cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Duration of symptoms resulting from lumbar disc herniation: effect on treatment outcomes: analysis of the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT).

Background: The purpose of the present study was to determine if the duration of symptoms affects outcomes following the treatment of intervertebral lumbar disc herniation. Methods: An as-treated analysis was performed on patients enrolled in the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) for the treatment of intervertebral lumbar disc herniation. Randomized and observational cohorts were combined. A comparison was made between patients who had had symptoms for six months or less (n = 927) and those who had had symptoms for more than six months (n = 265). Primary and secondary outcomes were measured at baseline and at regular follow-up intervals up to four years. The treatment effect for each outcome measure was determined at each follow-up period for the duration of symptoms for both groups. Results: At all follow-up intervals, the primary outcome measures were significantly worse in patients who had had symptoms for more than six months prior to treatment, regardless of whether the treatment was operative or nonoperative. When the values at the time of the four-year follow-up were compared with the baseline values, patients in the operative treatment group who had had symptoms for six months or less had a greater increase in the bodily pain domain of the Short Form-36 (SF-36) (mean change, 48.3 compared with 41.9; p < 0.001), a greater increase in the physical function domain of the SF-36 (mean change, 47.7 compared with 41.2; p < 0.001), and a greater decrease in the Oswestry Disability Index score (mean change, –41.1 compared with –34.6; p < 0.001) as compared with those who had had symptoms for more than six months (with higher scores indicating less severe symptoms on the SF-36 and indicating more severe symptoms on the Oswestry Disability Index). When the values at the time of the four-year follow-up were compared with the baseline values, patients in the nonoperative treatment group who had had symptoms for six months or less had a greater increase in the bodily pain domain of the SF-36 (mean change, 31.8 compared with 21.4; p < 0.001), a greater increase in the physical function domain of the SF-36 (mean change, 29.5 compared with 22.6; p = 0.015), and a greater decrease in the Oswestry Disability Index score (mean change, −24.9 compared with −18.5; p = 0.006) as compared with those who had had symptoms for more than six months. Differences in treatment effect between the two groups related to the duration of symptoms were not significant. Conclusions: Increased symptom duration due to lumbar disc herniation is related to worse outcomes following both operative and nonoperative treatment. The relative increased benefit of surgery compared with nonoperative treatment was not dependent on the duration of the symptoms. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Measurement and modeling of seabed particle motion using buried vector sensors

A technique was developed to measure the speed of sound in marine sediments at discrete frequencies from 0.6 to 3 kHz by transmitting pulses from acoustic projectors within the water column and measuring the pressure and acceleration components of the acoustic field on vector sensors buried in the seabed. The burial depth and orientation of the vector sensors was determined by analyzing the amplitude and phase response of the acceleration signals to transmissions from three orthogonal directions, using two acoustic projectors also buried in the seabed and a third in the water column directly above the buried receivers. To determine the properties of the seabed, a sequence of transmitted pulses was repeated from ten different grazing angles, spanning from well above to near the nominal critical angle. Due to the interference of refracted and diffracted (mainly evanescent) components of the acoustic field that penetrate the seabed, the particle motion can be elliptical rather than rectilinear and is not necessarily aligned with the geometric ray path (i.e., according to Snell's law). A model was developed to quantify the effect of this interference. It revealed that the parameterization of the seabed as a sand half-space was incapable of explaining the frequency-dependent arrival angles measured by the vector sensors. Further modeling using a computer code for seismoacoustic propagation in horizontally stratified waveguides revealed that the measurement technique is very sensitive to the presence of thin layers with a high-impedance contrast. This modeling suggests that the presence of a thin muddy layer, 0.05-0.2 m thick within the top 1 m of the sediment, is dominating the complicated angular response of the vector sensors.
New genus of cosmocercidae (Nematoda) and other helminths in Hylarana volkerjane (Anura: Ranidae) from Papua New Guinea

Paraplesiohedruris rinse n. gen., n. sp. (Ascaridida; Cosmocercoidae; Cosmocercidae) from the large intestine of Hylarana volkerjane (Anura; Ranidae) is described and illustrated. The new genus is assigned to the Cosmocercinae of the Cosmocercidae based on the presence of an esophagus composed of a short pharynx, cylindrical corpus, isthmus, and valved bulb; on the presence in males of paired spicules and numerous caudal papillae; plus the presence in the female of an equatorial vulva, 2 uteri, a short tail, and thin-shelled eggs. The Cosmocercinae now contains 10 genera. Hylarana volkerjane was also found to harbor 6 additional species of Nematoda, adults of Aplectana macintoshii, Icosiella papuensis, Meteterakis crombiei, Paracapillaria spratti, Physalopteroides milnensis, and larvae of Abbreviata sp., as well as 1 species of Acanthocephala, Pseudoacanthocephalus bufonis.
A Wisp3 Cre-knockin Allele Produces Efficient Recombination in Spermatocytes during Early Prophase of Meiosis I

Individuals with the autosomal recessive skeletal disorder Progressive Pseudorheumatoid Dysplasia have loss-of-function mutations in WISP3, and aberrant WISP3 expression has been detected in tumors from patients with colon and breast cancer. In mice however, neither absence nor over-expression of WISP3 was found to cause a phenotype, and endogenous Wisp3 expression has been difficult to detect. To confirm that Wisp3 knockout mice have no phenotype and to identify potential sites of endogenous Wisp3 expression, we generated mice with a knockin allele (Wisp3GFP-Cre) designed to express Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and Cre-recombinase instead of WISP3. Heterozygous and homozygous knockin mice were fertile and indistinguishable from their wild-type littermates, confirming that mice lacking Wisp3 have no phenotype. We could not detect GFP-expression from the knockin allele, but we could detect Cre-expression after crossing mice with the knockin allele to Cre-reporter mice; the double heterozygous offspring had evidence of Cre-mediated recombination in several tissues. The only tissue that had high levels of Cre-mediated recombination was the testis, where recombination in spermatocytes occurred by early prophase of meiosis I. As a consequence, males that were double heterozygous for a Wisp3GFP-Cre and a floxed allele only contributed a recombined allele to their offspring. We detected no evidence of Cre-mediated recombination in the female ovary, although when double heterozygous females contributed the reporter allele to their offspring it had recombined ~7% of the time. Wisp3GFP-Cre expression therefore occurs less frequently and most likely at a later stage of oocyte development in female mice compared to male mice. We conclude that although WISP3 is dispensable in mice, male mice with a Wisp3GFP-Cre allele (Jackson Laboratory stock # 017685) will be useful for studying early prophase of meiosis I and for efficiently recombining floxed alleles that are passed to offspring.
Performance Characteristics Of Multi-Anode Microchannel Array Detector Systems

The multi-anode microchannel arrays (MAMAs) are state-of-the-art, pulse-counting, photoelectric array detectors designed specifically for use in space astrophysics instruments. The present paper provides a description of recent progress related to the development of ultraviolet and visible-light versions of the MAMA detectors, taking into account a comparison of the operating characteristics of these devices with those of photoconductive array detectors, such as the CCDs. Attention is given to MAMA detector system design parameters, the operating characteristics of MAMAs and CCDs, MAMA performance characteristics, and future developments.
RIGOROUS POINT-TO-PLANE REGISTRATION OF TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANS

Terrestrial laser scanning data that are acquired from multiple scan locations need to be registered before any 3D modeling and/or analysis is conducted. This paper presents a rigorous point-to-plane registration approach that minimizes the distances between two overlapping laser scans, using the General Least Squares adjustment model. The proposed approach falls under the class of fine registration and does not require any targets or tie points. Given some initial registration parameters, the proposed approach utilizes the scanned points and estimated planar features on both scans to determine the optimum parameters in the least squares sense. Both the uncertainty of the points due to the incidence angle, and the uncertainty of the local normal vectors of the planar features are taken into account in the stochastic model of the adjustment. The impact that these considerations with the stochastic model have on the registration is then demonstrated with comparisons on real terrestrial laser scanning data, and on smaller simulated data.
Situational Transitions and Military Nurses: A Concept Analysis Using the Evolutionary Method

Background Situational transitions in nursing remain a significant issue for both new graduates and experienced nurses. Although frequently discussed in current nursing literature, nursing research has exclusively focused on the transition experience of civilian (nonmilitary) nurses. With differing role and practice expectations, altered practice environments, and the risk of deployment, the outcome of negative transition experiences for military nurses is significant. Purpose The purpose of this analysis is to clarify the concept of transition, in a situational context, as it relates to military nurses by investigating the attributes, antecedents, and consequences. Methods Rodgers’ evolutionary method served as the framework to this study. The sample included 41 studies, published in English, between 2000 and 2013. Data were retrieved from the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline, ProQuest, Ovid, and PsycINFO databases. Conclusion Antecedents of situational transitions include any change in work roles or work environments. Attributes of situational transitions include journey, disequilibrium, finding balance, conditional, and pervasive. Consequences of transition range from successful to unsuccessful. Additional research that investigates the specific needs and challenges unique to nurses practicing in a military environment is needed.
N-Acetylcysteine Inhibits Angiotensin II-Mediated Activation of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor

Abstract Angiotensin II (Ang II) is known to stimulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor transactivation to mediate growth-promoting signals such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). However, how ROS and EGF receptor interact to orchestrate these signals in VSMCs remains unclear. Here we found that an antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine, inhibited ERK activation and EGF receptor tyrosine phosphorylation induced by Ang II. Moreover, H2O2 stimulates EGF receptor tyrosine phosphorylation and EGF receptor inhibitors attenuated H2O2-induced ERK activation. These data indicate that ROS mediate Ang II-induced EGF receptor transactivation, a critical mechanism for ERK-dependent growth in VSMCs.
Functioning in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome: increased impairment with co-occurring multiple chemical sensitivity and fibromyalgia

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), and fibromyalgia (FM) commonly co-occur. Some propose that CFS, MCS, and FM are manifestations of the same illness based on high rates of co-occurrence and overlapping diagnostic criteria. This study seeks to differentiate these diagnoses by comparing individuals with one or more illness on functioning, psychiatric comorbidity, coping style, and in vivo physical measures. Participants included 114 men and women who met criteria for CFS. FM was diagnosed during a physical examination, and MCS was assessed using a questionnaire. Participants were divided into four groups: CFS alone, CFS-MCS, CFS-FM, and CFS-MCS-FM. Self-report measures, a psychiatric interview, and in vivo physical measures were given. 43.9% met criteria for CFS alone, 23.7% met criteria for CFS-MCS, 15.8% met criteria for CFS-FM, and 16.7% met criteria for CFS-MCS-FM. The CFS-MCS-FM group was more disabled than the CFS alone group on measures of physical functioning, general health, and bodily pain. In vivo measures did not differ, but the CFS-MCS-FM group rated exertion higher than the CFS alone group. Individuals with CFS alone were the highest functioning group across several domains, such as disability, depression, and severity of symptoms. Participants with three diagnoses experienced the greatest amount of disability. While substantial co-occurrence of these illnesses was found, this study provides evidence that having more than one illness exacerbates one's disability beyond CFS alone.
Operations for duodenal ulcer disease.

Operative treatment of duodenal ulcer has been restricted to the small proportion of ulcer patients who have complications of ulcers or to those patients who do not respond to medical treatment. The principal surgical procedures that have been used include different types of gastric drainage, gastric resection, gastric denervation, or various combinations of these principles. Initially, the primary objective of ulcer surgery was to prevent recurrent ulcer. Currently, the objectives of operation are to cure an ulcer without a recurrent ulcer or any undesirable sequelae developing as a result of altered gastric physiology. Perhaps no operation will satisfy each of these conditions for every patient. Parietal cell vagotomy without a drainage procedure, the latest contribution to ulcer surgery, has been intensively studied for 19 years. The operative mortality of 0.26%, the recurrence rate of 4 to 11%, and virtually no significant side effects have caused the operation to become the procedure of choice for an...
Biointerventional cardiology: the future interface of interventional cardiovascular medicine and bioengineering:

Major advances in cardiovascular intervention for chronic disease are underway. These innovations lie at the interface of minimally invasive catheter-based technologies and biologic approaches for the management of complex cardiovascular diseases. This review highlights key areas where such 'biointerventional' cardiovascular therapies are envisioned to occur: cardiac cell transplantation, myocardial gene therapy, genetic and photodynamic endovascular interventions, and vascular tissue engineering.
Using Object Based Files for High Performance Parallel I/O

We contend that the scalable I/O problem in high performance computing is largely due to the legacy view of a file as a linear sequence of bytes. In this paper we introduce an alternative to the traditional "flat file " that uses the information contained in file views to partition a file into an optimal set of objects, minimizing locking contention and simplifying the lock management strategy. We illustrate the use of an object based cache added to ROMIO to efficiently and transparently add object-based file capabilities to MPI-IO. We analyze the performance of our system using the FLASH-IO benchmark, and demonstrate a substantial performance improvement over the standard ROMIO implementation.
Encoded Archival Description: The Development of an Encoding Standard for Archival Finding Aids

Encoded Archival Description (EAD) is nearing completion and formal release as a standard. EAD attempts to overcome obstacles to intellectual access for geographically distributed primary resources by providing a standard encoding structure for archival finding aids. EAD is the most recent in a line of similar efforts to address universal intellectual access to such data, and like its predecessors, EAD applies emerging technology to the problem. The technology underlying EAD is Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) and Extensible Markup Language (XML). This article reviews the background of EAD and the contributions of archivists in both large and small repositories to its development.
Repair of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm with the triple patch technique (Empanada Patch)

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm is a rare but serious complication of myocardial infarction that requires urgent intervention to avoid unpredictable fatal rupture. Surgical repair aims at excluding the aneurysmal area with a patch to preserve the left ventricular geometry. Here, we present a case of successful repair of inferobasal left ventricular pseudoaneurysm using a modified triple patch technique ('Empanada Patch').
Zinc oxide and silicon based heterojunction solar cell model

We propose a ZnO/Si single heterojunction solar cell model based on PC1D simulations and preliminary experimental support. The front ZnO film is intended to perform as antireflection coating as well as electrically active layer in pn junction formation. Considering importance of optical properties of ZnO as front n-layer, experiments are performed to find optimized growth window for ZnO using MOCVD. Absorption spectrum of ∼100 nm thick ZnO film grown in our lab was used in the PC1D simulations in order to get more realistic results. Simulations projected conversion efficiency around 19% and fill factor more than 80% which are very promising.
Recrystallization, Phase Composition, and Local Structure of Amorphous Lactose from the Total Scattering Pair Distribution Function

Total scattering pair distribution function (TSPDF) analysis of synchrotron X-ray diffraction data has been used to study the structural characteristics of amorphous lactose and its subsequent recrystallization on aging. This shows that the recrystallization kinetics vary substantially between spray dried, lyophilized, and melt quenched samples aged at 40 °C/75% relative humidity (RH), although all samples consistently form the stable α monohydrate when crystallization does occur. Using TSPDF it was possible to quantify the amount of amorphous and crystalline phases present, as well as to extract other structural information such as crystallite size, as a function of time during aging from the different starting materials. We also were able to determine a correlation between a higher degree of local molecular ordering in the amorphous phase with decreased stability against recrystallization. This study shows the rich information that may be obtained from a TSPDF analysis of recrystallization from the amor...
Superior gluteal artery injury secondary to posterior iliac crest bone graft harvesting. A surgical technique to control hemorrhage.

Study Design. This case series and cadaveric dissection illustrates a method of obtaining hemostasis of iatrogenic superior gluteal vessel injury sustained during posterior iliac crest bone graft harvesting. Objectives. To show a simple and effective method of obtaining hemostasis of the iatrogenic superior gluteal vessel injury associated with posterior iliac crest bone graft harvesting. Summary of Background Data. Management of superior gluteal vessel injury has included direct pressure, enlargement of the sciatic notch to allow for exposure of bleeding vessels, retroperitoneal or transperitoneal approaches, and angiographic embolization to obtain hemostasis. The authors present several cases and a cadaveric study to show a simple and effective technique used to control hemorrhage secondary to iatrogenic superior gluteal vessel injury sustained at the time of posterior iliac crest bone graft harvesting. Methods. The management of iatrogenic superior gluteal vessel injury secondary to posterior iliac crest bone graft harvesting involved the extension of the surgical incision, detachment of the origin of the gluteus maximus, lateral retraction of the gluteus maximus along with the tethered superior gluteal vessels, and visualization and ligation of the injured vessels. Results. Hemostasis was achieved quickly with minimal loss of blood. Additional surgery or angiographic embolization was not required. Conclusions. In the cases presented, extension of the posterior iliac bone graft incision, detachment of the origin, and reflection of the gluteus maximus provided excellent exposure and hemostasis of the iatrogenic laceration of the superior gluteal artery. This technique is simple and effective and may prevent the need for transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approaches or angiographic embolization.
True aneurysms of the digital artery: case report

True aneurysms of the digital arteries are extremely rare; a search of the literature in English yielded only 12 cases. An idiopathic true aneurysm of the radial digital artery of the small finger is described, with its clinical presentation and corresponding arteriogram. Microsurgical repair with an interposition vein graft was performed to re-establish the vascular anatomy. To our knowledge this is the first such reconstruction reported.
432 CORRELATION OF BODY COMPOSITION PARAMETERS WITH HORMONES AND SERUM GROWTH FACTORS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE IN NIGERIA.

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) exhibit impaired growth, delayed skeletal development, and delayed sexual maturation. The pattern resembles malnutrition in which weight is affected more than height. Our previous studies have shown a significantly lower fat-free mass (FFM) in Nigerian children with SCD compared to controls. A hypermetabolic state in those with SCD may be responsible for the difference in FFM. Objective To determine the association between body composition and serum levels of insulin, testosterone, estradiol, total insulin-like growth factor (IGF), free IGF, and IGF binding protein-3 (IGF BP-3) in children and adolescents with SCD and healthy controls. Study Design Anthropometric measurements and biochemical parameters were measured in 60 male subjects (29 SCD and 31 controls) between 5 and 21 years of age and 102 female subjects (51 SCD and 51 controls) ages 5 to 21 years. Results Anthropometric measurements showed that male SCD subjects had a significantly lower weight ( p = .03) as compared to controls, and female SCD subjects had significantly decreased weight ( p Conclusion The lower FFM in SCD subjects may be related to their lower levels of total and free IGF.
Firm strategy and market reaction to earnings

Abstract We examine whether a firm's strategy affects the information content of the firm's earnings announcement. A cost leadership strategy is characterized by low sales margins coupled with large sales volumes, economies of scale and major investments in plant and physical assets, whereas a differentiation strategy involves high sales margins achieved through product quality and branding realized by investments in intangibles such as R&D and advertising. These characteristics of the strategies result in differential impact on investor reactions to new information that is revealed about firms. Our results show that firms pursuing a cost leadership strategy have earnings announcements that are more commonly interpreted and result in a greater change in the average belief about stock price. On the other hand, earnings announcements of firms pursuing a differentiation strategy result in more heterogeneous interpretation accompanied by a smaller change in the average belief about stock price. This paper advances our understanding of the cross-sectional variation in the market's reaction to earnings announcements. In addition, the paper demonstrates a predictable instance of divergence in the price reaction and trading volume reaction to an earnings announcement.
Soil Carbon Sequestration and Organic Wastes

In cities there is a special nexus between urban waste management, climate change mitigation, and urban agriculture. Urban areas contain under-utilized vacant land in a degraded state with poor topsoil, as for instance in a vacant lot. Urban soil improvements, to enhance the quality of public greenspace or to support urban agriculture, are often most quickly and dramatically achieved by adding significant amounts of organic soil amendments. Urban areas are also themselves the source of large amounts of organic residuals well suited for use as soil amendments: Biosolids from wastewater treatment, and compost derived from urban wastes such as yard- and garden wastes and pre- and post-consumer food wastes. Finally, activity in urban areas is a source of increasingly large greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and urban areas must also cope with increasingly large waste management demands (themselves a potentially large GHG source). As the following discussion will show, beneficially re-using urban organic residuals as soil amendments may allow urban areas to realize increased local food production along with greater soil carbon storage, while avoiding more GHG-intensive pathways for managing urban wastes.
Biological Monitoring of Exposure to Toxic Trace Elements

The evaluation of trace metal status has usually been accomplished by the analysis of either urine or blood. Serum or plasma are the biological fluids which are most frequently analyzed with the anticipation that the trace metal concentration will reflect tissue levels; the assumption being that an equilibrium exists between the circulation and the tissues. This assumption is not always valid and in many instances either the serum or plasma trace metal concentration is not a good indicator of tissue levels.
Exploring Nurses' Attitudes About the Value of a Hospital Based Medical Futility Policy

Medical futility is a concept that emerged in the 1980s and despite multiple approaches to define the term, no specific definition has been socially accepted. For the purpose of this research, futility was defined as “treatment or clinical interventions that are not likely to result in benefit to the patient or produce the expected outcome” (Terra & Powell, 2012, p.103). Consistently, there are disagreements between patients, family, and healthcare providers when it comes to end of life care. Families sometime pursue all available interventions in order to keep their loved one existing in any state of being, often times going against the wishes of the patient (Burns & Truog, 2007). The purpose was to explore nurses’ attitudes supporting a hospital-based futility policy. A futility policy gives the hospital and ethics committee more authority in the recommendations of the ethics committee. A qualitative descriptive design was utilized with face to face interviews of nine graduate nursing students. The participants were all female with varying years of nursing experience, matriculated in a graduate nursing program at Rhode Island College. Regardless of experience, all the participants were familiar with the term futility. For most of them, the most memorable patient they cared for was one who had unnecessary medical treatment at the end of life. Many were frustrated with the amount of money and resources utilized on futile medical treatment. Most of the nurses were in favor of working in a facility that had a futility policy because such policies have the capacity to decrease moral distress and assist healthcare providers in advocating for their patients. Ethics committees are also useful in providing healthcare professionals with needed support in end-of-life cases by exploring all points of view in the care and facilitating communication between the healthcare team and the patient and family. Recommendations and implications for the advanced practice role are discussed. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supportive friends and family who were always there for me when I needed to vent my frustration about graduate school, and especially this research paper. It was a lot of work, but in the end, I can appreciate its value for it is one of my greatest accomplishments. I would like to especially thank my husband for always believing in me and being my biggest cheerleader throughout life. I am thankful for my three readers; Dr. Annette Griffin, MSN, RN, MBA, Dr. Cynthia Padula, PhD, RN, CS, and Dr. Angela Creta, DNP, RN, CNL, NE-BC. I am in awe of the hours of work you have put in editing this paper, and am grateful for all the support you have given me along the way. I would also like to thank my peers, specifically Lindsay Mook, who is always rooting for me and encouraging me to pursue my goals. I would have never made it through graduate school without the group texts with Jessi Corrente, Ashlee Viveiros, and Carly Shields-Pirri. You ladies are the best, it’s amazing what we can do when we support each other!
Developing civic engagement in university education: predicting current and future engagement in community services

One of the important goals of education is for students to learn to be responsible civic participants. Thus, the time students spend in college is invaluable. It is important that students learn to participate and be responsible citizens of their community during their time in college (Giles and Eyler in Mich J Community Serv Learn 1:77–85, 1994). In this study, a program to help achieve this important educational goal is presented and evaluated. This involved the examination of the impact of actual participation in a community service activity on students’ changes in attitudes and future intentions. A path model based on predictions drawn from place attachment theory was developed and tested to examine how participating in a community service activity affected students’ place attachment and interests in community service. Two-hundred-and-nine university students participated in the study. Results confirmed the hypothesized model. Implications for enhancing student involvement in their communities and encouraging their development into responsible citizens were discussed.
Carbon Availability Modifies Temperature Responses of Heterotrophic Microbial Respiration, Carbon Uptake Affinity, and Stable Carbon Isotope Discrimination

Microbial transformations of organic carbon (OC) generate a large flux of CO2 into the atmosphere and influence the C balance of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Yet, inherent heterogeneity in natural environments precludes direct quantification of multiple microbial C fluxes that underlie CO2 production. Here we used a continuous flow bioreactor coupled with a stable C isotope analyzer to determine the effects of temperature and C availability (cellobiose concentration) on C fluxes and 13C discrimination of a microbial population growing at steady-state in a homogeneous, well-mixed environment. We estimated C uptake affinity and C use efficiency (CUE) to characterize the physiological responses of microbes to changing environmental conditions. Temperature increased biomass-C specific respiration rate and C uptake affinity at lower C availability, but did not influence those parameters at higher C availability. CUE decreased non-linearly with increasing temperature. The non-linear, negative relationship between CUE and temperature was more pronounced under lower C availability than under relatively high C availability. We observed stable isotope fractionation between C substrate and microbial biomass C (7~12‰ depletion), and between microbial biomass and respired CO2 (4~10‰ depletion). Microbial discrimination against 13C-containing cellobiose during C uptake was influenced by temperature and C availability, while discrimination during respiration was only influenced by C availability. Shifts in C uptake affinity with temperature and C availability may have modified uptake-induced 13C fractionation. By stressing the importance of C availability on temperature responses of microbial C fluxes, C uptake affinity, CUE, and isotopic fractionation, this study contributes to a fundamental understanding of C flow through microbes. This will help guide parameterization of microbial responses to varying temperature and C availability within Earth-system models.
Encountering mortality: A decade later, the pedagogical necessity of Six Feet Under

ABSTRACTIn today's society, where the Promethean project of mastering the universe seems to guide the scientific community to its last moment of triumph—human immortality—young people seem to lack curricular opportunities to engage with mortality. This is not surprising, as the legacy of psychology, as far back as the times of Freud and Jung, exposes a complicated history of the pathology of grief. Sociologically, the phenomenon of death denial leaves a critical void in our undergraduate classrooms, and there is not much curricular opportunity to have these conversations with our students. This article explores the use of popular culture as pedagogy through the lens of the HBO series Six Feet Under to facilitate discourse about living with dying around us.
Nonsolvent-induced phase separation synthesis of superhydrophobic coatings composed of polyvinylidene difluoride microspheres with tunable size and roughness

Polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) microspheres are synthesized using the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The diameters of the microspheres are varied from 0.3 μm to 2.8 μm by controlling the amount of water added to a solution of PVDF in dimethylformamide. Sphere aggregatesare created from spun-on films whose thickness is tuned in the range 6.5–16.5 μm by varying the spincasting rotational velocity. Spin-casting with optimized parameters results in high-surface-area films that are among the most superhydrophobic non-templated polymer coatings to date, with water contact anglesup to 171°, hysteresis less than 12°, and slide angle as low as 3°. We model the dependence of sessile water contact angle on the morphological properties of the films, including not only the sphere diameter,but also nanoscale roughness of the microsphere surfaces and the geometries of macroscopic fingers formed by the aggregated spheres.
The Hyperkinesis Controversy

Current evidence suggests that the syndrome of hyperkinesis occurs in a heterogeneous group of children and results from multiple etiologies. Hyperkinesis can occur in children with normal intelligence who have emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression, phobias, psychoses, and personality disorders. It is frequently found in children with minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) where it may be associated with “soft neurological signs” such as impairment of laterality and spatial orientation, and evidence of motor incoordination (Wender, 1971). Hyperactivity in children has been related to organic brain syndromes, sensory disorders like blindness or deafness, endocrine disorders like hyperthyroidism and possibly hypoglycemia, and toxicity from environmental pollutants like lead. The fact that the syndrome is from four to nine times more prevalent in males than females suggests that there may be a genetic factor as well. In addition to those factors that have been unequivocally demonstrated to contribute to etiology, claims have been made that the hyperkinetic syndrome may be associated with food allergy, vitamin deficiency, stress from fluorescent lighting and television cathode tubes, and the ingestion of food additives.
A Large-scale Comparative Analysis of Riffle and Pool Fish Communities in an Upland Stream System

Fishes were sampled in riffle and pool habitats at 74 upland localities in the Little River system, southeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Arkansas, U.S.A. I asked how these two habitat-defined communities differed with regard to species abundance and incidence patterns, and how these differences varied along othree environmental gradients: elevation, stream gradient, and stream size. Riffle and pool communities showed distinct and significant differences when ordinated in multivariate space defined by species abundance patterns. Sites with similar pool communities did not have similar riffle communities, and riffle and pool communities responded to environmental gradients in different ways. Elevation was the best predictor of pool community structure, whereas stream size was the best predictor of riffle communities. Overall, riffle habitats had fewer species than pool habitats and formed significant subsets of pool communities at 12 of 74 sites. I predicted that at small stream localities where riffles were unstable, riffle species would form subsets of the pool species communities, and both community types should show high similarities. The presence of faunal subsets was not associated with stream size, but faunal similarities were significantly higher at small stream localities. At the species level, 14 species were significantly associated with pool habitats, while only two were associated with riffle habitats. Riffle and pool communities, although linked by a continuous habitat gradient at the local scale, responded differently to large-scale environmental gradients. Local differences between these communities were predictable based on stream size.
Current concepts of infantile esotropia

Several forms of esotropia with a different pathophysiology that meet the criterion of an onset early in life must be distinguished from essential infantile esotropia. A hypothesis is presented, according to which a delayed development or a congenital defect of retinal disparity sensitivity (motor fusion) in an otherwise normal infant with immature sensory functions causes esotropia under the influence of various strabismogenic factors. Some of these factors are genetically determined, hence the familial occurrence of essential infantile esotropia. The absence or marked decrease of stereopsis and the asymmetry of optokinetic nystagmus are interpreted as the consequence of ocular misalignment early in life rather than of structural anomalies in the afferent visual pathways of esotropic patients. The therapeutic results after surgery are classified into four groups: subnormal binocular vision, microtropia, small angle eso- or exotropia and large angle residual or consecutive eso- or exodeviations. Analysis of data from 358 operated patients with a documented onset of esotropia prior to the sixth month of life has shown that the probability of obtaining an optimal functional result is increased when surgical alignment is completed before completion of the second year of life. However, surgery after the age of two or even four years of life does not preclude the development of binocular vision on a subnormal or anomalous basis.
Assessment with the Leiter International Performance Scale—Revised and the S-BIT

The Leiter International Performance Scale—Revised (Leiter-R; Roid & Miller, 1997) is a battery of individually administered subtests, administered nonverbally and designed to assess cognitive functions in children, adolescents and young adults, ages 2 years, 0 months to 20 years, 11 months. An abbreviated scale derived from the Leiter-R, known as the Stoelting (Leiter) Brief Nonverbal Intelligence Test (S-BIT) for ages 6–20 was recently published separately (Roid & Miller, 1999). These tests are widely used to operationalize nonverbal intelligence by assessing fluid reasoning and visualization as well as nonverbal memory and attention on the Leiter-R (McGrew & Flanagan, 1998). The foundational model for the tests is a hierarchical model of general nonverbal ability composed of the four dimensions of reasoning, visualization, memory, and attention. The battery was nationally standardized on a normative sample of 1,719 subjects; shows high reliability and has strong evidence of validity in correlating with other widely used intelligence measures and in clinical diagnosis.
A Blighted Land: An Empirical Study of Residential Developer Bankruptcies in the United States (2007-2008)

With falling home prices and home foreclosures currently acknowledged as a severe problem in the U.S., more attention needs to be paid to the contributing phenomenon of residential developers undergoing liquidation, which has left behind a trail of partially-completed or abandoned properties. In order to understand this phenomenon, we investigated the following questions: How have the Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases of residential developers and home builders during this downturn been resolved? How did the actions taken by secured lenders in the course of bankruptcy proceedings shape the resolution outcome? To what extent was bank behavior during these bankruptcies affected and constrained by the banking regulatory framework and culture? We analyzed more than 200 residential developers that filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions between November 2007 and December 2008. Our finding was that only a small minority of these developers confirmed a reorganization plan. The majority of the cases were dismissed or converted to Chapter 7, culminating in foreclosure or liquidation sales. In the sample, over 70% of the cases showed at least one instance where a secured lender sought lift-stay motions to pursue foreclosure. Among such cases, orders granting the lift-stay motions were granted most of the time. Investigating this insistence on quick foreclosure, we explore more nuanced views of banks' lending functions, risk management and their regulatory environment. We find that during a recession, banks may have a preference for liquidation in bankruptcy because of capital shortfalls and procyclical regulatory pressure to reduce portfolio concentrations, particularly in real estate lending. This would be inconsistent with theories that secured lenders will choose economically optimal outcomes within a bankruptcy case, as they may choose outcomes that are sub-optimal within a bankruptcy to maximize an exogenous urgent need for capital. Finally, a study of FDIC data and banks’ comment letters suggests that in the period prior to the current crisis, the riskiness of debtors was only weakly linked to increased pricing for riskier debtors, because of competitive markets, increased securitization, and inadequate risk management and risk-based pricing systems. We find evidence that a general weakening of secured creditor control does not necessarily lead to specific changes in the cost and availability of credit.
Characteristics of Bi-metallic Interfaces Formed During Direct Energy Deposition Additive Manufacturing Processing

Various additive manufacturing processes are being evaluated to reduce the time and cost for fabrication of low volume, complex, and multifunctional assemblies. This study evaluated two direct energy deposition processes for the fabrication of large bi-metallic structures. The materials evaluated were Inconel 625 and copper alloy C18150, which are used in various high heat flux applications. Inconel was deposited onto the C18150 substrate using blown powder and wire-fed processes. Complete bonding was obtained in both processes and the resulting interfaces were evaluated using microscopy and indentation testing. Differences were observed in the interface region suggesting the kinetic energy of the blown powder process resulted in more residual stress at the interface, promoting recrystallization and enhanced diffusion. This created a broader interface in the blown powder specimens compared to a narrower mechanically mixed interface with the wire-fed process.
Password-Protected Secret Sharing.

We revisit the problem of protecting user’s private data against adversarial compromise of user’s device(s) which would normally store this data. We formalize an attractive solution to this problem as PasswordProtected Secret-Sharing (PPSS), which is a protocol that allows a user to secret-share her data among n trustees in such a way that (1) the user can retrieve the shared secret upon entering a correct password into a reconstruction protocol which succeeds as long as at least t+ 1 honest trustees participate, and (2) the shared data remains secret even against the adversary which corrupts at most t servers, with the level of protection expected of passwordauthentication, i.e. the probability that the adversary learns anything useful about the secret is at most negligibly greater than q/|D| where q is the number of reconstruction protocol instances in which adversary engages and |D| is the size of the dictionary from which the password was randomly chosen. We propose an efficient PPSS protocol in the public key model, i.e. where the device can remember a trusted public key, provably secure under the DDH assumption, using non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs which are efficiently instantiatable in the Random Oracle Model (ROM). The resulting protocol is robust and practical, with fewer than 4t + 12 exponentiations per party, and with only three messages exchanged between the user and each server, implying a single round of interaction in the on-line phase. As a side benefit our PPSS protocol yields a new Threshold Password Authenticated Key Exchange (T-PAKE) protocol in the public key model which is significantly faster than existing T-PAKE’s provably secure in the public key model in ROM.
Perspectives on Global Health and Volunteerism for Healthcare Providers: The Importance of Preparation, Identification and Management of Infectious Diseases, and Mitigation of Other Risks

Exposure to preventable communicable diseases will be a constant for most volunteers going to areas where resources are limited and the public health infrastructure suboptimal or nonexistent. With ease of accessibility to almost anywhere in the world, health-care providers can travel on short notice, most for short periods of time, to provide needed assistance in under-resourced areas. While some of the provision of health-care services may be to areas or countries with severely limited resources but that are stable, a significant number are to areas of acute disease outbreaks, natural disasters, population displacements, or conflict. Many health-care workers may need to provide care in extreme conditions with negligible or absent health-care infrastructure, lack of basic hygienic supplies, high risk of infectious diseases acquisition, and encounters with violent acts including kidnappings.
Epigenetic regulation of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is (PCa) the second leading cause of cancer death in males in the United State, with 174,650 new cases and 31,620 deaths estimated in 2019. It has been documented that epigenetic deregulation such as histone modification and DNA methylation contributes to PCa initiation and progression. EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2), the catalytic subunit of the Polycomb Repressive Complex (PRC2) responsible for H3K27me3 and gene repression, has been identified as a promising target in PCa. In addition, overexpression of other epigenetic regulators such as DNA methyltransferases (DNMT) is also observed in PCa. These epigenetic regulators undergo extensive post-translational modifications, in particular, phosphorylation. AKT, CDKs, PLK1, PKA, ATR and DNA-PK are the established kinases responsible for phosphorylation of various epigenetic regulators.