cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell therapy for severe traumatic brain injury in children.

BACKGROUND: Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children is associated with substantial long-term morbidity and mortality. Currently, there are no successful neuro-protective/neuroreparative treatments for TBI. Numerous preclinical studies suggest that bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMMNCs), their derivative cells (marrow stromal cells), or similar cells (umbilical cord blood cells) offer neuroprotection. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether autologous BMMNCs are a safe treatment for severe TBI in children. METHODS: Ten children aged 5 to 14 years with a postresuscitation Glasgow Coma Scale of 5 to 8 were treated with 6 × 10 6 autologous BMMNCs/kg body weight delivered intravenously within 48 hours after TBI. To determine the safety of the procedure, systemic and cerebral hemodynamics were monitored during bone marrow harvest; infusion-related toxicity was determined by pediatric logistic organ dysfunction (PELOD) scores, hepatic enzymes, Murray lung injury scores, and renal function. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) data were obtained at 1 and 6 months postinjury, as were neuropsychological and functional outcome measures. RESULTS: All patients survived. There were no episodes of harvest-related depression of systemic or cerebral hemodynamics. There was no detectable infusion-related toxicity as determined by PELOD score, hepatic enzymes, Murray lung injury scores, or renal function. cMRI imaging comparing gray matter, white matter, and CSF volumes showed no reduction from 1 to 6 months postinjury. Dichotomized Glasgow Outcome Score at 6 months showed 70% with good outcomes and 30% with moderate to severe disability. CONCLUSION: Bone marrow harvest and intravenous mononuclear cell infusion as treatment for severe TBI in children is logistically feasible and safe.
Experimental Demonstration of Electromagnetic Information Leakage From Modern Processor-Memory Systems

This paper shows that electromagnetic (EM) information leakage from modern laptops and desktops (with no peripherals attached) is indeed possible and is relatively easy to achieve. The experiments are performed on three laptop systems and one desktop system with different processors (Intel Centrino, Core 2, Core i7, and AMD Turion), and show that both active (program deliberately tries to cause emanations at a particular frequency) and passive (emanations at different frequencies happen as a result of system activity) EM side-channel attacks are possible on all the systems we tested. Furthermore, this paper shows that EM information leakage can reliably be received at distances that vary from tens of centimeters to several meters including the signals that have propagated through cubicle or structural walls. Finally, this paper shows how activity levels and data values used in accessing different parts of the memory subsystem (off-chip memory and each level of on-chip caches) affect the transmission distance.
Longest Common Extensions in Partial Words

The Longest Common Extension of a pair of positions (i, j) in a string, or word, is the longest substring starting at i and j. The LCE problem considers a word and a set of pairs of positions and computes for each pair in the set, the longest common extension starting at both positions in the pair. This problem finds applications in matching with don’t-care characters, approximate string searching, finding all exact or approximate tandem repeats, to name a few. From a practical point of view, Ilie et al. (Journal of Discrete Algorithms, 2010) looked for simple and efficient algorithms for the LCE problem. In this paper, we extend their analyses to partial words, strings with don’t-cares or holes. In this context, we compute the Longest Common Compatible Extension of each pair of positions (i, j) in a partial word, i.e., the longest substrings starting at i and j that are compatible. We show that our results match with those of total words (partial words without holes). We find that one of the simplest algorithms for implementing the LCE problem is optimal on average in this case.
Comment: Acquiring metaphors

Lakoff (2016) describes an account of conceptual representation based in part on metaphor. Though promising, this account faces several challenges with respect to learning and development.
Beta-adrenergic receptors on canine coronary collateral vessels: characterization and function

The present studies were performed to examine the role of beta-adrenergic receptors in modulating smooth muscle tone in mature coronary collaterals. To examine the beta-adrenergic receptor population present, radioligand binding-cover slip autoradiographic studies were performed on sections of native canine coronary vessels and sections of coronary collaterals developed after placement of Ameroid constrictors. Specific binding of the nonselective beta-adrenergic antagonist [125I]iodopindolol to vascular smooth muscle in segments of both collaterals and native coronary arteries was saturable and stereospecific. Maximal binding and the potency of beta-adrenergic subtype-selective antagonists were similar in all segments. Beta-adrenergic relaxation of native coronary vessels and collateral vessels were studied in isolated organ chambers after preconstriction with prostaglandin F2 alpha. Both native coronary arteries and collateral segments demonstrated beta-adrenergic-mediated relaxation with affinities for both agonists and antagonists compatible with a mixed population of beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic receptors. These studies indicate that during development, the new collateral vascular smooth muscle expresses a functional population of beta-adrenergic receptors, comparable to that in native vessels.
A token authentication solution for hadoop based on kerberos pre-authentication

As broad adoption of Apache Hadoop [20] accelerates authentication and authorization capabilities are a major concern for data access security. To integrate pluggable authentication providers, enhance desirable single sign on for end users, and enforce centralized access control on the platform, Hadoop community has widely discussed and concluded that token based authentication is the appropriate approach [18]. In this paper we discuss an innovation solution about how to implement the token authentication based on the Kerberos pre-authentication framework [4]. We propose a pre-authentication mechanism for Kerberos [1] that allows users to authenticate to Key Distribution Center (KDC) using a standard token, and develop a plugin for MIT Kerberos that can be deployed separately to employ the new mechanism. Based on that, we develop our token authentication solution for the entire Hadoop stack that helps integrate identity management systems and OAuth 2.0 [6] authorization solutions, meanwhile avoiding complication, risk and deployment overhead.
LED Lights With Hidden Intensity-Modulated Blue Channels Aiming for Enhanced Subconscious Visual Responses

A new form of light-emitting diode (LED) light suitable for general illumination is proposed to enhance subconscious, nonimage-forming visual responses, which are essential to our well-being. Pulsing light has been shown to reduce photoreceptor adaptation and elicit stronger subconscious visual responses at an indoor illumination level. Using the silent substitution technique, a melanopsin-selective flicker can be added into white light. A linear optimization algorithm was developed to suppress any perceivable fluctuation of light intensity and colors of illuminated objects. Two examples of lights are given to illustrate the potential applications of the proposed multi-LED light for general illumination and therapeutic purposes.
Abstract 351: MHC-II Tetramer-based Isolation of Atherosclerosis Autoantigen-specific T Cells

Background: Immune cells, including T cells, figure prominently in atherosclerosis. T cells in the atherosclerotic plaque have been proposed to recognize self-antigen, such as peptides derived from Apolipoprotein B-100. However, antigen-specific T cells have not been identified in atherosclerosis. Here, we aimed to establish and optimize a novel MHC-II multimer based assay to detect and isolate T cells specifically recognizing the ApoB-100 amino residues 978-993. We have previously shown that vaccination with this peptide protects mice from atherosclerosis. Materials and Methods: We screened peptides from mouse ApoB-100 for high affinity binding to the mouse C57BL/6 MHC-II molecule I-Ab and designed a novel MHC-II-tetramer in order to detect CD4 + T cells that specifically recognize one of these peptide epitopes (ApoB-100 978-993) by flow cytometry. This tetramer (P6:I-Ab) consists of four biotinylated MHC-II monomers that are linked by a streptavidin molecule and display the ApoB-100 978-993 peptide in the MHC-II binding grove. It was expressed in a drosophila expression system and subsequently labeled with PE or APC. T cells from mice immunized with the ApoB-100 978-993 peptide were isolated from spleen and lymph nodes, enriched for CD4 + T cells by negative selection, labeled with a mixture of APC- and PE-labeled ApoB-100 978-993 tetramer and positively selected by magnetic beads to PE and APC. P6:I-Ab binding co-localized with CD4 in confocal microscopy. ApoB-100 978-993 P6:I-Ab + T cells showed higher expression of the activation marker CD44 than P6:I-Ab - T cells. When Nur77-GFP transgenic mice were immunized with ApoB-100 978-993, P6:I-Ab + CD4 + T cells showed enhanced GFP signal by flow cytometry, indicating T Cell Receptor signaling. By optimizing these methods, we successfully increased the percentage and absolute number of P6:I-Ab + T cells by 50-100-fold compared to un-enriched samples. The negative control tetramer (2WIS) bound very few T cells. Conclusion: We have successfully established a method to isolate atherosclerosis autoantigen-specific T cells from mice immunized with ApoB-100 978-993.
Approach to growth hormone therapy in children with chronic kidney disease varies across North America: the Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium report

Growth impairment remains common in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Available literature indicates low level of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) utilization in short children with CKD. Despite efforts at consensus guidelines, lack of high-level evidence continues to complicate rhGH therapy decision-making and the level of practice variability in rhGH treatment by pediatric nephrologists is unknown. Cross-sectional online survey electronically distributed to pediatric nephrologists through the Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium and American Society of Pediatric Nephrology. Seventy three pediatric nephrologists completed the survey. While the majority (52.1%) rarely involve endocrinology in rhGH management, 26.8% reported that endocrinology managed most aspects of rhGH treatment in their centers. The majority of centers (68.5%) have a dedicated renal dietitian, but 20.6% reported the nephrologist as the primary source of nutritional support for children with CKD. Children with growth failure did not receive rhGH most commonly because of family refusal. Differences in initial work-up for rhGH therapy include variable use of bone age (95%), thyroid function (58%), insulin-like growth factor-1 (40%), hip/knee X-ray (36%), and ophthalmologic evaluation (7%). Most pediatric nephrologists (95%) believe that rhGH treatment improves quality of life, but only 24% believe that it improves physical function; 44% indicated that rhGH improves lean body mass. There is substantial variation in pediatric nephrology practice in addressing short stature and rhGH utilization in children with CKD. Hence, there may be opportunities to standardize care to study and improve growth outcomes in short children with CKD.
Dielectric function parameterization by penalized splines

In this article, we investigate the penalized spline (P-spline) approach to restrict flexibility of dielectric function parameterization by B-splines and prevent overfitting of the ellipsometric data. The penalty degree is easily controlled by a certain smoothing parameter. The P-spline approach offers a number of advantages over well-established B-spline parameterization. First of all, it typically uses an equidistant knot arrangement which simplifies the construction of the roughness penalties and makes it computationally efficient. Since P-splines possess the “power of the penalty” property, a selection of the number of knots is no longer crucial, as long as there is a minimum knot number to capture all significant spatial variability of the data curves. We demonstrate the proposed approach by real-data application with ellipsometric spectra from aluminum-coated sample.
Sympathetic function during whole-body cooling is altered in hypertensive adults

These novel findings demonstrate that whole body cooling-induced reductions in mean skin temperature elicited greater increases in blood pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity in hypertensi...
Experiment, Theory, Representation: Robert Hooke’s Material Models

Robert Hooke’s Micrographia of 1665 is an epochal work in the history of scientific representation. With microscopes and other optical devices, Hooke drew and then oversaw the engraving of Micrographia’s plates, images that amount to little less than revelations from beneath the range of human vision (Fig. 1). In bristling detail, molds flower into putrid bloom, crystals protrude like warts from mineral skins and, for the first time in history, cells are brought to the eyes of a general viewership. So historical scholarship has shown us, Hooke was especially well equipped to make these wondrous images. A product of Oxford’s lively scientific community of the 1650s and a protege of the chemist Robert Boyle, he possessed intimate knowledge of the “new sciences” of the seventeenth century and a particular gift as an experimentalist.
Measurement of Infarct Size: Effect of Reperfusion with Arterial Blood

The principles of experiment design for studies to assess the effect of therapy on acute myocardial ischemic injury are described, including ways in which such studies should be controlled for those factors which contribute to variation in infarct size. In the open-chest anesthetized dog, 90% of variation in infarct size is due to differences in the: 1) size of the vascular area at risk of infarction and, 2) volume of collateral arterial flow to this region. Although damaged by ischemia, myocytes do not die if the myocardium is reperfused with arterial blood less than 15 minutes after the onset. However, virtually all severely and moderately ischemic myocytes will be dead after six hours of ischemia have passed. The damaged myocytes die first in the subendocardium and then in a wavefront which extends out to and may include the subepicardial myocardium. In most hearts, some myocytes still are salvageable by reperfusion after being subjected to episodes of ischemia of as long as three hours.
Clinical investigation of the cardiovascular system in the critically ill. Invasive techniques

Invasive monitoring of the cardiovascular system is typically performed by systemic arterial and pulmonary artery catheterization. The indications for and the complications and clinical applications of invasive monitoring are reviewed.
The Radiobiological Rationale for Hypofractionation of Lung and Liver Tumors

The radiobiological concepts of intrinsic radiation sensitivity, oxygenation, and dose-volume effects have been reasonably delineated in the context of conventional radiotherapy (RT). Yet, for circumstances in which large doses are delivered in single-fraction or hypofractionated regimens, these intrinsic radiobiological concepts are relatively poorly understood. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a radical departure from the current RT approach in which large fields, cone downs, and protracted therapies are used for normal tissue preservation and to maximize the therapeutic ratio. SRS is the precise, highly focused delivery of radiation beams to lesions whereby only a fraction of the total dose is received by surrounding normal tissues. The usage of SRS is currently expanding well beyond its roots as an ablative tool for thalamotomies, arteriovenous malformations, and cranial vault tumors. Hence, widely believed dogmas concerning the tolerance of critical structures to conventionally fractionated doses, such as the dose-volume effect, total dose, and time (latency) dependency, have to be reevaluated for hypofractionated radiation therapy.
Mating preferences of selfish sex chromosomes

The evolution of female mating preferences for harmful male traits is a central paradox of sexual selection1-9. Two dominant explanations for this paradox8,10 are Fisher's runaway process, which is based on genetic correlations between preference and trait1,3,4, and Zahavi's handicap principle, in which the trait is an honest costly signal of male quality2,6,8,11. However, both of these explanations require the exogenous initial spread of female preferences before harmful male traits can evolve1-4,6,8,11. Here I present a mechanism for the evolution of female mating preferences for harmful male traits that is based on the selfish evolutionary interests of sex chromosomes. I demonstrate that female-biased genetic elements-such as the W and X sex chromosomes-will evolve mating preferences for males who display traits that reduce their fitness and/or that of their male offspring, but increase fitness in female offspring. In particular, W-linked preferences can cause nearly lethal male traits to sweep to fixation. Sex-linked preferences can drive the evolution of traits such as ornamental handicaps and male parental care, and can explain variation in ornamentation and behaviour across taxa with divergent sex-determining mechanisms.
WITHDRAWN: Restoring the Florida Everglades Comments on the current reservoir plan for solving harmful algal blooms and restoring the Florida Everglades

Preface This is an updated version of a review written by the author in April 2018 at the request of The Friends of the Everglades, an NGO based in Miami, Florida, on a plan developed primarily by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to mitigate coastal pollution that has resulted from discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coastline and eventually to “send the water south” to the Florida Everglades instead. This EAA Reservoir project was included by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a 2018 U.S. Congressional bill that was approved. In May 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to spend $200 million to begin construction of this restoration, three times the amount requested by the state of Florida. While supported with enthusiasm by the Florida state legislature, the SFWMD, and some NGOs such as The Everglades Foundation, a change in leadership in the state of Florida after November 2018 elections and especially in the leadership of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has led to a renewed public optimism for major improvements in water quality management in south Florida. It is therefore timely for this review of the advantages and shortcomings of this “EAA (Everglades Agricultural Area) Reservoir Plan” to be widely disseminated in an international forum such as Ecological Engineering to encourage discussions among scientists and engineers.
WheeLeR: Wheel-Leg Reconfigurable Mechanism with Passive Gears for Mobile Robot Applications

This paper presents a new passive wheel-leg transformation mechanism and its embodiment in a small mobile robot. The mechanism is based on a unique geared structure, allowing the wheel to transform between two modes, i.e., wheel or leg, potentially adapting to varying ground conditions. It consists of a central gear and legs with partial gears that rotate around the central gear to open or close the legs. When fully closed, the mechanism forms a seamless circular wheel; when opened, it operates in the leg mode. The central gear actuated by the driving motor generates opening and closing motions of the legs without using an additional actuator. The number of legs, their physical size, and the gear ratio between the central gear and the partial gears on the legs are adjustable. This design is mechanically simple, customizable, and easy to fabricate. For physical demonstration and experiments, a mobile robotic platform was built and its terrainability was tested using five different sets of the transformable wheels with varying sizes and gear ratios. For each design, the performance with successful wheel-leg transformation, obstacle climbing, and locomotion capabilities was tested in different ground conditions.
Totalistic Programs for Youth: A Thematic Analysis of Retrospective Accounts

Recent annual estimates suggest that in the United States, approximately 57,000 young people are placed by their parents into some type of residential treatment program. Parent – pay programs are exempt from federal safety standards and some states provide little or no regulatory oversight. Federal investigations revealed a nationwide pattern of institutional abuse across multiple facilities, and some professionals have noted ‘cruel and dangerous uses of thought reform techniques’ within such programs (U.S. House of Representatives 2007, 76). This article summarizes qualitative research based on interviews with 30 adults who lived for an average of 20 months within a ‘highly totalistic’ youth program. The concept of totalistic treatment was operationalized and measured with seven key identifiers found in the literature. Twenty – five different programs of four general types were represented: therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment centers, wilderness/outdoor programs, and intensive outpatient programs. To organize qualitative findings, three themes explaining the experiences, immediate effects, and long – term impacts of treatment help to reveal implicit meanings woven throughout the interviews. By understanding a wider range of experiences associated with totalistic programs, efforts to improve quality of care and strategies to prevent harm may be improved. Harm prevention efforts would benefit from the analytical perspectives found in theories of coercive persuasion and thought reform.
Volume Rooftop Basis Functions in Shielded Layered Media

Infinitely thin planar circuits are often represented with rooftop basis functions. These basis functions use a sheet of surface current over the area of a subsection and are overlapped to generate a piece-wise linear representation of the actual surface current. This paper extends rooftop functions to volume current. Volume current rooftop subsections are overlapped in a similar fashion to represent the volume current flowing in a thick conductor. Layered media enclosed in a rectangular shielding conductor is assumed. This allows fast and numerically exact evaluation of the Green's function with the resulting method of moments reaction integrals evaluated analytically, rather than numerically. Use of volume rooftops results in faster high accuracy analysis of planar circuits composed of thick metal, especially for lines with a high aspect ratio cross-section.
Comparison between OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool app and WBGT monitor to assess heat stress risk in agriculture.

Agricultural workers are exposed to heat stress due to spending significant amount of time outdoors. Risk information from mobile apps is more readily available for timely advice on risk management...
Government Extension, Agroecology, and Sustainable Food Systems in Belize Milpa Communities: A Socio-Ecological Systems Approach

The sustainability of milpa agriculture, a traditional Mayan farming system in southern Belize, is uncertain. For centuries, the milpa has been a sustainable agriculture system. The slash-and-burn aspect of milpa farming, however, has become less reliable and less sustainable over the last 50 years due to several factors, including forest loss, climate change, population growth, and other factors. The traditional milpa practices of slash-and-mulch and soil nutrient enrichment (nutrient cycling) are agroecological practices that produce food in a more sustainable way. Agriculture extension, a government service in Belize, can promote additional agroecological practices to address food and livelihood insecurities in milpa communities. This study examines perceptions of these practices from milpa farmers and agricultural extension officers in Belize using a socio-ecological systems (SES) framework. SES considers multidisciplinary linkages, including social, economic, environmental, cultural, and other factors in the agroecological system. The study finds several of these SES linkages between agroecological practices—specifically slash-and-mulch and soil nutrient enrichment—and the sustainability of the milpa farming system in southern Belize. Milpa communities are part of the broader SES and therefore are affected by changes to it. Milpa communities can also be enabled and participate in solution-finding. The findings imply that increasing the use of agroecology practices in milpa communities is needed and that government involvement and action, particularly from agriculture extension services, can facilitate a more sustainable milpa farming system and therefore more food and livelihood security in milpa communities in Belize. See the press release for this article.
Potential mechanisms of beneficial effect of sacubitril/valsartan on glycemic control:

Heart failure (HF) and diabetes mellitus (DM) frequently coexist, with a prevalence of DM of 35-40% in patients with HF, independent of the level of impairment of the ejection fraction (EF). Furthermore, DM is considered a strong independent risk factor for the progression of HF with either preserved or reduced EF and is associated with poor prognosis. The ability of neprilysin inhibitors to elevate levels of biologically active natriuretic peptides has made them a potential therapeutic approach in HF. In the Prospective comparison of ARNi with ACEi to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and morbidity in Heart Failure (PARADIGM-HF) trial, a dual-acting angiotensin-receptor-neprilysin inhibitor, sacubitril/valsartan was superior to enalapril in reducing the risks of death and HF hospitalization in patients with HF with reduced EF. In addition, in a post-hoc analysis of this trial, among patients with DM, treatment with sacubitril/valsartan resulted in improved glycemic control compared with enalapril. Also, there are additional studies suggesting beneficial metabolic effects of this class of drugs. In this review we discuss potential mechanisms of sacubitril/valsartan effect on glycemic control. Sacubitril/valsartan concomitantly blocks the renin-angiotensin system and inhibits neprilysin, a ubiquitous enzyme responsible for the breakdown of more than 50 vasoactive peptides, including the biologically active natriuretic peptides, bradykinin, angiotensin I and II, endothelin 1, glucagon, glucagon-like peptide-1, insulin-B chain, and others. There are a number of potential mechanisms by which inhibition of neprilysin may lead to improvement in glycemic control, with most evidence suggesting modulation of neprilysin circulating substrates. Although there is some evidence suggesting the improvement of glucose metabolism by renin-angiotensin system inhibition, this effect is most likely modest. As these mechanisms are not fully understood, detailed mechanistic studies, as well as large randomized clinical trials in patients with DM, are needed to further clarify beneficial metabolic properties of sacubitril/valsartan.
What Makes Gun Violence a (Less) Prominent Issue? A Computational Analysis of Compelling Arguments and Selective Agenda Setting

Despite several transient spikes in response to the deadliest mass shootings, the U.S. population continues to perceive gun violence as less important than other issues, and public opinion remains ...
Rationale and Goals for Optimal Pain Control in Ambulatory Surgical Centers

More and more complicated surgical and diagnostic procedures are being performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). It can be a daunting task to provide adequate analgesia while minimizing side effects. Anesthesia providers are increasingly facing higher social, financial, and administrative pressures to decrease opioid consumption, shorten operating room turnaround time, avoid anesthetic side effects and complications, and ensure timely discharge. Multimodal analgesia strategy, including non-opioid analgesic drugs and measures such as nerve blocks, has gained widespread recognition to provide perioperative analgesia. The analgesic goals in ASCs include cost-effectiveness, efficiency, patient satisfaction, minimizing drug side effects, and anesthetic complications. This chapter will discuss these analgesic goals and their rationales.
Polyampholyte physics: Liquid–liquid phase separation and biological condensates

Abstract Here we review the current understanding of molecular interactions that govern liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of biological condensates. The connection between sequence, chain conformation, and phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and their model polyampholytes is discussed. In particular, we highlight how the charge pattern influences the conformation and phase behavior of natural IDPs. We then describe recent results from theoretical treatments of polyampholytes implementing random phase approximation, field-theoretic simulations, and transfer matrix theory that show an increase in charge segregation results in an increased tendency to phase separate.
Association of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index with incident hypertension in the older Chinese population: a 6-year cohort study.

BackgroundWe examined the association of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) with the incidence of hypertension.MethodsWe used data of the China Health and Nutrition Survey in this study. P...
Management of UCL Injuries in Non-throwing Athletes

Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries most commonly occur in throwing athletes due to repetitive valgus stress to the medial elbow during the throwing motion. However, these injuries are not exclusive to this population, and they can occur in non-throwing athletes as well. Most UCL injuries in non-throwing athletes are a result of trauma from a collision or a sudden valgus force from a contact or combat injury. UCL injuries can be managed non-operatively or operatively depending on a variety of factors. Most non-throwing athletes with a UCL injury can be managed non-operatively since they are not placing repetitive valgus stress on the elbow during sports participation. Furthermore, the traumatic nature of the injury often lends itself to appropriate healing since the ligament did not experience prior attritional damage. However, sometimes surgical management is necessary, and options include reconstruction versus repair. While data is relatively limited compared to throwing athletes, most non-throwing athletes can successfully return to sport following appropriate management of a UCL injury.
Attitude theory and measurement in implementation science: a secondary review of empirical studies and opportunities for advancement.

BACKGROUND Implementation science studies often express interest in "attitudes," a term borrowed from psychology. In psychology, attitude research has an established methodological and theoretical base, which we briefly summarize here. We then review implementation studies designed to measure attitudes and compare their definitions and methods with those from psychology. METHODS A recent review identified 46 studies empirically examining factors associated with implementation. For each of these studies, we evaluated whether authors included attitudes as a construct of interest, and if so, whether and how the construct was defined, measured, and analyzed. RESULTS Most of the articles (29/46 [63%]) mention attitudes as an implementation factor. Six articles include a definition of the construct. Nineteen studies were designed to measure attitudes but lacked clarity in describing how attitudes were measured. Those that explained their measurement approach used methods that differed from one another and from validated methods in social psychology. Few articles described associated analyses or provided results specific to attitudes. Despite the lack of specificity regarding relevant measurement, analysis, and results, the articles often included causal conclusions about the role of attitudes. CONCLUSIONS Attitudes may be an important construct to implementation scientists, but studies to date are ambiguous in their definitions of attitudes and inconsistent in the methods used to measure and analyze attitudes. We discuss how implementation studies can apply psychology's standardized definitions, validated measurement approaches, and causal models that include attitudes. This application of attitude theory and methods could offer implementation research valuable scientific opportunities.
Tiltrotor - 'Copter and plane in one

This paper is concerned with a most unusual aircraft, called the Tiltrotor XV-15, which combines the versatility of the helicopter with the characteristics of a conventional aircraft. Two large, three-bladed propellers are mounted at the tips of the wings. For takeoff, the propellers and their engines are rotated 90 degrees, and the XV-15 can climb vertically into the air as a helicopter. When the vehicle is off the ground, propellers and engines rotate forward, and the lift is transferred from the propellers to the wings. As a conventional aircraft, the Tiltrotor can cruise for more than two hours. Operating as a vertical-takeoff aircraft, the XV-15 can fly twice as fast as a helicopter and deliver payloads on half the fuel when traveling distances greater than 185 kilometers. The results of the first three years of flight-testing are discussed, taking into account the relationship of rotor vibrations and/or air turbulence to resonance of a section of the Tiltrotor's wing.
Information Extraction and eGovernment: Crime Reporting and Investigative Interviewing System

Crime statistics from the US Bureau of Justice and the FBI Uniform Crime Report show a gap between reported and unreported crime. For police to effectively prevent and solve crime, they require accurate and complete information about incidents. This article describes the evaluation of a crime reporting and interviewing system that witnesses can use to report crime incidents or suspicious activities anonymously while ensuring the information received is of such quality that police can use it to begin an investigation process. Findings of this evaluation show that the system is capable of producing accurate and complete reports by enhancing witnesses’ memory recall and that its efficacy approximate the efficacy of a human conducting a cognitive interview. The system is introduced as the first computer application of the cognitive interview and proposed as a viable alternative to face-to-face investigative interviews.
Value-at-Risk Based Portfolio Optimization

The Value at Risk (VaR) metric, a widely reported and accepted measure of financial risk across industry segments and market participants, is discrete by nature measuring the probability of worst case portfolio performance. In this paper I present four model frameworks that apply VaR to ex ante portfolio decisions. The mean-variance model, Young’s (1998) minimax model and Hiller and Eckstein’s (1993) stochastic programming model are extended to incorporate VaR. A fourth model, that is new, implements stochastic programming with a return aggregation technique. Performance tests are conducted on the four models using empirical and simulated data. The new model most closely matches the discrete nature of VaR exhibiting statistically superior performance across the series of tests. Robustness tests of the four model forms provides support for the argument that VaR-based investment strategies lead to higher risk decision than those where the severity of worst case performance is also considered.
The Incidence of Prenatal Syphilis at The Boston City Hospital: A Comparison Across Four Decades

Objective. To examine the incidence and epidemiologic correlates of congenital syphilis at an inner-city Boston hospital, and draw comparisons with the situation at the same hospital 40 years ago. Design. Chart review and comparison with data collected in 1951. Setting. Maternity and pediatric services at Boston City Hospital. Methods. A study conducted in 1951 on the maternity service of Boston City Hospital in which demographic data were collected on all women admitted in labor over a 5-month period was replicated. Serologic testing for syphilis was carried out on these women, and the demographic and medical correlates of positive maternal syphilis serology were examined. This study was repeated exactly 40 years later, using the cord blood screening for syphilis done routinely at delivery and a review of prenatal records. Results. From a group made up largely of married white women in 1951, the study population shifted in 1991 to a group made up mostly of minority women, with 75% unmarried. In 1951, 24 patients were diagnosed with syphilis either before or during the pregnancy, giving a prevalence rate of 2.4%. In 1991, 25 of 647 women were diagnosed with syphilis, for a prevalence rate of 3.9%. The women with positive cord blood serologies had a higher rate of other sexually transmitted diseases and substance abuse. No symptomatic cases of congenital syphilis were seen in 1951 or in 1991, although at least 11 of the 26 infants born to mothers with positive serologies in 1991 received intravenous penicillin therapy. Conclusions. The continued prevalence of diagnosed syphilis in women at delivery reflects an inner-city epidemic of congenital syphilis that is tied to substance abuse, human immunodeficiency virus, and changing social patterns, as well to older problems of serologic screening, prenatal care, treatment failures, and maternal reinfection. It is essential that screening programs be maintained and improved in this high-risk population, and that infants born to mothers with positive serologies receive full and adequate treatment if there is any doubt at all about their infection status.
Validity of early indirect models of taste active sites and advances in new taste technologies enabled by improved models

The relationship between chemical structure and taste has always been a subject of keen interest to chemists. In an effort to rationalize these relationships, chemists have built models, particularly for sweeteners and the sweetener receptor. Early models were exclusively pharmacophore models but, later, receptor models and even computational models with predictive capability were developed. In this paper, models for all the five primary tastes are reviewed. In recent years, the receptors which mediate sweet, bitter and umami (savoury) taste have been identified. The receptors mediating sour and salty tastes, however, are still not known with certainty. The current states of knowledge on the receptors which mediate all five taste modalities are reviewed. Then a perspective is provided on the validity of the models developed. The sequencing of the human genome has enabled great advances in our understanding of the receptors which initiate taste responses. Yet, there remains much we do not understand. A listing of questions still unanswered is provided. Finally, a discussion is provided of new technologies enabled by an advanced understanding of sweetener and bitterant receptors. Specifically, positive allosteric modulators of the sweetener receptor have been identified which enable dramatic reduction in the concentrations of carbohydrate sweeteners while, at the same time, retaining the high quality taste of carbohydrate sweeteners. In addition, bitterness inhibitors have been identified which may have value in the reduction of the negative taste attributes of some foods and beverages. Lastly, an improved understanding of the bio-rationale for the slow sweetness onset and sweetness linger of high-potency sweeteners has led to an approach to improvement of their tastes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Retirement Income Adequacy for Boomers and Gen Xers: Evidence from the 2012 EBRI Retirement Security Projection Model®

Measuring retirement security -- or retirement income adequacy -- is an extremely important topic. EBRI launched a major project to provide this type of measurement in the late 1990s for several states concerned whether their residents would have sufficient income when they reached retirement age. After conducting studies for Oregon, Kansas, and Massachusetts, a national model -- the EBRI Retirement Security Projection Model® (RSPM) -- was developed in 2003, and in 2010 it was updated to incorporate several significant changes, including the impacts of defined benefit plan freezes, automatic enrollment provisions for 401(k) plans, and the recent crises in the financial and housing markets. EBRI has recently updated RSPM for changes in financial and real estate market conditions as well as underlying demographic changes and changes in 401(k) participant behavior since January 1, 2010 (based on a database of 23 million 401(k) participants). This paper provides updates for the previously published EBRI Retirement Readiness Ratings™ as well as the Retirement Savings Shortfalls. EBRI’s updated 2012 Retirement Security Projection Model® finds that for Early Baby Boomers (individuals born between 1948-1954), Late Baby Boomers (born between 1955-1964) and Generation Xers (born between 1965-1974), roughly 44 percent of the simulated lifepaths were projected to lack adequate retirement income for basic retirement expenses plus uninsured health care costs. These “at-risk” levels are some 5-8 percentage points LOWER than what was found in 2003, largely due to the growing adoption of automatic enrollment by 401(k) plan sponsors. Eligibility for a workplace defined contribution retirement plan has a significant positive impact on “at-risk” levels. The aggregate retirement income deficit number, taking into account current Social Security retirement benefits and the assumption that net housing equity is utilized “as needed,” is currently estimated to be $4.3 trillion for all Baby Boomers and Gen Xers. The PDF for the above title, published in the May 2012 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another May 2012 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: “Trends in Employment-Based Coverage Among Workers, and Access to Coverage Among Uninsured Workers, 1995-2011.”
Spin-up and spin-down on the way to the main sequence

We investigate the angular momentum history of pre-main sequence models. We show how the rotation velocity depends on the parameters of a simple model of angular momentum loss by magnetic stellar winds, and on initial angular momentum.
Predictable Changes in NAV: The Wildcard Option in Transacting Mutual Fund Shares

Mutual funds price their shares using last-trade prices of their underlying assets. Because last-trade prices are often stale, this practice results in fund share prices (NAVs) whose daily changes are predictable. We show that the predictability is pervasive and economically significant in domestic equity and foreign equity funds, which comprise more than $4 trillion in assets. Easily implemented trading strategies yield Sharpe ratios that are almost an order of magnitude higher than comparable buy-and-hold strategies. We demonstrate that a simple methodology designed to update assets' last trade prices eliminates most of this predictability.
Veratrum‐Alkaloide. 5. Mitteilung. Über die Konstitution der Decevinsäure

Die Decevinsaure, ein von L. C. Craig & W. A. Jacobs erhaltenes Abbauprodukt des Veratrum-Alkamins Cevin, wurde weiter zur (+)-9-Methyl-cis-dekalin-carbonsaure-(1) (XII) abgebaut, deren Konstitution durch Uberfuhrung in das (+)-9-Methyl-cis-dekalon-(1) (XV) aufgeklart werden konnte. Dieser Abbau sowie die Interpretation der fruheren Ergebnisse und der in der vorliegenden Arbeit mitgeteilten physikalischen Eigenschaften der Decevinsaure und ihrer Derivate fuhren zur Formel IIIa fur die Decevinsaure und zur Formel XVI fur ihren Vorlaufer, aus dem sie durch Pyrolyse entsteht.
Value congruency: The case of the “socially responsible” firm

Abstract This article examines the congruency between the values held by customer service representatives and their perceptions of their organization's values. A questionnaire was distributed to the representatives of two financial services firms (n = 159), one of which identifies itself as “socially responsible.” Subjects were asked to rank the terminal values of the Rokeach Value Survey by importance to themselves and to their firm. Results indicate value congruency is more widespread in the socially responsible firm.
Hl-1 Cardiomyocytes As A Tool For The Study Of Regulation Of Kir3.1/Kir3.4 Channel Activity

The KAch channel slows the heart rate it in response to acetylcholine (ACh). Binding of ACh to the M2 Muscarinic receptor triggers Gβγ-mediated activation of the cardiac GIRK1/GIRK4 inwardly rectifying K channel, which is a heterotetrameric complex of the Kir3.1 and Kir3.4 subunits. Several reports, including work from our laboratory, suggest that phosphorylation events may be critical determinants of the above regulation. Apart from the heterologous expression of the channel subunits in various systems, primary atrial cultures have been so far the only available system for such studies. The development of a cardiomyocyte cell line (HL-1) which has the ability to continuously divide while maintaining a differentiated cardiac phenotype, prompted us to examine whether it could be used for studies on the regulation of GIRK1/GIRK4 channel activity. Here we report that HL-1 cells express both the Kir3.1 and Kir3.4 subunits, antibodies raised against each subunit co-immunoprecipitate the other subunit, the cells respond to ACh and growth factor receptor stimulation, show KAch currents and display electrophysiological properties characteristic of atrial KAch. Our data indicate that the HL-1 cell line provides a useful tool for the dissection of mechanisms regulating GIRK1/GIRK4 activity in vivo.
N-benzyladriamycin-14-valerate (AD 198) exhibits potent anti-tumor activity on TRAF3-deficient mouse B lymphoma and human multiple myeloma

Background TRAF3, a new tumor suppressor identified in human non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and multiple myeloma (MM), induces PKCδ nuclear translocation in B cells. The present study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of two PKCδ activators, N-Benzyladriamycin-14-valerate (AD 198) and ingenol-3-angelate (PEP005), on NHL and MM.