cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Narrative Medicine: A Model for Empathy, Reflection, Profession, and Trust

The effective practice of medicine requires narrative competence, that is, the ability to acknowledge, absorb, interpret, and act on the stories and plights of others. Medicine practiced with narrative competence, called narrative medicine, is proposed as a model for humane and effective medical practice. Adopting methods such as close reading of literature and reflective writing allows narrative medicine to examine and illuminate 4 of medicine's central narrative situations: physician and patient, physician and self, physician and colleagues, and physicians and society. With narrative competence, physicians can reach and join their patients in illness, recognize their own personal journeys through medicine, acknowledge kinship with and duties toward other health care professionals, and inaugurate consequential discourse with the public about health care. By bridging the divides that separate physicians from patients, themselves, colleagues, and society, narrative medicine offers fresh opportunities for respectful, empathic, and nourishing medical care.
Free radical production by metallic copper.

Abstract When a strip of metallic copper is incubated in the presence of physiological saline,both cuprous and cupric ions are produced. The reaction requires both saline and oxygen. Glycine enhances the production of cupric at the expense of cuprous. Cuprous ions cleave disulphide bonds. On oxidation of cuprous, free radicals are produced. This is shown by the initiation of polymerization of acrylamide both by incubation with copper metal (EDTA being present) or directly with cuprous chloride. Substances which inhibit cuprous formation suppress the polymerization. Incubation of copper in a benzene-saturated saline solution yields phenol showing that hydroxyl free radicals are produced. For copper of the same surface area as the copper IUD, the rate of phenol production is equivalent to that produced by X-rays at a dose rate of 14,000 rads per hour.
Structure and function of the SWIRM domain, a conserved protein module found in chromatin regulatory complexes

The SWIRM domain is a module found in the Swi3 and Rsc8 subunits of SWI/SNF-family chromatin remodeling complexes, and the Ada2 and BHC110/LSD1 subunits of chromatin modification complexes. Here we report the high-resolution crystal structure of the SWIRM domain from Swi3 and characterize the in vitro and in vivo function of the SWIRM domains from Saccharomyces cerevisiae Swi3 and Rsc8. The Swi3 SWIRM forms a four-helix bundle containing a pseudo 2-fold axis and a helix-turn-helix motif commonly found in DNA-binding proteins. We show that the Swi3 SWIRM binds free DNA and mononucleosomes with high and comparable affinity and that a subset of Swi3 substitution mutants that display growth defects in vivo also show impaired DNA-binding activity in vitro, consistent with a nucleosome targeting function of this domain. Genetic and biochemical studies also reveal that the Rsc8 and Swi3 SWIRM domains are essential for the proper assembly and in vivo functions of their respective complexes. Together, these studies identify the SWIRM domain as an essential multifunctional module for the regulation of gene expression.
Ability of the PM3 quantum-mechanical method to model inter molecular hydrogen bonding between neutral molecules

The PM3 semiempirical quantum-mechanical method was found to systematically describe intermolecular hydrogen bonding in small polar molecules. PM3 shows charge transfer from the donor to acceptor molecules on the order of 0.02–0.06 units of charge when strong hydrogen bonds are formed. The PM3 method is predictive; calculated hydrogen bond energies with an absolute magnitude greater than 2 kcal mol−1 suggest that the global minimum is a hydrogen bonded complex; absolute energies less than 2 kcal mol−1 imply that other van der Waals complexes are more stable. The geometries of the PM3 hydrogen bonded complexes agree with high-resolution spectroscopic observations, gas electron diffraction data, and high-level ab initio calculations. The main limitations in the PM3 method are the underestimation of hydrogen bond lengths by 0.1–0.2 A for some systems and the underestimation of reliable experimental hydrogen bond energies by approximately 1–2 kcal mol−1. The PM3 method predicts that ammonia is a good hydrogen bond acceptor and a poor hydrogen donor when interacting with neutral molecules. Electronegativity differences between F, N, and O predict that donor strength follows the order F > O > N and acceptor strength follows the order N > O > F. In the calculations presented in this article, the PM3 method mirrors these electronegativity differences, predicting the F-H---N bond to be the strongest and the N-H---F bond the weakest. It appears that the PM3 Hamiltonian is able to model hydrogen bonding because of the reduction of two-center repulsive forces brought about by the parameterization of the Gaussian core–core interactions. The ability of the PM3 method to model intermolecular hydrogen bonding means reasonably accurate quantum-mechanical calculations can be applied to small biologic systems. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
CD36 does not play a direct role in HDL or LDL metabolism.

Abstract CD36 and scavenger receptor class B, type I (SR-BI) are both class B scavenger receptors that recognize a broad variety of ligands, including oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL), HDL, anionic phospholipids, and apoptotic cells. In this study we investigated the role of mouse CD36 (mCD36) as a physiological lipoprotein receptor. We compared the association of various lipoprotein particles with mCD36 and mSR-BI expressed in COS cells by adenovirus-mediated gene transfer. mCD36 bound human oxLDL and mouse HDL with high affinity. Human LDL bound poorly to mCD36, indicating that mCD36 is unlikely to play a significant role in LDL metabolism. The ability of mCD36 to mediate the selective uptake of cholesteryl esters (CE) from receptor-bound HDL was assessed. In comparison with mSR-BI, mCD36 inefficiently mediated the selective uptake of CE. Hepatic overexpression of mCD36 in C57BL/6 mice by adenovirus-mediated gene transfer did not result in significant alterations in plasma LDL and HDL levels. We conclude that mCD36, while able to bind HDL with high affinity, does not contribute significantly to HDL or LDL metabolism. —de Villiers, W. J. S., L. Cai, N. R. Webb, M. C. de Beer, D. R. van der Westhuyzen, and F. C. de Beer. CD36 does not play a direct role in HDL or LDL metabolism.
An investigation of meeting satisfaction in GSS and FTF meetings

Meeting satisfaction is an important construct in the field of research on group support systems (GSSs). This is because unless the use of GSS technology produces an increase in meeting satisfaction, it is unlikely that users will seek to adopt the technology, regardless of any productivity gains that might be realized. If the underlying causes of meeting satisfaction can be identified, then researchers and designers will be better equipped to study and build systems that facilitate meeting satisfaction without sacrificing meeting productivity. This paper presents a causal model of meeting satisfaction that builds on existing literature. The model is tested with a controlled investigation consisting of 26 groups engaged in the "Lost at Sea" task - 15 GSS and 11 FTF (face-to-face) groups. Structural equation modeling was used to validate the model and the results suggest strong support for the model's integrity. A number of implications for researchers and practitioners are identified and discussed. These include identifying situations where low meeting satisfaction could be a problem and how the model can be used to guide future GSS research.
Renewable and efficiency systems integration at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

As deployment rates for new energy technologies rapidly increase, there is growing emphasis on infrastructure and systems operations upgrades that will be needed to accommodate the unique operating characteristics of new renewable, efficiency, and end-use technologies. To meet these integration challenges, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is implementing a comprehensive systems approach to its R&D and engineering efforts on integration. As the centerpiece for these efforts, the U.S. Department of Energy has commissioned the design and construction of a state-of-the-art laboratory facility — the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF). The ESIF will be constructed to enable complex systems research and development that fully integrates the most advanced simulation, data analysis, engineering, and evaluation techniques to enable optimal deployment of advanced energy technologies. This paper will overview the ESIF's role in NREL's approach to addressing large-scale renewable and efficiency technology integration issues.
Continuing therapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: clinical and cellular pharmacology of methotrexate, 6-mercaptopurine and 6-thioguanine.

Across the world, therapy with 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) and methotrexate (MTX) forms the basis of the continuing therapy of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). In this review, the pharmacological determinants of the sensitivity of human leukaemia cell lines and lymphoblasts derived from children with ALL will be discussed. In addition, clinical pharmacological studies of 6-MP and MTX in relation to the continuing therapy with childhood ALL will be reviewed. For 6-MP in vitro, prolonged exposure times to relatively high extracellular drug concentrations are necessary for cytotoxicity, and these concentrations are much higher than those achieved during continuing therapy for childhood ALL. For MTX, plasma concentrations are achieved during continuing therapy that would be cytotoxic to human leukaemia cells during prolonged exposures in vitro. For both MTX and 6-MP, wide inter- and intrapatient variation in plasma pharmacokinetic parameters has been described. For 6-MP and MTX, cellular pharmacological studies have been largely restricted to erythrocytes as a surrogate of the possible effects in leukaemic blasts. Although measures of the pharmacology of 6-MP and MTX in erythrocytes has been related to prognosis in many studies, 6-MP systemic exposure and the dose intensity of 6-MP and MTX actually received by children during this phase of therapy seems to be the most important determinant of efficacy. Further studies will be needed to determine the importance of pharmacokinetic variability during continuing therapy as a determinant of outcome for children with ALL. In this respect, minimal residual disease status during this phase of treatment may prove to be a useful pharmacodynamic endpoint.
Alternative Sigma Factors and Their Roles in Bacterial Virulence

Sigma factors provide promoter recognition specificity to RNA polymerase holoenzyme, contribute to DNA strand separation, and then dissociate from the core enzyme following transcription initiation. As the regulon of a single sigma factor can be composed of hundreds of genes, sigma factors can provide effective mechanisms for simultaneously regulating expression of large numbers of prokaryotic genes. One newly emerging field is identification of the specific roles of alternative sigma factors in regulating expression of virulence genes and virulence-associated genes in bacterial pathogens. Virulence genes encode proteins whose functions are essential for the bacterium to effectively establish an infection in a host organism. In contrast, virulence-associated genes can contribute to bacterial survival in the environment and therefore may enhance the capacity of the bacterium to spread to new individuals or to survive passage through a host organism. As alternative sigma factors have been shown to regulate expression of both virulence and virulence-associated genes, these proteins can contribute both directly and indirectly to bacterial virulence. Sigma factors are classified into two structurally unrelated families, the σ70 and the σ54 families. The σ70 family includes primary sigma factors (e.g., Bacillus subtilis σA) as well as related alternative sigma factors; σ54 forms a distinct subfamily of sigma factors referred to as σN in almost all species for which these proteins have been characterized to date. We present several examples of alternative sigma factors that have been shown to contribute to virulence in at least one organism. For each sigma factor, when applicable, examples are drawn from multiple species.
Response to Dynamic Language Tasks Among Typically Developing Latino Preschool Children With Bilingual Experience

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine whether typically developing preschool children with bilingual experience show evidence of learning within brief dynamic assessment language tasks...
Curriculum Pearls for Faculty Members

Many nurse educators fear involvement in curriculum development because of limited understanding of what itentails. Curricula, as etymological, epistemological, and phenomenological concepts have attracted the attention ofeducators for decades. Several curriculum models exist to explain curriculum decision-making, and the relationshipamong ideology, theory, and stakeholders. The Behavioral curriculum model reflects Western-society psychology,assuming that the environmental influences shape behaviors. Experientialism originated as open-minded theory,postulating that an experience led to creativity and helped a multiple intelligence development. Cognitive theoristsanalyze the curriculum through cognitive skills and acquisition of knowledge. The structure of disciplines attempts toexplain the fundamental ideas about a specific subject or subjects in a discipline. Multiple stakeholders play keyroles in curriculum decision-making from selection of curriculum models to implementation and evaluation.Curriculum specialists include planners, consultants, coordinators, directors, and professors. Educators are the largestgroup of professionals working in the realm of curriculum development. Frequently, instructors participate incurriculum planning under the supervision of a curriculum leader or other specialist. The supervisor is usually aperson who works on three levels, instruction, curriculum, and staff development. Laypersons may include membersof community and students. The role of members of the community has changed historically from passive to activeparticipants in curriculum development. The curriculum pearls may help educators understand curriculum models orset a curriculum committee according to the mission and vision of an organization. In this review, the faculty willfind fundamental elements connecting curriculum models, stakeholders, and nursing education.
Molar restorations supported by 2 implants: an alternative to wide implants.

The single-tooth restoration has become one of the most widely used procedures in implant dentistry. Improvements to the abutment‐implant interface design, wider implant platforms and the increased use of cemented restorations have greatly enhanced this procedure. Nonetheless, limitations in the volume of underlying bone and heavy occlusal loads, with or without parafunctional habits, still contribute to occasional disappointments in restoration stability. The use of 2 implants to restore a molar has been shown to eliminate problems associated with bone volume and prosthetic stability. One of the most significant barriers to the widespread use of this concept has been the limitation of the size of implants and their associated prosthetic components. This paper presents the use of 2 implants to replace a single molar using implants and prosthetic components in the Astra Tech Dental Implant System.
Mortality in ulcerative colitis: 1930 to 1966.

Causes of death were investigated in 137 ulcerative colitis patients dying between 1930 and 1966. Forty-six patients, averaging 39 years of age, died of causes directly attributable to ulcerativecolitis; these included colonic perforation, operative and postoperative deaths, and fulminating disease. The 46 colitis-related deaths were caused by carcinoma of the colon and rectum, chronic liver disease, suicide, phlebothrombosis, and complications of medical therapy. Deaths in 45 patients were unrelated to ulcerative colitis or any of its known complications. Review of the latest barium enema in 125 of the patients under study disclosed a significant correlation between the presence of severely involved colons and direct colitis and colitis-related deaths. The patterns of mortality over the period under study indicate that both the survival times in ulcerative colitis and the ages at death are increasing. Likewise, the major causes of death are changing. There is a decline in the frequency of deaths directly due to ulcerative colitis and a corresponding increase in both colitis-related and colitis-unrelated deaths. Nonetheless, the high over-all proportion (2 of 3) of those patients dying because of factors directly or indirectly related to their bowel disease emphasizes the continuing therapeutic challenge presented by ulcerative colitis.
Prevention of Depression in At-Risk Adolescents: Predictors and Moderators of Acute Effects

Objective To assess predictors and moderators of a cognitive-behavioral prevention (CBP) program for adolescent offspring of parents with depression. Method This 4-site randomized trial evaluated CBP compared to usual community care (UC) in 310 adolescents with familial (parental depression) and individual (youth history of depression or current subsyndromal symptoms) risk for depression. As previously reported by Garber and colleagues, a significant prevention effect favored CBP through 9 months; however, outcomes of CBP and UC did not significantly differ when parents were depressed at baseline. The current study expanded on these analyses and examined a range of demographic, clinical, and contextual characteristics of families as predictors and moderators and used recursive partitioning to construct a classification tree to organize clinical response subgroups. Results Depression onset was predicted by lower functioning (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.92–0.98) and higher hopelessness (HR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01–1.11) in adolescents. The superior effect of CBP was diminished when parents were currently depressed at baseline (HR = 6.38, 95% CI = 2.38–17.1) or had a history of hypomania (HR = 67.5, 95% CI = 10.9–417.1), or when adolescents reported higher depressive symptoms (HR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.00–1.08), higher anxiety (HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01–1.08), higher hopelessness (HR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.01–1.20), or lower functioning (HR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.89–1.00) at baseline. Onset rates varied significantly by clinical response cluster (0%–57%). Conclusion Depression in adolescents can be prevented, but programs may produce superior effects when timed at moments of relative wellness in high-risk families. Future programs may be enhanced by targeting modifiable negative clinical indicators of response. Clinical trial registration information : Prevention of Depression in At-Risk Adolescents; http://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT00073671
Effective surface coverage of coarse-grained soft matter.

The surface coverage of coarse-grained macromolecules bound to a solid substrate is not simply proportional to the two-dimensional number density because macromolecules can overlap. As a function of the overlap probability δ, we have developed analytical formulas and computational models capable of characterizing this nonlinear relationship. For simplicity, we ignore site–site interactions that would be induced by length-scale mismatches between binding sites and the radius of gyration of the incident coarse-grained macromolecular species. The interactions between macromolecules are modeled with a finite bounded potential that allows multiple macromolecules to occupy the same binding site. The softness of the bounded potential is thereby reduced to the single parameter δ. Through variation of this parameter, completely hard (δ = 0) and completely soft (δ = 1) behavior can be bridged. For soft macromolecular interactions (δ > 0), multiple occupancy reduces the fraction of sites ϕ occupied on the substrate....
Mild cognitive impairment, healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease.

HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL AGING Healthy aging is defined by the lack of a significant decline in physical and mental abilities.3 These people are socially active and emotionally satisfied. One definition of “successful aging” is that the elderly who perform in the upper end of a distribution of test scores are deemed successful. The effect of aging on cognition is a hot topic. People older than 65 continue to change through the rest of their lives in different ways. A wide variety of age-related phenomena have been described. Many studies have documented various life styles leading to healthy or successful aging. Learning from these studies, preventive strategies are postulated to delay the onset of dementia. Among them, education and participation in certain leisure activities are two areas which have demonstrated benefit.6,7 From epidemiological data, Katzman pointed out that elder people with poor or no education have an increased risk of developing dementia6 compared to those better educated. It is postulated that education might generate brain “reserve”, which can compensate the initial presentation of dementia. In a five-year, prospective, longitudinal study of healthy elderly adults (above 75 years of age), Verghese et al. reported that the elderly (n=345; age 78.9) who participated in three kinds of cognitive activities and one physical activity had a reduced risk of dementia. Reading, playing board games and playing musical instruments are deemed beneficial cognitive activities; dancing is the only physical activity identified that is associated with a lower risk of dementia. They also observed that subjects (n=124; age 79.7) who eventually developed dementia (the majority of them had AD) were older individuals with lower levels of education (less than 12 grades) and relatively lower test scores (on two memory tests) at baseline. This landmark study provides evidence of risk-reducing activities to delay the onset of AD.
Seasonal and Diurnal Activity of Rhagoletis mendax Flies in Nature

Data from field observations on the location and activity of adult blueberry maggots, Rhagoletis mendax Curran, revealed the following. Most flies were found on cultivated, high-bush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L., and none were found on wild, low-bush blueberry, V. augustifolium Ait. Most flies on non-host plants were observed there during rain. Feeding and the presence of mating pairs occurred only on high-bush blueberry. Throughout the season on high-bush blueberry, males spent less time feeding and on leaves than did females. Most oviposition occurred after the second week from the first noted eclosion. Oviposition was accompanied by a shift toward more time spent by both sexes on fruit. Males spent most of an individual observation period on a single fruit, whereas females visited many fruit for oviposition. Mating, oviposition, and the occurrence of both sexes on fruit were all significantly positively correlated with changes throughout the day in ambient temperature and incident light intensity. The relation of these activities to those of other dipterans is discussed.
Size effects on elasticity, yielding, and fracture of silver nanowires: In situ experiments

This paper reports the quantitative measurement of a full spectrum of mechanical properties of fivefold twinned silver (Ag) nanowires (NWs), including Young's modulus, yield strength, and ultimate tensile strength. In-situ tensile testing of Ag NWs with diameters between 34 and 130 nm was carried out inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Young's modulus, yield strength, and ultimate tensile strength all increased as the NW diameter decreased. The maximum yield strength in our tests was found to be 2.64 GPa, which is about 50 times the bulk value and close to the theoretical value of Ag in the $\ensuremath{\langle}110\ensuremath{\rangle}$ orientation. The size effect in the yield strength is mainly due to the stiffening size effect in the Young's modulus. Yield strain scales reasonably well with the NW surface area, which reveals that yielding of Ag NWs is due to dislocation nucleation from surface sources. Pronounced strain hardening was observed for most NWs in our study. The strain hardening, which has not previously been reported for NWs, is mainly attributed to the presence of internal twin boundaries.
Fatigue Strength Reduction Factor for Polycrystalline Nickel Base Superalloy with and without Non-Metallic Inclusions☆

Abstract Polycrystalline nickel base superalloy is popular for its wide applications; it is used in hot sections of power generation turbines, rocket engines and other challenging conditions due to its high strength and good creep, fatigue, and corrosion resistance at high temperature. However, the presence of inclusions introduced into the superalloy during the fabrication processes can significantly degrade the fatigue life. This paper utilizes a new probabilistic method which captures both the essence of microstructure and notch root stress gradient to determine the notch size and inclusions effects on the fatigue strength of notched nickel base superalloy with and without non-metallic inclusions. Notched cylindrical specimens of nickel base superalloy of varying notch root radii are modeled using microstructural-sensitive crystal plasticity finite element codes. The stresses extracted from the fatigue damage process zone around the notch are used in determining the fatigue strength reduction factor and the associated probability of failure of the notched specimens. The numerical results obtained are in direct correlation with the experimentally obtained value for the different notch root radii.
MAGNETIC STRUCTURE, ANISOTROPY AND MAGNETO-OPTIC PROPERTIES OF AMORPHOUS RARE-EARTH MULTILAYERS

In this paper we discuss the atomic and magnetic structure of rare earth-transition metal compositionally modulated films with characteristic bilayer thicknesses in the nanometer range. A theoretical model based on single-ion anisotropy and anisotropic pair correlations has been developed to understand the occurrence of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for thin individual layers. Systematics of the magneto-optic properties of this class of materials are discussed, along with recent results on magnetization reversal mechanisms as studied by time decay of the Kerr effect.
Effect of Momordicin on Expression of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in Balb/c Mice with Viral Myocarditis Caused by Coxsackievirus B_3

Objective To observe the effect of momordicin on tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) level,mRNA transcription,and protein expression in myocardium of viral myocarditis caused by coxsackievirus B3(CVB3),and explore its therapeutic mechanism on viral myocarditis in Balb/c mice.Methods Fifty Balb/c mice were randomly divided into 3 groups as follows:momordicin treatment group(20 cases),vehicle control group(20 cases) and normal control group(n=10).Mice in the vehicle control group and the momordicin treatment group were intraperitoneally inoculated with CVB3,as for the nomal control group,equal amount of culture fluid was given instead.Momordicin[25 mg/(kg·d)] was administered intraperitoneally daily from day 0 to 6.Myocardial histopathology,cardiac TNF-α antigen,protein and mRNA expression were detected on day 15 after CVB3 inoculation,respectively.Results As compared with model group,in mice treated with momordicin,the histological myocardial lesion was significantly reduced [(3.26 ±0.84) vs(1.56±0.48),t=3.90 P0.01],the myocardial TNF-α level decreased [(85.6±16.7) vs(34.5±10.3),t=5.24 P0.01],and TNF-α mRNA levels,significantly lower [(0.09±0.02) vs(0.41±0.06),t=7.37 P0.01].Conclusions Momordicin is a potent agent for anti-CVB3 infection,which showing that suppressing excessively expression of TNF-α may be one of the important mechanisms for cardioprotective from CVB3-induced viral myocarditis in Balb/c mice.
Chest X-ray Analysis of Measles Associated with Pneumonia in Children

Objective To study the findings of measles associated with pneumonia and to improve the diagnostic level of this disease.Methods The chest X-ray of 280 cases with pneumonia among 310 children with measles from January 2005 to August 2006 were collected and analyzed retrospectively.Results The most common findings of chest X-ray examinations included blurred and increased lung markings(in all cases),pulmonary air-sacs luminance increase and emphysema-like change in 206 cases(73.6%),spotted shadows and patches in the bilateral middle and lower field in 91 cases(32.5%),enlarged and blurred pulmonary hila in 115 cases(41.1%),interstitial appearance in 98 cases(35%),serious pneumonia and ARDS in 4 cases(1.4%).Conclusion It is valuable in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of measles accompanying pneumonia in children to analyze the chest X-ray combining with clinical situation.
Law, Science, and History: Reflections Upon in the Best Interests of the Child

Professor Davis reviews the work of Goldstein, Freud and Solnit and their influence on child custody and parental rights determinations.
Archaeologies of instability: Order and disorder in colonial Barbados:

Instability can be experienced and observed in myriad forms including the social, economic, political, familial, mental, and environmental. Some forms of instability register in the depths of an individual’s psyche while others are blatantly observable on the physical landscape. Archaeologically, an analysis of the unstable necessitates an approach that operates on multiple scales, from intimate domestic experiences to broader realms of coloniality. This article addresses how “poor white” tenants in Barbados experienced instability on the plantation landscape. As the occupants of peripheral acreage, they coped with an unstable physical environment prone to destructive rockslides. Derided as socioeconomic outcasts on an island defined by sugar and slavery, “poor whites” largely lacked economic stability. Despite colonial efforts to ameliorate “poor white” conditions and impose order, tenantry residents along the island’s east coast developed their own strategies for coping with their precarious circumstanc...
Vascular Plant Flora of the South Atlantic Coastal Plain Limestone Forest: A Globally Imperiled Association Endemic to Central Georgia

Abstract The South Atlantic Coastal Plain Limestone Forest is a globally imperiled (G2) association restricted to the upper Coastal Plain of central Georgia. We conducted a comprehensive floristic inventory of this unique forest type during 2008–2011 at 7 sites (total of 44.67 ha [110.60 ac]) in Houston, Bleckley and Twiggs counties. The survey documented 336 vascular plant species in 98 families. The largest families were Asteraceae (28 spp.), Cyperaceae (22 spp.), Poaceae (19 spp.), Fabaceae (17 spp.), Rosaceae (16 spp.), and Fagaceae (14 spp.). Only 4.2% of this flora was non-native. Seventeen species were listed as rare, including the federally endangered Silene catesbaei. We provide a vouchered plant checklist for this association and general descriptions of the 3 main vegetation communities: uplands, slopes, and bottomlands.
Frequently Asked Questions About Family Medicine: 2016 Edition

Practicing family physicians are role models for medical students. This Editorial and related article provide the guidance physicians need to counsel students about career choices in family medicine.
Social Networking Sites: College Students' Patterns of Use and Concerns for Privacy and Trust by Gender, Ethnicity, and Employment Status

Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are web-based facilities that allow for social interaction, sharing, communication and collaboration in today's world. In the current study, patterns of use of social media among students at a public Midwestern university are examined. In addition, students were surveyed regarding concerns for privacy and trust and whether concerns differed by gender, ethnicity, employment and relationship status. The survey data gathered from students suggest that students mostly used SNSs from less than one hour to about 3 hours a day and for communication and maintaining relationships. Students also had academic uses for SNSs. Even though concerns for privacy and trust exist, they did not differ by gender, employment and relationship status and students are still willing to use SNSs. The findings from this research have implications for various stakeholders especially instructors who may be considering the use of SNS for academic purposes.
Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Current-Use Pesticides in Atmospheric Particulate Matter in Houston, Texas.

The atmospheric concentrations of seven current-use pesticides in particulate matter were determined at four locations throughout the Houston metropolitan area in TSP and PM2.5 samples from September 2013. Atmospheric concentrations in both TSP and PM2.5 ranged from below method detection limits (MDLs) to nearly 1100 pg m−3. The three compounds most frequently detected above MDLs were chlorothalonil, bifenthrin, and λ-cyhalothrin. Atmospheric chlorothalonil concentrations were above 800 pg m−3 in several TSP samples, but <MDL in PM2.5 samples. Bifenthrin atmospheric concentrations, which were detected above MDLs in all samples, differed between urban and suburban sites, while also being more associated with fine particulate matter. λ-cyhalothrin had high atmospheric concentrations at one of the suburban sites and the industrial site, but was <MDL in the urban site samples. Diurnal trends in atmospheric concentration, as related to wind direction, showed that daytime peaks came from east while nighttime peaks came from northeast directions.
Drone transportation of blood products.

BACKGROUND Small civilian unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) are a novel way to transport small goods. To the best of our knowledge there are no studies examining the impact of drone transport on blood products, describing approaches to maintaining temperature control, or component physical characteristics during drone transport. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Six leukoreduced red blood cell (RBC) and six apheresis platelet (PLT) units were split using sterile techniques. The larger parent RBC and PLT units, as well as six unthawed plasma units frozen within 24 hours of collection (FP24), were placed in a cooler, attached to the drone, and flown for up to 26.5 minutes with temperature logging. Ambient temperatures during the experimental window ranged between −1 and 18°C across 2 days. The difference between the ambient and unit temperatures was approximately 20°C for PLT and FP24 units. After flight, the RBC parent units were centrifuged and visually checked for hemolysis; the PLTs were checked for changes in mean PLT volumes (MPVs), pH, and PLT count; and the frozen air bubbles on the back of the FP24 units were examined for any changes in size or shape, as evidence of thawing. RESULTS There was no evidence of RBC hemolysis; no significant changes in PLT count, pH, or MPVs; and no changes in the FP24 bubbles. The temperature of all units was maintained during transport and flight. CONCLUSION There was no adverse impact of drone transport on RBC, PLT, or FP24 units. These findings suggest that drone transportation systems are a viable option for the transportation of blood products.
Metaphysical necessity dualism

A popular response to the Exclusion Argument for physicalism maintains that mental events depend on their physical bases in such a way that the causation of a physical effect by a mental event and its physical base needn’t generate any problematic form of causal overdetermination, even if mental events are numerically distinct from and irreducible to their physical bases. This paper presents and defends a form of dualism that implements this response by using a dispositional essentialist view of properties to argue that the psychophysical laws linking mental events to their physical bases are metaphysically necessary. I show the advantages of such a position over an alternative form of dualism that merely places more “modal weight” on psychophysical laws than on physical laws. The position is then defended against the objection that it is inconsistent with dualism. Lastly, some suggestions are made as to how dualists might clarify the contribution that mental causes make to their physical effects.
Asymptotic Analysis of MIMO Multi-Cell Full-Duplex Networks

We study a multi-cell multi-user MIMO full-duplex network, where each base station (BS) has multiple antennas with full-duplex capability supporting single-antenna users with either full-duplex or half-duplex radios. We characterize the up- and downlink ergodic achievable rates for the case of linear precoders and receivers. The rate analysis includes practical constraints, such as imperfect self-interference cancellation, channel estimation error, training overhead, and pilot contamination. We show that the $2\times $ gain of full duplex over half-duplex system remains in the asymptotic regime, where the number of BS antennas grows infinitely large. We numerically evaluate the finite SNR and antenna performance, which reveals that full-duplex networks can use significantly fewer antennas to achieve spectral efficiency gain over the half-duplex counterparts. In addition, the overall full-duplex gains can be achieved under realistic 3GPP multi-cell network settings despite the increased interference introduced in the full-duplex networks.
NAFLD-Related HCC: How Should the Shift in Epidemiology Change Our Prevention and Surveillance Strategies?

The purpose of this study is to review the recent literature on the epidemiology of NAFLD-related HCC and discuss published data on primary and secondary prevention of NAFLD-related HCC, including surveillance for HCC. Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is the fastest rising cause of cancer-related deaths in the USA. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the USA, afflicting nearly one in three Americans and is increasingly linked to the development of HCC. NAFLD will likely become the major contributor to the burden of HCC in the USA. While cirrhosis remains the most important risk factor for HCC in NAFLD, mounting evidence indicates that NAFLD patients can rarely develop HCC in the absence of cirrhosis. While effective medical therapies for NAFLD exist, their role as chemopreventive agents against HCC is unclear. Major knowledge gaps remain in our understanding of the risk of HCC and the interplay between HCC-promoting factors in patients with NAFLD. Currently, efforts should focus on prompt diagnosis of NAFLD and cirrhosis with non-invasive methods, or liver biopsy as needed. This will identify the great majority of NAFLD patients at risk for HCC. Valid and reliable methods for identifying non-cirrhotic NAFLD patients at risk for HCC are lacking, so surveillance cannot be currently recommended in the absence of cirrhosis. Meanwhile, further studies are needed to determine the magnitude of risk and specific risk factors or biomarkers for HCC in patients with NAFLD with or without cirrhosis.
Invisible Landscapes: Extreme Oil and the Arctic in Experimental Film and Activist Art Practices

This chapter examines the global interconnectedness of the Arctic and the role of climate change and resource extraction in contemporary environmentalist art. The author analyzes the effects of replacing the “natural” with an “industrial sublime” in Ursula Biemann’s Deep Weather (2013). She then considers the application of “modes of intimacy” deployed by the use of opera in Brenda Longfellow’s Dead Ducks (2012) and charts the use of amateur aesthetics and popular culture in The Yes Men: But It’s Not That Polar Bear Thing (2013). These experimental films and videos present images of global warming, climate change, and environmentalism that are not apocalyptic or sentimental, going beyond the spectacular icons of climate change, such as calving and melting glaciers or anthropomorphized melancholic polar bears.
Network analysis: a novel method for mapping neonatal acute transport patterns in California

Network analysis: a novel method for mapping neonatal acute transport patterns in California
Exciton Bose-Einstein Condensation in Double Walled Carbon Nanotubes

We demonstrate theoretically the possibility for the Bose-Einstein condensation of excitons in properly selected double walled carbon nanotube structures. The condensation mechanism is enabled by the interaction of excitons residing on one tubule with the near-field generated by the plasmon mode of the other coaxial tubule, resulting in new hybridized bosonic quasiparticles called exciton-plasmons. We derive the dispersion relation for the exciton-plasmons, and calculate the exciton participation rate in the exciton-plasmon condensate. The requirements for forming the appropriate double walled carbon nanotube combinations capable of the optimum exciton-plasmon coupling regime needed to realize the condensation effect, as well as the possibility of experimental observation of the phenomenon, are discussed.
Abstract 4854: Evaluating HDAC6 as a causal factor in metastatic breast cancer to develop immunotherapy

Histone deacetylases (HDACs), originally described as histone modifiers, have recently been demonstrated to modify a variety of other proteins involved in diverse cellular processes unrelated to the chromatin environment, including the modulation of proteins related to cell cycle/apoptosis and immune regulation. In contrast to the well-documented effects of HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) in the control of cell cycle and apoptosis, their role in immune-biology is incompletely understood. We have found that the pharmacological or genetic abrogation of a single HDAC, i.e. HDAC6, inactivates the STAT3 pathway and modulates the expression of immuno-regulatory proteins, including the down-regulation of PD-L1, PD-L2 and B7-H4, important negative regulators of immune function, often over-expressed in cancer cells; including breast cancer. HDAC6 has been also involved in a number of structural functions related to cellular motility, shape and intracellular transport through the regulation of the acetylation of numerous targets, including tubulin and cortactin. This function is strongly suggestive of HDAC6 being a key player in metastatic cancer progression. In our initial studies we observed that the selective HDAC6 inhibitor Nexturastat A is capable of reducing the tumor growth in a highly aggressive murine mammary carcinoma that mimics human triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), under both orthotopic and subcutaneous conditions of implantation. Additionally, we observed that the size and number of secondary tumor nodules in lungs were significantly diminished after the HDAC6i treatment. In order to boost the anti-tumor T-cell response, we also tested check-point inhibitors against the tumor (such as anti PD-1 and CTLA4 antibodies). While each of the standalone treatments showed a certain degree of success in reducing tumor growth and enhancing intra-tumoral IFNγ, we demonstrated that HDAC6i improves anti-tumor immune responses when combined with immune check-point blockade. Citation Format: Debarati Banik, Melissa Hadley, Jennifer Kim, Tessa Knox, Jayakumar Nair, Alan Kozikowski, Sida Shen, Charu Vyas, Ashleyn Donohue, Eduardo Sotomayor, Alejandro Villagra. Evaluating HDAC6 as a causal factor in metastatic breast cancer to develop immunotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4854. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4854
The Feasibility of Sophisticated Multicriteria Support for Clinical Decisions

Background. Multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methods are well-suited to serve as the foundation for clinical decision support systems. To do so, however, they need to be appropriate for use in busy clinical settings. We compared decision-making processes and outcomes of patient-level analyses done with a range of multicriteria methods that vary in ease of use and intensity of decision support, 2 factors that could affect their ease of implementation into practice. Methods. We conducted a series of Internet surveys to compare the effects of 5 multicriteria methods that differ in user interface and required user input format on decisions regarding selection of a preferred method for lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. The study sample consisted of members of an online Internet panel maintained by Fluidsurveys, an Internet survey company. Study outcomes were changes in preferred option, decision confidence, preparation for decision making, the Values Clarification and Decisional Uncertainty subs...
After Fisher v. University of Texas: towards racial justice or whiteness rising?

This essay examines the significance of the fortuitous Fisher v. University of Texas Supreme Court decision within a broader historical framework of similar affirmative action legal disputes. The a...
A historical analysis of US climate change policy in the Pan-American context

The problem that climate change poses globally is being addressed locally through the use of diverse policy responses in many countries. Following its five-decade history of environmental policy making in the USA, the country has employed a particular mix of different renewable energy policy instruments, or tools, in order to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and replace fossil fuels with renewably sourced energy. We analyze and compare renewable energy policies and policy instruments from 2000 to 2016 for Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico with the USA, to determine what makes the USA unique in its robust approach to climate policy and reflect on the time periods when policy making has been the most active. We found that the most often used regulatory instruments in the USA to achieve its climate policy goals have been Renewable Portfolio Standard requirements implemented at the state level, with federal climate mitigation policy being contested.
Loaded: Gun involvement among opioid users.

Abstract Introduction Despite ample research examining how alcohol use relates to gun involvement, little is known about the relationship between opioids and gun involvement. In the current study, we examined correlates of gun possession, accessibility, and related behaviors in an opioid dependent sample. Methods Between October 2016 and April 2017, we surveyed persons entering a brief, inpatient opioid detoxification (n = 386) and 51 contemporaneous persons seeking alcohol detoxification at the same facility in Massachusetts and recorded their lifetime experiences with gun involvement. Results Participants averaged 33 years of age, 74% were male, 83% were White, and 64% had a history of incarceration. Opioid users had significantly higher rates of gun involvement than persons in alcohol detoxification; for example, 31.3% (vs. 3.9%) had carried a gun for protection, 45.1% (vs. 25.5%) had been threatened with a gun, and 13.8% (vs. 2.0%) had shot at another person. Among persons misusing opioids, male and non-White respondents, and those with a history of incarceration or poorer self-control reported greater gun involvement. Conclusions Opioid users, both men and women, lead gun-involved lives.
Rate Controlled Sintering as a Processing Method

Rate controlled sintering (RCS) has been under development at this University since 1965. It has emerged as an optimizable laboratory procedure which offers a rational alternative to the up-and-hold conventional temperature sintering (CTS) profiles commonly employed for the densification of kiln-fired crystalline ceramics.