cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
School Health Policies: Evidenced-based Programs for Policy Implementation

ABSTRACTAs the Affordable Care Act continues to shape the direction of health care policy in America, this article reports on successful school health policy programs that were implemented to meet the requirements of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act. In 2007, Mississippi passed Senate Bill 2369, also known as the Mississippi Healthy Students Act. The law recommends that schools engage in providing health activities that enhance student’s well-being. However, due to the lack of appropriate funding and bureaucratic structural development, the implementation of the policy has been a lackluster execution. Drawing on policy implementation theory, the authors report findings associated with two initiatives that have been implemented to enhance student health in Mississippi. By examining the New Pathways to Health Initiative (NPHI) and Good Food for Oxford Schools (GFOS), the authors find that numerous positive outcomes were achieved with both initiatives. Although the implementation of school health program...
Reaganomics and Thatcherism

This chapter and the following one trace developments — both macroeconomic and structural — in a number of major industrial countries from 1980 on. Chapter 6 will be devoted to the interactions among these economies. The purpose is not to review history comprehensively but to bring out the more lasting impacts of the events of 1980–93 — the legacies of Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Francois Mitterrand, and other national leaders. The initial focus is on the United States since it is the largest economy with the greatest impact on other countries.
Shaping Constitutional Law: The Example of Prisoners’ Rights

In 1964, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case presented by Muslim prisoners that alleged deprivations of their religious rights. Fifty years later, the Court issued a unanimous decision permitting a Muslim prisoner to grow a beard for religious reasons, despite objections by prison officials. These contrasting cases show significant change in law governing prisoners’ rights. This book illuminates the Supreme Court’s decision making through the example of prisoners’ rights cases. This chapter describes influences affecting the Court’s development of law, including each individual justice’s values and judicial philosophy, the changing nature of social problems, and strategic interactions within the Court. The chapter also provides an outline of the book through brief descriptions of each chapter.
Role of exponential type random invexities for asymptotically sufficient efficiency conditions in semi-infinite multi-objective fractional programming

First a new notion of the random exponential Hanson–Antczak type $$(\alpha ,\beta ,\gamma ,\xi ,\eta ,\rho ,h(\cdot ,\cdot ,\cdot ),\theta )$$ -V-invexity is introduced, which generalizes most of the existing notions in the literature, second a random function $$h(\cdot ,\cdot ,\cdot )$$ of the second order is defined, and finally a class of asymptotically sufficient efficiency conditions in semi-infinite multi-objective fractional programming is established. Furthermore, several sets of asymptotic sufficiency results in which various generalized exponential type $$HA(\alpha ,\beta ,\gamma ,\xi ,\eta ,\rho ,h(\cdot ,\cdot ,\cdot ),\theta )$$ -V-invexity assumptions are imposed on certain vector functions whose components are the individual as well as some combinations of the problem functions are examined and proved. To the best of our knowledge, all the established results on the semi-infinite aspects of the multi-objective fractional programming are new, which is a significantly new emerging field of the interdisciplinary research in nature. We also observed that the investigated results can be modified and applied to several special classes of nonlinear programming problems.
Redox-Active Supramolecular Polymer Binders for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries That Adapt Their Transport Properties in Operando

π-Stacked perylene bisimide (PBI) molecules are implemented here as highly networked, redox-active supramolecular polymer binders in sulfur cathodes for lightweight and energy-dense Li–S batteries. We show that the in operando reduction and lithiation of these PBI binders sustainably reduces Li–S cell impedance relative to nonredox active conventional polymer binders. This lower impedance enables high-rate cycling in Li–S cells with excellent durability, a critical step toward unlocking the full potential of Li–S batteries for electric vehicles and aviation.
Persistence of an egg mass polymorphism in Ambystoma maculatum: differential performance under high and low nutrients

Polymorphisms play critical roles in allowing organisms to adapt to novel environments while enabling ecological speciation under divergent selection. Ambystoma maculatum, the spotted salamander, exhibits a unique polymorphism in the structure and appearance of its egg masses with two common morphs, white and clear. Amphibian egg jelly layers mediate interactions between embryos and the environment and are more responsive to ecological pressures of natural selection than other egg coat components. The A. maculatum egg mass polymorphism was hypothesized to be adaptive with regard to varying dissolved nutrient levels in ponds. We conducted two mesocosm experiments, collected field data, and constructed a population projection model to determine how dissolved nutrient levels affect embryonic and larval development and relate to the distribution of the morphs in natural ponds. We found that upon hatching there was an interaction between nutrient level and egg mass morph wherein individuals from white morphs were larger in low nutrient habitats. This interaction persisted throughout the larval stage, and along with the higher abundance of white morphs in ponds with low conductivity, we demonstrate that the white morph is advantageous in low nutrient environments. Our findings provide evidence for the role of environmental heterogeneity in enabling the persistence of a structural egg mass polymorphism, with maintenance occurring across multiple scales and persistence across its range. This indicates that polymorphisms can maximize performance in heterogeneous environments, while persisting over long timescales without leading to sympatric speciation.
Assessing the Impact of Afro-Brazilian Activists on notions of Blackness and Black group Identity in Salvador and São Paulo, Brazil

Despite that nearly half of Brazil's citizens are of African descent, less than 2% of politicians in federally elected positions are Afro-Brazilian. Most political scientists attribute this to a lack of racial identity and ethnic voting. Considering the changes in racial politics such as university affirmative action, the recognition of racism in Brazilian society, and continuous Black movement activity, it is important to examine notions of black racial group identity. This paper employs qualitative and quantitative methods to examine black linked fate in the Brazilian context in the cities Salvador and Sao Paulo.
Machine-Learning Algorithms to Code Public Health Spending Accounts

Objectives:Government public health expenditure data sets require time- and labor-intensive manipulation to summarize results that public health policy makers can use. Our objective was to compare ...
Cerebral Autoregulation, Brain Injury, and the Transitioning Premature Infant.

Improvements in clinical management of the preterm infant have reduced the rates of the two most common forms of brain injury, severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and white matter injury (WMI), both of which are contributory factors in the development of cerebral palsy. Nonetheless, they remain a persistent challenge and are associated with a significant increase in the risk of adverse neurodevelopment outcomes. Repeated episodes of ischemia-reperfusion represent a common pathway for both forms of injury, arising from discordance between systemic blood flow and the innate regulation of cerebral blood flow in the germinal matrix and periventricular white matter. Nevertheless, establishing firm hemodynamic boundaries, as a part of neuroprotective strategy, has challenged researchers. Existing measures either demonstrate inconsistent relationships with injury, as in the case of mean arterial blood pressure, or are not feasible for long term monitoring, such as cardiac output estimated by echocardiography. These challenges have led some researchers to focus on the mechanisms which control blood flow to the brain, known as cerebrovascular autoregulation. Historically, the function of the cerebrovascular autoregulatory system has been difficult to quantify, however the evolution of bedside monitoring devices, particularly near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), have enabled new insights into these mechanisms and how impairment of blood flow regulation may contribute to catastrophic injury. In this review, we first seek to examine how technological advancement has changed the assessment of cerebrovascular autoregulation in premature infants. Next, we explore how clinical factors, including hypotension, vasoactive medications, acute and chronic hypoxia, and ventilation alter the hemodynamic state of the preterm infant. Additionally, we examine how developmentally-linked or acquired dysfunction in cerebral autoregulation contributes to preterm brain injury. In conclusion, we address exciting new approaches to the measurement of autoregulation and discuss the feasibility of translation to the bedside.
The impact of prophylactic external carotid artery ligation on postoperative bleeding after transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract Background Transoral robotic-assisted surgery (TORS) is increasingly utilized in the treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Postoperative bleeding is a significant and potentially fatal complication of TORS. Prophylactic ligation of ipsilateral external carotid artery (ECA) branches is a recognized strategy to reduce postoperative bleeding risk. We examined the incidence and sequelae of postoperative oropharyngeal bleeding with and without routine ECA ligation. Methods OPSCC patients treated with TORS between 2010 and 2015 with minimum 30 days follow up were included. Clinicopathological data, operative details, and postoperative course were abstracted for analysis. Cases of postoperative bleeding were classified as Minor, Intermediate, Major, and Severe. The incidence and severity of bleeding was compared between patients treated with and without prophylactic ECA ligation. Results Bleeding after TORS was documented in 13/201 (6.5%) patients. The majority of bleeding episodes were observed among anticoagulated or previously radiated patients. By surgeon preference, 52 patients had prophylactic ECA ligation during neck dissection while the remaining 149 patients did not. There was no significant difference in overall incidence of postoperative bleeding between patients with prophylactic ECA ligation (3/52, 5.8%) and patients without (10/149, 6.7%) [p = 0.53]. However, severe bleeding complications (4, 2.0%) were only observed in patients without prophylactic ligation. Conclusion A small but meaningful risk of bleeding after TORS for OPSCC exists, particularly among anticoagulated or previously radiated patients. Prophylactic ECA ligation did not significantly impact the overall incidence of postoperative bleeding but may reduce the risk of severe (life-threatening) bleeding.
Discussion of paper “nonparametric Bayesian inference in applications” by Peter Müller, Fernando A. Quintana and Garritt L. Page

This is an invited discussion of review paper “Nonparametric Bayesian Inference in Applications” by Peter Muller, Fernando A. Quintana and Garritt L. Page.
The Effects of Playing Multiple High School Sports on National Basketball Association Players' Propensity for Injury and Athletic Performance.

Background:Athletes who specialize in their sport at an early age may be at risk for burnout, overuse injury, and reduced attainment of elite status. Timing of sport specialization has not been studied in elite basketball athletes.Hypothesis:National Basketball Association (NBA) players who played multiple sports during adolescence would be less likely to experience injury and would have higher participation rates in terms of games played and career length compared with single-sport athletes.Study Design:Descriptive epidemiology study.Methods:First-round draft picks from 2008 to 2015 in the NBA were included in the study. From publically available records from the internet, the following data were collected for each athlete: participation in high school sports, major injuries sustained in the NBA, percentage of games played in the NBA, and whether the athlete was still active in the NBA. Athletes who participated in sports in addition to basketball during high school were defined as multisport athletes an...
Color Superconductivity and Charge Neutrality in Yukawa Theory.

It is generally believed that when Cooper pairing occurs between two different species of fermions, their Fermi surfaces become locked together so that the resultant state remains ``neutral,'' with equal number densities of the two species, even when subjected to a chemical potential that couples to the difference in number densities. This belief is based on mean-field calculations in models with a zero-range interaction, where the anomalous self-energy is independent of energy and momentum. Following up on an early report of a deviation from neutrality in a Dyson-Schwinger calculation of color-flavor-locked quark matter, we investigate the neutrality of a two-species condensate using a Yukawa model which has a finite-range interaction. In a mean field calculation we obtain the full energy-momentum dependence of the self-energy and find that the energy dependence leads to a population imbalance in the Cooper-paired phase when it is stressed by a species-dependent chemical potential. This gives some support to the suggestion that the color-flavor-locked phase of quark matter might not be an insulator.
Urinary Tract Infections in Infants and Children

Urinary tract is a common site of bacterial infection in children. Clinical signs and symptoms and laboratory analysis are nonspecific for urinary tract infections (UTIs) and sometimes confusing. Nowadays, despite the availability of several imaging techniques to assess the urinary tract such as ultrasound (US), voiding cystourethrography (VCUG), dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy, magnetic resonance urography (MRU), computed tomography (CT), and videourodynamic study (VUDS), there is still uncertainty regarding when and what examination is necessary to investigate UTIs. The role of imaging, in fact, is either to identify the predisposing genitourinary anomalies or the complications of UTIs, such as acute pyelonephritis, acute focal bacterial nephritis, renal abscess, and pyonephrosis, which may lead to important sequelae. In this chapter we try to clarify the role of different imaging techniques in the management of infants and children affected with UTIs, focalizing on the complicated forms. Rare forms of UTIs are briefly reported as well.
Dissolution and effectiveness of phosphate rock in acidic soil amended with cattle manure

Phosphate rock (PR) and organic manure (OM) are promising amendments to acidic soils to correct P deficiency and Al/Mn toxicities. The interaction between PR and OM and consequent effects in acidic soil are not fully understood. The effects of OM on the dissolution of two types of PR (NCPR, North Carolina PR; SYPR, Syrian PR) and dry matter production and nutrient uptake efficiency in an acidic Lily loamy soil from West Virginia were examined in an incubation and plant pot studies. NCPR and SYPR were supplied at a rate of 500 mg P kg−1 and organic manure at a rate of 30 g kg−1. Observations were made over 126 days at 21-day intervals. The dissolution of applied NCPR and SYPR was calculated based on the estimation of ?Pi and ?TP-NaOH method. Dissolution of NCPR and SYPR calculated by ΔTP-NaOH was quick during the initial 21 day (∼20%), and thereafter increased slowly reaching 42 and 40% at 126 day for NCPR and SYPR, respectively. On the other hand, percent dissolution calculated based on ΔPi-NaOH, while fluctuating within ±5% between intervals, were less by 10 and 15% at 126 day for NCPR and SYPR compared to dissolutions estimated based on Δ-TP-NaOH. OM generally reduced PR dissolution, and to a 11–14% lesser extend in the presence of plant roots, presumably due to plant roots depleting P and Ca from the dissolution zone. OM increased dry matter production (DM) of switch grass, increased specific accumulation rates (SAcR, mg or μg g−1 DM) of P and Mg in shoots, decreased SAcRs of Al and Mn in shoots DM, and increased use of P from NCPR and SYPR. Approximately 29% of dissolved P from applied NCPR or SYPR was Bray-1 extractable-Pi and increasing to 45% when OM was also amended to the soil. This increase in dissolved P probably explains the enhanced growth and P concentration in switch grass DM.
Correlation of Multi-scale Modeling and Experimental Results for the Elastic Moduli of Cortical and Trabecular Bone

Cortical and trabecular bones were modeled as nanocomposite materials with hierarchical structures spanning from collagen-mineral level to cortical and trabecular bone levels. In order to verify theoretical models, compression testing was done on cortical and trabecular bovine femur bone samples and the experimental data were compared with the theoretical results. The micro-computed tomography technique was used to characterize the porosities and structures of these bones at different length scales and to provide the inputs needed for the modeling. To obtain more insight on the structure of bone, especially on the interaction of the main constituents (collagen and mineral phases), both cortical and trabecular bone samples were deproteinized and demineralized and, afterwards, tested in compression. This information was used to fine-tune our multi-scale model representing bone as an interpenetrating composite material. Very good agreement was found between the theory and experiments for the elastic moduli of untreated, deproteinized, and demineralized cortical and trabecular bones.
Survival assays with a boronated porphyrin as measured with hamster V-79 cells in culture.

On the basis of their weight, boron-carrying capacity and propensity for tumor, porphyrins would appear to be the ideal carrier-molecules for use in boron neutron therapy (BNCT). In the past, problems such as toxicity, solubility and/or lability of the boron tag precluded the use of porphyrins for BNCT. However, a newly-synthesized boronated porphyrin appears to have surmounted these problems and, in preliminary in vitro studies, SBK-II has demonstrated biological efficacy. Preliminary data will be presented here comparing SBK-II with the monomeric (BSH) and dimeric (BSSB) forms of the sulfhydryl boron hydride currently being considered for use in BNCT clinical trials in the United States.
Transient Stability Prediction for Load Flow Cascading Models Using Random Forests

Many cascading methodologies tend to be steady-state load flow analyses to avoid the computational burden of examining cascades from a dynamic standpoint. Load flow, however, has the drawback of losing information about generator transient angular stability. On the other hand, time-domain simulations can accurately identify angular stability issues at the cost of extra computational burden. This work aims to incorporate time-domain angular stability in load-flow through machine learning. A Random Forest (RF) machine learning classifier is trained on generator transient angular instability data obtained from time-domain simulations with machine features derived from steady-state load-flow analysis. RFs require very little computation once trained and can have high predictive accuracy, resulting in a classifier that can be used in steady-state cascading methodologies to predict transient stability.
Crystal structure of AdoMet radical enzyme 7-carboxy-7-deazaguanine synthase from Escherichia coli suggests how modifications near [4Fe–4S] cluster engender flavodoxin specificity

7-Carboxy-7-deazaguanine synthase, QueE, catalyzes the radical mediated ring contraction of 6-carboxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin, forming the characteristic pyrrolopyrimidine core of all 7-deazaguanine natural products. QueE is a member of the S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) radical enzyme superfamily, which harnesses the reactivity of radical intermediates to perform challenging chemical reactions. Members of the AdoMet radical enzyme superfamily utilize a canonical binding motif, a CX3 CXϕC motif, to bind a [4Fe-4S] cluster, and a partial (β/α)6 TIM barrel fold for the arrangement of AdoMet and substrates for catalysis. Although variations to both the cluster-binding motif and the core fold have been observed, visualization of drastic variations in the structure of QueE from Burkholderia multivorans called into question whether a re-haul of the defining characteristics of this superfamily was in order. Surprisingly, the structure of QueE from Bacillus subtilis revealed an architecture more reminiscent of the classical AdoMet radical enzyme. With these two QueE structures revealing varying degrees of alterations to the classical AdoMet fold, a new question arises: what is the purpose of these alterations? Here, we present the structure of a third QueE enzyme from Escherichia coli, which establishes the middle range of the spectrum of variation observed in these homologs. With these three homologs, we compare and contrast the structural architecture and make hypotheses about the role of these structural variations in binding and recognizing the biological reductant, flavodoxin. Broader impact statement: We know more about how enzymes are tailored for catalytic activity than about how enzymes are tailored to react with a physiological reductant. Here, we consider structural differences between three 7-carboxy-7-deazaguanine synthases and how these differences may be related to the interaction between these enzymes and their biological reductant, flavodoxin.
Climate damages and adaptation potential across diverse sectors of the United States

There is a growing capability to project the impacts and economic effects of climate change across multiple sectors. This information is needed to inform decisions regarding the diversity and magnitude of future climate impacts and explore how mitigation and adaptation actions might affect these risks. Here, we summarize results from sectoral impact models applied within a consistent modelling framework to project how climate change will affect 22 impact sectors of the United States, including effects on human health, infrastructure and agriculture. The results show complex patterns of projected changes across the country, with damages in some sectors (for example, labour, extreme temperature mortality and coastal property) estimated to range in the hundreds of billions of US dollars annually by the end of the century under high emissions. Inclusion of a large number of sectors shows that there are no regions that escape some mix of adverse impacts. Lower emissions, and adaptation in relevant sectors, would result in substantial economic benefits. In this Article, modelling results from a consistent set of sectoral climate change impact models, covering 22 impact sectors of the United States, are summarized. Findings are complex, but largely negative and expensive.
The Innocence of Truth in Semantic Paradox

According to some philosophers, the Liar paradox arises because of a mistaken theory of truth. Its lesson is that we must reject some instances of the naive propositional truth-schema $$\ulcorner $$ It is true that $$\phi $$ if and only if $$\phi $$ $$\urcorner $$ . In this paper, I construct a novel semantic paradox in which no principle even analogous to the truth-schema plays any role. I argue that this undermines the claim that we ought to respond to the Liar by revising our theory of truth.
Human Rights Defenders Within Soviet Politics

In the wake of recent debates about “Soviet subjectivity”, the dissidents known as “rights defenders” (pravozashchitniki) would appear to be among the few remaining candidates for the role of liberals in Soviet history. Their version of liberalism, however, can be understood only when situated in the specificities of the late Soviet setting. Rather than regarding liberal ideas as an import product, this chapter suggests that rights defenders developed an indigenous version of liberalism that creatively deployed Soviet constitutional norms – themselves a reworking of Western rights discourse – while remaining wholly detached from such traditional liberal values as private property and market relations. In the relentlessly politicized circumstances of Soviet life, the dissidents’ most radically liberal gesture was to insist on the non-political nature of their work.
Interoperability of disparate engineering domain ontologies using basic formal ontology

ABSTRACTAs engineering applications require management of ever larger volumes of data, ontologies offer the potential to capture, manage, and augment data with the capability for automated reasonin...
The asymptotics of a Bessel-kernel determinant which arises in random matrix theory

In Random Matrix Theory the local correlations of the Laguerre and Jacobi Unitary Ensemble in the hard edge scaling limit can be described in terms of the Bessel kernel Bα(x,y)=xyJα(x)yJα′(y)−Jα(y)xJα′(x)x2−y2,x,y>0,α>−1. In particular, the so-called hard edge gap probabilities P(α)(R) can be expressed as the Fredholm determinants of the corresponding integral operator Bα restricted to the finite interval [0,R]. Using operator theoretic methods we are going to compute their asymptotics as R→∞, i.e., we show that P(α)(R):=det(I−Bα)|L2[0,R]∼exp(−R24+αR−α22logR)G(1+α)(2π)α/2, where G stands for the Barnes G-function. In fact, this asymptotic formula will be proved for all complex parameters α satisfying |Reα|<1.
Prevalence of Learning Styles in Educational Psychology and Introduction to Education Textbooks: A Content Analysis:

The role of learning styles in the classroom remains a heavily debated topic within education. Notable problems with using learning styles to inform classroom instruction include a lack of empirica...
Mobile Mammography Screening as an Opportunity to Increase Access of Rural Women to Breast Cancer Research Studies.

Objectives:Rural women are underrepresented in cancer research. We hypothesized that providing access to a research study to rural, medically underserved women who were receiving their breast cance...
Salivary gland chromosomes in four species of tropical anophelines:A. Subpictus, a. vagus, a. hyrcanus nigerrimus andA. barbirostris

The presence of large banded polytene chromosomes in several larval tissues of mosquitoes offer a unique material for cytogenetic and evolutionary studies. This paper presents a brief description of the salivary gland chromosomes in four tropical anophelines studied for the first time.
Interrelations in market fears of U.S. and European equity markets

Abstract We examine interdependence between the implied volatilities of U.S. and five European markets in an integrated multivariate system that allows interactions in the first and second moments of volatility processes. Our results find significant interactions in the variance-covariance matrix of VIX and European volatilities which persist and facilitate risk transmission. Changes in U.S. and Eurozone volatilities are important drivers of risk shocks in European markets. VIX and European volatilities have predictive ability for each other. Further, VIX shocks contribute significantly to the prediction error of European risk shocks, but not vice versa. Risk transmission from U.K. markets to U.S. and European markets intensified around the Brexit vote. Also, VIX shocks added significantly more to European risks during the global financial crisis. Our results highlight the potential weakness of risk transmission models that ignore the second-moment risk transmission channel and have implications for volatility trades, portfolio diversification strategies, and hedging the cross-market risks.
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Consult Series #49: Cesarean scar pregnancy

Cesarean scar pregnancy is a complication in which an early pregnancy implants in the scar from a prior cesarean delivery. This condition presents a substantial risk for severe maternal morbidity because of challenges in securing a prompt diagnosis, as well as uncertainty regarding optimal treatment once identified. Ultrasound is the primary imaging modality for cesarean scar pregnancy diagnosis, although a correct and timely determination can be difficult. Surgical, medical, and minimally invasive therapies have been described for cesarean scar pregnancy management, but the optimal treatment is not known. Women who decline treatment of a cesarean scar pregnancy should be counseled regarding the risk for severe morbidity. The following are Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recommendations: We recommend against expectant management of cesarean scar pregnancy (GRADE 1B); we suggest operative resection (with transvaginal or laparoscopic approaches when possible) or ultrasound-guided vacuum aspiration be considered for surgical management of cesarean scar pregnancy and that sharp curettage alone be avoided (GRADE 2C); we suggest intragestational methotrexate for medical treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy, with or without other treatment modalities (GRADE 2C); we recommend that systemic methotrexate alone not be used to treat cesarean scar pregnancy (GRADE 1C); in women who choose expectant management and continuation of a cesarean scar pregnancy, we recommend repeat cesarean delivery between 34 0/7 and 35 6/7 weeks of gestation (GRADE 1C); we recommend that women with a cesarean scar pregnancy be advised of the risks of another pregnancy and counseled regarding effective contraceptive methods, including long-acting reversible contraception and permanent contraception (GRADE 1C).
What Is an Important Difference in Gait Speed in Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective Little is known regarding what difference in functional performance measures is significant in individuals with chronic medical disease. Our objective was to examine the important differences in gait speed in adults with radiographic knee osteoarthritis. Methods Functional performance was measured by gait speed using 20-meter and 400-meter walk tests performed at a self-selected usual pace among adults with radiographic knee osteoarthritis participating in the Osteoarthritis Initiative at baseline and 2 years later. Both distribution-based methods and anchor-based methods were used to calculate the important differences in gait speed. Anchor-based methods used the chair stand rate and self-reported function to estimate gait speed differences related to physical function. Results We included 2,527 participants with radiographic knee osteoarthritis. Distribution-based important difference estimates for the 20-meter walk ranged from 4.1 to 6.4 meters/minute and 400-meter walk estimates ranged from 2.9 to 6.5 meters/minute. Prevalent (cross-sectional) anchor-based estimates for the 20-meter walk ranged from 5.4 to 6.9 meters/minute and for the 400-meter walk ranged from 3.0 to 6.9 meters/minute. Longitudinal anchor-based estimates were deemed unreliable. Combining distribution-based with prevalent anchor-based methods showed that an important gait speed difference for the 20-meter walk is between 4.1 and 6.9 meters/minute and for the 400-meter walk is between 2.9 and 6.9 meters/minute. Conclusion Our results found that the important difference in gait speed for the 20-meter walk and the 400-meter walk is consistent with important difference estimates for older adult populations. These findings can provide benchmarks for assessing and understanding functional performance outcomes when comparing exposure groups and can be used in designing future studies targeting adults with radiographic knee osteoarthritis.
Effect of continuous, mechanically passive, anti-gravity assistance on kinematics and muscle activity during dynamic shoulder elevation.

Abstract Passive shoulder exoskeletons, which provide continuous anti-gravitational force at the shoulder, could assist with dynamic shoulder elevation movements involved in activities of daily living and rehabilitation exercises. However, prior biomechanical studies of these exoskeletons primarily focused on static overhead tasks. In this study, we evaluated how continuous passive anti-gravity assistance affects able-bodied neuromuscular activity and shoulder kinematics during dynamic and static phases of shoulder elevation movements. Subjects, seated upright, elevated the shoulder from a rest posture (arm relaxed at the side) to a target shoulder elevation angle of 90°. Subjects performed the movement in the frontal (abduction) and scapular (scaption) planes with and without passive anti-gravity assistance. Muscles that contribute to positive shoulder elevation, based on their reported moment arms, had significantly lower muscle activations with assistance during both dynamic and static elevation. Muscles that contribute to negative shoulder elevation, which can decelerate the shoulder during dynamic shoulder elevation, were not significantly different between assistance conditions. This may be partly explained by the trend of subjects to reduce their maximum angular decelerations near the target to offset the positive shoulder elevation moment due to the anti-gravity assistance. Our results suggest that passive anti-gravity assistance could reduce the muscle activations needed to perform dynamic movements. Consequently, the anti-gravity assistance of passive shoulder exoskeletons may enhance motor function and reduce muscle and joint loads for both able-bodied and disabled users.
Superconductivity of α - and β -Mercury

Precise critical field measurements and a direct measurement of ${(\frac{\ensuremath{\partial}H}{\ensuremath{\partial}P})}_{T}$ as a function of temperature were made on physically identical samples of $\ensuremath{\alpha}$- and $\ensuremath{\beta}$-Hg. The purpose of these measurements was to obtain data on the effects of crystal structure on the properties of superconductors, and to permit calculation of various thermodynamic quantities difficult to obtain in any other way. The critical fields of the two phases were found to be identical when expressed in terms of the reduced variables $\frac{H}{{H}_{0}}$ and $\frac{T}{{T}_{c}}$. No generalizations of this type could be found to explain the pressure effects. The advantages of an ${H}^{2}$ vs ${T}^{2}$ and ($\frac{\ensuremath{\partial}{H}^{2}}{\ensuremath{\partial}P}$) vs ${T}^{2}$ analysis for extrapolation to absolute zero are stressed. The critical fields of several representative superconductors are compared with the critical field predicted by the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory, using a plot that emphasizes the detailed shape of the curves at low temperatures. This plot also can be interpreted in terms of the $\frac{\ensuremath{\theta}}{{T}_{c}}$ dependence of the width of the energy gap. The agreement between calorimetric and critical field determinations of the electronic specific heat in the normal state is shown to be improved by using the ${H}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{T}^{2}$ extrapolation. The volume dependence of the reduced energy gap is shown to be very small for those superconductors for which pressure effect data are available.
Current status of robotic adrenalectomy in the United States

Since its introduction more than 30 years ago, laparoscopic adrenalectomy has become the gold standard approach to adrenal surgery for the majority of adrenal pathology. It has been shown to have superior clinical benefits to open adrenalectomy for the majority of cases of adrenal surgery. Robot-assisted adrenalectomy has also been shown to be a reasonable alternative approach to adrenal gland resection. Even though robot-assisted adrenalectomy has been performed in the United States for more than 20 years, it has yet to become the gold-standard for this operation, evidenced by the fact that in the United States laparoscopic adrenalectomy remains more common than robot-assisted adrenalectomy. Market factors, clinical factors and surgeon factors all play a role in the spread and adoption of robotic surgery in general. Here we review the most up to date literature on the state of robotic adrenalectomy in the United States, and explore some of the factors that may be influencing the rate of adoption of robotic adrenalectomy in the United States.
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma ontogeny and mechanisms of lethality.

The molecular features that define clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) initiation and progression are being increasingly defined. The TRACERx Renal studies and others that have described the interaction between tumour genomics and remodelling of the tumour microenvironment provide important new insights into the molecular drivers underlying ccRCC ontogeny and progression. Our understanding of common genomic and chromosomal copy number abnormalities in ccRCC, including chromosome 3p loss, provides a mechanistic framework with which to organize these abnormalities into those that drive tumour initiation events, those that drive tumour progression and those that confer lethality. Truncal mutations in ccRCC, including those in VHL, SET2, PBRM1 and BAP1, may engender genomic instability and promote defects in DNA repair pathways. The molecular features that arise from these defects enable categorization of ccRCC into clinically and therapeutically relevant subtypes. Consideration of the interaction of these subtypes with the tumour microenvironment reveals that specific mutations seem to modulate immune cell populations in ccRCC tumours. These findings present opportunities for disease prevention, early detection, prognostication and treatment. The molecular features that define the initiation and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are being increasingly defined. This Review summarizes common genomic and chromosomal copy number abnormalities in ccRCC, providing a mechanistic framework with which to organize these features into initiating events, drivers of progression and factors that confer lethality.
Liver-specific Deletion Of Small Heterodimer Partner Alters Enterohepatic Bile Acid Levels And Promotes Bile Acid-Mediated Proliferation In Male Mice.

Small heterodimer partner (Shp) regulates several metabolic processes, including bile acid levels, but lacks the conserved DNA binding domain. Phylogenetic analysis revealed conserved genetic evolution of Shp, Fxr, Cyp7a1 and Cyp27a1, underscoring the importance of these molecules in maintaining bile acid homeostasis. Shp, although primarily studied as a downstream target of Farnesoid X Receptor (Fxr), has a distinct hepatic role that is poorly understood. Here we report that liver-specific Shp knockout (LShpKO) mice have impaired negative feedback of Cyp7a1 and Cyp8b1 upon bile acid challenge and demonstrate that a single copy of the Shp gene is sufficient to maintain this response. LShpKO mice also exhibit elevated total bile acid pool with higher bile acid fraction in the intestine mimicking the 1% cholic acid (CA) fed control mice. Agonistic activation of Fxr (GW4064) in the LShpKO did not alter the elevated basal expression of Cyp8b1 but lowered Cyp7a1 expression. We found that deletion of Shp led to an enrichment of distinct motifs and pathways associated with circadian rhythm, amino and carboxylic acid metabolism, copper ion transport, and DNA synthesis. LShpKO livers displayed a higher basal proliferation that was exacerbated specifically with bile acid challenge but not with another liver mitogen, TCPOBOP (TC). Overall, our data indicate that hepatic SHP uniquely regulates certain proliferative and metabolic cues.
The Basics of Psychotherapy: An Introduction to Theory and Practice

In The Basics of Psychotherapy: An Introduction to Theory and Practice author Bruce E. Wampold presents essential background necessary for understanding the role of theory in therapy, and shows how understanding psychotherapy theory is the first step to becoming an effective therapist. Psychotherapy has existed in some form since the late 19th century, and has evolved over the course of a century to include a great variety of theories. Wampold explores the history of psychotherapy theory and its role in practice, and then gives readers the tools to understand the vast array of theories in current use. This book answers practical questions: * What is the role of theory, and how does it relate to psychotherapy practice?* Are some theories more valid than others? * Does psychotherapy work? If psychotherapy works, how does it work and how do we know it works?* How does a new practitioner choose a theoretical orientation? This fascinating discussion about the basics of psychotherapy - and the theory that grounds it - provides readers with everything necessary for making sense of and finding their place in this vital and ever-changing field. Whether encountering sychotherapy theory for the first time as a student or returning as a seasoned practitioner to reevaluate the great variety of theories, this book is an indispensible guide. The Basics of Psychotherapy may be read before other books in the Theories of Psychotherapy Series as an introduction to psychotherapy and its theoretical grounding. As such, it may be considered the first book to assign in a graduate theories course, or as a book that can be read with any other books in this series to provide a general view of psychotherapeutic theory.
Survivorship Claims Under Employment Discrimination Statutes

This 1999 article discusses the federal district split on whether a plaintiff’s employment discrimination claim survives his or her death. 42 U.S.C. § 1988(a) requires that federal courts apply state law to the question of survivorship of a claim, but federal courts are split on whether that provision applies to claims brought under federal statutes such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. After Robertson v. Wegmann in 1978, many federal courts held that state law could limit survivorship of claims based on the Reconstruction civil rights acts, so long as the state law is not inconsistent with federal law or the Constitution. However, courts have held that survivorship of Age Discrimination in Employment Act claims cannot be limited by state law and must be determined by federal common law. Federal common law distinguishes between remedial statute claims, which survive the plaintiff’s death, and penal statute claims, which do not. For claims under the ADA, federal common law applies and not § 1988(a).
Dangerous Minds: Changing Psychiatric Views of the Mentally Ill in Porfirian Mexico, 1876-1911

L'article decrit les changements intervenus dans les societes occidentales dans la perception et le traitement des malades mentaux. Leur position sociale, auparavant consideree comme privilegiee au sein de la societe, fut reconsideree en celui d'un groupe morbide intrinsequement condamne a perturber le developpement normal d'une societe.
Global fixed-priority scheduling of arbitrary-deadline sporadic task systems

Fixed Task Priority (FTP) scheduling algorithms are priority-driven scheduling algorithms in which all jobs generated by each recurrent task are restricted to have the same priority. The multiprocessor FTP scheduling of sporadic task systems is studied in this paper. A new sufficient schedulability test is presented and proved correct. It is shown that this test offers non-trivial quantitative guarantees, including a processor speedup bound.
Potassium-specific Uncoupling by Nigericin

Abstract The uncoupling activity of nigericin in rat liver mitochondria was found to be proportional to the external concentration of potassium. Rubidium (40% as effective as potassium) was the only other alkali metal cation that permitted significant uncoupling. The ability of nigericin selectively to inhibit (at low concentrations) and to uncouple (at high concentrations) only certain substrates was investigated with particular reference to glutamate and malate. The rate-limiting reaction for glutamate oxidation in the presence of nigericin was substrate level phosphorylation, not glutamate uptake. Nigericin was compared with other uncouplers with respect to induced ion movements and relative effectiveness in overcoming respiratory inhibition by guanidine compounds. Nigericin potentiated rather than reversed the guanidine inhibition. Possible mechanisms for the involvement of the potassium complex of nigericin in the uncoupling process are discussed.
Data evaluation for acoustic Doppler current profiler measurements obtained at fixed locations in a natural river

[1] Methodologies are presented to (1) evaluate the effect of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) motion on velocity measurements, (2) assess the stationarity of velocity time series, and (3) ensure that a sample record is of sufficient length for measurements taken with an ADCP at a fixed location in a natural river. ADCP motion occurring on the timescale of an ensemble is investigated by comparing single-ping and multiping measurements obtained at the same location under the same flow conditions. Large-scale motion occurring over the course of the entire measurement is studied by first examining a set of indicators to determine if motion may have resulted in the ADCP measuring in regions of different flow characteristics and then dividing the record into segments representing the potentially different regions for comparison. If boat motion is significant, the ADCP record is edited accordingly. Stationarity is assessed using statistical trend tests with guidance provided for selecting parameters based on instrument physics and flow conditions. Mean streamwise and spanwise velocity profiles can be calculated after confirming the reliability of a measurement. A set of criteria are presented to evaluate the appropriateness of an assumption of the law of the wall for streamwise velocity profiles. The methodology is demonstrated using 67 fixed-vessel measurements obtained at two sites on the lower Roanoke River for two discharges. The results indicate that an appropriate procedure was used for securing the ADCP in the channel and that the sample records were sufficient to provide both accurate measurements of mean quantities and assess the stationarity of velocity.
Remembering Rollin Hotchkiss (1911-2004).

ROLLIN HOTCHKISS, the distinguished biochemist and geneticist, died last December at the age of 93. I met Rollin in the summer of 1945 in Cold Spring Harbor. He had come to take the phage course, which was being offered for the first time that year. He returned as a summer investigator for many years thereafter, and during those summers I came to know him well and to admire him as a superb scientist and an exceptionally fine human being. The last time I saw Rollin was at a gathering to celebrate his 85th birthday, a festivity arranged by his wife, Magda Gabor-Hotchkiss, in Lenox, Massachusetts, where they had lived since 1982. The outpouring of affection and appreciation expressed there by his family, friends, colleagues, and former students was overwhelming. In the same measure that he was loved, he will be missed.
Design Principles for Power Grid Cyber-Infrastructure Authentication Protocols

Recently, there has been an increased focus and a sense of urgency in developing standards for Power Grid systems centered on the need for interoperability. Given the threat against these systems an important goal is the development of effective cyber security standards. However, past experience shows that security protocols are prone to design errors. Focusing on authentication protocols, in this work we discuss key design principles and engineering practices that we believe can help ensure the correctness and effectiveness of standards for authentication in Power Grid protocols; e.g., DNP3. This work builds on past work in the area of principles of authentication in Internet protocols but focuses the discussion on the constraints of the Power Grid; in particular, the need for efficient and highly available systems.