cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A stabilized pseudo-shell approach for surface parametrization in CFD design problems

A surface representation for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) shape design problems is presented. The surface representation is based on the solution of a simplified pseudo-shell problem on the surface to be optimized. A stabilized finite element formulation is used to perform this step. The methodology has the advantage of being completely independent of the CAD representation. Moreover, the user does not have to predefine any set of shape functions to parameterize the surface. The scheme uses a reasonable discretization of the surface to automatically build the shape deformation modes, by using the pseudo-shell approach and the design parameter positions. Almost every point of the surface grid can be chosen as design parameter, which leads to a very rich design space. Most of the design variables are chosen in an automatic way, which makes the scheme easy to use. Furthermore, the surface grid is not distorted through the design cycles which avoids remeshing procedures. An example is presented to demonstrate the proposed methodology. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Long-term outcome of patients who undergo tonometry as part of a general physical examination

Objective To determine the value of including tonometry as part of a general physical examination. Material and Methods Between Feb. 14, 1977, and Dec. 31, 1980, 849 residents of Rochester, Minnesota, underwent measurement of intraocular pressure by trained ophthalmic technicians at the request of a nonophthalmologist physician as part of a general physical examination. In 1995 and 1996, these cases were reviewed to determine how many patients in this study cohort had subsequently been diagnosed as having glaucoma. The outcome was derived from the examination of medical records and from the responses to mailed questionnaires and telephone interviews with study patients and their physicians. Results In patients whose intraocular pressures were less than 16 mm Hg at baseline, the risk of being diagnosed as having glaucoma within 10 years was 1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0 to 2%) and within 15 years was 2% (95% CI, 0 to 4%). In patients whose pressure in the higher-pressure eye was 16 to 21 mm Hg at baseline, the risk of having glaucoma in 10 years was 3% (95% CI, 2 to 5%) and in 15 years was 5% (95% CI, 3 to 7%). Twentyfour patients were found at baseline to have an intraocular pressure of 22 mm Hg or higher in at least one eye or a difference of 5 mm Hg or more between the two eyes. In this group, the risk of having glaucoma in 10 years was 17% (95% CI, 0 to 31%) and in 15 years was 26% (95% CI, 6 to 43%). Conclusion When included as part of a general physical examination of older persons, tonometry and a few simple questions provide information that can be used to help the clinician determine the advisability of more detailed ophthalmic examinations.
The insulin-like growth factor system as a treatment target in breast cancer.

Abstract Advances in breast cancer treatment have come from the recognition that pathways relevant to cancer cell biology could be identified and targeted. There is abundant in vitro, animal model, and epidemiologic evidence to suggest that the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) play a role in regulating the malignant phenotype in breast cancer. Insulin-like growth factor action has been implicated in malignant transformation, cellular proliferation, protection from apoptosis, and metastasis. Because IGFs interact with specific cell surface receptors to affect intracellular signaling pathways, blockade of receptor activation could be a successful method to interrupt IGF-driven processes. In contrast to other transmembrane growth factor receptors, the IGF receptor requires activation by ligand. Thus, neutralization of ligand by a “target decoy” could be a useful method to inhibit IGF action. Use of an IGF-binding protein to inhibit activation of IGF receptors will be discussed. Semin Oncol 29 (suppl 11):86-95. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
Blue Marble Space Institute essay contest

The Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, based in Seattle, Wash., is inviting college students to participate in its essay contest. Essays need to address the question, “In the next 100 years, how can human civilization prepare for the long-term changes to the Earth system that will occur over the coming millennium?” According to the institute, the purpose of the contest is “to stimulate creative thinking relating to space exploration and global issues by exploring how changes in the Earth system will affect humanity's future.”
Religious Institutions in the United States: Research Challenges.

This chapter reviews the eclectic missions of religious institutions and sets forth an agenda for conducting research with this diverse segment of American higher education.
A taxonomic revision of the North American species of Lepraria s.l. that produce divaricatic acid, with notes on the type species of the genus L. incana

The divaricatic acid-producing populations of Lepraria in North America north of Mexico are revised with traditional morphological characters, chemistry, ecology, biogeography, and ITS1, 5.8S, and ...
High-Speed Data Transfer via HPSS using Striped Gigabit Ethernet Communications Phil Andrews, Tom Sherwin, and Victor Hazlewood

The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) hosts what is currently the world's largest High Performance Storage System (HPSS) with over 200TB of data. The major compute facility at the center is a Teraflop-sized IBM SP called "BlueHorizon". Although both the compute facility and the HPSS utilize IBM SP computers, they are physically distinct, not sharing a switch fabric. Presently communications between the two systems are via a High Performance Gateway Node (HPGN) but when the BlueHorizon switch is upgraded in the next two months to "Colony" communications, the HPGN will no longer be able to connect the two switches.
A greedy approach to object identification in imperative code

The benefits of such recent innovations as object-oriented programming are not realized in most systems currently in use because they are, on average, over 10 years old. Additionally, they suffer from extensive maintenance. The paper addresses these concerns in the context of reverse engineering. It discusses the development of a method to identify objects in imperative code, specifically FORTRAN-77. An algorithm that uses a greedy approach to object extraction is presented. The imperative code is analyzed at the subroutine level and, using the concepts of graph theory, a set of objects is generated. >
Complexified Path Integrals, Exact Saddles, and Supersymmetry

In the context of two illustrative examples from supersymmetric quantum mechanics we show that the semiclassical analysis of the path integral requires complexification of the configuration space and action, and the inclusion of complex saddle points, even when the parameters in the action are real. We find new exact complex saddles, and show that without their contribution the semiclassical expansion is in conflict with basic properties such as the positive semidefiniteness of the spectrum, as well as constraints of supersymmetry. Generic saddles are not only complex, but also possibly multivalued and even singular. This is in contrast to instanton solutions, which are real, smooth, and single valued. The multivaluedness of the action can be interpreted as a hidden topological angle, quantized in units of π in supersymmetric theories. The general ideas also apply to nonsupersymmetric theories.
Vehicle track detection in CCD imagery via conditional random field

Coherent change detection (CCD) can indicate subtle scene changes in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, such as vehicle tracks. Automatic track detection in SAR CCD is difficult due to various sources of low coherence other than the track activity we wish to detect. Existing methods require user cues or explicit modeling of track structure, which limit algorithms' ability to find tracks that do not fit the model. In this paper, we present a track detection approach based on a pixel-level labeling of the image via a conditional random field classifier, with features based on radial derivatives of local Radon transforms. Our approach requires no modeling of track characteristics and no user input, other than a training phase for the unary cost of the conditional random field. Experiments show that our method can successfully detect both parallel and single tracks in SAR CCD as well as correctly declare when no tracks are present.
Governing the Governor: How the States Should Indict a Sitting State Executive

Currently, no other academic article provides a broad analysis of the indictment of a sitting Governor. Several articles have discussed the process of indicting a sitting president, but no article discusses this issue at the state level. This Article bridges that gap and guides attorneys and lawmakers in a situation like the one with Texas Governor Rick Perry. This Article’s solution could be implemented in all fifty states.There are two prevalent viewpoints of how the indictment of a sitting Governor should be handled. Either he or she is subject to indictment by any local prosecutor at any point while he or she holds the office or the Governor must first be impeached before he or she can be indicted. While these are the two predominant views, there can be some middle ground found.The Governor can be indicted before he is impeached. However this ability to indict the sitting Governor should be limited to the state’s Attorney Generals power to bring the indictment and a statewide grand jury’s support. The Governor should not be able to escape indictment merely because he holds the office of a highly regarded state official; he is still human and can break the law like anyone of us. Yet, the Governors office is one of prestige and can also be easily targeted for illegitimate reasons. Therefore, the governor should not be subject to frivolous lawsuits brought on by unreasonable local prosecutors, these lawsuits are time consuming and can distract the Governor from running the most important office in the state government. There are steps that can be taken in the state government to prevent these unreasonable lawsuits but to also allow the Governor to still be subject to being indicted if he does indeed legitimately break the law. First either the state’s Attorney General should be the only person allowed to indict the sitting Governor or he must have the power to supersede or intervene in an indictment lawsuit brought upon the sitting Governor by a local prosecutor. Second the indictment proceedings must be brought in front of a statewide grand jury, since they would be most representative of what the states constituents want as a whole. This would prevent a county who felt they were unfairly treated by a Governors veto or appointment from easily being able to indict the Governor. With these two steps in place it would allow for the Governor to still be subject to indictment but still allow him or her to run his or her office without being afraid of getting indicted for an illegitimate reason.
SRAM/TEG Yield Methodology

Yield growth over a process life determines the slope of the learning curve that a given process will follow. It can be easily shown that modest differences in the slope of the learning curve can determine the survival of a product or perhaps even a whole facility [1]. The relatively low volume per design and potential large number of designs incurred by a custom circuit foundry, coupled with the complexities of VLSI technology present an extremely complicated yield enhancement problem. A large part of this is the ability to identify defect sources and reduce or eliminate them in a timely fashion. This requires a diligent effort during lot processing to minimize defect sources as well as after lot completion in post process failure analysis. Unfortunately, as the minimum feature size of custom circuits passes through the micron regime and chip sizes exceed 100mm 2, containing 106 or more transistors, many of the standard yield enhancement practices lose effectiveness. Due to the reduced circuit dimensions and increased pattern complexity it becomes highly probable that manual in-process inspection will not detect defects. This is particularly true in a custom house where the circuit pattern is more random and continually changing with mask sets removing the aid of familiarity from the inspector. Post-process failure analysis also suffers because with the greater number of components and functions per chip extremely large vector sets must be run to isolate circuit failures. As well as increasing the test time, the time required for data analysis to correlate the electrical failure with physical circuit location is also significantly increased. The effectiveness of yield enhancement efforts in both of these areas for VLSI technology can be reinstated through the use of a SRAM/TEG yield vehicle. The SRAM/TEG combines a static random access memory (SRAM) with a test element group (TEG) on a single chip providing a unified process control vehicle. Due to the repetitiveness and regularity of its high density pattern the SRAM is an effective in-process inspection vehicle even at the micron level. A one to one correspondence of bit map and SRAM cell location provides an easy method of testing for defects and decoding defect location at post process failure analysis. Parametric and yield structures in the test element group supplement the SRAM nicely in failure mechanism identification.
EARLY REPTILIAN EVOLUTION RE-VIEWED.

Most reptiles, living and fossil, can be arrayed in a small series of subclasses or superorders, clearly distinguishable from one another, and all, presumably, derived from the ancient "stem reptiles," the Cotylosauria. A customary type of classification, based originally on the nature of the temporal openings, was first fully developed by Williston (1925). It is now obvious that other features than the "key characters" of temporal structure must be taken into account, but, with necessary modifications, I have followed this system in successive editions of my "Vertebrate Paleontology" (1933, 1945, 1966) and in my "Osteology of the Reptiles" (1956). Apart from a few debatable points (such as whether all two-arched reptiles should be included in a single subclass Diapsida or divided into Archosauria and Lepidosauria), most recent writers have followed a similar "orthodox" pattern of reptilian classification and phylogeny. Two divergent systems, however, deserve serious consideration, since they have been proposed by major workers on fossil reptiles: Prof. D. M. S. Watson of University College, London, and Prof. F. von Huene of Tiibingen.
Demonstration of single crystal growth via solid-solid transformation of a glass

Many advanced technologies have relied on the availability of single crystals of appropriate material such as silicon for microelectronics or superalloys for turbine blades. Similarly, many promising materials could unleash their full potential if they were available in a single crystal form. However, the current methods are unsuitable for growing single crystals of these oftentimes incongruently melting, unstable or metastable materials. Here we demonstrate a strategy to overcome this hurdle by avoiding the gaseous or liquid phase, and directly converting glass into a single crystal. Specifically, Sb2S3 single crystals are grown in Sb-S-I glasses as an example of this approach. In this first unambiguous demonstration of an all-solid-state glass → crystal transformation, extraneous nucleation is avoided relative to crystal growth via spatially localized laser heating and inclusion of a suitable glass former in the composition. The ability to fabricate patterned single-crystal architecture on a glass surface is demonstrated, providing a new class of micro-structured substrate for low cost epitaxial growth, active planar devices, etc.
Marbled Murrelets as Initiators of Feeding Flocks in Prince William Sound, Alaska

-I sought to determine which seabird species initiated small, ephemeral, multispecies feeding flocks in Prince William Sound, AK (PWS). I observed 47 feeding flocks at five sites duringJune 1996 and determined the initiating species at 34. All of the latter flocks were initiated by pursuit divers, of which 76.5% were Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus), the most abundant seabird in PWS. Formation of feeding flocks followed either of two scenarios: 1) larids were attracted to a feeding location by the presence or activity of Marbled Murrelets (26.9%), or 2) both larids and murrelets were present and flock feeding began after the murrelets dove from the surface (50.0%). Other principal participants were Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens). Received 14 April 1999, accepted I June 1999.
Molecular Pathology -- Detection of Neoplasia

Modern concepts of neoplasia rely on the evidence that a tumor arises from the clonal progeny of a single transformed cell. This ancestral cell of the neoplasm has multiple sites of acquired, and sometimes inherited, DNA damage that all its progeny share. During the early steps of carcinogenesis, there may be genetic alterations that lead to an intrinsic genetic instability, allowing additional mutations to accumulate. These genetic changes confer selective advantages on the clone of tumor cells by disrupting the regulation of cell proliferation. This mechanism permits the evolution of tumor-cell subclones and favors neoplastic progression. The analysis of tumors . . .
Wound care in the elderly patient.

The elderly population is prone to wounds that may result from trauma, chronic disease, major surgery, and cancer treatment. The medical condition of these patients should be given careful attention prior to embarking on surgery to repair such wounds. A host of reconstructive options are available that can be tailored to a patient’s particular needs. Underlying medical conditions, however, may limit the surgical options.
Stress and anxiety.

Anxiety is the psychophysiologic signal that the stress response has been initiated. The stress response's by-product, stress, is difficult to define. The response has multiple dimensions that have yielded research with many foci. Most salient to nursing are investigations of psychobiologic variables, the influence of life events, and the interactional model of the stress response. The stress response can be viewed as an interactional process that causes psychophysiologic reactions that are immediate and can occur up to and including physiologic events 3 weeks after confrontation with the stressor. The literature suggests that neuroendocrine alterations in response to confrontation with a stressor may influence immunocompetence. Intervention and prevention studies of stress focus on pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, behavioral techniques, personality engineering, relaxation training, and biofeedback. Nursing research on stress has proliferated in the 1980s. Implications for nursing intervention include coping strategies that fall into four categories: behavioral, physical, cognitive, and emotional.
Extending OpenStack Access Control with Domain Trust

OpenStack has been rapidly established as the most popular open-source platform for cloud Infrastrusture-as-a-Service in this fast moving industry. In response to increasing access control requirements from its users, the OpenStack identity service Keystone has introduced several entities, such as domains and projects in addition to roles, resulting in a rather complex and somewhat obscure authorization model. In this paper, we present a formalized description of the core OpenStack access control (OSAC). We further propose a domain trust extension for OSAC to facilitate secure cross-domain authorization. We have implemented a proof-of-concept prototype of this trust extension based on Keystone. The authorization delay introduced by the domain trusts is 0.7 percent on average in our experiments.
NMDA receptors as potential therapeutic targets in diabetic nephropathy: Increased renal NMDA receptor subunit expression in Akita mice and reduced nephropathy following sustained treatment with memantine or MK-801

N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are expressed throughout the kidney, and the abundance of these receptors and some of their endogenous agonists are increased in diabetes. Moreover, sustained activation of podocyte NMDA receptors induces Ca2+ influx, oxidative stress, loss of slit diaphragm proteins, and apoptosis. We observed that NMDA receptor subunits and their transcripts are increased in podocytes and mesangial cells cultured in elevated glucose compared with controls. A similar increase in NMDA subunits, especially NR1, NR2A, and NR2C, was observed in glomeruli and tubules of Akita mice. Sustained continuous treatment with the strong NMDA receptor antagonist dizocilpine (MK-801) for 28 days starting at 8 weeks of age reduced 24-h albumin excretion and mesangial matrix expansion and improved glomerular ultrastructure in Akita mice. MK-801 did not alleviate reduced Akita mouse body weight and had no effect on kidney histology or ultrastructure in DBA/2J controls. The structurally dissimilar NMDA antagonist memantine also reduced diabetic nephropathy, although it was less effective than MK-801. Inhibition of NMDA receptors may represent a valid therapeutic approach to reduce renal complications of diabetes, and it is possible to develop well-tolerated agents with minimal central nervous system effects. Two such agents, memantine and dextromethorphan, are already in widespread clinical use.
Start-Stopp und Rekuperation

Derzeitige Start-Stopp-Systeme lassen sich kunftig noch effizienter auslegen und regeneratives Bremsen noch gewinnbringender einsetzen: Einen Beitrag liefert ein DC/DC- Wandler mit integrierten Doppelschichtkonden- satoren, den die Geschaftseinheit Elektrik/Elektronik von Alcoa entwickelte. Mit dem sogenannten Energy Conversion Module (ECM) weist Alcoa signifikante Kraftstoffeinspareffekte nach. ECM wird zudem entscheidend zur Stabilisierung der Bordnetze beitragen, die aufgrund zunehmend elektrifizierter Nebenaggregate an ihre Leistungs- und Komfortgrenzen stosen. Automobilhersteller testen das Modul derzeit.
Filling the Void: Non-profit news and factors affecting government conflict coverage

The public needs to be aware of conflict in order to participate effectively in a democracy. The demise of local news has threatened the normative role of journalism in this process. With traditional news organizations struggling, non-profit sites have set out to fill the void. Whether or not they can indeed function as substitutes, however, has largely been unexplored. This case-oriented study examines how frequently stories about local government conflict appeared in the coverage of 10 for-profit and non-profit sites in metropolitan areas, and what factors predicted such coverage. A structural equation model was used to test the direct and indirect effects of organization-level and reporter-level variables. Results indicate non-profit news sites are more likely to cover government conflict, and that this difference is caused by variables inherent to the organizations.
Rebuking the Enlightenment Establishments, Bourgeois and Aristocratic: Rousseau’s Ambivalence About Leisure

Rousseau was profoundly opposed to the dominant tendencies of his times. We focus on two “Enlightenment establishments”—the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. Both groups were leading forces behind the Enlightenment, and both were roundly condemned by Rousseau. He castigates the indulgent idleness characteristic of the aristocrat, and with comparable force, the misguided frenzy characteristic of the bourgeois. Surprisingly, however, in his own positive alternatives, he seems to readmit certain aspects of their ways of life. His first model—simple republican citizens—practice (seemingly bourgeois) economic diligence, yet in lacking ambition and vanity, they are able to find delight and leisure in their work itself. His second model is more aristocratic, yet it is far more involved in manual labour, and content with far simpler material attainments, than most of this rank. The second model was also influential in illustrating the natural and relational delights of times of pure repose.
Looking “Under the Hood” of Cellular Mechanotransduction with Computational Tools: A Systems Biomechanics Approach across Multiple Scales

Signal modulation has been developed in living cells throughout evolution to promote utilizing the same machinery for multiple cellular functions. Chemical and mechanical modules of signal transmission and transduction are interconnected and necessary for organ development and growth. However, due to the high complexity of the intercommunication of physical intracellular connections with biochemical pathways, there are many missing details in our overall understanding of mechanotransduction processes, i.e., the process by which mechanical signals are converted to biochemical cascades. Cell-matrix adhesions are mechanically coupled to the nucleus through the cytoskeleton. This modulated and tightly integrated network mediates the transmission of mechanochemical signals from the extracellular matrix to the nucleus. Various experimental and computational techniques have been utilized to understand the basic mechanisms of mechanotransduction, yet many aspects have remained elusive. Recently, in silico experim...
Nicholas Murray Butler and “The International Mind” as the Pathway to Peace

The war had reinforced for Butler that the legalization of international relations was on the rise and the role of war was in decline, tamed by its subjection to law. However, Butler added that the development and use of what today we call the practice of “public diplomacy” was also required. In addition, Butler sought binding arbitration and defended a robust system of collective security. Yet all these institutional mechanisms rested on a more fundamental necessity—the creation of what he called “the international mind.” Engendered by liberal values, the international mind is best conceived as a cooperative and generous attitude in the settling of international disagreement. Enlightened world public opinion at work within the nation states of international society would be the carrier of international mind, its diplomacy working to bolster international law through compelling the compliance of nation states.
Entrevista com Lynn Zelevansky

Em outubro de 2016, o Carnegie Museum of Art, em Pittsburgh, inaugurou “Helio Oiticica: to organize delirium”. Em fevereiro de 2017, foi a vez do Art Institute of Chicago, e, finalmente em julho, a exposicao foi montada no Whitney Museum of American Art em Nova Iorque. Nesta entrevista, Lynn Zelevansky relata o processo de organizar a mostra no Carnegie Museum, seus primeiros contatos com o Brasil na condicao de curadora-assistente do MoMA e a importância de ter em mente a audiencia e o timing da exposicao.
Collective Agency and Community Resilience: A Theoretical Framework to Understand Agricultural Resistance

First paragraphs: In 1962, Ms. Fannie Lou Hamer traveled to the county seat in Indianola, Mississippi, in order to register to vote. This wasn’t her first time and it wouldn’t be the last. Although she had been warned with threats of violence and threats of death, she was determined to continue until she was able to exercise her right to participate in electoral politics. Upon her return to the Marlow Plantation, the plantation owner, W.D., confronted her. She had been a dedicated employee for 18 years as a share­cropper, time- and recordkeeper, cook, and domes­tic. He told her to withdraw her application for voter registration or leave. Her home, as paltry as it was, was a condition of her employment and that of her husband, Pap. Like many African Ameri­cans, she faced homelessness and joblessness as the price of political participation. She must have feared with good reason that she would be lynched...
A review of fatigue and fracture mechanics with a focus on rubber-based materials:

Prediction of how cracks nucleate and develop is a major concern in fracture mechanics. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the state of the art on fracture mechanics with primar...
Screening to Prevent Osteoporotic Fractures: Updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force

Importance Osteoporotic fractures cause significant morbidity and mortality. Objective To update the evidence on screening and treatment to prevent osteoporotic fractures for the US Preventive Services Task Force. Data Sources PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and trial registries (November 1, 2009, through October 1, 2016) and surveillance of the literature (through March 23, 2018); bibliographies from articles. Study Selection Adults 40 years and older; screening cohorts without prevalent low-trauma fractures or treatment cohorts with increased fracture risk; studies assessing screening, bone measurement tests or clinical risk assessments, pharmacologic treatment. Data Extraction and Synthesis Dual, independent review of titles/abstracts and full-text articles; study quality rating; random-effects meta-analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures Incident fractures and related morbidity and mortality, diagnostic and predictive accuracy, harms of screening or treatment. Results One hundred sixty-eight fair- or good-quality articles were included. One randomized clinical trial (RCT) (n = 12 483) comparing screening with no screening reported fewer hip fractures (2.6% vs 3.5%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.72 [95% CI, 0.59-0.89]) but no other statistically significant benefits or harms. The accuracy of bone measurement tests to identify osteoporosis varied (area under the curve [AUC], 0.32-0.89). The pooled accuracy of clinical risk assessments for identifying osteoporosis ranged from AUC of 0.65 to 0.76 in women and from 0.76 to 0.80 in men; the accuracy for predicting fractures was similar. For women, bisphosphonates, parathyroid hormone, raloxifene, and denosumab were associated with a lower risk of vertebral fractures (9 trials [n = 23 690]; relative risks [RRs] from 0.32-0.64). Bisphosphonates (8 RCTs [n = 16 438]; pooled RR, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.76-0.92]) and denosumab (1 RCT [n = 7868]; RR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.67-0.95]) were associated with a lower risk of nonvertebral fractures. Denosumab reduced the risk of hip fracture (1 RCT [n = 7868]; RR, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.37-0.97]), but bisphosphonates did not have a statistically significant association (3 RCTs [n = 8988]; pooled RR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.44-1.11]). Evidence was limited for men: zoledronic acid reduced the risk of radiographic vertebral fractures (1 RCT [n = 1199]; RR, 0.33 [95% CI, 0.16-0.70]); no studies demonstrated reductions in clinical or hip fractures. Bisphosphonates were not consistently associated with reported harms other than deep vein thrombosis (raloxifene vs placebo; 3 RCTs [n = 5839]; RR, 2.14 [95% CI, 0.99-4.66]). Conclusions and Relevance In women, screening to prevent osteoporotic fractures may reduce hip fractures, and treatment reduced the risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures; there was not consistent evidence of treatment harms. The accuracy of bone measurement tests or clinical risk assessments for identifying osteoporosis or predicting fractures varied from very poor to good.
The Osteoporosis Assessment Questionnaire (OPAQ): A reliable and valid disease-targeted measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in osteoporosis

The Osteoporosis Assessment Questionnaire (OPAQ) is a reliable and valid disease-targeted self assessment questionnaire of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in osteoporosis first developed in 1993. OPAQ has been used in two international multicenter trials. OPAQ structure includes 14–18 domains which may be grouped into four dimensions: physical function, emotional status, symptoms and social interaction. OPAQ exists in two long versions: OPAQ 1.0 (73 questions) and OPAQ 2.0 (60 questions) OPAQ also exists as a short version: OPAQ-SV (34 questions) with three dimensions: physical function, emotional status and back pain. OPAQ detects changes in HRQOL with prevalent vertebral and nonvertebral fracture. Decreases in HRQOL are seen with increasing numbers of prevalent vertebral fractures. OPAQ is sensitive to changes in HRQOL of incident vertebral fracture.
Cell cycle control by the IGF-1 receptor and its ligands.

The interaction of the IGF-1 receptor with its ligands (IGF-1, IGF-II and insulin at supraphysiological concentrations) plays a major role in normal development and in the control of both normal and abnormal growth (for reviews, see Werner et al., 1991 and Lowe, 1991). The importance of the IGF-1 receptor in development is especially supported by the seminal experiments of Efstratiadis and co-workers (DeChiara et al., 1990, and personal communication). These investigators have shown that targeted disruption of the IGF-II gene results in progeny, which, at birth, has a body weight that is 70% the body weight of wild type litter mates. When both the IGF-II and the IGF-1 receptor genes are disrupted by homologous recombination, the homozygous mutant embryos at birth have a body weight that is only 30% the weight of wild type litter mates. Thus, it can be stated that the activation of IGF-1 receptor by its ligands (IGF-1 or IGF-II) accounts for 70% of embryonal murine growth.
Break Junction Tunneling Spectroscopy of Single-Crystal Bismuth-Based High-Temperature Superconductors

We have measured the tunneling spectra of some high temperature superconducting crystal break junctions at 4 K. The samples were thin plates of Bi2SrCa2Cu2O8 compound. The tunneling spectra (conductance versus voltage) were not typical of BCS superconductor tunneling electrodes. The spectra of higher-resistance break-junction settings (R > 1 MΩ) show a tunneling gap on top of a linearly increasing conductance background signal. “Harmonic” dip features in the spectra of lower resistance break junction settings (R < 1 MΩ) indicated tunneling between multiple particles in the vicinity of the primary (highest resistance) contact of the junction. The dips occurred at about the same current but shifted in voltage when the resistance of the break junction was continuously adjusted to new settings.
(En)gendering exposure: pregnant farmworkers and the inadequacy of pesticide notification

In 2015, the EPA (USA) announced its intention to strengthen farmworker protections against pesticide exposure to include information on the hazards of pesticide exposure during pregnancy and how to reduce take-home exposure. While the new Worker Protection Standard is a laudable and long-overdue effort to enhance farmworker safety, we argue that an informational approach is inadequate, particularly for the women farmworkers who are the focus of the expanded training content. It is particularly deficient given new epigenetic knowledge that suggests a greatly expanded temporal and spatial horizon between pesticide exposure and effect. At the same time it puts an additional moral burden on women farmworkers who are made responsible for protecting future populations. The article draws in part on 55 interviews we conducted with farmworkers as part of a larger project on fumigation use in California's strawberry industry. Analysis of these interviews sheds light on the practical fallacies of an information-oriented regulatory program when most farm workers feel that not working is the bigger risk. We found that farmworker men and women already recognized the potential dangers of pesticide exposure without additional notification, yet farmworker women felt even more limited in their ability to protect themselves from exposure at the workplace. Farmworkers who worked during their pregnancies felt particularly at risk. Since these enhanced protections do not address the socio-cultural and eco-biological obstacles farmworker women face in protecting themselves and their future progeny from pesticide exposure, we suggest that they are primarily performative. Keywords: Pesticide exposure, pesticide regulation, political ecology of the body, epigenetics, gender, responsibilization
Telehealth in Plastic Surgery: A Veterans Affairs Hospital Perspective.

Background Telemedicine is a rapidly growing tool since its invention in the 1950s. Recently, it has expanded to the field of plastic surgery. In the Connecticut VA System, there is 1 plastic surgeon at a central location for the state of Connecticut and southern Massachusetts. Our aim was to pilot a telehealth program for plastic surgery consultation within the VA to improve access to subspecialty care. We intend to discuss the value of telehealth as part of consultation services, and assess patient attitudes toward telemedicine. Methods Patients in the Connecticut VA System referred for plastic surgery consultation for evaluation of nonurgent diagnoses, such as skin lesions, carpal tunnel syndrome, and chronic wounds, were invited to participate. After being appropriately consented according to Connecticut state law, patients completed a postvisit questionnaire rating their overall satisfaction, quality of interaction, and ability to communicate using a modified 10-point Likert scale. Means were calculated for numerical responses. Preference for future telehealth visits was reported as a percentage. Results Forty-one of 44 eligible patients elected to participate. Of those patients, 83% (n = 34) stated they prefer telemedicine services for future visits. Patients rated overall satisfaction 9.2/10, overall quality of interaction 9.2/10, ability to communicate 9.3/10, and sound and video quality 8.6/10 and 9.0/10, respectively. Conclusion Remote video telemedicine is a feasible method of plastic surgery consultation and results in high patient satisfaction. Further studies should focus on cost-effectiveness and ways to broaden the use of telehealth services in plastic surgery.
An ER-resident calcium binding protein modulates egress of malaria parasites from erythrocytes

Calcium signaling pathways coordinate the lifecycle progression of apicomplexan parasites, specifically playing a key role in egress from host cells. The main Ca2+-signaling hub in these divergent eukaryotic parasites is presumed to be the endoplasmic reticulum (ER); however, no proteins involved in Ca2+-signaling have been identified in the ER of these deadly human parasites. In this study, we explored the role of the Endoplasmic Reticulum-resident Calcium-binding protein (ERC) in the lifecycle of two apicomplexan parasites, Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum. We find that the Toxoplasma ortholog (TgERC) plays a role in the storage of Ca2+ in the ER but is dispensable for the asexual lytic cycle. On the other hand, the Plasmodium ortholog (PfERC) is essential for asexual growth but not required for Ca2+ storage, organelle biogenesis, or protein trafficking. Instead, knockdown of PfERC inhibits parasite egress and invasion. Our results show that PfERC is critical for the rupture of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane, which is the first step in the egress of malaria parasites from erythrocytes. Surprisingly, PfERC knockdown does not affect the Ca2+-dependent autoprocessing of the key egress protease, SUB1, but knockdown inhibits the second proteolytic maturation of SUB1 that occurs during its secretion from exoneme vesicles. We have therefore identified the first ER-resident protein in Plasmodium that modulates egress of malaria parasites.
Spectral analysis of amplitudes and phases of elastic waves: Application to topological elasticity

The topological characteristics of waves in elastic structures are determined by the geometric phase of waves and, more specifically, by the Berry phase, as a characterization of the global vibrational behavior of the system. A computational procedure for the numerical determination of the geometrical phase characteristics of a general elastic structure is introduced: the spectral analysis of amplitudes and phases method. Molecular dynamics simulation is employed to computationally generate the band structure, traveling modes' amplitudes and phases, and subsequently the Berry phase associated with each band of periodic superlattices. In an innovative procedure, the phase information is used to selectively excite a particular mode in the band structure. It is shown analytically and numerically, in the case of one-dimensional elastic superlattices composed of various numbers of masses and spring stiffness, how the Berry phase varies as a function of the spatial arrangement of the springs. A symmetry condition on the arrangement of springs is established, which leads to bands with Berry phase taking the values of 0 or π. Finally, it is shown how the Berry phase may vary upon application of unitary operations that mathematically describe transformations of the structural arrangement of masses and springs within the unit cells.
Electronic cigarette exposure disrupts blood-brain barrier integrity and promotes neuroinflammation

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has grown substantially since inception, particularly among adolescents and combustible tobacco users. Several cigarette smoke constituents with known neurovascular effect are present in e-cigarette liquids or formed during the vapor generation. The present study establishes inhaled models of cigarette and e-cigarette use with normalized nicotine delivery, then characterizes the impact on blood-brain barrier (BBB) function. Sequencing of microvessel RNA following exposure revealed downregulation of several genes with critical roles in BBB function. Reduced protein expression of Occludin and Glut1 is also observed at the tight junction in all groups following exposure. Pro-inflammatory changes in leukocyte-endothelial cell interaction are also noted, and mice exposed to nicotine-free e-cigarettes have impaired novel object recognition performance. On this basis, it is concluded that long term e-cigarette use may adversely impact neurovascular health. The observed effects are noted to be partly independent of nicotine content and nicotine may even serve to moderate the effects of non-nicotinic components on the blood-brain barrier.
Infant Essential Fatty Acid Status Is Not Associated With Postoperative Wound Complication Severity.

Abstract Background Neonates are susceptible to postoperative wound complications (POWCs), as prematurity, hypoxia, steroid use, immunosuppression, and malnutrition are all common comorbidities. Critically ill infants, dependent on parenteral nutrition, are at even further risk of developing essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD). We hypothesized that POWC severity and EFAD were associated because of increased susceptibility to infections and impaired wound healing seen with EFAD. Methods Institutional review board–approved (OUHSC10554), retrospective review from our academic Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Infants aged Results Fifty infants met the inclusion criteria. Half (25/50) had no POWC, 30% (15/50) had Grade 1 or 2, and 20% (10/50) had Grade 3 or 4. We found no association between EFAD and POWC severity. Conclusions In our cohort, EFA status did not predict POWC severity. At this time, we cannot suggest delaying elective surgical procedures to correct EFAD as an approach to preventing POWC.
The Space of the New Ethnic Neighborhood: Polka Festival as Imagined Community

Following the spatial turn in cultural studies, ethnic space is understood as a cultural category, constructed by discourse and determined by capital, within which people create their own narratives. This essay explores the construction of ethnic space and identity in the phenomenon of the Polish American polka music festival. Framed by the attention to the process of “production of space” (Lefebvre 1991), the essay presumes that new conceptualizations of spatiality assume space is no longer treated as something given, a pre-existing territory, or locale. The case study of the ethnic music festival is an ideal place for examining the invention of place, because it is not located in a fixed space, but in a movable community traveling from festival to festival. The polka festival circuit is attended by a core community of polka boosters, many of whom travel from event to event in vacation motor homes, with attendees setting up "neighborhoods" of motor homes that include front lawns, outdoor kitchens, and "streets." Most bring lawn signs, street signs, flags and other public signs of Polish American identity, recreating—this essay argues—the urban ethnic neighborhood of previous immigrant generations. Polish American ethnic identity for this group of participants is located and recreated in an imagined community that it creates, dismantles, moves and recreates in a mobile spatiality of ethnic belonging. The paper explores the moveable and mutable production of ethnic space arguing that the traditional aspects of nineteenth century village, reimagined in the twentieth century Polonian neighborhood are now recreated anew in twenty-first century polka festival culture: the village, the church, the parochial school, the tavern, the neighborhood economy and the kitchen are creatively refashioned in this mobile ethnic community. Recent scholarship on Polish American polka has argued that contrary to popular stereotype, polka is innovative hybrid alternative music and, furthermore, that preserving polka's history is an important, but often overlooked, part of preserving American multicultural history (Gunkel 2006, 5-8). This project continues that research by providing this spatially-framed study of the phenomenon of the seasonal polka festival. Over a period of five years, I visited polka festivals in North America as a participant observer, documenting the social and cultural landscape of these gatherings of polka people. This essay traces the nature of imagined community in Polish American polka festivals—understood as a diasporic ethnoscape–exploring the construction of ethnic space in the twenty-first century.
Explosive Hazard Identification in Pharmaceutical Process Development: A Novel Screening Method and Workflow for Shipping Potentially Explosive Materials

When a material is identified as potentially capable of explosive propagation by the Yoshida correlation, process safety scientists have few options for semiquantitatively assessing the hazards ass...
Factors associated with the use of the prescription monitoring program by prescribers and pharmacists in Texas

PURPOSE To describe Texas Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) use and identify predictors of PMP query for opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions by prescribers and pharmacists. METHODS Dispensation and query records from the Texas PMP for opioid and benzodiazepine medications dispensed between October 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018 were linked using common patient identifiers. Autoregressive linear regression was used to assess trends in utilization. Hierarchical logistic models were specified to identify factors associated with provider and pharmacist query of opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions. RESULTS Despite a significant increase in the total number of pharmacists (β = 169.85, p < 0.0001) and prescribers (β = 301.59, p < 0.0001) who used the PMP every month, the ratio of active to registered pharmacists (β = -0.0001, p = 0.75) and prescribers (β = -0.0015, p = 0.10) did not change. Pharmacists and prescribers were significantly more likely to query opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions of 14 days or more, and those issued to patients new to their practice. Pharmacists were most likely to query opioid prescriptions for oxycodone (aOR = 4.51, 95%CI = 4.42-4.60) and prescribers were most likely to query prescriptions for buprenorphine (aOR = 2.24, 95%CI = 2.15-2.35) compared to codeine. CONCLUSION Changes in PMP utilization between October 2016 and December 2018 were driven by increasing registration, not increasing frequency of use among registered users. Use of the PMP is inconsistent and dependent upon patient characteristics thus limiting the utility of the PMP as a decision support tool. These results support the need for policy mandating PMP use in Texas and provide a useful baseline and framework to evaluate the effectiveness of mandate implementation.