cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PERTINENT DRY NEEDLING CONSIDERATIONS FOR MINIMIZING ADVERSE EFFECTS - PART ONE.

Background Dry needling is an evidence-based treatment technique that is accepted and used by physical therapists in the United States. This treatment approach focuses on releasing or inactivating muscular trigger points to decrease pain, reduce muscle tension, and assist patients with an accelerated return to active rehabilitation.
Does Candidate Sexual Orientation Matter at the Ballot Box? A Field Experiment

Surveys and laboratory experiments suggest the existence of enduring hurdles that LGBTQ candidates must overcome to win. But to what extent do actual voters respond to candidate sexual orientation? To what extent is their response conditioned by the presence or absence of social issues in the campaign dialogue? To test these questions, a field experiment was embedded in a low salience 2016 Democratic Primary race for county recorder in Franklin County, Ohio. The incumbent candidate was openly gay – he mentioned his sexual orientation in his official biography – and had campaigned for gay rights. Nonetheless, given the obscurity of the office, very few voters would be expected to know either of these things. With precincts randomly assigned to receive mailings that vary the biographical information (sexual orientation mentioned or not) and the issue context (gay rights included or not), we test for a real world effect of candidate sexuality. We find that the mere fact of being gay had no discernable effect on voters, while being gay and expressing commitment to marriage equality actually increased support for the candidate. Ultimately, the results suggest scholars may have underestimated the capacity of gay candidates to run as themselves and succeed.
Non-invasive arterial monitor for H 2 /sup 15/O blood flow studies

A noninvasive arterial radioactivity monitor has been developed that measures the flux of photons emanating from the superior lobe of the right lung following an intravenous bolus of H/sub 2//sup 15/O. To determine the efficacy of the lung probe as a measure of arterial radioactivity, 16 brain blood flow determinations were made in four volunteers using arterial radioactivity measurements based both on the lung probe and continuous sampling in a radial artery. The mean absolute percent difference in water flows calculated for the invasive versus the noninvasive monitor was 5.45% and the maximum percent difference was 11.3%. >
Impairment of fetal hematopoietic stem cell function in the absence of Fancd2

Fanconi anemia (FA) results from mutations in the genes necessary for DNA damage repair and often leads to progressive bone marrow failure. Although the exhaustion of the bone marrow leads to cytopenias in FA patients as they age, evidence from human FA and mouse model fetal livers suggests that hematopoietic defects originate in utero, which may lead to deficient seeding of the bone marrow. To address this possibility, we examined the consequences of loss of Fancd2, a central component of the FA pathway. Examination of embryonic day 14.5 (E14.5) Fancd2 knockout (KO) fetal livers showed a decrease in total cellularity and specific declines in long-term and short-term hematopoietic stem cell (LT-HSC and ST-HSC, respectively) numbers. Fancd2 KO fetal liver cells display similar functional defects to Fancd2 adult bone marrow cells, including reduced colony-forming units, increased mitomycin C sensitivity, increased LT-HSC apoptosis, and heavily impaired competitive repopulation, implying that these defects are intrinsic to the fetal liver and are not dependent on the accumulation of DNA damage during aging. Telomere shortening, an aging-related mechanism proposed to contribute to HSC apoptosis and bone marrow failure in FA, was not observed in Fancd2 KO fetal livers. In summary, loss of Fancd2 yields significant defects to fetal liver hematopoiesis, particularly the HSC population, which mimics key phenotypes from adult Fancd2 KO bone marrow independently of aging-accrued DNA damage.
Don’t Underestimate the Hybridity of America’s Orthodox Jews

This chapter discusses the ways in which American Orthodox Jews, particularly the Modern Orthodox, share many characteristics with their non-Orthodox co-religionists. For example, while nearly all Haredi Jews are married by age 29 and 70 % of Modern Orthodox by that age, nearly one-third of them remain single in their 30s and 40s, a pattern that more resembles the non-Orthodox population.
One Dollar Per Day: The Slaving Wages of Immigration Jail, 1943-Present

This Paper evaluates the legality of the $1 per day payments for work performed by those in custody under immigration laws as well as its genesis. In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt issued an order moving the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) out of the Department of Labor and into the Justice Department. During this same time frame, the U.S. Government established internment camps for "enemy aliens," i.e., civilians in the United States and other countries in Latin America who were or were imagined to be citizens of Axis powers. In 1943, the Justice Department paid those so held 80 cents per day for their work performed in the camps; the average daily cost of each person's detention in 1943 was one dollar. This was the origins of the 1950 law authorizing paying those in custody under immigration laws for work performed. If those in immigration custody today were paid at the ratio from 1943, they would be earning about $80 per day. This paper draws on government documents and contracts obtained under the Freedom of Information Act as well as the program's implementation and history as the basis for a statutory analysis of the Government's defense of its legality. The Paper argues that under a reading of the relevant laws' plain meaning, legislative history, and purpose, the program appears to violate various labor laws and the Fifth, Sixth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments.
Bacterial Cell Mechanics

Cellular mechanical properties play an integral role in bacterial survival and adaptation. Historically, the bacterial cell wall and, in particular, the layer of polymeric material called the peptidoglycan were the elements to which cell mechanics could be primarily attributed. Disrupting the biochemical machinery that assembles the peptidoglycan (e.g., using the β-lactam family of antibiotics) alters the structure of this material, leads to mechanical defects, and results in cell lysis. Decades after the discovery of peptidoglycan-synthesizing enzymes, the mechanisms that underlie their positioning and regulation are still not entirely understood. In addition, recent evidence suggests a diverse group of other biochemical elements influence bacterial cell mechanics, may be regulated by new cellular mechanisms, and may be triggered in different environmental contexts to enable cell adaptation and survival. This review summarizes the contributions that different biomolecular components of the cell wall (e.g...
Thorium Metallacycle Facilitates Catalytic Alkyne Hydrophosphination.

The bis(NHC)borate-supported thorium-bis(mesitylphosphido) complex (1) undergoes reversible intramolecular C–H bond activation enabling the catalytic hydrophosphination of unactivated internal alkynes. Catalytic and stoichiometric experiments support a mechanism involving reactive Th–NHC metallacycle intermediates (Int and 2).
Effectiveness of the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale with Older Generalized Anxiety Disorder Patients

To expand the collection of instruments available for assessment of anxiety in the elderly, this report examined the original and revised Hamilton anxiety scales in a sample of 50 older adults diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and 93 normal community participants (ages 55–82). Although the revised anxiety scale had better discriminant validity (lower correlation with the revised Hamilton depression scale) than the original anxiety and depression scales, a considerable amount of shared variance still existed (41% shared variance, GAD sample alone; 17% control sample alone; 74% shared variance, both samples combined). Near-perfect group classification was possible using 7 items from the original anxiety scale and 10 items from the revised anxiety scale. Results are discussed in light of their implications for use of the Hamilton anxiety rating scale with older anxiety-disordered patients.
Voriconazole in lung transplant recipients - how worried should we be?

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is the most common invasive mold infection in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, occurring in 1-15% of recipients, with a 12-week mortality rate of 20-60%.1 Lung transplant (LTx) recipients are at the highest risk for IA among all SOT recipients, ranging from ulcerative tracheobronchitis, anastomotic site involvement and airway wall necrosis, to pneumonia, mediastinitis, empyema and disseminated fungemia. Additionally, Aspergillus colonization is an independent risk factor for chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Resultingly, a majority of LTx programs now use antifungal prophylaxis against Aspergillus. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
IS FERTILITY AFTER THE DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION MALADAPTIVE

Fitness is always relative to the fitness of others in the group or breeding population. Even in very low-fertility societies, individual fitness as measured by the share of genes in subsequent generations may still be maximized. Further, sexual selection theory from evolutionary biology suggests that the relationship between status and fertility will differ for males and females. For this reason it is important to examine the relationship between status and fertility separately for males and females-something few demographic studies of fertility do. When male fertility is measured separately, high-status men (as measured by their wealth and personal income) have higher fertility than low-status men, even in very low-fertility societies, so individual males appear to be maximizing their fitness within the constraints posed by a modern society. Thus male fertility cannot be considered maladaptive. When female fertility is measured separately, in both very high- and very low-fertility societies, there is not much variance across women of different statuses in completed fertility. Only in societies currently changing rapidly (with falling fertility rates) is somewhat high variance across women of different statuses in completed fertility found. What is seen across all phases of the demographic transition appears to be a continuation of two somewhat different evolved human reproductive strategies-one male, one female-in changing social and material contexts. Whether contemporary female fertility is maladaptive remains an open question.
Slow and deliberate cooperation in the commons

We test how fast and slow thought processes affect cooperation for sustainability by manipulating time pressure in a dynamic common-pool resource experiment. Sustainable management of shared resources critically depends on decisions in the current period to leave enough stock so that future generations are able to draw on the remaining limited natural resources. An intertemporal common-pool resource game represents a typical dynamic for social dilemmas involving natural resources. Using one such game, we analyse decisions throughout time. We find that people in this context deplete the common resource to a greater extent under time pressure, which leads to greater likelihood of stock collapse. Preventing resource collapse while managing natural resources requires actively creating decision environments that facilitate the cognitive capacity needed to support sustainable cooperation. Using experimental behavioural methods, this study shows that time pressure leads to worse decisions over the sustainable management of collectively held natural resources.
Does the cost of a meal influence the portion size effect

Abstract Serving larger portions leads to increased intake, but little is known about how the cost of a meal affects this response. Therefore, we tested whether the amount of money paid for a meal influenced the portion size effect at a lunch served in a controlled restaurant-style setting. In a crossover design, 79 adults (55 women; 24 men) came to the lab once a week for 4 weeks to eat a main dish of pasta with side dishes. Across weeks, the meal was varied in two factors: portion size of the main dish (400 g or 600 g) and cost of the meal (US$8 or $16). At discharge subjects completed questionnaires that assessed behaviors thought to influence the response to portion size and cost. Results showed that the portion size of the main dish had a significant effect on meal intake (P 0.37) nor did meal cost have significant effects on meal intake (both P > 0.24). Subject scores for satiety responsiveness did, however, influence the effect of portion size on food intake (P = 0.0007). Serving larger portions led to increased intake in subjects with lower satiety responsiveness scores (P
Health-system-adapted data envelopment analysis for decision-making in universal health coverage.

Objective To develop and test a method that allows an objective assessment of the value of any health policy in multiple domains. Methods We developed a method to assist decision-makers with constrained resources and insufficient knowledge about a society's preferences to choose between policies with unequal, and at times opposing, effects on multiple outcomes. Our method extends standard data envelopment analysis to address the realities of health policy, such as multiple and adverse outcomes and a lack of information about the population's preferences over those outcomes. We made four modifications to the standard analysis: (i) treating the policy itself as the object of analysis, (ii) allowing the method to produce a rank-ordering of policies; (iii) allowing any outcome to serve as both an output and input; and (iv) allowing variable return to scale. We tested the method against three previously published analyses of health policies in low-income settings. Results When applied to previous analyses, our new method performed better than traditional cost-effectiveness analysis and standard data envelopment analysis. The adapted analysis could identify the most efficient policy interventions from among any set of evaluated policies and was able to provide a rank ordering of all interventions. Conclusion Health-system-adapted data envelopment analysis allows any quantifiable attribute or determinant of health to be included in a calculation. It is easy to perform and, in the absence of evidence about a society's preferences among multiple policy outcomes, can provide a comprehensive method for health-policy decision-making in the era of sustainable development.
Translation Adequacy and Preference Evaluation Tool (TAP-ET)

Evaluation of Machine Translation (MT) technology is often tied to the requirement for tedious manual judgments of translation quality. While automated MT metrology continues to be an active area of research, a well known and often accepted standard metric is the manual human assessment of adequacy and fluency. There are several software packages that have been used to facilitate these judgments, but for the 2008 NIST Open MT Evaluation, NISTs Speech Group created an online software tool to accommodate the requirement for centralized data and distributed judges. This paper introduces the NIST TAP-ET application and reviews the reasoning underlying its design. Where available, analysis of data sets judged for Adequacy and Preference using the TAP-ET application will be presented. TAP-ET is freely available and ready to download, and contains a variety of customizable features.
Modeling and Simulation in Pediatric Research and Development

Pediatric research and development is typically poorly funded in both academic and industrial settings creating greater incentive for optimized trial designs with high degree of technical success. Likewise, the application of modeling and simulation approaches is extremely valuable in the evaluation of pediatric trial design. Beyond bridging adult dose-exposure relationships, pediatric clinical trial simulation models must accommodate relevant developmental, maturational, and size relationships on both PK and PD expressions. Design considerations that address sample size per age strata, the probability of achieving adult exposure-response targets, and assumptions regarding PD response vs. outcomes are especially valuable in the support of pediatric drug development and/or dosing guidance.
A Fiber Optic Gyroscope Driven by a Low-Coherence Laser Suitable for Aircraft Navigation

We report a navigation-grade FOG interrogated by a laser broadened to a 27-GHz linewidth with a noise-driven phase modulator. Gating further improves stability and noise by a factor of 4 and 1.6, respectively.
Improved performance of a slotted blade using a novel slot design

Abstract Efficient capture of wind energy requires optimal dynamic performance of turbine blades, desirably including delaying stall to higher angles of attack (AoAs). Stall is associated with flow separation close to the leading edge on the suction side of a blade so that delaying flow separation mitigates this condition. Merits of passive slots in wings for increasing their lift are well known. Typically, however, the increase in lift is accompanied by a corresponding increase in drag so that the overall aerodynamic efficiency is at most marginally improved. Here, we discuss application of a custom optimized-design internal slot on a NACA 634-021 airfoil blade to allow ventilation of flow through the slot from the pressure side to the suction side of the blade, in support of delaying flow separation, and stall. Delaying flow separation, results in increase in lift and decrease in drag at significantly high angles of attack. Slot width and inclined angle were varied to determine the optimum configuration. Dynamic performance of the blade was investigated both numerically and experimentally, with angles of attack in the range 0 o ≤ AoA ≤ 30 o at a Reynolds number of 105. Lift and drag coefficients of the slotted airfoils predicted from the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study correlate well with the corresponding coefficients determined via experiments. Experimental results show that a 58% increase in maximum lift coefficient and an 14% increase in maximum lift-to-drag ratio could be achieved with the optimum design case. Flow details obtained from the CFD study provide better insight into the underlying control mechanism of the internal slot. The findings could have significant implications for aeronautics and for improving capture of renewable energy from wind.
How Much Would You Pay to Resolve Volatility Risk in Agricultural Commodity Markets

This article investigates the pricing of volatility risk in agricultural commodity markets. We show theoretically that the cost of bearing volatility risk can be measured using returns to delta-neutral straddles. Using a sample of options for five commodities (corn, soybeans, Chicago wheat, live cattle, and lean hogs) for 2002–2016, we provide the following findings. First, returns to delta-neutral straddles are negative, ranging between –0.87% and –0.06% per day, suggesting that investors are willing to pay a cost to avoid volatility risk. Second, volatility risk is priced mainly at short maturities (within 2 months) but is negligible at longer maturities, and this term structure of volatility risk prevails in all markets. Last, volatility risk is more pronounced on the day immediately preceding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcements but is not effectively explained by economic or commodity specific factors.
Segmented Digital SiPM

A digital silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) using segmentation technique is designed, simulated and fabricated in the AMS 0.35 µm SiGe BiCMOS process. The digital SiPM is intended for photon counting applications. The digital SiPM consists of 16 avalanche photodiodes (APD) each with active area of 24 µm x 24 µm arranged in a 4x4 array with series 236 kΩ quench resistors. The SiPM has a peak responsivity at 490 nm wavelength and a fill factor of 12.6 %. The digital SiPM generates an output 5-bit digital word that indicates the number of APDs triggered in the SiPM array at the rising edge of clock. Simulation results show that the digital SiPM can work at a maximum speed of 100 MS/s and uses 64.6 mW of power. The digital SiPM occupies an area of 0.38 mm2.
Biphone probability and neighborhood density effects on phonetic categorization

Adults’ categorization of speech sounds is influenced by different aspects of lexical and phonological organization. These include neighborhood density and biphone probability. The role of both these influences in models of speech recognition has been a topic of debate. This is in part because these two effects are difficult to disambiguate given the measures are highly correlated: denser neighborhoods tend to have high biphone probability sequences. Accordingly, interactive models can account for neighborhood density effects based on lexical feedback, with biphone probability effects as their by-product. Conversely, in the absence of feedback from the lexicon, autonomous models can explain density effects using biphone probabilities alone. We present two experiments testing cases which disambiguate these effects. In Experiment 1, listeners categorized re-synthesized /ɛ/∼/ae/ continua. Vowel continua were presented in CVC frames, both endpoints of which were English non-words. Crucially, we manipulated the neighborhood density and biphone probabilities of each endpoint of the continuum independently. Our results show an independent contribution of neighborhood density and biphone probability in categorization. In Experiment 2, we are now using eye-tracking to disentangle the time course of each effect. Results will be discussed in the context of the role of feedback in speech recognition.
Challenges in insulin initiation among Hispanics/Latinos with diabetes in the United States.

Abstract Purpose The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the United States (U.S.) is particularly high among people of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, placing this population at risk of developing diabetes-related complications. We conducted a systematic literature review to understand and communicate the current gaps and disparities, including myths and misconceptions, regarding insulin initiation among the Hispanic/Latino population in the U.S. Methods We searched MEDLINE and MEDLINE In-process, e-pubs ahead of print (OvidSP), EMBASE (OvidSP), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). The search strategy combined free text and controlled vocabulary terms and was developed to identify challenges associated with insulin use and initiation, as well as myths/misconceptions associated with insulin use. The quality of included studies was assessed using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) quality assessment tool. Principal results In total, 777 articles were identified, with 13 articles included for data synthesis. Frequently reported barriers to initiating diabetes treatment among the Hispanic/Latino community related to socioeconomic and sociocultural factors. In particular, limited health literacy and access to health care, as well as low education and economic status, were common factors preventing treatment initiation for diabetes. Cultural factors, including language, food preferences, and lack of family support were also evident, with misconceptions and fears concerning insulin being commonly reported. Patients also described barriers concerning health care providers, including interpersonal issues and difficulties with communication and language. Major conclusions Overall, the current literature highlights many obstacles facing Hispanic/Latino patients in initiating insulin treatment for diabetes. Although limited research was identified, we describe common barriers and themes among this minority population. Awareness of these barriers is important for health care providers, enabling them to identify and address insulin-related fears and misconceptions and to be mindful of their cultural competency. Additionally, knowledge of current barriers will guide further research aimed at developing tailored strategies and tools to improve long-term health outcomes and quality of life in this population.
Revision Arthroscopic Bankart Repair in the Military

Objectives:There is no consensus on the optimal method of stabilization (arthroscopic or open) for revision anterior shoulder stabilization. The purpose of this study was to determine the success o...
2.11 – Ionic Liquids

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of non-molecular compounds that are composed solely of ions. They have melting points lower than 100 °C. ILs have many advantages over traditional organic solvents including negligible vapor pressure at room temperature as well as high thermal stability, making them nearly ideal solvents in extraction techniques. The physical and chemical properties including thermal stability, viscosity, and solubility in water and other organic solvents can be varied by simply changing the combination of cations and anions. Moreover, task-specific ILs (TSILs), which are capable of interacting with solutes in specific ways, can be obtained by introducing desired functional groups to the cation and/or anion. Thus far, ILs have been widely applied in various types of sample preparation techniques, including liquid-liquid extraction, single-drop microextraction, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction, and solid-phase microextraction. This chapter discusses the unique properties of ILs that make them excellent extraction media for these extraction techniques, and representative examples are provided. In addition, applications of TSILs in selected extraction techniques in order to perform task-specific extraction and/or enhance the analytical performance of the extraction method are highlighted.
World culture, world history, and the roles of a museum: a conceptual study of the Swedish museums of world culture, debates concerning them, and their roles in cultural politics

The Museum of World Culture opened in 2004, partially in response to the increased immigration of the 1990s. This article analyses the political process leading to the establishment of the museum, ...
Impact of stacked conservation practices on phosphorus and sediment export at the catchment scale.

Best management practices (BMPs) are effective in reducing nutrient and sediment export, but further understanding of the benefits of the stacked BMPs is needed. This catchment-scale study was established to evaluate the impact of hydrology and BMPs on phosphorus (P) and sediment losses. Two adjacent catchments, one with a lower level of BMP adoption (Low-BMP #11) and one with a higher level (High-BMP #12), were compared for total P (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS) export. The BMPs include nutrient management plans, reduced tillage, grassed waterways, terraces, and perennial vegetation. The TP event-flow-weighted (EFW) concentration was significantly higher at Low-BMP #11 (0.293 mg L-1) than at High-BMP #12 (0.069 mg L-1). There was no significant difference in TP base-flow-weighted (BFW) concentrations between Low-BMP #11 (0.035 mg L-1) and High-BMP #12 (0.037 mg L-1). The TSS-EFW (148.0 vs. 18.6 mg L-1) and TSS-BFW (13.3 vs. 6.9 mg L-1) concentrations were also higher at Low-BMP #11 than at High-BMP #12. High-BMP #12 had lower TP (0.36 vs. 0.59 kg ha-1 yr-1) and TSS (253 vs. 1,961 kg ha-1 yr-1) loading than Low-BMP #11. The lower TP export at High-BMP #12 was likely attributed to the effectiveness of stacked erosion control BMPs and nutrient management plans. Overall, lower P and sediment loading was observed when a greater areal extent of stacked practices was implemented at the catchment level. This finding provides vital information to encourage wider BMP adoption at the watershed scale.
The Contradiction Between Equal Protection’s Meaning and Its Legal Substance: How Deliberate Indifference Can Cure It

This Article highlights the inherent ambiguities of racial antidiscrimination’s core legal language: “equal protection under the law” and “discrimination based on race.” It then analyzes how and why the Court has never answered fundamental questions regarding the meaning of these terms. Thus, this Article answers these fundamental questions itself by exploring the original intent behind the Equal Protection Clause. Against this backdrop, this Article reveals how the Court’s standard for assessing discrimination claims, the intent doctrine, assumes a meaning for equal protection that is inconsistent with its original meaning. Rather than reflecting equal protection’s meaning, the standard lacks any basis and is but a reflection of the Court’s values. In addition, the intent standard has proven unreliable in application and has provided lower courts with inadequate guidance. This inconsistency and unreliability is increasingly surfacing in recent years as the Court’s simplistic iterations of discrimination are insufficient to resolve complex situations. To create a consistency with equal protection’s meaning and resolve application problems, this Article proposes a new standard of deliberate indifference. Deliberate indifference requires the government to consider the racial harms that it perpetrates and avoid them when possible or when no legitimate reason justifies them. In this respect, it ensures that the government affords its citizens the equal consideration, value, and protection to which the Fourteenth Amendment entitles them.
What COVID-19 Teaches Us About Implicit Bias in Pediatric Health Care.

Objectives To highlight the role of implicit bias in contributing to existing health disparities among pediatric populations during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and recommend strategies to reduce its impact. Methods A topical review of the recent literature on implicit bias describing its potential impact in key areas of pediatric health care within the context of COVID-19 was conducted. Results Pediatric provider implicit bias has been found to be similar to the general population and can negatively influence clinical decision-making and outcomes for marginalized youth and families, particularly under stressful conditions such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Implicit bias can be mitigated through strategies proposed at the individual, institutional/organizational, educational, and scientific/research levels. Conclusions The additional strain on provider resources, staff, and supplies created by COVID-19 may exacerbate providers' susceptibility to implicit bias and contribute to health disparities. Pediatric psychologists are encouraged to recognize implicit biases in themselves and colleagues and promote identified strategies to reduce the impact of implicit bias on perpetuating health disparities in marginalized youth and families.
Medical Device Spare Part Pricing Strategy Analysis for Developing Nations

Levels of accessibility to functioning medical equipment and devices varies from nation to nation. Developing countries have limited accessibility as malfunctioning or broken medical equipment is often thrown away with no available replacement – limiting healthcare capabilities of the area. Cost of replacing medical parts or equipment is often seen as a large barrier in developing nations. Kijenzi is a social enterprise that is able to manufacture replacement parts and at a fraction of the cost from international competitors as it is locally manufactured and 3D printed. A cost structure that is suitable to providing profit to Kijenzi, and social enterprises alike, while ensuring the medical products are financially accessible to the customers must be established in order to ensure a sufficient number of sales will occur in Kisumu, Kenya – where Kijenzi is based. 3D printed medical parts were valued by biomedical engineers and procurement officers in order to collect data to analyze relationships between cost to print, cost of the device, and part valuation as seen by the hospital representative. This method was compared to different, industry-used, pricing methods such as tiered and equity pricing, along with the standardization and adaptation schools of thought to gain a better understanding of which would be more applicable to a developing country. Medical devices that break often and are needed more frequently were seen to have higher spart part to machine cost ratio, indicating that these spare parts were generally valued more than ones that do not need to be replaces as often.
Retrograde Signaling Via Dendritic Activation of Glial-Neuronal Circuits

Neuroendocrine cells in the hypothalamus secrete neuropeptides from both their axon terminals and their dendrites to regulate homeostatic function. Vasopressin is expressed in both vasopressin and corticotropin-releasing-hormone neurons and is released dendritically following exposure to homeostatic neuromodulators such as ghrelin and norepinephrine. Dendritically released vasopressin stimulates ATP release from astrocytes, which activates local upstream glutamate and GABA circuits. This trans-neuronal-glial retrograde signaling exploits the spatial domain of astrocytes to expand the reach of dendritic volume transmission from neuroendocrine cells to distal presynaptic partners to regulate local synaptic circuit inputs, thus providing a powerful means of neuroendocrine cell autoregulation of hormonal output.
Autogestión and water sharing networks in Puerto Rico after Hurricane María

Puerto Rico’s residents were left without water services for up to nine months in the wake of hurricanes Irma and Maria (2017). Further, it was clear that there were no viable plans for addressing ...
An Analysis of Frequency Portrayal of Minority Models in Magazine Advertisements

Historically, studies that have addressed the frequency of minority models in magazine advertising have focused primarily on African-Americans. This paper broadens the scope of inquiry to include African, Asian and Hispanic Americans to determine the frequency of appearance of models from these minority groups in proportion to their representation in the population. Sixty-one randomly selected consumer magazines yielded a sample size of 811 advertisements for the content analysis performed by four judges. The results indicate that marked inconsistencies are evident between the number of advertisements which include diverse ethnic groups, and that frequency of usage portrayal appears to fall into product/service specific categories.
Empirical culmination – over the top: Geopolitics, class struggle, and World War I

This volume culminates empirically, with an analysis of the cataclysm that ended the period and that ferociously illustrates my theory of modern society. World War I was a turning point in the history of society, its outcomes decisively determining the twentieth century. Establishing its causes is essential to understanding modern society. This war also draws our horrified fascination: It took more human lives than any other. The war's significance as a morality fable exceeds even its causal and its killing significance. For the multistate civilization of Europe, dominant in the world for centuries, almost committed suicide. Its leading philosophies of hope, liberalism and socialism, appeared to be extinguished in one crazed week in August 1914. Its leading Powers went with eyes apparently open into extinction or precipitate decline. Supposed practitioners of formal rationality, diplomats and capitalists, lent their techniques to a war that half destroyed them. Those four blood-drenched years raise the question, Are human beings, is human society, rational? There have been countless attempts to answer. What can a nonspecialist add to the enormous literature on the causes of the war? I cannot improve on Joll's (1984a) masterly synthesis of the historical literature. Yet a sociologist may have something distinctive to contribute: concern with underlying social patterns and a familiarity with general theories of society. Even empiricist historians recognize that theory helps establish the causes of the war.
The Nature of Science and Scientific Knowledge: Implications for a Preservice Elementary Methods Course

This article describes teaching considerations related to the nature of science and scientific knowledge in an elementary science methods course. The decisions that were made, the rationale upon which these decisions were based, and the challenges evident are presented. Instructional strategies used during the course for the purpose of developing preservice teachers' understandings of the nature of science and scientific knowledge are described. The results of using these strategies, in regard to the impact on students' learning and their views on teaching the nature of science to elementary grade students are then discussed. The article concludes with a discussion on the implications for teaching the nature of science and scientific knowledge in the context of preservice elementary teacher education.
A Hypergraph Framework for Optimal Model-Based Decomposition ofDesign Problems

Decomposition of large engineering system models is desirable since increased model size reduces reliability and speed of numerical solution algorithms. The article presents a methodology for optimal model-based decomposition (OMBD) of design problems, whether or not initially cast as optimization problems. The overall model is represented by a hypergraph and is optimally partitioned into weakly connected subgraphs that satisfy decomposition constraints. Spectral graph-partitioning methods together with iterative improvement techniques are proposed for hypergraph partitioning. A known spectral K-partitioning formulation, which accounts for partition sizes and edge weights, is extended to graphs with also vertex weights. The OMBD formulation is robust enough to account for computational demands and resources and strength of interdependencies between the computational modules contained in the model.
More About Dr. Nathan

There is little doubt that the recent saga of Dr. David Nathan and especially the subsequent rebuttles in Pediatrics will do much for the souls of practicing pediatricians, and consequently for the patients and children who benefit from their guidance and care. Perhaps the fact that Dr. Shiller9s letter1 appeared recently as a "lead editorial" (Commentary) says something about a beginning trend (hopefully) in pediatrics today. There was an era when patient care was honorable work.
Investigation on Mandarin Broadcast News Speech Recognition

Abstract : This paper describes the authors' efforts in developing a competitive Mandarin broadcast news speech recognizer. They have successfully incorporated the most popular speech technologies into their system. More importantly, they present two novel algorithms for smoothing pitch features and segmenting Chinese characters into word units. In addition, they propose to borrow the principle of point-wise mutual information for creating a Chinese word lexicon automatically. Their final system achieved a 6.0% character error rate (CER) on dev04 and a 16.0% CER on eval04 with simpler acoustic models, less training data, and simpler decoding architecture compared with other state-of-the-art systems. This system is equally competitive.
A quantitative systematic review of the efficacy of imiquimod monotherapy for lentigo maligna and an analysis of factors that affect tumor clearance.

Background The reported efficacy of imiquimod for lentigo maligna varies widely, without consensus on tumor or treatment factors that can impact tumor clearance. Objective We sought to provide a more precise estimate of clearance rates in patients with lentigo maligna who are treated with imiquimod and to analyze factors that can impact tumor clearance. Methods We performed a literature search for biopsy-proven lentigo maligna treated with imiquimod monotherapy, linked treatment and outcome data to individual tumors, calculated histologic and clinical clearance rates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and analyzed the impact of tumor and treatment factors on tumor clearance using logistic regression. Results Based on 347 tumors from 45 studies, histologic and clinical clearance rates were 76.2% (95% CI, 71.4-81.0%) and 78.3% (95% CI, 73.6-82.9%), respectively. The incidence of clinical recurrence was 2.3% (95% CI, 0.5-4.2%), with a mean follow-up of 34.2 ± 11.8 months. Treatment with >60 total applications, or with >5 applications per week was associated with a higher likelihood of histologic clearance (odds ratio, 8.4 [95% CI, 2.9-24.1] and odds ratio, 6.0 [95% CI, 2.4-14.7], respectively). Limitations Our limitations included the accuracy and scope of published data, variable follow-up times, potential patient selection, and publication bias related to case series/cohort designs of previous studies. Conclusion Imiquimod offers a 76% histologic and 78% clinical clearance rate for lentigo maligna. Both cumulative dose and treatment intensity affect tumor clearance.
Tylosin polyketide synthase module 3: stereospecificity, stereoselectivity and steady-state kinetic analysis of β-processing domains via diffusible, synthetic substrates

Polyketide synthase (PKS) β-processing domains are responsible for much of the stereochemical complexity of polyketide natural products. Although the importance of β-processing domains has been well noted and significantly explored, key stereochemical details pertaining to cryptic stereochemistry and the impact of remote stereogenic centers have yet to be fully discerned. To uncover the inner workings of ketoreductases (KR) and dehydratases (DH) from the tylosin pathway a didomain composed of TylDH3-KR3 was recombinantly expressed and interrogated with full-length tetraketide substrates to probe the impact of vicinal and distal stereochemistry. In vitro product isolation analysis revealed the products of the cryptic KR as d-alcohols and of the DH as trans-olefins. Steady-state kinetic analysis of the dehydration reaction demonstrated a strict stereochemical tolerance at the β-position as d-configured substrates were processed more than 100 times more efficiently than l-alcohols. Unexpectedly, the kcat/KM values were diminished 14- to 45-fold upon inversion of remote e- and ζ-stereocenters. This stereochemical discrimination is predicted to be driven by a combination of allylic A1,3 strain that likely disfavors binding of the e-epimer and a loss of electrostatic interactions with the ζ-epimer. Our results strongly suggest that dehydratases may play a role in refining the stereochemical outcomes of preceding modules through their substrate stereospecificity, honing the configurational purity of the final PKS product.
Dialyzable leukocyte extract induces mast cell secretion.

Dialyzable leukocyte extract (DLE) transfers the ability to elicit delayed-type hypersensitivity, an action which may be due to components that are antigen specific and those that are nonspecific. In the present study we have found that human DLE is capable of inducing secretion of serotonin and histamine from rat mast cells. Release of mediators was noncytotoxic, dose-dependent, and time-dependent and required energy and calcium. In addition, DLE facilitated mast cell secretion caused by IgE and anti-IgE antibody when mast cells were preincubated in doses of DLE below those capable of causing secretion directly. Similar secretory effects were also observed with purified mast cells, and DLE caused mast cell degranulation in vivo. Fractionation of DLE showed that the mast cell-activating components were mostly in the 500–3500 molecular weight fraction in which other nonspecific activities of DLE have been found, and not in the 3500-10,000 molecular weight fraction in which the ability to transfer antigen-specific delayed reactions has been reported to be found. We suggest that some nonspecific effects of DLE may be due to induction or augmentation of secretion from mast cells, and that in some instances the participation of mast cells in delayed-type hypersensitivity could be mediated by such leukocyte-derived factors.
Evidence of Tyrosine Kinase Activity in the Protozoan Parasite Trypanosoma brucei

Phosphorylation of proteins at tyrosine is an important mechanism for regulating cell growth and proliferation in metazoan organisms. In this report, we have demonstrated that Trypanosoma brucei, a protozoan parasite, possesses a tyrosine kinase that plays a role in regulation of proliferation of this protozoan. Genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, prevented multiplication of the parasite. An in vitro kinase assay demonstrated the presence of a kinase capable of phosphorylating an exogenous substrate at tyrosine, and genistein was able to reduce trypanosome-mediated phosphorylation of this substrate. An alkali digestion of 32P-labeled trypanosome proteins separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated several proteins phosphorylated at tyrosine. These results indicate that T. brucei has a tyrosine kinase that is involved in proliferation or growth regulation of the parasite and provide further evidence for the possibility of growth factor regulation and signal transduction in trypanosomes.
Influence of sediment composition on apparent toxicity in a solid‐phase test using bioluminescent bacteria

Clean and spiked sediment formulations of various silt:sand and clay:sand ratios were tested for toxicity using a bioassay that utilizes bioluminescent bacteria. Measured toxicities of clean and copper sulfate-spiked sediments were negatively but nonlinearly related with percent silt and percent clay, but no significant relationship existed between measured toxicity and sediment composition for methyl parathion-spiked formulations. Results suggest that solid-phase sediment bioassays using bioluminescence bacteria may be useful for testing the toxicities of single contaminants in formulated artificial sediments of known particle-size composition, and for repeated samples collected from the same site. However, extreme caution must be taken when testing sediments of varying composition or which may be differentially contaminated or contain a suite of contaminants.
Cleaning process for contaminated superalloy powders

A cleaning process for removing interstitial contaminants from superalloy powders after wet grinding is described. Typical analyses of oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen in ball-milled WAZ-20 superalloy samples after hydrogen plus vacuum cleaning are presented. The hydrogen cleaning step involves heating retorts containing superalloy powder twice under flowing hydrogen with a 24-hour hold at each temperature. The vacuum step involves heating cold-pressed billets two hours at an elevated temperature at a pressure of 10 microPa. It is suggested that the hydrogen plus vacuum cleaning procedure can be applied to superalloys contaminated by other substances in other industrial processes.
Adaptive thresholding for distributed power spectrum sensing

Wideband spectrum sensing is an important prerequisite for cognitive radio access. A network sensing scenario comprising low-end sensors is considered, with each sensor reporting a single randomly filtered power measurement bit to the fusion center (FC), which estimates the ambient power spectrum from these bits. An adaptive thresholding algorithm is proposed to improve the quality and speed of power spectrum reconstruction. Upon receipt of each new bit, the FC picks the threshold for the next sensor so as to cut off a half-space from the feasible region along its Chebyshev center. Convergence of this algorithm to the true finite-length autocorrelation is shown, whose Fourier transform yields the power spectrum estimate. To avoid the `downlink' threshold communication overhead, an alternative algorithm is proposed, where each sensor pseudo-randomly chooses its threshold from a suitable distribution, and the FC judiciously polls sensors to form its power spectrum estimate.