cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Family group decision making: Measuring fidelity to practice principles in public child welfare

Abstract This study describes the development and validation of a short, self-administered fidelity measure used to capture the perspectives of a range of individuals participating in a family group decision making conference. Exploratory factor analyses suggested either a two or a three factor solution. Findings from confirmatory factor analysis supported a three factor model that includes sets of practices yielding: (1) Productive Decision Making; (2) Family Group Inclusion; and (3) Professional Supportiveness. These results provide direction to public child welfare practitioners and policymakers about the importance and the feasibility of attending to multiple perspectives in assessing program delivery.
The Red Cell Shape as an Indicator of Membrane Structure: Ponder’s Rule Reexamined

A recently published mathematical analysis allows the precise determination of the forces which acting on the red cell membrane cause any red cell to assume a particular shape. The effective use of this analysis in the study of membrane physiology and pathology, however, is dependent on the availability of large numbers of accurately measured RBC cross sections. Red cells under study must be suspended in physiologic solutions; this effectively limits the data gathering technique to light microscopy. The low resolving power of the light microscope causes a diffraction band to overlie the membrane and renders the determination of the actual membrane location difficult. This problem was first examined by Ponder in 1930, when he formulated a technique that has come to be known as ‘Ponder’s Rule’.
Journalistic field wars: defending and attacking the national narrative in a diversifying journalistic field

Whereas others have noticed a strengthening of journalistic–state relations due to pressures caused by new media, this analysis reveals an ideological strengthening of the state–journalistic partnership. This article uses a deep reading of journalistic coverage of the WikiLeaks-released cables to examine the influence of field position upon newswork and narratives from diverse sources. Despite the hope that new technologies will enable new journalistic forms, establishment journalism continues its allegiance to traditional practices that are a consequence and cause of the national narrative. Because of competition within the journalistic field made possible by changing political economies, one reaction of dominant news organizations is to become more committed to the national narrative to maintain their position of strength within the field.
Direct model reference adaptive control of a six link Puma arm

Adaptive control of robotic arms was studied using a realistic simulation model of the PUMA 560 arm. In particular, a six-link PUMA model was controlled using a direct multiple-input multiple-output model reference adaptive controller. Results indicate that is is possible for all six links to track commanded trajectories with all torques remaining within bounds. >
Thinking About the Law of Assisted Reproductive Technology

This article surveys some of the difficult unresolved legal issues created by the increased use of assisted reproduction to procreate children. Some aspects of this technology, such as intrauterine insemination, have been widely used for a few decades by married couples and has gained legal recognition in statutory and decisional law. However, the widespread use of intrauterine insemination by unmarried opposite sex couples and same sex couples is largely unregulated and legally problematical, creating problems for courts throughout the country which have struggled with issues relating to parental rights, custody, visitation and child support in the absence of legislative guidance. Even beyond the use of intrauterine insemination, other newer reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization, embryo cryopreservation and transfer, gestational surrogacy and posthumous reproduction have created even more potential and actual legal issues about which the legislatures have for the most part remained silent. Such technologies have raised questions about parental status, determination of maternity, genetic abnormalities, multiple births, status of gamete or embryo donors, child support obligations, the role of adoption in application of these technologies, medical malpractice, government regulation, health insurance, divorce disputes over disposition of cryopreserved embryos, the social security status of children conceived posthumously by assisted reproduction and numerous other matters. The article examines the impact of these technologies on the concept of the family. The right to procreate is a basic fact in American family law doctrine, but the pro-creative choice in the context of families which have not or are only slowly gaining legal recognition such as same sex marriages or civil unions, and non marital families, has become controversial in disputes over marriage. For example, challenges to a state's choice to limit marriage to heterosexual couples have almost always raised the issue about the purpose of marriage, and because of the widespread use of assisted reproduction among same sex couples to procreate the issue has squarely been raised as to whether the procreation argument any longer has any validity in a state's bar to same sex marriage. The article examines the different kinds of family units employing collaborative reproduction today, and some of the court responses to this reality. The article also surveys the potential application of the 2000 Uniform Parentage Act (as amended in 2002), which while not yet widely adopted, does address some of these issues raised by assisted reproduction. This version of the article is a submission draft and does not reflect any law review edits.
Facile Synthesis and Characterization of Two Dimensional Layered Tin Disulfide Nanowalls

Two dimensional layered metal chalcogenides, especially tin sulfides, have recently received great interest due to their enticing physical and chemical properties and hold promise for various applications. We report on synthesis of phase-pure two dimensional tin disulfide nanowalls by a facile vapor-phase synthesis method on insulator substrates such as silicon dioxide and magnesium oxide using tin dioxide and sulfur powders as precursors. The synthesized tin disulfide nanowalls have been characterized to study their fundamental properties by using various techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The synthesized films have an open network structure constituted of very uniform interconnected nanowalls with high crystallinity.
Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Wild-Type and Knock-in Q140/Q140 Huntington's Disease Mouse Brains Reveals Changes in Glycerophospholipids Including Alterations in Phosphatidic Acid and Lyso-Phosphatidic Acid.

Background Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG expansion in the HD gene, which encodes the protein Huntingtin. Huntingtin associates with membranes and can interact directly with glycerophospholipids in membranes. Objective We analyzed glycerophospholipid profiles from brains of 11 month old wild-type (WT) and Q140/Q140 HD knock-in mice to assess potential changes in glycerophospholipid metabolism. Methods Polar lipids from cerebellum, cortex, and striatum were extracted and analyzed by liquid chromatography and negative ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry analysis (LC-MS/MS). Gene products involved in polar lipid metabolism were studied using western blotting, immuno-electron microscopy and qPCR. Results Significant changes in numerous species of glycerophosphate (phosphatidic acid, PA) were found in striatum, cerebellum and cortex from Q140/Q140 HD mice compared to WT mice at 11 months. Changes in specific species could also be detected for other glycerophospholipids. Increases in species of lyso-PA (LPA) were measured in striatum of Q140/Q140 HD mice compared to WT. Protein levels for c-terminal binding protein 1 (CtBP1), a regulator of PA biosynthesis, were reduced in striatal synaptosomes from HD mice compared to wild-type at 6 and 12 months. Immunoreactivity for CtBP1 was detected on membranes of synaptic vesicles in striatal axon terminals in the globus pallidus. Conclusions These novel results identify a potential site of molecular pathology caused by mutant Huntingtin that may impart early changes in HD.
Application of Case Teaching Method in Intercultural Communication in Business(ICB)

Case teaching method,as a tremendously potential model,has been widely applied to Management and MBA courses.The article makes research on how to integrate the case teaching method into Intercultural Communication in Business for English majors.
Hypernephroma in the Solitary Kidney: Experience with 20 Cases and Review of the Literature

AbstractTwenty patients with renal cell carcinoma in anatomically or functionally solitary kidneys were treated and followed for up to 18 years. Factors pertinent to management and survival of these patients and 66 other well documented similar patients reported in the literature are analyzed. Most of the patients were unusually young and a significant number had had nephrectomy for contralateral renal cell carcinoma. Survival was closely related to the earlier presence of malignant disease in the other kidney, the duration of the interval between detection of the 2 neoplasms and the stage of the lesion in the solitary kidney.Partial nephrectomy has been the most successful treatment. The mean survival in the Mayo Clinic series has been 6 years for patients still alive and 2.4 years for those dead at the time of this analysis. Results in this and other series emphasize the importance of thorough long-term followup after nephrectomy for hypernephroma and of aggressive therapy when the remaining kidney beco...
A good day to die: bridging the gap between costs and benefits of parental care

In species that provide parental care, offspring survival is often completely dependent on protection and resources afforded by the parents. Therefore, parents gain no fitness unless they raise offspring to a critical point of independence. In these species, selection should shape parental life history to increase their chances of surviving to this critical point. We test this hypothesis using females of two species of burying beetles, Nicrophorus orbicollis and N. marginatus. Burying beetles breed on small, vertebrate carcasses, and reproduction can be divided into two stages: carcass preparation and larva provisioning. Females were allowed to reproduce repeatedly until they died, and the stage in which each female died was recorded. Most females died while waiting for another carcass for their next reproductive bout or during carcass preparation, which indicates that females may have a physiological mechanism that allows them to delay death until their final brood is independent of parental care. In this paper, we show that female burying beetles of two species do not die at random times during reproduction, but instead die after they have finished caring for their offspring. This is the first time that non-random death has been shown in burying beetles. We show that females that die after offspring care is complete have a higher fitness than females that die at random because offspring in many species of burying beetles depend on parental care for food provisioning and protection. We also propose a hormonal mechanism through which females might extend their lives to allow them to finish caring for their offspring.
Role of Adult Neurogenesis in Seizure-Induced Hippocampal Remodeling and Epilepsy

Adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus is profoundly disrupted by seizure activity in experimental models. The relationship between this disruption, seizure-induced plasticity, and the pathogenesis of epilepsy is complex and not well understood, but there is great interest in the therapeutic potential of modulating the effects of seizures on dentate granule cell (DGC) neurogenesis. In this chapter, we discuss how seizure activity or epileptic insults influence DGC neurogenesis, as well as the potential effects of altered neurogenesis on epilepsy development, a process known as epileptogenesis. Where possible, data are included that provide insight into potential underlying mechanisms, or to highlight specific areas where more work is needed to better understand the relationship between seizure activity and aberrant neurogenesis.
ReproZip: Computational Reproducibility With Ease

We present ReproZip, the recommended packaging tool for the SIGMOD Reproducibility Review. ReproZip was designed to simplify the process of making an existing computational experiment reproducible across platforms, even when the experiment was put together without reproducibility in mind. The tool creates a self-contained package for an experiment by automatically tracking and identifying all its required dependencies. The researcher can share the package with others, who can then use ReproZip to unpack the experiment, reproduce the findings on their favorite operating system, as well as modify the original experiment for reuse in new research, all with little effort. The demo will consist of examples of non-trivial experiments, showing how these can be packed in a Linux machine and reproduced on different machines and operating systems. Demo visitors will also be able to pack and reproduce their own experiments.
Massively Parallel Sequencing Technology in Pathogenic Microbes

Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) methods have revolutionized various aspects of genomics including transcriptome analysis. Digital expression analysis is all set to replace analog expression analysis that uses microarray chips through their cost-effectiveness, reproducibility, accuracy, and speed. The last 2 years have seen a surge in the development of statistical methods and software tools for analysis and visualization of NGS data. Large amounts of NGS data are available for pathogenic fungi and oomycetes. As the analysis results start pouring in, it brings about a paradigm shift in the understanding of host pathogen interactions with discovery of new transcripts, splice variants, mutations, regulatory elements, and epigenetic controls. Here we describe the core technology of the new sequencing platforms, the methodology of data analysis, and different aspects of applications.
Successful Aging Among African American Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

Objectives Rowe and Kahn's concept of successful aging remains an important model of well-being; additional research is needed, however, to identify how economically and socially disadvantaged older adults experience well-being, including the role of life events. The findings presented here help address this gap by examining the subjective construction of well-being among urban African American adults (age ≥ 50) with Type 2 diabetes. Method As part of the National Institute on Aging-funded Subjective Experience of Diabetes among Urban Older Adults study, ethnographers interviewed African American older adults with diabetes (n = 41) using an adaptation of the McGill Illness Narrative Interview. Data were coded using an inductively derived codebook. Codes related to aging, disease prognosis, and "worldview" were thematically analyzed to identify constructions of well-being. Results Participants evaluate their well-being through comparisons to the past and to the illnesses of friends and family. Diabetes self-care motivates social engagement and care of others. At times, distrust of medical institutions means well-being also is established through nonadherence to suggested biomedical treatment. Discussion Hardship and illness in participants' lives frame their diabetes experience and notions of well-being. Providers need to be aware of the social, economic, and political lenses shaping diabetes self-management and subjective well-being.
“A Modern Lear” (1912)

Those of us who lived in Chicago during the summer of 1894 were confronted by a drama which epitomized and, at the same time, challenged the code of social ethics under which we live, for a quick series of unusual events had dispelled the good nature which in happier times envelopes the ugliness of the industrial situation.
Feminist Pioneer: Annette Brodsky Paving the Way

ABSTRACTEven when the culture imposed stringent limitations on women’s roles, Dr. Annette Brodsky refused to succumb to these restrictions. As one of only a few women in her graduate school cohort, she broke new ground during her pre-doctoral internship, her post-internship military placement, and in her faculty position at the University of Alabama. Her renowned work advocating for and studying the effect of consciousness-raising groups engendered critical scholarship that revealed the harm of therapists’ sexual abuse and facilitated improved ethics and guidelines for psychologists in their work with clients. Dr. Brodsky has served as a pioneering feminist psychologist for several generations of women.
Serially Actuated Locomotion for Soft Robots in Tube-Like Environments

Soft robots are able to complete tasks that traditional robots cannot, thus providing new opportunities for robots to navigate confined spaces. These tasks include pipe inspection and endoluminal surgical applications. The research objective of this letter is to present a design methodology for soft robots capable of traversing a cannula or pipe using only passive elements, a single pressure source, and while avoiding blockage, that is, avoiding full occlusion of the cannula to still allow fluid flow. The robot consists of three segments, each with actuators and valves, and is driven by hydraulics (water). The actuators were built using the FREE method and optimized for the specific task of traversing a cannula with a diameter of 19 mm. An experimental approach was used to create a pressure-volume relationship from the kinematic fiber-reinforced elastomer enclosure (FREE) model. The passive valves were built as flow restrictors and modeled with the nonlinear orifice equation. A simulation and grid search was performed over a range of valve coefficients. An objective function was then maximized to produce orifice coefficients that augmented extension of the robot per input pressure cycle. The physical robot was then constructed and tested in a cannula. This resulted in a robot that was serially actuated, never fully occluded the cannula, and was able to successfully locomote a cannula at a rate of 27 ± 4 mm per two-second cycle. This experimental result was close to the simulated result of 28 mm per cycle.
A safe autonomous vehicle trajectory domain specific modeling language for non-expert development

Managing complexity while ensuring safely designed behaviors is important for cyber-physical systems as they are continually intro- duced to consumers, such as autonomous vehicles. Safety consid- erations are important as programming interfaces become open to experts and non experts of varying degrees. Autonomous vehicles are an example system where many domain experts must collab- orate together to ensure safe operation. Through the use of higher level abstraction, domain experts may provide verification tools to check dynamic behavioral constraints. Similarly, higher level mod- eling tools may generate lower level artifacts for a working system. With modeling and verification tools, smaller teams and potentially non-experts may program custom behaviors while ensuring a cor- rectly behaved system. A high level domain specific modeling language was created with a focus on non-domain experts. The domain consists of driving a vehicle through a set of known waypoints by connecting together multiple primitive motions in a sequence. Though constrained to simple motions, it is still possible to create a sequence to drive the vehicle unsafely. Model verification was implemented to check that the expected start and stop waypoints were correctly reached without driving the vehicle into unsafe regions. The language was then provided to a set of 4th year elementary school students to create unique paths. The models created by the students were then used to generate controller artifacts to operate a real autonomous vehicle on a soccer field.
Political-industrial ecology: Integrative, complementary, and critical approaches

Abstract “Political-industrial ecology” has been proposed as an emerging subfield of nature-society geography. In mapping out the landscape of this subfield, this paper develops a typology of three approaches to connecting politics and industrial ecology: (1) Integrative research that incorporates social, political, policy, institutional, and/or spatial considerations into industrial ecology analyses (“politics in industrial ecology”); (2) Complementary research that couples findings or frameworks from industrial ecology with social and political research (“politics and industrial ecology”); and (3) Critical research that examine how values, norms, groups, political relations, or institutions shape the production, interpretation, and usage of industrial ecology knowledge (“politics of industrial ecology”). This broad framing of political-industrial ecology invites contributions from many social sciences, including political ecology, political geography, political economy, sociology, public policy, management, environmental history, and science and technology studies.
The influence of spot overlap and laser flence on the high cycle fatigue (HCF) strength of aircraft engine fan blades

One way to measure the benefit of Laser Shock Peening (LSP) is to perform high cycle fatigue (HCF) testing of engine components that have undergone LSP. In a production environment, there is an additional constraint that the LSP process must prove itself stable over time. During development of LSP at GE, numerous studies were carried out to identify the factors that affect HCF strength. Based on these studies, six production processes have been introduced over the last seven years. In this article, a study of the influence of LSP spot overlap and laser fluence on HCF strength is presented. Finally, a geometric scaling parameter that relates HCF strength to spot overlap is proposed as a means of predicting HCF benefit for various engine components.One way to measure the benefit of Laser Shock Peening (LSP) is to perform high cycle fatigue (HCF) testing of engine components that have undergone LSP. In a production environment, there is an additional constraint that the LSP process must prove itself stable over time. During development of LSP at GE, numerous studies were carried out to identify the factors that affect HCF strength. Based on these studies, six production processes have been introduced over the last seven years. In this article, a study of the influence of LSP spot overlap and laser fluence on HCF strength is presented. Finally, a geometric scaling parameter that relates HCF strength to spot overlap is proposed as a means of predicting HCF benefit for various engine components.
Readability of Informed Consent Documents at University Counseling Centers

ABSTRACTThe extent to which clients understand the nature and anticipated course of therapy is referred to as informed consent. Counseling psychologists often provide informed consent documents to enhance the education of services and for liability purposes. Professionals in numerous health care settings have evaluated the readability of their informed consent documents, but no such peer-reviewed research exists for university counseling centers. This study evaluated the informed consent documents for psychotherapy from university counseling centers using three readability formulas (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease Score, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook [SMOG] Grading). The findings support the authors’ exploratory hypotheses that informed consent documents in university counseling centers are rated as challenging to read for college students. Recommendations and implications for practice are discussed.
Asymptotic expansion of the L 2 -norm of a solution of the strongly damped wave equation

Abstract The Fourier transform, F , on R N ( N ≥ 3 ) transforms the Cauchy problem for the strongly damped wave equation u t t − Δ u t − Δ u = 0 to an ordinary differential equation in time. We let u ( t , x ) be the solution of the problem given by the Fourier transform, and ν ( t , ξ ) be the asymptotic profile of F ( u ) ( t , ξ ) = u ˆ ( t , ξ ) found by Ikehata in the paper Asymptotic profiles for wave equations with strong damping (2014). In this paper we study the asymptotic expansions of the squared L 2 -norms of u ( t , x ) , u ˆ ( t , ξ ) − ν ( t , ξ ) , and ν ( t , ξ ) as t → ∞ . With suitable initial data u ( 0 , x ) and u t ( 0 , x ) , we establish the rate of decay of the squared L 2 -norms of u ( t , x ) and ν ( t , ξ ) as t → ∞ . By noting the cancellation of leading terms of their respective expansions, we conclude that the rate of convergence between u ˆ ( t , ξ ) and ν ( t , ξ ) in the L 2 -norm occurs quickly relative to their individual behaviors. This observation is similar to the diffusion phenomenon, which has been well studied.
Scrambled Eggs: Apoptotic Cell Clearance by Non-Professional Phagocytes in the Drosophila Ovary

For half of a century, it has been known that non-professional phagocytes, such as fibroblasts, endothelial, and epithelial cells, are capable of efferocytosis (engulfment of apoptotic cells). Non-professional phagocytes differ from professional phagocytes in the range and efficiency of engulfment. Much of the recognition and underlying signaling machinery between non-professional and professional phagocytes is the same, but it is not known how the engulfment capacity of non-professional phagocytes is controlled. Moreover, the signaling networks involved in cell corpse recognition, engulfment and phagosome maturation are only partially understood. The Drosophila ovary provides an excellent system to investigate the regulation of phagocytic activity by epithelial cells, a major class of non-professional phagocytes. During Drosophila oogenesis, mid-stage egg chambers undergo apoptosis of the germline in response to nutrient deprivation. Epithelial follicle cells then undergo major cell shape changes and concomitantly engulf the germline material. Our previous work has established that Draper and the integrin α-PS3/β-PS heterodimer are required in follicle cells for germline cell clearance. Additionally, we have characterized phagosome maturation pathways, and found that the JNK pathway amplifies the engulfment response. In this review, we discuss recent advances on the interplay between engulfment pathways in the follicular epithelium for cell clearance in the Drosophila ovary. We also provide a comparison to apoptotic cell clearance mechanisms in C. elegans and mammals, illustrating strong conservation of efferocytosis mechanisms by non-professional phagocytes.
Sequential topological groups of any sequential order under CH

For any < ! 1 a countable sequential topological group of sequential order is constructed using CH.
CLINICAL OUTCOMES FOR MEDTRONIC EVOLUT-R VERSUS CORE VALVE TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE IMPLANTATION

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has evolved from the use of the Medtronic first generation CoreValve to the second generation Evolut R valve. Most studies have showed comparable if not improved performance of the Evolut R. However, individual trials are based on single center
Seasonal growth and translocation of some major and trace elements in two Mediterranean grasses (Stipa tenacissima Loefl. ex L. and Lygeum spartum Loefl. ex L.)

Abstract The rangelands of Stipa tenacissima and Lygeum spartum (Poaceae) constitute one of the main typical ecosystems in the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. This study examines the seasonal changes in aboveground biomass accumulation and translocation of some major (Ca and K) and trace elements (Br, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Sr and Zn) from topsoil to shoots of these perennial grasses. Species, season and their interaction significantly affected the dry biomass (DW) and chemical composition of both species and their surrounding soil. The maximum DW was found in spring due to high physiological activity and was correlated positively with rainfall. A significant relationship between seasons and chemical elements was found. For both species the maximum concentrations of Ca, Cu and Zn were found in spring season. However L. spartum had the highest concentrations of K, Cr, Br, and Sr in autumn season, indicating exceptional ability of these species to accumulate large contents of these elements during the active growth periods. By way of contrast, in the topsoil the highest concentrations of almost all chemical elements were found in summer and autumn. Principal component analyses (PCA) showed that growth of L. spartum was highly associated with K, Ca, Zn, Br and Sr, whereas topsoil was correlated with Cu, Cr, Fe and Mn concentrations. Translocation factor (TFx) of chemical elements was not identical across the two species, demonstrating inter–specific variability to uptake chemical elements. The maximum values of TFx were recorded for K, Ca and Sr especially for L. spartum. To cope with arid conditions, S. tenacissima and L. spartum sprout quickly by increasing their rate of growth and nutrient uptake as soon as soil water is available after the rain.
UABeam: UAV-Based Beamforming System Analysis with In-Field Air-to-Ground Channels

Precise air-to-ground propagation modeling is imperative for many unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications such as search and rescue, reconnaissance, and disaster recovery. Furthermore, directionalization via MIMO-based beamforming can boost the transmission range by utilizing Channel State Information (CSI). However, the high mobility and flight conditions of drones can threaten the ability to receive accurate CSI in time to achieve such gains. In this work, we design a UAV-based software defined radio (SDR) platform and perform a measurement study to characterize the air-to-ground channel between the aerial platforms and a terrestrial user in practical scenarios such as hovering, encircling, and linear topologies. Our experiments cover multiple carrier frequencies, including cellular (900~MHz and 1800~MHz) and WiFi (5~GHz) bands. Furthermore, we address three baseline issues for deploying drone-based beamforming systems: channel reciprocity, feedback overhead, and update rate for channel estimation. Numerical results show that explicit CSI feedback can increase throughput by 123.9% over implicit feedback and the optimal update rate are similar across frequencies, underscoring the importance of drone-based beamfoming design. We additionally analyze the reciprocity error and find that the amplitude error remained steady while the phase error depends on mobility. Since our study spans many critical frequency bands, these results serve as a fundamental step towards understanding drone- based beamforming systems.
Dietary Fat and Immunity

For a number of years, much of the research on dietary fat has focused on its relationship to coronary heart disease. Less work, however, has focused on the relationship of dietary fat and tumorigenesis. Certainly, the growth and metastasis of many tumors may be influenced by multiple factors, including dietary fat and immune response. More recently, investigators have begun to focus on the relationship of lipids and fatty acids to immune status and function. Some of the pioneering work in this area has involved in vitro manipulation of immune cells with fatty acids (reviewed by Meade and Mertin, 1978; Trail and Wick, 1984); in that work, fatty acids added to lymphocytes or macrophages in culture were shown to selectively alter several components of immune cell function. Both increases and decreases in T-cell, B-cell, and macrophage responses were reported depending on how different fatty acids were added to the cultures (Buttke, 1984; Calder et al., 1991; Kelly and Parker, 1979; Mertin et al., 1974). Because of the lytic properties of fatty acids and the effect of fatty acid carriers such as organic solvents or foreign proteins on cells, the relevance of in vitro manipulation to in vivo functions is not clear. Changes observed in an immune response after alterations of fatty acids in culture may not directly relate to changes in animals or humans because of the complexity of cellular interactions and regulatory products involved. Moreover, injection of fatty acids directly into an animal in order to assess alterations in immune function represents a nonphysiological condition (Ellis et al., 1986). Although the major focus of this review is on dietary fat, a summary of the effects of fatty acids in vitro on cells of the immune system should be helpful for hypothesis formulation in the design of in vivo experiments and understanding possible mechanisms by which single fatty acids may be involved in alteration of immune responses. First, we will briefly examine how fatty acids may be metabolized particularly in cells of the immune system. Second, we will review the effects of lipids on T-, B-, and natural killer (NK) cell function. Third, because the macrophage is pivotal in a number of afferent and efferent immune functions, we will discuss how fatty acids can modulate macrophage activities. Finally, some of the possible mechanisms by which dietary fat influences immune responsiveness will be discussed.
Calorimetric Studies of Liquid Crystal Phase Transitions: AC Techniques

Liquid crystals exhibit a rich variety of second-order phase transitions and multicritical points. In order to characterize fully the nature of the critical fluctuations at such transitions, it is necessary to employ a variety of experimental techniques. Among these are high-resolution calorimetric methods, which provide direct information about the energy fluctuations. Such heat capacity data in combination with scattering results can establish the universality class of a given transition and test various theories of liquid crystal behavior.
Modeling the Cell Biology of Prions

Cell models have been useful for elucidating the function of proteins and/or their role in pathogenesis. Even before the discovery that the prion protein was a normal cellular protein (Oesch et al. Cell 40 (4):735–746, 1985), cell models were developed to investigate prion infection (Rubenstein et al. J Gen Virol 65 (Pt 12):2191–2198, 1984). Subsequently, with the discovery of familial forms of human prion diseases (Hsiao et al. Nature 338 (6213):342–345, 1989), cell models were developed to investigate the effect of mutations on the metabolism of the prion protein and, in parallel, the normal synthesis and processing of the cellular prion protein. In this chapter, we review the progress made in these two areas to date.
Preventing Sexual Violence on Campus in the U.S.: Four Thought Experiments

This article proposes new approaches to sexual violence prevention on college and university campuses in the United States. The author conducted four thought experiments about possible college sexual assault prevention strategies based on personal experience with campus administrators and sexual assault prevention specialists, review of existing research, and conversation with undergraduates and graduate students engaged in sexual assault prevention. Both advantages and drawbacks of each potential new strategy were contemplated. The four thought experiments were: (1) What if campuses stopped investing in sexual assault prevention and invested in fighting structural oppression instead?; (2) What if the mission to change social norms was not limited to campus, but aimed at the macro level?; (3) What if sexual assault prevention experts were trained in consent and pleasure related to kink, anal sex, and group sex?; and (4) What if colleges and universities provided on-campus education and counseling options for people who perpetrate sexual assault? First, encouraging a “root cause” perspective on sexual assault prevention would be strategic and socially responsible, but might be difficult to enact. Second, social norms change strategies that are global, not local, might be effective but might require an unrealistic level of cooperation between schools. Third, more information about consent as it pertains to kink, anal sex, and group sex may be useful components of sexual assault prevention education. Finally, there are too few evidence-based programs for people who have perpetrated sexual assault on campuses. Thought experiments are inexpensive to conduct and may invigorate the field.
Assessment of Job Rotation Effects for Lifting Jobs Using Fatigue Failure Analysis

Job rotation is a common method employed by industry to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). However, the efficacy of this technique has been open to question and methods of quantifying the effects of job rotation strategies have been scarce. However, recent evidence has suggested that MSDs may be the result of a fatigue failure process, and new risk assessment tools have been developed that have the capability to assess the effects of various job rotation strategies on MSD risk. The current analysis uses the Lifting Fatigue Failure Tool (LiFFT) to assess cumulative loading for a simulated job rotation scheme. Results of this analysis suggest that attempting to “balance” a high risk, medium risk, and low risk lifting job ends up creating three jobs that are all high risk. Rotation may somewhat reduce the risk associated with the worst job, but this will be accompanied by a steep increase in risk faced by all other workers in the rotation pool.
Lookism in the Chinese Nursing Industry: A Content Analysis of Online Recruitment Advertisements

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the prevalence of lookism through a content analysis of nursing recruitment advertisements in China. Lookism or physical appearance-based discrimination is prevalent...
Prevalence of Refractive Error and Need for Corrective Lenses in Medically Underserved Residents of Tijuana, Mexico

Abstract Purpose The population of Tijuana, Mexico is growing rapidly, with a current official population estimate of 1.7 million. Nearly 80,000 people migrate to Tijuana each year, resulting in the rise of neighborhoods with substandard housing, lack of services and inadequate access to health care, including eye care. This study describes refractive errors and the need for corrective lenses among participants attending free clinics in these neighborhoods where they received free eye exams and glasses during January 2016. Methods: This is a retrospective observational chart review of de-identified data collected from intake forms that were filled out for each participant at the clinics. Subjects were self-selected in response to announcements in the neighborhoods where clinics were conducted. Subjects with presenting uncorrected visual acuity 20/30 OU or worse were examined with an autorefractor to measure spherical refractive error. Either prescription or reading glasses were then distributed to participants who had refractive errors. Epi Info, an open source program provided by the CDC, was used to analyze demographic, visual acuity and refractive error data. Results: Presenting visual acuity was evaluated in 1209 people. Of these patients, 70% had a visual acuity of 20/30 or worse. Only 23% of these patients had glasses. Among the patients who were given refractions, 13% had clinically significant myopia (−0.75 D or worse in at least one eye). In participants 20 years old and younger, only 8% had clinically significant myopia. Clinically significant hyperopia (+0.75 D or worse in at least one eye) was detected in 25% of participants. Astigmatism (−1.5 D or worse in at least one eye) was present in 18% of participants. Prescription glasses were given to 542 participants and 396 of these people received their first glasses. Reading glasses were given to 386 people. Among students only 15% presented at the clinics with glasses, while it was determined that 56% of student participants needed glasses. Conclusion: The high levels of uncorrected refractive error in this study suggest limited access to affordable eye care in neighborhoods where clinics were conducted. Prevalence of myopia among adolescents and young adults is increasing in many parts of the world. In contrast, a relatively high prevalence of hyperopia was observed in this age group in Tijuana. The data demonstrate an urgent need for eye care and correction of refractive error in the study group.
Soft sensors form a network

A wearable wireless sensor network for personalized healthcare can be created through the indirect integration of soft on-skin sensors and rigid in-clothes circuits.
Autonomic Nervous System Testing

The clinical utility of autonomic function tests in pediatric gastroenterology is steadily evolving. The current tests available evaluate cardiac and sudomotor responses and not direct gastrointestinal responses. Therefore, the results are interpreted and extrapolated (in the appropriate clinical setting) to the abnormality of the gastrointestinal tract. The tests are divided into those of autonomic cardiovascular function (cardiac response to deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver, head-up tilt (HUT) table test, handgrip, and cold pressor test) and those of sudomotor function (quantitative sudomotor test and thermoregulatory sweat test). Together, these two groups of tests evaluate the sympathetic adrenergic, sympathetic cholinergic, and parasympathetic cholinergic function in several organ systems and assess for the presence of a generalized autonomic neuropathy.
Real-Time Geographical Spectrum Sharing by 5G Networks and Earth Exploration Satellite Services

Out of band emissions from 5G transmissions in proposed mm-wave spectrum between 24 and 86 GHz (New Radio 2 or NR2 bands) has the potential to corrupt sensitive measurements of atmospheric water vapor and ice made in adjacent bands allocated to Earth Exploration Satellite Services (EESS). These measurements provide critical data for weather forecasting, and for understanding extreme weather events. A new mechanism - Real-Time Geographical Spectrum Sharing (RGSS) – that protects EESS measurements while adjacent NR2 spectrum is used for 5G communications, is proposed.
Calciphylaxis: A Deceiving Cellulitis.

Calciphylaxis is a rare and serious disorder seen most in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on dialysis. It is associated with the calcium deposits in small and medium blood vessels of the skin and subcutaneous tissues resulting in painful skin lesions, plaques, ulcerations, gangrene, and secondary infections. The aim of our present report is to create awareness and encourage providers to consider calciphylaxis in the differential diagnosis of cellulitis in the appropriate clinical setting.
Upper gastrointestinal series after sleeve gastrectomy is unnecessary to evaluate for gastric sleeve stenosis

There has been an increase in sleeve gastrectomy (SG) procedures being performed worldwide, and a paralleled rise in prevalence of gastric sleeve stenosis (GSS). Symptoms include dysphagia, reflux, and obstructive symptoms. Upper gastrointestinal series (UGIS) is commonly performed in the diagnostic algorithm prior to referral for endoscopic dilation; however, little is known about its utility in making a diagnosis. Our aim was to evaluate positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of UGIS in detection of GSS. We performed a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database at a tertiary center for patients referred with nausea/vomiting or obstructive symptoms following SG between 2017 and 2019. All patients underwent upper endoscopy (EGD) for evaluation of GSS. Serial balloon dilations were performed for GSS with increasing balloon size and/or filling pressure until symptom resolution or referral for surgical revision. Primary outcomes were PPV and NPV for UGIS in predicting GSS. Secondary outcomes included EGD findings and symptom response to dilation. Thirty consecutive patients were included in the analyses. The most common presenting symptoms were nausea (66.7%), vomiting (60.0%) reflux (66.7%), and abdominal pain (54.8%). Twenty-two (73.3%) patients underwent UGIS prior to EGD. On diagnostic EGD, 27 (87.1%) patients were diagnosed with GSS. The sensitivity and NPV of UGIS to detect GSS was 30.0%, and 12.5%, respectively. All 6 patients with GSS on UGIS also had GSS on endoscopic evaluation (specificity = 100%, PPV = 100%). Twenty-six (86.6%) patients had resolution of symptoms with a mean 1.97 ± 1.13 dilations. UGIS following SG has low NPV to evaluate for GSS. Independent of the UGIS findings, majority of patients found to have GSS on EGD had symptom improvement with dilations. The utility of UGIS is limited for diagnosing GSS and when suspicion for GSS is high, patients should be referred directly for EGD.
Chapter 3: Stories of Helping in the Aftermath of Katrina

The special circumstances related to helping in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina—both a natural disaster and a man-made catastrophe—are explored. Stories of individual, formal, and informal networks of helping, alongside stories of exploitation and despair, were shared by participants. Significant to the history of the aftermath of Katrina was the eventual formalizing of some of the informal helping networks, such as the establishment of a musician’s village and performance center in the 9th Ward of New Orleans. The theme of “doing the right thing” echoed throughout our participant interviews, as did “the chance to move beyond angry.” Stories of helping appeared to provide examples of hope to the citizens affected by the storm, as well as encouragement towards purposeful action. The stories of helping, along with participation in altruistic social networks, appear to provide a pathway to the recollection and transformation of traumatic memories.
20 – Variational Equations

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on variational equations applicable to differential equations that arise from variational principles. Most differential equations that arise in mathematical physics have been obtained from a variational principle. The variational principle that is most often used is δJ = 0, where δ represent a variation, and J is a functional given by J[u] = ∫∫L(x, ∂xj)u(x)dx. L () is a linear or nonlinear function of its arguments and u(x) is the unknown function to be determined. This variational principle states that the integral J[u] should be stationary to small changes in u(x). The chapter also discusses the Euler–Lagrange equation. Many approximate and numerical techniques utilize the functional associated with a given system of Euler–Lagrange equations. The chapter highlights that if a differential equation can be derived from a variational principle, then admittance of a Lie group is a necessary condition to find conservation laws by Noether's theorem. Even if the boundary conditions given with a differential equation are not natural, a variational principle may sometimes be found.