cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal expansion feedback for wave-front shaping

Focusing inside scattering media is a challenging task with a variety of applications in biomedicine. State of the art methods mostly require invasive feedback inside or behind the sample, limiting practical use. We present a technique for dynamic control and focusing inside scattering media that combines two powerful methods: optical coherence tomography (OCT) and wave-front shaping (WFS). We use OCT as a non-invasive feedback for WFS optimization of a separate, penetrating laser. Energy absorbed in the sample, creates thermal expansions that are used for the feedback mechanism. By maximizing thermal deformations within a selected focal region, we demonstrate enhanced focusing of light through scattering media beyond the ballistic regime and within the penetration range of OCT.
Transdermal estrogens in the changing landscape of hormone replacement therapy.

ABSTRACTViews and clinical practice on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for postmenopausal women have varied widely over the last several decades. The 1990s showed a dramatic decline in prescribing and only recently are prescription rates increasing again. Use of HRT is first line for women suffering from the symptoms of menopause. For a certain population of postmenopausal women, HRT is recommended for prevention of fracture. More consideration is being given to patient risk factors, side effects, and formulations available. Transdermal patch estrogen formulations have been on the market for many years and are becoming more common although many physicians are less familiar with the various options. Transdermal preparations are worth consideration with regard to less adverse effects as there is the avoidance of liver metabolism and accumulation of metabolites with antiestrogenic activity. Data suggests that transdermal patch estrogen preparations are both safer and potentially more efficacious than oral ...
Making Decentralization Work in The Philippines: The experience of Canada-Philippines Partnership Program

A multi-stake holder strategy development and project implementation capacity development program facilitated by the Canadian Urban Institute in the Guimaras Province and replicated in Metropolitan Iloilo region and Boracay island, Philippines have resulted in local governments units embracing their responsibilities associated with decentralization more efficiently, effectively and democratically, abiding by principles of sustainable development. Optimizing limited resources, substantial improvements in solid waste management, ecotourism and agro-industry at the local and provincial levels have also been achieved over the course of 8 years
Success rates, characteristics, and costs of articulating antibiotic spacers for total knee periprosthetic joint infection.

Abstract Background The optimal type, characteristics, and success rates of articulating antibiotic spacers used during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) have not been well defined in a single series. We sought to (1) determine the success rate for three unique spacer constructs and (2) evaluate any microbiological, surgical, or patient characteristics that would influence the success rate. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent a two-stage exchange for a TKA PJI with a prefabricated spacer (PREFAB), home-made mold (MOLD), or autoclaved femoral component (AUTOCL). Patient demographics, microbiology data, amount of antibiotic in each spacer construct, postoperative course, and infection cure outcomes were evaluated. Results The success rate for being infection free at final follow-up without the need for further reoperation for infection was 82.7% in the PREFAB group, 88.4% in the MOLD group, and 79.4% in the AUTOCL group (p = 0.54). There was no clear statistical link between raw quantities of vancomycin and aminoglycoside in the spacer and a successful outcome. The surgeon's own intraoperatively created mold group had the lowest construct cost at a mean $1341.00 ± 889.10 (p Conclusions There was no statistically significant difference in the success rates between the antibiotic spacer types. The surgeon's own intraoperative mold had the least overall associated cost.
At the forefront: evidence of the applicability of using environmental DNA to quantify the abundance of fish populations in natural lentic waters with additional sampling considerations

Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has proven to be a valuable tool for detecting species in aquatic ecosystems. Within this rapidly evolving field, a promising application is the ability to obtain ...
Cohort Study of ECG Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Trajectories: Ethnic Disparities, Associations With Cardiovascular Outcomes, and Clinical Utility.

Background ECG left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a well‐known predictor of cardiovascular disease. However, no prior study has characterized patterns of presence/absence of ECG LVH (“ECG LVH trajectories”) across the adult lifespan in both sexes and across ethnicities. We examined: (1) correlates of ECG LVH trajectories; (2) the association of ECG LVH trajectories with incident coronary heart disease, transient ischemic attack, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, and heart failure; and (3) reclassification of cardiovascular disease risk using ECG LVH trajectories. Methods and Results We performed a cohort study among 75 412 men and 107 954 women in the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program who had available longitudinal exposures of ECG LVH and covariates, followed for a median of 4.8 (range Conclusions ECG LVH trajectories were significant indicators of coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure risk, independently of level and change in cardiovascular disease risk factors, and may have clinical utility.
Lamina Propria Lymphocytes: A Unique Population of Mucosal Lymphocytes

Publisher Summary The dual evolutionary pressures on the gastrointestinal tract, absorption of nutrients and exclusion of microbiologic pathogens, have resulted in a complex and precise gastrointestinal immune system to accomplish these goals. Intestinal immune response can be defined as one that protects against pathogens while allowing the absorption of complex nutrients without injury to the epithelium. The complex regulation of intestinal mucosal lymphocytes which maintains this precarious balance is still being elucidated. This chapter highlights unique aspects of T-cell regulation within the lamina propria lymphocyte (LPL) compartments as compared with lymphocytes in the periphery and intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL). In general, LPLs are thymically derived, highly activated lymphocytes with predominantly T-helper 2 (Th2) cell phenotype. LPL activation is distinct from that of classical memory T cells in their CD2/CD28 predominance which likely contributes to limiting T-cell receptor (TCR)/CD3-mediated signals in the mucosa. Antigen (Ag) presentation in the gut may involve nonclassical, nonpolymorphic class I-like molecules expressed by epithelial cells which may positively select extrathymically derived lymphocyte populations as well as tolerize self-reactive lymphocytes. These special features of the mucosal immune system are integrated to downregulate immune responses to ubiquitous lumenal Ags.
Causes and consequences of uncertainty about illness risk perceptions

We identified determinants of uncertainty about perceived risk judgments and demonstrated that uncertainty is associated with lower engagement in risk-reducing behavior. We found that people likely have metacognitive awareness of when their judgments are overly pessimistic, resulting in uncertainty and that question context (more constraints) and people's time orientation (future orientation) are associated with lower uncertainty. Uncertainty about conditioned risk judgments was associated with lower engagement in exercising and eating a healthy diet in order to reduce risk for heart disease. As a potential determinant of behavior, uncertainty about risk judgments merits further consideration for integration into theories of health behavior.
Electronic and Social Media-based Radiology Learning Initiative: Development, Implementation, Viewership Trends, and Assessment at 1 Year.

Rationale and Objectives We report the development of a new “Case of the Day” (COTD) educational initiative using email, social media (SoMe), and a website to disseminate content, as well as its trends in viewership and assessment of utility for the first year of implementation. Materials/Methods Using an image-rich format, a new unknown case was disseminated to radiology trainees and attendings at our institution by email twice per week, including history, salient images, and follow-up questions. Simultaneously, content was externally disseminated on Twitter and a publicly viewable departmental website. On subsequent days, the answer was posted via email, Twitter, and website in the form of a brief YouTube video lecture. Viewership data were collected over the first 12 months (July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017), and an anonymous survey of participants was performed. Results Sixty-five COTDs had complete viewership data and were included in our analysis, yielding 4911 “case” email views (mean = 76), 3798 “answer” email views (mean = 58), 68,034 “case” Twitter impressions (mean = 1047), 75,724 “answer” Twitter impressions (mean = 1164), 5465 “case” Twitter engagements (mean = 84), and 5307 “answer” Twitter engagements (mean = 82). COTD YouTube video lectures garnered 3657 views (mean = 61) amounting to 10,358 minutes of total viewing time. Viewers were very satisfied with COTD quality, with 97% (n = 63) reporting the quality as “good” or “excellent.” Conclusions Email and SoMe can serve as effective tools for disseminating radiology educational content. SoMe offers substantial external visibility and branding potential for programs.
Platforms and Architectures for Distributed Smart Cameras

Embedded computer vision places huge computational demands on smart cameras; in addition, these systems must often be designed to consume very low power and be inexpensive to manfuacture. In this chapter, we consider computational platforms for both smart cameras and networks of smart cameras. A platform is a combination of hardware and software that provides a set of features and services for an application space. We first compare a broad range of computing fabrics suitable for embedded computer vision: FPGAs, GPUs, video signal processors, and heterogeneous multiprocessor system-on-chip. We then look at approaches to the design of a platform for distributed services in a smart camera network.
Abstract P124: The Relationship Between the AGTR1-A1166C Polymorphism With Implantable Cardiac Defribrillator Therapies in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure

INTRODUCTION : Sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for approximately 350,000 annual deaths in the United States. It is not known whether polymorphisms in genes that affect prognosis and survival in heart failure would modify arrhythmic risk and SCD. We hypothesized that carriers of the Angiotensin Receptor Type 1 (AGTR1) A1166C polymorphism would have a higher incidence of ventricular arrhythmias requiring implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) therapies. METHODS : Utilizing a database of consecutive ICD patients at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Emory University Hospital from 2005–2009, we tested the association between the AGTR1-A1166C polymorphism with presence and frequency of antitachycardial pacing (ATP) and ICD shocks in a cohort of 500 patients. Appropriateness of therapies was evaluated at time of ICD interrogations. Patients who did not receive an ICD intervention served as the control group. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood by standard techniques utilizing the QIAamp ® Blood Kit (Qiagen, Inc.). Pyrosequencing was utilized to identify the AGTR1-A1166C polymorphism. Comparisons were analyzed by chi-square statistics and logistic regression. RESULTS : Patients with AGTR1–1166 CC genotype had an increased incidence of all events: ATP plus ICD shocks (p=0.027). Hardy Weinberg equilibrium was maintained and results were controlled for race. CONCLUSION : Our study suggests that the AGTR1–1166CC genotype is associated with increased ICD therapies and therefore, carriers of the CC genotype are at higher risk for ventricular arrhythmias.
Association of Epstein-Barr virus with acute exudative tonsillitis

This report is concerned with acute exudative tonsillitis as a pathologic response to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The concept of a bacterial-viral etiology etiology for tonsillitis has been suggested, and previous studies implicate EBV as a major pathogen in exudative tonsillitis. A prospective study of 16 patients with this diagnosis was conducted. EBV serologic data plus viral and bacterial throat cultures were compiled and evaluated. EBV as a casual agent alone or concurrent with other organisms was seen in 56% (9) of the patients under study. EBV activation was associated with infection by other organisms in 19% (3) of the cases. The overall total incidence of EBV in association with severe acute exudative tonsillitis was 75% (12). The data further documents EBV as a significant causal or associative agent in acute exudative tonsillitis.
Pit-picking resolves pilonidal disease in adolescents.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of the study was to evaluate the outcome of pit-picking on adolescents with pilonidal disease. Methods Patients presenting to a Pilonidal Clinic were managed by evacuation of any un-drained collections, soaking, and as needed, hair removal. Once active inflammation resolved, they underwent pit-picking under local anesthesia. Those with > 3 pits underwent sequential pit-pickings 2 months apart. Hirsute patients also underwent laser hair epilation. Pilonidal disease was stratified by severity. Patient symptoms were collected prospectively and reviewed. Results Fifty-eight patients underwent at least one pit-picking from February 2016 to September 2017. There were 40 (69%) males with a mean age of 17.7 years (range 13–24). Thirty-seven hirsute patients (64%) underwent a series of laser epilation treatments. Patients required from 0 to 3 days of non-narcotic analgesia, and all returned promptly to pre-procedure activities. Seven patients (12%) were lost to follow-up. Of the 51 patients with follow-up data, 47 (92%) were symptom-free an average of 5.0 months (range 1–20) post-procedure. Four patients (8%) had persistent intermittent drainage. Conclusion Pit-picking is a simple office procedure that may resolve pilonidal disease in many adolescents. A longer follow-up interval is needed to determine the long-term recurrence rate. Type of study Case Series. Level of evidence Level IV.
Rationally designing antisense therapy to keep up with evolving bacterial resistance

Antisense molecules used as antibiotics offer the potential to keep up with acquired resistance, by redesigning the sequence of an antisense. Once bacteria acquire resistance by mutating the targeted sequence, new antisense can readily be designed by using sequence information of a target gene. However, antisense molecules require additional delivery vehicles to get into bacteria and be protected from degradation. Based on progress in the last few years it appears that, while redesigning or finding new delivery vehicle will be more difficult than redesigning the antisense cargo, it will perhaps be less difficult than finding new conventional small molecule antibiotics. In this study we propose a protocol that maximizes the combined advantages of engineered delivery vehicle and antisense cargo by decreasing the immediate growth advantage to the pathogen of mutating the entry mechanisms and increasing the advantage to the pathogen of antisense target mutations. Using this protocol, we show by computer simulation an appropriately designed antisense therapy can potentially be effective many times longer than conventional antibiotics before succumbing to resistance. While the simulations describe an in-vitro situation, based on comparison with other in-vitro studies on acquired resistance we believe the advantages of the combination antisense strategy have the potential to provide much more sustainability in vivo than conventional antibiotic therapy.
Simulation in Critical Care Medicine

Real-life critical care medicine creates a poor context for on-the-spot learning. Simulation-based training incorporates psychomotor activities such as visual, auditory, and tactile learning pathways that can evoke a distinctly different, more engaged response from the learner and better mastery of educational objectives compared with the more reflective classical learning techniques. Although clinical experience can improve performance, simulation affords deliberate practice with immediate constructive feedback, reflection, and error correction that can develop expertise in a realistic risk-free critical care environment. The use of an assortment of simulation devices and techniques allows practitioners to develop familiarity with the varied clinical procedures, experience in the management of infrequently seen diseases, and develop the skills necessary for team-based management in the critical care environment. The application of simulation in critical care medicine leads not only to individual educational gains but overall unit quality assurance and safety measure improvement.
I – Introduction to Differential Equations

Publisher Summary An ordinary differential equation may be defined as an equation that involves a single unknown function of a single variable and some finite number of its derivatives. However, a partial differential equation—as distinguished from an ordinary differential equation—is an equation that involves an unknown function of more than one independent variable, together with partial derivatives of the function. Two classes of second-order equations that can be solved by successively solving two first-order equations have been considered; methods of solution for first-order equations may be used in this regard. Many natural laws of science could be formulated as differential equations. This chapter discusses some phenomena whose mathematical description leads to first-order equations.
Advances in PTSD Treatment Delivery: Evidence Base and Future Directions for Intensive Outpatient Programs

Traditionally, evidence-based treatment for PTSD is delivered in an outpatient format with dropout rates ranging from 30 to 62%. Modifications of existing protocols for delivery in intensive outpatient format offer promise for retention and excellent therapeutic outcomes. This article will review the existing literature on evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD delivered within an intensive outpatient format. Studies indicate that the intensive outpatient format substantially increases retention rates and demonstrates treatment outcomes at least equivalent to those demonstrated in traditional outpatient settings. Findings are limited by the dearth of randomized clinical trials to date. Current research highlights the utility of implementing evidence-based PTSD treatment in massed intensive format, which evidences improved treatment retention and comparable outcomes with traditional outpatient formats.
Paternity, History, and Misrepresentation in Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer

Shostak argues that in Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer (2015), a white, Western father’s failure to recognize his “illegitimate,” “half-breed” son allegorizes the untold Vietnamese story of the Vietnam War in American fiction of the postwar period. She explores the manner in which the unnamed, unreliable narrator, son of a French missionary and a Vietnamese woman he raped, uses his doubleness/duplicity to construct a riddle of sameness/otherness within the discourse of his life story, allowing Nguyen to illuminate the problem of representation at the core of the violence perpetrated against the Vietnamese, deprived of authority over their identities and traumatic histories. Shostak’s chapter traces Nguyen’s thick texture of allusion to American high and popular culture, within which the narrator rewrites the novel of recent American history through irony and parody – in a kind of displaced oedipal patricide – as revenge against and reparation for misrepresentation and lack of recognition.
Prediction of Dynamic Modulus of Hot Mix Asphalts with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement

This study evaluated the viscoelastic properties of a performance grade (PG) binder blended with different percentages of binders recovered from reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) for conditions (materials, climate, and specifications) prevailing in Oklahoma. The viscoelastic properties of the blended binders were then used to estimate dynamic modulus ( ) values of the new mixes with RAP by using the Witczak model through time-temperature superposition (TTS) principles. The recovered binder from RAP was found to be significantly stiffer than the virgin binder (PG 64-22). The addition of RAP increased the complex modulus ( ) of the base binder, so did the of the corresponding mix. The creep stiffness resistance of the asphalt binder at low service temperatures decreased with the addition of RAP. With up to 10% RAP binder, no notable changes were observed in the viscosity and PG grade of the virgin binder. With 25% and 40% RAP binder, the PGs of the blended binders were found to be PG 70-16 and PG 76-16, respectively. It was observed that the master curves predicted from PGs of the blended binders were in close agreement with those estimated from the laboratory-measured data. The dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) data of rotational thin film oven (RTFO)-aged blended binders predicted significantly lower values compared to the measured ones. The values predicted from rotational viscosity (RV) test data were found to be higher than the measured values. The findings of this study are expected to provide transportation professionals with a better understanding of new mixes with high RAPs.
Effects of ∆ 9 -THC on memory in ovariectomized and intact female rats.

Abstract The effects of marijuana's major psychoactive cannabinoid, ∆9-tetrahydrocannibinol (∆9-THC), were examined on memory in female rats by training subjects to respond under a repeated acquisition and delayed-performance procedure. During this task, subjects acquired a different 4-response sequence each session, which was then recalled after a delay. Sequence retention was tested following various delays, and quantified by a percent savings measure. Response rate and percent errors were also recorded. Subsequent to training, subjects underwent an ovariectomy (OVX) or sham surgery (intact). The OVX group then underwent implantation of subcutaneous 17β-estradiol capsules while the intact group received chronic administration of 1 mg/kg of the estrogen receptor modifier, tamoxifen. Increasing delays from 1 min to 24 h produced delay-dependent decreases in percent savings in both OVX and intact rats. Acute administration of ∆9-THC (0.32–3.2 mg/kg) dose-dependently decreased retention, increased percent errors, and decreased response rate in both groups when the delay was 1 h. However, intact rats showed a significantly lower percent savings than OVX rats at the 0.56-mg/kg dose. Delays of 3 h enhanced the disruptive effects of ∆9-THC more in intact than OVX rats; furthermore, implantation of 17β-estradiol attenuated ∆9-THC-induced disruptions in OVX rats and significantly increased estradiol levels and uterine weight as compared to intact rats. Although chronic tamoxifen administration did not alter ∆9-THC's effects on memory in intact rats, it did significantly decrease response rate. These results demonstrate the capacity of chronic 17β-estradiol for attenuating ∆9-THC's acute memory-disrupting effects in OVX female rats.
Utilizing Community Partners to Enhance Quality Intern Training

Psychology internship programs expand the knowledge of trainees using creative strategies and are required to reflect on whether or not their strategies are effective. Teaching and training while on internship should incorporate various methods of learning, i.e. experiential, lecture-based and/or collaborative learning. Collaboration with professional community partners into didactic lectures is an opportunity for trainees to gain exposure to unique specialty areas within psychology. A quality improvement initiative was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this training method. Interns’ evaluations of didactic lectures given by faculty members and community partners between 2010 and 2016 were compared. Results indicated interns rated faculty presentations higher overall compared to community partner presentations; however, the differences may be of low practical significance indicating commonalities between the quality of faculty and community partners presentations. Overall, results from the current study appear to support the use of utilizing community partners to support quality training in internship programs.
Orthognathic Surgery before Completion of Growth

SUMMARY Accurate diagnosis of the skeletal condition is of paramount importance when predicting treatment outcome for patients operated on before complete maturation. Surgery of facial skeletal growth excess has a greater risk of unfavorable outcome than surgery for correction of facial skeletal growth deficiency when surgery is undertaken before complete maturation. Clinicians should determine the timing of facial skeletal surgery in concert with well-informed patients and parents, using both skeletal growth and psychosocial factors to govern the decision.
Necessity of COVID-19 Vaccination in Previously Infected Individuals: A Retrospective Cohort Study

ABSTRACT Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods Employees of the Cleveland Clinic Health System working in Ohio on Dec 16, 2020, the day COVID-19 vaccination was started, were included. Any subject who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at least 42 days earlier was considered previously infected. One was considered vaccinated 14 days after receipt of the second dose of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection over the next five months, among previously infected subjects who received the vaccine, was compared with those of previously infected subjects who remained unvaccinated, previously uninfected subjects who received the vaccine, and previously uninfected subjects who remained unvaccinated. Results Among the 52238 included employees, 1359 (53%) of 2579 previously infected subjects remained unvaccinated, compared with 22777 (41%) of 49659 not previously infected. The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection remained almost zero among previously infected unvaccinated subjects, previously infected subjects who were vaccinated, and previously uninfected subjects who were vaccinated, compared with a steady increase in cumulative incidence among previously uninfected subjects who remained unvaccinated. Not one of the 1359 previously infected subjects who remained unvaccinated had a SARS-CoV-2 infection over the duration of the study. In a Cox proportional hazards regression model, after adjusting for the phase of the epidemic, vaccination was associated with a significantly lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among those not previously infected (HR 0.031, 95% CI 0.015 to 0.061) but not among those previously infected (HR 0.313, 95% CI 0 to Infinity). Conclusions Individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, and vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before. Summary Cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was examined among 52238 employees in an American healthcare system. COVID-19 did not occur in anyone over the five months of the study among 2579 individuals previously infected with COVID-19, including 1359 who did not take the vaccine.
Coarse "split and lump" bilingual language models for richer source information in SMT.

Recently, there has been interest in automatically generated word classes for improving statistical machine translation (SMT) quality: e.g, (Wuebker et al, 2013). We create new models by replacing words with word classes in features applied during decoding; we call these “coarse models”. We find that coarse versions of the bilingual language models (biLMs) of (Niehues et al, 2011) yield larger BLEU gains than the original biLMs. BiLMs provide phrase-based systems with rich contextual information from the source sentence; because they have a large number of types, they suffer from data sparsity. Niehues et al (2011) mitigated this problem by replacing source or target words with parts of speech (POSs). We vary their approach in two ways: by clustering words on the source or target side over a range of granularities (word clustering), and by clustering the bilingual units that make up biLMs (bitoken clustering). We find that loglinear combinations of the resulting coarse biLMs with each other and with coarse LMs (LMs based on word classes) yield even higher scores than single coarse models. When we add an appealing “generic” coarse configuration chosen on English > French devtest data to four language pairs (keeping the structure fixed, but providing language-pair-specific models for each pair), BLEU gains on blind test data against strong baselines averaged over 5 runs are +0.80 for English > French, +0.35 for French > English, +1.0 for Arabic > English, and +0.6 for Chinese > English.
Sacred weeds: common ritual plants from the urban botánicas of Miami-Dade County, Florida

Background: Practitioners of syncretic religions often incorporate plants into their sacred rituals, a unique practice that helps keep them connected to their cultural history. An important example of ritual plant use is found in the botanicas (religious stores that cater to practitioners of Afro-Caribbean diaspora religions) of Miami-Dade County, Florida (USA). Methods: We examined ritual plants sold in a sample of six botanicas in Miami-Dade County from November 2018 until April 2019. We addressed the following questions: 1) What is the ratio of native to non-native plant species found in the botanica stores; 2) What is the ratio of invasive exotic to non-invasive exotic plant species found in the botanica stores; and 3) What is the geographical origin of plant species found in the botanica stores? Results: Given the study’s location in South Florida, the frequency of local native flora sold as ritual plants was significantly smaller than initially predicted (27% vs. 65%). Likewise, actual frequency of invasive species was much higher than the expected frequency (32% vs. 19%). We also discovered that most of the taxa collected during the study were Neotropical (50%) and Asian (25%) in origin, while very few African taxa were documented (7 out of the 93 species identified). Conclusion: These botanicas highlight the reliance of Afro-Caribbean syncretic religions in Miami-Dade County on locally common plants, particularly those taxa from the Neotropics. Future studies should further investigate how these plants are being cultivated, traded, and used by the informal economy associated with urban botanicas. Keywords: African diaspora, economic botany, ethnobotany, medicinal plants, religious syncretis
Insetting an Extremity Flap: Hints for a Successful Outcome

We breakdown free tissue transfer for extremity reconstruction into five major steps: (1) preoperative planning, (2) flap dissection, (3) microsurgical arterial and venous anastomosis, (4) flap insetting, and (5) postoperative care. Each step independently contributes to a successful outcome. Planning and execution of flap insetting occurring at the end of a long operative day is often under appreciated. In cases where flap insetting is not carefully planned, the results may be suboptimal, even if the flap harvest and microsurgical anastomoses are performed with 100% technical competency. This chapter discusses techniques that have proven useful to us while insetting the flap. The senior surgeon considers this step to be critical to our overall success and is always present during flap closure and insetting.
Anytime scheduling for real-time embedded control applications

Current real-time scheduling methods focus on periodic tasks with fixed (or at least bounded) execution times. However, many tasks used in control and optimization applications do not fit this pattern. "Anytime" or incremental algorithms whose performance is variable and improves as their execution time increases are examples of such tasks. We have developed an adaptive scheduling framework to deal with multiple anytime tasks that compete with each other for processing time. This work explores the issues surrounding anytime tasks, how they are scheduled, how they adapt, and how they interact with more traditional scheduling techniques.
Inversion of specific heat oscillations with in-plane magnetic field angle in two-dimensional d -wave superconductors

Experiments on several novel superconducting compounds have observed oscillations of the specific heat when an applied magnetic field is rotated with respect to the crystal axes. The results are commonly interpreted as arising from the nodes of an unconventional order parameter, but the identifications of nodal directions are sometimes controversial. Here we show with a semiclassical model calculation that when the magnetic field points in the direction of the nodes, either minima or maxima can occur in the specific heat depending on the temperature $T$ and the magnetic field $H$. An inversion of the angular oscillations takes place with respect to those predicted earlier at low temperature by the nodal approximation. This result, together with the argument that the inversion takes place based on an approximation valid at moderate fields, indicates that the inversion of specific heat oscillations is an intrinsic feature of nodal superconductors.
Cyclic AMP reverses the pro-fibrogenic phenotype of cardiac myofibroblasts (850.3)

Previous data have shown that increased cellular levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP) can prevent the transformation of cardiac fibroblast (CFs) into pro-fibrogenic myofibroblasts (MyoFbs), a transformation...
The Distribution of Minor Constituents in the Stratosphere and Lower Mesosphere

Experimental determination of the distribution of minor constituents in the middle atmosphere between 20 and 80 km altitude, a region accessible only by balloons and rockets, is a neglected area of atmospheric research. The distributions of gaseous minor constituents in this region are governed by many processes: (a) the pattern and rate of troposphere-stratosphere and stratosphere-mesosphere exchange, (b) transport processes which influence the meridional and vertical redistribution of constituents at these levels, and (c) chemical reactions in the stratosphere and mesosphere. The distribution of particulate constituents in the stratosphere and mesosphere is further complicated by the influence of particle growth and sedimentation processes.
Evolution and Our Reproductive Physiology

On Fertile Ground A Natural History of Human Reproduction. Peter Ellison. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2001. 368 pp. $27.95. ISBN 0-674-00463-9. Ellison explores human reproduction from the perspectives of anthropology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. His discussion ranges from the experiences of subsistence farmers in African rain forests to developments in modern fertility clinics.
Ion Deflection for Final Optics in Laser Inertial Fusion Power Plants

Left unprotected, both transmissive and reflective final optics in a laser-driven inertial fusion power plant would quickly fail from melting, pulsed thermal stress, or degradation of optical properties as a result of ion implantation. One potential option for mitigating this threat is to magnetically deflect the ions such that they are directed to a robust energy dump. In this paper we detail integrated studies that have been carried out to assess the viability of this approach for protecting final optics.
An underwater acoustic communications scheme with inherent scale diversity for multiple users

Wideband underwater acoustic communication channels can cause undesirable multipath and Doppler scaling distortions to propagating acoustic signals. In this paper, we propose to exploit a time-scale canonical representation for wideband time-varying channels to achieve joint multipath-scale diversity. We design a signaling scheme with hyperbolic time-frequency signatures that is matched to the underwater acoustic environment to achieve scale diversity. The signaling scheme, combined with code-division multiple-access, is extended to multiple user transmission to improve multiuser detection performance, as demonstrated with simulations.
Electron-Atom Scattering in the Field of a Laser

The problem of electron-atom scattering in the field of a laser has been studied in only a very limited range of laser parameters. The case of a low frequency, not too intense, laser is discussed for the case in which there is no electron-atom resonance in the absence of the laser. The case in which a resonance exists is also briefly described. The situation in which the laser is weak and tuned to a transition of the free atom is also discussed and the possibility of extending this to more intense lasers is raised. The situation in which the laser is tuned to resonate between a pair of compound states of electron plus atom is also discussed in two possibilities, one in which both states are resonances, and the other in which one of the states is a stable negative ion.
Quantifying the Spatial Details of Carbon Sequestration Potential and Performance

Upscaling the spatial and temporal changes of carbon stocks and fluxes from sites to regions is challenging owing to the spatial and temporal variances and covariance of driving variables and the uncertainties in both the model and the input data. Although various modeling approaches have been developed to facilitate the upscaling process, few deal with error transfer from model input to output, and error propagation in time and space. The author has developed the General Ensemble Biogeochemical Modelling System (GEMS) for upscaling carbon stocks and fluxes from sites to regions with measures of uncertainty. This chapter describes the GEMS model, its application to regional- and larger-scale areas, and the new results that demonstrate the challenges of upscaling. GEMS relies on site-scale biogeochemical models to simulate carbon dynamics at the site scale. The spatial deployment of the site-scale model in GEMS is based on the spatial and temporal joint frequency distribution of major driving variables (e.g., land cover and land use change, climate, soils, disturbances, and management). At the site scale, GEMS uses stochastic ensemble simulations to incorporate input uncertainty to quantify uncertainty transfer from input to output, and to identify trends in both input data and simulation results. It permits one to simulate the range of possible permutations of input values and identify the trends and variance in both the input data and results. Using data assimilation techniques, GEMS simulations can be constrained by field and satellite observations, including estimates of net primary production (NPP) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), grain yield and cropping practices, and forest inventories. The modeling philosophy embedded in GEMS makes it ideal for assimilating information with various uncertainties to support estimating the spatial details of carbon sequestration potential as well as dynamic monitoring of the performance of carbon sequestration activities over large areas. As a case study, GEMS is applied to simulate the spatial and temporal details of carbon sources, sinks, and uncertainty in the Ridge and Valley ecoregion in the eastern United States.
The Issues of Hyperbilirubinemia

"Tis with our judgments as our watches, none go just alike, yet each believes his own." Alexander Pope An Essay on Criticism, 1711. The practice parameter published recently by the American Academy of Pediatrics Provisional Committee for Quality Improvement and Subcommittee on Hyperbilirubinemia1 introduces clearly the major points for which a consensus exists between experts: 1. "Factors influencing bilirubin toxicity to the brain cells of newborn infants are complex and incompletely understood." 2. "It is not known at what bilirubin concentration or under what circumstances significant risk of brain damage occurs or when the risk of damage exceeds the risk of treatment."
Biogenesis of very-low-density lipoproteins in rat liver. Intracellular distribution of apolipoprotein B.

The hepatic subcellular distribution of apolipoprotein B (apo B) was studied quantitatively by using an enzyme immunoassay developed for apo B and by immunoadsorption-precipitation of [3H]leucine-labelled apo B. Over 50% (of 0.59 μg/mg protein) of the apo B was located in the microsomal fraction. Further subfractionation of the microsomes revealed that 47% of the microsomal apo B was in the Golgi apparatus, while another 43% was associated with the rough endoplasmic reticulum. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum accounted for only 4% of the total. When rat livers were labelled with [3H]leucine for 10 min, the rough endoplasmic reticulum accounted for 80% of the total immunoadsorbed precipitable apo B radioactivity while the smooth accounted for 20%, with no contribution from the Golgi. However, only 8.7% of the total radioactive immunoadsorbed precipitable apo B was lipoprotein-associated, the remainder being membrane-bound. Lipoprotein-associated apo B radioactivity in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum accounted for 40% with the rough contribution attributed at 50% and the Golgi at 9%. We concluded that (a) there are two major pools of apo B in rat liver microsomes; (b) although the apo B mass may be negligible in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum, the latter does play a role in lipoprotein biogenesis. The possible function of apo B associated with membranes of the microsomes is also discussed.
SCHOOL SEGREGATION, CHARTER SCHOOLS, AND ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION

ABSTRACT:Race, class, neighborhood, and school quality are all highly interrelated in the U.S. educational system. In the last decade a new factor has come into play, the option of attending a charter school. We offer a comprehensive analysis of the disparities among public schools attended by white, black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American children in 2010–2011, including all districts in which charter schools existed. We compare schools in terms of poverty concentration, racial composition, and standardized test scores, and we also examine how attending a charter or non-charter school affects these differences. Black and Hispanic (and to a lesser extent Native American and Asian) students attend elementary and high schools with higher rates of poverty than white students. Especially for whites and Asians, attending a charter school means lower exposure to poverty. Children’s own race and the poverty and charter status of their schools affect the test scores and racial isolation of schools that childr...
Reflective Adaptation of a Technology Artifact: A Case Study of Classroom Change

This case study examines the changes that took place in a 5th-grade mathematics classroom in Hong Kong when an American-made technological artifact was introduced. Using classroom observation, videotaping, and daily interviews with the teacher and students, the study documents the changes that occurred in the classroom and the factors shaping those changes. Using the artifact prompted the teacher to make changes by altering the content, the sequence of instruction, and the social arrangements for class participation. In addition, the class engaged in extensive discussions about the social implications of solving complex mathematics problems. Most of these changes, however, were made after the attempts to maintain routine instruction broke down. The study suggests that new technologies that are not compatible with the existing practice may lead to intense and sometimes profound reflections about which aspects of the individuals, their environment, and the new artifact to adapt into a new classroom structur...
Optimal selection of patients for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair based on life expectancy.

Objective Elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair is beneficial when rupture is likely during a patient's expected lifetime. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of long-term mortality after elective AAA repair for moderately sized AAAs ( Methods We analyzed 2367 elective infrarenal AAA ( Results During the study period, 1653 endovascular AAA repairs and 714 open AAA repairs were performed. Overall, 5-year survival rates were similar by procedure type (75% endovascular repair, 80% open repair; P = .14). Advanced age ≥75 years (hazard ratio [HR], 2.0; P 80 years (HR, 2.6; P P P P 2 (HR, 2.8; P P P P Conclusions More than 75% of patients with moderately sized AAAs who underwent elective repair in our region survived 5 years, but 4% were at high risk for 5-year mortality. Patients with multiple risk factors, especially age >80 years, unstable angina, oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and estimated glomerular filtration rate 2 , are unlikely to achieve sufficient long-term survival to benefit from surgery, unless their AAA rupture risk is very high.
The Meanings Individuals Attach to Role Identities and Their Implications for Mental Health

Although several theoretical and methodological approaches have been developed for assessing the meaning of roles and role-related stressors, individuals' own understandings of the meaning of their role identities have been ignored in stress research. In this paper, I first examine the ways in which meaning has been conceptualized and assessed. I then explore the meanings individuals themselves attach to role identities and their implications for mental health. Qualitative analyses of indepth follow-up interviews with 40 people who had participated in a community panel study of mental health reveal considerable variation in the meanings they attach to spouse, parent, and worker identities. I also find that the meanings people assign to role identities are based on their perceptions of the benefits and costs of role involvement. Moreover, while most meanings are shared by men and women, there are gender differences in some meanings which reflect gender differences in the perceived benefits and costs of role involvement. Finally, quantitative analyses show that some meanings of role identities are associated with symptoms and are involved in gender differences in distress. These and other illustrative findings suggest that stress researchers would find it useful to incorporate the meanings individuals themselves attach to their role identities and devote greater attention to men's and women's perceptions of both the positive and negative aspects of their role involvement.
Classification and Detection of Single Evoked Brain Potentials Using Time-Frequency Amplitude Features

The classification and detection of event-related brain potentials was investigated using signal processing and statistical pattern recognition techniques. Amplitudes at sampled time points and frequency quantities have previously been used as features. Improvements to these procedures were obtained by using features from the time-frequency plane to utilize the geometric relationship between time and frequency, capitalizing on the nonstationarity of the evoked potential signals. These features were transformed from the original data sets based upon a two-step classification/feature selection procedure which uses selected frequencies from step 1 as parameters for data filtering in step 2. Features were selected from the filtered data, classifiers were designed, and the estimated classification accuracies were computed.