cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Embryonic natural orifice transumbilical endoscopic surgery (E-NOTES) for advanced reconstruction: initial experience.

Objectives Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery comprises intraabdominal surgery performed by way of natural orifices (ie, vagina, mouth). In a similar manner, the umbilicus provides an embryonic natural orifice that permits intraabdominal access. We report on the feasibility of performing single-port advanced laparoscopic reconstructive surgery by way of the umbilicus in 6 patients. We propose the terminology embryonic-natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (E-NOTES) for this novel surgical approach. Methods Through a single 1.5- to 3-cm intraumbilical incision and a novel, single-access port, we performed laparoscopic bilateral single-session Anderson-Hynes pyeloplasty (2 patients, 4 procedures), ileal ureter (n = 1), and ureteroneocystostomy with a psoas hitch (n = 1). No extraumbilical skin incisions were used. A 2-mm Veress needle port, inserted through a skin needle puncture, was used to create the pneumoperitoneum and to selectively insert a needlescopic grasper to assist in suturing. Results All procedures were successful without the need for any additional laparoscopic ports. For the 2 patients undergoing bilateral pyeloplasty (including patient repositioning) and the 1 patient each undergoing ileal ureter and psoas-hitch ureteroneocystostomy, the operating time was 4.5, 6, 5, and 3 hours, blood loss was 100, 50, 75, and 50 mL, and the hospital stay was 1, 2, 3, and 2 days, respectively. No intraoperative or postoperative complications developed. Conclusions To our knowledge, we present the initial experience with advanced laparoscopic reconstruction through a single intraumbilical port. Additional refinement of this technology could lead to wider incorporation of single-port laparoscopy in clinical practice. Embryonic-natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery appears to be a promising new approach for select indications.
Linking the biology of osteoarthritis to locomotion mechanics

Osteoarthritis (OA) may be described as a syndrome in which biochemical and biomechanical abnormalities combine to cause pain and functional deterioration associated with structural degradation of the joint. The end of the 20th century saw the emergence of assays capable of measuring molecules whose concentrations in body fluids (joint fluid, blood and urine) provide information about specific metabolic processes occurringin vivoin the joint tissues of patients with OA and other joint diseases [1].The ability to quantify with precision these molecules, referred to below as metabolic markers, is helping scientists and clinicians address questions they had not been able to ask before. While the field of research on body fluid markers of joint metabolism is still in its infancy, there already is clear evidence that the measurement of some of these markers is going to shed more light on the pathogenesis of both the pre-clinical and clinical stages of joint disease, including OA; that will prove helpful in developing effective therapeutic treatments. For example, it is now relatively simple to rapidly determine if a drug, with documented effects upon the metabolism of aggrecan in cartilage or chondrocytes cultured in vitro, has the same effect in vivo [2].The ability to measure, in a small volume of blood, metabolic markers that will help monitor or prognosticate OA-related changes remains a longterm goal of investigators in the field. There is good agreement that, over the shorter term, this may be achieved by measuring a panel of a few markers. Indeed, recent observations that the quantification of the level of hyaluronan (HA) [3],cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) [4] and C-reactive protein [5]in serum may have prognostic value in OA suggest that sensitive assays capable of measuring markers of specific metabolic processes may soon be used in the clinical assessment of patients with this condition.
Stoichiometric Considerations of Mammalian Cell Metabolism in Bioreactors

For mammalian cells in culture the primary energy sources include glucose and glutamine. Under normal culture conditions, both glucose and glutamine are essential for cell growth. At a high glucose concentration, most of the glucose consumed is converted to lactate. This high conversion of glucose to lactate can be reduced by controlling the glucose concentration at a low level via programmed feeding of glucose. With decreasing glucose concentration, the rate of glucose conversion to lactate is decreased and the rate of glutamine consumption is increased. When serving as energy sources, glucose and glutamine are substitutable substrates. However, besides serving as an energy source, glucose also provides cells with the ribose necessary for the synthesis of nucleic acids. Similarly, glutamine may be utilized for the synthesis of nucleic acids and non-essential amino acids. Thus, the two substrates can also be complementary. Under steady state conditions in a continuous culture, the carbon from glucose and glutamine results in primarily three places: assimilated into cell mass, converted to lactate and oxidized to carbon dioxide. Thus, the carbon balance on glucose and glutamine results in six fluxes. Among the six fluxes of carbon conversion, the two associated with assimilation are complementary in nature, whereas the other two pairs are substitutable in principle. Specific consumption or production rates of glucose, glutamine, lactate and ammonium, carbon dioxide, as well as oxygen can all be estimated from the measurement of the corresponding species. Furthermore, the stoichiometric coefficients may be estimated from the metabolic pathways. This analysis indicates that the state of mammalian cell energy metabolism can be estimated from the measurement of six species of substrates/metabolites in the bioreactor.
Women's Literacies and Social Hierarchy in Early Modern England

This article argues for a historically contextualized investigation of literacy that attends to early modern literacies in different and mixed media and to literacy as a complex set of practices and theories. Early modern literacy, for example, does not necessarily include both reading and writing: the criterion of measuring literacy by the signature is biased against women of various ranks as well as against poor men. Therefore, literacy rates of women should not be measured solely by means of their ability to sign their names but also by evidence provided by books dedicated to noblewomen or addressed to women of different ranks. A more expansive conception of authorship that includes anonymously, pseudonymously, and collectively written documents, as well as translations, can give a more accurate idea of the literacy of women of different social groups. Future research on literacy will be advanced by the discovery of hitherto unknown writings, and scholars will need to work on cultural documents of many kinds to gather evidence on the so-called “unlettered women,” and thereby to focus our attention on the negatively charged side of the literacy/illiteracy dyad.
Household Food Insecurity and Mental Health Problems Among Adolescents: What Do Parents Report?

Abstract Objective To investigate whether adolescents living in households with food insecurity have poorer parent-reported mental health (MH) than peers. Methods We analyzed cross-sectional data from ∼8600 adolescents who participated in the 2007 (8th grade) wave of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten. Household food insecurity (HFI) was assessed by parental report on the 18-item US Household Food Security Scale. Total Difficulties score >13 on the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) indicated problems with adolescent MH. SDQ subscale scores (Emotional, Conduct, Hyperactivity, Peer Problems) were also calculated. Associations between HFI and MH were explored in bivariate and multivariable analyses. Interactions of HFI and gender and HFI and receipt of free/reduced-price school lunch were analyzed with regard to problems with MH. Results A total of 10.2% of adolescents lived with HFI; 11.2% had SDQ >13. Adolescents with HFI had higher rates of overall MH problems (28.7% vs 9.2%), emotional problems (21.6% vs 6.6%), conduct problems (26.5% vs 11.6%), hyperactivity (22.4% vs 11.3%), and peer problems (19.8% vs 8.6%) (all P Conclusions HFI was associated with increased risk of parent-reported MH problems among both male and female adolescents. Free/reduced-price school lunch did not significantly alter this relationship. Effective interventions to promote MH and reduce HFI among adolescents are necessary.
Fluorinated Surfactant Templating of Ordered Nanoporous Silica

We will describe the first synthesis of ordered mesoporous silica using a fluorinated surfactant template. Nitrogen adsorption, x-ray diffraction and TEM results will be presented that show that at room temperature, we form particles with well-ordered 2D hexagonal pores using a cationic surfactant with a partially fluorinated octyl (C8) tail. The pore diameter determined by the inflection in the nitrogen adsorption isotherm is on the order of 2.6 nm and the pore size distribution is very narrow. Consistent diameters are found with a modified Kelvin equation approach and with nonlocal density functional theory. The same pore size and long-range order are found for a range of surfactant to silica ratios.
Interest Rates, Market Pricing, and Compounding

Using examples from financial markets, this note examines links among market prices, stated interest rates, and compounding assumptions. The note emphasizes how interest rates are expressions of market prices, and pays particular attention to the role of compounding assumptions. Market prices are converted into stated interest rates for different compounding assumptions. Guidance is offered on how to make intelligent comparisons across markets that use different compounding conventions. The note is useful as background for the study of a wide array of pricing issues in fixed-income and options markets.
Effect of Electron Irradiation and Excess Cd on Ion-Assisted Doping of p-CdTe Thin Films

Ion-assisted doping of homoepitaxial p-CdTe films with low energy P ions (20 eV) deposited by vacuum evaporation has been investigated. In order to control the properties of the films, we applied low energy electron irradiation and Cd overpressure during the growth. We report the results of measurements of hole density, spectral response of Cr/p-CdTe Schottky barriers (to estimate the minority carrier diffusion length Ld). From Ld, we have found that the quality of the films is dependent on both the ion dose and the ion energy. By reducing the ion energy to 20 eV and applying electron irradiation and Cd overpressure, p-CdTe films with p = 1 x 1017 cm−3 and Ld = 0.35 μm were obtained. A p-CdTe film with p = 1016 cm−3 was obtained with a low ion energy of 10 eV.
Strange Bedfellows: John Milton and Karl Marx on Censorship

(1996). Strange Bedfellows: John Milton and Karl Marx on Censorship. Free Speech Yearbook: Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 24-40.
Chimpanzees, cooking, and a more comparative psychology

A recent report suggested that chimpanzees demonstrate the cognitive capacities necessary to understand cooking (Warneken & Rosati, 2015). We offered alternative explanations and mechanisms that could account for the behavioral responses of those chimpanzees, and questioned the manner in which the data were used to examine human evolution (Beran, Hopper, de Waal, Sayers, & Brosnan, 2015). Two commentaries suggested either that we were overly critical of the original report’s claims and methodology (Rosati & Warneken, 2016), or that, contrary to our statements, early biological thinkers contributed little to questions concerning the evolutionary importance of cooking (Wrangham, 2016). In addition, both commentaries took issue with our treatment of chimpanzee referential models in human evolutionary studies. Our response offers points of continued disagreement as well as points of conciliation. We view Warneken and Rosati’s general conclusions as a case of affirming the consequent—a logical conundrum in which, in this case, a demonstration of a partial list of the underlying abilities required for a cognitive trait/suite (understanding of cooking) are suggested as evidence for that ability. And although we strongly concur with both Warneken and Rosati (2015) and Wrangham (2016) that chimpanzee research is invaluable and essential to understanding humanness, it can only achieve its potential via the holistic inclusion of all available evidence—including that from other animals, evolutionary theory, and the fossil and archaeological records.
Ratio of ryanodine to dihydropyridine receptors in cardiac and skeletal muscle and implications for E-C coupling

We measured dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) and ryanodine receptor (RYR) density in isolated ventricular myocytes from rabbits, rats, ferrets, and guinea pigs and also from rabbit ventricular homogenate, skeletal muscle homogenate, and isolated triads. In skeletal muscle homogenate and triads the RYR/DHPR ratio was 0.7 and 0.52, respectively. This stoichiometry is reasonably consistent with excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling models in skeletal muscle where the DHPR molecule itself may transmit the signal for Ca release to the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and with the molecular arrangement proposed for toadfish swimbladder from ultrastructural studies by B. A. Block, T. Imagawa, K. P. Campbell, and C. Franzini-Armstrong. (J. Cell Biol. 107: 2587-2600, 1988). That is, there could be approximately two RYR for each four DHPR or two RYR feet per DHPR tetrad in an organized array (assuming 1 high-affinity RYR/foot and 4 DHPR/tetrad). The fraction of rabbit ventricular protein that is cardiac myocyte protein was also estimated (< or = 55-62%), assuming that RYR and DHPR are useful but not exclusive markers for myocytes in the ventricle. In cardiac myocytes the RYR/DHPR was much higher than in skeletal muscle and varied among different mammalian myocytes. The RYR/DHPR ratios were 3.7 in rabbit, 4.3 in guinea pig, 7.3 in rat, and 10.2 in ferret myocytes. In contrast to skeletal muscle, these results indicate that there are many more RYR feet per DHPR in cardiac muscle, and this ratio depends on species (i.e., 4-10 times and would be 4 times higher still per putative DHPR tetrad if that structure exists in mammalian heart).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Keeping Them Honest: Proactively Preventing Fraud in Pennsylvania's Cyber Charter Schools

The number of cyber charter schools has rapidly expanded during the past decade. Given the prominence of the internet as a modern educational tool, this trend shows no signs of slowing down. This paper examines the legal regime that oversees cyber charter school financial accountability and concludes that the current system does little to curb the motivations of cyber charter school leaders to commit fraud. This paper begins by providing a chronology of the development of charter schools in Pennsylvania with a particular emphasis on cyber charter schools. Key statutory provisions governing both brick-and-mortar and cyber charter schools are described in detail. The paper proceeds to provide a foundation of corporate law governance concepts that relate to the Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools, which all have the legal status of nonprofit corporations. Directorial duties are examined in some depth, as well as the common law limitations on these duties. Following this legal primer, the paper describes PA Cyber -- the largest cyber charter school in Pennsylvania -- and outlines the events that culminated in a 2012 federal investigation of the school’s books, which looked into potentially self-dealing transactions entered into by the school’s directors. The central argument of this paper is that current common law and statutory provisions inadequately prevent fraud among cyber charter school operators. With an eye toward fixing this problem, the author recognizes three broad categories of potential reform: extrinsic regulation and oversight, internal self-regulation, and a hybrid category that contains elements of both. This paper argues that the first two categories each have profound flaws and might well create more problems than solutions. This being the case, the author argues that the best hope for reform lies in creating regulations that strongly encourage compliance among cyber charter school directors. The paper concludes by proposing ideas for statutory reform in this direction: creating a different funding algorithm for cyber charter schools and increasing the liability standard for directors of cyber charter schools.
Forecasting in the Distribution Environment

Much of the success of enterprise planning and decision-making processes depends on the formulation of accurate forecasts. Although it has often been said that nothing really happens until a company receives a customer order, unless the enterprise has developed sound plans that enable it to purchase the proper inventory, establish the necessary distribution channels, and deliver goods on a competitive basis, the business cannot possibly hope to achieve corporate objectives. In addition, forecasting permits firms to establish performance measurements for customer service, plan the level of total inventory investment, choose between alternative operating strategies, and develop assumptions about the ability of the business to respond to the future needs of the marketplace. Effective forecasts can dramatically improve enterprise profitability, productivity, and customer service and ensure a firm’s competitive advantage Finally, good forecasting assists distribution enterprise functions by eliminating waste in the form of excess inventory, reducing lost sales and expensive expediting, and controlling costs involved in maintaining plant size, labor, equipment, and transportation.
Can Elite Capture Backfire? The Case of U.S. Congressional Redistricting

Every 10 years, U.S. states must redraw their Congressional districts. It is widely believed that political parties redraw districts to favor their own candidates ("gerrymandering"). We test this claim by exploiting the discontinuous change in a political party's control of redistricting triggered when its share of seats in the state legislature exceeds 50 percent. We find evidence of gerrymandering, but it has the opposite effect from that intended. Gerrymandering creates districts with narrow majorities of supporters. These majorities are ultimately eroded by demographic shifts and the response of opposing interest groups. Republicans actually win fewer elections when they control redistricting.
The Role of Role-Taking

The idea that adopting the roles of others will foster an array of desired educational outcomes pervades the field of education. Social studies simulations, anti-bullying interventions, conflict mediation programs, and other role-taking exercises are borne from the implicit logic that when participants can “walk a mile in someone else’s moccasins” better interpersonal outcomes will result. Specifically, by taking the perspective of others we will better understand them, and that understanding will pave the way for smoother interactions and relationships.
Enhancing Peer Relations in School Systems

In this chapter, we present a systems perspective for school intervention programs and describe our efforts to apply such a perspective in our consultation programs for teaching teachers ways to improve their students’ peer relations. Our work is derived from the literature on peer intervention programs (see Furman, 1984; Hops, 1982). Several common themes have emerged in that literature. First, a number of promising approaches have been developed, including coaching or social skills training programs, social cognitive interventions, and cooperative group programs. Second, we don’t have a good understanding of why the programs have at least short-term effects, particularly considering that the specific nature of changes or lack of changes varies from study to study. For example, social skills training programs have sometimes resulted in changes in both sociometric status and peer interactions; in other instances, changes have been observed in only one domain; and in a few instances, no changes at all have been observed (Furman, 1984). These results also underlie the third common theme heard in the literature: Serious concerns exist about the generalization and maintenance of treatment effects (Hops, 1982). Few have examined such effects, and fewer have found them.
Rotational Coordinate Transformation for Visual-Inertial Sensor Fusion

Visual and inertial sensors are used collaboratively in many applications because of their complementary properties. The problem associated with sensor fusion is relative coordinate transformations. This paper presents a quaternion-based method to estimate the relative rotation between visual and inertial sensors. Rotation between a camera and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) is represented by quaternions, which are separately measured to allow the sensor to be optimized individually. Relative quaternions are used so that the global reference is not required to be known. The accuracy of the coordinate transformation was evaluated by comparing with a ground-truth tracking system. The experiment analysis proves the effectiveness of the proposed method in terms of accuracy and robustness.
Expanding media and sexuality studies: a transnational study of sex museums

ABSTRACTThis article offers an introduction to my current project that investigates transnational flows of mediated sexuality among sex museums and other exhibitions of explicitly erotic materials. The project expands a communication studies focus on electronic media to consider alternative sites of mediation, such as the museum, as richly communicative. I explore the embodied context of museums to shift our traditional focus on audiences toward the more expansive concept of publics. I also trace different types of mobility—of discourses, materials, and people—in the circulation of commodified sexuality. The goal for these explorations is to theorize how sexual publics and mobilities intersect to construct an urbane, cosmopolitan, citizen consumer.
Novel Approaches to the Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia

Alopecia is a common and most distressing side effect of cancer chemotherapy. Although of no prognostic significance, alopecia can impact heavily on the quality of life in the cancer patient. Thus, in a recent study, 35 of 46 patients receiving chemotherapy ranked alopecia as a more important side effect than vomiting (1). There are currently no satisfactory methods to prevent it. Our work using the young rat model has provided new insight into the problem and has opened new avenues for further investigation. Furthermore some of the agents we have recently used successfully to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia in the young rat have excellent potential applicability in the clinical setting.
Petrochronology and TIMS

Thermal ionization mass spectrometers, or TIMS, were developed by the pioneers of mass spectrometry in the mid-20th century, and have since been workhorses for generating isotopic data for a wide range of elements. Later-developed mass spectrometric techniques have many advantages over TIMS, including higher spatial resolution with in situ techniques, such as secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS), and greater versatility in terms the elements that can be easily-and well-measured. The reason TIMS persists as an important method for geochronology is that for some key parent-daughter systems (e.g., U–Pb, Sm–Nd), it can produce isotopic data and resultant dates with 10–100 times higher precision and more quantifiable accuracy than in situ techniques, even when sample sizes are very small (such as those that might result from single crystals, or even small portions of zoned crystals). For many questions in the geosciences, the highest achievable precision and accuracy are required to resolve the timescales of processes and/or correlate events globally. As an example, modern TIMS U–Pb geochronology is capable of producing dates with precision and accuracy better than 0.1% of the age for single crystals with only a few picograms (pg) of Pb. Therefore, it is possible to constrain the durations of single zircon crystal growth in magmatic systems over tens to hundreds of kyr in Mesozoic and younger rocks. If these dates and rates can be connected with other igneous processes such as magma transfer, emplacement and crystallization, then it becomes possible to calibrate thermal and mass budgets in magmatic systems and evaluate competing models for pluton assembly and subvolcanic magma storage. As another example, Sm–Nd geochronology of garnet permits dates with precision better than ±1 million years for garnets of any age, including multiple concentric growth zones in single crystals. Such …
Bloom Development of the Beef Semimembranosus and Triceps Brachii as Influenced by Wet-Aging 1

The semimembranosus (SM) and triceps brachii (TB) from USDA Select beef carcasses were used to test the effect of wet-aging period on bloom development. Inside rounds (IMPS#168) and shoulder clods (IMPS #114) were randomly allocated to 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 d wet-aging at 2°C (n = 10 subprimal cuts/aging period). Each week, two 2.54-cm-thick, non-adjacent steaks were cut from aged inside rounds and shoulder clods, and instrumental color (L*, a*, and b*) of the SM and TB was measured at 10-min intervals for 2 h after cutting. Steaks from the SM and TB became a more vivid (greater C* values; P < 0.05), redder (greater a* values; P < 0.05), and yellower (greater b* values; P < 0.05) color during the 120-min bloom period. Moreover, the calculated proportion of oxymyoglobin (OMb) in SM and TB steaks increased (linear, P < 0.001) during the first 80 min after cutting but stabilized thereafter. Redness (a* and hue angles), b*, and C* values decreased (linear, P ≤ 0.050) in SM steaks as duration of wet-aging increased from 0 to 35 d, but length of wet-aging had no (P ≥ 0.127) effect on instrumental color measures of TB steaks. Neither the percentage of calculated OMb (P = 0.580) nor OMb asymptotic point (P ≥ 0.214) for SM steaks was affected by duration of wet-aging, and, even though the proportion of OMb in TB steaks was not altered (P = 0.459) by postmortem aging, OMb asymptotic points increased (linear, P = 0.001) in TB steaks with increasing durations of wet-aging. Results of these experiments indicate that 90%, or more, of the change in color was achieved within the first 50 to 60 min after cutting, but duration of wet-aging had little to no impact on bloom development in SM and TB steaks.
Suffering another’s sin: proxy penance in the thirteenth century

ABSTRACTProxy penance – where one person completed penance for another person, who received the benefit – had a long history in medieval Europe, despite the lack of scholarly interest in the subject. This article examines one moment in this long history when proxy penance was debated by theologians and practised by individuals at the same time. By juxtaposing two discourses – the theoretical and the practical – a comprehensive image of proxy penance is stitched together. Particular attention is paid not only to the historical contexts out of which proxy penance emanated but also to the specific ways that individuals and groups experienced proxy activity. This research broadens the scholarly conversation about medieval penance, situates female spirituality in a new framework and places proxy penance within the context of larger theological and social innovations.
Stress and Neuronal Plasticity

The brain is the key organ of the stress response insofar as it processes information and determines whether an event or situation is threatening. Moreover, the brain regulates autonomic, neuroendocrine, and immune function and determines behavioral responses that can be health promoting or health damaging. The brain is an adaptable organ, and both acute and chronic stress produce structural as well as neurochemical alterations that are associated with altered function. The gateway into stress and the brain was the hippocampus that was reported in 1968 to contain receptors for adrenal steroids and later found to undergo remodeling with repeated stress, including the suppression of ongoing neurogenesis and the shortening of dendrites in the CA3 region. Later, neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex were found to respond to repeated stress by showing atrophy that impairs adaptive behaviors, whereas neurons in amygdala show a growth response that accompanies increased anxiety and aggression. Mediators of the structural remodeling include not only glucocorticoids but also excitatory amino acids, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, corticotrophin releasing factor, and the extracellular protease tissue plasminogen activator, corticotrophin release factor, endocannabinoids, lipocalin-2 as well as extracellular adhesion molecules such as L1 and the neural cell adhesion molecule, NCAM, and its polysialated form (PSA-NCAM). Key questions are the degree to which these changes are reversible and whether they increase or decrease vulnerability of the brain to permanent damage, which does result from severe insults such as seizures, strokes, and head trauma and may also be a factor in prolonged psychiatric illnesses.
Normativity in Deleuze and Guattari's concept of philosophy

The following paper is an exposition and analysis of Deleuze and Guattari's (hereafter called D&G) vision for philosophy. In sections I and II I discuss two defining features of this vision: respectively, the philosopher as creator and the concept as the philosopher's creation. In the final section I argue that D&G's vision is supported by a normative principle that is itself not intuitively obvious. I conclude that while D&G's vision for philosophy charts out a brave space for philosophy, one may adopt the spirit of their vision without embracing their normative principle.
The Question of Moral Evil

The attempt to solve the problem of evil in the way just expounded has been subjected to an ingenious attack by J. L. Mackie. In an article often referred to,1 he points out that if we are to assume that charity, compassion and so on are such desirable qualities, it is worthwhile having earthquakes, hurricanes and all sorts of dreadful diseases just for the sake of securing their existence, then cruelty, meanness and the like are of a comparable degree of undesirability. Just as we have said that the man who responds virtuously to suffering does far more good than just lessening the amount of suffering in the world — for he also enhances his moral character — so we would have to agree that a man who responds callously to suffering does much more evil than just leaving suffering to continue, which he could have alleviated, by debasing his own character. If it is claimed that God has greatly improved the world by providing opportunities for virtuous responses to suffering to exist, then it would also have to be admitted that he has impaired the world to no less degree by also providing opportunities for vicious responses. Surely the world could have been no worse off by having opportunities for neither.
Induction of winter fur growth in mink (Mustela vison) with melatonin.

Adult and kit standard dark male and female mink were treated with 0, 5 or 10 mg melatonin, or a reduced photoperiod of 6 h light: 18 h dark (6L: 18D, initiated during the last week of June) to determine the effects of treatment on winter fur growth. Melatonin was administered in a Silastic implant inserted sc over the scapular region during the last week of June. Regardless of sex or age, mink treated with melatonin or a 6L: 18D photoperiod molted the summer pelage and grew the winter pelage earlier than controls (P less than .001). Winter pelage was fully prime by mid-October, 6 wk earlier than normal. Weight gain of mink, regardless of sex or age, was not affected by melatonin treatment. These findings indicate that photoperiodic effects on the growth of winter pelage in mink may be mediated through the pineal gland and its secretion of melatonin.
The Social Practice of Borderland Pedagogies

These activities help us realize that we can each contribute to dialogue without expert knowledge on a subject.—M. Menjivar (personal communication, October 25, 2018)In 2018, a group of artists and...
Characterization of the immunophenotype of RCC patients who developed vitiligo-like depigmentation of the skin during the course of the spontaneous tumor regression

4322 Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has proven relatively resistant to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, yet reports of spontaneous regression and promising results in clinical trials suggest that immunotherapeutic strategies may provide clinical benefit. To better understand the nature of immune responses associated with spontaneous regression in patients that exhibit coordinate autoimmunity (vitiligo-like depigmentation), we analyzed the immunophenotype of 9 patients (melanoma or RCC) who exhibited spontaneous tumor regression vs. 6 melanoma patients with progressive disease and 7 normal donors.. Methods: APC, NK and T cells including T regulatory cells were assessed using multi-color flow cytometry and the results compared with those obtained from aged-matched cancer patients and normal donors. APC subsets analyzed included HLA-DR+ CD14++CD11++CD11b+ monocytes, HLA-DR+ CD14+/-CD11c+CD123- myeloid DC, HLA-DR+CD14+/-CD11c++CD123+CD16+ myeloid DC and HLA-DR+ CD14-CD11c-CD123++ plasmacytoid DC. APCs were also screened for expression of co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory molecules, and for their functional capacity to promote the proliferation of allogenic T cells (using in vitro CSFE-dilution assays monitored by flow cytometry) and the production of cytokines from effector CD4+ T cell clones using cytokine secretion and ELISA assays. NK subsets analyzed included: CD3-CD56+CD16+, CD56-CD16+, and CD56+CD16- cells. T cell subsets were distinguished as CD4+, CD8+, CD4+CD8+ and CD3+CD56+, CD56+ CD8+ (i.e. NK-T cells). We also assessed Treg cells using various 2-color profiles, including: CD4+CD25+, CD4+Foxp3+, CD4+TLR8+ and CD4+CTLA-4+. Conclusions: In contrast to patients with advanced disease, and more in line with normal donors, patients with spontaneous tumor regression demonstrated: low CD4+/CD8+ ratios, low frequencies of CD56+CD8+ NKT cells, high frequencies of NK cells (with a predominance of CD16+CD56+ cells), and low frequencies of Treg cells (Foxp3+, CTLA-4+ and TLR8+). The analysis of the APC compartment suggested that both patient groups exhibited a lower frequency of monocytes vs. normal donors, and that the expression of co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory molecules was also divergent. The most dramatic difference observed was for CD86 expression on monocytes, pDC and B cells, that was notably reduced on monocytes from melanoma patients, but higher for pDC and B cells (vs. RCC patients or normal donors). We also observed that APC expression of the co-inhibitory molecules B7-H1 and B7-H4 was elevated in melanoma patients with active disease vs. all other cohorts, which could relate to the observed increase in Treg frequencies in these indivuals.
Acoustic characteristics of belching in speech

“When such nonspeech sounds occur connected in speech they sometimes carry important social connotations (Pike, 1943: 39).” This sentiment is attested over and over again in linguistic literature that provides cases of nontraditional sounds (such as coughing, moans, cries) being co-opted into the continuous stream of speech within discourse (Ohala,1995; Ogden, 2013; Prelock and Hutchins, 2018; Pinto and Vigil, 2018). This reveals an unanswered problem: While many of these sounds have been able to be expressed by their phonetic parameters in paralinguistics (Trager, 1958; Poyatos, 1975), belching—as evident from a case study as being intentionally interjected into the speech stream with social connotations (Kidner, 2018)—has consistently eluded detailed description using acoustic parameters. Acoustic data were taken from this case study, and belching was distinguished in Praat (Boersma and Weenik, 2018) from modal speech by an increase in glottal pulses and jitter (>4.4%), an increase in shimmer (>15%), low pitch (≤300 Hz), and an irregular amplitude contour. These criteria for belch identification (while not exhaustive) allow us not just to classify belches phonetically within the corpus, but moves the process of acoustically defining otherwise difficult paralinguistic sounds forward.
Back to the front: Archaeological resources and the planning process

ABSTRACTWhile there are standardized methods for incorporating natural resources into planning and design, cultural resources are treated as an afterthought or are considered only after unexpected ...
Roles of Postdiagnosis Accumulation of Morbidities and Lifestyle Changes in Excess Total and Cause-Specific Mortality Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective To elucidate how postdiagnosis multimorbidity and lifestyle changes contribute to the excess mortality of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods We performed a matched cohort study among women in the Nurses' Health Study (1976-2018). We identified women with incident RA and matched each by age and year to 10 non-RA comparators at the RA diagnosis index date. Specific causes of death were ascertained via death certificates and medical record review. Lifestyle and morbidity factors were reported biennially; 61 chronic conditions were combined into the Multimorbidity Weighted Index (MWI). After adjusting for baseline confounders, we used inverse probability weighting analysis to examine the mediating influence of postindex MWI scores and lifestyle factors on total, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality, comparing women with RA to their matched comparators. Results We identified 1,007 patients with incident RA and matched them to 10,070 non-RA comparators. After adjusting for preindex confounders, we found that hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were higher for total mortality (HR 1.46 [95% CI 1.32, 1.62]), as well as cardiovascular (HR 1.54 [95% CI 1.22, 1.94]) and respiratory (HR 2.75 [95% CI 2.05, 3.71]) mortality in patients with RA compared to non-RA comparators. Adjusting for postindex lifestyle factors (physical activity, body mass index, diet, smoking) attenuated but did not substantially account for this excess RA mortality. After additional adjustment for postindex MWI scores, patients with RA had HRs of 1.18 (95% CI 1.05, 1.32) for total, 1.19 (95% CI 0.94, 1.51) for cardiovascular, and 1.93 (95% CI 1.42, 2.62) for respiratory mortality. Conclusion We found that MWI scores substantially accounted for the excess total and cardiovascular mortality among women with RA. This finding underscores the importance of monitoring for the total disease burden as a whole in monitoring patients with RA.
Nature of protected zero-energy states in Penrose quasicrystals

The electronic spectrum of the Penrose rhombus quasicrystal exhibits a macroscopic fraction of exactly degenerate zero-energy states. In contrast to other bipartite quasicrystals, such as the kite-and-dart one, these zero-energy states cannot be attributed to a global mismatch $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}n$ between the number of sites in the two sublattices that form the quasicrystal. Here, we argue that these zero-energy states are instead related to a local mismatch $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}n(\mathbf{r})$. Although $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}n(\mathbf{r})$ averages to 0, its staggered average over self-organized domains gives the correct number of zero-energy states. Physically, the local mismatch is related to a hidden structure of nested self-similar domains that support the zero-energy states. This allows us to develop a real-space renormalization-group scheme, which yields the scaling law for the fraction of zero-energy states, $Z$, versus the size of their support domain, $N$, as $Z\ensuremath{\propto}{N}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\eta}}$ with $\ensuremath{\eta}=1\ensuremath{-}ln2/2ln\ensuremath{\tau}\ensuremath{\approx}0.2798$ (where $\ensuremath{\tau}$ is the golden ratio). It also reproduces the known total fraction of zero-energy states, $81\ensuremath{-}50\ensuremath{\tau}\ensuremath{\approx}0.0983$. We also show that the exact degeneracy of these states is protected against a wide variety of local perturbations, such as irregular or random hopping amplitudes, magnetic field, and random dilution of the lattice. We attribute this robustness to the hidden domain structure.
Decomposition of Ammonium-Perchlorate-Encapsulated Nanoscale and Micron-Scale Catalyst Particles

Iron oxide is the most common catalyst in solid rocket propellant. We have previously demonstrated increased performance of propellant by encapsulating iron oxide particles within ammonium perchlorate (AP), but only nanoscale particles were used, and encapsulation was only accomplished in fine AP (~20 microns in diameter). In this study, we extended the size of particle inclusions to micron-scale within the AP particles as well the particle sizes of the AP-encapsulated catalyst particles (100s of microns) using fractional crystallization techniques with the AP-encapsulated particles as nucleation sites for precipitation. Here we report catalyst particle inclusions of micron-scale, as well as nanoscale, within AP and present characterization of this encapsulation. Encapsulating micron-sized particles and growing these composite particles could pave the way for numerous possible applications. A study of the thermal degradation of these AP-encapsulated particles compared against a standard mixture of iron oxide and AP showed that AP-encapsulated micron-scale catalyst particles exhibited similar behavior to AP-encapsulated nanoscale particles. Using computed tomography, we found that catalyst particles were dispersed throughout the interior of coarse AP-encapsulated micron-scale catalyst particles and decomposition was induced within these particles around catalyst-rich regions.
Chapter 38 – Cave Insects

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the subterranean biome, highlighting terrestrial systems and the insects that are obligately adapted to live permanently in underground voids. The most conspicuous aspect displayed by obligate cave arthropods is the reduction of structures normally considered adaptive. Cave species also often lack a circadian rhythm and have relatively low metabolic and reproductive rates. A few characters are often enhanced, including modified structures such as increased hairiness, enlarged sensory organs, longer appendages, and specialized tarsi. Insects, arachnids, and millipedes are the dominant terrestrial groups living in caves. Beetles (Coleoptera), especially the families Carabidae, Leiodidae, and Staphylinidae, are well represented in the temperate caves. Troglobitic species are also found in the orders Diplura, Thysanura, Blattodea, Dermaptera, Grylloblattodea, Psocoptera, and Lepidoptera. Troglobitic bristletails (Diplura) occur mainly in temperate caves. The fantastic adaptations displayed by obligate cave animals have long intrigued biologists. Their often narrow environmental tolerances, coupled with their island-like habitats, have reinforced the view that these animals are fragile, lead an endangered existence, and are in need of conservation. Ecological studies are needed that improve our understanding of the functioning ecosystem, as well as understanding of natural successional processes. However, experimental ecological studies in caves are problematic because in few other habitats are humans so dramatically intruders as in caves.
A Methodology to Analyze Self-Reflection in E-Portfolios

This Research to Practice Work-In-Progress offers an approach toward assessing self-reflections in e-portfolios written by undergraduate student-Scholars in a Grand Challenge Scholars Program within the College of Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The proposed approach applies two existing frameworks—Robert Grossman’s levels of reflection and the Reflection and Self-Assessment criterion in AAC&U’s Integrative Learning VALUE Rubric—to develop a methodology that could facilitate the assessment of self-reflections as instruments of students’ learning. Preliminary analysis of portions of the e-portfolios submitted by Scholars in the first two cohorts to complete the program shows that the Scholars did not reach high levels of self-reflection when guided only by a generic prompt that asked them what they learned about themselves and how it changed or broadened their perspectives. Our analysis of portfolios is ongoing as additional Scholars graduate from the program, and we expect to see evidence of deeper levels of self-reflection and greater transformation in these newer portfolios as a result of the changes in expectations and prompts.
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation resistance training enhances oxygen uptake and ventilatory efficiency independent of mitochondrial complexes after spinal cord injury: a randomized clinical trial.

Leg oxygen uptake (Vo2) peak, ventilatory efficiency (VE/Vco2 ratio), and substrate utilization were measured during functional electrical stimulation cycling FES-LEC testing following 12–16 wk ...
On the Security of Cyber-Physical Robotic Systems Using Dynamic Modeling and Simulation

This paper addresses the lack of cyber-physical security in robotics systems by implementing a new layer of security that monitors the torque values that the robot is exerting, while in motion, for possible anomalies. A simulated compliant robot (the Franka Panda) that used the Unity physics engine was adapted to create and test this anomaly-detection security layer. Anomalies observed in the torque signals are reported back to the operators and a resilience measure is enacted to create a layer of cyber-physical security for robotics systems. We provide a simulation of a possible attack and demonstrate the response of the system.
Political De-Moralization of the Poor: Organizing Lower-Class Families of the Mentally Retarded

This paper employs an analytic framework based on organizational incentives to explain the failure of recent welfare reform efforts. The data consists of observations, interviews, and routine inhouse reports collected on a federally funded program, Project STAR. The project was developed with the aim of mobilizing lower-class and minority families of the mentally retarded in support of reform of mental retardation services in five cities in the U.S. A service-inducement strategy was pursued by the reform organization to overcome the difficulties of enticing lower-class families of the retarded to participate in organizational activities. This strategy appears to have had several unintended consequences on the reform project. The concern with identifying and providing social services became a major preoccupation of the reformers. To the extent to which parents did participate because of the receipt of welfare benefits, this diminished the reform organization's autonomy relative to the existing welfare network. A further impact of this serviceinducement strategy was political demoralization of the parents of the retarded. The "service" focus appears to have attracted parents the least predisposed towards community change. Once involved in the organization, the impact of organizational activities was of reinforcement of this predisposition. Analysts of welfare reform organizations need to pay greater attention to the cooptative impact of welfare benefits. The data suggests the failure of community mobilization can be explained by the organizational incentives used. The problem reform organizations face is in finding the proper mix of purposive, material and solidary inducements which both recruit and retain participants, at the same time allowing the pursuit of mobilization goals.