cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pragmatism in student voice practice: What does it take to sustain a counter-normative reform in the long-term?

Youth self-determination has been shown to be key to supporting youth engagement in school. However, the latent custodial and sorting functions of schooling often interfere with reform efforts that seek to change the nature of the central relationship of schooling—that of teacher and student. While many studies exist of short-term reform efforts, few long-term efforts in the United States have successfully persisted. This study is a longitudinal, embedded case study of a network of high schools, supported by an intermediary organization, committed to elevating student voice. Through a critical examination of the rapid prototyping approach the intermediary organization credits with the long-terms success of its program, I trace the adaptations of student voice theory and practice that occurred across 17 schools over a period of 5 years. I find that key adaptations that buffered organizational pressures—most notably teacher resistance to student voice—also moved the initiative away from the equity-focus that it embraced in early iterations. These findings point to the significance of value clarity in counter-normative reforms committed to developmental change and the challenges of avoiding the trap of only enriching the experiences of the most advantaged students.
CHAPTER 36 – How Do Voltage-Gated Channels Sense the Membrane Potential?

Voltage-gated ion channels transduce changes in the membrane electric field into changes in membrane permeability. These channels consist of four similar or identical subunits, each containing six α-helical transmembrane segments (S1–S6) and a pore-forming loop (P-loop). The subunits may assemble from one continuous polypeptide chain, as is the case for voltage-gated Na + and Ca ++ channels, or from four separate chains, as is the case for K + channels. Each subunit of a voltage-gated channel contains two functionally distinct domains. Depolarization drives conformational changes in the voltage-sensing domains that cause the activation gate to open and the slow inactivation gate to close. Channels conduct ions when both gates are open simultaneously. Usually the activation gate responds more quickly, yielding a transient current at depolarized potentials; however, in some channels (e.g., hERG), the inactivation gate responds more quickly, resulting in a transient current upon repolarization.
Orderliness of Visual Stimulus Motion Mediates Sensorimotor Coordination

We explored the coupling of gaze and postural sway to the motion of a visual stimulus, to further understand sensorimotor coordination. Visual stimuli consisted of a horizontally oscillating red dot, moving with periodic (sine), chaotic, or aperiodic (brown noise) temporal structure. Cross Recurrence Quantification Analysis (cRQA) was used to investigate the coupling between each measured signal with the time series of the visual stimulus position. The cRQA parameter of Percent Determinism indicated similar strength of coupling of gaze with either periodic or chaotic motion structures, yet weaker coupling to aperiodic stimulus motion. The cRQA parameter of Maxline indicated a particular affinity towards chaotic motion. Analysis of postural coupling supports the idea that the complex periodicity of body sway affords interactivity with non-simple environmental dynamics. These results collectively strengthen the argument that chaos is an invariant and beneficial feature of biological motion, a feature which may be critical for immediate and robust coordination of the self with the environment and other environmental agents.
The USA outlook on outdoor air pollution – from science to regulation

The USA outlook on outdoor air pollution – from science to regulation Presenter: Dan Greenbaum, Health Effects Institute, USA; dgreenbaum@healtheffects.org Since the passage of the US Clean Air Act...
"TEACHING TABLE:" Getting the Most Out of Your RSS Reader

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) allows users to aggregate information resources, making it easier to view content from around the web in one single place. Most sites with dynamic content include inÂ RSSÂ feedÂ link that users can use to connect they content they like to read with an RSS reader. While many of us use RSS on a daily basis to read our favorite blogs and news sites, RSS readers also have the potential to simplify academic work life and serve as research tools that enhance the educational environment. This session will describe some of the many instructional uses of RSS, as well as demonstrating an example of an RSS reader that houses research-Â­â€related content in a specific field. An RSS reader can help faculty and graduate students in any discipline manage their own research and professional development opportunities, as well as servingÂ asÂ a research tool for undergraduates in the classroom. Outside of the classroom, faculty can use RSS feeds to stay abreast of research in their own fields of study as they prepare for teaching or research, for professional development purposes such as monitoring calls for papers and upcoming conferences, or job searches. For teaching purposes, RSS readers may be used to aggregate student discussion blogs from multiple classes for easy viewing. Faculty may also consider compiling course content related RSS feeds to include inside of Blackboard or other online course space, which students could then use to monitor over the course of a semester. Also, students working on research papers or projects may create library database search feeds in order to receiveÂ updates each time a new article appears in the database that is related to their topic. The session will go over the basics of getting started with RSS readers and demonstrate howÂ to set up a RSS feed based on a library database topic search.
Accessing the decarboxylative allylation–divinylcyclopropane-cycloheptadiene rearrangement from the ketone/aldehyde substrate pool

Abstract Herein reported is access to allyl γ-butyrolactones and caprolactones that can undergo decarboxylative allylation/divinylcyclopropane–cycloheptadiene rearrangement. The overall sequence is brief (5 steps from commercial ketones/aldehydes) and yields diverse cycloheptadienes. The key decarboxylative allylation/divinylcyclopropane–cycloheptadiene rearrangement was unknown at the outset of our studies but recently reported by the Nemoto group. We disclose a complementary study to Nemoto's that further demonstrates the value of this transformation. Specifically, new routes to the key substrates are disclosed that ultimately results in improved scope of target cycloheptadienes.
Breviario versus grimorio: crítica, canon y creación en Enrique Anderson Imbert

Este articulo problematiza la relacion entre la Historia de la literatura hispanoamericana (1961) y El grimorio (1961) de Enrique Anderson Imbert. Sugiere que el cuento homonimo de la coleccion revela en la Historia aspectos menos conciliatorios sobre la legitimidad de su monolinguismo y su objetividad hermeneutica. Coincidiendo con George Steiner y Umberto Eco, en “El grimorio” Anderson Imbert explora la historiografia como un proceso linguistico en el que su hispanismo culmina por saturar de discrepancias a ambas obras. Anderson Imbert subvierte asi el lugar que ocupa junto a Jorge Luis Borges en el canon literario que el mismo construyo.
Relationships between footwear, foot structure, and foot muscle strength

As the main point of contact with the ground, the foot plays a vital role in how humans move. During standing, our feet support and control our balance. During movements such as walking and running...
RBC and platelet transfusion support in the first 30 and 100 days after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background The volume of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplant (haplo-HSCT) has increased dramatically in recent years. However, the associated higher risk of delayed engraftment may increase patient transfusion requirements. Study design and methods The post-HSCT RBC and platelet transfusions of 195 haplo-HSCT recipients were evaluated. Patient and transplant-related factors potentially impacting the number of products transfused and time to transfusion independence were assessed. Results Nearly all (98.4%) patients were transfused in the first 30 days, and 59.2% were transfused between days 31 and 100. Among the transfused patients, medians of 5 units (interquartile range [IQR] = 3-8) of RBCs and 11 units (6-20) platelets were given in the first 30 days, and medians of 3 units (IQR = 1-7) of RBCs and 6 units (2-18) of platelets were transfused between days 31 and 100. Median times for achieving RBC and platelet transfusion independence were 34 (95% CI: 28-40) and 25 (95% CI: 23-27) days, respectively. Multivariable analyses showed that RBC transfusions in the 10 days before HSCT were associated with significantly increased and sustained RBC and platelet transfusion requirements. Major ABO incompatibility led to increased RBC transfusions. Advanced disease was associated with increased transfusions during the first 30 days, whereas GVHD increased platelet transfusions between days 31 and 100. Effects of age, sex, CD34+ cell dose, stem cell source, and conditioning regimen were limited or insignificant. Conclusions This study for the first time provided quantitative transfusion data on a large cohort of haplo-HSCT recipients and identified factors predictive of increased transfusions.
Bioactive Compounds: Multi-Targeting Silver Bullets for Preventing and Treating Breast Cancer

Each cell in our body is designed with a self-destructive trigger, and if damaged, can happily sacrifice itself for the sake of the body. This process of self-destruction to safeguard the adjacent normal cells is known as programmed cell death or apoptosis. Cancer cells outsmart normal cells and evade apoptosis and it is one of the major hallmarks of cancer. The cardinal quest for anti-cancer drug discovery (bioactive or synthetic compounds) is to be able to re-induce the so called "programmed cell death" in cancer cells. The importance of bioactive compounds as the linchpin of cancer therapeutics is well known as many effective chemotherapeutic drugs such as vincristine, vinblastine, doxorubicin, etoposide and paclitaxel have natural product origins. The present review discusses various bioactive compounds with known anticancer potential, underlying mechanisms by which they induce cell death and their preclinical/clinical development. Most bioactive compounds can concurrently target multiple signaling pathways that are important for cancer cell survival while sparing normal cells hence they can potentially be the silver bullets for targeting cancer growth and metastatic progression.
Prosthetic Graft Infection Following Open Repair of Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Open repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm resulted in prosthetic graft infection which was treated with removal of infected Dacron graft and arterial reconstruction with cryopreserved vein graft. Following early rupture of cryopreserved vein graft, reconstruction was performed with bilateral axillofemoral grafts. Due to repeated thrombosis of axillofemoral grafts, in-line aortofemoral and crossover femoral-femoral graft using retroperitoneal approach with some administration of intravenous antibiotics was successful in achieving long-term successful outcome.
Family resilience and flourishment: Well-being among children with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.

Approximately 20% of children and adolescents in the United States are affected by mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) disorders. Child flourishment and family resilience contribute to healthy family development, including the promotion of child MEB wellbeing. Identifying factors that promote child flourishment and family resilience are critical. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and parenting factors associated with family resilience and child flourishment among children aged 6-17 years with MEB disorders. This was a secondary analysis of the 2016-2017 National Survey of Children's Health. The sample consisted of parents and their children (n = 1,900, weighted n = 5,375,670). Data were weighted to be representative of the US population and analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear regression. We found that only 6.3% of children aged 6-17 with an MEB were optimally flourishing. Parental aggravation was negatively associated with child flourishment, and parental coping was positively associated with child flourishment. In total, 66.5% of families with children exhibited resilience. Parental coping and availability of parental emotional support were positively associated with family resilience. Potential interventions that leverage study findings include parent training to increase parental emotional regulation (e.g., increase frustration tolerance, coping skills) and family navigation services to increase parental support (e.g., emotional support, coping skills) through the child's treatment trajectory. Overall, this study provides evidence of a disparity in flourishment in America's youth with MEB disorders, and despite this adversity, families are resilient.
In utero diagnosis of Sandhoff's disease.

The first in utero diagnosis of Sandhoff's disease was made in an at-risk fetus by the demonstration of deficient β-N-acetyl-hexosaminidase A and B activities in amniotic fluid components the day of amniocentesis. These enzymatic deficiencies were determined by enzyme assay and electrophoresis using 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-N-acetyl-glucosaminide as substrate. The concentrations of the neutral glycosphingolipids were quantified in amniotic fluid; the level of the glycosphingolipid substrate, globoside, was markedly increased in amniotic fluid from the at-risk fetus compared to that of fetal controls. In addition, ultrastructural examination demonstrated pathologic glycosphingolipid accumulation in uncultured amniotic cells. These enzymatic, chemical and ultrastructural procedures provided the rapid and accurate in utero diagnosis Sandhoff's disease within three days of amniocentesis. The in utero diagnosis was confirmed by the marked deficiencies of β-N-acetyl-hexosaminidase A and B in plasma and various tissues from the aborted fetus. These findings indicated that maternal hexosaminidases do not cross the fetal-placental barrier.
Unusual appearance of an adrenal ganglioneuroma.

Ganglioneuromas are rare tumors that occur spontaneously or arise from a poorly differentiated neuroblastic tumor. Although they are typically described in the pediatric population, they can occur in adults. Ganglioneuromas are often discovered incidentally and their typical imaging appearance, although non-specific, is that of a well-defined solid mass. We are presenting a case of a fat-containing adrenal lesion in a 53-year-old male. The extensive lipomatous changes within the lesion led to the presumption that it represented an adrenal myelolipoma. Pathology revealed a ganglioneuroma with extensive lipomatous changes. This is an uncommon presentation of an adrenal ganglioneuroma mimicking an adrenal myelolipoma. The diagnosis of an adrenal ganglioneuroma raises the possibility of syndromic associations for which patients may undergo genetic testing. We provide a review of typical imaging features of an adrenal ganglioneuroma and provide insight into the situations in which a ganglioneuroma can be suggested as a diagnostic consideration.
Anatomy of the Trigeminal Nerve

The trigeminal nerve is divided into three branches—ophthalmic (V1), maxillary (V2), and mandibular (V3)—making it the largest of the 12 cranial nerves. Its main function is transmitting facial sensory information (pain, temperature, vibration, fine touch, crude touch, and proprioception) from the skin, sinuses, and mucous membranes. It also, via the mandibular nerve, transmits motor information to the muscles responsible for mastication as well as some smaller muscles of the soft palate and hyoid. This chapter will focus on the anatomy of the trigeminal nerve nuclei and its distal projections. Specific clinical lesions and disease states will be addressed in separate chapters. Regarding general references for the anatomy of the trigeminal nerve, please see sources (Woolfall, Coulthard, Br J Radiol 74:458–467, 2001; Netter et al., Netter’s clinical anatomy, Icon Learning Systems, Carlstadt, NJ, 2005; Bicanic et al., Acta Clin Croat 58:35–42, 2019; Standring et al., Gray’s anatomy: the anatomical basis of clinical practice, Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, Edinburgh, 2016) for further reading which were used throughout the chapter.
TAMI-16. BIOMATERIAL MATRICES TO STUDY GLIOBLASTOMA INVASION

INTRODUCTION Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly infiltrative and lethal brain cancer. Previous studies have suggested that GBM tumors are stiffer than healthy brain tissues. We posit that local changes in the mechanical microenvironment near the tumor/tissue interface promote migration of GBM cells away from primary tumors. These studies seek to improve our understanding of how mechanical changes to the microenvironment of GBM tumors and surrounding brain tissue drive GBM progression using an in vitro, 3D model incorporating patient-derived primary GBM cells and a brain matrix-mimetic scaffold in which mechanical modulus can be varied.
Análise de Risco para Investimento de Segurança em Tecnologia da Informação (Risk Analyses for Security Investment in Information Technology)

Portuguese Abstract: Neste trabalho, foi desenvolvido um modelo de analise de risco, destinado aos profissionais da area de Tecnologia da Informacao, com o objetivo de auxiliar o processo de investimento em seguranca e garantir a implementacao das melhores praticas de seguranca, com o menor custo para o negocio. Essas medidas visam a protecao dos ativos e a mitigacao dos riscos, sejam elas a aquisicao de ferramentas ou a implementacao de processos, sem deixar de observar as recomendacoes nacionais e internacionais, bem como a norma NBR ISO/IEC 17799 que cobre varios topicos da area de seguranca da informacao e possui um grande numero de controles e requerimentos que devem ser atendidos para garantir a seguranca das informacoes. Por meio de uma metodologia, procura-se introduzir o profissional de tecnologia da informacao na dinâmica dos riscos e orientar a preparacao e formacao de um time que conduza a identificacao dos principais ativos da organizacao. Uma vez conhecidos os ativos da organizacao, uma analise de ameacas e vulnerabilidades e executada, por meio do mapeamento de arquitetura e decomposicao dos aplicativos. Com os resultados dessa analise, uma matriz de risco e desenvolvida para estabelecer os niveis de severidade, criticidade, impacto e controles existentes e necessarios. Posteriormente, as informacoes fornecidas pela matriz de risco servirao de fonte para a selecao das medidas de seguranca que indicam as protecoes efetivas para os riscos e o desenvolvimento de um relatorio para o setor estrategico da organizacao. English Abstract: In this work was developed a risk analysis model, destined to Information Technology professionals, aimed to help in security investment process and to guarantee the implementation of best security practices with low costs for the company/business. These measures intents are to protect the asset, and don’t matter if it’s by tools acquisitions or by process implementation, observing the national and international recommendations, as well as NBR ISO/IEC 17799 pattern, which covers many topics of Information Security area and has a large number of controls and requirements that must be attended in order to guarantee the information security. By using a methodology, we can try to introduce the information technology on the risks dynamic, which helps in preparing and building up a team that guide the identification of the organization main assets. Once we know the organization assets, we start an analyze of vulnerabilities and threats, by mapping architecture and decomposing the applications. With this analyze results, a risk matrix is developed in order to establish the severity, criticism, impact and control levels existing and needed. At last, the information given by the risk matrix will be used as font to select security measures that bring the effective protection to the risks and the development of a report to the strategy organization department.
Antibody Testing for Neurological Autoimmune Disorders: Evaluation of Best Practices at a Tertiary Referral Center

Background: Autoimmune neurology is a rapidly evolving field of study, where best practices for neurological antibody testing have yet to be determined. The growing number of options for antibody panel testing can create confusion amongst ordering clinicians and lead to ordering several concurrent panels (i.e., overlapping evaluations) or repeat panel evaluations. This study determined the frequency of these evaluations for autoimmune and paraneoplastic disorders and investigated how these practices informed clinical decision making and management. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of adult patients presenting to University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) in 2017 with requests for antibody panels for autoimmune encephalitis and paraneoplastic disorders. Individuals with more than one panel requested were defined as either an overlapping evaluation (more than one panel requested within 14 days) or repeat evaluation (more than one panel requested 14 or more days apart). For those individuals with repeat panel testing, the proportion of panels with a change in antibody status or subsequent changes in clinical diagnosis and decision making were recorded. Results: There was a total of 813 panels sent on 626 individuals. Twenty percent (126 individuals) had more than one panel requested. Only 10% of individuals had a matched serum and CSF evaluation. Forty-seven overlapping evaluations were performed in 46 (7.3%) of the individuals studied. Fifty-four (8.6%) individuals underwent 70 repeat evaluations encompassing 79 panels (9.7% of total panels ordered). Ten repeat evaluations showed a change in antibody status, of which only two were clinically significant. There was a single case where clinical management was affected by repeat autoantibody evaluation. Conclusions: Ordering practices for suspected autoimmune encephalitis and paraneoplastic disorders are suboptimal with frequent overlapping antibody panel evaluations and non-paired serum/CSF samples at our center. Repeat autoantibody testing is a commonplace practice yet yielded novel information in only a minority of cases. These new results were, as a rule, clinically irrelevant and changed clinical decision making in <1% of cases. There is limited utility in these practice patterns. Future efforts should be directed at the development and standardization of neurological autoimmune and paraneoplastic autoantibody testing practice standards.
Human amnion-derived mesenchymal stem cells attenuate xenogeneic graft-versus-host disease by preventing T cell activation and proliferation

Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is characterized by severe tissue damage that is a life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Due to their immunosuppressive properties, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have been increasingly examined for the treatment of immune-related diseases. We aimed to assess the immunosuppressive effects of human amnion-derived MSC (AMSC) in a xenogeneic GVHD NOD/Shi-scid IL2rγnull mouse model using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Additionally, we used human bone marrow-derived MSC (BMSC) as comparative controls to determine differences in immunomodulatory functions depending on the MSC origin. Administration of AMSC significantly prolonged survival, and reduced human tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) concentration and percentage of programmed cell death protein-1 receptor (PD-1)+CD8+ T cell populations compared with in GVHD control mice. Furthermore, colonic inflammation score and percentage of human CD8+ T cell populations in AMSC-treated mice were significantly lower than in GVHD control and BMSC-treated mice. Interestingly, gene expression and protein secretion of the PD-1 ligands were higher in AMSC than in BMSC. These findings are the first to demonstrate that AMSC exhibit marked immunosuppression and delay acute GVHD progression by preventing T cell activation and proliferation via the PD-1 pathway.
Acute kidney injury in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols in open gynecologic oncology surgery

Objectives: To estimate the incidence of and factors associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) in women undergoing elective open gynecologic oncology surgery using an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed. All women who underwent open gynecologic surgery for suspected or confirmed malignancy using an ERAS protocol between March 2018 to December 2019 were identified. Incidence and degree of AKI were classified by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) staging system. Descriptive statistics and univariate analysis for associated factors were performed using Fisher's exact test. Results: A total of 114 patients met inclusion criteria. The majority underwent abdominal hysterectomy (102/114, 89%) with anesthesia time ≥240 minutes in 73% of patients. Median age and body mass index (BMI) were 54 years and 28.1 kg/m2, respectively. A total of 9 patients (9/114, 7.9%) developed KDIGO class 1 (7/114, 6.1%) or class 2 (2/114, 1.8%) AKI. All but one case of AKI (8/9, 88.8%) resolved by day of discharge. Factors associated with AKI included: obesity (OR 13.8, p=0.003), ASA 3+ (OR 11.8, p=0.01), complication other than AKI (OR 9.3, p=0.02), cardiovascular disease (OR 8.3, p=0.03) diabetes mellitus (OR 4.7, p=0.04), and baseline creatinine of ≥1.0 (OR 9.3, p=0.04). Procedural blood loss, age >65, ECOG performance status, receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, intraoperative time, intraoperative albumin infusion, and postoperative transfusion were not significantly associated with AKI. Conclusions: AKI is uncommon in women undergoing open gynecology oncology surgery using an ERAS protocol. Nearly all cases resolved prior to discharge and were associated with patient-specific factors. While care should be taken during protocol implementation to monitor for and to prevent AKI, fluid restriction principles used in ERAS protocols are safe in this study population.
The anticancer natural product chaetocin is a competitive substrate and inhibitor of thioredoxin reductase at achieved intracellular concentrations.

3282 We recently reported that the antineoplastic natural product chaetocin is dramatically accumulated in cancer cells and potently induces cellular ROS, consequently selectively killing cancer cells in vitro and in vivo (Isham et al., Blood 2007;109:2579-2588). However, chaetocin does not deplete intracellular reduced glutathione, leading to uncertainty as to underlying molecular mechanisms. We now report that chaetocin is a competitive and selective substrate for the oxidative stress mitigation enzyme thioredoxin reductase-1 (TrxR1) with lower K m than the TrxR1 native substrate thioredoxin (Trx; chaetocin K m =4.6 ± 0.6 μM, Trx K m =104.7 ± 26 μM), and that chaetocin thereby attenuates TrxR1-reduction of the critical downstream ROS remediation substrate Trx at achieved intracellular concentrations. Moreover, we determined that intact disulfides are required for TrxR1 inhibition, that chaetocin disulfides are reduced by TrxR1, and that structurally-related thiodioxopiperazines including gliotoxin and chetomin also inhibit TrxR1, albeit less potently than chaetocin. Consistent with a role for TrxR1 targeting in the anticancer effects of chaetocin, overexpression of the TrxR1 downstream effector Trx in HeLa cells conferred resistance to chaetocin-induced - but not to doxorubicin-induced - cytotoxicity. As the TrxR/Trx pathway is of central importance in limiting cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) - and as chaetocin exerts its selective anti-cancer effects via ROS imposition - the inhibition of TrxR1 by chaetocin has potential to explain its selective anticancer effects. These observations have important implications not just with regard to the mechanism of action and clinical development of chaetocin and related thiodioxopiperazines, but also with regard to the utility of the thioredoxin reductase/thioredoxin pathway as a potential source of promising candidate antineoplastic molecular targets.
Implementation of a Physics-Based Decision-Making Framework for Evaluation of the Multidisciplinary Aircraft Uncertainty

In today’s business climate, aerospace companies are more than ever in need of rational methods and techniques that provide insights as to the best strategies which may be pursued for increased profitability and risk mitigation. However, the use of subjective, anecdotal decision-making remains prevalent due to the absence of analytical methods capable of capturing and forecasting future needs. Negotiations between airframe and engine manufacturers could benefit greatly from a structured environment that facilitates efficient, rational, decision-making. Creation of such an environment can be developed through a parametric physics-based, stochastic formulation that uses Response Surface Equations as meta-models to expedite the process. This paper describes the implementation of such an approach in order to demonstrate the types of insights that might be gained as an engine manufacturer tries to forecast the effects of the associated airframe uncertainties (structural, aerodynamic, etc. design changes) on engine related characteristics for the design of a hypothetical regional business jet.
The Making of a “Pro”—A Faculty Viewpoint

The making of engineering professionals requires a new dimension in educational programs to produce graduates competent and technically literate enough to practice on the highest level, sensitive to the effects of technology on society, and able to provide leadership in the industrial, societal, and political arenas. Professions, being neither craft guilds nor labor unions, must practice primarily in the spirit of public service, embrace ethical codes, and have a genuine care for society. Such objectives coincide with ASCE's current Goals Study. Two years of preengineering followed by 4-yr programs in professional schools of engineering as independent as those in law and medicine are recommended to make those leaders and pros society will need in the future. Schools should operate on honor systems to emphasize ethics. The programs should be practitioner-oriented curricula culminating in specialization, backed and integrated by the Founder Societies, and broadly based on humanities, all engineering sciences, societal responsibilities, leadership, and cooperative experience.
Lumbar Intradiskal Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections: A Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract Objective To determine whether single injections of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into symptomatic degenerative intervertebral disks will improve participant-reported pain and function. Design Prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled study. Setting Outpatient physiatric spine practice. Participants Adults with chronic (≥6 months), moderate-to-severe lumbar diskogenic pain that was unresponsive to conservative treatment. Methods Participants were randomized to receive intradiskal PRP or contrast agent after provocative diskography. Data on pain, physical function, and participant satisfaction were collected at 1 week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year. Participants in the control group who did not improve at 8 weeks were offered the option to receive PRP and subsequently followed. Main Outcome Measures Functional Rating Index (FRI), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain, the pain and physical function domains of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, and the modified North American Spine Society (NASS) Outcome Questionnaire were used. Results Forty-seven participants (29 in the treatment group, 18 in the control group) were analyzed by an independent observer with a 92% follow-up rate. Over 8 weeks of follow-up, there were statistically significant improvements in participants who received intradiskal PRP with regards to pain (NRS Best Pain) ( P = .02), function (FRI) ( P = .03), and patient satisfaction (NASS Outcome Questionnaire) ( P = .01) compared with controls. No adverse events of disk space infection, neurologic injury, or progressive herniation were reported following the injection of PRP. Conclusion Participants who received intradiskal PRP showed significant improvements in FRI, NRS Best Pain, and NASS patient satisfaction scores over 8 weeks compared with controls. Those who received PRP maintained significant improvements in FRI scores through at least 1 year of follow-up. Although these results are promising, further studies are needed to define the subset of participants most likely to respond to biologic intradiskal treatment and the ideal cellular characteristics of the intradiskal PRP injectate.
Constitutional Limits on the Power to Take Private Property: Public Purpose and Public Use

When private property is taken for public use, the fifth amendment to the Constitution requires that 'just compensation' be paid. What if, however, the government takes property from a private owner and turns it over to a new private owner? Does the government violate the fifth amendment when it takes private property for a private use?In order to achieve legitimate public objectives, courts or legislatures sometimes must reallocate or rearrange private property rights. This may occur en masse, as in connection with law reform, or it may occur individually by eminent domain, as famously happened in the recent case of Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005). While few would doubt the public purpose or general wisdom of allowing laws that occasion these rearrangements, their constitutional status is not entirely clear.Prior to Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff in 1984, the Supreme Court had never declared that the takings clause contained a public use restriction on the government's power to take property. Instead, the courts imposed limits on governmental takings by reading a "public use" or (more often) a "public purpose" requirement into the due process clauses. However, since the due process clauses have now been stripped of their Lochnerian "economic due process" teeth, the takings clause is the only one left that could plausibly limit the power to take. This article, though written before Kelo, provides a look in depth at the history of the constitutional limits on the government’s power to take private property for private use — a body of law that the Kelo case, for better of worse, did not change.
Case-control analysis for determining possible causes of airway complications during anesthetic recovery in horses.

Anesthetic complications have multiple causes making it difficult to distinguish between inciting causes and coincidental events. Case-control analysis is used to analyze clinical cases retrospectively and identify causes of complications. This approach was used to identify causes of airway complications that occurred during recovery in 30 horses at Cornell University between 1990 and 1997. In the 30 index cases, airway complications included airway obstruction (n = 6), bronchial asthma (1), dyspnea (8), pulmonary edema (14), and respiratory arrest (1). Based on breed, age, gender and surgical procedure, each index horse was matched to six control horses, three that were operated on prior to surgery on the index case, and three that were operated on after surgery on the index case. Data were analyzed using chi-square analysis; significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Factors not significantly associated with the index horses included: breed, gender, day of the week, physical status, surgical body region, surgeon, type of complication that may have occurred intraoperatively, fluid volume, drugs given intraoperatively, and use of nasotracheal or nasopharyngeal tubes during recovery. Factors that were associated with the index cases included: a nonsignificant tendency to be older than controls; significantly longer anesthetic episodes; fewer than expected received antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and tetanus toxoid compared with controls; and more received colloid and hypertonic saline than controls. This study did not identify a specific cause of the airway complications, but it allowed us to rule out a number of possible causes while identifying some factors that warrant further investigation such as plasma oncotic pressure effects on airway-associated complications.
Cardiac Uptake-1 Inhibition by High Circulating Norepinephrine Levels in Patients with Pheochromocytoma

Neuronal reuptake (uptake-1) constitutes the main route of inactivation of the sympathetic neurotransmitter norepinephrine in the heart and therefore contributes importantly to cardiac sympathetic neuroeffector function. In laboratory animals and in vitro preparations, half saturation of the transporter occurs at norepinephrine concentrations of 0.1 to 1 micromol/L. This study addressed whether endogenous norepinephrine can attain high enough plasma concentrations in humans to inhibit cardiac uptake-1. Patients with increased plasma norepinephrine levels due to pheochromocytoma were assessed by 6-[18F]fluorodopamine positron emission tomography. Above an antecubital venous plasma concentration of 3 nmol/L (approximately 500 pg/mL), left ventricular myocardial 6-[18F]fluorodopamine-derived radioactivity varied inversely with the logarithm of the plasma norepinephrine concentration (r=-0.77, P<0.0001). Reduction of plasma norepinephrine levels by treatment of the pheochromocytoma increased myocardial 6-[18F]fluorodopamine-derived radioactivity. At sufficiently high plasma concentrations, endogenous norepinephrine can compete with sympathetic imaging agents for uptake-1. The results call for caution in drawing quantitative conclusions about uptake-1 in the setting of high circulating concentrations of endogenous norepinephrine.
Molecular and Functional Dissection of a Putative RNA-binding Region in Yeast MitochondrialLeucyl-tRNA Synthetase

Aminoacylation and editing by leucyl-tRNA synthetases (LeuRS) require migration of the tRNA acceptor stem end between the canonical aminoacylation core and a separate domain called CP1 that is responsible for amino acid editing. The LeuRS CP1 domain can also support group I intron RNA splicing in the yeast mitochondria, although splicing-sensitive sites have been identified on the main body. The RDW peptide, a highly conserved peptide within an RDW-containing motif, resides near one of the β-strand linkers that connects the main body to the CP1 domain. We hypothesized that the RDW peptide was important for interactions of one or more of the LeuRS–RNA complexes. An assortment of X-ray crystallography structures suggests that the RDW peptide is dynamic and forms unique sets of interactions with the aminoacylation and editing complexes. Mutational analysis identified specific sites within the RDW peptide that failed to support protein synthesis activity in complementation experiments. In vitro enzymatic investigations of mutations at Trp445, Arg449, and Arg451 in yeast mitochondrial LeuRS suggested that these sites within the RDW peptide are critical to the aminoacylation complex, but impacted amino acid editing activity to a much less extent. We propose that these highly conserved sites primarily influence productive tRNA interactions in the aminoacylation complex.
Material properties of the normal medial bovine meniscus

The intrinsic compressive and tensile properties of normal bovine medial menisci were measured, and the variations in these properties with respect to the structural organization of the tissue and test specimen location were examined. Using a confined compression experiment, the compressive aggregate modulus and permeability of the meniscus were determined. The permeability of the tissue was also compared with the permeability as measured experimentally using a direct permeation experiment. Deep posterior specimens are significantly stiffer in compression than deep anterior and central-anterior specimens, while deep anterior specimens are significantly less stiff than deep posterior and central-posterior specimens. Posterior specimens have a significantly higher average water content. In addition, the permeability of the bovine meniscus was found to be about one-tenth that of bovine articular cartilage. The tensile stiffness of meniscal tissue was determined from constant strain rate uniaxial tension tests. To asses the directional variations in the tensile properties, specimens were obtained from the circumferential and radial orientations. The results indicate that the femoral surface of the meniscus is isotropic in tension, while specimens from within the meniscus are anisotropic--the circumferential specimens are much stiffer than the radial specimens. Furthermore, circumferential posterior specimens from the interior of the meniscus are significantly stiffer than similar anterior specimens. Layer inhomogeneities in the tensile properties with respect to distance from the femoral surface are also present.
Properties and transport behavior of perfluorotripentylamine (FC-70)-doped amorphous teflon AF 2400 films.

Teflon AF 2400 films are known to imbibe solvents, making films in the presence of solvents less fluorous than they might otherwise be. Herein, we demonstrate that doping films with perfluorotripentylamine (Fluorinert FC-70) maintains the fluorous nature of Teflon AF 2400 and improves transport selectivity for fluorine-containing organic compounds. Density measurements on the FC-70-doped films reveal that free volume decreases dramatically as the dopant concentration increases (0−12 wt %) and then increases to approach that of pure FC-70. Remarkably, films from 0 to 12 wt % FC-70 have the same w/v concentration of Teflon AF 2400, indicating that FC-70 fills the free volume of Teflon AF 2400. This is consistent with the observed increased storage modulus and significant decrease (compared to undoped films) of solute diffusion coefficients in the same range of FC-70 concentrations. In contrast, FC-70 at concentrations greater than 12 wt % dilutes Teflon AF 2400, leading to a decrease of storage modulus and ...
Microassay for determination of itraconazole and hydroxyitraconazole in plasma and tissue biopsies

Abstract A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the extraction and HPLC analysis of itraconazole and hydroxyitraconazole in tissue and plasma or serum is described. Tissue (5–100 mg) and plasma (0.1 ml) underwent a simple extraction into methanol. Chromatography was performed on a Novapak C 18 column using a mobile phase of water–acetonitrile–diethylamine (42:58:0.05, v/v), pH 2.45, with a flow-rate of 1.5 ml/min. Fluorescence was measured at excitation 260 nm and emission 365 nm. The procedure produced a linear curve for the concentration range 10–1000 ng/ml. The development of the assay produced accurate, rapid repeatable results for both tissue and plasma or serum.
Analysis of Rain and Snow in Frequency Space

Dynamic weather such as rain and snow causes complex spatio-temporal intensity fluctuations in videos. Such fluctuations can adversely impact vision systems that rely on small image features for tracking, object detection and recognition. While these effects appear to be chaotic in space and time, we show that dynamic weather has a predictable global effect in frequency space. For this, we first develop a model of the shape and appearance of a single rain or snow streak in image space. Detecting individual streaks is difficult even with an accurate appearance model, so we combine the streak model with the statistical characteristics of rain and snow to create a model of the overall effect of dynamic weather in frequency space. Our model is then fit to a video and is used to detect rain or snow streaks first in frequency space, and the detection result is then transferred to image space. Once detected, the amount of rain or snow can be reduced or increased. We demonstrate that our frequency analysis allows for greater accuracy in the removal of dynamic weather and in the performance of feature extraction than previous pixel-based or patch-based methods. We also show that unlike previous techniques, our approach is effective for videos with both scene and camera motions.
Clark level risk stratifies patients with mitogenic thin melanomas for sentinel lymph node biopsy.

The role for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients with thin melanoma (≤1 mm) remains controversial. We examined a large cohort of patients with thin melanoma to better define predictors of SLN positivity. From 1995 to 2011, 781 patients with thin primary melanoma and evaluable clinicopathologic data underwent SLNB at our institution. Predictors of SLN positivity were determined using univariate and multivariate regression analyses, and patients were risk-stratified using a classification and regression tree (CART) analysis. In the study cohort (n = 781), 29 patients (3.7 %) had nodal metastases. In the univariate analysis, mitotic rate [odds ratio (OR) = 8.11, p = 0.005], Clark level (OR 4.04, p = 0.003), and thickness (OR 3.33, p = 0.011) were significantly associated with SLN positivity. In the multivariate analysis, MR (OR 7.01) and level IV–V (OR 3.45) remained significant predictors of SLN positivity. CART analysis initially stratified lesions by mitotic rate; nonmitogenic lesions (n = 273) had a 0.7 % SLN positivity rate versus 5.6 % in mitogenic lesions (n = 425). Mitogenic lesions were further stratified by Clark level; patients with level II–III had a 2.9 % SLN positivity rate (n = 205) versus 8.2 % with level IV–V (n = 220). With median follow-up of 6.3 years, five SLN-negative patients developed nodal recurrence and four SLN-positive patients died of disease. SLN positivity is low in patients with thin melanoma (3.7 %) and exceedingly so in nonmitogenic lesions (0.7 %). Appreciable rates of SLN positivity can be identified in patients with mitogenic lesions, particularly with concurrent level IV–V regardless of thickness. These factors may guide appropriate selection of patients with thin melanoma for SLNB.
Generic criticism: Typology at an inflated price

(1976). Generic criticism: Typology at an inflated price. Rhetoric Society Quarterly: Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 4-8.
A hierarchy model of associative farming

Abstract Acceptance of the need for complementary services, when agrarian reform is introduced, such as credit and technical assistance, has led many countries in Latin America to organize land reform projects into collectives or production cooperatives. But the disincentives to effort inherent in group farming have been a continual source of underproduction and disappointment with cooperative farming experiments. The paper suggests an intermediate farming structure currently successful in the Dominican Republic. In the framework of an agency contract, incorporating the hierarchical relations between beneficiary, administrator, and governing agency, the advantages of the associative over either individual or collective farming are illustrated.