cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictors of patients who will develop prolonged occult hypoperfusion following blunt trauma.

Background: Prolonged occult hypoperfusion or POH (serum lactate >2.4 mmol/L persisting > 12 hours from admission) represents a reversible risk factor for adverse outcomes following traumatic injury. We hypothesized that patients at increased risk for POH could be identified at the time of admission. Methods: Prospective data from adult trauma admissions between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2000 were analyzed. Potential risk factors for POH were determined by univariate analysis (p ≤ 0.10 = significant). Significant factors were tested in a logistic regression model (LR) (p ≤ 0.05 = significant). The predictive ability of the LR was tested by receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis (p ≤ 0.05 = significant). Results: Three hundred seventy-eight patients were analyzed, 129 with POH. Injury Severity Score (ISS), emergency department Glasgow Coma Scale score, hypotension, and the individual Abbreviated Injury Scale score (AIS) for Head (H), Abdominal/Pelvic Viscera (A) and Pelvis/Bony Extremity (P) were significantly associated with POH. LR demonstrated that ISS, A-AIS ≥3 and P-AIS ≥3 were independent predictors of POH (p < 0.05). ROC analysis of the LR equation was statistically significant (Area = 0.69, p < 0.001). Conclusions: We identified factors at admission that placed patients at higher risk for developing POH. Select patients may benefit from rapid, aggressive monitoring and resuscitation, possibly preventing POH and its associated morbidity and mortality.
Miera y Pacheco: A Renaissance Spaniard in Eighteenth-Century New Mexico

John L. Kessell. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2013. xviii and 194 pp., maps, photos, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $29.95 cloth (ISBN 978-0-8061-4377-4).New Mexico has a r...
Hindman’s theorem, ultrafilters, and reverse mathematics

Assuming &#120226;&#120231;, Hindman [ht1] showed that the existence of certain ultrafilters on the power set of the natural numbers is equivalent to Hindman’s Theorem. Adapting this work to a countable setting formalized in RCA0, this article proves the equivalence of the existence of certain ultrafilters on countable Boolean algebras and an iterated form of Hindman’s Theorem, which is closely related to Milliken’s Theorem. A computable restriction of Hindman’s Theorem follows as a corollary.
Antagonistic effects of floral scent in an insect-plant interaction.

In southwestern USA, the jimsonweed Datura wrightii and the nocturnal moth Manduca sexta form a pollinator–plant and herbivore–plant association. Because the floral scent is probably important in mediating this interaction, we investigated the floral volatiles that might attract M. sexta for feeding and oviposition. We found that flower volatiles increase oviposition and include small amounts of both enantiomers of linalool, a common component of the scent of hawkmoth-pollinated flowers. Because (+)-linalool is processed in a female-specific glomerulus in the primary olfactory centre of M. sexta , we hypothesized that the enantiomers of linalool differentially modulate feeding and oviposition. Using a synthetic mixture that mimics the D. wrightii floral scent, we found that the presence of linalool was not necessary to evoke feeding and that mixtures containing (+)- and/or (−)-linalool were equally effective in mediating this behaviour. By contrast, females oviposited more on plants emitting (+)-linalool (alone or in mixtures) over control plants, while plants emitting (−)-linalool (alone or in mixtures) were less preferred than control plants. Together with our previous investigations, these results show that linalool has differential effects in feeding and oviposition through two neural pathways: one that is sexually isomorphic and non-enantioselective, and another that is female-specific and enantioselective.
T Cell Immunity in Connective Tissue Disease Patients Targets the RNA Binding Domain of the U1-70kDa Small Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein

Although the T cell dependence of autoimmune responses in connective tissue diseases has been well established, limited information exists regarding the T cell targeting of self Ags in humans. To characterize the T cell response to a connective tissue disease-associated autoantigen, this study generated T cell clones from patients using a set of peptides encompassing the entire linear sequence of the 70-kDa subunit of U1 snRNP (U1-70kDa) small nuclear ribonucleoprotein. Despite the ability of U1-70kDa to undergo multiple forms of Ag modification that have been correlated with distinct clinical disease phenotypes, a remarkably limited and consistent pattern of T cell targeting of U1-70kDa was observed. All tested T cell clones generated against U1-70kDa were specific for epitopes within the RNA binding domain (RBD) of the protein. High avidity binding of the RBD with U1-RNA was preserved with the disease-associated modified forms of U1-70kDa tested. The high avidity interaction between the U1-RBD on the polypeptide and U1-RNA may be critical in immune targeting of this region in autoimmunity. The T cell autoimmune response to U1-70kDa appears to have less diversity than is seen in the humoral response; and therefore, may be a favorable target for therapeutic intervention.
Inhibition by phorbol esters of antiimmunoglobulin-induced calcium signalling and B-cell activation.

The inhibitory effect of phorbol dibutyrate (PDB) on B-cell stimulation was evaluated using a model in which activation is induced by modest doses of antiimmunoglobulin antibody (anti-lg) and progression to DNA synthesis is induced by cytochalasin. PDB preferentially inhibited anti-lg-induced activation and did so during brief (2 hr) preincubation with anti-lg. Activation was inhibited whether PDB was added before or shortly after anti-lg. Since activation for cytochalasin responsiveness appears to be mediated by Ca/sup 2 +/, the effect of PDB on the anti-lg-induced rise in intracellular Ca/sup 2 +/ was evaluated. PDB (and other phorbol esters that activate protein kinase C) inhibited the rise in Ca/sup 2 +/ normally associated with anti-lg treatment; moreover, PDB reversed an established anti-lg-induced Ca/sup 2 +/ response. These data suggest that phorbol esters inhibit B-cell activation by interfering with the elevated levels of intracellular Ca/sup 2 +/ produced by cross-linking of surface immunoglobulin by anti-lg. This could represent a feedback inhibition type of response, but it remains to be seen if this occurs under physiological conditions of protein kinase C activation.
Site and Rate of Active Transport of D-Glucose in the Intestine of the Fowl at Various Initial Glucose Concentrations

Abstract TO DATE relatively little is known of the physiology of absorption or transport of sugars across the avian intestinal wall. Westenbrink (1936) using the Cori in vivo technique, compared the relative absorption rates of galactose, glucose, fructose, mannose, xylose, and arabinose in the rat and the pigeon. He concluded that there was no essential difference between the two animals in regard to their abilities to absorb the six sugars. Bogner (1957) also using the Cori technique, measured the rate of absorption of a number of sugars in two-week-old chicks, newly-hatched chicks, and embryos. She concluded that absorption in the newly-hatched chicks and the embryos occurred by simple diffusion, whereas absorption in the two-week-old chicks occurred by the mechanism for sugar absorption found in other animals. These observations, together with results obtained by Bogner (1960) and Bogner et al. (1964) indicated that the mechanism for active transport of glucose and other . . .
Object Detection in Natural Scenes by Feedback

Current models of object recognition generally assume a bottom-up process within a hierarchy of stages. As an alternative, we present a top-down modulation of the processed stimulus information to allow a goal-directed detection of objects within natural scenes. Our procedure has its origin in current findings of research in attention which suggest that feedback enhances cells in a feature-specific manner. We show that feedback allows discrimination of a target object by allocation of attentional resources.
Essential role for the prolyl isomerase Pin1 in Toll-like receptor signaling and type I interferon–mediated immunity

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) shape innate and adaptive immunity to microorganisms. The enzyme IRAK1 transduces signals from TLRs, but mechanisms for its activation and regulation remain unknown. We found here that TLR7 and TLR9 activated the isomerase Pin1, which then bound to IRAK1; this resulted in activation of IRAK1 and facilitated its release from the receptor complex to activate the transcription factor IRF7 and induce type I interferons. Consequently, Pin1-deficient cells and mice failed to mount TLR-mediated, interferon-dependent innate and adaptive immune responses. Given the critical role of aberrant activation of IRAK1 and type I interferons in various immune diseases, controlling IRAK1 activation via inhibition of Pin1 may represent a useful therapeutic approach.
Approaches to Child Rearing: Their Effects on Child Behavior An Analysis of Reported Surveys

"This paper presents evidence from the literature to document the thesis that different approaches to child rearing lead to different recognizable behavioral reac tions in some children. We also discuss how parental misunderstandings of these reactions can lead to vicious circle rela tionships that may interfere with their child's development."
Duality principles and measuring the production technology: A heuristic introduction

Abstract There has been growing interest in the use of duality principles to estimate indirectly both the character of the production technology in various industries and the structure of preferences. Much of this material has to date, remained outside most intermediate micro-theory texts. The purpose of this paper is to provide a heuristic discussion of these relations as they are used in evaluating the micro-level production technology. The duality properties are illustrated using a neoclassical cost function and recent empirical examples for the issue of economies of scale in electric power production and the role of natural resources for production at the two-digit (SIC code) level of manufacturing.
The Knowledge to Act: Chinese Migrant Labor Protests in Comparative Perspective

How do workers in authoritarian states engage in protest, and how do they choose from available protest strategies? Through analysis of Chinese migrant labor protests from 2007 to 2008, the author ...
Strangers and Aliens No Longer: Negotiating Identity and Difference in Ephesians 2

Issues of identity and difference in the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians have provoked a long history of scholarly debate, particularly around the narrative of Jews and Gentiles becoming “one new humanity out of two” in 2:15, . Should one read this passage, 2:11–22, as “an attempt throughout to articulate [the identity of the ] in relation to Jews and Gentiles in the Roman world,” that reflects “significant engagement with the life and fate of the Jewish people”? Or does the text “look back on an achieved unity between Jew and Gentile in the Church as the one body” that has left behind “heated struggles with rival groups”? Furthermore, how do these identity categories of “Jew” and “Gentile” relate to the theological distinctives of the epistle? While the deutero-Pauline status of the text remains widely accepted, this does not put to rest the question of the text's overall relationship to Pauline theology. Does the account of a single new humanity in Ephesians represent the apex of development in the ideas of the Pauline school, or does it stand in disjunction to Paul's original vision?
Optimizing the Performance of Remote Phosphor LEDs

The accuracy of results from Monte Carlo ray-tracing analysis significantly depends on the input values of the optical properties of the various package components. One important piece of input information is the phosphor particle MFP (mean-free-path), which is not easily determined. This study introduced a method to determine the MFP by matching the experimental results with optical ray-tracing analysis at a wavelength beyond the phosphor excitation range. Using these experiment values for MFP in an optical ray-tracing analysis of a white LED package showed an excellent match with measured results for light output and chromaticity.
Misapplications Reviews: Newswatch

Everybody knows that some people lie with statistics and that others, while having no intention to deceive, nonetheless cite figures in misleading ways. But this knowledge has not stopped the widespread and often preposterous misuse of statistics in the newspapers and magazines and on the television and radio. And I am referring to data “analyses” that are transparently weak, not the unknown number of others that appear plausible but would collapse under scrutiny. Let me not weaken the case by overstating it. Seldom do the data presented actually refute the point they were meant to support. Far more often, the problem is that numbers consistent with a wide range of hypotheses are offered as proof of the correctness of one of them. And with distressing frequency, the hypothesis “confirmed” in this manner is not the one the Goddess of Reason would have chosen in advance.
Skeletal Dysplasias in the Newborn: Diagnostic Evaluation and Developmental Genetics

Many of the genetic disorders of skeletal development lead to significant morbidity and mortality in utero or in the early neonatal period. Due to the large number and heterogeneous nature of these disorders, their diagnosis and management can be overwhelming. A basic knowledge of skeletal development and a structured, comprehensive approach to the history, physical examination, and interpretation of radiographic studies are crucial. Understanding the power and limitations of prenatal diagnostic technology and genetic testing is essential for accurate counseling and judicious use of resources. Finally, familiarity with individual disorders and online resources aids the neonatologist in coordinating the complex, multidisciplinary care that these infants demand in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and after hospital discharge.
An eigenspace update algorithm for image analysis

During the past few years several interesting applications of eigenspace representation of images have been proposed. These include face recognition, video coding, and pose estimation. However, the vision research community has largely overlooked parallel developments in signal processing and numerical linear algebra concerning efficient eigenspace updating algorithms. These new developments are significant for two reasons: Adopting them will make some of the current vision algorithms more robust and efficient. More important is the fact that incremental updating of eigenspace representations will open up new and interesting research applications in vision such as active recognition and learning. The main objective of this paper is to put these in perspective and discuss a new updating scheme for low numerical rank matrices that can be shown to be numerically stable and fast. A comparison with a nonadaptive SVD scheme shows that our algorithm achieves similar accuracy levels for image reconstruction and recognition at a significantly lower computational cost. We also illustrate applications to adaptive view selection for 3D object representation from projections.
Design Sensitivity Analysis of Hyperelastic Structures Using a Meshless Method

A continuum-based design sensitivity analysis method for hyperelastic structures is presented. Analysis is performed using a meshless method, called the reproducing kernel particle method. Yeoh’ s energy density function is used to describe thehyperelastic structural behavior. The meshless method eliminates mesh distortion orentanglement encountered in using e nite element analysis for large deformation structural analysis and structural shape design optimization. Both the adjoint variable and direct differentiation methods are developed for material and shape design variables. An ine nitely long rubber tube, a two-dimensional rubber band, and an engine mount are examples used to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of the method.
Cave mentem Disease and the Performance of Mind

What do the delineations of consciousness owe to disease? Might we see, in the earliest examples of performative art, traces of dis-ease giving rise to performance and art itself? And what do we make of recent discoveries that certain modes of disease can influence our states of mind, our beliefs, consciousness itself? Does our development as human beings—from distant past to present day—owe far more to disease than we might imagine?
The Kinematics of Prey Capture and the Mechanism of Tongue Protraction in the Green Tree Frog Hyla Cinerea

Prey capture was studied in the green tree frog ( Hyla cinerea ) before and after denervation of either the m. genioglossus or m. submentalis using high-speed videography and kinematic analysis. The prey capture behavior and extent of tongue protraction of several members of the subfamilies Hylinae, Pelodryadinae and Phyllomedusinae were also studied. Results show that the m. genioglossus is necessary to produce complete tongue protraction and that the m. submentalis is necessary for mandibular bending, but not necessary for complete tongue protraction in Hyla cinerea . The tongue of Hyla cinerea resembles the weakly protrusible tongues of the archaeobatrachian frogs Ascaphus and Discoglossus more than the highly protrusible tongues of other neobatrachians, such as Rana or Bufo . A weakly protrusible tongue is present in the subfamilies Hylinae and Pelodryadinae, and a highly protrusible tongue is present in the subfamily Phyllomedusinae. These results suggest that hyline and pelodryadine hylids have retained the ancestral anuran tongue morphology and that highly protrusible tongues have evolved once within the family Hylidae, in the subfamily Phyllomedusinae.
Real-Time Enzyme Kinetics by Quantitative NMR Spectroscopy and Determination of the Michaelis–Menten Constant Using the Lambert-W Function

Enzyme kinetics is an essential part of a chemistry curriculum, especially for students interested in biomedical research or in health care fields. Though the concept is routinely performed in undergraduate chemistry/biochemistry classrooms using other spectroscopic methods, we provide an optimized approach that uses a real-time monitoring of the kinetics by quantitative NMR (qNMR) spectroscopy and a direct analysis of the time course data using Lambert-W function. The century old Michaelis–Menten equation, one of the fundamental concepts in biochemistry, relates the time derivative of the substrate to two kinetic parameters (the Michaelis constant KM and the maximum rate Vmax) and to the concentration of the substrate. The exact solution to the Michaelis–Menten equation, in terms of the Lambert-W function, is not available in standard curve-fitting tools. The high-quality of the real-time qNMR data on the enzyme kinetics enables a revisit of the concept of applying the progress curve analysis. This is pa...
Splenic Artery Embolization for Treatment of Refractory Ascites After Liver Transplantation

Post-transplantation refractory ascites is uncommon; however, it can be a serious problem, increasing both morbidity and mortality in patients. Despite scant literature available, splenic artery embolization (SAE) has been shown to be an effective treatment for refractory ascites after cadaveric orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We report a successful use of therapeutic SAE for refractory ascites post-OLT.
Workplace Democracy and Democratic Worker Organizations: Notes on Worker Centers

Worker organizing outside the traditional union framework in the United States has lately focused on worker centers, which provide the benefits of collective action and participatory workplace democracy without the legal obstacles faced by unions. This Article offers thoughts on legal regulation of worker organizations’ internal governance to facilitate collective power with appropriate protection for the rights of individuals within the collective. Federal law extensively regulates the internal governance of unions so as to protect minorities in an organization that is an exclusive representative. It does not apply to worker centers, which disclaim the desire to represent workers for bargaining. Worker centers are regulated only lightly, under state law of nonprofit organizations. But if they become powerful, they will be large and will need to be managed by a leadership that may or may not remain accountable to the membership and respectful of minority rights. This Article offers a reading of the literature on union democracy from the 1950s as notes toward thinking about governance of worker organizations that are not labor unions.
Single Gamete Insemination Aiming at the Ideal Conceptus

About 15 % of couples are unable to achieve a pregnancy due to a male factor diagnosis, and ICSI is seemingly the ideal treatment. ICSI remains the most popular choice of insemination even for simple, routine IVF cases, and a standard semen analysis alone is no longer inadequate in the modern infertility evaluation. Accordingly, the arrival of more sophisticated assays to measure the full impact and competency of the spermatozoon is welcome. To allow the embryonic genome to be read and expressed, the spermatozoon must release its oocyte-activating factor. Various assays are now being utilized to more fully ascertain the male gamete and establish its genetic integrity and its ability to sustain proper embryo development. While these attempts to select the ideal spermatozoon are laudable, they are still being tested and debated. Of note, these testing methods still do not address the clinical context where sperm numbers are extremely limited. As novel sperm selection methods continue to emerge, information regarding the long-term intergenerational effects of utilizing suboptimal sperm in IVF continues to accumulate. The increased emphasis on the gamete has stimulated the quest for new tools to more accurately diagnose and select individual spermatozoa prior to direct injection. This enables better counseling and treatment of couples while at the same time assuages worries associated with potentially passing a nonideal paternal genome onto the next generation. Reproductive specialists can thus aim to provide an ideal, singleton gestation for all patients seeking advanced reproductive assistance.
Cost-effectiveness of Directly Observed Treatment Strategy for TB Prevention and Cure in Tianxin District,Changsha from 2005 to 2009

Objective To analyze the financial input-benefit of TB control projects in Tianxin District during the period of 2005～2009,and to provide a theoretical foundation for further making TB control strategy.Methods Financial input,TB cases detecting and treatment of Tianxin District from 2005 to 2009 were analyzed.Results Totally 702,800 were inputted during 5 years.1,214 active TB cases were detected(including 364 new smear positive cases,43 smear positive cases,and 807 new smear negative cases),and 1,526,700 treatment costs were saved.The project benefited to 3,230～4,845 individuals avoiding TB infection.161.5～242.25 new TB cases were reduced.With cured patients,287,500 were saved as missing work hours.With avoided infection,143,800～215,600 were saved as missing work hours.With cured patients,3,404.1 QALYs and 68,762,800 GDP were retrieved.With avoided infection,1,702～2,553.1 QALYs and 34,380,400～51,572,600 GDP were retrieved.Conclusions TB control projects in Tianxin District during the period of 2005～2009 were carried out with low-cost,high-benefit,and in accordance with cost-benefit principle.
Comparison of intravascular ultrasound- and centerline computed tomography-determined aortic diameters during thoracic endovascular aortic repair

Abstract Background Accurate sizing of stent grafts during thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is critical for a successful outcome. Centerline measurements using three-dimensional reconstruction of preoperative computed tomography angiography (CTA) is the current standard for stent graft sizing. However, this technique is predicated on an idealized straightened aorta and does not account for the variability in the aortic diameter during the cardiac cycle or the overall status of the patient's volume. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) offers real-time cross-sectional imaging of the aorta orthogonal to the support wire, thereby providing an adjunctive method for aortic diameter determination at the time of TEVAR. Methods A retrospective review was performed on all patients who underwent TEVAR for nontraumatic aortic pathology from July 2015 to December 2015. Preoperative CTA images were reconstructed on a dedicated three-dimensional workstation. CTA centerline aortic diameter measurements were performed in major and minor axes at 1-cm intervals from the left subclavian origin to 20 cm distally. The IVUS images were acquired intraoperatively through 1-cm stepwise pullback along the aorta from the left subclavian origin to 20 cm. IVUS aortic diameters were measured at the maximum phase during the cardiac cycle. The average values of major and minor axes diameters from both modalities were calculated at each location for comparison. Linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate correlation, and Bland-Altman plots assessed agreement between different imaging modalities. Results During the study period, 26 patients underwent TEVAR. Of these, 20 patients had adequate CTA and IVUS images, providing 355 paired measurements. There was a high correlation between CTA- and IVUS-determined aortic diameters ( R = 0.62; P Conclusions IVUS imaging and centerline CTA may provide significantly different aortic diameter measurements, particularly in angulated aortic segments. Caution must be taken when sizing a stent graft using CTA alone, particularly in an angulated proximal landing zone.
Using the IRB Harmonization and Reliance Document Can Reduce Review and Regulatory Delays for the Benefit of All

In “IRB and Research Regulatory Delays Within the Military Health Care Setting: Do They Really Matter? And If So, Why and for Whom?,” Freed and colleagues (Freed et al. 2016) proposed four areas of...
Air–Ground Channel Characterization for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Part II: Hilly and Mountainous Settings

The use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) is expanding rapidly. For safe and reliable integration of UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS), control and nonpayload communication (CNPC) system requirements are being developed. The air-to-ground (AG) channel characteristics essentially determine CNPC link performance. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center has sponsored a comprehensive AG channel measurement campaign in 2013 in both the L- and C-bands recently allocated for UAS. These measurements covered nearly all typical ground site (GS) local environments, including over water, hilly, mountainous, suburb, and near urban. As a continuation of results reported for the over-water scenarios, a description of the measurement campaign, measured results, and complete AG channel models for hilly and mountainous terrains are provided in this paper. The path loss is modeled by a modified log-distance path loss model with a correction for flight direction; path loss results are close to those of free space. A strong ground reflection was observed only for some small portions of some of the flight paths. The small-scale fading is well modeled by the Ricean distribution with a $K$ -factor of 29.4 dB in the C-band and 12.8 dB in the L-band. The interband signals are uncorrelated. The spatial correlation for the two intraband channels with an aircraft antenna separation of 1.8 m is greater than 0.85. The C-band root-mean-square delay spread (RMS-DS) is 10 ns most of the time, with a maximum of 1 $\mu\text{s}$ in hilly terrain and 180 ns in mountainous terrain. Tapped delay line (TDL) models accounting for the line of sight (LOS) and up to seven intermittent multipath components (MPCs) were developed, including the MPCs' probability of occurrence, relative power, phase, duration, and excess delay.
Semantic representation and scale-up of integrated air traffic management data

Each day, the global air transportation industry generates a vast amount of heterogeneous data from air carriers, air traffic control providers, and secondary aviation entities handling baggage, ticketing, catering, fuel delivery, and other services. Generally, these data are stored in isolated data systems, separated from each other by significant political, regulatory, economic, and technological divides. These realities aside, integrating aviation data into a single, queryable, big data store could enable insights leading to major efficiency, safety, and cost advantages.In this paper, we describe an implemented system for combining heterogeneous air traffic management data using semantic integration techniques. The system transforms data from its original disparate source formats into a unified semantic representation within an ontology-based triple store. Our initial prototype stores only a small sliver of air traffic data covering one day of operations at a major airport. The paper also describes our analysis of difficulties ahead as we prepare to scale up data storage to accommodate successively larger quantities of data -- eventually covering all US commercial domestic flights over an extended multi-year timeframe. We review several approaches to mitigating scale-up related query performance concerns.
Determination of some characteristics of cyancobalamin using it as a quencher of the triplet state of porphyrins

Study of the influence of vitamin B12 (cyancobalamin) molecules on the deactivation of the lowest triplet state of organic molecules seems to be important for understanding of the detailed mechanism of biochemical processes with the participation of cyancobalamin and the character of its interaction with surrounding molecules in vivo. This compound have no observable phosphorescence and fluorescence [1]. In view of this fact, in the present work some characteristics or properties of cyancobalamin have been established when this compound was used as a quencher of the lowest triplet state of a number of chlorophyll-like molecules.
Inequality in the very long run: Malthus, Kuznets, and Ohlin

What happened to the inequality of real income and wealth before, during, and after the Industrial Revolution? Just as the usual Industrial Revolution era (1750-1850) has been revised by historians of economic growth, so too the articles in this issue follow the lead of Van Zanden (1995) in opening up a new inequality history for earlier eras and other continents. Three of them offer new evidence on European wealth and income inequality movements in pre-industrial and industrial epochs. The fourth offers a new perspective on Latin American experience since the late nineteenth century, reporting a twentieth-century experience quite unlike the Great Leveling that Kuznets and others saw in Europe and the USA from World War 1 to the 1970s.
Association of a Policy Mandating Physician-Patient Communication With Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction.

Importance With the stabilization of breast cancer incidence and substantial improvement in survival, more attention has focused on postmastectomy breast reconstruction (PBR). Despite its demonstrated benefits, wide disparities in the use of PBR remain. Physician-patient communication has an important role in disparities in health care, especially for elective surgical procedures. Recognizing this, the State of New York enacted Public Health Law (NY PBH Law) 2803-o in 2011 mandating that physicians communicate about reconstructive surgery with patients undergoing mastectomy. Objective To evaluate whether mandated physician-patient communication is associated with reduced racial/ethnic disparities in immediate PBR (IPBR). Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective study used state inpatient data from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2011, in New York and California to evaluate a final sample of 42 346 women aged 20 to 70 years, including 19 364 from New York (treatment group) and 22 982 from California (comparison group). The primary hypothesis tested the effect of the New York law on racial/ethnic disparities, using California as a comparator. The National Academy of Medicine’s (formerly Institute of Medicine) definition of a disparity was applied, and a difference-in-differences method (before-and-after comparison design) was used to evaluate the association of NY PBH Law 2803-o mandating physician-patient communication with disparities in IPBR. Data were analyzed from July 1, 2016, to February 24, 2017. Exposures New York PBH Law 2803-o was implemented on January 1, 2011. The preexposure period included January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2010 (3 years); the postexposure period, January 1 through December 31, 2011 (1 year). Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was use of IPBR among white, African American, Hispanic, and other minority groups before and after the implementation of NY PBH Law 2803-o. Results Among the 42 346 women (mean [SD] age, 53 [10] years), 65.3% (27 654) were white, 12.7% (5365) were Hispanic, 9.4% (3976) were African American, and 12.6% (5351) were other minorities. The new legislation was not associated with the overall IPBR rate or disparity in IPBR between whites and African Americans (reduction of 1 percentage point; 95% CI, −0.02 to 0.04), but it was associated with a reduction in disparities in IPBR between Hispanic and white patients by 9 (95% CI, 0.06-0.11) percentage points and between other minorities and white patients by 13 (95% CI, 0.11-0.16) percentage points. Conclusions and Relevance Physician-patient communication may help to address inequity in the use of elective surgical procedures, such as IPBR. However, lack of patient trust and/or effective physician-patient communication may reduce the potential effect of mandatory communication for some subpopulations, including African American individuals.
Effect of "U-Pace" Instruction on Academic Success, Learning, and Perceptions in Younger and Older Undergraduates.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine the efficacy of U-Pace instruction for older undergraduates, ages 25 and older, and younger undergraduates, ages 18 to 24. Additionally, cha...
Defining the Phenotype and Function of Mammalian Spermatogonial Stem Cells

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are a subpopulation of undifferentiated spermatogonia that maintain spermatogenesis throughout adult life and are essential for male fertility. At each cell division, an SSC produces daughter cells that will either self-renew to produce more SSCs or initiate differentiation to ultimately produce spermatozoa. Consequently, fertility throughout the mammalian male lifespan depends on formation of a foundational SSC pool and then balanced SSC self-renewal and differentiation once steady-state spermatogenesis is achieved. Fundamental studies of SSCs, however, are complicated by their extraordinary rarity in the adult testis (0.01%) and lack of definitive molecular markers that have allowed their prospective identification at any stage of testis development in any species. Despite these challenges, powerful experimental strategies such as transplantation and lineage tracing, which provide retrospective stem cell assessments, have revealed considerable phenotypic information about SSCs over the past two decades. This chapter provides an overview of the key phenotypic and functional characteristics of SSCs, the relative value of differing assessment methods, and the best-substantiated markers of SSCs. Particular emphasis will be placed on emerging technologies, such as single-cell molecular profiling and the use of ID4 reporters, which are facilitating the first prospective, comprehensive molecular characterizations of SSCs that will transform our understanding of the underlying regulatory framework controlling their function.
The Tributary System and the ‘Century of Humiliation’

This chapter goes into the historical background to China’s grand strategy and political culture. The focus is, on the one hand, the tributary system with which international relations were conducted during imperial times, and, on the other hand, the ‘Century of Humiliation,’ which occurred between 1839 and 1945 and was defined by the so-called unequal treaties between an internally weakened China and the West and Japan.
Disparities in smoking cessation assistance in US primary care clinics

Objectives. To examine associations between patient factors and smoking cessation assistance in US safety-net clinics.Methods. Using electronic health record data from the OCHIN network, we identified adults with at least 1 primary care visit to a study clinic (n = 143 clinics in 12 states) with at least 1 documented “current smoker” status during 2014 to 2016 (n = 136 314; 29.8%). We estimated odds ratios (ORs) of smoking cessation assistance receipt (none [reference], counseling, medication, or both) by patient covariates.Results. For all cessation assistance categories, odds of assistance were higher among women, those with more visits, those assessed and ready to quit, and patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hyperlipidemia. Odds of receiving both counseling and medication were lower among uninsured patients (OR = 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.48, 0.64), those of a race/ethnicity other than non-Hispanic White (OR range = 0.65–0.82), and those with diabetes (OR = 0...
Risk assessment methodology for network integrity

Modern, high functionality networks support an ever-increasing range of sophisticated services; but this strength is also a weakness due to the fragility of the complex distributed-processing capability. Unexpected perturbations can cause widespread network outages, i.e. ‘brownout‘. The risks to network integrity are exacerbated by regulatory policies that demand open network interconnection between competing network operators and service providers; and the increasing complexity where single experts cannot comprehend the whole problem space. This paper proposes a design methodology for a formal and systematic framework to assess the risk to network integrity and hence minimise network and service failure probability.
Milton Sapirstein on the Paradoxes of Everyday Life

The focus in Sapirstein’s book is on a psychoanalytic approach to paradoxical aspects of everyday life—topics such as decorating a home, reading a marriage manual, and screaming mothers that would seem unimportant and trivial but, in truth, are very problematic. The writings of a scholar of religion, Mircea Eliade, are referenced in terms of the difference between the sacred and the profane and the importance of a house in religious thought. Sapirstein explains that women equate a house to their bodies and thus decorating a house calls forth hidden resentments women have about their mothers and all manner of suppressed anxieties and fears.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the brainstem: a case report and discussion.

5319 Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is an aggressive intracranial malignancy. > 90% are B-cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL). Treatment for PCNSL has been whole brain irradiation, often yielding complete response and ameliorated symptoms, but resulting in median survival of only 12-18 months and a 5-year survival rate /= 60 yo compared to 50.4 months in pts
Determining Carbon Fiber Composite Loading with Flip-Chip Measurements to 110 GHz

Precise knowledge of electrical properties of materials are a necessary input to any circuit design. As applications at millimeter-wave frequencies increase, there is a need to develop new materials with low loss and multiple functionalities. Most material characterization techniques are destructive to the original sample. For example, most resonant cavity techniques require a sample to be diced into a submillimeter geometry. Alternatively, broadband on-wafer techniques require lithographically patterned devices on the material under test. Here, we demonstrate a technique that combines on-wafer calibration with a flip-chip transmission-line test fixture. This single-trans mission-line fixture enables quantitative measurement of effective permittivity from 40 kHz to 110 GHz. The resulting materials characterization approach is non-destructive and directly applicable to measurements of dielectric, magnetic, and nonlinear properties. The broad applicability of the technique makes it well-suited for characterizing the next generation of materials, including tunable materials and complex structural composites.
Measuring Changes in Inductance With Microstrip Resonators

We measure the frequency dependence of a niobium microstrip resonator as a function of temperature from 1.4 to 8.4 K. In a 2-micrometer-wide half-wave resonator, we find the frequency of resonance changes by a factor of 7 over this temperature range. From the resonant frequencies, we extract inductance per unit length, characteristic impedance, and propagation velocity (group velocity). We discuss how these results relate to superconducting electronics. Over the 2 K to 6 K temperature range where superconducting electronic circuits operate, inductance shows a 19% change and both impedance and propagation velocity show an 11% change.
Exposure to and health effects of volatile PCBs

Introduction: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent, lipophilic contaminants that are known to increase risk of a number of human diseases. Although ingestion of animal fats is a major route of exposure, there is increasing evidence that inhalation of vapor-phase PCBs is also important and may be as or even more important than ingestion under some circumstances. Methods: The evidence that inhalation of PCBs may cause cancer, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes is reviewed and presented in this report. Results: PCBs are known human carcinogens. A husband and wife, occupationally required to ‘ smell ’ PCB-containing oils, both developed thyroid cancer, malignant melanoma/severely melanocytic dysplastic nevus (a precursor to malignant melanoma) and the husband, a non-smoker, developed and died of lung cancer. The serum of both had highly elevated concentrations of lower chlorinated, volatile PCB congeners. In other studies, residents living near PCB-containing hazardous waste sites, and thus breathing PCB-contaminated air, have elevated rates of hospitalization for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and reduced cognitive performance, whereas other studies in defined populations show that there is an elevated risk of all of these diseases in individuals with elevated serum PCBs. Conclusions: These results are consistent with the conclusion that inhaled PCBs can increase risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and reduce cognitive function.
Characterizing pre-transplant and post-transplant kidney rejection risk by B cell immune repertoire sequencing

Studying immune repertoire in the context of organ transplant provides important information on how adaptive immunity may contribute and modulate graft rejection. Here we characterize the peripheral blood immune repertoire of individuals before and after kidney transplant using B cell receptor sequencing in a longitudinal clinical study. Individuals who develop rejection after transplantation have a more diverse immune repertoire before transplant, suggesting a predisposition for post-transplant rejection risk. Additionally, over 2 years of follow-up, patients who develop rejection demonstrate a specific set of expanded clones that persist after the rejection. While there is an overall reduction of peripheral B cell diversity, likely due to increased general immunosuppression exposure in this cohort, the detection of specific IGHV gene usage across all rejecting patients supports that a common pool of immunogenic antigens may drive post-transplant rejection. Our findings may have clinical implications for the prediction and clinical management of kidney transplant rejection.
Depression and affective flexibility: A valence-specific bias

Abstract Depression might be associated with poor affective flexibility, defined as the ability to switch between emotional and non-emotional aspects of a stimulus. However, it is unclear whether affective inflexibility in depression is valence-specific, whether it predicts future depressive symptoms, and whether affective flexibility following a stressor, compared to before a stressor, better predicts depressive symptoms. Before and after a stressor, participants (N = 300) completed an affective switching task during which they categorized pictures either by the valence or by the number of humans present in the pictures. Slower shifting from emotional aspects of negative material before stress was uniquely associated with higher levels of prospective depressive symptoms. This negative bias in affective flexibility may hinder disengagement from negative information, thereby exacerbating depressive symptoms.
Is There an Association Between Preoperative Expectations and Patient-Reported Outcome After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome?

Purpose To determine the relationship between preoperative patient expectation and postoperative satisfaction and overall patient-reported outcome (PRO) of patients undergoing hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome. Methods Patients who underwent hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome completed the validated Hip Preservation Surgery Expectations Survey (21 questions; 0-100 range), as well as multiple PROs before surgery. High expectation was defined as an expectation score greater than 1 standard deviation above the mean. Patients with osteoarthritis, dysplasia, and those having undergone previous hip surgery were excluded. At 1 year postoperatively, patient visual analog scale (VAS) satisfaction, VAS pain, and PROs were assessed. Univariable and multivariate analyses were performed. Results One-hundred fifty-three subjects (mean age 34.4 ± 12.6 years, female: 114 [71.3%], body mass index: 25.9 ± 5.3 kg/m2) participated. The mean expectation score was 84.5 ± 12.3. Significant correlations between high expectation scores (>96.7) and achieving the minimal clinical important difference (MCID) for modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS; r = 0.339; P = .043) and patient acceptable symptomatic state (PASS) for Hip Outcome Score-Activities of Daily Living Subscale (HOS-ADL; r = 0.207; P = .032) were observed. There were no significant correlations between high expectation scores and preoperative or postoperative PROs or patient satisfaction scores. χ2 analysis demonstrated patients with greater expectations had increased rates of reaching MCID mHHS (92.3% vs 74.7%; P = .08), PASS mHHS (85.7% vs 69.7%; P = .046), and PASS HOS-ADL (93.8% vs 67.4%; P = .031). Conclusions High preoperative expectation is associated with increased rates of MCID/PASS achievement on mHHS and increased rate of PASS achievement on HOS-ADL. Preoperative expectations did not have an impact on Hip Outcome Score-Sports Subscale; however, patients with high preoperative expectations also have a high baseline Hip Outcome Score-Sports Subscale. In addition, preoperative expectations are not associated with postoperative VAS satisfaction scores. Level of Evidence III; non-randomized cohort, therapeutic.