cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An autoradiographic study of the time of final division of neurons in rat hypothalamic nuclei.

An autoradiographic study of the development of 26 nuclei in the rat hypothalamus was made by injecting pregnant rats on different days of pregnancy with tritiated thymidine. The offspring were killed postnatally and the day of gestation on which peak percentages of heavily labeled neurons occurred was considered to be the birthdate of that nucleus. Postnatal animals for the first nine days were injected and were also included in the study. Laterally placed nuclei were found to arise on the fourteenth day of gestation while medial nuclei, in general, arose on day 16. Final cell divisions occurred over a period of time but the majority took place on the days indicated. Apparently a lateromedial gradient exists in the hypothalamus, and possibly a dorsoventral gradient.
Expression of CXC Chemokine Ligand 10 from the Mouse Hepatitis Virus Genome Results in Protection from Viral-Induced Neurological and Liver Disease

Using the recombinant murine coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) expressing the T cell-chemoattractant CXCL10 (MHV-CXCL10), we demonstrate a potent antiviral role for CXCL10 in host defense. Instillation of MHV-CXCL10 into the CNS of CXCL10-deficient (CXCL10−/−) mice resulted in viral infection and replication in both brain and liver. Expression of virally encoded CXCL10 within the brain protected mice from death and correlated with increased infiltration of T lymphocytes, enhanced IFN-γ secretion, and accelerated viral clearance when compared with mice infected with an isogenic control virus, MHV. Similarly, viral clearance from the livers of MHV-CXCL10-infected mice was accelerated in comparison to MHV-infected mice, yet was independent of enhanced infiltration of T lymphocytes and NK cells. Moreover, CXCL10−/− mice infected with MHV-CXCL10 were protected from severe hepatitis as evidenced by reduced pathology and serum alanine aminotransferase levels compared with MHV-infected mice. CXCL10-mediated protection within the liver was not dependent on CXC-chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) signaling as anti-CXCR2 treatment of MHV-CXCL10-infected mice did not modulate viral clearance or liver pathology. In contrast, treatment of MHV-CXCL10-infected CXCL10−/− mice with anti-CXCL10 Ab resulted in increased clinical disease correlating with enhanced viral recovery from the brain and liver as well as increased serum alanine aminotransferase levels. These studies highlight that CXCL10 expression promotes protection from coronavirus-induced neurological and liver disease.
Towards a low-loss, ultra-low drive voltage silicon-polymer hybrid electro-optic modulator

New designs for silicon-polymer hybrid slot waveguide based electro-optic modulators are presented, along with new device results for ring and MZI based modulators and for slot waveguides. We also present a novel, non-contact poling method.
Randomization Inference in the Regression Discontinuity Design: An Application to Party Advantages in the U.S. Senate

In the Regression Discontinuity (RD) design, units are assigned a treatment based on whether their value of an observed covariate is above or below a fixed cutoff. Under the assumption that the distribution of potential confounders changes continuously around the cutoff, the discontinuous jump in the probability of treatment assignment can be used to identify the treatment effect. Although a recent strand of the RD literature advocates interpreting this design as a local randomized experiment, the standard approach to estimation and inference is based solely on continuity assumptions that do not justify this interpretation. In this article, we provide precise conditions in a randomization inference context under which this interpretation is directly justified and develop exact finite-sample inference procedures based on them. Our randomization inference framework is motivated by the observation that only a few observations might be available close enough to the threshold where local randomization is plausible, and hence standard large-sample procedures may be suspect. Our proposed methodology is intended as a complement and a robustness check to standard RD inference approaches. We illustrate our framework with a study of two measures of party-level advantage in U.S. Senate elections, where the number of close races is small and our framework is well suited for the empirical analysis.
Psychology and the search for extraterrestial intelligence

Recent developments in the physical and biological sciences have furthered the hypothesis that intelligent life forms exist outside of our solar system and have prompted a number of programs intended to confirm such life forms' existence. The proposed field of exopsychology would involve the forecast, study, and interpretation of the cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of extraterrestrial organisms. Exopsychological research would encompass search, contact, and post-contact activities, and would include study and work with humans as well as with any extraterrestrials that might be encountered. Exopsychologists can learn from and facilitate the search process, gain an increased understanding of animal and human behavior on Earth, and help searchers, their sponsors, and the public in dealing with positive or negative search outcomes.
Analysis of satisfaction and well-being in the short follow-up from breast augmentation using the BREAST-Q, a validated survey instrument.

Background: Improvements in satisfaction and quality of life following breast augmentation have been shown in the literature. However, few studies have used validated survey instruments. The BREAST-Q is a strong and validated questionnaire for breast augmentation. Objective: The authors implement the BREAST-Q to analyze patient-reported satisfaction and quality of life following breast augmentation. Methods: In this prospective study, all patients who underwent breast augmentation with a single surgeon (AT) between January 2008 and May 2009 were asked to fill out BREAST-Q surveys anonymously during the preoperative and 6-week postoperative periods. Statistical analysis was performed and a P value of <.05 was considered significant. Results: Of the 155 patients who underwent breast augmentation during the study time period, 59 (38%) completed the preoperative survey and 70 (45%) completed the postoperative survey. Significant improvements were seen for satisfaction with breast appearance ( P < .001), psychosocial well-being ( P < .001), and sexual well-being ( P < .01) between pre- and postoperative surveys. Conversely, a significant decrease was seen in the physical well-being category ( P < .001). Satisfaction with overall outcomes most strongly correlated to satisfaction with appearance of breasts ( r = 0.8) and less strongly with psychosocial well-being and sexual well-being ( r = 0.6). No correlation was found between satisfaction with overall outcomes and physical well-being ( r = 0.0). Conclusions: As the implementation of evidence-based medicine continues to grow in everyday practice, there is increasing pressure to use validated survey instruments to demonstrate patient-reported outcomes. In this study, the authors have shown that breast augmentation significantly improves satisfaction with breast appearance, psychosocial well-being, and sexual well-being and that overall satisfaction is most strongly correlated with breast appearance satisfaction.
Longitudinal trends in food cravings following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in an adolescent sample

This is the author's accepted manuscript. Made available by the permission of the publisher.
Advances in therapeutic development for spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a leading genetic cause of infant mortality. The disease originates from low levels of SMN protein due to deletion and/or mutations of SMN1 coupled with the inability of SMN2 to compensate for the loss of SMN1. While SMN1 and SMN2 are nearly identical, SMN2 predominantly generates a truncated protein (SMNΔ7) due to skipping of exon 7, the last coding exon. Several avenues for SMA therapy are being explored, including means to enhance SMN2 transcription, correct SMN2 exon 7 splicing, stabilize SMN/SMNΔ7 protein, manipulate SMN-regulated pathways and SMN1 gene delivery by viral vectors. This review focuses on the aspects of target discovery, validations and outcome measures for a promising therapy of SMA.
PKCα-Mediated Signals Regulate the Motile Responses of Cochlear Outer Hair Cells

There is strong evidence that changes in the actin/spectrin-based cortical cytoskeleton of outer hair cells (OHCs) regulate their motile responses as well as cochlear amplification, the process that optimizes the sensitivity and frequency selectivity of the mammalian inner ear. Since a RhoA/protein kinase C (PKC)-mediated pathway is known to inhibit the actin-spectrin interaction in other cell models, we decided to investigate whether this signaling cascade could also participate in the regulation of OHC motility. We used high-speed video microscopy and confocal microscopy to explore the effects of pharmacological activation of PKCα, PKCβI, PKCβII, PKCδ, PKCe, and PKCζ with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and their inhibition with bisindolylmaleimide I, as well as inhibition of RhoA and Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) with C3 and Y-27632, respectively. Motile responses were induced in isolated guinea pig OHCs by stimulation with an 8 V/cm external alternating electrical field as 50 Hz bursts of square wave pulses (100 ms on/off). We found that LPA increased expression of PKCα and PKCζ only, with PKCα, but not PKCζ, phosphorylating the cytoskeletal protein adducin of both Ser-726 and Thr-445. Interestingly, however, inhibition of PKCα reduced adducin phosphorylation only at Ser-726. We also determined that LPA activation of a PKCα-mediated signaling pathway simultaneously enhanced OHC electromotile amplitude and cell shortening, and facilitated RhoA/ROCK/LIMK1-mediated cofilin phosphorylation. Altogether, our results suggest that PKCα-mediated signals, probably via adducin-mediated inhibition of actin-spectrin binding and cofilin-mediated depolymerization of actin filaments, play an essential role in the homeostatic regulation of OHC motility and cochlear amplification.
Is fibromuscular dysplasia underdiagnosed? A comparison of the prevalence of FMD seen in CORAL trial participants versus a single institution population of renal donor candidates

Renal artery fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) may be underdiagnosed. We evaluated the prevalence of FMD in CORAL (Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions) renal artery stent trial participants, in which FMD was an exclusion criterion for inclusion. We also evaluated the prevalence of FMD in a relatively healthy population of patients undergoing computed tomographic angiographic (CTA) screening for renal donor evaluation. All renal donor CTAs performed at our institution from January 2003 through November 2011 were retrospectively reviewed for the presence of FMD along with patient sex and age. These results were compared to angiographic core lab (ACL) findings for the CORAL trial. The CORAL ACL database contained 997 patients (mean age 69.3 years; 50% female). Fifty-eight (5.8%) CORAL trial patients (mean age 71.8 years; 75.9% female) demonstrated incidental FMD. The renal donor cohort included 220 patients (mean age 40.5 years; 64.5% female). Five (2.3%) demonstrated FMD (mean age 48.6 years; all female). The odds of FMD in the CORAL cohort were 2.65 times that seen in the renal donor cohort (95% CI: 1.12, 7.57). In C: onclusion, the 5.8% prevalence of renal artery FMD in the CORAL trial population, the presence of which was biased against, suggests underdiagnosis.
Bullying has a potential role in pediatric lower urinary tract symptoms.

Purpose: National statistics estimate that a quarter of American school children are regularly bullied, making this issue the main parental concern and the leading form of school violence. To our knowledge no study in the literature has examined the association of bullying with lower urinary tract symptoms. We evaluated the relationship between being bullied and lower urinary tract symptoms in the pediatric population.Materials and Methods: We accrued 100 patients from a pediatric urology practice in prospective case-control fashion. The degree of lower urinary tract symptoms was determined by the voiding severity score obtained by a single pediatric urologist. Using the Peer Relations Questionnaire and a thermometer scale we surveyed participants for evidence of victimization from bullying and school related anxiety. We then correlated voiding symptom severity with the degree of bullying.Results: After applying our study exclusion criteria we examined and analyzed data on 38 control children without lowe...
The Formation of β, 1 → 4 Glucan from UDP-α-d-Glucose Catalyzed by a Phaseolus aureus Enzyme

Particulate enzyme preparations from Phaseolus aureus hypocotyls catalyze the formation of an alkali insoluble β, 1 → 4 linked [ 14 C]-glucan using UDP-α-d [ 14 C]-glucose as substrate. Particulate enzymes prepared from root tissue also catalyzed the production of β, 1 → 4 glucan. UDP-β-d-[ 14 C]-glucose would not serve as a substrate for these enzymes. The presence or absence of β, 1 → 4 glucan synthetase activity was independent of tissue source, substrate concentration, or homogenization method. The particulate enzyme also catalyzes the formation of a β, 1 → 3 linked glucan from UDP-d glucose which is usually soluble in hot alkali. The solubility of the β, 1 → 3[ 14 C]-glucan decreased when the enzyme was obtained from hypocotyls germinated at a higher temperature. The water-soluble material resulting from the catalyzed reaction includes a large proportion of what appears to be [ 14 C]-laminaribiose, and smaller proportions of [ 14 C]-laminaritriose and [ 14 C]-glucose. There is no detectable quantity of [ 14 C]-cellobiose or [ 14 C]-cellotriose in the water-soluble material.
ALK5-Mediated Transforming Growth Factor β Signaling in Neural Crest Cells Controls Craniofacial Muscle Development via Tissue-Tissue Interactions

The development of the craniofacial muscles requires reciprocal interactions with surrounding craniofacial tissues that originate from cranial neural crest cells (CNCCs). However, the molecular mechanism involved in the tissue-tissue interactions between CNCCs and muscle progenitors during craniofacial muscle development is largely unknown. In the current study, we address how CNCCs regulate the development of the tongue and other craniofacial muscles using Wnt1-Cre; Alk5(fl/fl) mice, in which loss of Alk5 in CNCCs results in severely disrupted muscle formation. We found that Bmp4 is responsible for reduced proliferation of the myogenic progenitor cells in Wnt1-Cre; Alk5(fl/fl) mice during early myogenesis. In addition, Fgf4 and Fgf6 ligands were reduced in Wnt1-Cre; Alk5(fl/fl) mice and are critical for differentiation of the myogenic cells. Addition of Bmp4 or Fgf ligands rescues the proliferation and differentiation defects in the craniofacial muscles of Alk5 mutant mice in vitro. Taken together, our results indicate that CNCCs play critical roles in controlling craniofacial myogenic proliferation and differentiation through tissue-tissue interactions.
The dual component theory of inhibition regulation: A new model of self-control

Abstract Self-control is one of the most extensively studied topics in psychology and the resource or ego depletion model is one of the most popular. Although evidence supports some aspects of this model, other evidence is problematic for the notion that self-control is a limited resource. Herein, a new theory is proposed: the Dual Component Theory of Inhibition Regulation (DCTIR). The following paper will highlight key issues in self-control, describe the DCTIR, demonstrate how the DCTIR can account for the existing body of findings concerning limits to self-control, and provide novel predictions and avenues for further research.
Isocyanate Exposure Below Analytical Detection When a Paint Brush and Roller Are Used to Apply Moisture-Cure Polyurethane Paint

Isocyanate exposure is known to be hazardous when polyurethane paints are applied with a spray gun, but less is known of exposure when paint is applied with a paint brush and roller. Concentrations of 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) monomer and three HDI polymers were assessed when two moisture-cure polyurethane paints containing 31-35% isocyanates were applied with a paint roller and brush. Short-term 15-min samples were taken during paint application in an indoor test environment with no ventilation (n= 12); in an outdoor test environment (n= 11); and in an outdoor in-situ assessment (n= 22). The outdoor in-situ assessment involved the painting of a bus shelter and light poles at a public transit station over two night shifts. All isocyanate samples were below analytical detection. The analytical limits of detection for HDI monomer, HDI biuret, HDI isocyanurate, and HDI uretdione were 0.005, 0.84, 0.87, and 0.88 µg, respectively. The finding that isocyanate concentrations were below detection is attributed to the use of paint roller and brush which minimize paint aerosolization and the paint formulation itself which contained <1% of volatile HDI monomer.
GENO-36GLIOMA SPHERE-FORMING CELLS REVEAL INTRINSIC GLOBAL HYPERMETHYLATION ASSOCIATED WITH GBM RADIATION RESISTANCE

Glioma sphere-forming cells (GSCs) are important models for understanding glioma biology and development of novel therapies. We performed clonogenic assays to explore the relationship between methylation status and radiation response in twelve IDH wild type GSCs irradiated with 2-, 4-, and 6-Gy ionizing γ-radiation. The survival fraction at 4Gy and 6Gy (SF4 and SF6, respectively) was used to dichotomize GSCs as either radiation-sensitive or resistant. Seven (out of 12, 58%) GSCs were sensitive to radiation and five (out of 12, 42%) were resistant with SF4 > 30% and SF6 > 10%. DNA CpG methylomes of the GSCs were profiled using Illumina Infinium 450K methylation bead arrays. We observed that 304,458 out of 465,844 methylation probes (65.4%) showed increased methylation in radiation-resistant GSCs relative to radiation-sensitive GSCs (Fisher Test p-value < 1e-15). This translated to significant increases in DNA methylation of the promoter regions of 17,735 out of 21,214 (83.6%) genes in radiation-resistant compared to radiation-sensitive GSCs. RNA sequencing of the GSCs showed that 57% of genes were expressed at lower levels in radiation-resistant relative to radiation-sensitive GSCs. Through GSEA, we observed that fifteen of sixteen oxidative stress genes were methylated in radiation-resistant GSCs (p-value = 0.019), suggesting an association between radiation-resistance and reactive oxygen species metabolism (ROS). To validate our finding, we derived a methylation signature from the two GSC radiation response groups and used this to classify TCGA cases that received radiotherapy into a responders and non-responders group. We found that survival was significantly different between the two groups (median survival 84 vs. 61 weeks; HR 1.64 adjusting for patient age, p-value < 0.008), suggesting that a methylation signature could be used to predict clinical response to radiation treatment. Our study shows that GSCs can be used to determine clinical and functional properties of GBM.
The Roles of District and National Opinion in 2010 Congressional Campaign Agendas

A primary goal of congressional elections is to create a link between constituent opinion and representative behavior. Explanations of congressional campaign agendas, however, have focused on national measures of issue salience and ownership, ignoring opinion within districts. Moreover, no study has systematically assessed the relative influence of issue salience and ownership. This article seeks to address these gaps using several public opinion surveys and a content analysis of 2010 House campaign websites. The analysis demonstrates significant across-district variation in citizens’ priorities and preferences, yet finds no discernible relationship between district opinion and campaign issue agendas. In contrast, the analysis suggests that campaign issue emphasis is positively associated with the issue’s national salience and party ownership, but salience appears to be the stronger predictor. Together, the results suggest that the 2010 candidates used their campaign issue agendas to forge a national stra...
Effect of Display Design and Situation Complexity on Operator Performance

The U.S. Navy is currently developing its next-generation cruise missile, the Tactical Tomahawk, which improves upon current versions by its ability to be retargeted in flight against emergent time-critical targets. In this study, we developed an advanced operator interface prototype for monitoring, controlling and retargeting the Tactical Tomahawk missile and empirically tested the effect of mission complexity on the ability of shipboard operators to maintain situational awareness in various operational scenarios. The first phase of research involved a domain analysis of three primary domains: the weapon system; time-critical decisionmaking; and principles of interface design. The second phase was a concurrent Cognitive Work/Task Analysis (CW/TA) and scenario development effort. The third phase was interface component design followed by complete prototype implementation. In the final phase, we trained and tested twenty graduate students on the dynamic and interactive prototype, based on hypotheses pertai...
Mechanisms and Disease Associations of Haplotype-Dependent Allele-Specific DNA Methylation

Haplotype-dependent allele-specific methylation (hap-ASM) can impact disease susceptibility, but maps of this phenomenon using stringent criteria in disease-relevant tissues remain sparse. Here we apply array-based and Methyl-Seq approaches to multiple human tissues and cell types, including brain, purified neurons and glia, T lymphocytes, and placenta, and identify 795 hap-ASM differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and 3,082 strong methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs), most not previously reported. More than half of these DMRs have cell type-restricted ASM, and among them are 188 hap-ASM DMRs and 933 mQTLs located near GWAS signals for immune and neurological disorders. Targeted bis-seq confirmed hap-ASM in 12/13 loci tested, including CCDC155, CD69 , FRMD1 , IRF1, KBTBD11 , and S100A ∗ -ILF2 , associated with immune phenotypes, MYT1L, PTPRN2, CMTM8 and CELF2 , associated with neurological disorders, NGFR and HLA-DRB6 , associated with both immunological and brain disorders, and ZFP57 , a trans -acting regulator of genomic imprinting. Polymorphic CTCF and transcription factor (TF) binding sites were over-represented among hap-ASM DMRs and mQTLs, and analysis of the human data, supplemented by cross-species comparisons to macaques, indicated that CTCF and TF binding likelihood predicts the strength and direction of the allelic methylation asymmetry. These results show that hap-ASM is highly tissue specific; an important trans -acting regulator of genomic imprinting is regulated by this phenomenon; and variation in CTCF and TF binding sites is an underlying mechanism, and maps of hap-ASM and mQTLs reveal regulatory sequences underlying supra- and sub-threshold GWAS peaks in immunological and neurological disorders.
Leiomyosarcoma of the prepuce.

Abstract The first reported case of leiomyosarcoma of the prepuce treated with wide circumcision is presented.
Chiari II Malformation

The theories of the basic embryological defect that lead to the Chiari II malformation are reviewed and a unified theory proposed from the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The Laboratory for Oculo-Cerebrospinal Investigation, The Children’s Memorial Medical Center and Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL.
Post-Traumatic Seizures

Factors influencing the occurrence of post-traumatic seizures in 92 of 937 children with head injuries (9.8%) were studied in the Division of Neurosurgery, Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois.
Understanding the Early Childhood Education Policies in Pacific Islands

The practice of early childhood care and education (ECCE) has been in some form throughout the Pacific Island countries (PICs) – Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu – for decades. However, ECCE continues to be community based, privately run initiatives with little government oversight. In this chapter, we introduce a summary of the historical background of ECCE in PIC with a summary of the Pacific Guidelines for the Development of National Quality Frameworks for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE): Programming for Ages 3–5 (to be henceforth referred to as the Pacific Guidelines) as the way to analyze each country in the Pacific region on the five system components or guidelines in terms of accessibility, affordability, accountability, social justice, and sustainability (3A2S) framework. Specifically, the Pacific Guidelines resonates with the education ministers’ regional Pacific Education Development Framework (PEDF) indicators. A recent “stock-take” baseline was conducted using the most recent data obtained from each country. While examining how the region can continue supporting ECCE, we will analyze how these components can help the aforementioned countries address accessibility, affordability, accountability, sustainability, and social justice.
SYRIZA’s Populist Illusions

Eleven articles discuss SYRIZA’s populist politics starting from its first election in 2015, making predictions about what will happen in Greece and Europe after it and discussing the problem of populism to liberal democracy. Greece isn’t Europe and Europe isn’t Greece. The Greeks have become victims of SYRIZA’s illusions and voted ‘No’ to the so-called Greferendum offering a symbolic victory to SYRIZA, which won’t change the inevitable acceptance of a new bailout. This so-called aGreekment won’t lead to the rise of the neo-Nazi party XA, but a left alternative to Europe is also impossible. Tsipras’ victory in the new elections will barely change Greek politics, as it is the first post-Memorandum election and the last in which Tsipras will not be held responsible for previous policies. Now part of that politics is in Tsipras’ hands and he faces the choice of which PASOK he wants to transform SYRIZA into. A year later, Greece is more isolated than ever before.
SARA: a mobile app to engage users in health data collection

Despite the recent progress in sensor technologies, many relevant health data can be only captured with manual input (e.g., food intake, stress appraisal, subjective emotion, substance use). A common problem of manual logging is that users often disengage within a short time because of high burden. In this work, we propose SARA, a novel app to engage users with ongoing tracking using timely rewards thereby reinforcing users for data input. SARA is developed for adolescents and emerging adults at risk for substance abuse. The rewards in SARA are designed to be developmentally and culturally appropriate to the target demographic and are theoretically grounded in the behavioral science literature. In this paper, we describe SARA and its rewards to increase data collection. We also briefly discuss future plans to evaluate SARA and develop just in time adaptive interventions for engagement and behavior change.
Suffering, Compassion, and Care

Eric Cassell has suggested that “no matter how optimistic the diagnosis nor how minimal the disease seems, [patients] may ultimately suffer... The test of a system of medicine should be its adequacy in the face of suffering” ([10], pp. vii, 238). I believe Cassell is correct in both his descriptive assessment and normative recommendation, and I want to explore the implications of this perspective for the establishment of a clinical ethic. The daily encounter of health care professionals with patients who experience protracted pain, suffering, and agony raises a range of pressing questions about the experience of suffering and the appropriate response of health care professionals towards it. How should the nature of the medical and nursing arts and sciences best be construed in light of the unrelenting suffering clinicians often see in their patients? Is there any connection between the substance of treatment rendered and the attitude with which that task is carried out? Is there a difference between treating an illness or disease, and responding to patient suffering? What is the best way to approach, understand, communicate with, and treat suffering patients? What degree of detachment and intimacy is most efficacious for patient and caregiver? In situations where one is unable to realize fully the aspirations of one’s vocation, what principles should guide necessary compromises? Can health care professionals justify giving less than comprehensive care and treatment to a patient in the face of the demands and interests of other persons?
Perioperative Management of Head and Neck Burns

Burn injury is a devastating, life changing event that can forever change a patient's life. The injury can involve significant trauma, associated injuries, disfigurement, and psychological consequences. Care of this special patient population requires a multispecialty approach. This chapter will discuss the pathophysiology as well as burn classification. There will be a focused discussion on the surgical and supportive management of these complex patients.
Program Impact Estimation with Binary Outcome Variables: Monte Carlo Results for Alternative Estimators and Empirical Examples

A frequent challenge in program impact estimation, and causal modeling more generally, is estimation of the effect of a binary endogenous variable on a binary outcome of interest. We report results from Monte Carlo experiments designed to assess the performance of estimators frequently applied in this circumstance. Many rely on an instrumental variables identification strategy and in those instances our central interest is the overidentified case. Even when identification is technically achieved by functional form, it is widely perceived that instruments generate more credible identification. Our focus is on widely used models available in the popular STATA statistical software package, but we also evaluate a semi-parametric instrumental variables random effects model not yet available in STATA. The parameters of interest in these experiments are program impact, test statistics assessing endogeneity and overidentification tests. We consider performance under alternative behavioral circumstances by varying distributional assumptions for unobservables, instrument strength levels, sample sizes, and impact magnitudes. Some models turn in a somewhat disappointing performance. Those that rely on joint normality for identification are not particularly robust to error misspecification, raising questions about whether they should be preferred to the semi-parametric estimator (regardless of comparative ease of estimation) or even to simple single equation models that ignore endogeneity. We provide examples of the methods using data from Bangladesh and Tanzania.
Nurses and Human Subjects Research during the Third Reich and Now

While the roles of nurses in the crimes of National Socialism have not been as well studied as the roles of physicians, nurses both carried out the orders of physicians to kill their patients and personally selected and killed patients in the “euthanasia” programs. Nurses also participated in human subjects research in the concentration camps. For example, prisoner-nurses were assistants to Drs. Horst Schumann and Carl Clauberg in their sterilization experiments in Auschwitz. Interviews with two of these assistants and one subject of the experiments form the basis for the first part of this chapter. Nurses employed by the SS (Schutzstaffel) assisted with the wound infection experiments and pharmaceutical studies at Ravensbruck concentration camp. Several were tried after the war and were hanged or sentenced to prison.
Empowering young innovators.

![Figure][1] Experimenting with light can reveal the limits of human perception. PHOTO: THOMAS SANCHEZ LENGELING We are surrounded by a group of high school and college students in Merida, Mexico, in a classroom that is completely dark except for beams of colored light. We are using a black box full of LEDs to irradiate colored objects with a specific frequency of light. One student manipulates the dial on the box, and the beams gradually shift from a monochromatic deep red to bright blue to pure white. With this tool, called an iLuminator, we can explore the limitations of human vision. Students learn that light consists of a continuum of different wavelengths and that our perception of color is constrained by our three different types of color receptors. One student comments that some objects that she perceives as orange under ambient light brightly reflect both red and green spectral light, revealing their “true” color spectrum. T.S.L.—a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)—and Martin Zumaya—a physics graduate student in Mexico—were paired to collaborate on this workshop by Science Clubs International (SCI) ([ 1 ][2]). For 4 months in 2016, we worked together to design our workshop. We successfully combined T.S.L.'s engineering background and experience abroad in the United States with Martin's physics expertise and knowledge about the resources available in Mexico. After demonstrating the iLuminator, we show the students how to take pictures with a hyperspectral camera, which can identify spectral characteristics that are not visible to the naked eye, and then process the images with a python script. It is gratifying to see the students' expressions when they see a black-and-white representation of ultraviolet light reflected from a butterfly's wings for the first time. The students immediately begin to tweak their image analysis code, coming up with their own ways to dynamically display higher dimensional color data on their computer screens. Over the years, we've taught similar workshops in Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia, Spain, and at MIT. We have seen the impact that the SCI program has on the lives of students, instructors, and local collaborators. Many alumni students have gone on to participate in summer research programs, and the program has sparked collaborations among instructors and fostered an international network of young scientists. By connecting talented youth in developing countries with mentors, SCI's workshops and collaborations have the potential to empower and nurture the next generation of scientists and innovators. 1. [↵][3]Science Clubs International ([www.scienceclubsint.org][4]). Acknowledgments: The authors thank Frank Wilczek, MIT, and SCI team members for their contributions to the SCI program. [1]: pending:yes [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [4]: http://www.scienceclubsint.org
Potential Energy Implications of Connected and Automated Vehicles: Exploring Key Leverage Points through Scenario Screening and Analysis:

Connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies could transform the transportation system over the coming decades, but face vehicle and systems engineering challenges, as well as technological, ...
Removing TMS Artifacts from EEG Recordings Using a Deep Gated Recurrent Unit

The combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) provides a direct means of assessing focal and distributed cortical behavior such as excitation/inhibition, intrinsic oscillatory activity and connectivity. However, TMS-EEG poses a number of technical challenges, foremost of which is removal of stimulation-induced artifacts that are several orders of magnitude larger than the neural signals of interest and typically obscure critical early neural responses to the stimulation. Here we describe a non-linear non-causal neural network predictor, built using a Gated Recurrent Unit architecture, and demonstrate its use to remove TMS artifacts from EEG recorded on a phantom, as well as real EEG synthetically contaminated by artifacts from the phantom experiment. Our results indicate that this artifact removal algorithm may decontaminate EEG signals as early as 6ms following stimulation. Given this result we discuss the future development of neural network based predictors for TMS artifact rejection.
Career Motivations of State Prosecutors

Because state prosecutors in the United States typically work in local offices, reformers often surmise that greater coordination within and among those offices will promote sound prosecution practices across the board. Real transformation, however, requires commitment not only from elected chief prosecutors but also from line prosecutors—the attorneys who handle the daily caseloads of the office. When these individuals’ amenability to reform goals and sense of professional identity is at odds with the leadership, the success and sustainability of reforms may be at risk. To better understand this group of criminal justice professionals and their power to influence system reforms, we set out to learn what motivates state prosecutors to do their work. Using original interview data from more than 260 prosecutors in nine different offices, we identify four principal career motivations for working state prosecutors: (1) reinforcing one’s core absolutist identity, (2) gaining trial skills, (3) performing a valuable public service, and (4) sustaining a work-life balance. However, only two of these motivations—fulfilling one’s core identity and serving the public—are acceptable for applicants to voice in the hiring context, even in offices that employ a significant number of former defense attorneys. From this finding we offer a cautionary tale to job applicants as well as to office leaders, particularly chief prosecutors who want to reform office practices and to make those changes stick.
The Paradox of Female Obesity in Low and Lower-Middle Income Countries

ABSTRACT Setting Obesity, once considered an epidemic of the developed world, is now becoming an even more prominent problem than underweight in low and lower-middle income countries (LLMICs). Ample literature has shown that as a country’s income increases, the burden of obesity shifts from the rich to the poor. Many studies have explored the effects of various social determinants of health on obesity, but few have studied the association between obesity and education. Additionally, while some data exists on the association in men, there have been limited comprehensive studies focusing on the relationship in the female population of LLMICs. Objective Globally, adult females have a higher prevalence of obesity and the obesity shift occurs more quickly for women than for men. We aim to address this disparity and explore the association of education and obesity in women. Design In this cross-sectional study, we used a multi-national and multi-year database from the publicly available Demographic and Health Surveys program with data from 34 LLMICs. Results Our age-adjusted analysis shows that women in LLMICs with higher education have a significantly greater prevalence of obesity than women with no education. We analyzed this phenomenon by individual nations, continents, and income classifications. Educated women living in low income countries are 5.12 times more likely to be obese than uneducated women (APR, 95% CI=4.75, 5.32) and 3.48 times (APR, 95% CI=3.37, 3.60) more likely in lower-middle income countries. Conclusion These findings highlight a need for more studies and policy attention focusing on female education levels to understand, predict, and prevent obesity in LLMICs. ARTICLE SUMMARY Strengths and limitations of this study A rigorous sample size of 836,721 adult females in 34 LLMIC countries was utilized to study the association between adult female obesity and education level. Age-adjusted prevalence ratios of obesity were analyzed based on 34 individual nations, three continents, and two income categories. This study is limited by the relatively small number of countries for which data is available through the DHS dataset, and thus, further research will be needed to show whether these results are generalizable to other LLMICs. The results cannot be generalized to higher-income countries or to men in LLMICs, and do not account for intra-national variability.
Comparing the efficacy of field treatments for actinic keratosis: A critical appraisal of a randomized trial in the New England Journal of Medicine

Aim Jansen et al. conducted a randomized trial to compare the efficacy of four field treatments for actinic keratosis (AK). Setting and design This was a multicentre, single-blind, randomized trial conducted in the dermatology departments of four Netherlands hospitals. Patients were not blinded. The investigator who evaluated the trial outcome was blinded. Study exposure This study included adult patients with at least five AKs on the face or vertex scalp. Patients were randomized to treatment with fluorouracil 5% cream, imiquimod 5% cream, methyl aminolaevulinate photodynamic therapy (MAL-PDT) or ingenol mebutate 0·015% gel. Outcomes The primary outcome was whether patients had ≥ 75% reduction in AK count 12 months after treatment. Results In total 624 patients participated. The likelihood of having ≥ 75% reduction in AK count 12 months after treatment was significantly higher (twice as high or greater) for fluorouracil than for any other therapy. Approximately 75% of patients treated with fluorouracil experienced ≥ 75% reduction in AK count at 12 months. Conclusions Jansen et al. conclude that 1 year after treatment, fluorouracil was significantly more effective at AK reduction than imiquimod, MAL-PDT or ingenol mebutate.
Margaret O’Gorman. Strategic Corporate Conservation Planning, Island Press, Wash DC, Covelo CA and London 2020

This book as the author states “is an effort to nudge us all along the journey by presenting a pragmatic, accessible, and affordable way to engage companies in ecological stewardship action on their lands that meets business need and delivers a conservation result” (O’Gorman 2020 xiii). There are many books that address biological conservation management from an environmental not-for-profit perspective or business partnerships with NFP’s (Perlman and Midler 2004, Porter & Salverson 1995, Wondolleck & Yaffee 2000) but very few if any that address the in-depth role of private corporations in developing conservation strategies that promote biodiversity. This book accomplishes this role.
Open Education Resources: Are We Ready for Prime Time?

With the advent of the Internet, more resources can be found online for student use. This article will examine the use of open education resources (OERs) to help reduce the cost of attendance for m...
Developing capacities for meeting the SDGs: exploring the role of a public land-grant institution in the civic engagement of its African alumni

Higher education institutions and lifelong learning opportunities offer important skills and knowledge for developing the complex, sustainable, and integrated solutions that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require. Utilizing interview data from a retrospective study of 14 African alumni of a US public land-grant institution, this research explores alumni’s lived experiences to understand how their graduate education contributed to post-graduate civic engagement activities that are aligned with the SDGs. Each individual’s social, civic, and political experiences are mapped along a spectrum of political and civic engagement to provide a foundation for drawing out the types of capacities developed. We contend that developing greater capacity for civic engagement may contribute to sustainable development as outlined in SDG 4.7. Findings indicate that while alumni experiences varied, the majority of alumni had greater engagement post-degree. Core capacities developed among alumni, which may have contributed to this engagement, include researchers’ empowerment through development of hard and soft skills, expanded networks, and enhanced confidence for graduate students both intrinsically and because of the credential they achieved.
Topological order of the Rys F-model and its breakdown in realistic square spin ice: Topological sectors of Faraday loops

Both the Rys F-model and antiferromagnetic square ice possess the same ordered, antiferromagnetic ground state, but the ordering transition is of second order in the latter, and of infinite order in the former. To tie this difference to topological properties and their breakdown, we introduce a Faraday lines representation where loops carry the energy and magnetization of the system. Because the F-model does not admit monopoles, its Faraday loops have distinct topological properties, absent in square ice, and which allow for a natural partition of its phase space into topological sectors. Then, the Neel temperature corresponds to a transition from topologically trivial to non-trivial Faraday loops. Because magnetization is a homotopy invariant of the Faraday loops, and it is zero for topologically trivial ones, the susceptibility is zero below a critical field. In square spin ice, instead, monopoles destroy the homotopy invariance and the parity distinction among loops, thus erasing this rich topological structure. Consequently, even trivial loops can be magnetized in square ice, and their susceptibility is never zero.
Novel Composite Gold-Aluminum Electrode with Application to Neural Recording and Stimulation in Ultrahigh Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanners

Traditional electrodes used for neural recording and stimulation generate large regions of signal void (no functional MRI signal) when used in ultrahigh field (UHF) MRI scanners. This is a significant disadvantage when simultaneous neural recording/stimulation and fMRI signal acquisition is desired, for example in understanding the functional mechanisms of deep brain stimulation (DBS). In this work, a novel gold-aluminum microwire neural electrode is presented which overcomes this disadvantage. The gold-aluminum design greatly reduces the magnetic susceptibility difference between the electrode and brain tissue leading to significantly reduced regions of signal void. Gold-aluminum microwire samples are imaged at ultrahigh field 16.4 Tesla and compared with gold-only and aluminum-only microwire samples. First, B0 field mapping was used to quantify field distortions at 16.4T and compared with analytical computations in an agarose phantom. The gold-aluminum microwire samples generated substantially less field distortion and signal loss in comparison with gold-only and aluminum-only samples at 16.4T using gradient echo imaging and echo planar imaging sequences. Next, the proposed gold-aluminum electrode was used to successfully record local field potential signals from a rat cortex. The newly proposed gold-aluminum microwire electrode exhibits reduced field distortions and signal loss at 16.4T, a finding which translates to MRI scanners of lower magnetic field strengths as well. The design can be easily reproduced for widespread study of DBS using MRI in animal models. Additionally, the use of non-reactive gold and aluminum materials presents an avenue for translation to human implant applications in the future.
Weaponizing neutrality: the entanglement of policing, affect, and surveillance technologies

Over the past decade, U.S. police departments have incorporated media technologies that promise to make policing more efficient and “race-neutral,” including body and dash cameras, drones, and pred...