cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Minimally Invasive Separation Surgery for Metastases in the Vertebral Column: A Technical Report.

Background Epidural spinal cord compression (ESCC) is a common and severe cause of morbidity in cancer patients. Minimally invasive surgical techniques may be utilized to preserve neurological function and permit the use of radiation to maximize local control. Minimally invasive techniques are associated with lower morbidity. Objective To describe a novel, minimally invasive operative technique for the management of metastatic ESCC. Methods A minimally invasive approach was used to cannulate the pedicles of the thoracic vertebrae, which were then held in place by Kirschner wires (K-wires). Following open decompression of the spinal cord, cannulated screws were placed percutaneously with stereotactic guidance through the pedicles followed by cement induction. Stereotactic radiosurgery is performed in the postoperative period for residual metastatic disease in the vertebral body. Results The minimally invasive technique used in this case reduced tissue damage and optimized subsequent recovery without compromising the quality of decompression or the extent of metastatic tumor resection. Development of more minimally invasive techniques for the management of metastatic ESCC has the potential to facilitate healing and preserve quality of life in patients with systemic malignancy. Conclusion ESCC from vertebral metastases poses a challenge to treat in the context of minimizing potential risks to preserve quality of life. Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation with cement augmentation provides a minimally invasive alternative for definitive treatment of these patients.
Aesthetics Qua Excess: Mario Perniola and Jacques Rancière

According to Jacques Ranciere, the contemporary anti-aesthetic consensus has denounced aesthetics “as the perverse discourse which bars this encounter and which subjects works, or our appreciation thereof, to a machine of thought conceived for other ends: the philosophical absolute, the religion of the poem or the dream of social emancipation” (Ranciere, Aesthetics and Its Discontents , 2009: 2). However, what seems to be the most problematic trait of aesthetics is its excessive confusion of “pure thought, sensible affects and artistic practices.” But for both Ranciere and Mario Perniola, the excess of aesthetics, that is, its confusion and obliteration of the borders between the arts, between high art and popular art, as well as between art and life – a commixture not to be mistaken for some postmodern transgression of modernist boundaries, for both Ranciere and Perniola keep critical distance to the notions of modernism and postmodernism – constitutes the very knot “by which thoughts, practices and affects are instituted and assigned a territory or a ‘specific’ object” (Ranciere, Aesthetics and Its Discontents , 2009: 4). This paper will demonstrate that aesthetics in Ranciere and Perniola represents neither simply a general art theory nor a theory defining art by means of its effects on the senses, but rather a specific order of the identification and thinking of art. Moreover, it will argue that Ranciere’s and Perniola’s respective elaborations of the relationship between aesthetics and art occur in the larger context of a primary aesthetics associated with the topographical analysis of the means in which the sensible, common world is constructed, parceled out and contested. It will also be shown that primary aesthetics, for both Ranciere and Perniola, includes non-artistic realms and practices such as politics, culture, education, science, and economy in that all these realms and practices presuppose the sensible configuration of a specific world. Thus, primary aesthetics is ultimately to be grasped as distribution of the sensible (Ranciere) or as sensology (Perniola) that determines not only that which is given in a common manner, but also – and more specifically – that which can be seen, felt, said or done and at the same time modes of seeing, feeling, saying or doing that are excluded from that which is given in a common manner. Article received: April 17, 2019; Article accepted: July 6, 2019; Published online: October 2019; Original scholarly paper How to cite this article: Vogt, Erik. "Aesthetics Qua Excess: Mario Perniola and Jacques Ranciere." AM Journal of Art and Media Studies 20 (2019): 1-10. doi: 10.25038/am.v0i20.320
Same Difference? The impact of Low-, Medium-, and High-Tech Industries on Venture Performance and Survival

Despite the influence that industry has on organizational outcomes, there remains a shortage of research regarding the interaction between an entrepreneur's human capital (prior startup experience) and venture credit risk on new venture exit. Using data from the Kauffman firm survey, for ventures in high-tech industries, relative to ventures in low-tech industries, the decline in performance is stronger for founders who founded a greater number of businesses prior to the current venture or for those who have startup experience in the current industry. The differences in survival between high-tech and low-tech ventures is negligible when founders have more start up experience in the same industry. Furthermore, ventures in high-tech sectors with high credit risk have a greater performance decline relative to those in low-tech industries with high credit risk, and ventures in low-tech sectors with higher perceived competitive advantage have higher odds of failure. The findings add to our understanding of the influence of technology regimes on the limited efficacy of entrepreneurial human capital and stronger effects of credit risk on venture survival and performance.
Clinical social workers, gender, and perceptions of political participation

Political participation to create social change is considered a professional and ethical imperative for social workers. Although researchers have examined overall political participation by social workers, little is known about how clinical social workers participate and the broader societal factors that influence their political participation. A critical phenomenological methodology was used with a sample of 23 clinical social workers from New England states to (1) identify how socio-political forces influenced their political activity; and, (2) understand how the concept of power affected individuals’ level of engagement or inclination toward the political process. This article describes one of the study’s major findings. Female participants described themselves as unqualified and/or unknowledgeable in the political sphere, with low levels of ambition and confidence to engage in political processes. Many female participants also described the challenges of achieving a work-life balance between their careers and traditional gender-based roles with little time left for political engagement. Social work education and policy advocacy can affect change that will increase the internal and external efficacy of social workers and create a policy environment that allows more options for all social workers in balancing the demands of professional and personal lives.
A Systematic Review of the Incidence, Prevalence, Costs, and Activity and Work Limitations of Amputation, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Back Pain, Multiple Sclerosis, Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, and Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: A 2019 Update.

Abstract Objectives To present recent evidence on the prevalence, incidence, costs, activity limitations, and work limitations of common conditions requiring rehabilitation. Data Sources Medline (PubMed), SCOPUS, Web of Science, and the gray literature were searched for relevant articles about amputation, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. Study Selection Relevant articles (N=106) were included. Data Extraction Two investigators independently reviewed articles and selected relevant articles for inclusion. Quality grading was performed using the Methodological Evaluation of Observational Research Checklist and Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Form. Data Synthesis The prevalence of back pain in the past 3 months was 33.9% among community-dwelling adults, and patients with back pain contribute $365 billion in all-cause medical costs. Osteoarthritis is the next most prevalent condition (approximately 10.4%), and patients with this condition contribute $460 billion in all-cause medical costs. These 2 conditions are the most prevalent and costly (medically) of the illnesses explored in this study. Stroke follows these conditions in both prevalence (2.5%-3.7%) and medical costs ($28 billion). Other conditions may have a lower prevalence but are associated with relatively higher per capita effects. Conclusions Consistent with previous findings, back pain and osteoarthritis are the most prevalent conditions with high aggregate medical costs. By contrast, other conditions have a lower prevalence or cost but relatively higher per capita costs and effects on activity and work. The data are extremely heterogeneous, which makes anything beyond broad comparisons challenging. Additional information is needed to determine the relative impact of each condition.
Evaluation of Predictors and Outcomes of Bracing with Emphasis on the Immediate Effects of in-Brace Correction in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Background Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is defined as a lateral curvature of the spine of unknown etiology with a Cobb angle of greater than 10 degrees with vertebral rotation. Bracing, specifically with a rigid thoracolumbosacral orthosis (TLSO), decreases the risk of curve progression to over 50 degrees, the threshold for surgical intervention. Some authors have suggested that 30-50% in-brace correction of the Cobb angles is required to prevent significant curve progression. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the current bracing protocol at the University of Iowa as a quality control exercise for the treatment team. Methods AIS patients (n = 61; 8 male, 53 female) who received a Rosenberger TLSO at the University of Iowa Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation from 2016-2017 were included in the study. Inclusion criteria include presence of pre-brace and in-brace x-rays within 3 months of initiating brace treatment. Patients with other diagnoses were excluded. Radiographic indicators of brace effectiveness, such as the Cobb angle, were measured. Results The in-brace x-rays of 46 (76%) patients showed less than 30% correction. Minimal changes from the pre- to in-brace x-ray were observed in other radiographic measures. Conclusions Results indicate that if the 30-50% correction recommended by the literature is valid, then modifications to the process of measuring, fabricating or modifying our current TLSO's for AIS are warranted.Level of evidence: III.
Utility of stone volume estimated by software algorithm in predicting success of medical expulsive therapy

Introduction: We sought to assess the accuracy of using stone volume (SV) estimated with a software algorithm as a predictor for stone passage in a trial of medical expulsive therapy (MET). Methods: We identified patients with ureteral stones discharged from the emergency department on MET. Patients with infection, non-ureteral stones, or needing immediate surgical intervention were excluded. For each stone, longest dimension (LD) was recorded, and SV was estimated by a computed tomography (CT)-based region-growing (RG) algorithm and standard ellipsoid formula (EF). Stone passage within 30 days was assessed via electronic chart and followup phone call. Results: Fifty-one patients were included for analysis (53±16.7 years, 24% female). The mean LD was 4.85±2.02 mm. The mean SV was similar by EF and RG (0.051±0.057cm3 vs. 0.049±0.052 cm3, p=0.28). Thirty-three (65%) patients passed their stone, while 18 (35%) did not. The mean LD for passed stones vs. failed passage was 4.1±1.7 mm vs. 6.2±1.8 mm (p=0.0002); the mean EF volume was 0.028±0.035 cm3 vs. 0.093±0.066 cm3 (p=0.00007); and the mean volume by RG was 0.028±0.027 cm3 vs. 0.088±0.063 cm3 (p=0.00005). Conclusions: The clinical utility of SV estimated by software algorithm as a predictor for success of MET has not previously been examined. We demonstrated that spontaneously passed stones had a significantly smaller volume than those requiring intervention. Further prospective studies are needed to validate these findings and establish volume thresholds for probability of stone passage.
Eddy Current Measurement of Density During Hot Isostatic Pressing

Hot isostatic pressing (HIPing) is an increasingly used process for consolidating and densifying metal and ceramic powders to near net shape. Powder is encapsulated in a thin walled cannister under vacuum and placed in a pressure vessel where it is subjected to a temperature/pressure cycle, Fig. 1. The cycle used is normally empirically determined and aims to achieve 100 percent theoretical density in the sample.
Gamma-Ray Burst Spectral Evolution through Cross-Correlations of Discriminator Light Curves

Gamma-ray burst spectra usually show hard-to-soft evolution within intensity spikes and from spike to spike. The techniques used to study spectral evolution often lack sufficient temporal resolution to determine the nature of this evolution. By comparing the auto- and cross-correlations between the time histories of the BATSE large area detector discriminator rates, I have characterized the spectral evolution of a sample of 209 bursts. I find that hard-to-soft evolution is ubiquitous and that only ~10% of the bursts show clear soft-to-hard evolution.
Organic residue analysis of two Mississippian period human effigy pipes

Abstract Organic residue analysis was applied to two Mississippian Period human effigy pipes from the southeastern North America using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. Both pipes, one recovered from a site in Osceola, Arkansas (USA) and the second from a barrier island near McIntosh County, Georgia (USA), contained trace concentrations of nicotine, indicating the pipes were used to smoke tobacco. The second pipe also contained high concentrations of the monoterpene carvone, the compound that gives spearmint its characteristic aroma. The abundance of carvone along with a mixture of other terpenes and numerous saturated and unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters suggests that an aromatic plant such as spearmint (Mentha sp.), or possibly a plant extract, was included in the smoking complex.
On well-dominated direct, Cartesian and strong product graphs

If each minimal dominating set in a graph is a minimum dominating set, then the graph is called well-dominated. Since the seminal paper on well-dominated graphs appeared in 1988, the structure of well-dominated graphs from several restricted classes have been studied. In this paper we give a complete characterization of nontrivial direct products that are well-dominated. We prove that if a strong product is well-dominated, then both of its factors are well-dominated. When one of the factors of a strong product is a complete graph, the other factor being well-dominated is also a sufficient condition for the product to be well-dominated. Our main result gives a complete characterization of well-dominated Cartesian products in which at least one of the factors is a complete graph. In addition, we conjecture that this result is actually a complete characterization of the class of nontrivial, well-dominated Cartesian products.
Elder Mistreatment Among Four Asian American Groups: An Exploratory Study on Tolerance, Victim Blaming and Attitudes Toward Third-Party Intervention

Using 14 statements, this study examined similarities and differences among four groups of elders (American-born Chinese Americans, American-born Japanese Americans, first-generation Korean Americans, and first-generation Taiwanese Americans) with regard to tolerance for elder mistreatment behaviors, tendency to victim blame, and attitudes toward reporting elder mistreatment. The American-born groups were more likely to be tolerant of verbal abuse, less likely to blame the elderly parents for causing the mistreatment by their grown children, and more favorable toward reporting elder mistreatment to the authorities. The Korean Americans differed significantly from the other three groups: They had a greater tolerance for financial exploitation, were more likely to blame the elder as the cause of the mistreatment, and not favorable toward reporting and outside intervention. Among all participants, tolerance for elder mistreatment was strongly associated with victim blaming and not favoring reporting...
Principles of Electrodiagnosis: Introduction

Electrodiagnostic (EDX) studies encompasses two main groups of techniques, namely (a) nerve conduction studies (NCS) which may include F-wave and H-reflex responses, and other special studies such as repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS), facial motor and blink reflex responses, and (b) needle electromyography (EMG) recording directly from muscle [alternatively referred to as needle electrode examination (NEE)]. A highly specialized separate technique called single fiber EMG (SFEMG) falls into the latter category. The various components of electrodiagnostic studies may provide information about the peripheral sensory and/or motor nerve fibers (including anterior horn cells), as well as the neuromuscular junction and muscle.
Germ Line DNA Parasites That Have Converged on an Altruistic Somatic Excision Strategy

This chapter discusses certain DNA elements that parasitize organisms that have evolved a germ line-soma developmental strategy. By way of introducing the main ideas of this essay, the author briefly summarizes the strategy of the somatic excision element (SEE) called skin that interrupts the sigma K gene of many endospore-forming bacteria, discovered first in Bacillus subtilis. Finally, the author draws analogies to introns and inteins. Division-of-labor germ line-soma strategies, analogous to that employed by metazoans, have evolved independently in numerous other life forms; that is, these life forms have convergently evolved germ line-soma strategies. An elaborate germ line-soma developmental program is employed by ciliated protozoa with the germ line carried in the transcriptionally silent micronucleus, coresident in the cell with the somatic or macronucleus, its DNA pure genes, and it a specialized organelle for expressing them. Both spliceosomal introns and inteins appear to have been inserted into genes as mobile elements, the former derived from transposed group II self-splicing introns and the latter as representatives of mobile homing endonuclease genes. Both introns and inteins are DNA segments interrupting genes. Given the widening horizon that genomic sequencing affords and the large number of unexplored germ line-soma systems, the author imagines that many may have become infested with SEEs.
Photochemical cross-linking analysis of protein-nucleic acid interactions in Escherichia coli transcription complexes from lambda PR' promoter.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the approaches used to characterize the transcription complex that forms on the bacteriophage λ (A) P R promoter, which is regulated by transcriptional antitermination. λ synthesizes the viral proteins N and Q, which reprogram the host RNA polymerase to allow expression of viral genes. Antitermination by the A Q protein differs from that involving N in several ways. First, Q is a DNA-binding protein and its site of action is inseparable from the P R promoter. Q interacts with promoter DNA from about -31 to -10, and thus binds to DNA at a site overlapping the P R promoter upstream from the transcription start site. Polymerase that initiates transcription from P R pauses after incorporation of the first 15 or 16 nucleotides, where it is modified by Q and NusA to an antitermination form. It is shown that it is the nontranscribed strand of the DNA that is important for the pause at +16. Whether Q modifies the RNA polymerase at the promoter and is then left behind, or whether the Q protein is carried along with the RNA polymerase after modification, as is the case with N, is not known. Similarly, whether any portion of the nascent RNA or promoter DNA remains with the polymerase is also not known.
Murine autoimmune hemolytic anemia induced via xenogeneic erythrocyte immunization. III. Influences of sex.

Abstract Mice immunized with xenogeneic rat erythrocytes develop erythrocyte autoantibodies and a hemolytic anemia. To investigate the possibility of a sex dimorphism in this response, male and female N:NIH(S), C3H, C57BL/6, C3B6 F1, BALB/c, CBA/Hn, NZW, NZB, and NZB/W F1 strains of mice were immunized with rat red blood cells (Rrbc). The number of mice that developed erythrocyte autoantibodies, the time of onset of this response, the direct antiglobulin titer, the class and subclass of the erythrocyte-bound autoantibody, and the severity of anemia and titer of anti-Rrbc antibody were determined. Further, to examine the influence of sex hormones, gonadectomy and opposite sex hormone treatments were performed on male and female N:NIH(S) mice. In five of seven responding strains, a higher frequency of female mice developed erythrocyte autoantibodies than male mice. Female mice also demonstrated a more rapid onset, requiring fewer Rrbc injections, accompanied by a more severe anemia. Erythrocyte-bound autoantibodies of IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgM specificities were present to a greater degree in female mice than in male mice, and an enhanced female anti-Rrbc hemagglutinin response was also observed. Moreover, gonadectomy and opposite sex hormone therapy abolished the observed sex differences in respect to autoantibody formation and anti-Rrbc response. Finally, the possibility of an X-chromosome linked mechanism was not indicated.