of unsaturated glass beads. Images showing the three distinct phases of unsaturated specimens were successfully obtained. A computer code that automatically analyzes multiple images to quantify the components of a second-order fabric tensor was developed and applied to CT images obtained along the drying and wetting paths of a SWCC determined by digital image processing. Principal values, principal directions and invariants are quantified and implications of the changes to better description of unsaturated soil behavior are discussed.
Abstract 19839: Annexin-a1 Tripeptide is Cardioprotective in Several Preclinical Models of Ischemia-Reperfusion Through Resolution of Myocardial Inflammation

Background: Annexin A1 is a glucocorticoid-regulated protein that plays a pivotal role as an endogenous regulator of the inflammatory response, with many of its anti-inflammatory properties retained by the N-terminal peptides. Using in vitro and in vivo models of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) under both normo- and hyperglycemic conditions, we tested the hypothesis that a novel annexin A1 tripeptide (ANXA1sp) exerts cardioprotective effects through resolution of myocardial inflammation. Methods: In vitro simulated I/R: Adult rat ventricular cardiomyocytes were incubated in normal or high glucose (25mM), with and without ANXA1sp (30 μM) for 24h, subjected to 2h oxygen-glucose deprivation, followed by 24h reoxygenation in either normo- or hyperglycemic medium. Rat I/R: SD rats underwent 75 min of mild hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with 45 min of cardioplegic arrest (CA) in 4 groups: normo- and hyperglycemic (20mM) CA, each treated with ANXA1sp (3mg/kg) or vehicle. Pig I/R: Yorkshire pigs subjected to 180 min of mild hypothermic CPB with 60 min of CA received ANXA1sp (4mg/kg) or vehicle. Efficacy endpoints assessed at 24h post-reoxygenation (ARVC), 24h (rat) and 6h (pig) post-reperfusion include markers of myonecrosis, apoptosis, myocardial inflammation, leukocyte extravasation, and pump function. Results: ANXA1sp consistently attenuated myocardial I/R injury under both glycemic conditions, which correlated with reduced activation of NF-κB pathway (Figure). Peptide treated pigs further demonstrated improved myocardial energetics and hemodynamics, none requiring inotropic or vasopressor support, which was substantial in all control animals. Conclusions: Using a translational approach and robust efficacy endpoints, we report that ANXA1sp elicits cardioprotection in vitro and in small and large animal models of surgical I/R. The effects are not blunted by hyperglycemia and involve attenuation of myocardial inflammation.
Jewish Tourism in Berlin and Germany’s Public Repentance for the Holocaust

For generations, members of the Jewish diaspora boycotted German products and would not have dreamed of stepping foot within the borders of a nation that murdered six million of their people. Today, however, American Jews are no less likely to visit Germany than non-Jewish Americans are, and thousands of Israeli Jews live in Berlin. My research asks how the German government and private tourism industries approach Jewish tourism in Berlin and assesses how Jewish visitors respond to the experience of visiting Berlin.During the summer of 2018, I interviewed four tour guides and numerous tourists, observed people’s interactionwith the city’sHolocaust memorials and other Jewish sites, partook in Jewish-themed tours, and conducted a ‘netnography’ of analysing over ten thousand TripAdvisor reviews. This qualitative research showed thatwhilemany Jews express apprehension about visiting Germany and experience emotional turmoil on site, the abundant memorials and museums dedicated to the Holocaust convince most Jewish tourists that the nation is dedicated to educating and reminding its people about Germany’s past crimes and committed to repairing their relationship with the global Jewish community. The trips have the effect of both strengthening tourists’ Jewish identity and allowing them to reconcile their people’s traumatic history with the current German nation. The article provides a brief analysis of Germany’s post-war marketing directed at foreign Jews, describes the Jewish-related sites in Berlin, and reveals the responses of Jewish tourists in Berlin before presenting its conclusions. Keywords : Jewish tourism, Germany, Berlin, dark tourism, Holocaust, memorialisation
Decoding Patentable Subject Matter

The Supreme Court’s patentable subject matter jurisprudence from 2011 to 2014 has raised significant policy concerns within the patent community. Prominent groups within the IP community and academia, and commentators to the 2017 USPTO Patentable Subject Matter report have called for an overhaul of the Supreme Court’s “two-step test.” Based on an analysis of 4.4 million office actions mailed from 2008 through mid-July 2017 covering 2.2 million unique patent applications, this article uses a novel technology identification strategy and a differences-in-differences approach to document a spike in 101 rejections among select medical diagnostics and software/business method applications following the Alice and Mayo decisions. Within impacted classes of TC3600 (“36BM”), the 101 rejection rate grew from 25% to 81% in the month after the Alice decision, and has remained above 75% almost every month through the last month of available data (2/2017); among abandoned applications, the prevalence of 101 rejection subject matter rejections in the last office action was around 85%. Among medical diagnostic (“MedDx”) applications, the 101 rejection rate grew from 7% to 32% in the month after the Mayo decision and continued to climb to a high of 64% and to 78% among final office actions just prior to abandonment. In the month of the last available data (from early 2017), the prevalence of subject matter 101 rejections among all office actions in applications in this field was 52% and among office actions before abandonment, was 62%. However outside of impacted areas, the footprint of 101 remained small, appearing in under 15% of all office actions. A subsequent piece will consider additional data and implications for policy. This article is the first in a series of pieces appearing in Patently-O based on insights gleaned from the release of the treasure trove of open patent data starting the USPTO from 2012.
School Psychology Workforce Trends: Recommendations for Graduate Preparation and Policy

Recent concerns about the psychoeducational needs of children and adolescents have drawn increased attention to the importance of psychological services in public schools. In particular, media reports on issues related to school safety, special education supports, and appropriate service delivery for culturally and linguistically diverse students have underscored the demand for school psychologists. The need for school psychologists to address these critical concerns is compounded by the fact that, for many years, there have been documented shortages of school psychologists. For the most part, reporting on shortages has been either anecdotal or based on surveys. In this article, we identify trends in graduate preparation and workforce data to better understand current and future needs by analyzing public data on graduate students, public-school employees, and workforce records from Texas. Following this analysis, we provide recommendations for policy and practice.
Experience-dependent coding of frequency-modulated trajectories by offsets in auditory cortex

SUMMARY Frequency modulations are an inherent feature of many behaviorally relevant sounds, including vocalizations and music. Changing trajectories in a sound’s frequency often conveys meaningful information, which can be used to differentiate sound categories, as in the case of intonations in tonal languages. However, it is not clear what features of the neural responses in what parts of the auditory cortical pathway might be more important for conveying information about behaviorally relevant frequency modulations, and how these responses change with experience. Here we uncover tuning to subtle variations in frequency trajectories in mouse auditory cortex. Surprisingly, we found that auditory cortical responses could be modulated by variations in a pure tone trajectory as small as 1/24th of an octave. Offset spiking accounted for a significant portion of tuned responses to subtle frequency modulation. Offset responses that were present in the adult A2, but not those in Core auditory cortex, were plastic in a way that enhanced the representation of an acquired behaviorally relevant sound category, which we illustrate with the maternal mouse paradigm for natural communication sound learning. By using this ethologically inspired sound-feature tuning paradigm to drive auditory responses in higher-order neurons, our results demonstrate that auditory cortex can track much finer frequency modulations than previously appreciated, which allows A2 offset responses in particular to attune to the pitch trajectories that distinguish behaviorally relevant, natural sound categories.
Two-Stage Spatial Temporal Deep Learning Framework For Functional Brain Network Modeling

Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) data provides a unique window for the investigation of the human brain’s intrinsic functional mechanism. However, it is still an open question how to analyze and model functional brain connectivity networks via rsfMRI data due to the variability of different individual brains, noisy signals from rsfMRI data, and technical limitations of current rsfMRI data decomposition methods. In this work, we proposed a two-stage deep learning framework for both temporal and spatial analysis of functional brain networks with an application on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) rsfMRI data. This framework tackled the abovementioned challenges in these aspects: reducing noises in rsfMRI raw data, establishing functional network correspondence across various individual brains, and composing multiple functional networks into a compact representation. In general, our proposed framework offers a novel scheme for comprehensive and systematic spatial-temporal resting state network modeling. Our experimental results on the ABIDE ASD dataset showed promising results in discovering discriminative functional networks compared with traditional analysis. Furthermore, our work provided a new insight into ASD that ASD’s functional activity abnormalities tend to be more composite and systematic, other than being localized.
A compact steep spectrum radio source in NGC 1977

Context. A compact steep spectrum radio source (J0535−0452) is located in the sky coincident with a bright optical rim in the H ii region NGC 1977. J0535−0452 is observed to be ≤100 mas in angular size at 8.44 GHz. The spectrum for the radio source is steep and straight with a spectral index of −1.3 between 330 and 8440 MHz. No 2 μm IR counter part for the source is detected. These characteristics indicate that the source may be either a rare high redshift radio galaxy or a millisecond pulsar (MSP). Aims. We investigate whether the steep spectrum source is a millisecond pulsar. The optical rim is believed to be the interface between the H ii region and the adjacent molecular cloud. If the compact source is a millisecond pulsar, it would have eluded detection in previous pulsar surveys because of the extreme scattering due to the H ii region-molecular cloud interface. Methods. The limits obtained on the angular broadening along with the distance to the scattering screen are used to estimate the pulse broadening. The pulse broadening is shown to be less than a few msec at frequencies >∼5 GHz. We therefore searched for pulsed emission from J0535−0452 at 14.8 and 4.8 GHz with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT). Results. No pulsed emission is detected to 55 and 30 μJy level at 4.8 and 14.8 GHz. Based on the parameter space explored by our pulsar search algorithm, we conclude that, if J0535−0452 is a pulsar, then it could only be a binary MSP of orbital period <∼5 h.
Public transit and urban poetics: Singapore’s Moving Words poetry project and anthology

ABSTRACTThis essay examines the 2011 Moving Words public poetry campaign in Singapore where poems were displayed in many train stations of the Mass Rapid Transit rail system. It also discusses the ...
Experiencing sexual harassment by males and associated substance use & poor mental health outcomes among adolescent girls in the US.

Abstract Purpose Among a sample of adolescent girls, we assessed: 1) prevalence of sexual harassment by type, place of occurrence, and perpetrators; 2) association with substance use and poor mental health outcomes; and 3) the proportion of girls experiencing sexual harassment in more than one place and relation to study outcomes. Methods We collected survey data from 159 sexually active girls (aged 15–19 years) recruited from an urban health clinic in Southern California. We used multivariable regression models to assess associations between sexual harassment in the past 6 months and the following outcomes: 1) substance use in past 30 days (alcohol use, binge drinking, and marijuana use, respectively); 2) other drug use ever; and 3) feelings of depression and anxiety, respectively, in past 30 days. Results Almost two-thirds of girls (65.4%) reported experiencing sexual harassment in the past 6 months. Among those reporting recent harassment (n = 104), the abuse most frequently occurred in public spaces (on public transport [50.5%], at school [42.7%], and in their neighborhoods [39.8%]) and most often in the form of sexual comments, jokes, or gestures (57.2%), although 12.6% were “touched, grabbed, or pinched in a sexual way.” The vast majority (82.7%) did not know the perpetrators (82.7%). Experiences of sexual harassment in the past 6 months were significantly associated with alcohol use (odds ratio [OR], 4.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0–10.2), binge drinking (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.8–9.8), and marijuana use (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.2–5.7) in the past 30 days; other drug use ever (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 1.8–16.4); and feelings of depression (OR: 2.7; 95%CI: 1.3–5.5) and anxiety (OR: 2.6; 95%CI: 1.2–5.5) in the past 30 days. Just over half (55.3%) reported sexual harassment in more than one place, which was also associated with poor substance use and mental health outcomes. Conclusions Findings suggest that sexual harassment experiences are pervasive, occur in girls' immediate and everyday environments, and are associated with girls’ substance use and adverse mental health outcomes.
Diversifying Conceptions of Sexual Pleasure in Self-Reported Genital Piercing Stories

While research into motivations for obtaining a genital piercing has often shown sexual pleasure to be a key reason that persons get such piercings, research has typically overlooked the diverse wa...
Soft Tissue Reconstruction of the Distal Thigh and Proximal Knee

Wounds in the upper knee region can occur after trauma, but they are typically associated with orthopedic procedures. They are often secondary to vascular procedures and may involve exposed prosthetics. The lower knee area is amenable to coverage with a gastrocnemius flap, but the upper knee is often out of the reach of this flap. In these circumstances, the reconstructive surgeon should be familiar with several other options (Fig. 19.1).