cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How to Give a Lecture

Lecturing continues to be an important method of teaching within medical education. This chapter provides guidelines to help educators develop an effective lecture, starting with understanding pertinent aspects of learning theory that inform the foundation of an effective lecture. The chapter outlines the preparation phase, key components of the lecture, and information on including audiovisual aids and enhancing performance behaviors. It concludes with a consideration of methods for evaluating the lecture.
CO(2) laser coincidences with nu(3) of SiF(4) near 9.7 microm.

Doppler-limited tunable-diode laser spectra of the stretching fundamental (ν3) of 28SiF4 at 1031 cm−1 have been analyzed and the spectroscopic constants determined. Explicit identifications have been made for transitions near CO2 laser lines between 1023 and 1038 cm−1; 51 such transitions have been observed in sub-Doppler saturation spectra obtained with a CO2 laser. The closest observed coincidence is R(53) F19 of 28SiF4, at −1.391 MHz from 12C16O2P(30). Implications for isotope-enrichment experiments are discussed.
Environmental Adaptations for Individuals with Functional Difficulties and Their Families in the Home and Community

Environmental adaptation is an important intervention to help individuals with disabilities remain at home independently and ease the burden of care on their families. A range of adaptations can be considered, including removing or rearranging objects, special equipment, and adaptive tools. Providing an environmental adaptation involves assessment of a person’s needs and capabilities and the environment’s physical and social properties, choosing an adaptation, ordering and installing it, and training the individual and family member in its use. This chapter provides an overview of environmental adaptation as an intervention for the elderly, clinical principles, and the evidence to support this approach.
Unconfirmed peers and spinelessness

The Equal Weight View holds that, when we discover we disagree with an epistemic peer, we should give our peer’s judgment as much weight as our own. But how should we respond when we cannot tell whether those who disagree with us are our epistemic peers? I argue for a position I will call the Earn-a-Spine View. According to this view, parties to a disagreement can remain confident, at least in some situations, by finding justifiable reasons to think their opponents are less credible than themselves, even if those reasons are justifiable only because they lack information about their opponents.
Electronic Interactions in (η6-Arene) Ferracarboranes1

The electronic structures of a series of di- and trinuclear ferracarboranes that incorporate FeC2B4 cluster units connected by aryl, heterocyclic, or alkynyl bridges or via direct intercluster B−B bonding have been explored by cyclic voltammetry, controlled-potential coulometry, and DFT and PM3 molecular orbital calculations. The data reflect the strong electron-donating properties of the Et2C2B4H42- carborane ligand; thus, in the ferrocenyl derivative (η6-C6H6)Fe(Et2C2B4H3-5-Fc) there is a substantial flow of electron density from the ferracarborane cluster to the ferrocenyl moiety. In all complexes examined, one or more reversible oxidations of FeII to FeIII centers were observed, with varying degrees of separation of successive E° values, indicating a range of electron-delocalization behavior. In many of the observed mixed-valent FeII−FeIII species the evidence suggests little or no metal−metal communication, paralleling earlier studies of small arene-ferracarboranes; however, significant delocalizatio...
Uterine concentration of thyroxine during the estrous cycle.

SummaryUterine ability to concentrate 131I-thyroxine in female rats during various stages of the estrous cycle was studied. Uteri from metestrous rats had the highest concentration of radioactivity. Uptake during diestrus although less than metestrus was significantly greater than during proestrus or estrus.
FIELD UPLIFT TESTING RESEARCH ON TRANSMISSION LINE WITH ROCK EMBEDDED FOUNDATION

Rock embedded foundation is a new kind of environmental protection foundation in transmission line.Field prototype tests about the rock embedded foundation have been carried out for a 750 kV electric power transmission line in Gansu Province.The uplift loading-displacement curves and horizontal load-displacement curves have been obtained.The loading characteristics and failure pattern of foundation are analyzed based on test data.The rock′s equivalent ultimate shear strength is determined by calculation.Limit equilibrium theory is used to calculate foundation stability.The load transfer characteristics of anchor bolts are analyzed.It is shown that the rock embedded foundation can be used for weathering rock foundation in mountain transmission line.The economical benefit and performance of environmental protection of rock embedded foundation are pointed out according to comprehensive cost analysis.
Intrinsic membrane characteristics distinguish two subsets of nociceptive modulatory neurons in rat RVM.

Zagon, Aniko, Xianwei Meng, and Howard L. Fields. Intrinsic membrane characteristics distinguish two subsets of nociceptive modulatory neurons in rat RVM. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 2848–2858, 1997. Pain...
MR-guided minimally invasive procedures.

SUMMARY The success of breast MRI in determining negative predictive value for breast cancer has made the minimally invasive therapy of breast cancer a clinical possibility. The challenge for MRI technology is the development of reliable methods for excluding DCIS as well as invasive carcinoma. Stereotaxic devices are becoming available for accurate localization of breast cancers. Greater flexibility and precision are needed for minimally invasive therapy applications. Devices that may benefit breast cancer treatment are rapidly being developed for other organs. Coordinating the delivery of therapy with the MRI is likely to be a successful approach. Perhaps the greatest challenge is the development of a clinical trial that assures patient safety and provides data that would validate this new treatment as an alternative to traditional surgery. More work will be needed to provide the tools for this effort. It is clear that society wants a minimally invasive option as an alternative to the disfigurement of surgery. The benefits of this new therapeutic approach are strong incentives that will drive the technological development in upcoming years.
7.23 Oxidation of Carbon–Metal Bonds

Oxidation of metal–carbon (M–C) bonds is the product-forming step in many metal-catalyzed organic transformations that proceed via organometallic intermediates. Oxidative cleavage of M–C bonds can proceed via a variety of mechanisms, with varying degrees of metal-centered redox chemistry; the mechanism of a particular M–C oxidation reaction depends intimately on both the nature of the metal center and the organic and ancillary ligands involved. This chapter will discuss potential mechanisms for oxidative functionalization of M–C bonds. Examples of reactions that proceed by initial M-centered redox chemistry followed by subsequent M–C bond functionalization, as well as examples in which oxidative M–C bond cleavage proceeds without metal-centered redox, will be discussed. When possible, discussion of oxidation mechanisms relevant to transition-metal-catalyzed organic reactions will be presented.
Culturally Tailoring HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs: Why, When, and How

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the tailoring of HIV prevention programs, which suits the culture needs of population. Both HIV researchers and practitioners support the need for more culturally tailored HIV-prevention research and programs. The published literature suggests that there has been a paucity of such programs implemented and evaluated because of a historic ignoring of the needs of marginalized groups, the fluidity of culture, and the difficulties of culturally tailoring programs to a multicultural society. According to various researches, HIV prevention as a field must be more active in addressing the needs of multicultural populations (i.e., populations diverse in race/ethnicity, class, gender, and risk), especially those of marginalized groups. With regard to program development and implementation, this means responding to the needs of the population served by including members of the target population and by considering cultural issues of the population throughout the program development and implementation processes. With regard to program evaluation, this will involve use of standard components in terms of content and strategies but simultaneously program flexibility, so that participants can further tailor the programs to suit their needs.
Hormonal regulation of fluid and electrolytes during prolonged bed rest - Implications for microgravity

It is not clear whether humans have fully adapted to the bipedal upright posture. That we must assume a body position (horizontal) that minimizes the effects of eugravity when fainting is imminent, for sleeping about eight hours per day when healthy, and for longer periods during recovery from injury and disease suggests that sufficient rest in bed in the horizontal body position is necessary for health and well-being. Humans can acclimate (adaptation within one lifetime) within limits to most environmental stresses; dehydration and radiation exposure being notable exceptions.
Fast implementation of sparse iterative covariance-based estimation for array processing

Fast implementations of the SParse Iterative Covariance-based Estimation (SPICE) algorithm are presented for source localization in passive sonar applications. SPICE is a robust, user parameter-free, high-resolution, iterative and globally convergent estimation algorithm for array processing. SPICE offers superior resolution and lower sidelobe levels for source localization at the cost of a higher computational complexity compared to the conventional delay-and-sum beamforming method. It is shown in this paper that the computational complexity of the SPICE algorithm can be reduced by exploiting the Toeplitz structure of the array output covariance matrix using the Gohberg-Semencul factorization. The fast implementations for both the hydrophone uniform linear array (ULA) and the vector-sensor ULA scenarios are proposed and the computational gains are illustrated by numerical simulations.
Jarzynski-like equality for the out-of-time-ordered correlator

The out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC) diagnoses quantum chaos and the scrambling of quantum information via the spread of entanglement. The OTOC encodes forward and reverse evolutions and has deep connections with the flow of time. So do fluctuation relations such as Jarzynski's equality, derived in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. I unite these two powerful, seemingly disparate tools by deriving a Jarzynski-like equality for the OTOC. The equality's left-hand side equals the OTOC. The right-hand side suggests a protocol for measuring the OTOC indirectly. The protocol is platform-nonspecific and can be performed with weak measurement or with interference. Time evolution need not be reversed in any interference trial. The equality enables fluctuation relations to provide insights into holography, condensed matter, and quantum information and vice versa.
319. Improving the Odds of Adenovirus-Mediated Gene Therapy By Upregulation of the Coxsackievirus and Adenovirus Receptor

Adenovirus-mediated gene therapy has been limited by the fact that the primary receptor for most adenovirus serotypes, the Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), is inaccessible or not expressed on many cell types of interest. Few mechanisms have been discovered that regulate CAR expression and tissue specific localization. In the airway, CAR is mostly considered a cell-cell adhesion protein localized at the basolateral surface of polarized epithelia. Recently, an alternate isoform of CAR, CAREx8, has been identified at the apical surface of polarized airway epithelia and is implicated in viral infection from the apical surface. We hypothesized that upregulation of cellular mechanisms that facilitate endogenous CAREx8 protein expression at the apical surface would enhance adenovirus gene transfer. Using polarized model epithelial cell lines and primary human airway epithelia, we found that IL-8, a proinflammatory cytokine and a neutrophil chemoattractant, stimulates the protein expression and apical localization of CAREx8 via activation of AKT/S6K and inhibition of GSK3β. IL-8- mediated upregulation of CAREx8 increased AdV5-β-Gal entry and transduction by approximately 5-fold. Moreover, we found that infiltrating neutrophils bind CAREx8 at the apical surface of a polarized epithelium and, surprisingly, neutrophils enhance AdV5-β-Gal entry into the epithelium by 2-3 fold. The effect of IL-8 and neutrophils on AdV infection could be blocked by fiber-knob from AdV5 but not AdV3, a non-CAR binding serotype, indicating the importance of CAR. These findings suggest that acute inflammation may enhance adenovirus infection. Moreover, therapeutics that stimulate the AKT/S6K pathway or inhibit GSK3β may be able to augment adenovirus-mediated gene therapy.
Abstract TP271: Novel Carbon-Based Particle Antioxidants in Reversible Hyperglycemic MCA Occlusion

Introduction: We have demonstrated that nanoscale PEG-ylated oxidized carbon materials, which we refer to as hydrophilic carbon clusters (PEG-HCCs), have antioxidant characteristics favorable for t...
Integration of Basic and Clinical Science Courses in US PharmD Programs

Objective. To determine the current status of and faculty perceptions regarding integration of basic and clinical science courses in US pharmacy programs. Methods. A 25-item survey instrument was developed and distributed to 132 doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) programs. Survey data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis test. Thematic analysis of text-based comments was performed using the constant comparison method. Results. One hundred twelve programs responded for a response rate of 85%. Seventy-eight (70%) offered integrated basic and clinical science courses. The types of integration included: full integration with merging disciplinary contents (n=25), coordinated delivery of disciplinary contents (n=50), and standalone courses with integrated laboratory (n=3). Faculty perceptions of course integration were positive. Themes that emerged from text-based comments included positive learning experiences as well as the challenges, opportunities, and skepticism associated with course integration. Conclusion. The results suggest wide variations in the design and implementation of integrated courses among US pharmacy programs. Faculty training and buy-in play a significant role in successful implementation of curricular integration.
Artificial neural systems: future business connection

The human brain is the most complex organ in the human body. Two major components which account for its complexity are synapses and neurons. Synapses are the communication links between neurons. Synapses also serve as gateways that allow only signals of a certain strength to pass from neuron to neuron. Neurons, the control unit of the brain, collect inputs to be transformed into outputs. This process can be compared somewhat to the function of the processor in a computer. But the brain, unlike a computer, can make decisions based on pattern recognition rather than repetition data processing. Artificial Neural Systems (ANS) seek to imitate the brain's processing function. ANS research encompasses a number of scientific fields. Included in the field are physiology, biology, engineering, psychology, physics, and mathematics. To date little research has been conducted in the utilisation of ANS technology in the business environment. The expertise required to apply ANS techniques to solve business problems lies with system analysts, computer scientists and management information specialists. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the integration of ANS technology to business can be utilised.
Patients’ Hand Washing and Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infection

Background Hand hygiene is important to prevent hospital-acquired infections. Patients' hand hygiene is just as important as hospital workers' hand hygiene. Hospital-acquired infection rates remain a concern across health centers. Objectives To improve patients' hand hygiene through the promotion and use of hand washing with soap and water, hand sanitizer, or both and improve patients' education to reduce hospital-acquired infections. Methods In August 2013, patients in a cardiothoracic postsurgical step-down unit were provided with individual bottles of hand sanitizer. Nurses and nursing technicians provided hand hygiene education to each patient. Patients completed a 6-question survey before the intervention, at hospital discharge and 1, 2, and 3 months after the intervention. Hospital-acquired infection data were tracked monthly by infection prevention staff. Results Significant correlations were found between hand hygiene and rates of infection with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (P = .003) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (P = .01) after the intervention. After the implementation of hand hygiene interventions, rates of both infections declined significantly and patients reported more staff offering opportunities for and encouraging hand hygiene. Conclusion This quality improvement project demonstrates that increased hand hygiene compliance by patients can influence infection rates in an adult cardiothoracic step-down unit. The decreased infection rates and increased compliance with hand hygiene among the patients may be attributed to the implementation of patient education and the increased accessibility and use of hand sanitizer.
Odyssey: The Ultimate Trip (Gerard Damiano, 1977)

ABSTRACTDespite director Gerard Damiano’s reputation as one of the architects of the sexual revolution, based on his 1972 porno-chic hit Deep Throat, his films are surprisingly conservative in their sexual mores, favouring romance and monogamy over hedonism and promiscuity. One of his most representative yet often neglected works is the 1977 Odyssey: The Ultimate Trip, a triptych of tales alluringly titled ‘The Beginning’, ‘The Middle’, and ‘The End’. The characters, including an unhappily married couple, a female psychiatrist and her woman patients, and a disillusioned model on the last day of her life, all suffer from various forms of dysfunction. By a close examination of these three stories, we can see sexuality in the 1970s as a complicated concept which Damiano, like his audience, is still attempting to decipher. This would be a recurring motif in Damiano’s work, vividly illustrated throughout his adult films well into the 1980s. I will prelude the analysis of Odyssey with a brief discussion of Dami...
Performance based tuning of an inductive integrated voltage regulator driving a digital core against process and passive variations

This paper presents an auto-tuning method for fully integrated voltage regulators (IVRs) driving digital cores against variations in passive as well as process/temperature of the core. The key contribution is to perform auto-tuning of the coefficients of the feedback loop of the IVR based on the performance of the digital cores. Simulations using a high-frequency IVR Simulink model and digital logic in 45nm CMOS process shows that the proposed performance driven auto-tuning demonstrates potential for up to 12% increase in system performance under inductance and threshold variation.
Outcomes of beta blocker use in cocaine-associated chest pain: a meta-analysis.

Objectives Beta blockers (β-blockers) remain a standard therapy in the early treatment of acute coronary syndromes. However, β-blocker therapy in patients with cocaine-associated chest pain (CACP) continues to be an area of debate due to the potential risk of unopposed α-adrenergic stimulation and coronary vasospasm. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of available studies to compare outcomes of β-blocker versus no β-blocker use among patients with CACP. Methods We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases through September 2016 using the keywords ‘beta blocker’, ‘cocaine’ and commonly used β-blockers (‘atenolol’, ‘bisoprolol’, ‘carvedilol’, ‘esmolol’, ‘metoprolol’ and ‘propranolol’) to identify studies evaluating β-blocker use among patients with CACP. We specifically focused on studies comparing outcomes between β-blocker versus no β-blocker usage in patients with CACP. Studies without a comparison between β-blocker and no β-blocker use were excluded. Outcomes of interest included non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and all-cause mortality. Quantitative data synthesis was performed using a random-effects model and heterogeneity was assessed using Q and I2statistics. Results A total of five studies evaluating 1794 subjects were included. Overall, there was no significant difference on MI in patients with CACP on β-blocker versus no β-blocker (OR 1.36, 95% CI 0.68 to 2.75; p=0.39). Similarly, there was no significant difference in all-cause mortality in patients on β-blocker versus no β-blocker (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.79; p=0.43). Conclusions In patients presenting with acute chest pain and underlying cocaine, β-blocker use does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of MI or all-cause mortality.
Importance of a team approach to recommending the human papillomavirus vaccination

ABSTRACTBackground and purpose:Few studies have examined human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine communication in the context of the health care team.Methods:In 2016, the investigators conducted a national, online survey of U.S. parents who reported having discussed HPV vaccination with their adolescent'
Structure—Function Relations for the Interleukin-2 Receptor

The original study of IL-2 binding to activated lymphocytes (Robb et al., 1981) described a high-affinity receptor—ligand interaction that fit nicely with the extremely low concentrations of IL-2 that were necessary to promote cellular proliferation. Subsequent investigations, however, indicated that the interaction of IL-2 with cells was not so simple. In particular, antibodies to the IL-2 receptor detected far more receptor molecules on the cell surface than high-affinity IL-2 binding sites (Leonard et al.,1982). As IL-2 became more plentiful, the IL-2 binding assays were extended to higher concentrations of ligand, revealing a second class of low-affinity sites (Robb et al.,1984). The latter sites appeared to account for most or all of the discrepancy between the number of receptors detected with antibodies and the original numerical estimates of high-affinity binding sites. The molecular basis for the two affinity classes of receptor, however, remained unclear. Possible explanations included: (1) the high-and low-affinity sites consisted of distinct IL-2 binding molecules; (2) the affinity difference occurred as a result of variable post-translational modifications of a single IL-2-binding molecule; (3) the difference arose from conformational changes in a single receptor protein, perhaps as a result of homodimer formation or association with a second receptor subunit; and (4) the difference was caused by the effect of a second receptor subunit, present in high-affinity binding sites, which partici-pated directly in ligand binding. In the past year, several laboratories have obtained evidence that the last explanation is indeed the basis for the multiple affinities of the IL-2 receptor.
InPen Smart Insulin Pen System: Product Review and User Experience.

I was embroiled in severe insulin pump burnout throughout 2017. My glucose management was relatively stable, but I struggled with technology management issues throughout the year. I had participated in more than half a dozen races, including 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer events and a couple of half marathons, culminating in a marathon. During each of these clutch athletic moments, I had pump failure issues. There was no consistency about when my pump died—only that it did die every single time I raced. Needless to say, I was frustrated. I have had diabetes for almost 23 years and have used an insulin pump for 14 of those years. For the past 9 years, I have used a leading-brand pump with relatively positive results in terms of both diabetes management and performance in endurance running/cycling/triathlon events. However, the headache of repeated pump failures led me to consider switching back to a multiple daily injection (MDI) regimen to give myself a reprieve from the nuances, and even more so the recent annoyances, of insulin pump therapy. But, I could not let go of my need, or at least my desire, for an automated “brain” that could help do the math calculations for me. Despite feeling that I had no great option, I took the plunge and switched back to an MDI regimen using disposable insulin pens. I also tried a variety of glucose-tracking mobile applications, such as mySugr (1) and Glucose Buddy (2), as I searched for a tool to help fill in the void left when I stopped using my pump. Although these apps are great for tracking glucose, none of the U.S.-based versions of them possesses the prized insulin-on-board (IOB) functionality I so desperately desired (3) to help me calculate doses. My despair ended, however, when I encountered the InPen. Produced by …
A framework for characterizing students’ cognitive processes related to informal best fit lines

Informal best fit lines frequently appear in school curricula. Previous research collectively illustrates that the adjective informal does not translate to cognitive simplicity. Using existing literature, we create a hypothetical framework of cognitive processes associated with studying informal best fit lines. We refine the framework using data from a cycle of design-based research about building students’ understanding of covariation. The refined framework includes student thinking processes for signifying observations as data, signifying data with scatterplots, perceiving aggregates in scatterplots, perceiving trends in aggregates, signifying trends with straight lines, and using straight lines as estimation tools. We explain how students’ perceptions of aggregates can proceed from the inside-out as well as from the outside-in. We also demonstrate how the amounts of variation encountered at different points in time and the extent to which students perceive straight lines to be abbreviations of ...
What Is Philosophical Dialogue

Through a close reading of a number of Platonic dialogues—namely, the Cratylus, the Gorgias, the Theaetetus, and the Apology—this chapter sheds light upon the event of philosophical dialogue, as well as upon the literary genre that shares its name.
Location specificity of transcranial electrical stimulation on neuronal electrodynamics: A mathematical model of ion channel gating dynamics and ionic flux due to neurostimulation

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (TES) continues to demonstrate success as a medical intervention for individuals with neurodegenerative diseases. Despite promising results from these neuromodulation modalities, the cellular level mechanisms by which this neurotherapy operates are not fully comprehended. In particular, the effects of TES on ion channel gating and ion transport are not known. Using the Poisson-Nernst-Planck model of electrodiffusion, coupled with a Hodgkin-Huxley based model of cellular ion transport, we present a model of TES that, for the first time, integrates electric potential energy, individualized ion species, voltage-gated ion channels, and transmembrane ionic flux during TES administration. Computational simulations are executed on a biologically-inspired domain with medically-based TES treatment parameters and quantify neuron-level electrical processes resulting from this form of neurostimulation. Results confirm prior findings that show that TES polarizes the cell membrane, however, these are extended as simulations in this paper show that polarization occurs in a location specific manner, where the type and degree of polarization depends on the position on the membrane within a node of Ranvier. In addition, results demonstrate that TES causes ion channel gating variables to change in a location specific fashion and, as a result, transmembrane current from distinct ion species depends on both time and membrane location. Another simulation finding is that intracellular calcium concentrations increase significantly due to a TES-induced calcium influx. As cytosolic calcium is critical in intracellular signaling pathways that govern proper neurotransmitter secretion as well as support cell viability, this alteration in calcium homeostasis suggests a possible mechanism by which TES operates at the neuronal level to achieve neurotherapeutic success.
Examining the Scalar Knowledge Politics of Risk within Coastal Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Knowledge Systems

Abstract As cities around the world experience rapid sea level rise (SLR), institutions and actors classify and measure SLR “risks” through discourse and specifying practices for adaptation. These risk, discourses, and practices occur at multiple scales that are embedded within one another and draw their significance from cross-scalar connections; from global estimates of ocean density and emission scenarios, local design criteria for flood management, networks of tidal gauges, and individual and collective experiences of loss and change. Thus social actors responding to the complex physical challenges posed by climate change across space and time must deal with an inherent politics of building shared understanding and agreeing on (or not) desirable courses of action. These dynamics produce ‘scalar politics,’ i.e. strategies for defining and managing perceived risks at specific scales, resulting in more or less equitable and effective responses to the uneven consequences of SLR. To highlight the scalar politics of knowledge systems in adaptation planning, we present findings from two case studies of the Pacific Islands and coastal areas of Florida, USA. Drawing on our findings, we propose the concept ‘scalar knowledge politics of risk.’ As knowledge claims flow between global, regional, and local decision-making spaces, we identify five scales at which knowledge systems experience friction: 1) construction of the global climate; 2) regional downscaling of climate impacts; 3) local definition of risks; 4) transformation of on-the-ground social-ecological-technical systems and infrastructures; and, 5) evaluation of interventions. Through our case study investigation of the scalar politics of SLR adaptation, we hope to help illuminate and inform strategies to overcome long-standing barriers to effective and inclusive urban adaptation.
Counter piracy programming and potential barriers to reintegrating Somali pirates: An African restorative justice critique

Abstract Since 2009, more than 300 Somali pirates have been prosecuted and imprisoned in East Africa using the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime “regional model for prosecuting pirates”. The vast majority of these piracy prisoners have been repatriated to Somalia and are slated to complete their sentences and return home within the next five years. However, members of Somalia's coastal communities continue to express anger and resentment towards former pirates—raising questions about the feasibility of reintegration. Drawing from African Criminology literature, this paper seeks to unpack how previous counter piracy programming helped foster an anti-piracy environment that also may have inadvertently created barriers to the eventual reintegration of former pirates. In doing so, we locate points of intervention and theorize how themes from African restorative justice can help decolonize counter piracy programming and inform a more Somali-driven approach to achieving justice for victims of piracy.
Direct Conversion of Static Voltage to a Steerable RF Radiation Beam Using an Active Metasurface

A low-profile, directive, high-power, simple radio frequency (RF) source can play a crucial role in long-distance communication, sensing, and anti-interference research. Conventional approaches to achieving high-power radiation require a microwave source, an amplifier, and a separate radiating structure. In this article, we transform a static voltage to electromagnetic radiation, which can be electronically steered, using only a thin sheet of metasurface. The proposed approach can be scaled in both power and frequency. The concept makes use of the k = 0 mode in a periodic resonant surface to excite a series of phase-locked individual sources on the surface. The phase-locked sources create an overall coherent mode in the far-field toward the desired direction. The proposed idea is inspired by spark-gap transmitters, pulsed ring-down sources, and antenna arrays to provide a novel and highly scalable electromagnetic source. We envision that the proposed active metasurface for converting a static field to electromagnetic radiation can be potentially used in long-range communication, sensing devices, and radars.
Comprehensive Characterization of the Recombinant Catalytic Subunit of cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase by Top-Down Mass Spectrometry

Reversible phosphorylation plays critical roles in cell growth, division, and signal transduction. Kinases which catalyze the transfer of γ-phosphate groups of nucleotide triphosphates to their substrates are central to the regulation of protein phosphorylation and are therefore important therapeutic targets. Top-down mass spectrometry (MS) presents unique opportunities to study protein kinases owing to its capabilities in comprehensive characterization of proteoforms that arise from alternative splicing, sequence variations, and post-translational modifications. Here, for the first time, we developed a top-down MS method to characterize the catalytic subunit (C-subunit) of an important kinase, cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). The recombinant PKA C-subunit was expressed in Escherichia coli and successfully purified via his-tag affinity purification. By intact mass analysis with high resolution and high accuracy, four different proteoforms of the affinity-purified PKA C-subunit were detected, and the most abundant proteoform was found containing seven phosphorylations with the removal of N-terminal methionine. Subsequently, the seven phosphorylation sites of the most abundant PKA C-subunit proteoform were characterized simultaneously using tandem MS methods. Four sites were unambiguously identified as Ser10, Ser11, Ser18, and Ser30, and the remaining phosphorylation sites were localized to Ser2/Ser3, Ser358/Thr368, and Thr[215-224]Tyr in the PKA C-subunit sequence with a 20mer 6xHis-tag added at the N-terminus. Interestingly, four of these seven phosphorylation sites were located at the 6xHis-tag. Furthermore, we have performed dephosphorylation reaction by Lambda protein phosphatase and showed that all phosphorylations of the recombinant PKA C-subunit phosphoproteoforms were removed by this phosphatase.
The Effects of Using Imagery to Elicit an External Focus of Attention

Background: An external focus of attention has been shown to be superior to adopting an internal focus of attention in a variety of motor skills. Purpose: To examine the efficacy of directing atten...
Robotic Resection of a Nerve Sheath Tumor Via a Retroperitoneal Approach.

Background Resection of large nerve sheath tumors in the lumbar spine using minimally invasive approaches is challenging, as approaches to tumors in this region may require facetectomy or partial resection of adjacent ribs for access to the involved neuroforamen and instrumentation across the involved joint to prevent subsequent kyphotic deformity. Objective To describe a robot-assisted retroperitoneal approach for resection of a lumbar nerve sheath tumor, obviating the need for facetectomy and instrumentation. The operation is described, together with intraoperative images and an annotated video, in the context of a schwannoma arising from the right L1 root. Methods The operation was performed by a urologic surgeon and a neurosurgeon. The patient was placed in lateral position, and the da Vinci Xi robot was used for retroperitoneal access via 5 ports along the right flank. Ultrasound was used to localize the tumor within the psoas. The tumor capsule was defined and released. Encountered nerves were stimulated, allowing small sensory nerves to be identified and safely divided. The tumor was traced into the right L1-L2 neuroforamen and removed. Results Complete en bloc resection of the tumor was achieved, including the paraspinal and foraminal components, without any removal of bone and without violation of the dura. Conclusion In selected patients, a robot-assisted retroperitoneal approach represents a minimally invasive alternative to traditional approaches for resection of lumbar nerve sheath tumors. This approach obviates the need for bone removal and instrumented spinal fusion. Interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as use of adjunctive technologies, including intraoperative ultrasound and neurophysiologic monitoring, is advised.
Genetic approaches to identify genomic regions associated with decreased susceptibility to bovine respiratory disease complex

One approach to reducing losses from BRDC is the implementation of selection of cattle that are less likely to be affected by disease by the use of dairy predicted transmitting ability (PTA) or beef expected progeny differences (EPD) for susceptibility to BRDC. The PTAs or EPDs would be based on genotypes associated with animals less susceptible to disease and incorporated into commercial genotyping platforms for industry use. The discovery of quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with BRDC susceptibility is the first step in implementing the selection of cattle for enhanced resistance to BRDC. Feedlot crossbred Bos taurus (n=408) heifers from Washington were used to illustrate how genetic approaches identify BRDC susceptibility QTL that will form the basis for selection of cattle with increased resistance to the disease. The crossbred cattle consisted of 234 cases and 174 controls as defined by the McGuirk Health scoring system. Cases and controls remained in the same pens together throughout the study. The incidence of BRDC in the feedlot was 2.5% over a 15-month period. The distinction between cases and controls was based on the McGuirk health scoring system with possible integer scores ranging between 0 and 12; calves with scores 5 were identified as a case. Of the 174 controls, 4 (1.7%) subsequently became ill with BRDC and were reclassified as a case. The mean health score was 9.44 ± 1.19 for cases and 2.36 ± 0.61 for controls. Deeppharyngeal and mid-nasal swabs were taken for bacteriology and virology diagnostics. Histophilus somni had the greatest difference in prevalence between cases and controls (odds ratio = 1.65, 95% confidence interval 1.05 - 2.58, p < 0.05) among the detected pathogens. A genome-wide association analysis (GWAA) and genomic heritability estimate was computed using Illumina BovineHD BeadChip genotypes. Heritability of susceptibility to BRDC was estimated at 37%. After correction for population stratification using 30 principal components, the genomic inflation factor was 1.02. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were filtered for low call rate (<90%), Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium (p < 1x10-50) and low minor allele frequency (<1%) which left 669,933 SNPs for the GWAA. Animals were also filtered for low genotyping call rate (<90%) leaving 220 cases and 164 controls. The GWAA identified 43 QTL (p < 5x10-5) on 15 chromosomes. The identification of QTL associated with BRDC susceptibility is the first step towards implementing selection of cattle that are less likely to be affected by BRDC through the use of genomic PTAs or EPDs.
BFT$_2$: a General Class of $2d$ $\mathcal{N}=(0,2)$ Theories, 3-Manifolds and Toric Geometry

We introduce and initiate the study of a general class of $2d$ $\mathcal{N}=(0,2)$ quiver gauge theories, defined in terms of certain 2-dimensional CW complexes on oriented 3-manifolds. We refer to this class of theories as BFT$_2$$\mbox{'}$s. They are natural generalizations of Brane Brick Models, which capture the gauge theories on D1-branes probing toric Calabi-Yau 4-folds. The dynamics and triality of the gauge theories translates into simple transformation of the underlying CW complexes. We introduce various combinatorial tools for analyzing these theories and investigate their connections to toric Calabi-Yau manifolds, which arise as their master and moduli spaces. Invariance of the moduli space is indeed a powerful criterion for identifying theories in the same triality class. We also investigate the reducibility of these theories.
Using Requirements for Health Data Organization and Management

Digital health technologies and their data potentially offer significant opportunities for health management, with both individuals and health research. The research includes pharmaceutical trials, medical studies, public health programs, pandemic response, and health product evaluation. Having organized and updated health data generated by a consumer or home digital health devices combined with medical records from other sources enables these opportunities. This article discusses a practical approach to organizing and managing these data with standards and requirements. The organization includes a data management framework where requirements can be specified. The article is not an in-depth study of existing public health systems or medical record systems. The objective is to consider a practical strategy to develop these requirements with both the medical, engineering and regular communities.
Characterizing water and non-water sites from cropland in eastern South Dakota using Sentenel-1 SAR images

Cropland is extremely important for the global food security. However, soil erosion caused by water affects crop productivity, and the runoff water pollutes both the fresh water and marine ecosystems, leading to severe economic and environmental issues. While there have been many ground water detection techniques using satellite optical imaging sensors, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) proves to be an important alternative. Because microwave can penetrate through the cloud, SAR data often become the only data available when local cloud cover blocks the optical imaging sensors. However, literature reveals that the detection of ground water using SAR data is often obscured by vegetation, which also appears dark in SAR images. This severely reduces the water detection accuracy. In this study, the freely available Sentenel-1 SAR data from the European Space Agency (ESA) Copernicus missions were used to characterize the water and non-water sites in the cropland in eastern South Dakota, USA. A total number of 159 sites were pre-selected from the SAR images. Field surveys were conducted. Of the 159 sites, 78 were identified as water sites and 81 as non-water sites. The water and non-water site data at both VV and VH polarizations were downloaded and analyzed. The density functions of the shifted Rayleigh distributions were estimated using maximum likelihood estimation (MLE). The residue errors are small. The distribution functions between water and non-water sites will facilitate the development of a more accurate classification algorithm for cropland water detection. Such information is important for precision agriculture.
A Compact High-Resolution Muon Spectrometer Using Multi-Layer Gas Cherenkov Radiators

In both particle physics and cosmic ray muon applications, a high-resolution muon momentum measurement capability plays a significant role not only in providing valuable information on the properties of subatomic particles but also in improving the utilizability of muons. Currently, muon momentum is estimated by reconstructing the muon path using a strong magnetic field and muon trackers. Alternatively, time-of-flight or multiple Coulomb scattering techniques are less frequently applied, especially when there is a need to avoid using a magnetic field. However, the measurement resolution is much lower than that of magnetic spectrometers, approximately 20% in the muon momentum range of 0.5 to 4.5 GeV/c whereas it is nearly 10% or less when using magnets and trackers. Here, we propose a different paradigm to estimate muon momentum that utilizes multi-layer pressurized gas Cherenkov radiators. Using the fact that the gas refractive index varies with pressure and temperature, we can optimize the muon Cherenkov threshold momentum for which a muon signal will be detected. By analyzing the optical signals from Cherenkov radiation, we show that the actual muon momentum can be estimated with a minimum resolution of +-0.05 GeV/c for a large number of radiators over the range of 0.1 to 10.0 GeV/c. The results also show that our spectrometer correctly classifies the muon momentum (~87% classification rate) in the momentum range of 0.1 to 10.0 GeV/c. We anticipate our new spectrometer will to provide an alternative substitute for the bulky magnets without degrading measurement resolution. Furthermore, we expect it will significantly improve the quality of imaging or reduce the scanning time in cosmic muon applications by being incorporated with existing instruments.
Putting Social Work Values into Action

Abstract This article asserts that ecological principles should drive policy considerations as well as the structure and delivery of health care for older adults. It also argues that features of managed care can support ecologically sound geriatric practice that affirms the competence of older adults.
Presence in the Classroom

This chapter is designed to provide a stimulus for reflective thinking. The intent is to encourage teachers to reflect upon—even question—a teaching methodology that recognizes and builds upon the learning potential inherent in a cacophony of voices, paradoxical worldviews, and divergent ways of personal being. A pedagogical possibility is explored, one that courts creativity, intellectual flexibility, and open-minded dialectical response. The possibility relates to the orchestration of a classroom setting in which previously silent voices—particularly the socially, politically, or culturally silenced—will join the educational chorus. Here is an academic setting where every student is allowed, encouraged, and expected to be personally present in the classroom. Without presence there is diminished self-identity and a negation of authentic personhood. Without authentic conversational interaction, there is reduced possibility of an intentional learning community that is inclusive of diverse voices. To seek the full reality of student presence in a classroom is to open a door that allows the “other” to interact with the “I.”
Practicing what we preach.

To purchase reprints, contact The InnoVision Group, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656. Phone, (800) 809-2273 or (949) 362-2050 (ext 532); fax, (949) 362-2049; e-mail, reprints@aacn.org. By Kathleen Dracup, RN, DNSc, and Christopher W. Bryan-Brown, MD. From the School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, Calif (KD) and the Department of Anesthesiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (CWB-B).
Learning to See Beneath the Surface: A Qualitative Analysis of Family Medicine Residents’ Reflections About Communication

Patients share straightforward statements with physicians such as describing their fears about their diagnosis. Physicians need to also understanding implicit, indirect, subtle communication cues that give broader context to patients’ illness experiences. This project examines physicians’ written reflections that offer insight into their interpretation of both the stated and the tacit aspects of their observations about communication, their resulting responses, and their intended actions. Tufts University Family Medicine residents (N = 33) of the Tufts Family Medicine Cambridge Health Alliance completed three reflective exercises each week over the course of 1 year (756 reflective entries). An interdisciplinary research team identified communication-related concepts within the reflections. Identified themes include (a) physicians recognizing and discovering mutual interplay of their communication with and patient disclosure, (b) physicians paying attention to subtleties of patient behavior as indicative o...