cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The threat of CALT

The new options that technology offers for language test tasks present teachers, test developers, and researchers with an expanded set of possibilities for assessing language ability. At the same time, however, these options raise questions about what the new tests actually measure and what test scores from CALT can be used for. In our experience, the mention of technology for language assessment prompts skeptical comments from teachers, test developers, and researchers. One language-testing researcher characterized the skepticism by writing about the potential threats of computer-assisted language testing in addition to the promises. Expanding on the promises, Chapter 2 discussed the new options afforded by computer technology within the framework of the test method characteristics. This chapter examines the threats by making explicit connections between concerns about technology in language testing and validity. Some concerns about CALT that we mentioned in Chapter 2 pertain to (1) the inferences that can be drawn from test scores on computer-based tests and (2) the uses of the scores for purposes such as certification, admissions decisions, assigning grades, and advising learners. These two validity issues form the basis of at least six concerns that are often expressed as potential threats to CALT. In this chapter, we identify these potential threats and explain the ways in which research might address them. The fact that this chapter raises more questions than answers reflects the status of knowledge about inferences and uses of CALT, but identification of these issues is a first step to progress in this area.
Chronic Inflammatory Neuropathies

The clinical characteristics, response to therapy, and long-term prognosis in 13 children (1.5 to 16 years of age) with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) were reviewed from records of patients seen at Washington University Medical Center, St Louis, MO, and the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, between 1979 and 1994.
Trade-off Analysis of Misuse Case-based Secure Software Architectures: A Case Study

Based on the threat-driven architectural design of secure information systems, this paper introduces an approach for the tradeoff analysis of secure software architectures in order to determine the effects of security requirements on the system. We use a case study on a payroll information system (PIS) to show the approach from misuse case identification through the architecture tradeoff analysis. In the case study, we discuss how to make tradeoff between security and availability with respect to the number of servers present.
Generation of 10-kW pulses at 880 nm in commercial fiber via parametric amplification in a higher order mode

We amplify a seed laser at 880 nm to achieve 385 ps pulses with 10 kW peak power in a commercial step-index multimode fiber using four-wave mixing pumped at 1064 nm in a large effective area LP 0,6 mode.
Superficial erosion and the precision management of acute coronary syndromes: not one-size-fits-all.

This editorial refers to ‘Effective anti-thrombotic therapy without stenting: intravascular optical coherence tomography-based management in plaque erosion (the EROSION study)’, by H. Jia et al. , doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehw381. Post-mortem evaluation of the culprit lesions associated with coronary thrombosis identified superficial erosion as a mechanism that accounts for a substantial proportion of acute coronary syndromes (ACS).1,2 The morphological study of superficial erosion reveals sessile thrombi overlying plaques that characteristically lack the thin fibrous cap typically found in lesions complicated by plaque rupture, long considered the dominant mechanism provoking ACS. As autopsy studies require death as an entry criterion, the actual prevalence of superficial erosion as a cause of non-fatal ACS has remained unclear. The advent of optical coherence tomography (OCT) has helped to remedy this knowledge gap. OCT provides a nearly microscopic near field view of the arterial intima. This invasive intravascular imaging technique sheds new ‘light’ on the underlying mechanisms of acute coronary thrombosis. OCT visualizes readily ruptured fibrous caps, the hallmark of plaque rupture. Practitioners of OCT have developed criteria that allow classification of culprit lesions causing ACS as ruptured, definite erosion, and possible erosion.3 This important advance in intracoronary imaging allows us to deepen our probing of the mechanisms underlying ACS in a broader swath of patients than permitted by post-mortem examination. Most of our understanding of the prevalence of superficial erosion as a substrate for ACS derived from autopsy studies performed in the last century. Now, OCT enables us to obtain a more contemporary snapshot of the proportion of ACS due to superficial erosion. Recent studies suggest that a quarter to a third or more of ACS in the current era result from culprit lesions with intact fibrous caps.2,3 We have proposed the hypothesis that superficial erosion is on the rise …
Field Test Performance of Noncontact Ultrasonic Rail Inspection System

AbstractThis paper presents the latest results from a noncontact ultrasonic rail inspection system developed at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) under the auspices of the Federal Rail...
Abstract P151: Differential Effects of Concurrent and Sequential Combined Lapatinib and Doxorubicin Treatment on Cardiac Function in Mice

Background: Clinical studies showed that Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks the HER2 receptor, exacerbated chemotherapy drug doxorubicin (DOX)-induced heart failure. Lapatinib, a small molecule inhibitor of HER2 and EGF receptor (EGFR), is currently studied in clinical trials for cancer therapy, in combination with DOX, concurrently and sequentially. Therefore, it is important to assess the cardiac effect of the combination treatment using lapatinib and DOX. Methods: Two mouse models were used. In the first model, mice were treated with a single dose of DOX (20 mg/kg, i.p.), concurrently with lapatinib (100 mg/kg, oral gavage, daily). In the second model, mice were treated with DOX (2 mg/kg, i.p. twice a week) for seven weeks, followed by lapatinib (100 mg/kg, oral gavage, daily) for three weeks. Survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Cardiac function was monitored by hemodynamic measurements. Results: When mice were treated concurrently with lapatinib and DOX, ten-day survival was significantly lower in DOX+lapatinib vs. DOX mice (13 vs. 0 %, n=7–8/group, P P P P P =NS vs. control, n=5–6/ group). On the other hand, when mice were treated sequentially with DOX and lapatinib, seventy-day survival was higher in DOX+lapatinib vs. DOX mice (63 vs. 43 %, n=7–8/ group). Cardiac output was decreased in DOX vs. control mice (1733±135 vs. 3438±268 unit/min, P P =NS vs. control, n=4/group). Conclusions: These results showed that concurrent and sequential combined lapatinib and DOX treatment produced opposite effects on survival and cardiac function in mice. This study suggests that the cardiac safety of lapatinib and DOX combination therapy depends on the specific treatment regimen.
A failed green future: Navajo Green Jobs and energy “transition” in the Navajo Nation

Abstract This article considers the Navajo Green Jobs effort of 2009, an attempt to “transition” energy production from coal to wind and solar for the largest tribe in the United States, the Navajo Nation. Through ethnographic “revisits,” in 2008 and 2013, I argue that Navajo Green Jobs contained two problematic hybrid neoliberal assumptions about governance and development: (1) it decentered governing authority from the tribe to “the community” while undermining the legitimacy of the tribal government, and (2) it promoted private entrepreneurship over public investment as the vehicle for energy transition. Ultimately, the Navajo Nation rejected Navajo Green Jobs and re-appropriated its temporal language in order to justify a reinvestment in coal in the form of a new energy company, NTEC. This article concludes that consideration of the spatial and social embedded nature of energy production is vital for understanding energy transitions today.
Penile Vascular Evaluation of Men with Peyronie’s Disease

A penile vascular evaluation was performed upon 95 consecutive men with Peyronie's disease (19 potent and 76 impotent) and 100 consecutive impotent men without Peyronie's disease to gain further understanding of the pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction in patients with Peyronie's disease. Only 1 of the 19 potent patients with Peyronie's disease had abnormal arterial blood flow by duplex ultrasonography and none had evidence of veno-occlusive dysfunction by either duplex ultrasonography or dynamic infusion cavernosometry/cavernosography. In contrast, 36% of the impotent men with Peyronie's disease had abnormal arterial blood flow and 59% had evidence of veno-occlusive dysfunction. There was no significant difference in historical risk factors for impotence between the impotent patients with Peyronie's disease and the control population of impotent patients. However, the presence of veno-occlusive dysfunction in the control population (16%) was significantly less than that of the impotent Peyronie's disease patients (p < 0.001). Although patients with Peyronie's disease may suffer impotence due to arterial occlusive disease, our results indicate that the principal cause of impotence in this patient population is veno-occlusive dysfunction.
Recognizing Geometric Constraints in Human Demonstrations Using Force and Position Signals

This letter introduces a method for recognizing geometric constraints from human demonstrations using both position and force measurements. Our key idea is that position information alone is insufficient to determine that a constraint is active and reaction forces must also be considered to correctly distinguish constraints from movements that just happen to follow a particular geometric shape. Our techniques can detect multiple plane, arc, and line constraints in a single demonstration. Our method uses the principle of virtual work to determine reaction forces from force and position data. It fits geometric constraints locally and clusters these over the whole motion for global constraint recognition. Experimental evaluations compare our force and position constraint inference technique with a similar position-only technique and conclude that force measurements are essential in eliminating false positive detections of constraints in free space.
Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease

Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease A 54-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a 3-week history of cognitive decline. Imaging and cerebrospinal fluid markers were consistent with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease.
Achieving the Dream, Uncertain Futures: The Postbaccalaureate Decision-Making Process of Latinx Undocumented Students:

This qualitative study examined the decision-making process of undocumented college students pursuing graduate degrees, and how their commitment to matriculate in higher education programs is shaped by a myriad of social, familial, financial, and institutional factors. This study drew on 2 years of ethnographic data from a sample of 20 undocumented graduate students. The authors used critical race theory and LatCrit in education as guiding frameworks. The findings revealed that family marginalization, guided pathways, and social activism inform student decisions to pursue graduate school. The article concluded with a discussion of implications and areas of future research on undocumented students pursuing a graduate education in a DACA context.
Can Mother–Daughter Communication Buffer Adolescent Risk for Mental Health Problems Associated With Maternal Depressive Symptoms?

The current study sought to test whether higher quality mother-daughter communication would buffer associations between maternal depressive symptoms and girls' internalizing and externalizing psychopathology symptoms among urban African American girls across a 12-month period. One hundred ninety-four treatment-seeking urban African American adolescent girls, ages 12-16, and their mothers participated in the study. Every 6 months (for up to 3 assessments), daughters reported on their internalizing and externalizing symptoms, mothers reported on their depressive symptoms, and both mothers and daughters reported on the quality of their dyadic communication. Daughters additionally reported on the extent to which they felt accepted by their mothers at each assessment. Results of multilevel modeling revealed that quality of communication significantly interacted with maternal depressive symptoms to predict externalizing and internalizing symptoms in daughters, such that the risk associated with maternal depressive symptoms was fully buffered for daughters in high-quality communication dyads. Secondary analyses demonstrated that these patterns of results were not accounted for by higher levels of social status or maternal acceptance. Drawing on a vulnerable and understudied population of urban African American adolescent girls, this work suggests that family communication may contribute to important intergenerational psychopathology transmission processes, above and beyond more general features of the family environment.
Cleaning up our water: reducing interferences from nonhomogeneous freezing of “pure” water in droplet freezing assays of ice-nucleating particles

Abstract. Droplet freezing techniques (DFTs) have been used for half a century to measure the concentration of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) in the atmosphere and determine their freezing properties to understand the effects of INPs on mixed-phase clouds. The ice nucleation community has recently adopted droplet freezing assays as a commonplace experimental approach. These droplet freezing experiments are often limited by contamination that causes nonhomogeneous freezing of the “pure” water used to generate the droplets in the heterogeneous freezing temperature regime that is being measured. Interference from the early freezing of water is often overlooked and not fully reported, or measurements are restricted to analyzing the more ice-active INPs that freeze well above the temperature of the background water. However, this avoidance is not viable for analyzing the freezing behavior of less active INPs in the atmosphere that still have potentially important effects on cold-cloud microphysics. In this work we review a number of recent droplet freezing techniques that show great promise in reducing these interferences, and we report our own extensive series of measurements using similar methodologies. By characterizing the performance of different substrates on which the droplets are placed and of different pure water generation techniques, we recommend best practices to reduce these interferences. We tested different substrates, water sources, droplet matrixes, and droplet sizes to provide deeper insight into what methodologies are best suited for DFTs. Approaches for analyzing droplet freezing temperature spectra and accounting and correcting for the background “pure” water control spectrum are also presented. Finally, we propose experimental and data analysis procedures for future homogeneous and heterogeneous ice nucleation studies to promote a more uniform and reliable methodology that facilitates the ready intercomparison of ice-nucleating particles measured by DFTs.
Family Therapy and Social Change

Anyone who works with families must eventually develop opinions as to the optimum distribution of values such as equality, freedom, and power in social units
Pressure natriuresis and angiotensin II in reduced kidney mass, salt-induced hypertension.

In normal subjects, high sodium intake causes little change in mean arterial pressure (MAP). However, MAP is sodium sensitive after reduction of kidney mass. The present study examined the role of increased renal artery pressure and decreased angiotensin II (ANG II) formation in maintaining sodium balance during high sodium intake in dogs with reduced kidney mass. In seven dogs with pressure natriuresis intact, increasing sodium intake from 36 to 466 meq/day for 7 days raised MAP from 91 +/- 2 to 106 +/- 2 mmHg. Sodium excretion increased promptly and cumulative sodium balance increased by only 80 +/- 26 meq after 7 days of high sodium intake. When renal perfusion pressure was servo-controlled to prevent pressure natriuresis, comparable increases in sodium intake raised MAP from 88 +/- 2 to 128 +/- 4 mmHg after 7 days. Sodium excretion rose to match intake, but cumulative sodium balance increased by 226 +/- 34 meq after 7 days. In dogs in which ANG II levels were held constant by converting enzyme inhibition and constant ANG II infusion (2 ng.kg-1.min-1 iv), raising sodium intake for 7 days elevated MAP from 126 +/- 2 to 146 +/- 4 mmHg after 7 days while increasing cumulative sodium balance by 212 +/- 29 meq. When renal perfusion pressure was servo-controlled and ANG II levels held constant, raising sodium intake elevated MAP from 125 +/- 3 to 166 +/- 11 mmHg and increased cumulative sodium balance by 399 +/- 128 meq. These data indicate that pressure natriuresis and decreased ANG II formation are important in minimizing sodium retention and hypertension during high sodium intake. However, other mechanisms can increase sodium excretion independent of pressure natriuresis and suppression of ANG II during salt-induced hypertension.
Assessment of age-related differences in smoking status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL): Findings from the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Despite significant declines in the use of cigarettes, a significant proportion of adults smoke. This study explores the association between smoking and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) by age. The 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey was administered to adults in 50 states and District of Columbia (n = 437,195). Physically unhealthy days (PUDs) and mentally unhealthy days (MUDs)) were regressed on age strata (18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, ≥ 65 years) and smoking status (never, former, someday, and everyday) using negative binomial regression models with adjustment for sociodemographic covariates. For each age group, everyday smoking highly predicted PUDs and MUDs. Predicted PUDs increased with age; predicted MUDs decreased with age. Among adults aged 45-54 and 55-64 years, 3-day difference in PUDs was observed between never smokers and everyday smokers. Among young adults (18-24 years), a 4.3-day difference in MUDs was observed between everyday and never smokers. The discrepancies were nonlinear with age. The observed relationship between smoking and HRQoL provides novel information about the need to consider age when designing community-based interventions. Additional research can provide needed depth to understanding the relationship between smoking and HRQoL in specific age groups.
Creating the Outcry: Citizen-Driven Political Will for Genocide Prevention in the US Context

This article addresses the role that citizen-driven political will plays, or fails to play, in influencing the US government to take steps to prevent genocide abroad. The author focuses on the Genocide Intervention Network as an example of how citizens have been able to translate their human rights concerns into a politically effective campaign against the ongoing genocide in Darfur, finding ways to motivate and shame their political representatives into action.
The Cauchy-Riemann Equations in Convex Domains

The use of explicit kernels to solve the Cauchy-Riemann equations has by now a long history. The injection of the Cauchy-Leray-Fantappie-Koppelman formalism into this area by Ramirez [RE], Grauert and Lieb [GL], Lieb [L], and Henkin [H] began the push to find solutions which satisfied optimal estimates. The first results in this direction on weakly pseudo convex domains were due to Range [RR]. Recently there has appeared the work of Bonneau and Diederich [BD], which seems to be the first result where no finite type condition is assumed.
Equality in Difference: Hierarchical Multiculturalism and Membership Illusions

In his introduction to the Ashgate Research Companion to Multiculturalism , Ivison makes very clear that while multiculturalism (MC) or the "accommodation of cultural differences" concerns itself with the autonomy and freedom of groups, it especially focuses on individuals if individual 'freedoms' are curtailed by group cultural expectations. This perspective, however, reveals a bias toward only accommodating diversity that is compatible with the liberal ends of individual freedom and autonomy ("as well as thinking of ways of liberalizing currently illiberal practices") (p. 10) as defined by the cultural (usually western) majority. Any societal subculture or "group that violates their members' basic liberties, or prevents them from exercising their autonomy are not entitled to multicultural accommodation or protection" (p. 11). To be entitled to accommodation, groups need to respect individuals' basic rights and offer "informed and effective choices" (p. 15) under the protection of specific political forms that promote diversity while supervising/controlling actions such that no cultural value transgresses the liberal values of individual autonomy and freedom that MC purports to protect. The 'recognition' or the accommodation of cultural diversity (and not necessarily difference) is, for MC liberals, "connected to a rich sense of equality," an 'equality' that prescribes treating "like cases alike" (p. 7). However, this approach ignores structural inequalities (i.e. racism, sexism, classism) as these inequalities supposedly exist outside the cultural realm. This particular approach poses a false dichotomy between the cultural and material world, perpetuating a misunderstanding of culture as an epiphenomenon outside (or parallel to) the material world while also imposing similarity as the key element in equality , with the corollary that anything (values, beliefs, etc.) or anybody different is found wanting and therefore lesser (Scott 1988).
Molecular Genetics of the bimB and bimD Genes of Aspergillus Nidulans , Two Genes Required for Mitosis

Advances in understanding how cells duplicate and segregate their constituents through the cell cycle have been greatly facilitated by the genetic analysis of these processes in microbial eukaryotic organisms. The most notable of these organisms are the yeasts Saccaharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Much of this work has been directed towards understanding the regulators of major transition points in the cell cycle such as the transitions from Gl to S-phase and G2 to mitosis. For reviews of this literature the reader is referred to the following references: Doonan; 1992; Hartwell and Weinert, 1989; Murray, 1992. The advances made in A. nidulans were made possible by the isolation of a collection of heat sensitive (hs) mutants (Morris, 1976). This collection of hs mutants contained a class of mutations that altered the cell’s ability to traverse the cell cycle at restrictive temperature and in some cases resulted in a block in mitosis. Those mutations that resulted in a block in mitosis were designated bim and it is the bim genes that will be discussed here in some detail.
Perfect Diffraction using All-Dielectric Bianisotropic Metagratings

A bianisotropic metamolecule supporting multiple resonances of appropriate symmetry can be used to assemble a perfectly diffractive metagrating, where all but one transmission/reflection channel is suppressed due to interference of radiated fields of the resonances. We design, fabricate and characterize such a metagrating on a silicon-on-insulator platform for mid-infrared wavelengths.
Long-Term Change in both Dietary Insulinemic and Inflammatory Potential Is Associated with Weight Gain in Adult Women and Men

BACKGROUND The influence of long-term dietary patterns on weight gain and the underlying potential biological mechanisms are not fully understood. OBJECTIVE We prospectively examined the association of changes in 2 empirical hypothesis-oriented dietary patterns (insulinemic and inflammatory) and weight gain over 24 y at 4-y intervals. METHODS We followed 54,397 women in the Nurses' Health Study and 33,043 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2010), and computed the empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia (EDIH) and empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP) scores from food frequency questionnaires administered every 4 y. Both scores are weighted sums of 18 food groups, which characterize dietary insulinemic or inflammatory potential based on plasma levels of insulin response or inflammatory biomarkers. We used multivariable-adjusted linear regression to examine 4-y changes in the dietary scores and weight change within the same period. RESULTS The mean baseline body mass index (BMI, in kg/m2) was 25.4. Compared with participants who made minimal dietary changes (quintile 3) over 6 4-y periods; participants who changed their diets toward lower insulinemic or inflammatory potential (quintile 1) gained significantly less weight (in kilograms per 4 y) independent of total energy intake, BMI, physical activity, and smoking status: EDIH: -0.65 (95% CI: -0.73, -0.57), EDIP: -0.29 (-0.37, -0.21) among women; and EDIH: -0.60 (-0.71, -0.49), EDIP: -0.19 (-0.27, -0.07) among men. In contrast, those who changed their diets toward higher insulinemic or inflammatory potential (quintile 5) gained significantly more weight: EDIH: 0.43 (0.36, 0.51), EDIP: 0.15 (0.07, 0.23) among women; and EDIH: 0.49 (0.38, 0.59), EDIP: 0.22 (0.11, 0.33) among men (P-trend < 0.0001 for all comparisons). Associations were stronger among individuals who were overweight or obese, younger, less physically active, and had never smoked. CONCLUSIONS High dietary insulinemic and inflammatory potential is associated with substantial long-term weight gain in adult men and women independent of total energy intake. Dietary patterns with low insulinemic and inflammatory potential may aid in weight gain prevention.
A practical study on networking equipment emulation

This study introduces an ongoing project that allows instructors to teach networking classes using virtual technologies at our university. This paper concentrates on the implementation of a novel design for hands-on student lab by combining the use of both emulation and software simulation technologies. The redesigned lab saves more than ninety percent of the lab equipment cost, greatly improves the lab availability to the students, and eases the lab administration and management. The outcomes from this study will be disseminated to many colleges through the Cisco Networking Academy program which is currently adopted in thousands of locations nationwide and around world.
Effects of medium chain triglycerides supplementation on insulin sensitivity and beta cell function: A feasibility study

Objective Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) have unique metabolic properties which may improve insulin sensitivity (Si) and beta cell function but data in humans are limited. We conducted a 6-week clinical trial of MCT oil supplementation. Methods 22 subjects without diabetes (8 males, 14 females, mean ± standard error age 39±2.9 years, baseline BMI 27.0±1.4 kg/m2) were counseled to maintain their body weight and physical activity (PA) during the trial. Dietary intake, PA data, body composition, and resting energy expenditure (REE) were obtained through dietary recall, international PA questionnaire, dual x-ray absorptiometry, and indirect calorimetry, respectively. MCT prescriptions were given based on REE and PA to replace part of dietary fat with 30 grams of MCT per 2000 kcal daily. Insulin-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance tests were performed before and after MCT to measure changes in Si, acute insulin response (AIR), disposition index (DI), and glucose effectiveness (Sg). Results MCT were well tolerated and weight remained stable (mean change 0.3 kg, p = 0.39). Fasting REE, respiratory quotient, and body composition were stable during the intervention. There were no significant changes in mean fasting glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, fasting total ketones, Si, AIR, DI, Sg, leptin, fructosamine, and proinsulin. The mean change in Si was 0.5 10-4 min-1 per mU/L (95% CI: -1.4, 2.4), corresponding to a 12% increase from baseline, and the range was -4.7 to 12.9 10-4 min-1 per mU/L. Mean total adiponectin decreased significantly from 22925 ng/mL at baseline to 17598 ng/mL at final visit (p = 0.02). The baseline clinical and laboratory parameters were not significantly associated with the change in Si. Discussion There were a wide range of changes in the minimal model parameters of glucose and insulin metabolism in subjects following 6 weeks of MCT as an isocaloric substitution for part of usual dietary fat intake. Since this was a single-arm non-randomized study without a control group, it cannot be certain whether these changes were due to MCT so further randomized controlled trials are warranted.
Successful emergency pain control for acute pancreatitis with ultrasound guided erector spinae plane blocks

Pain control for patients in the Emergency Department (ED) with acute pancreatitis (AP) can be difficult and is often limited to intravenous opioids. The acute side effects from opioids are well known and their use in the treatment of AP is associated with prolonged length of hospitalization. Additionally, up to 10% of patients hospitalized for acute pancreatitis are still receiving opioids 6 months after discharge. Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia by emergency physicians has increasingly proven to be an integral part of a multi-modal opioid sparing pain control strategy for patients in the ED. The ultrasound guided erector spinae plane block may be an ideal adjunct or alternative to opioids for analgesia from AP in the ED. The erector spinae plane block has already been successfully utilized by emergency physicians for pain control from rib fractures, herpes zoster, and more recently, acute appendicitis A lower thoracic erector spinae plane block targets sympathetic nerve fibers in addition to the dorsal and ventral rami via local anesthetic spread to the paravertebral space to provide both visceral and somatic analgesia. Herein, we present the first reported case of acute pancreatitis pain successfully managed by emergency physicians with the ESPB.
Gender differences in prevalence and outcomes of exposure to potentially morally injurious events among post-9/11 veterans

Abstract Our goal was to identify gender differences in the prevalence and outcomes of exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) in a sample of U.S. military veterans. In a national sample of post-9/11 veterans (n = 7200) weighted to reflect the larger population of newly separated U.S. veterans, we conducted gender-stratified analyses of the prevalence of exposure to PMIEs and their associations with psychological and functional problems. Veterans reported exposures stemming from witnessing (27.9%), perpetrating (18.8%), and being betrayed (41.1%). Women more frequently reported witnessing- and betrayal-based PMIEs, but no gender differences were observed for perpetration-based PMIEs. Psychological distress was associated with witnessing and betrayal among women and with witnessing, betrayal, and perpetration among men. Whereas betrayal was most consistently associated with functional impairment across domains for women, perpetration was most consistently associated with functional impairment for men. Moral injury contributes to psychological and functional problems among a significant minority of military veterans, although effects vary based on PMIE type and gender. Implications for veterans and other populations who experience moral injury are discussed.
Epigenetic-Targeted Treatments for H3K27M-Mutant Midline Gliomas

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a lethal midline brainstem tumor that most commonly occurs in children and is genetically defined by substitution of methionine for lysine at site 27 of histone 3 (H3K27M) in the majority of cases. This mutation has since been shown to exert an influence on the posttranslational epigenetic landscape of this disease, with the loss of trimethylation at lysine 27 (H3K27me3) the most common alteration. Based on these findings, a number of drugs targeting these epigenetic changes have been proposed, specifically that alter histone trimethylation, acetylation, or phosphorylation. Various mechanisms have been explored, including inhibition of H327 demethylase and methyltransferase to target trimethylation, inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC) and bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) to target acetylation, and inhibition of phosphatase-related enzymes to target phosphorylation. This chapter reviews the current rationales and progress made to date in epigenetically targeting DIPG via these mechanisms.
Choosing the Best Approach to Warfarin Reversal After Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage.

Abstract Background Patients on warfarin with traumatic intracranial hemorrhage often have the warfarin effects pharmacologically reversed. We compared outcomes among patients who received 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC), fresh frozen plasma (FFP), or no reversal to assess the real-world impact of PCC on elderly patients with traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). Materials and Methods This was a retrospective analysis of 150 patients on preinjury warfarin. Data were manually abstracted from the electronic medical record of an academic level 1 trauma center for patients admitted between January 2013 and December 2018. Outcomes were ICH progression on follow-up computed tomography scan, mortality, need for surgical intervention, and trends in the use of reversal agents. Results Of 150 patients eligible for analysis, 41 received FFP, 60 PCC, and 49 were not reversed. On multivariable analysis, patients not reversed [OR 0.25 95% CI (0.31-0.85)] and women [OR 0.38 95% CI (0.17-0.88)] were less likely to experience progression of their initial bleed on follow-up computed tomography while subdural hemorrhage increased the risk [OR 3.69 95% CI (1.27-10.73)]. There was no difference between groups in terms of mortality or need for surgery. Over time use of reversal with PCC increased while use of FFP and not reversing warfarin declined (P Conclusions Male gender and using a reversal agent were associated with progression of ICH. Choice of reversal did not impact the need for surgery, hospital length of stay, or mortality. Some ICH patients may not require warfarin reversal and may bias studies, especially retrospective studies of warfarin reversal.
Social Media Use Among Foot and Ankle Orthopedic Surgeons

Background:Digital media is an effective tool to enhance brand recognition and is currently referenced by more than 40% of orthopedic patients when selecting a physician. The purpose of this study ...
Microbubble dynamics and heat transfer in boiling droplets

Abstract Dissipating large heat fluxes from a surface is critically important in numerous industrial and natural applications. Boiling based spray cooling and surface texturing are two of the most promising methods being investigated to address this problem. Although our understanding on these topics has significantly improved over past decades, critical gaps remain in the knowledgebase stymieing the realization of their full potential. As an example, while bubble growth in pool boiling have been investigated in detail, comparatively little is known about how the bubbles evolve inside boiling drops. In the present work, we have investigated for the first time, the microbubble dynamics inside water droplets boiling on superhydrophilic textured substrates using high-speed X-ray phase contrast imaging (XRPCI). Our observations show that the transient bubble density variation follows similar characteristics irrespective of the texture spacing at a given surface temperature. For an example microstructure, we found that the number of discrete bubbles on the surface decreases as temperature is increased although their growth rate increases. We observe that bubble growth is highly non-uniform during the lifetime of a drop on the surface. Initially, bubbles grow under diffusion-limited regime, but at later times they grow as ~t1.45 due to combined effects of coalescence and evaporation. In some conditions, we found that bubbles shrink dramatically after the initial growth spurt presumably due to severe quenching of the surface, and migration of bubbles on the surface. Using the bubble sizes, for the first time we analyzed the heat flux removed by a single bubble and also by all the bubbles at a given time. We find that the highest dissipation through latent-heat component (~600 W/cm2) occurs just in the beginning and thereafter it decreases. We expect that our findings and the analysis would guide further work on the topic and will aid in the overarching goal of engineering surfaces that are more efficient in boiling heat transfer.
On the Growth of Cities: Human Capital and Portfolio Rebalancing

This research aims to present a conceptual framework relating a city’s industry mix to the population growth and its human capital stock. The author argues that when an industry matures or shows signs of decline, a better-managed city can quickly identify other potential industries to sustain its growth. The city has a greater likelihood of upgrading its workforce and improving the quality of its human capital. Better quality human capital in turn helps to advance the city’s industry planning and sustain its economic position. The suggestive evidence from a sample of eight manufacturing-belt cities and a case study on the city of Detroit follows the conjecture of the framework. When a city exercises a meaningful industry strategy and rebalancing, the educational attainment/human capital of its adult population improves. In turn, the better-quality human capital improves a city’s industry mix and reinforces its economic position. While the city of Detroit’s financial insolvency has been examined by researchers from various fields and several factors are considered attributable to the event, the author believes the center of all issues is merely the city’s lack of a diversification strategy. While the auto industry did deliver Detroit a period of prosperity, this over-reliance on one industry inevitably brought financial difficulties on the city, as the industry matures along with increased competition. This unfortunate outcome derived from a non-diversifying strategy is well predicted by the Portfolio theory. Thus, the author believes that with an appropriate strategy of diversification, the city of Detroit could largely avoid its financial insolvency. This study suggests at least two avenues that warrant future research. First, although it is well recognized that a city’s growth and decline is highly related to the life cycle of its industries, there is very little scholarly effort to systematically analyze this issue in the context of the Portfolio Theory. The current effort could stimulate research attention toward this direction. Second, a systematic analysis on the factors that contribute to a city’s economic development is much needed.
Combining Expandable Interbody Cage Technology With a Minimally Invasive Technique to Harvest Iliac Crest Autograft Bone to Optimize Fusion Outcomes in Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN This was a retrospective cohort review. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the rate of fusion associated with an expandable cage and iliac crest bone graft in minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA MI-TLIF is a commonly performed procedure, but challenges inherent in MI-TLIF technique can make achieving an interbody fusion difficult. METHODS A retrospective review was performed on consecutive patients treated with an MI-TLIF for degenerative lumbar pathology. Patients that completed patient-reported outcome measures and 1-year computed tomography (CT)-scans for fusion analysis were included. Fusion morphology was analyzed by evaluating CT scans for location of bridging trabecular bone in relation to the cage. Patients with bridging bone were considered fused. Preoperative and postoperative health-related quality of life scores were compared. A Kolmogrov-Smirnoff test was used to determine normality of health-related outcome scores. A Friedman 2-way analysis of variance by ranks with pairwise comparisons to determine statistical significance of differences between the date of a follow-up examination and preoperative examination was done. RESULTS Of 75 patients evaluated 23 patients were excluded due to loss to follow-up, adjacent segment degeneration, inability to obtain a CT scan, or reoperation for nonfusion related symptoms. Of 61 disk spaces that were included, 55 had bridging bone through the intervertebral cage, resulting in an overall fusion rate of 90.2%. There was a higher rate of fusion at L5-S1 as compared to L4-L5. There was mean improvement in patient-reported outcome measures for Oswestry Disability Index, Short Form-12 Physical Component Score, Visual Analog Scale Back/Leg pain, and Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Physical Function. There were no complications associated with iliac crest bone graft harvesting. CONCLUSION Combining an expandable cage with iliac crest autograft bone harvested through a minimally invasive technique can allow for improved fusion rates without graft-site complications in MI-TLIF surgery.
Alternative Approaches to Strategic “Readiness”

We might summarize the key conclusion from the first chapter in terms of the following proposition: The more complex an organizational context, the greater the number and diversity of the state-events with which an organization might be confronted during some period.
Riemannian Geometry: A Modern Introduction

1. Riemannian manifolds 2. Riemannian curvature 3. Riemannian volume 4. Riemannian coverings 5. Surfaces 6. Isoperimetric inequalities (constant curvature) 7. The kinetic density 8. Isoperimetric inequalities (variable curvature) 9. Comparison and finiteness theorems.
Combination of Distributed Search and Multi-search in Peers-mcd.d

Peers-mcd.d implements contraction-based strategies for equational logic, modulo associativity and commutativity, with paramodulation, simplification and functional subsumption. It is a new version of Peers-mcd [4], that parallelizes McCune’s prover EQP (version 0.9d), according to the Modified Clause-Diffusion methodology (http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~bonacina/cd.html).
It Was Like a Fever: Storytelling in Protest and Politics, by Francesca Polletta

Francesca Polletta's It Was Like a Fever brings together two long standing interests of mine, narrative and activism. Polletta's lively, insightful book revitalizes and reconceptualizes the relatio...
Can regimes really discourage social networking? Urbanization, mobile phone use, and the dictator's plight

Are dictators ever really successful at hindering the diffusion of social networking services (SNSs)? This study reports a panel data analysis on 181 countries observed from 2010 to 2013, to assess country-level predictors of Facebook adoption. The findings show that the spread of such a global SNS decelerates as perceptions of democratic governance deteriorate above and beyond socioeconomic and infrastructural development. Nevertheless, once dictatorship fails to maintain socio-political stability, the diffusion of Facebook accelerates to a greater extent than in democracy. This trend could transcend institutional constraints, as well as socioeconomic developments, because of widespread proliferation of mobile phone use in addition to increasing wireless or shared connectivity in urban areas.
TWO ASPECTS OF ONE LOOP STRUCTURE: UNITARITY DELAY IN THE STANDARD MODEL AND MODULAR INVARIANCE IN STRING THEORY

We study two aspects of one loop structures in quantum field theories which describe two different areas of particle physics: the one loop unitarity behavior of the Standard Model of electroweak interactions and modular invariance of string model theory. Loop expansion has its importance in that it contains quantum fluctuations due to all physical states in the theory. Therefore, by studying the various models to one loop, we can understand how the contents of the theory can contribute to physically measurable quantities and how the consistency at quantum level restricts the physical states of the theory, as well. In the first half of the thesis, we study one loop corrections to the process {ital e}{sup +}{ital e}{sup {minus}} {yields} {ital W}{sup +}{ital W}{sup {minus}}. In this process, there is a delicate unitarity-saving cancellation between s-channel and t-channel tree level Feynman diagrams. If the one loop contribution due to heavy particles corrects the channels asymmetrically, the cancellation, hence unitarity, will be delayed up to the mass scale of these heavy particles. We refer to this phenomena as the unitarity delay effect. Due to this effect, cross section below these mass scales can have significant radiative corrections which may provide an appropriatemore » window through which we can see the high energy structure of the Standard Model from relatively low energy experiments. In the second half, we will show how quantum consistency can restrict the physical states in string theory. 53 refs., 13 figs.« less
A Contemporary Review of K-16 Astronomy Education Research

Astronomy education research (AER) uses the systematic techniques honed in science education and physics education research to understand what and how students learn about astronomy, and determine how instructors can create more productive learning environments for their students. A recent review of the literature in this area revealed a number of articles that could be classified into four major categories: research into student understanding, research on instructional methods, research on teacher understanding, and descriptions of curriculum materials.
Ambiguous noun phrases in logical form

In this paper, logical form representations for pronouns, singular definite noun phrases (NPs), and singular indefinite NPs are developed. These representations allow decisions about the precise meaning of a sentence to be postponed until the required information becomes available. Three computational constraints for this logical form are proposed: compactness, modularity, and formal consistency. Initially, NPs are represented using a composite representation for all allowable meanings, conforming with the compactness constraint. This representation is provided using only syntactic and sentence level information, consistent with the modularity constraint. When an ambiguity can be resolved, the precise behavior is specified in a way compatible with the initial representation, conforming with the formal consistency constraint. The scope of this approach is demonstrated by using a wide variety of examples, and a computer implementation is described. Related approaches are also discussed.
In Brief: Online Arctic mapping feature unveiled

The Arctic Research Mapping Application (ARMAP), a Web portal of interactive maps and services, can now be used in conjunction with Google Earth. The new feature allows users to readily interface between satellite images, road and political maps, and other baseline information. ARMAP (see http://armap.org) supports Arctic science with special emphasis on promoting the current International Polar Year and is funded by the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs.