cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of autologous blood, corticosteroid, and saline injection in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis: a prospective, randomized, controlled multicenter study.

Purpose We compared saline, corticosteroid, and autologous blood injections for lateral epicondylitis in a prospective, blinded, randomized, controlled trial. The null hypothesis was that patient-rated outcomes after autologous blood injection would not be superior to corticosteroid and saline injections. Methods Patients with clinically diagnosed lateral epicondylitis of less than 6 months' duration were randomized into 1 of 3 groups to receive a 3-mL injection of saline and lidocaine, corticosteroid and lidocaine, or autologous blood and lidocaine. Of 34 subjects who enrolled, 28 completed follow-up. A total of 10 were randomized to the saline group, 9 to the autologous blood group, and 9 to the steroid group. Every participant had 3 mL blood drawn, and the injection syringe was foil-covered to prevent the subject from knowing the contents. The primary outcome measure was the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score. Patients completed a pain visual analog scale, DASH, and the Patient-Rated Forearm Evaluation before injection and at 2 weeks, 2 months, and 6 months after injection. We performed statistical analysis using repeated measures of analyses of variance. Results There were no significant differences in DASH scores among the 3 groups at 2- and 6-month follow-up points, with the mean scores for saline at 20 and 10, respectively, compared with 28 and 20 for autologous blood and 28 and 13 for steroid injections. Secondary measures showed similar findings, with outcomes scores showing improvement in all 3 groups. Conclusions In this prospective, randomized, controlled trial, autologous blood, corticosteroid, and saline injection provide no advantage over placebo saline injections in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis. Patients within each injection group demonstrated improved outcome scores over a 6-month period. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic II.
Antigen presentation on artificial acellular substrates: modular systems for flexible, adaptable immunotherapy.

Background: Recent findings on T cells and dendritic cells have elucidated principles that can be used for a bottom-up approach to engineering artificial antigen presentation on synthetic substrates. Objective/methods: To compare the latest artificial antigen-presenting cell (aAPC) technology, focussing on acellular systems because they offer advantages such as easy tunability and rapid point-of-care application compared with cellular systems. We review acellular aAPC performance and discuss their promise for clinical applications. Results/conclusion: Acellular aAPCs are a powerful alternative to natural-cell-based therapies, offering flexibility and modularity for incorporation oSf a variety of stimuli, hence increasing precision. Current technologies should adapt physiologically important signals within safe materials to more closely approximate their cellular counterparts. These constructs could be administered parenterally as APC replacements for active vaccines or used ex vivo for adoptive immunotherapy.
On Construction of Virtual Backbone in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks with Unidirectional Links

Since there is no fixed infrastructure in wireless ad hoc networks , virtual backbone has been proposed as the routing infrastructure to alleviate the broadcasting storm problem. The virtual backbone construction has been studied extensively in undirected graphs, especially in unit disk graphs, in which each node has the same transmission range. In practice, however, transmission ranges of all nodes are not necessarily equal. In this paper, we model such a network as a disk graph, where unidirectional links are considered. To study the virtual backbone construction in disk graphs, we consider two problems: strongly connected dominating set (SCDS) and strongly connected dominating and absorbing set (SCDAS). We propose a constant approximation algorithm and discuss its improvements for the SCDS problem . We also propose a heuristic for the SCDAS problem. Through extensive simulations, we verify our theoretical analysis and also demonstrate that the SCDS can be extended to form an SCDAS with marginal extra overhead.
A single chip demodulator for 64/256 QAM

This paper describes a single chip demodulator for 64/256 QAM targeted to digital cable transmission applications. This chip incorporates specific novel functionality to mitigate channel impairments typical of cable transmission systems and consumer grade tuners.
Compassion as the New Philosophy of Business

Forty years ago, Milton Friedman (1970) argued that the sole social responsibility of a company is to generate profit for its shareholders. The core message was that the primary responsibility of those running a business was to the owners or investors of the company. At the same time, Friedman assumed that the company would abide by laws and prevailing ethical customs. Unfortunately, Friedman's arguments have been misinterpreted by business managers and have provided justifications for engaging in any and all types of immoral, unethical, and illegal activities for personal gain and corporate greed. Such activities have also contributed to the recent global recession, which has had a profound negative impact on the lives of millions of people worldwide. Given various instances of corporations’ abnegation of their responsibility for the impacts of their actions, it is clear that the sole purpose of a business is not merely that of generating profits for its owners. Instead, because compassion provides the n...
Unlocking value in clinical research network data

The US National Institutes of Health Roadmap outlines a vision for reaping value from clinical research; increasing the speed and effectiveness of applying that research to healthcare practice. The Institutes' call for reengineering the clinical healthcare enterprise articulates the need for informatics as the key facilitator for increasing the productivity and efficiency of research networks. Data heterogeneity among clinical research network nodes is an impediment to achieving this goal of knowledge integration in the distributed research enterprise. Existing research networks display a broad diversity of informatics implementations among their nodes. This paper presents a framework for understanding the source and nature of data heterogeneity in the research enterprise and presents a prototype method for overcoming one facet of it. By providing a strategy for marshalling the research enterprise's emergent knowledge, the goal of managing that knowledge and applying it to clinical care can be more rapidly and easily achieved.
Surgical Options for the Management of Portal Hypertension

In the current age of endoscopic and interventional radiologic management of bleeding varices, the paradigm of surgical management for portal hypertension has radically shifted. There remains, however, a less common but important role for the well-trained surgeon who understands and is capable of managing portal hypertension. Patients who may benefit from surgical intervention are those with early cirrhosis or non-cirrhotic portal hypertension and suffer from variceal bleeding due to the consequences of portal, mesenteric, or splenic vein thrombosis. In addition, good surgical candidates who have limited access to care, may not be capable of close follow-up, or who have had failed prior therapy can benefit from more definitive surgical shunting. Liver transplantation has also changed the landscape in managing portal hypertension as the ultimate treatment for patients with advanced cirrhosis. Limited indications and fewer surgeons having been exposed to shunting procedures for portal hypertension have resulted in fewer shunts being performed, though they remain indicated under special circumstances. It is critical that we discern the role of various treatment options in different clinical scenarios and appreciate that under certain circumstances, a surgical intervention is indicated. This article reviews the history and progression of surgery for portal hypertension and highlights the current role of the surgeon in the era of multidisciplinary intervention. Furthermore, an algorithm for current management of variceal bleeding is presented.
Dynamical Effect of Land Surface Processes on Summer Precipitation over the Southwestern United States

The physical mechanism of summertime precipitation over Arizona and New Mexico (AZNM) is examined using regional model experiments. Two sets of regional model simulations with different physics packages produce very different precipitation (P) over the Southwest including AZNM. The better simulation that produces a wet monsoon similar to the observations has larger evaporation (E) over AZNM and stronger moisture flux from the Gulf of California into AZNM. Diagnostics of the simulations suggested that the increase in precipitation is not due to the increase in evaporation locally but rather to the change in moisture flux. Regional model experiments were then designed to isolate the impact of local E and the large-scale flow. Both regional model experiments and diagnostics support the following physical mechanism: There is an increase in E in the realistic simulation due to the change in land surface physics. This increase in E is compensated by the decrease in sensible heat, which leads to the colder land surface. Associated with this cooling, the surface pressure raises and the Southwest heat low weakens due to the increase in the surface pressure. This alters the large-scale low-level circulation and increases the occurrence of the low-level moisture surge events from the Gulf of California into AZNM, and accordingly, increases P. The mechanism is also found in observations of day-to-day variation of precipitation over AZNM.
Cracked Out and Plugged In: America's Emerging Culture of Addiction

America is the largest most culturally diverse country in the world and is home to many competing ideologies, practices, habits, norms, and values. Diversity within the US population continues to grow at a higher pace than ever before. At the same time, the largest and most culturally diverse generation called “the millennials” enter America’s workforce and universities (Howe and Strauss, 2000). Typically individuals born between 1982 and 2002 are categorized as, millennials, generation Y, or digital natives (will be used interchangeably throughout text). However vast the diversity of this generation, there remains a 21st century common denominator that exists between this diverse population. Recent U.S. data reports, 84.2% of Americans use the internet on a regular basis (The World Bank, 2014.), and 80-90% ingest caffeine regularly (Various Cited Sources). Even higher rates of usage have been observed in millennials at a 95% caffeine usage (Alison Bryant Ludden and Amy R. Wolfson, 2009) and a 93% internet usage rate according to Pew Research Center. These numbers indicate a far reaching epidemic of usage, but little is known on the affect that the relationship has on the general populous, specifically the millennial generation.
Reduction in mitochondrial iron alleviates cardiac damage during injury

Excess cellular iron increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and causes cellular damage. Mitochondria are the major site of iron metabolism and ROS production; however, few studies have investigated the role of mitochondrial iron in the development of cardiac disorders, such as ischemic heart disease or cardiomyopathy (CM). We observe increased mitochondrial iron in mice after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and in human hearts with ischemic CM, and hypothesize that decreasing mitochondrial iron protects against I/R damage and the development of CM. Reducing mitochondrial iron genetically through cardiac-specific overexpression of a mitochondrial iron export protein or pharmacologically using a mitochondria-permeable iron chelator protects mice against I/R injury. Furthermore, decreasing mitochondrial iron protects the murine hearts in a model of spontaneous CM with mitochondrial iron accumulation. Reduced mitochondrial ROS that is independent of alterations in the electron transport chain's ROS producing capacity contributes to the protective effects. Overall, our findings suggest that mitochondrial iron contributes to cardiac ischemic damage, and may be a novel therapeutic target against ischemic heart disease.
Intercontinental dispersal of Holarctic land mammals near the Paleocene/Eocene boundary; paleogeographic, paleoclimatic and biostratigraphic implications

The reorganization of North American and European mammalian faunas across the Paleocene/Eocene boundary is attributed to intercontinental dispersal of higher-level taxa that originated in Asia. Hypotheses positing dispersal of these higher-level taxa from a Gondwanan source (either Africa or the Indian subcontinent) are rejected on the basis of their discordance with both phylogenetic and biostratigraphic data sets. Because the only viable routes for dispersal between Holarctic continents during the late Paleocene-early Eocene were land bridges located at high latitudes, global climate change was a decisive factor mediating the nature and timing of faunal interchange. Dispersal of higher-level taxa beyond Asia was episodic and iterative, and seems to have occurred solely via Beringia. Because intercontinental dispersal of terrestrial taxa such as mammals rarely coincides precisely with their phylogenetic origin, geologically earlier first appearances of such taxa on their continent of origin are not unexpected. Given this paradigm, the Gashatan and Bumbanian Asian Land Mammal Ages (ALMAs) are likely to be older than is frequently conceived. At least some Bumbanian faunas, such as that from the Wutu Formation of Shandong Province, China, are correlated with the Clarkforkian North American Land Mammal Age (NALMA), an interval that appears to be undocumented in the European record of mammalian evolution.
π-Conjugation in Gd13Fe10C13 and its oxycarbide: unexpected connections between complex carbides and simple organic molecules.

Carbometalates are a diverse family of solid state structures formed from transition metal (TM)-carbon polyanionic frameworks whose charges are balanced by rare earth (RE) cations. Remarkable structural features, such as transition metal clusters, are often encountered in these phases, and a pressing challenge is to explain how such features emerge from the competing interaction types (RE-TM, TM-TM, TM-C, etc.) in these systems. In this Article, we describe a joint experimental and theoretical investigation of two compounds, Gd13Fe10C13 and its oxycarbide Gd13Fe10C(13-x)O(x) (x ≈ 1), which add a new dimension to the structural chemistry of carbometalates: π-conjugation through both TM-C and TM-TM multiple bonds. The crystal structures of both compounds are built from layers of Fe-centered Gd prisms stacked along c and surrounded by an Fe-C network, and differ chiefly in the stacking sequence of these layers. The phases' identical local structures have two types of Fe environment: trigonal planar FeC3 sites and H-shaped Fe2C4 sites, with unusually short Fe-Fe and Fe-C bonds. (57)Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy and DFT-calibrated Huckel calculations on Gd13Fe10C13 build a picture of covalent Fe-C σ bonds and conjugated π systems for which Lewis structures can be drawn. Using the reversed approximation Molecular Orbital approach, we can draw isolobal analogies between the Fe centers of this compound and molecular TM complexes: 18-electron configurations could be achieved through σ and π bonds with 18 electrons/Fe for the FeC3 site and 18-n (n = 2 for an Fe═Fe double bond) electrons/Fe for the Fe2C4 site. In this way, the vision of a unified bonding scheme of carbometalates and organometallics proffered by earlier studies is realized in a visual manner, directly from the 1-electron wave functions of the Huckel model. The bonding analysis predicts that Gd13Fe10C13 is one electron/formula unit short of an ideal electron count, explaining the tendency of the system toward a small degree of oxygen substitution. Analogies between the π bonding in Gd13Fe10C13 and that of the allyl anion help rationalize the presence of trigonal planar Fe and linear C units in the structure. The isolobal analogy between Gd13Fe10C13 and an 18-electron coordination complex is expected to apply to carbometalates as a whole, and will be extended to other examples in our future work.
Study on radiation direction of leakage coax

The paper analyzed the radiation mode of leakage coax in theory according to the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic wave theory.Taking tilt notching for instance,the mathematics expression of radiation field was deduced,moreover,the transmission characteristic of leakage coax was obtained.By discussing the characteristics of different frequency leakage coax radiation and standing wave ratio,it is concluded that single mode radiation can produce steady electromagnetic wave,which provides theoretical principle and way available for practice.
Alternative workstations may be new but are they better

An ergonomics survey of 84 employees who moved to an alternative workspace with smaller workstations equipped with various ergonomic products is reported. Half of the employees received some ergonomics training. Results showed that 25-40% reported the ergonomic products were somewhat or much less comfortable to use, and around the same proportion found them somewhat or much more comfortable to use. Between 25-40% of employees reported frequent neck, shoulder, back and right wrist discomfort and many reported that these symptoms interfered with work activities. There was clear evidence that levels of discomfort increased over the course of the work day. Employees were equally split on whether the office changes helped or hindered their work productivity. Comparison of the trained versus untrained employees showed that training reduced the problems associated with their new workstations. Overall, the results suggest that ergonomic products alone may not compensate for problems associated with smaller workstations.
Floods and Droughts

This chapter examines two water-related natural hazards; floods and droughts. Socioeconomic systems adapt to the normal availability of water in a region. A certain amount of water is expected to be available to satisfy one's needs for water supply, hydropower generation, recreational enjoyment, transportation, and ecosystem maintenance. This expectation is based on one's experience with the natural cycle of water renewal accompanying the change of seasons. Experience also shows, sometimes painfully, that the hydrologic cycle is naturally variable. Too much water causes flooding, while too little for too long leads to desiccating droughts. Characteristics of the human system that define society's vulnerability include the level of economic development, the type of economic system, resource-use patterns (especially land use), and the types of hazard adjustments adopted by the society. It is the interaction of these two subsystems that defines the character and extent of the natural hazard. This chapter begins by examining floods followed by an introductory overview of the drought hazard. The chapter discusses the characteristics of the physical system for floods and droughts, including methods used to analyze the phenomena. It separately discusses society's adjustments to these hazards.
Designing Digital Libraries for the Hyperliterate Age

Many Web and Internet technologies have traditionally been used to serve information across machines and among people. Recently, there has been a great deal of interest shown in using these information services to support digital libraries. Research in
Action of Antimicrobial Peptides on Bacterial and Lipid Membranes: A Direct Comparison

The bacterial membrane represents an attractive target for the design of new antibiotics to combat widespread bacterial resistance. Understanding how antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and other membrane-active agents attack membranes could facilitate the design of new, effective antimicrobials. Despite intense study of AMPs on model membranes, we do not know how well the mechanism of attack translates to real biological membranes. To that end, we have characterized the attack of AMPs on Escherichia coli cytoplasmic membranes and directly compared this action to model membranes. AMPs induce membrane permeability in E. coli spheroplasts or giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) under well-defined concentrations of AMPs and fluorescent molecules. The action of AMPs on spheroplasts is unique in producing an intracellular fluorescence intensity time curve that increases in a sigmoidal fashion to a steady state. This regular pattern is reproducible by melittin, LL37, and alamethicin but not by CCCP or daptomycin, agents known to cause ion leakage. Remarkably, a similar pattern was also reproduced in GUVs. Indeed the steady-state membrane permeability induced by AMPs is quantitatively the same in spheroplasts and GUVs. There are, however, interesting dissimilarities in details that reveal differences between bacterial and lipid membranes. Spheroplast membranes are permeabilized by a wide range of AMP concentrations to the same steady-state membrane permeability. In contrast, only a narrow range of AMP concentrations permeabilized GUVs to a steady state. Tension in GUVs also influences the action of AMPs, whereas the spheroplast membranes are tensionless. Despite these differences, our results provide a strong support for using model membranes to study the molecular interactions of AMPs with bacterial membranes. As far as we know, this is the first time the actions of AMPs, on bacterial membranes and on model membranes, have been directly and quantitatively compared.
Institutional Adjustment and Economic Development: Insights from the Etiology of Privatization

The year 1917 was pivotal in the emergence of economic development policy, for in that year two countries embarked on radically new paths of growth in which social and political reconstruction was linked with statemanagement of economic relationships. Although, as Alexander Gerschenkron and others have noted, late industrializers on the Continent and in Japan had already resorted to state intervention and/or development banking to accelerate and redirect change into patterns different from what the market, unaided, would have supported,1 the Soviet Union and Mexico, as precursors of mid-century developments, went much beyond the earlier cases. Differing from each other in the route chosen, as a policy pioneer, each was caught up in years of path-dependent experimentation and adaptation. Neither country had precedents to emulate, neither could draw on technical assistance from multilateral agencies or aid from leading countries, and each had to chart its new course before development studies had provided empirical and theoretical guidelines.
Basic Concepts About Human Nutrition

Nutrition education has become a major goal in the education of people for a democratic society. This chapter provides an overview of early concepts about food and survival, and current basic concepts of human nutrition. Nutrition is the food that one eats and how the body uses it. One eats food to live, to grow, to keep healthy and well, and to get energy for work and play. Food is made up of different nutrients needed for growth and health. All the nutrients needed by the body are available through food. Many kinds and combinations of food can lead to a well-balanced diet. No food, by itself, has all the nutrients needed for full growth and health. Each nutrient has specific uses in the body. Most nutrients do their best work in the body when teamed with other nutrients. People throughout life have need for the same nutrients but in varying amounts. The amounts of nutrients needed are influenced by age, sex, size, activity, and state of health. Suggestions for the kinds and amounts of food needed are made by trained specialists. The way food is handled influences the amount of nutrients in food, its safety, appearance, and taste. Handling means everything that happens to food while it is being grown, processed, stored, and prepared for eating. The chapter also reviews governmental and educational influences on nutrition.
Longitudinal assessment of T cell inhibitory receptors in liver transplant recipients and their association with posttransplant infections

Current immunosuppression regimens in organ transplantation primarily inhibit T cells. However, T cells are also critical in protective immunity, especially in immune-compromised patients. In this study, we examined the association of T cell dysfunction, as marked by expression of T cell exhaustion molecules, and posttransplant infections in a cohort of liver transplant patients. We focused on Programmed Death 1 (PD-1) and T cell Ig- and mucin-domain molecule 3 (Tim-3), which are potent co-inhibitory receptors, and their persistent expression often leads to T cell dysfunction and compromised protective immunity. We found that patients with the highest expression of PD-1 +Tim-3+ T cells in the memory compartment before transplantation had increased incidence of infections after liver transplantation, especially within the first 90 days. Longitudinal analysis in the first year showed a strong association between variability of PD-1 and Tim-3 expression by T cells and infectious episodes in transplant patients. Furthermore, T cells that expressed PD-1 and Tim-3 had a significantly reduced capacity in producing interferon (IFN)-γ in vitro, and this reduced IFN-γ production could be partially reversed by blocking PD-1 and Tim-3. Interestingly, the percentage of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in liver transplant patients was stable in the study period. We concluded that the functional status of T cells before and after liver transplantation, as shown by PD-1 and Tim-3 expression, may be valuable in prognosis and management of posttransplant infections.
Magnesium replacement in formaldehyde: Theoretical rovibrational analysis of X∼3B1 MgCH2

Abstract A full, anharmonic set of fundamental vibrational frequencies as well as spectrosocpic constants are provided at high-level for X ∼ 3 B 1 MgCH2 for the first time. The present data are in line with previous computational and Ar-matrix results, but the anharmonic data show that two brightest frequencies, ν 4 and ν 5 , are nearly coincident with one another at 560 cm−1. Hence, this area is the best spectral region to search for signatures of this molecule. The rotational constants are also provided indicating a near-prolate rotational progression which should aid in microwave/millimeter-wave analysis of this molecule. Magnesium is known to be a significant component of the Earth, and molecules containing it may be more common in the interstellar medium/circumstellar media than previously thought. More spectral characterization of such molecules like MgCH2 should be undertaken, and this work is a step in that direction.
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Stream-flows in the Greater Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) Basins – A Climate Outlook

The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) River system is the third largest freshwater outlet to the world’s oceans; only the Amazon and the Congo River exceed it. This watershed encompasses a number of countries in the South Asian region, including China, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh (Fig. 1).Of these, China contributes solely to the flow of the Brahmaputra, and Nepal to the flow of the Ganges (Nishat and Faisal, 2000).
Workgroup Report by the Joint Task Force Involving American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI); Food Allergy, Anaphylaxis, Dermatology and Drug Allergy (FADDA) (Adverse Reactions to Foods Committee and Adverse Reactions to Drugs, Biologicals, and Latex Committee); and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Botulism Clinical Treatment Guidelines Workgroup-Allergic Reactions to Botulinum Antitoxin: A Systematic Review.

Background Naturally occurring botulism is rare, but a large number of cases could result from unintentional or intentional contamination of a commercial food. Despeciated, equine-derived, heptavalent botulinum antitoxin (HBAT) is licensed in the United States. Timely treatment reduces morbidity and mortality, but concerns that botulinum antitoxin can induce anaphylaxis exist. We sought to quantify the allergy risk of botulinum antitoxin treatment and the usefulness of skin testing to assess this risk. Methods We conducted a systematic review of (1) allergic reactions to botulinum antitoxin and (2) the predictive value of skin testing (ST) before botulinum antitoxin administration. We searched 5 scientific literature databases, reviewed articles' references, and obtained data from the HBAT manufacturer and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anaphylaxis incidence was determined for HBAT and previously employed botulinum antitoxins. We calculated the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of ST for anaphylaxis related to HBAT and other botulinum antitoxins. Results Seven articles were included. Anaphylaxis incidence was 1.64% (5/305 patients) for HBAT and 1.16% (8/687 patients) for all other botulinum antitoxins (relative risk, 1.41 [95% confidence interval, .47-4.27]; P = .5). Observed values for both PPV and NPV for HBAT-ST (33 patients) were 100%. Observed PPVs and NPVs of ST for other botulinum antitoxins (302 patients) were 0-56% and 50%-100%, respectively. There were no reports of fatal anaphylaxis. Conclusions Considering the <2 % rate of anaphylaxis, fatal outcomes, modest predictive value of ST, resource requirements for ST, and the benefits of early treatment, data do not support delaying HBAT administration to perform ST in a mass botulinum toxin exposure. Anaphylactic reactions may occur among 1%-2% of botulinum antitoxin recipients and will require epinephrine and antihistamine treatment and, possibly, intensive care.
Exercise Alone and Various Combinations of Interventions Reduce the Risk of Injurious Falls in Older Adults.

Exercise alone; exercise combined with vision assessment and treatment; exercise combined with vision assessment and treatment, and environmental assessment and modification; and clinic-level quality improvement strategies combined with multifactorial assessment and treatment, calcium supplementation, and vitamin D supplementation are all effective interventions for reducing the risk of injurious falls in older adults.
Effect of Horizontal Surface Compliance on Balance Strategies

Balancing on a horizontally compliant surface is examined by comparing the task with successively more complex dynamic models. 1,2 and 3 DOF systems are used to examine the balance strategies (state feedback control laws) needed to maintain stability. The 1 and 2 segment systems use a spring attached at the lowest point of the (lower) segment to model horizontal compliance. Velocities are neglected and only position and angular displacement state variables of the system are fed back to achieve balanced, marginally stable closed loop systems. Regions of stability in the feedback gain space are compared using the Routh-Hurwitz criterion, root locus and other graphical techniques. Boundaries of the stable regions in the feedback gain space are provided by the inequalities satisfied by the gains for positivity of the leading column of the Routh array. Knowledge and feedback of horizontal foot position is not important since it is possible to achieve stability by neglecting it entirely.
Overpowering the Previously Posterior Instrumented Cervical Spine With Cage-Assisted Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Cadaveric Study.

Abstract Purpose Cervical spines previously posteriorly instrumented and fused with a kyphotic deformity represent a surgical challenge. Current treatment strategies include C7 pedicle subtraction osteotomy or a posterior-anterior-posterior approach, which carry the risk of significant complications. The objective of this study was to attempt to achieve lordosis with multiple anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) cages to overpower the posterior instrumentation. Methods Four adult cadaveric specimens were selected and underwent C3–C7 posterior laminectomy with posterior instrumentation in a kyphotic alignment using a 3.5-mm titanium screw-rod system. Next, ACDF from C3 to C7 was performed with 15° lordotic cages to restore cervical lordosis. Posterior instrumentation was then inspected for failure. Fluoroscopic images were obtained to calculate total construct lordosis and change in segmental lordosis. CT scans were obtained after ACDF to assess for loosening, instrumentation failure, endplate damage, or impaction. Bone mineral density was calculated on CT scans. Results Age ranged from 59 to 82, and all specimens were male. No gross instrumentation failure was observed. Mean pre-ACDF lordosis between C3 and C7 was 0° (–5° to 5°). Post-ACDF lordosis increased to 37° (35°–38°). Mean segmental lordosis achieved with no endplate destruction was 13.1° (8°–17°). T scores for the cadavers were –0.5, –0.5, –3.2, and –5.1. Two levels of impaction were observed (12.5%). Failure of bone screw interface occurred in the cadaver, with a T score of –5.1 in the middle of the construct. Conclusion Our study demonstrates the validity of overpowering posterior instrumentation through multiple level ACDF with lordotic cages. This may obviate the need to perform posterior-anterior-posterior procedures. Level of Evidence Level III
Obliterating Obstacles to an Odyssey.

Why is reprogramming to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) a protracted and inefficient odyssey? In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Mor et al. (2018) hypothesize that reprogramming factors paradoxically activate and inhibit pluripotency gene expression and show that eliminating Gatad2a (a NuRD corepressor complex subcomponent) rapidly and efficiently reprograms multiple cell types into iPSCs.
Evidence of a homeowner-renter gap for electric vehicles

This paper provides the first empirical analysis of the homeowner-renter gap for electric vehicles. Using newly-available U.S. nationally representative data, the analysis shows that homeowners are...
Shake Rattle & Roll - Design and rationale for a pragmatic trial to improve blood pressure control among blacks with persistent hypertension.

BACKGROUND In Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC), members had similar access to care and a very high overall rate of hypertension control. However, blacks had poorer blood pressure (BP) control than whites. The Shake Rattle & Roll (SRR) trial aimed to improve BP control rates in blacks and to reduce disparities in hypertension control. METHODS SRR was a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted at an urban medical center. All 98 adult primary care physicians (PCP) and their panels of hypertensive black patients were randomized, stratified by panel size, to one of three arms: 1) Usual Care (n = 33 PCPs, N = 1129 patients); 2) Enhanced Monitoring arm with an emphasis on improving pharmacotherapy protocol adherence (n = 34 PCPs, N = 349 patients); or 3) Lifestyle arm with a culturally tailored diet and lifestyle coaching intervention focusing on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan (n = 31 PCPs, N = 286 patients). The intervention period was for 12-months post-enrollment. Follow-up was planned for one and three years post-intervention completion. Primary outcome measure was the proportion of participants with controlled BP, defined as <140/90 mmHg, at 12-months post-enrollment. Secondary outcome included adverse cardiovascular events. An intention-to-treat analysis was carried out as the primary analysis. CONCLUSION SRR was a uniquely designed trial that included components from both pragmatic and explanatory methods. The pragmatic aspects allow for a more cost-effective way to conduct a clinical trial and easier implementation of successful interventions into clinical practice. However, there were also challenges of having mixed methodology with regards to trial conduction and analysis.
Chapter 1.8 Transport properties

The flow of either either electricity or heat is regarded as transport. These properties are of tensorial nature and are reviewed in this chapter. The topic is restricted to steady-state flows and to linear response. The three main transport coefficients are the electrical conductivity, the thermal conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient. Section 1.8.3 concerns the electrical resistivity of metals and semiconductors and the Hall effect. Section 1.8.4 concerns the thermal conductivity. Heat flow can be carried by two kinds of excitations: phonons and electrons. The cases of boundary scattering, impurity and defect scattering, isotope scattering and alloy scattering are distinguished as well as anharmonic interactions. The last section, Section 1.8.5, describes the properties of the Seebeck coefficient. Keywords: Hall constant; Hall effect; Matthiessen’s rule; Seebeck coefficient; acoustic phonons; anharmonic interactions; conductivity; electrical conductivity; electrical resistivity; intrinsic mobility; mobility; optical phonons; phonon bands; phonons; semiconductors; thermal conductivity
Lack of Additional Diagnostic Yield of 16s rRNA Gene PCR for Prosthetic Joint Infections.

Introduction: Medical management of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) relies on the identification of causative organisms through traditional culture-based approaches to guide therapy. However, diagnosis of many PJIs remains challenging, with many clinically apparent infections remaining culture-negative. Molecular diagnostics have the potential to increase diagnostic yield, particularly among culture-negative PJIs. Methods: Bone, tissue, or synovial fluid from patients with clinically identified PJIs were collected for inclusion in this study. Samples were assessed with traditional cultures and classified as culture-positive or -negative after 48 h. Samples subsequently underwent a Staphylococcus aureus-/Kingella kingae-specific PCR followed by a 16s rRNA gene PCR. Results: A total of 77 unique patients with clinically identified PJIs contributed a total of 89 samples for inclusion in the study. There were 54 culture-negative and 35 culture-positive samples evaluated. The sensitivity and specificity of S. aureus PCR in culture-positive samples was 57.1% (95% CI, 34.1%–78.1%) and 92.9% (95% CI, 66.1%–98.9%), respectively. Among culture-positive samples, 16s rRNA gene PCR correctly identified 3 of 21 (14.3%) samples with S. aureus and 2 of 5 (40%) samples with Streptococcus spp. All molecular tests were negative in those with clinically identified, culture-negative PJI. Conclusions: Our study suggests that these diagnostic tools have a limited role in PJI diagnosis.
Thermal Properties and Fracture Toughness of Epoxy Nanocomposites Loaded with Hyperbranched-Polymers-Based Core/Shell Nanoparticles

Synthesized silicon oxide (silica) nanoparticles were functionalized with a hyperbranched polymer (HBP) achieving a core/shell nanoparticles (CSNPs) morphology. CSNPs were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). A core diameter of about 250 nm with a 15 nm thick shell was revealed using TEM images. An aeronautical epoxy resin was loaded with the synthesized CSNPs at different percentages and thermal properties, such as thermal stability and dynamic mechanical properties, were investigated with the use of different techniques. Although the incorporation of 2.5 wt% of CSNPs induces a ~4 °C reduction of the hosting matrix glass transition temperature, a slight increase of the storage modulus of about ~10% was also measured. The Kissinger Method was employed in order to study the thermal stability of the nanocomposites; the degradation activation energies that resulted were higher for the sample loaded with low filler content with a maximum increase of both degradation step energies of about ~77% and ~20%, respectively. Finally, fracture toughness analysis revealed that both the critical stress intensity factor (KIC) and critical strain energy release rate (GIC) increased with the CSNPs content, reporting an increase of about 32% and 74%, respectively, for the higher filler loading.
Who or what is the wali al-amr: The unposed question

Modern Islamic political thought has grappled with the nature of state authority by using and reshaping the tools of classical legal and political thought. That is a tradition that gives rich guidance on what a ruler should and should not do, but it gives much less certain guidance (and all but renders invisible) the questions of administration and policy. The wali al-amr – the head of the community (a term identical to the one used for legal guardian over a minor) – has been transformed from an individual ruling to a modern bureaucratic and policy state in Islamic political writings without that transformation drawing notice. This paper explores the resulting ways in which Islamic practices and concepts, developed for a rudimentary state apparatus focused on public order, care for the poor, and some urban public services, operates in a world in which states administer and develop policy over a wide array of public affairs. El pensamiento politico islamico moderno ha lidiado con la naturaleza de la autoridad estatal mediante el uso y la remodelacion de las herramientas del pensamiento politico y juridico clasico. Esa es una tradicion que brinda una guia util sobre lo que un gobernante debe y no debe hacer. Pero, si es util para la etica del gobierno, brinda una orientacion mucho menos segura (y se vuelve casi invisible) en lo tocante a las cuestiones de administracion y politica. El wali al-amr – el lider de la comunidad (un termino identico al utilizado para el tutor legal de un menor de edad) –, ha pasado de significar un fallo individual, a un Estado burocratico y politico moderno, sin que la transformacion haya sido advertida. Este articulo explora las formas resultantes en las que las practicas y los conceptos islamicos, desarrollados para un aparato estatal rudimentario, operan en un mundo en el cual los Estados administran y desarrollan politicas en una gran variedad de asuntos publicos. Available from: https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1028
Salvage Therapy and Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for the Severe Cytokine Storm Syndrome of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) can be considered as a severe cytokine storm syndrome disorder. HLH typically manifests as a life-threatening inflammatory syndrome characterized by fevers, cytopenias, hepatosplenomegaly, and various other accompanying manifestations such as coagulopathy, hepatitis or liver failure, seizures or altered mental status, and even multiorgan failure. Standard up-front treatments do not always bring HLH into remission or maintain adequate response, and salvage therapies are often needed. For patients with genetic diseases that cause HLH, curative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is usually offered to prevent future episodes of life-threatening HLH. Here we discuss the options and approaches for salvage therapy and hematopoietic cell transplantation for patients with HLH.
Techniques for Treating Bilateral Breast Cancer Patients Using Pencil Beam Scanning Technology

Abstract Purpose: Patients with bilateral breast cancer (BBC), who require postmastectomy radiation therapy or radiation as part of breast conservation treatment, present a unique technical challen...
Putting the Notice Back into Pleading

In the wake of Twombly and Iqbal, courts and commentators have questioned whether notice pleading died with those cases. But what exactly was notice pleading? In this Essay, I argue that the question of whether the Court had “really” abandoned notice pleading in Twombly and Iqbal was a distraction from the fact that a full-bodied doctrine of notice pleading had never really existed in the first place. It had little separate existence from general theories of openness and liberalism, yet the name provided some rhetorical cover by insinuating that the standard was doing some sort of work aside from screening out all but the most outrageous cases. At the margins, notice pleading helped explain why some plaintiffs had adequately stated a cause of action even if the complaint omitted the formal niceties of reciting with precision the law under which those plaintiffs sought relief or the exact elements of a cause of action. But beyond that, courts only engaged in superficial examinations of why notice is important to pleading and what actual notice might look like. The steady association notice with minimalism in this era had profound consequences for pleading doctrine, but also for notice doctrines wholly unconnected with pleading regimes. This Essay explores the real origins of notice pleading and documents the failure of courts to fully realize that doctrine in the Conley era. At the heart of this failure is a mistaken belief that the minimization of the concept of notice is necessary to bolster the court-access interests of vulnerable plaintiffs. I suggest that a true notice pleading regime might have staved off the advent of plausibility pleading in Twombly and Iqbal and conclude with suggestions for how to reincorporate the lost virtues of notice pleading into our modern pleading regime.
Analysis of Vegetation-Water Interactions: Application and Comparison of Maximum-Likelihood Estimation and Bayesian Inference

In environmental science, we often deal with complex systems, many processes and interactions with relatively little mechanistic understanding which is translated into our models. It is also not uncommon that there are not enough measurements to inform the parameters of these models directly. However, we have increasingly more data from observatory networks and remote sensing missions that can be mapped to the properties that we are trying to predict with our models. In that case, such data can be used to indirectly inform model parameters through likelihood-based estimation methods. This chapter contrasts two likelihood-based approaches, namely maximum-likelihood estimation and Bayesian inference. The simple examples used here reveal important and scientifically relevant dissimilarities between the two approaches. Bayesian approach allows us to treat all terms in models as probability distributions while producing readily interpretable results. The power of Bayesian approach becomes more apparent as we increase the complexity of our models to reflect the complexity of our study systems. This chapter demonstrates how Bayesian inference comes to the fore as not only a way to make environmental science more relevant but also as one of the best ways of progressing it.