cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fundamental investigations into the free‐radical copolymerization of N‐phenylmaleimide and norbornene

A fundamental investigation into the copolymerization of N-phenylmaleimide and norbornene via conventional free-radical polymerization techniques was conducted. Reaction conditions were optimized for molecular weight and percent yield by tuning overall concentration and initiator loading. The copolymerization kinetics were monitored using in-situ, variable temperature nuclear magnetic resonance and first-order behavior was observed with respect to each monomer. Although the related copolymerization of norbornene and maleic anhydride was well-known to proceed in a perfectly alternating manner, the copolymerization of norbornene and N-phenylmaleimide was found to deviate from strictly alternating copolymerization behavior, producing significant amounts of sequentially enchained N-phenylmaleimide units within the polymeric backbone. This deviation from perfectly alternating behavior was confirmed by analysis of individual monomer conversion rates and by measurement of monomer reactivity ratios using the Mayo–Lewis graphical analysis method. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015
Analysis of microbial growth and product formation with Nitrate as Nitrogen source

Mass balance regularities are used to develop equations for the estimation of maintenance coefficients, true growth yields, and true product yields when nitrate is the nitrogen source. An available electron balance is presented that includes the uptake of nitrate. The application of the theory is illustrated using continuous-culture data of Stouthamer and Bettenhaussen in which Aerobacter aerogenes is grown aerobically with KNO3 as the nitrogen source.
Use of Ethnographic Fiction in Social Justice Graduate Counselor Training

Ethnographic fiction is a technique for educating counseling students about the relationship of social justice to counseling practice. Preliminary data indicate it is an effective tool, with counseling students (N= 48) reporting an increased understanding and appreciation of clients’ life experiences from a holistic perspective. Furthermore, students reported that they were more motivated to address social justice issues in counseling.
Contrasting Intellectual Patterns Predict Creativity in the Arts and Sciences Tracking Intellectually Precocious Youth Over 25 Years

A sample of 2,409 intellectually talented adolescents (top 1%) who were assessed on the SAT by age 13 was tracked longitudinally for more than 25 years. Their creative accomplishments, with particular emphasis on literary achievement and scientific-technical innovation, were examined as a function of ability level (sum of math and verbal SAT scores) and tilt (math SAT score minus verbal SAT score). Results showed that distinct ability patterns uncovered by age 13 portend contrasting forms of creative expression by middle age. Whereas ability level contributes significantly to creative accomplishments, ability tilt is critical for predicting the specific domain in which they occur (e.g., securing a tenure-track position in the humanities vs. science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; publishing a novel vs. securing a patent).
The Metabolic Syndrome

The metabolic syndrome is not a specific disease but a cluster of factors, often occurring together in the same person, that put one at risk for developing cardiovascular disease. There is currently some debate regarding the specific definition of the metabolic syndrome, but the most accepted group of factors that are required to make the diagnosis are listed in Table 1.1 These factors are most frequently found in people with either abdominal obesity, in whom most excess body fat is located in the abdomen, or a decreased ability of the body to use insulin, which is known as insulin resistance. A diagnosis does not require all 5 risk factors. A person is considered to have the metabolic syndrome if he or she has 3 or more of these factors. There is a subgroup of white, black, and Hispanic adults who are genetically predisposed to developing insulin resistance at lower waist circumferences than those listed in Table 1.1 View this table: TABLE 1. Factors Required for the Diagnosis of the Metabolic …
Mechanisms of magnetic orientation in birds.

SYNOPSIS. Behavior and electrophysiological studies have demonstrated a sensitivity to characteristics of the Geomagnetic field that can be used for navigation, both for direction finding (compass) and position finding (map). The avian magnetic compass receptor appears to be a light-dependent, wavelength-sensitive system that functions as a polarity compass (i.e., it distinguishes poleward from equatorward rather than north from south) and is relatively insensitive to changes in magnetic field intensity. The receptor is within the retina and is based on one or more photopigments, perhaps cryptochromes. A second receptor system appears to be based on magnetite and might serve to transduce location information independent of the compass system. This receptor is associated with the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve and is sensitive to very small ( ,50 nanotesla) changes in the intensity of the magnetic field. In neither case has a neuron that responded to changes in the magnetic field been traced to a structure that can be identified to be a receptor. Almost nothing is known about how magnetic information is processed within the brain or how it is combined with other sensory information and used for navigation. These remain areas of future research.
‘Feed from the Service’: corruption and coercion in state–university relations in Central Eurasia

Education in Central Eurasia has become one of the industries, most affected by corruption. Corruption in academia, including bribery, extortions, embezzlement, nepotism, fraud, cheating, and plagiarism, is reflected in the region’s media and addressed in few scholarly works. This paper considers corruption in higher education as a product of interrelations between the government and academia. A substantial block of literature considers excessive corruption as an indicator of a weak state. In contrast to standard interpretations, this paper argues that in non-democratic societies corruption is used on a systematic basis as a mechanism of direct and indirect administrative control over higher education institutions. Informal approval of corrupt activities in exchange for loyalty and compliance with the regime may be used in the countries of Central Eurasia for the purposes of political indoctrination. This paper presents the concept of corruption and coercion in the state-university relations in Central Eurasia and outlines the model which incorporates this concept and the “feed from the service” approach. It presents implications of this model for the state-university relations and the national educational systems in Central Eurasia in general and offers some suggestions on curbing corruption.
Near infrared analysis of blends of sulfonated polystyrene ionomers and poly(ε-caprolactam)

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) was used to characterize the nature of specific interactions in blends of lightly sulfonated polystyrene ionomers (M-SPS where M = Zn+2, Mn+2, or Li+) and polycaprolactam (PA6). The assignments of the NIR overtone bands that arise due to the interactions between the cation of the ionomer, and the amide groups were made using spectra of model compounds. The relative populations of the different environments of the NH groups were qualitatively determined by deconvoluting the NIR spectra into five absorbances representing hydrogen-bonded NH in crystalline and amorphous phases and an ion-amide complex. The ion-amide complex was specific for the blends. The interpolymer interactions were sensitive to composition and temperature, but qualitatively the behavior was the same for all three ionomer salts investigated. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. JPolym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 1602–1610, 2008
Dynamic Response and Fatigue Characteristics of Asphaltic Mixtures

This investigation deals with the influence of several mix variables in respect to asphaltic concrete on its fatigue response. The investigation was based on a simple model representation comprising a beam supported on elastic foundation subjected to sinusoidal repeated loading, thus providing a two-dimensional simulation of actual pavement conditions under traffic loads. The dimensions of the beam were designed such that plan strain conditions prevailed during fatigue loading. Fracture mechanics concepts using linear elastic theory were employed to analyze test data, including stress and deformation near the crack tip. It was also hypothesized that the parameter, A, in the rate-of-crack-growth equation, dc/dN = A K 4 would adequately reflect the changes induced in the fatigue response of the mix by the selected mix variables. The effect of mixture variables such as the amount of binder, density, aging, and viscosity on the parameter A is investigated.
Speaking the same language? International variations in the safety information accompanying top-selling prescription drugs

Background The official prescribing information document distributed with a prescription drug is a key source of safety information, but it may include excessive or insufficient details. Objectives To compare prescribing information approved by the US Food and Drug Administration with the UK, Canada and Australia to identify content differences in safety warnings. Methods For 20 top-selling prescription drugs, we used an automated natural language processing tool to calculate the number and severity of reported adverse drug reactions (ADRs). We fit hierarchical Poisson models and included fixed effects for other prescribing information characteristics. Separately, we analysed the appearance and content of ‘black box’ warnings. Results There was substantial variation in safety content of approved prescribing information. Canada had the highest median ADRs per drug (138 (IQR 86–234)) and the UK had the lowest (84 (IQR 51–111)). The number of ADRs reported was on average 50% higher in Canada compared with the USA (ratio of ADRs/document: 1.5, 95% CI 1.4 to 1.6, p<0.001). By contrast, there were on average 15% fewer ADRs listed in the UK compared with the USA (ratio of ADRs/document 0.85 (95% CI 0.78 to 0.93, p<0.001), and 21% fewer ADRs listed in Australia compared with the USS (ratio of ADRs/document 0.79, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.85, p<0.001). There were no variations in ADR severity. The presence and qualitative content of boxed warnings also showed substantial diversity. Conclusions International variations exist in the presentation of safety data in drug prescribing information, which may have important implications for patient safety. Better international coordination is necessary to enhance use of this information for patient decision-making.
Role of E-cadherin in the response of tumor cell aggregates to lymphatic, venous and arterial flow: measurement of cell-cell adhesion strength

Defects in the expression or function of the calcium dependent cell-cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin are common in invasive, metastatic carcinomas. In the present study the response of aggregates of breast epithelial cells and breast and colon carcinoma cells to forces imposed by laminar flow in a parallel plate flow channel was examined. Although E-cadherin negative tumor cells formed cell aggregates in the presence of calcium, these were significantly more likely than E-cadherin positive cell aggregates to disaggregate in response to low shear forces, such as those found in a lymphatic vessel or venule ( 100 dyn/cm2). E-cadherin negative cancer cells which had been transfected with E-cadherin exhibited large increases in adhesion strength only if the expressed protein was appropriately linked to the cytoskeleton. These results show that E-cadherin negative tumor cells, or cells in which the adhesion molecule is present but is inefficiently linked to the cytoskeleton, are far more likely than E-cadherin positive cells to detach from a tumor mass in response to low shear forces, such as those found in a lymphatic vessel or venule. Since a primary route of dissemination of many carcinoma cells is to the local lymph nodes these results point to a novel mechanism whereby defects in cell-cell adhesion could lead to carcinoma cell dissemination.
Analysis of bacterial migration: I. Numerical solution of balance equation

Chemotaxis describes the ability of motile bacteria to bias their motion in the direction of increasing gradients of chemicals, usually energy sources, known as attractants. In experimental studies of the migration of chemotactic bacteria, 1-D phenomenological cell balance equations (Rivero et al., 1989) have been used to quantitatively analyze experimental observations (Ford et al., 1991; Ford and Lauffenburger, 1991). While attractive for their simplicity and the ease of solution, they are limited in the strict mathematical sense to the situation in which individual bacteria are confined to motion in one dimension and respond to attractant gradients in one dimension only. Recently, Ford and Cummings (1992) reduced the general 3-D cell balance equation of Alt (1980) to obtain an equation describing the migration of a bacterial population in response to a 1-D attractant gradient. Solutions of this equation for single gradients of attractants are compared to those of 1-D balance equations, results from cellular dynamics simulations (Frymier et al., 1993), and experimental data from our laboratory for E. coli responding to α-methylaspartate. We also investigate two aspects of the experimentally derived expression for the tumbling probability: the effect of different models for the down-gradient swimming behavior of the bacteria and the validity of ignoring the temporal derivative of the attractant concentration.
Immigrants Into Society: Children with Craniofacial Anomalies

Some of the adaptive coping styles of children with craniofacial anomalies are discussed. Three cases of children with microtia are described to illustrate developmental pathways used in adapting to their deformities. The complexity of the chronic medical and psychological challenges these children face is illustrated and discussed. In contrast to previous frameworks dealing with the problems of deviance and stigmatization, we use a psychological historical framework, drawing an analogy to Handlin's work on immigration. These children are born into a world that considers them strange and abhorent. They can be considered aliens entering a society of normal, non-disfigured people. The craniofacial center is conceptualized as a "naturalization" office where highly valued health care professionals are counted upon to reconstruct facial appearance and function. An enduring attachment and bonding process to the staff takes place, and the center becomes of considerable importance to the craniofacial patient's id...
The Emerging Domain of the Political

This essay deals with two conceptions of the political, one that entails a clash of civilizations associated with a Schmittian critique of liberalism and a second which envisions the political as an emerging domain. The latter idea can be associated with the later work of John Rawls which separates the comprehensive from the political. I argue that it is this idea, when reconstructed in relationship to a theory of multiple modernities, that can be appropriated for an emerging notion of global justice. Hence, it is in the domain of the political that we should look for a new and emerging concept of justice.
The Neurobiology of Alzheimer’s Disease

It is not possible in the space permitted to provide anything like a complete overview of the neurobiology of Alzheimer’s Disease. I will thus simply attempt to identify the key questions raised by recent advances in this field. A much more comprehensive review of recent developments in selected areas of this research was recently published in Neurobiology of Aging (1).
Computations of Multiphase Fluid Flows Using Marker-Based Adaptive, Multilevel Cartesian Grid Method

Addressing the dynamics of multiphase fronts is crucial for successful practices of many engineering applications that involve both gas and liquid constituents. Numerical simulations of such flows need to resolve the location and the shape of the front, where interfacial conditions are satisfied as part of the solution. In this work, immersed boundary method on adaptively refined Cartesian grid is utilized to capture the dynamics of the multiphase front. Marker based interface representation is extended to handle the complex solid geometries that exist in the flow field. The entire computational algorithm is applied to simulate steady state and time dependent liquid plug problem and assessed against existing theoretical analyses. It is then used to simulate time dependent draining flow problems, motivated by spacecraft fuel tank operations where experimental guidance is available. Distinct interfacial characteristics and fluid physics associated with different flow regimes are highlighted.
Stability of the interface in two-layer couette flow of upper convected maxwell liquids

Abstract The linear stability of a two-layer Couette flow of upper convected Maxwell liquids is considered. The fluids have different densities, viscosities, and elasticities, with surface tension at the interface. At low speeds, the interfacial mode may become unstable, while other modes stay stable. The shortwave asymptotics of the interfacial mode is analyzed. It is found that an elasticity difference can stabilize or destabilize the flow even in the absence of a viscosity difference. As the viscosity difference increases, the range of elasticities for which there is shortwave stability widens. A linearly stable arrangement can be achieved by placing the less viscous fluid in a thin layer to stabilize longwaves and using elasticities to stabilize shortwaves. Such an arrangement can be stable even when the density stratification is adverse.
Life history in a model system: opening the black box with Arabidopsis thaliana

A broad research programme in Arabidopsis thaliana has provided estimates of selection on specific alleles in specific contexts, and identified geographic patterns of alleles in genes linked to timing of flowering. A closely related field has successfully captured many key axes of the evolution of timing of flowering in other monocarpic species through statistical and demographic modelling of large empirical databases. There has as yet been no synthesis between these two fields. Here we examine ways in which the two fields inform each other, and how this synergy will shape our knowledge of life-history evolution as a whole.
Problems and changes after traumatic brain injury: Differing perceptions within and between families

This study is an attempt to characterize subgroups of families based on differing perceptions of problems and changes after traumatic brain injury. The Problem Checklist of the NYU Head Injury Family Interview was administered to 34 people with head injuries (PHI), and a significant other (SO) of each, between 1 and 3 years post-injury. Families were found to differ systematically in their responses and could be divided into three groups: High Agreement group (HAF), where there was high agreement between the PHI and the SO regarding problems and changes; High Disagreement—PHI endorsing more problems than the SO (HD-PHI); and High Disagreement—SO endorsing more problems than the PHI (HD-SO). No differences were found between these groups in age, sex, duration of coma, time since injury, educational achievement of the PHI, or the SO's relationship to the PHI. However, the HD-PHI group tended to have a higher return-to-work rate, the SOs in the HAF group reported the highest rates of subjective burden, and g...
Insights From an Integrated Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model for Brain Penetration

Central-nervous-system, physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models predict exposure profiles in the brain, that is, the rate and extent of distribution. The current work develops one such model and presents improved methods for determining key input parameters. A simple linear regression statistical model estimates the passive permeability at the blood-brain barrier from brain uptake index data and descriptors, and a novel analysis extracts the relative active transport parameter from in vitro assays taking into consideration both paracellular transport and unstirred water layers. The integrated PBPK model captures the concentration profiles of both rate-restricted and effluxed compounds with high passive permeability. In many cases, compounds distribute rapidly into the brain and are, therefore, not rate limited. The PBPK model is then simplified to a straightforward equation to describe brain-to-plasma ratios at steady state. The equation can estimate brain penetration either from in vitro efflux data or from in vivo results from another species and, therefore, is a valuable tool in the discovery setting.
Optically-Based Biological Agent Sensors

I describe two spectroscopic techniques useful for bio-sensing: laser-induced fluorescence, and UV resonance-enhanced Raman. I address the remaining key challenges for optically-based biological agent sensors, and a vision of how to address these critical issues.
Gender versus Party: California, the Natural Experiment

As more women compete against other women for political office, new questions can be addressed regarding the influence of candidate gender on voters' choices. In this study, we examine voter choice in a race where both major party candidates are women. We compare this race to a male versus male race and two mixed gender or female versus male races in California during the 2010 election cycle. We use the gender gap research to provide a foundation for our preliminary analysis of the differences between women's and men's candidate choices.
Between Sorrow and Pride: The Morenci Nine, the Vietnam War, and Memory in Small-Town America

In July 1966 nine friends left the small copper-mining camp of Morenci, Arizona, for Marine boot camp. Ultimately, within two and a half years, all served in Vietnam, with only three returning alive. Over time, the Morenci Nine, as the group became known, emerged as an important story in the history of the Vietnam War and its impact on people in the Southwest. How people remembered the fallen sons of the copper miners, raised in a segregated company town, became important. The process followed the national pattern of individuals sustaining the memories until the nation finally started to deal with the trauma of the losses after the unveiling of the Vietnam Memorial. The efforts continue today as new forms of memorialization develop for the Morenci Nine even forty years later.
Analysis of Castor by ELISAs that Distinguish Ricin and Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA)

To facilitate the analysis of castor (Ricinus communis L.) seed fractions and germplasm for ricin content, we investigated the use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods to differentiate between ricin toxin and the related Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA). Both proteins are based on a heterodimeric AB structure, with a common A chain. RCA comprises two dimers of A and B chains. Both proteins are found in the meal remaining after castor oil extraction and impede the commercial production of castor seed in the USA. We identified pairs of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that could distinguish between the structurally related proteins that share a common A chain. Antibody specificity was determined by ELISA and checked by immunoblotting. We found that mAb–mAb pairs afforded quantification of each castor protein, and that a mAb paired with a commercial polyclonal antibody provided detection of both with comparable sensitivity.
The Law of One Price in International Trade: A Critical Review

The law of one price (LOP) is one of the most frequently tested economic laws. Although called a law, it has probably been violated more than any other economic law (on the basis of the results of numerous empirical studies). Furthermore, the LOP is often utilized as the building block in international agricultural trade models without previously checking the validity of that assumption for that particular commodity. This can sometimes lead to erroneous conclusions that can have serious consequences on policy-making decisions. This article represents a critical review of recent works that discuss how some factors, such as transportation (transaction) costs, tariffs, nontariff barriers, pricing to market, exchange rate risk, and trade regionalization, can prevent market arbitrage to force closer convergence of international prices. The validity of some methods often used for testing the LOP, such as cointegration analysis, is critically reviewed as well.
Characterization of Diamond Thin Films by Core-Level Photoabsorption and UV Excitation Raman Spectroscopy

Near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and Raman spectroscopies have been used to characterize both nanocrystalline and faceted, microcrystalline diamond thin films grown by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition under a variety of conditions. Raman spectroscopy is perhaps the most commonly used method of characterizing diamond film quality, whereas photoabsorption requires a synchrotron radiation source and is much less commonly used. Both methods characterize the sp2 (graphitic) /sp3 (diamond) electronic bonding character of the films, but Raman spectroscopy is considerably more sensitive to sp2 than sp3 bonded carbon. For nanocrystalline diamond, the use of a visible excitation source for Raman spectroscopy also gives rise to an intense fluorescence band which may completely mask the sp3 Raman line, even in films with negligible (<1%) sp2 bonding character. Near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) is a more localized measurement of the electronic bonding character, and does not have as large a variation in sensitivity between sp2 and sp3 phases. Raman spectra measured using 632.8 nm light exhibit a sharp diamond phonon peak at 1332 cm-1 for faceted, large grain diamond films, and no obvious diamond phonon peak for the nanocrystalline diamond films. However, Raman spectra excited by 228.9 nm light exhibit a sharp diamond phonon peak for both nanocrystalline and large grain, faceted diamond films. The UV Raman results are consistent with the C(ls) NEXAFS measurements which show clear bulk diamond excitonic and sp3 features, with little evidence of sp2 character for all of the tested films. We conclude that the use of visible excitation Raman spectroscopy as the sole criterion for the assessment of quality in nanocrystalline diamond films is misleading, but that UV Raman spectroscopy and NEXAFS provide a consistent and reliable characterization. Nanocrystalline films grown using a fullerene precursor in an Ar microwave plasma with very low levels of hydrogen (2%) are found by both of the latter methods to consist almost entirely of sp3-bonded carbon with ~2% non-tetrahedral bonding.
Biodegradation of cis-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride in the capillary fringe.

Volatile chlorinated compounds are major pollutants in groundwater, and they pose a risk of vapor intrusion into buildings. Vapor intrusion can be prevented by natural attenuation in the vadose zone if biodegradation mechanisms can be established. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that bacteria can use cis-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) or vinyl chloride (VC) as an electron donor in the vadose zone. Anoxic water containing cis-DCE or VC was pumped continuously beneath laboratory columns that represented the vadose zone. Columns were inoculated with Polaromonas sp. strain JS666, which grows aerobically on cis-DCE, or with Mycobacterium sp. JS60 and Nocardiodes sp. JS614 that grow on VC. Complete biodegradation with fluxes of 84 ± 15 μmol of cis-DCE·m–2·hr–1 and 218 ± 25 μmole VC·m–2·h–1 within the 23 cm column indicated that microbial activities can prevent the migration of cis-DCE and VC vapors. Oxygen and volatile compound profiles along with enumeration of bacterial populations indicated that most of th...
The Isolation and Analysis of Phenol-Soluble Modulins of Staphylococcus epidermidis

Phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) are multifunctional peptide toxins produced by many staphylococcal strains. PSMs have received much recent attention, owing to multiple reports underscoring their importance for staphylococcal pathogenesis. Members of the PSM family may be strongly cytolytic to neutrophils and other cell types; promote inflammatory, receptor-mediated responses in several human cell types; and contribute to biofilm structuring and detachment. Here we describe biochemical methods to isolate, purify, and quantitatively analyze Staphylococcus epidermidis PSMs.
The Costing of Human Resource Development

During recent years the concern of economists with problems of development has stimulated a number of rediscoveries, extensions and even innovative transformations in both substantive theory and analytical methods. Among the most important of the substantive rediscoveries has been the human ‘art and ingenuity’ that were so much appreciated in their economic relevance by Petty and his contemporaries. The twentieth-century variant is strongly tinted with ‘residualist’ nebulosity, to be sure, but it is nevertheless acquiring respectability in econometric input-output and production-function analysis. It now enjoys enhanced status in modernized classicism and a place of honour in an extended neo-classical investment theory. The one thing that these diverse and sometimes contradictory approaches share in their more fruitful manifestations is a tendency to bring human and physical resources into the same conceptual framework. To treat costs of human resource development at all adequately thus requires a generalized approach to costs.
Magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause: Advances with MMS

Magnetic reconnection is known to be an important process for coupling solar wind mass and momentum into the Earth's magnetosphere. Reconnection is initiated in an electron-scale dissipation/diffusion region around an X line, but its consequences are large scale. While past experimental efforts have advanced our understanding of ion-scale physics and the consequences of magnetic reconnection, much higher spatial and temporal resolutions are needed to understand the electron-scale processes that cause reconnection. The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission was implemented to probe the electron scale of reconnection. This article reports on results from the first scan of the dayside magnetopause with MMS. Specifically, we introduce a new event involving the radial traversal of guide-field reconnection to illustrate features of reconnection physics on the electron scale.
Geriatric assault victims treated at U.S. trauma centers: Five-year analysis of the national trauma data bank

Abstract Introduction While geriatric trauma patients have begun to receive increased attention, little research has investigated assault-related injuries among older adults. Our goal was to describe characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of geriatric assault victims and compare them both to geriatric victims of accidental injury and younger assault victims. Patients and methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of the 2008–2012 National Trauma Data Bank. We identified cases of assault-related injury admitted to trauma centers in patients aged ≥60 using the variable “intent of injury.” Results 3564 victims of assault-related injury in patients aged ≥60 were identified and compared to 200,194 geriatric accident victims and 94,511 assault victims aged 18–59. Geriatric assault victims were more likely than geriatric accidental injury victims to be male (81% vs. 47%) and were younger than accidental injury victims (67 ± 7 vs. 74 ± 9 years). More geriatric assault victims tested positive for alcohol or drugs than geriatric accident victims (30% vs. 9%). Injuries for geriatric assault victims were more commonly on the face (30%) and head (27%) than for either comparison group. Traumatic brain injury (34%) and penetrating injury (32%) occurred commonly. The median injury severity score (ISS) for geriatric assault victims was 9, with 34% having severe trauma (ISS ≥ 16). Median length of stay was 3 days, 39% required ICU care, and in-hospital mortality was 8%. Injury severity was greater in geriatric than younger adult assault victims, and, even when controlling for injury severity, in-hospital mortality, length of hospitalization, and need for ICU-level care were significantly higher in older adults. Conclusions Geriatric assault victims have characteristics and injury patterns that differ significantly from geriatric accidental injury victims. These victims also have more severe injuries, higher mortality, and poorer outcomes than younger victims. Additional research is necessary to improve identification of these victims and inform treatment strategies for this unique population.
Go With the Flow: An Emergent, Free Banking Perspective on Stabilizing Nominal Spending

Market Monetarists and free bankers tend to agree on the theoretical desirability of having a monetary system that stabilizes the flow of nominal spending in an economy. However, their ideas diverge on two related issues: (1) how should we conceive of the process in which total spending is generated, and (2) what are the best means for stabilizing the flow of total spending, however defined. In this paper, I argue that the free banking approach is superior on both accounts. Free banking theory brings to the forefront of its analysis the all-important role that individuals acting within naturally evolved monetary institutions play in facilitating microeconomic coordination. This coordination, in turn, has the unintended yet desirable consequence of producing a stable flow of spending. In this sense, free banking theory is more consistent with an “emergent-dynamic” approach to understanding macro-phenomena, as discussed in Wagner (2010, 2012). Although I argue that free banking is superior means of stabilizing the total flow of spending, I conclude that combining free banking reforms with a strict monetary rule that adjusted the supply of base money to stabilize the flow of spending in the economy as Market Monetarist propose would serve as an effective remedy for the potential problems in a free banking system stemming from changes in the demand for base money.
Etienne Pasquier on French History and Female Strategies of Power

Etienne Pasquier (1529–1615) was a renowned magistrate of the Parliament of Paris, a poet, an advisor to the last Valois kings as well as to Henri IV, and a founder of modern French historiography. While he moved in circles of prominent men Pasquier showed in his life and in his writings Les Recherches de la France and in his published Correspondence that women inevitably influenced the ascent of great men, as well as the course of French history itself. This chapter demonstrates how Pasquier gives women of consequence their due, be they heroines or renegades as they strategized to preserve the State in unsteady times of succession or of the king’s infirmity.
Legal Conceptions of Impairment: Implications for the Assessment of Psychiatric Disabilities

The measurement of functional impairment is hardly a mere academic enterprise, given the current demand for clinical evaluations of disability status. For instance, witness the recent controversies over US military veterans seeking benefits through certification of psychiatric disability (e.g., McNally & Frueh, 2012) or individuals convicted of murder who may feign intellectual disability to avoid the death penalty (e.g., Chafetz & Biondolillo, 2012). More generally, individuals seeking access to specialized accommodations and services in school or at work are pursuing assessments that establish their qualification as having a disability. To satisfy those requests, clinicians have to understand how the law defines disability and the level of documentation required to establish that an individual has a disability. These legal definitions of disability push clinicians to shift focus from the familiar terrain of symptom counts and psychological test scores to the less traveled path of assessing impairment in actual functioning.
Direct orientation sampling of diatomic molecules for path integral Monte Carlo calculation of fully quantum virial coefficients

We develop an orientation sampling algorithm for rigid diatomic molecules, which allows direct generation of rings of images used for path-integral calculation of nuclear quantum effects. The algorithm treats the diatomic molecule as two independent atoms as opposed to one (quantum) rigid rotor. Configurations are generated according to a solvable approximate distribution that is corrected via the acceptance decision of the Monte Carlo trial. Unlike alternative methods that treat the systems as a quantum rotor, this atom-based approach is better suited for generalization to multi-atomic (more than two atoms) and flexible molecules. We have applied this algorithm in combination with some of the latest ab initio potentials of rigid H2 to compute fully quantum second virial coefficients, for which we observe excellent agreement with both experimental and simulation data from the literature.
Surgical techniques for open fetal repair of myelomeningocele

The current standard for fetal repair of myelomeningocele is an open exposure of the gravid uterus with control of the amniotic membranes, and then a multi-layer closure of the fetal defect. The nature of the surgical repair has evolved and requires a series of steps that take into account the delicate nature of the fetal tissues. The individual surgical steps are described including potential pitfalls.
Talking about Service-Learning: Product or Process? Reciprocity or Solidarity?.

Through an exploration of values of the neoliberal university and critical service-learning, this article explores how associating service-learning with products and relationships based on reciprocity negatively impacts its connection to social justice. By emphasizing the constructs of process and solidarity, instead of products and reciprocity, the understanding of service-learning is more explicitly aligned with social justice outcomes.
The Case for a Criminology of Disaster

The Case for a Criminology of Disaster. For decades, the study of human behavior in disasters has been under the purview of sociology. Disaster sociology has delivered indispensable insights about behavior in disasters, but may have cut off a potentially valuable avenue of investigation with the claim that antisocial behavior and crime in disasters are rare. In this chapter, we examine the two disasters that served to challenge this claim, Hurricanes Hugo and Katrina. The crime that verifiably occurred in the wakes of these storms necessitated a departure from the usual sociological explanations of behavior in disaster and opened the door for criminological explanations. We then provide detail on what appear to be the most useful theories for explaining crime in disaster, thereby setting the stage for the remainder of the book.
Evaluation of Alfalfa Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Densities and Regrowth Characteristics of Alfalfa Grazed by Sheep in Winter and Spring

Fall regrowth of alfalfa, Medicago sativa (L.), serves as a major source of winter pasture for Montana sheep producers. In years of drought, alfalfa fields are extensively winter/spring grazed; how...
Selenocysteine biosynthesis and incorporation may require supramolecular complexes

Selenoproteins are a protein family in which the amino acid, selenocysteine (Sec) is incorporated cotranslationally at UGA “stop” codons. Selenoprotein synthesis requires unique RNA and protein factors in order to recode UGA. In eukaryotes, both the biosynthesis and incorporation of Sec employ nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling of multiple protein factors, and this shuttling appears to play crucial roles in the functions of these factors. A dynamic series of supramolecular complexes may increase the efficiency of Sec incorporation, as well as the recycling of the Sec biosynthesis factors. This chapter will review the putative functions of these factors and explore the protein-nucleic acid and protein-protein interactions that define their biological roles. In addition, preliminary attempts to isolate supramolecular translation complexes from in vivo and in vitro systems will be discussed. Recent evidence suggests that both the biosynthesis of Sec-tRNA and the incorporation of Sec are physically coupled within supramolecular complexes that retain and coordinate the many factors required, tRNA channeling systems for the standard 20 amino acids rely on cotranslational complexes for spatial and temporal regulation of the multiple enzymatic factors responsible for aminoacyl-tRNA recycling. This chapter draws parallels between these functionally equivalent systems in eukaryotes.
Interproximation using Cubic B-Spline Curves

An algorithm for the construction of a non-uniform cubic B-spline curve that interpolates a set of 2D data { D i } is presented. Each D i is either a point or a region. If D i is a point, the curve interpolates it. Otherwise, the curve passes through the region specified by D i The curve is constructed based on minimizing the energy of each of its components. The parametric knots of the curve are parametrized using the centripetal model. These processes facilitate the geometric smoothness and fairness of the curve. The new technique allows a user to design a curve with more flexibility and fewer trial-and-error iterations than conventional approach. This work is a continuation of the paper “Interproximation: Interpolation and Approximation Using Cubic Spline Curves” published in 1991.
Pathogenesis of Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma

The last decade has witnessed great advances in the investigation and study of the lymphoreticular system. In particular, new methods of cell identification have allowed us to group certain diseases together as disorders of a particular cell type. In this way, mycosis fungoides, Sezary syndrome, and certain other skin disorders previously described as “reticulum cell sarcoma”, “well differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma”, or “histiocytic lymphoma” have been unified as manifestations of malignant T cell proliferations [1,2,3]. The frequency with which lymphoreticular neoplasms involving broad expanses of skin are T cell malignancies is in marked contrast to those which spare the skin. In adults, lymphocytic malignancies which do not have prominent associated skin infiltration are most commonly proliferations of B cells [4].
Modeling Crowd Flow for Video Analysis of Crowded Scenes

In this chapter, we describe a comprehensive framework for modeling and exploiting the crowd flow to analyze videos of densely crowded scenes. Our key insight is to model the characteristic patterns of motion that arise within local space-time regions of the video and then to identify and encode the statistical and temporal variation of those motion patterns to characterize the latent, collective movements of the people in the scene. We show that this statistical crowd flow model can be used to achieve critical analysis tasks for surveillance videos of extremely crowded scenes such as unusual event detection and pedestrian tracking. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of crowd flow modeling in video analysis and point to its use in related fields including simulation and behavioral analysis of people in dense crowds.
Energy-Balance Models: An Introduction

Energy-balance models (EBMs) are the simplest possible quantitative, physical models of the climatic system. We stress the close interplay between the understanding of physical mechanisms participating in climate equilibrium and in climate change, on the one hand, and the effective use of mathematical tools in modeling these mechanisms, on the other. The possible contribution of EBMs to the study of climatic changes, their causes and their nature, is pointed out.
Computer extracted features on H&E images to improve biochemical recurrence prediction of Kattan nomogram for prostate cancer patients following radical prostatectomy: Preliminary findings.

11556Background: Of the 75,000 cases of prostate cancer annually treated by radical prostatectomy (RP) in the United States, 30% will experience biochemical recurrence (BCR). Gleason scoring (GS), ...
Promises and perils of gene drives: Navigating the communication of complex, post-normal science

In November of 2017, an interdisciplinary panel discussed the complexities of gene drive applications as part of the third Sackler Colloquium on "The Science of Science Communication." The panel brought together a social scientist, life scientist, and journalist to discuss the issue from each of their unique perspectives. This paper builds on the ideas and conversations from the session to provide a more nuanced discussion about the context surrounding responsible communication and decision-making for cases of post-normal science. Deciding to use gene drives to control and suppress pests will involve more than a technical assessment of the risks involved, and responsible decision-making regarding their use will require concerted efforts from multiple actors. We provide a review of gene drives and their potential applications, as well as the role of journalists in communicating the extent of uncertainties around specific projects. We also discuss the roles of public opinion and online environments in public engagement with scientific processes. We conclude with specific recommendations about how to address current challenges and foster more effective communication and decision-making for complex, post-normal issues, such as gene drives.
Transgender-Related Insurance Denials as Barriers to Transgender Healthcare: Differences in Experience by Insurance Type

Insurance-based denials are common barriers for transgender and non-binary individuals in accessing medically necessary gender-affirming care. Little is known about how experiences of transgender-related insurance denials may vary by insurance type. This study investigates the association between transgender and non-binary individuals’ experiences of different forms of transgender-related insurance denials and insurance type. The 2015 United States Transgender Survey was conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality to ascertain US transgender and non-binary experiences across multiple life experiences, including individual health status, health services access and utilization, and experiences with denials. Multivariate logistic regressions were conducted, and adjusted risk ratios were calculated, to analyze the likelihood of experiencing eight different forms of denials by insurance type, including private, Medicare, Medicaid, and military-related, and having multiple types of insurance coverage. Models revealed significant relationships between transgender-related insurance denials and insurance type for 11,320 transgender and non-binary adults. Compared with those with private insurance, Medicaid coverage was associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing denials for hormone therapy (adjusted risk ratio (ARR) = 1.22; CI = 1.05–1.42; p = 0.02); having no in-network surgery providers was associated with Medicare (ARR = 1.84; CI = 1.29–2.62; p = 0.009) or Medicaid (ARR = 1.54; CI = 1.20–1.98; p = 0.003); and military-based insurance was associated with transition-related surgery denials (ARR = 1.53; CI = 1.36–1.72; p < 0.001). Researchers and practitioners must consider the link between type of insurance coverage and experiences with different forms of transgender-related insurance denial. These results provide continuing support for broad non-discrimination policy efforts, but also direct our attention to targeted insurance policy interventions by form of denial, which can promote equitable access for transgender and non-binary people across all healthcare needs.
Social Spending to Improve Population Health — Does the United States Spend as Wisely as Other Countries?

Social Spending to Improve Population Health If U.S. social spending levels are similar to those of other high-income countries and health care spending is higher, why does U.S. health lag behind? ...