cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High prevalence of nonthrombotic iliac vein lesions in chronic venous disease: A permissive role in pathogenicity

Purpose Nonthrombotic iliac vein lesions (NIVL), such as webs and spurs described by May and Thurner, are commonly found in the asymptomatic general population. However, the clinical syndrome, variously known as May-Thurner syndrome, Cockett syndrome, or iliac vein compression syndrome, is thought to be a relatively rare contributor of chronic venous disease (CVD), predominantly affecting the left lower extremity of young women. The present study describes the much broader disease profile that has emerged with the use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) scanning for diagnosis and analyzes stent placement outcome in two specific NIVL subsets that may offer clues to their pathogenic role. Methods Among 4026 patients with CVD symptoms spanning the range of CEAP clinical classes, IVUS examinations were selectively done in severely symptomatic patients for indications as described. Iliac vein obstructive lesions were found in 938 limbs of 879 patients; 53% of the limbs had NIVL, 40% were post-thrombotic, and 7% were a combination. Stents were placed in 332 limbs in 319 patients in two NIVL subsets. The subsets, one with and one without associated distal limb reflux, were compared. Reflux was left untreated in the first subset. Results The median age was 54 years (range, 18 to 90 years). The female-male ratio was 4:1 and the left-right ratio was 3:1. NIVL lesions in the iliac vein occurred at the iliac artery crossing (proximal lesion) and also at the hypogastric artery crossing (distal lesion), a new IVUS finding. Venography was only 66% sensitive, with 34% of venograms appearing "normal." IVUS had a diagnostic sensitivity of >90%. The cumulative results observed at 2.5 years after stent placement in the NIVL subsets with reflux and without reflux, respectively, were complete relief of pain 82% and 77%, complete relief of swelling 47% and 53%, complete stasis ulcer healing 67% and 76%, and overall clinical relief outcome 75% and 79%. These results are nearly identical between the two subsets even though distal reflux remained uncorrected in the NIVL plus reflux subset. Conclusions NIVL has high prevalence and a broad demographic spectrum in patients with CVD. Similar lesions in the asymptomatic general population may be permissive of future development of CVD. Stent placement alone, without correction of associated reflux, often provides relief.
Levodopa-induced dyskinesia: review, observations, and speculations.

This review will consider the classification and phenomenology, the acute pharmacology, and the etiology of levodopa-induced dyskinesias
Evaluation of surface features for delineating the ordinary high water boundary on playas in the arid Western United States

Delineation of Ordinary High Water (OHW) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) is based on the use of physical features that represent “ordinary” levels of ponding or flowing waters. On arid western United States playas, where the climate is an unevenly distributed series of precipitation events that are spread over many years, the use of surface water monitoring can be limiting due to occasional years with almost no hydrological information. To substitute for a general lack of monitored surface water conditions, we used processed satellite images and precise topographic modeling to determine ponded water areas. To test the reliability of select field indicators for delineation purposes, we used a two-phase field test on a hard playa in the Mojave Desert, California. First, we verified that ponded water was associated with these playa surface features. Then, to test the statistical reliability of these surface features, we developed a decile ponding zone map by stacking processed satellite imagery, collected detailed laser altimetry (LiDAR) elevation data, sampled surface features occurring in the various decile zones, and developed reliability statements for these OHW delineation features. These field indicators represent surface features that have developed over a series of years representing the wetter portion of the El Nino climatic cycle.
Review Essay: Casebooks, Social Context, and Criminal Procedure for Law Enforcement del Carmen, R., & Walker, J. T. (2006). Briefs of Leading Cases in Law Enforcement (6th ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Anderson, pp. 306 Holtz, L. E. (2004). Contemporary Criminal Procedure: Court Decisions for Law Enforcement (8th ed.). Longwood, FL: Gould, pp. 946

In this essay the author reviews a couple of the most prominent criminal procedure casebooks for criminal justice students. In particular, the author focuses on the question of how well these texts function as training tools for nonlawyers who require a working understanding of criminal procedure for law enforcement. After providing a general review of these titles, the author situates the strengths and weaknesses of these texts within a growing debate over the best approaches to teaching criminal procedure to undergraduate criminal justice students.
Empirical study of two classes of bit variation operators in evolutionary computation

Bit variation operators are widely used in evolutionary computation (EC) that adopt a binary representation. Most commonly, one or more randomly selected bits are flipped with some probability. The success of such a variation operator invariably depends on the location and number of bits being varied in the chromosome. Given an objective function and a candidate parent, bit variations in some locations will provide an improvement in fitness, whereas no improvement will result when variations are produced at other locations. Two classes of bit mutation operators are defined and the relationship between the probability of improvement in fitness and the expected improvement obtained is studied. The performance of these mutation operators is compared with those of conventional crossover (one-point, two-point and uniform) and corresponding headless chicken crossover operators. The study was done on a set of four benchmark objective functions. Simulation results indicate that headless chicken crossover operators and number based mutation operators in general, produce higher change in fitness than the other operators. Conventional crossover operators had higher improvement probabilities, as compared to the other operators, but their silent-variation probabilities were also higher. On all the functions, crossover operators and some of the location-based mutation operators had higher improvement probabilities.
The fuzzy-nets based approach in optimization of machining processes

In this research, a self-organizing fuzzy-nets optimization (FNO) system is developed to generate a knowledge bank that can show the required cutting power to be on-line for a short length of time in an NC verifier. The FNO system requires a self-learning procedure consisting of five steps. A generic system consisting of a fuzzification module and a defuzzification module is implemented to perform the procedure.
Voltage- and time-dependent actions of piperocaine on the ion channel of the acetylcholine receptor.

The effects of the local anesthetic piperocaine were investigated on the endplate current (EPC) of frog sartorius muscles and on the binding of ligands to the acetylcholine (ACh) receptor and its ion channel in membranes from the electric organ of Torpedo ocellata. Piperocaine (10-100 µM) did not prevent action potential activity in nerve or muscle. However, these concentrations of piperocaine depressed reversibly the peak amplitude of EPCs in a dose-dependent manner without altering the EPC reversal potential. The current-voltage relationship obtained with short conditioning voltage durations preceding the EPC remained approximately linear at the piperocaine concentrations used. When the time during which the membrane potential was maintained preceding the EPC was lengthened from 10 to 500 msec in presence of piperocaine, the current-voltage relationship became markedly nonlinear, thus suggesting that there was more binding of the drug to the ACh-receptor ion channel complex. Both drug concentration and increasingly negative membrane potential augmented this time-dependent effect. At negative membrane potentials piperocaine also reversibly accelerated the rise and decay times of the EPC, while the EPC falling phase remained a single exponential function of time. The relationship between log of EPC decay time constant (τ) and membrane potential was linear in presence of piperocaine, and the slope progressively decreased and reversed its direction as piperocaine concentration was increased, with the maximum observed acceleration of τ being at 75 µM of drug. The effect of piperocaine on τ was voltage dependent but time independent. Piperocaine inhibited competitively [3H]perhydrohistrionicotoxin binding to the electric organ membranes, with an inhibition constant (Ki) of 0.44 µM; and noncompetitively [3H]ACh binding to its ACh-receptor with a Ki of 12.0 µM. These findings suggest that piperocaine has at least two separate actions at the ACh-receptorion channel complex. One is binding to open channels which causes concentration and voltage-dependent alteration of EPC time course and decreased EPC amplitude and voltage sensitivity of the EPC falling phase. Another is binding to a less well-defined site on the ACh receptor ion channel complex, an action that leads to a further depression of the peak amplitude of the EPC which is concentration, voltage and also time-dependent.
BIBAC and TAC clones containing potato genomic DNA fragments larger than 100 kb are not stable in Agrobacterium

Development of efficient methods to transfer large DNA fragments into plants will greatly facilitate the map-based cloning of genes. The recently developed BIBAC and TAC vectors have shown potential to deliver large DNA fragments into plants via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Here we report that BIBAC and TAC clones containing potato genomic DNA fragments larger than 100 kb are not stable in Agrobacterium. We tested the possible factors that may cause instability, including the insert sizes of the BIBAC and TAC constructs, potato DNA fragments consisting of highly repetitive or largely single-copy DNA sequences, different Agrobacterium transformation methods and different Agrobacterium strains. The insert sizes of the potato BIBAC and TAC constructs were found to be critical to their stability in Agrobacterium. All constructs containing a potato DNA fragment larger than 100 kb were not stable in any of the four tested Agrobacterium strains, including two recA deficient strains. We developed a transposon-based technique that can be used to efficiently subclone a BAC insert into two to three BIBAC/TAC constructs to circumvent the instability problem.
Dependency algebra: a tool for designing robust real-time systems

A robust system is one that can ensure essential services in spite of faults and failures in useful but non-essential components. Unless we can ensure that critical services can only USE but not depend on less critical components, a seemingly minor fault can propagate along complex and implicit dependency chains and bring down the system. Modern real time systems are often developed concurrently by multiple teams. A team typically only knows the dependency relations between their components and neighboring components. In addition, dependency relations will change as software components and their interactions are being modified. Therefore, how to automatically track and analyze the system wide dependency from local information is important for the development of robust real time systems. This paper presents dependency algebra - a unified theoretical framework plus a prototype toolkit for dependency management in real-time systems
Basic Biological Sciences: Cellular Fatty Acid and Soluble Protein Profiles of Oral Fusobacteria

We compared the cellular fatty acid and protein content of 43 strains of oral fusobacteria isolated from patients with chronic gingivitis, acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, and juvenile and adult periodontitis, as well as from the stump-tailed macaque, to that of eight reference strains of oral and non-oral Fusobacterium species. A gas-liquid chromatographic examination of trimethylsilyl derivatives of the fatty acid methyl esters revealed n14:0, 3-OH-14:0, n16:0, 16 :1, 3-OH-16:0, n18:0, and 18:1 in each of the 51 study strains, and a variable occurrence of 14 other fatty acids. The n16:0 to 3-OH-16:0 ratio distinguished between Fusobacterium nucleatum and the non-oral species Fusobacterium varium, Fuso bacterium necrophorum, Fusobacterium russii, Fusobacterium necrogenes, Fusobacterium mortiferum, and Fusobacterium naviforme. The soluble protein content, as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, varied considerably among the oral fusobacterial strains studied, and underscored the heter...
Generation and detection of picosecond far infrared radiation

We discuss the generation of ultrashort far infrared (FIR) pulses using external switching of the output of a FIR superradiant cell pumped by a transversely excited atmospheric CO2 laser. The external switching mechanism consists of either one or two semiconducting wafers that have been optically excited with the second harmonic of a synchronized modelocked YAG:Nd3+ laser. The output of our FIR superradiant cell, a 50 ns FIR pulse is incident at Brewsters angle on a semiconducting wafer. On optical excitation above the band gap the (FIR) transmitting semiconductor takes on a metallic reflectance and the FIR transmission of the wafer is switched. If silicon is used as the switching medium, the long relaxation time requires that two wafers are used, one to turn on the pulse, and the second to turn it off. Using a pair of intrinsic silicon wafers the FIr pulse width can be adjusted with the ultimate limit being of the order of the width of the picosecond optical laser.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Saving the Children for the Tobacco Industry

In this article we juxtapose the recent success of child survival programs with the growing health problems and environmental destruction related to tobacco consumption and cultivation as a form of defective modernization. Data on tobacco cultivation and its impact on ecology, global smoking trends, the economics of the tobacco industry, cigarette marketing, and projected levels of morbidity are all reviewed. We focus on the effects of smoking not just on the consumer but also on the household. The complicity of the U.S. government in promoting cigarette sales in the Third World is considered in relation to ethical issues pertaining to the concepts of market justice and free trade.
A 1.32pW/frame•pixel 1.2V CMOS energy-harvesting and imaging (EHI) APS imager

Recent advances in video sensor networks and implantable biomedical devices — e.g. retinal prostheses [1]-necessitate very low-voltage, low-leakage, and energy-efficient image sensors that preferably produce their own power from ambient sources. A natural energy source for an image sensor that produces video images from impinging “sufficient” amount of light energy is the light itself. This in mind, a CMOS image sensor that can both produce power from light and capture video images on same focal plane is developed. The CMOS energy harvesting and imaging (EHI) active pixel sensor (APS) is incorporated in a 54×50 array along with low-power supporting electronics. It is designed in a mature 0.5μm 2P3M CMOS process that has only high-V t transistors.
CHILDREN'S DESCRIPTIONS OF AND ATTITUDES TOWARD THE ELDERLY

Children's literature and television present older people in a generally unfavorable light. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether children demonstrated the same stereotypes of the elderly that are depicted in the media. The findings indicated that fourth, fifth and sixth graders generally stereotype the elderly. The children selected favorable adjectives to describe the photographs of the elderly. However, they indicated that they would prefer to associate with young rather than old adults. In general, boys ranked women higher than men, and girls ranked men higher than women. The findings of this investigation suggest many needs for additional research in the general area of stereotyping of the elderly.
Irritable bowel syndrome-diarrhea: characterization of genotype by exome sequencing, and phenotypes of bile acid synthesis and colonic transit

The study objectives were: to mine the complete exome to identify putative rare single nucleotide variants (SNVs) associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-diarrhea (IBS-D) phenotype, to asses...
Evaluating Video Self-Modeling Treatment Outcomes: Differentiating Between Statistically and Clinically Significant Change

The present study examined the utility of video self-modeling (VSM) for reducing externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggression, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and impulsivity) observed within the classroom environment. After identification of relevant target behaviors, VSM interventions were developed for first and second grade students (N = 4), ages 7–8, from a suburban school district. All participants were eligible for special education and related services, with eligibility classifications that ranged from other health impairment (OHI) to traumatic brain injury (TBI). VSM treatment outcomes were evaluated using multiple change indices (e.g., reliable change index, means difference effect size) to examine the clinical and statistical significance of differences observed between pre and postintervention administrations of parent and teacher forms of the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Second Edition (BASC-2) rating scale. Although outcomes for individual participants were relatively consistent across the multiple change indices, differential effects in reductions in reports of externalizing behaviors across teacher and parent rating forms were observed. Implications, limitations, and future directions of VSM research are also discussed.
The neuromuscular respiratory system: physiology, pathophysiology, and a respiratory care approach to patients.

The neurorespiratory system includes the central nervous system control centers and feedback mechanisms, spinal cord, motor nerves, and the respiratory muscles that affect chest-wall and lung movement, causing air to enter the lungs and carbon dioxide to be excreted into the environment. Without this “vital pump” the body is unable to function, which explains why a major cause of morbidity and mortality in those with neuromuscular disease is respiratory failure. This paper reviews the anatomy and physiologic function of the neurorespiratory system, details some of the more important diseases seen in clinical practice, and proposes a practical “respiratory approach” to individuals with neuromuscular disease.
Investigations of metamorphic (Al)GaInP for III–V multijunction photovoltaics

We explore the lattice constant and Al content parameter space supporting (Al)GaInP materials with direct bandgaps >2.0 eV, to assess such materials for applications to future ≥4 junction multijunction photovoltaics. (AlzGa1−z)xIn1−xP test structures and prototype solar cells were grown by molecular beam epitaxy lattice-matched to either GaAsyP1−y virtual substrates or GaAs substrates over a range of Al contents and lattice constants. We observe significant anneal-induced improvements in material quality and solar cell performance in all compositions considered. Comparing test structures and solar cells with ∼2.0 to ∼2.1 eV bandgaps suggests that (Al)GaInP compositions with tensile-misfit (vs. GaAs) show potential to outperform lattice-matched (Al)GaInP compositions with higher Al fractions in future multijunction cells requiring top cell bandgaps >2.0 eV.
Abstract P25: Identifying Socioeconomic Gradients and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Outcomes From Ischemic Stroke Hospitalizations

OBJECTIVE Even though there are over half a million hospitalizations for acute stroke nationally each year, little attention has been paid to examining racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes, especially inpatient mortality and paralysis. The limited evidence available presents a somewhat confusing picture that is confounded by systematic differences in socioeconomic status (SES) across racial and ethnic populations. STUDY DESIGN We stratified all inpatient admissions for ischemic stroke in all civilian Texas hospitals in 2007 (N=21,203) by sex, age (44-64, 65-74, 75-84 and 85+), race/ethnicity (white, black, Hispanic and other) and zip-code median income (low income = poorest quartile zip codes). Inpatient mortality and paralysis were the outcomes of interest. Secondary diagnosis codes (ICD-9) were used to identify patient risk factors (including atrial fibrillation, hypertension, heart failure and diabetes). Pooled multilevel logistic regression models were estimated to measure mean differences in outcomes across SES and racial/ethnic cohorts. FINDINGS The overall outcome rates -- inpatient mortality=4.9%, paralysis=28.4% -- mask considerable systematic variation. Differences by race/ethnicity are relatively small and not statistically significant: 3.5% (whites), 2.9% (blacks) and 3.8% (Hispanics). However, lower income is associated with a substantially large increase in this risk. Same-race/ethnicity counterparts from lower income zip codes had 47% (whites), 67% (blacks) and 22% (Hispanic) higher inpatient mortality rate (p-value<0.05). Differences in risk adjusted rates of paralysis by race/ethnicity were also not statistically significant - 26% (whites), 29% (blacks) and 30% (Hispanics). But counterparts from lower income zip codes had 20% (whites), 7% (blacks) and 23% (Hispanic) higher rates of paralysis (p-values<0.05). CONCLUSION Among whites, blacks and Hispanics, those residing in poorer zip codes experienced substantially worse rates of inpatient mortality and paralysis. IMPLICATIONS Further study needs to explore the potential pathways connecting lower SES with poorer healthcare outcomes, including, greater patient severity, delayed treatment and access to quality care.
Robustness in probabilistic temporal planning

Flexibility in agent scheduling increases the resilience of temporal plans in the face of new constraints. However, current metrics of flexibility ignore domain knowledge about how such constraints might arise in practice, e.g., due to the uncertain duration of a robot's transition time from one location to another. Probabilistic temporal planning accounts for actions whose uncertain durations can be modeled with probability density functions. We introduce a new metric called robustness that measures the likelihood of success for probabilistic temporal plans. We show empirically that in multi-robot planning, robustness may be a better metric for assessing the quality of temporal plans than flexibility, thus reframing many popular scheduling optimization problems.
LRRK2 G2019S Impairs Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy in Neurons (IN2-1.001)

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) G2019S mutation causes dysfunctional chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) in neuronal culture models and post-mortem Parkinson9s disease (PD) brain. BACKGROUND: LRRK2 G2019S mutation is the major genetic cause of PD, and most LRRK2 G2019S PD cases exhibit α-synuclein containing Lewy body pathology. Since LRRK2 has the consensus sequences required for CMA degradation, we investigated the relationship between LRRK2 G2019S and CMA, the pathway for α-synuclein lysosomal degradation, in neurons. DESIGN/METHODS: We used a novel CMA reporter in dopaminergic neuronal cultures derived from LRRK2 G2019S and wild type (wt) mice to study CMA activity. We also investigated whether LRRK2 G2019S affected α-synuclein association with a lysosomal marker, lysosomal membrane associated protein type 2 (LAMP2) in neuronal cultures. Finally, we studied the levels of the key CMA component, lysosomal membrane associated protein type 2A (LAMP-2A), in post-mortem brain from two LRRK2 G2019S PD cases and two age-matched controls. RESULTS: We found that decreased CMA activity in neurons from LRRK2 G2019S mice than wt mice as reflected by the number of lysosomes associated with CMA reporter per cell (2.73 ± 0.66 in LRRK2 G2019S vs.11.73 ±1.43 in wt, p CONCLUSIONS: LRRK2 G2019S can interfere with CMA in neurons, which appears to cause α-synuclein accumulation. This might underlie the α-synuclein pathology in LRRK2 G2019S PD cases. Supported by: American Academy of Neurology Research Fellowship, Parkinson9s Disease Foundation. Disclosure: Dr. Kuo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Orenstein has nothing to disclose. Dr. Koga has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kanter has nothing to disclose. Dr. Alcalay has received research support from The NIH K02 NS080915, Brookdale Foundation: The Brookdale Foundation Leadership in Aging Fellowship, Parkinson9s Disease Foudnation, Smart Foundation, Michael J Fox Foundation. Dr. Cuervo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sulzer has nothing to disclose.
Research Commentary: Technical Writers as Part-Time Teachers in Two-Year Colleges

Part-time technical writing teachers who responded to a 1986–87 survey of two-year college technical writing teachers were found to be committed to teaching, well-qualified, experienced, personally involved, and typically employed full time as technical writers or editors. This finding calls into question the unfavorable stereotypical view of part-timers held by individuals and professional organizations. Because of their unique position as full-time practitioners of the skills they teach, part-time technical writing teachers can serve as an important link between teaching technical writing and business/industry.
Study on the Overcoming Matrix Effects of L-Gulonic Acid γ-Lactone in GC Analysis of Organophosphorus Pesticide Residues in Vegetable

A method was developed for the overcoming matrix effects in gas chromatography analysis of organophosphorus pesticide residues in vegetable by using L-gulonic acid γ-lactone as a masking reagent.Effects of overcoming matrix effects while using L-gulonic acid γ-lactone were investigated.The result indicated that the addition of 1.0 g/L L-gulonic acid γ-lactone could significantly improve the chromatographic behaviors of susceptible pesticides,such as methamidophos,acephate,omethoate,moncrotophos,on gas chromatography,the peak intensities of four pesticides were 2.8,9.1,10.4 and 4.8 times higher than those in acetonitrile,respectively.There were no negative effects on the chromatographic behavior of unsusceptible pesticides(e.g.chlorpyrifos and parathion).Five 0.25 mg/L standard solutions with the addition of masking reagent were injected at the beginning and every 25 samples in the sequence(100 GC injections).The RSDs for peak heights and peak areas of five injections were 2.4%-11.8% and 4.3%-7.5%,respectively.The average recoveries of the selected pesticides were between 80% and 120% with RSDs of 1.6%-13.5%.The method was simple and effective,and could be used to overcome matrix effects in GC analysis of organophosphorus pesticide residues in vegetables.
A review of eating disorders in adolescents.

Many review articles address the diverse and rapidly developing field of eating disorders, but there are far fewer articles addressing the specific population of adolescents. The social contributors (desire for thinness amplified by the media) to these illnesses are considerable and affect all adolescent and latency-age girls to some degree. Understanding the full range of behavior and those at high risk to develop pathology is important. Developing prevention programs that target adolescent girls and their families, schools, and the relevant media is also important. Prevention has been a much-neglected area within the field of eating disorders. The chronic nature of eating disorders characterized by remission and relapse bears further study. Attention to the factors that provoke a symptomatic period is crucial. Along with relapse and remission are shifts between diagnostic categories within the field of eating disorders and comorbid illnesses. A better understanding of the factors that cause these shifts to occur would be quite valuable. Outcome and prospective studies would provide valuable information about the course of the illnesses and further identify the individuals at high risk. Certain groups are known to be at high risk, such as girls involved in specific athletics (e.g., gymnastics) or career activities, but recent investigations have indicated that girls involved in what was previously believed to be a low risk activity, such as swimming, may also be at risk (Benson et al., 1990). Further investigation of these factors is crucial. Cultural factors play a role in these illnesses, and cross-cultural studies provide crucial information. We must also continue to explore the biological and psychological correlates of these illnesses and further define the complex and heterogeneous etiology of these illnesses. Their study still promises to yield exciting challenges. Increased public awareness regarding the need for treatment of these illnesses is a high priority. If untreated, chronicity appears inevitable. Examination and study of the most cost effective methods of treatment are very important.
Young at Heart

This case discusses the pharmacokinetic interaction between pimozide and nefazodone, resulting in QTc prolongation. Pimozide is cytochrome P450 3A4 substrate and nefazodone is a 3A4 inhibitor.
The effect of change in PSA velocity on overall survival (OS) in men with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer (BRPC) treated with nonhormonal agents: Combined analysis of four phase 2 trials.

121 Background: A number of phase 2 trials in men with BRPC have assessed the impact of non-hormonal agents on PSA kinetics. We have previously demonstrated that changes in PSA kinetics are correlated with metastasis-free survival; however, it is unknown whether these changes may also correlate with overall survival (OS). Methods: We performed a combined retrospective analysis of 146 men with BRPC treated on phase 2 trials using one of four investigational drugs: lenalidomide (n=60), marimastat (n=39), ATN-224 (n=22), and imatinib (n=25). We examined factors influencing OS, including within-subject changes in PSA kinetics (PSA slope, PSA doubling time, and PSA velocity) before and 6 months after treatment initiation. Results: After a median follow up of 77 months, 47 men had died. In univariate Cox regression analysis, four factors were associated with OS: prior androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), prior local radiotherapy, baseline PSA velocity, and change in PSA velocity after therapy. In a landmark mult...
The Birth of American Diplomacy

To the Declaration of Independence Twenty-five years before the Revolution, no important person dreamed of independence. Few thought of an “American” identity in any political sense. The word itself was more often used in Britain. Even after the affrays at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, most Anglo-Americans refused to face the prospect of a breach with the mother country. As late as the spring of 1776 John Adams wrote to an impatient correspondent, “After all, my friend, I do not wonder that so much reluctance has been shown to the measure of independency. All great changes are irksome to the human mind, especially those which are attended with great and uncertain effects.” Although by this time Adams and others felt independence desirable, even inevitable, they knew that many, even among Adams’s colleagues in the Continental Congress, shrank from that step. Of course, Americans were proudly aware of their burgeoning growth. From midcentury onward, Benjamin Franklin, the best-known colonial figure, spokesman in London for Pennsylvania and sometimes other colonies, frequently boasted of it. Franklin even talked of an American “empire.” For him, however, this was to be but an increasingly important component of the larger empire centered in London, at least until the American population outstripped that of the metropol as a result of what he called “the American multiplication table.” On the eve of the Revolution, others joined Franklin. For example, Samuel Adams, John’s cousin, wrote in 1774, “It requires but a small portion of the gift of discernment for anyone to foresee, that providence will erect a mighty empire in America.”
Correlating Tumor Stiffness with Immunohistochemical Subtypes of Breast Cancers: Prognostic Value of Comb-Push Ultrasound Shear Elastography for Differentiating Luminal Subtypes.

Purpose The purpose of our study is to correlate quantitatively measured tumor stiffness with immunohistochemical (IHC) subtypes of breast cancer. Additionally, the influence of prognostic histologic features (cancer grade, size, lymph node status, and histological type and grade) to the tumor elasticity and IHC profile relationship will be investigated. Methods Under an institutional review board (IRB) approved protocol, B-mode ultrasound (US) and comb-push ultrasound shear elastography (CUSE) were performed on 157 female patients with suspicious breast lesions. Out of 157 patients 83 breast cancer patients confirmed by pathology were included in this study. The association between CUSE mean stiffness values and the aforementioned prognostic features of the breast cancer tumors were investigated. Results Our results demonstrate that the most statistically significant difference (p = 0.0074) with mean elasticity is tumor size. When considering large tumors (size ≥ 8mm), thus minimizing the statistical significance of tumor size, a significant difference (p 20%) subtypes. Conclusion Tumor size is an independent factor influencing mean elasticity. The Ki-67 proliferation index and histological grade were dependent factors influencing mean elasticity for the differentiation between luminal subtypes. Future studies on a larger group of patients may broaden the clinical significance of these findings.
The Treatment of Virtue in Plato’s Protagoras

In the Protagoras, Plato subjects virtue to examination starting from two main questions: (1) Can it be taught? and (2) Is it one thing or many? In the course of their discussion, Protagoras, Socrates, and the others who speak in the dialogue regard virtue from a variety of intriguing perspectives. A provisional conclusion is that the meaning assigned virtue in this dialogue remains elusive, but must certainly be more complex in character than is normally allowed in modernizing philosophical interpretations of it. If it cannot be taught, we nevertheless find ourselves learning about it; and if it is not clearly a unity about which we read, we find ourselves prompted to look for an understanding of it that can in due course emerge as such.
Paid Work, Unpaid Work, and Economic Viability in Alternative Food Initiatives: Reflections from Three Boston Urban Agriculture Endeavors

This article addresses issues related to paid work, unpaid work, and economic viability in alternative food initiatives (AFIs) by comparing three urban agriculture entities in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. The discussion is framed in terms of what constitutes alternative economic practices. Three standards of assessment are used in the analysis: First, that of whether the AFIs are able to provide "good jobs" along with "good food"; second, the extent to which the AFIs engage in alternative economic practices by relying on non-exploitative forms of work; and third, the extent to which they foster spaces for enabling progressive social change by engaging in a reflexive local politics oriented toward creating sustainable, democratic, and equitable community food systems. Preliminary research indicates that the three AFIs surveyed represent a spectrum with respect to their ability to provide "good jobs," their non-exploitative economic practices, and the extent to which they foster spaces for enabling a reflexive food politics. Given that the economic viability of all three AFIs depends on a significant amount of unpaid work, the discussion concludes by reflecting on the nature and implications of unpaid work by addressing three questions: How is unpaid work understood and fostered by these AFIs; what are the conditions that enable it; and is it indicative of alternative, noncapitalist economic logics and practices?
The Prevention of Periprosthetic Joint Infections

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) adversely affects patient quality of life and health status, and places a huge financial burden on the health care. The first step in combating this complication is prevention, which may include implementation of strategies during the preoperative, intraoperative, or postoperative period. Optimization of the patient with appreciation of the modifiable and non-modifiable factors is crucial. Preoperative optimization involves medical optimization of patients with comorbidities such as diabetes, anemia, malnutrition and other conditions that may predispose the patient to PJI. Among the intraoperative strategies, administration of appropriate and timely antibiotics, blood conservation, gentle soft tissue handling, and expeditious surgery in an ultra clean operating room are among the most effective strategies. During the postoperative period, all efforts should be made to minimize ingress or proliferation of bacteria at the site of the index arthroplasty from draining the wound and hematoma formation. Although the important role of some preventative measures is known, further research is needed to evaluate the role of unproven measures that are currently employed and to devise further strategies for prevention of this feared complication.
The Influence of eHealth Literacy on Perceived Trust in Online Health Communication Channels and Sources.

Disparities in online health information accessibility are partially due to varying levels of eHealth literacy and perceived trust. This study examined the relationship between eHealth literacy and perceived trust in online health communication channels and sources among diverse sociodemographic groups. A stratified sample of Black/African Americans (n = 402) and Caucasians (n = 409) completed a Web-based survey that measured eHealth literacy and perceived trustworthiness of online health communication channels and information sources. eHealth literacy positively predicted perceived trust in online health communication channels and sources, but disparities existed by sociodemographic factors. Segmenting audiences according to eHealth literacy level provides a detailed understanding of how perceived trust in discrete online health communication channels and information sources varies among diverse audiences. Black/African Americans with low eHealth literacy had high perceived trust in YouTube and Twitter, ...
Automated Identification of Cholesterol Interaction Sites on G-Protein Coupled Receptors by Coarse-Grained Simulation

Extensive experimental evidence suggests that cholesterol influences the function of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), perhaps by direct and specific interactions with the protein surface. Interaction motifs (cholesterol recognition amino acid consensus motif and cholesterol consensus motif) have been identified by bioinformatic analysis and inspection of crystal structures. Here we report an approach based on analysis of molecular simulation data to identify other putative interaction sites. In unbiased simulations of GPCRs in cholesterol containing membranes, cholesterol samples the protein surface. This data is then analyzed to identify localized, specific, and reproducible interaction sites. The result of the calculation is a ranking of membrane-facing residues in terms of a cholesterol interaction “score,” which may then be used to guide experimental tests based on mutagenesis. Results based on coarse-grained “Martini” simulations of the A2A adenosine receptor are presented, which predict that cholesterol is most likely to bind in three distinct areas on the surface of the protein.
Are Students Blind to Their Ethical Blind Spots? An Exploration of Why Ethics Education Should Focus on Self-Perception Biases.

Ethics blind spots, which have become a keystone of the emerging behavioral ethics literature, are essentially biases, heuristics, and psychological traps. Though students typically recognize that ...
Understanding the Aesthetic Evolution of Websites: Towards a Notion of Design Periods

In art and music, time periods like "classical" and "impressionist" are powerful means for academics and practitioners to compare and contrast artifacts that share aesthetics or philosophies. While web designs have undergone changes for 25 years, we lack theories to describe or explain these changes. In this paper, we take a first step towards identifying and understanding the design periods of websites. Drawing from humanistic HCI methods, we asked subject experts of web design to critically analyze a dataset of prominent websites whose lifetimes span over a decade. These informed judgments reveal a set of key markers that signal shifts in design periods. For instance, advances in display technologies and changes in company strategies help explain how design periods demarcated by particular layout templates and navigation models arise. We suggest that designers and marketers can draw inspiration from website designs curated into design periods. Future work should examine the utility of applying design periods to any computationally embedded artifact that is an interaction design.
Identity/ies in Crisis: Exploring the Evolution of Solidarity in Transnational Blackness

Scholarship has extensively explored solidarity amongst blacks throughout the diaspora. But factors shaping the shifting of solidarity of blackness had never informed the disconnect amongst blacks in the United States based on national origins more than today’s times. State and institutional sponsored violence against blacks has precipitated a new discussion on notions of blackness, solidarity, and transnational blackness. This paper seeks to examine and explore how violence and perceived injustice in America are impacting solidarity amongst blacks both nationally and transnationally. As protesters around the world from Brazil to South Africa highlight the plight of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, and others and hence demand that Black Lives ‘Matter’, it is important to assess and understand how notions of blackness are changing, the changing dynamics of black coalitions, and the implications of these solidarity movements for the black identity cause.
Symbols, sentiments, and stories: Urban culture and social problems

Cultural approaches to the study of urban life have enjoyed brief bursts of popularity within the social sciences over the past century. Although many urban sociologists acknowledge that meanings, symbols, narratives, and feelings, in other words local culture, help shape urban places, relatively few take this notion any further. In this article, I first lay out the foundations of cultural approaches to the study of urban life. Second, I argue for the continued significance of the distinction between space and place. Third, I describe a contemporary stream of urban sociology called the urban culturalist perspective. Fourth, I describe important insights gleaned from studies embracing cultural urbanist approaches to an area of urban research receiving increasing attention: gentrification. Fifth, and finally, I outline a few ways in which micro-cultural investigations of urban phenomena provide useful opportunities for public sociology.
Prognostic value of sentinel lymph node biopsy according to Breslow thickness for cutaneous melanoma.

Background Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is widely performed for melanoma with certain histologic parameters and offers important prognostic and staging information. Breslow thickness (BT) by itself also provides meaningful prognostic information. Objective To evaluate whether SLN status provides prognostic information independent from that which is already provided by BT. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 896 patients who underwent SLN biopsy for primary cutaneous melanoma. Stratified analysis of the impact of SLN status within BT groups (0.01-1 mm, 1.01-2.00 mm, 2.01-4.00 mm, and >4.00 mm) was performed. In addition, a Cox proportional hazard model was fit to evaluate the interaction between BT unadjusted and then adjusted for SLN status to determine whether predictive ability is improved. Results Having a negative SLN did not confer a statistically significant survival advantage for any BT subgroup ( P = .54, .075, .17, and .95 for subgroups 0.01-1 mm, 1.01-2.00 mm, 2.01-4.00 mm, and >4.00 mm, respectively). In multivariate analysis, SLN status did not demonstrate independent prognostic ability over that of BT alone ( P = .067). Limitations Retrospective study, single institution. Conclusion Our data suggest that SLN status does not offer better prognostic information for patients than BT alone.
Effect of vesical outlet obstruction on detrusor contractility and passive properties in rabbits.

AbstractOutlet obstruction was induced in 16 New Zealand rabbits by implanting a polyethylene tube (20 F) for a period of three months. The tube was slit longitudinally and placed around the bladder neck, between the ureters and vasa deferentia. It was left open to induce moderate obstruction and closed by a suture to induce severe obstruction. The animals were studied by cutting consecutive rings from each bladder, which were subjected to the following studies: morphology, contractility and mechanical properties.Morphology. Histology sections of the rings, studied by Hematoxylin and Eosin and Masson-Trichrome stains, demonstrated smooth muscle hypertrophy in moderate obstruction, while hyperplasia was the predominant response in severe obstruction. The average nuclear count per square millimeter of smooth muscle was 251 in controls, 87 in moderate obstruction and 705 in severe obstruction. Bladder wall thickness was significantly increased after both moderate and severe obstruction, as compared to contro...
Brevard Childs and the treasures of darkness

Contemporary biblical studies is populated by ‘comparativists’ and ‘theological interpreters’: scholars who read the Bible in the context of ancient artefacts, and scholars who read it in the context of Christian theology, respectively. These camps relate to one another mostly by feuding – or by mutual avoidance. The Old Testament theologian Brevard Childs is usually taken as a champion in the cause of theological interpretation, and so also as reinforcing one side of the disciplinary division. But under certain conditions, Childs also authorised the use of ancient artefacts (‘the treasures of darkness’) for reading scripture theologically. This article reactivates the latter possibility within Childs’ interpretive programme, especially through two cases studies: the first by Childs himself, when he uses the Sargon Legend to interpret Exodus 2; and the second a reprise of Childs’ procedure, using the Mesha Inscription to interpret 1 Kings 22.
Psycholegal Treatment and Intervention

In the same way that the interface of law and psychology has brought about the development of “psycholegal” assessment methods, parallel forms of psycholegal interventions are beginning to emerge as well. What distinguishes them from traditional forms of psychotherapy is that their administration requires an integration of both legal and psychological knowledge. Divorce mediation, treatment of incompetence to stand trial, and other examples are shown to fall within this new category of interventions. A conceptual model for the development of psycholegal interventions is presented. Forensic mental health professionals are urged to approach their development more systematically.