cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Politics of Punishment: Building Rule of Law in the Shadow of the State in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Governance is typically considered to be the responsibility and jurisdiction of the state. In areas of limited statehood, we might expect the practice of governance (the provision of basic public goods, such as security or judicial administration) to be correspondingly lacking. Yet even in states characterized by extreme fragility or weakness, certain public goods prevail. For example, over the past five years, courts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) have produced some of the most progressive judicial decisions against perpetrators of gender violence of anywhere in the world. Yet DR Congo is often described as the archetypal 'failed state' (Kabemba 2001). This article uses a case study of domestic courts in eastern DR Congo to analyze how and why complex functions of domestic governance - such as the production of frequent and high quality judicial decisions by domestic courts  are able to persist, even flourish, in an area where the state is characterized by extreme fragility and weakness. Based on data collected over five years in multiple locations in eastern DR Congo I argue that synergistic and mutually reinforcing activities by domestic and international non-state actors at three levels of governance - central state institutions, local institutions, and among individual members of conflict-affected communities  have resulted in surprisingly effective outcomes in the area of criminal justice, despite ongoing conflict and institutional fragility. Additionally, I argue that the characterization of DR Congo as a fragile post-conflict state, combined with the empirical realities of weak state infrastructure in DR Congos eastern provinces, have created certain opportunity structures for domestic and transnational actors to assume responsibility over basic functions of governance. These opportunities have allowed NGOs and other key organizations to exert considerable influence over judicial processes at each of the three levels that I examine.
Ariel's Ecology: Plantations, Personhood, and Colonialism in the American Tropics

The cover of Monique Allewaert's Ariel's Ecology presents a striking photograph of one underwater sculpture from Jason deCaires Taylor's provocative exhibit “Vicissitudes”. Although the book does n...
The Study of Criminology in China, Part II

As a scholarly discipline, criminology in China is growing in stature, maturity and utility. In the short thirty years since 1979, China has successfully established criminology as a scientific field of study with well-defined subjects, recognised scholars and copious research/publications. To date, there are very few systematic and comprehensive studies of criminology (in English language) as an emerging and important field of academic discipline in China. As a result, we know very little about its focus and scope; direction and trend; theories and findings; and problems and issues. This is a first attempt to do so. The article (in two parts, published separately) investigates into: ‘Literature on law, crime and punishment in China’, ‘The idea of crime (Fanzui)’, ‘Traditional thinking of crime and punishment in imperial China’, ‘Nature, structure and development of criminology’, ‘Contemporary theories on crime and punishment’ and ‘Fundamental issues and challenges’ facing criminological research in China.
Effect of Au nanoparticles on spectroscopic properties of Eu 0.9 Y 0.1 Ta 7 O 19 powder

We have demonstrated that both spectra and kinetics of spontaneous emission of Eu0.9Y0.1Ta7O19 powder can be strongly affected by small amounts (<1 wt.%) of gold nanoparticles added to the powder. This opens a possibility of engineering basic spectroscopic properties of random laser materials on nanoscale level.
Herpes zoster as a sign of AIDS-related complex.

Abstract Herpes zoster has recently been reported in young patients with risk factors for AIDS. In high-risk patients under age 55, herpes may be the first manifestation of AIDS or AIDS-related complex. Dissemination of zoster does not appear to be greatly increased in this group, but corticosteroid therapy should be withheld.
Functional utilization of palmitate, octanoate, and glucose by the isolated rat heart.

SummaryThe addition of palmitate, octanoate, or glucose to hearts perfused with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate medium containing 5.56 mM glucose resulted in little, if any, change in developed tension. The same substrates, however, produced marked increases in developed tension when administered to hearts made hypodynamic with substrate-free medium. The addition of delta-4-pentenoic acid to the substrate-free medium prevented the positive inotropic actions of palmitate and glucose and partially reduced that of octanoate. These data suggest that these three substrates exert their actions on the force of contraction as a consequence of their metabolism.Palmitate produced an increase in coronary resistance in the perfused rat heart. This effect is apparently a function of the amount of palmitate which is not bound to albumin.
Micropollutant Fate in Wastewater Treatment: Redefining “Removal”

Lauren B. Stadler,*,† Alexi S. Ernstoff,‡ Diana S. Aga, and Nancy G. Love† †Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States ‡Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
SELECTION ON A FLORAL COLOR POLYMORPHISM IN THE COMMON MORNING GLORY (IPOMOEA PURPUREA): THE EFFECTS OF OVERDOMINANCE IN SEED SIZE.

Understanding the processes that maintain genetic variation in natural populations is a major focus of evolutionary biology. Theoretical investigations have shown that more than a dozen processes can explain the maintenance of genetic variation (see Hartl 1980 for a summary), whereas experiments with laboratory populations indicate that at least some of these processes can operate under some conditions (e.g., Dobzhansky 1948; Dobzhansky and Pavlovsky 1953; Ehrman 1967; Powell and Wistrand 1978; Jones and Probert 1980; Cavender and Clegg 1981). Nevertheless, detailed studies of the selective forces acting to maintain genetic variation in natural populations are rare. The study reported here is part of an ongoing examination of the selective forces acting to maintain genetic variation at a locus influencing floral pigment intensity in the common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea. This locus (designated "W") is polymorphic in natural populations throughout the southeastern United States. Plants homozygous for the w allele have white flowers with pigmented rays (i.e., "whites"). Heterozygous plants have lightly pigmented flowers with dark rays (i.e., "lights"), and homozygotes for the W allele have darkly pigmented flowers with even darker rays (i.e., "darks") (Ennos and Clegg 1983; Epperson and Clegg 1988). In natural populations, frequencies of the white allele generally range from 0 to 0.4, with a mean of about 0.1 (Epperson and Clegg 1986). Previous work has shown that when white (ww) plants are in the minority, they are undervisited by bees (Brown and Clegg 1984; Epperson and Clegg 1986; Rausher et al. 1993). This undervisitation results in higher selfing rates for white plants, without an associated reduction in the contribution of whites to the outcross pollen pool (i.e., no pollen discounting, Rausher et al. 1993; Iwao 1995). Moreover, inbreeding depression is minimal or absent in North American populations that have been examined (Pear 1983; S. M. Chang, pers. comm. 1996). These observations indicate that the white allele should enjoy a transmission advantage, and thus increase in frequency, when rare (Fisher 1941) and may explain the protection of the white allele in natural populations. It is unclear, however, what forces operate to protect the dark allele. In the absence of any other selective forces acting on the W locus, a combination of genetic drift and active protection of the white allele is expected to result in the fixation of the white allele. The high frequency of the dark allele (0.6-1) in most natural populations therefore suggests the action of other selective forces favoring the dark allele.
Discharge teaching in the NICU: are parents prepared? An integrative review of parents' perceptions.

BACKGROUND At the end of their infant's NICU stay, parents are expected to assume full responsibility for their infant's care. It is important to look at discharge practices from the parents' points of view to see whether our strategies are effective. OBJECTIVES Review the literature for studies that give insight into parents' perceptions of the discharge process in order to assist health care providers in evaluating the available research and to identify any gaps in the literature. METHOD A literature search was performed to identify published studies that discuss parental perceptions related to their preparedness for their infant's discharge home from the NICU. RESULTS Data from the parents' perspective were lacking. There are limitations in the data that are available. Parents are not prepared for discharge and have unanswered questions. Parental perceptions are different from health care professionals' perceptions. DISCUSSION The studies that have been done need to be repeated in different centers, with greater sample sizes, and with subjects of different cultures, ethnicities, and socioeconomic status. There is a need for more research into parental perceptions of preparedness for their infant's discharge and ways to increase parental preparedness for discharge home from the NICU.
Perceptions of the past within Tz'utujil ontologies and Yucatec hybridities

Post-colonial tensions remain fresh among Indigenous communities in Mexico and Guatemala. The survival of local Maya heritage narratives in the face of conflicting belief systems, the increased commodification of antiquities and the decline of traditional ways of life is increasingly difficult. At Santiago Atitlan in the Guatemalan highlands, and at Tahcabo in the state of Yucatan, Mexico, individuals have sought to preserve traditional narratives through ontological constructs and by enacting hybridity. These studies demonstrate how collaborative archaeology and ethnoarchaeology highlight the perspectives of Indigenous communities and contribute towards greater multi-vocality.
Effects of extracellular pH, PCO2, and HCO3- on intracellular pH in isolated rat taste buds

We studied the effects of changing external pH (pHo), external bicarbonate concentration ([HCO3-]o), and PCO2 on taste receptor cell (TRC) intracellular pH (pHi) in taste bud fragments (TBFs) isola...
Heavy ion irradiations on synthetic hollandite-type materials: Ba1.0Cs0.3A2.3Ti5.7O16 (A=Cr, Fe, Al)

Abstract The hollandite supergroup of minerals has received considerable attention as a nuclear waste form for immobilization of Cs. The radiation stability of synthetic hollandite-type compounds described generally as Ba1.0Cs0.3A2.3Ti5.7O16 (A=Cr, Fe, Al) were evaluated by heavy ion (Kr) irradiations on polycrystalline single phase materials and multiphase materials incorporating the hollandite phases. Ion irradiation damage effects on these samples were examined using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Single phase compounds possess tetragonal structure with space group I4/m. GIXRD and TEM observations revealed that 600 keV Kr irradiation-induced amorphization on single phase hollandites compounds occurred at a fluence between 2.5×1014 Kr/cm2 and 5×1014 Kr/cm2. The critical amorphization fluence of single phase hollandite compounds obtained by in situ 1 MeV Kr ion irradiation was around 3.25×1014 Kr/cm2. The hollandite phase exhibited similar amorphization susceptibility under Kr ion irradiation when incorporated into a multiphase system.
Cortical encoding and neurophysiological tracking of intensity and pitch cues signaling English stress patterns in native and nonnative speakers.

Abstract We examined cross-language differences in neural encoding and tracking of intensity and pitch cues signaling English stress patterns. Auditory mismatch negativities (MMNs) were recorded in English and Mandarin listeners in response to contrastive English pseudowords whose primary stress occurred either on the first or second syllable (i.e., “nocTICity” vs. “NOCticity”). The contrastive syllable stress elicited two consecutive MMNs in both language groups, but English speakers demonstrated larger responses to stress patterns than Mandarin speakers. Correlations between the amplitude of ERPs and continuous changes in the running intensity and pitch of speech assessed how well each language group’s brain activity tracked these salient acoustic features of lexical stress. We found that English speakers’ neural responses tracked intensity changes in speech more closely than Mandarin speakers (higher brain–acoustic correlation). Findings demonstrate more robust and precise processing of English stress (intensity) patterns in early auditory cortical responses of native relative to nonnative speakers.
The role of pH in altering serum ionized calcium concentration.

Abstract Although parathormone primarily determines normal ionized serum calcium concentration [Ca++] over the long term, it has little impact in the acute situation. Nonhormonal changes in [Ca++] have been related to acute changes in serum pH, but these have been believed small. With use of an experimental model of acute pancreatitis, we measured changes in [Ca++] and related them to changes in other serum constituents known to affect it. All 18 animals studied experienced a decrease in total serum calcium concentration [CaT]. Changes in [CaT] correlated only with changes in protein-bound calcium concentration [CaP] (r = 0.98, p less than or equal to 0.0005). They did not correlate independently with changes in albumin, globulin, or total protein concentration. [CaP] varied as a function of albumin, globulin, and phosphate concentration and pH according to the equation: [CaP] = 17.9 +/- 0.89 [albumin] = 0.68 [globulin] - 2.5 pH + 0.12 [phosphate]. Calculated values for [CaP], when this equation was used, correlated strongly with observed values for [CaP] (r = 0.81, p less than or equal to 0.0005). Measured [Ca++] increased in the animals early during pancreatitis and then returned to baseline levels. A few animals experienced ionized hypocalcemia. [Ca++] correlated only with changes in pH (r = 0.87, p less than or equal to 0.02). The calculated response slope was delta [Ca++]/delta pH = -2.9. It is concluded that pH has a greater effect on [Ca++] than previously recognized. The major determinant of [CaT] during periods of rapid physiologic change appears to be [CaP] while that for [Ca++] is pH.
The Role of Intermittent Catheterization in the Management of Children with Myelomeningocele

AbstractOf 114 patients with myelomeningocele 44 (40 per cent) have no significant urologic disability. Intermittent catheterization has been used in 51 children and was helpful in 13 (26 per cent). Cystometrograms and urethral pressure profiles have been useful as predictive parameters. Causes of intermittent catheterization failures are discussed.
Growing Our Vision Together: Forming a Sustainability Community within the American Library Association

A rich and colorful tapestry of innovative library practices, services, and engagement emerged in response to the economic, social and environmental dynamics of the 21st century, not least of which the explosion of technology, economic crises, and a growing environmental imperative driven by climate instability. In a world struggling for sustainability, libraries continue to critically evolve in order to celebrate their communities' successes and support them through hardships. Library associations bring together professionals to co-create solutions, share expertise, and bolster resilience through learning and community building. This poster reports on the formation of the American Library Association (ALA) Sustainability Round Table (SustainRT) in 2013, the result of an urgent call to action for a unified effort to address the new millennium's environmental, economic and social sustainability challenges within the library profession in the United States and Canada. This poster identifies the technologies, processes, roles and other factors that led to the founding of SustainRT, as well as providing a vision for the future based on its participatory and inclusive structure. This story offers a practical model, including tools and strategies, for others seeking to engage in dialog and collaboration within the library profession.
Atypical presentation of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 8 in a sibling pair and review of the eye findings and neurological features.

Abstract Purpose To report atypical presentation of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses type 8 (CLN8) to the eye clinic and review clinical features of CLN8. Observations Detailed eye exam by slit lamp exam, indirect ophthalmoscopy, fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, visual fields and electroretinogram (ERG). Molecular genetic testing using Next Generation Sequencing panel (NGS) and array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH). The siblings in this study presented to the eye clinic with retinitis pigmentosa and cystoid macular edema, and a history of seizures but no severe neurocognitive deficits or regression. Genetic testing identified a c.200C > T (p.A67V) variant in the CLN8 gene and a deletion encompassing the entire gene. Electron microscopy of lymphocytes revealed fingerprint inclusions in both siblings. Conclusions and Importance: Pathogenic variants in CLN8 account for the retinitis pigmentosa and seizures in our patients however, currently, they do not have regression or neurocognitive decline. The presentation of NCL can be very diverse and it is important for ophthalmologists to consider this in the differential diagnosis of retinal disorders with seizures or other neurological features. Molecular genetic testing of multiple genes causing isolated and syndromic eye disorders using NGS panels and aCGH along with additional complementary testing may often be required to arrive at a definitive diagnosis.
Real-Life Economics: Understanding Wealth Creation

(1993). Real-Life Economics: Understanding Wealth Creation. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 1318-1322.
pyBSM: A Python package for modeling imaging systems

There are components that are common to all electro-optical and infrared imaging system performance models. The purpose of the Python Based Sensor Model (pyBSM) is to provide open source access to these functions for other researchers to build upon. Specifically, pyBSM implements much of the capability found in the ERIM Image Based Sensor Model (IBSM) V2.0 along with some improvements. The paper also includes two use-case examples. First, performance of an airborne imaging system is modeled using the General Image Quality Equation (GIQE). The results are then decomposed into factors affecting noise and resolution. Second, pyBSM is paired with openCV to evaluate performance of an algorithm used to detect objects in an image.
All-optical variable-length packet router with contention resolution based on wavelength conversion

We proposed a novel 2x2 all optical packet switching router architecture supporting asynchronous variable-length packet. In order to deal with the contention problem we adopt for wavelength conversion strategy. A proof of concept through Optiwave simulation is validated. We have showing that the contending packet is detected and forwarded according FIFO (First In First Out) strategy at a different wavelength. Error-free functionality is achieved for high bit rates (up to 100 Gbps).
On Aggregate Demand in a Measure Space of Agents

Preface (1991): This paper first appeared in May 1973 as Working Paper IP-183 of the Center for Research in Management Science of the University of California - Berkeley. In spite of the high regard that this author had for it, it remained unpublished. It is on a topic very close to Trout Rader’s interest and it belongs to a line of the literature which grew considerably after 1973 (see W. Trockel: Market Demand: An Analysis of Large Economies with Non-convex Preferences, 1989 Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems 223, Springer-Verlag). It is dedicated to Trout Rader with much sympathy.
Language, Culture, and Ethnicity in developing Self-concept:

Some philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of three components are traced to highlight the role these elements play in human behavior
ETS1 regulates Twist1 transcription in a Kras G12D /Lkb1 -/- metastatic lung tumor model of non-small cell lung cancer.

Distinct members of the Ets family of transcription factors act as positive or negative regulators of genes involved in cellular proliferation, development, and tumorigenesis. In human lung cancer, increased ETS1 expression is associated with poor prognosis and metastasis. We tested whether ETS1 contributes to lung tumorigenesis by binding to Twist1, a gene involved in tumor cell motility and dissemination. We used a mouse lung cancer model with metastasis driven by conditionally activated Kras and concurrent tumor suppressor Lkb1 loss (KrasG12D/ Lkb1−/− model) and a similar model of lung cancer that does not metastasize, driven by conditionally activated Kras alone (KrasG12D model). We show that Ets1 and Twist1 gene expression differs between KrasG12D tumors (low Ets1 and Twist1 expression) and KrasG12D/Lkb1−/− tumors (high Ets1 and Twist1 expression). In human lung tumors, ETS1 and TWIST1 expression positively correlates and low combined ETS1 and TWIST1 levels are associated with improved survival compared to high levels. Using mouse cell lines derived from KrasG12D and KrasG12D/Lkb1−/− mouse models and the human lung cancer (A549) cell line, we show that ETS1 regulates Twist1 expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirm binding of ETS1 to the Twist1 promoter. Overexpression studies show that ETS1 transactivates Twist1 promoter activity in mouse and human cells. Silencing endogenous Ets1 by siRNA in mouse cell lines decreases Twist1 mRNA levels, decreases invasion, and increases cell growth. Ets1 and Twist1 are at the crossroad of several signaling pathways in cancer. Understanding their regulation may inform the development of therapies to impair lung tumor metastasis.
Aluminum Suppresses Effect of Nicotine on Gamma Oscillations (20-40 Hz) in Mouse Hippocampal Slices.

BACKGROUND Aluminum (Al) causes neurodegeneration and its toxic effects on cholinergic system in the brain is well documented. However, it is unknown whether and how Al changes oscillation patterns, driven by the cholinergic system, in the hippocampus. OBJECTIVE We studied acute effects of Al on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs)-mediated modulation of persistent gamma oscillations in the hippocampus. METHOD The field potential recording was done in CA3 area of acute hippocampal slices. RESULTS Carbachol-induced gamma oscillation peak power increased (1.32±0.09mV2/Hz, P<0.01) in control conditions (without Al) by application of 10µM nicotine as compared to baseline value normalized to 1. This nicotine-induced facilitation of gamma oscillation peak power was found to depend on non-α7 nAChRs. In slices with Al pre-incubation for three to four hours, gamma oscillation peak power was reduced (5.4±1.8mV2/Hz, P<0.05) and facilitatory effect of nicotine on gamma oscillation peak power was blocked as compared to the control (18.06±2.1mV2/Hz) or one hour Al pre-incubated slices (11.3±2.5mV2/Hz). Intriguingly wash-out, after three to four hours of Al incubation, failed to restore baseline oscillation power and its facilitation by nicotine as no difference was observed in gamma oscillation peak power between Al wash-out slices (3.4±1.1mV2/Hz) and slices without washout (3.6±0.9mV2/Hz). CONCLUSION This study shows that at cellular level, exposure of hippocampal tissue to Al compromised nAChR-mediated facilitation of cholinergic hippocampal gamma oscillations. Longer in vitro Al exposure caused permanent changes in hippocampal oscillogenic circuitry and changed its sensitivity to nAChR-modulation. This study will help to understand the possible mechanism of cognitive decline induced by Al.
Preface and Introduction - Just Sentencing: Principles and Procedures for a Workable System

This book presents a hybrid sentencing model that combines clearly-stated normative principles with procedures that have proven successful in practice. The theoretical structure is an expanded version of limiting retributivism that sets desert-based limits on sentence severity, within which crime control and other non-retributive purposes and limitations of punishment are applied. The latter include: expressive sentencing goals; parsimony (least restrictive alternative); utilitarian proportionality; social (and especially, racial) equality; retention of substantial judicial sentencing discretion and control; and front-end, system-wide management of correctional resources. The model’s procedures are inspired by the best American state sentencing guidelines systems. A hybrid sentencing theory is normatively superior and practically necessary. Any purely retributive or purely crime-control model would fail to recognize widely-shared competing values, and would not succeed in practice. Sentencing procedures must likewise achieve an acceptable balance, especially between two competing procedural ideals – rule versus discretion – each of which has important advantages. Rules promote consistency and predictability; discretion promotes flexibility and efficiency. Procedures must also strike a workable balance in the use of custodial and non-custodial sentencing options, and in the powers of systemic policy makers (the legislature and sentencing commission) and case-level decision makers (judges, attorneys, and correctional officials). Although sentencing guidelines are often seen as reflecting strong preferences for rules over discretion, and for system-wide over case-level policy making, that is not how the best state guidelines systems actually work. Like the proposed model, these systems structure sentencing discretion but leave judges and other officials with a substantial degree of discretion to tailor the form and severity of sanctions to the facts of particular cases. This book shows how the core principles and procedures of the proposed model have been implemented in Minnesota and several other states, and endorsed in the revised Model Penal Code and other model codes and standards.
Analgesics and Adjuvants for the Management of Orofacial Pain Across Age Groups

The orofacial region is critical for survival due to its role in eating and drinking, identity and self-esteem, and communication and expressions of emotion. Orofacial pain is comparatively less tolerated than pain in other body areas due to its disproportionately large representation in the cerebral cortex. The individual with severe orofacial pain can therefore be at significant risk of deficient nutritional intake, dehydration, and withdrawal from essential social interactions. Chronic pain is a multidimensional experience, with sensory-discriminative, emotional, cultural, and cognitive components. It is influenced by environment, hormonal, and mood fluctuations; neurologic and inflammatory changes; as well as cognitive and physiologic memory of previous encounters with pain. The successful treatment of pain requires thorough assessment of the cause and character of the pain, its underlying pathophysiology, and contribution of psychological, social, spiritual, and practical issues. Elucidating the qualities and characteristics of orofacial pain disorders and syndromes is essential for successful selection of therapies, according to various levels of evidence and based on rigorous research-based classification and diagnostic criteria. This chapter provides a concise and complete resource for dosing of the various classes and of pain medications and adjunctive medications in the treatment of orofacial pain across the age range from neonates to geriatric patients. Furthermore, this chapter addresses the unique physiology of each age group, the important alterations in pharmacokinetics which occur at various ages and with common comorbidities, and the importance of synergistic multimodal polypharmacy/analgesia. Successful management of orofacial pain must include not only pharmacologic interventions but also adequate follow-up with verbal and written education of the patient, family, and caregivers to assure compliance and decrease the incidence of adverse effects. Based on the complexity and chronicity of pain, its management may also require important interdisciplinary team members including nursing, social workers, pharmacists, chaplains, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and stage of life specialists. Integration of cognitive behavioral therapies, physical medicine, and rehabilitation approaches, together with evidence-based alternative and mind–body approaches, improves patient satisfaction and well-being, decreases pain medication requirements, and lessens side effects compared to the use of medications alone.
Few-body reactions at low energies

The HIγS facility is making it possible to perform studies of few body systems at a new level of accuracy and precision. A study of the photodisintegration of the deuteron using 100% linearly polarized beams at 14 and 16 MeV has determined the splittings of the three p-wave amplitudes involved in this process for the first time. These results show that the relativistic contributions, which when included in the theory lead to a positive value of the GDH integrand above 8 MeV, are valid. The same results are also used to extract the spin-polarizability of the deuteron for the first time. The experimental value is in good agreement with a recent effective field theory calculation.
Quantitative studies on meningopneumonitis virus.

Using dialyzed allantoic fluid suspensions of meningopneumonitis virus, Crocker (1954) studied the ratio of numbers of virus particles, as determined by electron microscopy, to egg infectivity. He reported the number of particles per egg LDso to vary from 200 to 1000. Zahler and Moulder (1953) used the method of Gogolak (1953), in which stained virus particles are counted by light microscopy, to study feline pneumonitis virus from yolk sac. They reported the number of particles per egg LD50 to be about 100. More recently, Moulder et al. (1956) reported a ratio of about 20 particles per egg LD50 of partially purified yolk sac-grown feline pneumonitis virus. Weiss and Huang (1954) obtained data from infected tissue cultures indicating that a single particle is probably sufficient to infect a susceptible cell, with all virus preparations having apparently a high proportion of inactive particles. Total nitrogen determinations have been used frequently to follow purification of feline and murine pneumonitis virus in yolk sac suspensions and various results have been reported. Brown et al. (1952) reported 10-11 65 to 10-12 08 g of nitrogen per LD50 of the feline virus; Gogolak (1953) found 10s1305 g nitrogen per particle of the murine virus; Zahler and Moulder (1953) found 10-11.5 to 10-12 g nitrogen per LD50 or about 10-'4 g per particle for feline virus. In a preliminary report, Smith and Manire (1959) used a modification of Gogolak's technique and presented evidence of its precision and accuracy in counting particles of purified allantoic fluid-grown meningopneumonitis virus. One egg LD50 was found to contain an average of 145 particles and 1 ,ug nitrogen was found in 108 particles (1 particle = 10-14 g nitrogen). The experiments reported here were initiated as a part of a study on the toxicity of meningo-
Blue Dye Injection Technique for Resection of Nodal Recurrence in Thyroid Cancer

Abstract Introduction: The incidence of thyroid cancer in 2017 in the United States was nearly 57,000 patients, and recurrence is relatively frequent. Re-entering a previously operated field is cha...
11.4 A Fast-Readout Mismatch-Insensitive Magnetoresistive Biosensor Front-End Achieving Sub-ppm Sensitivity

Magnetic biosensors have drawn significant research interest as a means to replace large optical instrumentation commonly found in centralized diagnostic laboratories. Magnetic biosensing is attractive since biological samples lack a magnetic background thus enabling high sensitivity measurements. Figure 11.4.1 shows a magnetic immunoassay where: 1) the surface of a magnetic sensor is coated with capture molecules (e.g., antibodies) specific to the biomarker (e.g., antigen) of interest, 2) the sample, detection molecules, and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are added and self-assemble thus tethering the MNPs to the sensor, and 3) the sensor is read out by applying a magnetic field, $H_{A}$, that magnetizes the superparamagnetic MNPs producing a stray field that perturbs the local magnetic field. The underlying magnetoresistive (MR) sensor detects this change in field as a miniscule ppm change in resistance, $R_{sig}$, that is directly proportional to the number of MNPs. Unfortunately, $R_{sig}$ is superimposed on the baseline resistance, $R_{0}$, resulting in a large baseline-to-signal ratio $(R_{0}/R_{sig} \gt 10$,000) that requires a very high dynamic range (DR $ \gt 120$ dB) front-end for quantitative detection [1], [2].
Sodium-glucose co-transporter inhibitors as adjunctive treatment to insulin in type 1 diabetes: A review of randomized controlled trials.

Many patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) struggle to achieve glycaemic control and experience significant fluctuations in glucose concentrations, despite insulin treatment. Sodium-glucose co-transporter (SGLT)-2 inhibitors and dual SGLT-1/2 inhibitors increase glucose elimination via the kidneys and reduce hyperglycaemia via insulin-independent mechanisms. This review examines available efficacy and safety data for these agents under investigation as adjunctive therapy for T1D. Across randomized trials of up to 52 weeks, SGLT-2 inhibitors or SGLT-1/2 inhibitors as an adjunct to insulin demonstrated significant reductions in glycated haemoglobin, glucose exposure, and measures of glycaemic variability, as well as increased time in the target glycaemic range, compared with placebo. Non-glycaemic benefits included reductions in body weight and insulin doses, as well as improvements in some cardiovascular risk factors and treatment satisfaction. SGLT-2 inhibitors and SGLT-1/2 inhibitors were associated with similar rates of hypoglycaemia but a higher incidence of genitourinary infections, compared with placebo. Diabetic ketoacidosis occurred more often with SGLT-2 inhibitors and SGLT-1/2 inhibitors vs placebo, although the incidence was generally low. Risk mitigation strategies in light of clinical trial data are also discussed. Positive data from randomized controlled trials of the SGLT-2 inhibitor dapagliflozin have led to the approval of dapagliflozin as an adjunct to insulin in adults with T1D having body mass index ≥27 kg/m2 in whom insulin does not provide adequate glycaemic control in Europe and to approval as an adjunct to insulin for adults with T1D in Japan.
Testicular Tumors in Infants and Children

SUMMARY Forty three children with testicular tumors have been presented. Eighty per cent of these tumors were malignant, and 60 per cent occurred in children less than two and one half years of age. Twenty of the 24 malignant germinal tumors were embryonal cell carcinomas. The mean age of the patients at presentation of these tumors was 18 months. Nine patients underwent orchiectomy alone, and five of these have died. Eleven received combined therapy, and all have survived. We currently recommend radical orchiectomy and extended unilateral retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy. If examination of the nodes reveals evidence of metastases, a bilateral dissection is done. Radiotherapy is given only in the presence of nodal metastases. Adjuvant chemotherapy with vincristine, actinomycin D, and Cytoxan is given for two years to all patients with malginant nonseminomatous germ cell tumors or sarcomas.
Cost-effectiveness of Preoperative Staphylococcus aureus Screening and Decolonization in Cochlear Implantation:

ObjectiveInfection following cochlear implantation is medically and economically devastating. The cost-effectiveness (CE) of colonization screening and decolonization for infection prophylaxis in c...
WITHDRAWN:Coordinate system requirements to obtain physiologic motions of the tibiofemoral joint

Abstract The relative rigid body motions between the femur and the tibia (termed tibiofemoral kinematics) during flexion activities provide an objective measure of knee function. However, to obtain physiologic tibiofemoral kinematics, coordinate systems must meet certain requirements which neither have been explicitly stated nor in fact satisfied in any previous publication known to the author. Thus the primary purpose of this paper was to explain these requirements. The only valid method for obtaining physiologic tibiofemoral kinematics is to insure that coordinate systems meet four necessary requirements which are 1) the joint coordinate system must follow the convention of Grood and Suntay ( Grood and Suntay, 1983 ), 2) the body-fixed axes must correspond to the functional FE axis of the femur and the functional IE axis of the tibia, 3) the origins of the Cartesian coordinate systems, which serve as a stepping stone for computing translations, must lie on the functional body-fixed axes, and 4) the reference position between the tibia and femur must correspond to neutral with the knee in extension and the change in the components of the vector locating the origins of the Cartesian coordinate systems from the neutral position must be used to determine translations by projecting changes in vector components along the joint coordinate system axes. Neither the paper by Grood and Suntay nor the ISB recommendation ( Wu et al., 2002 ) which adopted the joint coordinate system of Grood and Suntay explains these requirements. Indeed meeting these requirements may not be possible following the ISB recommendation thus indicating the need for revision to this recommendation.
No Pain, No Thebaine: Opioids in the Emergency Department.

Background Opioid misuse has reached epidemic levels. Forty-six people die every day in the U.S. from prescription opioids. Opioid-taking patients cost emergency departments (EDs) and society more than non-opioid-taking patients. Many patients prescribed opioids will go on to become addicted, yet we find it much easier to prescribe these medications than explain to the patient why they are not indicated. The ED takes care of many of these people, whether by prescribing opioids, or treating opioid misuse. We examine the ED's role in this epidemic. Methods Data were obtained through literature search and the authors' personal experiences treating patients in the ED. The search was limited to specific harm to patients, hospitals, and society caused by opioid misuse, physiology of pain, and possible methods to manage the problem. Conclusions The ED clearly deserves some of the blame for the opioid epidemic. A consistent reinforcement of appropriate expectations for management of chronic pain across the medical spectrum will do much to manage the problem. We offer some ways to improve the problem, including pain contracts, pain guidelines, alternative therapies, pain management referrals, high-risk patient profiles, legislation, and drug take-back programs.
Resilience to Injury: A New Approach to Neuroprotection?

Despite thousands of neuroprotectants demonstrating promise in preclinical trials, a neuroprotective therapeutic has yet to be approved for the treatment of acute brain injuries such as stroke or traumatic brain injury. Developing a more detailed understanding of models and populations demonstrating “neurological resilience” in spite of brain injury can give us important insights into new translational therapies. Resilience is the process of active adaptation to a stressor. In the context of neuroprotection, models of preconditioning and unique animal models of extreme physiology (such as hibernating species) reliably demonstrate resilience in the laboratory setting. In the clinical setting, resilience is observed in young patients and can be found in those with specific genetic polymorphisms. These important examples of resilience can help transform and extend the current neuroprotective framework from simply countering the injurious cascade into one that anticipates, monitors, and optimizes patients’ physiological responses from the time of injury throughout the process of recovery. This review summarizes the underpinnings of key adaptations common to models of resilience and how this understanding can be applied to new neuroprotective approaches.
Competitive Information Spread with Confirmation Bias

This paper analyses competitive information spread with confirmation bias in a cyber-social network that comprises individuals in the social network layer and information sources in the cyber layer. The problem is formulated as a zero-sum game between the competitive information sources. Nash equilibrium is characterized and its properties are studied. The particular impact of confirmation bias and innate opinions on the equilibrium is studied in detail. Numerical simulations in the context of the well-known Krackhardt’s advice network demonstrate the obtained theoretical results.
A rare case of adrenal collision tumor: Myelolipoma and schwannoma in the adrenal gland:

Adrenal collision tumors refer to coexistence of two adjacent, but histologically distinct, neoplasms involving the adrenal gland without histologic admixture at the interface. Myelolipoma is a rare but benign neoplasm. As its name implies, displays both mature adipose tissue and hematopoietic elements. These are usually unilateral and asymptomatic. Schwannomas, tumors derived from the peripheral nerve sheath, are also uncommon lesions in the adrenal gland. Here, we present a rare case of a 65-year-old male with clinical history of abdominal aortic aneurysm who was found to have a 13-cm "incidentaloma" by interventional radiologist during his aortic endograft control. Giving the size of the mass, team decided to excise it, and histopathological examination was performed. While most incidentally discovered adrenal tumors are benign, surgical excision is recommended in large lesions to exclude malignancy, avoid hemorrhage, and/or acute adrenal insufficiency. Given the rarity of such entity, its clinical course and prognosis remains unclear.
STABILITY, COMBUSTION, AND COMPATIBILITY OF HIGH VISCOSITY HEAVY FUEL OIL BLENDS WITH A FAST PYROLYSIS BIO-OIL

Properties related to the combustion, stability, and compatibility of blends composed of high-viscosity heavy fuel oil (HFO) and highly acidic pyrolysis bio-oil were determined to assess the utilit...
Case Study on COVID-19 and Archivists’ Information Work

This paper presents preliminary findings from an exploratory, qualitative case study bounded by the city of Philadelphia. The case study brings the literature on information work (IW) to bear for the first time on archives and special collections repositories. Empirical interview data on archivists’ information work at five medical history collections, pre- and post- pandemic onset, suggests that institutional and personal conditions surrounding COVID-19 prompted archivists to change their information work tasks in phases, first shifting office tasks to remote work under quarantine, then to hybrid work contexts. We explore an information work model including work purposes, work tasks, and work roles. The model shows how tasks of collection management, reference services, and outreach constitute the context and purpose for archivists’ information work. The paper details how hybrid work tasks and hybrid work contexts emerged.
Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Patients With Advanced Laryngeal Cancer Undergoing Bioselection.

ObjectiveBioselection to assess tumor response after induction chemotherapy has been introduced as an alternative treatment strategy to total laryngectomy for patients with advanced larynx squamous...
Pre-auction Investments by Type-conscious Agents

This paper examines pre-auction investments made by asymmetric agents that compete for a supply contract from a monopolist principal. Agents are privately aware of their managerial efficiencies which determine how well they can leverage fixed investments to reduce their variable costs for servicing the contract, and they privately choose investment levels prior to the procurement mechanism being declared by the principal. Hence, the distribution of types that is standard in the principal-agent literature is, here, endogenously determined by the private actions of the agents. The principal declares a mechanism that is optimal for her, after agents have made their private investment decisions. We show that in equilibrium all optimal investment strategies by competing firms will have the form of investing as if there is no reservation price up to a critical level of managerial type, and investing minimally thereafter. This feature, however, implies that only trivial pure strategy equilibria can exist when the principal has any reasonably competitive alternative for servicing the contract. This is because in these cases an optimal mechanism induces agents to adopt a discontinuous investment strategy which provides the principal an incentive to deviate from the declared mechanism. An intuitive extrapolation of the extant literature to our context (in which agents adopt technologies featuring a fixed-variable cost trade-off) would suggest that we would see 'underinvestment', manifesting itself as lower fixed and higher variable cost technologies in the industry. However, this intuition is either sustained trivially or cannot be sustained in pure strategies when the principal has any reasonable outside options for supply. The question of what cost structure we will see in equilibrium in these contexts will require future effort, and a consideration of mixed strategies.
Sometimes Less Is More: Evidence from Financial Constraints Risk Factor Disclosures

We examine whether increased financial constraints risk factor disclosures during and after the financial crisis or in response to SEC comment letters reflect firms’ underlying financial constraints risk outcomes. We find that financial constraints risk factor disclosures are positively associated with ex-ante litigation risk and expected financial constraints levels before, during, and after the financial crisis. We also find that the association between disclosures and litigation risk is significantly greater during and after the financial crisis than that for the pre-crisis period. While we find that the financial constraints risk factor disclosures are positively associated with realized financial constraints outcomes for the pre-crisis period, we find no significant association between these disclosures and realized financial constraints outcomes during or after the financial crisis and this association reduces significantly from the pre-crisis to post-crisis period. Furthermore, we document that, while firms increase their financial constraints risk factor disclosures after receiving SEC comment letters, these disclosures are less reflective of realized financial constraints outcomes. Overall, our findings that increased financial constraints risk factor disclosures following the financial crisis and SEC comment letters are less reflective of the underlying economic risk suggest that sometimes less is more.