cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypoxia Induces Permeability and Giant Cell Responses of Andes Virus-Infected Pulmonary Endothelial Cells by Activating the mTOR-S6K Signaling Pathway

Andes virus (ANDV) is a South American hantavirus that causes a highly lethal hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) characterized by hypoxia, thrombocytopenia, and vascular leakage leading to acute pulmonary edema. ANDV infects human pulmonary microvascular and lymphatic endothelial cells (MECs and LECs, respectively) and nonlytically enhances the permeability of interendothelial cell adherence junctions in response to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Recent findings also indicate that ANDV causes the formation of giant endothelial cells. Here, we demonstrate that hypoxic conditions alone enhance permeability and giant cell responses of ANDV-infected MECs and LECs through activation of the mTOR signaling pathway. In contrast to infection of cells with nonpathogenic Tula virus (TULV), we observed that exposure of ANDV-infected MECs and LECs to hypoxic conditions resulted in a 3- to 6-fold increase in monolayer permeability and the formation of giant cells 3× to 5× normal size. ANDV infection in combination with hypoxic conditions resulted in the enhancement of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α)-directed VEGF A, angiopoietin 4, and EGLN3 transcriptional responses. Constitutive mTOR signaling induces the formation of giant cells via phosphorylation of S6K, and mTOR regulates hypoxia and VEGF A-induced cellular responses. We found that S6K was hyperphosphorylated in ANDV-infected, hypoxia-treated MECs and LECs and that rapamycin treatment for 1 h inhibited mTOR signaling responses and blocked permeability and giant cell formation in ANDV-infected monolayers. These findings indicate that ANDV infection and hypoxic conditions enhance mTOR signaling responses, resulting in enhanced endothelial cell permeability and suggest a role for rapamycin in therapeutically stabilizing the endothelium of microvascular and lymphatic vessels during ANDV infection.
Detection of Fatigue Cracks Using Random Decrement Signatures

Damage in structural members usually causes stiffness changes that could be linear or nonlinear. Opening and closing fatigue cracks are usually represented by a bilinear stiffness characteristic. T...
Discovery of Antivirulence Agents against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Antivirulence agents inhibit the production of disease-causing virulence factors but are neither bacteriostatic nor bactericidal. Antivirulence agents against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain USA300, the most widespread community-associated MRSA strain in the United States, were discovered by virtual screening against the response regulator AgrA, which acts as a transcription factor for the expression of several of the most prominent S. aureus toxins and virulence factors involved in pathogenesis. Virtual screening was followed by similarity searches in the databases of commercial vendors. The small-molecule compounds discovered inhibit the production of the toxins alpha-hemolysin and phenol-soluble modulin α in a dose-dependent manner without inhibiting bacterial growth. These antivirulence agents are small-molecule biaryl compounds in which the aromatic rings either are fused or are separated by a short linker. One of these compounds is the FDA-approved nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diflunisal. This represents a new use for an old drug. Antivirulence agents might be useful in prophylaxis and as adjuvants in antibiotic therapy for MRSA infections.
Foreign Language Enrollments in United States Colleges—Fall 1974*

generally barely passing the course, it is not difficult to see that the teacher's specific approach is designed for only one particular learning style. When the teacher becomes aware of this, it then becomes possible for him to offer a wider variety i le, after a teacher read off the grades for a students, to predict the grades for the i der of the class by using patterns showing t e learning style profiles. For instance, if of opp tunities for learning, whether he uses an individualized or a traditional approach. Whatever interpretations may eventually prove most valid for the results of this exercise, the study itself shows clearly that differences between individuals are far more extensive and
Superoxide anion production in the rat penis impairs erectile function in diabetes: influence of in vivo extracellular superoxide dismutase gene therapy.

ABSTRACT Introduction Superoxide anion may contribute to erectile dysfunction (ED) in diabetes mellitus by reducing cavernosal nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. The purpose of this study was to determine if gene transfer of extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC‐SOD) can reduce superoxide anion formation and determine if this reactive oxygen species may contribute to diabetes‐related ED in an experimental model of diabetes. Methods Three groups of animals were utilized: (1) control; (2) streptozotocin (STZ)‐diabetic rats [60 mg/kg intraperitoneally (ip)] intracavernosally injected with AdCMVβgal (negative control); and (3) STZ‐rats intracavernosally injected with AdCMVEC‐SOD. Two months after ip injection of STZ, groups 2 and 3 were transfected with the adenoviruses and 2 days after transfection, all animals underwent cavernosal nerve stimulation (CNS) to assess erectile function. Confocal microscopy for superoxide anion and von Willebrand Factor (vWF) was performed in the STZ‐diabetic rat. Superoxide anion production, total SOD activity, and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels were measured in each experimental group of rats. Results 248 Confocal microscopy demonstrated superoxide in smooth muscle and endothelial cells of the STZ‐rat cavernosum and colocalized with vWF in the endothelium. Higher superoxide anion levels and decreased cGMP levels were found in the penis of STZ‐rats at a time when erectile function was reduced. Two days after administration of AdCMVEC‐SOD, superoxide anion levels were significantly lower in the penis of STZ‐rats. Total SOD activity and cavernosal cGMP was increased in the penis of EC‐SOD‐transfected rats. STZ‐rats transfected with AdCMVEC‐SOD had a peak intracavernosal pressure (ICP) and total ICP to CNS that was similar to control rats. Conclusions These data demonstrate that in vivo adenoviral gene transfer of EC‐SOD can reduce corporal superoxide anion levels and raise cavernosal cGMP levels by increasing NO bioavailability thus restoring erectile function in the STZ‐diabetic rat.
Complex NAPL Site Characterization Using Fluorescence Part 2: Analysis of Soil Matrix Effects on the Excitation/Emission Matrix

Commercially available cone penetrometer (CPT) fluorescence based sensor platforms have been used to detect non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs), such as petroleum oils and lubricants, in situ for more than a decade. These approaches have also been used to detect dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source zones by detecting commingled oils, fuels, and naturally occurring organic materials entrained by DNAPLs and carried to depths below the water table. Several neat NAPLs and mixtures were added to various soil types and analyzed for specific fluorescence characteristics to determine the optimal excitation source for site characterization efforts. Using excitation/emission matrices (EEMs), we demonstrate that an optimized excitation wavelength can be determined for specific fluorophores within the NAPL mixtures, and that available systems can be ranked based on the specific contaminant and site soil types. An optimal excitation wavelength yields the maximum fluorescence within an EEM spectrum. We ranked commercially available cone penetrometer fluorescence detection systems according to the potential for ease of detection based on maximum fluorescence response. When soils were added to complex NAPL mixtures, analyte fluorescence emission was attenuated in preferential portions of the EEM, leading to differences in the optimal excitation source wavelength. Furthermore, impure silica-containing minerals impact the emission signal, potentially leading to incorrect conclusions for several commercially available systems. Our findings suggest that a frequency-agile (e.g., tunable excitation source) probe system would be superior to any other system commercially available, provided the system would be relatively easy to operate and would have rapid in-situ EEM generating capabilities for optimization in the field.
THE MOVING TARGET: HEALTH STATUS OF NOMADIC PEOPLES

The loss of resource productivity affects the health of populations undergoing desertification. One aspect of this loss is the alteration of traditional diets. Key foods drop out of people's diets with dislocation and disruption, causing a reduction in calorie, protein, and vitamin intakes. Traditional foods may not be available, or may be exorbitantly priced. Cheap foods are often the lowest in nutritional quality, offering bulk to fill stomachs but little in terms of an ade-
An ant based simulation optimization for vehicle routing problem with stochastic demands

The Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) is of considerable economic significance in logistic systems as it manages the distribution of goods to make an efficient transportation system. Considering a practical application, this paper solves a vehicle routing problem with stochastic demand (VRPSD) in which the customer demand has been modeled as a stochastic variable as opposed to conventional VRP. To deal with the additional computational complexity, this paper uses a simulation optimization approach to solve the VRPSD. To enhance the algorithm performance, a neighborhood-search embedded Adaptive Ant Algorithm (ns-AAA), an improved Ant Colony Optimization approach, is proposed. The performance of the proposed methodology is benchmarked against a set of test instances generated using Design of Experiment (DOE) techniques. The results verified the robustness of the proposed algorithm against Ant Colony Optimization and Genetic Algorithm, over which it always demonstrated better results, thereby proving its supremacy on the concerned problem.
Epoxyless Fiber-to-Submount Bonding for Active Fiber Optoelectronic and Fiber Backplane Applications

A fiber-coupled optical transmitter or receiver is both a mechanical and an optical system. Packaging of optical components like fiber-coupled lasers requires good coupling into the fiber, and rigid inflexible mounting of all components, so the coupling remains stable over the multiyear lifetime expected of optoelectronic components. In this paper, we report a new technique for bonding fiber directly to a Si or glass submount for autoaligned direct fiber attachment, based on field-assisted anodic or cathodic bonding. Under the influence of an electric field at high temperature, oxides are formed between the glass and the metal: this method is used to bond both metallized fibers to a glass V-groove (cathodic bonding), and glass fibers to a metallized Si submount (anodic bonding), without epoxy. Typical shear strengths are >300 g, comparable to solder-mounted components. The V-grooves precisely align the fiber to the component in two of the three dimensions. The thermal stability of this technique is demonstrated through showing <0.1 dB variation in coupling between two bonded fibers in aV-groove over a temperature range of 25degC-85degC. This method of fiber attachment is a robust and economical way to attach fibers for passive alignment and direct butt-coupling between the fiber and the semiconductor laser, receiver, or other optoelectronic component
On the purity of mercury-198 produced by neutron irradiation of gold-197

Calculations made under extremely pessimistic conditions for the allowable impurity of Hg199 in pile-produced Hg198, to be used as a possible primary standard of length, show that the 99.6% or better Hg198 produced in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory graphite reactor satisfactorily meets these rigid design criteria.
fmCASES: Collaborative Development of Online Cases to Address Educational Needs.

Family medicine educators are realizing their dream: a set of online cases to teach the core curriculum of the family medicine clerkship, fulfilling the goal of a 10-year journey. In 1998, 65 STFM members met to discuss sharing of Web-based curricular materials. As education becomes more competency-based, educators needed to find ways to meet the Liaison Committee for Medical Education’s (LCME) ED-2 and ED-8 standards. Clerkship directors need to ensure there are comparable educational experiences and evaluation methods across all instructional sites (ED-8) and that each clerkship specify the numbers of patients (since revised), as well as the major disease states/conditions that all students must encounter in order to achieve the course’s learning objectives (ED-2). If a student does not encounter patients with a particular clinical condition, the student should be able to remedy the gap by a simulated experience. ED-2 is especially challenging for family medicine since most clerkships use a decentralized model with many sites, making standardization problematic. Leong et al have shown that computer-assisted online cases are effective learning tools and can be successfully integrated into clerkship.1 A task force was charged to explore using computer cases to address these requirements and to enhance learning for the students. A group of educators with the common vision of collaborative development of high quality online cases that would meet the educational needs of both STFM educators and students formally established the STFM Group on Online Cases in 2006. These cases are designed to teach the national curriculum defined by STFM and provide the resource for clerkship directors to meet LCME standards. The goal is to develop a product that is: high quality, meeting national standards, peer reviewed, and current serving the needs of STFM educators and medical students responsive to end users affordable sustainable a system to recognize and reward participation providing scholarship and academic productivity for writers and reviewers publishing a case
Expression of the Na+/H+ and Cl-/HCO-3 exchanger isoforms in proximal and distal human airways.

Recent studies have indicated the presence of Na+/H+and Cl−/ HCO 3 − exchange activities in lung alveolar and tracheal tissues of various species. To date, the identity of the Na+/H+(NHE) and Cl−/ ...
Discussion: Empirical Analysis of the Demand for Water by Israeli Agriculture

[41 DORFMAN, R., "Response of Agricultural Yields to Water in the Former Punjab," in The White House Panel on Water Logging and Salinity in West Pakistan, Report on Land and Water Development in the Indus Plain, Washington, 1963, pp. 417-485. [5] FRUMKIN, D., "Optimal Water Allocation on a Kibbutz Farm in the Gilboa Region," unpublished M.Sc. thesis, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1965 (in Hebrew). [6] FURR, J. R., AND C. A. TAYLOR, Growth of Lemon Fruits in Relation to Moisure Content of the Soil, USDA Tech. Bul. 640, 1939. [7] HAGAN, R. M., Y. VAADIA, AND M. S. RUSSEL, "Interpretation of Plant Responses to Soil Moisture Regimes," in Advances in Agronomy, Vol. 11, ed. A. G. Norman, New York, Academic Press, 1959. [8] HAMILTON, J., C. O. STANBERRY, AND W. M. WOOTON, "Cotton Growth and Production as Affected by Moisture, Nitrogen and Plant Spacing on the Yuma Mesa," in Proceedings of the Soil Science Society of America 20:946-252, 1956. [9] HEADY, E. O., AND A. C. EGBERT, "Programming Regional Adjustment in Grain Production to Eliminate Surpluses," J. Farm Econ. 41:718-733, Nov. 1959. [10] Israel, Agricultural Planning Center, Preliminary Production Plan for Agriculture for 1966/67-1970/71, Tel Aviv, Haqirya, 1965, mimeo. (in Hebrew). [11] LEE, I. M., Optimum Water Resource Development: Preliminary Statement of Methodology for Quantitative Analysis, Giannini Foundation Rep. 206, Berkeley, California, 1958. [12] MOORE, C. V., "A General Analytical Framework for Estimating the Production Function for Crops Using Irrigation Water," J. Farm Econ. 43:876-888, Nov. 1961. [13] ORON (SIMCHAH), A., "Marginal Productivity and Demand for Water of Moshav Farms in the Taanach Area," unpublished M.Sc. thesis, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1965 (in Hebrew). [14] SHAPIRO, A., Study in process toward the M.Sc. degree, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1966. [15] SUBOTNIK, A., "Estimates of Response Functions to Irrigation Water in Selected Crops and Their Incorporation in Programming of a Moshav Farm in the Northwestern Negev," unpublished M.Sc. thesis, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1964 (in Hebrew). [16] TAKAYAMA, T., AND G. G. JUDGE, "Spatial Equilibrium and Quadratic Programming," J. Farm Econ. 46:67-93, Feb. 1964. [17] -, "An Interregional Activity Analysis Model for the Agricultural Sector," J. Farm Econ. 46:349-635, May 1964. [18] WEIS, M., "Optimal Production Programs and Estimates of Marginal Productivity of Water on Kibbutz Farms in the Northwestern Negev," unpublished M.Sc. thesis, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1965 (in Hebrew). [19] YARON, D., Economic Criteria for Water Resource Development and Allocation, Jerusalem, Department of Agricultural Economics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1966. [20] YARON, D., Y. PLESSNER, AND E. O. HEADY, "Competitive Equilibrium-Application of Mathematical Programming," Canadian J. Agr. Econ. 13:65-79, 1965.
Tematizando o ensino religioso - identidade e des-identificacoes

O artigo tem como principal questao de reflexao a constituicao da identidade religiosa. Utilizou-se como ferramenta teorica de dialogo elementos das contribuicoes de pensadores contemporâneos, num recorte especifico que se refere a questao da identidade, das praticas discursivas e a constituicao da identidade religiosa. O texto pretende ser uma contribuicao instigante, no sentido de uma provocacao permanente as relacoes de poder-saber-subjetividade. Contem manifestos o desejo e o esforco para abrir novos caminhos eticos numa perspectiva da constituicao de uma subjetividade que se exerce a partir da vigilância e de um ativismo incessante que nao busca o fim da luta, mas a liberdade de participacao nela.
Costs and Benefits of Unilateral Monetary Unions

Recent unilateral dollarizations in Ecuador and El Salvador (that adopted the US dollar) and Montenegro (that adopted the euro) showed that unilaeral monetary unions can be implemented and sustained even under harsh economic conditions. The paper reviewes recent experience with such monetary-exchange arrangements and consider associated costs and benefits from the viewpoints of the country adopting the foreign currency and the "anchor" country providing it.
Enhanced susceptibility of penicillin-resistant staphylococci to phagocytosis after in vitro incubation with low doses of nafcillin

SummaryIncubation of penicillin-resistant staphylococci with a subinhibitory concentration of nafcillin increased the susceptibility of the organisms to in vitro phagocytosis by normal mouse peritoneal exudate cells (macrophages). Methicillin and oxa-cillin were effective as inhibitors of bacterial growth only when used in relatively large doses; subinhibitory doses did not significantly affect subsequent phagocytosis by the PE cell. Penicillin G had no detectable effect on the staphylococci used in this system, either as a direct inhibitor of microbial growth or by influencing phagocytosis. The synergistic effect described here between nafcillin and macrophages may be related to the clinical efficacy reported for this antibiotic even when present only in low doses.The authors wish to thank Dr. Kenneth E. Price of Bristol Laboratories for the supplies of sodium methicillin and sodium oxacillin.
A Comparison of Three Xylene Substitutes

The efficacy of three new clearing solvents used in histotechnology as substitutes for xylene is compared and reported. These organic solvents—Hemo-De, Histo-Clear, and AmeriClear—are commercially available and are generally regarded as safe by the Food and Drug Administration to replace the toxic chemical, xylene, in histologic preparations. Difficulties encountered in working with these new clearing solvents have been resolved and are reported. Their advantages and disadvantages as clearing agents are also presented.
CSI Phase Fingerprinting for Indoor Localization With a Deep Learning Approach

With the increasing demand of location-based services, indoor localization based on fingerprinting has become an increasingly important technique due to its high accuracy and low hardware requirement. In this paper, we propose PhaseFi, a fingerprinting system for indoor localization with calibrated channel state information (CSI) phase information. In PhaseFi, the raw phase information is first extracted from the multiple antennas and multiple subcarriers of the IEEE 802.11n network interface card by accessing the modified device driver. Then a linear transformation is applied to extract the calibrated phase information, which we prove to have a bounded variance. For the offline stage, we design a deep network with three hidden layers to train the calibrated phase data, and employ the weights of the deep network to represent fingerprints. A greedy learning algorithm is incorporated to train the weights layer-by-layer to reduce computational complexity, where a subnetwork between two consecutive layers forms a restricted Boltzmann machine. In the online stage, we use a probabilistic method based on the radial basis function for online location estimation. The proposed PhaseFi scheme is implemented and validated with extensive experiments in two representation indoor environments. It is shown to outperform three benchmark schemes based on CSI or received signal strength in both scenarios.
Development of ZYW-6000 Linkage and Walking Type Hydraulic Drill for Coal Mine

In order to improve drilling efficiency and reduce intensity of labor work,linkage type hydraulic drill has been developed.This article describes overall plan,main structure and design of hydraulic system of ZYW-6000 hydraulic drill for coal mine,analyses optimization of key components,walking chassis design and implementation of linkage action.Experiments and applications in industry have also been introduced.Experimental results indicate that all technical specifications have reached design requirements.
Cold tolerance of the new-bred South China Indica rice cultivars in at different stages of growth and development

Early and late crops of South-China Indica rice cultivars,Hemeizhan,Huangsizhan and Yueguangsimiao,and three-line hybrid rice combiniations Tianyou312 and Tianyou390 were chosen in Guangzhou in 2009 to study the cold tolerance at the 5–6 phases of panicle differentiation,at initial heading stage,at flowering stage and at initial milking stage in the batanatrons(PGV–36).The results showed that chilling stress conducted at 5–6 phases of panicle differentiation,at initial heading stage and flowering stage decreased the plant height,the stem internodes length,the grain yield per panicle and the seed setting rate of South-China Indica rice cultivars and combinations.The rice cultivars and combinations responded differently to the chilling stress at different stages of growth and development.At the 5–6 phases of panicle differentiation but not other stages,the panicle length became shorter,and the total spikelets per panicle became fewer under chilling stress.The third internode under the panicle was shortened very significantly under chilling stress at the 5–6 phases of panicle differentiation and the first and second internodes became shorter at the initial heading and flowering stage.Incomplete panicle exertion was aggravated at the initial heading and flowering stage but not at the 5–6 phases of panicle differentiation.The cold tolerance of the tested materials was distinctive significantly different at different stages of growth and development,rice cultivars and combinations at initial milking stage showed the highest cold tolerance followed by flowering stage,initial heading stage and 5–6 phases of panicle differentiation.And for the same cultivar or combination,the cold tolerance was different at different stages,Tianyou390 showed high level of cold tolerance at the 5–6 phases of panicle differentiation stage and initial milking stage,and weak tolerance at the heading and flowering stage;Yueguangsimiao showed low level of cold tolerance at the 5–6 phases of panicle differentiation,and high tolerance at the heading and flowering stage.
Watching Populations Melt Down.

One of the curious features ofDarwinian Evolution is that it requireserrors to be made during genome repli-cation.Otherwise,beneﬁcialmutationscould not occur and adaptation wouldarrest. Not surprisingly, however,random DNA copy errors usually donot lead to improvement—most muta-tions are deleterious or have little ef-fect (1). Because, as far as we know,evolution has not found away to selec-tively boost beneﬁcial mutations, onewonders how large replication errorrates could possibly be without over-whelming the population with delete-rious mutations (2). This question ofmaximal sustainable mutation rateshas fascinated theoretical evolutionarybiologists for decades (2,3), yetexperimental results are scarce. Now,Max Lavrentovich (a theorist), MaryWahl (an experimenter), and theircolleagues (4) describe an elegantway to watch microbial populationson the verge of succumbing to delete-rious mutants.The simplest model for the trade-off between natural selection anddeleterious mutations is illustrated ina two-state population model inFig. 1. One-way mutations occurringat rate m per generation supply acontinuous ﬂux from the wild-type tothe mutant type. This ﬂux is compen-sated by the wild-type growing 1 þ stimes faster than the mutant type. Asa consequence, both types reach ‘‘mu-tation-selection balance’’ when thefraction of the mutant type is m/s (5).Hence, if the rate of deleterious muta-tions is larger than their typical effect,the wild-type goes extinct and the mu-tants take over. If this process con-tinues due to further deleteriousmutations, the population is at risk ofcontinuously accumulating deleteriousmutations in a phenomenon called‘‘mutational meltdown’’ (3) or ‘‘errorcatastrophe’’ (2) (for a discussion ofthese two terms and their differences,see Wilke (6)). Obviously, then, natureneeds to ensure that mutation rates donot exceed the selective disadvantageof typical mutations to avoid thecomplete loss of the wild-type. Indeed,sophisticated error correction mecha-nisms are in place, which keep muta-tion rates below 10
Validation of a modified Scoliosis Research Society instrument for patients with limb deformity: The limb deformity-Scoliosis Research Society (LD-SRS) score

Background: Despite the large negative effect of limb deformity on health-related quality of life (QoL), there exists no patient-reported instrument to quantify this impact. Rather, limb deformity research has been performed using global QoL measurements concurrently with joint-specific and/or arthritis outcome scales, thereby requiring the completion of multiple instruments. Furthermore, joint- and arthritis-specific instruments focus on the impact pain has on function, whereas limb deformities may be pain-free with greater social and functional impairment. The purpose of this study was to validate a patient-reported instrument to quantify limb deformity-related QoL. Materials and Methods: Because of the similarities with regard to pain, function, and body image between limb deformity and scoliosis, the Scoliosis Research Society-30 (SRS-30) spine deformity instrument was modified such that the words back and trunk were replaced with limb to create a novel instrument: the limb deformity-SRS (LD-SRS). Testing for construct validity (both convergent and discriminant), reliability, floor and ceiling effects, and minimal clinically important difference (MCID) was performed in a validation cohort of 62 subjects aged 18 years or older with nonarthritic, unilateral lower extremity deformity. Results: Scale reliability was excellent (test-retest reliability, intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.977; internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha = 0.906), scores were normally distributed, and there were no floor or ceiling effects. There was also robust construct validity: convergent validity testing revealed positive correlations between the LD-SRS and all short-form-36 domains, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons-Lower Limb Module, and higher scores in those who were postcorrection. Discriminant validity was demonstrated with no correlations between the LD-SRS and subject age, sex, body mass index, surgeon-scored Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society-AIM Index, or surgeon-generated deformity measurements. MCID was calculated to be 0.3 (on a 4.0-point scale). Conclusions: The LD-SRS score is a reliable and valid instrument to measure limb deformity-related QoL in patients with nonarthritic lower extremity deformity. It is a valuable tool which allows clinicians to quantify patients' deformity-related QoL with a single instrument, rather than repurposing scales which have been validated for other conditions and have limited applicability to the unique challenges of treating patients with a lower limb deformity. Level of Evidence: Diagnostic, Level 2.
Piezoelectric and dielectric characterization of corona and contact poled PZT-epoxy-MWCNT bulk composites

Three-phase lead zirconate titanate (PZT, PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3)-epoxy-multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) bulk composites were prepared, where the volume fraction of PZT was held constant at 30%, while the volume fraction of the MWCNTs was varied from 1.0%–10%. The samples were poled using either a parallel plate contact or contactless (corona) poling technique. The piezoelectric strain coefficient (d33), dielectric constant (e), and dielectric loss tangent (tan δ) of the samples were measured at 110 Hz, and compared as a function of poling technique and volume fraction of MWCNTs. The highest values for dielectric constant and piezoelectric strain coefficients were 465.82 and 18.87 pC/N for MWCNT volume fractions of 10% and 6%, respectively. These values were obtained for samples that were poled using the corona contactless method. The impedance and dielectric spectra of the composites were recorded over a frequency range of 100 Hz–20 MHz. The impedance values observed for parallel-plate contact poled samples are higher than that of corona poled composites. The fractured surface morphology and distribution of the PZT particles and MWCNTs were observed with the aid of electron dispersion spectroscopy and a scanning electron microscope. The surface morphology of the MWCNTs was observed with the aid of a field emission transmission electron microscope.
Comparison of acute and convalescent biomarkers of inflammation in patients with acute pulmonary embolism treated with systemic fibrinolysis vs. placebo.

Abstract : Previous studies have associated biomarkers indicative of acute inflammation with pulmonary embolism, which may amplify coagulation, inhibit fibrinolysis and increase risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence. The aim of this study was to measure inflammatory and hemostatic biomarkers in acute submassive pulmonary embolism at diagnosis and 3-month follow-up and to test the impact of treatment with fibrinolysis. Secondary analysis of a multicenter, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial including patients with submassive pulmonary embolism. Blood samples were obtained within 24 h of diagnosis and prior to bolus-dose tenecteplase (TNK) or placebo; all patients received standard anticoagulation and blood was redrawn 3 months later. Plasma concentrations of inflammatory [Interleukin 6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), myeloperoxidase (MPO)] and hemostatic [plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), fibrinogen, thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor and D-dimer] biomarkers were quantified. The median values of the biomarkers of inflammation (IL-6, CRP, MPO) were all significantly decreased at 3-month follow-up, ranging from a 60 to 91% reduction over this time period. Concentrations of PAI-1 and fibrinogen did not change significantly. D-dimer concentration at 3-month follow-up was lower in patients treated with fibrinolysis vs. placebo and appeared to have a trend toward significance (placebo 310 vs. TNK 220 ng/ml, P = 0.051). Acute pulmonary embolism causes marked but transient inflammation, as demonstrated by the significant elevation in the inflammatory biomarkers at diagnosis, followed by their reduction in more than 80% of patients at 3-month follow-up.
The U.S. Health Care Crisis Continues: A Data Snapshot:

Despite implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2014, the U.S. health care crisis continues. While coverage has been expanded, 28 million people remain uninsured, and tens of millions who have coverage are unable to afford care because of high cost-sharing requirements. Moreover, many with coverage have a sharply restricted choice of physicians and hospitals, and the corporate takeover of medical care in the United States is proceeding rapidly. This article provides a brief precis of recent data on U.S. health policy.
NO pairing and transformation to N2O on Cu(111) and Pt(111) from first principles

Abstract Density-functional calculations demonstrate an energetic preference for NO pairing on Cu(1 1 1) terraces and a new, kinetically preferred, pathway to N2O formation through such intermediates. In contrast to the traditional NO + N route, this pathway does not require NO dissociation, which is shown to occur only at defects. Analogous calculations for Pt(1 1 1) show the inability of this surface to transform NO directly into either N2 or N2O, which we trace to differences in both reaction energies and kinetic barriers on the two surfaces.
Integrating Mass Spectrometry with Microphysiological Systems for Improved Neurochemical Studies.

Microphysiological systems, often referred to as “organs-on-chips”, are in vitro platforms designed to model the spatial, chemical, structural, and physiological elements of in vivo cellular environments. They enhance the evaluation of complex engineered biological systems and are a step between traditional cell culture and in vivo experimentation. As neurochemists and measurement scientists studying the molecules involved in intercellular communication in the nervous system, we focus here on recent advances in neuroscience using microneurological systems and their potential to interface with mass spectrometry (MS). We discuss a number of examples—microfluidic devices, spheroid cultures, hydrogels, scaffolds, and fibers—highlighting those that would benefit from mass spectrometric technologies to obtain improved chemical information.
Out of the Channel and into the Swamp: How Family Law Fails in a New Era of Class Division

Carl Schneider’s 1992 article in the Hofstra Law Review, The Channelling Function in Family Law, is part of the canon of family law. It has earned a lasting place in the family law constellation, at least in part, because it stakes out a distinctive claim for the role of law in family governance. The article identifies the role of family law as an intermediate one that falls short of the coercion of criminal sanctions but is more directive than the voluntary obligations taken on in contractual regimes. The channelling function allies family law with public purposes, implemented through private associations. It recognizes understandings that protect the vulnerable without undermining the authority of the powerful or negating the possibility of individual choice. Above all, Schneider made the case for the role of law in channelling the behavior necessary to build, shape, sustain, and promote social institutions. Schneider maintained that a culture survives through “the power of its institutions to bind and loose men in the conduct of their affairs with reasons which sink so deep into the self that they become common and
The Conflict Between the Desire to Know and the Need to Care for the Patient

There was a symposium about the moratorium on recombinant DNA research. Someone said that the research would start up again, that it had to. Hans Jonas asked the simple question — “why?”. A scientist answered that if we did not do it, someone else would. Therefore we had to. Again Hans Jonas asked “why?”. Others may move you to examine your dearest unquestioned assumptions by the persuasiveness and complexity of their reasoning; but such is the force of Hans Jonas’ intellect and moral authority that his simple question —“why?” can be more provoking of reflection and inner questioning than longer and more complicated arguments. Certainly, he has had this effect on me and this essay is a small acknowledgement of what I have learned from him. I would not think as I do were it not for him.
Modulation of intercellular junctions of epithelia by scatter factor (hepatocyte growth factor)

Columnar epithelia such as those which line the renal tubules and the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts are composed of cells joined by intercellular contacts. These contacts, or intercellular junctions are important in determining the function and three dimensional architecture of such organs. Intimately underlying columnar epithelia are mesenchymal cells including fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. Indeed, a subepithelial sheath of fibroblasts is common to several organs with lumens lined by columnar epithelial cells. Constant exchange of information occurs between these mesenchymal and epithelial compartments and is mediated in part by factors produced by these cell types. Such communications play an important role in diverse physiologic and pathologic events that include organ development in embryogenesis, wound repair and tumor metastasis.
Supporting Beginning Teacher Planning of Investigation-Based Science Discussions

New reforms in science education emphasize facilitating all students’ sense making of the big ideas and crosscutting concepts in science along with engagement in science practices. Supporting this ...
Divergent Trends in Neighborhood and School Segregation in the Age of School Choice

This study seeks to identify changes in neighborhood and school segregation during the age of rapidly expanding school choice. Prior to 1991, public-school choice was limited. While magnet schools ...
Measurement of Burden in a Population, Including Epidemiologic Measures of Occurrence

Measures of disease are based on three components: the number of cases (numerator) the number of persons at risk (denominator) and the relevant duration of risk. Definition of these measures is straightforward, but measurement in a real population can present challenges for the investigator.
Identifying Research Gaps and Prioritizing Psychological Health Evidence Synthesis Needs.

Background Evidence synthesis is key in promoting evidence-based health care, but it is resource-intense. Methods are needed to identify and prioritize evidence synthesis needs within health care systems. We describe a collaboration between an agency charged with facilitating the implementation of evidence-based research and practices across the Military Health System and a research center specializing in evidence synthesis. Methods Scoping searches targeted 15 sources, including the Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense Guidelines and National Defense Authorization Acts. We screened for evidence gaps in psychological health management approaches relevant to the target population. We translated gaps into potential topics for evidence maps and/or systematic reviews. Gaps amenable to evidence synthesis format provided the basis for stakeholder input. Stakeholders rated topics for their potential to inform psychological health care in the military health system. Feasibility scans determined whether topics were ready to be pursued, that is, sufficient literature exists, and duplicative efforts are avoided. Results We identified 58 intervention, 9 diagnostics, 12 outcome, 19 population, and 24 health services evidence synthesis gaps. Areas included: posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (19), suicide prevention (14), depression (9), bipolar disorder (9), substance use (24), traumatic brain injury (20), anxiety (1), and cross-cutting (14) synthesis topics. Stakeholder input helped prioritize 19 potential PTSD topics and 22 other psychological health topics. To date, 46 topics have undergone feasibility scans. We document lessons learned across clinical topics and research methods. Conclusion We describe a transparent and structured approach to evidence synthesis topic selection for a health care system using scoping searches, translation into evidence synthesis format, stakeholder input, and feasibility scans.
Adolescent/Young Adult Perspectives of a Therapeutic Music Video Intervention to Improve Resilience during Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant for Cancer

This empirical phenomenology study reports adolescents/young adults (AYA) experiences of the therapeutic music video (TMV) intervention arm of a randomized controlled clinical trial (Children's Oncology Group; COG-ANUR0631; R01 NR008583) during hospitalization for a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. A purposive subsample of 14 AYA were interviewed using a broad open-ended data-generating question about their TMV intervention experiences. At the end of each interview, we also asked AYA for suggestions on how to improve the TMV. Analysis of the narrative data resulted in four theme categories: (a) An Interwoven Experience of the Transplant and TMV Intervention; (b) TMV as a Guided Opportunity for Reflection, Self-Expression, and Meaning-Making; (c) Telling My Story: The Work of Deriving Meaning; and (d) A Way to Overcome the Bad Side of Cancer. AYA suggestions for improving the TMV are also summarized. Findings provide insight into ways the TMV supports AYA efforts to overcome distress and challenges by providing opportunities to reflect on what is meaningful, connect with others, and explore/identify personal strengths. Findings also inform our understanding about how the TMV may have functioned (i.e., mechanisms of action) to bring about significant change in AYA self-reported outcomes (i.e., positive coping, social support, and family function) for this trial.
Abstract 15632: Phenotypic Overlap Between Left Ventricular Noncompaction and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Case Report

Introduction: Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) is characterized by extensively trabeculaed myocardium adjacent to normal compacted myocardium of the left ventricle (LV). Hypertrophic cardiomy...
From Courts to Arbitration: Arbitration's Confidentiality Advantage

This paper points out an intrinsic inefficiency in contemporary courts: courts adjudicate publicly, leading to deadweight loss in the form of reputational damages. I build a model to show that arbitration can circumvent this inefficiency by affording disputants a renegotiation opportunity following private adjudication. I then apply this model to account for the historical evolution of arbitral institutions in the 20th century under the leadership of the International Chamber of Commerce, and underscore critical elements in the building of strong arbitral institutions.
Public space and urban resilience: children’s perspectives. The case of the hills of Valparaíso, Chile

Public space has become an essential component of resilient urban development. Despite the growing recognition of this reality, public space and its functionality amid socio-natural disasters are u...
The last mile in school access: Mapping education deserts in developing countries

Abstract With recent advances in high-resolution satellite imagery and machine vision algorithms, fine-grain geospatial data on population are now widely available: kilometer-by-kilometer, worldwide. In this paper, we showcase how researchers and policymakers in developing countries can leverage these novel data to precisely identify “education deserts” – localized areas where families lack physical access to education – at unprecedented scale, detail, and cost-effectiveness. We demonstrate how these analyses could valuably inform educational access initiatives like school construction and transportation investments, and outline a variety of analytic extensions to gain deeper insight into the state of school access across a given country. We conduct a proof-of-concept analysis in the context of Guatemala, which has historically struggled with educational access, as a demonstration of the utility, viability, and flexibility of our proposed approach. We find that the vast majority of Guatemalan population lives within 3 km of a public primary school, indicating a generally low incidence of distance as a barrier to education in that context. However, we still identify concentrated pockets of population for whom the distance to school remains prohibitive, revealing important geographic variation within the strong country-wide average. Finally, we show how even a small number of optimally-placed schools in these areas, using a simple algorithm we develop, could substantially reduce the incidence of education deserts in this context. We make our entire codebase available to the public – fully free, open-source, heavily documented, and designed for broad use – allowing analysts across contexts to easily replicate our proposed analyses for other countries, educational levels, and public goods more generally.
Metatheories and Better Theories: A Reply to Ruttan

The attempt to carry out interdisciplinary research between economics and sociology has been more than problematic in that the assumptions driving the two disciplines, the methods employed and the conclusions attained can be quite different. Vernon Ruttan, in his paper 'The Sociology of Development and Under Development: Are There Lessons for Economics?', attempts to point out the potential contribution of sociologists utilizing modernization theory, dependency theory and world systems theory to economists. The following paper is a response to this endeavor. It examines the article by Ruttan in two ways. It first analyzes the different metatheoreticai assumptions that underlie the two approaches. Secondly, it examines issues raised by Ruttan in an effort to magnify the similarities and differences between the two. It is concluded that what is needed is not a distinction between the social sciences but the generation of a social science which encompasses human societies in all their complexities. Resumen Metateorias y Mejores Teorias. Una replica a Ruttan El intento interdisciplinario de investigacion llevada a cabo entre la Economia y la Sociologia ha sido mas bien problematico, en la suposicion de que las dos disciplinas, el empleo de metodos y las conclusiones logradas pueden llegar a ser bastante diferentes. Vernon Ruttan, en su articulo "La sociologia del desarrollo y del subdesarrollo: ?Tiene lecciones para los economistas?", realiza un intento por puntualizar cuales son las potenciales contribuciones de los sociologos que utilizan la teoria de la modernizacion, la teoria de la dependencia y la teoria del sistema mundial, para los economistas. El siguiente articulo es una respuesta a esc esfuerzo. Se examina el articulo de Ruttan en dos sentidos: en primer lugar se consideran las diferentes metateorias, subrayando los supuestos de los dos tipos de aproximacion. En segundo lugar, se examina el punto en disputa levantado por Ruttan como un esfuerzo por magnificar las similitudes y diferencias entre los dos. Se concluye, que esta distincion no es necesaria entre las ciencias sociales para la generacion de una ciencia social que abarque a las sociedades humanas en toda su complejidad.