cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laparoscopic revisional surgery after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy

Abstract Background Failure of primary bariatric surgery is frequently due to weight recidivism, intractable gastric reflux, gastrojejunal strictures, fistulas, and malnutrition. Of these patients, 10–60% will undergo reoperative bariatric surgery, depending on the primary procedure performed. Open reoperative approaches for revision to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) have traditionally been advocated secondary to the perceived difficulty and safety with laparoscopic techniques. Few studies have addressed revisions after RYGB. The aim of the present study was to provide our experience regarding the safety, efficacy, and weight loss results of laparoscopic revisional surgery after previous RYGB and sleeve gastrectomy procedures. Methods A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent laparoscopic revisional bariatric surgery for complications after previous RYGB and sleeve gastrectomy from November 2005 to May 2007 was performed. Technical revisions included isolation and transection of gastrogastric fistulas with partial gastrectomy, sleeve gastrectomy conversion to RYGB, and revision of RYGB. The data collected included the pre- and postoperative body mass index, operative time, blood loss, length of hospital stay, and intraoperative and postoperative complications. Results A total of 26 patients underwent laparoscopic revisional surgery. The primary operations had consisted of RYGB and sleeve gastrectomy. The complications from primary operations included gastrogastric fistulas, refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease, weight recidivism, and gastric outlet obstruction. The mean prerevision body mass index was 42 ± 10 kg/m 2 . The average follow-up was 240 days (range 11–476). The average body mass index during follow-up was 37 ± 8 kg/m 2 . Laparoscopic revision was successful in all but 1 patient, who required conversion to laparotomy for staple line leak. The average operating room time and estimated blood loss was 131 ± 66 minutes and 70 mL, respectively. The average hospital stay was 6 days. Three patients required surgical exploration for hemorrhage, staple line leak, and an incarcerated hernia. The overall complication rate was 23%, with a major complication rate of 11.5%. No patients died. Conclusion Laparoscopic revisional bariatric surgery after previous RYGB and sleeve gastrectomy is technically challenging but compared well in safety and efficacy with the results from open revisional procedures. Intraoperative endoscopy is a key component in performing these procedures.
In Tribute: Janet H. Carr

Janet H. Carr, DipPhty, MA, MEd, EdD, Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists, died on November 4, 2014. Editorial Board Member Chris Maher, who informed me of her death, stated that “she was an absolute giant in the physiotherapy field in Australia and influenced many generations of physiotherapists. With her collaborator, Roberta Shepherd, she was probably the first Australian physiotherapist to systematically apply science to practice.” James Gordon, the 45th Mary McMillan lecturer and a student at Columbia Teachers College with Carr, said that Janet “was an extraordinary physiotherapist who, along with Roberta [Shepherd], advanced the practice of neurological rehabilitation. She had vision that the science of motor control and motor learning could be translated to better ways to …
POINTS OF BOUNDED HEIGHT ON SCHUBERT VARIETIES

Growth estimates and asymptotic estimates are given for the number of rational points of bounded height on Schubert varieties defined over number fields.
Phylogeographical structure and temporal complexity in American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua; Altingiaceae).

Eastern North American plant biogeography has traditionally focused on two primary issues: (i) the location of temperate Pleistocene refugia and their proximity to the southern margin of the ice sheet during the last glacial maximum, and (ii) the origin of the temperate element of northern Latin America. While numerous population genetic and phylogeographical studies have focused on the first issue, few (if any) have considered the second. We addressed these issues by surveying 117 individuals from 24 populations of Liquidambar styraciflua (American sweetgum; Altingiaceae) across the southeastern USA, eastern Mexico, and Guatemala, using more than 2200 bp of chloroplast DNA sequence data. To specifically address the issue of timing, we estimated intraspecific divergence times on the basis of multiple fossil-based calibration points, using taxa from Altingiaceae (Liquidambar and Altingia) and Hammamelidaceae (Hamamelis) as outgroups. More than half of the sampled localities exhibited multiple haplotypes. Remarkably, the greatest variation was observed within the USA, with Mexico and Guatemala sharing widespread haplotypes with Texas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio, and northern Virginia. This lack of differentiation suggests shared ancestral polymorphisms, and that the genetic signal we observed is older than the disjunction itself. Our data provide support for previously proposed hypotheses of Pleistocene refugia in peninsular Florida and along the eastern Atlantic, but also for deeper divergences (~8 million years ago) within the USA. These patterns reflect a dynamic biogeographical history for eastern North American trees, and emphasize the importance of the inclusion of a temporal component in any phylogeographical study.
Managing the Performance Impact of Web Security

Security and performance are usually at odds with each other. Current implementations of security on the web have been adopted at the extreme end of the spectrum, where strong cryptographic protocols are employed at the expense of performance. The SSL protocol is not only computationally intensive, but it makes web caching impossible, thus missing out on potential performance gains. In this paper we discuss the requirements for web security and present a solution that takes into account performance impact and backwards compatibility.
The Price of Greatness: Pedagogical Lessons from Jersey Transactions in Professional Sports

As professional athletes are traded from team to team, various in-kind and monetary transactions for certain jersey numbers are becoming more common. Given the size of some of the recent payments, these stories have transitioned from relative obscurity to mainstream sports news. This paper provides two areas where these kinds of interactions can enhance the learning experience in microeconomics. These are (1) as a simple, illustrative way of discussing the importance of markets (and related concepts), and (2) as an interesting extension of Gary Becker's human capital theory. Thus, these examples could enhance the pedagogical process in principles of microeconomics and/or in undergraduate courses in labor and sports economics.
Hydrogen Oxygenovich: Crafting Russian as a Language of Science in the Late Nineteenth Century

Until the 1860s, science in Russia was principally conducted in Latin, French, and German. In the years leading up to and following the creation of the Russian Chemical Society in 1868, Russian chemists – treated in this article as both a representative sample of Russian scientists and also practitioners of the flagship science of the period – debated both the merits of developing a nomenclature that would enable Russian to “hold” modern inorganic and organic chemistry, and the practicability of doing so. The article explores debates over whether Russian syntax could be adapted to represent chemical compounds according to emerging western conventions or in a sui generis manner, as well as the struggles of Russian scientists to use French and German to communicate with their foreign counterparts, arguing that the details of these debates highlight both the fruitfulness and the limits of using “standardization” as a framework for linguistic codification.
Wet-Laid Nonwovens Manufacture – Chemical Approaches Using Synthetic and Cellulosic Fibers

Wet-laid forming, which can be regarded as being analogous to conventional papermaking processes but with use of chopped synthetic or staple fibers, continues to draw attention as an advantageous way to prepare advanced nonwoven textile products. This review of the literature considers scientific advances in the field, with emphasis placed on applications involving cellulosic fibers as a significant component of the product. Some primary challenges with respect to wet-laid processing concern the dispersion of the synthetic fibers in aqueous media and methods for avoiding their subsequent entanglement. Both mechanical and chemical strategies have been employed in order to achieve well-formed sheets of high uniformity and binding among the fibers to meet a variety of end-use specifications. The incorporation of cellulosic fibers has been shown to facilitate fiber dispersion and to impart certain beneficial characteristics and properties to wet-laid fabrics. The contrasting attributes of synthetic and cellulosic fibers contribute to some unique challenges during the processing of their mixtures during wet-laid forming.
The site of penetration resistance to water in plant protoplasts

The main purpose of this investigation was to determine the primary site of resistance to the penetration of water in the protoplasm of inner epidermal cells of theAllium cepa bulb scale. Since it is known that the tonoplast has a very high water permeability, it was left to decide whether the mesoplasm and/or the plasmalemma is the main barrier. According to a theory ofHofler, the mesoplasm is the main barrier. Because it is not possible to isolate the plasmalemma, the influence of the mesoplasm was removed by causing rosette systrophy. In rosette systrophy, almost all of the mesoplasm is collected arround the nucleus and the tonoplast and plasmalemma lie adjacent in the greater part of the protoplast.
Acute respiratory infection in man following inoculation with virulent bacillus influenzae

bacteriologists once more on the etiology of this disease, and a considerable amount of their interest has been centered on the part played by the influenza bacillus. During the last two years a number of investigators have tried to produce influenza in man by direct inoculation of B. influenzae cultures into the healthy nose and throat. Almost without exception, however, these efforts have resulted in failure.
Interleukin-17A Is Associated With Alveolar Inflammation and Poor Outcomes in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE Interleukin-17A is a proinflammatory cytokine known to play a role in host defense and pathologic inflammation in murine models of lung injury. The relationship between interleukin-17A and inflammation in human lung injury is unknown. Our primary objective was to determine whether interleukin-17A levels are associated with alveolar measures of inflammation and injury in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Our secondary objective was to test whether interleukin-17A levels are associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome-related outcomes. DESIGN Observational study. SETTING Six North American medical centers. PATIENTS We studied two groups of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: 1) patients previously enrolled in a placebo-controlled clinical trial of omega-3 fatty acids performed at five North American medical centers (n = 86, acute respiratory distress syndrome 1), and 2) patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome admitted to an ICU who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (n = 140, acute respiratory distress syndrome 2). In acute respiratory distress syndrome 1, we used paired serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples obtained within 48 hours of acute respiratory distress syndrome onset, whereas in acute respiratory distress syndrome 2, we used plasma obtained within the first 24 hours of ICU admission. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS We measured circulating interleukin-17A in acute respiratory distress syndrome 1 and acute respiratory distress syndrome 2. We also measured interleukin-17A, neutrophil counts, and total protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from acute respiratory distress syndrome 1. We found that bronchoalveolar lavage interleukin-17A was strongly associated with higher bronchoalveolar lavage percent neutrophils (p < 0.001) and bronchoalveolar lavage total protein (p < 0.01) in acute respiratory distress syndrome1. In both acute respiratory distress syndrome 1 and acute respiratory distress syndrome 2, elevated interleukin-17A was associated with higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Elevated circulating and alveolar levels of interleukin-17A are associated with increased percentage of alveolar neutrophils, alveolar permeability, and organ dysfunction in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Enrichment, Isolation, and Assay of Growth of Thermophilic and Thermotolerant Fungi in Lignin-Containing Media

Thermophilic and thermotolerant fungi were isolated from samples of domestic and municipal compost piles, self-heated industrial wood chip piles, alligator nests, sun-heated plant debris and soil, ...
Impact of catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia in patients with prior myocardial infarctions.

Abstract Background Catheter ablation can reduce episodes of ventricular tachycardia (VT) after myocardial infarction (MI). However, the optimal endpoint of the ablation procedure remains unclear. Methods Fifty-one consecutive patients who received catheter ablation for VT after MI were included. The procedures targeted the isthmus of all the induced, sustained VTs. When the patients with induced VTs were hemodynamically stable, radiofrequency energy was delivered at the mid-diastolic potential recording site during VT. When the patients with VTs were hemodynamically unstable, the critical channel was identified at the delayed potential recording site, showing a good pace map, with a long stimulus-QRS interval. We delivered radiofrequency energy along the identified isthmus and across the exit of the circuit. Results At the end of the procedure, all VTs became non-inducible in 30 patients (59%) and some VTs were inducible in 21 patients (41%). During a mean of 40±29 months of follow-up, no VT or ventricular fibrillation recurred in 24 patients (80%) in the non-inducible group and in 12 patients (57%) in the inducible group, respectively ( P =0.03). The identification of the channel during VT mapping tended to associate with no recurrence, although the difference was not statistically significant ( P =0.2). Fourteen patients (27%) died during the follow-up period, mostly due to non-cardiac causes. Conclusions The catheter ablation targeting the isthmus of prior-MIVT and non-inducibility at the end of the procedure can provide a satisfactory follow-up result.
Biochar as a renewable source for high-performance CO2 sorbent

Abstract Natural gas wells evolve CO 2 along with the hydrocarbon stream. Because of the wide use of natural gas as an energy source, the emission of CO 2 from high pressure natural gas wells is of concern. While various sorbents have been developed to purify natural gas, studies are lacking on the use of renewable biosources, especially biochar, to prepare porous carbon sorbents for CO 2 capture at high pressure. Here we report the use of low-cost biochar as the feedstock for a one-step KOH activation towards high surface area solid state CO 2 sorbents. Under the optimal activation conditions, a surface area of 3167 m 2 g −1 is reached with a CO 2 uptake of 26.0 mmol g −1 (1.15 g g −1 ) at 30 bar and 25 °C. The cycling stability and CO 2 /CH 4 selectivity of the synthesized biochar-derived porous carbon have been evaluated, and activity screenings show that wood wastes pyrolyzed at a mid-range temperature, 450 °C, are the preferred type of biochar for use as high performance CO 2 sorbents in high pressure applications.
Reverting to a hidden interactional order: Epistemics, informationism, and conversation analysis:

This article critically examines the relations between epistemics in conversation analysis (CA) and linguistic and cognitivist conceptions of communicative interaction that emphasize information an...
A Biomimetic Strategy to Design Biomaterials for In Situ Tissue Regeneration

Tissue morphogenesis is greatly influenced by the interactions between cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins; however, simple polymers, both natural and synthetic, which have been used historically to provide architectural support, poorly mimic the complex interactions between tissue-specific cells and ECM that promote functional tissue regeneration. Nature provides numerous systems that possess exceptional properties and performance that might be replicated for many biomedical applications. Thus scientists have observed phenomena of nature, learned the principles, and incorporated various characteristics to mimic biological systems into materials. Multifunctional biomaterials that mimic the chemical composition, physical structure, and biologically functional moieties of natural living systems could contribute to the development of novel biomimetic materials for in situ tissue regeneration. Accordingly, recent progress in tissue engineering strategies has led to a paradigm shift in biomaterials research, whereby the concepts of bioinspiration and biomimetics play a more active role in small-scale structures and their time-dependent biological interactions with the host. Biomimetic materials could be designed as a smart scaffolding system that mimics the natural biological system and integrates the necessary structural and biological properties.
Harrington’s Conception of Liberty

James Harrington’s Commonwealth of Oceana11 followed Machiavelli in attributing Rome’s loss of liberty to insufficient rotation in office, and the absence of a stable agrarian law.2 But he dismissed Machiavelli’s assumption that conflict between the senate and people had been a necessary element in Rome’s success.3 Harrington concluded that liberty arises from the orderly division of power between the ”debating part“ of the commonwealth (the senate), the “resolving part” (the people), and the “executive part” (or magistracy).4 The secret of good government is to prevent “liquorishness in a popular assembly to debate.”5 Harrington quoted Cicero’s oration for Flaccus to show that Greece had been ruined by the intemperance of its comitia, or assemblies of the people.6 He believed that liberty as the “right of a free people”7 requires the people to be the final “guards of liberty” who ultimately approve all legislation,8 but only after a proposal and proper deliberation by the senate.9
Glutamate Gated Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Activity of a [NiFe]-Hydrogenase

[NiFe] hydrogenases are metalloenzymes that catalyze the reversible oxidation of H2. While electron transfer to and from the active site is understood to occur through iron–sulfur clusters, the mechanism of proton transfer is still debated. Two mechanisms for proton exchange with the active site have been proposed that involve distinct and conserved ionizable amino acid residues, one a glutamate, and the other an arginine. To examine the potential role of the conserved glutamate on active site acid–base chemistry, we mutated the putative proton donor E17 to Q in the soluble hydrogenase I from Pyrococcus furiosus using site directed mutagenesis. FTIR spectroscopy, sensitive to the CO and CN ligands of the active site, reveals catalytically active species generated upon reduction with H2, including absorption features consistent with the Nia-C intermediate. Time-resolved IR spectroscopy, which probes active site dynamics after hydride photolysis from Nia-C, indicates the E17Q mutation does not interfere wit...
26. Taylor’s the Glory of and Grace in the Church Set Out

(1948). 26. Taylor’s the Glory of and Grace in the Church Set Out. The Explicator: Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 44-45.
Comprehensive Care Model for Sex Trafficking Survivors

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to identify aftercare services for domestic minor of sex trafficking (DMST) survivors provided by U.S. residential treatment centers. DESIGN A qualitative research study was conducted with aftercare program personnel from five U.S. residential treatment centers for DMST survivors. METHODS Interviews were conducted with staff from five different residential treatment centers providing services exclusively to domestic minor sex trafficking survivors. FINDINGS Participants described the range of services offered to address survivors' posttrafficking needs. Participants' responses assisted in expanding an existing care model to include education re-entry, family reunification, family reconciliation, and emergency substance use services. CONCLUSIONS This study led to the refinement of an aftercare service delivery model and laid the foundation to develop best practice guidelines for providing aftercare services to DMST survivors. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Sex trafficking is a global health problem affecting our youth today. Nurses have a vital role in combatting sex trafficking by raising awareness about the problem and restoring the lives of sex trafficking victims by implementing innovative care programs.
Onset of the Laramide orogeny and associated magmatism in southern New Mexico based on U-Pb geochronology

The Laramide orogeny is a classic yet controversial mountain-building event that resulted, in the southwest United States, in uplifts, sedimentation, and magmatism that can be used to constrain the onset of this event in the region and expand our knowledge of Late Cretaceous to Paleogene tectonism. The McRae Formation marks the onset of deposition in the Laramide Love Ranch Basin, which was located to the northeast of the west-northwest-trending coeval Rio Grande uplift in south-central New Mexico, but its age is not well constrained. A previously published late Maastrichtian age for the McRae Formation was based on the presence of dinosaur bones in the upper of two members of the formation. We obtained new U-Pb dates from one dacite clast and three ash-fall tuffs from the lower Jose Creek Member and from one ash-fall tuff from the lower part of the overlying Hall Lake Member of the McRae Formation. The clast yielded a date of 75.0 ± 1.1 Ma, whereas the ages of the tuffs, in ascending stratigraphic order, are 74.9 ± 0.7 Ma, 74.7 ± 0.6 Ma, 75.2 ± 1.3 Ma, and 73.2 ± 0.7 Ma. These dates indicate that the onset of Laramide deposition in the Love Ranch Basin must have occurred earlier, in late Campanian time, similar to deposition in the Laramide Ringbone Basin in southwestern New Mexico. In addition, U-Pb zircon dates of 75.7 ± 1.3 Ma and 75.0 ± 2.8 Ma were obtained on the Twin Peaks stock and on a dacite sill, respectively, in the Burro Mountains of southwestern New Mexico. These dates are similar to those of other Laramide arc magmatic centers in southern New Mexico, which have a limited range of ages from 75 to 70 Ma, including the Hidalgo Formation in the Little Hatchet Mountains, the Silver City-Pinos Altos region, and the Copper Flat porphyry system. These new and previously published dates indicate that during the onset of Laramide deformation in southwestern and south-central New Mexico, the angle of subduction of the Farallon plate may have been steep enough to allow partial melting of an asthenospheric wedge, resulting in arc magmatism far inboard of the trench.
Conclusions: A Call for Further Innovations in Focus Groups

This concluding chapter considers both the more innovative aspects of the previous chapters and additional topics that are ripe for further advances. One feature that several of these chapters share is an emphasis on creating more inventive approaches to interaction in focus groups, including areas such as video and theatre. Another new technique that is used in several chapters is repeated or reconvened groups, where the participants return for two or more sessions. Moving to opportunities for further innovation, one possibility is new approaches to group size, especially very small or very large groups. Another opportunity is to develop ways of working with heterogeneous rather than homogeneous group composition. A final area for innovation is to take more emergent approaches to research design, so that the data collection procedures evolve during the study itself. Ultimately, the goal of such creativity is to build on what we already know about focus groups to create new options for future work.
Modeling greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farms

Dairy farms have been identified as an important source of greenhouse gas emissions. Within the farm, important emissions include enteric CH4 from the animals, CH4 and N2O from manure in housing facilities during long-term storage and during field application, and N2O from nitrification and denitrification processes in the soil used to produce feed crops and pasture. Models using a wide range in level of detail have been developed to represent or predict these emissions. They include constant emission factors, variable process-related emission factors, empirical or statistical models, mechanistic process simulations, and life cycle assessment. To fully represent farm emissions, models representing the various emission sources must be integrated to capture the combined effects and interactions of all important components. Farm models have been developed using relationships across the full scale of detail, from constant emission factors to detailed mechanistic simulations. Simpler models, based upon emission factors and empirical relationships, tend to provide better tools for decision support, whereas more complex farm simulations provide better tools for research and education. To look beyond the farm boundaries, life cycle assessment provides an environmental accounting tool for quantifying and evaluating emissions over the full cycle, from producing the resources used on the farm through processing, distribution, consumption, and waste handling of the milk and dairy products produced. Models are useful for improving our understanding of farm processes and their interacting effects on greenhouse gas emissions. Through better understanding, they assist in the development and evaluation of mitigation strategies for reducing emissions and improving overall sustainability of dairy farms.
Mielopatía avanzada en personas con síndrome de Down

Resumen Antecedentes La mielopatia es una enfermedad que afecta de manera significativa la movilidad y la independencia del paciente. En personas con discapacidades intelectuales como el sindrome de Down, el efecto negativo de la mielopatia se magnifica. La mielopatia en el sindrome de Down puede estar relacionada con inestabilidad atlantoaxial o una enfermedad degenerativa. Nuestra experiencia con estos pacientes nos ha llevado a formular la hipotesis de que su mielopatia no se suele diagnosticar hasta que es muy grave. En este estudio nos proponemos determinar si los pacientes con sindrome de Down presentan mielopatia mas grave que los que no tienen sindrome de Down. Metodos Llevamos a cabo una revision retrospectiva de historiales medicos de pacientes con sindrome de Down que recibieron tratamiento para la mielopatia por parte del Tufts Neurosurgical Practice. Ocho pacientes cumplian los criterios y se les evaluo la gravedad de la mielopatia segun la escala de Nurick. Comparamos a los pacientes con mielopatia cervical espondilotica con los pacientes con sindrome de Down que recibieron tratamiento para la mielopatia cervical espondilotica, segun la informacion en Furlan et al. y Fehlings et al.. Resultados La media del grado de Nurick para pacientes con sindrome de Down fue de 4,2 (DE 0,84, n = 5). La media del grado de Nurick segun la informacion en Furlan et al. fue de 2,8 (DE 0,68, n = 81) y segun Fehlings et al. fue de 3,14 (DE 0,97, n = 278). Las pruebas t independientes de las muestras arrojaron un valor p Conclusiones Los pacientes con sindrome de Down de nuestro estudio acudieron a Neurocirugia con una mielopatia mas grave que la de los pacientes sin sindrome de Down. Para los medicos es importante atender a personas con sindrome de Down para darse cuenta de la presentacion de mielopatia y considerar la afeccion en el diagnostico diferencial de un paciente con sindrome de Down y con deterioro funcional.
High levels of tumor-associated neutrophils are associated with improved overall survival in patients with stage II colorectal cancer

Conflicting reports regarding whether high tumor-associated neutrophils (TAN) are associated with outcomes in colorectal cancer (CRC) exist. Previous investigators have counted TAN using non-neutrophil-specific immunohistochemistry (IHC) stains. We examined whether TAN levels as determined by multi-field manual counting would predict prognosis. IRB approval was obtained and two pathologists, blinded to stage/outcome, counted TAN in 20 high power fields (HPF) per specimen. TAN score was defined as the mean of these counts. High TAN was defined as at or greater than the median score for that stage. Demographics, tumor characteristics, and overall survival (OS) were obtained from the records and examined for association with TAN score. IHC for arginase expression was performed in a subset of samples. 221 patients were included. Stage II patients with high TAN scores had an OS of 232 months as compared to those with low TAN (OS = 85 months, p = 0.03). The survival benefit persisted in multivariable analysis (HR 0.48, CI 0.25-0.91, p = 0.026) controlling for age and sex. Women had increased survival as compared to men, and there were no significant prognostic associations with TAN count in stage III/IV patients, although there were only 12 stage IV patients. Arginase staining did not provide additional information. Stage II colorectal cancer patients with high TAN live nearly 3 times longer than those with low TAN. Women with stage II disease and high TAN counts appear to be driving the survival benefit seen in the stage II patients and have increased overall survival in all stages.
Digital-Networked Images as Personal Acts of Political Expression: New Categories for Meaning Formation

This article examines the growing use of digital-networked images, specifically online self-portraits or “selfies”, as deliberate and personal acts of political expression and the ways in which meaning evolves and expands from their presence on the Internet. To understand the role of digital-networked images as a site for engaging in a personal and connective “visual” action that leads to formation of transient communities, the author analyzes the nude self-portrait of the young Egyptian woman Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, which during the Egyptian uprisings in 2011 drew attention across social media. As an object of analysis this image is a prime example of the use of digital-networked images in temporally intentional distribution, and as an instance of political enactment unique to this era. This article also explains the concept of participatory narratives as an ongoing process of meaning formation in the digital-networked image, shaped by the fluidity of the multiple and immediate textual narratives, visual derivatives, re-appropriation, and remixes contributed by other interested viewers. The online circulation of digital-networked images in fact culminates in a flow of ever-changing and overarching narratives, broadening the contextual scope around which images are traditionally viewed.
The Limits of Theater

In the traditional criticism Beckett’s plays have, from the beginning, been dubbed “experimental”; and Godot’s failure in Miami proved that a profound tragic sense can become confused when it is expressed in surface ironic humor. That experience should have proved only that Beckett was never the victim of the inauthentic plights of his heroes. Although the Miami fiasco was in a sense tragic, it was a natural consequence of an inept reading and of the ridiculous commercialism of the American theater. In spite of his multifarious uses of the “convenience” of philosophy to structure his fictional worlds, his own world view remains a matter of conjecture, unimportant for the interpretation of his works; and Godot’s reception in Miami1 touched his actors more than it did Beckett himself.
Epoxy resin nanocomposites with hydroxyl (OH) and amino (NH2) functionalized boron nitride nanotubes

AbstractHydroxyl (OH) and amino (NH2) functionalized boron nitride nanotubes (f-BNNTs) were integrated into an epoxy resin (Epon828) to achieve improved mechanical properties. While raw BNNT-composites yielded the largest values for Young’s modulus and appeared to be well mixed, f-BNNTs were found to provide a superior combination of mechanical properties yielding improvements in strain at failure, tensile strength and toughness that were not observed using raw BNNTs. In particular, an increase of 21% in Young’s modulus is observed with 5 wt% of f-BNNT, and increases of 12, 21, and 49% are observed in tensile strength, failure strain, and toughness, respectively, with 2 wt% f-BNNT while a 34% increase in fracture toughness is observed with 3 wt% f-BNNT.
Autonomic dysreflexia in multiple sclerosis.

AbstractBackground: Although autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is well documented in the spinal cord injury (SCI) population, its occurrence in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not. A dense multiple sclerotic lesion in the spinal cord at or above the sixth thoracic level can cause interruption of descending inhibitory impulses and thus result in AD. A patient with MS presented to our facility with classic signs and symptoms of AD. We believe that lack of knowledge about the risks for this condition in MS led to a delay in diagnosis.Methods: Case report illustrates AD in a person with MS. A convenience survey was conducted among clinicians who provide care to people with MS. The survey looked at both awareness of, and experience with, AD in MS.Results: Forty-five percent of the respondents indicated they were not aware of the potential risk for AD among MS patients. Only 10% indicated they were aware of MS patients in their practice who had experienced AD.Conclusion: Although AD is probably less common in ...
Characterizing and Modeling Patterns of Deforestation and Agricultural Extensification in the Ecuadorian Amazon

We examine human-environment interactions in the Oriente region of the Ecuadorian Amazon through a Geographic Information Science (GISc) perspective. A remote sensing time-series is used to represent LULC (land use/land cover) dynamics, a GIS to assess resource endowments at local and regional settings, a longitudinal household survey to measure socioeconomic conditions and changes over time at the farm or household finca level, and a community-level survey administered to community leaders, farmers, teachers, women, and health workers in places ranging from tiny communities to the largest city, Lago Agrio to measure infrastructural linkages between households and their communities. Here, we (a) describe the multi-thematic, spatially explicit database assembled to address deforestation and agricultural extensification; (b) indicate changes in finca demographic and land use characteristics reported in the 1990 and 1999 household surveys; (c) use a hybrid digital classification approach for repeatable LULC characterizations for selected Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Multispectral Scanner (MSS) images; (d) apply pattern metrics to classified satellite data to assess the composition and spatial organization of the landscape through trajectories of landscape structure; and (e) use a cellular automata (CA) approach to simulate LULC patterns for antecedent and future periods, given historical and current LULC patterns, as defined through the satellite time-series and hypotheses about the importance of geographic access to and spatial diffusion from the region’s central city.
Oscillatory cruise — A perspective

The problem of minimum fuel/km is examined using various simplifications, introduced in the last three decades, leading to order reduction. In particular, the second variation about steady cruise, ignoring only the slow change in total weight, reveals two separate physical reasons for the possible advantage of oscillatory cruise. A linear analysis with quadratic payoff (the second variation) and with bounds on thrust variation yields quite good agreement with an exact solution, published recently, for the optimal periodic cruise of a particular airplane. Finally, an explanation is given for the much more substantial percentage saving obtainable by oscillatory maneuvers in the “endurance” problem: minimum fuel/hour.
A Classroom Discipline Plan that Teaches Democracy.

This article has two purposes. It presents a classroom management model that both works and teaches democracy by having students use the democratic process to create their learning environments; and it presents the model’s impact upon the interest of 60 college seniors as they prepared to enter the classroom for their secondary social studies student teaching the next semester in a pretest-posttest/control group study . This work represents a teacher’s effort to assist students in becoming stewards of democracy by drawing up and adhering to behavior contracts in the classroom. The intent of this article is not to criticize nor critique other classroom management plans, but rather this work is presented as a method to fulfill a need in current American classrooms. As early as 1779, our founding fathers charged that public schools should be considered a means for educating students about democratic citizenship (Jefferson, 1779). In large part, it was this assumption that led to the creation of social studies as part of the American public school curriculum (Shinew, 2001). Is there a way to improve classroom management that gives more time for subject mastery and, at the same time, teaches democracy by allowing students to discuss, debate, and vote on not only how they want their classroom to be managed but how they want to learn?
Strong Scientific Theorizing Is Needed to Improve Replicability in Psychological Science

The target article makes the important case for making replicability mainstream. Yet, their proposal targets a symptom, rather than the underlying cause of low replication rates. We argue that psychological scientists need to devise stronger theories that are more clearly falsifiable. Without strong, falsifiable theories in the original research, attempts to replicate the original research are nigh uninterpretable.
Predicting flow properties in diagenetically-altered media with multi-scale process-based modeling: A Wilcox Formation case study

Abstract Two approaches to capture the complex texture of Wilcox sandstone samples in a pore-scale model are employed: a process-based method and an image-based method. In the process-based method, petrographic analyses from transmitted light microscopy are used to infer the diagenetic history of the rock. Key steps in the diagenesis are quantitatively followed using a multi-scale pore-network modeling method to reconstruct the porous medium at different times in its history, including the final state. Further information about pore sizes is gathered from scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption hysteresis measurements. The ability to incorporate texture information of each diagenetic stage of a tight gas sandstone into a predictive multi-scale pore-network model is a novel aspect of this work. In the image-based method, a micro-CT image of the sample is acquired and a pore-network model is extracted based on skeletonizing the resolvable pore space and mapping clusters of micropores to the unresolved porous areas. The paragenesis of the formation was not captured using the image-based method since sufficient details of its history could not be extracted. The process-based and image-based methods produce comparable drainage capillary pressure curves. While the drainage relative permeability curves in both methods display permeability jail effect, they considerably differ from each other quantitatively. The process-based method produced a higher porosity and permeability compared to the image-based method which is potentially due to the lower degree of its disorder. High uncertainties in the petrophysical properties of tight gas sandstones is a costly challenge in their reservoir development. Our work provides insights into the effect of pore texture from different scales on rock fluid properties. Furthermore, the methods demonstrated in this work can be pursued to extrapolate tight gas sandstone petrophysical properties between wells and throughout paragenetic sequences.
Heterogeneity of risk within Gleason 4 + 4, 4 + 5 and 5 + 4 prostate cancer.

Objects: This study hypothesized that biopsy Gleason score 8 (b.G.S. 8) disease may dilute the substantial poor risk associated with b.G.S. 9 disease, specifically associated with primary Gleason 5...
Accuracy of biplane videoradiography for quantifying dynamic wrist kinematics.

Abstract Accurately assessing the dynamic kinematics of the skeletal wrist could advance our understanding of the normal and pathological wrist. Biplane videoradiography (BVR) has allowed investigators to study dynamic activities in the knee, hip, and shoulder joint; however, currently, BVR has not been utilized for the wrist joint because of the challenges associated with imaging multiple overlapping bones. Therefore, our aim was to develop a BVR procedure and to quantify its accuracy for evaluation of wrist kinematics. BVR was performed on six cadaveric forearms for one neutral static and six dynamic tasks, including flexion-extension, radial-ulnar deviation, circumduction, pronation, supination, and hammering. Optical motion capture (OMC) served as the gold standard for assessing accuracy. We propose a feedforward tracking methodology, which uses a combined model of metacarpals (second and third) for initialization of the third metacarpal (MC3). BVR-calculated kinematic parameters were found to be consistent with the OMC-calculated parameters, and the BVR/OMC agreement had submillimeter and sub-degree biases in tracking individual bones as well as the overall joint’s rotation and translation. All dynamic tasks (except pronation task) showed a limit of agreement within 1.5° for overall rotation, and within 1.3 mm for overall translations. Pronation task had a 2.1° and 1.4 mm limit of agreement for rotation and translation measurement. The poorest precision was achieved in calculating the pronation-supination angle, and radial-ulnar and volar-dorsal translational components, although they were sub-degree and submillimeter. The methodology described herein may assist those interested in examining the complexities of skeletal wrist function during dynamic tasks.
Trends in LRE Placement Rates Over the Past 25 Years

The least restrictive environment (LRE) mandate suggests a preference for educating students with disabilities in general education settings provided their needs can be met there. This study examin...
Complete Genome Sequences of Streptomyces lividans Bacteriophages Satis and JustBecause.

ABSTRACT We present here the complete genomes of two Streptomyces bacteriophages, Satis and JustBecause. Both phages were isolated directly from soil samples collected in St. Louis, MO, and present with an unusual prolate head morphology and large genome lengths of over 180 kb.
The Other Fights Back: Indigenizing the War Film

Jennifer L. Gauthier explores the important but often unexplored Indigenous perspective in war films. Studying films by Indigenous filmmakers, Gauthier questions how the war film can be re-imagined when the audience is provided with an Indigenous point of view. As she argues, when traditionally marginalized voices are the focus of a film, conceptions of national identity, heroism, and memory may be challenged. Gauthier finds that due to commercial imperatives, the narrative feature films fall back on common war film tropes in their goal to entertain audiences. In this way, while there are moments where the Indigenous “Other” fights back in the war film, the documentary format appears to offer greater promise for a fuller narrative and perspective of the marginalized in war.
Suubi4Cancer: A protocol for an innovative combination intervention to improve access to pediatric cancer services and treatment adherence among children living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda.

Abstract Youth Living with HIV (YLWHIV) are at high risk for cancer. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has some of the worst pediatric cancer survival rates due to barriers to accessing cancer services and treatment adherence. This protocol describes a study that aims at: 1) Identifying confirmed and suspected cancer cases in a cohort of >3000 HIV positive youth; 2) Examining the short-term preliminary outcomes of an evidence-based Economic Empowerment (EE) intervention, Suubi (“hope” in a local Ugandan language), on access to pediatric cancer diagnosis and care, and treatment adherence among YLWHIV with suspected cancers in Uganda; and 3) Exploring multi-level factors impacting intervention participation and experiences. The proposed Suubi4Cancer intervention combines savings-led EE through family development accounts (FDA) with financial literacy and management (FLM) and cancer education (CE). The study will review medical charts in 39 clinics in Southwest Uganda to identify confirmed and suspected cancer cases. Subsequently, Suubi4Cancer will be evaluated via a randomized-controlled trial design (FDA + FLM + CE versus Usual Care) targeting a total of 78 youth ages 10-to-24 and their caregivers. Assessments at baseline and 9 months will examine change in cancer treatment access; cancer treatment adherence; and knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about cancer and cancer treatment. Semi-structured interviews with the intervention group will explore their intervention experiences. To our knowledge, Suubi4Cancer will be the first study to test the preliminary impact and acceptability of a combination intervention to increase access to cancer diagnosis and treatment services for YLWHIV. Trial registration Clinical Trials NCT03916783 (Registered: 04/16/19).
Distributed Gradient Methods for Convex Machine Learning Problems in Networks: Distributed Optimization

This article provides an overview of distributed gradient methods for solving convex machine learning problems of the form min x i R n (1/ m ) s i = 1 m f i ( x ) in a system consisting of m agents that are embedded in a communication network. Each agent i has a collection of data captured by its privately known objective function f i ( x ). The distributed algorithms considered here obey two simple rules: privately known agent functions f i ( x ) cannot be disclosed to any other agent in the network and every agent is aware of the local connectivity structure of the network, i.e., it knows its one-hop neighbors only. While obeying these two rules, the distributed algorithms that agents execute should find a solution to the overall system problem with the limited knowledge of the objective function and limited local communications. Given in this article is an overview of such algorithms that typically involve two update steps: a gradient step based on the agent local objective function and a mixing step that essentially diffuses relevant information from one to all other agents in the network.
An exploratory analysis of financial wellness of trans-spectrum college students

The authors explore trans-spectrum student financial experiences through a holistic model of financial wellness. Responses from the 2017 Study on Collegiate Financial Wellness were used to compare ...