cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Occupational Exposures and Metabolic Syndrome Among Hispanics/Latinos: Cross-Sectional Results From the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).

OBJECTIVE We assessed the cross-sectional relationships of self-reported current occupational exposures to solvents, metals, and pesticides with metabolic syndrome and its components among 7127 participants in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. METHODS Metabolic syndrome was defined as a clustering of abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high blood pressure, and/or high fasting glucose. Regression models that incorporated inverse probability of exposure weighting were used to estimate prevalence ratios. RESULTS Solvent exposure was associated with a 32% higher prevalence of high blood pressure (95% confidence interval: 1.09 to 1.60) than participants not reporting exposure. No associations were observed for occupational exposures with abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein, or metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that solvent exposure may be an important occupational risk factor for high blood pressure among Hispanics/Latinos in the United States.
Parallel Colorimetric Quantification of Choline and Phosphocholine as a Method for Studying Choline Kinase Activity in Complex Mixtures

Choline kinase (Chok) is an enzyme found in eukaryotes and Gram-positive bacteria. Chok catalyzes the production of phosphocholine from choline and ATP. This enzyme has been validated as a drug target in Streptococcus pneumonia, but the role Chok enzymatic activity plays in bacterial cell growth and division is not well understood. Phosphocholine production by Chok and its attenuation by inhibitors in the context of complex samples such as cell extracts can currently be quantified by several methods. These include choline depletion measurements, radioactive methods, mass-spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance. The first does not measure phosphocholine directly, the second requires elaborate safety procedures, and the third and fourth require significant capital investments and technical expertise. For these reasons, a less expensive, higher throughput, more easily accessible assay is needed to facilitate further study in Gram-positive Choks. Here, we present the development of a triiodide/activated charcoal/molybdenum blue system for detecting and quantifying choline and phosphocholine in parallel. We demonstrate that this system can reliably quantify changes in choline and phosphocholine concentrations over time in Chok enzymatic assays using cell extracts as the source of the enzyme. This is an easily accessible, convenient, robust, and economical method for studying Chok activity in complex samples. The triiodide/activated charcoal/molybdenum blue system opens new doors into the study choline kinase in Gram-positive pathogens.
Model and Analysis for the Onset of Parkinsonian Firing Patterns in a Simplified Basal Ganglia.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a degenerative neurological disease that disrupts the movement cycle in the basal ganglia. As the disease progresses, dopamine depletion leads to changes to how the basa...
Validation of the newly proposed American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) breast cancer prognostic staging group and proposing a new staging system using the National Cancer Database.

The eighth edition of AJCC cancer staging manual incorporated biomarker status into the prognostic staging group (PSG). We used data from National Cancer Database (NCDB) to validate and improve the PSG. All patients had surgery and at least some systemic treatment (endocrine therapy, chemotherapy or HER2 targeted therapy). Information from 420,520 patients was assessed for potential predictors of overall survival (OS), including age at diagnosis (age), tumor grade (G), hormonal receptor and HER2 status, and presence of lymph vascular invasion (LVI), stratified by stage or sub-stages. Based on the multivariate Cox analyses, we built different point systems to predict OS and evaluated the different point systems by Akaike’s information criterion (AIC), Harrell’s concordance index (C-index), and Uno’s concordance index. Age, G, hormonal receptor and HER2 status, LVI and being TNBC were significantly associated with OS (all P < 0.0001). Three staging systems were correlated with OS: system 1 was the conventional anatomic TNM staging; system 2 included TNM, age, G, hormonal receptor, HER2, and LVI; system 3 included TNM, age, G, TNBC versus non-TNBC, and LVI. System 3 (C-index; 0.7316; AIC: 488138.91) achieved the best balance between predictive performance and goodness-of-fit to the NCDB data as compared to system 2 (C-index: 0.7325; AIC: 498087.73) and system 1 (C-index: 0.716; AIC: 688536.49). The new PSG is a better staging system than the conventional anatomic TNM system. Grouping breast cancer into TNBC versus non-TNBC may be simpler while retaining similar accuracy as using ER/PR/HER2 status to predict OS.
Quantitative analysis of the safety and efficacy of microvascular decompression for patients with trigeminal neuralgia above and below 65 years of age

Abstract For medically-refractory trigeminal neuralgia (TN), microvascular decompression (MVD) is the first-line treatment, and has demonstrated the greatest efficacy and durability. However, due to potential surgical complications, a bias may exist against performing MVD in elderly patients. We sought to determine through a quantitative analysis whether MVD in the elderly is a safe and effective procedure for TN. We completed a Pubmed/SCOPUS literature search up to 12/2016 for eligible studies on MVD for TN. Only research articles with age stratification of results were included. In this quantitative analysis, we analyzed the data for the six articles identified in the literature comparing MVD for a group of patients ≥65 years with an elderly group
Local Tax Planning with AHP and Delphi

A tax model for the city of Richmond is developed and tested, in close cooperation with local public leaders and with tax experts. To construct and test the model, Expert Choice, a commercially available decision support system based on the analytic hierarchy process is used. A Delphi approach is used to have tax experts compare the alternative tax plans with respect to specific decision criteria.
Structure-Activity and Structure-Selectivity Relations for Reactions of Carboxylic Acids on TiO2 (001) Surfaces

Abstract The reactions of carboxylic acids were investigated on a TiO2 (001) single crystal surface which exhibits two stable faceted structures upon annealing at different temperatures. The {011}-faceted structure contains only Ti+4 cations which are five-fold coordinated, and the {114}-faceted structure exposes Ti+4 cations which are four-, five-, and six-fold coordinated. It was observed that the dissociation, reduction, and dehydration of carboxylic acids require only one degree of coordinative unsaturation of the surface cations and are therefore relatively insensitive to surface structural transformations, since both faceted structures of the TiO2 (001) surface contain five-fold coordinated cations. However, the bimolecular ketonization of acetates to acetone and of acrylates to divinylketone was only observed on the {114}-faceted structure and is, therefore, a structure-sensitive reaction. This reaction requires two coordination vacancies on a common cation to accommodate the pair of carboxylate species to be coupled. This latter result suggests that the active site for bimolecular ketonization is analogous to that on Ziegler-Natta catalysts for the oligomerization and polymerization of olefins.
Feature Selection in High-Dimensional Classification

High-dimensional discriminant analysis is of fundamental importance in multivariate statistics. Existing theoretical results sharply characterize different procedures, providing sharp convergence results for the classification risk, as well as the l2 convergence results to the discriminative rule. However, sharp theoretical results for the problem of variable selection have not been established, even though model interpretation is of importance in many scientific domains. In this paper, we bridge this gap by providing sharp sufficient conditions for consistent variable selection using the ROAD estimator (Fan et al., 2010). Our results provide novel theoretical insights for the ROAD estimator. Sufficient conditions are complemented by the necessary information theoretic limits on variable selection in high-dimensional discriminant analysis. This complementary result also establishes optimality of the ROAD estimator for a certain family of problems.
Postburn respiratory injuries in children.

Respiratory tract injury is a leading cause of mortality, morbidity, and prolonged hospitalization in fire casualties. Direct insults include inhalation of superheated gas, steam, smoke, or toxic fumes. Indirect injury may result from interference with the mechanics of respiration. Pulmonary injuries result from sepsis, fluid overload, endogenous reactive substances, and “shock lung,” and also occur secondary to metabolic disturbances resulting from hypoxia.
Memories of an undercover attending: Reflections on completing a second residency training

AbstractThe author, originally a full-trained psychiatrist in his home country, describes his personal experience as a resident physician in the Unites States, from a critical standpoint. The chall...
Stress-induced neuron remodeling reveals differential interplay between neurexin and environmental factors

ABSTRACT Neurexins are neuronal adhesion molecules important for synapse maturation, function, and plasticity. Neurexins have been genetically associated with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and schizophrenia, but can have variable penetrance and phenotypic severity. Heritability studies indicate that a significant percentage of risk for ASD and schizophrenia includes environmental factors, highlighting the poorly understood interplay between genetic and environmental factors in pathogenesis of these disorders. The singular C. elegans ortholog of human neurexins, nrx-1, controls experience-dependent morphologic remodeling of a GABAergic neuron in adult males. Here I show that this GABAergic neuron’s morphology is altered in response to each of three environmental stressors (nutritional, heat, or genotoxic stress) applied during sexual maturation, but not during adulthood. Increased outgrowth of axon-like neurites following adolescent stress results from an altered morphologic plasticity that occurs upon entry into adulthood. Despite axonal remodeling being induced by each of the three stressors, only nutritional stress (starvation) impacts behavior and is dependent on neurexin/nrx-1. Heat or genotoxic stress during sexual maturation did not alter behavior despite inducing GABAergic neuron remodeling, and this remodeling was independent of neurexin/nrx-1. Remodeling induced by starvation stress was found be dependent on neuroligin/nlg-1, the canonical binding partner for neurexin/nrx-1, as well as the stress signaling transcription factors FOXO/daf-16 and HSF1/hsf-1, each of which was also found to have unique roles in remodeling induced by heat and UV stress. The differential molecular mechanisms underlying GABAergic neuron remodeling in response to different stressors, and the disparate effects of stressors on behavior, is a novel paradigm for understanding how genetics, environmental exposures, and plasticity may contribute to brain dysfunction in ASDs and schizophrenia.
Borderlands of slavery: the struggle over captivity and peonage in the American Southwest

In an 1861 response to editorial comments issued in the antislavery New-York Daily Tribune, Miguel A. Otero, New Mexico’s delegate to Congress, forcefully defended the common practice of peonage in...
Simple Synthesis of Elastomeric Photomechanical Switches That Self‐Heal

This article introduces a simple two-stage method to synthesize and program a photomechanical elastomer (PME) for light-driven artificial muscle-like actuations in soft robotics. First, photochromic azobenzene molecules are covalently attached to a polyurethane backbone via a two-part step-growth polymerization. Next, mechanical alignment is applied to induce anisotropic deformations in the PME-actuating films. Cross-linked through dynamic hydrogen bonds, the PMEs also possess autonomic self-healing properties without external energy input. This self-healing allows for a single alignment step of the PME film and subsequent "cut and paste" assembly for multi-axis actuation of a self-folded soft-robotic gripper from a single degree of freedom optical input.
Gadolinium vanadate nanocrystals as carriers of α-emitters (225Ac, 227Th) and contrast agents

Gadolinium vanadate (GdVO4) core and core + 2 shell nanocrystals (NCs) were evaluated for in vitro retention of 225Ac, 227Th, and their first decay daughters, 221Fr and 223Ra, respectively. GdVO4 NCs with a tetragonal crystal system (zircon-type) and spherical morphology were obtained by precipitation of GdCl3 and Na3VO4 using sodium citrate as a complexing agent. The growth of two nonradioactive GdVO4 shells on both Gd(225Ac)VO4 and Gd(227Th)VO4 core NCs was demonstrated by an increase of 0.7 nm and 2 nm in the crystallite size, respectively. The maximum leakage of 225Ac was 15% and 2.4% from core and core + 2 shells, whereas the leakage of 227Th was 3% and 1.5%, respectively. The presence of two nonradioactive GdVO4 shells increased the retention of 221Fr and 223Ra by 20% and 15% with respect to core NCs. Furthermore, a longitudinal proton relaxivity, r1 = 0.9289 s−1 mM−1, confirmed their potential application as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. In summary, GdVO4 NCs show promising capabilities as radionuclide carriers with partial retention of decay daughters and as contrast agents for theranostic applications.
Druz’ia ponevole: Rossiia i bukharskie evrei, 1800–1917 [Reluctant Friends: Russia and Bukharan Jews, 1800–1917]: by Al’bert Kaganovitch, Moscow, Novoe Literaturnoe Obozrenie, 2016, 528 pp, ₽588.00, ISBN 978-5-4448-0295-3

While the Russian conquest of Central Asia in the 1860s doubled the size of the Muslim population of the empire, it also brought into the empire a small community of indigenous Persian-speaking Jew...
Cylindrical Transducer for Intravascular ARFI Imaging: Design and Feasibility

Intravascular acoustic radiation force impulse (IV-ARFI) imaging has the potential to identify vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques and improve clinical treatment decisions and outcomes for patients with coronary heart disease. Our long-term goal is to develop a thin, flexible catheter probe that does not require mechanical rotation to achieve high-resolution IV-ARFI imaging. In this work, we propose a novel cylindrical transducer array design for IV-ARFI imaging and investigate the feasibility of this approach. We present the construction of a 2.2-mm-long, 4.6-Fr cylindrical prototype transducer to demonstrate generating large ARFI displacements from a small toroidal beam, and we also present simulations of the proposed IV-ARFI cylindrical array design using Field II and a cylindrical finite-element model of vascular tissues and soft plaques. The prototype transducer was found to generate peak radial displacements of over $10~\mu \text{m}$ in soft gelatin phantoms, and simulations demonstrate the ability of the array design to obtain ARFI images and distinguish soft plaque targets from surrounding, stiffer vessel wall tissue. These results suggest that high-resolution IV-ARFI imaging is possible using a cylindrical transducer array.
Real-world Clinical Implementation of Lung Cancer Screening—Evaluating Processes to Improve Screening Guidelines-Concordance

Lung cancer screening (LCS) requires complex processes to identify eligible patients, provide appropriate follow-up, and manage findings. It is unclear whether LCS in real-world clinical settings will realize the same benefits as the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). To evaluate the impact of process modifications on compliance with LCS guidelines during LCS program implementation, and to compare patient characteristics and outcomes with those in NLST. Retrospective cohort study. Kaiser Permanente Colorado (KPCO), a non-profit integrated healthcare system. A total of 3375 patients who underwent a baseline lung cancer screening low-dose computed tomography (S-LDCT) scan between May 2014 and June 2017. Among those receiving an S-LDCT, proportion who met guidelines-based LCS eligibility criteria before and after LCS process modifications, differences in patient characteristics and outcomes between KPCO LCS patients and the NLST cohort, and factors associated with a positive screen. After modifying LCS eligibility confirmation processes, patients receiving S-LDCT who met guidelines-based LCS eligibility criteria increased from 45.6 to 92.7% (P < 0.001). Prior to changes, patients were older (68 vs. 67 years; P = 0.001), less likely to be current smokers (51.3% vs. 52.5%; P < 0.001), and less likely to have a ≥ 30-pack-year smoking history (50.0% vs. 95.3%; P < 0.001). Compared with NLST participants, KPCO LCS patients were older (67 vs. 60 years; P < 0.001), more likely to currently smoke (52.3% vs. 48.1%; P < 0.001), and more likely to have pulmonary disease. Among those with a positive baseline S-LDCT, the lung cancer detection rate was higher at KPCO (9.4% vs. 3.8%; P < 0.001) and was positively associated with prior pulmonary disease. Adherence to LCS guidelines requires eligibility confirmation procedures. Among those with a positive baseline S-LDCT, comorbidity burden and lung cancer detection rates were notably higher than in NLST, suggesting that the study of long-term outcomes in patients undergoing LCS in real-world clinical settings is warranted.
Going local: placing entrepreneurial microgeographies in a larger regional context

As cities seek to promote innovation, they are increasingly investing in localised institutional entrepreneurial supports. Some institutions are hyperlocal, operating within distinct geographic sub...
Impact of emotional intelligence training in a communication and ethics course among second-year dental students.

Emotional intelligence (EI) involves the awareness and management of personal and others' emotions. Although EI has been found to be positively associated with the academic performance of dental students, limited evidence exists regarding methods to improve the EI among dental students. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine whether the inclusion of EI training in a communication and ethics course would improve EI levels among dental students. METHODS Upon institutional review board exemption, this study used a pre-test/post-test research design. Second-year dental students, enrolled in a Communication and Ethics in Dentistry course, were invited to participate. Participants completed a survey of demographic questions and a 30-item Emotional Quotient Self-Assessment Checklist at the beginning and end of the course. Participants received reports of their pre-test and post-test EI scores. RESULTS Of the 120 enrolled, 97.5% (n = 117) completed the pre-test survey and 91.7% (n = 110) completed the post-test survey. Independent samples t-tests revealed significant improvements in EI scores from pre-test (M = 111.9, SD = 9.8) to post-test (M = 118.8, SD = 11.2) (P < 0.001). About 75% of participants agreed that knowing their EI scores was helpful in general, knowing their EI scores was helpful in the classroom setting, and the course content and course activities helped the improvement of EI scores. Nearly 90% of participants agreed that knowing their EI scores would be helpful in the clinical setting. CONCLUSION Future research should evaluate the longitudinal effects and impact of the EI training to determine how EI should be addressed in the overall dental curriculum.
The Last Years

In 1824, France had reverted to the splendor of the Bourbon monarchy. On September 16, the ailing King Louis XVIII died. His brother succeeded him to the throne as King Charles X of France. In the first few months of his rule, the government passed a series of laws that bolstered the power of the nobility and clergy, which met with particular public disapproval. This reign dramatized the failure of the Bourbons, after their restoration, to reconcile the tradition of the monarchy by divine right with the democratic spirit produced in the wake of the 1789 Revolution.
Effects of Inoculum Density and Cultivar Susceptibility on Rhizoctonia Damping-Off and Crown and Root Rot in Sugar Beet.

Damping-off and crown and root rot of sugar beet caused by Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis group 2-2 (AG 2-2) are important soilborne diseases in Minnesota and North Dakota. Management involves an i...
Optimization of Filtered Rayleigh Scattering for the Measurement of Pressure and Temperature

The stand-off measurements of temperature and pressure are important for a variety of physical and engineering processes. Filtered Rayleigh scattering (FRS) configurations that enhance and suppress...
E-cigarettes use in the United States: reasons for use, perceptions, and effects on health

Many researchers claim electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) to be a breakthrough invention for tobacco users that aspires to curb their addiction to conventional cigarettes. Claimed to be safer by their promoters, these smokeless devices have become increasingly popular since their arrival on the market among users of all ages, especially adolescents. This paper investigated the trends in e-cigarette usage since the time it arrived in the United States, highlighting the highest surge that has occurred in adolescent e-cigarette use. It also aimed to understand the reasons and perceptions behind the ever-increasing use of e-cigarettes by adolescents. With the advent of e-cigarettes and common positive perceptions regarding their use, we are at risk of reversing the years of efforts regarding tobacco control and instead advance towards a new addiction with currently unknown long-term health hazards. There is substantial data showing a significant increase of e-cigarette users in the United States, especially among adolescents. The aim of this review was to explore the reasons behind this widespread increase in the use of e-cigarettes among the teenage population in the US and also to uncover the common perceptions about these new electronic delivery systems. In addition, this review attempted to summarize health benefits and hazards associated with e-cigarette use as it crucial to have the right information among its users regarding the health effects of e-cigarette use. E-cigarettes are more appealing than c-cigarettes for a variety of reasons, including cost, choice of different flavors, ease of accessibility, and use and impact of social media. There are also different perceptions among e-cigarette users, including both adolescents and adults. The former group may use them because of the sense of fashion associated with this novel device, and the latter might intend to quit conventional/combustible cigarettes (c-cigarettes) by switching to e-cigarettes. However, it is important to note that e-cigarettes are a recent phenomenon; therefore, there is a lack of many long-term studies that can identify future health risks associated with e-cigarette use. We need more detailed studies that focus on the long-term health effects of e-cigarette use. Moreover, with the ever-increasing usage of e-cigarettes by adolescents (10 and 19 years), it is very important that e-cigarettes be incorporated into the current tobacco-free laws and ordinances. We conclude by stating that e-cigarettes need stronger regulations to prevent youth access and use.
Kinetic model of small RNA-mediated regulation suggests that a small RNA can regulate co-transcriptionally

Abstract Small RNAs (sRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression in bacteria, particularly during stress responses. Many genetically and biochemically well characterized sRNAs regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally, by affecting translation and degradation of the target mRNA after they bind to their targets through base pairing. However, how regulation at each of these levels quantitatively contributes to the overall efficacy of sRNA-mediated regulation is not well understood. Here we present a general approach combining imaging and mathematical modeling to determine kinetic parameters at different levels of sRNA-mediated gene regulation. Unexpectedly, our data reveal that certain previously characterized sRNAs are able to regulate some targets co-transcriptionally, rather strictly post-transcriptionally, and suggest that sRNA-mediated regulation can occur early in the mRNA’s lifetime, perhaps as soon as the sRNA binding site is transcribed. In addition, our data suggest several important kinetic steps that may determine the efficiency and differential regulation of multiple mRNA targets by an sRNA. Particularly, binding of sRNA to the target mRNA is likely the rate-limiting step and may dictate the regulation hierarchy observed within an sRNA regulon.
The potential of amifostine in high-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Amifostine treatment may allow chemotherapy dose increases beyond those permitted by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In a recent study in patients with solid tumors receiving a high-dose regimen of etoposide, ifosfamide, and carboplatin plus autologous stem cell transplantation, amifostine pretreatment was associated with significant reductions in time to neutrophil and thrombocyte engraftment, fewer days of neutropenic fever, less need for salvage antibiotic therapy. Also, there were significant reductions in grade 3 or 4 stomatitis/diarrhea, and delayed nausea/vomiting. A phase I/II study in patients with refractory/high-risk malignancies indicated that a 140% increase of high-dose melphalan (up to 280 mg/m2) can be safely used with amifostine and autologous stem cell transplantation with manageable mucosal toxicity and a reduced incidence of regimen-related toxicity. Preliminary findings in another phase II study indicate that melphalan 280 mg/m2 can also be safely used with amifostine/stem cell transplantation in the treatment of patients with myeloma. Additional studies are ongoing or planned to examine the potential hematoprotective and hematostimulating effects of amifostine in the setting of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation.
On the Target Pebbling Conjecture

Graph pebbling is a network optimization model for satisfying vertex demands with vertex supplies (called pebbles), with partial loss of pebbles in transit. The pebbling number of a demand in a graph is the smallest number for which every placement of that many supply pebbles satisfies the demand. The Target Conjecture (Herscovici-Hester-Hurlbert, 2009) posits that the largest pebbling number of a demand of fixed size $t$ occurs when the demand is entirely stacked on one vertex. This truth of this conjecture could be useful for attacking many open problems in graph pebbling, including the famous conjecture of Graham (1989) involving graph products. It has been verified for complete graphs, cycles, cubes, and trees. In this paper we prove the conjecture for 2-paths and Kneser graphs over pairs.
Psychological Tribes and Processes: Understanding Why and How Misinformation Persists

Under certain conditions, attempting to correct misinformation ironically result in its strengthening. In the current integrative review, I draw upon cognitive, motivational, and social psychology and political science literatures to examine instances of correction failure that are due to individuals’ intentional rejection of attempted corrections, which I refer to as intentional correction resistance. The review highlighted that when individuals are faced with corrections that target misconceptions that are closely associated with individual and group identity, identity-protective motivation may explain why intentional correction resistance occurs. Further, the review also identified several mechanisms that may explain how this phenomenon occurs, including validation, distrust, inhibition failure, disfluency, threat appraisal, negative moral emotions, motivated reasoning, and reactance. By sketching out potential antecedents and consequences of this costly phenomenon, I hope that researchers and educators may have a more complete theoretical picture with which to enhance the effectiveness of corrective efforts.
Inferential model predictive control of blow-line fiber morphology in a continuous pulp digester via multiscale modeling

Since the fiber morphology of cooked chips (e.g., cell wall thickness) determines paper mechanical properties, desired fiber morphologies need to be precisely achieved during pulping. In this work, a multiscale model for a continuous pulp digester is developed by integrating a well-known macroscopic model (i.e., extended Purdue model) and a microscopic model (i.e., kinetic Monte Carlo algorithm) to describe the spatiotemporal evolution of wood chips and cooking liquor during Kraft pulping. Then, an approximate model is identified to circumvent the high computational requirement of the proposed multiscale model, followed by designing a soft sensor to infer the primary outputs. Lastly, a model-based feedback controller is designed to regulate the blow-line Kappa number (i.e., residual lignin content at the bottom of the continuous pulp digester) and cell wall thickness to desired values.
Trump’s Policy of Putting Kids in Cages: Six Dead, Thousands Separated From Parents, Making America Great Again?

For the first time in history, the U.S. executive branch enacted an immigration policy designed to inflict such pain and trauma on children and their families so as to dissuade families from Latin America from coming to the U.S. seeking asylum. With six children dead and thousands separated from their families, we continue to learn more about the atrocities inflicted on these migrants seeking a better life. Women were subjected to nonconsensual hysterectomies, families were tortured, and the toxic stress inflicted may require years to resolve. This article seeks accountability for the intentional acts imposed by the U.S. government in the form of possible legal remedies. This policy marks the lowest point in U.S. immigration policy, a country with origins rooted in reliance on migrants from every part of the world to make the nation a better place.
Isolated aneurysms of the spinal circulation: a systematic review of the literature

Aneurysms arising in the spinal circulation are rare and underreported. The objective of this study was to systematically review the English literature on different aspects of isolated spinal aneurysms using the PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases. Eighty-two papers reporting 107 individual patient cases were included. Most isolated spinal aneurysms have a fusiform morphology, and are most commonly found in the anterior spinal artery at the thoracic or cervical levels. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is the most common form of presentation, and sudden onset back pain is the most common initial symptom. The diagnosis of spinal aneurysms requires a high degree of clinical suspicion. Because of their small size, they can be missed on CT/MR angiography and spinal angiogram may be employed. Treatment of spinal aneurysms should be individualized on a case-by-case basis. Conservative management can be a valid option in spinal aneurysms where the risk of treatment is high. Surgical or endovascular intervention may be indicated in cases of significant or progressive neurologic decline due aneurysmal mass effect, or progressive growth of the aneurysm despite conservative treatment.
Strategies for Intervention with Families of Brain-Injured Patients

The advent of rapid advances in the acute neurosurgical management of head-injured adults during the past decade has given rise to an ever-increasing number of survivors of severe brain injury. Epidemiological studies have indicated that the vast proportion of this population are young adults, usually between the ages of 15 to 30 (Rimel, 1979). Despite a prolonged period of unconsciousness (usually a week or more) and resultant evidence of focal or diffuse brain damage, a majority of the survivors regain the ability to ambulate and perform most self-care activities independently (e.g., bathing, grooming, dressing, etc.). However, unlike other severely disabled adults (e.g., spinal cord injury), the brain-injured adult usually displays a variety of cognitive and behavioral deficits that adversely affect the patient’s ability to function effectively within the community and family system. Such deficits are often of indefinite duration and can result in prolonged dependence on family members. This state of dependence is often linked to the inability of the head-injured adult to achieve an adequate measure of social and vocational rehabilitation.
Mit Leadership, Unternehmenskultur und gelebten Werten zu echter Identifikation

Unternehmenskultur ist in aller Munde. Eine Firma ohne Unternehmenskultur – undenkbar. Doch wenn wir nachfragen, was genau mit dem Begriff gemeint ist, erhalten wir zumeist unbefriedigende und vor allem wenig konkrete Antworten. Ein Leader sollte sich verdeutlichen, was „Kultur“ uberhaupt bedeutet und was sie mit Leadership zu tun hat.
The Predicted Performance of a Flapper-Nozzle Valve: Comparison with Experiment

Analysis, conducted on the flapper-nozzle stage of a two-stage electrohydraulic controller, shows that calculated equilibrium control pressures, stage gain, and frequency response characteristics agree closely with values obtained experimentally. The analysis applies to any general flapper-nozzle combination, and flow-pressure equations and flapper dynamic properties are recorded.
Semi-Applicative Programming. Examples of Context Free Recognizers.

Abstract : Most current parallel programming languages are designed with a sequential programming language as the base language and have added constructs that allow parallel execution. We are experimenting with an applicative base language that has implicit parallelism everywhere, and then we introduce constructs that inhibit parallelism. The base language uses pure LISP as a foundation and blends in interesting features of Prolog and FP. Proper utilization of available machine resources is a crucial concern of programmers. We advocate several techniques of controlling the behavior of functional programs without changing their meaning or functionality: program annotation with constructs that have benign side-effects, program transformation and adaptive scheduling. This combination yields us a semi-applicative programming language and an interesting programming methodology. This paper deals with context-free parsing as an illustration of semi-applicative programming. Starting with the specification of a context-free recognizer, we have been successful in deriving variants of the recognition algorithm of Cocke-Kasami-Younger.
NEUROTROPHINS INDUCE NEUROPROTECTIVE SIGNALING IN THE RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIAL CELL BY ACTIVATING THE SYNTHESIS OF THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTI-APOPTOTIC NEUROPROTECTIN D1

The integrity of retinal pigment epithelial cells is critical for photoreceptor cell survival and vision. The essential omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid, attains its highest concentration in the human body in photoreceptors. Docosahexaenoic acid is the essential precursor of neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1). NPD1 acts against apoptosis mediated by A2E, a byproduct of phototransduction that becomes toxic when it accumulates in aging retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and in some inherited retinal degenerations. Here we also describe that neurotrophins, mainly pigment epithelium-derived factor, induce NPD1 synthesis and its polarized apical secretion, suggesting paracrine and autocrine bioactivity of this lipid mediator. In addition, DHA elicits a concentration-dependent and selective potentiation of pigment epithelial-derived factor-stimulated NPD1 synthesis and release through the apical RPE cell surface. The bioactivity of signaling activated by PEDF and DHA demonstrates synergistic cytoprotection when cells were challenged with oxidative stress, resulting in concomitant NPD1 synthesis. Also, DHA and PEDF synergistically activate anti-apoptotic protein expression and decreased pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein expression and caspase 3 activation during oxidative stress. Thus, DHA-derived NPD1 protects against RPE cell damage mediated by aging/disease-induced A2E accumulation. Also, neurotrophins are regulators of NPD1 synthesis and of its polarized apical efflux from RPE cells. Therefore, NPD1 may elicit autocrine and paracrine bioactivity in cells located in the proximity of the interphotoreceptor matrix.
Conflict of Laws and Functionally Restricted Substantive Rules

SINCE THE IMPACT of legal positivism on private international law at the end of the nineteenth century engendered or strengthened the national or local approach to the choice of law, conflicts scholars have become interested in describing the conflicts rules actually in force in each jurisdiction. To this end, they have also attempted to bring together and articulate those conflicts rules that might be scattered and half-concealed among the substantive rules constituting the bulk of national statutes and codes.
Frequency Estimation and Generalized Lomb-Scargle Periodograms

Using Bayesian probability theory we demonstrate that the Lomb-Scargle periodogram may be generalized in a straightforward manner to nonuniformly nonsimultaneously sampled quadrature data when the sinusoid has a arbitrary amplitude modulation. This generalized Lomb-Scargle periodogram is the sufficient statistic for single frequency estimation in real uniformly sampled data, to frequency estimation for a single sinusoid having exponential, Gaussian, or arbitrary amplitude modulation. In addition we define the bandwidth of a nonuniformly sampled data set and show that the phenomenon of aliases exists in both uniformly and nonuniformly sampled data and that the phenomenon has the same cause in both types of data. Finally, we show that nonuniform sampling does not affect the accuracy of the frequency estimates; although it may affect the accuracy of the amplitude estimates.
Satisfaction in the Practice of Law: Findings from a Long-Term Study of Attorneys' Careers

For forty years beginning in the late 1960s, the University of Michigan Law School conducted annual surveys of its alumni. The project included fifty successive graduating classes, with all but the most recent classes surveyed more than once. Over thirteen thousand alumni participated. Over the forty years, American legal education and the American legal profession underwent huge changes. When the study began, there were almost no women or minority students at Michigan and very few in the country as a whole. The vast majority of all students and lawyers were white and male. By the end, white men constituted far less than half of the students not only at Michigan but also at the huge majority of other law school in the United States. Similarly at the beginning of the survey, the overwhelming majority of Michigan graduates and law-school graduates in general began their careers in solo practice or in very small law firms. Few firms with more than one hundred lawyers even existed. By the end, more than half of Michigan students started their careers in firms of more than two hundred, and many started in firms of over a thousand.This article focuses on a theme that runs through all the graduating years – the varied satisfaction of graduates with their careers. Our findings, though necessarily limited to one school’s graduates, seem likely to apply to the experiences of most practitioners regardless of the school from which they graduated. Some findings may be surprising. We have found, for example, that, among Michigan’s graduates five, fifteen and twenty-five years out of law school, for both men and women, overall work satisfaction is much more closely related to perceptions of the social value of their work and the quality of their relations with co-workers than it is to their satisfaction with income or with their prestige in the community. This finding helps make more explicable another of our findings – that, on the whole, women practitioners are somewhat more satisfied than men – since it appears that, in general, women place a higher priority than men finding employment in settings where the work (as they view it) has comparatively high social value and where they are likely to have especially good relations with coworkers.
Digoxin and the susceptibility of the canine heart to countershock-induced arrhythmia

This study investigated the effects of therapeutic and subtoxic doses of digoxin on the risk of ventricular tachycardia (VT) after graded, transthoracic shocks in anesthetized dogs. A series of direct current shocks (5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150 and 200 J) was delivered to 33 normal dogs and 6 dogs with a healed (32 +/- 7 days) myocardial infarct (MI). In 10 untreated dogs, the duration of post-shock VT was highly reproducible when 3 separate series of shocks were delivered at 2-hour intervals. In 6 normal dogs treated with oral digoxin (0.5 mg/day for 5 to 7 days), a series of shocks delivered before and during treatment (serum levels 1.5 +/- 0.5 ng/ml) resulted in the same duration of post-shock VT. In 18 normal and 6 dogs with MI, a series of shocks was given before and 90 minutes after a therapeutic dose of digoxin (0.05 mg/kg intravenously). At this dose of digitalis (serum level 2.5 +/- 1.0 ng/ml), there was no difference in the duration of post-shock VT in either normal dogs or dogs with MI. A third series of shocks was given after achieving subtoxic digitalization with additional intravenous digoxin (0.01 mg/kg) every 30 minutes until a premature ventricular stimulus evoked a repetitive ventricular response. The subtoxic doses of digitalis (serum levels 13.9 +/- 4.7 ng/ml) increased the duration of post-shock VT in both normal dogs (100%) and dogs with MI (700%) (p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Ultracold gases: Shock cooling a universe

Rapid cooling across a phase transition leaves behind defects; from domain walls in magnets to cosmic strings. The Kibble–Zurek mechanism that describes this formation of defects is seen at work in the spontaneous creation of solitons in an atomic Bose–Einstein condensate.
Implementing BitLocker Drive Encryption for forensic analysis

This paper documents the BitLocker Drive Encryption system included with some versions of Microsoft's Windows Vista. In particular it describes the key management system, the algorithms and modes used, and the metadata format. Particular attention is given to methods forensic examiners can use to access protected data. There are some unanswered questions about how the cryptosystem operates, including an undocumented key management decision. This decision could allow, in a particular usage scenario, unauthorized access to a protected volume.
Bone Plug Versus Suture-Only Fixation of Meniscal Grafts Effect on Joint Contact Mechanics During Simulated Gait

Background:Meniscus allograft transplantation (MAT) is primarily undertaken to relieve the symptoms associated with meniscal deficiencies. However, its ability to restore normal knee joint contact mechanics under physiological loads is still unclear.Purpose:To quantify the dynamic contact mechanics associated with 2 commonly used fixation techniques in MAT of the medial compartment: transosseous suture fixation via bone plugs and suture-only fixation at the horns.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:Physiological loads to mimic gait were applied across 7 human cadaveric knees on a simulator. A sensor placed on the medial tibial plateau recorded dynamic contact stresses under the following conditions: (1) intact meniscus, (2) MAT using transosseous suture fixation via bone plugs at the anterior and posterior horns, (3) MAT using suture-only fixation, and (4) total medial meniscectomy. A “remove-replace” procedure was performed to place the same autograft for both MAT conditions to minimize the ...
When IT Slows Down the Pace of Change: Upgrading Business Systems at Braebill Company

This case discusses the process and challenges of identifying and adopting an ERP system at Braebill Company. The desire to investigate ERP solutions was brought about by their recent adoption of Lean Manufacturing and its associated kaizen events, which allowed them to change their business processes very quickly. However, their homegrown IT systems are difficult to change, and cannot always accommodate the rapid changes in the business processes. IT management wants to adopt a new ERP system to replace many of their existing homegrown systems. This process is complicated by the need for significant flexibility in the adopted system, by a desire to standardize platforms across all companies held by Braebill, and by a previous effort by a sister company to adopt an ERP system. The Braebill IT organization will have to navigate a complex political and organizational environment to successfully adopt an adequate ERP system.
Individual differences in temperament of domestic dairy goats: constancy and change

Change is an essential property of development, yet some element of stability or consistency is necessary for the maintenance of individual distinctiveness. The issues of constancy and change were addressed in a study of individual differences in temperament of domestic dairy goats, Capra hircus. Within-individual stability was assessed on an absolute basis by evaluating changes in mean scores on five behavioural measures monitored in goat-human encounters at 14, 22 and 30 weeks of age. Between-individual stability was examined by comparing rank orders of individuals across successive ages and situations. Human-reared goats consistently expressed low levels of timidity. Behaviour of dam-reared goats increasingly resembled that of human-reared goats, while relative individual differences remained stable. Individual differences in timidity scores, derived from five interrelated behaviour measures, reliably predicted differences in pituitary-adrenal responsiveness at 14–30 weeks and behavioural outcomes in five different situations at 55 weeks. Timidity scores of all dam-reared goats exceeded scores of human-reared goats. Among seven pairs of fraternal twins, a goat's rank within the dam-reared group predicted its sibling's rank within the human-reared group. An individual's genotype and its early postnatal environment both contributed to processes underlying the development of stable individual differences in temperament of domestic dairy goats.
Cognitive and functional resilience despite molecular evidence of Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Abstract Background The correlation between neuropathological lesions and cognition is modest. Some individuals remain cognitively intact despite the presence of significant Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, whereas others manifest cognitive symptoms and dementia in the same context. The aim of the present study was to examine cognitive and cerebral reserve factors associated with resilient functioning in the setting of AD pathology. Methods University of Pennsylvania Alzheimer's Disease Center research participants with biochemical biomarker evidence of AD pathology (cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β 1-42 1) or AD resilient (CDR-SOB ≤0.5). Groups were compared for a variety of demographic, clinical, and neuroimaging variables to identify factors that are associated with resilience to AD pathology. Results A univariate model identified education and intracranial volume (ICV) as significant covariates. In a multivariate model with backward selection procedure, ICV was retained as a factor most significantly associated with resilience. The interaction term between ICV and education was not significant, suggesting that larger cranial vault size is associated with resilience even in the absence of more education. Conclusions Premorbid brain volume, as measured through ICV, provided protection against clinical manifestations of dementia despite evidence of significant accumulations of AD pathology. This finding provides support for the brain reserve hypothesis of resilience to AD.