cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of supernatant potassium-level on cardiac activity in quantitative tissue culture.

INADEQUATE functional ‘survival’ of hearts cultured in supernatant containing serum with a high potassium-level from lysed red cells led us to investigate the effects of supernatant potassium-levels on the electrical activity of 1,222 hearts in quantitative tissue culture. The criterion for ‘adequate survival’ is an ability to produce potentials of at least 0.02 mV. during a minimum of three periods of observation per day (8 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.). The apparatus, etc., is described in previous papers1. The supernatants are 0.25 per cent solutions of human serum protein in balanced salt solutions—however, they differ in potassium-level. The ‘adequate survival’ time is given to the nearest day using the smallest figure in cases of doubt.
Toward a Cartography of the Commons: Constituting the Political and Economic Possibilities of Place

Competing with the cartography of capitalism, undermining its power to fix resources as open to capitalist appropriation and space as enclosed, will require a cartography of the commons that makes visible community and commons processes; it will require a shift in strategy from explicating and defending existing commons to mapping spaces into which a commons future might be projected. The “Buffalo Commons” and a map-based project in New England fisheries link new spatial imaginaries with desires for and enactments of alternative economic initiatives. Each project rereads economic and environmental processes relative to the potential of the commons rather than the potential of capitalism.
Measurement of excited state number densities of oxygen and nitrogen in a non-equilibrium plasma

Abstract Number densities of several excited states of atomic oxygen and nitrogen have been measured in the decaying non-thermal plasma of a θ-pinch afterglow. The spatial variation of the electron density and temperature as functions of time after initiation of main bank discharge have also been measured to facilitate a comparison of the excited state number densities with model calculations. Measurements of the atomic oxygen excited states indicate that quintet to triplet spin exchange collisions and doubly excited states must be included in the model. The measured populations of the excited atomic nitrogen states agree well with those calculated at high density ( N e ≈ 10 14 cm −3 ), but disagree badly at lower densities ( N e ≈ 10 12 cm −3 ). The discrepancies seem to be real since they are larger than expected measurement uncertainty.
Analysis of fiber orientation in normal and failing human hearts using diffusion tensor MRI

The helical arrangement of cardiac myofibers is responsible for equalizing myofiber strain and maximizing the ejection fraction in a normal heart. In one form of chronic heart failure (CHF) known as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), the heart dilates, wall stress is increased, and ventricular pump function is reduced. We investigated whether myofiber orientation is altered in DCM by quantifying fiber orientation in excised human hearts using diffusion tensor MRI. Normal hearts (n=4) and failing hearts (n=4) were imaged in the plane of the cardiac short-axis at the base and mid-ventricular levels. There was a shift in the distribution of fiber inclination angles in the CHF hearts to a more oblique orientation at both the base and mid-ventricular levels. These preliminary results provide information about remodeling of the myocardial architecture in heart failure.
Implantable and surface electrocardiography: complementary technologies

Combining information obtained from the surface electrocardiogram and implantable devices represents an emerging trend in electrocardiology. Important potential applications include ischemia detection and localization, continuous monitoring of cardiac cycle parameters, and telemedicine. This article presents an overview of these emerging applications, focusing on our recent studies that combine the electrograms obtained from body surface and implantable devices to reconstruct a full 12-lead electrocardiogram from the implanted device. These technologies have broad application for detection of ischemia, improvement of the accuracy of ischemic localization, and rhythm discrimination.
Inductive Design and Testing of a Performance Ontology for Mobile Emergency Medical Services

Ontology provides an overarching framework and vocabulary for describing system components and relationships. As such, they represent a means to devise, analyze and compare information systems. This research investigates the development of a software-based ontology within the context of a rural wireless emergency medical (EMS) services. Wireless EMS has developed in response to the unprecedented growth of wireless as a means to communicate in emergency situations. Using an inductive, field-based approach, this study devises and tests a new ontology-based framework for wireless emergency response in rural Minnesota. The ontology is developed by integrating concepts and findings from in-depth field reviews in Minnesota into an ontological software originating out of bioinformatics. This software, Protege 2000, is an open source ontological software system developed by Stanford University’s Medical Informatics group. Using Protege 2000, the authors developed a wireless EMS ontological framework populated by the real data gathered from field interviews and related data collection. This EMS framework distinguishes between classes of systems, instances within the classes, and the relationships among classes and instances. The next step in the research involved conducting a simulation of performance using a sample of case study data and demonstrated important linkages among system classes. It is expected that use of such performance ontology will assist researchers and program managers with identifying basic problems in terms of technical and non-technical rural EMS issues, as well as possible patterns of inconsistency or discrepancies across EMS deployments.
Hyperneural network-an efficient model for test generation in digital circuits

This paper considers the problem of applying neural network for logic circuit testing and proposes an efficient method based on hyperneural network (HNN). The HNN uses an energy function that not only considers binary relations but also captures all higher order relations among N neurons. We illustrate the hyperneural concept using two formulations. First, a constraint energy function is defined and the gate model is obtained. Second, the Hopfield network is reformulated to generate the gate level hyperneural model. The gate level HNN are used to give a mathematical form to the digital circuit that, in turn, requires optimization techniques to solve the test generation problem. We have used ISCAS'85 benchmark circuits to illustrate the method. Results are compared with those obtained from PODEM, MODEM, and FAN.
Principles of cosmetic dentistry in orthodontics: Part 1. Shape and proportionality of anterior teeth

In the past decade, there has been a remarkable upswing in interdisciplinary collaboration between dentists, orthodontists, and periodontists in smile enhancement, and now an entire field of “cosmetic periodontics” has evolved in collaboration with cosmetic dentistry. Contemporary orthodontic smile analysis is generally defined in terms of (1) vertical placement of the anterior teeth to the upper lip at rest and on smile (adequate incisor display but not too gummy), (2) transverse smile dimension (buccal corridors), (3) smile arc characteristics, and (4) the vertical relationship of gingival margins to each other. Through the interaction with these other disciplines and the knowledge gained, we have expanded our diagnosis of the smile to further refine the finishing of anterior esthetics for our patients. As our interaction with cosmetic dentistry has increased, we have become very aware of what standards guide the dentist who strives for an excellent smile. Through cosmetic bonding and laminate veneers, the dentist can control tooth shape by adding or taking away from the tooth, crown, or laminate. As orthodontists, we have generally limited our toothreshaping efforts to incisal edge “dressing.” The purpose of this article is to examine some cosmetic ideas and present new ways in which we can improve the smiles of our patients. In Part 1, I will define and illustrate how these principles are applied to improve the cosmetics of orthodontic patients. In Part 2, my coauthor and I will review the new laser technology available for reshaping soft tissues, and, in Part 3, we will discuss the clinical use of those lasers.
Dependence of DC current gain and f/sub max/ of AlInAs/GaInAs HBTs on base sheet resistance

To investigate the effect of base sheet resistance on DC current gain and maximum frequency of oscillation (f/sub max/) values, AlInAs/GaInAs HBT wafers were grown with base doping levels in the range of 2*10/sup 19/ to 1.6*10/sup 20/ cm/sup -3/. To confine the p-dopant within a nominal base thickness of 0.05 mu m, the molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) growth was performed over a substrate temperature range of 430 degrees C to 280 degrees C. The resulting base sheet resistances of 11 wafers were in the range of 900 down to 141 Omega /sq. DC current gains of greater than 20 were obtained with a base sheet resistance of 250 Omega /sq, and the current gain dropped to five for a sheet resistance of 141 Omega /sq. The f/sub max/ did not scale with the square root of the base resistances as predicted by the classical expression. >
Glycerol removal treatment of guinea pig cardiac muscle.

Abstract Treatment with hypertonic glycerol (400 m m ) solution for 2 h followed by a return to normal solution resulted in a temporary loss of contractile response in guinea pig atrial muscle, but not in papillary muscle. The loss of contractility in atrial muscle cannot be attributed to electrical-mechanical uncoupling resulting from disruption of transverse (T) tubules, (a phenomenon occurring in skeletal muscle under similar conditions) since no transverse tubules were present. Temporary structural changes in mitochondria and longitudinal reticulum accompanied the loss of atrial contractility. Since almost identical mitochondrial structural modifications were observed following treatment with hypertonic sucrose solution and contractile responses were not abolished, it is unlikely that a causal relationship exists between these structural and functional changes. Similar, but long lasting mitochondrial changes were observed in papillary muscle during and following treatment with either glycerol or sucrose. These changes were confined to a peripheral rim of cytoplasm. Transverse tubules were abundant. However, no significant ultrastructural alterations were produced in contrast to the reported structural changes of such tubules in skeletal muscle exposed to similar glycerol treatment. The results of this study indicate that there are not only differences in the morphology of atrial and ventricular muscle, but also differences in the contractility responses of these tissues to glycerol removal treatment.
Can ethics be technologized? Lessons from Challenger, philosophy, and rhetoric

Technology informs many aspects of our lives. Many critics perceive technology as a system of values, seeing it as an incomplete "ethic". I explore the converse. Using Ellul's (1990) technique (translated as "technologism"), I ask, "Can ethics be technologized?" I show how the Challenger disaster delimits the range of technologism with regard to ethics. Collecting additional technical information cannot of itself prevent ethical lapses. Furthermore, the investigations implicitly show the assumption that technologism can apply to ethics in their call for additional procedures. The recognition that procedures already in place were adequate, however, shows this assumption to be fallacious. I also show that trying to technologize ethics is a recent instance of an old reductive fallacy. The ancient sophists were criticized for trying to technologize both rhetoric and ethics. In recent philosophy, too, many critics insist that ethics cannot be reduced, systematized or technologized. Ethics then is innately problematic, so ethical choices must always be continually deliberated among people in an indeterminate way. >
Ganglioside GM2/GM3 complex affixed on silica nanospheres strongly inhibits cell motility through CD82/cMet mediated pathway

Ganglioside GM2 complexed with tetraspanin CD82 in glycosynaptic microdomain of HCV29 and other epithelial cells inhibits hepatocyte growth factor-induced cMet tyrosine kinase. In addition, adhesion of HCV29 cells to extracellular matrix proteins also activates cMet kinase through “cross-talk” of integrins with cMet, leading to inhibition of cell motility and growth. Present studies indicate that cell motility and growth are greatly influenced by expression of GM2, GM3, or GM2/GM3 complexes, which affect cMet kinase activity of various types of cells, based on the following series of observations: (i) Cells expressing CD82, cultured with GM2 and GM3 cocoated on silica nanospheres, displayed stronger and more consistent motility inhibition than those cultured with GM2 or GM3 alone or with other glycosphingolipids. (ii) GM2-GM3, in the presence of Ca2+ form a heterodimer, as evidenced by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry and by specific reactivity with mAb 8E11, directed to GM2/GM3 dimer structure. (iii) Cells expressing cMet and CD82 were characterized by enhanced motility associated with HGF-induced cMet activation. Both cMet and motility were strongly inhibited by culturing cells with GM2/GM3 dimer coated on nanospheres. (iv) Adhesion of HCV29 or YTS-1/CD82 cells to laminin-5-coated plate activated cMet kinase in the absence of HGF, whereas GM2/GM3 dimer inhibited adhesion-induced cMet kinase activity and inhibited cell motility. (v) Inhibited cell motility as in i, iii, and iv was restored to normal level by addition of mAb 8E11, which blocks interaction of GM2/GM3 dimer with CD82. Signaling through Src and MAP kinases is activated or inhibited in close association with cMet kinase, in response to GM2/GM3 dimer interaction with CD82. Thus, a previously uncharacterized GM2/GM3 heterodimer complexed with CD82 inhibits cell motility through CD82-cMet or integrin-cMet pathway.
New therapeutic landscape of NNRTIs for treatment of HIV: a look at recent data.

Introduction: A key objective with highly active antiretroviral therapy for the treatment of HIV infection has been the optimization of antiretroviral drug combinations for individual patients. Areas covered: Overall, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based regimens (in combination with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)) have become mainstays for initial ARV regimens. Early NNRTIs, efavirenz and nevirapine, are similarly efficacious, but differ according to their toxicity profiles. Newer NNRTIs, rilpivirine and etravirine are also efficacious. Etravirine was designed to overcome common first-line NNRTI resistance mutations, and serves as a second line agent. Expert opinion: As a class, NNRTIs are key components of ARV regimens. Currently, there are 3 NNRTIs that may be used in first-line regimens, and one in second-line regimens. ARV regimen optimization depends on matching individual drug efficacy, safety, resistance, and toxicity profiles to particular patients...
Clinical and Financial Impact of Intravenous Erythromycin Therapy in Hospitalized Patients

OBJECTIVE:To determine the economic consequences of intravenous erythromycin use in hospital patients in a variety of clinical circumstances.DESIGN:Retrospective cohort study of patients with specified primary diagnosis-related group discharge diagnoses treated from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 1994, who received erythromycin, and a matched cohort group from the same period who did not receive erythromycin.SETTING:LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT, a 520-bed teaching hospital.PATIENTS:A long-term archive of clinical and financial data from a computerized hospital information system was searched for patients meeting a strict case definition. This archive contained information on erythromycin exposure as well as concurrent drug therapy and adverse drug events that had been prospectively evaluated during hospitalization throughout the study and cohort periods. Detailed costs were available for each patient.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:Attributable differences in lengths of stay and total costs determined using li...
Stability and Change in Title I Testing Policy

This article examines the history of Title I's student testing requirements, focusing on the two purposes they have served as a policy tool and measurement instrument. It argues that these purposes have been defined by a stable core of testing requirements whose specific targeting and technical characteristics have evolved in response to changes in Title I's institutional and interest group environment. In concluding, it considers the form and purpose that the testing requirements are likely to take in the future of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Towards Policy-Driven Agent System Development and Management

A variety of environments currently exist either commercially or in the research community for the development of multi-agent systems for telecommunication applications. Many of them offer the raw tools required for developing agent-based applications. They include provisions for agent mobility, communication, security, and directory facilities among other services. Using a policy-based approach for developing agent systems offers the advantages of systematizing and simplifying development. The approach also offers the potential for dynamic modification of agent system behaviors through changes in policy. This paper briefly reviews some of the previous work in the area of policy management for distributed systems and describes an object-based approach to policy-driven agent development and management.
The “Helper” Therapy Principle

ency—it may be that emphasis is being placed on the wrong person in centering at tention on the individual receiving help. More attention might well be given the individual who needs the help less, that is, the person who is providing the assistance, because frequently it is he who improves! While it may be uncertain that people receiving help are always benefited, it seems more likely that the people giving help are profiting from their role. This ap pears to be the case in a wide variety of self-help "therapies," including Synanon (for drug addicts), Recovery Incorporated (for psychologically disturbed people), and Alcoholics Anonymous. Mowrer notes that there are over 265 groups of this kind listed in a directory, Their Brother's Keepers.1 The American Conference of Therapeutic Self-Help Clubs publishes an official maga zine, Action, describing some of the func tions of these groups. While there is still a need for firm re search evidence that these programs are effective, various reports (many of them admittedly impressionistic) point to im
Paleofire severity and vegetation change in the Cascade Range, Oregon, USA

Paleoecological research has expanded our knowledge of the relationships between climate, fire and vegetation. Fire can be a significant driver of forest composition and structure change, but identifying and quantifying fire regimes has been elusive. Using high-resolution charcoal analysis and pollen analysis we reconstructed a 13,200-year-old fire and vegetation history from Breitenbush Lake, Oregon, located in the central Cascade Range, USA. Our objective was to examine if fire occurrence and severity may have been a driver of Holocene forest-composition change. The data from this study suggests that while fire can create opportunities for successional process to occur, fire events were not significant catalysts for forest change. Instead, most major transitions at Breitenbush Lake occurred during prolonged fire-free intervals. Our results reinforce the view that climate is the major control of vegetation composition change in the Cascade Range.
Transfer of location-specific control to untrained locations.

Recent research highlights a seemingly flexible and automatic form of cognitive control that is triggered by potent contextual cues, as exemplified by the location-specific proportion congruence ef...
Social Networks and Archival Context: From Project to Cooperative Archival Program

This article highlights the objectives and outcomes of the multi-year Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) research and demonstration project and discusses related developments to establish a large-scale sustainable cooperative for maintaining information about creators of archival collections, leveraging the Encoded Archival Context—Corporate Bodies, Persons, and Families (EAC-CPF) standard. The article discusses processes developed to derive EAC-CPF records from existing EAD finding aids, MARCXML records, and original authority records, enrichment of those records from other sources, and the creation of a prototype research resource, providing integrated access to dispersed archival collections and the social-historical context of the collections.
Twain’s the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

(1984). Twain’s the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The Explicator: Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 43-43.
EPID-24IMAGING PATTERNS AND OUTCOME OF POSTERIOR REVERSIBLE ENCEPHALOPATHY SYNDROME DURING CHILDHOOD CANCER TREATMENT

INTRODUCTION: We present the long term clinical and radiologic outcomes of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) in children with cancer. METHODS: We performed an IRB approved retrospective review from 1994-2014 of children with cancer diagnosis less than 18 years old with presentation of mental status change, visual impairment, headache, or seizure with concurrent T2 hyperintensity in subcortical regions. RESULTS: We identified PRES in 37 patients (21 males and 16 females). Median age at cancer diagnosis was 9 years (1 - 17.5 years) and median time from cancer diagnosis to PRES was 6.6 months (0 - 101.4 months) in leukemia (26), brain tumor (5), and solid tumor (7) patients. Clinical symptoms at onset were seizures (97%), hypertension (97%), headaches (42%), altered mental status (69%), and visual impairment (27%). Patients ranged from single seizure (43%), 2 seizures (14%), 3 or more seizures (41%), or status epilepticus (14%) at onset. 17% had epilepsy requiring long-term anti-epileptic medication. Headaches, visual disturbances, and mental status resolved in all within median 2.5 days, 4 days, and 2 days respectively. Initial MRI within 96 hours showed T2 signal hyperintensity in occipital (100%), temporal (47%), parietal (75%), and frontal (55%) lobes; cerebellum (22%), and basal ganglia (5%). Follow-up MRI in 34 patients (median 29 days) and third MRI in 22 patients (median 20.5 months) showed improvement in most areas, except laminar necrosis (5 at 2nd MRI, 1 at 3rd MRI), microhemorrhage (6 at 2nd MRI, 3 at 3rd MRI), and focal atrophy (3 at 2nd and 3rd MRI). 57% patients were alive at a median follow-up of 27.5 months. CONCLUSION: PRES may be recognized by presence of seizures, hypertension> altered mental status> headaches with T2 signal hyperintensities in subcortical regions occipital > parietal > frontal > temporal lobes. Most MRI changes resolve, but brain injury and epilepsy requiring anti-seizure medications may persist.
Characterizing International Travel Behavior from Geotagged Photos: A Case Study of Flickr.

Recent advances in multimedia and mobile technologies have facilitated large volumes of travel photos to be created and shared online. Although previous studies have utilized geotagged photos to model travel patterns at individual locations, there is limited research on how these datasets can model international travel behavior and inter-country travel flows—a crucial indicator to quantify the interactions between countries in tourism economics. Realizing the necessity to investigate the potential of geotagged photos in tourism geography, this research investigates international travel patterns from two perspectives: 1) We apply a series of indicators (radius of gyration (ROG), number of countries visited, and entropy) to measure the descriptive characteristics of international travel in different countries; 2) By constructing a gravity model of trade, we investigate how distance decay influences the magnitude of international travel flow between geographic entities, and whether (or how much) the popularity of a given destination (defined as the percentage of tourist income in national gross domestic product (GDP)) affects travel choices in different countries. The results provide valuable input to various commercial applications such as individual travel planning and destination suggestions.
Constraints and the eye-voice span in right and left embedded sentences.

The nature of grammatical constraints and of reading are compared in left and right embedded sentences. Given the task of completing sentences with various parts deleted, subjects most frequently insert relative phrases after the main verb and use a variety of constructions before the verb. In each of three experiments, the eye-voice spans are larger in the right branching sentences indicating that processing is directed by the nature of the constraints within sentences.
Eye Banking: What the Eye Bank Can Do for You Now

Corneal surgeons cannot operate without their local eye banks, and eye banks would not exist without corneal surgeons. They both have the same purpose: to provide safe and effective tissue for patients in order to restore vision and eliminate corneal blindness. In fact, with recent innovations in corneal tissue preparation, corneal surgery begins in the eye bank. In this chapter, we review the history of eye banking, medical standards and federal oversight, serological testing, and the risk of disease transmission addition, techniques of harvesting and processing corneas for full-thickness penetrating keratoplasty, DSEK, DMEK, and femtosecond laser-assisted keratoplasty are reviewed. The role of donor corneas in keratolimbal allograft transplantation (KLAL) for severe ocular surface disease (OSD) is discussed, as well as the role of the eye bank in the production of autologous serum eye drops. New innovations for increasing tissue donation and corneal tissue preparation are discussed. As new techniques are developed requiring transplantation of thinner and thinner layers of the cornea eye banks continue to develop and perfect their techniques, to learn more about which donors work best for which surgeries, and to partner with physicians in the provision of precut tissues.
A Tale of Twelve Cities and Ten Regions

In the preceding chapter, we discussed the growth of the United States from 1790 to 2010 as the population expanded and spread across the continent. People did not diffuse evenly across the land. Population centers developed in resource-rich areas near the coast and along waterways where farming first dominated the landscape and along trade routes such as the Mississippi River. Changes in both rural and urban economic opportunities resulted in the movement of people from rural to urban areas. “The flow of labor off U.S. farms during 1940–85 was driven by an increase in economic opportunity in cities relative to what existed on farms, indicating the dominant role of economic incentives.” At the same time, mechanization of farming reduced the number of jobs needed on farms.
Perceptions of Factors Contributing to Professional Identity Development and Specialty Choice: A Survey of Third- and Fourth-Year Medical Students

This study begins to explore whether there is a link between medical students’ professional identity development and their specialty choice. Through an online survey, third- and fourth-year students at a US medical school were asked to identify the curricular, extracurricular, and personal experiences they felt influenced their professional identity development, and which of nine known considerations influenced their specialty choice. In 141 responses (68% return rate), students most frequently identified experiences involving humans — as cadavers, patients, colleagues, mentors, and role models — as contributing to their professional identity development. Of the nine contributors to specialty decisions, students highlighted intellectual interest, patient contact, procedural skills, lifestyle, and career opportunities. Narrative responses to both questions consistently emphasized the value of emotionally positive clerkship experiences, patient encounters, role models, and mentors. The abundance and consistency of these responses suggest that positive interpersonal and clinical experiences may influence both professional identity development and specialty choice.
Auswirkungen einer frühen Förderung des Schriftspracherwerbs auf die schulischen Lese- und Rechtschreibleistungen

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird von einer Studie zur alltagsintegrierten Forderung der Schriftsprache am Ubergang vom Kindergarten in die Grundschule berichtet. Uberpruft wird, inwieweit es Effekte der Forderung im Kindergarten gibt, die sich auch noch am Ende des ersten Schulbesuchsjahres nachweisen lassen.
Will an Emerging Standard Take Over the Routing Realm? An Evaluative Analysis of DUAL and SPF

This paper aims to discuss a comprehensive list of demerits associated with the use of Diffusing Update Algorithm compared to its link-state counterpart, namely, Shortest Path First algorithm which is a variant of Dijkstra's algorithm. Such a comparison was neglected for the past two decades due to the proprietary nature of the former protocol. This has led to the prevalence of the latter which is why many computer network professionals adamantly recommend implementing link-state protocols in campus implementations. However, this is of importance today pursuant to the release of several IETF Internet drafts in an attempt to standardize the Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol. Dynamic routing protocols rely on algorithms computing the shortest paths using weighted digraphs and tree traversals. In this paper, not only are the algorithms discussed but also an in-depth analysis of the various features of the aforementioned protocols is conducted. Abandoning the periodicity of update massages and operating in an event- driven fashion with automatic failover capability are some of the features that will be analyzed. Part of the novelty of this paper lies in the mathematical representation of decision-making processes and metric computation. One of the notable findings of this paper is an evaluative analysis of convergence times achieved in a typical university campus routing implementation. Moreover, using wide metric vectors contributes to energy-aware routing and improved performance for jitter-sensitive services.
Neoliberalism in the Southern Cone

Chile is widely known as the first country to experience neoliberal reforms; it is also one of the few countries in which neoliberal restructuring occurred quite comprehen sively and rapidly, with the military government repressing any possible opposition to this emerging economic order. This is the subject of Marcus Taylor's book From Pinochet to the "Third Way," a readable historical account of Chile's neoliberalization that goes beyond conventional expectations for the treatment of the subject. Taylor accepts the standard definition of neoliberalism as a political-economic system that replaced post-Keynesianism by emphasizing free markets and low inflation. However, he adds that neoliberalism as a political project seeks to eliminate social relationships that fail to conform to the ideology of the free market through the restructuring of social institutions. He rejects the idea that neoliberalism requires the retreat of the state from society, viewing it instead as "categorically a state-led project of social engineer ing that seeks to reformulate the institutional forms of state-society relations" (2006: 7). In fact, he shows that neoliberals accepted the Pinochet regime as a necessary precon dition for neoliberal restructuring in Chile, arguing that democracy had to be tem porarily suspended so that the state could transform social, economic, and political institutions into engines of neoliberal technocratic economic process. The greatest contribution of this book is its analysis of the institutional reforms designed to allow neoliberalism to flourish in Chile. From 1979 on, the Pinochet regime carried out such reforms by appointing neoliberals to key government posts. These neoliberals introduced a number of policies that sought to depoliticize political institutions and social issues and reduce them to the realm of technocracy. Thus the regime codified labor relations in a way that gave employers the upper hand, trans formed education and health care through decentralization and the establishment of private providers, privatized the pension system, and diminished the range of welfare institutions by targeting the indigent, offering them tiny amounts of public assistance and sometimes arbitrarily excluding them. These reforms took place because the Pinochet dictatorship wanted to make its impact on Chilean society permanent. In the end, people with higher incomes were able to take full advantage of the privatized health, education, and pension systems while the majority of the population either participated only in part or was excluded altogether.
Treatment of Marginal Ulcers After Gastric Bypass

Marginal ulcers are reported to occur in 1–16% of patients after a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). They vary in presentation, but most commonly present with upper gastrointestinal discomfort and can lead to hemorrhage, perforation, and death. Various risks factors for the occurrence of marginal ulcers have been identified and include smoking, NSAID use, H. pylori infection, and diabetes. Although there is no standardized regimen, many authors have advocated the benefits of prophylaxis with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) after gastric bypass. Marginal ulcers are diagnosed on upper GI endoscopy and treated with therapeutic dose of PPIs and cytoprotective agents such as sucralfate. It is important to reduce the harming factors in order to promote healing. In case of refractory ulceration, revisional surgery is indicated. Presentation of an ulcer with bleeding can usually be controlled with endoscopic techniques but might warrant emergency surgery. Perforation from a marginal ulcer is managed with emergent surgery and omental patch with favorable outcomes if treated in a timely manner.
Vibration and Ergonomic Exposures Associated With Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Shoulder and Neck.

Abstract Background According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) accounted for 32% of all nonfatal injury and illness cases in 2014 among full-time workers. Our objective was to review and summarize the evidence linking occupational exposures to vibration and awkward posture with MSDs of the shoulder and neck. Methods A literature search was conducted using the terms musculoskeletal disorders, vibration, and awkward posture. All types of observational epidemiologic studies, with the exception of case reports, published during 1998–2015 were included. Databases searched were MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Scopus, Ergonomic Abstracts, NIOSHTIC-2, and Health and Safety Science Abstracts. Results Occupational exposures to whole-body or hand–arm vibration were significantly associated with or resulted in MSDs of the shoulder and neck. Awkward postures while working were also associated with MSDs in these locations. These findings were consistent across study designs, populations, and countries. Conclusion Occupational exposure to vibration and awkward posture are associated with shoulder and neck MSDs. Longitudinal studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for these associations, and intervention studies are warranted.
Silver microparticles plus fibrin tissue sealant prevents incisional hernias in rats.

Abstract Background Open abdominal surgery is frequently complicated by the subsequent development of an incisional hernia. Consequently, more than 400,000 incisional hernia repairs are performed each year, adding over $15 billion per year to U.S. health-care expenditures. While the vast majority of studies have focused on improved surgical techniques or prosthetic materials, we examined the use of metallic silver microparticles to prevent incisional hernia formation through enhanced wound healing. Materials and methods A rodent incisional hernia model was used. Eighty-two rats were randomly placed into two control groups (saline alone and silver microparticles alone), and three experimental groups (0 mg/cm, 2.5 mg/cm, and 25 mg/cm of silver microparticles applied with a fibrin sealant). Incisional hernia incidence and size, tensile strength, and tissue histology were assessed after 28 days. Results A significant reduction of both incisional hernia incidence and hernia size was observed between the control groups and 2.5 mg/cm group, and between the control and 25 mg/cm group by nearly 60% and 90%, respectively (P Conclusions The novel approach of using silver microparticles to enhance wound healing appears to be a safe and effective method to prevent incisional hernias from developing and could herald a new era of medicinal silver use.
A Local Gauge-Invariant Formulation of Quantum Electrodynamics

In this article I want to discuss a local and manifestly gauge-invariant formulation of quantum electrodynamics which has been developed by R. Menikoff and myself.(1,2) The manifest gauge invariance is achieved by using the electromagnetic field strengths, rather than potentials, to describe the electromagnetic field, and by using local currents, rather than canonical fields, to describe the matter. In order to represent this theory in Hilbert space, we study the continuous unitary representations of the group obtained from the exponentiated currents and electromagnetic field strengths. These operators can be represented on a Hilbert space having positive norm, so that the necessity for an indefinite metric does not arise here, and the equations of motion hold as operator equations in this Hilbert space.
Live-Cell Fluorescent Speckle Microscopy of Actin Cytoskeletal Dynamics and Their Perturbation by Drug Perfusion

Publisher Summary This chapter describes how to use fluorescent speckle microscopy (FSM) for measuring actin cytoskeletal dynamics in living cells using microinjected fluorescently labeled skeletal muscle actin and the manipulation of actin dynamics during high-resolution FSM imaging by drug perfusion. The microscope stand should be of biological research quality, with a substantial mass that resists vibration. If possible, the microscope should be mounted on a vibration isolation table. The path from the objective lens to the detector should be simple and contain as few intervening components as possible to allow maximum photon collection. Removal of analyzers, wave plates, and Wollaston prisms that are used for various modes of polarization microscopy is required. Heat on the charged couple devices (CCD) can cause nonphoton-associated charge to build up in pixels, thus contributing to image noise. The coldest camera possible within a reasonable budget should be chosen. A critical key to obtain resolution-limited images of fluorescent speckles is matching microscope and camera resolution. The resolution-limited image region has to be magnified to an area on the CCD large enough to achieve a sampling frequency that is high enough to be able to digitally resolve structures at the resolution limit.
Coagulation Factor VIIa as a Target

Coagulation factor VIIa, a serine protease that circulates in the plasma, is the enzyme responsible for triggering the blood-clotting cascade in normal hemostasis and many thrombotic diseases …
Robert Earle Buchanan: an unappreciated scientist.

Robert Earle Buchanan (1883-1973), 19th President of the Society of American Bacteriologists (later American Society for Microbiology), was one of the more important 20th century microbiologists. He was a dominant force in creating the field of bacterial systematics and made significant contributions to microbial physiology. He also numbered a number of influential textbooks. A reasonable conclusion is that Buchanan was a major cultivator of modern microbiology. To justify that assertion, I have four major objectives in this essay: i) a brief biographical review of Buchanan's early life; ii) a brief review of his scientific contributions, many of which go beyond his recognized contributions to bacterial systematics; iii) Buchanan was an important academic administrator who created the microbiology program and fostered a strong graduate education program at Iowa State, iv)finally, I close the essay with a focus on Buchanan's "moral character."
Temporal Trends of Parabens and Their Metabolites in Mollusks from the Chinese Bohai Sea during 2006–2015: Species-Specific Accumulation and Implications for Human Exposure

Parabens are used as preservatives in many consumer products, and human exposure to these chemicals has been a public concern. In this study, mollusks (n = 186), collected from the Chinese Bohai Sea during 2006–2015, were analyzed for six parabens and their five metabolites. The total concentration of parabens was in the range of 2.66–299 ng/g dw (geometric mean: 24.1). Methyl paraben and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid were the predominant parent and metabolic parabens, respectively found in mollusks. Mollusk species, Mactra veneriformis, Mytilus edulis, and Cyclina sinensis contained elevated concentrations of both parent and metabolic parabens. A gradual increase in paraben concentrations was found in mollusks collected between 2006 and 2012. Principal component analysis suggested the existence of a common source for these chemicals in mollusks. Consumption of mollusks can contribute to human exposures and we estimated daily intakes of parabens through the consumption of mollusks. This is the first study to repo...
Massive Open Online Courses and the Future of Higher Education

In this chapter, I examine potential contribution of massive open online courses (MOOCs) to universities and their students. Rather than speaking about MOOCs in the abstract, I examine actual MOOCs that point to future developments. I locate three areas where MOOCs can make positive contributions: return on investment, new revenue streams, and revolutionary new course and credential formats. The first two contribute to university students, faculty, and administrative leaders within the entrenched university. The new formats indicate a shift from that paradigm to a “Higher Education 2.0” paradigm—the revolution of access to online learning where outcomes can be documented through badges, certificates, and nanodiplomas. Higher Education 2.0 offers a pathway to employment that by-passes conventional universities and their degree programs.
Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs Preparation in Physical Education Teacher Education Programs

Purpose: Given the emphasis on the important role of physical education within Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAPs), the purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to w...
Gallstone Pancreatitis: How Does Management Differ from Other Causes of Acute Pancreatitis?

Acute gallstone pancreatitis is treated differently than other causes of pancreatitis. Since there is a potential physical obstruction, further imaging with an abdominal ultrasound is recommended. Treatment recommendations rely heavily on imaging findings and ancillary laboratory evaluation. The most severe cases may require ERCP and cholecystectomy, while milder cases may only require a cholecystectomy within 7 days of symptom resolution.
Understanding Resistance to Change: An Experiential Exercise:

Organizational change remains one of the challenging concepts for students in leadership and organizational behavior classes to internalize if they have not experienced it directly. This exercise s...
Sleeping with the enemy.

The article discusses the return of bedbugs in the U.S. after a 50-year absence. According to the author, the bedbug (Cimex lectularius) was largely eradicated as a result of the development of broad-spectrum pesticides, such as the insecticide DDT. He notes that bedbug infestation is not limited to crowded, urban areas, but has extended into college dormitories, upscale hotels, and retail establishments. Topics include a historical overview of humanity's struggle with bedbugs, factors influencing their return, such as insecticide resistance, and research identifying several aspects of bedbug biology and behavior that may lead to their successful detection and eradication. INSETS: A Brief History of Bed Bug;Know Thy Enemy.
Impact of Mixed Switching Frequency Scheme on Different Topologies of Multilevel Converters for Efficiency Improvement

Multilevel converter generally consists of more switching devices than the conventional two-level converter topology. The performance of these multilevel converters tends to increase by using high switching frequency which may also increase the switching loss that is the largest dominating loss of a power converter. This paper proposed a novel modulation strategy with a mixed switching frequency scheme that uses both high and low switching frequency to overcome this problem. Different multilevel converter topology such as Cascaded H- Bridge (CHB), Cascaded H5 (CH5), Neutral point Clamped (NPC), and Flying Capacitor Converter (FCC) topologies are presented for the validation of using proposed mixed switching frequency scheme. The level shifted modulation technique is used for CHB, CH5, NPC, and FCC except for CH5 topology which doesn’t allow level shifting operation. Moreover, it is observed that the zero-voltage state occurs for the CH5 topology during mixed switching condition which may result in reactive power flow from load/grid to the photovoltaic solar panel. Hence a new modified H5 topology is proposed to avoid the reactive power flow. H5 topology has never been implemented into the multilevel converter application. This research work emphasizes the efficiency improvement of different multilevel converter topologies. MATLAB SIMULINK is used for the simulation and the results are carried out clearly to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficient outcomes of the proposed switching scheme for grid- connected multilevel converters.