cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trauma Care in War and Peace: The Army/AAST Synergism: 1992 Fitts Lecture,

Abstract : WILLIAm T. FITTS, JR., MD, who is memorialized by this lecture, became a citizen soldier in 1942 when he was assigned to the newly organized 20th General Hospital. In preparation for field duty, Dr. Fitts trained with other hospital personnel at Fort Polk, Louisiana, before moving to the China- Burma-India Theater (Fig. 1). The hospital, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania and commanded by Dr. Isidore Ravdin, was established at Margherita near Lido close to the Burmese border in northeast India. The hospital first received patients on April 27, 1943 and expanded progressively until, by June 1944, it operated 2000 beds to accommodate the American and Chinese casualties from the second Burma campaign. The experience that Dr. Fitts gained while on active duty provided him with an expertise in fracture management which he maintained when he returned to the Department of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, and formed the basis of his authorship of the fractures and dislocations chapters in Surgery, Principles and Practice by Harkins, Moyer, Rhoads, and allen, a standard surgical text of the 1950s and early 1960s.
Maternal Influences on Smoking Initiation Among Urban Adolescent Girls

This study examined associations between maternal social influences to smoke and girls' early smoking behaviors. Data were collected separately from 450 urban minority girls (65.7% Black, 21.5% Latina, and 12.8% other) and their mothers on smoking frequency as well as demographic and social factors hypothesized to promote smoking. Results showed perception of mothers' smoking to be associated with girls' early smoking behaviors, whereas mothers' report of their smoking status was not. Interactions were found between ethnicity and perception of mothers' smoking, with Black girls more influenced by their perceptions of mothers' smoking status and by mothers' expectations of adult smoking than Latinas. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for preventive efforts and recommendations for future studies with urban populations.
Comparable Pouch Retention Rate Between Pediatric and Adult Patients After Restorative Proctocolectomy and Ileal Pouches

Background & Aims We compared long-term outcomes between adult and pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who underwent restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. Methods We performed a retrospective study that analyzed data from consecutive patients with ileal pouches who presented to the subspecialty Pouch Center at the Cleveland Clinic from 2002–2011. Pouch outcomes of 104 pediatric patients (having pouch surgery at age Results Pediatric patients had a shorter duration from time of IBD diagnosis to colectomy than adult patients. Fewer pediatric than adult patients had a history of smoking, concomitant extraintestinal manifestations, or dysplasia as the indication for colectomy. However, pediatric patients had higher rates of pouch procedure-related complications, postoperative pouch-associated hospitalization, and postoperative use of anti–tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents. In multivariate analysis, risk factors for pouch failure included preoperative use of anti-TNF agents (hazard ratio [HR], 1.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05–3.13; P = .032), postoperative use of anti-TNF agents (HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.31–3.27; P = .002), Crohn's disease of the pouch (HR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.28–3.82; P = .005), pouch procedure-related complications (HR, 2.68; 95% CI, 1.55–4.64; P Conclusions On the basis of an analysis of patients with IBD who underwent restorative proctocolectomy and presented at a subspecialized Pouch Center, patients who had the surgery at a pediatric age tend to have a higher incidence of postoperative pouch complications than adults. However, long-term rates of pouch retention were comparable.
Evidence for (Mac1p)2·DNA Ternary Complex Formation in Mac1p-dependent Transactivation at theCTR1 Promoter

The Mac1 protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is required for the expression CTR1 andFRE1, which, respectively, encode the copper permease and metal reductase that participate in copper uptake. Mac1p binds to a core GCTC sequence present as a repeated unit in the promoters of both genes. We show here that Mac1p DNA binding required an intact N-terminal protein domain that includes a likely zinc finger motif. This binding was enhanced by the presence of a TATTT sequence immediately 5′ to the core GCTC, in contrast to a TTTTT one. This increased binding was demonstrated clearly in vitro in electrophoretic mobility shift assays that showed Mac1p·DNA complex formation to a single TATTTGCTC element but not to a TTTTTGCTC one. Furthermore, the fraction of Mac1p in a ternary (Mac1p)2·DNA complex in comparison to a binary Mac1p·DNA complex increased when the DNA included two TATTTGCTC elements. A similar increase in ternary complex formation was demonstrated upon homologous mutation of the FRE1Mac1p-dependent promoter element. The in vivoimportance of this ternary complex formation at the CTR1promoter was indicated by the stronger trans-activity of this promoter mutated to contain two TATTT elements and the attenuated activity of a mutant promoter containing two TTTTT elements that in vitrosupported only a weak ternary complex signal in the shift assay. The stronger binding to TATTT appeared due to a more favorable protein contact with adenine in comparison to thymine at this position. An in vivo two-hybrid analysis demonstrated a Mac1p-Mac1p protein-protein interaction. This Mac1p-Mac1p interaction may promote (Mac1p)2·DNA ternary complex formation at Mac1p-responsive upstream activating sequences.
A theory of independent fuzzy probability for system reliability

Fuzzy fault trees provide a powerful and computationally efficient technique for developing fuzzy probabilities based on independent inputs. The probability of any event that can be described in terms of a sequence of independent unions, intersections, and complements may be calculated by a fuzzy fault tree. Unfortunately, fuzzy fault trees do not provide a complete theory: many events of substantial practical interest cannot be described only by independent operations. Thus, the standard fuzzy extension (based on fuzzy fault trees) is not complete since not all events are assigned a fuzzy probability. Other complete extensions have been proposed, but these extensions are not consistent with the calculations from fuzzy fault trees. We propose a new extension of crisp probability theory. Our model is based on n independent inputs, each with a fuzzy probability. The elements of our sample space describe exactly which of the n input events did and did not occur. Our extension is complete since a fuzzy probability is assigned to every subset of the sample space. Our extension is also consistent with all calculations that can be arranged as a fault tree. Our approach allows the reliability analyst to develop complete and consistent fuzzy reliability models from existing crisp reliability models. This allows a comprehensive analysis of the system. Computational algorithms are provided both to extend existing models and develop new models. The technique is demonstrated on a reliability model of a three-stage industrial process.
Maximum Likelihood Sequence Detection of a Bit-stuffed Data Source

Bit-stuffing is used in various communications protocols, typically as a way to remove ambiguity in the detection of control flags or as a method to aid clock recovery. Typically a demodulator makes hard symbol-by-symbol decisions without incorporating the knowledge that the data source is bit-stuffed. A demodulator making symbol-by-symbol decisions is clearly not optimum for a source that has been bit-stuffed. In this paper we investigate an optimum approach. We develop the maximum-likelihood sequence detector (MLSD) for a bit-stuffed data source. We start by modeling the transmitted signal as a Markov process. We then proceed to calculate approximate performance bounds for the MLSD. We then develop a trellis receiver structure and perform simulations using the Viterbi decoder algorithm.
A multi-technique investigation of the nanoporosity of cement paste

Abstract The nanometer-scale structure of cement paste, which is dominated by the colloidal-scale porosity within the C-S-H gel phase, has a controlling effect on concrete properties but is difficult to study due to its delicate structure and lack of long-range order. Here we present results from three experimental techniques that are particularly suited to analyzing disordered nanoporous materials: small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), weight and length changes during equilibrium drying, and nanoindentation. Particular attention is paid to differences between pastes of different ages and cured at different temperatures. The SANS and equilibrium drying results indicate that hydration of cement paste at 20 °C forms a low-density (LD) C-S-H gel structure with a range of gel pore sizes and a relatively low packing fraction of solid particles. This fine structure may persist indefinitely under saturated conditions. However, if the paste is dried or is cured at elevated temperatures (60 °C or greater) the structure collapses toward a denser (less porous) and more stable configuration with fewer large gel pores, resulting in a greater amount of capillary porosity. Nanoindentation measurements of pastes cured at different temperatures demonstrate in all cases the existence of two C-S-H structures with different characteristic values of the indentation modulus. The average value of the modulus of the LD C-S-H is the same for all pastes tested to date, and a micromechanical analysis indicates that this value corresponds to the denser and more stable configuration of LD C-S-H. The experimental results presented here are interpreted in terms of a previously proposed quantitative “colloid” model of C-S-H gel, resulting in an improved understanding of the microstructural changes associated with drying and heat curing.
Bacteriochlorophyll f: properties of chlorosomes containing the "forbidden chlorophyll".

The chlorosomes of green sulfur bacteria are mainly assembled from one of three types of bacteriochlorophylls, BChls c, d, and e. By analogy to the relationship between BChl c and BChl d (20-desmethyl-BChl c), a fourth type of BChl, BChl f (20-desmethyl-BChl e), should exist but has not yet been observed in nature. The bchU gene (bacteriochlorophyllide C-20 methyltransferase) of the brown-colored green sulfur bacterium Chlorobaculum limnaeum was inactivated by conjugative transfer from Eshcerichia coli and homologous recombination of a suicide plasmid carrying a portion of the bchU. The resulting bchU mutant was greenish brown in color and synthesized BChl fF. The chlorosomes of the bchU mutant had similar size and polypeptide composition as those of the wild type (WT), but the Qy absorption band of the BChl f aggregates was blue-shifted 16 nm (705 nm vs. 721 nm for the WT). Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that energy transfer to the baseplate was much less efficient in chlorosomes containing BChl f than in WT chlorosomes containing BChl e. When cells were grown at high irradiance with tungsten or fluorescent light, the WT and bchU mutant had identical growth rates. However, the WT grew about 50% faster than the bchU mutant at low irradiance (10 µmol photons m-2 s-1). Less efficient energy transfer from BChl f aggregates to BChl a in the baseplate, the much slower growth of the strain producing BChl f relative to the WT, and competition from other phototrophs, may explain why BChl f is not observed naturally.
Pregnancy Increases Ovine Uterine Artery Endothelial Cyclooxygenase-1 Expression

During normal pregnancy, and especially in the third trimester, both uterine blood flow and prostacyclin production by ovine uterine arteries are dramatically increased. We sought to determine if this is due, in part, to an increase in cyclooxygenase (COX) expression in the uterine artery endothelium. In this study we compared COX expression in uterine artery endothelium from nonpregnant and third-trimester pregnant (110–142 days’ gestation) ewes. COX-2 expression was not detectable by Western blotting in uterine artery endothelium or vascular smooth muscle (VSM). In contrast, COX-1 expression was clearly observed in uterine artery. Immunohistochemical localization of COX-1 was endothelium > VSM, with both cell types showing an increase in COX-1 during the third trimester of pregnancy. COX-1 protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were also detectable in collagenase dispersed endothelial cells, with expression of COX-1 in uterine artery endothelial cells dramatically increased during the third trimester o...
Clopidogrel Pharmacogenetics Promising Steps Towards Patient Care

Clopidogrel is a pro-drug that requires oxidation to its active metabolite, 2-oxoclopidogrel, by CYP3A4 and other CYP enzymes. This active thiol metabolite inhibits adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation by blocking the platelet P2Y12 receptor (Figure), resulting in ≈50% reduction in ADP-mediated platelet aggregation. Clopidogrel is standard of care in many patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and those experiencing acute coronary syndromes. However, it has been suggested that response to clopidogrel varies widely with nonresponse rates ranging from 4% to 30% at 24 hours.1,2 Suggested mechanisms for this variability have included under-dosing, drug interactions with CYP3A4 substrates and inhibitors,3 and intrinsic interindividual differences resulting from genetic polymorphisms in the pathways of clopidogrel pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Clopidogrel metabolism and mechanism of action. Clopidogrel is metabolized to its active metabolite by the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A enzyme family. The CYP3A gene family is located on chromosome 7q21-q22. Genes are shown as block arrows. Select CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 polymorphisms (named according to the Human CYP Allele Nomenclature Committee) are shown with vertical black lines in relation to their position in the genes. The proposed effect of the polymorphisms on protein expression or function is shown below. CYP3A4 IVS10+12G>A is indicated as CYP3A4*1G. The clopidogrel active metabolite antagonizes the GI protein–coupled PY212 receptor resulting in irreversible blockade of ADP binding on platelets. See page 1895 In this issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology , Angiolillo and colleagues report on the influence of CYP3A4 genotype on interpatient variability in clopidogrel responsiveness.4 The authors find that an intronic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the CYP3A4 gene, IVS10+12G>A (also called CYP3A4*1G), influences platelet reactivity …
A hybrid technique for facial feature point detection

Existing techniques for facial feature point detection from color images include template matching, facial geometry and symmetry analysis, mathematical morphology, luminance and chrominance analysis, and PCA. However, these techniques are plagued by poor performance in the presence of scale variations. In this paper, a hybrid technique is proposed that employs a combination of the above approaches along with curvature analysis of the intensity surface of the face image in order to provide a superior performance with reduced computational complexity, even in the presence of scale variations.
GOLF TOURNAMENTS AND CEO PAY—UNRAVELING THE MYSTERIES OF EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Leading financial economists and activist institutional investors have long argued that the proper alignment of manager and shareholder interests requires the use of performance based compensation. Partly in response to these pressures, and in combination with a change in the tax code that encourages performance-based pay, corporate boards have dramatically increased their use of stock grants and executive stock options. Combine this development with the longest bull market in U.S. financial history, and the result is unprecedented levels of CEO pay at the close of the 20th century. This review of executive compensation reveals that the economic theory of tournaments may provide a rationale for the pattern, if not the level, of executive pay. Specifically it finds that the total compensation of the five highestpaid executives in a cross-section of new and old-economy firms is very similar to the pattern of payouts to players in a golf tournament. The author also reports that recent studies show a significant increase in the pay-for-performance correlation throughout the 1990s. But whether that correlation is as high as it should be, and whether current levels of CEO pay are socially “optimal,” are questions that remain unanswered.
Genebanking Seeds from Natural Populations

ABSTRACT: Conventional storage protocols have been developed to preserve genetic diversity of seeds of crops in genebanks. These same principles have been applied to preserve seeds from wild populations. While most principles for conventional storage protocols are applicable to a broad range of wild species, seeds from wild populations are not amenable to some practices that assume high uniformity within the seed lot. Small sample sizes and high heterogeneity of seeds from wild populations demand greater a priori knowledge of characteristic longevity as well as new tools to monitor viability without germinating seeds. Some of the challenges handling seeds from undomesticated plants are exemplified from an experiment with sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) seeds. Sagebrush seeds deteriorate very quickly at high humidity and moderately fast at room temperature. Rapid drying of seeds and immediate placement in the freezer might boost longevity. As with seeds from most wild species, there is insufficient knowle...
Godunov–mixed methods for immiscible displacement

The immiscible displacement problem in reservoir engineering can be formulated as a system of partial differential equations which includes an elliptic pressure–velocity equation and a degenerate parabolic saturation equation. We apply a sequential numerical scheme to this problem where time splitting is used to solve the saturation equation. In this procedure one approximates advection by a higher-order Godunov method and diffusion by a mixed finite element method. Numerical results for this scheme applied to gas–oil centrifuge experiments are given.
Effect of NH 3 on Film Properties of MOCVD Tungsten Nitride from Cl4 ( CH 3 CN ) W ( N iPr )

Thin films of tungsten nitride were deposited from Cl 4 (CH 3 CN)W(N i Pr) by metallorganic chemical vapor deposition in the presence and absence of ammonia (NH 3 ) coreactant. Films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Films grown with NH 3 had increased nitrogen levels and decreased carbon and oxygen levels relative to films grown without NH 3 over the entire deposition temperature range (450-700°C). Deposition with NH 3 at higher temperature (≥600°C) led to higher crystallinity. Binding energies from XPS measurements were consistent with the formation of WN x (or WN x C y ) and WO 3 in the films, regardless of whether NH 3 was present. The addition of NH 3 at lower deposition temperature increased film resistivity significantly.
Approximate Design for Three Earthquake Components

The seismic analysis of complex structures is often carried out by the response spectrum method. A method was presented by which the simultaneous variation of various responses can be postulated using the results from the response spectrum analysis under each of the three components of earthquakes.
Effect of Dicumarol and Vitamin K Source on Blood Loss and Processed Yields of Broilers

Abstract Two experiments were conducted with broiler chickens reared to slaughter age of 52 days with diets containing dicumarol or varying levels of vitamin K. Broilers fed high levels of dicumarol (462 mg/kg feed) for 48 hr prior to slaughter showed a marked increase in blood loss. This was accompanied by a similar loss in processed carcass yield. Feeding diets supplemented with no added vitamin K, 2.2 mg/kg of vitamin K, or 8.8 mg/kg vitamin K resulted in no significant difference in blood loss or carcass yield during processing. No signs of vitamin K deficiency were observed in birds receiving the basal diet without added vitamin K. It was concluded that a lack of vitamin K activity in broilers, as measured by increasing clotting time (or blood loss), will be accompanied by a decrease in dressing percentage of processed broilers.
Pharmacovigilance on Twitter? Mining Tweets for Adverse Drug Reactions

Recent research has shown that Twitter data analytics can have broad implications on public health research. However, its value for pharmacovigilance has been scantly studied – with health related forums and community support groups preferred for the task. We present a systematic study of tweets collected for 74 drugs to assess their value as sources of potential signals for adverse drug reactions (ADRs). We created an annotated corpus of 10,822 tweets. Each tweet was annotated for the presence or absence of ADR mentions, with the span and Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) concept ID noted for each ADR present. Using Cohen’s kappa1, we calculated the inter-annotator agreement (IAA) for the binary annotations to be 0.69. To demonstrate the utility of the corpus, we attempted a lexicon-based approach for concept extraction, with promising success (54.1% precision, 62.1% recall, and 57.8% F-measure). A subset of the corpus is freely available at: http://diego.asu.edu/downloads.
Universality classes of order parameters composed of many-body bound states

This theoretical paper discusses microscopic models giving rise to special types of order in which conduction electrons are bound together with localized spins to create composite order parameters. It is shown that composite order is related to the formation of a spin liquid with gapped excitations carrying quantum numbers that are a fraction of those of an electron. These spin liquids are special in the sense that their formation necessarily involves spin degrees of freedom of both the conduction and the localized electrons and can be characterized by nonlocal order parameters. A detailed description of such spin-liquid states is presented with a special care given to a demonstration of their robustness against local perturbations preserving the Lie group symmetry and the translational invariance.
Pycnogenol® and Antioxidant Activity in Health Promotion

The dietary supplement Pycnogenol® is derived from French maritime pine bark ( Pinus pinaster ). Several clinical and pharmacological studies have shown Pycnogenol® to possess potent antioxidant activity. Beyond preventing and protecting from oxidative stress-related damage, this supplement has been found to increase the oxygen radical absorbance capacity in blood, inhibit lipid peroxidation, inhibit reactive oxygen species, and recycle ascorbic radicals in the bloodstream. This chapter highlights the numerous potential health benefits that are related to the free-radical scavenging activity of Pycnogenol®, including improvement in neurodegenerative diseases, antidiabetic activity, delaying the aging process, and protection from tissue damage.
Role of Cell Membrane-Vector Interactions in Successful Gene Delivery.

ConspectusCationic polymers have been investigated as nonviral vectors for gene delivery due to their favorable safety profile when compared to viral vectors. However, nonviral vectors are limited by poor efficacy in inducing gene expression. The physicochemical properties of cationic polymers enabling successful gene expression have been investigated in order to improve expression efficiency and safety. Studies over the past several years have focused on five possible rate-limiting processes to explain the differences in gene expression: (1) endosomal release, (2) transport within specific intracellular pathways, (3) protection of DNA from nucleases, (4) transport into the nucleus, and (5) DNA release from vectors. However, determining the relative importance of these processes and the vector properties necessary for optimization remain a challenge to the field.In this Account, we describe over a decade of studies focused on understanding the interaction of cationic polymer and cationic polymer/oligonucl...
Extracellular matrix expression, organization and interaction with heart myocytes during development and disease

The extracellular matrix (ECM) of the heart is intimately associated with cardiac function in development and disease. The heart ECM is composed of the interstitial collagens, including predominantly type I and type III collagen, various proteoglycans and noncollagenous glycoproteins such as laminin and fibronectin [2, 7, 22]. These ECM components are organized into an elaborate three-dimensional network which is associated with the structure and physiology of the heart.
The Effect of Career Mentoring on Employment Outcomes for College Students Who Are Legally Blind

IntroductionCollege graduates with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) often face challenges in securing competitive employment after graduation. Working with a men...
Calcium mobilizing treatment acts as a co-signal for TLR-mediated induction of Interleukin-12 (IL-12p70) secretion by murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells.

We sought to determine whether pharmacological calcium-mobilizing agents could act in cooperation with Toll-like receptor (TLR) signals to induce high-level IL-12 production from murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. We found that calcium mobilization alone induced no IL-12, yet dramatically enhanced IL-12p70 secretion elicited by TLR ligands. Enhanced IL-12 production induced by calcium ionophore plus single TLR ligands, but not through dual TLR ligands, was inhibited by the calcineurin antagonist cyclosporine A, suggesting divergent mechanisms of IL-12 induction. Dendritic cells activated with calciumionophore plus the TLR9 ligand ODN1826 could induce Th1 polarization in naive murine CD4pos T cells at levels equal or superior to dendritic cells activated with the most efficient TLR ligand pairing; ODN1826 plus bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Parallel analysis of 38 inflammation-associated soluble products showed calciumionophore enhancement was restricted to a small set of factors. These data demonstrate previously undocumented activation co-signals for IL-12 production by dendritic cells.
Splitting of ferromagnetic resonance spectra of periodically modulated one dimensional magnonic crystals

Metamaterials have attracted stupendous attention in the scientific community over past few decades.
Prospective effects of perceived stress on immunosenescent principal components in older adults

Stress may drive aspects of immunological aging. The present investigation examined how perceived stress across five years predicts immunosenescence one year later, using principal component analysis as a dimension-reduction technique to characterize natural killer (NK) and T cell surface markers that independently contribute to variability in immunosenescence in older adults ( N = 140, 43% male, aged 60–92). Three principal components (PC) were identified. PC1 (49% variance explained) included indicators of NK cell exhaustion (NK56 dim : NKG2C+, FCR γ -, NKG2C + CD57+, NKG2C + FCR γ -, and FCR γ -CD57+). PC2 (23% variance explained) included indicators of T cell senescence (CD8+: CD28-, CD57+, and CD56+). PC3 (10% variance explained) included NK56dimCD57+. In a subset of older adults ( n = 68), perceived stress was measured biannually for up to five years preceding immune assessment. Person-specific perceived stress slopes and intercepts (centered at the last time point) were outputted and tested as main and interacting effects on PCs in regressions. There was a significant stress slope*intercept interaction predicting PC2 ( b = −53.5, SE = 18.85, p = 0.006). Older adults who decreased over time and ended low in perceived stress had the lowest PC2 levels ( b = 1.33, p = 0.004), whereas older adults who increased over time in stress had similar (high) PC2 levels whether or not they ended low/high in stress ( b = −0.81, p = 0.14). Ultimately, decreasing stress to low levels may retard age-associated aspects of T cell senescence and to a greater degree than NK cell aging in older adults.
A Two-Generation Human Capital Approach to Anti-poverty Policy

We propose a two-generation anti-poverty strategy to improve the economic fortunes of children in the United States. Our policy bridges two traditionally siloed interventions to boost their impacts: Head Start for children and career pathway training offered through community colleges for adults. We expect that an integrated two-generation human capital intervention will produce greater gains than either Head Start or community college alone for developmental and motivational, logistical and financial, social capital, and efficiency reasons. We suggest a competitive grant program to test and evaluate different models using federal dollars. We estimate average benefit-cost ratios across a range of promising career fields of 1.3 within five years and 7.9 within ten years if 10 percent of Head Start parents participate in two-generation programs.
Crossing the Border: Latino Attitudes Toward Immigration Policy

In the midst of the ongoing and highly polarized immigration debate, it seems that little attention has been paid to how Latinos view efforts to address the issues of undocumented immigrants residing in the United States and enhanced enforcement efforts along the U.S.–Mexico border. Consequently, questions arise as to the degree of support for or rejection of such measures within the Latino community and among the various segments of that community. Do U.S.-born Latinos, foreign-born naturalized citizens, and undocumented immigrants from various parts of Latin America have similar or divergent views on these issues? It is generally assumed that ethnicity is an important factor in influencing attitudes toward immigrants and immigration policies. Some studies have found that foreign-born Latinos have more positive attitudes toward immigration than native-born Latinos due in part to their shared immigration experience. There are, however, other studies demonstrating that Latino immigrants have often expressed support for more restrictive immigration policies. It may hold true, in fact, that many Latinos have ambiguous and conflicting attitudes about these issues. This article will try to shed some light on Latinos’ attitudes regarding specific policy measures by analyzing data from the Pew Hispanic Center National Survey of Latinos, which allows for considerable differentiation among various sectors of the Latino population.
Open-Cell Cryogenic Insulation

A reliable lightweight insulation system is required for re-usable liquid-hydrogen-fueled vehicles such as the space shuttle, which is being designed for 100 to 200 launch and entry flight cycles. A new open-cell insulation concept has been evaluated for use inside the propellant tank to prevent cryopumping, minimize boiloff during groundhold, and reduce propellant heating during launch. The insulation is completely open-celled. Small cells are bonded to the inner tank wall at one end and open to the liquid at the other end. The cells are sized so that surface tension keeps the liquid out of the insulation ; or the cells are oriented on the sides and top of the tank so that gas is trapped.
Threshold voltage for damage in Si under electron bombardment

Prolonged irradiation (approx. 60 minutes) at accelerating voltages of 100, 150 and 175 kV produced no observable damage in the foils. However, at an accelerating voltage of 200 kV, dislocation loops were observed associated with the stacking faults.
Effect of Base Oscillations on the Human Skeletal Muscle and Joint Forces in a Standing Posture

Summary A comprehensive computer model of the musculoskeletal system is utilized in conjunction with published data on human response and tolerances to vibration for the calculation of the muscle forces and the stress variation at different base frequencies. The results show that the peak pressures on the spinal column are approximately the same as those calculated at the limit of the subject's weight lifting capability.
Randomized algorithms in industrial problems

A randomized algorithm is one that receives, in addition to a deterministic input, a stream of random numbers. It can be schematically described as follows:
A comparison of Malone appendicostomy and cecostomy for antegrade access as adjuncts to a bowel management program for patients with functional constipation or fecal incontinence.

Abstract Background Appendicostomy and cecostomy are two approaches for antegrade enema access for children with severe constipation or fecal incontinence as adjuncts to a mechanical bowel management program. Each technique is associated with a unique set of complications. The purpose of our study was to report the rates of various complications associated with antegrade enema access techniques to help guide which option a clinician offers to their patients. Methods We reviewed all patients in our Center who received an appendicostomy or cecostomy from 2014 to 2017 who were participants in our bowel management program. Results 204 patients underwent an antegrade access procedure (150 appendicostomies and 54 cecostomies). Skin-level leakage (3% vs. 22%) and wound infections (7% vs. 28%) occurred less frequently in patients with appendicostomy compared to cecostomy. Nineteen (13%) appendicostomies required revision for stenosis, 4 (3%) for mucosal prolapse, and 1 (1%) for leakage. The rates of stenosis (33 vs. 12%) and wound infection (13 vs. 6%) were higher in patients who received a neoappendicostomy compared to an in situ appendicostomy. Intervention was needed in 19 (35%) cecostomy patients, 15 (28%) for an inability to flush or a dislodged tube, and 5 for major complications including intraperitoneal spillage in 4 (7%) and 1 (2%) for a tube misplaced in the ileum, all occurring in patients with a percutaneously placed cecostomy. One appendicostomy (1%) patient required laparoscopic revision after the appendicostomy detached from the skin. Conclusion Patients had a lower rate of minor and major complications after appendicostomy compared to cecostomy. The unique complication profile of each technique should be considered for patients needing these procedures as an adjunct to their care for constipation or fecal incontinence. Type of study Retrospective comparative study. Level of evidence Level III.
Ultrasound-Enhanced Ciclopirox Delivery for Treatment of Onychomycosis

The study aim was to determine ultrasound’s efficacy in increasing the permeability of the nail in order to improve treatment outcomes in onychomycosis. Three sets of ultrasound experiments were performed – the luminosity experiment and two sets of diffusion cell experiments. The luminosity experiments assessed dye levels inside the nail after ultrasound application as compared to sham treatments, and the diffusion cell experiments compared changes in nail permeability due to the application of ultrasound. All in vitro experiments used planar ultrasound transducers, frequencies of 400 kHz, 600 kHz, 800 kHz, and 1 MHz, an intensity of 1 W/$cm^{2}$ and a duration of 5 min in a continuous mode. The safety of applying ultrasound to the toe was assessed by performing modeling studies. It was found that application of ultrasound at higher frequencies (800 kHz and 1 MHz) resulted in more (and statistically significant) permeation of the nail, as compared to the control trials.
Gendered Differences in Choice of Concentrations in Master of Public Administration Programs.

This study investigates the question of whether there are gender differences in the choice of specializations/concentrations by students enrolled in Master’s Programs in Public Administration (MPA)...
THE UTILITY OF POST-DEPLOYMENT AORTOGRAPHY TO IDENTIFY PATIENTS AT RISK FOR LEAFLET THROMBOSIS POST TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT: DOES THE SECRET LIE IN THE AORTIC SINUSES?

Hypoattenuating leaflet thickening/thrombosis (HALT) is a known complication post transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). No pathophysiologic mechanism has been identified to date. We aimed to evaluate the association between stasis within the non-coronary aortic sinus (NCC) and HALT. We
The Uses of Pilot Studies in Sociology: a Processual Understanding of Preliminary Research

The following essay examines articles and textbooks that define or operationalize pilot studies in order to detail a set of tools that are situated in the pilot study repertoire. This leads to a distinction between theoretical and methodological purposes, and ultimately suggests that the processes should be used in tandem for the creation of high-quality research. I propose a processual model of preliminary research in which cycles of pilot testing can help to develop theoretically and methodologically sound research. The intent is to consolidate the knowledge from a multitude of sources in order to propose a fleshed out understanding of preliminary work for the benefit of the practitioners and mentors of researchers in sociology.
A1-homotopy groups, excision, and solvable quotients

Abstract We study some properties of A 1 -homotopy groups: geometric interpretations of connectivity, excision results, and a re-interpretation of quotients by free actions of connected solvable groups in terms of covering spaces in the sense of A 1 -homotopy theory. These concepts and results are well suited to the study of certain quotients via geometric invariant theory. As a case study in the geometry of solvable group quotients, we investigate A 1 -homotopy groups of smooth toric varieties. We give simple combinatorial conditions (in terms of fans) guaranteeing vanishing of low degree A 1 -homotopy groups of smooth (proper) toric varieties. Finally, in certain cases, we can actually compute the “next” non-vanishing A 1 -homotopy group (beyond π 1 A 1 ) of a smooth toric variety. From this point of view, A 1 -homotopy theory, even with its exquisite sensitivity to algebro-geometric structure, is almost “as tractable” (in low degrees) as ordinary homotopy for large classes of interesting varieties.
Ophthalmic medication price variation across the United States: Anti-inflammatory medications.

Background Cost-related nonadherence to medication can impact ophthalmic treatment outcomes. We aimed to determine whether medication prices vary between US cities and between different types of pharmacies within one city. Methods We conducted a phone survey of eight nationwide and five independent pharmacies in five cities across the United States: Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; Denver, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan; and Seattle, Washington. A researcher called each pharmacy asking for price without insurance for four common anti-inflammatory ophthalmic medications: prednisolone acetate, prednisolone sodium phosphate, difluprednate (Durezol™), and loteprednol etabonate (Lotemax™). Results Prednisolone sodium phosphate price could only be obtained by a small subset of pharmacies (45.2%) and was excluded from additional analysis; however, preliminary data demonstrated lower cost of prednisolone sodium phosphate over prednisolone acetate. Three-way analysis of variance revealed no interaction between pharmacy type (chain versus independent), city, and drug (F = 0.40, p = 0.92). A significant interaction was identified between pharmacy type and drug (F = 5.0, p = 0.008), but not city and pharmacy type (F = 0.66, p = 0.62) or city and drug (F = 0.27, p = 0.97). Average drug prices were lower at independent pharmacies compared with chain pharmacies for difluprednate (US$211.36 versus US$216.85, F = 1.09, p = 0.297) and significantly lower for loteprednol etabonate (US$255.49 versus US$274.86, F = 14.7, p Conclusions Medication prices do not differ significantly between US cities. High variation of drug prices within the same city demonstrates how comparison shopping can provide cost savings for patients and may reduce cost-related nonadherence.
It's Hard to Teach an Old B Cell New Tricks.

Victora and colleagues challenge current perceptions that memory B cells readily participate in secondary germinal center reactions, allowing further modification of specificity upon reactivation. Rather, naive B cells are the predominant B cell type that populate secondary germinal centers. This work has important basic immunological and translational implications.
Prevalence of Innocent Murmurs in Pediatric Patients

Introduction: Evaluation for a cardiac murmur is one of the most common reasons for cardiology referral in pediatric patients. Between 30-75% of those murmurs are found to be innocent, with Still';s murmurs being the most frequently diagnosed. These murmurs can often come and go throughout childhood, either with normal growth, or during times of physiologic stress. While it is known that innocent murmurs are commonly found in patients between the ages of 0 and 18 years, the exact prevalence of each of these murmurs is unknown. Purpose: This is an …
Birmingham and Beyond.

Nick Martin was a doctoral student of mine at the University of Birmingham in the mid 1970s. In this review, I discuss two of Nick’s earliest and most seminal contributions to the field of behavior genetics. First, Martin and Eaves’ (1977) extension of the model-fitting approach to multivariate data, which laid the theoretical groundwork for a generation of multivariate behavior genetic studies. Second, the Martin et al.’s (1978) manuscript on the power of the classical twin design, which showed that thousands of twin pairs would be required in order to reliably estimate components of variance, and has served as impetus for the formation of large-scale twin registries across the world. I discuss these contributions against the historical backdrop of a time when we and others were struggling with the challenge of figuring out how to incorporate gene-by-environment interaction, gene–environment correlation, mate selection and cultural transmission into more complex genetic models of human behavior.
The endings of journeys: A qualitative study of how Greece’s child protection system shapes unaccompanied migrant children’s futures

Abstract Background Migrants’ journeys can be non-linear and directed towards abstract destinations, with endings better marked by periods of integration rather than arrival in any particular place. This study explores how male unaccompanied migrant children’s interactions with child protection staff in Greece shape their future trajectories as migrants. Methods The transcripts of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 26 youth who were placed in accommodation facilities for unaccompanied minors in Greece were qualitatively analyzed using inductive coding. Attention was paid to how youths’ experiences with bureaucratic actors shaped their perceptions of Greece, and how those perceptions informed their future decisions as young adults. Findings When youth arrived in Greece, they were unprepared to interpret their new institutional environments. Their understanding of their environments was shaped largely by their interactions with individual non-governmental organization (NGO) staff members. Youth who believed that NGO staff were supportive and invested in their futures typically had plans to stay Greece. Youth who perceived staff to be unsupportive typically had intentions to leave Greece, even if it meant giving up their rights as asylees to be irregular migrants in another country. Conclusion Investment by NGO staff in unaccompanied children’s futures as young adults has important implications for the decisions youth make and their trajectories as migrants. When youth believe staff are indifferent to their best interests, they often disengage and continue their journey to another country, where they will once again be irregular migrants.
Pediatric Vascular Anomalies: Opportunities in Primary Care

Vascular anomalies in children have diverse presentations, exhibit variable patterns of growth and regression, and can develop complications including coagulopathy, disfigurement, and functional impairment. An emerging understanding of the biological basis of different vascular lesions provides opportunities for effective treatment. The goal of this chapter is to familiarize the primary care practitioner with selected, more frequently encountered pediatric vascular anomalies, emphasizing their clinical presentation and natural history. Specific attention is paid to the most common vascular tumor, infantile hemangioma, which can be diagnosed and often managed by the primary pediatric clinician. We then explore opportunities for recognition, imaging, and conservative management of other specific vascular anomalies found in children and discuss indications for referral to subspecialists.
Black skin, White theorists: Remembering hidden Black early childhood scholars:

As US schools become increasingly diverse, the population of teachers who serve them remains predominantly homogeneous. Teacher preparation programs must prepare pre-service teachers to draw from m...
A multiscale study on the mechanisms of spatial organization in ligand-receptor interactions on cell surfaces

Abstract The binding of cell surface receptors with extracellular ligands triggers distinctive signaling pathways, leading into the corresponding phenotypic variation of cells. It has been found that in many systems, these ligand-receptor complexes can further oligomerize into higher-order structures. This ligand-induced oligomerization of receptors on cell surfaces plays an important role in regulating the functions of cell signaling. The underlying mechanism, however, is not well understood. One typical example is proteins that belong to the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily. Using a generic multiscale simulation platform that spans from atomic to subcellular levels, we compared the detailed physical process of ligand-receptor oligomerization for two specific members in the TNFR superfamily: the complex formed between ligand TNFα and receptor TNFR1 versus the complex formed between ligand TNFβ and receptor TNFR2. Interestingly, although these two systems share high similarity on the tertiary and quaternary structural levels, our results indicate that their oligomers are formed with very different dynamic properties and spatial patterns. We demonstrated that the changes of receptor’s conformational fluctuations due to the membrane confinements are closely related to such difference. Consistent to previous experiments, our simulations also showed that TNFR can preassemble into dimers prior to ligand binding, while the introduction of TNF ligands induced higher-order oligomerization due to a multivalent effect. This study, therefore, provides the molecular basis to TNFR oligomerization and reveals new insights to TNFR-mediated signal transduction. Moreover, our multiscale simulation framework serves as a prototype that paves the way to study higher-order assembly of cell surface receptors in many other bio-systems.
autoFC: An R Package for Automatic Item Pairing in Forced-Choice Test Construction

Recently, there has been increasing interest in adopting the forced-choice (FC) test format in non-cognitive assessments, as it demonstrates faking resistance when well-designed. However, tradition...