cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How the Early Voltage Clamp Studies of José del Castillo Inform “Modern” Neuroscience

The description of ionic currents that flow across the membrane of the squid giant axon during an action potential sparked an interest in determining whether there were similar currents in vertebrates. The preparation of choice was the node of Ranvier in single myelinated fibers in frog. Jose del Castillo spent 3 years on the United States mainland from 1956 to 1959. During that time, he collaborated with Jerome Y. Lettvin and John W. Moore. I discuss how these individuals met one another and some of their scientific discoveries using the voltage clamp to study squid giant axons and frog nodes. Much of this work was conducted at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, and I attempt to convey a sense of the unique scientific “melting pot” that existed at the Marine Biological Laboratory and the broader effect that del Castillo had on “modern” neuroscience.
Attitudes of Australian Psychiatrists toward Certain Aspects of Psychotherapy

SynopsisAn 84-item questionnaire was mailed to all Australian fellows and members of the Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (May, 1973 listing). The questionnaire obtained background data, therapeutic school, and 5-point ratings on therapeutic techniques, goals of psychotherapy, helpfulness of various therapist attributes, and opinions on some theoretical issues from a sample of 275 respondents. Similar studies are underway in Great Britain and the United States, and comparisons among the three samples will be done at a later date. Data from these studies will also be used as a base line for study of changes in subsequent years.
Phase III randomized trial of doxorubicin + cisplatin versus doxorubicin + 24-h paclitaxel + filgrastim in endometrial carcinoma: a Gynecologic Oncology Group study

Abstract Background: This study was performed to determine whether 24-h paclitaxel plus doxorubicin and filgrastim was superior to cisplatin plus doxorubicin in patients with endometrial cancer with respect to response, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Patients and methods: Eligible chemotherapy-naive patients were randomly assigned to doxorubicin 60 mg/m2 intravenously (i.v.) followed by cisplatin 50 mg/m2 i.v. (arm 1, n=157) or doxorubicin 50 mg/m2 i.v. followed 4 h later by paclitaxel 150 mg/m2 i.v. over 24 h plus filgrastim 5 μg/kg on days 3–12 (arm 2, n=160). Starting doses were reduced for prior pelvic radiotherapy and age >65 years. Both regimens were to be repeated every 3 weeks for a maximum of seven cycles. Results: There was no significant difference in response rate (40% versus 43%), PFS (median 7.2 versus 6 months) or OS (median 12.6 versus 13.6 months) for arm 1 and arm 2, respectively. Toxicities were primarily hematological, with 54% (arm 1) and 50% (arm 2) of patients experiencing grade 4 granulocytopenia. Gastrointestinal toxicities were similar in both arms. Conclusions: Doxorubicin and 24-h paclitaxel plus filgrastim was not superior to doxorubicin and cisplatin in terms of response, PFS or survival in advanced endometrial cancer.
Striatal enriched phosphatase 61 dephosphorylates Fyn at phosphotyrosine 420.

Abstract A family of protein tyrosine phosphatases enriched within the central nervous system called striatal enriched phosphatase (STEP) has been implicated in the regulation of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor. STEP61, a membrane-associated isoform located in the postsynaptic densities (PSDs) of striatal neurons, contains two transmembrane domains, two proline-rich domains, and a kinase-interacting motif. This study demonstrates that STEP61 associates with Fyn, a member of the Src family kinases that is also enriched in PSDs. By using human embryonic kidney 293 cells for co-transfection, we determined that a substrate-trapping variant (STEP61 CS) binds to Fyn but not to other members of the Src family present in PSDs. In a complementary experiment, myc-tagged Fyn immunoprecipitates STEP61 CS. STEP61 binds to Fyn through one of its proline-rich domains and the kinase-interacting motif domain, whereas Fyn binds to STEP61 through its Src homology 2 domain and the unique N-terminal domain. STEP61 CS pulls down Fyn when the Tyr420 site is phosphorylated. In vitro, wild-type STEP61 dephosphorylates Fyn at Tyr420but not at Tyr531. These results suggest that STEP regulates the activity of Fyn by specifically dephosphorylating the regulatory Tyr420 and may be one mechanism by which Fyn activity is decreased within PSDs.
Cellular Heterogeneity of the Vascular Tunica Media Implications for Vessel Wall Repair

Following arterial injury in adult humans and other mammals, there occurs a thickening of the intimal layer of the vessel wall due to migration of cells from the tunica media and proliferation of these migrated cells, along with any resident intimal cells. This intimal thickening, or neointimal formation, can lead to vessel stenosis or even occlusion and is the cellular basis of all intimal vascular disease. An understanding of this process leading to prevention, retardation, or reversal of intimal thickening would dramatically reduce morbidity and mortality from vascular disease. The identity of the cells involved in intimal thickening has not been conclusively determined. The morphology, growth properties, and protein expression of cells in the thickened intima are distinct from those of vascular smooth muscle cells within the tunica media or of endothelial cells lining the vessel lumen. There are at least three hypotheses to explain the identity of neointimal cells: (1) They arise from fully differentiated vascular smooth muscle cells within the tunica media. During their migration to and proliferation in the intimal layer, they undergo function-specific modifications, thus acquiring the characteristics ascribed to neointimal cells. (2) They arise from a normally resident population of smooth muscle “stem cells.” Such cells may be embryonic or fetal smooth muscle cells that have not fully differentiated or a multipotential cell that could form either neointimal or smooth muscle cells. Unlike differentiated smooth muscle cells, these cells would retain the ability to migrate and proliferate. During migration to and subsequent proliferation within the thickening intima, such cells may acquire additional characteristics of neointimal cells. (3) They arise from a cell lineage within the tunica media that is distinct from that of the smooth muscle cell. The characteristics of these cells may be modulated to those of neointimal cells …
Biconical antennas with unequal cone angles

The problem of radiation and reception of electromagnetic waves associated with a spherically capped biconical antenna having unequal cone angles /spl psi//sub 1/ and /spl psi//sub 2/ is investigated. Both cones that comprise a bicone are excited symmetrically at the apices by a voltage source so that the only higher order modes are TM. A variational expression for the terminal admittance is derived. Under the wide-angle approximation, expressions for the radiated field, the effective height, and the terminal admittance are obtained. In addition, limiting values of these quantities are derived for electrically small and electrically large wide-angle bicones. The results for arbitrary cone angles are new and subsume results that appear in the existing literature as special cases such as where /spl psi//sub 1/=/spl psi//sub 2/ or /spl psi//sub 2/=/spl pi//2. Moreover, the approximations of this paper are more accurate than many in the literature. It is argued that the radiation pattern of an electrically small cone is proportional to sin /spl theta/, which is similar to that of a short dipole; whereas the pattern behaves like 1/sin /spl theta/ for electrically large cones. The parameter /spl theta/ is the angle from the bicone's axis of symmetry to the observation direction. Consequently, the direction of maximum radiation changes with exciting frequency for a bicone of fixed length. Although most of the analyses are presented in the frequency-domain, time-domain responses of bicones are discussed for some special cases that are similar to situations considered by Harrison and Williams. In particular, the time-domain radiated field and the received voltage are shown to depend on the input's passband and on the match between the source and the bicone.
Public Administration Research from a Practitioner Perspective

Recent research has questioned both the rigor and theoretical development of public administration research. The proposed solutions have generally endorsed a more academically oriented research agenda. Authors have discussed practitioner needs, but the focus has been on the appropriateness of different research methods rather than the types of knowledge needed. We seek to contribute to this ongoing debate by comparing the knowledge needs identified by members of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) with 15 years of research in Public Administration Review . We found much published research matching the needs of ICMA members, but it focused on a relatively narrow range of topics. We recommend incorporating a concern for relevance into efforts to improve public administration research. This will help to ensure that we build a knowledge base that makes a substantial contribution to practice.
Evaluating the Biotic Integrity of Watersheds in the Sierra Nevada, California

We developed a watershed index of biotic integrity that used whole watershed variables for metrics rather than site-specific variables. We used the index to evaluate the biological health of 100 watersheds in the Sierra Nevada of California. The index scores, which were based on various measures of distribution and abundance of native fish and frogs, indicated that 7 of the watersheds were in excellent condition (high biotic health), 36 were in good to very good condition, 48 were in fair condition, and 9 were in poor condition. The biggest factors contributing to low index scores were large dams and introduced fishes, although measures of road density and indicators of intensity of use of terrestrial habitats were also important. Large areas of the Sierra Nevada that were once fishless now contain trout in most waters, anadromous fishes are excluded from many streams from which they were once abundant, assemblages of native fishes have been disrupted, and ranid frogs have been extirpated from many areas. All watersheds in the Sierra Nevada have thus experi- enced loss of biotic integrity, but some have suffered much less than others. Evaluations of the biotic integrity of watersheds over wide regions can help managers set priorities for watershed-oriented systems of aquatic conservation and provide starting places for more-intensive studies.
Simultaneous pancreas kidney transplants in diabetic patients with end‐stage renal disease: the 20‐yr experience

Introduction We are reporting the results over a 20 yr period of simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplants in patients with end-stage renal disease and diabetes mellitus. The outcomes of the transplants, performed between 1989 and 2008, are stratified by pretransplant c-peptide value. Methods One hundred and seventy-three patients with end-stage renal disease due to diabetes, and were stratified according to undetectable c-peptide (x 0.8 ng/mL) levels. Results Patients with detectable c-peptide (x > 0.8 ng/mL) were the oldest at diabetes diagnosis (24.2 vs. 15.4 yr, p 0.8 ng/mL) had better graft survival than those with an undetectable c-peptide level (x < 0.8 ng/mL), p = 0.064; while those with undetectable levels, had better patient survival than those with detectable c-peptide levels (p = 0.019). Conclusion Despite the differences between groups by BMI, age of onset of insulin use, and age at transplant, there was a difference in patient but not graft survival within the 20 yr follow-up period.
Fast Legendre spectral method for computing the perturbation of a gradient temperature field in an unbounded region due to the presence of two spheres

The temperature distribution around two spheres is considered when the main field has a constant gradient at infinity. Bispherical coordinates are used, together with a transformation of the dependent variable that leads to separation of variables. Then the solution can be sought in Legendre series with respect to one of the bispherical coordinates. An important element of the proposed work is the effective way to reduce an essentially 3D problem to a set of three 2D problems. The Legendre spectral method is shown to have an exponential convergence which is confirmed by the computations. The efficiency is so high that even for the hard cases of two closely situated spheres, an accuracy of 10−10 is achieved with as few as 20 terms in the expansion. Solutions with both longitudinal and transverse gradients at infinity are obtained, and the contour lines of the temperature field are presented graphically. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2010
Ethical and Psychosocial Issues in Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) for Newborns

In this article, I review some of the ethical issues that have arisen in the past when genetic testing has been done in newborns. I then suggest how whole genome sequencing may raise a new set of issues. Finally, I introduce a series of other articles in which the authors address different controversies that arise when whole genome sequencing is used in the newborn period.
Descriptions of four new species, redescription of Paraliparis membranaceus , and additional data on species of the fish family Liparidae (Pisces, Scorpaeniformes) from the west coast of South America and the Indian Ocean

Liparids are a cottoid family of more than 350 species distributed worldwide in polar, temperate and deep tropical waters. About 20 species (in six genera) are known from the west coast of South America south of Panama to Tierra del Fuego, and four (in two genera) from the Indian Ocean. This paper describes an additional four species from existing collections: three from Peruvian and Chilean waters (Paraliparis carlbondi new species, Paraliparis skeliphrus new species, Notoliparis antonbruuni new species), and one from the Indian Ocean (Psednos carolinae new species). Paraliparis membranaceus Gunther is redescribed, a range extension and additional descriptive information is reported for Paraliparis merodontus Stein, additional descriptive information is provided for Careproctus pallidus (Vaillant) and Psednos steini Chernova, the known range of Careproctus longifilis Garman is extended to Peru from the Gulf of Panama, and a species of Psednos similar to Psednos dentatus Chernova and Stein is described, but not named.
A Metric Measure for Comparing Sequence Alignments

An important goal in sequence analysis is to identify features in sequence alignments that are reflections of the evolutionary history of the sequences rather than artifacts of the alignment method. We have developed a new measure for determining a distance between sequence alignments that will assist us in reaching this goal. We apply this new measure to alignments produced by three different sequence alignment programs and an alignment created by structural superposition.
Reclaiming: Mothers, Globalism and Indigenous Knowledges

This paper draws on personal experiences to extrapolate the centrality of mothers wisdom and indigenous African knowledges. Through the process of remembering, the paper reflects on how cultural indigenous knowledge informs and transforms ones worldview and offers hope and possibilities for theorizing Black feminisms in transnational spaces. I utilize personal narratives to reflect on and make sense of the struggles and tensions emerging from colonial and postcolonial experiences for African ascendent women. Therefore, this paper argues for the reclaiming and revaluing of mothers knowledge that has been relegated to the margins by mainstream discourses.
Pulsed-Laser Deposition of Biaxially Textured YSZ/CeO 2 Films on Electrodeposited Ir/Ni-W Tapes for YBCO Superconductors

Iridium film is a potential candidate as a buffer layer for yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) coated conductors. Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of biaxially textured CeO 2 /yttrium stabilized zirconium oxide (YSZ) layers on electrodeposited Ir/Ni-W is reported. Biaxial texturing is obtained by deposition of a YSZ seed layer at 800°C in 10 -6 Torr vacuum. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies of Θ-2Θ and pole figure confirmed in-plane out-of-plane biaxial texturing with Δφ = 6.5° and Δω = 8°. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed a surface with roughness of about 3 nm.
Stochastic Recruitment: A Limited-Feedback Control Policy for Large Ensemble Systems

This paper is about stochastic recruitment, a control architecture for centrally controlling the ensemble behavior of many identical agents, in a manner similar to motor recruitment in skeletal muscles. Each agent has a finite set of behaviors, or states, which can be switched based on a broadcast command. By switching randomly between states with a centrally determined probability, it is possible to designate the number of agents in each state. This paper covers stochastic recruitment policies for the case when little or no feedback is available from the system. Feed-forward control policies based on rate equilibria are presented, with an analysis of the performance trade-offs inherent in the problem. Minimal feedback control laws are also discussed, and a policy is presented which minimizes the expected convergence time of the system given only the ability to halt the system when the desired output has been achieved.
IMPS-27TARGETING GLIOBLASTOMA WITH BISPECIFIC ANTIBODY-ARMED ACTIVATED T CELLS

BACKGROUND: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is amplified and overexpressed in ∼40% of glioblastoma tumors. EGFR-mediated signaling leads to drug resistance, proliferation, migration and aggressiveness in cancer cells, all of which contribute to the limited treatment options and poor outcomes for GBM patients. A previous study (Nitta et al., 1990; PMID: 1968115) explored targeted T cell therapy with activated killer cells armed with a bispecific antibody (anti-CD3 × anti-glioma) with promising results. METHODS: To further expand the targeted T cell approach, we utilized anti-EGFR × anti-CD3 bispecific antibody (EGFRBi) to generate armed activated T cells (aATCs) to target GBM cells. EGFRBi-aATCs, unarmed-ATCs, or vehicle were co-injected with U87 GBM cells subcutaneously into the flank of immunocompromised mice to determine the ability of EGFRBi-aATCs to prevent tumor development. An orthotopic study was also performed by intracranial stereotactic co-injection of T cells with U87 cells as described for the flank study. RESULTS: In the flank study, mice co-injected with EGFRBi-aATCs had no palpable tumors 40 days post-injection, while mice co-injected with unarmed-ATCs or vehicle required euthanasia due to tumor burden between days 35-40. For the intracranial experiment, MRI scans 3 weeks post-injection revealed tumor volumes ranging from 50-100mm3 in the control mice, and mice co-injected with unarmed-ATCs, whereas there were no visible tumors in mice that were co-injected with EGFRBi-aATCs. All mice in the control and unarmed-ATC groups died or required euthanasia within 30 days post-injection, but mice co-injected with EGFRBi-aATCs were healthy and asymptomatic for over 128 days. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted T cell therapy using bispecific antibodies may provide a new avenue for the treatment of GBM.
Histopathologic practices for esophageal biopsy specimens: survey results and implications for surveillance in patients with Barrett's esophagus.

A clinically valuable interpretation of esophageal biopsy specimens begins with well-prepared histologic sections. This may be especially true for reflux esophagitis and Barrett's glandular dysplasia. To determine exactly which histologic procedures are used by experts in gastrointestinal pathology, a checklist survey was mailed to 50 members of the Gastrointestinal Pathology Society. Responses were received from 42 (84%). Formalin, used 80% of the time, is overwhelmingly the most popular fixative. Orientation of biopsy material before further processing is performed in 36% of the institutions, most often (53%) by an endoscopy technician. The most frequently used (60%) substrate for orientation is filter material. The most common (83%) routine procedure uses only HE the most common (43%) is serial step sectioning at 3 levels. One third of the responders had a formal surveillance program for patients with Barrett's esophagus. For esophageal biopsy specimens, a broad spectrum of histologic practices exists. Trends for the more complex histotechnologic procedures to be used by those involved in screening for dysplastic Barrett's epithelium are evident.
The use of Langmuir probe measurements to investigate the reaction mechanisms of remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Langmuir probe measurements of plasma density and electron temperature have been used to investigate the reaction kinetics in remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RPCVD) of Si on Si (100) substrates. The increased growth rate for negative substrate bias indicates that positively charged ions are involved in the deposition reaction. A comparison of growth rate and plasma density data indicates that the growth rate is proportional to the ion flux. It is concluded that the rate limiting reaction in RPCVD is H desorption from the hydrogenated Si surface by ion bombardment.
The Role of Nanoparticle Rigidity on the Diffusion of Linear Polystyrene in a Polymer Nanocomposite

The impact of the inclusion of a nanoparticle in a polymer matrix on the dynamics of the polymer chains is an area of recent interest. In this article, we describe the role of nanoparticle rigidity or softness on the impact of the presence of that nanoparticle on the diffusive behavior of linear polymer chains. The neutron reflectivity results clearly show that the inclusion of ∼10 nm soft nanoparticles in a polymer matrix (Rg ∼ 20 nm) increases the diffusion coefficient of the linear polymer chain. Surprisingly, thermal analysis shows that these nanocomposites exhibit an increase in their glass transition temperature, which is incommensurate with an increase in free volume. Therefore, it appears that this effect is more complex than a simple plasticizing effect. Results from small-angle neutron scattering of the nanoparticles in solution show a structure that consists of a gel like core with a corona of free chain ends and loops. Therefore, the increase in linear polymer diffusion may be related to an in...
Etiological Observation on Children's Respiratory Tract Viral Infection

[Objective] To investigate the etiological situation of children's respiratory tract viral infection in Zhengzhou and provide references for clinical treatment.[Methods] ELISA was applied to detect the IgM antibody of 7 types of viruses(RSV,IV,PIV,ADV,CBV,EBV,and MP) in the serum of the children patients in their acute stage.[Results] Among the 5 064 detected cases,2 470 cases were detected with positive IgM antibody with a total positive rate of 48.8%;75.4% of them were single virus infection and 34.6% were mixed viruses infection.The positive rates of specific IgM antibody were as below: RSV:17.0%,IV: 21.8%,PIV: 9.5%,ADV:(17.4%,)C BV: 5.0%,EBV: 8.1% and MP: 21.2%.[Conclusion] IV,MP,ADV and RSV are the dominant pathogens of children's respiratory tract infection in Zhenzhou.Detection on the specific IgM antibody among the suspected cases is strongly recommended in order to provide etiological reference for clinical diagnosis.
Indoor localization using multi-range beaconing: poster

The increasing importance of location-aware computing and context-dependent services have led to a growing interest in low-cost indoor positioning with sub-meter accuracy. Bluetooth positioning has received increasing attention from both academia and industry due to its wide availability, ease of deployment, and low power consumption. However, Bluetooth positioning is primarily based on the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), which has been shown to be an unreliable indicator of distance. In this work, we present measurements to highlight various challenges in using RSSI for localization and the impact of these challenges on localization accuracy. Further, we propose and evaluate a novel multi-ranges beaconing approach to address RSSI-based ranging challenges.
Approach to Visual Acuity Assessment and Strabismus Evaluation of the Pediatric Patient

Children present unique ophthalmologic considerations and require an examination approach that corresponds to his or her level of visual and psychosocial development. Employment of age-related, patient-specific strategies may be utilized to maximize the information obtained from the clinical examination as well as make the examination both enjoyable and rewarding for the patient, family, and practitioner. This chapter will discuss the approach to the ophthalmologic examination in pediatric patients including visual assessment, motility, strabismus, and motor fusion.
The Shepherds’ Calling, the Engineers’ Project, and the Scientists’ Problem: Scientific Knowledge and the Care of Souls in Communist Eastern Europe

The essay investigates sociological and psychological approaches to religion among mainstream Marxist scholars in Yugoslavia and Hungary. In both countries the abandonment of crude scientific determinism led to softer anti-religious rhetoric, while the unexpected persistence of religiosity demanded new explanations for the failure of secularization theory. In contrast to Yugoslavia, where social scientists from the 1960s largely discarded efforts to use science to help make religion disappear, Hungarian analyses in the same period remained more overtly ideological. Both countries’ social-scientific disciplines continued to view the underlying science, especially the psychology of religion, as confirming socialist understandings of human relations.
Effect of Cultural Factors in Cross Border Negotiation – A Contrast of Australia, Malaysia and Singapore

In order to face the challenges of an increasingly global business arena in the 21st century, it is crucial for those who work across cultures to equip themselves with a wider repertoire of skills such as cross-cultural management and negotiation skills. Between 1985 and 1990, Adler and Bartholomew (1992) examined the trends in International Organizational Behaviour/Human Resources Management (OB/HRM), and identified an increased focus on cross-cultural interaction and culture’s impact on managerial behaviours. Seventy-one percent of international OB/HRM articles included the concept of culture and of these; ninety-four percent concluded that culture makes a difference to the organizational behaviours and human resource management issues being studied.The aim of this article is to study to what extent does, cultural factors affect managerial behaviour in negotiation of managers in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Crystallographic orientation-dependent dynamics in individual silicon nanowires

Ultrafast optical microscopy was used to study carrier dynamics in individual Si nanowires with different crystallographic orientations. We found that the carrier lifetime in 〈h110〉-oriented nanowires increased with decreasing diameter, in contrast with previous observations.
Egypt’s 2011–2012 parliamentary elections: Voting for religious vs. secular democracy?

This study investigates whether individuals’ attitudes towards democracy and secular politics have any influence on voting behaviour in Egypt. Based on data from survey conducted immediately after ...
An Efficient Lagrangian Algorithm for an Anisotropic Geodesic Active Contour Model

We propose an efficient algorithm to minimize an anisotropic surface energy generalizing the Geodesic Active Contour model for image segmentation. In this energy, the weight function may depend on the normal of the curve/surface. Our algorithm is Lagrangian, but nonparametric. We only use the node and connectivity information for computations. Our approach provides a flexible scheme, in the sense that it allows to easily incorporate the generalized gradients proposed recently, especially those based on the \(H^1\) scalar product on the surface. However, unlike these approaches, our scheme is applicable in any number of dimensions, such as surfaces in 3d or 4d, and allows weighted \(H^1\) scalar products, with weights may depending on the normal and the curvature. We derive the second shape derivative of the anisotropic surface energy, and use it as the basis for a new weighted \(H^1\) scalar product. In this way, we obtain a Newton-type method that not only gives smoother flows, but also converges in fewer iterations and much shorter time.
The labor of online product promotion: Barriers to collective action

Theorists have suggested that precarity — an experience of risk and uncertainty — increasingly describes the work experiences of many different kinds of contractual workers: from highly paid freelancers to those who pick up odd jobs. Theorists have further suggested that this common experience of precarity might serve as the basis for collective action. I contribute to this discussion by attempting to understand how individuals who work online promoting products experience precarity in different ways. Based on interviews with professional bloggers and members of a group that I refer to as the flexibly unemployed, I describe the characteristics and work practices of these groups, as well as their interactions. I argue that bloggers’ exploitation of the flexibly unemployed, together with their ideologies toward labor, act as barriers to collective action. I conclude by suggesting that, rather than imagining that workers from different classes will find common ground, communication systems should be developed that allow workers to network and share information in ways that are isolated from members of other classes and outside of online work platforms that commoditize social relationships and interactions.
Reinvestment and Global Stock Returns

This article examines the relationship between a country’s aggregate dividends and its equity market returns. In many countries, the change in the aggregate dividend payout rate is negatively correlated with returns, and in some countries there is no significant relationship between dividend payout rate changes and equity market returns. However, there are no countries in which the change in the dividend payout rate is significantly positively related to returns and the cross-country relationship between dividend payout rate changes and returns is significantly negative. The implication is that at the country level, dividend payout rate increases represent a decrease in the country’s investment opportunity set and are accordingly interpreted by investors as bad news, as evidenced by the finding that the change in a country’s dividend payout rate is negatively related to changes in analysts’ expectations of long-term earnings growth for that country. Furthermore, dividend payout rate increases lead investors to pay less per unit of future expected earnings, as evidenced by the result that the change in a country’s dividend payout rate is positively correlated with the change in the country’s equity risk premium. A country’s long-term equity market performance is also related to its dividend payout policy. Specifically, over different holding periods, countries with lower dividend payout rates have higher real long-term returns than countries with higher dividend payout rates, even after allowing for the reinvestment of dividends (either into equity or into TIPS).
Predictive Factors for Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Patients With Chylothorax.

OBJECTIVES To assess the prevalence of central line-associated bloodstream infections in pediatric patients with and without chylothorax after cardiac surgery and identify risk factors that predict those patients at highest risk for developing a central line-associated bloodstream infection. DESIGN Retrospective single-center cohort study. SETTING A PICU located within a tertiary-care academic pediatric hospital. PATIENTS All pediatric patients admitted to the PICU after cardiac surgery between 2008 and 2014. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS We identified 1,191 pediatric cardiac surgery patients in the study time frame, of which 66 (5.5%) had chylothorax. Patients with chylothorax were more likely to have a central line-associated bloodstream infection (23% vs 3.8%; p < 0.001). Patients with both chylothorax and central line-associated bloodstream infection had longer durations of central venous catheter, higher Risk Adjustment Congenital Heart Surgery score, longer PICU stay, and higher mortality compared with patients with chylothorax who did not have a central line-associated bloodstream infection. Multivariable analysis identified higher Risk Adjustment Congenital Heart Surgery score, longer duration of central venous catheter, and higher chest tube output at 24 hours after initiating treatment for chylothorax to be predictive of increased central line-associated bloodstream infection risk in patients with chylothorax. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of central line-associated bloodstream infection is higher in pediatric patients with chylothorax after heart surgery. In patients with chylothorax, complexity of surgery, central venous catheter duration, and chest tube output are associated with increased risk for developing a central line-associated bloodstream infection. Using this knowledge will allow us to identify patients at increased risk for central line-associated bloodstream infections and to focus extra prevention efforts on them.
Third Generation Rights: What Islamic Law Can Teach the International Human Rights Movement

Debate over the universality of human rights has typically focused on the extent to which international human rights law differs from local cultural practices and has generally sought to resolve these differences in favor of the international paradigm. Less attention, however, has been given to arguments that the international human rights paradigm may have something to learn from nonWestern legal systems. This Article focuses on one such area: the conceptualization of individual duties to the community. In conventional human rights law, rights are explicit, while corresponding duties are often implicit, controversial, and poorly theorized. In contrast, the Islamic legal tradition offers a sophisticated paradigm of common ideals grounded in individual duties. The Article argues that a reconciliation of the rights-based and duties-based paradigms is both possible and necessary to render justiciable third generation “solidarity” rights, such as the right to development, the right to a healthy environment, and the right to peace.
Engineering Opportunities in Cancer Immunotherapy: After Decades of Missteps and Delays, a Growing Immune-Oncology Market and Improved Cancer Treatment Outcomes Open New Prospects for Biomedical Engineers and Data Scientists

More than a century ago, the American surgeon William Coley noticed a correlation between cancer remissions and postoperative infections: some patients who had battled an infection also experienced a regression of their cancer. Because of these observations, Coley hypothesized that a patient's immune response to a bacterial infection could be leveraged to treat cancer. To test his hypothesis, Coley injected live bacteria into an inoperable tumor of one of his patients. The patient's tumor regressed, and Coley went on to experiment with direct injections of live, and later heat-killed, bacteria into more than a thousand patients over the next 40-plus years. Coley's toxins never achieved widespread clinical success due to concerns over reproducibility, although a strain of mycobacterium, bacillus Calmette-Guerin, is still routinely administered to treat early-stage bladder cancers.
Perceived Social Acceptability and Longitudinal Trends in Adolescent Cigarette Smoking.

The current study uses methods from social network analysis to predict longitudinal trends in adolescent cigarette smoking based on perceived social acceptability from friends, in addition to typical measures of peer influence (e.g., self-reported cigarette use of friends). By concurrently investigating the role of perceived social acceptability of smoking and peer influence, the current study offers new insight into the mechanisms through which peers influence adolescent smoking. Two waves of data from five high schools within one US school district (n = 1563) were used. Stochastic actor-based models simultaneously estimated changes in smoking predicted by perceived social acceptability and peer influence. Findings demonstrate that adolescents with higher perceived social acceptability of cigarette use increased cigarette smoking over time. Conversely, support for peer influence on smoking was not found after controlling for the effects of perceived social acceptability. The results suggest that perceived social acceptability regarding cigarette smoking rather than self-report of cigarette use among friends is predictive of future smoking behavior. Consequently, the findings highlight the need for prevention efforts to take into account the multifaceted dynamics between adolescent smoking and friendships. Programs that address peer influence alone, without considering peer mechanisms such as perceived social acceptability, are at risk of ignoring critical avenues for prevention.
Developing a New Perspective in Late Life: The PATH Program

Self-transcendence is a developmental process inherent in late life that shapes one’s perspective on self, others, the material world, and the spiritual or existential dimension. Self-transcendence has been associated with well-being, life satisfaction, coping, depression, self-care, and health-related quality of life, but few interventions designed to promote development of self-transcendence or explore its effects on community-dwelling older adults were identified. This paper reports qualitative results obtained as part of a mixed methods pilot study assessing the Psychoeducational Approach to Transcendence and Health (PATH) Program in 20 older women at two community senior centers. The PATH Program, an 8-week theory-based intervention, combines mindfulness exercises, group processes, and creative projects, reinforced by at-home practice, to create an experience that is meaningful, emotionally supportive, and cognitively stimulating. The specific aim was to evaluate participants’ experiences of the PATH Program and the meanings ascribed to those experiences. Findings indicated group members gained a new perspective on life and death, discovered personal meaning in past experiences, and found support for positive self-identities, with new options for self-care and personal growth. The study supported the structure and contents of the PATH Program and suggested it merits further testing. The PATH Program has the potential to be a practical and affordable intervention available for use in multiple settings where older adults gather such as retirement communities, faith-based groups, adult day centers, and assisted living facilities.
Primary care workflow process mapping of medication-related activities performed by non-provider staff: A pilot project's approach.

Abstract Background A workflow process mapping approach was previously developed to understand the impact of primary care medication use processes on medication safety. The workflow process mapping approach was applied to a pilot project in one primary care practice. Objectives The objective of this article is to: (1) exemplify how workflow process mapping was implemented in one primary care practice to characterize medication safety issues (i.e., critical workflow gaps/deviations), (2) discuss the identified critical medication safety workflow gaps and deviations, and (3) summarize the pragmatic, practice-level recommendations developed to enhance practice-level medication safety. Methods Four medication-related activities were directly observed, including: (1) medication reconciliation, (2) warfarin medication management, (3) vaccination administration, and (4) medication renewal requests. Observations occurred with registered nurses, medical assistants, and telephone operators. An ideal-state and observed workflow process map was created for each medication-related activity and was compared to identify critical medication safety workflow gaps and deviations. Practice-level recommendations were developed to enhance workflow and medication safety across all medication-related activities. Results 111 medication-related observations were recorded over 6-weeks across all 4 workflows (100 observation hours). A total of 17 critical workflow safety gaps, 9 critical workflow step deviations, and 9 workflow sequence deviations were identified. Seventy-six percent of total workflow gaps resulted from inappropriate medication verification. Most workflow step deviations (33%) were due to inappropriate documentation, whereas most sequence deviations (44%) stemmed from inadequate medication verification. Practice-level recommendations to enhance warfarin medication safety were prioritized and implemented prior to the completion of the pilot project. Conclusion The results of this workflow mapping pilot project exemplify the need to enhance primary care medication safety for workflows conducted by non-provider staff members in primary care practices. Additionally, this approach can be used to identify opportunities for primary care pharmacist integration, particularly for practices with little or no prior pharmacist involvement.
Targeting the Iron-Response Elements of the mRNAs for the Alzheimer's Amyloid Precursor Protein and Ferritin to Treat Acute Lead and Manganese Neurotoxicity.

The therapeutic value of inhibiting translation of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) offers the possibility to reduce neurotoxic amyloid formation, particularly in cases of familial Alzheimer’s disease (AD) caused by APP gene duplications (Dup–APP) and in aging Down syndrome individuals. APP mRNA translation inhibitors such as the anticholinesterase phenserine, and high throughput screened molecules, selectively inhibited the uniquely folded iron-response element (IRE) sequences in the 5’untranslated region (5’UTR) of APP mRNA and this class of drug continues to be tested in a clinical trial as an anti-amyloid treatment for AD. By contrast, in younger age groups, APP expression is not associated with amyloidosis, instead it acts solely as a neuroprotectant while facilitating cellular ferroportin-dependent iron efflux. We have reported that the environmental metallotoxins Lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) cause neuronal death by interfering with IRE dependent translation of APP and ferritin. The loss of these iron homeostatic neuroprotectants thereby caused an embargo of iron (Fe) export from neurons as associated with excess unstored intracellular iron and the formation of toxic reactive oxidative species (ROS). We propose that APP 5’UTR directed translation activators can be employed therapeutically to protect neurons exposed to high acute Pb and/or Mn exposure. Certainly, high potency APP translation activators, exemplified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pre-approved M1 muscarinic agonist AF102B and high throughput-screened APP 5’UTR translation activators, are available for drug development to treat acute toxicity caused by Pb/Mn exposure to neurons. We conclude that APP translation activators can be predicted to prevent acute metal toxicity to neurons by a mechanism related to the 5’UTR specific yohimbine which binds and targets the canonical IRE RNA stem loop as an H-ferritin translation activator.
Lower Bounds for Wideband Direction-Finding with Mutual Coupling

This paper examines lower bounds on direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation performance for radar systems with considerations made for wideband mutual coupling. For typical half-wavelength element spacing, array elements exhibit a degree of interaction with each other that may alter the currents on each element. We account for mutual coupling in the wideband case by implementing a least-squares inverse solution for mutual coupling interactions as a function of frequency. A coupling-impacted received data covariance is produced, which allows us to observe the effect of coupling on performance lower bounds, including the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) and the Ziv-Zakai Bound (ZZB). The ZZB was the focus as it holds at low SNR. Using the aforementioned bounds, we examined the impact of mutual coupling on different array sizes and compared dense to sparse array architectures. Additionally, we compared chirp waveforms to band-limited noise to compare bounds for different waveform types. We found that mutual coupling has a greater impact on the lower bound for smaller array sizes, and a sparse array configuration was found most favorable. The two waveform types demonstrate very similar behavior.
Perioperative Considerations for a Patient with a Left Ventricular Assist Device Undergoing Thyroidectomy.

As the population ages, ventricular assist devices (VADs) are becoming more prevalent, even in the outpatient perioperative setting. Patients with VADs present unique challenges for the anesthesiologist, who needs to have a thorough understanding of device physiology and design an appropriate anesthetic plan. This case report demonstrates an alternative monitored anesthesia care (MAC) anesthetic technique for a patient with a left VAD undergoing total thyroidectomy. This alternative provided a safe comfortable anesthetic and can be used successfully in patients with circulatory support devices.
Materials Data Science for Microstructural Characterization of Archaeological Concrete

Ancient Roman concrete presents exceptional durability, low-carbon footprint, and interlocking minerals that add cohesion to the final composition. Understanding of the structural characteristics of these materials using X-ray tomography (XRT) is of paramount importance in the process of designing future materials with similar complex heterogeneous structures. We introduce Materials Data Science algorithms centered on image analysis of XRT that support inspection and quantification of microstructure from ancient Roman concrete samples. By using XRT imaging, we access properties of two concrete samples in terms of three different material phases as well as estimation of materials fraction, visualization of the porous network and density gradients. These samples present remarkable durability in comparison with the concrete using Portland cement and nonreactive aggregates. Internal structures and respective organization might be the key to construction durability as these samples come from ocean-submersed archeological findings dated from about two thousand years ago. These are preliminary results that highlight the advantages of using non-destructive 3D XRT combined with computer vision and machine learning methods for systematic characterization of complex and irreproducible materials such as archeological samples. One significant impact of this work is the ability to reduce the amount of data for several computations to be held at minimalistic computational infrastructure, near real-time, and potentially during beamtime while materials scientists are still at the imaging facilities.