cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Organizing Women as Women: Hybridity and Grassroots Collective Action in the 21st Century

The Million Mom March (favoring gun control) and Code Pink: Women for Peace (focusing on foreign policy, especially the war in Iraq) are organizations that have mobilized women as women in an era when other women's groups struggled to maintain critical mass and turned away from non-gender-specific public issues. This article addresses how these organizations fostered collective consciousness among women, a large and diverse group, while confronting the echoes of backlash against previous mobilization efforts by women. We argue that the March and Code Pink achieved mobilization success by creating hybrid organizations that blended elements of three major collective action frames: maternalism, egalitarianism, and feminine expression. These innovative organizations invented hybrid forms that cut across movements, constituencies, and political institutions. Using surveys, interviews, and content analysis of organizational documents, this article explains how the March and Code Pink met the contemporary challenges facing women's collective action in similar yet distinct ways. It highlights the role of feminine expression and concerns about the intersectional marginalization of women in resolving the historic tensions between maternalism and egalitarianism. It demonstrates hybridity as a useful analytical lens to understand gendered organizing and other forms of grassroots collective action.
Richer file system metadata using links and attributes

Traditional file systems provide a weak and inadequate structure for meaningful representations of file interrelationships and other context-providing metadata. Existing designs, which store additional file-oriented metadata either in a database, on disk, or both are limited by the technologies upon which they depend. Moreover, they do not provide for user-defined relationships among files. To address these issues, we created the linking file system (LiFS), a file system design in which files may have both arbitrary user- or application-specified attributes, and attributed links between files. In order to assure performance when accessing links and attributes, the system is designed to store metadata in non-volatile memory. This paper discusses several use cases that take advantage of this approach and describes the user-space prototype we developed to test the concepts presented.
Application of planar microcoils fabricated on glass substrates to NMR microspectroscopy

A family of multi-turn, planar microcoils fabricated on glass substrates for NMR microspectroscopy is described. Using these coils we have obtained signal-to-noise ratios of 5-10 per acquisition and spectral linewidths of less than 10 Hz. These planar microcoils have the potential to serve as the fundamental building block in more elaborate detection cells for specialized NMR microscopy probes.
Structure, conduct and performance: a simultaneous equations approach

A simultaneous equations framework is used to study the relationship between structure, conduct and performance in US manufacturing in the 1980s and 1990s. The paper expands on earlier structure-conduct-performance studies by using a lag structure to signify that structure, conduct and performance do not affect one another contemporaneously. Findings support some aspects of the traditional structure-conduct-performance model, but challenge others. First, the data suggest that industry structure does not depend on current industry performance. Second, little evidence is found that industry conduct, proxied by advertising, is affected by industry structure. Third, results show that industry performance does not depend on industry conduct, though it is sensitive to industry structure. The main findings are that (1) concentration does not depend on firm profitability, though profitability depends on concentration, (2) advertising follows a process that is independent of the factors considered here, and (3) ad...
Minimally invasive spine surgery for thoracolumbar fractures: Damage-control spine stabilization

Abstract In North America, spinal injuries from blunt trauma occur with an incidence rate of approximately 6%. The vast majority of spinal column injuries occur at the thoracolumbar spine, predominantly at the thoracolumbar junction (T10–L2). The conventional surgical treatment for thoracolumbar fractures involves open exposure with placement of instrumentation with fusion. These conventional surgeries in trauma patients, however, have significantly higher infections rates and higher blood loss when compared to open spinal surgeries in non-trauma patients. Because of these complications, minimally invasive spinal surgery (MISS) techniques have been advanced as a viable alternative to the conventional open spinal surgeries. The goals of both approaches (open and MISS) are to stabilize the spine in order to prevent posttraumatic deformity and to prevent development of neurologic deficits. MISS techniques can achieve these goals while avoiding the increased complications associated with traditional open surgeries. Furthermore, MISS techniques may be an excellent solution in the polytrauma patients, providing "damage-control spinal stabilization."
Failure to Update: An Institutional Perspective on Noncompliance With the Family and Medical Leave Act

At least one-quarter of covered workplaces violated the parental leave requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) when surveyed in 1997. What explains this noncompliance? Using a survey of 389 U.S. workplaces and qualitative interviews with managers in 40 organizations, I demonstrate that noncompliance comes in distinct forms. Some forms of noncompliance result from a failure to update institutionalizedFand genderedFpolicies, practices, and norms. This form of noncompliance (indicated by illegally short leaves) is better explained by the institutional perspective, while outright noncompliance (as evidenced by a lack of leaves) is best explained by rational choice and deviant culture theories.
Treatment Planning and Evaluation

Computerized treatment planning applications for hyperthermia are in their infancy when compared to radiation treatment planning. In the latter, for external beam cases the beam geometry is carefully planned so that exposure of normal tissue is minimized, especially for critical organs. Likewise, for interstitial brachytherapy the seed locations are carefully planned on a case by case basis to provide the proper dose to the implanted tumor without overexposing normal tissues. On the other hand, for hyperthermia such detailed planning is rarely done. Instead, based on the availability of hyperthermia equipment and the preferences and knowledge of the clinical, engineering and physics personnel at a given institution, a choice is made of the type of equipment to be used and for localized methods, what the geometry of the heating configuration will be (antennae, electrode or seed placement for interstitial techniques; and antenna or transducer location and orientation for external applicators). These choices are made based on the general knowledge of hyperthermia of the personnel involved, rather than on detailed computer planning as is done in radiation. This difference arises from three main sources. First, hyperthermia is still in its infancy when compared to the relatively long history of radiation treatments. Second, and closely related to the first point, for many present applications no planning decisions need to be made.
Research related to academic achievement motivation: An illustrative review

(1970). Research related to academic achievement motivation: An illustrative review. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 9, Motivation, pp. 33-46.
Poly(A) RNA codistribution with microfilaments : evaluation by in situ hybridization and quantitative digital imaging microscopy

The distribution of poly(A) RNA has been visualized in single cells using high-resolution fluorescent in situ hybridization. Digital imaging microscopy was used to quantitate the signal in various cellular compartments. Most of the poly(A) signal remained associated with the cellular filament systems after solubilization of membranes with Triton, dissociation of ribosomes with puromycin, and digestion of non-poly(A) RNA with ribonuclease A and T1. The actin filaments were shown to be the predominant cellular structural elements associating with the poly(A) because low doses of cytochalasin released about two-thirds of the poly(A). An approach to assess the extent of colocalization of two images was devised using in situ hybridization to poly(A) in combination with probes for ribosomes, membranes, or F-actin. Digital imaging microscopy showed that most poly(A) spatially distributes most significantly with ribosomes, slightly less with F-actin, and least of all with membranes. The results suggest a mechanism for anchoring (and perhaps moving) much of the cellular mRNA utilizing the interaction between actin filaments and poly(A).
Substrate specificity of ultraviolet DNA endonuclease (UVDE/Uve1p) from Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Schizosaccharomyces pombe ultraviolet DNA endonuclease (UVDE or Uve1p) has been shown to cleave 54 to UV light-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine-pyrimidone (6‐4) photoproducts (6‐4PP). This endonuclease is believed to function in the initial step in an alternative excision repair pathway for the removal of DNA damage caused by exposure to UV light. An active truncated form of this protein, Δ228-Uve1p, has been successfully overexpressed, affinity purified and partially characterized. In the present study we present data from a detailed substrate specificity trial. We have determined that the substrate range of Uve1p is much greater than was originally believed. We demonstrate that this DNA damage repair protein is capable of recognizing an array of UV-induced DNA photoproducts (cis-syn-, trans-syn I- and trans-syn II CPDs, 6‐4PP and Dewar isomers) that cause varying degrees of distortion in a duplex DNA molecule. We also demonstrate that Uve1p recognizes non-UV-induced DNA damage, such as platinum‐DNA GG diadducts, uracil, dihydrouracil and abasic sites. This is the first time that a single DNA repair endonuclease with the ability to recognize such a diverse range of lesions has been described. This study suggests that Uve1p and the alternative excision repair pathway may participate broadly in the repair of DNA damage.
A genetic fine structure analysis of the suppressor 3 locus in Saccharomyces.

A meiotic fine structure map of a yeast tyrosine-inserting ochre suppressor, SUP3-o, was constructed. This was accomplished by examining ten intragenic suppressor-inactive revertants for their relationship to each other and to the original SUP3-o mutation. The second-site revertants map on both sides of the SUP3-o mutation. The meiotic map length based on the summation of short intervals is 45+/10 5 asci.
First Observation of Fluorescence in Marine Turtles

In recent years, biofluorescence has been observed in an increasing diversity of animals. Biofluorescence has been primarily examined in cnidarians, and it is also known to occur in other marine animal phyla, including Ctenophora, Annelida, Arthropoda, and Chordata. Most recently, the phenomenon has been shown to be phylogenetically widespread and phenotypically variable in cartilaginous and ray-finned fishes. Here we report on the first observation of fluorescence in a marine tetrapod, sea turtles.
Internet Media Upload Caching for Poorly-Connected Regions

Media uploads and downloads, even those on the order of a few hundred kilobytes, commonly fail when attempted over lossy, low-bandwidth, and high latency connections. These conditions, which are common for networks in rural, resource-poor areas, result in the inability for residents of these areas to fully participate in the modern Internet. We study traffic traces collected from two networks and find high locality of interest as well as poor performance for Internet media. We also find that users often abort uploads due to network performance. Given that media content produced by local users is often heavily consumed by local users, we propose VillageCache, a system which allows for appropriate local transformation and redistribution of media uploaded through an Internet cache. We build VillageCache and find it successfully delivers cached media, providing an orders of magnitude improvement in file transfer performance, bandwidth reduction, and the virtual elimination of video stalls in the face of poor network connectivity. Caches with upload capabilities placed at the edge of poorly-connected networks will enable users to produce and consume media-rich content while mitigating the constraints present in under-resourced networks.
Effect of microsomal enzyme inducers on biliary and urinary excretion of acetaminophen metabolites in rats. Decreased hepatobiliary and increased hepatovascular transport of acetaminophen-glucuronide after microsomal enzyme induction.

Treatment of rats with phenobarbital (PB), 3-methylcholanthrene, and pregnenolone-16 alpha-carbonitrile increased the total (biliary plus urinary) excretion of thioether and glucuronic acid conjugates of acetaminophen (AA) without influencing AA-sulfate excretion, suggesting that these microsomal enzyme inducers enhance both cytochrome P-450-mediated toxication and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase-mediated detoxication of AA. However, induction with transstilbene oxide (TSO) did not increase the total excretion of AA-thioethers or AA-glucuronide and decreased AA-sulfate excretion. In addition, all inducers increased the ratio of AA metabolites excreted into urine over that excreted into bile. The extent of this shift from biliary to urinary excretion was dependent on both the AA metabolite and the inducer. The largest shift in the excretory route was seen with AA-glucuronide and induction with PB and TSO as inducers. Specifically, PB and TSO treatments decreased biliary excretion of AA-glucuronide by 70 and 89%, respectively, and increased its blood concentration up to 6- and 11-fold and urinary excretion 3- and 3.6-fold, respectively. Galactosamine depletes UDP-glucuronic acid from the liver only, thereby inhibiting hepatic but not extrahepatic glucuronidation. Galactosamine treatment prevented the PB-induced increase in AA-glucuronide in blood and urine. This suggests that the PB-induced increases in AA-glucuronide in blood and urine originated from the liver. Thus, microsomal enzyme inducers not only influence xenobiotic biotransformation, but may also after the contribution of the excretory routes (i.e. bile and urine) in the elimination of xenobiotic metabolites by changing the direction of hepatic transport.
Does antiplatelet therapy affect short-term and long-term outcomes of patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer? - Surgical radicality versus perioperative antiplatelet-related morbidity risks

BACKGROUND: The effect of antiplatelet therapy(APT) on short-term and long-term outcomes in patients receiving surgery for colorectal cancer is still unknown. METHODS: A total of 491 patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer between 2005 and 2011 were reviewed. The perioperative management protocol(“Kokura Protocol”) included preoperative continuation of aspirin monotherapy and early postoperative reinstitution in patients at high thromboembolic risks. Both short-term and long-term outcomes of patients with APT (n=148), including perioperative morbidity, disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), were compared to those of patients without APT (n=343). RESULTS: Among 148 patients with APT, none suffered from excessive hemorrhage intraoperatively. There were only 4 postoperative bleeding complications(0.8%) and 1 thromboembolic event(0.2%), and operative mortality was zero. In the APT and non-APT groups, 5-year DFS rates were 75.5% and 77.7%(P=0.207), respectively; 5-year OS rates were 68.8% and 78.9%(P=0.004), respectively. OS rates were lower in APT group compared with non-APT group, but multivariate analysis showed that APT was not a significant factor for either DFS or OS. CONCLUSIONS: The resection of colorectal cancer in patients with APT was performed safely, and satisfactory long-term outcome was obtained without any decrease of surgical radicality. The Kokura Protocol is valid and feasible to secure both short-term and long-term outcomes of such patient population.
A Culture Method for Bradysia impatiens (Diptera: Sciaridae)

Many successful techniques have been described for rearing fungus gnats, some using manure as a larval food source (Austin and Pitcher 1936, Butt 1937). Thomas (1929) used a manure-straw mixture which was sterilized and inoculated with mushroom mycelia to rear Sciara coprophila Lintner (now Bradysia coprophila (Lintner)). Lara et al. (1965) reared Rhynchosciara angelae Nonato & Pavan on a watery paste of ground nettle or sweet potato leaves; Mattingly and Ogle (1969) used corn meal agar and fermented corn ensilage to rear a Rhynchosciara species. Ellisor (1934) cultured Neosciara ocellaris Comstock (now Bradysia tritici (Coquillett)) on both fresh and decaying pea leaves. Smith-Stocking (1936) reared. S. coprophila in glass vials filled with agaragar and fed the larvae a mixture of animal poultry yeast, powdered mushroom, and chopped straw. Modifications of this technique were described by Steffan (1966), Goodman et al. (1968), and H. V. Crouse (personal communication 1970). Wilkinson and Daugherty (1970) reared B. impatiens (Johannsen) in small plastic containers using ground soybean meal as larval food.
Innate Capacity of Increase and Ovipositional Pattern of the Green Cloverworm

The innate capacity of increase was calculated for cohorts and isolated individuals of the green cloverworm, Plathypena scabra (F.). Colony and midseason field-collected cohorts were similar, as were early-season and late-season field-collected cohorts. Similarities were: percentage individuals in prereproductive and reproductive periods, age-distribution patterns, realized sex ratio, and seasonal abundance records for field-originated cohorts. Calculated rates of increase were used to estimate numbers of females needed at initial invasion of Iowa agroecosystems to cause economic losses later in the season. Two methods of simulating ovipositional pattern were advanced to contribute to predictive population models.
Attainment of the Elusive Attributions for Long-term Success in Kidney Transplantation

Survival of a kidney transplant recipient beyond 2 decades is a relatively rare event. No studies have been conducted to describe individuals' longevity attributions, who have had their kidney transplant for many years. The purpose of this qualitative analysis was to examine longevity attributions of kidney transplant recipients who have had a kidney transplant for 25 years or longer. The initial sample was obtained from an informal support group that includes only those who have had their kidney transplant >25 years. A semistructured 1-hour interview was conducted over the phone, audio-taped, and transcribed. Data were examined using thematic content analyses. The sample consisted of 19 participants (7 males and 12 females) ranging in age from 43 to 67 years, with a mean age of 52.8 years (standard deviation [SD] = 6.82). Transplants were performed between 26 and 36 years prior to the interviews, with a mean of 30.7 years (SD = 3.2). Emerging attributions included maintaining a healthy lifestyle, social support, positive attitude, faith, normalcy, participation in decision making, and luck. Prior to transplantation, patients were engaging in self-management behaviors, which many attributed to their success posttransplant. The findings of this study may provide insight and understanding for health-care providers and other transplant recipients regarding longevity attributions of those who have had their kidney transplants for over a quarter century. Future research should explore the impact of supporting kidney transplant recipients in self-management prior to and after transplantation.
Hydrogen generation from aluminum hydride for wearable polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Abstract Aluminum hydride (AlH3) has been identified as a promising H2 storage material for fuel cell systems and offers a significant weight savings over conventional Li-ion batteries, due its high H2 storage capacity and simple balance of plant requirements for H2 generation. This work reports on the development and characterization of a novel, wearable AlH3 based PEM fuel cell system. System characterization revealed an unexpectedly low energy density value, 25% lower than anticipated, (436 Wh kg−1 vs. 582 Wh kg−1 for 1440 Wh) due in part to a previously unpublished phenomenon of incomplete α-AlH3 thermolysis. Based on literature reports, complete thermolysis was expected to occur at 250 °C) exposure. This work provides an experimental characterization of this phenomenon and quantitatively describes it by developing a new model in the framework of the Avrami–Erofeev phase transformation model, which can be utilized for the optimum design of high energy density AlH3 cartridges.
Drawing Methods and Validity for Cloud-to-ground Flash Density Map of Zhejiang Province

In order to draw and study the cloud-to-ground flash density map,the monitoring lightning data in 2004-2006 of Zhejiang Lightning Location System is selected as study samples,and the method--Grid Method for drawing high resolution cloud-to-ground flash density map using vast automatic monitoring data is presented. Based on flash density value of each grid,Jenk's Natural Breaks classification method is adopted to determine the natural arrangement of these values into five classes,eventually formed the cloud-to-ground flash density map of Zhejiang with 1km resolution with five grades. Through the terrain of Zhejiang Province,it's found that the cloud-to-ground flash density spatial distribution is closely relevant with the character of terrain and monsoon. By comparing Zhejiang power grid lightning-stroke fault points in 2004～2006 with the flash density ranks,the conclusion that the lightning-stroke fault number is positively correlated with the lightning ranks is gotten,which show off the effectiveness of the cloud-to-ground flash density map.
Effect of Gastrin on Gastric Motor Activity

Motility was recorded in 104 experiments on gastric pouches using pressure tracings from air filled balloons. Pentagastrin was administered intravenously either as a constant infusion, 3 μ g per kg per hr, or as a single injection, 1 μ g per kg. Endogenous gastrin was released by perfusion of the isolated antrum with 0.1% acetylcholine, 160 ml per hr. In vagally innervated preparations (innervated antral pouch or gastric fistula) pentagastrin administration caused a sharp increase in frequency and a simultaneous and approximately equal fall in the amplitude of contractions. Thus, the motility index was nearly the same before and after administration of pentapeptide, indicating that gastrin probably does not activate propulsive peristalsis. A mixing function is postulated. In vagally denervated preparations (denervated antral pouch or Heidenhain pouch) intravenous pentagastrin caused the intermittent contractions to become continuous. In denervated antral pouch there was no reduction in contraction pressure. Endogenous gastrin released by acetylcholine perfusion of the isolated antrum caused almost identical changes in motility in both vagally innervated and denervated preparations. Monitoring of gastric secretion indicated pentagastrin dosage used was comparable to the endogenous gastrin released. It appears that the motility effects observed are physiological rather than pharmacological phenomena. Under conditions of this experiment neither intravenous pentagastrin nor endogenous gastrin caused any observable change in gastric tonus, whether in vagally innervated or denervated preparations.
Porous shape-memory NiTi-Nb with microchannel arrays

Abstract Porous NiTi-Nb containing a 3D array of orthogonally interconnected microchannels was created via a novel powder metallurgy process combining: (i) Mg ribbon scaffold construction, (ii) slip casting of NiTi + Nb powder blend within the scaffold, (iii) Mg scaffold vacuum evaporation, and (iv) NiTi + Nb liquid phase sintering. The later stage was achieved by creating small amounts of quasi-binary NiTi-Nb liquid eutectic, which wicked between NiTi particles and bonded them together while leaving 28 vol.% of residual pores. These hierarchical porous structures have a total porosity of 30–53%, an effective stiffness of 5–9 GPa, and a yield strength of 20–80 MPa. They exhibit the shape memory effect, with 3% strain recovery after 7% compressive deformation upon multiple load-unload cycles. Finite element modeling (FEM) is used to model the anisotropy of these structures, as well as to probe the strain distributions on a microscopic level. Mechanical anisotropy was present in FEM of all structures, though more pronounced in structures with high microchannel volume fraction. With mechanical properties between those of trabecular and cortical bone, these structures are of great interest for bone implant applications.
Fishing for inflammatory cytokine-inducible genes with an old trick.

diversified responses in respiratory inflammation are normally a reflection of differential gene expression by various cell types in response to inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Airway epithelium is one of the primary targets of these
Sliding Towards Educational Outcomes: A New Remedy for Education Lawsuits in a Post-NCLB World

Sheff v. O’Neill ushered in a new wave of education reform litigation that will challenge the constitutionality of de facto segregation under state education clauses, but its remedy has been inadequate. This Article proposes a new desegregation remedy - the sliding scale remedy - to address socioeconomic isolation in this unique constitutional context. The remedy employs varying degrees of equity power depending on students’ academic outcomes. It balances concerns over local control and separation of powers with the court’s need to effectuate rights, establishes a clear remedial principle, and ensures that states and school districts focus on students as they implement remedies.
Type II PIP4-kinases

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the history of type II PIP4-kinases along with their structure and regulation and presents their emerging roles in phosphoinositide metabolism and in the transduction of extracellular signals. PIP4-kinases are shown to play a role in insulin signaling and in stress responses. Homologous to type I PIP5-kinases, type II PIP4-kinase family of enzymes also catalyze the synthesis of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate. Type II PIP4-kinases appear to be regulated by extracellular factors, which suggest a role for these enzymes in cell–cell signaling. Type I and II PIP kinases have different biological and metabolic functions in cells, even though both synthesize the same lipid product. Many studies indicate that phosphoinositide metabolism in the nucleus is an active process. Two recent studies are described which suggest that nuclear type IIβ PIP4-kinases can regulate nuclear PtdIns-5-P and can bind to the chromatin-associated protein ING2, via its PHD (plant homeodomain) finger, and thereby regulating its function.
Further Predictions: a Modest Success and Two Problem Cases

One of the essential features of Coupled Stochastic System is that the value of discriminator threshold prevailing at the time the animal awakens plays a critical role in pacemaker performance. Regardless of parameters of the specific model, modifying the value of light intensity prevailing at this time should appreciably alter period of the pacemaker, not only on a single-cycle basis as in phase-shifting experiments (preceding chapter) but on a long-term basis as well. In order to examine this expectation while minimizing other effects of light on the system, a novel experimental design is proposed here, in which a circadian light cycle is administered so that the timing of a light stimulus is “clamped” to some fixed phase of the pacemaker rhythm. A modified or clamped free-run will result, with a period determined by the responses of the pacemaker to the repetitive light stimuli.
Preoperative Outcome Scores Are Predictive of Achieving the Minimal Clinically Important Difference After Arthroscopic Treatment of Femoroacetabular Impingement.

Background:There is increasing interest in defining meaningful improvement in patient-reported outcomes. Knowledge of the thresholds and determinants for successful femoroacetabular impingement (FA...
Femoral nerve blockade using various concentrations of local anesthetic for knee arthroscopy in the pediatric population.

BACKGROUND Femoral nerve blockade (FNB) provides effective postoperative analgesia in children undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery as evidenced by their opioid-sparing effects and decreased postoperative pain scores. Increasing the local anesthetic concentration in peripheral nerve blockade for adults undergoing orthopedic surgery has been shown to be beneficial, increasing block success rate, and providing a longer duration of analgesia. The effect of increasing the concentration of local anesthetic in extremity blocks in children remains largely unexplored. METHODS We retrospectively evaluated the effectiveness of FNB using three concentrations of local anesthetic (ropivacaine 0.2%, bupivacaine 0.25%, and ropivacaine 0.5%) in children and adolescents undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. The primary outcome evaluated was postoperative opioid consumption before discharge. Secondary outcomes included post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and hospital discharge times, first pain score in PACU, and the incidence of adverse events. RESULTS Two hundred and sixty-nine children and adolescents who received a FNB for arthroscopic knee surgery from January 2010 to December 2013 were included for analysis. Local anesthetic used in FNB was ropivacaine 0.2% in 116 (43%) cases, ropivacaine 0.5% in 75 (28%) cases, and bupivacaine 0.25% in 78 (29%) cases. Median postoperative opioid consumption (mg/kg intravenous morphine equivalents) in the ropivacaine 0.5% group was 0 mg/kg (interquartile ranges [IQR]: 0 mg, 0.03 mg/kg) compared to 0.02 mg/kg (IQR: 0, 0.08 mg/kg) in the ropivacaine 0.2% group and 0.01 mg/kg (IQR: 0, 0.08 mg/kg) in the bupivacaine 0.25% group (p=0.009). Median PACU time was shortest in the ropivacaine 0.5% group (47 min; IQR: 36, 68 min) compared to the ropivacaine 0.2% (58 min; IQR: 41, 77) and bupivacaine 0.25% (54 min; IQR: 35, 75 min) groups (p=0.040). Among groups, there were no significant differences in first postoperative pain scores or incidence of nausea and vomiting. No patient in any group experienced a serious adverse event. CONCLUSION The results suggest that ropivacaine 0.5% for FNB offers superior postoperative analgesia in the form of decreased postoperative opioid consumption and earlier PACU/hospital discharge, when compared to ropivacaine 0.2% and bupivacaine 0.25% in the pediatric population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III, Retrospective Comparative Study.
Extracting the frequency response of switching DC-DC converters in CCM and DCM from time-domain simulations

Determining if a feedback loop is stable is crucial, and in the case of switching dc-dc converters, also considerably involved because some of the signals across the ac signal path are large signal and nonlinear. Today, designers rely on averaged and linearized small-signal models to approximate loop dynamics. This method is appropriate for well-tested dc-dc supplies like the buck and boost but less reliable and more difficult to apply to emerging non-conventional switchers used, for example, in energy harvesters. Overdesigning these circuits to overcome the uncertainty is often unacceptable because accuracy and efficiency, which are critical, normally suffer as a result. Extracting loop dynamics from actual time-domain waveforms is more accurate because, in averaging waveforms around a narrow bias point, conventional methods eliminate important loop information and constrain the model to small-signal variations — this paper proposes a way to extract small- and large-signal frequency response from time-domain simulations. The results from buck and boost converters under voltage- and current-mode control operating in CCM and DCM match theory well.
Electrical impedance myography for assessment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Objective: Sensitive, objective and easily applied methods for evaluating disease progression and response to therapy are needed for clinical trials in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). In this study, we evaluated whether electrical impedance myography (EIM) could serve this purpose. Methods: In this non-blinded study, 36 boys with DMD and 29 age-similar healthy boys underwent multifrequency EIM measurements for up to 2 years on 6 muscles unilaterally along with functional assessments. A linear mixed-effects model with random intercept and slope terms was used for the analysis of multifrequency EIM values and functional measures. Seven DMD boys were initiated on corticosteroids; these data were analyzed using a piecewise linear mixed-effects model. Results: In boys >7.0 years, a significant difference in the slope of EIM phase-ratio trajectories in the upper extremity was observed by 6 months of -0.074/month, p=0.023, 95% confidence interval (CI)[-0.013,-0.14]); at two years, this difference was -0.048/month, p<0.0001 95%CI[-0.028,-0.068]. In boys ≤7.0 years, differences appeared at 6 months in gastrocnemius (EIM phase-slope -0.83°/kHz-month, p=0.007 95%CI[-0.26,-1.40]). EIM outcomes showed significant differences earlier than functional tests. Initiation of corticosteroids significantly improved the slope of EIM phase-ratio (0.057/month, p=0.00019 95%CI[0.028,0.086]) and EIM phase-slope (0.14°/kHz-month, p=0.013 95%CI[0.028,0.25]), consistent with corticosteroids' known clinical benefit. Interpretation: EIM detects deterioration in muscles of both younger and older boys by 6 months; it also identifies the therapeutic effect of corticosteroid initiation. Since EIM is rapid to apply, painless, and requires minimal operator training, the technique deserves to be further evaluated as a biomarker in DMD clinical therapeutic trials. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Coffee: the key to safer image-guided surgery-a granular jamming cap for non-invasive, rigid fixation of fiducial markers to the patient.

Accurate image guidance requires a rigid connection between tracked fiducial markers and the patient, which cannot be guaranteed by current non-invasive attachment techniques. We propose a new granular jamming approach to firmly, yet non-invasively, connect fiducials to the patient. Our granular jamming cap surrounds the head and conforms to the contours of the patient’s skull. When a vacuum is drawn, the device solidifies in a manner conceptually like a vacuum-packed bag of ground coffee, providing a rigid structure that can firmly hold fiducial markers to the patient’s skull. By using the new Polaris Krios optical tracker, we can also use more fiducials in advantageous configurations to reduce registration error. We tested our new approach against a clinically used headband-based fiducial fixation device under perturbations that could reasonably be expected to occur in a real-world operating room. In bump testing, we found that the granular jamming cap reduced average TRE at the skull base from 2.29 to 0.56 mm and maximum TRE at the same point from 7.65 to 1.30 mm. Clinically significant TRE reductions were also observed in head repositioning and static force testing experiments. The granular jamming cap concept increases the robustness and accuracy of image-guided sinus and skull base surgery by more firmly attaching fiducial markers to the patient’s skull.
Are Ornamental Grasses Acceptable Alternatives For Low Maintenance Landscapes

Abstract A survey instrument was designed to determine public perception of selected landscape (ornamental) grass species, the use of grasses in public landscapes, and the importance of research on the water consumption. Results from the survey indicate that 90% of the respondents felt that grasses have landscape (ornamental) value, and 96% felt that municipalities should utilize these plant materials in public landscapes. In addition, 92% of the respondents deemed research on the water conserving abilities of landscape grasses important and 96% would use them if they helped conserve water. When specific grass species were rated for preference by the respondents, statistical differences were noted between the two field sites, survey dates, and desirability of individual species. Grasses located at the site where plants were allowed a longer establishment period had significantly higher visual rankings. Summer visual ratings of grasses were significantly higher than fall ratings. Native Texas and introduce...
The Relationship Between the Supervisory Working Alliance and Student Self-Efficacy in Genetic Counseling Training

The purpose of this study was to determine if a genetic counseling student’s perception of the supervisory working alliance (SWA) is related to their self-efficacy on select clinical practice-based competencies (PBCs), evaluating the second tenet of the Reciprocal Engagement Model of Supervision (REM-S) from a student perspective. Second year genetic counseling students (N = 168) completed a survey containing demographic and clinical rotation experience questions, the Supervisory Working Alliance Inventory-Trainee Form (SWAI-T), and the Genetic Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale (GCSES). Overall, the SWAI-T was significantly associated with all factors of the GCSES. Additionally, the relationship between the SWAI-T and self-efficacy was specific to those who had only one supervisor, thus highlighting the SWA may be most important under these circumstances. This serves as an important step in being able to guide supervisors toward effective methods in supervision, which may include encouraging supervisors to build a strong relationship with their supervisee in order to help strengthen the student’s confidence in their clinical skills.
When Home Is Where the Harm Is: Family Betrayal and Posttraumatic Outcomes in Young Adulthood

ABSTRACTResearch on institutional betrayal has found that institutional wrongdoing that fails to prevent or respond supportively to victims of abuse adds to the burden of trauma. In this two-study ...
Como se LLAMA

In this issue of Blood , Ulrichts and coworkers report preclinical studies of a novel bivalent heavy chain-only nanobody, ALX-0081, directed at the A1 domain of VWF that inhibits VWF binding to platelet glycoprotein Ibα[1][1] (see figure). The drugs currently available to treat patients with
A2TiO5 (A = Dy, Gd, Er, Yb) at High Pressure.

The structural evolution of lanthanide A2TiO5 (A = Dy, Gd, Yb, Er) at high pressure is investigated using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The effects of A-site cation size and of the initial structure are systematically examined by varying the composition of the isostructural lanthanide titanates and the structure of dysprosium titanate polymorphs (orthorhombic, hexagonal, and cubic), respectively. All samples undergo irreversible high-pressure phase transformations, but with different onset pressures depending on the initial structure. While each individual phase exhibits different phase transformation histories, all samples commonly experience a sluggish transformation to a defect cotunnite-like (Pnma) phase for a certain pressure range. Orthorhombic Dy2TiO5 and Gd2TiO5 form P21am at pressures below 9 GPa and Pnma above 13 GPa. Pyrochlore-type Dy2TiO5 and Er2TiO5 as well as defect-fluorite-type Yb2TiO5 form Pnma at ∼21 GPa, followed by Im3m. Hexagonal Dy2TiO5 forms Pnma directly, although a small amount of remnants of hexagonal Dy2TiO5 is observed even at the highest pressure (∼55 GPa) reached, indicating kinetic limitations in the hexagonal Dy2TiO5 phase transformations at high pressure. Decompression of these materials leads to different metastable phases. Most interestingly, a high-pressure cubic X-type phase (Im3m) is confirmed using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy on recovered pyrochlore-type Er2TiO5. The kinetic constraints on this metastable phase yield a mixture of both the X-type phase and amorphous domains upon pressure release. This is the first observation of an X-type phase for an A2BO5 composition at high pressure.
Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror

Introduction PART I Traumatic Disorders 1. A Forgotten History 2. Terror 3. Disconnection 4. Captivity 5. Child Abuse 6. A New Diagnosis PART II Stages of Recovery 7. A Healing Relationship 8. Safety 9. Remembrance and Mourning 10. Reconnection 11. Commonality Afterword: The Dialectic of Trauma Continues Epilogue to the 2015 Edition
Surgical Management of Inherited Susceptibility to Breast Cancer

Individuals at increased risk for the development of breast cancer have several options for clinical management, including prophylactic mastectomy and risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy. Over the past decade, increasing data have become available regarding the efficacy of and the adverse effects from these surgical approaches. In this chapter we review the available literature, including the indications for such surgeries, as well as their risks and benefits.
Radial Endoscopic Ultrasound

Over the past decade, radial endoscopic ultrasonography has emerged as a powerful diagnostic tool for evaluating and staging neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. Although the initial radial echoendoscopes were heavy, cumbersome instruments, technological advances have resulted in slimmer, lighter scopes with increased agility and a wider range of ultrasound frequencies. Initially, this technology was limited to large, tertiary referral centers due to excessive equipment costs and lack of skilled endosonographers. However, the ever increasing demand for EUS has led to investment in both equipment and experienced endosonographers by some smaller community programs and private practitioners. For the beginner, understanding the basic principles of radial EUS is fundamental for establishing the skill set necessary to perform an accurate and efficient exam. A systematic approach to each anatomical station of the digestive tract is critical for assuring a thorough and complete exam. Review of both anatomical and radiologic atlases is helpful for the beginner to understand and accurately interpret ultrasound images. This chapter focuses on the technical details of performing radial EUS on the upper gastrointestinal tract and rectum. Furthermore, attention is directed toward the recognition of common anatomical landmarks in efforts to improve both the efficiency and accuracy of the exam. Although reading a textbook chapter obviously does not substitute for dedicated, supervised hands-on training, a general understanding of the procedure and common anatomical landmarks is crucial to begin EUS training.
Efficient estimation and model generalization for the totalvariability model

Abstract A number of audio signal processing applications characterize different properties of the source underlying an audio signal by analyzing the distribution of a sequence of feature vectors obtained from the signal. The Total Variability Model has been widely used for this purpose as a mechanism for capturing the variability in the feature vector distribution across different signals within a low dimensional representation. In order to arrive at a compact representation, a number of assumptions are made within the model regarding the properties of this distribution. In this paper, we first present an analysis of a parameter estimation method for the model which offers a computationally efficient alternative to the widely used Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm, but relies on the validity of the model assumptions, using experiments on speaker and language identification tasks. To explain some of the results obtained using this method, we present an extensive statistical analysis aimed at verifying the validity of some of the model assumptions. We show that many of these model assumptions are not valid for the observed data, and propose model generalizations to replace these assumptions. The proposed generalizations lead to a better performance while also opening up possibilities for discriminative training of the model.
Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) is a major determinant in the enhanced function of muscle-derived progenitors from MRL/MpJ mice.

Although the mouse strain Murphy Roths Large (MRL/MpJ) possesses high regenerative potential, the mechanism of tissue regeneration, including skeletal muscle, in MRL/MpJ mice after injury is still unclear. Our previous studies have shown that muscle-derived stem/progenitor cell (MDSPC) function is significantly enhanced in MRL/MpJ mice when compared with MDSPCs isolated from age-matched wild-type (WT) mice. Using mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis, we identified increased expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α target genes (expression of glycolytic factors and antioxidants) in sera from MRL/MpJ mice compared with WT mice. Therefore, we hypothesized that HIF-1α promotes the high muscle healing capacity of MRL/MpJ mice by increasing the potency of MDSPCs. We demonstrated that treating MRL/MpJ MDSPCs with dimethyloxalylglycine and CoCl2 increased the expression of HIF-1α and target genes, including angiogenic and cell survival genes. We also observed that HIF-1α activated the expression of paired box (Pax)7 through direct interaction with the Pax7 promoter. Furthermore, we also observed a higher myogenic potential of MDSPCs derived from prolyl hydroxylase (Phd) 3-knockout (Phd3-/-) mice, which displayed higher stability of HIF-1α. Taken together, our findings suggest that HIF-1α is a major determinant in the increased MDSPC function of MRL/MpJ mice through enhancement of cell survival, proliferation, and myogenic differentiation.-Sinha, K. M., Tseng, C., Guo, P., Lu, A., Pan, H., Gao, X., Andrews, R., Eltzschig, H., Huard, J. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) is a major determinant in the enhanced function of muscle-derived progenitors from MRL/MpJ mice.
Planning of Program Placement in Cubic Multiprocessor Systems

The problem of scheduling the allocation of programs in cubic multiprocessor systems is described, the features of the topological organization of such systems and the features of the placement of programs associated with this are described. An approach that takes into account similar features is proposed.
Want to Kill Facebook and Google? Preserving Section 230 Is Your Best Hope

47 USC 230 does more than promote free speech. The immunity also plays a major role in economic and competition policy. Section 230 implicitly provides what amounts to a financial subsidy to online republishers. That subsidy, counterintuitively, may represent our best hope for dethroning the Internet giants.
Chemotherapy:: Present and Future

Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are among the most common benign tumors of the central nervous system. Bilateral VS are the hallmark of neurofibromatosis type II, commonly leading to complete deafness and cranial nerve deficits as a result of tumor progression or treatment with surgery or radiation. Effective medical therapies are needed to address tumor progression and treatment-related morbidity. This article reviews the standard therapies for VS, summarizes the molecular biology of these tumors, and describes potential targets for chemotherapeutic agents. The article also defines and recommends the use of specific clinical end points in future drug trials, describes previous and current experience with anti-VEGF and anti-EGFR agents, and delineates areas of future research.
The Core Variables N, V, and X

This chapter covers what you need to know about the sentence algebra variables N, V, and X to understand how they function in sentence equations. We classify them (see Fig. 3.1) as the core variables because noun and verb (N + V) pairs are the central spark-producing elements of English sentences. We also consider pronouns (Xs) to be core variables because pronoun and verb pairings (X + V) can also operate as sentence cores.