cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
WE‐H‐207A‐04: Impact of Lesion Location On the Repeatability of 18F‐NaF PET/CT

Purpose: Quantifying the repeatability of imaging biomarkers is critical for assessing therapeutic response. While 18F-NaF PET/CT has shown to be a repeatable imaging method, research has not shown which factors may influence its repeatability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the location of the lesion impacts the repeatability of quantitative 18F-NaF PET-derived SUV metrics. Methods: Metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer patients with multiple bone lesions received whole-body test-retest NaF PET/CT scans. Malignant bone lesions of PET-defined volume greater than 1.5 cm3 were identified by a nuclear medicine physician and automatically delineated using a SUV>15 threshold. The maximum (SUVmax), average (SUVmean), and total (SUVtotal) SUV were extracted from each lesion. Atlas-based segmentation was used to divide each patient skeleton into 25 skeletal regions. Test-retest repeatability of each SUV metric was assessed with coefficient of variation (CV). Results: A total of 265 malignant bone lesions from 18 patients were identified by nuclear medicine physician. The largest proportion of bone lesions were localized to the spine (41%), with 41% of those lesions localized to the thoracic spine. One-way ANOVA showed that measurement differences differed significantly for all three metrics across locations (p<0.01 for each metrics). Overall, CV was smallest for SUVmean at 5.3%, followed by SUVmax at 11.5% and SUVtotal at 20.4%. Lesions in the pubis were consistently the most repeatable (CV(SUVmax)= 5.6%, CV(SUVmean)= 0.6%, CV(SUVtotal)= 2.9%). According to SUVmean, repeatability was poorest in the cervical spine (CV = 6.2%), whereas according to SUVmax and SUVtotal, repeatability was poorest in the ribs (CV(SUVmax)= 15.0%, CV(SUVtotal)= 29.8%). Conclusion: Location of the lesion affects the repeatability of 18F-NaF PET/CT, with the ribs and cervical spine having the lowest repeatability and the pubis having the highest repeatability. These results can be used to establish location-specific response criteria for NaF PET-based treatment response assessment.
Management of Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer

The incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is on the rise in the US despite a drop in cigarette smoking rates. Much of this rise is due to the increasing incidence of SCCHN attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV-related SCCHN has a high cure rate, which contributes to the stable death rates despite the increased incidence. Up to half of patients with SCCHN will develop recurrence. For these patients, the first clinical decision is whether the recurrence is potentially treatable for cure, or is incurable. For those deemed potentially curable, surgical or radiation-based therapies, or both, are undertaken. For those who have incurable recurrences, the goals are palliation and possibly prolongation of life — average survivals are in the range of 6–12 months depending on the type of recurrence and other factors.
Structural priming within and across languages. A corpus-based perspective

Structural priming is the phenomenon that speakers tend to re-use structures they have recently comprehended or produced themselves. Most studies on this topic are experimental and looked at within-language priming. However, there are now also many observational studies, a development that is inextricably related to new/larger corpora, new statistical methodologies, and new theoretical ideas. Second, there is a growing body of research on cross-linguistic structural priming, though mostly experimental. These developments lead to a new potential research avenue: cross-linguistic priming on the basis of observational data. Here, we will first summarize some fundamental studies of cross-linguistic priming, and then trace the historical development of observational studies of structural priming to showcase how statistical and theoretical developments have shaped research on priming in general and discuss what such observational priming research has offered to within-language priming research. We end with a discussion of how this research can inform cross-linguistic priming.
Women should decide which conditions matter

Providing reliable prenatal screening performance estimates is critical for patient counseling and policy-making. Women who choose prenatal screening for aneuploidy are likely to be concerned not only with the common aneuploidies but with all causes of intellectual disability and serious birth defects. Sequential prenatal screening (combined serum and ultrasound testing) for aneuploidy detection commonly is offered as a primary screening test. Among women identified as screen positive, cell-free (cf)DNA has been added recently as a secondary, noninvasive screening option, before the consideration of invasive diagnostic testing (eg, amniocentesis and karyotype). With the anticipation of lower costs in the future, cfDNA might be an alternative to sequential screening in the general population. Sequential and cfDNA tests are both noninvasive, and both identify common aneuploidies. Screening via cfDNA detects more common chromosome abnormalities (eg, trisomy 21, sex trisomies). Sequential screening can identify other aneuploidies (eg, triploidy), as well as chromosome abnormalities associated with fetal structural abnormalities. When the advantages and disadvantages of routine sequential screening with routine cfDNA screening are compared, one important measure is the proportion and severity of chromosome abnormalities identified. When reporting these detection rates, authors need to carefully consider the impact of multiple well-described biases. For women to make informed choices in situations of this type, determining reliable comparative performance estimates is crucial.
Nutrition and Dietetic Students’ Vitamin and Mineral Knowledge and Concurrent Learning and Retention Strategies

Background: The functions, food sources, deficiency symptoms, and toxicity symptoms are important for dietetic professionals to know and apply to community, food service, and clinical settings. Purpose: To assess nutrition and dietetic studentsâ€™ knowledge of vitamins and minerals and identify studentsâ€™ strategies for learning and retaining vitamin and mineral information. Methodology: Students from three universities in the western United States were invited to participate in cross-sectional study. Participants completed a brief questionnaire that included multiple choice and short answerquestions to assess their knowledge of a representative list of 8 vitamins and minerals. The questionnaire also included free-response questions about strategies for retention of vitamin/mineral information. Two researchers independently reviewed responses and identified themes. Results: Studentsâ€™ scores on multiple-choice vitamin/mineral questions suggested that they had difficulty remembering details regarding vitamins and minerals. Three themes were identified as common study strategies for learning vitamin and mineral content: repetition, mnemonic devices, and personal application. Conclusions: These findings suggest that further research assessing the increased use of repetition, mnemonic devices, and especially personal application in dietetics education curriculum are warranted.
Multivariate Polynomial Positivity (Nonnegativity) Tests

In a variety of systems theory problems ranging from tests from Lyapunov stability, existence of limit cycles in nonlinear systems, existence of an operating point for a nonlinear circuit, the output feedback stabilization problem, multidimensional filter stability tests (see Chap. 4), tests for multivariate positive realness in electrical network realizability theory, etc., it is required to test a specified polynomial in several real variables for global or nonglobal positivity (nonnegativity). The topics of this chapter, dealing with the question of existence of such tests, followed by their actual construction depend a lot on the results of elementary decision algebra. Section 2.2 is, therefore, devoted to a concise exposition of the theory underlying the procedure for deciding the solvability in a real-closed field of a finite system of polynomial equations and inequalities with rational coefficients. For the development of this topic as a part of mathematical logic, the reader is referred to [30]. Here the discussion of the foregoing topic is centered around the quantifier elimination algorithm of Tarski [30] using a notion introduced by Cohen [31], the method of Seidenberg using the theory of resultants [32], and a cylindrical algebraic decomposition scheme for quantifier elimination developed by Collins in 1975 [2]. This last technique was also independently pursued by Bose and Modarressi, who used the theory of resultants to develop an algorithm for testing a multivariate polynomial for global positivity as reported in 1976 [2].
Identificación de especies del género Ischnosiphon utilizadas por dos comunidades Ticuna del Perú para elaborar sus tejidos tradicionales

El pueblo ticuna ha ocupado desde tiempos ancestrales el territorio que comprende actualmente la triple frontera entre Brasil, Colombia y Peru, manteniendo, a traves de los anos y a pesar de la separacion limitrofe, ciertos vinculos sociales y culturales, fortalecidos a traves del intercambio de saberes y practicas culturales. En el Peru existe una escueta bibliografia etnobiologica sobre los usos tradicionales que los ticuna dan a las especies vegetales de su entorno, a diferencia de lo que ocurre en Colombia y Brasil. En ese sentido se llevo a cabo una investigacion para identificar las especies del genero Ischnosiphon, utilizadas tradicionalmente por dos comunidades ticuna de la cuenca baja del rio Amazonas para elaborar sus tejidos utilitarios y rituales. Las comunidades de estudio fueron Bufeo Cocha y Santa Rita de Mochila, ubicadas en el Distrito de Ramon Castilla, Provincia de Mariscal Ramon Castilla, en el Departamento de Loreto (Peru). La investigacion permitio determinar el sistema de uso tradicional de las especies del genero Ischnosiphon, localmente conocidas como huaruma. Se determinaron tres especies utilizadas por estas comunidades en sus tejidos tradicionales, realizandose la identificacion taxonomica de las mismas (I. arouma, I. obliquus, I. puberulus) y registrandose el uso que los ticuna del bajo Amazonas dan a las fibras extraidas de sus tallos.
Vascular injury outcomes with screening implementation

Abstract Blunt carotid and vertebral artery injuries (BCVI) are generally viewed as rare events. Screening guidelines based on the Memphis and Denver data were put into place at Palmetto Health Richland in August of 2008. This study aims to look at the incidence of BCVI 2 years before the guidelines were put into place and then 2 years after. A total of 11,005 trauma patients presented during our study period. 98 patients were determined to have BCVI and met inclusion criteria: 21 in the Control group and 77 in the Screening group. A total of 16 deaths and 14 strokes were recorded in the study population. The odds of patients in the Screening group dying were 29% lower than that of a patient in the Control group [OR: 0.71, (95% CI: 0.20–2.50); p = 0.59], after adjusting for ISS. The odds of developing a stroke in the Screening group were 69% lower than the Control group [OR: 0.31 (0.09–1.08); p = 0.067]. These differences were not statistically significant. The increased BCVI incidence rate and decreased stroke and mortality rate following screening implementation further support the importance of having screening criteria for blunt vascular injury following trauma.
Decision-Making by Public Payers

Public payers could be the most important players in a world of comparative effectiveness, because of the large populations covered and the amount of money spent. Moreover, they frequently set the payment rules for other private payers to follow. However, they are also constrained by program-specific legislative authority and regulations. This chapter explains the framework, openness, and use of findings from their own or other research that public payers use to shape determinations about coverage and payment at the state and federal level. Medicare and Veterans Administration are compared to each other as well as three of the largest Medicaid states – California, New York, and Texas. Medicare uses comparative effectiveness findings largely in a bottom-up approach with local coverage decisions informing national coverage decisions sometimes vetted by a very open centralized advisory panel that relies upon research done by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Veterans Administration is largely internally driven and closed decision-making by the clinicians and staff, but with the help of a program of their own that synthesizes evidence-based research. The Medicaid programs focus on pharmaceuticals and use comparative effectiveness to develop their automated drug utilization review rules and their preferred drug formulary rules. Medicaid is less likely than Medicare or Veterans Administration to use comparative effectiveness decision-making for devices, procedures, or services. Risk-sharing and outcome-based contracting models are increasingly relying on comparative effectiveness findings to drive performance measures that in turn drive payments.
Childhood socioeconomic circumstances and depressive symptom burden across 15 years of follow-up during midlife: Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)

Childhood socioeconomic disadvantage may contribute to adult depression. Understanding pathways by which early socioeconomic adversity may shape adult depression is important for identifying areas for intervention. Studies to date have focused on one potential pathway, adult socioeconomic status (SES), and assessed depression at only one or a few time points. Our aims were to examine (a) the association between childhood SES (low vs. high) and depressive symptom burden in midlife and (b) whether adult socioeconomic, psychosocial, and physical health characteristics are important pathways. Using annual data from a cohort of 1109 black and white US women recruited in 1996–1997, we evaluated the association between childhood SES and depressive symptom burden across 15 years in midlife and whether adult characteristics—financial difficulty, lower education, stressful events, low social support, low role functioning, medical conditions, and bodily pain—mediated the association. Depressive symptom burden was estimated by calculating area under the curve of annual scores across 15 years of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D). In unadjusted models, low childhood SES was associated with greater depressive burden (P = 0.0002). Each hypothesized mediator, individually, did not reduce the association. However, when five of the hypothesized mediators were included together in the same analysis, they explained more than two thirds of the association between childhood SES and depressive symptom burden reducing the P value for childhood SES to non-significance (P = 0.20). These results suggest that childhood SES influences midlife depressive symptom burden through a cluster of economic stress, limited social resources, and physical symptoms in adulthood.
Animal Models for Cytomegalovirus Infection: Guinea-pig CMV

Publisher Summary This chapter presents guinea pig model of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections. The most frequently used guinea pig models are those which utilize immunosuppressive agents like cyclosporin A or cyclophosphamide to compromise the animals so that infection produces a disseminated infection and frequently death. The guinea pigs are inoculated by either intraperitoneal or subcutaneous injection. Subcutaneous inoculation is recommended for pregnant animals to avoid fetal injection. If the subcutaneous route is used, the inoculum is administered in the ventral neck. The guinea pig is the only small animal model of CMV in which virus crosses the placenta to infect and damage the fetus. The guinea-pig placenta resembles the human placenta with a single trophoblast layer. Primary infection of pregnant animals results in a vertical transmission rate of 40–80%, similar to the infection rate in humans. Following gpCMV inoculation, adult immunocompetent outbred Hartley guinea pigs experience transient splenomegaly, a self-limited viremia, and peripheral blood mononucleosis similar to that observed in humans. This model also provides direct virologic endpoints. Blood samples are obtained at various times to measure the magnitude and duration of viremia. Viral quantification of visceral organ infection (liver, lung, spleen, and salivary gland) are also used to monitor infection and evaluate the efficacy of therapy.
Locke, Berkeley and Hume as Philosophers of Money

For the last 30 years I have been writing a trilogy on Locke’s, Berkeley’s, and Hume’s philosophies of money. With the publication of Clipped Coins. Abused Words and Civil Government; John Locke’s Philosophy of Money and Exciting the Industry of Mankind; George Berkeley’s Philosophy of Money and with the last volume on Hume in preparation, the trilogy is now almost completed.
Rehabilitation of Tibial Plateau Fracture Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Case Report

Abstract Objective The purpose of this case report was to describe the management of a tibial plateau fracture in a patient who had undergone anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction 3.5 years earlier. Clinical Features A 36-year-old man presented with pain and edema following a fall from a height of approximately 2 m while skateboarding. The patient reported having undergone arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with allograft and bioabsorbable screws 3.5 years earlier. Computed tomography scan revealed a comminuted fracture extending through the graft tunnel, as well as evidence of tunnel widening and incomplete bone resorption and generation within the tibial tunnel. Intervention and Outcome A trauma surgeon repaired the plateau fracture with internal fixation. The patient was non-weight bearing for 8 weeks while undergoing rehabilitation in a chiropractic clinic (spinal manipulation, physiotherapy, nutritional support) twice per week and returned to full activity within 3 months. Conclusions The patient responded favorably to the treatment protocol, which included rehabilitation by a doctor of chiropractic and co-management with a trauma surgeon.
In Memoriam Samuel T. Sanders 1872-1970

(1970). In Memoriam Samuel T. Sanders 1872-1970. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 43, No. 4, pp. 175-177.
Interpreting body MRI cases: classic findings in abdominal MRI

Few things in radiology are "pathognomonic" in their appearance or presentation. However, having an awareness of those findings which are specific to a certain entity is important when interpreting imaging studies. These classic findings can be identified with many imaging modalities, but no modality provides as many recognizable observations as an MRI. This results from the large variety of pulse sequences that provide high contrast resolution, prior to and following contrast administration. In this article, the most classically recognized abdominal findings are presented including the following: Liver: Cyst, hemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia, hepatic adenoma, hemosiderosis, hepatocellular carcinoma. Spleen: Cyst, hemangioma, lymphangioma, hemosiderosis, Gandy-Gamna bodies. Biliary system: Biliary stones and choledocholithiasis, pneumobilia, choledochal cyst. Gallbladder: Adenomyomatosis, sludge, surgical clips in the gallbladder fossa. Pancreas: Pancreatic divisum, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, pseudocyst, autoimmune pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, adenocarcinoma. Kidneys: Simple cyst, hemorrhagic cyst, renal sinus cyst, angiomyolipoma, solid mass.
Temporal constraints on neural and psychophysical sensitivity to interaural level difference cues to sound source location

Interaural differences in the timing (ITD) and level (ILD) of impinging sounds carry critical information about source location. However, in everyday listening environments, sounds are often decorrelated between the ears by reverberation and background noise, degrading the fidelity of both ITD and ILD cues. Similar distortions to ITD and ILD are also experienced by hearing-impaired humans who use hearing aids or cochlear implants, as these devices also degrade temporal and intensive features of the signal at each ear. Here, we demonstrate that behavioral ILD sensitivity (in humans) and neural ILD sensitivity (in single neurons of the chinchilla auditory midbrain) remain robust under stimulus conditions that render ITD cues undetectable. Neural and behavioral data were compared to the outputs of a model of ILD processing with a single free parameter, the duration of excitatory-inhibitory interaction. Behavioral, neural, and modeling data collectively suggest that ILD sensitivity depends on binaural integration of excitation and inhibition within a ≳3-ms temporal window, significantly longer than observed in lower brainstem neurons. This relatively slow integration potentiates a unique role for the ILD system in spatial hearing that may be of particular importance when informative ITD cues are unavailable. [Work supported by F32-DC013927 [ADB] and R01-DC011555 [DJT].]Interaural differences in the timing (ITD) and level (ILD) of impinging sounds carry critical information about source location. However, in everyday listening environments, sounds are often decorrelated between the ears by reverberation and background noise, degrading the fidelity of both ITD and ILD cues. Similar distortions to ITD and ILD are also experienced by hearing-impaired humans who use hearing aids or cochlear implants, as these devices also degrade temporal and intensive features of the signal at each ear. Here, we demonstrate that behavioral ILD sensitivity (in humans) and neural ILD sensitivity (in single neurons of the chinchilla auditory midbrain) remain robust under stimulus conditions that render ITD cues undetectable. Neural and behavioral data were compared to the outputs of a model of ILD processing with a single free parameter, the duration of excitatory-inhibitory interaction. Behavioral, neural, and modeling data collectively suggest that ILD sensitivity depends on binaural integra...
Mediators, Concepts and Practice

Mediators are intermediary modules in large-scale information systems that link multiple sources of information to applications. They provide a means for integrating the application of encoded knowledge into information systems. Mediated systems compose autonomous data and information services, permitting growth and enable their survival in a semantically diverse and rapidly changing world. Constraints of scope are placed on mediators to assure effective and maintainable composed systems. Modularity in mediated architectures is not only a goal, but also enables the goal to be reached. Mediators focus on semantic matching, while middleware provides the essential syntactic and formatting interfaces.
Mesotherapy and Injectable Lipolysis

Mesotherapy describes a diverse array of cutaneous injection techniques that utilizes medications and other compounds proposed to have a therapeutic effect on local medical or cosmetic conditions. Injectable lipolysis refers to a treatment using biologically active detergents to cause focal ablation of adipose tissue. The active ingredient used in injectable lipolysis is deoxycholate. Injectable lipolysis may become a relatively safe and efficacious method to treat submental and mandibular fat and jowls. Mesotherapy may have as yet unproved potential to enhance the appearance of facial skin.
In chemico assessment of potential sensitizers: Stability and direct peptide reactivity of 24 fragrance ingredients.

Twenty-four pure fragrance ingredients of concern as potential skin sensitizers were previously subjected to degradation studies and evaluated using the high throughput with dansyl cysteamine (HTS-DCYA) method. The experimental results showed that two-thirds of the 24 fragrance ingredients underwent chemical degradation. In some cases, such degradation was accompanied by an increase in thio-reactivity. These results prompted us to investigate the reactivity of the same ingredients using the direct peptide reactivity assay (DPRA). In the present work, the 24 chemicals were subjected to forced degradation for 150 days, and evaluated with both DPRA and HTS-DCYA methods. At the end of the study, four and eight compounds remained non-reactive in the DPRA and DCYA assay, respectively. Coumarin, benzyl salicylate, benzyl cinnamate and hexyl cinnamal were found unreactive in both assays, while cinnamal, cinnamyl alcohol, hydroxycitronellal and lilial were found negative in the DCYA but positive in the DPRA method. The incongruity in reactivity of these four compounds was attributed to a possible role of pro-oxidants formed upon degradation, resulting in depletion of peptide without formation of apparent covalent adducts with the test chemical. To validate this hypothesis, the effect of hydrogen peroxide as model pro-oxidant on both lysine- and cysteine-heptapeptide depletion in the DPRA method was thus investigated. The obtained results showed little effect of oxidative conditions on lysine depletion, while cysteine depletion was significantly affected by concentrations above 1.1 mg/L of hydrogen peroxide. Overall, both in chemico methods confirmed chemical instability should be considered when assessing the skin sensitization potential of (un)known chemicals with alternative methods.
THE EFFECT OF RAPID EVALUATION AND TREATMENT UNITS ON HEART FAILURE READMISSION RATES: A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS

Heart failure affects over 6.5 million Americans with prevalence expected to increase to over 8 million within the next ten years. The hospitalization of an estimated 80-85% of patients with acute heart failure (AHF) largely contributes to the health related expenses. Under the Affordable Care Act,
Laser-induced modification of local refractive index in infrared glass-ceramic films

The ability to employ spatially-selective control of refractive index and dispersion variation with a high magnitude of change is essential for the realization of functional infrared graded-index (GRIN) components. Thin films fabricated from multi-component GAP-Se glass-ceramic materials were processed using nanosecond laser radiation at the wavelength λ = 2 μm. Various irradiation and post-processing protocols were implemented to maximize the magnitude of the local refractive index change, and to quantify the evolution of the glass to glass ceramic ‘conversion’ on optical material physical properties. Irradiation of films possessing various thicknesses from 1 to 25 μm was performed using area-scan patterns, while the average laser power and the number of scans were varied. Irradiated materials were subsequently heat-treated, and the local refractive index was determined for different durations of the heat treatment. Depth-dependent composition and film morphology characterization of as-deposited films was evaluated, and surface morphology of the post laserprocessed and heat-treated areas was studied to evaluate effects on the photo-thermal refractive index change associated with nanocrystal formation. Initial studies demonstrated a maximum positive refractive index change of un ≈ 0.07 in a broad spectral range in the infrared which scales with film thickness and exposure dose while maintaining required optical quality.
Bcl-xL is regulated by NF-KappaB and STAT3 through p53-dependent control in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

4825 The Bcl-2 family proteins comprise several important regulators of apoptosis. The balance of expressed antiapoptotic family members (Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, Bcl-w, A1, and Mcl-1) and proapoptotic family members (Bax, Bak, Bad, Bik, and Bid) can affect the relative sensitivity of cells to chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation. Among the Bcl-2 family members, Bcl-xL is consistently overexpressed in 75% of human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). The Bcl-xL promoter contains binding sites for transcription factors Nuclear Factor–kappaB (NF-κB) and Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3). NF-κB and STAT3 are constitutively activated and inhibit apoptosis in HNSCC, suggesting that these transcription factors may play a role in regulation of Bcl-xL. Since p53 is frequently mutated in HNSCC cell lines and regulates cell apoptosis, we examined the activation of NF-κB and STAT3 in regulating Bcl-xL expression in a panel of HNSCC with wild-type (UM-SCC-1 and 9) and mutant p53 (UM-SCC-11B and 38). All UM-SCC cell lines showed higher Bcl-xL expression compared to normal human keratinocytes. The expression level is further upregulated with stimulation of NF-κB and STAT3 activation by Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6). Inhibition of NF-κB and STAT3 by transfecting p65 RNA interface (RNAi) and STAT3 dominant negative led to decreased Bcl-xL expression. TNF-α and IL-6 induced a significant increase in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-xL in p53 wild-type cells, along with the increased p53 transactivation by reporter gene assay. Taken together, the data provide evidence that NF-κB and STAT3 is important in regulating Bax/Bcl-xL ratio, in cells with wild type p53. Therefore, targeting NF-κB and STAT3 pathways may be an effective therapeutic strategy for inducing apoptosis in patients with HNSCC with wild-type p53.
The Marquis Beccaria: An Italian penal reformer’s meteoric rise in the British Isles in the transatlantic Republic of Letters

This article traces the reception of Cesare Beccaria’s book, Dei delitti e delle pene (1764), in Britain and in colonial and early America. That book, first translated into English as An Essay on Crimes and Punishments (1767), catalyzed penal reform and the anti-gallows movement on both sides of the Atlantic. As the first Enlightenment text to make a comprehensive case against capital punishment, On Crimes and Punishments became a bestseller, appearing in multiple English-language editions and attracting much public attention. Widely read by an array of British and American lawmakers and other civic-minded penal reformers, On Crimes and Punishments was printed in a number of European and American cities, including London, Glasgow, Dublin, Edinburgh, Philadelphia, Charleston, South Carolina, and New York. Beccaria’s book influenced a large number of prominent figures (from William Blackstone, Jeremy Bentham, and Samuel Romilly in England to John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and William Bradford in America), and it led to the end of the Ancien Regime.
Adenosine inhibits the basolateral Cl- ClC-K2/b channel in collecting duct intercalated cells.

Adenosine plays an important role in various aspects of kidney physiology, but the specific targets and mechanisms of actions are not completely understood. The collecting duct has the highest expr...
Impact of Sarcopenia on Outcomes of Autologous Head and Neck Free Tissue Reconstruction.

Background Sarcopenia has been implicated as a positive predictor of postsurgical complications. Its role in head and neck (H&N) free flap reconstruction has yet to be examined. Our study aimed to determine the clinical impact of sarcopenia on postoperative outcomes in patients receiving autologous free tissue reconstruction for H&N cancer (HNC). Methods A retrospective case–control study was conducted at our tertiary referral center. Patients with HNC who received oncologic resection followed by autologous free tissue reconstruction were included. Preoperative abdominal computed tomography (CT) imaging was analyzed at the third lumbar vertebra (L3) to calculate skeletal muscle cross-sectional area (CSA, cm2). Skeletal muscle index (SMI, cm2/m2) was calculated by normalizing CSA to patient height. Sarcopenia at L3 was defined as SMI ≤ 41.6 cm2/m2 for males and ≤ 32.0 cm2/m2 for females. Data analyses were performed to compare postoperative outcomes. Results Of the 168 patients who met inclusion criteria, 47 patients (28.0%) were determined to have preoperative sarcopenia. The sarcopenic group was older (63 vs. 58 years, p = 0.017), had lower body mass index (BMI; 21.2 vs. 27.2, p Conclusion Sarcopenia was found to be a predictor of postoperative complications in H&N free flap reconstruction, signifying its value as a negative prognostic factor in surgical outcomes. This study reflects level of evidence IV.
Evidence-Based Case Conceptualization/Evidence-Based Clinical Decision Making

This chapter defines the fundamentals of case conceptualization and presents a case conceptualization model designed to support evidence-based practice in serving children and adolescents. This science-informed case conceptualization model helps guide the treatment process throughout treatment and is designed to cut across age groups, disorders, and theoretical treatment approaches. Evidence-based practice emphasizes using research and clinical information to inform clinical decision-making. Although discussions have often focused on evidence-based treatments, evidence-based practice is a broader concept that encompasses treatment, assessment, case conceptualization, and the relationship between client and therapist. Case conceptualization is defined as developing a complete picture of a client to generate a treatment plan by collecting data that are used to generate hypotheses about the causes, antecedents, and maintaining influences for an individual client’s problems within a biopsychosocial context. When done well, case conceptualization blends data generated by evidence-based assessment, the research literature on psychopathology and treatments, and information about a client’s characteristics, values, and preferences in order to generate a personalized, evidence-informed treatment plan. Adopting a scientific approach to case conceptualization helps therapists guide the clinical decision-making process from intake to termination.
Are fire temperatures and residence times good predictors of survival and regrowth for resprouters in Florida, USA, scrub?

Fire is a dominant ecological disturbance in many ecosystems. Post-fire resprouting is a widespread response to fire, but resprouting vigor varies with many components of the fire regime, including fire intensity. We measured responses in 46 species of resprouting plants of Florida, USA, scrub and related habitats, marking and measuring individual plants before fires. We then measured fire temperatures and residence times (time above 60 °C) during 13 fires, at the base of each plant. We measured post-fire plant sizes for up to six years. We hypothesized that high temperatures and long residence times would reduce survival and growth, and that these vital rates would vary by burn season, habitat type, and species group. Fires had variable intensities with maximum temperatures ranging from 47 to 890 °C (mean temperature = 549 °C) and residence times ranging from 0 to 83 minutes (mean time = 10 minutes). Consumed plants experienced higher fire intensity than scorched plants, and residence times were higher during the wet season (July through October), than the dry season (November through April), and fire season (May to June) and with drier conditions. Across all species affected by fire, 86% of plants survived and resprouted post fire. First year survival was unrelated to fire variables, with high survival across all maximum temperatures and residence times. Burn season, habitat, and species group did not significantly affect survival. On average across all species, post-fire growth recovered to pre-fire heights within four years. Growth was not significantly affected by species group or burn season. Resprouting perennial plants that dominate Florida scrub and surrounding habitats appear resilient to a wide range of fire intensities, as measured by maximum temperatures and residence times. Post-fire growth was rapid, with recovery of pre-fire heights in four years. Species groups varied in post-fire recovery rates. In these habitats, fire is critical to maintain the habitat structure for many animals and plants, including many rare species. The slower recovery of biomass for resprouting shrubs results in the longer availability of gaps for rare herbaceous species. In addition, variability in post-fire survival and growth among species groups likely contributes to the persistence of species diversity and complexity across habitats. However, variation in fire intensity appears to have little effect on resprouting species or subsequent habitat structure. A range of fire regimes can be used in prescribed fire management without having major impacts on resprouting plants in Florida scrub and related vegetation.
Karnofsky Performance Score-Failure to Thrive as a Frailty Proxy?

Among patients listed for kidney transplantation, the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) Scale has been used as a proxy for frailty and proposed as a predictor of long-term posttransplant outcomes. The KPS is required by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network for all transplants; however, the interrater reliability of KPS reporting in kidney transplant candidates has not been well investigated, and there is concern regarding limitations of using KPS that may influence transplant eligibility. Methods We performed an observational study using existing Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients data from 2006 to 2020 to examine the variability, reliability, and trends in the KPS among patients on the kidney transplant waitlist. Results Our analysis included 8197 kidney transplant candidates with >1 KPS in a 3-mo period. We observed 2-7 scores per patient with an average score of 78.9 (SD = 12, 95% confidence interval, 78.8-79.1). We found substantial variability in KPS reporting, in which 27% of the patients had scores that varied widely with 20-80 points in difference. Interrater reliability in the 10-point scale was poor (30%). When using a condensed 4-category scale (disabled, requires assistance, capable of self-care, normal activity), 38% of patients experienced at least a 1-category shift in their score. Conclusions The lack of reliability in KPS reporting raises concerns when applying the KPS as a proxy for frailty and a metric to be considered when evaluating candidacy for kidney transplantation.
Mass Spectrometry of Single GABAergic Somatic Motorneurons Identifies a Novel Inhibitory Peptide, As-NLP-22, in the Nematode Ascaris suum

Neuromodulators have become an increasingly important component of functional circuits, dramatically changing the properties of both neurons and synapses to affect behavior. To explore the role of neuropeptides in Ascaris suum behavior, we devised an improved method for cleanly dissecting single motorneuronal cell bodies from the many other cell processes and hypodermal tissue in the ventral nerve cord. We determined their peptide content using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). The reduced complexity of the peptide mixture greatly aided the detection of peptides; peptide levels were sufficient to permit sequencing by tandem MS from single cells. Inhibitory motorneurons, known to be GABAergic, contain a novel neuropeptide, As-NLP-22 (SLASGRWGLRPamide). From this sequence and information from the A. suum expressed sequence tag (EST) database, we cloned the transcript (As-nlp-22) and synthesized a riboprobe for in situ hybridization, which labeled the inhibitory motorneurons; this validates the integrity of the dissection method, showing that the peptides detected originate from the cells themselves and not from adhering processes from other cells (e.g., synaptic terminals). Synthetic As-NLP-22 has potent inhibitory activity on acetylcholine-induced muscle contraction as well as on basal muscle tone. Both of these effects are dose-dependent: the inhibitory effect on ACh contraction has an IC50 of 8.3 × 10–9 M. When injected into whole worms, As-NLP-22 produces a dose-dependent inhibition of locomotory movements and, at higher levels, complete paralysis. These experiments demonstrate the utility of MALDI TOF/TOF MS in identifying novel neuromodulators at the single-cell level.
ALUMINUM AIR BRAZING FOR JOINING CERAMICS

Aluminum foils were used to braze ceramic plates directly in air. Since aluminum forms an inert oxide layer, aluminum air brazing can provide significant benefits in ceramic joining such as chemical tolerance in dual atmospheres. In using aluminum to air braze, the key factor is optimizing the brazing conditions in order to obtain good interface between braze and substrates by controling the kinetics of melting and oxidation of aluminum and sintering of oxide scale. In this study, joint strength was found to be largely dependent on brazing conditions such as temperature and hold time. Effects of these conditions on the mechanical properties and the microstructure of the Al-brazed ceramic joints will be discussed in this paper.
Hypothalamic connections with the cerebral cortex.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the relationships of the hypothalamus with the cerebral cortex, and what is known of their physiological significance. Most of this information was first discovered and are elucidated in rats. From the study, it is found that the hypothalamus is the key area for the integration of forebrain control of autonomic and endocrine function with ongoing behavior and emotional state. The picture that emerges for descending cortical projections is that the major output for autonomic control by the cerebral cortex is directed from the medial prefrontal cortex, the insular cortex, and the central nucleus of the amygdala to the lateral hypothalamus. Hypothalamic projections to the cerebral cortex appear to be organized in two major ways; cells in the tuberal lateral hypothalamus and supramammillary area have topographically ordered direct cortical projections and many use peptides as neurotransmitters. They may be involved in mediating specific behaviors, such as feeding, but also in arousal responses.
Complemented spaces of operators

Classical results of Kalton are used to study the complementation of the space W(X, Y) of weakly compact operators and the space K(X, Y) of compact operators in the space L(X, Y) of bounded linear operators from X to Y.
Resistance to wheat streak mosaic virus in transgenic wheat engineered with the viral coat protein gene.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) plants were stably transformed with the coat protein (CP) gene of wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) by the biolistic method. Eleven independently transformed plant lines were obtained and five were analyzed for gene expression and resistance to WSMV. One line showed high resistance to inoculations of two WSMV strains. This line had milder symptoms and lower virus titer than control plants after inoculation. After infection, new growth did not show symptoms. The observed resistance was similar to the ‘recovery’ type resistance described previously using WSMV NIb transgene and in other systems. This line looked morphologically normal but had an unusually high transgene copy number (approximately 90 copies per 2C homozygous genome). Northern hybridization analysis indicated a high level of degraded CP mRNA expression. However, no coat protein expression was detected.
WiCOD: Wireless control plane serving an all-optical data center

A novel architecture for the future data center networks with possibly up to a thousand of Top of the Rack (ToR) switches is proposed. The proposed architecture, WiCOD, relies on a wireless control plane serving an all-optical data plane. The first contribution of the work is the separation of the data and the control planes: while the data is switched between the ToR switches in an all-optical high rate network, the network state and control information is continuously conveyed to and from a central unit over an ultra low-latency wireless network. A proof of concept for this architecture is also presented by considering the initial design possibilities for each one of the planes. In order to obtain low packet delays, the data plane scheduling policies take non-zero reconfiguration and monitoring delays into consideration. The results prove that very low queueing delays are guaranteed for strictly frequent updates on the network state. Based on this observation, a technique for monitoring of ToR switch queue occupancy information is purposed. This monitoring technique uses mmWave wireless communications via a spatially adapted MIMO Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (MIMO-OFDMA) over a static frequency selective channel with large number of densely packed ToRs. The reduced monitoring delays, offered by this low-latency radio access technology, makes the fine-grained and adaptive circuit switching feasible and, in turn, enables a high utilization of optical switches.
Illicit drug use among rave attendees in a nationally representative sample of US high school seniors

Abstract Background The popularity of electronic dance music and rave parties such as dance festivals has increased in recent years. Targeted samples of party-goers suggest high rates of drug use among attendees, but few nationally representative studies have examined these associations. Methods We examined sociodemographic correlates of rave attendance and relationships between rave attendance and recent (12-month) use of various drugs in a representative sample of US high school seniors (modal age: 18) from the Monitoring the Future study (2011–2013; Weighted N = 7373). Results One out of five students (19.8%) reported ever attending a rave, and 7.7% reported attending at least monthly. Females and highly religious students were less likely to attend raves, and Hispanics, students residing in cities, students with higher income and those who go out for fun multiple times per week were more likely to attend. Rave attendees were more likely than non-attendees to report use of an illicit drug other than marijuana (35.5% vs. 15.6%, p Discussion Findings from this study can help inform prevention and harm reduction among rave attendees at greatest risk for drug use.
8 Methods for Studying Adhesion and Attachment to Surfaces

Publisher Summary The attachment of bacteria to solid surfaces has significant and often serious implications in a number of industrial, clinical, and ecological areas. Examples are the initial fouling of manmade structures, such as pipelines, heat exchangers, and ship hulls, of biomaterials used for medical implants or prosthetic devices and of particulates or larger surfaces in natural aquatic and soil environments. However, most attachment studies fall into a second category—that is, those that are laboratory based and designed to measure some specific aspect of the adhesion process. They are generally designed to measure (a) the adhesion ability of particular organisms, (b) the effect of particular environmental conditions on adhesion, or (c) the degree to which bacteria attach to a particular surface.
Toward the development of "nano-QSARs": advances and challenges

The most significant achievements and challenges relating to an application of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) approach in the risk assessment of nanometer-sized materials are highlighted. Recent advances are discussed in the context of "classical" QSAR methodology. The possible ways for the structural characterization of compounds existing at the nanoscale (at least one dimension of 100 nm or less) are briefly reviewed. The applicability of the existing toxicological data for developing QSAR models is evaluated. Finally, the existing models are presented. The need to develop new interpretative descriptors for the nanosystems is also highlighted. It is suggested that, due to high variability in the molecular structures and different mechanisms of toxicity, individual classes of nanoparticles should be modeled separately.