cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extension of prior idiopathic scoliosis fusions to the sacrum: a matched cohort analysis of sixty patients with minimum two-year follow-up.

Study design Comparative study. Objective To compare the radiographic and clinical outcomes of patients undergoing extension of a previous idiopathic scoliosis fusion to the sacrum using either autogenous bone graft or recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2). Summary of background data Extension of an existing idiopathic scoliosis fusion to the sacrum for distal degeneration or sagittal imbalance has been associated with a high rate of pseudarthrosis. We hypothesized that rhBMP-2 could be successfully used as a substitute for distant autograft in this challenging population. Methods Consecutive patients were identified from a single institution prospective database. The control group (autogenous harvesting without rhBMP-2, 1998-2002) included 24 of 25 patients with minimum 2-year follow-up while the study group (rhBMP-2 without distant autograft, 2002-2006) included 36 of 39 patients with minimum 2-year follow-up. Radiographs were measured using standard adult deformity criteria. Fusions were evaluated by independent observers using a published 4-point scale. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using Scoliosis Research Society and Oswestry Disability Index Questionnaires. Results Groups were well matched with respect to demographic, radiographic, and surgical data with the following exceptions: the control group (autogenous graft, no BMP) was younger (43.5 vs. 49.8 years; P = 0.04), had more anterior levels fused (3.3 vs. 1.7; P = 0.01), more thoracoabdominal approaches (25% vs. 2.7%; P = 0.01), and greater estimated blood loss (1938 vs. 1221 mL; P = 0.01). There was 1 wound complication (deep infection) in each group. Rates of radiographic pseudarthrosis (11.1% vs. 20.8%) and revision for pseudarthrosis (5.6% vs. 12.5%) were lower in the rhBMP-2 group, although this did not reach statistical significance. Preoperative, postoperative, and improvements in Scoliosis Research Society and Oswestry Disability Index scores were similar between groups. We did not observe any increase in adverse events with the use of rhBMP-2. Conclusion BMP-2 is a safe and effective alternative to iliac or rib harvesting when extending an existing idiopathic scoliosis fusion to the sacrum.
Pathwise optimality of the exponential scheduling rule for wireless channels

We consider the problem of scheduling the transmissions of multiple data users (flows) sharing the same wireless channel (server). The unique feature of this problem is the fact that the capacity (service rate) of the channel varies randomly with time and asynchronously for different users. We study a scheduling policy called the exponential scheduling rule, which was introduced in an earlier paper. Given a system with N users, and any set of positive numbers {a n }, n = 1, 2,…, N, we show that in a heavy-traffic limit, under a nonrestrictive ‘complete resource pooling’ condition, this algorithm has the property that, for each time t, it (asymptotically) minimizes max n a n q n (t), where q n (t) is the queue length of user n in the heavy-traffic regime.
Synthesis of N-Pentafluorobenzoyl-S-(—)-prolyl 1-Imidazolide, A New Electron-Capture Sensitive Reagent for Determination of Enantiomeric Composition

Abstract: The synthesis of N-pentafluorobenzoyl-S-(—)- prolyl 1-imidazolide, a new electron-capture sensitive derivatizing reagent, is described. Its potential usefulness in the detection and quantitative estimation of the enantiomeric composition of amines at nanogram levels is discussed.
Feedback control of cholesterol biosynthesis in the mouse.

SummaryEffects of cholic acid on biosynthesis of hepatic cholesterol and bile acids were studied. Mice maintained on a basal diet, or this diet supplemented with 0.5% cholic acid, received single intraperitoneal injections of mevalonic acid-2-C14 or choles-terol-4-C14. Feces were collected at 24-hour intervals, fecal steroid-C14 was isolated and fractionated, α + β-sterol-C14 and bile acid-C14 were determined. In control mice the distribution of C14 activity in fecal steroids was 60% in the sterol fraction and 40% in the bile acid fraction. This ratio was constant with time after the first 24-hour interval, regardless of the substance injected. It was shown that cholic acid brings about equal decreases in the rates of both hepatic cholesterol and bile acid biosyntheses. Since a preceding study had shown that the rate of bile acid synthesis in mouse liver is inhibited by cholic acid independently of its effect on cholesterol synthesis, it was concluded that the rate of hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis in m...
The material side of educational technology

Materials science presents an amazing array of unique substances offering a rich, and challenging, dimension to future educational tools and technologies.
Influence of inorganic ions on fluoride retention in the rat.

Summary1) The whole carcass retention of fluoride by rats receiving a fluoride drinking water containing a combination of Ca++, Mg++, Fe++, and PO4— ions was significantly less than in rats drinking a chemically pure fluoride water containing no additional inorganic ions. 2) In contrast, studies of the individual ions at various concentrations show only small fluctuations in the proportion retained. No significant influence on retention was noted when any of the ions were studied singly. 3) The decrease in retention seen in rats ingesting the water containing a combination of ions suggests that the influence of the ions may be additive or synergistic. This may be important since most natural waters contain a group of several inorganic constituents. More attention should be placed on inorganic composition of the communal water supplies before fortifying them with fluoride. It is possible that if the combination of major inorganic constituents of natural waters exceeds a yet-to-be determined concentration, ...
Radio reflection imaging of asteroid and comet interiors I: Acquisition and imaging theory

Abstract Imaging the interior structure of comets and asteroids can provide insight into their formation in the early Solar System, and can aid in their exploration and hazard mitigation. Accurate imaging can be accomplished using broadband wavefield data penetrating deep inside the object under investigation. This can be done in principle using seismic systems (which is difficult since it requires contact with the studied object), or using radar systems (which is easier since it can be conducted from orbit). We advocate the use of radar systems based on instruments similar to the ones currently deployed in space, e.g. the CONSERT experiment of the Rosetta mission, but perform imaging using data reflected from internal interfaces, instead of data transmitted through the imaging object. Our core methodology is wavefield extrapolation using time-domain finite differences, a technique often referred to as reverse-time migration and proven to be effective in high-quality imaging of complex geologic structures. The novelty of our approach consists in the use of dual orbiters around the studied object, instead of an orbiter and a lander. Dual orbiter systems can provide multi-offset data that illuminate the target object from many different illumination angles. Multi-offset data improve image quality (a) by avoiding illumination shadows, (b) by attenuating coherent noise (image artifacts) caused by wavefield multi-pathing, and (c) by providing information necessary to infer the model parameters needed to simulate wavefields inside the imaging target. The images obtained using multi-offset are robust with respect to instrument noise comparable in strength with the reflected signal. Dual-orbiter acquisition leads to improved image quality which is directly dependent on the aperture between the transmitter and receiver antennas. We illustrate the proposed methodology using a complex model based on a scaled version of asteroid 433 Eros.
Analysis of systemic risk in multilateral net settlement systems

Abstract Systemic risk in multilateral net settlement systems is investigated using a four-period model. The model focuses on the tradeoff between systemic risk and the cost of interbank transfers. Banks optimize their reserve holdings at the central bank, the settlement medium, based on a future random liquidity shock and payment system parameters such as total asset and collateral requirements, and net debit caps. The model’s results are as follows. The model determines the maximum number of bank defaults that can be sustained without a stoppage in the clearance and settlement process. An interbank funds market increases the efficiency of the payment system. The payment system operator can reduce systemic risk by imposing asset and collateral requirements, and debit caps. The central bank can provide sufficient liquidity to prevent a systemic collapse but may face high costs.
Food sharing and feeding another person suggest intimacy; two studies of American college students

Ethnographic work indicates that food transfer has social significance, but food transfer has not previously been considered as a nonverbal communication channel. We categorize social food transfer along two dimensions: nature of the behaviour in the transfer (X shares food with or feeds Y), and the state of the food transferred (Y's food never contacted by X, or Y's food previously bitten/tasted/touched by X; we call the latter food consubstantiation (shared substance)). These two dimensions generate the four conditions investigated in this study: no sharing, sharing, sharing with consubstantiation, and feeding. The social significance of these types of situations was assessed in two ways. American college students indicated in a questionnaire both the extent to which they transfer food within different relationships, and what they took to be normative among American college students. Second, a different group of students participated in an Asch impression study in which they observed a videotape of two young adults of opposite sex eating at a restaurant, with the variable across subjects being the four conditions designated above. Viewers were asked to assess the relationship between the young adults, and to rate the degree of intimacy between the adults in terms of mutual feelings and acts of intimacy (e.g. sharing drinks, touching, having sexual relations). Results from both studies are congruent, and indicate that sharing implies a positive/friendly social relationship, and feeding implies a stronger, often romantic relationship. Consubstantiation superimposed on sharing modestly increased judgments of intimacy and closeness of relationship. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Vascular Complications of Surgery for Craniopharyngioma and Hypothalamic Glioma

Vascular complications of surgery for suprasellar tumors include carotid artery laceration, vasospasm, and delayed aneurysmal dilatation of the carotid artery. We report updated follow-up (5–11 years)
Purdue image processing

We have recently initiated a program of basic research on image structure, image characteristics, image models and their application to various image processing tasks. The objective is to achieve a better understanding of image structure and to use this knowledge to develop improved mathematical and statistical models for use in image analysis and processing tasks such as image enhancement, image restoration, coding, information extraction, etc. The ultimate objective of this research is to form a basis for the development of technology relative to machine extraction of information from aircraft and satellite imagery of the earth's surface.
Stochastic Model Predictive Control for Guided Projectiles Under Impact Area Constraints

The dynamics of guided projectile systems are inherently stochastic in nature. While deterministic control algorithms such as impact point prediction (IPP) may prove effective in many scenarios, the probability of impacting obstacles and constrained areas within an impact zone cannot be accounted for without accurate uncertainty modeling. A stochastic model predictive guidance algorithm is developed, which incorporates nonlinear uncertainty propagation to predict the impact probability density in real-time. Once the impact distribution is characterized, the guidance system aim point is computed as the solution to an optimization problem. The result is a guidance law that can achieve minimum miss distance while avoiding impact area constraints. Furthermore, the acceptable risk of obstacle impact can be quantified and tuned online. Example trajectories and Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed stochastic control formulation in comparison to deterministic guidance schemes. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4028084]
Supports and Barriers To Writing an Interagency Agreement on the Preschool Transition.

The purpose of this study was to examine how interagency agreements are developed that focus on the transition of children with special needs from early intervention programs to early childhood spe...
The relationship between asthma, asthma control and economic outcomes in the United States.

AbstractObjective: Asthma, a serious chronic lung disease affecting approximately 26 million Americans, remains clinical and economic burdens on the healthcare system. Although associations between uncontrolled asthma and poor health outcomes is known, the extent of this impact of uncontrolled asthma on economic outcomes in the United States (US) is unknown. We sought to determine the relationship between asthma, asthma control and economic outcomes in the US. Methods: The 2008–2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys were used to estimate the impact of uncontrolled asthma (asthma-related emergency department [ED] visit, use of >3 canisters of quick-relief inhaler in past 3 months or asthma attack in past 12 months) on medical expenditures, utilization and productivity. Estimates were generated using multivariate regression controlling for sociodemographics and comorbidity. Results: Medical expenditures attributable to asthma were up to $4423 greater for those with markers of uncontrolled asthma compared wi...
Screening for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

This systematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force found that screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus did not affect mortality but that treatment of impaired fasting glucose and impa...
The Variant Forms of Autoimmune Hepatitis

Variant forms of autoimmune hepatitis have features that are intermixed with another disorder (overlap syndrome) or findings that are inconsistent with or insufficient for a confident diagnosis of classic disease (outlier syndrome). Diagnostic criteria have not been codified, but application of a modified scoring system provides a template that can be combined with clinical findings to ensure uniform evaluation and classification. Variant forms are frequently assimilated into conventional diagnostic categories. and they may distort analyses of natural history and outcome. Management strategies are empiric, based on an assessment of the predominant characteristics and institution of the most appropriate drug regimen. Patients with variant syndromes who respond to corticosteroids typically have serum alkaline phosphatase levels of less than twofold the upper limit of normal at presentation. By distinguishing between these syndromes, further insights into natural history, genetic predisposition, and immunopathic mechanisms are possible.
Boson-Fermion Expansions

Boson expansion theory is extended so as to allow for the coupling of several fermion-like valence particles or holes to the collective vibrations of a closed shell, described in terms of boson degrees of freedom. The result is a faithful mapping of the original many-fermion problem into a certain boson-fermion subspace without redundant variables. Generalizations of the Dyson and Holstein-Primakoff representations are derived with the aid of al­ gebraic techniques. § l. Introduction The boson expansion method exploits the remarkable fact that fermion behavior can be perfectly replicated within a subspace of a suitable boson Hilbert space.ll It provides an ideal microscopic avatar for phenomenological theories of collective motion, from the venerable Bohr-Mottelson model to that current cynosure, the IBA, all of which are formulated in terms of bosons.2> Following the pioneering work of Beliaev and Zelevinsky 3> and of Marumori, Yamamura and coworkers, 4> the subject of boson expansions has had a slow and, at times, precarious evolution/> but is now in the midst of a renaissance. It has even been applied recently to particle physics.5> The renewed popularity of boson expansion theory is certainly due in part to its utility and the interest in the IBA; but the opportunities for rederivation by the most fashion­ able methods, such as path-integration, 6> generalized coherent-state representa­ tions,n etc., have probably also played a role. In the usual boson expansion method, the entire fermion space is mapped injectively into the physical subspace of the so-called ideal space. The ortho­ gonal complement of the physical subspace is called the unphysical subspace, since it has nothing to do with the fermion problem. If the number of particles is even, the physical subspace is purely bosonic with a distinct boson for each fermion-pair excitation.8>,9> If the number of particles is odd, the physical subspace lies in the tensor product of the boson space with the space of an ideal odd fermion. Therefore, all fermion pairs are bosonized, and at most one nucleon may persist as fermion-like.*>,lo>.m
Preparedness Lessons from Modern Disasters and Wars

Disasters come in all shapes and forms, and in varying magnitudes and intensities. Nevertheless, they offer many of the same lessons for critical care practitioners and responders. Among these, the most important is that well thought out risk assessment and focused planning are vital. Such assessment and planning require proper training for providers to recognize and treat injury from disaster, while maintaining safety for themselves and others. This article discusses risk assessment and planning in the context of disasters. The article also elaborates on the progress toward the creation of portable, credible, sustainable, and sophisticated critical care outside the walls of an intensive care unit. Finally, the article summarizes yields from military-civilian collaboration in disaster planning and response.
Direct determination of the size distribution of arbitrary surface configurations from diffraction measurements: General theory

Abstract A new method is introduced demonstrating that the one-dimensional intensity profile, the conventional result of a diffraction measurement, can be represented by a sum of Lorentzians, whose heights and widths are directly related to the size and separation distributions which characterize the surface disorder. It thus becomes possible to obtain an analytic expression for the size and separation distributions directly from the profile. The method is based on a direct analogy between the averaged intensity obtained from a distribution of surface configurations and the statistical mechanical average of the “generating function”. The approach allows the determination of the properties of arbitrary one-dimensional distributions of island lengths and separations as a projection of initial two-dimensional surface configurations. The projection can be used without restriction to nearest-neighbor interactions.
On non-causal side information at the encoder

The problem of state communication over a discrete memoryless channel with discrete memoryless state is studied when the state information is available non-causally at the encoder. When the same channel is used to send additional independent information at the expense of a higher channel state estimation error, the optimal tradeoff between the rate of the independent information and the state estimation error is characterized via the capacity-distortion function. Information-theoretic lower and upper bounds (based respectively on ideas from hybrid-coding and rate-distortion theory) are derived on the capacity-distortion function. Some examples are provided, for which the capacity-distortion functions are characterized by showing that the two bounds match. These coding theorems are then extended to the case of source coding with side information vending machine at the encoder (introduced in [1]) to provide an improved lower bound on the rate-distortion function.
Auditory brain stem responses in the cat. II. Effects of lesions

Abstract Discrete lesions of the brain stem auditory pathway in cats were found to have complex effects on the auditory brain stem response (ABR). These effects ranged from an amplitude change on only a single component of the ABR to latency and amplitude changes for that component plus some or all of the subsequent components. Lesions of certain portions of the classical primary auditory pathway (i.e., the dorsal cochlear nucleus, the dorsal acoustic stria, the lateral superior olivary nucleus, the posterior portion of the lateral lemniscus and the inferior colliculus) were not associated with changes in the ABR prior to component P5. Except for midline lesions, the effects of a brain stem lesion on the ABR were quite different for ipsilateral and contralateral stimulation. The predominant effect of brain stem lesions on the ABR was an attenuation of the amplitudes of the components and only an occasional increase in their latency. Opposite effects, i.e., increases in amplitude or decreases in latency, were rare. The acute effects of brain stem lesions on the ABR could be transient and not persist in chronic recordings. The components of the ABR were primarily affected by the following lesions. Component P0.8 was attenuated by a lesion of the eighth nerve. N1.0, P1.2 and N1.5 were unaffected by lesions of the cochlear nucleus but were affected by lesions of the eighth nerve, suggesting that the eighth nerve was the generator of these components. Except for one lesion of the trapezoid body component P1.7 was only affected by lesions of the cochlear nucleus or eighth nerve, suggesting its origin in one or both of these structures. N2.0 was affected by lesions of the ventral cochlear nucleus, the region of the superior olivary complex and the trapezoid body. P3 was affected by lesions in the region of the superior olivary complex and the trapezoid body. N3 and N4 were affected primarily by lesions of the lateral lemniscus, but also by lesions of the superior olivary complex and trapezoid body. The results suggest that except for the first few components (P0.8, N1.0, P1.2 and N1.5) each of the components has substantial contributions from more than one auditory brain stem structure. Component P0.8 was determined to have substantial contributions from both cochlear microphonic and neural activity.
A systematic evaluation of abscopal responses following radiotherapy in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with ipilimumab

Case reports and preclinical data suggest radiotherapy and immunotherapy may synergize to generate "abscopal" responses outside the radiation field. This phenomenon remains relatively unexplored, prompting our systematic evaluation of metastatic melanoma patients treated with the CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab and palliative radiation therapy. We evaluated 47 consecutive metastatic melanoma patients treated with ipilimumab and 65 courses of radiation. Responses of index lesions outside the radiation field were compared before and after radiotherapy, and parameters associated with favorable response were assessed. Median survival was 28 months, with an estimated 20% 5-y survival. Index lesions shrank in 7 instances prior to radiation therapy (11%), compared with 16 instances (25%) after radiation therapy; in 11 of the latter instances (69%), the index lesion had been increasing in size prior to radiotherapy (P = 0.03). In 68% of cases, radiotherapy was associated with an improved rate of index lesion response (P = 0.006). Radiation fraction size ≤ 3 Gy was the only parameter identified associated with favorable index lesion response (P = 0.014). Our systematic review of melanoma patients treated with radiotherapy and ipilimumab suggests that a subset of patients may have more favorable out-of-field responses following treatment with radiation. Interestingly, we found that multiple fraction radiation regimens were associated with a more favorable response. These results are encouraging regarding potential synergies between radiation and immunotherapy, but suggest that attention and even prospective testing of radiation parameters critical to producing abscopal effects in human patients would be of value.
Adaptive feedback linearizing nonlinear close formation control of UAVs

This paper deals with the problem of formation flight control of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In close formation the wing UAV motion is affected by the vortex of the adjacent lead aircraft. In this paper, the vortex forces are treated as unknown functions. An adaptive control law is derived for the position control of the wing aircraft based on a backstepping design technique. In the closed-loop system, commanded separation trajectories are asymptotically tracked by each wing aircraft while the lead UAV is maneuvering. It is seen that an over parametrization in the design is essential for the decentralization of the control system. These results are applied to formation flight control of two UAVs and simulation results are obtained. These results show that the wing UAV follows precisely the reference separation trajectories in spite of the uncertainties in the aerodynamic coefficients, while the lead aircraft is maneuvering.
The GGS spacecraft, solar arrays for space physics

Two Global Geospace Science (GGS) spacecraft, WIND and POLAR, support highly sensitive instruments for measurements in the plasma source and plasma storage regions of geospace. The increased sensitivity of the electric and magnetic field instruments on the GGS missions required NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Lockheed Martin Astro Space (LMAS) to explore new and innovative methods of providing an electrostatically clean, equipotential surface that would minimize interference with the surrounding plasma environment. This paper summarizes the qualification program, test results, flight build and on orbit performance of the GGS solar arrays.
Novel phenomena in macroscopic photonic crystals

Photonic crystals provide superb opportunities for tailoring of the photonic density of states. This ability can in turn be explored to control radiation into far-field, enhance fluorescent light emission, as well as optimize laser emission. In order to make these phenomena useful for large macroscopic devices, large-area nano-fabrication techniques have to be successfully implemented. In this talk, I will present some of our recent theoretical and experimental progress in exploring these opportunities.
Semiactive Tuned Liquid Column Dampers: Experimental Study

A tuned liquid column damper ~TLCD! is a special type of auxiliary damping device which relies on the inertia of a liquid column in a U-tube to counteract the forces acting on the structure. Damping in the TLCD is introduced as a result of headloss experienced by the liquid column moving through an orifice. The primary objective of this paper was to examine the performance of a prototype semiactive TLCD. Experiments were conducted to determine the dynamic characteristics of a coupled structure-TLCD system. The experimental setup included a prototype TLCD attached to a model of a single-degree-of-freedom structure which was mounted on a shaking table. The prototype TLCD was equipped with an electropneumatic valve to provide optimal damping at a wide range of structural motion amplitudes. The optimum absorber parameters, i.e., the optimal tuning ratio and damping ratio, were determined experimentally and compared to the analytical results obtained previously reported by the writers. A control strategy based on gain scheduling was utilized, which was designed to maintain the optimal damping based on a prescribed look-up table. This scheme was experimentally validated. It was noted that the semiactive system provided an additional 15-25% reduction in response over a passive system. Finally, a design example was presented to demonstrate the application of semiactive TLCDs to tall buildings under wind loads. The response of uncontrolled structure, braced structure, and structure with a passive damper, and semiactive damping system using numerical simulations were compared. The semiactive TLCD reduced the RMS acceleration at the building top by 45% at all wind speeds.
Subcutaneous adipose tissue transplantation in diet‐induced obese mice attenuates metabolic dysregulation while removal exacerbates it

Adipose tissue distribution is an important determinant of obesity-related comorbidities. It is well established that central obesity (visceral adipose tissue accumulation) is a risk factor for many adverse health consequences such as dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and type-2-diabetes. We hypothesize that the metabolic dysregulation that occurs following high fat diet-induced increases in adiposity are due to alterations in visceral adipose tissue function which influence lipid flux to the liver via the portal vein. This metabolic pathology is not exclusively due to increases in visceral adipose tissue mass but also driven by intrinsic characteristics of this particular depot. In Experiment 1, high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese control (abdominal incision, but no fat manipulation) or autologous (excision and subsequent relocation of adipose tissue) subcutaneous tissue transplantation to the visceral cavity. In Experiment 2, mice received control surgery, subcutaneous fat removal, or heterotransplantation (tissue from obese donor) to the visceral cavity. Body composition analysis and glucose tolerance tests were performed 4 weeks postsurgery. Adipose mass and portal adipokines, cytokines, lipids, and insulin were measured from samples collected at 5 weeks postsurgery. Auto- and heterotransplantation in obese mice improved glucose tolerance, decreased systemic insulin concentration, and reduced portal lipids and hepatic triglycerides compared with HFD controls. Heterotransplantation of subcutaneous adipose tissue to the visceral cavity in obese mice restored hepatic insulin sensitivity and reduced insulin and leptin concentrations to chow control levels. Fat removal, however, as an independent procedure exacerbated obesity-induced increases in leptin and insulin concentrations. Overall subcutaneous adipose tissue protects against aspects of metabolic dysregulation in obese mice. Transplantation-induced improvements do not occur via enhanced storage of lipid in adipose tissue, however, altered hepatic lipid regulation may play a contributory role.
Post Hoc Pair-Wise Comparisons for the Chi-Square Test of Homogeneity of Proportions:

This article presents a model for multiple pair-wise comparisons of selected categories (cells) of a contingency table after the chi-square test has rejected the null hypothesis of equality of popu...
Energy-filtering transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) investigation of clay–organic matter aggregates in aquatic sediments

High resolution (< 10 nm) transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-filtering TEM (EFTEM), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) have been used for the direct microstructural imaging and analysis of clay-organic matter aggregates in fine-grained aquatic sediments from Jourdan River Estuary, MS, USA. EFTEM and EELS allow rapid, high-resolution spatial mapping and analysis of light elements such as carbon. The study area sediments are comprised of discrete organic matter masses and aggregates of clay plates. Clay aggregates often include organic matter. The comparison of clay aggregate images obtained by the TEM bright-field technique and the EFTEM carbon mapping technique shows that carbon within clay domains has spatial features that are in the same size scale as the features of individual clay plates within the aggregates (< ∼20 nm). These intimate spatial associations suggest that organic matter in clay aggregates is either closely attached to the surfaces of individual clay plates or structurally incorporated into clay crystals. Organic matter within clay aggregates does not appear to exist as discrete or massive masses that fill the pore spaces within the clay aggregates. These intimate associations, whether they are due to chemical interaction or physical sequestration, should affect the reactivity of organic matter during early diagenesis. The EELS spectra of clay aggregates show that organic matter always coexists with calcium, suggesting that Ca-containing smectite, rather than Ca-poor clay minerals such as kaolinite or illite, is preferentially associated with organic matter in the study area sediments. Further research is required to determine whether this is due to the sources and depositional history or physico-chemical properties of different clay minerals.
Differences in Achieving Person-Organization Fit among Diverse Groups of Managers

A comparison of the perceptions about organizational fit of white female, African-American, and Hispanic managers to those of white male managers revealed that African-American managers reported achieving significantly poorer organizational fit compared to other subgroups. However, race and sex explained a relatively small amount of the variance in perceived fit. Poor organizational fit was associated with job dissatisfaction, intentions to leave, and greater levels of stress. The results suggest that more research is needed to explicate the differences in organizational experiences faced by female and minority managers (e.g., African-Americans and Hispanics) and those faced by white male managers.
Pediatric Dosing and Body Size in Biotherapeutics.

Although pediatric doses for biotherapeutics are often based on patients' body weight (mg/kg) or body surface area (mg/m2), linear body size dose adjustment is highly empirical. Growth and maturity are also important factors that affect the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) of biologics in pediatrics. The complexity of the factors involved in pediatric pharmacokinetics lends to the reconsideration of body size based dose adjustment. A proper dosing adjustment for pediatrics should also provide less intersubject variability in the pharmacokinetics and/or pharmacodynamics of the product compared with no dose adjustment. Biological proteins and peptides generally share the same pharmacokinetic principle with small molecules, but the underlying mechanism can be very different. Here, pediatric and adult pharmacokinetic parameters are compared and summarized for selected biotherapeutics. The effect of body size on the pediatric pharmacokinetics for these biological products is discussed in the current review.
Domestic Drone Use and the Mosaic Theory

The use of unmanned aerial drones - operated by remote pilots and capable of conducting pinpoint strikes on targets around the world - has revolutionized the fight against terrorism. Within the past few years, however, drones have also been used for domestic security and law enforcement purposes, and such local use is likely to expand in the near future. Whether the government’s use of emerging, sophisticated technologies comports with the 4th Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures has confounded the courts, and there are growing concerns that traditional 4th Amendment analyses are no longer workable in the context of modern technologies. In U.S. v. Jones (2011), the Supreme Court applied a relatively new doctrine, the “mosaic theory,” in determining whether the government’s use of technology, in this case a G.P.S. tracking system, was consistent with fundamental 4th Amendment protections. This paper explores whether the “mosaic theory,” laid out by legal scholar Orin Kerr and espoused by the Court in Jones, can be applicable to 4th Amendment challenges to domestic drone use. This paper first explains the extent to which drones are already operational domestically, and briefly discusses proposals to expand their domestic capabilities; second, provides a brief overview of the traditional 4th Amendment analyses in the realm of emerging technologies, with an eye toward determining whether the “property-driven” or “reasonable expectation of privacy” doctrines are no longer applicable to such sophisticated technologies; third, discusses the Jones case as well as the “mosaic theory” in order to provide a solid foundation from which to draw conclusions about its applicability to domestic drone use; and fourth, analyzes a particular type of domestic drone use under the “mosaic theory” rubric, and determines whether it is an appropriate framework to ensure 4th Amendment protections in the context of emerging technologies going forward. The domestic uses of drones are increasing and have been largely overlooked by the public. At the same time, the courts are struggling with how to check such use against the constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. An appropriate analytical framework is needed to assist the courts in ensuring that the government’s domestic use of drones does not infringe on the people’s well-established civil liberties before drones become an even more ubiquitous part of the domestic American experience or facilitate the creation of a perpetual “nanny state” under the guise of providing national security.
The Other Side of the Coin: Framing Racial Inequality as White Privilege

In this paper, I use an experiment to learn whether framing racial inequality in terms of White advantage versus Black disadvantage or Latino disadvantage shapes Whites’ attitudes about racial policies. Such policies include racial profiling, affirmative action in the workplace, reparations for slavery and Jim Crow, and tax breaks for businesses that locate in predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods. I also test whether the strength of Whites’ belief in meritocracy plays a role in how they process information about racially differential treatment.
Exploring the Political Power of Public Housing Residents in Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC

Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE VI), is a unique program funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development which takes an innovative approach to improving living conditions and decreasing concentrated poverty. To achieve these goals, local Housing Authorities use revitalization grants to build new public housing units and to provide residents with supportive social services. The objective of this research is to understand the circumstances which increase political activity among public housing residents at Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C.
Developing a Skills and Professionalism Curriculum – Process and Product

Effective lawyers have an impressive array of legal knowledge, analytical thinking abilities, and professional skills, attributes, and values. Traditional legal education excels at helping students learn some of what effective lawyers need, including substantive law, analytical thinking, and legal research. Conversely, legal education has been less successful in teaching students the other skills, attributes, and values that effective legal professionals command. How can law schools revise their educational programs to more effectively prepare graduates for the practice of law? This article offers a model for responding to that challenge developed by Gonzaga University School of Law. The article summarizes the forces pushing curricular reform in legal education, describes the process Gonzaga employed to comprehensively review its required curriculum, and presents Gonzaga’s revised required curriculum as one response to the challenge to prepare students to enter the profession upon graduation. Gonzaga’s revised required curriculum features two skills and professionalism labs in the first year of law school, second-year legal research and writing courses focused on litigation and transactional drafting, and a third-year externship or clinical experience.
Use of an Analytical Grading Rubric for Self-Assessment: A Pilot Study for a Periodontal Oral Competency Examination in Predoctoral Dental Education

While educators agree that using self-assessment in education is valuable, a major challenge is the poor agreement often found between faculty assessment and student self-assessment. The aim of this study was to determine if use of a predefined grading rubric would improve reliability between faculty and dental student assessment on a periodontal oral competency examination. Faculty members used the grading rubric to assess students' performance on the exam. Immediately after taking the exam, students used the same rubric to self-assess their performance on it. Data were collected from all third- and/or fourth-year students in four classes at one U.S. dental school from 2011 to 2014. Since two of the four classes took the exam in both the third and fourth years, those data were compared to determine if those students' self-assessment skills improved over time. Statistical analyses were performed to determine agreement between the two faculty graders and between the students' and faculty assessments on each criterion in the rubric and the overall grade. Data from the upper and lower performing quartiles of students were sub-analyzed. The results showed that faculty reliability for the overall grades was high (K=0.829) and less so for individual criteria, while student-faculty reliability was weak to moderate for both overall grades (Spearman's rho=0.312) and individual criteria. Students in the upper quartile self-evaluated themselves more harshly than the faculty (p<0.0001), while the lower quartile students overestimated their performance (p=0.0445) compared to faculty evaluation. No significant improvement was found in assessment over time in the students who took the exam in the third and fourth years. This study found only limited support for the hypothesis that a grading rubric used by both faculty and students would increase correspondence between faculty and student assessment and points to a need to reexamine the rubric and instructional strategies to help students improve their ability to self-assess their work.
Functionalization of Nanofibrous Spiral Structured Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

In the previous studies, we have successfully developed a novel spiral structured nanofibrous scaffolds with improved osteoconductivity for bone tissue engineering. The spiral structure design facilitates the nutrient transport and waste removal, and allows uniform cellular growth and distribution within the scaffolds, thus enhanced the bioactivity of the scaffolds. In this chapter, HAP and BMP-2 were incorporated within the nanofibrous spiral scaffolds in order to enhance the osteoinductivity of the established system. The effect of the blending materials was evaluated through cell proliferation, cell differentiation of human osteoblast cells seeded on the scaffolds and cultured for 4 and 8 days. The results has demonstrated that the functionalization of PCL nanofibrous spiral scaffolds leads to higher ALP expression level and increased amount of mineralization level however lower cell proliferation rate.
High-level disinfection of gastrointestinal endoscope reprocessing

High level disinfection (HLD) of the gastrointestinal (GI) endoscope is not simply a slogan, but rather is a form of experimental monitoring-based medicine. By definition, GI endoscopy is a semicritical medical device. Hence, such medical devices require major quality assurance for disinfection. And because many of these items are temperature sensitive, low-temperature chemical methods, such as liquid chemical germicide, must be used rather than steam sterilization. In summarizing guidelines for infection prevention and control for GI endoscopy, there are three important steps that must be highlighted: manual washing, HLD with automated endoscope reprocessor, and drying. Strict adherence to current guidelines is required because compared to any other medical device, the GI endoscope is associated with more outbreaks linked to inadequate cleaning or disinfecting during HLD. Both experimental evaluation on the surveillance bacterial cultures and in-use clinical results have shown that, the monitoring of the stringent processes to prevent and control infection is an essential component of the broader strategy to ensure the delivery of safe endoscopy services, because endoscope reprocessing is a multistep procedure involving numerous factors that can interfere with its efficacy. Based on our years of experience in the surveillance of culture monitoring of endoscopic reprocessing, we aim in this study to carefully describe what details require attention in the GI endoscopy disinfection and to share our experience so that patients can be provided with high quality and safe medical practices. Quality management encompasses all aspects of pre- and post-procedural care including the efficiency of the endoscopy unit and reprocessing area, as well as the endoscopic procedure itself.
Reply to Schreiber and Banks

I appreciate the useful comments of Robert Schreiber and Seymour Banks. This note is not intended as a rejoinder. Rather it acknowledges, once more, the limitations of incremental analysis and indicates the nature of appropriate remedies. As will be recalled, I did not recommend any particular objective function for media selection, and I agree with Schreiber that it is usually desirable to take into account the decay of advertising effects over time. However, there are circumstances when the use of models without time discounting is appropriate. Schreiber will no doubt recall a useful distinction which Alec Lee
Young adult female cancer survivors' unmet information needs and reproductive concerns contribute to decisional conflict regarding posttreatment fertility preservation.

BACKGROUND Many young adult female cancer survivors (YAFCS) are at risk of experiencing premature menopause. The current study characterized the posttreatment fertility information needs, reproductive concerns, and decisional conflict regarding future options for posttreatment fertility preservation (FP) among YAFCS. METHODS Participants completed a Web-based, anonymous survey between February and March 2015. The survey included investigator-designed questions of perceived information needs, the Reproductive Concerns After Cancer Scale, and the Decisional Conflict Scale. Analyses included Pearson correlation coefficients, independent-sample Student t tests, and multiple regression. RESULTS There was a total of 346 participants with an average age of 29.9 years (SD = 4.1 years) who were 4.9 years from treatment (SD = 5.4 years [range, 0-27 years]). The main analyses focused on a subgroup of YAFCS with uncertain fertility status who had not previously undergone/attempted FP and either wanted future children or were unsure (179 women). Across fertility information topics, 43% to 62% of participants reported unmet information needs. The greatest reproductive concerns were related to fertility potential and the health of future offspring. The regression model controlled for a priori covariates including current age, age at treatment completion, income, relationship status, nulliparity, and prior fertility evaluation. Greater unmet information needs were found to be related to greater decisional conflict (β = .43; p<.001); greater reproductive concerns were associated at the trend level (β = .14, p = .08; F[8,118] = 6.42, p<.001). CONCLUSIONS YAFCS with limited awareness or knowledge of their risk of experiencing premature menopause and FP options reported higher levels of decisional conflict regarding future FP. Posttreatment survivorship care should include comprehensive reproductive health counseling, including posttreatment FP options and family-building alternatives. Cancer 2016;122:2101–9. © 2016 American Cancer Society.