cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Health Services for Adolescents with Impairment, Disability, and/or Handicap.

The purpose of this paper is to formulate a set of measures that can be used to monitor and evaluate health services for disabled adolescents. In attempting to meet this goal, two other objectives will also be served: 1) the examination of the meaning of adolescent disability in functional terms; 2) the design of a framework that can guide the selection of services into a comprehensive community health program for disabled adolescents. The ideas developed here are derived from my review of recent work concerned with the problems of chronically ill and/or handicapped children in the United States (1-3); from my own and other's work in health-status measurement (4-8); and from my longitudinal research into the biopsychosocial health of young people from Harlem, New York City (9-14). These concepts of adolescent disability and proposals regarding community health services build on some of the important issues raised in the other papers of this symposium. Examining adolescent disability in functional or behavioral terms identifies adolescence as an optimal point in the life span for providing habilitative services to those with disabilities. A behavioral or functional view of adolescence leads us to formulate the goal of community services as that of reducing limitations in mobility, especially in access to the opportunity structure. These limitations may have been imposed either by uncorrected physical, sensory,
Calcium buffering is required to maintain bone stiffness in saline solution

This work determined whether mineral dissolution due to prolonged testing or storage of bone specimens in normal saline would alter their elastic modulus. In one experiment, small pieces of equine third metacarpal bone were soaked in normal saline supplemented with varying amounts of CaCl2. Changing Ca ion concentrations in the bath were monitored and the equilibrium concentration was determined. In a second experiment, the elastic moduli of twenty 4 x 10 x 100 mm equine third metacarpal beams were determined non-destructively in four-point bending. Half the beams were then soaked for 10 days in normal saline, and the other half in saline buffered to the bone mineral equilibrium point with Ca ions. Modulus measurements were repeated at 6 and 10 days. The equilibrium Ca ion concentration for bone specimens was found to be 57.5 mg l-1. The modulus of bone specimens soaked in normal saline significantly diminished 2.4%, whereas the modulus of those soaked in calcium-buffered saline did not change significantly.
Antigen-induced histamine release from guinea pig basophils.

Guinea pig blood was found to contain an average of 106 ± 21ng/ml of histamine. Of this total, approximately 85–90% was of platelet origin and the rest from basophils. Basophils contain about 0.72 pg
Visions of Judgment: Arendt, Kant, and the Misreading of Judgment

Hannah Arendt’s conceptualization of judgment may only drive political theorists further from the phenomenon. Throughout her life, Arendt’s work on judgment was guided by Kant’s thought. Arendt’s reading of Kant’s work raises two difficulties to which contemporary political scientists should attend. First, Arendt’s reading of Kant is a systematic misreading of his texts. Second, Arendt’s misreading of Kant pushes her toward a misreading of the phenomenon of judgment. More important, Arendt’s misreading has led political theorists to assume a divide between the points of view of the actor and of the spectator, which cannot be reconciled given the resources of Arendt’s thought.
Epinephrine absorption from commercial gingival retraction cords in clinical patients.

Abstract Absorption of epinephrine from commercial gingival retraction cords was measured in vivo under clinical conditions. The amount of epinephrine absorbed was estimated by measurement with fluorospectrophotometry of the amount of dl -epinephrine remaining in the cords after they were removed and subtracting this value from the dl -epinephrine concentration in matching control cords. All cords lost substantial amounts of epinephrine while in the sulcus, with individual losses ranging from 64% to 94%. An average 71 μg of l -epinephrine was absorbed per inch of two-ply cord, and extreme variability in the dl -epinephrine concentration for individual segments of commercial cord was noted. In addition, the cords did not contain the concentration of epinephrine (500 μg/inch) listed on the package label but instead had a mean dl -epinephrine concentration of 225.5 μg/inch.
Aminooxy End-Functionalized Polymers Synthesized by ATRP for Chemoselective Conjugation to Proteins

Chemoselective oxime formation between aminooxy end-functional polymers and levulinyl-modified proteins is an attractive method to prepare well-defined bioconjugates. We demonstrate the synthesis of Boc-protected aminooxy initiators for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of acrylamide and methacrylate monomers. Copper-mediated ATRP of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) resulted in polymers with polydispersity indices (PDIs) as low as 1.11, 1.18, and 1.24, respectively. Kinetic analysis indicated that ATRP of HEMA was well-controlled. The polymer end groups of polyNIPAAm were deprotected with trifluoroacetic acid, exposing α-aminooxy moieties. Complete removal of the Boc groups was confirmed by 1H NMR, and the ability to form oxime bonds was verified by conjugation to aldehyde fluorescent nanospheres. Chemospecific reaction with Ne-levulinyl lysine-modified bovine serum albumin (BSA) to form “smart” polymer conjugates ...
Nickel-catalyzed intramolecular [4+4] cycloadditions: 2. Allylic stereoinduction and modelling studies in the preparation of bicyclo[6.4.0]dodecadienes

Abstract The extent of diastereoinduction observed in the nickel-catalyzed intramolecular [4+4] cycloaddition of tethered 1,3-dienes is shown to be highly dependent upon the steric nature of the substituents at the stereogenic center. A model for the prediction of the extent and sense of induction is presented.
Thermoreflectance of metal transducers for time-domain thermoreflectance

We report measurements of the temperature dependence of the optical reflectivity, i.e., the thermoreflectance dR/dT, of 18 metallic elements at two laser wavelengths commonly used in ultrafast pump-probe experiments, 1.55 μm and 785 nm. The thermoreflectance is determined using time-domain thermoreflectance combined with measurements of the laser power and spot size and comparisons between the data and quantitative modeling of the temperature evolution at the surface of the sample. At a laser wavelength of 1.55 μm, four elements within this set of samples, Nb, Re, Ta, and V, have dR/dT comparable to or larger than 0.6×10−4 K−1. At a laser wavelength of 785 nm, the highest thermoreflectance is found in Al and Ta, dR/dT≈2.1×10−4 K−1 and 2.2×10−4 K−1, respectively. Alloying Au with 5% Pd increases the optical absorption by a factor of 3 and the thermoreflectance by a factor of 2.
Slip flow fluid-structure-interaction

Abstract While many microscale systems are subject to both rarefaction and fluid-structure-interaction (FSI) effects, most commercial algorithms cannot model both, if either, of these for general applications. This study modifies the momentum and thermal energy exchange models of an existing, continuum based, multifield, compressible, unsteady, Eulerian-Lagrangian FSI algorithm, such that the equivalent of first-order slip velocity and temperature jump boundary conditions are achieved at fluid-solid surfaces, which may move with time. Following the development and implementation of the slip flow momentum and energy exchange models, several basic configurations are considered and compared to established data to verify the resulting algorithm's capabilities.
Development and Evaluation of a Seismic Monitoring System for Building Interiors—Part II: Image Data Analysis and Results

Previous experiences during earthquake events emphasize the need for new technologies for real-time monitoring and assessment of facilities with high-value nonstructural contents. Moreover, there is a substantial limitation in our ability to rapidly evaluate and identify potential hazard zones within a structure, exposing rescue workers, society, and the environment to unnecessary risks. A real-time image-based monitoring system, which is integrated with warning systems, would allow for improved channeling of resources and informed decision making for rescue workers and building owners. In recognition of these issues, in this paper, we describe a methodology for image-based tracking of seismically induced motions. The methodology includes the acquisition, calibration, and processing of image sequences to detect and track object features under seismic-event conditions. We address the issue of providing a reliable feature/object-detection and object-tracking methodology for an image sequence from a single camera view. In addition, we introduce an extension to the 2-D tracking approach by providing a 3-D feature tracking methodology when the camera array itself is affected by the seismic event. The methods presented are demonstrated using the data collected during the full-scale field vibration tests conducted on a vacant building that was damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake (presented in a companion paper). We present experimental tracking results of the implemented algorithms for a variety of objects and discuss additional challenges that emerge when image-based systems are used under these extreme conditions.
Water oxidation catalysis via immobilization of the dimanganese complex [Mn2(μ-O)2Cl(μ-O2CCH3)(bpy)2(H2O)](NO3)2 onto silica.

Adsorption of a dinuclear μ-oxo bridged Mn complex onto mesoporous silica was observed when SBA15 was treated with an acetonitrile solution of [Mn2(μ-O)2Cl(μ-O2CCH3)(H2O)(bpy)2](NO3)2 (1). This complex was immobilized via the displacement of NO3− into solution, and characterization by spectroscopic (DRIFTS and DRUV-vis) and magnetic data indicates that the intact dication is electrostatically bound to the silica surface. Loadings of up to 4.1% by weight of [Mn2(μ-O)2Cl(μ-O2CCH3)(H2O)(bpy)2]2+ were achieved. TEM images of the grafted material revealed retention of the mesoporous structure of SBA15, and no clusters of manganese greater than ca. 10 nm were observed. The SBA15-supported dimanganese complex functions as a catalyst for the oxidation of H2O with (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6 as stoichiometric oxidant. In contrast, homogenous aqueous solutions of 1 do not evolve oxygen upon treatment with (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6. Labeling studies with H218O confirm that the oxygen formed in this catalysis is derived from water. Monitoring the O2 evolution allowed determination of an initial rate for the catalysis (TOFi = 1.1 × 10−3 s−1). These studies also reveal a first order dependence on manganese surface concentration, and a zero order rate dependence for (NH4)Ce(NO3)6. Spectroscopic investigations were employed to investigate the difference in activities between dissolved and supported dimanganese complexes.
Ventilation and metabolism among rat strains

Strohl, Kingman P., Agnes J. Thomas, Pamela St. Jean, Evelyn H. Schlenker, Richard J. Koletsky, and Nicholas J. Schork.Ventilation and metabolism among rat strains. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(1): 317–323...
Fast analysis and optimization of power/ground networks

This paper presents an efficient method for optimizing power/ground (P/G) networks by widening wires and adding decoupling capacitors (decaps). It proposes a structured skeleton that is intermediate to the conventional method that uses full meshes (which are hard to analyze efficiently), and tree-structured networks (which provide poor performance). As an example, we consider a P/G network structure modeled as an overlying mesh with underlying trees originating from the mesh, which eases the task of analysis with acceptable performance sacrifices. A fast and efficient event-driven P/G network simulator is proposed, which hierarchically simulates the P/G network with an adaptation of PRIMA to handle non-zero initial conditions. An adjoint network that incorporates the variable topology of the original P/G network, as elements switch in and out of the network, is constructed to calculate the transient adjoint sensitivity over multiple intervals. The gradients of the most critical node with respect to each wire width and decap are used by a sensitivity-based heuristic optimizer that minimizes a weighted sum of the wire and the decap area. Experimental results show that this procedure can be used to efficiently optimize large networks.
Analysis of impedance spectroscopy data: problems and new directions

Summary form only given as follows: The author deals with the importance of analyzing impedance spectroscopy small-signal frequency-response data in ways which are appropriate to yield increased understanding of the underlying physico-chemical processes associated with the data and/or its use for process control and testing. Proper analysis requires complex nonlinear least squares fitting with appropriate weighting, and a well-developed computer program for such fitting is described. The value and power of such analysis is illustrated along with some of its problems. New analysis methods and interpretations are discussed which involve: (a) alternatives to Kronig-Kramers integral transformation; (b) new fitting models appropriate for solid materials; (c) ways of separating and understanding concomitant conduction-relaxation and dielectric-dispersion contributions to the overall response; and (d) estimation of distributions of relaxation times and barrier heights. >
A NANOSCALE MESHFREE PARTICLE METHOD WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE QUASICONTINUUM METHOD

Since meshfree particle methods have advantages on simulating the problems involving extremely large deformations, fractures etc., they become attractive options to be used in the hierarchical multiscale modeling to approximate a large number of atoms. We propose a nanoscale meshfree particle method with the implementation of the quasicontinuum technique in this paper. The intrinsic properties of the material associated with each particle will be sought from the atomic level via the Cauchy-Born rule. The studies of a nano beam and a nano plate with a central crack show that such a hierarchical modeling can be beneficial from the advantages of meshfree particle methods.
Framing Policy Debates Issue Dualism, Journalistic Frames, and Opinions on Controversial Policy Issues

This study examines how the news frames that journalists use to present contentious policy debates shape reasoning processes and opinion outcomes. Drawing on the notion that framing is a cognitive process in which the message affects how individuals weigh existing considerations (i.e., political orientations and relevant attitudes/beliefs) to make a judgment, the authors conducted two experiments in which they presented participants with news stories in which policy conflicts were described as either a clash of underlying values and principles (i.e., a value frame) or as a clash of political interests and strategies (i.e., a strategy frame). The results suggest that the framed news stories failed to change issue opinions directly but did alter the importance of the considerations used to make judgments on relevant issues. Specifically, individuals tend to react to strategy frames by discounting partisan affiliation as a primary consideration, turning to other salient alternatives when making judgments.
Acute interstitial nephritis due to deferasirox: a case report

Deferasirox is a new oral iron chelator used to treat transfusional iron overload. Pre-marketing clinical trials revealed little organ-specific toxicity. Increases in serum creatinine were noted in one-third of patients but were mild and non-progressive. We describe a 62-year-old man with myelodysplastic syndrome who developed a progressive decline in renal function after starting deferasirox. A kidney biopsy showed acute interstitial nephritis with increased eosinophils, suggesting drug hypersensitivity. Deferasirox was discontinued and renal function returned to baseline. This is the first pathological description of deferasirox-related acute kidney injury in humans, which differs from tubular vacuolization observed in animals.
Why the Sunny Side Is Up Associations Between Affect and Vertical Position

Metaphors linking spatial location and affect (e.g., feeling up or down) may have subtle, but pervasive, effects on evaluation. In three studies, participants evaluated words presented on a computer. In Study 1, evaluations of positive words were faster when words were in the up rather than the down position, whereas evaluations of negative words were faster when words were in the down rather than the up position. In Study 2, positive evaluations activated higher areas of visual space, whereas negative evaluations activated lower areas of visual space. Study 3 revealed that, although evaluations activate areas of visual space, spatial positions do not activate evaluations. The studies suggest that affect has a surprisingly physical basis.
CAREGIVING STRESS, IMMUNE FUNCTION, AND HEALTH: IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH WITH PARENTS OF MEDICALLY FRAGILE CHILDREN

Caregiving stress has been associated with considerable demands imposed on parents responsible for the physical and emotional care of medically fragile children. With health care advances in medicine and technology, there are a growing number of children with chronic conditions and disabilities (i.e., the medically fragile) surviving longer and being cared for almost exclusively in the home by parents. The physical strains, financial constraints, emotional effects, and social isolation experienced by parents caring for children with such complex medical needs may ultimately impact their physical and emotional health. Stress associated with the caregiving of older adults has been shown to negatively impact on health and immune functioning with the potential for associated morbidity. Studies exploring the relationship of stress with biological markers of immune functioning in parents have not been widely conducted. Therefore, there is a great opportunity in parent-child health for researchers to investigate implications of stress on immune functioning and health outcomes in parents caring for medically fragile children at home. The purpose of this review article will be to provide an overview of the literature related to caregiving stress and immune functioning and to discuss implications for research in this area with parents of medically fragile children.
Retrospective ENSO Forecasts: Sensitivity to Atmospheric Model and Ocean Resolution

Abstract Results are described from a series of 40 retrospective forecasts of tropical Pacific SST, starting 1 January and 1 July 1980–99, performed with several coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation models sharing the same ocean model—the Modular Ocean Model version 3 (MOM3) OGCM—and the same initial conditions. The atmospheric components of the coupled models were the Center for Ocean–Land–Atmosphere Studies (COLA), ECHAM, and Community Climate Model version 3 (CCM3) models at T42 horizontal resolution, and no empirical corrections were applied to the coupling. Additionally, the retrospective forecasts using the COLA and ECHAM atmospheric models were carried out with two resolutions of the OGCM. The high-resolution version of the OGCM had 1° horizontal resolution (1/3° meridional resolution near the equator) and 40 levels in the vertical, while the lower-resolution version had 1.5° horizontal resolution (1/2° meridional resolution near the equator) and 25 levels. The initial states were taken fro...
IMPLICATIONS OF RECENT DIII-D EXPERIMENTS ON PLASMA SHAPING FOR FUTURE TOKAMAK DESIGNS

Advanced tokamaks use D-shaped cross-section plasmas to optimize fusion performance. In turn, the divertor (which handles heat and particles) must operate efficiently in these shaped plasmas. In this paper, we report on recent experiments at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility that compare the advantages/ disadvantages of 1) double-null (DN) versus single-null (SN) configurations, 2) particle pumping at low and high density, and 3) open versus tightly baffled divertors. The focus of this paper will be on the important engineering consequences of these physics results for future tokamak designs. Accurate control over the magnetic balance is required by the plasma shaping coils for DN (and near-DN) operation because of the strong sensitivity of the heat flux to small changes in magnetic balance. Alternatively, additional protective armor may be needed for each divertor. We show that precise control over the strike point location by the coil system is important for lower density (attached) plasma operation, but much less so for higher density (detached) operation. We also find that minimizing the angle between the divertor structure and the divertor plasma legs is very useful in reducing the peak divertor heat flux for lower density (attached) plasmas but is of limited benefit for higher density (detached) plasmas. Finally, the physics results imply that significant heating and damage at the divertor slot opening may occur, even if several heat flux scrape-off lengths are allowed for clearance.
Crystal field calculations for transition metal ions by application of an opposing potential

We propose a fully ab initio method, the opposing crystal potential (OCP), to calculate the crystal-field parameters of transition-metal impurities in insulator hosts. Through constrained density functional calculations, OCP obtains the constraining Lagrange multipliers, which act as a cancellation potential against the crystal field and lead to spherical $d$-electron distribution. The method is applied to several insulators doped with ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{4+}$ and ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{2+}$ ions and shown to be in good agreement with experiment.
Electron Spectroscopic Studies of Substoichiometric Tantalum Carbide

XPS was used to determine core-level binding energies and valence-band structure for TaCx over the range 0.5 ≲ x ≲ 1.0. As x decreased, the carbonls binding energy (BE) changed very little, the carbon-2s BE shifted toward the Fermi level, the position of the p-d valence-band peak shifted toward the Fermi level more, and the tantalum-4d and -4f BE’s shifted toward the Fermi level even more, about 0.16 eV for a change in x of 0.1. In addition, the valence-band spectra exhibited structure between about 1 and 2 eV BE, and this structure increased as x decreased. These observations are explicable in terms of charge transfer and the formation of occupied defect states associated with carbon vacancies.
Plot Size Recommendations for Biomass Estimation in a Midwestern Old-Growth Forest

We examine the relationship between disturbance regime and plot size for woody biomass estimation in a midwestern old-growth deciduousforestfrom 1926 to 1992. Analysis was done on the core 19.6 ac of a 50. I ac forest in which every tree 4 in. dbh and greater has been tagged and mapped since 1926. Five windows of time are compared-1926, 1976, 1981, 1986 and 1992. The most ejficient plot sizes requiring measurement of the least total area rangefrom 0.02 to 1.6 ac. A small plot size was recommended after grazing disturbance, anda large size was recommended when mortality was high andacceptable errorwas low. North. J. Appl.For. 15(4):165-168.
69 PATTERNS OF LOCAL/REGIONAL FAILURE AFTER HIGH DOSE RADIATION IN PATIENTS WITH INOPERABLE/UNRESECTABLE NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

Purpose To study the pattern of local failure for patients of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated on a conformal therapy dose escalation protocol. Materials/Methods Subjects included patients who had failed locally and a matched group without failures after 3-D conformal radiation per a phase I dose escalation trial. Radiation doses were computed using an equivalent path length algorithm, ranged from 65.1 to 102.9 Gy in 2.1 Gy fractions. The original and recurrent gross target volume (GTV and RGTVs) were contoured by a radiologist and a radiation oncologist. The original and planning target volume (PTVs and RPTVs) were from GTVs plus 1-1.5 cm expansion. DVHs of each structure were constructed and generalized equivalent uniform doses (EUD = {Σi (di)a}1/a) were also computed. Marginal failure was defined for RGTVs covered by the original 10% to 90% isodose surfaces, while central failures were inside the original 90-100% isodose surfaces. Results There are no significant differences between the failed and controlled groups with regard to average original GTV volumes, average total prescription doses, mean GTV doses, or mean PTV doses, and minimal PTV doses. Of the 15 RGTVs, five are located across the margins of the original PTVs, nine mostly within the PTVs, and one outside of the original PTVs. The average EUDs for the RGTVs and RPTVs are 60 ± 30 and 49 ± 31 Gy, respectively, significantly below the prescribed doses (p = 0.03). Forty percent RGTVs and 60% RPTVs had EUDs less than 66 Gy (a common prescription dose). The RGTVs are not encompassed by the original 90% isodose surfaces for 7 of the 15 cases, all of which failed at the margins of or outside the original PTVs. The EUDs for these seven RGTVs are much less than (1%-63% of) the EUDs for the original PTVs. When the doses are recalculated using the Monte Carlo algorithm, additional 10-20% dose reductions are found for patients who failed after high dose radiation. Conclusions Inadequate dose, marginal miss and under-dose from inaccurate calculation algorithm all contributed to the local failure after 3-D conformal radiation therapy. In addition to dose escalation, further clinical trials should focus on margin definition and accurate dose calculation to improve the tumor control in NSCLC.
Campus Xenophobia and the Multicultural Project: Ishmael Reed’s Japanese by Spring

Although ethical criticism offers a valuable discourse for exploring concepts of community, goodness, and love and their centrality in the moral construction of literary works, it also provides us with a useful methodology for considering the function of these philosophical constructs in regard to the most fractious issues that confront the academy today, the especially divisive notions of culture and race. As Samuel Fleischacker perceptively observes in The Ethics of Culture (1994), “Writers on culture usually show little understanding of what makes an argument or decision ethical, while writers on ethics have rarely done much serious thinking about culture” (ix). Because issues associated with racial prejudice and cultural division continue to plague our postsecondary institutions, they merit particular attention in any study of contemporary academic fiction.
Torsion in nonlinearly elastic incompressible circular cylinders

Abstract We consider a variable torsion deformation for incompressible right-circular cylinders and investigate the possibility of equilibrium states other than simple torsion in isotropic hyperelasticity. Our problem formulation also provides generalized versions of Rivlin's universal relations in torsion. In this more general setting, it is shown that simple torsion persists as the only solution for large classes of strain energies. When one allows for more general boundary conditions, variable torsion solutions are possible for special forms of the stored energy function. We derive such a form and develop general results.
Winning agonistic encounters increases testosterone and androgen receptor expression in Syrian hamsters.

Abstract Winning aggressive disputes is one of several experiences that can alter responses to future stressful events. We have previously tested dominant and subordinate male Syrian hamsters in a conditioned defeat model and found that dominant individuals show less change in behavior following social defeat stress compared to subordinates and controls, indicating a reduced conditioned defeat response. Resistance to the effects of social defeat in dominants is experience-dependent and requires the maintenance of dominance relationships for 14 days. For this study we investigated whether winning aggressive interactions increases plasma testosterone and whether repeatedly winning increases androgen receptor expression. First, male hamsters were paired in daily 10-min aggressive encounters and blood samples were collected immediately before and 15 min and 30 min after the formation of dominance relationships. Dominants showed an increase in plasma testosterone at 15 min post-interaction compared to their pre-interaction baseline, whereas subordinates and controls showed no change in plasma testosterone. Secondly, we investigated whether 14 days of dominant social status increased androgen or estrogen alpha-receptor immunoreactivity in brain regions that regulate the conditioned defeat response. Dominants showed more androgen, but not estrogen alpha, receptor immuno-positive cells in the dorsal medial amygdala (dMeA) and ventral lateral septum (vLS) compared to subordinates and controls. Finally, we showed that one day of dominant social status was insufficient to increase androgen receptor immunoreactivity compared to subordinates. These results suggest that elevated testosterone signaling at androgen receptors in the dMeA and vLS might contribute to the reduced conditioned defeat response exhibited by dominant hamsters.
Increased vulnerability of photoreceptors to aberrant splicing highlight the utility of AON-based therapy for CEP290-LCA.

Mutations in CEP290 account for the most common form of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a severe, early onset retinal disorder, and are associated with numerous other ciliopathies such as Joubert, Meckel-Gruber, Senior-Loken, and Bardet Biedl syndromes. Disease-causing mutations occur throughout the length of CEP290 and it is thought that resulting phenotypes vary in severity and organ involvement depending on the amount of residual CEP290 function. The most common LCA-causing mutation in CEP290 (c.2991+1655A→G) is found in approximately 86% of patients, and causes aberrant splicing and introduction of a cryptic exon containing a premature stop codon. Alternative splicing occurs in some transcripts, but not all, and thus a fraction of full length CEP290 is still produced at levels that are seemingly sufficient to maintain function of other organ systems. This study, from the Cheetham lab asks the question—why are only photoreceptors, but not other cells in the kidney or CNS, affected by this mutation? (1). Using human iPSC-derived optic cups, Parfitt et al . determined that the basis for the retina’s increased sensitivity to the c.2991+1655A→G mutation is increased aberrant splicing in developed photoreceptors. In addition, they validated, using antisense morpholinos, the ability to block this aberrant splicing and restore photoreceptor function (1).
A recent exposure to mustard gas in the United States: clinical findings of a cohort (n = 247) 6 years after exposure.

OBJECTIVE To describe the acute and long-term effects of mustard gas (MG) and propose a screening protocol to prevent complications. METHODS Follow-up of (n = 247) workers exposed to MG with a standard protocol. RESULTS Healing of burns varied according to natural pigmentation of skin, not reported elsewhere. Multiple and chronic skin infections developed on burns. Liver functions and cardiac conduction were temporarily altered in burn cases without other complications. No fatalities were noted. Months after exposure, bronchitis and posttraumatic stress disorder became prevalent regardless of initial presentation. Other symptoms did not lead to any organ pathology except one case of Barrett's esophagus and another of oral metaplasia. Two infants conceived after exposure appeared healthy. Although the screening protocol administered became an effective screening tool, follow-up of cases was severely flawed by a lack of cooperation between providers and noncompliance by patients after settlement of lawsuits. CONCLUSION Research of findings attributable to MG needs close follow-up of this group of patients due to latent carcinogenic, hematologic, pulmonary, and infertility effects. Therefore, annual follow-up screens, instruction on the effects of MG, and prevention, including immunization and autopsy in all cases of death, are strongly suggested.
Timing and seasonality of the United States ‘warming hole’

The United States 'warming hole' is a region in the southeast/central U.S. where observed long-term surface temperature trends are insignificant or negative. We investigate the roles of anthropogenic forcing and internal variability on these trends by systematically examining observed seasonal temperature trends over all time periods of at least 10 years during 1901–2015. Long-term summer cooling in the north central U.S. beginning in the 1930s reflects the recovery from the anomalously warm 'Dust Bowl' of that decade. In the northeast and southern U.S., significant summertime cooling occurs from the early 1950s to the mid 1970s, which we partially attribute to increasing anthropogenic aerosol emissions (median fraction of the observed temperature trends explained is 0.69 and 0.17, respectively). In winter, the northeast and southern U.S. cool significantly from the early 1950s to the early 1990s, but we do not find evidence for a significant aerosol influence. Instead, long-term phase changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation contribute significantly to this cooling in both regions, while the Pacific Decadal Oscillation also contributes significantly to southern U.S. cooling. Rather than stemming from a single cause, the U.S. warming hole reflects both anthropogenic aerosol forcing and internal climate variability, but the dominant drivers vary by season, region, and time period.
Protein kinase C Zeta mediates EGF-induced growth of head and neck tumor cells by regulating MAP kinase

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 70 Protein kinase C zeta (PKCζ) has been implicated as a mediator of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and MAP kinase (ERK) signaling in epithelial cells. Since EGFR is ubiquitously expressed in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN) and plays a key role in tumor progression, we determined whether PKCζ is required for tumor cell proliferation. Examination of total and phosphorylated PKCζ expression in normal oral mucosa, dysplasia, and carcinoma as well as SCCHN tumor cell lines revealed a significant increase in activated PKCζ expression from normal to malignant tissue. PKCζ activity is required for EGF-induced ERK activation in both normal adult epidermal keratinocytes and 5 of 7 SCCHN cell lines. SCCHN cells express constitutively activated EGFR family receptors, and inhibition of either EGFR or MAP kinase activity suppressed DNA synthesis. Consistent with this observation, transfection of SCCHN cells with a kinase-dead PKCζ construct inhibited autocrine or EGF-induced DNA synthesis. Finally, PKCζ inhibition enhanced the anti-proliferative effects of both a MEK (U0126) and a broad spectrum PKC inhibitor (chelerythrine chloride). The results indicate that 1) PKCζ is associated with SCCHN progression; 2) PKCζ mediates EGF stimulated MAP kinase activation in keratinocytes and SCCHN cell lines; 3) PKCζ mediates EGFR and MAP kinase-dependent autocrine proliferation in SCCHN cell lines; and 4) PKCζ inactivation potentiates the action of other inhibitors that target similar or complementary signaling pathways.
Intensification and Attenuation: Colonial Influences on an African Culture

It is often presumed that colonialism radically altered the cultures that were under it. The showcase of colonialism is the continent of Africa. In most other places, colonialism transitioned to settlements, for instance the United States and Canada. Focusing on Yoruba culture, I will argue that colonialism rapidly and radically intensified or attenuated existing practices rather than upended or even radically changed or transformed them. I will explore the notion that there is perhaps nothing in the way of life that was introduced into Yoruba culture that was not previously available to them or to which they did not have a predisposition, examining the comments of the people in newspapers from the national archive on social, religious, and political institutions as well as popular cultural dynamics involving interpersonal and group interactions.
Respiratory Chain Disorders

The mitochondrial respiratory chain is important for generating cellular energy and, therefore, dysfunction of this process plays an important role in human disease. Consideration of the functional components of the electrochemical gradient comprising the respiratory chain provides the basis for identifying the cause of the multisystem diseases that arise from mitochondrial abnormalities. Diagnosis may depend on the pattern of inheritance, whether Mendelian or maternal, based on mitochondrial or nuclear DNA. Diagnosis relies on biochemical and molecular analyses, neuroimaging, or histological findings. The classification of such disorders may include abnormalities of uncoupled oxidative phosphorylation, translocation of respiratory chain metabolites, defective protein assembly, abnormal intramitochondrial metal homeostasis, and specific neurodegenerative disorders. Therapy is generally ineffective, although combination of various vitamins have occasionally been helpful. Genetic therapies are being actively pursued.
Performance of the First 150 mm Diameter Cryogenic Silicon Ionization Detectors with Contact-Free Electrodes

Abstract Cryogenic semiconductor detectors operated at temperatures below 100 mK are commonly used in particle physics experiments searching for dark matter. The largest such germanium and silicon detectors, with diameters of 100 mm and thickness of 33 mm, are planned for use by the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS) experiment at SNOLAB, Canada. Still larger individual detectors are being investigated to scale up the sensitive mass of future experiments. We present here the first results of testing two prototype 150 mm diameter silicon ionization detectors. The detectors are 25 mm and 33 mm thick with masses 1.7 and 2.2 times larger than those currently planned for SuperCDMS. These devices were operated with contact-free bias electrodes to minimize leakage currents which currently limit operation at high bias voltages. The results show promise for the use of such technologies in solid state cryogenic detectors.
Banking on the Middle Class in Ho Chi Minh City

Over the past five years, the retail bank sector in Ho Chi Minh City has rapidly expanded. In an increasingly competitive environment, retail banks are advertising new financial instruments (e.g., mortgages, motor-vehicle financing, and personal loans) and investing in new interfaces for handling money, including internet banking and ATMs. How has the expansion of this sector contributed to the emergence of new class identities in Vietnam? This chapter examines retail banking as an entry point for exploring the contradictions of middle-class identity in urban Vietnam. It focuses on how this sector appeals to consumer desires for convenience and technology even while the actual use of retail banking is curtailed by widespread anxieties over security and risk in the country’s expanding economy.
7 – Role of Nitric Oxide in Allograft Rejection

This chapter provides an overview of the role of nitric oxide in allograft rejection. Allograft rejection is normally initiated by the presentation to T lymphocytes of histocompatibility antigens by antigen presenting cells of bone marrow derived monocytemacrophage lineage. Ample evidence now exists about the role of cytokine induced macrophage synthesis of ·N=O as a potent cytostatic effector mechanism in cocultured cells. Since a multitude of cytokines is produced during an alloimmune reaction, it is not surprising that ·N=O synthase is induced during allograft rejection. Elucidation of the effects of ·N=O synthesis should provide insight into the complex cellular interactions that occur during an alloimmune response. This chapter begins with a discussion on nitric oxide production in rat splenocyte mixed lymphocyte reaction. It explains concepts related to in vitro nitric oxide synthesis by cells recovered from rat sponge matrix allografts. It also describes in vivo nitric oxide synthesis during allograft rejection. An overview of effect of nitric oxide synthesis in defined macrophage–lymphocyte cocultures is also presented in this chapter. The chapter elaborates in detail about effect of authentic nitric oxide on lymphocyte function. The chapter concludes with a discussion on possible mechanisms of nitric oxide-induced inhibition of lymphocyte activation.
Delirium following total joint replacement surgery

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common complication associated with increased resource utilization, morbidity and mortality. Our institution screens all postsurgical patients for postoperative delirium. The study aim was to perform an automated interrogation of the electronic health records to estimate the incidence of and identify associated risk factors for POD following total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Adult patients who underwent TJA with a multimodal analgesia protocol, including peripheral nerve blockade, from 2008 through 2012, underwent automated chart review. POD was identified by routine nursing assessment and administrative billing codes. Of 11,970 patients, 181 (1.5%) were identified to have POD. Older age (odds ratio, 95% CI 2.20, 1.80–2.71 per decade, p < 0.001), dementia (7.44, 3.54–14.60, p < 0.001), diabetes mellitus (1.70, 1.1.5–2.47, p = 0.009), renal disease (1.68, 1.03–2.65, p = 0.039), blood transfusions (2.04, 1.14–3.52, p = 0.017), and sedation during anesthesia recovery (1.76, 1.23–2.51, p = 0.002) were associated with POD. Anesthetic management was not associated with POD risk. Patients who developed POD required greater healthcare resources. Dementia is strongly associated with POD. The association between POD and transfusions may reflect higher acuity patients or detrimental effect of blood. Postoperative sedation should be recognized as a warning sign of increased risk.
Modern Dual-Mobility Cups in Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract Background The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the outcomes of dual-mobility (DM) cups in revision total hip arthroplasty (THA). Specifically, we evaluated the following: (1) all-cause and aseptic survivorship rates; (2) dislocation rates; (3) complications; and (4) clinical outcomes reported using validated health status measures. Methods A comprehensive literature search included studies that reported the following: (1) re-revision rates, (2) complications, and (3) clinical outcomes following DM use in revision THA. The following exclusion criteria were used: (1) studies that did not stratify their analysis between primary and revision THA, (2) studies that utilized off-label techniques, (3) review articles, (4) case studies, (5) basic science articles, (6) non–English language reports, and (6) reports on patients who underwent surgery before 2010, in order to reflect modern DM implants use and technology. A total of 9 studies were included in our final analysis. Results Aseptic and all-cause survivorship rates were 97.7% and 94.5%. Prevalence of dislocation was 2.2%, and 0.3% for intraprosthetic dislocation. Meta-analysis comparing DM to fixed-bearing prostheses demonstrated a significantly lower odds of dislocation in the DM cohort (odds ratio 0.24, P = .002). Complications occurred in 7.4% of revision THAs with DM cups, while infection rates totaled to 3.3% of cases. Studies comparing outcomes using Harris Hip Scores did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in improved postoperative scores (P > .05). Conclusion DM cups have demonstrated excellent survivorship, low dislocation, and overall complication rates. Therefore, it can be considered a safe and effective option, particularly in the high-risk patients who undergo revision THA.
Is Gene Selection Enough for Imbalanced Bioinformatics Data

Many classification problems in bioinformatics use datasets that are characterized by class imbalance. This unequal class distribution can adversely affect the classification performance on the minority class (having a very high rate of false negatives), which is usually the class of interest. While this challenge is prevalent among bioinformatics datasets, a majority of practitioners and researchers focused their efforts on coping with a different problem, namely high dimensionality (too many independent variables). As a result, class imbalance has been almost completely neglected. In this work, we investigate the importance of alleviating class imbalance (by applying data sampling) for classification problems on bioinformatics datasets. To investigate this importance, we compare the classification performance after applying data sampling and feature selection to the classification performance when using feature selection alone. We employ six widely used classification algorithms as well as three major forms of feature selection. Our results show that the classification models built with feature selection alone perform worse than those built when data sampling is incorporated with feature selection. Statistical analysis shows that the increase in performance when performing data sampling along with feature selection is significant. Therefore, it is essential to place special focus on the problem of class imbalance in bioinformatics and this experiment shows why it is important to apply techniques (e.g. data sampling) to alleviate class imbalance.
Measuring the hedonimeter

We revisit classical Utilitarianism by connecting and generalizing two ideas. The first is that there is a representation theorem possible for hedonic value (pleasure) similar to, but also importantly different from, the one provided by von Neumann and Morgenstern to measure decision utility. The idea is to use objective time, in place of objective chance, to measure hedonic value. This representation for hedonic value delivers a stronger kind of scale than von Neumann–Morgenstern utility, a ratio scale rather than merely an interval scale. The second idea is that measurement on a ratio scale allows the meaningful aggregation of utilities over a group. This is aggregation by product rather than sum. Aggregation by product is known to have interesting Prioritarian consequences. Aggregation becomes complicated when the two approaches are mixed, when hedonic value is mixed with uncertainly. It becomes problematic when pain as well as pleasure is taken into account.