cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis, characterization, and alkyne cyclotrimerization chemistry of titanium complexes supported by calixarene-derived bis(aryloxide) ligation

Proximally bridged calix[4]arene compounds (DESC)H2 (3), (DMSHC)H2 (4), (DMSMC)H2 (5), and (DPSC)H2 (6), in which one R2Si group (R ¼ alkyl or aryl) bridges adjacent oxygens, were synthesized via reaction between dialkyl- or diaryldichlorosilane and the corresponding calix[4]arene. Treatment of p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene with Ph2SiCl2 at room temperature or (oMeC6H4)2SiCl2 at 80 C gave (ClPh2SiCl)2Calix-H2 (7) and (o-Tol2SiCl)2Calix-H2 (8), respectively. Titanium dichloride complexes 9–12 (L2TiCl2, where L2 ¼ DESC, DMSHC, DMSMC, or DPSC) were prepared in high yield from reaction of 3–6 with TiCl4. The molecular structures of 7 and 12 were established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Reduction of 9, 11, and 12 with activated magnesium (Mg*) in the presence of an excess of Me3SiCBCH produced titananorbornadiene complexes L2Ti{g 6 -1,2,4C6H3(SiMe3)3 }( 13–15 ,L 2 ¼ DESC, DMSMC, or DPSC), which were characterized in solution. Catalytic cyclotrimerization of both terminal and internal alkynes was achieved using catalyst systems derived from L2TiCl2 complexes 9–12 and Mg*. For unsymmetrically substituted internal alkynes, preference for 1,2,4-substitution decreased as the size difference of the substituent groups decreased. The cyclotrimerization of PhCBCMe was more facile when the calixarene-derived bis(aryloxide) ligand was DPSC versus DMSMC, suggesting that the DPSC ligand may provide a less crowded titanium center and exert greater kinetic control over the course of the cyclotrimerization. 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Observability don't care sets and Boolean relations

An algorithm is presented that computes exact or approximate observability don't care (ODC) sets for a multiple-level combinatorial network. The proposed algorithms are efficient because they use only local information. A method for deriving the equivalence classes of a Boolean relation from the ODC sets is then proposed. Experimental results on computing ODC sets are reported. >
Guidance from the gaps: the Holy Spirit, ecclesial authority, and the principle of juxtaposition

Recent ecumenical dialogues have focused on the question of ecclesiastical offices. At the heart of this debate lies the question of how to relate the Holy Spirit's guidance of the church to its structures. Two alternative visions frame the debate. The Roman Catholic Church insists on the authority of the church's teaching office, as the channel through which the Holy Spirit guides the church. In contrast, Protestant churches emphasize the self-sufficiency of scripture, the normative function of the Gospel vis-a-vis the church, and the freedom of the Holy Spirit in, with, and over against all ecclesiastical structures. My essay engages this ecumenical debate through fundamental ecclesiological reflections on the relation between the Holy Spirit on the one hand, and the scriptural witness and ecclesial authority on the other. I argue that no ecclesial structure must be identified undialectically with the voice of the Holy Spirit, but that the church must discern the guidance of the Spirit in the context of the Christian assembly, as it emerges ever anew from the “gaps” left open in the assembly's juxtapositions of texts, bath, and shared meal. In order to develop my thesis, I first retrieve Karl Barth's christological foundation of ecclesiology, his definition of divine freedom over against the church, and his introduction of scripture as the critical principle for the church's permanently needed self-reform. Second, I discuss Walter Kasper's insistence on the incarnational and sacramental nature of the church and his threefold understanding of the church's apostolicity in terms of succession, tradition, and communion. Finally, I develop Gordon Lathrop's reading of the Christian assembly of worship in terms of liturgical juxtapositions for my ecclesiastical purposes.
Hierarchical BIT: reusable BIT software for integrated systems

The authors present a hierarchical BIT (built-in test) implementation for integrated advanced avionics systems to support multiple levels of integration and test. This hierarchical design allows BIT to be reused in several test environments, including module, subsystem, and system test. The authors examine some of the costs, benefits, and tradeoffs made in developing a hierarchical BIT. The hierarchical BIT requirements are discussed. Hardware portability must be addressed by the use of high order languages and a modular design. Varying platforms and test environments must be accommodated by flexible tests which utilize test parameters and generate appropriate results. System reconfigurability must be considered by designing nondeterministic tests which can be executed with limited resources, and the design and configuration management processes should be modified to support the BIT design. >
Intestinal epithelial cells: regulators of barrier function and immune homeostasis

The abundance of innate and adaptive immune cells that reside together with trillions of beneficial commensal microorganisms in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract requires barrier and regulatory mechanisms that conserve host-microbial interactions and tissue homeostasis. This homeostasis depends on the diverse functions of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), which include the physical segregation of commensal bacteria and the integration of microbial signals. Hence, IECs are crucial mediators of intestinal homeostasis that enable the establishment of an immunological environment permissive to colonization by commensal bacteria. In this Review, we provide a comprehensive overview of how IECs maintain host-commensal microbial relationships and immune cell homeostasis in the intestine.
US Cancer Center Implementation of ASCO/Oncology Nursing Society Chemotherapy Administration Safety Standards

Given wide variation in the implementation of ASCO/Oncology Nursing Society chemotherapy administration safety standards at US cancer centers, there are significant opportunities for improvement.
Alterations in lipid signaling underlie lipodystrophy secondary to AGPAT2 mutations.

Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL), secondary to AGPAT2 mutation is characterized by the absence of adipocytes and development of severe insulin resistance. In the current study, we investigated the adipogenic defect associated with AGPAT2 mutations. Adipogenesis was studied in muscle-derived multipotent cells (MDMCs) isolated from vastus lateralis biopsies obtained from controls and subjects harboring AGPAT2 mutations and in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes after knockdown or overexpression of AGPAT2. We demonstrate an adipogenic defect using MDMCs from control and CGL human subjects with mutated AGPAT2. This defect was rescued in CGL MDMCs with a retrovirus expressing AGPAT2. Both CGL-derived MDMCs and 3T3-L1 cells with knockdown of AGPAT2 demonstrated an increase in cell death after induction of adipogenesis. Lack of AGPAT2 activity reduces Akt activation, and overexpression of constitutively active Akt can partially restore lipogenesis. AGPAT2 modulated the levels of phosphatidic acid, lysophosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol species, as well as the peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ (PPARγ) inhibitor cyclic phosphatidic acid. The PPARγ agonist pioglitazone partially rescued the adipogenic defect in CGL cells. We conclude that AGPAT2 regulates adipogenesis through the modulation of the lipome, altering normal activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and PPARγ pathways in the early stages of adipogenesis.
Receiver Design for Minimun Fluctuation Noise

The effects of various changes in both tube and circuit conditions have been investigated with regard to their influence on the limitation which fluctuation noise sets on the sensitivity of a receiver. It is concluded that for minimum noise the following conditions should obtain: The gas pressure in the tube should be less than 10-4mm of mercury; the antenna-to-grid transfer circuit should be as efficient as possible; the plate-circuit load impedance should be high enough to give a gain of at least five for the first radio-frequency tube apart from the antenna coupling circuit; and the cathode emission should be high enough so that the tube is always operating under dense space-charge conditions.
Direct Molecular Dynamics Observation of Protein Folding Transition State Ensemble

The concept of the protein transition state ensemble (TSE), a collection of the conformations that have 50% probability to convert rapidly to the folded state and 50% chance to rapidly unfold, constitutes the basis of the modern interpretation of protein engineering experiments. It has been conjectured that conformations constituting the TSE in many proteins are the expanded and distorted forms of the native state built around a specific folding nucleus. This view has been supported by a number of on-lattice and off-lattice simulations. Here we report a direct observation and characterization of the TSE by molecular dynamic folding simulations of the C-Src SH3 domain, a small protein that has been extensively studied experimentally. Our analysis reveals a set of key interactions between residues, conserved by evolution, that must be formed to enter the kinetic basin of attraction of the native state.
Improving the peer review process with information technology

Peer review is the engine of scholarship where new knowledge is legitimized. Despite technological advances in publishing and communication, the process of review has not changed since it became prevalent over 100 years ago. This paper describes how information technology can be used to improve the peer review process. Taking a combined design science and natural science approach, we design and test a prototype system based on the principles of structured communication. Through an exploratory study, we find that our proposed system is viewed more favorably by both authors and reviewers across several dimensions, including fairness, convenience, and value.
New approaches in fertility regulation.

SummaryA Continuing search for new methods of fertility regulation has faced both promises and problems. More effective methods have led to more side effects, whereas methods with lesser problems have been less effective. Newer approaches are logically directed towards the development of contraceptive methods which are more effective and have lesser problems. Hence, newer approaches towards fertility regulation require further understanding of the phenomenon of reproduction at the cellular and molecular level and then the derivation of means to modify or intercept one or more of the earlier steps of the reproductive process. It is also vital that new approaches are (a) ethically compatible with the socio-economic, cultural, religious, and nutritional needs of a society; (b) aesthetic, preferably above the waist, and effective with little or no side effects, and (c) that they are long acting as well as of moderate cost. In view of these considerations we have directed our current approaches in the followin...
Effect of metformin treatment on multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

In light of the conflicting results of the recent United Kingdom Prospective Study (UKPDS), where diabetic patients on metformin monotherapy had lower all-cause mortality and the addition of metformin in sulfonylurea-treated patients was associated with an increased risk of diabetes-related death, we sought to compare the effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors of metformin monotherapy with metformin treatment when added to a sulfonylurea compound in patients with type 2 diabetes. Thirty-one volunteers with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 16 on dietary therapy and 15 on sulfonylurea monotherapy (SU), were treated with metformin for 12 weeks. Measurements were made of (1) fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)), lipid, remnant lipoprotein cholesterol (RLP-C) levels, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size; (2) daylong plasma glucose, insulin, free fatty acid (FFA), triglyceride (TG), and RLP-C concentrations; and (3) fasting levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), and soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin). Fasting plasma glucose concentrations decreased to a similar degree after treatment with metformin in both the metformin monotherapy group (12.45 +/- 0.48 v 9.46 +/- 0.47 mmol/L, P <.001) and the combined SU and metformin therapy group (14.09 +/- 0.51 v 10.57 +/- 0.85 mmol/L, P =.001). Fasting plasma lipid concentrations and LDL particle size did not significantly change in either treatment group, whereas fasting RLP-C concentrations were significantly lower in the metformin monotherapy group (0.43 +/- 0.09 v 0.34 +/- 0.07 mmol/L, P =.02). Daylong concentrations of plasma glucose, FFA, TG, and RLP-C were lower to a similar degree in both treatment groups, whereas daylong plasma insulin concentrations were unchanged. Fasting plasma sVCAM-1 levels were significantly lower in both the metformin monotherapy group (484 +/- 19 v 446 +/- 18 ng/mL, P =.02) and the combined SU and metformin therapy group (496 +/- 29 v 456 +/- 31 ng/mL, P =.05), whereas fasting plasma sICAM-1 and sE-selectin levels were essentially unchanged. Administration of metformin, either as monotherapy or in combination with a sulfonylurea drug, improved glycemic control and led to a decrease in several CVD risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Investigation of product accuracy as a function of input and model uncertainties Case study with SeaWiFS and MODIS LAI/FPAR algorithm

The derivation of vegetation leaf area index (LAI) and the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) absorbed by vegetation globally from the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) multispectral surface reflectances using the algorithm developed for the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument is discussed here, with special emphasis on the quality of the retrieved fields. Uncertainties in the land surface reflectance and model used in the algorithm determine the quality of the retrieved LAI/ FPAR fields. The in-orbit radiances measured by space-borne sensors require corrections for calibration and atmospheric effects, and this introduces uncertainty in the surface reflectance products. The model uncertainty characterizes the accuracy of a vegetation radiation interaction model to approximate the observed variability in surface reflectances. When the amount of spectral information input to the retrieval technique is increased, not only does this increase the overall information content but also decreases the summary accuracy in the data. The former enhances quality of the retrievals, while the latter suppresses it. The quality of the retrievals can be influenced by the use of uncertainty information in the retrieval technique. We introduce a stabilized uncertainty, which is basic information to the retrieval technique required to establish its convergence; that is, the more the measured information and the more accurate this information is, the more reliable and accurate the algorithm output will be. The quality of retrieval is a function of the stabilized uncertainty whose accurate specification is critical for deriving biophysical surface parameters of the highest quality possible using multispectral land surface data. The global LAI and FPAR maps derived from SeaWiFS multispectral surface reflectances and uncertainty information, as well as an analysis of these products is presented here. D 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
Polyploidy in Plants: Unsolved Problems and Prospects

The papers that have been presented at the present synposium provide in themselves ample evidence that problems connected with Polyploidy are of prime importance for understanding the evolution not only of most plants, but also of many groups of animals. Although chromosome doubling as a tool for plant breeders has become much reduced in importance during recent years, its revival may become practical as more becomes known and understood about the reasons why this process has been of great importance for the origin of species in nature (1).
The Fate of Whistleblowers in Nonprofit Organizations

What has come to be called ‘whistleblowing’ has grown enormously in the US over recent decades and it is spreading rapidly around the world. The research on which this paper is based develops a sample of whistleblowers from all walks of life and all regions of the US. This article focuses specifically on the treatment of whistleblowers in the non-profit sector.In examining the political meaning of the act of whistleblowing, the author describes whistleblowing as an act of parrhesia. In ancient Greece this was a citizen request to speak freely and frankly. In the case of the whistleblowers, they are moved to speak publicly and candidly, even without permission to do so, in defense of the substantive purposes of the organization that employs them.This study finds that there is little difference in how whistleblowers are treated in the three sectors of our economy. In the majority of cases in this sample, the organizational managers against whom the whistleblowers level claims of wrongdoing, seek quickly to ...
Quantifying Bird Density During Migratory Stopover Using Weather Surveillance Radar

Increasingly, data from weather surveillance radars are being used by biologists investigating the ecology and behavior of birds, insects, and bats in the aerosphere. Unfortunately, these radars quantify echoes caused by layered biological targets such as migrating birds in a manner that introduces bias in radar measures. We investigated the performance of a bias-adjustment algorithm that adjusts radar measures for vertical variation of reflectivity, nonstandard beam refraction, and spatial displacement of radar targets. We evaluated the efficacies of four variations of this algorithm by their ability to increase correspondence between radar reflectivity measured at two weather radar sites and the ground density of migrating birds measured during two autumn seasons and two spring seasons among 24 hardwood forest sites along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The algorithm integrated close-range reflectivity data from the five lowest elevation angle sweeps to derive high-resolution vertical profiles of reflectivity (VPRs) that closely corresponded to the observed vertical target density profiles based on a vertically oriented portable radar. The radar reflectivity of birds aloft near the onset of migratory flight was positively correlated with the bird density on the ground. All four radar data adjustment schemes that we tested produced significant improvement in the accuracy of bird density estimates relative to unadjusted radar data. In general, adjusting reflectivity based solely on the VPRs derived using observed refractive conditions yielded the most accurate radar-based estimates of bird density.
A Heterogeneous Windows Cluster System for Medical Image Reconstruction

This paper demonstrates a heterogeneous windows cluster system to obtain high performance computing (HPC) resources for medical image reconstruction applications. The communication in the cluster system is powered by MPICH open source library. Our works are to provide a simple processes management (PM) system with the functions of load balance in the windows version 1.25 of MPICH library and some PM extensions in the windows version 1.03 of MPICH2 library. These extensions ensure our medical image reconstruction applications can smoothly and robustly be running on a heterogeneous windows network environment, which is considered as a windows MPI cluster system with a low rate of cost/performance. In the study cases, the OSEM algorithm and Katsevich algorithm are implemented on our windows cluster system. The experiment results in a broad variety of image volumes are presented to verify system's feasibility and applicability to increase speedup of HPC powered CT image reconstruction.
Detection of Spatially Distributed Damage in Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites

This work describes a novel method of embedded damage detection within glass fiber–reinforced polymer composites. Damage detection is achieved by monitoring the spatially distributed electrical con...
Climate change in the oceans: Human impacts and responses

Although it has far-reaching consequences for humanity, attention to climate change impacts on the ocean lags behind concern for impacts on the atmosphere and land. Understanding these impacts, as well as society's diverse perspectives and multiscale responses to the changing oceans, requires a correspondingly diverse body of scholarship in the physical, biological, and social sciences and humanities. This can ensure that a plurality of values and viewpoints is reflected in the research that informs climate policy and may enable the concerns of maritime societies and economic sectors to be heard in key adaptation and mitigation discussions.
Sepsis and its complications: the clinical problem.

OBJECTIVES To review the difficulties associated with defining sepsis and its complications and to characterize the role of the proinflammatory cytokines in the development of human septic shock, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome. DATA SOURCES Information presented at the 22nd Educational and Scientific Symposium of the Society of Critical Care Medicine on June 9-13, 1993 in New York City was reviewed, along with supportive documentation from the English language literature. STUDY SELECTION Human studies that provide evidence for the definitions of sepsis and related entities. DATA EXTRACTION This review focused on those data that described the role of selected cytokines in septic shock. DATA SYNTHESIS Information concerning the evolution of the definition of sepsis and its sequelae was integrated with considerations used for patient identification for clinical trials involving novel septic shock therapies. CONCLUSIONS Sepsis and its complications constitute a complex biological cascade that may be defined by specific clinical characteristics. The clinical variability in these events suggests that definitions based on clinical end points be used in combination with assessments of severity of illness to best define patient status, predict clinical course, and guide treatment decision-making.
Space Perception, Visual Dissonance and the Fate of Standard Representationalism

This paper argues that a common form of representationalism has trouble accommodating empirical findings about visual space perception. Vision science tells us that the visual system systematically gives rise to different experiences of the same spatial property. This, combined with a naturalistic account of content, suggests that the same spatial property can have different veridical looks. I use this to argue that a common form of representationalism about spatial experience must be rejected. I conclude by considering alternatives to this view.
Acceptance of the 2015 Mineralogical Society of America Distinguished Public Service Award

Thank you, Peter, for the kind words. They are much appreciated. At this point, typical Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) awardees will relate why they think they received their honor. Unlike other MSA awardees, I need not guess. Even before Council saw it, the award committee’s report and the nomination package came my way as I collected reports for the Council meeting, along with, at first, a puzzling congratulatory sentence in the cover message from the committee chair. My award nominator and supporters were mostly past MSA Presidents. (Thank you.) Each recognized dual contributions both in my role a MSA’s Executive Director and my acting beyond the requirements of the position. It was noted that just doing a good job extremely well might not constitute the exceptional contributions recognized by the Public Service Award. This was the challenge faced by the award nominator and supporters. Thus the letter writers’ task primarily became an exercise to communicate to the award committee the wider public service by MSA to the society and, secondarily, my role. Each had a different take on the public service criteria, which reflected their interests and the issues that arose during their time in office. The criteria they wrote about fell into four areas: These were the readily recognized public services such as Mineralogy4Kids, Distinguished Lecturer Program, research grant programs, Collector’s Corner, and databases. This would also include MSA-Talk, MSA’s presence at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, and the 15 …
SAAFEC: Predicting the Effect of Single Point Mutations on Protein Folding Free Energy Using a Knowledge-Modified MM/PBSA Approach

Folding free energy is an important biophysical characteristic of proteins that reflects the overall stability of the 3D structure of macromolecules. Changes in the amino acid sequence, naturally occurring or made in vitro, may affect the stability of the corresponding protein and thus could be associated with disease. Several approaches that predict the changes of the folding free energy caused by mutations have been proposed, but there is no method that is clearly superior to the others. The optimal goal is not only to accurately predict the folding free energy changes, but also to characterize the structural changes induced by mutations and the physical nature of the predicted folding free energy changes. Here we report a new method to predict the Single Amino Acid Folding free Energy Changes (SAAFEC) based on a knowledge-modified Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann (MM/PBSA) approach. The method is comprised of two main components: a MM/PBSA component and a set of knowledge based terms delivered from a statistical study of the biophysical characteristics of proteins. The predictor utilizes a multiple linear regression model with weighted coefficients of various terms optimized against a set of experimental data. The aforementioned approach yields a correlation coefficient of 0.65 when benchmarked against 983 cases from 42 proteins in the ProTherm database. Availability: the webserver can be accessed via http://compbio.clemson.edu/SAAFEC/.
Applications of Ontology and Its Status in Power System

At home and abroad,the technologies of knowledge modeling and applications based on ontology have been developed. But its researches and applications has yet to be promoted in the power industry in China. This paper introduces some typical applications based on ontology,including their application backgrounds,formation purposes and implementation methods,emphatically the application status in power system. Then the prospect of ontology-based applications in power system is forecast in order to lay a foundation for further research.
Predictors of Discrepancy Between Care Recipients With Mild-to-Moderate Dementia and Their Caregivers on Perceptions of the Care Recipients' Quality of Life.

Purpose:The goal of this study was to explore predictors of discrepancy between reports of caregivers (CGs) and care recipients (CRs) with mild-to-moderate dementia about CRs’ quality of life (QOL)...
The Cognitive and Social Psychology of the Contagious Organizational Corruption

Seen in the clear light cast by hindsight, several related puzzlements emerge about the recent cases of corporate corruption. First, although such scandals may begin small, they often grow to huge and blatant proportions. Second, because of their blatant character, they seem suicidally stupid. They will eventually be detected, with the inevitable disgrace that this will bring about for participants. Third, in their later stages, they come to involve a number of people in the organization who are busily involved in committing complicit actions that forward the corruption. How all of this certainly unethical and generally stupid thought and behavior comes about is the problem that I will examine in this article. In sum, people seem more recruitable into corrupt practices than we would think. Another puzzlement that has come to our attention is what seems to be the high frequency with which these problems occur. One social scientist, looking back over the past few decades, has produced a chapter on thirty-six different and major cases of what he calls corporate “crime and violence.” Over the past few years, many major U.S. corporations have been caught in acts of corruption of quite startling magnitude.
Mitochondrial Myopathy and Cardiomyopathy

Two siblings with infantile lactic acidosis and mitochondrial myopathy are reported from the Department of Pediatrics, Goteborg University; Ostra Hospital; Goteborg, Sweden.
A tip of the cap to procoagulant platelets.

In this issue of Blood , [Podoplelova et al][1] reveal how structural features of procoagulant platelets, generated in response to strong agonists, eg, thrombin and collagen-related peptides, provide an extensively folded surface area for the membrane-dependent assembly of tenase and prothrombinase
Mandatory Statewide Medicaid Managed Care in Florida and Hospitalizations for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions.

Objective To investigate the impact of implementation of the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) program in Florida on access to and quality of primary care for Medicaid enrollees, measured by hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs). Data Sources We examine inpatient data obtained from the Agency for Health Care Administration for 285 hospitals in Florida from January 2010 to June 2015. The analysis includes 3,645,515 discharges for Florida residents between the ages 18 and 64 with a primary payer of Medicaid or private insurance. Study Design We use a difference-in-differences approach, comparing the change in the incidence of ACSC-related inpatient visits among Medicaid patients before and after the implementation of SMMC, relative to the change among the privately insured. Principal Findings After implementation of SMMC, Medicaid patients experienced a 0.35 percentage point slower growth in overall ACSC-related inpatient visits, and a 0.21 percentage point slower growth in chronic ACSC-related inpatient visits. The effects were significant in counties with above median Medicaid managed care penetration rates. Conclusions Implementing mandatory managed care in Medicaid in Florida leads to slower growth in inpatient visits for conditions that can potentially be prevented with improved access to outpatient care.
A Retrospective Examination of the Effect of Diabetes on Sensory Processing in Older Adults.

Purpose The purpose of this article is to examine retrospectively the impact of diabetes mellitus on auditory, visual, and tactile processing in older adults. Method Fourteen (10.4%) of a sample of...
The Diagnosis of Reading in a Second or Foreign Language, By J. C. Alderson, E-L. Haapakangas, A. Huhta, L. Nieminen, and R. Ullakonoja.

Language assessment has been regarded as a junction where language teaching and learning meet. Recently, with the advancement of modern language assessment theories, Diagnostic Language Assessment ...
Physiologic Cryoamputation in Managing Critically Ill Patients with Septic, Advanced Acute Limb Ischemia.

Background Certain critically ill patients with advanced acute limb ischemia with a nonviable extremity may be unsuitable for transport to the operating room to undergo definitive amputation. In these unstable patients, rapid regional cryotherapy allows for prompt infectious source control and correction of hemodynamic and metabolic abnormalities, thereby lessening the risk associated with definitive surgical amputation. We describe our refined technique for lower extremity physiologic cryoamputation and review our institutional experience. Methods After adequate analgesia is administered to the patient, a heating pad is secured circumferentially at the proximal amputation margin and the affected extremity is placed in a customized Styrofoam cooler. A circumferential seal is secured at the proximal chill zone without use of a tourniquet and dry ice is placed into the cooler to surround the entire affected leg. Delayed definitive lower extremity amputation is later performed when hemodynamic and metabolic derangements are corrected. Results We reviewed 5 patients who underwent lower extremity cryoamputation with this technique identified at our institution between 2005 and 2015. Age ranged from 31 to 79 years old. All presented with severe foot infection and septic shock requiring vasopressor support. All 5 patients stabilized hemodynamically following the initial cryoamputation and later underwent definitive lower extremity amputation, with a median time of 3 days following initial cryoamputation. Conclusions Lower extremity physiologic cryoamputation is an effective, immediate bedside procedure that can provide local source control and the opportunity for correction of metabolic derangements in initially unstable patients to lessen the risk for definitive major lower extremity amputation. Refinement of the cryoamputation technique, as described in this report, allows for a predictable and reproducible physiologic amputation.
Treating Obesity in Latino Children: A Systematic Review of Current Interventions

Childhood obesity remains a significant public health issue in the U.S. and globally. Rates are disproportionately higher in Latinos than other ethnic groups. This review provides a qualitative synthesis of the current evidence for childhood obesity treatment interventions among Latino children. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar for articles published from September 2010 to December 2015. Randomized controlled trials treating childhood overweight/obesity in Latino children ages 5-19 focused on diet and/or physical activity (PA) behaviors were included. Of the records initially identified (n=1,592), 11 studies met the inclusionary criteria. The majority included a family-based component (n=8; 73%). Nearly half (n=5) focused on children ages 5-12, with three specifically developed for the pre-adolescence stage (ages 8-12). Nine studies acknowledged cultural tailoring, most frequently by seeking input from their intended population and utilizing bilingual delivery staff. Improvements in anthropometric measures (e.g. body mass index (BMI) z-score) were observed in 55% of the studies (n=6). Many interventions with a combined focus of diet and PA, in the form of nutrition education in a group setting and in-person activity/exercise sessions and incorporated a parent/family component reported positive anthropometric results. Three (27%) studies included a follow-up period, all of which observed a sustained decrease in BMI over time. Overall, family-based interventions focusing on both diet and PA demonstrated promising results. However, additional research incorporating a follow-up period is warranted to assess sustainability of these outcomes. Additionally, more interventions could be developed specifically for the critical developmental stage of pre-adolescence.
Effect of Thermal Cycling on Compatibility in CO2 for Concentrated Solar Power Applications

As a first step in evaluating materials for a concentrated solar power (CSP), supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle, experiments are being conducted to simulate the daily operating cycle using 10-h thermal cycles in 1 bar CO2 at 700–800 °C. After 1000-h exposures, the mass gains for commercial Ni-base alloys 740H, 282, 625 and Fe-base alloy 25 were relatively low with correspondingly thin reaction products. At 800 °C, similar reaction products were obtained for thermal cycling in CO2 and dry air, which also could simulate the outside of the primary heat exchanger. In addition, 500-h cycles were conducted at 750 °C, which showed slightly higher mass gains than the 10-h cycles. In general, there were no indications of internal carburization for these four alloys after 1000 h and the measured rate constants are sufficiently low to meet the 30-year CSP lifetime goal.
Public Education Against Neoliberal Capitalism: Illustrations and Opportunities

John Dewey conceptualized the classroom as a laboratory for building democratic societies. We might revisit such an approach to pedagogy and public education as we grapple with teaching in the face of overlapping threats to human survival. It is no longer “radical” from a scholarly perspective to suggest that a sustainable future for the human species will require alternatives to capitalism and the coercive state. How can our classrooms be repurposed as engines for social change? Can they be drivers of resistance and laboratories for alternatives? This chapter will explore such counter-hegemonic strategies, and argues for a markedly more public education. Beginning with the classroom as a pedagogical place, this chapter then widens the perspective to the local outside, to the regional, to the global
Scenario-Based Design: A Brief History and Rationale

Publisher Summary This chapter considers why scenarios became so pre-eminent in software design. Interestingly, the main historical root emanates from strategic planning, not design studies; perhaps this is the legacy of the new-design methods. Also interestingly, the foundations and rationale for scenario-based design, though they are substantively cognitive, do not originate in cognitive science work on problem solving. They largely predate cognitive science, and have developed independently of it. Envisioning and analyzing scenarios of human activity can help understand and create appropriate artifacts to support human activity. Scenario-based design offers significant and unique leverage on some of the most characteristic and vexing challenges of design work. By emphasizing reflection and inquiry as design activities, and by helping to integrate diverse design activities, scenario-based design can also be particularly suitable to motivate and guide design learning. It may be that scenario-based design has attained pre-eminence in the domain of computer systems and software, because software is very malleable as a design material, and yet also very complex. It is particularly easy to create a result in software, and particularly difficult to analyze why it is wrong and how to fix it; it is particularly easy and particularly costly to engage in solution-first design. Scenario-based design ameliorates the problems entrained by solution-first design in such a variety of ways, it can seem like a happy coincidence of a bag of tricks. But, in fact scenario-based design changes the object of design from an artifact or system in the world to a series of actions and experiences in human activity. This is perhaps why the deepest root of scenario-based design is in strategic planning instead of design studies.
Effects of analgesics on bone mineral density: A longitudinal analysis of the prospective SWAN cohort with three-group matching weights.

Purpose To examine the effects of analgesics on bone mineral density (BMD), which have not been examined in a longitudinal study with multiple measurements. Methods We investigated changes in BMD associated with new use of analgesics in a prospective longitudinal cohort of mid-life women. BMD and medication use were measured annually. We compared BMD among new users of acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and opioids. Adjustment for baseline covariates was conducted through propensity score matching weights. On-treatment analysis was conducted with inverse probability of censoring weights. Analysis based on the initial treatment group was also conducted to provide insights into selection bias. Repeated BMD measurements were examined with generalized estimating equations. Results We identified 71 acetaminophen new users, 659 NSAID new users, and 84 opioid new users among 2365 participants. In the on-treatment analysis, the opioid group in comparison to the acetaminophen group had an additional average BMD decline of -0.06% [-1.24, 1.11] per year in the spine and -0.45% [-1.51, 0.61] per year in the femoral neck. BMD mean trajectories over time suggested a fifth-year decline in the opioid persistent users compared with other 2 groups. In the initial treatment group analysis, all 3 groups showed similar trajectories. Conclusion The BMD decline over time was similar among the 3 groups. However, 5 years of continuous opioid use may be associated with a greater BMD decline than 5 years on other analgesics. Further studies examining the relationship between very long-term persistent opioid use and BMD are warranted.
Sex-specific adaptive homeostasis in D. melanogaster depends on increased proteolysis by the 20S Proteasome: Data-in-Brief.

Abstract Adaptive homeostasis enables rapid cellular signaling, leading to transcriptional and translational modifications (Davies, 2016) [1]. The Proteasome is one of the main cellular proteolytic enzymes that plays an essential role in the rapid clearance of oxidatively damaged cellular proteins, and is highly responsive to oxidative stress. Upon exposure to even very low, signaling levels of oxidants, the predominant form of the Proteasome becomes the ATP-independent 20S proteasome that enables rapid clearance of damaged proteins. Subsequently there is also a concurrent upregulation of de novo 20S proteasome synthesis. These cellular adaptations not only ensure effective and efficient removal of damaged proteins, but prepare cells to better cope with future, more severe oxidative insults. Male and female Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies were pretreated with an adaptive amount of an oxidant (10 µM hydrogen peroxide or 0.5 µM paraquat) to assess the changes in proteolytic capacity and the role of the 20S proteasome. Additionally, the adaptive signaling by non-damaging amounts of hydrogen peroxide or paraquat) were used to assess changes in male and female fruit flies, following a subsequent more toxic amount of the two oxidants. Further analysis and detailed results about the adaptive role of the 20S proteasome in multiple D. melanogaster strains can be found in “Sexual Dimorphism in Oxidant-Induced Adaptive Homeostasis in Multiple Wild-Type D. melanogaster Strains” (Pomatto et al., 2018) [2] .
Maximizing Physician-Hospital Alignment: Lessons Learned From Effective Models of Joint Arthroplasty Care.

Abstract Background With recent healthcare reform efforts focusing on rewarding value instead of volume, it has become important for orthopedic surgeons to partner and align with their hospitals. We report our experience in aligning clinical and financial incentives with 6 health systems in our geographic area. Methods By managing the entire episode-of-care continuum for total hip and total knee arthroplasty patients, our standardized, evidence-based protocols have improved the quality of care for our joint arthroplasty patients. While most studies focus on cost through insurance claims data, we have been able to accurately determine the costs to our practice and each facility through time-driven activity-based costing. Results We have also achieved measureable claims and actual cost reduction by reducing unnecessary care, inappropriate variation in care, and avoidable complications through demand matching, risk stratification, and our nurse navigator program. Our joint ventures with our hospital partners in both specialty hospitals and our ambulatory surgery centers have also been critical to our success. Conclusion Our experience demonstrates that large private practice groups can successfully align both clinical and financial incentives with healthcare systems to provide quality joint arthroplasty care at a lower cost.
Die Deutschen in Virginien

Der allgemeinen Annahme zufolge ist Virginien lediglich von Kolonisten englischer Abstammung besiedelt worden. Allerdings haben diese starker zu der Bevolkerung Virginiens, als zu derjenigen der meisten andern Staaten beigetragen, und die Bewohner des virginischen Tieflandes (Tidewater Virginia) sind wirklich fast ausschlieslich englischer Abkunft. Anderseits gibt es auch in Virginien ganze Strecken, wie den Piedmont-Abhang und das Gebiet des Virginischen Tals (Valley of Virginia), wo die Urbesiedlung nur zu einem geringen Teil englisch, vielmehr vorwiegend deutsch und irisch war. Der Geschichtsschreiber des Virginischen Tals, Kercheval1, versuchte schon vor langer Zeit die Aufmerksamkeit auf die grosen deutsch-pennsylvanischen Ansiedlungen im Shenandoah-Tal zu lenken, und in neuerer Zeit zeigte Schuricht2, das die ersten Deutschen Virginiens, wie auch die deutschen Einwanderungen wahrend des 19. Jahrhunderts, eine bei weitem bedeutsamere Rolle in der Entwicklung des Staates gespielt haben, als man je fur moglich gehalten hatte. Doch ist Schurichts Werk voller Ungenauigkeiten und von mehreren neueren Kennern der Geschichte des deutschen Elements in Virginien durchgesehen, verbessert und zum Teil durch ihre Forschungen ersetzt worden.
ITERATIVE TECHNIQUES FOR INVERSION OF THE NONLINEAR PERRIN EQUATIONS FOR DIFFUSION OF SPHEROIDS

This chapter discusses iterative techniques for the inversion of the nonlinear Perrin equations for the diffusion of spheroids. Experimental studies on the size and shape of macromolecules in solution are often based on hydrodynamic procedures that yield information on the translational and/or rotational diffusion tensor. The methods associated with observation of the translation diffusion tensor are most often expressed as the trace of the tensor that corresponds to the arithmetic mean of three principal translational diffusion coefficients, denoted as D . On the other hand, methods associated with observation of the rotational diffusion tensor yield estimates of the individual principal rotational diffusion coefficients, which are denoted as R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 . Because each of the diffusion coefficients is a function of the size and shape of the macromolecule in question, any combination of these four coefficients taken three at a time may in principle be used to solve for three independent shape and size parameters. This chapter discusses the ellipsoids of revolution, referred to as spheroids. It also discusses the inversion procedures for two pairs of coefficients R 1 and R 3 and R 1 and D .
Epoetin alfa and high-dose chemotherapy

High-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is associated with the development of significant anemia. The anemia is caused mainly by myelosuppression, although gastrointestinal-, genitourinary-, and phlebotomy-induced blood loss may also contribute. The number of red blood cell units transfused during the first 30 days following HDCT depends on the chemotherapy used, the underlying disease, and whether BMT was allogeneic, autologous, and used either peripheral blood stem cell or bone marrow support. Epoetin alfa has been used to treat the anemia that develops in the HDCT setting. Controlled studies in patients with both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors who were given epoetin alfa following HDCT have shown that red blood cell transfusion requirements decrease in patients receiving allogeneic BMT. Results using epoetin alfa in patients receiving autologous BMT have been disappointing. Alternatively, combination therapy with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and epoetin alfa has been effective in mobilizing stem cell and committed myeloid/erythroid precursors before HDCT, but has not resulted in a lower red blood cell transfusion requirement after HDCT. Administration of epoetin alfa before HDCT while the bone marrow is still responsive to growth factors may be a new strategy with which to decrease the anemia in this setting.
From Japanese otaku to Taiwanese zhainan: Understanding transcultural masculinity through a cultural term in Taiwan

A borrowed neologism can serve as a cultural term to understand personhood, communication, and relationship in a given speech community. For example, loaned from the Japanese term otaku, the Mandar...