cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology, Natural History, and Indications for Treatment of Rotator Cuff Tears

The etiology of rotator cuff disease is likely multifactorial, including age-related degeneration and microtrauma and macrotrauma. The incidence of rotator cuff tears increases with aging with more than half of individuals in their 80s having a rotator cuff tear. Smoking, hypercholesterolemia, and genetics have all been shown to influence the development of rotator cuff tearing. Substantial full-thickness rotator cuff tears, in general, progress and enlarge with time. Pain, or worsening pain, usually signals tear progression in both asymptomatic and symptomatic tears and should warrant further investigation if the tear is treated conservatively. Larger (>1-1.5 cm) symptomatic full-thickness cuff tears have a high rate of tear progression and, therefore, should be considered for earlier surgical repair in younger patients if the tear is reparable and there is limited muscle degeneration to avoid irreversible changes to the cuff, including tear enlargement and degenerative muscle changes. Smaller symptomatic full-thickness tears have been shown to have a slower rate of progression, similar to partial-thickness tears, and can be considered for initial nonoperative treatment due to the limited risk for rapid tear progression. In both small full-thickness tears and partial-thickness tears, increasing pain should alert physicians to obtain further imaging as it can signal tear progression. Natural history data, along with information on factors affecting healing after rotator cuff repair, can help guide surgeons in making appropriate decisions regarding the treatment of rotator cuff tears. The management of rotator cuff tears should be considered in the context of the risks and benefits of operative versus nonoperative treatment. Tear size and acuity, the presence of irreparable changes to the rotator cuff or glenohumeral joint, and patient age should all be considered in making this decision. Initial nonoperative care can be safely undertaken in older patients (>70 years old) with chronic tears; in patients with irreparable rotator cuff tears with irreversible changes, including significant atrophy and fatty infiltration, humeral head migration, and arthritis; in patients of any age with small ( 1 cm-1.5 cm) acute tears or young patients with full-thickness tears who have a significant risk for the development of irreparable rotator cuff changes.
The Piosson's ratio of engineering ceramics at elevated temperature

On a etudie le module d'young, le module de cisaillement et le coefficient de poisson de Si 3 N 4 , SiC, Al 2 O 3 et de la zircone TZP a l'aide d'une technique de resonance jusqu'a 1400°C
The Role of the Social Worker in Interdisciplinary Geriatric Teams

(1999). The Role of the Social Worker in Interdisciplinary Geriatric Teams. Journal of Gerontological Social Work: Vol. 30, No. 3-4, pp. 3-7.
Do men leave feminizing occupations

Abstract This article analyzes the 1970 and 1980 Public Use Samples of the decennial census and the 1983 Current Population Survey to determine if the degree of occupational feminization, i.e., the change in the percent female, affects men changing occupations. The results lend some support to the contention that men do not leave feminizing occupations. Men in occupations with the greatest increases in their percentage of female workers had the lowest percentage of men leaving their occupations. As the change in the percent female decreased, the percentage of men leaving the occupation increased. However, occupation was a critical factor in this relationship. While men from nonmanufacturing occupations followed a pattern similar to that found in the entire labor force (described above), men in manufacturing occupations left occupations that feminized the most. Men who changed occupations, in fact, often entered occupations that feminized. In the wake of these findings, I discuss how occupational sex segregation may be maintained.
Nonlinear circuit theory: Resistive networks

The impact of computers on circuit analysis and design and the advent of new electronic devices and integrated circuits have generated much interest in nonlinear circuit theory. Recent successes in the analysis of large-scale systems using network models have further enhanced the importance of the subject. A key to the understanding and analysis of nonlinear circuits is the study of nonlinear resistive networks both in theory and in computation. In the study of nonlinear resistive networks it is necessary to know the global properties of nonlinear functions. Thus Palais' global inverse function theorem is of paramount importance. In addition, a global implicit function theorem is often needed. The latter is given in this paper. We apply the global theorems to derive results on nonlinear networks with unique solutions and with multiple solutions. The theory obtained for networks with multiple solutions can be used to analyze and design bistable circuits. In computation, we extend Katzenelson's piecewise-linear analysis to general nonlinear resistive networks. For networks which have a unique solution under all possible inputs, the method converges in a finite number of steps. In addition, we present an efficient method of computing input-output characteristics of networks with single or multiple solutions.
Dynamic modeling of hybrid energy storage systems coupled to photovoltaic generation in residential applications

A model of a photovoltaic (PV) powered residence in stand-alone configuration was developed and evaluated. The model assesses the sizing, capital costs, control strategies, and efficiencies of reversible fuel cells (RFC), batteries, and ultra-capacitors (UC) both individually, and in combination, as hybrid energy storage devices. The choice of control strategy for a hybrid energy storage system is found to have a significant impact on system efficiency, hydrogen production and component utilization. A hybrid energy storage system comprised of batteries and RFC has the advantage of reduced cost (compared to using a RFC as the sole energy storage device), high system efficiency and hydrogen energy production capacity. A control strategy that preferentially used the RFC before the battery in meeting load demand allows both grid independent operation and better RFC utilization compared to a system that preferentially used the battery before the RFC. Ultra-capacitors coupled with a RFC in a hybrid energy storage system contain insufficient energy density to meet dynamic power demands typical of residential applications.
Chemical Alarm Signaling by Reticulate Sculpins, Cottus perplexus

The distribution and extent of chemical alarm signaling systems among some families of fishes, including the Cottidae, remains unclear. In laboratory experiments, we tested whether reticulate sculpins, Cottus perplexus, respond to chemical alarm signals released by injured conspecifics. Sculpins decreased movement following exposure to skin extracts from conspecifics, but did not respond to cues of syntopic speckled dace, Rhinichthyes osculus, or allotopic swordtails, Xiphophorous helleri. Additional tests demonstrated that the responses of sculpins to alarm cues were dependent on the hunger level of the test fish. Sculpins deprived of food for 2 days failed to respond to conspecific alarm cues, however, the same individuals fed to satiation did respond to alarm cues.
Low-complexity high-speed 4-D TCM decoder

This paper presents a low-complexity, high-speed 4-dimensional 8-ary Phase Shift Keying Trellis Coded Modulation (4-D 8PSK TCM) decoder. In the design, an efficient architecture for the transition metrics unit (TMU) is proposed to significantly reduce the computation complexity without degrading the performance. In addition, pipelining and parallel processing techniques are exploited to increase the decoding throughput. Synthesis results show that the FPGA implementation of the TCM decoder can achieve a maximum throughput of 1.062 Gbps.
Obesity Prevention: The Impact of Local Health Departments

Obesity is associated with increased risks of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and certain cancers (National Institutes of Health [NIH] 1998), as well as high and rising medical spending (Thorpe et al. 2004). The prevalence of obesity in the United States has reached an epidemic level even with some recent signs of temporary leveling off (Flegal et al. 2010; Ogden et al. 2010). Enhancing the role of the public health system in containing the obesity epidemic and associated health care burden is of major concern to public health researchers, practitioners, and policy makers (Huberty et al. 2010). The existing research has examined strategies and interventions to contain the obesity epidemic, which include changes in national or state tax rates on certain food and beverage items, regulations on food marketing, and food-labeling legislations (Pomeranz et al. 2009; Powell and Chaloupka 2009; Powell, Chriqui, and Chaloupka 2009; Powell, Szczypka, and Chaloupka 2010; Sturm et al. 2010). The role of local health departments in obesity prevention has only recently received attention from a handful of researchers; see, for example, Slater, Powell, and Chaloupka (2007), Zhang et al. (2010), Schwarte et al. (2010), and Pomeranz (2011). These researchers suggest that local health departments could have a critical role in containing the obesity epidemic. This study is the first to examine the association between obesity-prevention services provided in a county jurisdiction and the change in bodyweight status among the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey respondents. In addition, we investigate whether such an association is stronger among low-income populations, who might have the greatest need for such services (Mete, Cioffi, and Lichtveld 2003). The results show that the provision of obesity-prevention services is associated with a reduction in the risks of obesity and morbid obesity from 2004 to 2005 and the association among low-income populations is stronger.
Circulating Tumor Cells: A Useful Predictor of Treatment Efficacy in Metastatic Breast Cancer

Purpose Five or more circulating tumor cells (CTCs) per 7.5 mL of blood predicts for poorer progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). We conducted a prospective study to demonstrate that CTC results correlate strongly with radiographic disease progression at the time of and in advance of imaging. Patients and Methods Serial CTC levels were obtained in patients starting a new treatment regimen for progressive, radiographically measurable MBC. Peripheral blood was collected for CTC enumeration at baseline and at 3- to 4-week intervals. Clinical outcomes were based on radiographic studies performed in 9- to 12-week intervals. Results Sixty-eight patients were evaluable for the CTC-imaging correlations, and 74 patients were evaluable for the PFS analysis. Median follow-up was 13.3 months. A statistically significant correlation was demonstrated between CTC levels and radiographic disease progression in patients receiving chemotherapy or endocrine therapy. This correlatio...
Active learning schemes for reduced dimensionality hyperspectral classification

Statistical schemes have certain advantages which promote their use in various pattern recognition problems. In this paper, we study the application of two statistical learning criteria for material classification of Hyperspectral remote sensing data. In most cases, the Hyperspectral data is characterized using a Gaussian mixture model (GMM). The problem in using statistical model such as the GMM is the estimation of class conditional probability density functions based on the exemplar available from the training data for each class. We demonstrate the usage of two training methods - dynamic component allocation (DCA) and the minimum message length (MML) criteria that are employed to learn the mixture observations. The training schemes are then evaluated using the Bayesian classifier.
Irish women's studies and community activism: Reflections and exemplars

Abstract This paper describes the successful relationship between the grassroots women's movement and Women's Studies in the Republic of Ireland. Examples that illustrate this unusual and energizing interdependence are presented. They include: innovative programming designed by and for Irish women at the 1987 International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women; a variety of forms of academic and community-based Women's Studies programs; a national conference on women and poverty organized by working class and poor women; and effective networking of feminists and women's organizations on a national level. Commonalities and differences between the Irish women's movement and the international women's movement are outlined. Factors that may help to explain the strenght, tenacity, and uniqueness of the connections between Irish Women's Studies and Irish feminism are discussed, as well as tensions within and between them. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of working to maintain and develop the inherent and essential connections of academic Women's Studies and the grassroots women's movement in other cultural contexts.
Learning to Time (LET) or Scalar Expectancy Theory (SET)? A Critical Test of Two Models of Timing

Two theories of timing, scalar expectancy theory (SET) and learning to time (LeT), make substantially different assumptions about what animals learn in temporal tasks. In a test of these assumptions, pigeons learned two discriminations: On Type 1 trials, they learned to choose a red key after a 1-s signal and a green key after a 4-s signal; on Type 2 trials, they learned to choose a blue key after a 4-s signal and a yellow key after a 16-s signal. Then, two psychometric functions were obtained by presenting them with intermediate durations (1 to 4 s and 4 to 16 s). The two functions did not superpose, and most bisection points were not at the geometric mean of the training stimuli (contra SET); for most birds, the function for Type 2 trials was to the left of the function for Type 1 trials (contra LeT). Finally, the birds were exposed to signals ranging from 1 to 16 s and given a choice between novel key combinations (e.g., red vs. blue). The results with the novel key combinations were always closer to L...
In the Name of the Nation: Reflections on Nationalism and Patriotism 1

Treating nationhood as a political claim rather than an ethnocultural fact, this paper asks how “nation” works as a category of practice, a political idiom, a claim. What does it mean to speak “in the name of the nation”? And how should one assess the practice of doing so? Taking issue with the widely held view that “nation” is an anachronistic and indefensible or at least deeply suspect category, the paper sketches a qualified defence of inclusive forms of nationalism and patriotism in the contemporary American context, arguing that they can help develop more robust forms of citizenship, provide support for redistributive social policies, foster the integration of immigrants, and even serve as a check on the development of an aggressively unilateralist foreign policy.
Modeling stream processing applications for dependability evaluation

This paper describes a modeling framework for evaluating the impact of faults on the output of streaming applications. Our model is based on three abstractions: stream operators, stream connections, and tuples. By composing these abstractions within a Stochastic Activity Network, we allow the modeling of complete applications. We consider faults that lead to data loss and to silent data corruption (SDC). Our framework captures how faults originating in one operator propagate to other operators down the stream processing graph. We demonstrate the extensibility of our framework by evaluating three different fault tolerance techniques: checkpointing, partial graph replication, and full graph replication. We show that under crashes that lead to data loss, partial graph replication has a great advantage in maintaining the accuracy of the application output when compared to checkpointing. We also show that SDC can break the no data duplication guarantees of a full graph replication-based fault tolerance technique.
Preventive journalism as a means of controlling regional media in Russia

This article utilizes new institutional theory and its principle – coercive isomorphism – to examine explicit and implicit pressures exerted on news organizations by a regional government in Russia in 2009 and 2010. The study found that while empowering regional reporters by the myth of helping underprivileged citizens, the authorities divert the media from scrutinizing the government. The political officials outsource media relations to media themselves, turning them into public relations agents. This mission seems to homogenize the content of regional newspapers since the government becomes the main source of information.
Modulatory effects of sCD14 and LBP on LPS-host cell interactions:

LPS binding protein (LBP) and CD14 play key roles in promoting innate immunity to Gram-negative bacteria by transferring LPS to the signaling receptor complex, MD-2/Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). LBP and soluble CD14 (sCD14) can also inhibit responses to LPS by mechanisms that depend on their concentration and environment; during acute inflammation and infection, their concentrations increase in plasma and extravascular fluids. Whereas low concentrations of LBP enhance responses to LPS, high LBP concentrations can inhibit LPS bioactivity in vitro and in vivo. sCD14 also inhibits cell responses by diverting LPS from membrane-bound CD14 (mCD14) and by promoting LPS efflux from cell-surface mCD14 and transferring it to plasma lipoproteins. In vivo studies support the hypothesis that sCD14 has systemic anti-inflammatory effects, whereas in the tissues it may have pro-inflammatory effects that increase resistance to bacteria. Likewise, LBP increases resistance to Gram-negative bacteria by rapidly triggering pro-inflammatory responses to LPS. Thus, the dual stimulatory and inhibitory mechanisms of sCD14 and LBP may benefit the infected host by promoting inflammation in local sites, where it is needed, while at the same time preventing potentially detrimental systemic responses to LPS.
India's Growth from China's Perspective:

Bilateral India-China ties, including trade and investment, are increasing rapidly to the benefit of both countries. Looking at India's impressive economic performance of the last 10 years from the perspective of China's experience suggests that sustaining high growth will require a significant further opening of its economy—both externally and internally—a higher national investment rate and stronger labour absorption in the modern sectors. The base of India's current economic growth model—IT-related services and high-end manufacturing—is too narrow. India's poor performance in agriculture is the most important source of massive rural poverty in many parts of the country. Its greatest source of economic strength, a dynamic and relatively highly developed private corporate sector—an area where China lags—can be leveraged more effectively for national development. A partial convergence of the Indian and Chinese growth models is indicated and appears likely. The notion that India-China relations are, or are...
Hydrogenated Si–O–C nanoparticles: Synthesis, structure, and thermodynamic stability

In the present work, for the first time, the inorganic Si-based materials lacking preexisting mixed bonds (O–Si–C, silicon in tetrahedral coordination bonded to both carbon and oxygen) have been successfully used as starting materials in a laser evaporation/condensation system for making hydrogenated silicon oxycarbide (Si–O–C–H) nanoparticles containing mixed bonds. The obtained materials are characterized by spectroscopic, microscopic, and calorimetric measurements. Thermodynamically stable 5–10 nm amorphous Si–O–C–H particles with a complex structure containing a combination of pure and mixed Si-based tetrahedral units (SiOiC4− i; i = 0–4), and a considerable amount of Si–OH and C–H bonds have been synthesized. The nanoparticles possess high surface areas (428–467 m2/g), suggesting potential use in functionalities requiring high surface to volume ratios. In addition, making thermodynamically stable Si–O–C–H ceramics using a pathway different from the polymer route raises the likelihood of formation of similar carbon containing compounds in the planetary accretion and the Earth’s interior.
Hit by Pitches Moral Hazard, Cost-Benefit, Retaliation, or Lack of Evidence?

It is commonly believed that baseball teams retaliate when one of their batters is hit by a pitch. In fact, Major League Baseball (MLB) has legislated to discourage this behavior. Previous analysts have disagreed about whether retaliation is likely directed at the offending pitcher or at one of his teammates; this distinction matters when considering impacts on pitcher behavior. This paper notes that when season-long hit-by-pitch totals—the data used to date — are disaggregated by team, they reveal no evidence of either formof retaliation. These researching this topic may need to develop new data sources.
Disrupting evolutionary processes: The effect of habitat fragmentation on collared lizards in the Missouri Ozarks

Humans affect biodiversity at the genetic, species, community, and ecosystem levels. This impact on genetic diversity is critical, because genetic diversity is the raw material of evolutionary change, including adaptation and speciation. Two forces affecting genetic variation are genetic drift (which decreases genetic variation within but increases genetic differentiation among local populations) and gene flow (which increases variation within but decreases differentiation among local populations). Humans activities often augment drift and diminish gene flow for many species, which reduces genetic variation in local populations and prevents the spread of adaptive complexes outside their population of origin, thereby disrupting adaptive processes both locally and globally within a species. These impacts are illustrated with collared lizards (Crotaphytus collaris) in the Missouri Ozarks. Forest fire suppression has reduced habitat and disrupted gene flow in this lizard, thereby altering the balance toward drift and away from gene flow. This balance can be restored by managed landscape burns. Some have argued that, although human-induced fragmentation disrupts adaptation, it will also ultimately produce new species through founder effects. However, population genetic theory and experiments predict that most fragmentation events caused by human activities will facilitate not speciation, but local extinction. Founder events have played an important role in the macroevolution of certain groups, but only when ecological opportunities are expanding rather than contracting. The general impact of human activities on genetic diversity disrupts or diminishes the capacity for adaptation, speciation, and macroevolutionary change. This impact will ultimately diminish biodiversity at all levels.
Treatment Planning Considerations

The modern management of head and neck cancer is remarkable for its multidisciplinary nature. Clinical and scientific advances have made treatment options in surgery, radiation oncology, and medical oncology much more effective in addressing both primary and recurrent disease. Nonetheless, the pre-treatment workup and planning may overwhelm the patient, whose decisions heavily influence the type of therapy as well as the outcome. This chapter reviews the elements of treatment planning that impact the patients and their families. Important aspects of the initial exami­nation, imaging, and diagnosis are reviewed. Communication with ancillary providers such as audiology, dentistry, and speech pathology help prepare the patient for treatment and subsequent rehabilitation. Expectations for cure, realistic options for salvage, and the benefits of palliative care may also affect the choice of treatment. While some topics remain controversial, therapy should remain centered on the patient and family, balancing the likelihood of cure with preserving their priorities and quality of life.
A Proposal to Lengthen the Tax Accounting Period

New York City is separated from New Jersey by the Hudson River. Several years ago, a bridge and tunnel commuters had to pay to toll when traveling into the City and another traveling out of the City. To alleviate congestion in the City and to reduce the costs of administration, officials at local New York and New Jersey transit authorities conceived the simple, revenue-neutral plan of having commuters pay a single toll, at double the fare, upon entry in the City. Implementing this plan has proven to be a boon to commuters and the local transit authorities alike: commuters are able to streamline their daily commute and the local New York and New Jersey transit authorities save millions of dollars annually of administrative expenses.
Multi-Sensor Data Fusion in Non-Gaussian Orbit Determination

Multi-sensor networks can alleviate the need for high-cost, high-accuracy, single-sensor tracking in favor of an abundance of lower-cost and lower-accuracy sensors to perform multi-sensor tracking. The use of a multi-sensor network gives rise to the need for a fusion step that combines the outputs of all sensor nodes into a single probabilistic state description. When considering Gaussian uncertainties, the well-known covariance intersection technique may be used. In the more general, non-Gaussian case, covariance intersection is not sucient. This paper examines a fusion method based on logarithmic opinion pools and develops algorithms for multi-sensor data fusion as well as investigates weight selection schemes for the opinion pool. The proposed fusion rules are applied to the tracking of a space object using multiple ground-based optical sensors. Non-Gaussian orbit determination methods are applied to each sensor individually, and the fusion rule is applied to the combined outputs of each sensor node. It is shown that the multi-sensor fusion rule leads to an increase of nearly two orders of magnitude in the position tracking accuracy as compared to the traditional single-sensor tracking method.
Behavioral ecology of black-legged kittiwakes during chick rearing in a failing colony

Compared with their Atlantic counterparts, Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) in North Pacific colonies are notably unproductive. A large colony on Middleton Island, Alaska, has in most years since 1981 seen complete breeding failure and the population has declined by half. We compared parent-offspring behaviors in this colony during two years that differed in overall breeding success. Potential indicators of food stress included parental attendance at the nest, foraging trip lengths, chick feeding and begging rates, and sibling aggression. Whereas chick feeding and begging rates were strongly correlated with overall breeding performance, patterns of time allocation by adults (nest attendance and foraging trips) were not. Contrasts between years and comparisons with data from other colonies in and outside Alaska point to food shortage as the likely cause of recurrent breeding failure on Middleton.
Is blood glucose associated with descending modulation of spinal nociception as measured by the nociceptive flexion reflex

OBJECTIVES Prior research has shown a relationship between blood glucose levels and some forms of self-regulation (eg, executive function), with low blood glucose levels associated with impaired self-regulation. Further, engagement in self-regulation tasks depletes blood glucose. Given these relationships, the present study examined whether blood glucose is associated with another form of self-regulation, ie, descending pain modulatory processes. METHODS Forty-seven (32 female) pain-free participants were recruited and completed testing. Blood glucose was measured from finger sticks and a digital meter before and after experimental pain tests. Pain tests included the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) threshold to assess descending modulation of spinal nociception, but also electric pain threshold to assess perceptual pain detection. The Stroop color word naming test was also assessed before and after pain testing to examine changes in executive function. RESULTS Results indicated that mean blood glucose levels decreased after pain testing, but Stroop performance did not significantly change. Importantly, changes in blood glucose were correlated with NFR threshold, such that decreases in blood glucose were associated with lower NFR thresholds (reduced descending inhibition). Changes in blood glucose were unrelated to pain threshold or executive function. CONCLUSION This study suggests that glucose depletion may impair performance of descending inhibitory processes, without impacting the perceptual detection of pain (pain threshold). Although findings need to be replicated, maintaining adequate glucose levels may be necessary to support inhibition of spinal nociception.
Surgery is the Optimum Local Therapeutic Modality for Second Primary Lung Cancer.

Recent advances in lung cancer screening have encouraged many clinicians to apply computed tomography screening principles to their resected patients. These patients represent a high-risk cohort for the development of either recurrent disease or a metachronous second lung primary. 1,2 Often with current imaging, cytology, and genetic analysis the distinction can be challenging and the surgeon would offer definitive local therapy for patients who clinically present with local disease. The exact incidence of second primaries and which local therapy is superior is not well understood. Taioli et al. 3 performed an analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database for patients with second primary lung cancers discovered 6 months or more after potentially curative resection of stage-one disease. Despite the non-randomized nature and the dearth of information on how treatment was assigned, the study highlights several important points. Overall, 5.4% of patients who undergo curative resection for stage I disease would develop a second cancer, the most of which are apparent before 3 years. This represents a significant risk and supports close monitoring of our resected patients. In addition, only 58.5% of these second primaries were stage I. The improvements in radiation therapy, particularly stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), have encouraged radiation oncologists to offer definitive radiation to early-stage lung cancer patients who are deemed medically inoperable. SBRT has achieved good local control for this high-risk group and has encouraged some to question whether it should be offered to the medically operable as well. Unfortunately, 2 randomized trials comparing SBRT to lobectomy, closed due to the slow accrual. 4 So, what should be the optimum therapy offered for second lung primaries? Perhaps, the best therapy is the same as for first primaries. We performed a retrospective, propensity-matched,
Neurostimulation for pain of spinal origin

Neurosurgical procedures for pain may be anatomic (attempting to correct the physical cause of the pain), ablative (destroying pain pathways), or augmentative (modulating the existing neurological anatomy and physiology). The available augmentative procedures, commonly referred to under the umbrella “neuromodulation,” include spinal cord stimulation (SCS). Although augmentative procedures are reversible and can be tested through screening trials before a device is implanted for chronic use, they have, until recently, been reserved for patients who failed to gain relief through anatomic or ablative procedures and had exhausted the possibilities offered by other alternative therapies. The high initial cost of augmentative therapy might explain this bias. SCS is an augmentative procedure that relies on artificially generated paresthesia to achieve pain relief by replacing the sensation of pain with one that is commonly described as “tingling.” To be effective, the paresthesia must cover the topography of the pain. The major determinant of the distribution of paresthesia is the spinal location of the stimulating cathodes and anodes. 2 Programmable pulse generators allow noninvasive, post-implantation selection of various electrode contact combinations. The major indication for SCS in the United States is failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). This catch-all diagnosis is made when one or more previous operations on the spine fails to provide a patient with long-term pain relief. In part, because FBSS patients are not distinguished on the basis of the various indications for the initial operation or according to the suspected reason for the failures, FBSS is particularly difficult to treat. SPINAL CORD STIMULATION VERSUS REOPERATION FOR FBSS In 1991, our research group published a paper detailing our 5-year follow-up data for FBSS patients treated with repeat operation 5 and a companion paper presenting 5-year results for FBSS patients treated with spinal cord stimulation (SCS). 6 For the reoperation group, analysis of follow-up data collected at a mean of 5.05 years postoperatively by a disinterested third party from 102 patients who had undergone an average of 2.4 previous operations, revealed that only 34% reported a successful outcome. Postoperatively, 21 disabled patients returned to work, but 15 stopped work. The number of patients who reported a loss in neurological function exceeded those who reported a gain. Most patients, however, reduced or eliminated their use of pain medication. 5 Analysis of factors that prognosticated a favorable result for reoperation among these patients revealed an advantage in being female, young, and employed, as well as in having no suspected epidural fibrosis and predominately radicular pain. Because most FBSS patients are unlikely to have these characteristics, however, and the retrospective study revealed such a low long-term success rate, we concluded that an alternative to yet another reoperation should be considered for FBSS patients. 5
Retrograde percutaneous nephrostolithotomy: an acceptable alternative to antegrade techniques.

AbstractRetrograde percutaneous nephrostolithotomy was attempted by the urology service in 28 patients. Renal access was achieved with the standard Lawson retrograde nephrostomy set.††Cook Urological, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Tract dilation was performed over the 0.017-inch puncture wire. Successful renal access was achieved in 28 of 30 kidneys (93 per cent) and in 1 session the targeted stone was removed in 26 (87 per cent). Two patients failed the retrograde technique and underwent successful antegrade stone removal under the same anesthesia. Two patients required open stone removal. No patient required a second percutaneous procedure for incomplete stone removal, no major bleeding episodes occurred and no complications requiring surgical intervention were encountered. The technique of retrograde percutaneous nephrostolithotomy is a safe and reliable means to achieve precise, atraumatic intrarenal access. It is easy to learn and does not require the expertise of a trained radiologist.
Scheduling of price-sensitive residential storage devices and loads with thermal inertia in distribution grid

Abstract Demand response provides more flexibility in the operation of a power grid with high renewable energy penetration. In this paper, a mathematical model of storage devices and loads with thermal inertia, such as batteries, water heaters, and air conditioners, is presented. Dynamic and linear programming methods are used to solve the optimization problem subject to comfort constraints. The price signal for these devices can incorporate financial criteria as well as reliability criteria. Optimal operation of the storage devices and loads with thermal inertia are obtained considering the given price signal. Individual device performance optimization is compared with all of the devices as a single solution and optimal operation plots and results are presented and discussed. The presented optimization problem for house devices is solved using dynamic programming and mathematical programming and the results are compared.
Composite Event Detection in Multi-Camera and Multi-Sensor Surveillance Networks

Given the rapid development of digital video technologies, large-scale multi-camera networks are now more prevalent than ever. There is an increasing demand for automated multi-camera/sensor event-modeling technologies that can efficiently and effectively extract events and activities occurring in the surveillance network. In this chapter, we present a composite event detection system for multicamera networks. The proposed framework is capable of handling relationships between primitive events generated from (1) a single camera view, (2) multiple camera views, and (3) nonvideo sensors with spatial and temporal variations. Composite events are represented in the form of full binary trees, where the leaf nodes represent primitive events, the root node represents the target composite event, and the middle nodes represent rule definitions. The multi-layer design of composite events provides great extensibility and flexibility in different applications. A standardized XML-style event language is designed to describe the composite events such that inter-agent communication and event detection module construction can be conveniently achieved. In our system, a set of graphical interfaces is also developed for users to easily define both primitive and high-level composite events. The proposed system is designed in distributed form, where the system components can be deployed on separate processors, communicating with each other over a network. The capabilities and effectiveness of our system have been demonstrated in several real-life applications, including retail loss prevention, indoor tailgating detection, and false positive reduction.
Letter by Shah Regarding Article, “Thrombus Aspiration in ST-Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction: An Individual Patient Meta-Analysis: Thrombectomy Trialists Collaboration”

Jolly and colleagues1 concluded that in patients with large thrombus burdens, manual aspiration thrombectomy (MAT) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was associated with lower cardiovascular mortality but a higher risk of stroke/transient ischemic attack. Multiple randomized clinical trials on this subject have been reported, but only in the TOTAL trial (Thrombectomy With PCI Versus PCI Alone) was stroke risk higher in the MAT arm compared with PCI alone.2 It appears that the increased risk of …
DNA Replication Fork, Bacterial

DNA replication, the basis for biological inheritance, is a fundamental process occurring in all living organisms requiring the complete genome to be copied before each cell division. In Escherichia coli , the single circular chromosome is 4.6 × 10 6 base pairs (bp) in length and can be replicated in as little as 20 min. Replication of bacterial DNA is, thus, rapid. DNA replication must also be extremely accurate to avoid deleterious mutations in the genetic information. The error frequency during E. coli replication is estimated to be 10 −7 , or one mismatch per 10 7 bp replicated, before additional correction by the mismatch-repair system. Replication in E. coli is initiated at a specific DNA sequence by a series of reactions in which the DNA duplex is opened to allow the binding of the replication proteins. Replication is bidirectional with two replication forks moving in opposite directions. DNA synthesis at each fork is carried out by a complex of many proteins, known as a ‘replisome’. It includes the leading- and lagging-strand DNA polymerases that synthesize the daughter DNA strands, and their associated clamps and clamp loader, collectively known as the ‘holoenzyme’. The replisome also contains a primosome consisting of a primase to make short RNA chains to initiate new DNA fragments on the lagging strand, a helicase to unwind the parental duplex, and a helicase-loading protein. Single-stranded DNA-binding protein coats the lagging strand before it is replicated. Synthesis of the leading and lagging strand is a highly coordinated process.
Alternatives to Autopsy for Fetal and Early Neonatal (Perinatal) Deaths: Insights from the Wisconsin Stillbirth Service Program

Background Although autopsy is a key component of the etiologic evaluation following fetal and early neonatal death, and traditionally has been the preferred method to determine the cause of death, an alternative may be suitable when traditional autopsy by a perinatal pathologist is not available or declined. Methods Among 3137 cases evaluated through the Wisconsin Stillbirth Service Program (WiSSP), a community-based program for etiologic evaluation of second trimester miscarriage, stillbirth, and early neonatal death, most diagnoses are based on multiple types of data including placental pathology, clinical examination, photographs, maternal records, radiographs, and laboratory testing. Results Cases in the WiSSP cohort without autopsy have nearly the same overall rate of diagnosis as those with traditional autopsy (56% vs. 58%). Review of the literature shows that although recent systematic protocols including autopsy, placental pathology and genetic studies yield a definite or probable diagnosis in 70% or more, both healthcare providers and families desire less invasive options. Several minimally invasive protocols substituting imaging, primarily MRI, for traditional autopsy have been proposed, but the numbers of deaths evaluated are still very small. Conclusion We join others who have promoted the benefits of a targeted or less invasive protocol to study perinatal deaths, and emphasize integration of clinical data, selective imaging, genetic testing, and parental counseling. Birth Defects Research, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Interethnic Antagonism In the Wake of Colonialism: U. S. Territorial and Ethnic Relations at the Margins

Since the proliferation of scholarship on racial and ethnic antagonism following the Civil Rights era, neo-Marxist, colonialism, and other power-conflict theories reached popularity and have been widely applied to explain racial and ethnic conflict throughout the world, particularly in the United States. However there is a lack of scholarship on racial and ethnic relations in the U.S. territories in general and the Pacific Islands in particular. Although a few works exist in terms of interethnic antagonism and anti-immigrant sentiment in Puerto Rico, Melanesia, and Hawaii, there is a lack of research on interethnic antagonism in Micronesia; therefore comparative analyses of race and ethnicity in the context of U.S. territorial relations would contribute to the general body of knowledge in ethnic studies. In light of Micronesia9s complex colonial history and its contemporary political and economic context (i.e. immigration, labor exploitation, territorial relations, neocolonialism, indigenous sovereignty struggles, and garment, tourist, and construction industries), understanding of intergroup relations in Micronesia would also benefit from an analysis of interethnic antagonism.
Young children’s experiences with yoga in an early childhood setting

ABSTRACTSchool-based yoga programmes have been implemented in schools across the United States with promising results. However, the majority of research on yoga programmes has occurred within the K...
Exploring the Untapped Biosynthetic Potential of Apicomplexan Parasites

Apicomplexan parasites encompass a diverse group of eukaryotic intracellular pathogens that infect various animal hosts to cause disease. Intriguingly, apicomplexans possess a unique organelle of algal origin, the apicoplast, which phylogenetically links these parasites to dinoflagellates and photosynthetic, coral-associated organisms. While production of secondary metabolites in closely related organisms has been thoroughly examined, it remains widely unexplored in apicomplexans. In this Perspective, we discuss previous work toward understanding secondary metabolite building block biosynthesis in apicomplexans and highlight the unexplored enzymology and biosynthetic potential of these parasites in the context of evolution.
Thermal Behavior of Fluid Saturated Porous Media with Phase Changes

In earlier work, Gomaa and Somerton (1) observed that the apparent thermal conductivity of partially liquid saturated sand can be several times larger than for fully liquid saturated sand. Figure 1 shows this effect. The heat pipe concept was introduced to explain this phenomenon. In Figure 2, a cylindrical core sample saturated with water is subjected to two different temperatures, one above the boiling temperature and the other below. If a small amount of liquid is displaced from the system by vapor generated near the hot surface, the vapor will then travel towards the cold surface by a vapor pressure gradient and will condense there. The water is brought into the vapor zone by capillary force due to a saturation gradient. Thus, in addition to heat conduction, a large amount of thermal energy is transported by virtue of latent heat exchange.
Impact of citizens' privacy concerns on e-government adoption

As government agencies increasingly experience data security breaches, information privacy concerns are inevitably raised among e-government users. This study explores the impact of Internet users' information privacy concerns (IUIPC) on the adoption of e-government services. Grounded in the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), this study proposes IUIPC namely, collection, control, and awareness, will influence trust of the Internet (TOI) and perceived risks, which in turn impact the adoption of e-government.
Risk of Police-Involved Death by Race/Ethnicity and Place, United States, 2012-2018.

Objectives. To estimate the risk of mortality from police homicide by race/ethnicity and place in the United States.Methods. We used novel data on police-involved fatalities and Bayesian models to estimate mortality risk for Black, Latino, and White men for all US counties by Census division and metropolitan area type.Results. Police kill, on average, 2.8 men per day. Police were responsible for about 8% of all homicides with adult male victims between 2012 and 2018. Black men’s mortality risk is between 1.9 and 2.4 deaths per 100 000 per year, Latino risk is between 0.8 and 1.2, and White risk is between 0.6 and 0.7.Conclusions. Police homicide risk is higher than suggested by official data. Black and Latino men are at higher risk for death than are White men, and these disparities vary markedly across place.Public Health Implications. Homicide reduction efforts should consider interventions to reduce the use of lethal force by police. Efforts to address unequal police violence should target places with ...
Child labor trafficking within the US: A first look at allegations investigated by Florida’s Child Welfare Agency

Federal legislation defining the child welfare system’s response to human trafficking does not address labor trafficking of children. Yet the National Human Trafficking Hotline consistently identif...
Demography and Democracy

During oral arguments in Shelby County v. Holder, 1 Justice Antonin Scalia provoked audible gasps from the audience when he observed that in 2006 Congress had no choice but to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, because it had become “a racial entitlement.”2 Later in the argument, Justice Sonia Sotomayor obliquely challenged Scalia’s surprise comment, eliciting a negative answer from the attorney for Shelby County to a question about whether “the right to vote” was “a racial entitlement.” 3 As revealed by these dueling remarks from the highest bench in the land, demography and democracy are linked in the public consciousness of Americans, but in dramatically different ways.