cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plasmon Enhancement of Luminescence by Metal Nanoparticles

We present a simple analytical yet rigorous model that adequately describes the luminescence enhancement of optical emitters that are placed in the vicinity of metal nanoparticles of subwavelength dimensions. The theory takes into account the radiative decay of the surface plasmon mode supported by the metal nanospheres-a basic phenomenon that has been ignored in electrostatic treatment. Using the example of Au nanospheres embedded in the GaN dielectric, we show that enhancement for each case depends strongly on the original radiative efficiency of the emitter, the nanoparticle size, and the separation between the emitter and metal nanosphere. We demonstrate that strong enhancement favors the closely spaced emitters and metal nanospheres, but putting them too close to each other does not always produce additional enhancement. Thus, our model provides analytical treatment of the luminescence quenching and can be used to optimize both nanoparticle size and its separation from the emitter to yield maximum enhancement factor.
Estimate of Biological Variation of Laboratory Analytes Based on the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Laboratory analytes for individuals are subject to several sources of variation, including biological variation, preanalytical variation (specimen collection), analytical variation (bias and imprecision), and postanalytical variation (reporting of results). Biological variation consists of within-person (WP) and between-person (BP) variation. These components of biological variation are used to set analytical quality specifications for bias and imprecision, evaluate serial changes in individual analytes, and assess the clinical utility of population-based reference intervals. Desirable quality specifications for imprecision (I), bias (B), and total error have been related to the WP CV (CVw) and the BP CV (CVg) of laboratory analytes (1)(2)(3). Imprecision should be ideally less than one half of the CVW, and bias should be <0.25[(CVw)2 + (CVg)2]1/2. The quality specification for total error is to be less than k I + B, where k = 1.65 at α = 0.05. The total CV (CVt) can be estimated assuming that the CVs of all sources are measured at the same analyte mean and that pre- and postanalytical sources of variation are negligible. The CVt = [(CVa)2 + (CVw)2]1/2, where the analytical CV (CVa) equals the laboratory method imprecision (CVi) if …
Size and Performance of Juvenile Marine Invertebrates: Potential Contrasts Between Intertidal and Subtidal Benthic Habitats

Newly settled or hatched juveniles of marine benthic invertebrates generally experience very high mortality. Juvenile mortality can profoundly affect adult populations, but little is known about how individual variation in juvenile quality affects performance. Several recent studies have demonstrated that differences in size, larval nutrient stores, or larval feeding history can strongly affect the performance (measured as growth and survivorship) of juveniles. Additional research suggests that the strength of the effect of juvenile size on performance may be mediated by variation in environmental stress in the intertidal, a habitat characterized by strong fluctuations in abiotic factors. The major sources of juvenile snail mortality are likely to differ in intertidal and subtidal habitats; abiotic stresses related to exposure, such as desiccation, are important in the intertidal but far less severe in subtidal environments. Previously observed trends in hatching or settlement size between intertidal and subtidal species from three gastropod taxa may be due to differing selective regimes acting on initial juvenile size.
Hybrid core-shell nanowire forests as self-selective chemical connectors.

Conventional connectors utilize mechanical, magnetic, or electrostatic interactions to enable highly specific and reversible binding of the components (i.e., mates) for a wide range of applications. As the connectors are miniaturized to small scales, a number of shortcomings, including low binding strength, high engagement/disengagement energies, difficulties with the engagement, fabrication challenges, and the lack of reliability are presented that limit their successful operation. Here, we report unisex, chemical connectors based on hybrid, inorganic/ organic nanowire (NW) forests that utilize weak van der Waals bonding that is amplified by the high aspect ratio geometric configuration of the NWs to enable highly specific and versatile binding of the components. Uniquely, NW chemical connectors exhibit high macroscopic shear adhesion strength (∼163 N/cm 2 ) with minimal binding to non-self-similar surfaces, anisotropic adhesion behavior (shear to normal strength ratio ∼25), reusability (∼27 attach/detach cycles), and efficient binding for both micro- and macroscale dimensions.
RECOVERY OF DAMAGES CAUSED IN CONNECTION WITH THE VIOLATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME, A NOVELTY IN THE LEGISLATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

In Moldova, the problem of delayed examination of cases in courts and enforcement of judgments is current as delay occurs usually due to excessive postponement of hearings; the complex nature of the dispute; misuse of appeals by parties to the proceedings; performing acts of expertise for long periods etc. Since the European Court of Human Rights in numerous decisions held that the states parties of the Convention are obliged to organize their judicial system in such a way as to enable compliance with all requirements of art. 6, par. 1 and in particular those relating to "reasonable time" and not once Moldova was sanctioned for these violations, in order to avoid infringement of the person at the trial and final judgment within a reasonable time and not to be penalized the High Court, the Republic of Moldova adopted the Law no. 87 of 21.04.2011 on the state repairing the damage caused by the violation of the right to trial within a reasonable time, or the right to cause the execution of the judgment within a reasonable time. According to this law, if any natural or legal person considers that the right for a trial within a reasonable time, or the right to cause the execution of the judgment within a reasonable time was violated, one may address the court a request for summons concerning the establishment of such violations and damages caused by the breach. This novelty in the legislation of Moldova confirms strict compliance of the state with the commitments to international treaties and care for the fundamental rights of the person. Chirtoaca, L. (2014). RECOVERY OF DAMAGES CAUSED IN CONNECTION WITH THE VIOLATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME, A NOVELTY IN THE LEGISLATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA. European Journal of Law and Public Administration, Year, 2014, Issue 2, December, pp. 25-35. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/eljpa.2014.0102.03
Joining formative evaluation with translational science to assess an EBI in foster care: Examining social–emotional well-being and placement stability

Abstract This study examined measures of placement stability and social–emotional well-being for a federally-funded demonstration project of inhome Parent Management Training-Oregon model (PMTO) for children in foster care with serious emotional disturbance (SED). Following a cultural exchange framework for translational research and a tollgate approach to evaluation, this formative study tested these measures prior to further investment in summative evaluation. The research aim was to observe whether measures of social–emotional well-being and placement stability performed as expected. Using a pretest–posttest randomized consent trial, children identified as SED within six months of entering foster care were randomly assigned to PMTO or to a services-as-usual comparison group (N = 121). A multi-group structural equation model was tested to observe the relationship of baseline social–emotional wellbeing and placement stability on post-test social–emotional well-being. Results showed that post-test well-being was significantly predicted by baseline well-being for both groups and, importantly, only the intervention group demonstrated significant effects of placement stability on post-test well-being. For the intervention group, as placement stability increased, post-test social skills significantly improved, demonstrating an association between well-being and placement stability that was not evident in the comparison group. Overall, wellbeing measures performed as expected and detected relationships between variables and variation as hypothesized. Additionally, placement stability may have been mediated by the PMTO intervention. In conclusion, by using a real world example of the translational research concept of cultural exchange between university-based researchers and agency-based practitioners, this study shows that formative evaluation offers an important opportunity to test ad hoc research questions inspired by the process of implementation itself.
Clickers: Performance and Attitudes in Principles of Microeconomics

Educators continuously seek new ways to engage students in the classroom. Clickers are one tool available to instructors who want to move beyond the traditional “chalk and talk” teaching method. While there has been extensive research in the sciences studying the effectiveness of using clickers in the classroom, there has been very little within the economic discipline. This study analyzes the relationship between using clickers for participation only and using clickers for graded daily quizzes in Principles of Microeconomics. Student attitudes concerning clickers are also investigated. While no significant difference is found in final course grade, results show that students perform best on daily quizzes when they are taken with paper and pencil. Additionally, students overwhelmingly enjoy clickers in the classroom regardless of usage.
Numerical Modeling in Lens^tm Process

Laser Engineered Net Shaping™ (LENS™) is commercially available rapid manufacturing technology that exhibits enormous potential to revolutionize the way in which metal parts, such as complex prototypes, tooling, and small-lot production items, are produced. Parts are fabricated directly from the Computer Aided Design (CAD) solid models using a metal powder injected into a molten pool created by a focused, high-powered laser beam. Simultaneously, the substrate on which the deposition is occurring is scanned under the beam/powder interaction zone to fabricate the desired cross-sectional geometry. Consecutive layers are sequentially deposited, thereby producing a three-dimensional component. Since understanding heat transfer processes (conduction, convection, radiation) within the part are essential for predicting mechanical properties and microstructure, thorough literature review (over 90 works) was performed. Incomplete understanding of the thermal behavior - flow field and temperature field - clearly created the need for modeling. It showed that finite element method (FEM) softwares (ABAQUS, ProCAST, CAFE3D, SOLIDCAST, ANSYS) used to model actual conditions within molten pool were not quite adequate. Therefore, commercially available 1 FLUENT was chosen for this numerical
A report on the preparation of pneumococcic antitoxin.

In the present paper I wish to make a brief report of results obtained in an effort to produce a pneumococcic antitoxin. This work is the outgrowth of our observation that bacterial toxins are rendered non-toxic by soaps of some of the unsaturated fatty acids, particularly sodium ricinoleate, and that the antigenic properties of such detoxified toxins remain unimpaired. We have further called attention to the fact that pneumococci, streptococci and certain other micro-organisms are either killed in a short time in aqueous solutions of sodium ricinoleate, or lose their powers to infect. Larson and Nelson1 showed further that there is a rapid development of agglutinins in rabbits against both pneumococci and streptococci following the injection of soaped cultures of these organisms.Ten cc. or more of a virulent broth culture of soaped pneumococci may be injected intraperitoneally into rabbits without causing an infection. Agglutinins appear in the blood stream as early as 24 hours following such injections....
Differentiation of bradykinin receptors and of kininases with conformational analogues of bradykinin.

Two bradykinin (BK) analogues with restricted conformational freedom, α-methylphenylalanine5 bradykinin ([Phe(αMe)5]-BK) and α-methylphenylalanine8 bradykinin ([Phe(αMe)8]-BK), were compared with BK with respect to potency on a variety of biological preparations. [Phe(αMe)5]-BK and [Phe(αMe)8]-BK were equipotent (1.5-3.0% of the activity of BK) in their hypotensive action in rats in vivo and (3.0% of the activity of BK) in their ability to contract isolated rat stomach strips in vitro. [Phe(αMe)5]-BK was 10 and 50 times more potent than [Phe(αMe)8]-BK in releasing prostaglandins from isolated, perfused rabbit kidney and heart, respectively, and was 5 times more potent in contracting isolated, superfused cat jejunum. [Phe(αMe)8-BK was 10 times more potent than [Phe(αMe)5]-BK in contracting isolated rat uterus and, moreover, possessed 31% of the potency of BK. The degradation of the BK analogues in a variety of systems was also studied. BK and [Phe(αMe)5]-BK were degraded by guinea pig plasma and by purified rabbit lung converting enzyme, and degradation was inhibited by bradykinin-potentiating peptide (BPP9a). Although not a substrate for the purified rabbit lung converting enzyme, [Phe(αMe)8]-BK was degraded by guinea pig plasma kininase and was protected by BPP9a. The isolated, perfused rabbit kidney efficiently degraded all three peptides, whereas both α-methylated analogues were more resistant to degradation by heart. Pulmonary destruction in rats was 95% for BK and 77% for [Phe(αMe)5]-BK; infusion of BPP9a inhibited this destruction. Pulmonary destruction of [Phe(αMe)8]-BK was not observed, and infusion of BPP9a had no effect. Since degradation of [Phe(αMe)8]-BK by other kininases (e.g., one in guinea pig plasma) was inhibited by BPP9a, it appears that BPP9a is a more general inhibitor of kininases than previously thought. Its failure to potentiate the hypotensive action of [Phe(αMe)8]-BK in rats indicates the dominance of converting enzyme as the major physiologically active kininase in this species.
Morphological and physiological changes in the urinary tract associated with ureteral dilation and ureteropyeloscopy: an experimental study.

The gross and microscopic effects of four common modes of ureteral dilation and ureteroscopy were examined in 26 renoureteral units in 13 minipigs. Acutely, ureters subjected to mechanical (bougie, Teflon, or balloon) ureteral dilation and ureteropyeloscopy (UPS) demonstrated active mucosal bleeding with multiple sites of perforation, whereas ureters subjected to hydraulic dilation and UPS were significantly less traumatized. Two weeks after mechanical ureteral dilation and UPS, 3 of 6 ureters were obstructed radiographically, whereas all 7 hydraulically dilated ureters were unobstructed. By 6 weeks, all radiographic evidence of obstruction had resolved in the mechanically dilated group. While 5 of 6 mechanically dilated ureters showed extensive scarring with muscle loss 4 to 6 weeks after dilation, no scarring was seen in those ureters dilated hydraulically. Renal pelvic pressure (RPP) was measured continuously with a nephrostomy catheter in vivo during (bougie, Teflon, balloon and hydraulic) ureteral dilation and UPS. Renal pelvic pressure during rigid ureteroscopy approximated the resting pelvic pressure plus the irrigant height above the kidney or set pressure on a hydraulic pump, plus a "scope effect" which was characterized by a 20 to 25 mm. Hg increase in RPP produced by moving the endoscope in the ureter without flow. The effects on RPP of continuous bladder drainage with a uretheral catheter and renal pelvic decompression with an open-ended ureteral catheter passed into the renal pelvis through the ureteroscope working channel were also examined. The maximum RPP was evaluated in vitro in a separate group of 16 freshly harvested pig kidneys of similar weight examined immediately after sacrifice and was found to be 439 mm. Hg. We also studied the immediate and long-term effects of low ( 200 cm. H2O or 150 mm. Hg) RPP on renal histology. Acutely, high pressure caused diffuse denudation and flattening of the caliceal urothelium, submucosal edema and congestion not seen in calyces subjected to low irrigant pressure. Four to six weeks later, there was a higher incidence of columnar metaplasia, subepithelial nests and pericalyceal vasculitis in calyces subjected to high pressure as compared with those subjected to low irrigant pressure. Acutely, renal tubules subjected to high irrigant pressure demonstrated marked vacuolization and degeneration, whereas tubules subjected to low pressure appeared normal. At 4 to 6 weeks, focal scarring was seen in 5 of 7 kidneys subjected to high irrigant pressure, whereas no scarring was noted in all 6 kidneys subjected to low irrigant pressure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Comparative Risk Assessment: Past Experience, Current Trends and Future Directions

Comparative risk assessment (CRA) has become an increasingly accepted research tool and has helped to characterize environmental profiles and priorities on the regional and national level. Micro studies in comparative risk assessment are comparisons of interrelated risks involved in a specific policy choice (e.g. drinking water safety: chemical versus microbial disease risks) and focus often on one or a few types of environmental problem. At a larger scale are statewide or nationwide applications of CRA or programmatic CRA that consider multi-risks facing the society by comparing different types of environmental problems. This chapter reviews micro studies and macro applications of comparative risk assessment and then discusses future directions.
Excited-State Relaxation Dynamics in a Continuous-Wave Dye Laser

A recently observed instability in a continuous-wave dye laser1–3 is remarkable for its simple experimental signatures and its elusion from theoretical description. The essential signatures of the experiment axe: (1) the threshold for instability is much less than nine times above threshold, (2) a bichromatic spectrum emerges above the instability threshold quenching the single frequency operation, and (3) the output power of the dye laser experiences discontinuous jumps and hysteresis as the pump power is varied about the instability threshold. A recently developed theory,4–6 that includes a band of levels in the lower lasing state, successfully predicts a lower instability threshold, the development of a bichromatic spectrum, and for a certain range of parameters, predicts discontinuous jumps in the output intensity at the second instability threshold. Specifically, when the energy decay rate from the excited state exceeds the energy decay rate of the lower states, the theory predicts discontinuous intensity jumps at the second instability threshold. The theory does not predict discontinuous jumps when the energy decay rate from the excited state is less than that of the lower states. The combination of these theoretical predictions and the results of the experiments led to the hypothesis that there may be long-lived states in the lower lasing band of the dye molecule. In this paper we will discuss experiments that directly investigate this possibility. There is also the possibility that the theory may need some slight modifications to better model the experimental conditions. For instance, as originally developed, the theory does not consider spontaneous emission from the excited state into the lower band.
Unilateral sudden loss of hearing: An unusual complication of cardiac operation

Between 1969 and 1978 7,000 patients underwent cardiopulmonary bypass at Bellevue and University Hospitals. In seven of these patients, sudden loss of hearing in one ear developed immediately after the operation. Four of the seven patients showed improvement in hearing after the initial loss, although in no case did the hearing return completely to normal. None of the patients had vertigo but two were listless postoperatively. Two of the operations were for congenital heart disease; the remainder were coronary artery bypass procedures. All of the affected patients were male. There was no predilection as to which ear was affected. The most likely cause is paniculate emboli generated by cardiopulmonary bypass. Other possible sources of emboli include air, antifoam, fat, and paniculate matter from calcified valves and the aorta. Improvement in the kind of pump and the addition of various filters in the period between 1969 and 1978 did not eliminate unilateral hearing loss. The relationship between cerebral emboli and decreased consciousness after operations is also discussed.
Global Health Law: International Law and Public Health Policy

The field of global health law and the contribution of international organizations to its development are described. The growth and elaboration of the field of global health law in the last two decades is one of the most notable developments in global health policy. In this new era of global health governance, international law has an important, albeit limited, role to play in promoting and coordinating international cooperation and national action to protect and promote global health. Particular attention is paid to the global impact of binding international agreements and other international legal instruments developed under the auspices of the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization.
Steroid-Responsive Chronic Pancreatitides: Autoimmune Pancreatitis and Idiopathic Duct-Centric Chronic Pancreatitis

Two different forms of steroid-responsive pancreatitides are recognized, with both being referred to as “autoimmune pancreatitis.” They differ significantly in their clinical, histological, and epidemiological features. It has recently been suggested that the term “AIP” be reserved for the disease associated with elevated serum and tissue IgG4, while the term idiopathic duct centric chronic pancreatitis (IDCP) be used for pancreas-specific form. Clinically the most frequent presentation is painless obstructive jaundice with a mass/enlargement of the pancreas at imaging, and the differential diagnosis with cancer is frequently difficult. AIP is part of a multiorgan disorder called IgG4-related disease and any organ may be involved. Therefore, more than 50 % of the patients suffering from AIP present an inflammatory involvement of other organs (particularly bile ducts, kidneys, and salivary glands). Serum IgG4 elevation is not pathognomonic of AIP and serum IgG4 should be used in combination with other features to make a diagnosis of AIP. Both AIP and IDCP respond to steroids. In relapses of AIP the use of immunosuppressive drugs or of biologic agents may be considered.
A longitudinal study of parental anti-substance-use socialization for early adolescents’ substance-use behaviors

ABSTRACTThe present study examines the role of communication in shaping norms and behaviors with significant personal and societal consequences. Based on primary socialization theory and the general theory of family communication, parental anti-substance-use socialization processes were hypothesized to influence early adolescents’ substance-use norms and behaviors. Using longitudinal data (N = 1059), the results revealed that parent-adolescent prevention communication about substance use in the media and parental anti-substance-use injunctive norms were positively associated with early adolescents’ personal anti-substance-use norms, which, in turn, led to decreases in recent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. It was also found that family expressiveness and structural traditionalism positively related to the hypothesized association between parental socialization processes and early adolescents’ norms and behaviors.
Nursing-led Home Visits Post-hospitalization for Children with Medical Complexity

Abstract Purpose Hospital discharge for children with medical complexity (CMC) can be challenging for families. Home visits could potentially benefit CMC and their families after leaving the hospital. We assessed the utility of post-discharge home visits to identify and address health problems for recently hospitalized CMC. Design and Methods A prospective study of 36 CMC admitted to a children's hospital from 4/15/2015 to 4/14/2016 identified with a possible high risk of hospital readmission and offered a post-discharge home visit within 72 h of discharge. The visit was staffed by a hospital nurse familiar with the child's admission. The home visit goals were to reinforce education of the discharge plan, assess the child's home environment, and identify and address any problems or issues that emerged post-discharge. Results The children's median age was 6 years [interquartile range (IQR) 2–18]. The median distance from hospital to their home was 38 miles (IQR 8–78). All (n = 36) children had multiple chronic conditions; 89% (n = 32) were assisted with medical technology. The nurse identified and helped with a post-discharge problem during every (n = 36) visit. Of the 147 problems identified, 26.5% (n = 39) pertained to social/family issues (e.g., financial instability), 23.8% (n = 35) medications (e.g., wrong dose), 20.4% (n = 30) durable medical equipment (e.g., insufficient supply or faulty function), 20.4% (n = 30) child's home environment (e.g., unsafe sleeping arrangement), and 8.8% (n = 13) child's health (e.g., unresolved health problem). Conclusions Home visits helped identify and address post-discharge issues that occurred for discharged CMC. Practical Implications Hospitals should consider home visits when optimizing discharge care for CMC.
RClassify: classifying race conditions in web applications via deterministic replay

Race conditions are common in web applications but are difficult to diagnose and repair. Although there exist tools for detecting races in web applications, they all report a large number of false positives. That is, the races they report are either bogus, meaning they can never occur in practice, or benign, meaning they do not lead to erroneous behaviors. Since manually diagnosing them is tedious and error prone, reporting these race warnings to developers would be counter-productive. We propose a platform-agnostic, deterministic replay-based method for identifying not only the real but also the truly harmful race conditions. It relies on executing each pair of racing events in two different orders and assessing their impact on the program state: we say a race is harmful only if (1) both of the two executions are feasible and (2) they lead to different program states. We have evaluated our evidence-based classification method on a large set of real websites from Fortune-500 companies and demonstrated that it significantly outperforms all state-of-the-art techniques.
The Nomos of Climate Change and the Sociological Refugee in a Sinking Century

Disappearing island states present tip-of-the-iceberg problems for international refugee law in the Anthropocene. Coastal recissions and global inundation prospects adumbrate an assortment of environmental challenges that call into question the relevance of the Refugee Convention. Understanding the limitations of refugee law and its inability or unwillingness to confront extant gaps within its regime structure, and emergent challenges posed by climate change, require a reconsideration of the telluric underpinnings of sovereignty and the nature of the threat posed by exigent human migration. This Article employs the concept of nomos projected by the problematic but increasingly significant twentieth century international lawyer, Carl Schmitt. His biogeographic understanding of international law, inextricably tethered to the organic formation of ‘true law’ through land appropriation within the context of European history, explains limitations in international refugee law that the liberal order must first confront in order to fully operationalize the grand scheme to reframe displacement issues projected by the coming 2018 UN Global Compact on Migration.
Differentiating Chromosome Fragmentation and Premature Chromosome Condensation

The chromosome has long been viewed as a structure that ensures faithful segregation of the genetic materials to daughter cells. However, it is now apparent that the chromosome plays a central role in defining the genetic network through the genome context. One often-confused phenomenon bridging studies of interphase chromatin and mitotic chromosomes is chromosome pulverization, which has been inappropriately linked to premature chromosome condensation (PCC) and more recently confused with chromosome fragmentation (C-Frag), a major form of mitotic cell death. Recently there has been increased interest in genome alteration-mediated somatic cell evolution and its clinical implications, although a number of publications have continued to confuse these terminologies/concepts.
Primary Focal Intracranial Leptomeningeal Glioma: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background Primary focal intracranial leptomeningeal glioma (PFILG) is considered a rare solitary glial tumor arising from the leptomeninges without brain attachment or evidence of primary neoplasm elsewhere within the neuraxis. We report a case of PFILG in a left parietal location and provide a concise review on its clinicoradiologic, histopathologic, and management characteristics. Case Presentation A 75-year-old woman presented with focal motor seizures involving the right upper limb with associated occasional headache. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed a small focal lesion attached to the left parietal dura with underlying brain parenchymal signal changes, and contrast-enhanced images showed heterogeneous enhancement of the tumor and meninges. The repeated MRI brain images within a month of primary imaging revealed significant progression of the size of lesion along with invasion of underlying parietal lobe parenchyma. The patient underwent gross total resection of the lesion, and the histopathologic diagnosis was glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), World Health Organization grade 4, isocitrate dehydrogenase wild type. The patient recovered well from surgery without deficits; however, she refused adjuvant treatment. MRI of the brain repeated 3 months after surgery revealed significant progression of the GBM with mass effect. Although adjuvant treatment was then started, she could not tolerate it and died 4 months after surgery. Conclusion The possibility of high-grade PFILG should be considered in any aggressive extra-axial focal lesion. The definitive diagnosis can be made after histologic examination. Although surgery followed by adjuvant treatment is considered the mainstay of treatment, the overall prognostic outcome of high-grade PFILG is dismal.
The Developmental Mechanics of Hereditary Abnormalities in the Chick

The problem of the mode of gene action in development can be approached in different ways. The geneticist will choose the genotype as the variable; he will select those cases in which the effect of a large number of genotypic variants on a single phenotypic character, for instance pigmentation, can be studied. Dr. Wright will presently discuss one of the most illuminating examples of this type. The embryologist will follow a different approach. He begins the analysis at the other end, at the phenotypic manifestations; he will attempt to trace backward, step by step, the chain of events from the established structural expressions towards the initial gene action. In doing so, he will apply his way of thinking and his methods. He is aware of the extremely complex interplay of actions and reactions between different parts of the developing embryo. He recognizes that any change in one part, at one moment, is reflected in many others, and the analysis of the mechanisms of such embryonic correlations is his domain. A gene-controlled modification of a developmental process will not only find expression in the primordium where it originates but in other parts as well.
Valves Available in the United States

While many transcatheter valves are in development and under investigation around the world, the most commonly used are the SAPIEN by Edwards Lifesciences (Irvine, CA) and Evolut Pro by Medtronic (Minneapolis, MN). Earlier generations of the SAPIENT 3 are the SAPIENT THV and the SAPIEN XT. Earlier generations of the Evolut valve are the CoreValve and Evolut R. Understanding the features of each valve and delivery system is imperative to competent TAVR practice.
p53-induced p21 controls DNA replication

The p21 protein, a regulator of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), has been thought to be one of the key proteins to function in cell proliferation suppression upon DNA damage. In normal cells but not in many tumor cells, p21 forms a quaternary complex with a cyclin, a CDK and the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), one of the DNA replication and repair factors, suggesting that this complex might play an important role in maintaining the integrity of the genome. Here, we have focused on the p21-PCNA interaction in the context of DNA replication or DNA repair, presenting the data from both in vitro and in vivo studies of the p21 function.
Case 3: Emesis and Oral Hyperpigmentation in a 17-year-old Girl

1. Meghan E. Fredette, MD* 2. Lisa Swartz Topor, MD, MMSc* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI A 17-year-old girl presents for evaluation of persistent emesis and an unintentional 13.2-lb (6-kg) weight loss during the past 3 months. Emesis occurs daily in the mornings and is nonbloody and nonbilious. Nausea improves throughout the day and with hot showers. She denies diarrhea. When eating, she prefers salty foods such as pickles. She reports daily marijuana use. She feels that marijuana has stained her lips and tongue, as they appear darker to her. She notes fatigue, epigastric pain, weakness, and dizziness. She denies fevers, dysuria, or headaches. On physical examination she is afebrile, with a heart rate of 140 beats/min, respiratory rate of 18 breaths/min, blood pressure of 86/52 mm Hg, and oxygen saturation of 98%. Her weight is 91 lb (41.3 kg) (<1st percentile), height is 59 in (150 cm) (2nd percentile), and body mass index is 18.3 (14th percentile). Patchy hyperpigmentation is noted on the lips, buccal mucosa, and palate. Bowel sounds are hyperactive, and abdominal examination is without tenderness, rebound, or guarding. There are no masses or hepatosplenomegaly. Laboratory evaluation reveals a low serum sodium level of 130 mEq/L (130 mmol/L), with a normal potassium level of 3.8 mEq/L (3.8 mmol/L). Urine pregnancy test result is negative. The results of thyroid function testing, liver enzymes, lipase, complete blood cell count, and inflammatory markers are within normal limits. Abdominal radiograph is normal. Additional laboratory testing reveals the diagnosis. Random serum cortisol and corticotropin samples were sent in the setting of hypotension and tachycardia, and a stress dose of …
Listen to Her: Women as Avatars of Wisdom in Late Ancient Homiletical Discourse

ABSTRACTFor some decades now, historians have focused on attending to or, where possible, retrieving women's voices. In late antiquity, as indeed in other pre-modern eras, this salutary interest has encountered numerous challenges, including in many instances late ancient writers’ interest in obscuring, circumscribing, or otherwise silencing these voices. Ancient authors from Homer onward praised women's silence and worried about women's overly public speech. Early Christians had perhaps more reason for concern than many of their contemporaries; after all, as patristic writers liked to remind their audiences, it was the first woman's dubious counsel that had misled Adam and had put an end to humanity's paradisiacal existence. It is all the more striking when women's voices do emerge as authoritative purveyors of wisdom in late ancient texts, particularly where those voices are depicted as preferable to male wisdom. This article examines three such instances: that of a mother whose teaching discredits a ty...
Identification, Expression and Activity of Candidate Nitrite Reductases From Orange Beggiatoaceae, Guaymas Basin

Orange filamentous Beggiatoaceae form massive microbial mats on hydrothermal sediments in Guaymas Basin; these bacteria are considered to oxidize sulfide with nitrate and nitrite as electron acceptors. From a previously analyzed genome of an orange Beggiatoaceae filament, three candidate genes for enzymes with nitrite-reducing function - an orange octaheme cytochrome, a nirS nitrite reductase, and a nitrite/tetrathionate-reducing octaheme cytochrome - were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The expressed and purified orange cytochrome showed reduced nitrite-reducing activity compared to the multifunctional native protein obtained from microbial mats. The nirS gene product showed in vitro but no in-gel nitrite-reducing activity; and the nitrite/tetrathionate-reducing octaheme cytochrome was capable of reducing both nitrite and tetrathionate in vitro. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the orange Beggiatoaceae nirS, in contrast to the other candidate nitrite reductases, does not form monophyletic lineages with its counterparts in other large sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, and most likely represents a recent acquisition by lateral gene transfer. The nitrite/tetrathionate-reducing enzyme of the orange Beggiatoaceae is related to nitrite- and tetrathionate reductases harbored predominantly by Gammaproteobacteria, including obligate endosymbionts of hydrothermal vent tubeworms. Thus, the orange Guaymas Basin Beggiatoaceae have a repertoire of at least three different functional enzymes for nitrite reduction. By demonstrating the unusual diversity of enzymes with a potential role in nitrite reduction, we show that bacteria in highly dynamic, sulfide-rich hydrothermal vent habitats adapt to these conditions that usually prohibit nitrate and nitrite reduction. In the case of the orange Guaymas Beggiatoaceae, classical denitrification appears to be replaced by different multifunctional enzymes for nitrite and tetrathionate reduction; the resulting ecophysiological flexibility provides a new key to the dominance of these Beggiatoaceae in hydrothermal hot spots.
Strategies to reduce potentially avoidable hospitalisations among long-term care facility residents

Older people who reside in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are frequently hospitalised.1 Hospitalisation in this vulnerable population is associated with iatrogenic conditions that often result in physical discomfort, psychological distress and functional disability, as well as excess healthcare costs. Several studies have demonstrated that a substantial proportion of these hospitalisations as well as emergency department (ED) visits that do not result in hospitalisation are potentially avoidable.2–12 Thus, efforts to reduce these potentially avoidable hospitalisations (PAH) could improve care quality and patient safety by reducing hospital and ED related complications, and save healthcare expenditures that could be used to further improve care. The paper by Lloyd et al describes one such effort carried out in 13 residential care and 10 nursing homes in the UK involving 568 residents and 568 matched control residents who entered similar LTCFs during the study period.13 All of these residents had been in the hospital at least once in the past 2 years, so that clinical data for propensity matching would be available. The intervention included regular visits by a designated primary care physician in order to provide continuity of care, and training and support for facility staff provided by community nurses. The intervention resulted in a statistically significant reduction in PAH, emergency hospital admissions and ED visits among the residential care home residents compared with the control group. However, there were no significant reductions in these events among residents of nursing homes and the control group. The authors suggest that these findings may have resulted from the intervention bolstering the clinical resources available to residential care homes more than it did for nursing homes, and/or had a greater potential to impact the health of the residential care home residents. The study was well designed and had a number of important strengths, including …
Gedunin Inhibits Oligomeric Aβ 1–42 -Induced Microglia Activation Via Modulation of Nrf2-NF-κB Signaling

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia in aged populations worldwide. The deposition of toxic protein aggregates such as amyloid beta (Aβ) is a hallmark of AD, and there is growing awareness that a key driver of AD pathogenesis is the neuroinflammatory cascade triggered and sustained by these proteins. Consequently, interventions that suppress prolonged neuroinflammation represent viable therapeutic approaches for AD. In this context, we tested the natural product gedunin which is an anti-inflammatory molecule, found in the seeds of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), whose mechanism of action remains to be fully elucidated. Using a mouse microglia cell line (IMG), we show that gedunin suppresses neuroinflammation arising from Aβ1-42 oligomer exposure. Our results demonstrate that gedunin suppresses Aβ1-42-induced NF-κB activation and its targets, including nitric oxide (NO) and IL-1β, known proinflammatory molecules. Further, we show that gedunin inhibits neuroinflammation by activating nuclear factor 2 erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its downstream targets γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, heme oxygenase 1, and NADPH quinone dehydrogenase 1, which are involved in quenching reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (NO) generated by NF-κB activation. Nrf2 activation appears essential for the anti-inflammatory effect because when silenced, the proinflammatory effects of Aβ1-42 are enhanced and the protective effect of gedunin against NO production is reduced. Additionally, using human neuronal cells (SH-SY5Y), we show that gedunin prevents neurotoxicity secondary to Aβ-induced microglial activation. In conclusion, our findings highlight a potential therapeutic role of gedunin in neurodegenerative diseases.
Long-Term Outcomes of All-Arthroscopic Pre-Tied Suture Device Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Repair.

Background A pre-tied suture device has been utilized for all-arthroscopic peripheral triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) repairs with promising early clinical results. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate long-term functional outcomes of these repairs. Patients and Methods A retrospective review of patients undergoing arthroscopic TFCC repair was performed. Inclusion criteria were the Palmer type 1B TFCC tears diagnosed on arthroscopy and repaired using the all-arthroscopic pre-tied suture device. Patients with any evidence of concomitant wrist injury at the time of surgery, history of prior wrist surgery, or nonrepairable and nonperipheral TFCC tears were excluded. Postoperative complications, range of motion, grip strength, and outcome assessments were recorded for each patient. Results Eleven patients (mean age, 36 years; range, 20–64 years) satisfied our inclusion criteria and comprised the study cohort. The mean follow-up period was 7.0 years (range, 4.3–10.9 years). Mean range of motion of the wrist revealed flexion of 76 ± 11 degrees and extension of 73 ± 12 degrees. Mean grip strength was 98 ± 15% of the nonsurgical extremity. QuickDASH, modified Mayo, and patient-rated wrist evaluation (PRWE) average scores were 9 ± 8, 80 ± 6, and 12 ± 12, respectively. No surgical complications were observed and no patient required any further surgical intervention. Conclusions Our cohort of patients following all-arthroscopic pre-tied suture device repair of isolated Palmer type 1B TFCC tears demonstrated excellent clinical function at a mean follow-up of 7 years. These findings indicate that the pre-tied suture device is a reliable, safe, effective, and most importantly, durable treatment option for repair of peripheral TFCC tears. Level of Evidence This is a Level IV, therapeutic study.
Lymphatic vasculature in tumor metastasis and immunobiology

Lymphatic vessels are essential for tissue fluid homeostasis, immune cell trafficking, and intestinal lipid absorption. The lymphatics have long been recognized to serve as conduits for distant tumor dissemination. However, recent findings suggest that the regional lymphatic vasculature also shapes the immune microenvironment of the tumor mass and potentiates immunotherapy. This review discusses the role of lymphatic vessels in tumor metastasis and tumor immunity.
Spectral gaps and error estimates for infinite-dimensional Metropolis-Hastings with non-Gaussian priors

We study a class of Metropolis-Hastings algorithms for target measures that are absolutely continuous with respect to a large class of non-Gaussian prior measures on Banach spaces. The algorithm is shown to have a spectral gap in a Wasserstein-like semimetric weighted by a Lyapunov function. A number of error bounds are given for computationally tractable approximations of the algorithm including bounds on the closeness of Cesaro averages and other pathwise quantities via perturbation theory. Several applications illustrate the breadth of problems to which the results apply such as discretization by Galerkin-type projections and approximate simulation of the proposal.
Why rural Malian women want to be candidates for local office: changes in social and political life and the arrival of a gender quota

Why would rural Malian women express interest in political participation? Mali implemented a gender quota during the 2016 local elections. In a rural village where I conducted immersive research, the majority of women I interviewed following the 2016 poll expressed interest in running for local office in the future. Scholars of women's political participation theorise that quotas bring women to elected office and increase women's political participation. These theoretical perspectives cannot fully explain why women in rural Mali would express enthusiastic interest in political participation. These women participate extensively in savings and credit associations. Drawing on data generated through engagement with women in their daily lives, I explore how economic advancement can shape women's participatory aspirations. Examining longer-term changes in the local political economy of this rural village provides a deeper understanding of why women responded positively to a new institutional opening for political participation.
The Impact of Environmental Factors on 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in the Brain

The aims of this review are to evaluate the methods used to measure 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), and then summarize the available data investigating the impact of environmental factors on 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) in the brain. Recent research has shown that some environmental factors, including exposure to exogenous chemicals, stress, altered diet, and exercise, are all associated with 5-hmC variation in the brain. However, due to a lack of specificity in the methods used to generate a majority of the available data, it cannot be determined whether environment-induced changes in 5-hmC occur in specific biological pathways. Environment appears to shape 5-hmC levels in the brain, but the available literature is hampered by limitations in measurement methods. The field of neuroepigenetics needs to adopt new tools to increase the specificity of its data and enhance biological interpretation of exposure-related changes in 5-hmC. This will help improve understanding of the potential roles for environmental factors and 5-hmC in neurological disease.