cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Degradation of carbon tetrachloride in the presence of zero-valent iron

Efforts to achieve the decomposition of carbon tetrachloride through anaerobic and aerobic bioremediation and chemical transformation have met with limited success because of the conditions required and the formation of hazardous intermediates. Recently, particles of zero-valent iron (ZVI) have been used with limited success for in situ remediation of carbon tetrachloride. We studied a modified microparticulate product that combines controlled-release carbon with ZVI for stimulation of in situ chemical reduction of persistent organic compounds in groundwater. With this product, a number of physical, chemical, and microbiological processes were combined to create very strongly reducing conditions that stimulate rapid, complete dechlorination of organic solvents. In principle, the organic component of ZVI microparticles is nutrient rich and hydrophilic and has high surface area capable of supporting the growth of bacteria in the groundwater environment. In our experiments, we found that as the bacteria grew, oxygen was consumed, and the redox potential decreased to values reaching −600 mV. The small modified ZVI particles provide substantial reactive surface area that, in these conditions, directly stimulates chemical dechlorination and cleanup of the contaminated area without accumulation of undesirable breakdown products. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of ZVI microparticles in reducing carbon tetrachloride under laboratory and field conditions. Changes in concentrations and in chemical and physical parameters were monitored to determine the role of the organic products in the reductive dechlorination reaction. Laboratory and field studies are presented.
Expressions of positive emotion in photographs, personality, and later-life marital and health outcomes

Abstract A previous study of females at an elite liberal arts college found that the degree of positive emotion expressed in persons’ college yearbook photos was correlated with personality, marital, and health outcomes decades later in life. We examine whether the same pattern is observed among respondents in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, using high school yearbook photographs and outcome measures obtained mostly when respondents were in their fifties. Despite some seeming advantages of our design, we were unable, with a few exceptions, to replicate the findings of the previous study. Possible explanations for this divergence in findings are discussed, including differences in measurement, the sample, and the photographic occasion itself.
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same: The Liberal Tradition and Obama's Counterterrorism Policy

Barack Obama campaigned on a platform of “Change We Can Believe In.” One of the biggest changes many anticipated with his election was a dramatic break with the previous administration's counterterror policy. There were good reasons for thinking that this would be the case. George W. Bush was a Republican who took his cues from the most conservative elements of his party, including neoconservatives, the religious right, and other proponents of an assertive stance of U.S. global primacy and a forward-leaning posture in the war on terror. Conversely, Barack Obama is a liberal Democrat who opposed the Iraq War and seeks to “reset” America's relations with other countries around the world by recommitting the United States to a more moderate approach to waging the war against al-Qaeda, including measures such as adopting a more multilateral foreign policy, closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, ending the practices of extraordinary rendition and enhanced interrogation, and showing a greater respect for civil liberties domestically.
Activation of the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase by divalent metal ions: Comparison of holoreceptor and isolated kinase domain properties

The activation of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor tyrosine kinase activity is thought to represent a key initial step in EGF-mediated mitogenesis. The mechanisms underlying the regulation of the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase activity were examined through comparisons of the holoreceptor, purified from human placenta, and a soluble 42 kDa tyrosine kinase domain (TKD), generated by the limited trypsin proteolysis of the holoreceptor. The results of these studies highlight the importance of divalent metal ions (Me2+), i.e., Mn2+ and Mg2+, as activators of the tyrosine kinase activity. Manganese is an extremely effective activator of the holoreceptor tyrosine kinase, and under some conditions (low ionic strength) it completely alleviates the need for EGF to stimulate activity. In contrast, Mg2+ only weakly stimulates the holoreceptor tyrosine kinase activity in the absence of EGF, but promotes essentially full activity in the presence of the growth factor. Like the holoreceptor, the soluble TKD is highly active in the presence of Mn2+. However, the isolated TKD is completely inactive in the presence of Mg2+, and, in fact, Mg2+ inhibits the Mn2(+)-stimulated tyrosine kinase activity. The differences in the effects of Mn2+ and Mg2+ on the isolated TKD were further demonstrated by monitoring the effects of Me2+ on the modification of a reactive cysteine residue(s) on the TKD. While Mn2+ potentiates the inhibition by cysteine-directed reagents of the tyrosine kinase activity, Mg2+ has no effect on either the rate or the extent of the inhibition. Both the regulation by Mn2+ of the kinase activity of the TKD and the potentiation by Mn2+ of the cysteine reactivity of the TKD occur over a millimolar concentration range, which implicates a direct binding interaction by the metal ion. Overall, these results demonstrate that there are two key activator sites on the EGF receptor, i.e., the EGF binding site on the extracellular domain and a Me2+ binding site on the cytoplasmic TKD. Me2+ interactions with the cytoplasmic kinase domain apparently result in conformational changes which regulate the levels of tyrosine kinase activity, influence the degree to which this activity is responsive to EGF, and probably account for the effects of Me2+ on the aggregation state of the receptor (Carraway, K.L., III, Koland, J.G. and Cerione, R.A. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 8699-8707). In general, Mg2(+)-induced conformation changes prime the receptor for activation by EGF, while Mn2+ can fully activate the receptor tyrosine kinase and thereby short-circuit growth factor control.
Radiofrequency thermal ablation: 3D MR-histology correlation for localization of cell death in MR lesion images

Solid tumors are being treated using radiofrequency (RF) thermal ablation under interventional MRI image guidance. We are investigating the ability of MR to accurately predict the region of cell death by comparing MR thermal lesion images to tissue damage as seen histologically. We developed a methodology using a three-dimensional computer registration. An open MR imaging system was used to guide an RF ablation electrode into rabbit thigh muscles, and acquire in vivo postablation MR volumes. After MR and histology images were registered with an accuracy of 1.32/spl plusmn/0.39 mm (mean/spl plusmn/SD), we compared a boundary of necrosis identified in histology with the outer boundary of the hyperintense rim in MR images. For 14 T2-weighted MR images, the absolute distance between boundaries was 0.96/spl plusmn/0.34 mm. Similar correlations were obtained from experiments with rabbits sacrificed four days postablation. This is good evidence that during ablation treatments, MR images can accurately identify the necrotic region.
A Random Jitter RMS Estimation Technique for BIST Applications

This paper describes a RMS value measurement technique for random jitter. A jittery clock signal is combined with a reference clock signal using an OR operation and an AND operation in sequence, and the pulse width outputs modulated by the amount of the random jitter are used to charge or discharge a capacitor. The voltage at the capacitor, in turn, modulates the frequency of VCO having a current-starved inverter, and whose frequency difference from the OR operation and the AND operation is used in calculating the RMS value of the random jitter. Circuit-level simulations show the validity of the proposed technique for up to 20% peak-to-peak jitter in the clock even with process variations. The proposed technique can be applied to BIST solutions for random jitter measurement on a transmitted clock signal.
Grandparent Visitation Rights Successful Acquisition of Court-Ordered Visitation

The author examined 65 cases in which grandparents successfully acquired court-ordered visitation with their grandchildren to understand how courts shape family development and how social scientists might support families who are engaged in legal disputes. Using grounded theory methods, two categories explained grandparents’ success at acquiring court-ordered visitation with their grandchildren: (a) serving the best interests of the child and (b) reflecting a slight shift in family law traditions. The second category, a shift in family law traditions, was made clear by these themes: (a) derivatives of rights, (b) intruding on the parental rights of adoptive parents,(c) balancing the rights of parents, children, and grandparents. Conclusions and suggestions for the role of social science professionals are offered that address the complexities of family law, grandparent visitation rights, and contemporary family issues
Cluster Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

In principle, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) molecule-specific imaging has vast implications in biological research where submicrometer spatial resolution, uppermost surface layer sensitivity, and chemically unmodified sample preparation are essential. Yet SIMS imaging using atomic projectiles has been rather ineffective when applied to biological materials. The common pitfalls experienced during these analyses include low secondary ion yields, extensive fragmentation, restricted mass ranges, and the accumulation of significant physical and chemical damage after sample erosion beyond 1 % of the surface molecules. Collectively, these limitations considerably reduce the amount of material available for detection and result in inadequate sensitivity for most applications. In response, polyatomic (cluster) ions have been introduced as an alternate imaging projectile. Cluster ion bombardment has been observed to enhance secondary ion yields, extend the spectral mass range, and decrease the incidence of physical and chemical damage during sample erosion. The projectiles are expected to considerably increase the number of molecules available for analysis and to significantly improve the overall sensitivity. Hence, the objectives of this chapter are to describe the unique physical basis for the improvements observed during polyatomic bombardment and to identify the emerging biological applications made practical by the introduction of cluster projectiles to SIMS.
Lack of effect of 94 GHz radio frequency radiation exposure in an animal model of skin carcinogenesis

Abstract : Although there is no evidence that electromagnetic energy in the radio frequency radiation (RFR) band is mutagenic, there have been suggestions that RFR energy might serve as either a promoter or co-promoter in some animal models of carcinogenesis. Recent developments in electromagnetic technology have resulted in the manufacture of RFR sources capable of generating frequencies in the millimeter wave- length (MMW) range (30- 300 GHz). Because absorption of MMW energy occurs in the skin, it is to be expected that long-term detrimental health effects, if any, would most likely be manifest in the skin. In this study we investigated whether a single (1.0 W/cm2 for 10 s) or repeated (2 exposures/week for 12 weeks, 333 mW/cm2 for 10 s) exposure to 94 GHz RFR serves as a promoter or co-promoter in the 7,12-dimethylbenz[ a ]anthracene (DMBA)-induced SENCAR mouse model of skin carcinogenesis. Neither paradigm of MMW exposure significantly affected papilloma development, as evidenced by a lack of effect on tumor incidence and multiplicity. There was also no evidence that MMW exposure served as a co-promoter in DMBA-induced animals repeatedly treated with 12- O - tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate. Therefore, we conclude that exposure to 94 GHz RFR under these conditions does not promote or co-promote papilloma development in this animal model of skin carcinogenesis.
Incarceration and the New Asylums: Consequences for the Mental Health of Women Prisoners

Suprisingly 1 in 100 adults in the United States is incarcerated in prisons and jails ([Pew Center on the States, 2008]) with another 5 million people on probation or parole ([Glaze & Bonczar, 2007...
Asking About Numbers: Why and How

Survey questions about quantities offer a number of advantages over more common qualitative questions. However, concerns about survey respondents' abilities to accurately report numbers have limited the use of quantitative questions. This article shows quantitative questions are feasible and useful for the study of economic voting. First, survey respondents are capable of accurately assessing familiar economic quantities, such as the price of gas. Second, careful question design-in particular providing respondents with benchmark quantities-can reduce measurement error due to respondents not understanding the scale on which more complex quantities, such as the unemployment rate, are measured. Third, combining quantitative and qualitative questions sheds light on where partisan bias enters economic assessments: in perceiving, judging, or reporting economic quantities.
Simple Spin Models for the Development of Ocular Dominance Columns and Iso-Orientation Patches

Simple classical spin models well-known to physicists as the ANNNI and Heisenberg XY Models, in which long-range interactions occur in a pattern given by the Mexican Hat operator, can generate many of the structural properties characteristic of the ocular dominance columns and iso-orientation patches seen in cat and primate visual cortex.
The Spectrum of Achalasia: Lessons From Studies of Pathophysiology and High-Resolution Manometry

High-resolution manometry and recently described analysis algorithms, summarized in the Chicago Classification, have increased the recognition of achalasia. It has become apparent that the cardinal feature of achalasia, impaired lower esophageal sphincter relaxation, can occur in several disease phenotypes: without peristalsis, with premature (spastic) distal esophageal contractions, with panesophageal pressurization, or with peristalsis. Any of these phenotypes could indicate achalasia; however, without a disease-specific biomarker, no manometric pattern is absolutely specific. Laboratory studies indicate that achalasia is an autoimmune disease in which esophageal myenteric neurons are attacked in a cell-mediated and antibody-mediated immune response against an uncertain antigen. This autoimmune response could be related to infection of genetically predisposed subjects with herpes simplex virus 1, although there is substantial heterogeneity among patients. At one end of the spectrum is complete aganglionosis in patients with end-stage or fulminant disease. At the opposite extreme is type III (spastic) achalasia, which has no demonstrated neuronal loss but only impaired inhibitory postganglionic neuron function; it is often associated with accentuated contractility and could be mediated by cytokine-induced alterations in gene expression. Distinct from these extremes is progressive plexopathy, which likely arises from achalasia with preserved peristalsis and then develops into type II achalasia and then type I achalasia. Variations in its extent and rate of progression are likely related to the intensity of the cytotoxic T-cell assault on the myenteric plexus. Moving forward, we need to integrate the knowledge we have gained into treatment paradigms that are specific for individual phenotypes of achalasia and away from the one-size-fits-all approach.
Transesophageal Echocardiography Before Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: Looking Before Cooking⁎

In many electrophysiology laboratories, atrial fibrillation (AF) is becoming the most common heart rhythm disorder being treated with catheter ablation. Reasons for this include the large numbers of patients with AF, the poor quality of life commonly associated with AF, the limitations of drug
Prospective comparison of magnetic resonance imaging to transient elastography and serum markers for liver fibrosis detection.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Establishing accurate non-invasive methods of liver fibrosis quantification remains a major unmet need. Here, we assessed the diagnostic value of a multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) in comparison with transient elastography (TE) and blood tests [including ELF (Enhanced Liver Fibrosis) and APRI] for liver fibrosis detection. METHODS In this single centre cross-sectional study, we prospectively enrolled 60 subjects with liver disease who underwent multiparametric MRI (DWI, DCE-MRI and MRE), TE and blood tests. Correlation was assessed between non-invasive modalities and histopathologic findings including stage, grade and collagen content, while accounting for covariates such as age, sex, BMI, HCV status and MRI-derived fat and iron content. ROC curve analysis evaluated the performance of each technique for detection of moderate-to-advanced liver fibrosis (F2-F4) and advanced fibrosis (F3-F4). RESULTS Magnetic resonance elastography provided the strongest correlation with fibrosis stage (r = 0.66, P < 0.001), inflammation grade (r = 0.52, P < 0.001) and collagen content (r = 0.53, P = 0.036). For detection of moderate-to-advanced fibrosis (F2-F4), AUCs were 0.78, 0.82, 0.72, 0.79, 0.71 for MRE, TE, DCE-MRI, DWI and APRI, respectively. For detection of advanced fibrosis (F3-F4), AUCs were 0.94, 0.77, 0.79, 0.79 and 0.70, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Magnetic resonance elastography provides the highest correlation with histopathologic markers and yields high diagnostic performance for detection of advanced liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, compared to DWI, DCE-MRI, TE and serum markers.
Implications for the aqueous history of southwest Melas Chasma, Mars as revealed by interbedded hydrated sulfate and Fe/Mg-smectite deposits

Abstract Using visible and near infrared data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), we identified a sequence of hydrated sulfates and Fe/Mg-smectites in southwest Melas Chasma. Specifically, these hydrated sulfate and semectite deposits are interbedded and have been highly deformed. Equilibrium thermodynamic calculations of coupled basalt weathering and fluid evaporation predict that sequential formation of Fe/Mg-smectites and sulfate evaporites in similar quantities, as observed in the interbedded smectite-sulfate sequences, is chemically plausible. The Fe/Mg-smectite-sulfate deposits may have thus formed through in situ basalt weathering and fluid evaporation, although an origin involving repeated cycles of transport and deposition of detrital clays by a neutral fluid containing Mg and SO 4 and subsequent evaporation cannot be ruled out. If the Fe/Mg-smectites are authigenic, the Hesperian (or younger) age Melas Chasma would have experienced prolonged periods with near-surface water, providing potentially habitable conditions.
At the Margins of the Nation: Chinese Immigrants in the Contemporary Spanish American Fiction

Twentieth-century authors Ines Arredondo (Mexico), Antonio Ortega (Spain/Cuba) and Santiago MacKay (Panama) depict Chinese diasporic subjects as outsiders by underlining their displacement, voicelessness and unassimilability. By and large Chinese immigrants in Latin America have been excluded from most national discourses of mestizaje (miscegenation), which serves to create a national identity. Despite the protagonists' contributions to the host countries, the short stories analyzed suggest that they were not welcome to be part of the national imaginary.
Children Use Wealth Cues to Evaluate Others.

Wealth differences between individuals are ubiquitous in modern society, and often serve as the basis for biased social evaluations among adults. The present research probed whether children use cues that are commonly associated with wealth differences in society to guide their consideration of others. In Study 1, 4–5-year-old participants from diverse racial backgrounds expressed preferences for children who were paired with high-wealth cues; White children in Study 1 also matched high-wealth stimuli with White faces. Study 2 conceptually replicated the preference effect from Study 1, and showed that young children (4–6 years) also use material wealth indicators to guide their inferences about people’s relative standing in other domains (i.e., competence and popularity). Study 3 revealed that children (5–9 years) use a broad range of wealth cues to guide their evaluations of, and actions toward, unfamiliar people. Further, biased responses were not attenuated among children whose families were lower in socioeconomic status. Often overlooked by those who study children’s attitudes and stereotypes, social class markers appear to influence evaluations, inferences, and behavior early in development.
Colony Founding by Queens of the Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta

The method by which newly mated queens of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, found new colonies was investigated. Immediately following the nuptial flight 1 to 5 queens construct a nest consisting of a vertical tunnel about 7 cm deep containing a small cell at either end. Within 24 hours the entrance is closed and the queen (or queens) raises the 1st brood in this sealed burrow. When the 1st small workers emerge, they reopen the nest and begin to forage. While queens successfully produced 1st workers at temperatures between 24 and 35°C, optimum temperature was found to be between 27.5 and 32°C. After the nuptial flight eggs were laid in 2-3 days, the 1st larvae appeared in 6-8 days, pupae in 14-15 days, and the 1st workers in 20-24 days. Under actual field conditions the 1st workers were on the surface foraging in 22-31 clays.
Stool DNA Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Opportunities to Improve Value With Next Generation Tests

General adoption of the screening tests for colorectal cancer (CRC) by patients, health care professionals, medical centers, and third party payers rests on a favorable assessment of value. Reported cost-effectiveness estimates of stool DNA testing for CRC screening incorporated performance assumptions based on data from the first generation tests. Given the substantial technical advances in stool DNA testing that have occurred subsequently, estimates of value will need to be revisited. This review briefly examines the early cost-effectiveness estimates for stool DNA screening and looks ahead at how the next generation tests might improve such value estimates for CRC screening.
Issues Concerning the Construction of College's Safe campus

With the deepening reform of our country's higher education,there emerged many new situations and safety-related problems in colleges which have seriously affected the colleges' development and social harmony.Therefore,adhering to the principle of people-oriented,improving the long-term mechanism of college's internal security management and mental health education,keeping teachers and students away from danger,maintaining the peace and harmony in campus will have profoundly practical and historical significances on building the harmonious society.
Third Space Openings at a Two-Way Immersion Elementary School in North Carolina: Lessons from Parent Language Classes.

ABSTRACTTwo-way immersion schools are growing in popularity throughout the United States. An emerging issue is to what extent these schools are able to connect with parents from multiple communities. This article describes an effort to connect parents with the school and one another through parent language classes at a Spanish/English two-way immersion elementary school in North Carolina. Evidence of parents building bridges, gaining new knowledge, and imagining a new future were analyzed using the third space theory (Bhabha, 1994; Gutierrez, 2008), which revealed progress to tap into third spaces while identifying areas for additional development.
Nonsquamous cell malignancies of the paranasal sinuses.

This report documents the treatment of 49 patients with nonsquamous cell malignancies and examines factors that place patients at risk for treatment failure
Chondrocyte Apoptosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Is Preventive Therapy Possible?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic, chronic autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. At the tissue and organ level, respectively, RA is associated with sustained synovial joint inflammation which may also go on to affect other peripheral organs [1]. At the cellular level, RA is characterized by defective innate and adaptive immune responses [2]. Thus, experimental studies designed to dissect out the progression of RA changes have noted the extensive presence of activated T-lymphocytes with associated B-cell hyperactivity, as well as heightened migration, adhesion and retention of activated macrophages, dendritic cells and neutrophils emanating from the peripheral circulation and reaching synovial tissue [3]. These cellular events ultimately give rise to activate the normally quiescent synovial tissue fibroblasts which most often results from the action of proinflammatory cytokines and other soluble mediators of inflammation that are abundantly present in the RA synovial joint [4]. The clustering of these aberrant cellular events culminate in subchondral bone erosions. In this regard, bone erosions have also been associated with mechanically-deficient ligaments and tendons as well as a marked increase in the degradation of articular cartilage extracellular matrix proteins. The destruction of articular cartilage generally occurs under these conditions following the up-regulation matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) gene expression [5]. However, paradoxically this increase in MMP gene expression is also accompanied by a marked increase in the frequency of non-viable articular chondrocytes which can result from controlled cell death, also known as programmed cell death or apoptosis [6-8].
Hegel: The Entanglements of the Present

Hegel and Freud make the apparently identical claim that nothing passes away that has once been present in the mind. But the meaning of this claim is quite different for each of them, and an analysis of its implications for their divergent conceptions of history and historical consciousness illustrates how Freud implicitly challenges faith in human progress. For Hegel the past is preserved in a rational narrative through which Geist actualizes its freedom, but for Freud the past resists such representation in consciousness and thus impedes full self-possession. Past events that have been repressed emerge in the present as symptoms, and psychoanalysis works at the boundary between conscious representation and what is excluded from consciousness in order to address these symptoms.
Long-Term Outcome of Landau-Kleffner Syndrome

The types of language disorders in 4 young adults with Landau-Kleffner syndrome were analyzed at long-term follow-up at the National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Chiba, Japan.
Linear scleroderma en coup de sabre presenting with positional diplopia and enophthalmos.

A 28-year-old woman with alopecia since childhood presented with 4 years of progressive intermittent diplopia and right eye getting “stuck” with upward gaze. Maddox rod test revealed a subtle intermittent right hypotropia and right enophthalmos (figure 1). Asymptomatic T2 hyperintensities were noted on MRI (figure 2). Scalp morphea was confirmed pathologically. Formal rheumatologic evaluation was otherwise unremarkable. Linear scleroderma en coup de sabre presenting as positional diplopia, unilateral enophthalmos, and focal neuroimaging findings is rare and is suspected to represent a chronic local inflammatory process.1,2 The brain lesions tend to develop adjacent to the skin atrophy.1
Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Subtypes and Genetics

Researchers at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, identified distinguishing clinical and physiological features of subtypes of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease among 787 patients that could be used to direct genetic testing.
RESOURCE MAPPING AND ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL SITES FOR SHORT ROTATION COPPICE IN THE UK - ASSESSING THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR BIOMASS-TO-ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

ABSTRACT One of the barriers to the commercial supply and use of biomass fuels is establishing where feedstocks could be located in order to exploit them in a cost effective manner. Resource mapping and analysis of willow short rotation coppice, using a Geographical Information System, has been used to establish the opportunities for England and Wales. A review has indicated the lack of good data on crop trials with which to predict potential yields. An interim yield model has been developed for use until better data become available from the Site-Clone Trials now being carried out under the UK Biomass Programme. Resource maps have been produced which have been of value to the programme. To date, the optimised model has been validated by testing against data for sites where good agricultural practices have been adopted and higher yields achieved. An ‘Accessible Resource’ equivalent to 12.7GW e (102TWh/y) has been estimated; this excludes physical and institutional constraints. Algorithms have also been developed which help to make predictions about the location of potential biomass-to-energy schemes; about 93 key sites were identified.
Macro or Micro? A Visual Art Exhibition Challenging Our Perceptions of Scale

Macro or Micro? is an exhibition of imagery created through an electron microscope and from satellites. The images are displayed together in a gallery setting where the viewers are asked to determine which are macro images and which are micro images. The micro images capture details that are millimeters or less in size, whereas the macro images capture details that are kilometers or larger in size—a difference in scale of a million times or more. Scale is a mathematical concept relating the distance on a map, or image, to the actual distance on the earth’s surface. Most people have a broad understanding of scale and how it distinctively changes at different levels. The imagery in this exhibition, however, blurs the differences in scale, creating a profoundly confusing sense of scale. The unhinging of scale in Macro or Micro? is created by the nature of patterns, which repeat themselves at different scales. An offshoot from the original exhibition was Macro or Micro? Misinterpreting the Unfamiliar, which w...
Endocytosis is required for exocytosis and priming of respiratory burst activity in human neutrophils

Neutrophil generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is enhanced by exposure to pro-inflammatory agents in a process termed priming. Priming is depending on exocytosis of neutrophil granules and p47phox phosphorylation-dependent translocation of cytosolic NADPH oxidase components. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis was recently reported to be necessary for priming, but the mechanism linking endocytosis to priming was not identified. The present study examined the hypothesis that endocytosis regulates neutrophil priming by controlling granule exocytosis. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis by isolated human neutrophils was inhibited by chlorpromazine, monodansylcadaverine, and sucrose. Exocytosis of granule subsets was measured as release of granule components by ELISA or chemiluminescence. ROS generation was measured as extracellular release of superoxide as reduction of ferrocytochrome c. p38 MAPK activation and p47phox phosphorylation were measured by immunoblot analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using a one-way ANOVA with the Tukey–Kramer multiple-comparison test. Inhibition of endocytosis prevented priming of superoxide release by TNFα and inhibited TNFα stimulation and priming of exocytosis of all four granule subsets. Inhibition of endocytosis did not reduce TNFα-stimulated p38 MAPK activation or p47phox phosphorylation. Inhibition of NADPH oxidase activity blocked TNFα stimulation of secretory vesicle and gelatinase granule exocytosis. Endocytosis is linked to priming of respiratory burst activity through ROS-mediated control of granule exocytosis.
Controlled release of targeted chemotherapeutic drug dabrafenib for melanoma cancers monitored using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy

The advanced skin cancer melanoma, which is primarily caused by the mutation of BRAF gene, has a high mortality rate and requires high doses of chemotherapeutic drugs. To mitigate the drug toxicity to healthy cells and other side effects, the development of alternative modes of treatment has been extensively sought after. Herein, we describe a new targeted drug delivery system with controlled release, based on nanoparticle nanocarriers functionalized with folate and transferrin ligands for recognition of the respective receptors overexpressed in cancer cell membrane. We have investigated the immobilization of a new drug dabrafenib onto the nanocarriers and its controlled release, aided with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy which affords ultra-sensitive in situ measurement ability owing to the high signal amplification, associated with strong plasmonic fields of the nanocarrier gold nanoparticle (AuNP) cores. The nanocarriers were equipped with Raman reporters: mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA) and para-aminothiophenol (PATP) forming a mixed thiolate monolayer shell on AuNPs. The dabrafenib was covalently attached to MBA via an amide bond which is pH sensitive and enables the drug release at lower pH encountered in cancer cells. This arrangement in the drug binding to the nanocarrier protects the dabrafenib amine group against deactivation until the drug release in the target tumor cells.
Governing livelihood and land use transitions: The role of customary tenure in southeastern Morocco

Abstract This article documents how customary land tenure systems mediate transformations of land use and livelihoods in the arid pre-Saharan region of southeast Morocco. Although dominant development paradigms for land governance have begun to recognize customary regimes, development orthodoxy still holds that formalizing rules as part of national property law is essential to ensuring economic growth or effectively governing land use and livelihood transformations. Our research in southeastern Morocco indicates that customary tenure regimes play a central role in managing such transformations in the absence of effective formal property frameworks. Extended ethnographic fieldwork in the Mgoun Valley of Tinghir province established the trajectory of rural livelihoods, migration, and land use in the latter half of the 20th Century. Additionally, the authors conducted a survey with 306 households in the Mgoun Valley, documenting income, asset, and livelihood profiles of households today; the survey produced demographic, livelihood, and asset profiles of these same households in the early 1960 s. The results confirm a marked shift from pastoralism to other land uses and livelihoods at the household level in the last half-century. The household-level data also show how the “invisible rules” embedded in customary tenure regimes shape livelihood and land use options available to different households. Unformalized tenure rights in collectively-owned land and breakdowns in customary resource management regimes under global economic pressures are often seen—in Morocco and other parts of the world—as producing chaotic or unsustainable land use change. However, this research shows that customary land tenure may, in fact, actively manage such change using rules that may be invisible to formal data collection and policy-making institutions, but are not invisible to the people negotiating these dynamic rule systems.
A Narrative of Exclusion

The title of this chapter is descriptive of a process by which Simon and Lawrence and Elizabeth, in their roles as his parents, were incrementally segregated and eventually excluded from the Chesed community. The process of segregating Simon and his parents involved both conceptual and physical segregation. While many of the experiences that comprise this narrative were shared by Lawrence and Simon, this is Elizabeth’s story. She is the main speaker and the narrative follows her line of thought. It serves her purposes and represents her choices. The events she chooses to include and to focus on are expressive of the ways in which the overall experience has marked her. Also the specific experiences and categories of experiences she chooses to include are informed by her purposes as a storyteller. The context provided by my and her purposes behind our participation in this project strongly mediate the content. Therefore, the theme of this chapter, that it is a narrative of exclusion, is a co-construction of mine, in that I have chosen to frame it in this way, and also of Elizabeth, as it is her story. In this sense, we are co-authors.
Robotic Rectus Muscle Flap for Reconstruction in the Pelvis

Robotic surgery has gained increasingly wide acceptance, particularly in the fields of colorectal surgery, gynecology, and urology, when working deep in the pelvis . The improved visualization, ability to use multiple arms, and precise maneuverability have made the robot increasingly valuable for surgery in this area. Surgeries in the pelvis can be particularly difficult and are often associated with a history of previous radiation when performed for low-lying rectal tumors or rectovaginal/colovesical fistulas. In the case of abdominoperineal resection, the radiated rectal vault is left as a noncompressible open space leading down to the radiated perineum, which has a high rate of wound healing complications. Fistula repairs are often associated with significant loss of the posterior vaginal surface and, even if these can be closed primarily, will also have high rates of recurrence and wound healing problems secondary to the radiated tissues. In these cases, reconstruction of the defect with a muscle flap can significantly improve healing and decrease the risk of major complications by bringing in well-vascularized tissue to fill the defect and/or bolster the repair. This chapter presents the novel technique of robotically harvesting the rectus abdominis muscle flap from an intraperitoneal approach to reconstruct these defects. The recommended postoperative care is presented, and a discussion of the potential complications is described.
Relationship Between the Efficacy of Cardiac Cell Therapy and the Inhibition of Differentiation of Human iPSC-Derived Nonmyocyte Cardiac Cells Into Myofibroblast-Like Cells.

Rationale: Myofibroblasts are believed to evolve from precursor cells; however, whether noncardiomyocyte cardiac cells (NMCCs; ie, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, pericytes, and fibroblasts...
Using perceived benefits to segment residential landscape irrigation users

Abstract Water scarcity has become an increasingly complex problem and urban residential landscapes represent a space where conservation practices can make an impact on this limited resource. Water conservation behavior change campaigns are hindered by a lack of understanding of the social dimensions surrounding residents' landscape decisions. To better understand this important audience, we conducted a quantitative national research study examining perceived benefits of the home landscape, landscape water conservation practices, and personal characteristics of home irrigation users. We used principal component analysis to create six dimensions of perceived urban landscape benefits: family, recreation and aesthetic; food and grocery; health and environment; social; monetary; and privacy. We used cluster analysis to divide respondents into three segments which we labelled high benefits/high conservation, moderate benefits/mixed conservation, and low benefits/low conservation. We found those who belonged to the high benefits/high conservation segment perceived the greatest benefits from their landscape/outdoor space and had the highest current and future water saving practices compared to the other groups. Conversely, those who belonged to the low benefits/low conservation segment had the lowest current and future water saving practices as compared to other groups. The presence of homeowners’ association rewards was related to greater likelihood of engaging in water conservation practices as the high benefits/high conservation segment had a greater possibility of receiving rewards compared to other two segments. Based on these findings, people who work on urban landscape issues could group their clientele into these segments to develop targeted strategies that can effectively influence water saving practices and behavior change among urban residents.
Sentio ergo sum: House paint as politics of the radically mundane:

According to one view, the rise of ocular-centrism in the West has reduced the faculty of vision to the cognitive, eliding the sensory aspect of seeing. But there is an important way in which visua...
Supplemental thiamine for the treatment of acute heart failure syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if a definitive clinical trial of thiamine supplementation was warranted in patients with acute heart failure. We hypothesized that thiamine, when added to standard of care, would improve dyspnea (primary outcome) in hospitalized patients with acute heart failure. Peak expiratory flow rate, type B natriuretic peptide, free fatty acids, glucose, hospital length of stay, as well as 30-day rehospitalization and mortality were pre-planned secondary outcome measures. This was a blinded experimental study at two urban academic hospitals. Consecutive patients admitted from the Emergency Department with a primary diagnosis of acute heart failure were recruited over 2 years. Patients on a daily dietary supplement were excluded. Randomization was stratified by type B natriuretic peptide and diabetes medication categories. Subjects received study drug (100 mg thiamine or placebo) in the evening of their first and second day. Outcome measures were obtained 8 h after study drug infusion. Dyspnea was measured on a 100-mm visual analog scale sitting up on oxygen, sitting up off oxygen, and lying supine off oxygen with 0 indicating no dyspnea. Data were analyzed using mixed-models as well as linear, negative binomial and logistic regression models to assess the impact of group on outcome measures. Of 130 subjects randomized, 118 had evaluable data (55 in the control and 63 in the treatment groups), 89% in both groups were adjudicated to have primarily AHF. Thiamine values increased significantly in the treatment group and were unchanged in the control group. One patient had thiamine deficiency. Only dyspnea measured sitting upright on oxygen differed significantly by group over time. No change was found for the other measures of dyspnea and all of the secondary measures. In mild-moderate acute heart failure patients without thiamine deficiency, a standard dosing regimen of thiamine did not improve dyspnea, biomarkers, or other clinical parameters. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00680706 , May 20, 2008 (retrospectively registered).
A pilot prospective study of sleep patterns and DNA methylation-characterized epigenetic aging in young adults.

Molecular markers in DNA methylation at a subset of CpG sites are affected by the environment and contribute to biological (epigenetic) age. We hypothesized that shorter sleep duration and possibly irregular sleep would be associated with accelerated epigenetic aging. We examined epigenetic vs. chronological age in 12 young women selected as shorter or longer sleepers studied prospectively across the first 9 weeks of college using a daily online sleep log. Genomic DNA was isolated from two blood samples spanning the interval, and DNA methylation levels were determined and used to measure epigenetic age. Epigenetic vs. chronological age differences averaged 2.07 at Time 1 and 1.21 at Time 2. Sleep duration was computed as average daily total sleep time and sleep regularity was indexed using the Sleep Regularity Index. Participants with longer and more regular sleep showed reduced age difference: mean = − 2.48 [95% CI − 6.11; 1.15]; those with shorter and more irregular sleep showed an increased age difference: 3.03 [0.02; 6.03]; and those with either shorter or more irregular sleep averaged no significant change: − 0.49 [− 3.55; 2.56]. These pilot data suggest that short and irregular sleep, even in a young healthy sample, may be associated with accelerated epigenetic aging.
Three-dimensional modeling and comparison of nasal flap designs.

Few studies exist that compare local flap repair designs either mathematically or clinically. Previous mathematical studies use a two-dimensional modeling approach, which is not suited to complex structures like the nose. To quantitatively analyze and compare flap designs for nasal repair using three-dimensional, photographic models. via a three-dimensional imaging system (Vectra M3, Canfield Scientific, Parsippany, NJ, USA), images were captured of actual post-Mohs nasal defects on 12 consecutive patients. Transposition, rotation, and advancement flap designs were designed and assessed based on tissue efficiency (Et = SAwound/(SAwound + SAtrimmed) × 100), suture efficiency (Es = SAwound/Lengthsutured × 100), total area undermined, combined 1° and 2° flap motion efficiency (Efm = SAwound/(SAundermined − (SAwound + SAtrimmed)) × 100), incision efficiency (Ei = SAwound/lengthincision × 100), and undermining efficiency (Eu = SAwound/SAundermined × 100). Rotation flap designs are the most tissue efficient (p < 0.001). Transposition designs are the least suture efficient (p = 0.012) and require less undermining than the corresponding rotation flaps (although not statistically significant). Advancement flaps have the highest flap motion efficiency (p = 0.027). Incision and undermining efficiency is equivalent between all three designs (p = 0.308 and p = 0.158, respectively). While statistically significant differences exist between the flaps studied, the clinical significance is unknown. Consequently, the choice in repair design should be made based on its ability to attain a functionally and aesthetically successful reconstruction.
The 5-Item Modified Frailty Index Predicts Adverse Outcomes in Trauma

Abstract Background The 5-item modified frailty index (mFI-5) has been shown to predict adverse outcomes in surgery; yet, its role in trauma patients is unclear. We hypothesized that increasing frailty, as indicated by increasing mFI-5 scores, would correlate with worse outcomes and greater mortality in trauma patients. Methods We performed a retrospective review of patients captured by our 2018 Spring and Fall Trauma Quality Improvement Program registry. The mFI-5 was calculated by assigning one point for each comorbidity present: diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and functionally dependent health status. Outcomes included complications, length of stay, mortality, and discharge location. Results A total of 3364 patients were included; 68.0% (n = 2288) were not frail, 16.5% (n = 555) were moderately frail, and 15.5% (n = 521) were severely frail. Higher frailty scores were associated with greater rates of unplanned intubations (P Conclusions Frailty is not only associated with longer hospitalizations but also with more complications, adverse discharge locations, and increased odds of mortality. The mFI-5 is a quick and intuitive tool that can be used to determine an individual's frailty at the time of admission.