cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Graded Loss of Tuberin in an Allelic Series of Brain Models of TSC Correlates with Survival, and Biochemical, Histological, and Behavioral Features

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with prominent brain manifestations due to mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2. Here, we describe novel mouse brain models of TSC generated using conditional hypomorphic and null alleles of Tsc2 combined with the neuron-specific synapsin I cre (SynIcre) allele. This allelic series of homozygous conditional hypomorphic alleles (Tsc2(c-del3/c-del3)SynICre(+)) and heterozygote null/conditional hypomorphic alleles (Tsc2(k/c-del3)SynICre(+)) achieves a graded reduction in expression of Tsc2 in neurons in vivo. The mice demonstrate a progressive neurologic phenotype including hunchback, hind limb clasp, reduced survival and brain and cortical neuron enlargement that correlates with a graded reduction in expression of Tsc2 in the two sets of mice. Both models also showed behavioral abnormalities in anxiety, social interaction and learning assays, which correlated with Tsc2 protein levels as well. The observations demonstrate that there are graded biochemical, cellular and clinical/behavioral effects that are proportional to the extent of reduction in Tsc2 expression in neurons. Further, they suggest that some patients with milder manifestations of TSC may be due to persistent low-level expression of functional protein from their mutant allele. In addition, they point to the potential clinical benefit of strategies to raise TSC2 protein expression from the wild-type allele by even modest amounts.
Real-time, fully automatic upper facial feature tracking

Robust, real-time, fully automatic tracking of facial features is required for many computer vision and graphics applications. In this paper, we describe a fully automatic system that tracks eyes and eyebrows in real time. The pupils are tracked using the red-eye effect by an infrared-sensitive camera equipped with infrared LEDs. Templates are used to parameterize the facial features. For each new frame, the pupil coordinates are used to extract cropped images of eyes and eyebrows. The template parameters are recovered by PCA (principal component analysis) on these extracted images using a PCA basis, which was constructed during the training phase with some example images. The system runs at 30 frames per second and requires no manual initialization or calibration. The system is shown to work well on sequences with considerable head motions and occlusions.
Key Developments in Stem Cell Therapy in Cardiology

A novel therapeutic strategy to prevent or reverse ventricular remodeling, the substrate for heart failure and arrhythmias following a myocardial infarction, is the use of cell-based therapy. Successful cell-based tissue regeneration involves a complex orchestration of cellular and molecular events that include stem cell engraftment and differentiation, secretion of anti-inflammatory and angiogenic mediators, and proliferation of endogenous cardiac stem cells. Recent therapeutic approaches involve bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells and mesenchymal stem cells, adipose tissue-derived stem cells, cardiac-derived stem cells and cell combinations. Clinical trials employing mesenchymal stem cells and cardiac- derived stem cells have demonstrated efficacy in infarct size reduction and regional wall contractility improvement. Regarding delivery methods, the safety of catheter-based, transendocardial stem cell injection has been established. These proof-of-concept studies have paved the way for ongoing pivotal trials. Future studies will focus on determining the most efficacious cell type(s) and/or cell combinations and the mechanisms underlying their therapeutic effects.
Modeling of the frequency dependent C-V characteristics of neutron irradiated p/sup +/-n silicon detectors after the type inversion in the space charge region

The modeling of the frequency dependent C-V characteristics of neutron irradiated p/sup +/-n silicon detectors is extended to the case of high neutron fluences (/spl Phi//sub n/>8/spl times/10/sup 12/n/cm/sup 2/) where the effective doping concentration N/sub eff/ in the space charge region (SCR) exhibits a net acceptor state (or "p" type), while the resistivity in the electrical neutral bulk (ENB) approaches intrinsic due to the perfect compensation of all deep levels in the condition of no band bending (or no field) and therefore no Fermi level crossing for any deep levels. The C-V characteristics are still frequency dependent, but the deep level that is responsible for it may be different from the one before the type inversion in the SCR. N/sub eff/ in the SCR may be dominated by an acceptor level, such as V-V/sup -/, whose concentration is proportional to the neutron fluence. The contribution of the high resistivity ENB to the frequency dependence have also been discussed. >
An Operational Framework for Service Oriented Architecture Network Security

This study proposes a new operational framework of a network administrator for service oriented architecture (SOA) network security. It seeks to characterize the current state of practices in SOA network security by gathering information regarding known threats and defenses for SOA deployments. It works towards the practical implementation of SOA designs by creating training and testing scenarios for those preparing to work in this area. Finally, it frames these and other SOA security efforts with respect to a classic theoretical model of information security. The resulting synthesis includes recommendations on how best to process the XML network traffic typical of SOA applications. The proposed approach is Filtering to Inspect XML (FIX) at the network's perimeter. This framework contributes to the understanding of secure SOA designs by clarifying the responsibilities of both network managers and software engineers in orchestrating XML-based services.
Extracting ocean surface information from altimeter returns - The deconvolution method

An evaluation of the deconvolution method for estimating ocean surface parameters from ocean altimeter waveforms is presented. It is shown that this method presents a fast, accurate way of determining the ocean surface parameters from noisy altimeter data. Three parameters may be estimated by using this method, including the altimeter-height error, the ocean-surface standard deviation, and the ocean-surface skewness. By means of a Monte Carlo experiment, an 'optimum' deconvolution algorithm and the accuracies with which the above parameters may be estimated using this algorithm are determined. Then the influence of instrument effects, such as errors in calibration and pointing-angle estimation, on the estimated parameters is examined. Finally, the deconvolution algorithm is used to estimate height and ocean-surface parameters from Seasat data.
The effect of impact direction on the structural capacity of the proximal femur during falls

As with any structure, the structural capacity of the proximal femur depends on the applied loads and these can vary as a function of impact direction during a fall. However, despite its potential importance in hip fracture risk assessment, the relative importance of impact direction is unknown. To investigate the role of impact direction in hip fracture, we developed a detailed finite element model of the proximal femur. We analyzed four loading configurations that represent a range of possible falls on the greater trochanter. Our results indicate that a change in the angle between the line of action of the applied force and the axis of the femoral neck from 0 degrees (representing a direct lateral impact) to 45 degrees (representing a posterolateral impact) reduced structural capacity by 26%. This weakening of the femur with changes in impact direction is comparable to the weakening associated with 2-3 decades of age-related bone loss. Our result elucidates the independent contribution of fall mechanics to hip fracture risk by identifying an aspect of the fall (the direction of impact) that is an important determinant of fall severity. The results can also be incorporated into a refined clinical method for assessment of hip fracture risk that accounts for the complex interactions between fall severity and bone fragility.
pQCT Measurement of Bone Parameters in Young Children: Validation of Technique

Abstract Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measures areal bone mineral density (BMD) and is affected by bone size. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) measures volumetric density and should not be affected by bone size. We hypothesized that pQCT could be used to measure geometric parameters in the tibia and that bone size, not density, would correlate with weight and height in 3 and 4 yr olds. Phantom measurements indicate that accurate results for cortical volumetric bone mineral density can be obtained at cortical thickness > 2 mm with voxel/speed sizes of 0.40/20 mm/s. Correlations between pQCT measured geometric bone parameters and phantom calculations were observed (all r > 0.96). Baseline data from an ongoing trial of 101 preschool children (53 male) were used to correlate bone parameters and anthropometrics. Total cross-sectional area, cortical area, and cortical thickness correlated with weight ( r = 0.54, p r = 0.52, p r = 0.30, p = 0.002) and height ( r = 0.41, p r = 0.55, p r = 0.41, p p p = 0.006). Both height ( p = 0.005) and weight ( p = 0.05) predicted the cortical area. In summary, pQCT accurately measures the total cross-sectional area, cortical area, and cortical thickness in children age 3–4 yr.
Contingency management to induce exercise among college students

Objective: The effects of contingency management to induce physical activity levels were examined in seven non-obese physically inactive undergraduate students by providing monetary payments using a multiple baseline, changing-criterion procedure. Methods: Participants attended a baseline phase, a subsequent intervention phase consisting of three exercise sessions per week for 4 weeks, and a follow-up session 2 weeks post intervention. A total of $145 was available for attendance and exercise contingency payments. Results: Results indicate that all participants significantly increased exercise during intervention from inactivity at baseline to exercising three 30-minute sessions per week. Participants maintained some gains during follow-up. Limitations: The study employed a small and homogenous sample size and required participants to exercise in a lab setting thus limiting external validity. Conclusions: These findings suggest that incentive-based interventions are an effective and viable means for inducing exercise.
Melt-Formable Block Copolymer Electrolytes for Lithium Rechargeable Batteries

Microphase separated block copolymers consisting of an amorphous poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based polymer covalently bound to a second polymer offer a highly attractive avenue to achieving both dimensional stability and high ionic conductivity in polymer electrolytes for solid-state rechargeable lithium batteries. However, due to the strong thermodynamic incompatibility typically found for most polymer pairs, the disordered, liquid state of the copolymer can rarely he achieved without the incorporation of a solyent, which complicates processing, Herein, we report the design of new block copolymer electrolytes based on poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, and poly(oligo oxycthylene methacrylate), POEM, which are segmentally mixed at elevated temperatures appropriate for melt processing, while exhibiting a mierophase separated (ordered) morphology at ambient temperature. Although pure PMMA-b-POEM is segmentally mixed at all temperatures, it is shown that mierophase separation in these materials can be induced in a controlled manner by the incorporation of even limited amounts of lithium trifluoromethane sulfonate (LiCF 3 SO 3 ), a salt commonly employed to render PEO ionically conductive. Such salt-induced microphase separation suggests a simple method for designing new solid polymer electrolytes combining high ionic conductivities with excellent dimensional stability and improved processing flexibility.
Static Shear Modulus of Gas-Liquid Foam Determined by the Punch Indentation Test

Abstract The punch indentation test was used to measure the static shear modulus (μ) of shaving foam. Surface tension of the foaming liquid, the mean foam cell diameter, and the volume fraction of the dispersed phase (φ) were measured to determine the overpressure (Δ P ) in foam cells. It was found that with increasing foam age μ decreased, reaching a steady value of ∼0.18Δ P when φ ∼ 0.94. This is lower than the lowest values measured previously in gas–liquid foams by nearly a factor of two. A possible reason could be reduced artifacts and dynamic effects present in the previous measurements. This value agrees with values measured in oil-in-water emulsions ( J. Colloid Interface Sci. 112, 427, 1986).
Adventitial elastolysis is a primary event in aneurysm formation

Abstract Purpose: Adventitial clastin degradation is a hallmark of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) formation in human beings, although the quantitative relationship between elastin loss and AAA formation and growth is unknown. This study was undertaken to quantitate the reduction of adventitial elastin for small AAA, to determine whether the loss of this structural component parallels aneurysm growth, and to examine the ultrastructure of the remaining elastin elements. Methods: Longitudinal strips of anterior aneurysm wall were taken from 12 patients having elective repair of small (diameter 7 cm, n = 4) AAA and from six normal control subjects at autopsy. Specimens were prepared with elastin and collagen stains for histologic examination or formic acid for scanning electron microscopic evaluation of elastin architecture. Adventitial elastin content of aneurysmal and control aortas was quantitated with video microscopy and compared by aneurysm diameter. Results: The inner portion of adventitia of normal aortic wall was composed of densely compacted alternating lamellae of elastin and collagen, which were grossly disrupted in all aneurysms. The remaining elastin fibers were disorganized and tortuous. There was an 81.6% ± 2.1% reduction in elastin lamellae and an 85.7% ± 4.2% reduction in fibers per lamellae compared with the number in control aortas (p
Physician Stipends as Organizational Deviance in for-Profit Psychiatric Hospitals:

For-profit psychiatric hospitals sometimes pay staff physicians large stipends for ostensible medical directorships. This can indicate organizational deviance, a condition where businesses break community norms. Physicians are typically the source of 60 percent of a hospital's admissions. They are free to hospitalize patients at other facilities if they choose. Hospitals thus find it in their interest to create financial incentives. Most states forbid direct kickbacks for referrals, but stipends are justified by the fact that the physicians perform ostensible duties at a hospital. Here, interviews are used to show how these payments operate in the Texas market. A quantitative section then documents the relationship between payment amounts and referrals. Factors prompting high physician payments are also explored. Stipends continue as an important problem that increases health costs and causes psychiatrists to act in their own as opposed to patient interests.
A Clinical Tool for the Prediction of Venous Thromboembolism in Pediatric Trauma Patients

Importance Although rare, the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pediatric trauma patients is increasing, and the consequences of VTE in children are significant. Studies have demonstrated increasing VTE risk in older pediatric trauma patients and improved VTE rates with institutional interventions. While national evidence-based guidelines for VTE screening and prevention are in place for adults, none exist for pediatric patients, to our knowledge. Objectives To develop a risk prediction calculator for VTE in children admitted to the hospital after traumatic injury to assist efforts in developing screening and prophylaxis guidelines for this population. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective review of 536 423 pediatric patients 0 to 17 years old using the National Trauma Data Bank from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2012. Five mixed-effects logistic regression models of varying complexity were fit on a training data set. Model validity was determined by comparison of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for the training and validation data sets from the original model fit. A clinical tool to predict the risk of VTE based on individual patient clinical characteristics was developed from the optimal model. Main Outcome and Measure Diagnosis of VTE during hospital admission. Results Venous thromboembolism was diagnosed in 1141 of 536 423 children (overall rate, 0.2%). The AUROCs in the training data set were high (range, 0.873-0.946) for each model, with minimal AUROC attenuation in the validation data set. A prediction tool was developed from a model that achieved a balance of high performance (AUROCs, 0.945 and 0.932 in the training and validation data sets, respectively; P = .048) and parsimony. Points are assigned to each variable considered (Glasgow Coma Scale score, age, sex, intensive care unit admission, intubation, transfusion of blood products, central venous catheter placement, presence of pelvic or lower extremity fractures, and major surgery), and the points total is converted to a VTE risk score. The predicted risk of VTE ranged from 0.0% to 14.4%. Conclusions and Relevance We developed a simple clinical tool to predict the risk of developing VTE in pediatric trauma patients. It is based on a model created using a large national database and was internally validated. The clinical tool requires external validation but provides an initial step toward the development of the specific VTE protocols for pediatric trauma patients.
Revealing and Telling: the socialisation of attention in learning to read and write

Abstract Becoming literate involves the socialisation of attention. ‘Revealing’ and ‘telling’ are two modes of assistance to such socialisation. Revealing, as exemplified in one programme, Reading Recovery, can be especially helpful for young learners. But for older students, conflicts between primary and secondary socialisation can be addressed better by more explicit telling. For that purpose, questions about the most useful metalanguage become important.
Cerebrospinal fluid profiles and prospective course and outcome in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Objectives To examine the effect of specific cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) profiles on the rate of cognitive decline, disease progression, and risk of conversion to Alzheimer disease (AD) dementia in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Design Total tau (T-tau), tau phosphorylated at threonine 181, and β-amyloid 1-42 peptide (Aβ42) were immunoassayed in CSF samples obtained from patients with MCI enrolled in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Patients were then stratified by CSF profiles: (1) normal T-tau and normal Aβ42 (ie, normal–T-tauAβ42), (2) normal T-tau but abnormal Aβ42 (ie, abnormal-Aβ42), (3) abnormal T-tau but normal Aβ42 (ie, abnormal–T-tau), and (4) abnormal T-tau and abnormal Aβ42 (ie, abnormal–T-tauAβ42). Setting Fifty-eight sites in the United States and Canada. Participants One hundred ninety-five patients with MCI. Main Outcome Measures A composite cognitive measure, the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale–sum of boxes subscale, and conversion to AD dementia. Results Patients with MCI with a CSF profile of abnormal-Aβ42 or abnormal–T-tauAβ42 experienced a faster rate of decline on the composite cognitive measure and the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale–sum of boxes subscale compared with those with normal–T-tauAβ42. They also had a greater risk of converting to AD dementia relative to the normal–T-tauAβ42 group. In contrast, those with a CSF profile of abnormal–T-tau did not differ from the normal–T-tauAβ42 group on any outcome. These findings were generally replicated when the sample was reclassified by patterns of tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 and Aβ42 abnormalities. Conclusions β-Amyloid abnormalities but not tau alterations are associated with cognitive deterioration, disease progression, and increased risk of conversion to AD dementia in patients with MCI. Patients with abnormal Aβ42 may be prime candidates for drug treatment and clinical trials in MCI.
Metatheoretical Theses on Identity, Inequality, Time, and Hope: Toward a Pragmatic Cosmopolitanism

Within a pragmatic perspective, metatheoretical theses grounded on identity as sameness, uniqueness, and difference address the inevitability of inequality. Pragmatic meaning, furthermore, is always in the future. Temporal inequality emerges as central to meanings of identity, especially expectations of unequal endtime futures. The experiential mix of cognition and affect highlights an inequality of positive and negative futures, of hope and fear. Following G. H. Mead's adumbration, an emergent cultural turn is to pragmatic cosmopolitan identities allowing for a "both-and" acceptance that affirms self as well as other as a functional basis for cooperative action addressing shared issues.
Multiple resections and survival of recurrent glioblastoma patients in the temozolomide era

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most prevalent and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults for which recurrence is inevitable and surgical resection is often recommended. We investigated the relationship between multiple tumor resections and overall survival (OS) in adult glioblastoma patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy and temozolomide following initial surgery. We retrospectively reviewed the records of all newly diagnosed adult GBM patients with tumor recurrence at our institution from March 2003 to October 2012. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and multivariate analysis using Cox's proportional hazards model were utilized to evaluate the impact of multiple resections on OS. A total of 202 GBM patients were analyzed; 83 (41.1%), 94 (46.5%), and 25 (12.4%) patients underwent one, two, and three or more total resections, respectively. Patients who underwent multiple resections were significantly younger (p<0.0001) and had higher perioperative Karnofsky Performance Status scores (p<0.0001) than single resection patients. The median OS in months was 21.1, 25.5, and 29.0 for patients who had one, two, and three or more resections, respectively (Wilcoxon p=0.03). In a confounder-adjusted multivariate model, patients with multiple resections did not have significantly improved survival (p=0.55). Older age was strongly associated with poorer OS (hazard ratio 1.34, p<0.0001). Age at diagnosis was the only predictor of survival for recurrent GBM patients. After adjusting for age at diagnosis, multiple resections were not an independent predictor of OS in our glioblastoma cohort treated in the temozolomide era.
Clinical Indicators of Late-Onset Sepsis Workup in Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Background Late-onset sepsis (LOS) in very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Objectives To determine the incidence of LOS workup, association, and predictive value of clinical indicators leading to culture-positive versus culture-negative sepsis workup. Methods All sepsis workups performed after 7 days of life, in neonates with birth weight of Results The incidence of culture-positive workup was 87/345 (25.2%) and that of LOS was 84/279 (30.1%). Among various clinical indicators, hypothermia and apnea were significantly associated with culture-positive sepsis workup ( p = 0.015 and 0.004, respectively), with a positive predictive value of 81.2 and 71.4%, respectively. Conclusion In VLBW infants, one-fourth of sepsis workups resulted in a positive culture. Apnea and hypothermia were the most significant predictors of culture-positive workup after matching for GA, birth weight, chronological age, and corrected GA at the time of the workup.
Gender and Popular Culture: A Comparison of Promoter and Listener Preferences for Popular Music Artists

Part of listening to popular music is complaining about it: Why is mainstream music so dreadful? . . . so repetitive? . . . and so the argument goes. Popular culture producers argue that they do no...
Compositional Mapping of the Surface and Interior of Mammalian Cells at Submicrometer Resolution

We present progress toward imaging of chemical species within intact mammalian cells using secondary ion mass spectrometry, including the simultaneous mapping of subcellular elemental and molecular...
Oral Chemotherapy in Patients with Hematological Malignancies—Care Process, Pharmacoeconomic and Policy Implications

Patients with hematologic malignancies are increasing being prescribed oral anticancer medications (OAMs) and/or biologics. These newer targeted OAMs are associated with a host of practical and pharmacoeconomic implications for patients and healthcare providers. Issues such as safety, procurement challenges, and the need for proactive involvement of all stakeholders to optimize adherence for successful use of these agents are increasingly being recognized. The current reactive model is negatively impacting the patient experience through delays in care, financial toxicity, and decreased safety. It also impacts the healthcare providers in the form of lost revenue and staff burnout due to labor-intensive procurement and patient financial assistance burdens. In this review, we describe some of the issues identified and discuss potential strategies to improve patient access, minimize healthcare burden, and review current policy initiatives and patient advocacy efforts to reduce financial toxicity.
The Effects of Artificial Cutting Method on the Yield and Quality Control Parameters of Gansu BaiTiao DangShen

Objective: To assess the influence of artificial cutting method on the yield and quality of Gansu BaiTiao DangShen(Radix Codonopsis Pilosulae) by taking the yield and quality control parameters of DangShen as the indexes. Method: When DangShen flourished, the top of the climbing stem around 20 to 30 cm(once or twice),was cut to inhibit its growth, to reduce excessive consumption of nutrients, improve light conditions and keep relative balance of defend root and stem leaf, therefore, to promote the growth of the root. The yield was calculated through measuring root diameter, length and weight. The quality was checked according to quality standard in 2010Chinese Pharmacopeia and through taking active ingredients lobetyolin as the index. Result: Artificial cutting method could make average diameters of fresh DangShen thicken by 26%, the lengthen increase by 21%, the output per unit area increase by 25% to 35% and showed little effect on quality control parameters. Conclusion: Artificial cutting method could make the output per unit area increase of Gansu BaiTiao DangShen increase by 30%, Gansu BaiTiao DangShen could meet the rules of quality standard in Chinese Pharmacopeia, which is helpful to the development of local DangShen industry. It could provide evidence for the output and scientific plant of Gansu BaiTiao DangShen.
A Cross-Sectional Survey of Hemodialysis Patients on Their Preference for Arm vs. Thigh Grafts.

AIM Recent studies have shown that survival and complication rates of thigh grafts are similar to those of arm grafts and fistulas. However, there is little information in the literature regarding patients' preference for thigh grafts. METHODS This cross-sectional survey was conducted on patients currently on hemodialysis (n=196), who were queried regarding their preference for location of their next access (arm graft v. thigh graft). Data on their age, race, gender, educational level, and dialysis access history was collected. RESULTS 93 percent of patients were African American and 64 percent male; 96 percent had been on dialysis ≥1 year. 81 percent patients had completed high school or higher education. Current access was arm fistula (55 percent), catheter (29 percent), arm graft (13 percent) and thigh graft (3 percent). Seven percent of patients had thigh grafts at some point in their access history. Overall, 90 percent patients preferred an arm graft and 10 percent a thigh graft. Patients' age, gender, level of education, particular dialysis unit, and dialysis vintage did not influence patient preference. Those patients with a current or prior thigh graft were more likely to prefer a thigh graft for their next access, when compared to those who never had a thigh graft, 36 percent v. 8 percent (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS The likelihood of patient preference for placement of a thigh graft is increased by the existence of a current or prior thigh graft. Other demographic factors and dialysis history seem not to influence patient preference.
Efficiency analysis of AC coupled and DC coupled microgrids considering load profile variations

Distributed generation based neighborhood microgrids are gaining popularity because of their ability to generate power locally at high efficiencies. However, it is difficult to analyze the efficiency of these systems because of the random usage patterns of household appliances. This paper proposes a stochastic technique to estimate the household load profiles using Poisson process and Queue theory for a small community-based microgrid. Using the estimated load profiles, the efficiency of the system for each household and the community are evaluated for two different microgrid topologies: AC and DC coupled microgrids. Preliminary results show that the Queue theory is able to estimate the individual load profiles, and the diversity in the load patterns has a significant effect on the efficiency of the microgrid system. Moreover, the average efficiencies of the AC coupled and DC coupled system were found to be 88.5 % and 78.5 %, respectively.
America’s Critical Community Information Needs

This chapter provides an overview of the volume’s core proposition: that Americans need information to govern themselves, to participate effectively in society, and to be safe. These needs fall along eight dimensions, including emergencies and risks, health and welfare, education, transportation, economic opportunities, the environment, civic information, and political information. Yet, despite these growing needs, the American information landscape is at a precarious moment as “news deserts” increase in the face of a contracting news media economy. New public policies at the federal level are necessary in order to help local communities meet the information needs of the American public.
Lost Nationalism: Revolution, Memory and Anti-colonial Resistance in Sudan

In the transformations set in motion by World War I, Elena Vezzadini argues that “nationalism became a powerful resource for political mobilization” and “gave people who were dissatisfied with colo...
De 'Niños de la Guerra' a Jóvenes Soviéticos: Educación, Aculturación y Paternalismo, 1939-1945

This chapter examines the ways in which the nearly 3000 children who fled the Spanish Civil War in 1937-38 emerged from the special schools opened for them in the Soviet Union and entered higher education and the labor force. Spanish scholars have collected numerous oral histories, but no one has extensively mined the copious archival material in Moscow. Using Russian sources and Spanish oral histories, this paper will show how the Soviet schools failed to prepare students for independent adult lives. Russian language skills were poorly developed, and the close care within the boarding schools failed to develop a sense of independence or provide the ninos with a clear picture of how privileged their lives had become relative to the average Soviet citizens alongside whom they would be working.
Target-specific porphyrin-loaded hybrid nanoparticles to improve photodynamic therapy for cancer treatment

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as an alternative approach to chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer treatment. The photosensitizer (PS) is perhaps the most critical component of PDT, and continues to be an area of intense scientific research. Traditionally, PS molecules like porphyrins have dominated the field. Nevertheless, these PS agents have several disadvantages, with low water solubility, poor light absorption, and reduced selectivity for targeted tissues being some of the main drawbacks. Polysilsesquioxane (PSilQ) nanoparticles provide an interesting platform for developing PS-loaded hybrid nanocarriers. Several advantages can be foreseen by using this platform such as carrying a large payload of PS molecules; their surface and composition can be tailored to develop multifunctional systems (e.g. target-specific); and due to their small size, nanoparticles can penetrate deep into tissues and be readily internalized by cells. In this work, porphyrin-loaded PSilQ nanoparticles with a high payload of photosensitizers were synthesized, characterized, and applied in vitro. The network of this nanomaterial is formed by porphyrin-based photosensitizers chemically connected via a redox-responsive linker. Under reducing environment such as the one found in cancer cells the nanoparticles can be degraded to efficiently release single photosensitizers in the cytoplasm. The platform was further functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and folic acid as targeting ligand to improve its biocompatibility and target specificity toward cancer cells overexpressing folate receptors. The effectiveness of this porphyrin-based hybrid nanomaterial was successfully demonstrated in vitro using MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line.
A Nonsurgical Approach to Adolescent Breast Asymmetry Using External Prostheses

Abstract Purpose Currently, there are few nonsurgical treatment options for pediatric patients with developmental breast asymmetry. Our group established a partnership with a prosthetic unit within a local oncology center to provide custom-fit breast prostheses for young women with breast asymmetry. The purpose of this study was to describe the effect of this experience on patients' self-esteem and body image. Methods Patients were administered an anonymous satisfaction survey at least 1 month after their first fitting at the prosthetic unit. The survey was designed to evaluate body image, self-esteem, as well as social and emotional well-being before and after treatment. Thematic analysis was used to assess their experiences. Results Seventeen patients, aged 12–19 years, visited the prosthetic unit and subsequently completed the retrospective survey. After using the breast prostheses, 14 (82.4%) patients reported an improvement in body image and 12 (70.6%) patients reported an improvement in self-esteem. Benefits pertaining to three emergent themes were revealed: “body wholeness/symmetry,” “body image and psychological well-being,” and “esthetic outcome.” Conclusions Results from the survey demonstrate the ease and efficacy of a form of nonsurgical treatment for adolescent breast asymmetry. Our partnership with an adult oncology center can serve as a national model to support the development of similar treatment programs. Existing resources that have been previously used only for adult breast cancer survivors can be effectively applied to the adolescent population to ameliorate the negative psychological effects of breast asymmetry.
Reading Civil Disobedience, Disaffection, and Racialized Trauma in John Okada’s No-No Boy : Lessons Learned 75 Years After Executive Order 9066

The year 2017 will mark the 75th anniversary when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 or EO 9066 on February 19, 1942. EO 9066 led to the mass incarceration of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans into ten racially segregated concentration camps throughout the U.S. This article discusses the educational and literary value of Japanese American author John Okada’s classic novel No-No Boy (1957) with a specific focus on implications for adolescent/young adult readers and teachers of English. Specifically, No-No Boy, as a classic oppositional text, defies the master narrative that Japanese Americans blindly accepted their fate during World War II and were thus able to rapidly assimilate into an accepting and benevolent White-dominated society after the war. Instead, Okada offers a somber critique of the World War II incarceration including how life in detainment destroyed the Japanese American community and families. Implications are provided including highlighting multiple avenues for students and teachers to critically explore the connections between America’s racially contested past and present around the themes of civil disobedience, disaffection, and racialized trauma.
COMP-lex Mechanics: Matricrine Signaling.

Emerging evidence continues to support the functional importance of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in cellular signaling. In mineralizing tissues, including bone, cartilage, and vasculature, ECM proteins not only provide the microenvironment for propagation of crystal growth but also support and transmit mechanical cues to the cells, and these cues govern many aspects of cell function, including proliferation and differentiation. When cells interact with the matrix and produce their own matrix proteins, it is a form of intercellular communication. Although this “matricrine” signaling receives less research attention than chemical forms of intercellular communication, such as autocrine and paracrine signaling, it is important in biomineralization in both health and disease. Article, see p 261 In this issue of Circulation Research , Fu et al1 highlight the important role of the noncollagenous ECM protein, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) in calcific atherosclerosis. COMP, a member of the thrombospondin-5 family of proteins, maintains cartilage structural integrity by binding collagen and other ECM proteins, such as aggrecan (chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 1), aggregates of which give cartilage its springy resistance to compression.2–4 COMP overexpression enhances ECM organization and assembly by increasing total soluble glycosaminoglycan content and levels of aggrecan and collagen type II.5 Thus, COMP seems to control the assembly and maintenance of the tertiary architecture of ECM. Its homopentameric structure, like that of a spiny starfish, allows it to bind to multiple sites, bridging collagen fibrils to one another and bridging cells to matrix proteins and proteoglycans.6 ECM proteins interact with the intracellular cytoskeleton through mechanical links with integrins. As described elegantly by Ingber et al,7 as a tensegrity model, the mechanical features of ECM are central determinants of cell shape and, thus, cell behavior. One robust example of the ability of ECM mechanical …
Oral Microbiome: Potential Link to Systemic Diseases and Oral Cancer

The human oral microbiome comprises more than 2,000 bacterial taxa, including a large number of opportunistic pathogens, and it is considered to be the second most diverse microbial community following stool. However, oral microbiome as a whole in determining human health and diseases has been understudied compared with the gut microbiome. Yet, potential links between oral bacteria and a range of systemic diseases have long been recognized based on their associations with periodontal diseases and surgical dental procedures. These pathological conditions include sepsis/endocarditis, cardiovascular diseases and their established risk factors, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and head and neck cancer, and are reviewed here. Although local inflammation and physical interventions from dietary and hygiene habits can facilitate systemic dissemination of oral bacteria, studies have delineated several bacterial virulence factors from oral pathogens that are involved in systemic dissemination, inflammation, immune evasion, and cytotoxicities, and are thus relevant to systemic diseases. Unfortunately, mechanistic information to date has been primarily derived from a few periodontal pathogens. To fully elucidate host–microbial and microbial–microbial interactions pertinent to human health and disease, use of a multi-omics approach, including metagenomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics, may be required.
Common Factors and Common Elements: Use of Data Science-Derived Innovations to Improve School-Based Counseling

Innovations in data science like predictive analytics, data mining, and data reduction have improved a variety of fields. Innovations in data science have also enabled the growth of two data-driven movements primarily used in clinical and counseling psychology: the common factors and common elements approaches. Each of these movements contains practical applications, such as the use of feedback within psychotherapy and the use of modular treatment. This paper describes the rationale of these movements, evidence on their effectiveness, and how these methods could potentially benefit school psychology practice within the context of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). Finally, the paper discusses the need for more research on these methods within school-based settings.
Nevi on Special Sites and Nevi in Pregnancy

Melanocytic nevi situated on some parts of the body can have features simulating melanoma (Elder 2006). This was fi rst noted in nevi on the genitalia and on acral skin, to which we devote separate sections. Other areas that merit consideration as special sites include the milk line, umbilicus, ear, scalp, and body folds. Some would include the shoulders, elbows, knees, thighs, back, and ankles as well, leaving only some in between areas as less than special (Scharer 2007; Hosler et al. 2008).
Principles of Power Deposition Models

One interpretation of the mixed clinical results that have been reported over the last decade (e.g., see Curran and Goodman 1992) on the therapeutic benefits of hyperthermia as an adjuvant cancer therapy is that consistently heating tumors is a difficult task which remains problematic. A tracking of the device development for hyperthermic delivery that has occurred over this time frame lends support to this view. While some relatively simple methods are being used with success (e.g.,
Characteristics of a Canine Model of KCS: Effective Treatment with Topical Cyclosporine

For the past 12 years, we’ve studied keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) in dogs to develop a therapeutic intervention to benefit both veterinary and human KCS patients. The spectrum of ocular surface pathology in canine KCS can support a battery of assessment criteria for therapeutic evaluation. Although there are multiple causes of canine KCS, the vast majority appear to be immune mediated.
Reflexive Modernity and the Sociology of Health

The analysis and explanation of increasingly complex social phenomena represents one of the foremost challenges of sociological theory in the twenty-first century. This is particularly important in the sociology of health because definitions of health, mechanisms of disease, the nature of clinical medicine, and the structure of health care delivery in late modernity are all undergoing fundamental transformations. Undoubtedly, scholars will be better positioned to understand these developments if they also consider the broader social changes from which they emanate. Many transformations in health and medicine stem in large part from the way the epidemiological transition has radiated across macro and micro levels of scale. Medical sociologists must not only engage these phenomena in a critical fashion, but in pushing theory and analysis forward (and maintaining a dynamic and relevant sociology of health), we must also match this complexity with equally complex conceptual frameworks that are able to span the micro–macro divide and connect phenomena at multiple levels of analysis. Put another way, explaining, analyzing, and understanding late modern shifts (or fractures) in health, clinical practice, and health care delivery is critical for medical sociology moving forward and the theoretical and conceptual formulations of health sociology are integral to this endeavor.
Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity

Even though there is an extensive literature about the behavioral effects of psychotropic drugs on hyperactive children, there has been very little research into the effects of specific treatment procedures on therapeutic response and outcome. Numerous “how-to-treat” publications may be found (e.g., Arnold, 1973; Barkley, 1981; Cantwell, 1980; Eisenberg, 1972; Gittelman, 1983; Gross & Wilson, 1974; Katz, Saraf, Gittelman-Klein, & Klein, 1975; Laufer, Denhoff, & Riverside, 1957; Millichap, 1973; Ottinger, Halpin, Miller, Demian, & Hannemann, 1985; Rapoport, 1980; Safer & Allen, 1976; Solomons, 1968, 1971, 1973; Winsberg, Yepes, & Bialer, 1976), but they are based, for the most part, on the author’s clinical experience of and/or research into the behavioral effects of psychotropic drugs. Although the literature reveals many differences of opinion about how various treatment situations should be handled, there is general agreement that pharmacotherapy should be carefully monitored and that care providers are an important source of information about the child’s response to medication. Nevertheless, data from investigations of “how others have been treated” suggest that there is a marked disparity between the treatment procedures recommended in professional journals and those used in real-world settings (e.g., Brulle, Barton, & Foskett, 1983; Gadow, 1982, 1983; Loney & Ordona, 1975; Ross, 1979; Sindelar & Meisel, 1982; Solomons, 1973; Weithorn & Ross, 1975).
Estimating number of contributors in massively parallel sequencing data of STR loci.

Abstract In recent years a number of computer-based algorithms have been developed for the deconvolution of complex DNA mixtures in forensic science. These procedures utilize likelihood ratios that quantify the evidence for a hypothesis for the presence of a person of interest in a DNA profile compared to an alternative hypothesis. Proper operation of these software systems requires an assumption regarding the total number of contributors present in the mixture. Unfortunately, estimates based on counting the number of alleles at a locus can be inaccurate due to the sharing and masking of alleles at individual loci. The effects of allele masking become increasingly severe as the number of contributors increases, rendering estimates about high-order mixtures uncertain. The accuracy of these estimates can be improved by increasing the number of STR markers in panels, and by using highly polymorphic markers. Increasing the number of STR markers from 13 to 20 (expanded CODIS panel) improves the accuracy of allele count-based estimation methods for low-order mixtures, but accuracy for high-order mixtures (> 3 contributors) remains poor due to allele masking. An alternative technique, massively parallel sequencing, holds great potential to improve the accuracy of the estimate of number of contributors due to its ability to detect sequence polymorphisms within alleles. This process results in an expansion of the number of alleles when compared to that obtained using capillary electrophoresis. Here, we show that the detection of these additional sequence-defined alleles in 22-marker panels improves number of contributor estimates in conceptual mixtures of 4 and 5 contributors.
Assessing Upper and Lower Extremities Via Tissue Dielectric Constant: Suitability of Single Versus Multiple Measurements Averaged.

Abstract Background: Tissue dielectric constant (TDC) measurements as an index of local tissue water are useful in a range of applications most notably to characterize and assess lymphedema. Once a...