cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic strategies for preventing skeletal muscle fibrosis after injury

Skeletal muscle repair after injury includes a complex and well-coordinated regenerative response. However, fibrosis often manifests, leading to aberrant regeneration and incomplete functional recovery. Research efforts have focused on the use of anti-fibrotic agents aimed at reducing the fibrotic response and improving functional recovery. While there are a number of mediators involved in the development of post-injury fibrosis, TGF-β1 is the primary pro-fibrogenic growth factor and several agents that inactivate TGF-β1 signaling cascade have emerged as promising anti-fibrotic therapies. A number of these agents are FDA approved for other conditions, clearing the way for rapid translation into clinical treatment. In this article, we provide an overview of muscle's host response to injury with special emphasis on the cellular and non-cellular mediators involved in the development of fibrosis. This article also reviews the findings of several pre-clinical studies that have utilized anti-fibrotic agents to improve muscle healing following most common forms of muscle injuries. Although some studies have shown positive results with anti-fibrotic treatment, others have indicated adverse outcomes. Some concerns and questions regarding the clinical potential of these anti-fibrotic agents have also been presented.
Estrous variations in behavioral responses to vaginal and uterine distention in the rat.

Response properties of peripheral afferent fibers supplying the vagina and uterus of the rat vary with estrous stage (Robbins A, Berkley KJ, Sato Y. Estrous cycle variation of afferent fibers supplying reproductive organs in the female rat. Brain Res 1992;596:353‐356), suggesting that behavioral sensitivity to vaginal and uterine stimulation might similarly vary. To test this hypothesis, detection and escape responses of 12 rats to different volumes of distention of the vaginal canal or uterine horn (six rats each) were compared during each of the four estrous stages, proestrus (P), estrus (E), metestrus (M), and diestrus (D), using previously-published behavioral techniques (Berkley KJ, Wood E, Scofield SL, Little M. Behavioral responses to uterine or vaginal distention in the rat. Pain 1995;61:121‐131). Estrous variations in vaginal or uterine tone (pressure-volume functions) were also measured in the same rats. Vaginal canal: escape response percentages increased significantly as vaginal distention volume increased, but neither escape nor detection responses varied with estrous stage. Vaginal tone, however, was greater in P and E than in M and D, with the greatest tone in E and the least in D. When escape responses to different pressures were analyzed, it was found that escape response percentages to the same vaginal pressure were lower during P and E than during M and D. One outcome of these estrous influences would be that a vaginal stimulus of a given volume (such as an erect penis) would exert higher pressures during P and E (i.e. the penis would be held within the vaginal canal more firmly) than during M and D, but would be less likely during P and E to provoke escape responses. This modification of nociceptive sensitivity has obvious reproductive advantages, because P and E constitute the rat’s fertile period. Uterine horn: escape response percentages increased significantly as uterine distention volume increased only during M and D, with no differences between them. Detection responses also occurred only during M and D. Similarly, uterine tone was significantly greater in M and D than in P and E, with the greatest tone occurring during M and the least during P. Although these changes in uterine tone were opposite to those of the vaginal canal, escape response percentages to the same uterine pressures were, in a manner similar to vaginal pressures, lower during P and E than during M and D. The functional significance of these variations for the uterus is unclear, but does suggest that, under pathophysiological conditions, stimulation of the uterine horn, as well as the vaginal canal, would be more likely to provoke escape behaviors in M and D than in P and E. A similar increased sensitivity in rats during M and D to noxious stimulation of other pelvic organs has been observed by others. This situation resembles that in women, for whom many visceral pain conditions are exacerbated during a comparable part of their ovarian cycle, i.e. perimenstrually. q 1999 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.
Coordinated Post-transcriptional Regulation of Hsp70.3 Gene Expression by MicroRNA and Alternative Polyadenylation

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is well documented to possess general cytoprotective properties in protecting the cell against stressful and noxious stimuli. We have recently shown that expression of the stress-inducible Hsp70.3 gene in the myocardium in response to ischemic preconditioning is NF-κB-dependent and necessary for the resulting late phase cardioprotection against a subsequent ischemia/reperfusion injury. Here we show that the Hsp70.3 gene product is subject to post-transcriptional regulation through parallel regulatory processes involving microRNAs and alternative polyadenylation of the mRNA transcript. First, we show that cardiac ischemic preconditioning of the in vivo mouse heart results in decreased levels of two Hsp70.3-targeting microRNAs: miR-378* and miR-711. Furthermore, an ischemic or heat shock stimulus induces alternative polyadenylation of the expressed Hsp70.3 transcript that results in the accumulation of transcripts with a shortened 3′-UTR. This shortening of the 3′-UTR results in the loss of the binding site for the suppressive miR-378* and thus renders the alternatively polyadenylated transcript insusceptible to miR-378*-mediated suppression. Results also suggest that the alternative polyadenylation-mediated shortening of the Hsp70.3 3′-UTR relieves translational suppression observed in the long 3′-UTR variant, allowing for a more robust increase in protein expression. These results demonstrate alternative polyadenylation of Hsp70.3 in parallel with ischemic or heat shock-induced up-regulation of mRNA levels and implicate the importance of this process in post-transcriptional control of Hsp70.3 expression.
Racial Residential Segregation and Crime

Racial residential segregation is a pervasive and persistent feature of life in urban America. The consequences of segregation are numerous and are generally deleterious for minority populations. One consequence of segregation is inflated rates of crime in segregated areas. However, the study of segregation and crime is limited to a handful of studies and many questions remain unanswered. These include: (i) Does the criminogenic effect of segregation remain when research employs a unit of analysis other than cities (e.g., neighborhoods, regions)? (ii) What is the primary theoretical mechanism by which racial segregation produces crime? (iii) What types of mediating processes can attenuate the criminogenic effect of segregation? The current article will summarize the interdisciplinary literature on segregation and crime and discuss avenues for future research.
The Dynamic Implications of the Tiebout Model: the Changing Composition of Boston Communities, 1960-1970

The Tiebout model implies, under certain assumptions, that communities will become increasingly homogeneous by income and preferences, and perhaps by race, land use, and other community characteristics. This article tests the hypothesis of increasing homogeneity with equations describing changes among Boston area communities between 1960 and 1970. The results confirm increasing segregation by income and (much more weakly) segregation by age, but other community characteristics show no distinct trend. The system of equations is used to forecast community characteristics, and these projections confirm a tendency toward greater inequality in public spending. The results imply that the Pareto-optimality of the Tiebout model will not be attained and that any efficiencies may come at the expense of greater inequities.
What Should Graduate Teaching Assistants Know about Teaching

This article reports results of a content analysis of 18 teaching assistant (TA) manuals. Topics were divided into four major categories of tasks: professional socialization, intellectual, interpersonal, and organizational. Twenty-six of the 103 topics identified were included in more than 50% of the manuals. Among the common topics, more topics were included from the categories dealing with intellectual and interpersonal tasks than from the other two categories, highlighting the importance of these two dimensions of effective teaching, which is consistent with Lowman's (1984) theoretical model. The topic outline provided by our study could serve as a model for TA manuals.
Proposal of the Detectivity D** for Detectors Limited by Radiation Noise†

A new kind of detectivity, called D**, is proposed for cells that have a detectivity that is limited by radiation noise. The detectivity D** takes specific account of the solid angle Ω, from which external radiation can reach the responsive element. Usually, the external radiation is produced by objects at room temperature. D** is also appropriate for use with detectors that are non-Lambertian for reasons other than cooled radiation shields: for example, detectors that are immersed in a high-index medium, or detectors that are closely associated with a lens.
How many ruminal bacteria are there

With the development of strictly anaerobic techniques and habitat-simulating media, a variety of bacteria were isolated from the rumen in the 1940s and 1950s. Based on standard morphological and physiological characteristics, the microbial ecosystem of the rumen contains a very complex population of bacteria. In recent years, ruminal bacteria have been re-evaluated with newer, more objective, and genetically valid methods of classification. Ribosomes are complicated structures, and their DNA-encoding sequences are relatively free from selective pressure. Because ribosomes have evolved slowly, they provide a long-term natural history of evolution. The invariable and hypervariable regions of rRNA genes can be used to group bacteria into kingdoms, genera, and species. The 16S rRNA sequences have provided a basis for renaming some ruminal species (Bacteroides amylophilus is now Ruminobacter amylophilus and Bacteroides succinogenes is now Fibrobacter succinogenes) and for classifying at least one recently isolated ruminal bacterium (e.g., Clostridium aminophilum). The DNA:DNA hybridization is a more sensitive method of assessing bacterial relatedness than is 16S rRNA. Bacterial strains within a species should have a high degree of DNA:DNA homology, but some species of ruminal bacteria (e.g., Prevotella ruminicola and Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens) had highly unrelated strains. Studies of 16S rRNA and DNA:DNA hybridization indicate that the diversity of ruminal bacteria has been greatly underestimated. Traditional studies of phylogeny of ruminal bacteria were stymied by the fastidious growth requirements of many ruminal bacteria, and enumeration was tedious and inaccurate. Modern methods of bacterial classification do not require in vitro culture and have the potential of detecting even a single cell.
Chemistry and phase transitions from hypervelocity impacts

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study hypervelocity impacts of an ultrathin flyer plate with a semi-infinite two-dimensional model diatomic molecular solid. We show that these hypervelocity impacts can produce a dissociative phase transition from a molecular to a close-packed solid in the target material. We also show that hypervelocity impacts of ultrathin plates can produce extensive chemical reactions leading to a detonation accompanied by a phase transition in an energetic version of the model. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Urban Nightlife, Social Capital, and the Public Life of Cities1

Sociologists and urban scholars emphasize how nightlife establishments contribute to the social capital and public life of cities. In the interests of tempering this line of argument, I suggest three generalizable empirical findings that provide grounds for skepticism on this score: (1) the racial and class barriers to participation imposed by urban nightlife enterprises; (2) the normalization of gender differences and the routine harassment of women within such scenes; and (3) the lack of inclusiveness surrounding local nightlife in urban neighborhood communities. These findings suggest that nightlife scenes may function more efficiently as generators of bonding rather than bridging social capital.
Forensic Biological Investigations

©The goal of any forensic investigation is to uncover evidence that can establish links between the 3 elements involved in an incident—the victim(s), the suspect(s), and the crime scene(s). Forensic biological investigations are rooted in the fundamental forensic concept of “Locard’s Exchange Principle.” This principle simply states that when 2 items come in contact, they will leave traces upon each other. Forensic biological investigation involves searching for these traces of evidence in the form of biological fluid stains. Once those fluid stains are located, forensic biologists attempt to identify the type of body fluid present and to individualize the body fluid through genetic marker testing, namely DNA analysis. This article will explore forensic biology, the role of the forensic biologist in the scope of the whole crime laboratory, and the correlations between clinical laboratory science and forensic biology. It will also explain how the rigorous medical laboratory science (or medical technology) education that clinical laboratory scientists undergo can help build a foundation for a competent forensic biologist.
An object oriented graphical tool for creating and editing Petri nets

This paper presents an object oriented graphical tool for creating and editing Petri nets in a graphical form and for translating these nets into a textual form for analysis and simulation purposes. The tool is called Netman. Its architecture, functionality and application are discussed and a simple example of its use is presented. This paper illustrates the ability to create a net and evaluate a system using a seamless link to a simulation package. >
The Phosphatidylglycerol/Cardiolipin Biosynthetic Pathway Is Required for the Activation of Inositol Phosphosphingolipid Phospholipase C, Isc1p, during Growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Inositolsphingolipid phospholipase C (Isc1p) is the Saccharomyces cerevisiae member of the extended family of neutral sphingomyelinases that regulates the generation of bioactive ceramides. Recently, we reported that Isc1p is post-translationally activated in the post-diauxic phase of growth and that it localizes to mitochondria (Vaena de Avalos, S., Okamoto, Y., and Hannun, Y. A. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 11537–11545). In this study the in vivo mechanisms of activation and function of Isc1p were investigated. Deletion of ISC1 resulted in markedly lower growth in non-fermentable carbon sources. Interestingly, the growth defect of isc1Δ strains resembled that of pgs1Δ strains, lacking the committed step in the synthesis of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and cardiolipin (CL), which were shown to activate Isc1p in vitro. Therefore, the role of Pgs1p in activation of Isc1p in vivo was investigated. The results showed that in the pgs1Δ strain, the growth-dependent activation of Isc1p was impaired as was the ISC1-dependent increase in the levels of phytoceramide during the post-diauxic phase, demonstrating that the activation of Isc1p in vivo is dependent on PGS1 and on the mitochondrial phospholipids PG/CL. Mechanistically, loss of Isc1p resulted in lower levels of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunits cox3p and cox4p, previously established targets of both PG and CL (Ostrander, D. B., Zhang, M., Mileykovskaya, E., Rho, M., and Dowhan, W. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 25262–25272), thus suggesting that Isc1p mediates at least some functions downstream of PG/CL. This study provides the first evidence for the mechanism of in vivo activation and function of Isc1p. A model with endogenous PG/CL as the in vivo activator of Isc1p is proposed.
Broad-band electronic linearizer for externally modulated analog fiber-optic links

Linearization of analog fiber-optic links using a novel CMOS linearization circuit is reported. A 17-dB suppression of the third-order intermodulation product (IMP3) has been achieved at the modulation index of 49.6 % and over a broad-band frequency range from dc to 1.3 GHz. In an experimental link with a noise floor of -124 dBm/Hz, the spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) is improved by 14 dB from 85 dB/Hz/sup 2/3/ to 99 dB/Hz/sup 2/3/.
Conferring Sameness Institutional Management of Juvenile Sex Offenders

There is little agreement in modern American society about what constitutes appropriate and healthy sexual behavior for juveniles. There are, however, institutions that proceed as though consensus exists. It is important, therefore, to take a critical look at institutionally embedded definitions of appropriate juvenile sexuality. In a previous article, I showed that embedded in the laws and practices of Washington State are implicit definitions of appropriate juvenile sexual behavior. In the present article, I look at how these definitions affect decision making within the juvenile justice system. My analyses suggest that these definitions have the effect of reducing or eliminating the possibility that decision makers will recognize cases that do not conform to these definitions (i.e., cases of nondeviant juvenile sexual behavior). This in turn creates the appearance of consensus among decision makers, when in fact, such consensus does not exist.
An Inverse Source Localization Approach Using Current Density Mapping

A new approach to the inverse source localization of electrical cardiac activity has been proposed with the aid of current density mapping. The current density mapping provides higher spatial resolution than the potential mapping. Computer simulation shows the inverse solution estimated from the current density distribution is much more stable and of higher resolution in space in comparing with those obtained from the potential distribution.
Performance metrics and auditing framework using application kernels for high‐performance computer systems

SUMMARY This paper describes XSEDE Metrics on Demand, a comprehensive auditing framework for use by high-performance computing centers, which provides metrics regarding resource utilization, resource performance, and impact on scholarship and research. This role-based framework is designed to meet the following objectives: (1) provide the user community with a tool to manage their allocations and optimize their resource utilization; (2) provide operational staff with the ability to monitor and tune resource performance; (3) provide management with a tool to monitor utilization, user base, and performance of resources; and (4) provide metrics to help measure scientific impact. Although initially focused on the XSEDE program, XSEDE Metrics on Demand can be adapted to any high-performance computing environment. The framework includes a computationally lightweight application kernel auditing system that utilizes performance kernels to measure overall system performance. This allows continuous resource auditing to measure all aspects of system performance including filesystem performance, processor and memory performance, and network latency and bandwidth. Metrics that focus on scientific impact, such as publications, citations and external funding, will be included to help quantify the important role high-performance computing centers play in advancing research and scholarship. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Theory of Critical Thinking of Nursing.

Abstract Critical thinking is a thought process used by nurses for clinical decision-making. This descriptive correlational study focused on the relationships among critical thinking, decision-making, and clinical nursing expertise during a clinical simulation. A midrange theory, developed from Benner (1) and Paul (2), states that as novice nurses become experts and develop clinical expertise through experience and the acquisition of knowledge, critical thinking is developed and used for clinical decision-making. > A convenience sample of 149 nursing students, graduate nurses, and expert nurses was selected for the study. Critical thinking was measured with the Elements of Thought Instrument (ETI) and a decision score was calculated. Critical thinking and decision-making increased with the level of clinical expertise. Related demographics included college credits taken, years in nursing practice, and grade point average. The findings were consistent with the midrange Theory of Critical Thinking of Nurses.
Abstract 5697: Multistage vectored nanotherapeutics of breast cancer lung metastasis

Breast cancer metastasis to remote organs is the major cause of cancer death. Although significant progresses have been made on survival of patients with Stage I-III breast cancer, the situation with breast cancer metastasis is discouraging. Nanotechnology has played an important role in the fight against breast cancer in the last decade. The first nano-liposomal formulation of doxorubicin (Dox), Doxil, was FDA approved in 1994, and is currently used to treat multiple cancer types including recurrent and refractory breast cancers. More nano-formulated drugs have since been approved. These nanotherapeutics work based on the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, and still cause severe toxicity to the body, however. To overcome these defects of the first generation of nanotherapeutics, we have developed a silicon-based multistage vector (MSV) system with the aim to specifically delivery drugs to cancer tissues with the least toxicity to the normal organs. We have demonstrated highly reproducible therapeutic efficacy with this system to deliver the conventional chemotherapy drugs and siRNA oligos in nanoparticles. We have generated mouse lung metastasis models with the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 which was engineered with a luciferase gene, and used multiple doxorubicin formulations to treat the tumor mice. These included free doxorubicin (3 mg/kg weekly), Doxil (6 mg/kg biweekly), a doxorubicin prodrug (proDox, 6 mg/kg biweekly), and proDox in MSV (MSV/proDox, 6 mg/kg biweekly). Tumor growth in the lung was monitored by bioluminescence with a Xenogen IVIS200 optical in vivo imaging system. As expected, treatment with free Dox caused significant weight loss indicating drug toxicity, most likely to the heart. Tumor growth in the free Dox treatment group halted initially, but resumed two weeks later. The tumor cells in these animals might have developed resistance to Dox during the treatment. Doxil treatment also triggered weight loss initially. This correlates with reduced the cardiac side effect of the drug observed in clinic comparing to free Dox. Neither proDox nor MSV/proDox caused weight loss. Fifty percent of the untreated mice died of lung metastasis by 11 weeks. The free Dox- and proDox-treated mice extended life by 2 weeks. Half of Doxil-treated mice died by 15 weeks, when all MSV/proDox-treated mice have survived. These results indicate that we have developed a powerful system for tumor-specific delivery of therapeutic in the treatment of breast cancer metastasis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5697. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5697
MATING PROPENSITY, CHROMOSOMAL POLYMORPHISM, AND DEPENDENT CONDITIONS IN DROSPHILA PERSIMILIS.

Evidence has now accumulated to suggest that chromosomal polymorphism in both Drosophila persimilis and D. pseudoobscura is associated with a portion of the genome which controls mating propensity in one or both sexes. Because rate of mating is undoubtedly a focal component of fitness in Drosophila populations, it is further suggestive that the polymorphism may be a result of such cytogenetic control. In populations of these species studied so far (Spiess and Langer, 1964a, 1964b; Spiess, Langer, and Spiess, 1966) the basis for this association has been the correlation between frequency of karyotypes in the natural populations and the mating speed of these karyotypes, a correlation which holds more consistently and more significantly than for other fitness properties like fecundity, viability, or rate of development (Spiess, 1958). Before evolutionary implications and further generalizations about the significance of mating speed control by chromosomal polymorphism could be drawn, it was vital to extend these studies to include samples from other natural populations at considerable distance from those already studied. Accordingly in the summer of 1964 new strains were collected from the redwood forests of Humboldt County, California (for third chromosome arrangement frequencies, see Spiess, 1965). This paper reports the mating propensity studies using Humboldt strains derived from that collection. Furthermore it was essential to describe in more detail the effects of environmental and aging variables. Accordingly the Humboldt strains were intercrossed and tested for mating speed after having been raised under different culture conditions and at increasing ages for the sake of comparison with flies from the Yosemite region reported previously (Spiess and Langer, 1964b).
Abstract 2103: XB05: a promising small molecule for cancer therapy.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC XB05 is synthetic small molecule which was serendipitously discovered to have potent anticancer properties. XB05 displays selectivity for malignant cells over non-malignant cells. Human myeloid leukemia cells (U937) and human lung cancer cells (A549) treated with XB05 show an increase in oxidative stress, DNA damage and a mixed apoptotic and necrotic mechanism of cell death. We conducted a COMPARE analysis to search for correlations between XB05 response and gene expression using publicly available microarray studies of the National Cancer Institute 60 cell line panel. This analysis uncovered a correlation between cell death in response to XB05 and expression of the transcription factor, SOX9. We find that SOX9 is differentially expressed across a panel of human lung cancer cell lines. MTT proliferation and clonogenic cell survival assays suggest that SOX9 expression positively correlates with the sensitivity of lung cancer cells to XB05. Furthermore, we show that siRNA knockdown of SOX9 recapitulates the phenotype of XB05-induced cell death, and that SOX9 may be downregulated at the protein level by XB05 treatment. Overall, these data demonstrate potent activity of XB05 against human cancer cells via a novel mechanism of action, and a potential role for SOX9 as a biomarker for selection and monitoring of therapy with XB05. Citation Format: Francesca R. Salipur, Elsa M. Reyes Reyes, Bo Xu, Ned Smith, Jian Cai, Gerald B. Hammond, Paula J. Bates. XB05: a promising small molecule for cancer therapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2103. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2103
The methods of comparative anatomy and its contribution to the study of evolution.

Renewed interest in problems of plhylogeny andl evolutionary mechanismls characterizes the achievements of the 20th century biologists. A considerable number of synthetic works have been written in the past few years, all of them ultimately concerned with tralnsformations within the structural design of the organism. Tlhus, it should rightly be expected that monrphology, the biological discipline that occupies itself especially with organismic form, shouild play an important role in the discussion of such theoretical problems as phylogenetic progression anld the meclhanisms that bringi it about. This welcome revival of interest in phylogenetic quiestions has, however, brought forth a considerable amount of confusion in the minds of man-y biologists as to the methodological procedcures and to the limits of morphology, and the particular kind of contribution that this discipline can make to the theoretical discussion. The need for a clarification of morphological concepts has become especially urgent, as is evidenced by an impressive list of publications that are directly concerned with this matter. A survey of these publications readily reveals a great deal of disagreement among the authors with regard to the nature and content of morphological concepts, particularly that of homology. There are essentially two schools of thought represented. On the one hand, morphological concepts are being broadened and transferred from the methodological to the theoretical level (Boyden, 1935, 1942, 1943, 1947; ' Hubbs, 1944; 0. Haas anld Sim-pson , 1946; Etkin and Livinlgstol, 1947). On the other hanid, iiiolrplhological concepts have been fuirtlher developed witlint the realm of their app)licability that is, the method of comlparative anatomy (Naef, 1913, 1917, 1919, 1921-28, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1931; Takobshageni, 1924, 1925a, 19251, 1927; and Kalin, 1933, 1935, 1941, 1945). The work of these authors has either been overlooked, or they are said to be advocating a return to pre-evolutionary thinlkinig (Hubbs, 1944; Haas and Simpson, 1946). This statemenit, however, does not conformi to the facts, as will be slhown below, anld as is readily confir-med by an examinationi of the works of these auithors themselves. Silnce there is mulclh disagreelm-enit in this matter among the auitlhors, anid in view of the -fact that the numerous and important contributions to this subject, partictularly by Naef and Kulin, have not entered the Englislh language literatture, an attempt is lhere made 2
Rules, Games, and the Axiological Foundations of (International) Criminal Law

International law has often been seen with scepticism, at least when contrasted against domestic law. International criminal law may suffer the same fate unless we reject a certain tendency to understand the role and functioning of any legal system in reductive and mechanistic terms. This tendency – a remnant from positivism – sees the law as modelled on games, and on their constitutive rules. I examine here a defense of this positivistic, narrow approach by prominent (domestic) criminal law theorists, and suggest reasons why international criminal law, in particular, should avoid it.
Computed Tomography of Orthopedic Neoplasms

CT facilitates diagnosis of orthopedic neoplasms by recognition of both the internal contents of the lesion and its borders with surrounding soft tissues. Involvement of adjacent vital organs and spread within the medullary canal are important for planning resection or amputation. Changes in the size of the lesion may be seen on CT scans following radiation therapy, and metastatic lesions to bone and lungs may be detected with high sensitivity. Biopsy performed with CT guidance is both safe and effective.
Individual Investors and the Financial Crisis

This paper studies the trading behavior of individual Chinese investors before and during the recent financial crisis.We have three major findings: (i) individual investors did not withdraw their capital from the equity market during the crisis; instead, they reduced investments following portfolio gains; (ii) the asymmetric net flow decisions are strongly influenced by the disposition effect, in the absence of tax effects; this fi nding holds over our entire sample period and it is even stronger during the crisis; (iii) individual investors revised their portfolios to hold relatively safer and more liquid stocks.
Whatever happened to the polypill

The idea is slowly but surely gaining ground It has been nearly 15 years since Wald and Law proposed that a polypill could reduce cardiovascular events if taken by everyone from the age of 55 years (primary prevention) and all people with pre-existing cardiovascular disease (secondary prevention).1 Initial responses to the idea were mixed, with most who voiced opinions expressing opposition, some citing lack of trial data to support the “spectacular claims.”2 Others were enthusiastic about the idea’s potential, and since the 2003 publication several polypill trials have shown tolerability and benefit on intermediate and some clinical outcomes.3456 In the recent HOPE-3 trial67 a polypill reduced cardiovascular events by 29% over about 5.6 years in adults at moderate risk of cardiovascular disease (3.6% v 5.0%; P=0.005). Although overall benefit was driven by the statin, those with higher blood pressure benefited from blood pressure lowering as well. The use of a polypill for secondary prevention, typically as a substitute for individual drugs, has …
Becoming Bermuda grass: mapping and tracing rhizomes to practice reflexivity

This narrative project used rhizomatic analysis and reflexivity to describe a layered process of responding to a student’s identity of non-participation within an undergraduate science classroom. Mapping rhizomes represents an ongoing and experimental process in consciousness. Rhizomatic mapping in educational studies is too often left out of the products of academic pursuits. In this paper, we try to capture this process, and let the process capture us. This manuscript starts with a focus on just one student, but maps our reflexive terrain that helped us think in new ways about persistent problems in science learning. As we decided how to address this student’s identity of non-participation, we learned about the intertwined stories of the researchers and the researched and the challenges of designing inclusive learning environments.
Opioid analgesic dose and the risk of misuse, overdose, and death: A narrative review.

PURPOSE: Despite the rise in serious adverse events paralleling increased prescription opioid analgesic use in the United States over the past 2 decades, the association between opioid analgesic dose and the risk of serious adverse health outcomes is incompletely characterized. We sought to synthesize the medical literature for observational studies examining the association between opioid analgesic dose and the risk of serious adverse health outcomes, with particular attention to the outcomes of misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, and death. METHODS: Searching MEDLINE using PubMed and bibliography review, we identified 22 observational studies published between 2000 and 2015 that assessed the association between opioid analgesic dose and the risk of serious adverse health outcomes. Some of these studies had significant methodological limitations. Twelve reviewed studies examined the outcomes of misuse, overdose, or death; no studies examining the risk of addiction or abuse met our criteria for inclusion. RESULTS: The results of multiple studies clearly indicate an increasing risk of serious adverse health outcomes associated with increasing opioid analgesic dose. In particular, the risk of misuse, overdose, and death increases with increasing opioid analgesic dose. However, there is no opioid dose inflection point beyond which the risk of these adverse health outcomes increases. No opioid analgesic dose is without risk. CONCLUSIONS: The reviewed studies show an increasing risk of serious adverse health outcomes-including misuse, overdose, and death-associated with increasing opioid analgesic dose. Further research is needed to characterize the relationship between opioid analgesic dose and the risk of addiction and abuse. This analysis could inform policy actions for regulators and clinical decision making for providers.Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Language: en
Numerical Simulations of an Inversion Fog Event in the Salt Lake Valley during the MATERHORN-Fog Field Campaign

An advanced research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model is employed to simulate a wintertime inversion fog event in the Salt Lake Valley during the Mountain Terrain Atmospheric Modeling and Observations Program (MATERHORN) field campaign during January 2015. Simulation results are compared to observations obtained from the field program. The sensitivity of numerical simulations to available cloud microphysical (CM), planetary boundary layer (PBL), radiation, and land surface models (LSMs) is evaluated. The influence of differing visibility algorithms and initialization times on simulation results is also examined. Results indicate that the numerical simulations of the fog event are sensitive to the choice of CM, PBL, radiation, and LSM as well as the visibility algorithm and initialization time. Although the majority of experiments accurately captured the synoptic setup environment, errors were found in most experiments within the boundary layer, specifically a 3° warm bias in simulated surface temperatures compared to observations. Accurate representation of surface and boundary layer variables are vital in correctly predicting fog in the numerical model.
Estimation of myocardial mechanical properties with dynamic transverse stiffness.

There are currently no validated methods for accurately estimating regional ventricular mechanical properties. We recently developed a dynamic indentation system that can determine dynamic transverse stiffness (the slope of the relation between the indentation stress and indentation strain during high frequency indentations) in as little as 10 msec. The apparatus consists of an indentation probe coupled to a linear-motor and a computerized control system. This indentation system was tested on beating, canine ventricular septa that were mounted in a biaxial system that could apply strains in the plane of the septum and measure the resulting in-plane stresses. The probe indented the septa with peak displacements of 0.1–0.5 mm at frequencies of 20 and 50 Hz. The transverse stiffness was shown to be related to the in-plane stress and stiffness in the isolated septa. Dynamic transverse stiffness was then used to study the effects of myocardial perfusion on passive tissue stiffness and on contractility. In addition, the transverse stiffness was studied in intact canine hearts during diastole, where it was related to the chamber stiffness. Thus, dynamic transverse stiffness appears to allow estimation of myocardial mechanical properties.
Consistent Distributed Memory Services: Resilience and Efficiency (Invited Paper).

Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic, the three R's underlying much of human intellectual activity, not surprisingly, also stand as a venerable foundation of modern computing technology. Indeed, both the Turing machine and von Neumann machine models operate by reading, writing, and computing, and all practical uniprocessor implementations are based on performing activities structured in terms of the three R's. With the advance of networking technology, communication became an additional major systemic activity. However, at a high level of abstraction, it is apparently still more natural to think in terms of reading, writing, and computing. While it is hard to imagine distributed systems - such as those implementing the World-Wide Web - without communication, we often imagine browser-based applications that operate by retrieving (i.e., reading) data, performing computation, and storing (i.e., writing) the results. In this article, we deal with the storage of shared readable and writable data in distributed systems that are subject to perturbations in the underlying distributed platforms composed of computers and networks that interconnect them. The perturbations may include permanent failures (or crashes) of individual computers, transient failures, and delays in the communication medium. The focus of this paper is on the implementations of distributed atomic memory services. Atomicity is a venerable notion of consistency, introduced in 1979 by Lamport [Lamport, 1979]. To this day atomicity remains the most natural type of consistency because it provides an illusion of equivalence with the serial object type that software designers expect. We define the overall setting, models of computation, definition of atomic consistency, and measures of efficiency. We then present algorithms for single-writer settings in the static models. Then we move to presenting algorithms for multi-writer settings. For both static settings we discuss design issues, correctness, efficiency, and trade-offs. Lastly we survey the implementation issues in dynamic settings, where the universe of participants may completely change over time. Here the expectation is that solutions are found by integrating static algorithms with a reconfiguration framework so that during periods of relative stability one benefits from the efficiency of static algorithms, and where during the more turbulent times performance degrades gracefully when reconfigurations are needed. We describe the most important approaches and provide examples.
Wearable and Implantable Epidermal Paper-Based Electronics.

Traditional manufacturing methods and materials used to fabricate epidermal electronics for physiological monitoring, transdermal stimulation, and therapeutics are complex and expensive, preventing their adoption as single-use medical devices. This work describes the fabrication of epidermal, paper-based electronic devices (EPEDs) for wearable and implantable applications by combining the spray-based deposition of silanizing agents, highly conductive nanoparticles, and encapsulating polymers with laser micromachining. EPEDs are inexpensive, stretchable, easy to apply, and disposable by burning. The omniphobic character and fibrous structure of EPEDs make them breathable, mechanically stable upon stretching, and facilitate their use as electrophysiological sensors to record electrocardiograms, electromyograms, and electrooculograms, even under water. EPEDs can also be used to provide thermotherapeutic treatments to joints, map temperature spatially, and as wirelessly powered implantable devices for stimula...
Interfacial Charge Transfer between Excited CsPbBr3 Nanocrystals and TiO2: Charge Injection versus Photodegradation

Record-breaking efficiency achieved with quantum dot solar cells made of perovskite nanocrystals demands understanding of the excited-state interactions between perovskite nanocrystals and metal oxide electron transport layers. The interfacial electron transfer between excited CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals and metal oxides (TiO2, SnO2, and ZnO) was elucidated using transient absorption spectroscopy and found to occur with a rate constant in the range of 2–4 × 1010 s–1. In an inert atmosphere, back electron transfer helps to maintain the stability of the perovskite nanocrystals. However, the presence of oxygen introduces instability as it scavenges away transferred electrons from the electron-transporting metal oxide, leaving behind holes to accumulate at CsPbBr3 nanocrystals, which in turn induce anodic corrosion. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements have enabled us to identify PbO as the major photodegraded product. The importance of the surrounding atmosphere and the supporting metal oxide in...
Purple Visions of Blackness: Prince’s Expansion of the Depictions of Black Experiences Through his Music Videos

Childish Gambino’s music video for “This is America,” garnered national headlines for its controversial depictions of the Black experience in America. However the use of music videos by pop music i...
A framework for modeling Persuasive Technologies based on the Fogg Behavior Model

This research presents a work in progress in which we discuss the potentialities and challenges in the development of Persuasive Technologies (PTs) and the possible opportunities of use in the most diverse areas. However, we emphasize the impact of the use of Pts as a motivational agent of the teaching and learning process. More precisely, this work investigates the use of PT as a mediator of characteristics related to the individual’s perception of emotions and behavior. More precisely we propose the the Fogg Behavior Model (FBM) transcription for a computer tool. To do this we use the Fuzzy Logic. In order to validate the framework, we present a application in a scenario focused on the reduction of electric energy consumption. The results validate the proposed modeling as it relates to the measurement of the indexes of ability and motivation.
Electroconvulsive therapy electrode placement for bipolar state-related targeted engagement

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for all bipolar states. However, ECT remains underutilized, likely stemming from stigma and the risk of neurocognitive impairment. Neuroimaging research has identified state-specific areas of aberrant brain activity that may serve as targets for therapeutic brain stimulation. Electrode placement determines the geometry of the electric field and can be either non-focal (bitemporal) or more focal (right unilateral or bifrontal). Previous research has shown that electrode placement can impact clinical and cognitive outcomes independent of seizure activity. This review critically examines the evidence that focal (unilateral or bifrontal) electrode placements target specific aberrant circuitry in specific bipolar states to optimize clinical outcomes. We hypothesize that optimal target engagement for a bipolar state will be associated with equivalent efficacy relative to bitemporal non-focal stimulation with less neurocognitive impairment. We performed a literature search in the PubMed database. Inclusion criteria included prospective, longitudinal investigations during the ECT series with specific electrode placements within a bipolar state from 2000 to 2018. We identified investigations that met our inclusion criteria with bipolar mania (n = 6), depression (n = 6), mixed (n = 3) and catatonia (n = 1) states. These studies included clinical outcomes and several included cognitive outcomes, which were discussed separately. While the heterogeneity of the studies makes comparisons difficult, important patterns included the reduced cognitive side effects, faster rate of response, and equivalent efficacy rates of the focal electrode placements (right unilateral and bifrontal) when compared to non-focal (bitemporal) placement. Further avenues for research include more robust cognitive assessments to separate procedure-related and state-related impairment. In addition, future studies could investigate novel electrode configurations with more specific target engagement for different bipolar states.