cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Schotten‐baumann esterification of poly(vinyl alcohol). I.

The esterification of poly(vinyl alcohol) by SCHOTTEN-BAUMANN reaction gave poly(vinyl cinnamate). The proposed method is that cinnamoyl chloride dissolved in the mixture of toluene and methyl ethyl ketone is added to the aqueous mixture of poly(vinyl alcohol) and sodium or potassium hydroxide at low temperatures. Produced poly(vinyl cinnamate) is dissolved in the organic layer. This reaction differs from other SCHOTTEN-BAUMANN reactions such as the interfacial polycondensation and the production of phenyl benzoate in the point that weak alkalis, for example sodium or potassium carbonate and bicarbonate, etc., have no effects. This fact suggests that the ionization of the hydroxyl groups of poly(vinyl alcohol) plays an important role in the esterification. The addition of surface active agents lowers the yield of the product. The explanation is that the esterification of hemi-esterified poly(vinyl alcohol) at the late period of the reaction proceeds in the organic solvent layer and the detergents aid only the hydrolysis of chloride.
AL-ĠAZĀLĪ'S PHILOSOPHERS ON THE DIVINE UNITY

The medieval Islamic philosophers held a certain conception of the divine unity that assumes the necessary existent to be both one and simple. The oneness of the necessary existent meant that it is the only necessary existent and its simplicity meant that it admits no composition whatsoever – it is pure essence and its essence is necessary existence. In The Incoherence of the Philosophers al-Ġazālī presents, with elaboration, an exposition of the philosophers' conception of the divine unity, several arguments for its two components ( i.e ., oneness and simplicity), and his critique of these arguments. In this paper I focus on six of the arguments attributed to the philosophers. Following the textual evidence, I reconstruct these arguments and offer two possible interpretations of them. The first interpretation, which I call the many-argument interpretation, sees one of the arguments as employing the simplicity of the necessary existent to establish its oneness and the other five arguments as invoking oneness to establish simplicity. The second interpretation, which I call the one-argument interpretation, doesn't offer a new reading for the first argument but sees the other five arguments as defending the simplicity of the necessary existent based on its basic concept. I argue for the superiority of the one-argument interpretation.
A sterospecific synthesis of 7α-hydroxycholesterol

The five step synthesis of 7α-hydroxycholesterol utilizes the solvolysis of 7α-bromocholesterol benzoate with potassium acetate in acetic acid as the key step in controlling the stereospecificity of the reaction sequence. This reaction yields 7α-acetoxycholesterol benzoate with retention of configuration at position seven. The diester is readily reduced with lithium aluminum to 7α-hydroxycholesterol.
Unique N-Linked Glycosylation of CasBrE Env Influences Its Stability, Processing, and Viral Infectivity but Not Its Neurotoxicity

The envelope protein (Env) from the CasBrE murine leukemia virus (MLV) can cause acute spongiform neurodegeneration analogous to that induced by prions. Upon central nervous system (CNS) infection, Env is expressed as multiple isoforms owing to differential asparagine (N)-linked glycosylation. Because N-glycosylation can affect protein folding, stability, and quality control, we explored whether unique CasBrE Env glycosylation features could influence neurovirulence. CasBrE Env possesses 6/8 consensus MLV glycosylation sites (gs) but is missing gs3 and gs5 and contains a putative site (gs*). Twenty-nine mutants were generated by modifying these three sites, individually or in combination, to mimic the amino acid sequence in the nonneurovirulent Friend 57 MLV. Three basic viral phenotypes were observed: replication defective (dead; titer 105 FFU/ml). Env protein was undetectable in dead mutants, while RC and WTL mutants showed variations in Env expression, processing, virus incorporation, virus entry, and virus spread. The newly introduced gs3 and gs5 sites were glycosylated, whereas gs* was not. Six WTL mutants tested in mice showed no clear attenuation in disease onset or severity versus controls. Furthermore, three RC viruses tested by neural stem cell (NSC)-mediated brainstem dissemination also induced acute spongiosis. Thus, while unique N-glycosylation affected structural features of Env involved in protein stability, proteolytic processing, and virus assembly and entry, these changes had minimal impact on CasBrE Env neurotoxicity. These findings suggest that the Env protein domains responsible for spongiogenesis represent highly stable elements upon which the more variable viral functional domains have evolved.
The development of representational skills

Representational skills seem to emerge in a stagelike fashion at approximately 2 years of age.
Allelic polymorphism of TCRα chain constant domain genes in the bicolor damselfish

T cell receptor (TCR) chains are composed of two extracellular domains, the membrane-distal variable domain and the membrane-proximal constant domain. Data presented here show that the TCRA ‘constant’ (C) domain of damselfish exhibits considerable allelic polymorphisms that appear to be positively selected. Each of 32 damselfish TCRAC clones showed different patterns of atypical polymorphism in the constant region. Twenty-three of the 121 TCRα constant region amino acid residues show substitutions, clustered mainly in the loops between the beta strands. Coding regions of the TCRAC genes differ by up to 8% at the nucleotide level and 20% at the amino acid level. Southern hybridization, polymorphism segregation, and genomic cloning data suggest allelic polymorphism at two TCRAC genes, distinguished by a single amino acid. KA/KS ratios suggest that balancing selection is acting to maintain polymorphisms at the variable sites of one of these genes, but not the other, in a manner comparable to the peptide binding regions of MHC. Nonetheless, each TCRAC gene is spliced to variable and joining segments similar to those described in other species. These data suggest that our understanding of the function of the TCR constant domains of these vertebrates is incomplete.
Panic disorder and chest pain in the coronary care unit

Consecutive admissions to a university hospital coronary intensive care unit were prospectively evaluated using a modified version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R by interviewers blind to the patient's cardiac status. Panic disorder was present in almost one-third of the patients. Four (21%) of the 19 patients with panic disorder also had positive cardiac findings, including 2 who had myocardial infarctions. Of the 27 patients with negative cardiac findings, 15 (55.5%) had panic disorder. Whereas panic disorder and coronary heart disease may coexist in patients with acute chest pain, there appears to be a very high prevalence of panic disorder among patients in whom cardiac disease has been excluded.
Ion Thermochemistry: Summary of the Panel Discussion

There has been some question regarding the original anchoring of the gas phase acidity scale based on ICR measurements1 in the region of the aliphatic alcohols. The data for methanol from this scale differ by 2.2 kcal/mol from the value from the thermochemical cycle based on bond strength and electron affinity.1,2 Moylan and Brauman have questioned the values for the relative acidities of HF, tBuCH2OH, and PhCH2OH.2 The acidity scale presented in 1979 is based on two assumptions. First, the ion temperature is assumed to be equal to the cell temperature of 320K, so that the slope of a plot of the relative ICR acidities vs. the D-EA absolute values (converted to ΔG°acid as in equation 1) should be unity. Secondly, hydrogen fluoride, with the most accurately known acidity from the D-EA thermochemical cycle, is properly related to the rest of the acidity ladder, so that it may serve as a single point anchor for the whole scale.
Calculation of the stopping power of very-low-velocity magnetic monopoles

We calculate the electronic stopping power of slow magnetic monopoles in condensed materials and find that, for $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.01$, $\frac{\mathrm{dE}}{\mathrm{dx}}$ is proportional to the monopole velocity. For monopoles with $g=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}137e$ it is found that the monopole stopping power is at least as large as that for a proton with the same velocity. The results presented here are not directly relevant to the evaluation of the response of excitation- and ionization-sensitive particle detectors to slow, supermassive monopoles. However, it is hoped that the techniques presented will be a useful guide in thinking about such problems.
Polymorphism at the avpr1a locus in male prairie voles correlated with genetic but not social monogamy in field populations

Integrative studies of genetics, neurobiology and behaviour indicate that polymorphism in specific genes contributes to variation observed in some complex social behaviours. The neuropeptide arginine vasopressin plays an important role in the regulation of a variety of social behaviours, including social attachment of males to females, through its action on the vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR). In socially monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), polymorphism in the length of microsatellite DNA within the regulatory region of the gene (avpr1a) encoding the V1aR predicts differences among males in neural expression of V1aRs and partner preference under laboratory conditions. However, understanding the extent to which V1aR mediates variation in prairie vole social and reproductive behaviour observed in nature requires investigating the consequences of avpr1a polymorphism and environmental influences under ecologically relevant conditions. We examined the relationship between avpr1a length polymorphism and monogamy among male prairie voles living in 0.1 ha enclosures during a time similar to their natural lifespan. We found no evidence that avpr1a genotype of males predicts variation in social monogamy measured in the field but some indices of social monogamy were affected by population density. Parentage data indicated that a male's avpr1a genotype significantly influenced the number of females with which he sired offspring and the total number of offspring sired. Total brain concentrations of V1aR mRNA were not associated with either male behaviour or avpr1a genotype. These data show that melding ecological field studies with neurogenetics can substantially augment our understanding of the effects of genes and environment on social behaviours.
Total blood mercury, plasma homocysteine, methylmalonic acid and folate in US children aged 3-5 years, NHANES 1999-2004

article i nfo Background: Mercury is a known neurotoxicant; however, the relationship between childhood exposures and neurodevelopmental outcomes is uncertain, and may be modified by nutrition-related susceptibilities. In vitro studies found that mercury inhibited methionine synthase, an enzyme that interacts with vitamin B-12 and folate to regenerate the amino acid methionine from homocysteine, and inhibition of methionine synthase diverted homocysteine to cysteine and glutathione synthesis. The relationships between mercury, homocysteine, B-12, and folate have not been examined in children. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate associations between Hg and homocysteine in male and female children differentiated by higher and lower methylmalonic acid (MMA, an indicator of vitamin B-12 deficiency) and folate status. Design: Cross-sectional data on total blood mercury (Hg), plasma homocysteine, MMA, and serum folate were obtained from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for children aged 3-5 years (n=1005). We used multiple linear regression to evaluate relationships between homocysteine and Hg quartiles, stratified by sex, MMA ≥ and folate b sample medians, adjusted for demographic, anthropometric, and environmental factors. Results: In boys with higher MMA and lower folate (n=135), but not in other children, we observed inverse associations between homocysteine and Hg. Children with HgN3.49 μmol/L showed 1.14 μmol/L lower homocysteine (pb0.001) relative to the lowest quartile (≤0.70 μmol/L) {p-value for trendb0.001}. Compared to other subsamples, this subsample had significantly higher homocysteine levels. Conclusion: Hg was inversely correlated with plasma homocysteine in young boys, but not girls, with higher MMA and lower folate. Additional studies are merited to evaluate Hg and amino acid metabolism in susceptible children.
Noisy-light correlation functions by frequency resolved optical gating

A new technique for measuring the time- and frequency-dependent intensities and phases of correlation functions of broadband, non–transform-limited (noisy) light is presented. It is based on others’ successful previous efforts to measure the intensities and phases of short pulses by frequency-resolved optical gating. It is shown that a simplified algorithm based on the original algorithm for frequency-resolved optical gating is sufficient for the recovery of correlation functions. The first experimental realizations of this technique are presented, and the recovered noisy-light correlation functions are shown. By way of illustration, the dispersion of water is quantified. Applications to interferometrically time-resolved nonlinear optical spectroscopies are discussed.
Comedy in Callipolis: Animal Imagery in the Republic*

The political society founded by Socrates in the Republic has been seen by many as Plato's conception of the ideal political community, his Callipolis. However, a study of the language used by Socrates as he builds his perfect city reveals an unusually heavy concentration of animal images. This language seems to undercut the ostensible perfection of Socrates' city and illustrates rather its connections to the comic world of Aristophanes, whose comedy the Birds offers the model according to which the Republic is built. It is suggested that the city of the Republic is comic and ugly, indicating the limitations of politics rather than its potentialities. The Republic argues for the need to reorient the concept of justice away from social life and towards the individual. Ultimately, the Republic suggests that the notion of social justice is laughable and fit for the comic stage.
Model-Updated Image Guidance: A Statistical Approach to Gravity-Induced Brain Shift.

Compensating for intraoperative brain shift using computational models has been used with promising results. Since computational time is an important factor during neurosurgery, a prior knowledge of a patient’s orientation and changes in tissue buoyancy force would be valuable information to aid in predicting shift due to gravitational forces. Since the latter is difficult to quantify intraoperatively, a statistical model for predicting intraoperative brain deformations due to gravity is reported. This statistical model builds on a computational model developed earlier. For a given set of patient’s orientation and amount of CSF drainage, the intraoperative brain shift is calculated using the computational model. These displacements are then validated against measured displacements to predict the intraoperative brain shift. Though initial results are promising, further study is needed before the statistical model can be used for model-updated image-guided surgery.
Introduction to the Special Series Issues and Advances of Synthesizing Single-Case Research

This special series addresses issues and advances in the synthesis of single-case research. In this introduction, we provide an overview of the conceptual and procedural challenges associated with evaluating and aggregating findings drawn from single-case research. Key issues relating to the development of reliable and objective procedures for synthesizing single-case data are reviewed and situated within the context of the nomothetic and idiographic research paradigms. The potential for syntheses of single-case research to augment more traditional approaches for informing the development of evidence-based practices in special education is then reviewed. We conclude with a brief overview of the articles contained in this special series and provide a summary of the collective contributions for moving toward a widely accepted framework for synthesizing single-case research findings.
Policies to Assist Parents with Young Children

Summary The struggle to balance work responsibilities with family obligations may be most difficult for working parents of the youngest children, those five and under. Any policy changes designed to ease the difficulties for these families are likely to be controversial, requiring a careful effort to weigh both the costs and benefits of possible interventions while respecting diverse and at times conflicting American values. In this article, Christopher Ruhm looks at two potential interventions—parental leave and early childhood education and care (ECEC)—comparing differences in policies in the United States, Canada, and several European nations and assessing their consequences for important parent and child outcomes. By and large, Canadian and European policies are more generous than those in the United States, with most women eligible for paid maternity leave, which in a few countries can last for three years or more. Many of these countries also provide for paid leave that can be used by either the mother or the father. And in many European countries ECEC programs are nearly universal after the child reaches a certain age. In the United States, parental leave, if it is available, is usually short and unpaid, and ECEC is generally regarded as a private responsibility of parents, although some federal programs help defray costs of care and preschool education. Ruhm notes that research on the effects of differences in policies is not completely conclusive, in part because of the difficulty of isolating consequences of leave and ECEC policies from other influences on employment and children’s outcomes. But, he says, the comparative evidence does suggest desirable directions for future policy in the United States. Policies establishing rights to short parental leaves increase time at home with infants and slightly improve the job continuity of mothers, with small, but positive, long-run consequences for mothers and children. Therefore, Ruhm indicates that moderate extensions of existing U.S. leave entitlements (up to several months in duration) make sense. He also suggests that some form of paid leave would facilitate its use, particularly among less advantaged parents, and that efforts to improve the quality of ECEC, while maintaining or enhancing affordability, are desirable.
Multibranch Antarctic Seismic Data Library facilitates research

In 1991, investigators from 11 nations involved in Antarctic multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection research sought a way to keep the Antarctic Treaty's promise of open access to data, and in the process to encourage Earth-science research using seismic data. The Antarctic Seismic Data Library System for Cooperative Research (SDLS) was the solution, and is now a recommendation of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (ATCP). Today—at 12 branches spanning the world—researchers can access over 68,000 km of marine MCS data to use for cooperative research. More than 150,000 km of MCS data have been accumulated since 1976 by 13 countries on nearly 70 cruises. The majority of data now in the library cover the Ross Sea, Wilkes Land, and Prydz Bay sectors of the Antarctic margin, with smaller amounts from the Weddell Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula.
Optimization of stochastic uncertain systems: large deviations and robustness for partially observable diffusions

This paper is concerned with stochastic control systems, in which the pay-off is described by the relative entropy between the nominal measure and the uncertain measure, while the uncertain measures satisfy certain energy inequality constraints. With respect to this formulation two problems are defined. The first, seeks to minimize the relative entropy over the set of unknown measures, which satisfy inequality constraints. The second seeks to maximize over the set of admissible control laws, the minimum value of relative entropy induced by the uncertain measures among those, which satisfy inequality constraints. The second problem is equivalent to a minimax problem, while the first is an optimization problem with respect to a fix control law. Certain monotonicity properties of the optimal solution are discussed, while relations to the well-known Cramer's theorem of large deviations are introduced. In addition, connections to minimax games of partially observable stochastic systems and to risk-sensitive control problems are investigated.
Better Lucky Than Rich? Welfare Analysis of Automobile License Allocations in Beijing and Shanghai

Economists often favor market-based mechanisms (e.g., auction) over non-market based mechanisms (e.g., lottery) for allocating scarce public resources on grounds of economic efficiency and revenue generation. When the usage of the resources in question generates negative externalities that are increasing in willingness-to-pay (WTP), the welfare comparison can become ambiguous. Both types of mechanisms are being used in China's major cities to distribute limited vehicle licenses as a measure to combat worsening traffic congestion and urban pollution. While Beijing employs non-transferable lotteries, Shanghai uses an auction system. This paper empirically quantifies the welfare consequences of the two mechanisms by taking into account both allocation efficiency and automobile externalities post-allocation. Our analysis shows that different allocation mechanisms lead to dramatic differences in social welfare. Although the lottery system in Beijing has a large advantage in reducing externalities from automobile use than a uniform price auction, the advantage is offset by the significant welfare loss from misallocation. The lottery system forewent nearly 36 billion RMB (or $6 billion) in social welfare in Beijing in 2012 alone. A uniform-price auction would have generated 21.6 billion RMB to Beijing municipal government, more than covering all the subsidies to the local public transit system.
Closing the Gap in Hypertension Control Between Younger and Older Adults National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1988 to 2010

Background—Joint National Committee goal blood pressure for all adults was <140/<90 mm Hg or lower from 1984 to 2013. Adults aged ≥60 years (older) have mainly isolated systolic hypertension, with major trials attaining systolic blood pressure <150 but not <140 mm Hg. The main objective was to assess changes in hypertension control to <140/<90 mm Hg in younger (aged <60 years) and older adults and <150/<90 mm Hg in the latter. Methods and Results—National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 1988 to 1994, 1999 to 2004, and 2005 to 2010 were analyzed in adults aged ≥18 years. From 1988 to 1994 to 2005 to 2010, hypertension control to <140/<90 mm Hg improved in older (31.6% to 53.1%; P<0.001) and younger (45.7% to 55.9%; P<0.001) patients. The age gap in control declined from 14.1% (P<0.01) in 1988 to 1994 to 2.8% (P=0.13) in 2005 to 2010. Better hypertension control reflected increased percentages of older (55.6% to 77.5%) and younger (34.6% to 54.7%) patients on treatment and treated older (4...
On the role of non-equipartition in the dynamics of rapidly flowing granular mixtures

For rapidly flowing granular mixtures, existing kinetic-theory descriptions based on an assumed form of the velocity distribution function typically contain one of two simplifying assumptions: a Maxwellian velocity distribution or an equipartition of energy. In the current work, the influence of non-equipartition effects is explored in the context of two flow types: flow in which species segregation does not occur (namely, simple shear flow) and a segregating flow. For the former case, a comparison between existing kinetic theories and molecular-dynamics simulations of a binary system indicates that the incorporation of a non-Maxwellian velocity distribution is critical for reliable stress predictions, as is consistent with previous findings. However, the predictions are fairly insensitive to the equipartition versus non-equipartition treatment, despite the presence of a significant non-equipartition of energy. Nevertheless, an analysis of the diffusion equation for a segregating flow indicates that the presence of a non-equipartition of energy gives rise to additional components of the driving forces associated with size segregation. These additional components involve gradients of the species temperature, whereas theories based on an equipartition assumption only involve gradients in the mixture temperature. Molecular-dynamics simulations of the segregating flow, in conjunction with kinetic theory of binary systems, show that the non-equipartition effects are non-negligible for systems characterized by moderate values of mass differences and restitution coefficients. These simulations also reveal that the more massive particle may exhibit a lower species temperature than its lighter counterpart, contrary to previous observations in non-segregating systems. A physical explanation for this behaviour is provided.
Lead Immobilization and Hydroxamate Ligand Promoted Chloropyromorphite Dissolution

The immobilization of lead, a major environmental contaminant, through phosphate amendments to form the sparingly soluble lead phosphate mineral chloropyromorphite [Pb5(PO4)3] (CPY) is an effective in situ strategy for soil remediation. An important question is the effect of microbial processes on this remediation. Here, we investigate the role of the microbial siderophore ligand desferrioxamine-D1 (DFO-D1) and its analog acetohydroxamic acid (aHA) in CPY lability using pH-dependent batch dissolution kinetics and model calculations. Both (0.01) M aHA and (0.00024) M DFO-D1 are similarly effective and enhance lead release from CPY by more than two orders of magnitude at pH > 6 compared to in the absence of ligands. This is consistent with model calculations of pH-dependent (aqueous) complexation of lead with hydroxamate ligands. More importantly, pH-dependent ligand sorption is predictive of its ligand promoted dissolution behavior. Our results suggest that organic ligands can significantly increase CPY lability at alkaline pHs in soils and sediments and that addition of P amendments to immobilize Pb as CPY may only be successful at acid pHs.
Sustainability Education: Is Thinking the Key?

Sustainability education is an important challenge for institutions across grade levels and cultures. While much educational effort focuses on supporting students’ acquisition of knowledge and information, the role of cognition and various thinking skills and processes may be a greater key to truly fostering sustainable thinking and behavior. This article focuses on the wide range of thinking processes and skills that connect to sustainability and offers suggestions for supporting and improving sustainability education. These range across topics such as critical thinking, systems thinking, metacognition, and wisdom. The role of various types of cognitive development is also discussed and sug gestions are made for supporting and improving different types of thinking.
Overview of the Molecular Carcinogenesis of Mouse Lung Tumor Models of Human Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and the need to develop better diagnostic techniques and therapies is urgent. Mouse models have been utilized for studying carcinogenesis of human lung cancers, and many of the major genetic alterations detected in human lung cancers have also been identified in mouse lung tumors. The importance of mouse models for understanding human lung carcinogenic processes and in developing early diagnostic techniques, preventive measures and therapies cannot be overstated. In this report, the major known molecular alterations in lung tumorigenesis of mice are reviewed and compared to those in humans.
Significant Change of Extratropical Natural Variability Associated with Tropical ENSO Anomaly.

Abstract The natural variability over the North Pacific, where the influence of tropical El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events is substantial, is examined to determine whether there is a large change owing to a difference in the ENSO forcing anomaly. The hindcast ensemble runs of the Seasonal Forecast Model of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction are analyzed for this assessment. Four sets of 10-member ensemble hindcasts out to 7 months with T42 horizontal resolution and another four sets with T62 resolution are examined in detail. The results consistently indicate that the natural variability, on both seasonal and monthly time scales, is significantly smaller during El Nino boreal winters than during La Nina boreal winters. The implication is that the predictability on both seasonal and monthly time scales over the North Pacific is potentially higher during El Nino winters than during La Nina winters.
Adolescent males' willingness to report masturbation

This paper compares contemporaneous and retrospective reports of adolescent masturbation experience, partnered sexual behavior, and nonsexual problem behavior. Analyses are based on data from 59 White males who were followed for 3 years in early adolescence and later reinterviewed as young adults. Comparisons of adolescent and adult reports about adolescent behavior indicated that adolescent masturbation, but not coitus and wet dreams, was more likely to be reported in young adulthood than in adolescence, even when confidential reporting techniques were used. In contrast, nonsexual problem behavior occurring during adolescence was more likely to be reported in adolescence than in early adulthood. These findings are consistent with other literature indicating that masturbation is a distinctly sensitive behavior that adolescent respondents may be particularly reluctant to report. These results suggest that adult retrospective reports may more accurately represent adolescent masturbation activity, but may un...
Obesity and the balancing act of endothelial damage and repair: Commentary on an article by Maria-Victoria Noci, MD, et al.: "Changes in endothelial microparticles and endothelial progenitor cells in obese patients in response to surgical stress".

Endothelial cell integrity and function are now recognized as being important in cardiovascular health. The integrity of the endothelium is associated with a wide range of functions such as control of vasomotor activity, regulation of the coagulation system, angiogenesis, mediation of inflammation, and edema formation. Endothelial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of numerous cardiovascular diseases. Thus, assessing endothelial dysfunction or damage is important in understanding a patient’s clinical course and in developing new potential interventions. Currently, evaluating the contribution of the endothelium to disease processes clinically has been complicated by the absence of adequate methods to qualify endothelial homeostasis. Recent work suggests that an increase in circulating endothelial microparticles is indicative of damage to the endothelium1. Microparticles are submicron-size vesicles that are formed by budding from the cell membrane and usually carry cytoplasmic constituents such as proteins, bioactive lipids, and genetic material. Microparticles exhibit distinct features of their parent cells and can perform similar biological functions. Endothelial-derived microparticles (EMPs), in particular, …
Refracted Justice: The Imagined Victim and the International Criminal Court

Catastrophic violence seizes our imaginations. Victims of mass atrocity crimes are invoked by the protagonists of international criminal justice as one of the primary moral justifications for this unique enterprise. As figured by the field of international criminal justice, these “imagined” victims demand accountability as the highest value pursued by justice institutions. However, employing the international criminal justice discourse on victims, international courts and tribunals almost unfailingly satisfy imagined victims while just as consistently frustrating the real ones. Drawing on insights from critical theory and critical discourse analysis, this chapter contributes to critical reflection on transitional justice mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, and aims to consider the political and social dimensions of international criminal justice. In so doing, it advances two arguments. First, it argues that the theory of the victim generated by international criminal justice produces a particular understanding of victims. This imagined victim works to mask the legal subordination of victims by the judicial institutions that derive their legitimacy, in part, through their service to this same constituency. Second, using the ICC case against Thomas Lubanga as an illustration, it argues that the imagined victim supports the logics of international criminal justice. These logics limit the particular meanings and desires of real victims for justice. The chapter thus contributes to international discussions of the values of international criminal justice and the ability of the ICC to live up to its moral commitments.
Respiratory-gated electrical impedance tomography: a potential technique for quantifying stroke volume

Telemonitoring is becoming increasingly important as the proportion of the population living with cardiovascular disease (CVD) increases. Currently used health parameters in the suite of telemonitoring tools lack the sensitivity and specificity to accurately predict heart failure events, forcing physicians to play a reactive versus proactive role in patient care. A novel cardiac output (CO) monitoring device is proposed that leverages a custom smart phone application and a wearable electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system. The purpose of this work is to explore the potential of using respiratory-gated EIT to quantify stroke volume (SV) and assess its feasibility using real data. Simulations were carried out using the 4D XCAT model to create anatomically realistic meshes and electrical conductivity profiles representing the human thorax and the intrathoracic tissue. A single 5-second period respiration cycle with chest/lung expansion was modeled with end-diastole (ED) and end-systole (ES) heart volumes to evaluate how effective EIT-based conductivity changes represent clinically significant differences in SV. After establishing a correlation between conductivity changes and SV, the applicability of the respiratory-gated EIT was refined using data from the PhysioNet database to estimate the number of useful end-diastole (ED) and end-systole (ES) heart events attained over a 3.3 minute period. The area associated with conductivity changes was found to correlate to SV with a correlation coefficient of 0.92. A window of 12.5% around peak exhalation was found to be the optimal phase of the respiratory cycle from which to record EIT data. Within this window, ~47 useable ED and ES were found with a standard deviation of 28 using 3.3 minutes of data for 20 patients.
Food Banking, Ethical Sensemaking, and Social Innovation in an Era of Growing Hunger in the United States

This article considers the critical role that food bank leaders play in sensemaking around the ethical and justice dimensions of hunger and food-related illnesses in the United States. It presents ...
Quantification of cellular influx into the croton oil-induced pouch. Effects of prednisolone.

SummaryQuantitation of leukocyte influx into the croton oil-induced pouch in rats was performed, and the effects of 5.0 mg of prednisolone injected daily directly into the pouch determined. Prednisolone reduced the volume of the exudate as well as the total numbers of leukocytes mobilized into the irritated site. The decrease in the numbers of PMNs in the pouch exudate was greater than that seen for other cell types as well as for the reduction in exudate volume. The PMN content of the pouch exudate is suggested as an additional sensitive and reliable criterion for the assessment of anti-inflammatory activity of potential therapeutic agents.
Mesoporous metal oxides by vapor infiltration and atomic layer deposition on ordered surfactant polymer films.

Catalysis, chemical separations, and energy conversion devices often depend on well-defined mesoporous materials as supports or active component elements. Herein, we show that ordered assembled organic surfactant films can directly template porous inorganic solids with surface area exceeding 1000 m2/g by infusing the polymers with reactive inorganic vapors, followed by anneal. The specific surface area, pore size, chemical composition, and overall shape of the product material are tuned by choice of the polymer and precursor materials as well as the influsion and postinfusion treatment conditions. X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and electron microscopy show that vapor infusion changes both the physical and chemical structure of the starting ordered polymer films, consistent with quantified trends in specific surface area and pore size distribution measured by nitrogen adsorption after film annealing. This method yields porous TiO2 films, for example, that function as an anode layer in a dye-sens...
Double-Side Process and Reliability of Through-Silicon Vias for Passive Interposer Applications

Through-silicon vias (TSVs) for passive interposer applications are being widely developed in industry and academia. This paper for the first time presents a double-side process to fabricate such TSVs. Such a process has many benefits, including not requiring carrier wafers for a wafer size between 150 and 200 mm and avoiding the chemical mechanical polishing processes after Cu plating. It thus significantly reduces the fabrication process steps compared with a traditional TSV. The reliability of TSVs formed this way has been studied by fabricating daisy chains and testing them for temperature cycling. Detailed mechanical failure mechanism analysis by a scanning electron microscope has been also carried out. In addition, finite-element models have been developed to analyze the fabrication-induced stresses and to estimate the thermomechanical reliability of the fabricated TSV structures.
Recent Research Developments of Soft Ferrite Materials

Based on papers of the ICF10 (10th International Conference on Ferrites,2008.10.10),the 13th National Magnetics Conference (2008.10.31) and some specialization conferences on magnetic materials,recent developments of soft ferrite materials are introduced and summarized,in respective of research.
Treating the enigmatic “exceptional responders” as patients with undiagnosed diseases

![Figure][1] Eric D. Perakslis ![Figure][1] Isaac S. Kohane CREDIT: STEVE LIPOFSKY (I.S.K.) Exceptional responders are patients who respond to therapies in ways that are both dramatically and unexpectedly positive but also statistically insignificant within the current context of
Capturing the patients’ voices: Planning for patient-centered electronic health record use

Abstract Objectives To understand (1) the perceptions of patients regarding use of EHR during clinic visits, (2) the impact of the presence of EHR on patient interactions with physicians, and (3) the ways in which EHR usage might increase patient engagement. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews of a convenience sample of patients of internal medicine resident doctors from three primary care clinics. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used thematic analysis to identify themes from the transcripts. Informed consent was obtained from each participant. Results We interviewed 32 patients; 37.5% male. Our analysis revealed three primary themes: (1) the views and beliefs of patients on the use of EHR in clinics, (2) patients' perception of the communication skills of residents, and (3) patients' perceptions about information sharing, patient engagement, and health education related to the EHR. An invitation to patients to view the screen as the physician interprets its content increases patient satisfaction and understanding. Residents' possessed skills in communication is not impeded when using EHR. Conclusion Patients generally express a positive or neutral perception of EHR use during clinic visits. Using information voiced by patients, we can teach health providers EHR strategies that are likely to engage patients in the visit and engender their trust.
The Supreme Court, 2013 Term — Foreword: The Means of Constitutional Power

This Foreword argues that the constitutional text favors an approach to both statutory and structural constitutional law that defers, within broad bounds, to congressional authority to determine how to implement constitutional power. In several important contexts, the Constitution grants implementation powers to Congress. These grants include the Necessary and Proper Clause, which provides that Congress shall have the power “[t]o make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.” The upshot of that explicit assignment is not hard to describe. Unless it violates some other provision of the Constitution, when Congress specifies a reasonable means of carrying out its own power or the powers of the coordinate branches, the other branches must respect that decision. This Foreword argues that the Rehnquist and Roberts Courts have given effect to this allocation of implementation power in statutory cases, but not in structural constitutional cases. The Court’s “new textualism” in statutory interpretation builds on a post-New Deal tradition that treated the Necessary and Proper Clause as a broad source of congressional authority to enact odd, and even silly, laws, as long as they satisfied a very minimal threshold of rationality. By enforcing the statutory text, warts and all, textualism enables Congress to use its words reliably to prescribe — and make stick — rough, awkward, and often ill-fitting solutions to complex and contested social problems. In contrast, the Court's “new structuralism” in constitutional law transforms the Necessary and Proper Clause into a delegation of power to the courts to define abstract structural policies. In a novel reading of the clause, both the Rehnquist and Roberts Courts have held that a law is not “proper” if it cannot satisfy the Court's own conception of freestanding principles of federalism and separation of powers. Contrary to the Constitution’s express allocation of implementation power, this approach gives the Court rather than Congress primary responsibility for determining what means are “necessary and proper.”
Determining the spatial heterogeneity underlying racial and ethnic differences in timely mammography screening

The leading cause of cancer death for women worldwide continues to be breast cancer. Early detection through timely mammography has been recognized to increase the probability of survival. While mammography rates have risen for many women in recent years, disparities in screening along racial/ethnic lines persist across nations. In this paper, we argue that the role of local context, as identified through spatial heterogeneity, is an unexplored dynamic which explains some of the gaps in mammography utilization by race/ethnicity. We apply geographically weighted regression methods to responses from the 2008 Public Health Corporations’ Southeastern Household Health Survey, to examine the spatial heterogeneity in mammograms in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. We find first aspatially that minority identity, in fact, increases the odds of a timely mammogram: 74% for non-Hispanic Blacks and 80% for Hispanic/Latinas. However, the geographically weighted regression confirms the relation of race/ethnicity to mammograms varies by space. Notably, the coefficients for Hispanic/Latinas are only significant in portions of the region. In other words, the increased odds of a timely mammography we found are not constant spatially. Other key variables that are known to influence timely screening, such as the source of healthcare and social capital, measured as community connection, also vary by space. These results have ramifications globally, demonstrating that the influence of individual characteristics which motivate, or inhibit, cancer screening may not be constant across space. This inconsistency calls for healthcare practitioners and outreach services to be mindful of the local context in their planning and resource allocation efforts.
Evaluation of Violence Prevention Approaches Among Early Adolescents: Moderating Effects of Disability Status and Gender

High prevalence rates of aggression during adolescence and associated adjustment difficulties for perpetrators and victims highlight the need for effective violence prevention programs. School-based prevention programs are advantageous as they occur in a key setting for youths' social and emotional development. The current study compared the efficacy of a combined universal violence prevention approach that included individual-level skill-building (i.e., lessons from Second Step) and school environment (i.e., Olweus Bullying Prevention Program; OBPP) interventions to OBPP alone. Participants were 231 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders (ages 11–15; M = 12.6, SD = 1.0) in middle school (48 % male, 67 % African American). A total of 14 classrooms were randomly assigned to the combined intervention (seven) or OBPP only comparison (seven) condition, split evenly across grades. Intervention effects were moderated by disability status and gender. Among students without disabilities those who received the combined intervention reported greater increases in anger regulation coping skills than those in the comparison condition. In contrast, among youth with disabilities greater increases in teacher-rated social skills were found for students in the combined intervention than students in the comparison condition at posttest. Gender-moderated effects included greater decreases in teacher ratings of externalizing problems and bullying behaviors for boys in the combined intervention versus the comparison condition at posttest. Study results inform school-based violence prevention programs and are discussed along with implications.