cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proposal for an Italian Family Mediation Clinic

Section A of this paper discusses the historical evolution of clinical legal programs in the United States, the homeland of clinical legal education. Next, the current framework of Italian legal clinics is discussed, focusing on its American heritage and associated nuances. Section B considers why mediation would be particularly suitable for the creation of an Italian legal clinic, given the recent incentives created by the European legislature to strengthen alternative dispute resolution. The evolution of the Columbia Law School Mediation Clinic is described, from its beginning to the recent creation of an advanced clinic model, and insights from this process are discussed in terms of the Italian legal and family environment. Section C lays out baseline considerations and recommendations for creating a family mediation clinic at LUMSA. Three different approaches to family and community mediation previously adopted in the context of clinical legal education are analysed: facilitative mediation, transformative mediation, and peacemaking circle. A model for the clinic is proposed, with suggestions for sources and materials from which the curriculum might be drawn.
Lipotransin: a novel docking protein for hormone-sensitive lipase.

Abstract Lipotransin is a novel hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL)–interacting protein that appears to translocate HSL to the lipid droplet. The interaction of the two proteins depends upon the phosphorylation of HSL by protein kinase A. Once formed, the complex is dissociated by ATP hydrolysis, due to the ATPase activity of lipotransin. In 3T3L1 adipocytes, insulin produces a stable complex between the proteins, due to a modification of lipotransin. Thus, lipotransin is a novel docking protein that may direct the hormonally regulated redistribution of hormone-sensitive lipase.
A promising approach to targeting type 1 IFN in systemic lupus erythematosus

Despite advances in understanding systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pathogenesis, most clinical trials of new targeted therapies have been met with disappointment. The type I IFN pathway is believed to play an important role in SLE, and the proposed involvement of this pathway helps explain the frustration behind the failure at targeting either IFN-α or the type 1 IFN receptor itself. In this issue of the JCI, Furie et al. report on an intriguing phase 1b study that demonstrates an approach for inhibiting this pathway in the skin using an mAB (BIIB059) that targets the blood DC antigen 2 (BDCA-2) receptor on plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs). BIIB059 decreased IFN expression and improved cutaneous lupus disease activity, with a favorable safety profile. Whether or not this strategy will be effective in managing SLE in other organs remains unanswered. However, these results suggest that closing the door on targeting the type 1 IFN pathway in SLE may be premature and highlight the emerging question of whether an organ-specific approach toward lupus trials and treatment should be the wave of the future.
Gfi1-Mediated Repression of c-Fos, Egr-1 and Egr-2, and Inhibition of ERK1/2 Signaling Contribute to the Role of Gfi1 in Granulopoiesis

Gfi1 supports neutrophil development at the expense of monopoiesis, but the underlying molecular mechanism is incompletely understood. We recently showed that the G-CSFR Y729F mutant, in which tyrosine 729 was mutated to phenylalanine, promoted monocyte rather than neutrophil development in myeloid precursors, which was associated with prolonged activation of Erk1/2 and enhanced activation of c-Fos and Egr-1. We show here that Gfi1 inhibited the expression of c-Fos, Egr-1 and Egr-2, and rescued neutrophil development in cells expressing G-CSFR Y729F. Gfi1 directly bound to and repressed c-Fos and Egr-1, as has been shown for Egr-2, all of which are the immediate early genes (IEGs) of the Erk1/2 pathway. Interestingly, G-CSF- and M-CSF-stimulated activation of Erk1/2 was augmented in lineage-negative (Lin−) bone marrow (BM) cells from Gfi1−/− mice. Suppression of Erk1/2 signaling resulted in diminished expression of c-Fos, Egr-1 and Egr-2, and partially rescued the neutrophil development of Gfi1−/− BM cells, which are intrinsically defective for neutrophil development. Together, our data indicate that Gfi1 inhibits the expression of c-Fos, Egr-1 and Egr-2 through direct transcriptional repression and indirect inhibition of Erk1/2 signaling, and that Gfi1-mediated downregulation of c-Fos, Egr-1 and Egr-2 may contribute to the role of Gfi1 in granulopoiesis.
Association Between Hypertension and Kidney Function Decline: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

Rationale & Objective The relationship between hypertension, antihypertension medication use, and change in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) over time among individuals with preserved GFR requires investigation. Study Design Observational study. Setting & Participants 14,854 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Predictors Baseline hypertension status (1987-1989) was categorized according to the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Clinical Practice Guideline as normal blood pressure, elevated blood pressure, stage 1 hypertension, stage 2 hypertension without medication, or stage 2 hypertension with medication. Outcomes Slope of estimated GFR (eGFR) at 5 study visits over 30 years. Analytical Approach Mixed models with random intercepts and random slopes were fit to evaluate the association between baseline hypertension status and slope of eGFR. Results At baseline, 13.2%, 7.3%, and 19.4% of whites and 15.8%, 14.9%, and 39.9% of African Americans had stage 1 hypertension, stage 2 hypertension without medication, and stage 2 hypertension with medication. Compared with those with normal blood pressure, the annual eGFR decline was greater in people with higher blood pressure (whites: elevated blood pressure, −0.11mL/min/1.73m2; stage 1 hypertension, −0.15mL/min/1.73m2; stage 2 hypertension without medication, −0.36mL/min/1.73m2; stage 2 hypertension with medication, −0.17mL/min/1.73m2; African Americans: elevated blood pressure, −0.21mL/min/1.73m2; stage 1 hypertension, −0.16mL/min/1.73m2; stage 2 hypertension without medication, −0.50mL/min/1.73m2; stage 2 hypertension with medication, −0.16mL/min/1.73m2). The 30-year predicted probabilities of developing chronic kidney disease stage G3a+with normal blood pressure, elevated blood pressure, stage 1 hypertension, stage 2 hypertension without medication, or stage 2 hypertension with medication among whites were 54.4%, 61.6%, 64.7%, 78.1%, and 70.9%, respectively, and 55.4%, 62.8%, 60.9%, 76.1%, and 66.6% among African Americans. Limitations Slope estimated using a maximum of 5 eGFR assessments; differential loss to follow-up. Conclusions Compared to normotension, baseline hypertension status was associated with faster kidney function decline over 30-year follow-up in a general population cohort. This difference was attenuated among people using antihypertensive medications.
Safety in Allowing Residents to Independently Perform Appendectomy: A Retrospective Review.

Background In an era of competency-based education and concern about graduating resident readiness for practice, early resident autonomy and the ability to safely teach junior residents is becoming increasingly important. In this study, we aimed to understand the effect of "teaching resident" (2 residents operating under the supervision of an attending physician) appendectomy cases on outcomes. Study Design We performed a single-center retrospective review of 928 patients who underwent appendectomy within the University of Wisconsin hospital system, from October 2014 to December 2017. We examined how 2 residents (compared with 1 resident with an attending) attempting a case affected operation time, surgical site infection (SSI) rate, conversion to open rate, postoperative CT scanning, and readmission rate, while controlling for sex, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, BMI, previous lower abdominal surgery, acuity, perforation, and presence of a junior attending. Results We identified 597 1-resident cases and 331 2-resident or "teaching resident" cases. We performed multiple logistic regression to assess teaching resident cases as a predictor of postoperative outcomes. There were no significant differences in postoperative surgical site infection (superficial or organ space) odds ratio (OR) = 0.83 (95% CI, 0.47, 1.45); p = 0.51, conversion to open OR=1.10 (95% CI, 0.46, 2.60); p = 0.84, postoperative CT scanning OR=0.82 (95% CI, 0.48, 1.35); p = 0.42, or readmission within 30 days OR = 0.76 (95% CI, 0.40, 1.44); p = 0.40. However, teaching resident operative times were more likely to be classified as prolonged OR=1.44 (95% CI, 1.03, 2.01); p = 0.03. Conclusions Senior surgical trainees can safely supervise more junior trainees performing appendectomy procedures, and training programs should encourage faculty to allow residents to not only manage operative appendicitis as independently as possible, but to supervise junior residents in the intraoperative management of appendicitis.
Common Patterns of Regional Brain Injury Detectable by Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Otherwise Normal-Appearing White Matter in Patients with Early Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) alters the lives of millions of people every year. Although mortality rates have improved, attributed to better pre-hospital care and reduction of secondary injury in the critical care setting, improvements in functional outcomes post-TBI have been difficult to achieve. Diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) allows detailed measurement of microstructural damage in regional brain tissue post-TBI, thus improving our understanding of the extent and severity of TBI. Twenty subjects were recruited from a neurological intensive care unit and compared to 18 healthy control subjects. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning was performed on a 3.0-Tesla Siemens TIM Trio Scanner (Siemens Medical Solutions, Erlangen, Germany) including T1- and T2-weighted sequences and DTI. Images were processed using DTIStudio software. SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) was used for statistical analysis of group differences in 14 brain regions (25 regions of interests [ROIs]). Seventeen TBI subjects completed scanning. TBI and control subjects did not differ in age or sex. All TBI subjects had visible lesions on structural MRI. TBI subjects had seven brain regions (nine ROIs) that showed significant group differences on DTI metrics (fractional anisotropy, radial diffusion, or mean diffusion) compared to noninjured subjects, including the corpus callosum (genu and splenium), superior longitudinal fasciculus, internal capsule, right retrolenticular internal capsule, posterior corona radiata, and thalamus. However, 16 ROIs showed relatively normal DTI measures. Quantitative DTI demonstrates multiple areas of microstructual injury in specific normal-appearing white matter brain regions. DTI may be useful for assessing the extent of brain injury in patients with early moderate to severe TBI.
Investigation on current schistosomiasis cases in Sichuan Province

OBJECTIVE To understand the status of current schistosomiasis patients after the interruption of schistosomiasis transmission in Sichuan Province, so as to provide the reference for the development of specific rescue and treatment schemes and the implementation of dynamic management of the patients. METHODS The information of registered schistosomiasis patients in disease control and prevention institutions and medical institutions were reviewed in all schistosomiasis-endemic counties (districts) across Sichuan Province in 2018, and the data of all newly discovered schistosomiasis patients were collected and analyzed. RESULTS A total of 1 558 current schistosomiasis cases were diagnosed in 11 endemic cities (prefectures) across Sichuan Province, and all were advanced cases. Megalosplenia and ascites were the predominant types of advanced schistosomiasis cases, and no age- (χ2 = 16.723, P > 0.05) or gender-specific difference (χ2 = 2.493, P > 0.05) was seen in the clinical types of current schistosomiasis cases. There were 9.3% of current schistosomiasis patients from poor households. There was a tendency towards a decline in the number of advanced schistosomiasis cases since 2012, and the number of schistosomiasis cases in 2018 reduced by 17.8% as compared to that in 2012. CONCLUSIONS Currently, all current schistosomiasis patients are advanced cases in Sichuan Province. In the future, multidisciplinary collaboration should be implemented to search for a feasible financial subsidy pattern and establish an effective care system for advanced schistosomiasis patients.
Parasocial Contact's Effects on Relations Between Minority Groups in a Multiracial Context

We introduce and examine the effects of parasocial contact between out-groups—or contact that occurs when someone observes a media portrayal of contact between members of two out-groups. Our study examines Hispanic people’s perceptions of Black or Native American out-groups after observing positive contact between a member of one of those groups and a majority group (White) person. Based on social identity theory, we predict that parasocial contact between out-groups will exacerbate prejudice toward the Black out-group, relative to observing African Americans not interacting with the majority out-group. The study’s findings, however, do not support our expectation. All forms of contact improved attitudes about African Americans, even when the stimulus materials featured Native Americans. Results are discussed in terms of the cognitive liberalization potential of contact.
Improving the organization and interactivity of metabolic pathfinding with precomputed pathways

The rapid growth of available knowledge on metabolic processes across thousands of species continues to expand the possibilities of producing chemicals by combining pathways found in different species. Several computational search algorithms have been developed for automating the identification of possible heterologous pathways; however, these searches may return thousands of pathway results. Although the large number of results are in part due to the large number of possible compounds and reactions, a subset of core reaction modules is repeatedly observed in pathway results across multiple searches, suggesting that some subpaths between common compounds were more consistently explored than others.To reduce the resources spent on searching the same metabolic space, a new meta-algorithm for metabolic pathfinding, Hub Pathway search with Atom Tracking (HPAT), was developed to take advantage of a precomputed network of subpath modules. To investigate the efficacy of this method, we created a table describing a network of common hub metabolites and how they are biochemically connected and only offloaded searches to and from this hub network onto an interactive webserver capable of visualizing the resulting pathways. A test set of nineteen known pathways taken from literature and metabolic databases were used to evaluate if HPAT was capable of identifying known pathways. HPAT found the exact pathway for eleven of the nineteen test cases using a diverse set of precomputed subpaths, whereas a comparable pathfinding search algorithm that does not use precomputed subpaths found only seven of the nineteen test cases. The capability of HPAT to find novel pathways was demonstrated by its ability to identify novel 3-hydroxypropanoate (3-HP) synthesis pathways. As for pathway visualization, the new interactive pathway filters enable a reduction of the number of displayed pathways from hundreds down to less than ten pathways in several test cases, illustrating their utility in reducing the amount of presented information while retaining pathways of interest. This work presents the first step in incorporating a precomputed subpath network into metabolic pathfinding and demonstrates how this leads to a concise, interactive visualization of pathway results. The modular nature of metabolic pathways is exploited to facilitate efficient discovery of alternate pathways.
New Nurse Leaders: Creating a Work-Life Balance and Finding Joy in Work

Abstract New nurse leaders assume complex and demanding roles. These time-consuming positions can prevent work-life balance and eventually lead to burnout. Joy in work has been described as a concept in health care opposite of burnout. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement developed a four-step model for addressing barriers to joy in the workplace. This article will describe how new nurse leaders can use the four-step model to evaluate barriers to joy in the workplace. Strategies for change to address common challenges that prevent joy and work-life balance will also be provided.
A new method for visualizing and evaluating views in architectural design

Abstract In buildings, good views to the exterior can provide positive psychological benefits and are often one of the most appreciated aspects of an interior space. However, the existing architectural design workflow fails to take view into consideration during the early design stages. This research provides two innovative outputs: first, a method to visualize and quantitatively evaluate real, photographic views from existing or prospective buildings and, second, a window design workflow to help architects evaluate view simultaneously along with the results of daylight and energy simulations. A “View Score” is calculated, in part, via a weighted average of view area and user’s view preferences. The method could also help real estate professionals to show or valuate views for prospective buyers of unbuilt units. The application of this workflow is tested in one case study in Cambridge, MA.
Progress in determining response to treatment in gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

Introduction: Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common malignant mesenchymal tumor of the gastrointestinal system. Multiple advances in the management of GIST from the discovery of ...
Chapter 20 – Developmental Pathology

Publisher Summary Developmental toxicity depends not only on the nature and dose of the toxicant(s), but also on the stage of embryonic development during which exposure occurs, and on factors that may modify toxicity. Such factors include the fetal and parental genotypes, the maternal environment, and the placenta. The critical period of intrauterine development is that time during development at which the conceptus has the greatest sensitivity to noxious influences, most commonly during early organogenesis. Each organ, or organ system, has its own critical period, and complex structures may have more than one such peak of sensitivity. For this reason, exposure to xenobiotics at different times during development is likely to produce lesions in different organ systems, dependent on their critical periods. Indeed, a malformed organ cannot result from an exposure to a toxic substance if the organ was completely developed at the time of xenobiotic exposure. Critical periods begin during organogenesis, when the structures involved are laying the foundations for their ultimate form, i.e., when they are present as organ primordia. Critical periods continue while cell division, differentiation, and morphogenesis are occurring rapidly, and diminish as organogenesis nears completion. If exogenous forces interfere sufficiently with the proper creation of an organ's foundation, the organ's morphology will develop abnormally.
Socioeconomic Disadvantage, Chronic Stress, and Hippocampal Subfield Development in Children:

Recent findings indicate that hair cortisol concentrations significantly mediate associations between socioeconomic disadvantage and reduced hippocampal CA3 and dentate gyrus volumes in children. In this commentary, we discuss these results and highlight important future research directions, including focusing on hippocampal subfield structural development in relation to episodic memory and mental health; the mechanistic role of excitatory amino acids, such as glutamate; and how chronic stress and cognitive stimulation may make unique proximal contributions to socioeconomic differences in hippocampal subfield volume. Building on the findings in these ways will contribute to advances in strategies aimed at reducing socioeconomic disparities in academic achievement and mental health.
Correlations for the laminar burning velocity and burned gas Markstein length of methane-air mixtures diluted with flue gases at high temperatures and pressures

Abstract Laminar burning velocity and burned gas Markstein length correlations have been developed from the measurements of spherically expanding methane-air flames under constant pressure at 1–5 bar, 373–473 K, and with 0–15% dilution. A dilution mixture consisting of 71.49% N2 + 19.01% H2O + 9.50% CO2 by mole, representing the actual principal residual concentrations from stoichiometric methane-air combustion, was used. Only equivalence ratios where the laminar burning velocity was greater than 15 cm/s were reported, due to the buoyancy effect limitation. The physical and chemical aspects of changes in the laminar burning velocity and flame front stability due to changes in temperature, pressure, equivalence and dilution ratios were discussed in detail. Experimentally measured laminar burning velocity data and a newly developed correlation in this study were compared with numerical results obtained from several chemical mechanisms as well as experimental data from the literature.
Telepsychiatry in Psychotherapy Practice

Psychiatry is one of the first medical specialties to move to the practice of telehealth. Social distancing in the time of COVID-19 has prompted many face-to-face practices, including psychotherapy, to transition to virtual formats. Patients and physicians may have reservations about the change in approach and may have concerns about privacy and the security of protected health information. By utilizing telepsychiatry, patients and psychiatrists can have increased access to one another, bringing a host of benefits and challenges along with it. Addressing these concerns is an important part of telepsychiatry in psychotherapy practice. Here, we discuss practical solutions to challenges clinicians might encounter when moving a psychotherapy practice to telehealth, such as privacy issues, health information security, and developing/maintain a therapeutic bond.
An Ethnographic Focus on Family Dynamics in Ghana, West Africa versus the United States

The purpose of this study to explore and describe the family dynamics in Ghana, West Africa in comparison to those of African Americans in the United States of America. Analyzing these culture sharing patterns is especially important in the context of the historically black institution of higher learning, where African and American cultures intersect. Both groups, Africans in Africa and African-Americans in the U.S., will benefit from this research because this will bridge gaps in knowledge, making us a citizen of the world. I was able to travel to Ghana and immerse myself into their culture and for that short period of time, I was able to observe the differences in family dynamics in America versus those in Ghana. My research explores family dynamics in three sectors: Daily life, education, marriage/childbearing. Many components make these three overarching sectors. Both Ghana and America are countries going through changes with a diverse population that provides different perspectives and opportunities for the exchange of new ideas that can stimulate innovation and creativity (VanAlstine, Cox, & Roden, 2015). Research has been conducted to investigate the educational system in both America and Ghana and the different levels in which one can obtain a degree/certificate. Studies also explore the extent to which families in both Ghana and America value education. Marriage practices also differ in Ghana versus the United States and have changed many times over centuries. This study is important in that it explores these differences based on the lived experiences of the participants who are a part of each culture. In order to collect data, three focus groups were conducted among college students in both Ghana and the United States. Students who attended The University of Ghana, The University of Cape Coast, and students of the Atlanta University Center shared their lived experiences and their family dynamics. There were a total of 13 interview questions in order to explore daily life, education, roles/hierarchy, occupation, and marriage. All questions asked were open-ended, allowing the participants to discuss their experiences in detail. For example, “Describe the roles of men and women in your family” is a question that received extensive responses due to the fact that is was more subjective than objective. Atlas Ti revealed the following themes that arose from the analysis—meals, leisure activities, the value of education, attitudes toward premarital childbearing, and family roles among others. Validation strategies used are rich thick descriptions, reflexivity, and member checking. Understanding the daily lives and contexts of individuals in Ghana and in the U.S. has not been conducted systematically to date, and such an exploration is expected to help build a bridge of understanding and respect between the related cultures in addition to using best practices that will benefit the cultures mutually.
Medical Malpractice Crisis: Oversight of the Practice of Medicine

Medical malpractice has been one of the most misunderstood American policy debates over the past 40 years. This chapter explores the concept of medical malpractice, what is currently discussed as policy alternatives, and some possible ways to address the real crisis, which is not too many physicians getting sued, but rather that too many patients are being harmed in healthcare settings. It is our belief that such altering the focus from liability avoidance and defensive medicine to patient safety, harm reduction, and transparency is necessary. Therefore, documenting, discussing, and fixing systemic issues that cause medical errors to occur can result in better and safer patient care, as well as improved quality at lower cost.
Elucidating the differences in oxidation of high-performance α- and β- diisobutylene biofuels via Synchrotron photoionization mass spectrometry.

Biofuels are a promising ecologically viable and renewable alternative to petroleum fuels, with the potential to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions. However, biomass sourced fuels are often produced as blends of hydrocarbons and their oxygenates. Such blending complicates the implementation of these fuels in combustion applications. Variations in a biofuel’s composition will dictate combustion properties such as auto ignition temperature, reaction delay time, and reaction pathways. A handful of novel drop-in replacement biofuels for conventional transportation fuels have recently been down selected from a list of over 10,000 potential candidates as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines (Co-Optima) initiative. Diisobutylene (DIB) is one such high-performing hydrocarbon which can readily be produced from the dehydration and dimerization of isobutanol, produced from the fermentation of biomass-derived sugars. The two most common isomers realized, from this process, are 2,4,4-trimethyl-1-pentene (α-DIB) and 2,4,4-trimethyl-2-pentene (β-DIB). Due to a difference in olefinic bond location, the α- and β- isomer exhibit dramatically different ignition temperatures at constant pressure and equivalence ratio. This may be attributed to different fragmentation pathways enabled by allylic versus vinylic carbons. For optimal implementation of these biofuel candidates, explicit identification of the intermediates formed during the combustion of each of the isomers is needed. To investigate the combustion pathways of these molecules, tunable vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light (in the range 8.1–11.0 eV) available at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Advanced Light Source (ALS) has been used in conjunction with a jet stirred reactor (JSR) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry to probe intermediates formed. Relative intensity curves for intermediate mass fragments produced during this process were obtained. Several important unique intermediates were identified at the lowest observable combustion temperature with static pressure of 93,325 Pa and for 1.5 s residence time. As this relatively short residence time is just after ignition, this study is targeted at the fuels’ ignition events. Ignition characteristics for both isomers were found to be strongly dependent on the kinetics of C4 and C7 fragment production and decomposition, with the tert-butyl radical as a key intermediate species. However, the ignition of α-DIB exhibited larger concentrations of C4 compounds over C7, while the reverse was true for β-DIB. These identified species will allow for enhanced engineering modeling of fuel blending and engine design.
“La patria es impecable y diamantina”: Performing Diamantina in Cristina Rivera Garza’s (Non)Fiction

Cristina Rivera Garza’s (non) fiction trajectory is a dialogue of interests threaded by her passions for translation, history, poetics, among many other topics. In this article, Diamantina -- a repetitive character in the author’s corpora -- is traced to analyze how gender and cultural memory are portrayed in Nadie me vera llorar (1999) Ningun reloj cuenta esto (2002) and Dolerse: textos desde un pais herido (2011). By commenting on Ramon Lopez Velarde’s famous stanza “La patria es impecable y diamantina” in “Suave patria” (1921), Rivera Garza proposes an alternative way of performing nation by women who resist the virtuous adjectives exalted by Velarde in post-revolutionary Mexico, which can be threaded to the glitter used in recent public demonstrations against femicides and gender-based violence. Narrative memory is proposed to name the intersections of intertextuality and cultural memory in her literary cultural production that goes beyond the borders of a nation. This article centralizes the short-story, “La alineacion tambien tiene su belleza” in Ningun reloj cuenta esto, which is set in San Antonio, Texas and New York City, to analyze Mexican canonical representations of women as Patria from a transnational lens.
Control Barrier Functions for Singularity Avoidance in Passivity-Based Manipulator Control.

Task-space Passivity-Based Control (PBC) for manipulation has numerous appealing properties, including robustness to modeling error and safety for human-robot interaction. Existing methods perform poorly in singular configurations, however, such as when all the robot's joints are fully extended. Additionally, standard methods for constrained task-space PBC guarantee passivity only when constraints are not active. We propose a convex-optimization-based control scheme that provides guarantees of singularity avoidance, passivity, and feasibility. This work paves the way for PBC with passivity guarantees under other types of constraints as well, including joint limits and contact/friction constraints. The proposed methods are validated in simulation experiments on a 7 degree-of-freedom manipulator.
Opportunities and Challenges for First‐Year Student‐Athletes Transitioning From High School to College

This chapter discusses the transition from high school to college for student-athletes. The concepts of athlete identity and leadership development are discussed through the lens of the high school athlete who attends college as a collegiate athlete and those students who are dealing with a loss of their high school athlete identity.
THE EFFECT OF CAPACITIVE STORED ENERGY ON NEUTRAL BEAM ACCELERATOR PERFORMANCE

The results of tests to determine the effects of capacitive stored energy (1/2 CV) on the performance of neutral beam injectors are reported. Typical fault current waveforms and methods to limit fault current are presented. Tests indicate that deterioration of performance is not only a function of peak stored energy but is also dependent on peak current and the characteristics of the breakdown.
Crosswind ocean radar backscatter and two-scale scattering model at low grazing angles

[1] A two-scale model of rough surface in a crosswind ocean radar illumination is considered. Model characteristics such as polarization and azimuthal dependence are illustrated through numerical calculations. Predictions of the model are compared with rare field measurements made in a crosswind environment. Measurements were obtained at a 2° grazing angle. These data, collected by X- and Ka-band (9.3 and 34.6 GHz) radars under crosswind during the 1995 Coastal Ocean Probing Experiment (COPE) off the Oregon Coast, indicate that the backscatter intensity of local “sea-spikes” measured with horizontal transmit-and-receive polarization (HH) reaches or exceeds that measured with the vertical transmit-and-receive polarization (VV). We suggest that for low grazing angles and in a crosswind environment, a radar geometrical condition can occur where some HH-spikes can be dominated by vertically polarized scattered radiation due to cross tilt of a long wave, when its local slope becomes greater than 45°.
In situ hybridization detection of microRNAs.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous ~22 nucleotide RNAs that play critical roles in many cellular processes including cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. The analysis of spatiotemporal expression of miRNAs is important for dissecting their roles in development and during physiological/pathophysiological processes. In situ hybridization is a powerful technology that allows cellular localization. miRNA in situ hybridization, however, has been challenging because of the low affinity of conventional RNA or DNA probes due to the small sizes of miRNAs. Here, we describe a protocol for miRNA in situ hybridization on mouse tissue cryosections using locked nucleic acid (LNA) probes. LNA probes demonstrate a much higher affinity to their complimentary RNAs compared to conventional RNA and DNA oligo probes, which allows detection of miRNAs in tissue sections with excellent specificity.
Optogenetics and the future of neuroscience

Over the last 10 years, optogenetics has become widespread in neuroscience for the study of how specific cell types contribute to brain functions and brain disorder states. The full impact of optogenetics will emerge only when other toolsets mature, including neural connectivity and cell phenotyping tools and neural recording and imaging tools. The latter tools are rapidly improving, in part because optogenetics has helped galvanize broad interest in neurotechnology development.
An alternative method for characterizing capacitor matching

An alternative method for characterizing capacitor matching is presented. The basic idea of this method is to sense the mismatch among the capacitors by amplifying the error voltage using an iterative switched-capacitor scheme. Through simulation, this method has shown an attractive property for sensing capacitor mismatches down to 1% and smaller.
Rule 68 Offers of Judgment: The Practices and Opinions of Experienced Civil Rights and Employment Discrimination Attorneys

We were interested in learning why Rule 68 is not a more prominent feature of civil rights and employment discrimination litigation. Why is it not used more frequently in the very types of cases in which defendants have the greatest economic incentive to make offers and plaintiffs have the most to lose if they refuse them? We harbor no illusion that Rule 68 is a panacea for dispute resolution. But it is one tool for ratcheting up the pressures for an early settlement with a measure of legal compulsion. Our interest in Rule 68 is not driven by the belief that too many cases go to trial. Indeed, it appears that the civil trial has become a notable rarity - by one respected account, more than 98% of federal civil litigation is resolved by means other than trials. Nevertheless, Rule 68 may harbor the potential to speed up the settlement process and thereby produce significant economic savings to the parties, with correlative savings to the courts and the taxpayers who fund them. Our contribution to the policy discussion is to report the views of experienced practicing attorneys who decide on a daily basis whether to make or accept offers of judgment. We conducted in-person, in-depth interviews with sixty-four experienced litigators who prosecute and defend civil rights and employment discrimination claims. This is the first such nationwide empirical inquiry into the incidence of practitioner use of Rule 68 in the federal fee-authorization cases where, after Marek, one would expect its use to be most common. Part II describes the methodology we used in constructing this study. Part III discusses the technical aspects of Rule 68 and how they might contribute to use or non-use of offers of judgment. Part IV confirms the anecdotal evidence that Rule 68 plays little role in civil rights or employment discrimination litigation throughout most of the nation's federal courts. However, there are a few districts where Rule 68 has become a more than occasional part of evaluating and processing civil rights, although not employment discrimination, cases. Part IV also summarizes the primary reasons advanced by experienced attorneys for the infrequent use of Rule 68. Part V reports on the reactions of these attorneys to various proposals for reform.
A New Photographic Technique for Observing Bulk Laser Damage

A damage site camera was developed to record the onset of bulk laser damage in materials. The camera images and magnifies the damage track using forward-scattered laser light. Employing this camera we can detect the presence of very small (10 m) damage sites with densities as low as 10/cc. The camera is used at oblique incidence to the part being tested. We have observed discrete damage sites generated within the bulk of some materials, such as silicate glass, fluorophosphate glass, and KDP crystals, by 1-ns 1064-nm laser pulses. The energy fluxes at which bulk damage is initiated are in the range of 2 to 20 J/cm/sup 2/, much lower than the fluxes required to cause damage by intrinsic processes. Small foreign inclusions (1 m diameter) are the cause of these low bulk damage thresholds. The inclusions density varies from 10/sup 7//cc to less than 10/cc. At threshold the damaged volumes are small (1 to 5 min diameter) and thus, can be observed most easily by their forward-scattered light. Several photographs are shown to illustrate the onset of bulk laser damage in fluorophosphate glass and KDP crystals.
The Sources of Social Power: American empire at the turn of the twenty-first century

In February 1941 Henry Luce proclaimed the beginning of the American Century. America, he declared, must now: “accept wholeheartedly our duty and our opportunity as the most powerful and vital nation in the world … to exert upon the world the full impact of our influence, for such purposes as we see fit and by such means as we see fit …. We must now undertake to be the Good Samaritan to the entire world ….” This was global imperialism for a good cause. As we saw in Chapter 5, American imperialism after World War II had been quite varied. Over Europe it was hegemonic, even legitimate. Over East Asia it was a mixture of indirect empire and informal empire through military intervention, yet domination then became more benign and now legitimate hegemony predominates there too. Latin America and the Middle East were at the receiving end of informal empire through military intervention or proxies, though this has recently declined in Latin America while increasing in the Middle East. The United States had no colonies in this entire period and tended to move toward milder forms of domination. Yet, as Chalmers Johnson (2000, 2005) says, the size and sprawl of its military base network constitutes a new type of global empire, intended to militarily coerce without formal occupation. This chapter deals with two recent crystallizations of American imperialism: economic imperialism, centered on dollar seigniorage occurring from the early 1970s; and military imperialism intensifying in the 1990s and 2000s. I try to explain them and I ask whether the two were in fact distinct or whether they became merged into a single global imperial strategy, as world systems theorists and others argue. I will ask how successful the two were and whether they reversed the drift toward lighter forms of American empire. Since Chapter 6 already discussed some of the economic intensification, I focus here more on military power relations, and especially on the two main wars of the twenty-first century so far, in Iraq and Afghanistan. I begin with the economy.
Comparison between degree of systemic absorption of vaginally and orally administered estrogens at different dose levels in postmenopausal women.

This report compares factors involved in routes of administration of estrogens for treatment of menopausal symptoms. The following factors were compared in regimens of topical vaginal estrogen administration and oral administration: varying dosages of estrogens were administered and a comparison was made of the systemic absorption at each dosage level by both oral and vaginal routes. The study design mimicked the clinical longer-term use of these compounds instead of an acute single dose administration. 46 postmenopausal patients of comparable age and medical status were studied. Estrogen therapy in these subjects was indicated because of vasomotor symptoms or vaginal problems such as dyspareunia. Patients were given a regimen of a conjugated estrogen (Premarin) .3 .625 or 1.25 mg either orally or vaginally daily. Blood was drawn daily for radioimmunoassay of total plasma estrogen levels. Vaginally administered medication for each dose level studied resulted in significantly lesser increases in blood estrogen values as compared to those produced by the same dose given orally. Of greatest clinical significance was the finding that after a weeks therapy with .3 mg vaginally there was no systemic absorption. Relief of vaginal symptoms and a change from an atrophic vaginal cytologic smear to a greater than 70% superficial cell count were achieved in every topically administered case. A daily vaginal dose level of .3 mg was sufficient.
Late lateral displacement of the humeral head after closed reduction of glenohumeral dislocation: a sign of vascular injury. Report of a case.

The most devastating complications associated with dislocation of the shoulder are injuries of the vessels or nerves to the limb1,3-8,10. The signs of vascular injury must be recognized early, and the injury should be addressed promptly to minimize functional morbidity. We report on a patient who was seen because of a mass in the axilla four weeks after glenohumeral dislocation. Radiographs showed lateral displacement of the humeral head; the humerus was levered away from the glenoid by a pseudoaneurysm of the axillary artery. We report on this patient to illustrate that late lateral dislocation of the glenohumeral joint may suggest vascular injury. A healthy seventy-two-year-old woman tripped at home, sustaining an injury of the left shoulder. She was seen at a local emergency room because of a painful deformity of that shoulder. The arm was in abduction at a right angle to the torso, and the humeral head was dislocated inferiorly. A vascular examination confirmed a palpable radial pulse and normal color of the skin. The neurological evaluation was consistent with a radial-nerve palsy, as demonstrated by diminished sensibility over the dorsoradial aspect of the hand as well as an inability to extend the wrist and digits actively. Additionally, an axillary-nerve palsy was suggested by diminished sensibility over the lateral aspect of the deltoid area. One radiograph was made before the perfomance of the reduction, and it demonstrated a dislocation of the humeral head, with a displaced and comminuted fracture of the greater tuberosity (Fig. 1). Nitrous oxide gas was administered to diminish discomfort during the reduction. According to the operative report, “fairly strong” traction was applied along the axis of the extremity with the arm in abduction, while an assistant pulled superiorly to reduce the humeral head under the acromion. Although …
A 15-bit CMOS cyclic A/D converter with correlated double sampling

This paper describes a 15-bit CMOS cyclic A/D converter that incorporates an improved correlated double sampling technique to effectively boost the op-amp gain by the square of its design value. The increased op-amp gain reduces op-amp non-linearity as the signal swing is maximized for signal to noise ratio in a low voltage CMOS process.
The influence of forage fish abundance on the aggregation of Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and their catchability in the fishery

Shifts in the distribution and aggregation patterns of exploited fish populations can affect the behavior and success of fishermen and can complicate the interpretation of fisheries-dependent data....
Applications of Translational Bioinformatics in Transplantation

Biomedical research is increasingly enamored with the promise of translational medicine. In an era of increasing costs and difficulties in drug discovery, the importance is now heightened for bioinformatics to advance and make more efficient this process of translational medicine (1). Here we discuss the potential role for translational bioinformatics to address current and future needs specifically in the field of transplantation, a field with continued unmet diagnostic and therapeutic needs.
Handheld Polarimeter for Phenomenology Studies

Development of reliable imaging polarimeters and the models that predict their performance is dependent on the ability to assess their accuracy. Field tests frequently result in contradictory data and laboratory measurements are often not representative of materials in the field. To address these concerns, we have built a device with which the calibration of imaging polarimeters (both stationary and moving) can be verified and the polarimetric properties of materials in the field can be measured with accuracy. The device is a handheld, non-imaging polarimeter that is capable of highly calibrated phenomenology measurements in both the lab and field. Multiple optical heads enable monitoring of samples from a variety of angles in order to characterize polarimetric signatures as a function of source, sample, and sensor geometry. The device may also be used in unattended diurnal monitoring of polarimetric signatures of the sky, backgrounds, and targets of interest, providing a correlation between observed polarization phenomenology and weather conditions. The handheld device and the associated data acquisition system is small and portable enough that it can be taken to the field readily and is simple enough that calibration and system performance is predictable and verifiable. In this paper, we describe the design and performance of the non-imaging handheld polarimeter, performance specifications, and measurement results to date.
Childhood views of death

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of concepts of death held by children of different ages, from 2 through 16, and to investigate whether these concepts were influenced by such variables as sex, level of parental education, or degree of religious influence within the family. Specific attention was directed toward investigation of the themes of finality of death, inevitability of death, and acknowledgment of death as a personal event. Individual interviews were conducted with 120 children. The interviews were then rated independently by two judges, according to a 5-point rating scale for each of the three concept themes. A four-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the ratings in terms of the independent classification variables. Age was the only variable found to be significant. The results of the study indicated that, although children do differ in their concepts of death along an age continuum, the greatest change appears to occur about the time when they enter schoo...