cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Independent component analysis: extrema-correspondence properties for higher-order moment functions

This paper compares the use of the kurtosis function and higher-order moment functions for the extraction of independent components from a hybrid mixture. The kurtosis function, based on the 4-th order moments, is a theoretically attractive contrast function since it possess a traceable extrema-correspondence. Numerical motivations have lead many researchers to look into contrast functions involving higher-order moments. To facility the study, we define super-ness and sub-ness of non-Gaussian processes as terms that are dependent not only only on the nature of the signals themselves, but also on the the contrast functions used. In terms of the extrema-correspondence, we report some noteworthy discrepancies between the kurtosis and higher-order moment functions. Finally, we verify that for even-positive-integer and equal-moment components, both the necessary and sufficient conditions are valid.
Conclusion and Recommendations

As we have seen throughout this paper, the education of Latino/a students is in crisis. At the same time, based on our review of promising practices and creative projects, we also believe that this is a time of great opportunity. There are a number of areas that are especially crucial in improving the education of Latinos/as. Based on our critical synthesis of the literature, in what follows, we briefly address what we see as positive future directions in four broad areas: teacher preparation for diversity, services for ELL and immigrant students, family outreach and community engagement, and school, state, and federal policies and practices.
Opinion & Special Articles: The lost resident Why resident physicians still need mentoring

Mentoring is deeply rooted in medical practice. More than just a role model, a mentor is invested in the development of the mentee, providing personal and professional support, guidance, and the means for advancement. Mentoring is vital at all levels of medical training and plays an important role in the development of academicians. Increasing clinical demands, the competitive research environment, numerous administrative pressures, and the relative undervaluing of mentoring for faculty promotion have created challenges to resident mentoring. A greater emphasis on promoting mentoring opportunities for residents is needed at many levels.
Quantum trajectory theory of superradiant emission from randomly distributed atomic samples

We consider the directed superradiant emission from a collection of N two-state atoms with arbitrary spatial locations within the framework of quantum trajectory theory and without a single-mode assumption. The formalism is developed around an unravelling of the master equation in terms of source mode quantum jumps. A modified boson approximation is made to treat the many-atom case, where it is found that strong directional superradiance occurs for a few thousand atoms, even with randomized atomic positions.
Regulation of podocyte BKCa channels by synaptopodin, Rho, and actin microfilaments

Mechanosensitive large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels encoded by the Slo1 gene (BKCa channels) are expressed in podocytes. Here we show that BKCa channels reciprocally coimmunoprecipitate w...
Nanoparticle manipulation with optical forces from surface plasmon polaritons on gold stripes

We experimentally demonstrate enhanced propulsion of polystyrene and gold particles by surface plasmon polaritons on gold stripes. The largest propulsion velocity enhancement, relative to total internal reflection, is measured to be 5 for polystyrene particles.
Managing Radical Disputes: Public Reason, the American Dream, and the Case of Same-Sex Marriage

This paper proposes that ambiguous arguments play a crucial role in the management of radical disputes in democratic deliberation. Lofty though it might be, “public reason” is an impoverished ideal, and its celebrated role in democratic deliberation is vastly overrated, particularly among liberal theorists. In the courts of law and in the larger world, radical disputes unfold as messy, incomplete, ambiguous arguments are proposed by parties. This does not mean that all communication between parties must break down because parties do not abide by the “rules” of argumentation and evidentiary reasoning. It only implies that the language of ambiguity offers possibilities for democratic deliberation that are different from those presented in the discourse on “public reason.” Ordinary people have strong opinions but their arguments are, more often than not, incompletely theorized – a fact that by no means indicates that such arguments are failures. We illustrate our argument by examining the ambiguous, fragmented use of American Dream talk in the debate over same-sex marriage.
Why Tennis is a Dying Sport in the U.S.

This paper focuses on an economic approach to why tennis is a dying sport in the U.S. Three main reasons are analyzed. The first reason is the emergence of football and basketball as profitable sports in this country. The second is the nature of tennis itself that lends to its demise in an environment of sports as big business in the U.S. Lastly, tennis is mostly an individual sport and hence doesn’t create profit opportunities for colleges and/or professional leagues. Football and basketball are a major source of revenues for many universities, the NCAA, and professional leagues. Even though it is concentrated on college and professional levels, the effects reverberate all the way down to the earliest recognition of talent in a child. Sport talent is recognized at a younger age now. Children who possess talent or a skill unique to sports start to focus on a sport (or two at the most) at an early age. The nature of football and basketball as team sports necessitates an institution (usually schools) to organize, train, and coach the young athletes. This continues up to college level (at least one year for basketball). The NBA changed the minimum age for draft eligibility to 19 years old in 2005, practically forcing high school basketball players to spend at least one year in college. The second reason tennis is a dying sport in the U.S. is the nature of the sport itself. The skills that are applicable to tennis are eye-hand coordination, being able to run fast, and endurance. These skills are transferable to other sports. Eye-hand coordination is important in baseball, basketball, and golf. Athleticism is central to success in football, basketball, and pretty much any other sports. Since these kinds of skills can be recognized in a child at an early age and football and basketball are profitable sports, the result is that those youths who possess one or more of these skills are encouraged to focus on one of those sports (or, if the eye-hand coordination skill is striking, baseball or golf).The third reason is that tennis is an individual sport. Tennis players peak at a young age and they usually leave school to become professional athletes. This is the complete opposite of football and basketball, which are team sports, and hence require organization and coaching (at the very least for players to play as a team). Hence, tennis provides few, if any, opportunities for colleges or universities to profit off of it. In fact, it is one of the sport programs that incur costs but not revenues to a higher educational institution.In this paper, I provide a qualitative analysis on each of the aforementioned causes of the dying of tennis, supported by data and interviews with coaches and tennis players. I hope that this paper can contribute to the discussion on tennis as a dying sport and help explain the intricate, and sometimes unclear, relationship among sports. My hope is to also try to explain the effects of the emergence of football and basketball as big business on other sports.
PACS: a processing and control system for the Haystack long range imaging radar

The digital data processing and control system of the Haystack long range imaging radar (LRIR) has been replaced with a new, very high speed, large capacity system that features maximum use of state-of-the-art, but off-the-shelf, commercial equipment. The new system enhances the LRIR with advanced real-time control, recording, and imaging, and the modularity of the system allows for future growth or reduction depending on the application. It was designed with sufficient flexibility to allow use in other radars. >
Impurity measurements in semiconductor materials using trace element accelerator mass spectrometry

Abstract Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is commonly used to determine the abundance ratios of long-lived isotopes such as 10 B, 14 C, 36 Cl, 129 I, etc. to their stable counterparts at levels as low as 10−16. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is routinely used to determine impurity levels in materials by depth profiling techniques. Trace-element accelerator mass spectrometry (TEAMS) is a combination of AMS and SIMS, presently being used at the University of North Texas, for high-sensitivity (ppb) impurity analyses of stable isotopes in semiconductor materials. The molecular break-up characteristics of AMS are used with TEAMS to remove the molecular interferences present in SIMS. Measurements made with different substrate/impurity combinations demonstrate that TEAMS has higher sensitivity for many elements than other techniques such as SIMS and can assist with materials characterization issues. For example, measurements of implanted As in the presence of Ge in GexSi1−x/Si is difficult with SIMS because of molecular interferences from 74 GeH, 29 Si30Si16O, etc. With TEAMS, the molecular interferences are removed and higher sensitivities are obtained. Measured substrates include Si, SiGe, CoSi2, GaAs and GaN. Measured impurities include B, N, F, Mg, P, Cl, Cr, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, Ge, As, Se, Mo, Sn and Sb. A number of measurements will be presented to illustrate the range and power of TEAMS.
Mobility support in IPv6

This document specifies a protocol which allows nodes to remain reachable while moving around in the IPv6 Internet. Each mobile node is always identified by its home address, regardless of its current point of attachment to the Internet. While situated away from its home, a mobile node is also associated with a care-of address, which provides information about the mobile node's current location. IPv6 packets addressed to a mobile node's home address are transparently routed to its care-of address. The protocol enables IPv6 nodes to cache the binding of a mobile node's home address with its care-of address, and to then send any packets destined for the mobile node directly to it at this care-of address. To support this operation, Mobile IPv6 defines a new IPv6 protocol and a new destination option. All IPv6 nodes, whether mobile or stationary can communicate with mobile nodes.
A Continuously Tuned Varactor Array

A MOS varactor circuit uses an array of softly switched varactors to improve the linearity of the capacitance tuning-control and reduce the dependence on RF-input signal level while increasing the useful capacitance-tuning range. Test circuits have been fabricated in both 90 nm and 0.35 mum CMOS processes and are directly compared to a conventional varactor.
Will Johnny See Daddy This Week? An Empirical Test of Three Theoretical Perspectives of Postdivorce Contact

The purpose of this analysis is to examine the determinants of postdivorce contact between nonresidential fathers and their children after marital disruption and to evaluate the relative merit of three sociological perspectives on postdivorce contact: (a) social parenting, (b) marital-involvement parenting, and (c) socioeconomic-advantaged parenting. The results suggest that fathers have limited contact with their children postdivorce that decreases over time. The fathers' socioeconomic characteristics appear to temper this reduction in fathers' involvement with their children after marital disruption. As fathers develop new relationships postdivorce, their level of involvement with their children is reduced, whereas mothers' remarriage only affects the probability of fathers' having weekly contact with their children. For the most part, characteristics of the children, their mothers, and the former marriages, which ordinarily are positively associated with paternal involvement during marriage, did not af...
Image-interactive orientation in the middle cranial fossa approach to the internal auditory canal: an experimental study.

Approaches through the middle cranial fossa directed at reaching the internal auditory canal (IAC) invariably employ exposure of the geniculate ganglion, the superior semicircular canal (SSC) or the epitympanum. This involves risk to the facial nerve and hearing apparatus. To minimize this risk, we conducted a laboratory study on 9 cadaver temporal bones by using an image-interactive guidance system (StealthStation™) to provide topographic orientation in the middle fossa approach. Surface anatomic fiducials such as the umbo of the tympanic membrane, Henle's spine, the root of the zygoma and various sutures were used as fiducials for registration of CT-images of the temporal bone. Accurate localization of the IAC was achieved in every specimen. Mean target localization error varied from 1.20 to 1.38 mm for critical structures in the temporal bone such as the apex of the cochlea, cras commune, ampula of the SSC and facial hiatus. Our results suggest that frameless stereotaxy may be used as an alternative to...
Preparación de los adultos mayores en los Estados Unidos para hacer frente a los desastres naturales: encuesta a escala nacional

OBJETIVOS: Nos propusimos determinar el grado de preparacion frente a los desastres naturales de los adultos mayores en los Estados Unidos y evaluar los factores que pueden afectar negativamente la salud y la seguridad durante este tipo de incidentes. METODOS: Obtuvimos una muestra de adultos de 50 anos en adelante (n = 1 304) de la encuesta del 2010 del Estudio de la Salud y la Jubilacion (HRS por su sigla en ingles). La encuesta recogio datos sobre las caracteristicas demograficas generales, el estado de discapacidad o las limitaciones funcionales, y tambien sobre factores y comportamientos relacionados con la preparacion frente a los desastres. Calculamos una puntuacion global de preparacion mediante indicadores individuales a fin de evaluar el grado de preparacion general. RESULTADOS: La media de la edad de los participantes (n = 1 304) fue de 70 anos (desviacion estandar [DE] = 9,3). Solo 34,3% informaron que habian participado en un programa formativo o que habian leido materiales sobre la preparacion para los desastres. Casi 15% indicaron que usaban dispositivos medicos electricos que podian correr riesgo de no funcionar si se interrumpiera el suministro electrico. La puntuacion de preparacion indico que la edad mas avanzada, la discapacidad fisica y el menor nivel de escolaridad y de ingresos se asociaban independiente y significativamente a un grado de preparacion general inferior. CONCLUSIONES: A pesar de la mayor vulnerabilidad ante los desastres y del numero cada vez mayor de adultos mayores en los Estados Unidos, muchos de los problemas sustanciales que encontramos son remediables y requieren atencion en los sectores de la sociedad dedicados a la atencion clinica, a la salud publica y al manejo de situaciones de emergencia.
Sclerosing mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the salivary glands

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) comprises approximately 30% of all salivary gland malignancies, making it the most common malignant tumor of the salivary glands. Multiple histologic variants with a wide range of differentiation have been described. Sclerosing MEC (SMEC) is a rare subtype that may be misdiagnosed as a benign reactive condition or low-grade non-SMEC malignancy. We report 4 cases of SMEC and evaluated them with Her-2/neu and MIB-1 to determine whether an association exists between the histologic grade and immunohistochemical findings. In 3 cases, histologic examination demonstrated relatively well-circumscribed, nonencapsulated tumors composed of extensive central sclerosis with keloid-like stroma and scattered epithelial islands of low-grade MEC. In the fourth case, the tumor showed similar sclerotic stroma; but the epithelial component was of intermediate grade. In all 4 cases, eosinophils and neutrophils were part of the inflammatory infiltrate; and the edges were surrounded by lymphoid tissue, with germinal center formation and residual epithelial islands. A Mayer mucicarmine stain revealed abundant intracytoplasmic mucin. We found MIB-1 labeling indices of 5% or less in cases 1, 2, and 3 and 12% in case 4, suggesting an association between MIB-1 index and tumor grade. The tumors were negative for Her-2/neu in all 4 cases. The latter seems to bear no relationship to tumor grade.
TQM and organisational culture: How do they link?

There have been many documented cases where total quality management (TQM) initiatives have failed to succeed and these have been often blamed on the implementation process. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to show the potential links between TQM and culture, and to highlight some of the reasons for TQM failure with a view to suggesting whether ‘cultural traits’, identified in some of the major cultural models, could influence the success of TQM implementation. The paper is purely literature based with the investigation being split into three distinct sections. The first briefly covers a number of important aspects of TQM and identifies some of the problems that have been encountered in its implementation. The second describes four models of organisational culture and attempts to identify the particular ‘cultural traits’, within each model, which might prove conducive to TQM success. Finally, the third suggests an amalgamated model that could be used to test whether an organisation will be receptiv...
Indicators of global sustainable sourcing as a set covering problem: an integrated approach to sustainability

Sustainability describes a broad set of themes centered on current human uses of the planet’s resources. The multiple uses and users of the term have led to a proliferation of salient issues and as...
The Restricted Isometry Property for block diagonal matrices

In compressive sensing (CS), the Restricted Isometry Property (RIP) is a powerful condition on measurement operators which ensures robust recovery of sparse vectors is possible from noisy, undersampled measurements via computationally tractable algorithms. Early papers in CS showed that Gaussian random matrices satisfy the RIP with high probability, but such matrices are usually undesirable in practical applications due to storage limitations, computational considerations, or the mismatch of such matrices with certain measurement architectures. To alleviate some or all of these difficulties, recent research efforts have focused on structured random matrices. In this paper, we study block diagonal measurement matrices where each block on the main diagonal is itself a Gaussian random matrix. The main result of this paper shows that such matrices can indeed satisfy the RIP but that the requisite number of measurements depends on the coherence of the basis in which the signals are sparse. In the best case—for signals that are sparse in the frequency domain—these matrices perform nearly as well as dense Gaussian random matrices despite having many fewer nonzero entries.
Medicare: Where is the Common Sense? A Review of Medicare Meets Mephistopheles

In his deliciously funny book, Medicare Meets Mephistopheles (Cato 2006), Professor David Hyman argues that Medicare corrupts our most base impulses - urging us to grab for more than our fair share of benefits while offering providers "the prospect of staggering amounts of money - even as ... actuaries were promising Congress that the Medicare program would be easily affordable." Modeled on C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, Professor Hyman's satirical examination of Medicare is sprinkled with political cartoons, absurd (but true) stories of Medicare's over-the-top fraud enforcement efforts, and a historical account of Medicare's genesis replete with Congressmen and strippers. Medicare Meets Mephistopheles gives us a well-researched and easy-to-read primer on the biggest pot of gold in medicine. While we are not as certain as Professor Hyman is that Medicare's limitations rise to the level of mortal sins, Medicare's tendency to encourage over-consumption, its thousands of pages of "guidance," miles of red tape, and insane enforcement scheme are not serving the American public well. It just doesn't make any sense. Medicare Meets Mephistopheles should be required reading for students in courses ranging from health law to nursing.
The Guinea Pigs by Ludvík Vaculík: Interrelation of Areas of Reference

Ludvik Vaculik’s novel Guinea Pigs is one of the most profound and most successful novels of the 1970s in Czechoslovakia. Published first in the underground Edice Petlice in 1973 (Morcata), later in Toronto by 68 Publishers in 1977, the English translation appeared in New York by the Third Press in 1973. The novel was written in 1970 and in 1976 it won the George Orwell Prize, awarded by Penguin Books to the best literary work commenting on social issues.
A DETERMINATION OF gj($sup 2$S$sub 1$2/) OF POTASSIUM IN TERMS OF THE PROTON GYROMAGNETIC RATIO

The ratio of the $g$ value of potassium ${\mathrm{K}}^{39}$ in the ground state to the gyromagnetic ratio of the proton in mineral oil has been measured in an experiment combining atomic beam and nuclear resonance techniques. It is found to be $\frac{{g}_{J}(\mathrm{K})}{{g}_{p}}=658.2274\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0023$. This result, when combined with the measurement of $\frac{{g}_{J}(\mathrm{H})}{{g}_{p}}$ by Koenig, Prodell, and Kusch, yields $\frac{{g}_{J}(\mathrm{K})}{{g}_{J}(\mathrm{H})}=1.000016\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0004 \mathrm{percent}.$ This is to be compared with the recent direct measurement by Pohlman, Bederson, and Eisinger: $\frac{{g}_{J}(\mathrm{K})}{{g}_{J}(\mathrm{H})}=1.00016\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.006 \mathrm{percent}$. The present experiment is of superior precision and is in agreement with independent experimental evidence. The present result is found to agree with the theoretically predicted value.
The Role of Early Nutritional Deficiencies in the Development of Psychopathology

Lack of adequate nutrition is a serious public health concern in both developing and developed countries. In developing countries, this condition usually takes the form of generalized malnutrition (including deficiencies in both macronutrients and micronutrients). In developed countries, strict micronutrient deficiencies are more common. Early nutritional deficits are associated with disturbances in cognitive development and to the later development of psychopathology. Following a brief historical overview, the authors present a review of the studies directly linking early malnutrition to the later development of various types of psychopathologies including schizophrenia spectrum disorders, antisocial behavior and other externalizing disorders, substance use disorders, and internalizing disorders such as depression. To provide a wider context, the discussion progresses to a review of the effects of early malnutrition on cognitive development surveying both human and animal studies. This is followed by a brief exploration of the effects of generalized malnutrition on the neurobiology of the developing nervous system including a summary of the effects of specific micronutrient deficiencies. The chapter concludes with an examination of potential mechanisms to explain the contribution of nutritional deficits to the development of psychopathology. Translational implications for the study of developmental psychopathology are also discussed. Keywords: nutritional deficiencies; protein energy malnutrition; undernutrition; micronutrient deficiency; famine; psychopathology; schizophrenia
Relationships between irrational beliefs and self-report indices of psychopathology.

As part of a larger study of beliefs, psychopathology, and criminal behavior, the Irrational Beliefs Test and the MMPI were administered to 125 inmates at a federal correctional institution. An initial correlation analysis between the Irrational Beliefs Test and three indices of psychopathology scored from the research scales of the MMPI indicated that greater belief irrationality was associated with increased maladjustment. The results provide important evidence of the validity for the Irrational Beliefs Test and secondarily support Ellis' 1962 theory of psychopathology.
Determination of Bromate in Mineral Water by Ion chromatography

[Objective]To establish the determination method of bromate in mineral water by ion chromatography. [Methods]Analytical column of A5-250 was selected,3.2 mmol/L Na2CO3+0.7 mmol/L NaHCO3 as 100 μl eluent for determination. [Results]Good linear relationship showed in this method,r=0.999 8.Relative standard deviation(n=6) was 1.14%.The recovery was 99.7%~100.3%. [Conclusion]This method is rapid,with high sensitivity and good repeatability.
Pigs Fed a Western Diet Develop Features of Metabolic Syndrome and a Microbiome Analogous to Human Obesity

The Total Western Diet (TWD) for pigs was formulated using the principle of nutrient density (mass of nutrient/kcal/day), using the 50th percentile daily intake levels for macro and micronutrients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and translating that information to a pig diet. To determine effects of the TWD on metabolism and the microbiome, ten female pigs were assigned to either the TWD (n=5) or a control (CON), low-fat commercial sow diet (n=5). Pigs were fed for 12 weeks and allowed ad lib access to diets. Pigs fed the TWD gained significantly more weight, 92.8 ± 9.5 vs. 54.2 ± 11.2 kg (p < 0.001) and had an increased fasted blood glucose, 123.2 ± 13.7 vs 91.4 ± 7.9 mg/dl (p < 0.01) compared to control pigs. Pigs fed the TWD shifted from a Bacteroidetes to Firmicute dominated microbiome after 12 weeks on treatment (p < 0.01). The microbiome of pigs fed the CON diet remained Bacteroidetes dominant. These data suggest that the American diet pattern when fed to pigs is obesegenic, diabetogenic and causes shifts in the microbiome associated with obesity in humans.
Aprotinin in spine surgery: review of the literature.

Based on a literature resices, this article evaluates the efficacy of aprotinin to limit blood transfusion during spine surgery. Most prospective studies confirm this effect. However, broader studies are required to evaluated adverse effects. Severe complications are rately, if ever, reported. Given the small size of most samples, complications are espected because of the widespread use of the drug. The cost of the medication has to be balanced with the cost of blood transtusion. A carental use of aprotinin allows a surgeon dealing with high-risk patients to avoid or limit the use of transisions. For patients who are not high-risk, aprotinin should be avoided until other questions are anssvered.
African Interpretations of the Christian Cross in Vodou

Scholars who have written about Vodou, the folk-religion of Haiti, have called it a syncretism, that is, an amalgam of various religious traditions (Price-Mars 1928; Jahn 1961; Herskovits 1971). These traditions permeate the folk-beliefs and ritual dances of the peasant masses of Haiti. The religious amalgam originated with the arrival in the New World of slaves from West Africa as early as 1510.
Population genomics reveals multiple drivers of population differentiation in a sex-role-reversed pipefish.

A major goal of molecular ecology is to identify the causes of genetic and phenotypic differentiation among populations. Population genomics is suitably poised to tackle these key questions by diagnosing the evolutionary mechanisms driving divergence in nature. Here, we set out to investigate the evolutionary processes underlying population differentiation in the Gulf pipefish, Syngnathus scovelli. We sampled approximately 50 fish from each of 12 populations distributed from the Gulf coast of Texas to the Atlantic coast of Florida and performed restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing to identify SNPs throughout the genome. After imposing quality and stringency filters, we selected a panel of 6348 SNPs present in all 12 populations, 1753 of which were not physically linked. We identified a genome-wide pattern of isolation by distance, in addition to a more substantial genetic break separating populations in the Gulf of Mexico from those in the Atlantic. We also used several divergence outlier approaches and tests for genotype-environment correlations to identify 400 SNPs putatively involved in local adaptation. Patterns of phenotypic differentiation and variation diverged from the overall genomic pattern, suggesting that selection, phenotypic plasticity or demographic factors may be shaping phenotypes in distinct populations. Overall, our results suggest that population divergence is driven by a variety of factors in S. scovelli, including neutral processes and selection on multiple traits.
Patterning Polymer-Supported Lipid Bilayers

This project aims to micro-pattern polymer-supported lipid bilayers by corralling the supramolecular architectures with chemical/physical barriers. To achieve this goal, random lipo/glyco-copolymer was synthesized and characterized for interfacial properties. The copolymer mixed with free and fluorescently labeled lipids was transferred onto patterned photoresist on a planar glass surface by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Fluorescence microscopy, FRAP and AFM are employed to examine the resulting patterns as well as two-dimensional mobility of the supported membrane systems.
Future Prospects of Biologic Therapies for Immunologic Diseases

This article presents an overview of future uses for biologic therapies in the treatment of immunologic and allergic conditions. Discussion is centered on the use of existing therapies outside of their current indication or on new therapies that are close to approval. This information may help familiarize practicing allergists and immunologists with therapies they may soon encounter in their practice as well as help identify conditions and treatments that will require further study in the near future.
Role of Early Thoracoscopy for Management of Penetrating Wounds of the Chest

Most nonlife-threatening penetrating wounds of the chest (PWC) are treated with a chest tube alone. This may be inadequate because missed injuries, retained hemothorax, or foreign material may be difficult to address later. Early thoracoscopy should improve outcome. We conducted a retrospective review of 88 stable patients with PWC initially treated with a chest tube and had retained a hemothorax beyond 48 hours. Twenty-seven underwent an early video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS). Fifty-five were observed, chest tubes were manipulated, or an additional one placed. The outcome was compared with the National Trauma Data Bank and controlled for Injury Severity Score. Early VATS reduced length of stay (4.3 vs 9.4 days), days in the intensive care unit (1.3 vs 3.2), and open thoracotomy (0 vs 7). A chest tube undertreats a nonlife-threatening PWC correctable by timely VATs.
Experiences of Discrimination and Incident Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Experiences of discrimination are associated with increased risk of adverse health outcomes; however, it is unknown whether discrimination is related to incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (diabetes). We investigated the associations of major experiences of discrimination (unfair treatment in 6 situations) and everyday discrimination (frequency of day-to-day experiences of unfair treatment) with incident diabetes among 5,310 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, enrolled in 2000-2002. Using Cox proportional hazards models, we estimated hazard ratios and confidence intervals, adjusting for demographic factors, depressive symptoms, stress, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, diet, waist circumference, and body mass index. Over a median follow-up of 9.4 years, 654 diabetes cases were accrued. Major experiences of discrimination were associated with greater risk of incident diabetes when modeled continuously (for each additional experience of discrimination, hazard ratio = 1.09, 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.17) or categorically (for ≥2 experiences vs. 0, hazard ratio = 1.34, 95% confidence interval: 1.08, 1.66). Similar patterns were observed when evaluating discrimination attributed to race/ethnicity or to a combination of other sources. Everyday discrimination was not associated with incident diabetes. In conclusion, major experiences of discrimination were associated with increased risk of incident diabetes, independent of obesity or behavioral and psychosocial factors. Future research is needed to explore the mechanisms of the discrimination-diabetes relationship.
Supporting the role of community members employed as research staff: Perspectives of community researchers working in addiction research.

Abstract Community researchers are laypersons who conduct research activities in their own communities. In addiction and HIV research, community researchers are valued for their insider status and knowledge. At the same time, their presence on the research team raises concerns about coercion and confidentiality when community researchers and participants know each other personally, and the work of navigating between the worlds of research and community leads to moral distress and burnout for some community researchers. In this paper, we draw upon the concept of ‘moral experience’ to explore the local moral worlds of community researchers in the context of addiction research. In February and March 2010, we conducted focus groups with 36 community researchers employed on community-based addiction studies in the United States to elicit perspectives on ethical and moral challenges they face in their work and insights on best practices to support their role in research. Community researchers described how their values were realized or thwarted in the context of research, and their strategies for coping with shifting identities and competing priorities. They delineated how their knowledge could be used to inform development of research protocols and help principal investigators build and maintain trust with the community researchers on their teams. Our findings contribute to current understandings of the moral experiences of community members employed in research, and inform policies and practices for the growing field of community-engaged research. Funders, research organizations, and research ethics boards should develop guidelines and standards to ensure studies have key resources in place to support community researchers and ensure quality and integrity of community-engaged work. Investigators who work with community researchers should ensure channels for frontline staff to provide input on research protocols and to create an atmosphere where challenges and concerns can be openly and safely discussed.
Is oorpijn bij vliegen te voorkomen

Vraagstelling Patienten vragen soms wat zij kunnen doen om oorpijn bij vliegen te voorkomen. Bij de drogist en op internet worden verschillende (hulp)middelen aangeboden om de oorpijn te verminderen. Wij zochten uit welk wetenschappelijk bewijs er voor die (hulp)middelen is.
Effect of the Composition and Structure of Excipient Emulsion on the Bioaccessibility of Pesticide Residue in Agricultural Products

The influence of co-ingestion of food emulsions with tomatoes on the bioaccessibility of a model pesticide (chlorpyrifos) was studied. Emulsions were fabricated with different oil contents (0 to 8%), lipid compositions (MCT and corn oil) and particle diameters (d32 = 0.17 and 10 μm). The emulsions were then mixed with chlorpyrifos-contaminated tomato puree, and the mixtures were subjected to a simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) consisting of mouth, stomach, and small intestine. The particle size, surface charge, and microstructure of the emulsions was measured as they passed through the GIT, and chlorpyrifos bioaccessibility was determined after digestion. The composition and structure of the emulsions had a significant impact on chlorpyrifos bioaccessibility. Bioaccessibility increased with increasing oil content, and was higher for corn oil than MCT, but did not strongly depend on oil droplet size. These results suggest that co-ingestion of emulsions with fruits or vegetables could increase pesticid...
Role of letermovir for prevention of cytomegalovirus infection after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Purpose of reviewCytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a common opportunistic infection after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). CMV surveillance-preemptive therapy is the current preferred approach for preventing CMV disease after HSCT. In contrast, antiviral prophylaxis is no
Mechanoporation is a potential indicator of tissue strain and subsequent degeneration following experimental traumatic brain injury.

Abstract Background An increases in plasma membrane permeability is part of the acute pathology of traumatic brain injury and may be a function of excessive membrane force. This membrane damage, or mechanoporation, allows non-specific flux of ions and other molecules across the plasma membrane, and may ultimately lead to cell death. The relationships among tissue stress and strain, membrane permeability, and subsequent cell degeneration, however, are not fully understood. Methods Fluorescent molecules of different sizes were introduced to the cerebrospinal fluid space prior to injury and animals were sacrificed at either 10 min or 24 h after injury. We compared the spatial distribution of plasma membrane damage following controlled cortical impact in the rat to the stress and strain tissue patterns in a 3-D finite element simulation of the injury parameters. Findings Permeable cells were located primarily in the ipsilateral cortex and hippocampus of injured rats at 10 min post-injury; however by 24 h there was also a significant increase in the number of permeable cells. Analysis of colocalization of permeability marker uptake and Fluorojade staining revealed a subset of permeable cells with signs of degeneration at 24 h, but plasma membrane damage was evident in the vast majority of degenerating cells. The regional and subregional distribution patterns of the maximum principal strain and shear stress estimated by the finite element model were comparable to the cell membrane damage profiles following a compressive impact. Interpretation These results indicate that acute membrane permeability is prominent following traumatic brain injury in areas that experience high shear or tensile stress and strain due to differential mechanical properties of the cell and tissue organization, and that this mechanoporation may play a role in the initiation of secondary injury, contributing to cell death.
The Past, the Present, and the Future: A Conceptual Model of Time Perspective in Adolescence

In this paper, we describe a conceptual model of time perspective that is multidimensional and developmental. We argue that time perspective is a cognitive-motivational construct that has a particular salience in adolescence, with implications for schooling, work, physical condition, and risky behaviors, such as substance use and delinquency. We trace early and contemporary research on time perspective to provide a foundation for a new, multidimensional conceptualization, including meaning, orientation, relation, attitude, and frequency, all of which have implications for how adolescents think and feel about the past, the present, and the future. This discussion highlights age-related variation in time perspective dimensions with a focus on adolescents. It is argued that as individuals mature from childhood to adolescence, they develop an increased capacity for a complex time perspective, given advances in cognitive abilities and the process of identity formation. Directions for additional research and intervention considerations are also presented.
Utilization of purified cellulose in fiber studies.

Purified cellulose preparations are used extensively in nutrition research. This is at least partially due to the acceptance of cellulose-type fiber as an established and recommended fiber to be used in purified diets (1). The common use of cellulose in studies analyzing the effect of dietary fiber on specific physiological parameters is illustrated by noting that the majority of such studies presented at this symposium utilized cellulose as one of the experimental fibers. Although purified cellulose products are used extensively in nutritional research they are seldom characterized in terms of composition or structural properties. The lack of attention directed towards the properties of the celluloses used in various studies could promote the false assumption that all commercially available cellulose fiber products are equivalent. In this regard, the main objectives of this paper are to point out some of the potential differences between commercially available cellulose preparations, to demonstrate approaches which may be used to characterize the properties of a purified cellulose preparation, and to discuss the relevance of using purified cellulose preparations in dietary fiber studies.
Glutathione Preconditioning Attenuates Ac-LDL–Induced Macrophage Apoptosis via Protein Kinase C–Dependent Ac-LDL Trafficking

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) incorporation into intimally resident vascular cells via scavenger receptors marks one of the early steps in atherosclerosis. Cellular apoptotic damage results from two major serial intracellular events: the binding and scavenger receptor-mediated uptake of oxidizable lipoproteins and the intracellular oxidative responses of accumulated lipoproteins. Most molecular approaches to prevent apoptotic damage have focused on singular events within the cascade of lipoprotein trafficking. To identify a multifocal strategy against LDL-induced apoptosis, we evaluated the role of cellular preconditioning by glutathione-ethyl ester (GSH-Et), a native redox regulator, in the prevention of the uptake and apoptotic effects of an oxidizable scavenger receptor-specific ligand, acetylated low-density lipoprotein (Ac-LDL). Our results indicate that GSH-Et-mediated protein kinase C (PKC) pathway modulation regulates Ac-LDL binding and incorporation into GSH-Et preconditioned cells and subsequently delays reactive oxygen intermediate generation and apoptotic conversion. The GSH-Et protective effects on apoptosis and Ac-LDL binding were reversed by calphostin C, a PKC inhibitor, and were accompanied by an increase in PKC phosphorylation. However, the rate of reactive oxygen intermediate accumulation was not increased following calphostin C treatment, suggesting that GSH-Et may play an important nonreactive oxygen-intermediate-based protective role in regulating apoptotic dynamics. Overall, we report on the novel role for GSH-Et preconditioning as a molecular strategy to limit lipoprotein entry into the cells, which presents a proactive modality to prevent cellular apoptosis in contrast with the prevalent antioxidant approaches that treat damage retroactively.
Validation of an Objective Measure of Dry Eye Severity.

Purpose We evaluated the validity of a single dry eye severity measure estimated using Rasch analysis from a battery of clinical tests and patient symptoms. Methods This study included 203 dry eye patients and 51 controls. Administered tests included the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), tear osmolarity, Schirmer's test, noninvasive break-up time, and ocular surface staining. Each of the 12 OSDI questions and each clinical test was defined to be a separate indicator to estimate a single dry eye severity measure from Rasch analysis. Measures of severity were estimated for each subject (person measures) and measures of sensitivity to severity were estimated for each sign and symptom (indicator measures). Results The average severity measure for dry eye patients was significantly greater than the average severity measure for controls (-0.39 vs. -1.2, P 10% of the total information about dry eye severity carried by all indicators together. However, the most informative indicators were corneal and conjunctival staining. Conclusions Our study indicated that there is no single "best" dry eye test. Clinical tests and symptoms should be used in combination to estimate a single dry eye severity measure. Translational relevance There is no single "gold standard" testing method for dry eye that correlates with the severity of disease. We propose that Rasch analysis can be used to calculate an objective dry eye severity score from a battery of clinical indicators.
Violations of Core Knowledge Shape Early Learning

Research on cognitive development has revealed that even the youngest minds detect and respond to events that adults find surprising. These surprise responses suggest that infants have a basic set of "core" expectations about the world that are shared with adults and other species. However, little work has asked what purpose these surprise responses serve. Here we discuss recent evidence that violations of core knowledge offer special opportunities for learning. Infants and young children make predictions about the world on the basis of their core knowledge of objects, quantities, and social entities. We argue that when these predictions fail to match the observed data, infants and children experience an enhanced drive to seek and retain new information. This impact of surprise on learning is not equipotent. Instead, it is directed to entities that are relevant to the surprise itself; this drive propels children-even infants-to form and test new hypotheses about surprising aspects of the world. We briefly consider similarities and differences between these recent findings with infants and children, on the one hand, and findings on prediction errors in humans and non-human animals, on the other. These comparisons raise open questions that require continued inquiry, but suggest that considering phenomena across species, ages, kinds of surprise, and types of learning will ultimately help to clarify how surprise shapes thought.
Evaluation of Multidisciplinary Team Clinic for Patients With Isolated Cleft Lip.

Objective:To report the incidences of secondary lip and nose operations, otolaryngology procedures, speech-language therapy, neurodevelopmental concerns, and dental and orthodontic issues in childr...
Work-in-Progress—Using Bloom’s Taxonomy and Balanced Design in ARTé: Mecenas

This article introduces the design of an educational game ARTe: Mecenas through the pedagogical perspective. ARTe: Mecenas is a role-playing strategy game to learn art history. This article provides instructional/game designers with an example of integrating learning content within the game through the adoption of Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Balanced Design framework.
Targeted Therapies for Treatment of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma historically resulted in poor patient outcomes. With the discovery of the von Hippel-Lindau gene and its relationship to kidney cancer, targeted therapies were developed as a viable and useful treatment option. The landmark trials testing these therapies are reviewed in detail, and treatment indications, benefits, and limitations will be discussed. Finally, we will review management of treatment side effects, as allowing patients to continue treatment regimens and maintaining or improving their overall quality of life are the ultimate goals.