cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cost-effectiveness of screening for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C.

Summary Background : Screening for hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients using abdominal ultrasonography and alpha-foetoprotein levels is widely practiced. Aim : To evaluate its cost-effectiveness using a Markov decision model. Methods : Several screening strategies with abdominal ultrasonography or computerized tomography and serum alpha-foetoprotein at 6–12-month intervals in 40-year-old patients with chronic hepatitis C and compensated cirrhosis were simulated from a societal perspective, resulting in discounted costs per quality-adjusted life-year saved. Extensive sensitivity analysis was performed. Results : For the least efficacious strategy, annual alpha-foetoprotein/ultrasonography, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (vs. no screening) was $23 043/quality-adjusted life-year. Biannual alpha-foetoprotein/annual ultrasonography, the most commonly used strategy in the United States, was more efficacious, with a cost-effectiveness ratio of $33 083/quality-adjusted life-year vs. annual alpha-foetoprotein/ultrasonography. The most efficacious strategy, biannual alpha-foetoprotein/ultrasonography, resulted in a cost-effectiveness ratio of $73 789/quality-adjusted life-year vs. biannual alpha-foetoprotein/annual ultrasonography. Biannual alpha-foetoprotein/annual computerized tomography screening resulted in a cost-effectiveness ratio of $51 750/quality-adjusted life-year vs. biannual alpha-foetoprotein/annual ultrasonography screening. Conclusions : Screening for hepatocellular carcinoma is as cost-effective as other accepted screening protocols. Of the strategies evaluated, biannual alpha-foetoprotein/annual ultrasonography gives the most quality-adjusted life-year gain while still maintaining a cost-effectiveness ratio <$50 000/quality-adjusted life-year. Biannual alpha-foetoprotein/annual computerized tomography screening may be cost-effective.
A MODEL STUDY OF THE OXIDATION OF UNDECYLENIC ACID BY TERT-BUTYL HYDROPEROXIDE: FUEL INSTABILITY REACTIONS

The subject of fuel instability reactions is usually complicated in that no one species is entirely responsible. Thus multi-component model systems need to be employed to simplify the study of alternate mechanisms and pathways. If the system is too complicated, the reaction pathways are too varied and complicated to discern. Additionally, the suite of heteroatoms present in a finished fuel depends on the source of the crude. Model systems thus represent a reasonable alternative. The model system employed in this study consists of tert-butyl hydroperoxide, and undecylenic acid in benzene solvent. Although radical mechanisms are complex, the slate of products was explainable by a few competing reactions.
Assorted Legal Issues Affecting Medical Practice

The current article surveys an assortment of legal issues identified by the editors that relate to the malpractice sphere. However, this represents only a small part of the total legal medicine picture. The interaction of law and medical care in the United States today encompasses a broad array of specific points of contact between physicians' professional activities and various public bodies and private entities. Several articles by other authors will appear in subsequent issues of CHEST and flesh out much more comprehensively both the topics outlined briefly here and other legal questions that concern contemporary members of the medical profession.
Inosiplex for Localized Herpes Zoster in Childhood Cancer Patients: Preliminary Controlled Study

By multiple criteria, inosiplex—a reputed stimulator of virus-sensitized lymphocytes—had no demonstrable therapeutic effects in a preliminary controlled study of patients with localized herpes zoster and cancer. Lymphocytes from the six drug-treated patients were no more responsive to varicella-zoster antigen and phytohemagglutinin than were lymphocytes from seven patients who received a placebo.
ΔNp63 Regulates Stem Cell Dynamics in the Mammalian Olfactory Epithelium

The ability of the olfactory epithelium (OE) to regenerate after injury is mediated by at least two populations of presumed stem cells-globose basal cells (GBCs) and horizontal basal cells (HBCs). Of the two, GBCs are molecularly and phenotypically analogous to the olfactory progenitors of the embryonic placode (OPPs). In contrast, HBCs are a reserve stem cell population that appears later in development and requires activation by severe epithelial damage before contributing to epithelial reconstitution. Neither HBC emergence nor the mechanism of activation after injury is understood. Here we show that the transcription factor p63 (Trp63), which is expressed selectively by adult HBCs, is required for HBC differentiation. The first evidence of HBC differentiation is the expression of p63 by cells that closely resemble embryonic OPPs and adult GBCs by morphology and expression of the transcription factors Sox2, Ascl1, and Hes1. HBC formation is delayed in Ascl1 knock-out OE and is completely abrogated in p63-null mice. Strikingly, other cell types of the OE form normally in the p63 knock-out OE. The role of p63 in HBC differentiation appears to be conserved in the regenerating rat OE, where HBCs disappear and then reappear after tissue lesion. Finally, p63 protein is downregulated in HBCs activated by lesion to become multipotent progenitor cells. Together, our data identify a novel mechanism for the generation of a reserve stem cell population and suggest that a p63-dependent molecular switch is responsible for activating reserve stem cells when they are needed.
An almost sure limit theorem for the product of partial sums with stable distribution

Abstract We prove an almost sure limit theorem for the product of partial sums of random variables in the domain of attraction of an α -stable law when 1 α 2 .
Revolutionary Leadership and the Russian Orthodox Church in 1917

Witnessing the widespread internal discord plaguing the new Russian regime after the abdication of Nicholas II in March of 1917, one contemporary activist expressed fear that centrifugal forces.from within constituted the greatest challenge to the democratic revolution. Signs of disharmony quickly appeared among the revolutionary leaders themselves. The liberals in the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and the moderate socialists in the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet found themselves at swords' points even before the first Provisional Government was officially established, and as months passed the animosity grew. Not long after the establishment of the new government the bickering spread beyond the ruling circles, disrupting orderly working relations between the new regime and the institutions surviving from the old. It appeared as though the collapse of the monarchy encouraged divisiveness precisely when survival depended on cooperative action.
Lipid rafts and regulation of the cytoskeleton during T cell activation.

The ability of polarized cells to initiate and sustain directional responses to extracellular signals is critically dependent on direct communication between spatially organized signalling modules in the membrane and the underlying cytoskeleton. Pioneering work in T cells has shown that the assembly of signalling modules critically depends on the functional compartmentalization of membrane lipids into ordered microdomains or lipid rafts. The significance of rafts in T cell activation lies not only in their ability to recruit the signalling partners that eventually assemble into a mature immunological synapse but also in their ability to regulate actin dynamics and recruit cytoskeletal associated proteins, thereby achieving the structural polarization underlying stability of the synapse—a critical prerequisite for activation to be sustained. Lipid rafts vary quite considerably in size and visualizing the smallest of them in vivo has been challenging. Nonetheless it is now been shown quite convincingly that a surprisingly large proportion—in the order of 50%—of external membrane lipids (chiefly cholesterol and glycosphingolipids) can be dynamically localized in these liquid ordered rafts. Complementary inner leaflet rafts are less well characterized, but contain phosphoinositides as an important functional component that is crucial for regulating the behaviour of the actin cytoskeleton. This paper provides an overview of the interdependency between signalling and cytoskeletal polarization, and in particular considers how regulation of the cytoskeleton plays a crucial role in the consolidation of rafts and their stabilization into the immunological synapse.
Endovascular therapy for the carotid blowout syndrome in head and neck surgical patients: diagnostic and managerial considerations.

PURPOSE To review our institution9s recent experience with patients with carotid blowout syndrome who were referred for emergency diagnostic angiography and endovascular therapy. METHODS Eighteen consecutive patients who had had surgery for cancer of the head and neck and in whom carotid blowout syndrome had occurred were referred to our service in accordance with a standardized protocol. RESULTS Twenty-three angiographic pathoetiologic conditions were diagnosed in the 18 patients; the majority of these were pseudoaneurysms involving various segments of the carotid system. Multiple lesions were detected in five patients. Most patients were treated by means of permanent balloon occlusion; in 8 patients with either multiple lesions or impending rupture requiring flap reconstruction, a composite permanent balloon occlusion of the affected carotid system was performed. Hyperacute hemorrhages were arrested in all cases. Hemorrhages reoccurred in 2 cases, and in 2 patients who had permanent balloon occlusion of the internal carotid artery, transient ischemic attacks occurred, which appeared to be related to temporary collateral reserve failure. No permanent neurologic complications ensued. CONCLUSION Our recent experience with carotid blowout syndrome suggests that this clinical diagnosis represents a heterogeneous group of angiographic pathoetiologies that the physician should evaluate carefully before proceeding with endovascular therapy. Specific endovascular approaches depend on the pathoetiologic mechanism of active or impending hemorrhage and the urgency with which intervention is required.
Determining the Strength of Coarse‐Grained AlON and Spinel

The strength of two coarse-grained (grain size > 200 μm) cubic ceramics, a magnesium aluminate spinel (MgAl2O4) and an AlON , along with a fine-grained (1.5 μm) MgAl2O4, was determined by conducting a series of four-point and equibiaxial flexure tests on specimens of different sizes. Weibull strength size scaling revealed a linear relationship on a log–log plot between average flexure strength and effective specimen area for the fine-grained spinel, but a nonlinear relationship for both coarse-grained materials. Initial fractography showed that each material had a single flaw population limiting the strength over the entire specimen size range, which does not account for the nonlinear size scaling relationship in the two coarse-grained materials. However, further fractography revealed that in both materials there was an initial flaw and a critical flaw. The former appears to be machining/polishing damage that started the fracture process while the latter was a cleaved grain in AlON or a cracked grain boundary in the HP/HIP spinel that lead to fracture of the specimen. The difference between the initial and critical flaw size coupled with a detailed analysis of the strength as a function of test specimen thickness accounted for the nonlinear strength size scaling relationship. As a result, strength values obtained using thin test specimens can lead to an erroneous strength prediction for large components made of these ceramics. The implication of these findings is that strength tests must be conducted using appropriately thick specimens to obtain a representative strength value. If appropriately thick specimens cannot be tested, then fractography must be conducted to determine the flaw size. If the flaw size is sufficiently large, compared with the specimen thickness, then the strength must be adjusted according to a stress field correction factor to obtain a more accurate strength value.
Ultrafast Redistribution of E. coli SSB Along Long Single-Stranded DNA via Intersegment Transfer

Single-stranded DNA binding proteins (SSBs) selectively bind single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and facilitate recruitment of additional proteins and enzymes to their sites of action on DNA. SSB can also locally diffuse on ssDNA, which allows it to quickly reposition itself while remaining bound to ssDNA. In this work, we used a hybrid instrument that combines single-molecule fluorescence and force spectroscopy to directly visualize the movement of Escherichia coli SSB on long polymeric ssDNA. Long ssDNA was synthesized without secondary structure that can hinder quantitative analysis of SSB movement. The apparent diffusion coefficient of E. coli SSB thus determined ranged from 70,000 to 170,000 nt 2 /s, which is at least 600 times higher than that determined from SSB diffusion on short ssDNA oligomers, and is within the range of values reported for protein diffusion on double-stranded DNA. Our work suggests that SSB can also migrate via a long-range intersegment transfer on long ssDNA. The force dependence of SSB movement on ssDNA further supports this interpretation.
Multi-class relevance feedback content-based image retrieval

Relevance feedback methods for content-based image retrieval have shown promise in a variety of image database applications. These techniques assume two-class relevance feedback: relevant and irrelevant classes. While simple computationally, two-class relevance feedback often becomes inadequate in providing sufficient information to help rapidly improve retrieval performance. In this paper we propose a multi-class form of relevance feedback retrieval to try to exploit multi-class information. For a given query, we use a χ2 analysis to determine the local relevance of each feature dimension with multi-class relevance feedback. This information is then used to customize the retrieval metric to rank images. By exploiting multiclass information, our method is able to create flexible metrics that better capture user perceived similarity. In a number of image data sets, the method achieves a higher level of precision with fewer iterations, demonstrating the potential for substantial improvements over two-class relevance feedback retrieval.
Mood Disorders: Historical Perspective and Current Models of Explanation

Robert Burton was a parson. Coming as a student to Braenose College in Oxford in 1593, he was elected to Christ Church in 1597 and spent the rest of his life there, most of it in his study. Holbrook Jackson in the Introduction to the 1932 edition of the Anatomy1 describes Burton as a “good humored pessimist—a recluse but no hermit,” an example of how “diligence and an enjoyment of drudgery can accomplish miracles in the spare time of a busy life.” Sir, William Osier considered the Anatomy of Melancholy as the greatest medical treatise ever written by a layman. However, it is now found in most bookstores on the shelf marked “English Literature,” looking in today’s paperbacked world somewhat too large for its cover. Its many pages explore depression conceived in the broadest sense, from “love melancholy” to the “causeless sadness” the psychotic depressive.
High K(+)-induced membrane depolarization attenuates endothelium-dependent pulmonary vasodilation.

Impairment of endothelium-dependent pulmonary vasodilation has been implicated in the development of pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells communicate...
Prognostic factors for laser photocoagulation of retinal detachments

Demarcation laser photocoagulation (DLP) is a low-morbidity procedure that may stabilize selected macula-sparing rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (MSRRDs) by producing a barrier to prevent extension of subretinal fluid (SRF). This procedure may be an alternative to other surgical approaches in patients who are asymptomatic without visual field loss from MSRRD, in simple localized retinal detachments or in patients who are poor candidates for surgery. One factor that appears to be critical for long-term success of DLP for MSRRD is the correct placement of multiple rows of confluent barricading laser photocoagulation spots. Posterior segment features that are favorable for successful DLP include shallow retinal detachment with localized SRF and well-formed vitreous with lack of vitreous traction or proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Less favorable factors for DLP stabilization of MSRRDs include incomplete or insufficient laser spots, corrugated morphology or dome-shaped appearance, extension of SRF preventi...
Workloads of the Future

Along with changing technologies and design techniques, target applications span a wide range: from large-scale computing to personal services and perceptual interfaces. The authors of this article characterize these workloads of the future and argue for a new set of benchmarks to guide the exploration and optimization of future systems.
Hot Isostatic Pressing of YBa2Cu3O7‐δ and YBa2Cu3O7–δ/Ag Composites

Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) can be used to produce fully dense shapes of high-temperature ceramic superconductors. Densification modeling of monolithic YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7[minus][delta]] and the composite YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7[minus][delta]]/Ag systems allows an understanding of the HIP process and has led to the development of successful protocols for HIP of these materials. Ag metal is the best encapsulation material found for both systems. HIP of monolithic YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7[minus][delta]] requires a slow ramp of pressure in order to prevent decomposition into more basic oxides such as Y[sub 2]BaCuO[sub 5] and CuO. HIP of composite YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7[minus][delta]]/Ag requires careful powder processing to obtain dense material with a fine dispersion of Ag.
Butteries in the Mesh: Lightweight Localized Wireless Network Coding

In this paper, BFLY-a lightweight localized network coding protocol for wireless mesh networks-is proposed. To supplement forwarding packets in classical networks, intermediate wireless nodes code packets from different sources, so that each transmission's information content is increased by a factor of more than one. Prior work allowed intermediate nodes to code (i.e, XOR) packets such that the recipient of that coded message must decode the message before forwarding. BFLY, however, allows intermediate recipients to, in addition to XOR-ing, forward coded packets; and thus further exploits network coding opportunities in multihop wireless networks. BFLY utilizes knowledge of the local topologies and source route information in the packet headers. We have developed network coding modules in ns-2 that facilitate simulation with large networks. Simulation studies show that BFLY can increase overall network throughput by a factor of 1.2 - 2 and reduce packet end-to-end latency. Finally, jointly coding with BFLY and COPE always yields more gain than the individual approaches.
Selecting effective academic interventions : An example using brief experimental analysis for oral reading

The reauthorization of IDEA (the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004) includes potential use of a response to intervention (RTI) model for the identification of learning disabilities. Using this model, a variety of academic interventions may be implemented with a low-achieving student, with the results monitored to determine student response. If this model is to be successfully used, then it is imperative to select and implement relevant interventions. Brief Experimental Analysis (BEA) is a procedure that can be used to assist in the identification and selection of interventions that are likely to be effective for individual students. In this brief article, we review the use and implementation of BEA and provide a case example related to oral reading. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 79–84, 2006.
A Method for Learning From Hints

We address the problem of learning an unknown function by putting together several pieces of information (hints) that we know about the function. We introduce a method that generalizes learning from examples to learning from hints. A canonical representation of hints is defined and illustrated for new types of hints. All the hints are represented to the learning process by examples, and examples of the function are treated on equal footing with the rest of the hints. During learning, examples from different hints are selected for processing according to a given schedule. We present two types of schedules; fixed schedules that specify the relative emphasis of each hint, and adaptive schedules that are based on how well each hint has been learned so far. Our learning method is compatible with any descent technique that we may choose to use.
Plant and microbial N acquisition under elevated atmospheric CO2 in two mesocosm experiments with annual grasses

The impact of elevated CO2 on terrestrial ecosystem C balance, both in sign or magnitude, is not clear because the resulting alterations in C input, plant nutrient demand and water use efficiency often have contrasting impacts on microbial decomposition processes. One major source of uncertainty stems from the impact of elevated CO2 on N availability to plants and microbes. We examined the effects of atmospheric CO2 enrichment (ambient 1370lmolmol � 1 ) on plant and microbial N acquisition in two different mesocosm experiments, using model plant species of annual grasses of Avena barbata and A. fatua, respectively. The A. barbata experiment was conducted in a N-poor sandy loam and the A. fatua experiment was on a N-rich clayey loam. Plant‐microbial N partitioning was examined through determining the distribution of a 15 N tracer. In the A. barbata experiment, 15 N tracer was introduced to a field labeling experiment in the previous year so that 15 N predominantly existed in nonextractable soil pools. In the A. fatua experiment, 15 N was introduced in a mineral solution [( 15 NH4)2SO4 solution] during the growing season of A. fatua. Results of both N budget and 15 N tracer analyses indicated that elevated CO2 increased plant N acquisition from the soil. In the A. barbata experiment, elevated CO2 increased plant biomass N by ca. 10% but there was no corresponding decrease in soil extractable N, suggesting that plants might have obtained N from the nonextractable organic N pool because of enhanced microbial activity. In the A. fatua experiment, however, the CO2-led increase in plant biomass N was statistically equal to the reduction in soil extractable N. Although atmospheric CO2 enrichment enhanced microbial biomass C under A. barbata or microbial activity (respiration) under A. fatua, it had no significant effect on microbial biomass N in either experiment. Elevated CO2 increased the colonization of A. fatua roots by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which coincided with the enhancement of plant competitiveness for soluble soil N. Together, these results suggest that elevated CO2 may tighten N cycling through facilitating plant N acquisition. However, it is unknown to what degree results from these short-term microcosm experiments can be extrapolated to field conditions. Long-term studies in less-disturbed soils are needed to determine whether CO2-enhancement of plant N acquisition can significantly relieve N limitation over plant growth in an elevated CO2 environment.
Out-of-plane high-Q inductors on low-resistance silicon

Integrated high-Q coils are much sought after because they enable high-quality radio-frequency circuits that do not rely on off-chip discretes. We present a novel surface micro-machined inductor with its coil axis parallel to the substrate plane. Coils fabricated on standard unaltered low-resistance silicon exhibit record-high-quality factors (Q) of over 70 at 1 GHz. The devices are made by three-dimensional (3-D) self-assembly of stress-engineered structures fabricated with standard semiconductor batch processing techniques. We also designed, fabricated, and characterized silicon Bi-CMOS L-C oscillators built around these coils. Compared side by side against state-of-the-art planar spirals, they produce a 12.3 dB lower phase noise at 100 kHz offset, and 14.6 dB after normalizing to frequency and power.
Stimulated volume changes in mammalian outer hair cells

Outer hair cell volume increases in response to superfusion with solutions in which sodium has been replaced with either potassium or sucrose are reported. Volume loss in response to sustained electrical depolarization as well as ototoxic concentrations of salicylate is also described. These stimulated volume changes are attributed to changes in the hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm and may involve the mechanisms that regulate outer hair cell turgidity. The loss of turgor and consequent decreases in the fast electromotile response observed with salicylate is consistent with the hearing loss and loss of evoked otoacoustic emissions reported with the ingestion of ototoxic doses of aspirin. >
An efficient re-analysis methodology for vibration of large-scale structures

The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a well-established methodology in structural dynamics. However, optimisation or probabilistic studies can be prohibitively expensive, because they require repeated FEA of large models. Various re-analysis methods have been proposed in order to calculate efficiently the dynamic response of a structure after a baseline design has been modified, without recalculating the new response. Although these methods are promising by themselves, they cannot handle large FE models with large numbers of Degrees of Freedom (DOF) (e.g., 100,000) and design parameters (e.g., 50), which are common in practice. In this paper, a new re-analysis method is proposed to address these shortcomings. A simple frame structure is used to explain all steps of the proposed method. Also, a vibro-acoustic analysis of a realistic vehicle FE model is presented to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the new method. A design optimisation study is also performed to highlight the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed re-analysis method.
Shear-flexible models for spatial buckling of thin-walled curved beams

The governing non-linear finite element equations for the spatial stability analysis of curved beams, using a simple two-noded model, are derived based on the incremental form of a mixed variational principle with independent discretization for its generalized strain field and the reference line displacements as well as cross-sectional warping and bending/twisting rotations. The formulation is valid for both open-and closed-type thin-walled sections, and this is accomplished by the use of a kinematic description based on a generalized beam theory in which shear deformation due to both flexural-and warping-torsional actions is accounted for. The effect of finite rotations in space is included, resulting in a second-order accurate geometric stiffness matrix and ensuring that all significant instability modes can be predicted. Finally, the results obtained in a number of numerical simulations for lateral-torsional bifurcation buckling of circular arches are presented to illustrate the model effectiveness and practical usefulness, and to provide explanations for the source of discrepancies noted in the results obtained in previous investigations.
Production of Dry Air by Isentropic Mixing

Abstract The authors have explored the factors governing upper-tropospheric relative humidity with a simple model based on isentropic mixing and condensation. Our analysis has focused on the Northern Hemisphere winter season and on the 315-K (dry) isentropic surface. The advection–condensation model yields the following results. In the absence of moisture resupply, about half of the mass of water is lost from the isentropic surface after only 10 days, with the main brake on drying being the weak mixing between Tropics and extratropics. The moist plumes escaping from the Tropics take the form of filamentary structures, which are more numerous and space filling in the summer/Southern Hemisphere than in the winter/Northern Hemisphere. These moist plumes are accompanied by substantial importation of extratropical dry air into the Tropics. The probability distributions of midlatitude relative humidity are bimodal, with a prominent dry peak having a lognormal tail and a spike representing saturated air; the sum...
Are drinking motives associated with sexual "hookups" among college student drinkers?

ABSTRACTObjective: This study examined associations between drinking motivation, alcohol use, and sexual hookups among college students. Participants: Participants (n = 755 Midwest college student drinkers; 61% female) ranged in age from 18 to 24. Methods: Participants completed online measures of alcohol involvement (use and motives) and sexual activity. Results: Alcohol use was positively linked to sexual hookups. Social and enhancement motives were positively and indirectly associated with sexual hookups via alcohol use. Drinking to cope had a direct association with sexual hookups. Social drinking was more strongly associated with hookups in men than in women, but both groups exhibited a positive association. Conclusions: This study is the first to highlight the relationships between distinct drinking motives and sexual risk behavior. The results indicate that specific motives may increase risk of sexual hookups both indirectly via alcohol use, as well as directly, at least among those that drink to c...
Truth, justice, and reconciliation on the ground: normative divergence in the Western Balkans

The article contributes to the ‘second wave’ norm diffusion literature by offering a new theoretical lens through which to explain unexpected policy outcomes of international normative interventions. Specifically, the article aims to challenge the international norms scholarship by questioning what power international norms actually have in domestic politics of adopting states. To answer this question I analyse the process of diffusion, contestation, and localisation of transitional justice norms — ways of dealing with legacies of past violence — in the Western Balkans. I choose three principal transitional justice concepts — truth, justice, and reconciliation — and analyse how their local meaning in the Western Balkans diverged normatively from that of international transitional justice advocates, and to what political effect. I trace the processes of normative divergence of international transitional justice norms to demonstrate how the domestic understanding of international norms produced new meanings and practices and fundamentally challenged the principal assumptions behind the global governance of post-conflict reconstruction.
COPD exacerbation care bundle improves standard of care, length of stay, and readmission rates.

Introduction COPD is the third leading cause of death in the world. Utilizing care bundles during acute COPD exacerbations results in fewer complications and lower costs. Our aim was to construct a COPD exacerbation care bundle and evaluate the effects on patient care.
Characterization of Microporous Silica Gels Prepared from Modified Silicon Alkoxides

Organically modified silica gels were prepared from mixtures of TEOS and methyl-substituted silicon alkoxides. The pore structure of dried gels was investigated in order to determine the effect of the organic additions on gel structure. For base catalyzed gels, surface area, pore volume, and skeletal density all showed dramatic decreases at high methyl contents. The surface area dropped by nearly three orders of magnitude, from over 800 m2/g for normal silica gels to less than 1 m2/g for gels containing over 60 mole percent modified alkoxide. The pore structure of acid catalyzed gels showed less dependence on composition. The nature of the surface of both acid and base catalyzed gels varied with modified alkoxide content. Higher organic contents produced materials that were more hydrophobic. In addition, the mechanical strength of acid catalyzed gels dropped in direct proportion to methyl content.
Persistent asymptomatic proteinuria in children. Functional and ultrastructural evaluation with special reference to glomerular basement membrane (GBM) thickness.

Seventeen children with persistent asymptomatic proteinuria were submitted to renal biopsy and to studies of renal function. The patients were re-evaluated 3 and 6 years later. The results of initial and follow-up functional studies were found to be normal despite persistent proteinuria. Findings on light microscopy of renal tissue samples were considered normal, and immunofluorescence microscopy revealed no deposition of immunoproteins or fibrinogen/fibrin. Electron microscopic surveys of nine patients demonstrated mild focal nonspecific changes of glomerular cells, and quantitative estimation of the widths of the GBM’s indicated statistically significantly increased thicknesses in all nine children. The limited number of observations seems to further emphasize the possibility that these patients may constitute a well-defined clinical entity, characterized by normal light and fluorescence microscopy with slight but significant thickening of the GBM.
Effects of Surface Integrity on In-Vitro Corrosion of Biodegradable Magnesium-Calcium Orthopedic Implants

Biodegradable magnesium-calcium (MgCa) alloys are capable of gradually dissolving and becoming absorbed in the human body after implantation. The critical issue that hinders the application of MgCa implants is their fast corrosion rate in human body fluids. A promising approach to tackle this issue is to tailor surface integrity of orthopedic implants for tuning the corrosion kinetic. The synergistic dry cutting and burnishing is used in this study to modify surface integrity of MgCa0.8 (wt%) implants for controlled corrosion performance. The effects of cutting speed and rolling force, as key parameters in the synergistic dry cutting-finish burnishing, on the electrochemical responses of the processed surfaces are investigated in the simulated body fluid (SBF). Potentiodynamic polarization curves are measured, and morphology and elemental composition of corroded surfaces are studied utilizing scan electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively.© 2011 ASME
Primary and secondary analyses of single-subject data have complementary value—commentary in response to “Optimising the design of intervention studies: critiques and ways forward”

The trend towards increased appreciation of single-subject research in the development of evidence-based practice guidelines is encouraging, as it affirms the view that significant knowledge can be...
TMJ TJR Biomaterials

All engineering constructs require appropriate materials to meet safety and effectiveness standards. It is an unfortunate observation that in the decades of the 1970s and 1980s, synthetic materials were utilized in the management of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pathology that proved to be inappropriate and—sometimes—even dangerous. This was a failure that remains an embarrassment to the biomaterials community and to the bioengineering designers who selected those materials and are now redoubling their current efforts to do better.
Research on Electricity Market Institutions Part Three Risk of Electricity Market and Its Countermeasures

Risk is an important ingredient which can influence the judgment of market participants on revenue, so they couldn't make effective economic decisions. Electricity industry is a capital intensity industry, and its price fluctuates frequently, so it is important to take account of all kinds of uncertainties when implementing market design. The electricity market risk comes from the limited rationality of human, opportunism and the uncertainties in future. Limited rationality occurs because of the limited understanding capability and mastered information of people, selfish leads to opportunism, and the variation of world is the explanation of uncertainty. To control the risk of electricity market, it is necessary to master more information, reduce the possibility of opportunism, and rearrange the risk in market participants effectively. By improving the forecast and control capability of risk, market participants can manage risk effectively and enhance the economic efficiency.
Character Education, Dr Seuss and Te Whariki: A Likely Combination

Can we teach them wrong from right? Can we help them see the light? Using books I'm glad to say, May teach the moral of the day. We should teach them in the home, We should teach them where they roam. We can teach them in the school, Where they'll learn the golden rule.
The long-term outlook for valve replacement in active endocarditis.

This study follows the clinical course of 22 patients in the active phase of infective endocarditis who underwent valve replacement at North Carolina Memorial Hospital between March, 1966, and March, 1976. At the time of operation, there was gross valve tissue destruction in 16 patients, verrucae in nine, ruptured chordae tendineae in five, and myocardial or annular abscess formation in five. Four patients survived less than 6 months after the initial operation. One survived almost 3 years before dying of recurrent carcinoma of the lung. The remaining 17 patients have been followed an average of 4.6 years. Major postoperative complications were as follows: paravalvular problem, five patients; congestive heart failure, seven patients; complete heart block, three patients; systemic arterial emboli, four patients. These complications often were associated with the preoperative presence of annular or myocardial abscess. Thus it appears that postoperative complications often result from annular structural deficiencies rather than being directly related to active infection.
Therapeutic drug monitoring in neonates: problems and issues.

Therapeutic drug monitoring has been applied in several patient populations to promote safer, more effective use of drugs. The development of therapeutic ranges allows clinicians to aim for a plasm...
Safety of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for management of central airway stenosis after lung transplant.

Background Central airway stenosis (CAS) is common after lung transplantation and causes significant post-transplant morbidity. It is often preceded by extensive airway necrosis, related to airway ischemia. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is useful for ischemic grafts and may reduce the development of CAS. Methods The purpose of this study was to determine whether HBOT could be safely administered to lung transplant patients with extensive necrotic airway plaques. Secondarily, we assessed any effects of HBOT on the incidence and severity of CAS. Patients with extensive necrotic airway plaques within 1–2 months after lung transplantation were treated with HBOT along with standard care. These patients were compared with a contemporaneous reference group with similar plaques who did not receive HBOT. Results Ten patients received HBOT for 18.5 (interquartile range, IQR 11–20) sessions, starting at 40.5 (IQR 34–54) days after transplantation. HBOT was well tolerated. Incidence of CAS was similar between HBOT-treated patients and reference patients (70% vs 87%, respectively; P=.34), but fewer stents were required in HBOT patients (10% vs 56%, respectively; P=.03). Conclusions This pilot study is the first to demonstrate HBOT safety in patients who develop necrotic airway plaques after lung transplantation. HBOT may reduce the need for airway stent placement in patients with CAS.
Lanfranco's Dropsical Child: The First Depiction of Congenital Heart Disease?

* Abbreviation: VSD — : ventricular septal defect Hanging in an unassuming side gallery in Rome’s Palazzo Barberini is an unusual painting, arguably both an artistic masterpiece and a landmark in medical history (Fig 1). Acquired from a private collection by the Italian State in 2011, the painting was completed shortly after 1620 by Giovanni Lanfranco, one of the masters of the Italian Baroque.1 This brief article describes the painting and explores its importance for the history of pediatrics. FIGURE 1 St Luke Healing the Dropsical Child , Giovanni Lanfranco, c.1620. Lanfranco’s oil painting shows an elderly man holding the wrist of a small child, with a young woman (presumably, the child’s mother) standing behind both of them. Standard religious iconography (eg, the ox) identifies the haloed man as St Luke, known as “the beloved physician” in the New Testament (Colossians 4:14), and attributed as the author of the third Gospel. As a beautiful reminder of the close relationship between art and medicine, St Luke is depicted both as a painter (he was traditionally accredited with painting the first portrait of the Virgin Mary) and as a physician (here, he has a book entitled Hippocrates near his lap). This depiction of Luke acting simultaneously as both physician and artist seems unprecedented in previous Italian art.2 But what is even more extraordinary, particularly from the viewpoint of medical history, is the portrayal of the child himself. The child is perhaps 2 or 3 years old, based on his height compared with the woman. He appears weak: his left arm is limp in the hand of St Luke, and his back is lightly supported by the woman (Fig 2). What is most noticeable is the child’s swollen belly. Indeed, the painting’s title St. Luke Healing the Dropsical Child ( S. Luca guarisce il bambino idropico ) points to the child’s dropsy (from … Address correspondence to Thomas F. Heyne, MD, Harvard Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency, 175 Cambridge St, 5th Fl, Boston, MA 02114. E-mail: theyne{at}partners.org
Does a Stage pT0 Cystectomy Specimen Confer a Survival Advantage in Patients with Minimally Invasive Bladder Cancer

AbstractControversy exists regarding the clinical significance of a pathological stage T0 (pT0) specimen found at cystectomy or after repeat transurethral resection for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Many investigators cite this subpopulation of patients as a reason to consider more conservative management, based on the premise that the patient may have benefited from the original transurethral resection. However, we questioned whether outcome would be improved in stage pT0 cancer patients or whether outcome in stage pT0 cases would parallel that noted when the original stage was equivalent to the final pathological stage. To test this hypothesis, we examined the survival advantage occasioned by a stage pT0 finding in 66 of 433 patients who underwent radical cystectomy for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Of the 433 patients studied 54 had clinical stage Tis or Ta, 166 clinical stage T1 and 213 clinical stage T2 disease. Within each of the 3 clinical groups (clinical stage Tis/Ta, ...
Squeaky Wheels Need Greasing: Corruption and the Construction of the Pacific Railroad

The construction of the Pacific Railroad is commonly thought to be a prime example of corruption in the Gilded Era. However, a close analysis of three infamous instances of "corruption" show that the Robber Barons' actions may have been less harmful and less profitable than previously considered.
Postzygotic isolation varies by ploidy level within a polyploid complex.

Summary Whole genome duplication is considered to be a significant contributor to angiosperm speciation due to accumulation of rapid, strong interploid reproductive isolation. However, recent work suggests that interploid reproductive isolation may not be complete, especially among higher order cytotypes. This study evaluates postzygotic reproductive isolation among three cytotypes within a polyploid complex. We conducted reciprocal crosses using two diploid and two hexaploid populations each crossed to tetraploid populations spanning the geographic and phylogenetic range of the Campanula rotundifolia polyploid complex. Interploid and intrapopulation crosses were scored for fruit set, seed number, germination proportion and pollen viability. Postzygotic isolation was calculated for each cross as the product of these fitness components. A subset of offspring was cytotyped via flow cytometry. Postzygotic isolation was significantly lower in tetraploid–hexaploid crosses than diploid–tetraploid crosses, mostly due to substantially higher germination among tetraploid–hexaploid crosses. Tetraploid–hexaploid crosses produced pentaploids exclusively, whereas diploid–tetraploid crosses produced both triploids and tetraploids in high frequencies. Postzygotic isolation was weaker among higher order polyploids than between diploids and tetraploids, and unreduced gametes may facilitate diploid–tetraploid reproduction. This incomplete postzygotic isolation could allow ongoing interploid gene flow, especially among higher order polyploids, which may slow divergence and speciation in polyploid complexes.
Load Balancing and Fault Tolerance Mechanisms for Scalable and Reliable Big Data Analytics

Data collection and analysis is rapidly changing the way scientific, national security and business communities operate. Data analytics applications, especially the ones involving graph analytics have received increased attention over the years. Moreover, with this increasing interest in graph processing, the diversity of the graph datasets and the graph processing algorithms has also increased. There has been a similar explosion in the design and development of the big data platforms to manage, store, process, and analyze large-scale graph datasets. Although these platforms have gained unquestionable success, it is currently difficult to decide on choosing a platform for deploying big data applications, due to a lack of comprehensive understanding of the performance and the design tradeoffs of these platforms in terms of handling both real-world workloads and resource failures. In this chapter, we will be surveying the load balancing and fault tolerance strategies employed by the most dominant graph database platforms.
Equine viral arteritis: A respiratory and reproductive disease of significant economic importance to the equine industry

Summary Equine arteritis virus is the causative agent of equine viral arteritis, a respiratory and reproductive disease that affects the members of the family Equidae. The virus was first isolated from the lung of an aborted fetus after an extensive outbreak of respiratory disease and abortion on a Standardbred breeding farm near Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1953. Since then, periodic outbreaks of equine viral arteritis have been reported in a number of countries around the world. This disease may result in significant economic loss to the equine industry due to the occurrence of abortion in pregnant mares, neonatal mortality, and establishment of the carrier state in stallions. This article provides an extensive review on equine arteritis virus, epidemiology, disease, pathogenesis, and prevention and control measures.
Far-infrared room-temperature focal plane modules for radiation budget instrument

This work presents focal plane modules for Radiation Budget Instrument, a passive remote-sensing instrument that follows the legacy of Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy system to measure short and longwave Earth's radiation budget. The focal plane arrays are micromachined at JPL and integrated into sub-assembly modules to be mounted on the optical telescope of the instrument.