cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance of the check-points check-MDR CT103XL assay utilizing the CDC/FDA antimicrobial resistance isolate bank

The Check-MDR CT103XL beta-lactamase assay was validated for use in the clinical microbiology laboratory using two CDC-FDA Antimicrobial Resistant Isolate Bank panels (133 gram-negative bacilli known beta-lactamase genes). The CT103XL detected most reported resistance genes (123 of 136 genes) and additionally identified several resistance genes not reported by the CDC. Discrepant results were confirmed via whole genome sequencing.
Prevalência de burnout em médicos residentes de Medicina Geral e Familiar em Portugal

Objective: To determine the burnout prevalence among general and family medicine residents (MGF) in Portugal and to analyze variables that can influence burnout levels in their three dimensions (Emotional Exhaustion - EE; Depersonalization - DP; and Personal Accomplishment - PA). Methods: Cross-sectional study observation; questionnaires were apllied from November to December 2015, constituted by the Maslach Burnout Inventory and by sociodemographic and residency variables. Sample size estimated of 327 residents (CI 95%; sampling error of 5%). Results: The representative sample of 431 residents (average age 28.7 years old, 80.7% comprised of women). The prevalence of overall burnout (high burnout levels in EE and/or DP) was 46.9%, with 38.1% with high burnout in EE dimension, 45.2% in PA dimension and 26.5% in DP dimension. There was a statistically significant association between high burnout levels in residents taking anxiolytics/hypnotics – EE (p<0.001); PA (p=0.001) e DP (p<0.001) and in residents taking antidepressant medication – in EE and PA dimensions (p=0.01). In residents intending to give up the internship or the medical career we found high levels of burnout in EE (p<0.001 for both intentions), in PA (p=0.003 and p=0.01, respectively) and DP (p=0.005 and p<0.001, respectively). The residents who did not choose family medicine (MGF) as a first option had high levels of burnout in DP (p<0.001) and PA (p=0.04) dimensions. Conclusions: Given the high prevalence of burnout in family medicine residents in Portugal, it is essential to develop new studies internationally and to create strategies to prevent and minimize the negative impact of this syndrome.
Environmental Exposures and Developmental Programming of the Lung

Lung disease is a global health burden, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality. Programming of the lung following adverse environmental exposures during development contributes to the development of lung disease throughout the lifespan. A wide variety of adverse environmental exposures during prenatal and early postnatal development cause developmental programming of the lung. One well-studied exposure linked to the developmental programming of lung disease is maternal tobacco smoke and isolated nicotine. Maternal tobacco use contributes to programming of the fetal lung directly and via effects on the placenta. Mechanistically, epigenetic effects contribute to the programming of lung disease. Epigenetic mechanisms include DNA methylation, histone protein modifications, and noncoding RNAs. Studies support an association between perinatal insults and epigenetic modifications. As research directives address the programming of lung disease in human studies and in animal models, the goal is to develop targeted interventions that may be applied during vulnerable developmental windows, thus diverting the development of lung disease, and alleviate the associated global health burdens.
Pulmonary hypertension: Clinical parameters of a difficult case in pregnancy

Treatment of pulmonary hypertension in pregnancy with a prostacyclin analogue-iloprost and/or calcium channel antagonists appears to improve outcomes and survival. These medications could have been...
Política, policía y violencia: La regulación del Narcotráfico en el Cono Sur:

Despite being a transnational organized crime, drug trafficking has a local impact in terms of security and violence, which is typically managed by non-national state actors. This paper proposes that, given their juridical and material constraints, subnational state agencies, primarily police forces, regulate drug trafficking through a combination of toleration, repression and rent extraction. I also argue that greater coordination within law enforcement agencies at the subnational level leads to lower drug-related violence at the retail dealing level. I illustrate this argument with a subnational comparison of four cases in Argentina and Brazil during the last two decades.
Genetic patterns of dispersal and colonization during initial invasion and spread of an invasive grass, Brachypodium sylvaticum

While it is generally recognized that non-contiguous (long-distance) dispersal of small numbers of individuals is important for range expansion over large geographic areas, it is often assumed that colonization on more local scales proceeds by population expansion and diffusion dispersal (larger numbers of individuals colonizing adjacent sites). There are few empirical studies of dispersal modes at the front of expanding ranges, and very little information is available on dispersal dynamics at smaller geographic scales where I expect contiguous (diffusion) dispersal to be prevalent. I used highly polymorphic genetic markers to characterize dispersal modes at a local geographic scale for populations at the edge of the range of a newlyinvasive grass species (Brachypodium sylvaticum) that is undergoing rapid range expansion in the Pacific Northwest of North America. Comparisons of Bayesian clustering of populations, patterns of genetic diversity, and gametic disequilibrium indicate that new populations are colonized ahead of the invasion front by noncontiguous dispersal from source populations, with admixture occurring as populations age. This pattern of non-contiguous colonization was maintained even at a local scale. Absence of evidence for dispersal among adjacent pioneer sites at the edge of the expanding range of this species suggests that pioneer populations undergo an establishment phase during which they do not contribute emigrants for colonization of neighboring sites. My data indicate that dispersal modes change as the invasion 35 matures: initial colonization processes appear to be dominated by non-contiguous dispersal from only a few sources, while contiguous dispersal may play a greater role once populations become established.
APPROACHES TO THE TREATMENT OF SEASONAL ALLERGIC RHINITIS

Between 15 and 30 million Americans have allergic rhinitis. Costs of diminished job and school performance extend beyond the financial burden of treatment, taking their toll in worker productivity and school absences. Therapeutic approaches include allergen avoidance, pharmaceuticals, and allergy immunotherapy. Among the pharmaceutical agents, decongestants, anti-inflammatory drugs, and antihistamines relieve allergic rhinitis symptoms. Often, decongestants are prescribed along with antihistamines to provide maximum relief. Anti-inflammatory agents such as cromolyn sodium and topical corticosteroids are efficacious despite their delayed effect. However, allergic rhinitis is most frequently treated with antihistamines. Today's antihistamines have minimal sedative effects and cholinergic actions, are safe to use, and do not impair performance.
Computational Aspects in Supramolecular Chemistry: Chiral Discrimination in Chromatography

The supramolecular assemblies that form during chiral chromatographic resolution of enantiomers are diastereomeric. A variety of computational approaches are used to discern where and how chiral discrimination takes place on increasingly more complex chiral stationary phases (CSPs) beginning with simple brush-like CSPs, and continuing to macrocyclic cyclodextrins and chiral polymers like cellulose triacetate. In all cases computational chemistry provides detailed atomic level information not amenable to experimentation.
Evolving Models of the Social Knower

Fritz Heider, like Dewey, Kelly, and Piaget, had advanced the enlightenment competence model (Flanagan, 1991) of social thinkers as naive scientists. He posited that, like formal scientists, they seek to identify causes of events so as to attain prediction and control over them: Attributions are the causal explanations made (Chapter 2). Heider also posited that attributions are partitioned between the person and the situation by implicit subtraction; if personal forces exceed environmental ones, a personal attribution is made. For a time, interpersonal attributions dominated research in social cognition (Kelley & Michela, 1980); as evidenced in subsequent chapters (e.g., 11 and 12), they continue to be investigated and reinterpreted. Heider’s theory has been very generative, but only some of its speculations have survived verification, and its naive scientist model has proved to be only part of the story. This section covers theories of interpersonal attributions proposed by Edward E. (Ned) Jones and Harold Kelley, landmark experiments testing them, and early questioning of the adequacy of this theoretical model and methodological approach.1
A Brief History of US–Africa Relations: To 1990

This chapter hones in on the key focus of the book: the relationship between the United States and Africa, and begins its examination by considering a brief history of the relationship. It traces the unhappy history to the Olmecs and their rumored Afro-originating civilization, to the more, and better-known slave trade, that surprisingly only took 6% of the estimated 10 million Africans captured as slaves to North America. It traces the US exclusion of African migrants from the United States for most of the twentieth century, while examining the gradual recognition by the United States of post-colonial Africa as both a place to expand its influence, but also to constrain Soviet expansion during the Cold War. By 1958, the US Bureau of Africa is formed, to coordinate responses to African independence, but as will be evident, through the Cold War, apartheid and other issues, the United States appeared to have little in the way of strategy for Africa, the missed opportunity and the problematization of US–Africa relations.
Psychological distress in patients with moderate to severe chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD).

e22137Background: cGVHD is the leading causing of morbidity and mortality in allogeneic stem cell transplant survivors. However, studies assessing psychological distress in patients with cGVHD and ...
Impact of Therapeutic Interventions on Pain Intensity and Endogenous Pain Modulation in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To study the impact of therapeutic interventions on pain analgesia and endogenous pain modulation in knee osteoarthritis (KOA). DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS We searched for KOA randomized clinical trials and observational studies with data on therapeutic interventions comparing pain intensity, temporal summation (TS), and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) scores relative to control. These data were pooled as Hedge's g. To study the relationship between pain intensity and TS/CPM, we performed metaregression with 10,000 Monte-Carlo permutations. RESULTS We reviewed 11 studies (559 participants). On studying all the interventions together, we found no significant changes in pain modulation, TS, or CPM. Our findings show that this lack of difference is likely because surgical and nonsurgical interventions resulted in contrary effects. Metaregression significantly correlated pain reduction with normalization of TS and CPM. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate an association between pain reduction and TS/CPM normalization. Though we cannot directly compare these interventions, the results allow us to draw hypotheses on potential practice schemas. Recovering defective endogenous pain modulation mechanisms may help establish long-term analgesia. However, to validate these paradigms as robust clinical biomarkers, further investigation into their mechanisms would be necessary. The registration number for this review is CRD42017072066.
Age‐specific distributed lag models for heat ‐ related mortality

Distributed lag (DL) models have been consistently used throughout the years to assess the cumulative impact of multiple days of high heat on public health. DL models, however, are often used on an aggregate level (e.g., city or census tracts) in spite of the fact that the effect of heat on health is individual specific, leading to possible ecological fallacies. To capture more individualized effects of heat on health, we propose a negative binomial regression model where the effect of lagged temperatures is age specific. Utilizing principles of predictive process models, we place appropriate smoothness and decay constraints on the associated DL surfaces. Furthermore, we borrow strength across ages to facilitate the estimation of the age‐specific DL function. Using death certificate data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, we show how different ages are impacted by consecutive days of high heat.
Work Conditions and Health and Well-Being of Latina Hotel Housekeepers

Hotel housekeepers are exposed to a plethora of disproportionately high work-induced hazards that can lead to adverse health consequences. Latina hotel housekeepers are rendered particularly vulnerable to elevated occupational hazards and resultant health strains due to their socioeconomic status, immigration status, language barriers, and lack of access to healthcare services. The findings from the 27 interviews with Latina hotel housekeepers indicated that the interviewees were exposed to physical, chemical, and social hazards in the workplace and suffered musculoskeletal injuries. In terms of psychological wellness, the time pressure of cleaning rooms quickly and work-related stress stemming from workplace mistreatment emerged as major work-related stressors. Recommendations are made for the introduction of multilevel interventions designed to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses and to promote healthier workplaces.
General Educators' Perceptions and Attributions About Asian American Students: Implications for Special Education Referral

This qualitative study investigated five elementary classroom teachers' perceptions of, and attributions about the school performance of Asian American students. Using naturalistic inquiry, data we...
Environmental Covariate Representation of Seasonal U.S. Tornado Frequency

AbstractThe significant tornado parameter is a widely used meteorological composite index that combines several variables known to favor tornadic supercell thunderstorms. This research examines the...
Abstract 4563: Profiling the tumor immune microenvironment of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell NSCLC

The emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors has changed the treatment paradigm for NSCLC. Recently, immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy was shown to be a promising first-line treatment strategy for patients with squamous cell lung cancer, where targeted therapy has had little efficacy due to the pathological driver mutations for this disease being poorly understood. However, for both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell NSCLC, use of such immune checkpoint inhibitors has shown to improve the outcome for only a subset of patients with advanced or metastatic disease. Understanding the diversity in the tumor immune microenvironment will be critical to not only advance immune oncology research but to also determine potential clinical distinctions that dictate therapeutic response. Here, we take a multifaceted approach to compare the tumor immune microenvironments of over 50 patients diagnosed with either adenocarcinoma or squamous cell NSCLC. To this end, we performed a comprehensive multicolor flow cytometry analysis to compare tumor immune infiltrates and expression of suppressive markers to adjacent normal lung tissue as well as peripheral blood immune cells from the same patient. This analysis showed differences in the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell, CD19+ B cell, NK cell, and CD14+/CD16+ myeloid cell populations between the tumor and matched tissue and blood. These immune profiles were then compared between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma subtypes as well as early versus late stage disease. We then integrated these findings with multiplexed immunofluorescence analysis on a panel of immune cell markers. Finally, 10x genomics single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) data were used to analyze single-cell transcriptomes from both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell lung tumors. Our result showed great heterogeneity of immune infiltrates across different patient samples, including different subtypes and different disease stages. This detailed comparative analysis will help us further understand the involvement of tumor infiltrating immune cells for different subtypes of lung cancer. Citation Format: Kayla Harmeyer, Jiehui Deng, Suhagi Shah, Ece Bagdatlioglu, Aarif Ahsan, Christopher Reid, Aatish Thennavan, Charles Perou, Kwok-Kin Wong, Harvey Pass. Profiling the tumor immune microenvironment of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell NSCLC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4563.
Innovative Utilization of the Discrimination Model for Career-focused Counselling Supervision

Career-focused counselling supervision provides a venue in which elements of effective service delivery can be enhanced. Within career development services, Hoppin and Goodman (Clinical supervision of career development practitioners: Practical strategies National Career Development Association, Broken Arrow, OK, 2014) outlined the application of clinical supervision to career services professionals. Established approaches to clinical supervision such as the discrimination model (Bernard & Goodyear, in Counsellor Education and Supervision. 19:60–68, 1979, 1997) in which a career practitioner is assessed in three skills areas of intervention, conceptualization, and personalization (i.e. adapting his or her own personal style to counselling while being aware of personal issues). The supervisor shifts between the roles of consultant, counsellor, and teacher based on the development needs of the practitioner. This chapter contains information on the connection between career and mental health concerns as well as the manner in which supervision of career-focused counselling and more specifically the discrimination model can enhance career service delivery. Specific strategies grounded in this approach and a case study outlining its application are provided.
Troll Factories: Manufacturing Specialized Disinformation on Twitter

We document methods employed by Russia’s Internet Research Agency to influence the political agenda of the United States from September 9, 2009 to June 21, 2018. We qualitatively and quantitatively...
A Survey on Machine Learning Based Detection on DDoS Attacks for IoT Systems

Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the way we live today, improving the quality of living standard and growing the world economy by having smart devices around us making decisions and performing our daily tasks and chores. However, securing the IoT system from malicious attacks is a very challenging task. Some of the most common malicious attacks are Denial of service (DoS), and Distributed Denial of service (DDoS) attacks, which have been causing major security threats to all networks and specifically to limited resource IoT devices. As security will always be a primary factor for enabling most IoT applications, developing a comprehensive detection method that effectively defends against DDoS attacks and can provide 100% detection for DDoS attacks in IoT is a primary goal for the future of IoT. The development of such a method requires a deep understanding of the methods that have been used thus far in the detection of DDoS attacks in the IoT environment. In our survey, we try to emphasize some of the most recent Machine Learning (ML) approaches developed for the detection of DDoS attacks in IoT networks along with their advantage and disadvantages. Comparison between the performances of selected approaches is also provided.
Synthesis, properties and potential applications of hydrogenated graphene

Abstract Graphene-based materials have attracted considerable attentions due to their unique properties. However, the negligible and uncontrollable band gap of graphene greatly limits its further applications. Hydrogenation is a facile and well-studied chemical modification technique to widen the band gap of graphene with a high tunability. Herein, we reveal the structure, properties, and forming mechanism of hydrogenated graphene, summarize recent advances in its synthesis and engineering in terms of plasma hydrogenation, thermal cracking, Birch reduction, and electrochemical reduction, and discuss its potential applications in hydrogen storage, electronics, biomedicines, etc. In the last part, we further outline the challenges and future research directions for highly efficient graphene hydrogenation.
A Call for a New Paradigm for Diabetes Care in the Era of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors (SGLT2i).

In 2013, canagliflozin was the first sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Today, there are four SGLT2i approved for T2DM, and some SGLT2i have been approved for indications beyond glucose control. For example, SGLT2i reduce major adverse clinical events (MACE) including nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and cardiovascular death (canagliflozin); cardiovascular death (empagliflozin, dapagliflozin); diabetic kidney disease progression (canagliflozin); and heart failure hospitalization (canagliflozin, dapagliflozin). However, despite the potential benefits of SGLT2i in reducing adverse clinical events, providers underprescribe SGLT2i for eligible patients. Thus, we propose the CKD-PCP framework which allows multiple providers to utilize the benefits of SGLT2i. CKD-PCP has dual meaning: it applies to providers who most often care for patients with T2DM (Cardiologists, Kidney specialists, Diabetologists, and Primary Care Physicians) and it refers to the benefits of SGLT2i (treatment of Cardiovascular disease, Kidney disease, Diabetes, and reduction of blood Pressure, Calories, and Plasma volume). This article is based on previously conducted studies and the authors disclose their roles in relevant trials in the Acknowledgements.
Language, culture, and education: Challenges of diversity in the United States, edited by Elizabeth Ijalba and Patricia Velasco: and Catherine J. Crowley, New York, University of Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2019, 334 pp., $102.04 (hardcover); $66.49 (eBook), ISBN 978-1-107-08187-1

Language, Culture, and Education: Challenges of Diversity in the United States, by Elizabeth Ijalba, Patricia Velasco, and Catherine J. Crowley, provides an overview of the historical and current s...
Minimum wages in monopsonistic labor markets

Over the last 30 years, researchers have disputed the mixed evidence of the effect of the minimum wage on teenage employment in the United States. Whenever the minimum wage has positive or no effects on employment, they appeal to monopsony models to explain their results. However, very few of these studies have empirically tested whether their results are due to monopsonistic characteristics in the labor markets. In this article, I estimate the effects of the minimum wage for the United States under concentrated labor markets and low-mobility jobs (two variables that measure monopsony), identify heterogeneous effects among different scenarios derived from the monopsony model, and provide a plausible explanation of the mixed results about the minimum wage effects in the literature. My main findings indicate that minimum wages have an elasticity to teenage employment of −0.418 under perfect competition, which is, as expected, much higher than the usual results in the literature. If the monopsony variable is one standard deviation higher than the baseline, it implies a positive change in elasticity of 0.05. The minimum wage has a positive insignificant effect between 0.04 and 0.29 under full monopsonistic labor markets. The results are consistent among different specifications and in controlling for possible external shocks and omitted variables.
Climate Change and the Risk of Desertification with a Focus in the United States

The rapidly intensifying climate change is an impending threat to mankind. Rising temperatures over the past century have resulted in more frequent and intense droughts and increased dust activity. North Africa is major hub of dust generation followed by central Asia and China. The source of dust is not only the local droughts, but it is also transported over long distances. Dust can significantly impact health of exposed population. While PM10 is inhalable, PM2.5 can penetrate the epithelium and sit in the tissues and PM1.0 can enter systemic circulation translocating to different organs. Dust exposure has been implicated in increased incidence and exacerbation of cardiopulmonary conditions including, pneumonia, pro-thrombotic state, and myocardial ischemia. Chronic exposure is associated with condition including silicosis, asthma, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and arsenic toxicity. Dust exposure is also associated with spikes in endemic infections including valley fever in the United States, meningitis in North Africa, and tuberculosis in India. African dust activity has been observed to accelerate algal blooms on the southeast coast of the United States, causing harm to marine and human life. In summary, the health effects of dust are far and wide in time and distance and significantly affect the health of exposed population.
Power in the U.S. political economy: A network analysis

Abstract Many features of the U.S. political economy arise from the interactions between large political and economic institutions, and yet we know little about the nature of their interactions and...
Leukemic Variant of Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Clinical Presentation and Management

This review summarizes the unique presentation and management of the leukemic variant of mantle cell lymphoma (LV-MCL, also referred to as non-nodal MCL) and highlights the biologic and clinical differentiation from classical mantle cell lymphoma (cMCL) in biomarker expression, clinical features, prognosis, disease course, and treatment. Several studies have evaluated the gene expression profile of mantle cell lymphoma, differentiating LV-MCL from cMCL. The typical immunophenotypic profile is CD5-positive, SOX 11-negative, CD23-low, CD200-low, and cyclin D1 overexpressed. LV-MCL commonly has mutated immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region genes. Data on treatment of LV-MCL is limited to retrospective analyses; the ideal treatment for these patients is unknown although many have a clinically indolent, asymptomatic presentation and often may be observed for an extended period without active treatment. LV-MCL is a clinically and biologically distinct entity. Clinically, it must be distinguished from chronic lymphocytic leukemia and cMCL. Future prospective, randomized clinical trials are required to optimize management, define the initial treatment, and appropriately sequence treatment modalities.
Convergence of recurrent networks as contraction mappings

Three theorems are presented which establish an upper bound on the magnitude of the weights which guarantees convergence of the network to a stable unique fixed point. It is shown that the bound on the weights is inversely proportional to the product of the number of neurons in the network and the maximum slope of the neuron activation functions. The location of its fixed point is determined by the network architecture, weights, and the external input values. The proofs are constructive, consisting of representing the network as a contraction mapping and then applying the contraction mapping theorem from point set topology. The resulting sufficient conditions for network stability are shown to be general enough to allow the network to have nontrivial fixed points. >
Short-term egg yolk feeding in humans: Increase in apolipoprotein B and low density lipoprotein cholesterol☆

In animal studies, hypercholesterolemia induced by cholesterol feeding results in the plasma cholesterol being transported by lipoproteins of lower densities. Little information is available for humans. To determine the specific lipoprotein responses to dietary cholesterol challenge in humans, four volunteer subjects ingested a liquid formula diet containing 5000 mg of egg yolk cholesterol per day for 30 days and the changes in their lipoprotein fractions were examined. The high dietary cholesterol (above the range of normal diet) was associated with marked increases in apolipoprotein B and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. An elevated cholesterol : triglyceride ratio in the LDL fraction indicated that the diet altered both LDL level and composition. High density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein AI increased slightly. Very low and intermediate density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein E levels did not increase during the diet. Thus, high dietary cholesterol was associated with major changes in LDL level and composition, but only minor changes in the other lipoprotein fractions and suggested only minor accumulation of remnant particles.
Coordinated Observations with Pulsar Timing Arrays and ISS-Lobster

Supermassive black hole binaries are the strongest gravitational wave sources in the universe. The systems most likely to be observed with pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) will have particularly high masses ($\gtrsim 10^9 M_\odot$), long periods ($T_{\rm orb} \gtrsim 1$ yr), and be in the local universe ($z \lesssim 1$). These features are also the most favorable for bright electromagnetic counterparts, which should be easily observable with existing ground- and space-based telescopes. Wide-field X-ray observatories such as ISS-Lobster will provide independent candidates that can be used to lower the threshold for PTA detections of resolvable binary sources. The primary challenge lies in correctly identifying and characterizing binary sources with long orbital periods, as opposed to "normal" active galactic nuclei (AGN) hosting single black holes. Here too ISS-Lobster will provide valuable new understanding into the wide range of behaviors seen in AGN by vastly expanding our sample of X-ray light curves from accreting supermassive black holes.
Policy-Making in the United States Bankruptcy Courts

This paper describes a model of US bankruptcy policymaking based on the agenda setting literature and interbranch studies of the role of federal courts in policy development. Bankruptcy policy is made in three distinct venues: Congress; a bankruptcy policy community made up of lawyers, judges, and scholars; and the courts. Scope of conflict principles determine the venue where particular policies are made. Courts acting in individual cases set policy at the lowest level of conflict. Broader conflicts arise when existing policies are deemed inadequate to meet contemporary events. Congress ordinarily turns to the bankruptcy policy community to formulate new laws, which it adopts with little controversy. These policies are historically based on principles of debt forgiveness known as the fresh start. Interests outside of the community can successfully see different policies enacted by expanding the scope of conflict to provoke Congress’ direct involvement. They do so in part by asserting new policy images. Successful advocates for bankruptcy reforms enacted in 2005 found support in Congress by basing their appeals on principles of debtor responsibility. The model suggests that the differing policy images increase the likelihood that the new policies will not be faithfully implemented. The paper concludes with a proposal for testing that hypothesis.
Concepts of Object-Oriented Programming with Visual Basic

Preface. The basics of object-oriented programming. Handling object errors. Turing machines - a simple object-oriented application. OLE automation objects.
Origin of Obligation: Genesis 2:4b-3:24

This paper analyzes the Eden narrative (Genesis 2:4b-3:24) as a philosophical account of the origins and extent of political obligation and the consequences of its breach. The strong (but not unlimited) form of obligation identified in the text would have been congenial to the interests of the leaders under whose auspices the narrative appears to have been compiled and preserved.
Air quality in the assisted reproduction laboratory: a mini-review

Quality of air in the clinical embryology laboratory is considered critical for high in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates, yet evidence for best practices is lacking. Predominantly anecdotal reports on relationships between air quality and IVF success rates have resulted in minimal authentic clinical laboratory guidelines or in recommendations that are based on industrial cleanroom particulate standards with little attention to chemical air filtration. As a result, a nascent industry of costly, specialized air handling equipment for IVF laboratories has emerged to provide air quality solutions that have not been clearly assessed or verified. Clinics are embracing such technology because their embryology laboratories have become epicenters of assisted reproductive technology as the practice of IVF has moved to blastocyst transfers and utilization of trophectoderm biopsy for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). Thus, a laboratory’s ability to culture, biopsy, and freeze blastocysts is a rate-limiting step that depends on technical proficiency and a supportive and stable culture environment based on a foundation of high-quality ambient air. This review aims to describe how evidence for the importance of air quality, in particular the role of volatile organic compounds (VOC), has resulted in an evolution of clinical practice that has arguably contributed to improved outcomes.
Exploratory Applications of the Organismic—Developmental Approach to Transactions of Men-in-Environments

A variety of techniques issuing from the organismic-developmental approach to transactions of men-in-environments are described and critically evaluated in this paper. The major paradigm characterizing all of the studies deals with entrance and adaptation to new environments. The single-frame analysis is illustrated by several studies with subjects varying in age and race, and with environments ranging in scale from a room to a large institutional setting. The frame-sequence analysis is illustrated by two cases of temporary migrants to a new country in two environmental settings. Group debriefing is illustrated by a constructed case history of a brief professional task-oriented migration. From one technique to the next, the boundaries between subject and experimenter are progressively blurred. The roles of subjects range from being passive respondents to participants and finally to participant-experimenters. The role of investigators range from preparing the instruments for “others to use” to cooperating with participants in determining the character and significance of the transactional experience.
Spatial and temporal variations in bed load transport intensity in a gravel bed river bend

[1] Variability in bed load sediment transport is investigated for a bend of the Colorado River in Rocky Mountain National Park. Data from 190 bed load samples taken at 50 to 125% bankfull flow at a large number of locations throughout the reach indicate that the fine and coarse fractions of the load are differentially routed, such that fine grains are swept inward over the point bar, while coarse grains are routed outward toward the pool. At bankfull flow, all size fractions of the available sediment are transported throughout the bend, but the median grain size of the bed load increases with distance toward the outer bank. This differential routing decreases slightly with increasing discharge beyond bankfull, as indicated by a shift in the locus of coarse particle transport from the outside of the bend inward to the channel center. Furthermore, while fine sediments are fully mobile throughout the bend, partial mobility of the coarse fractions of the load transitions to full mobility toward the bend's outer region. These patterns are flow dependent; with increasing discharge the distribution of excess Shields stress becomes more uniform, resulting in reduced variability in bed load transport rates across the channel. These variations in transport intensity lead to a volumetric balance of transported sediment between the inner and outer regions of the channel, which thereby promotes the geomorphic stability of the bend.
Rethinking Democratic Governance: State Building, Autonomy, and Accountability in Correa’s Ecuador

This paper argues that rather than theorize state building and democracy separately, we should direct our attention to studying the dual construction of democratic states. To do so, we must understand the contradictory relationship between the concentration of power needed to build state institutions and the constraints on this power dictated by the norms of liberal democracy. I present an outline for studying state building and democratic governance and illustrate my argument with a study of Ecuador. I argue that stable democracy must rest on three pillars: effective state institutions, the autonomy of these institutions from other powerful actors, and the existence of meaningful institutions of accountability. The challenge is that efforts to strengthen one or more of these pillars are likely to undermine the others. I argue that Ecuador, particularly under the Correa administration, has experienced substantial achievements in the area of institution building, has a mixed record with regards to autonomy, and offers little in the way of accountability.
Systemic administration of simvastatin after the onset of experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage attenuates cerebral vasospasm.

OBJECTIVE: Experimental evidence suggests that intercellular adhesion molecule-1 mediated leukocyte extravasation contributes to the pathogenesis of cerebral vasospasm. Simvastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, decreases intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression and competitively inhibits leukocyte intercellular adhesion molecule-1 binding. We hypothesized that administration of simvastatin after the onset of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) would attenuate perivascular granulocyte migration and ameliorate cerebral vasospasm in a rabbit model of SAH. METHODS: New Zealand white rabbits (n = 15) underwent injection of autologous blood into the cisterna magna or sham surgery followed by subcutaneous injection of simvastatin (40 mg/kg) or vehicle 30 minutes, 24 hours, and 48 hours after SAH or sham surgery. Seventy-two hours later, basilar artery lumen diameter was measured by in situ perfusion/fixation and image analysis. CD-18 monoclonal antibody stained perivascular granulocytes and macrophages were counted under light microscopy. RESULTS: In vehicle treated rabbits, mean +/- standard deviation basilar artery diameter was reduced 3 days after SAH (n = 5) versus sham (n = 5) rabbits (0.49 +/- 0.08 mm versus 0.75 +/- 0.03 mm, P < 0.01). After SAH, mean +/- standard deviation basilar artery diameter was greater in simvastatin (n = 5) treated rabbits versus vehicle (n = 5) (0.63 +/- 0.04 mm versus 0.49 +/- 0.08 mm, P < 0.01). In vehicle treated rabbits, SAH resulted in an increase in the mean +/- standard deviation perivascular CD18 cell count (sham-vehicle, 2.8 +/- 2; SAH-vehicle 90 +/- 27; P < 0.01). Subcutaneous administration of simvastatin attenuated this increase in perivascular CD18-positive cells after SAH (SAH statin, 41.6 +/- 13; SAH vehicle, 90 +/- 27; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous administration of simvastatin after the onset of SAH attenuates perivascular granulocyte migration and ameliorates basilar artery vasospasm after experimental SAH in rabbits. 5-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, such as simvastatin, may potentially serve as agents in the prevention of cerebral vasospasm after SAH.
Aortoesophageal Fistula and Coarctation of the Aorta in a 15-Year-Old Child

Delayed presentation of coarctation of the aorta can be associated with severe complications. A challenging case of aortoenteric fistula secondary to an aneurysm from coartation of the aorta presented with massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The clinical management of this patient and a review of the literature are presented.
Erosion of community diversity and stability by herbivore removal under warming

Climate change has the potential to influence the persistence of ecological communities by altering their stability properties. One of the major drivers of community stability is species diversity, which is itself expected to be altered by climate change in many systems. The extent to which climatic effects on community stability may be buffered by the influence of species interactions on diversity is, however, poorly understood because of a paucity of studies incorporating interactions between abiotic and biotic factors. Here, I report results of a 10-year field experiment, the past 7 years of which have focused on effects of ongoing warming and herbivore removal on diversity and stability within the plant community, where competitive species interactions are mediated by exploitation through herbivory. Across the entire plant community, stability increased with diversity, but both stability and diversity were reduced by herbivore removal, warming and their interaction. Within the most species-rich functional group in the community, forbs, warming reduced species diversity, and both warming and herbivore removal reduced the strength of the relationship between diversity and stability. Species interactions, such as exploitation, may thus buffer communities against destabilizing influences of climate change, and intact populations of large herbivores, in particular, may prove important in maintaining and promoting plant community diversity and stability in a changing climate.
Perinatal exposure to cannabichromene and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol: Separate and combined effects on viability of pups and on male reproductive system at maturity

Abstract The effects of cannabichromene (CBC), Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol ( Δ 9 -THC) and their combination (all doses 50 mg/kg orally) were determined after being administered to female mice for 7 days beginning on the 20th day of gestation. The THC treatment reduced postnatal viability, impaired male reproductive behavior at maturity and significantly reduced seminal vesicle weights. No changes from control values occurred after CBC or CBC + THC. Thus, CBC alone at this dosage did not act like THC; moreover, it antagonized the effects of THC when the two were given in combination.
Dissociation and reassociation of rabbit skeletal muscle myosin.

Summary Whereas dissociation of rabbit skeletal muscle myosin light chains occurs at an increased temperature (25°) and in the obsence of divalent cations, reassociation of the myosin oligomer requires a low temperature (4°C) and the presence of divalent cations, thus resulting in the original light to heavy chain stoichiometry. With a 5–10 per cent release of alkali light chains, LC1 and LC3, and a 50 per cent dissociation of the Ca2+ binding light chain, LC2, there is no significant decrease in myosin ATPase activity irrespective of the cation activator, however, there is an approximate 15–20 per cent decrease in actomyosin ATPase activity. With reassociation of the myosin oligomer, actomyosin ATPase activity is partially restored as well as the original number of Ca2+ binding sites.
Regulation of Amphetamine-stimulated Dopamine Efflux by Protein Kinase C β

Evidence suggests that protein kinase C (PKC) and intracellular calcium are important for amphetamine-stimulated outward transport of dopamine in rat striatum. In this study, we examined the effect of select PKC isoforms on amphetamine-stimulated dopamine efflux, focusing on Ca2+-dependent forms of PKC. Efflux of endogenous dopamine was measured in superfused rat striatal slices; dopamine was measured by high performance liquid chromatography. The non-selective classical PKC inhibitor Go6976 inhibited amphetamine-stimulated dopamine efflux, whereas rottlerin, a specific inhibitor of PKCδ, had no effect. A highly specific PKCβ inhibitor, LY379196, blocked dopamine efflux that was stimulated by either amphetamine or the PKC activator, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. None of the PKC inhibitors significantly altered [3H]dopamine uptake. PKCβI and PKCβII, but not PKCα or PKCγ, were co-immunoprecipitated from rat striatal membranes with the dopamine transporter (DAT). Conversely, antisera to PKCβI and PKCβII but not PKCα or PKCγ were able to co-immunoprecipitate DAT. Amphetamine-stimulated dopamine efflux was significantly enhanced in hDAT-HEK 293 cells transfected with PKCβII as compared with hDAT-HEK 293 cells alone, or hDAT-HEK 293 cells transfected with PKCα or PKCβI. These results suggest that classical PKCβII is physically associated with DAT and is important in maintaining the amphetamine-stimulated outward transport of dopamine in rat striatum.
A Detailed Analysis of Film Cooling Physics: Part III — Streamwise Injection With Shaped Holes

The physics of the film cooling process for shaped, streamwise-injected, inclined jets is studied for blowing ratio (M = 1.25, 1.88), density ratio (DR = 1.6), and length-to-diameter ratio (L/D = 4) parameters typical of gas turbine operations. A previously documented computational methodology is applied for the study of five distinct film cooling configurations: (1) cylindrical film hole (reference case); (2) forward-diffused film hole; (3) laterally diffused film hole; (4) inlet shaped film hole, and (5) cusp-shaped film hole. The effect of various film hole geometries on both flow and thermal field characteristics is isolated, and the dominant mechanisms responsible for differences in these characteristics are documented. Special consideration is given to explaining crucial flow mechanisms from a vorticity point of view. It is found that vorticity analysis of the flow exiting the film hole can aid substantially in explaining the flow behavior downstream of the film hole. Results indicate that changes in the film hole shape can significantly alter the distribution of the exit-plane variables, therefore strongly affecting the downstream behavior of the film. Computational solutions of the steady, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are obtained using an unstructured/adaptive, fully implicit, pressure-correction solver. Turbulence closure is obtained via the high-Reynolds-number {kappa}-{epsilon}more » model with generalized wall functions. Detailed field results as well as surface phenomena involving adiabatic film effectiveness {eta} and heat transfer coefficient (h) are presented. When possible, computational results are validated against corresponding experimental cases from data found in the open literature. Detailed comparisons are made between surface and field results of the film hole shapes investigated in this work; design criteria for optimizing downstream heat transfer characteristics are then suggested.« less
Some Considerations Relevant to Computing Average Hemispheric Temperature Anomalies

Abstract Three data bases of gridded surface temperature anomalies were used to assess the sensitivity of the average estimated Northern Hemisphere (NH) temperature anomaly to: 1) extreme gridpoint values and 2) zonal band contributions. Over the last 100 year, removal of either the top or bottom 10% of the gridpoint anomalies in any year changes the estimated NH average anomaly by 0.1−0.2°C. Excising extensive zonal bands also produces root-mean-square changes in the estimated NH anomaly of approximately 0.1°C. The estimated NH average anomaly appears to be robust to such perturbations.