cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Euronews: the first European news channel as a case study for media industry development in Europe and for spectra of transnational journalism research

The European news channel, Euronews, can be regarded as a model case from the point of view of transnational, critical journalism research in two respects: first, it is to be demonstrated, on the basis of theoretical considerations relating to the course taken by communications policy, how a rationalized media operation is positioning itself in the European context of media industry development. Second, it can be viewed against the background of transnational journalism concepts. The rationalized mode of working in the multinational form found at Euronews is suitable for the integration of journalistic product and media industry development strategy at the European level, since Euronews is capable of providing contents for the new communication systems (highways).
Learning a Synchronous MAP for Improved Face Recognition

Maximum A posteriori Probability (MAP) is a machine-learning method for classification of objects by their visual representations, such as humans by the images of their faces. Multiple-class recognition can be rendered in a two-class problem, through the attempt to categorize image differences as more likely under either the between- or the within-class hypotheses. When Gaussian models are learned for these two probability densities, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to estimate them. This procedure leaves open the choice for the dimensionalities at which the two models are estimated-a 2-parameter learning problem. Synchronous MAP (sMAP) is proposed here to reduce the complexity to a single dimension by learning a synchronization between the models on the basis of their power spectra. Experiments are reported on the standard, publicly available FERET fafb Sep96 test protocol that demonstrate sMAP results which are almost twice better than the previously reported (non-synchronous) MAP results, and also improve significantly over the previous state of the art-another subspace approach, based on Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA).
Substrate specificity and structure of human aminoadipate aminotransferase/kynurenine aminotransferase II.

Aminotransferase, capable of catalysing the transamination of kynurenine to KYNA (kynurenic acid), has commonly been termed KAT (kynurenine aminotransferase). KYNA is the only known endogenous antagonist of the NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) subtype of glutamate receptors [1-4]. KYNA is also the antagonist of the α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor [5-8]. The level of KYNA is altered in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington’s disease [9,10], Alzheimer’s disease [11], schizophrenia [12-14] and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome dementia [15]. Because KYNA must be produced by KAT-catalysed kynurenine transamination, aminotransferases, responsible for catalysing kynurenine to KYNA, have been considered to be targets for maintaining and regulating physiological concentrations of brain KYNA. In humans, rats and mice, four enzymes, KAT I, II, III and IV, are considered to be involved in KYNA synthesis in the central nervous system [16-21]. Of these, KAT I and KAT II have been extensively studied and the crystal structures of hKAT I (human kynurenine aminotransferase I) and hKAT II (human kynurenine aminotransferase II) are now available [16,17,19,22-25]. It has been reported that KAT I has a broad substrate specificity and displays maximum activity at relatively basic conditions. This poses critical questions regarding the contribution of KAT I to brain KYNA production [16,17]. On the other hand, KAT II is identical to AADAT (aminoadipate aminotransferase) and catalyses the transamination of kynurenine and aminoadipate and is localized in the soluble cytoplasm [16]. The enzyme has been cloned from both rats and humans and its presence in the brain has been confirmed by Northern and Western blotting [26-29]. Previous studies on KAT II/AADAT have been focused on its activity on aminoadipate in peripheral organs, especially in the liver and the kidney, and on its role in brain KYNA production [30-32]. Although there have been a number of studies addressing the biochemical characterization of KAT II/AADAT, the overall substrate specificity and kinetic properties have not been clearly established for KAT II from any species. In the present study, we determined its overall substrate profile, kinetic parameters and the complex structure of hKAT II with α-oxoglutaric acid. The present study shows a novel biochemical characterization of hKAT II.
Dilevalol: An Overview of Its Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutic Use in Hypertension

Dilevalol is a novel antihypertensive drug that combines nonselective beta blockade with selective beta 2-receptor agonist activity. Its antihypertensive effect is mediated through arterial vasodilation and a decrease in systemic vascular resistance. At rest, dilevalol has little effect on heart rate or cardiac output. The drug is rapidly and completely absorbed but undergoes significant first-pass hepatic extraction. Its elimination half-life of approximately 12 hours allows for once-daily administration. In controlled clinical trials, dilevalol was at least as effective as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and comparable to beta blockers in antihypertensive efficacy. Preliminary data indicate that dilevalol reverses left ventricular hypertrophy in some patients. It does not adversely affect renal function and may have a favorable effect on plasma lipids, especially high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The agent is usually well tolerated and may prove to be a useful addition to our antihypertensive drugs.
Determination of unoxidized tocopherols in milk fat.

Summary This procedure was evolved in order to follow tocopherol degradation in oxidizing milk fat. It combines saponification, in the presence of pyrogallol, to destroy tocoquinones and essentially all fat peroxides, chromatography on SnCl 2 + HCl-treated Floridin (Kjolhede) to remove carotenoids, possible residual peroxides, steroids, etc., and color development in benzene-ethanol with ferric chloride and bipyridyl in acetic acid solution (Devlin and Mattill). Pyrogallol was effective in preventing tocopherol destruction during saponification and was superior to saponification under nitrogen. Complete saponification was effected by using 17ml. of 3.5 N KOH per 10g. fat. If saponification was eliminated, the treated Floridin column reduced tocopheryl- p -quinones but not tocopheryl- o -quinones. The former were similarly reduced by the Quaife and Biehler hydrogenation procedure. These reduced compounds are measured as tocopherols.
Reverse Concatenated Coded Modulation for High-Speed Optical Communication

We propose the reverse concatenated code as a forward error correction (FEC) scheme suitable for beyond 100-Gb/s optical transmission. In this scheme, BCH code is used as inner code and low-density parity-check (LDPC) code as outer code. The BCH decoder is implemented based on maximum a posteriori (MAP) decoding such as the BCJR/Ashikmin's algorithm, and an LDPC decoder is based on a min-sum-with-correction-term algorithm. Because maximum a posteriori (MAP) decoding is used as the inner decoder, it provides high accuracy reliabilities to be used in LDPC decoding. We show that proposed FEC scheme performs comparably with much longer LDPC codes of girth 12 for a smaller number of LDPC decoder iterations. Because the outer LDPC code is of medium length and the number of required iterations is low, the proposed concatenated scheme represents an interesting candidate to be used in beyond 100-Gb/s optical transmission. The net coding gain (NCG) of concatenated LDPC(16935,14819)-BCH(64,57) code is 9.62 dB at a bit error rate (BER) of 10-9, whereas the expected NCG at BER of 10-13 is 11.38 dB. This concatenated code outperforms the corresponding turbo-product counterpart with a Chase II decoding algorithm by 0.94 dB at BER of 10-9.
Isotopic and Chemical Titration of Acid Sites in Tungsten Oxide Domains Supported on Zirconia

The acid and surface properties of WOx−ZrO2 solid acid catalysts were examined as a function of WOx surface density. Surface density strongly influences the size and electronic properties of WOx domains and the rate of acid-catalyzed reactions on these materials. The adsorption and isotopic exchange of acid and redox probe molecules (NH3, pyridine, H2, and O2) were used to measure the density and type of active sites in the reducing environments required to achieve high isomerization reaction rates. In this manner, the role of H2 and of surface density on the formation of Bronsted or Lewis acid sites was determined by combining infrared spectroscopy and desorption measurements using NH3 titrants. At submonolayer WOx coverages, the density of Bronsted acid sites increased with increasing WOx surface density up to ∼0.20 NH3/W atom, indicating their presence at the interface between ZrO2 and polytunsgtate domains. Above monolayer WOx coverages, Bronsted acid site densities (per W atom) decreased markedly bec...
Early feedback on side-channel risks with accelerated toggle-counting

Early detection of side-channel leakage in the design of a digital crypto-circuit is as important as getting the design functionally correct. Currently, side-channel leakage is confirmed by measuring actual prototypes, or by detailed SPICE-level simulations of the hardware model. However, this feedback does not help the designer: it comes either too late (after the implementation), or else it has unreasonable simulation-time requirements. In this paper, we present a design method to provide early feedback on side-channel leakage based on toggle-counting. We show how to abstract the low-level circuit effects, such as glitches and routing imbalances, into high-level simulation models that can be toggle-counted. Furthermore, we propose an acceleration method for fast toggle-counting using reconfigurable hardware. The proposed methods accelerate the evaluation of side-channel leakage by a factor of 105 over comparable SPICE-level simulations.
Effective treatment of scalp psoriasis using the excimer (308 nm) laser.

Background: Psoriasis of the scalp can be a major therapeutic challenge as response to topical medication is often inadequate. The excimer laser has potential for providing local phototherapy as its high irradiance makes treatment at this site a practical option. Objectives: To analyze retrospectively results of treating scalp psoriasis with the excimer (308 nm) laser. Methods: Thirty-five patients were treated and all had failed intensive topical therapy. Manual separation of hair was used to provide access to the treatment site. Starting doses ranged from 300 mJ/cm 2 (type I) to 1000 mJ/cm 2 (type IV) with treatment twice weekly. Results: All patients improved. Seventeen/35 (49%) of patients cleared495% (mean: 21 treatments; range: 6–52) and 16/35 (45%) cleared 50–95%. Phototoxicity in the form of erythema and blistering occurred in all patients, particularly around the ears and nape of neck. Conclusion: The excimer laser is a successful approach to treatment of psoriasis of the scalp being a simple treatment that can be performed in a short period of time and which has a high rate of effectiveness.
Extremal Problems on Detectable Colorings of Connected Graphs With Cycle Rank 2

Let G be a connected graph of order n ≥ 3a nd letc : E(G) →{ 1,2,...,k} be a coloring of the edges of G (where adjacent edges may be colored the same). For each vertex v of G ,t he color code ofv with respect to c is the k -tuple c(v )=( a1,a2, ··· ,ak ), whereai is the number of edges incident with v that are colored i (1 ≤ i ≤ k ). The coloring c is detectable if distinct vertices have distinct color codes. The detection number det(G )o fG is the minimum positive integer k for which G has a detectable k -coloring. A connected graph of order n ≥ 4a nd sizem is said to have cycle rank 2 if m = n+ 1 . For each integer n ≥ 4, letD2(n) be the maximum detection number among all connected graphs of order n with cycle rank 2 and d2(n) the minimum detection number among all connected graphs of order n with cycle rank 2. The numbers D2(n )a ndd2(n) are determined for all integers n ≥ 4 . Furthermore, for integers k ≥ 2a ndn ≥ 4 , there exists a connected graph G of order n having cycle rank 2 and det(G )= k if and only if d2(n) ≤ k ≤ D2(n ).
Reaction mechanism studies towards effective fabrication of lithium-rich anti-perovskites Li3OX (X = Cl, Br)

Abstract Lithium-rich anti-perovskites (LiRAPs), with general formula Li3OX (X = Cl, Br), recently reported as superionic conductors with 3-dimensional Li+ migrating channels, are emerging as promising candidates for solid electrolytes in all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, great challenges remain in the fabrication of pure LiRAPs due to difficulties such as low yield, impurity phases, thermodynamic instabilities, and moisture-sensitivity. In this work, we thoroughly studied the formation mechanism of Li3OCl and Li3OBr using various solid-state reaction routes. Different experimental strategies were developed to improve the syntheses, namely, for the purposes of phase stability, phase purity, and large-scale production. One feasible method is to use the strong reducing agents Li metal or LiH to eliminate the OH species. The results show that LiH is more effective than Li metal, mainly due to negatively charged H− and reaction uniformity. The other successful method employs a solid diffusion approach using Li2O and LiX as the starting reagents, thereby avoiding OH entirely; ball milling of reagents under Ar atmosphere was utilized to decrease initial grain size and increase the reaction rate. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal analyses, and first-principles calculations were performed to give indications on the reaction pathway.
Injury in Fiction

The contours of Article III are notoriously ill-defined. Yet, nowhere is this opacity more evident than when viewed through the lens of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. This Essay explores Article III’s injury-in-fact requirement in the context of affirmative action jurisprudence from Bakke to Fisher and concludes – as have many commentators – that the Supreme Court should have dismissed Fisher’s complaint for want of standing. Uniquely, however, this Essay reasons that Fisher should have lacked standing even assuming arguendo that Bakke was rightly decided. Specifically, in Associated General Contractors v. Jacksonville, the Court cited Bakke for the proposition that failure to put an individual on “equal footing” is an injury that triggers Article III standing. This Essay excoriates Jacksonville’s flawed analysis and concludes that the “injury” the Court invented lacks a mooring in precedent, the text of Article III, and logic.
PERK Integrates Oncogenic Signaling and Cell Survival During Cancer Development

Unfolded protein responses (UPR), consisting of three major transducers PERK, IRE1, and ATF6, occur in the midst of a variety of intracellular and extracellular challenges that perturb protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). ER stress occurs and is thought to be a contributing factor to a number of human diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and various metabolic syndromes. In the context of neoplastic growth, oncogenic stress resulting from dysregulation of oncogenes such as c-Myc, Braf(V600E) , and HRAS(G12V) trigger the UPR as an adaptive strategy for cancer cell survival. PERK is an ER resident type I protein kinase harboring both pro-apoptotic and pro-survival capabilities. PERK, as a coordinator through its downstream substrates, reprograms cancer gene expression to facilitate survival in response to oncogenes and microenvironmental challenges, such as hypoxia, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Herein, we discuss how PERK kinase engages in tumor initiation, transformation, adaption microenvironmental stress, chemoresistance and potential opportunities, and potential opportunities for PERK targeted therapy. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 2088-2096, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Hexosaminidase activities in a case of systemic GM2 gangliosidosis of late infantile type.

SummaryAn unusual systemic GM2 gangliosidosis of late infantile type was shown to have high levels of hexosaminidase activity in brain and liver. It, therefore, differs from another GM2 variant of late infantile type reported by Sandhoff et al. (2), in which hexosaminidase activity was absent.Addenum. Okada and O'Brien reported that the isoenzyme hexosaminidase A was absent in TSD tissue (6). The percentage of hexosaminidase A and B in brain extracts from the present case and from a TSD and control case were analyzed by acrylamide gel electrophoresis and quantitative fluorometric scanning using 4-methylumbelliferyl-2-acetamide-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranoside as substrate. In the present case the A fraction comprised 40% of the total hexosaminidase activity in contrast to 60% in a control and 0% in TSD brain.
The British Protestant Theologians in the First World War: Germanophobia Unleashed

In times of national crisis, do scholars react more nobly than the man on the street? And, in particular, what about religious academiciansmen revered for their spiritual as well as intellectual insight? In time of war, are they able to rise au-dessus de la melee and maintain a dispassionate judgment, or do they descend into the marketplace and parrot the platitudes of the popular press.
Mean Myoglobin Oxygen Tension during Exercise at Maximal Oxygen Uptake

We have applied the method of estimating intracellular oxygen in skeletal and cardiac muscle from binding of CO to myoglobin to intact man. This study has been published in detail elsewhere (1).
Renal lithiasis: a practical approach.

AbstractManagement of most patients with calculous disease has been less than ideal in the past. Too often therapeutic efforts were limited to symptomatic calculi. Stones were allowed to pass or were removed, metabolic studies were incomplete, victims were dismissed and forgotten, and prophylactic measures were negligible and usually confined to milk restriction and use of distilled water.More patients were crippled with and died of recurrent calculous disease, urinary infection and progressive renal insufficiency than from any other upper urinary tract abnormality. During the last decade the development of a renal stone clinic at this institution has allowed a nephrourologic approach to the management of urolithiasis. This account of classification, diagnosis and management of the various syndromes associated with urolithiasis is based on the experiences gained during the last decade with this common but ill-understood urologic problem.
Illuminating the Neuronal Architecture Underlying Context in Fear Memory

Context plays a foundational role in determining how to interpret potentially fear-producing stimuli, yet the precise neurobiological substrates of context are poorly understood. In this issue of Cell, Xu et al. elegantly show that parallel neuronal circuits are necessary for two distinct roles of context in fear conditioning.
Acute Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on the Skin

The responses of normal skin to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation are an example of inflammation. The chromophores initiating the reaction are unknown. Characteristic clinical findings are erythema, heat, swelling, and pain. Histopathologic changes include epidermal keratinocyte damage with Langerhans cell depletion and dermal edema, endothelial swelling, mast cell degranulation, and cellular infiltration with neutrophils and monocytes. Biochemical changes include release of histamine, cyclo-oxygenase, and lipoxygenase-derived products of arachidonic acid, kinins, and cytokines, probably from a range of epidermal and dermal cell types. These substances very likely assist in mediation of the reaction. The response is more pronounced in young subjects. UVB (280 to 315 nm) and UVA (315 to 400 nm) radiation both produce inflammation, but with marked qualitative and quantitative differences. UVB having more effect on the epidermis, UVA more on the dermis.
A Hermeneutic of the Cross: Religion and Racialized Discourse in the Thought of James Baldwin

This short article is an exploration of selected portions of the essays and non-fiction of James Baldwin. In recent years the writings of Baldwin have enjoyed something of a renaissance. A new gene...
Through the Eyes of Their Teachers: Stereotypes of Gifted Pupils:

Teachers of the gifted enrolled in a master's program in gifted education responded to instruments designed to elicit their attitudes toward gifted children. Prior to the program their perceptions of “the typical gifted child” and “the most gifted individual whom I have taught” were highly similar. After the program, similar ratings of “the typical gifted child” and a specific pupil with whom they worked during the summer practicum were much more diverse, suggesting that they were tending to a clearer perception of individuals. They did, however, show several trends which tended to indicate the existence of certain stereotypes. In particular, there was a strong tendency to describe gifted girls in a considerably more favorable manner than gifted boys. Older pupils also tended to be described more unfavorably than younger ones (under 12 years).
Mechanical Thrombectomy in Elderly Stroke Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Baseline Disability.

Background The number of elderly patients suffering from ischemic stroke is rising. Randomized trials of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) generally exclude patients over the age of 80 years with baseline disability. The aim of this study was to understand the efficacy and safety of MT in elderly patients, many of whom may have baseline impairment. Methods Between January 2015 and April 2017, 96 patients ≥80 years old who underwent MT for stroke were selected for a chart review. The data included baseline characteristics, time to treatment, the rate of revascularization, procedural complications, mortality, and 90-day good outcome defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0-2 or return to baseline. Results Of the 96 patients, 50 had mild baseline disability (mRS score 0-1) and 46 had moderate disability (mRS score 2-4). Recanalization was achieved in 84% of the patients, and the rate of symptomatic hemorrhage was 6%. At 90 days, 34% of the patients had a good outcome. There were no significant differences in good outcome between those with mild and those with moderate baseline disability (43 vs. 24%, p = 0.08), between those aged ≤85 and those aged > 85 years (40.8 vs. 26.1%, p = 0.19), and between those treated within and those treated beyond 8 h (39 vs. 20%, p = 0.1). The mortality rate was 38.5% at 90 days. The Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) predicted good outcome regardless of baseline disability (p < 0.001 and p = 0.009, respectively). Conclusion Advanced age, baseline disability, and delayed treatment are associated with sub-optimal outcomes after MT. However, redefining good outcome to include return to baseline functioning demonstrates that one-third of this patient population benefits from MT, suggesting the real-life utility of this treatment.
SAMER: A Semi-Automatically Created Lexical Resource for Arabic Verbal Multiword Expressions Tokens Paradigm and their Morphosyntactic Features.

Although MWE are relatively morphologically and syntactically fixed expressions, several types of flexibility can be observed in MWE, verbal MWE in particular. Identifying the degree of morphological and syntactic flexibility of MWE is very important for many Lexicographic and NLP tasks. Adding MWE variants/tokens to a dictionary resource requires characterizing the flexibility among other morphosyntactic features. Carrying out the task manually faces several challenges since it is a very laborious task time and effort wise, as well as it will suffer from coverage limitation. The problem is exacerbated in rich morphological languages where the average word in Arabic could have 12 possible inflection forms. Accordingly, in this paper we introduce a semi-automatic Arabic multiwords expressions resource (SAMER). We propose an automated method that identifies the morphological and syntactic flexibility of Arabic Verbal Multiword Expressions (AVMWE). All observed morphological variants and syntactic pattern alternations of an AVMWE are automatically acquired using large scale corpora. We look for three morphosyntactic aspects of AVMWE types investigating derivational and inflectional variations and syntactic templates, namely: 1) inflectional variation (inflectional paradigm) and calculating degree of flexibility; 2) derivational productivity; and 3) identifying and classifying the different syntactic types. We build a comprehensive list of AVMWE. Every token in the AVMWE list is lemmatized and tagged with POS information. We then search Arabic Gigaword and All ATBs for all possible flexible matches. For each AVMWE type we generate: a) a statistically ranked list of MWE-lexeme inflections and syntactic pattern alternations; b) An abstract syntactic template; and c) The most frequent form. Our technique is validated using a Golden MWE annotated list. The results shows that the quality of the generated resource is 80.04%.
Passive Pitching of a Flapping Wing in Turning Flight

Insect wings are flexible structures that passively deform under the action of inertial and aerodynamic forces in flight. Previous studies have focused on the aerodynamic and energetic merits of th...
Foraging characteristics of a desert ant assemblage: functional morphology and species separation

Ten species of desert ants were studied with respect to their use of solid food resources, resource overlap, and functional morphology. Species could be clearly separated according to forage items into a seed-foraging guild (6 spp.), an arthropod-foraging guild (3 spp.) and an omnivore. Forage size was correlated with body length. Character ratios of body length and mandible gape averaged 1·38 (or reciprocally, 0·72). Similarly, the largest overlap of forage taxa within a guild was 0·75. Mean forage overlaps ranged from 0·18 to 0·59 for seed-foragers and 0·41 to 0·55 for arthropod foragers. These and other data suggest that forage availability and competitive interactions may have been important in structuring this ant assemblage.
A Comparison of Patient-Reported Outcomes After Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy and Conventional Mastectomy with Reconstruction

Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) is increasingly used for breast cancer risk reduction and treatment. Prior small studies with variable control for baseline characteristics suggest superior satisfaction with NSM. The purpose of this study was to compare patient satisfaction following NSM and total mastectomy (TM) utilizing the BREAST-Q patient-reported outcome measure in a well-characterized patient population. Patients at a single institution undergoing NSM or TM with immediate tissue expander/implant reconstruction who completed a follow-up BREAST-Q from 2007 to 2017 were identified by retrospective review of a prospective database. Baseline characteristics were compared, and linear mixed models were used to analyze associations with BREAST-Q scores over time. Of 1866 eligible patients, 219 (12%) underwent NSM, and 1647 (88%) underwent TM. Median time from baseline to BREAST-Q was 658 days. Patients with NSM were younger, more likely to be white, and had lower BMI. They more often had prophylactic surgery, bilateral mastectomies, lower-stage disease, and less often received chemotherapy/radiation than patients with TM. On multivariable analysis, after controlling for relevant clinical variables, there was no difference in satisfaction with breasts or satisfaction with outcome overall between NSM and TM patients. Psychosocial well-being and sexual well-being were significantly higher in the NSM group. After additionally controlling for preoperative BREAST-Q score in a subset of patients (72 NSM; 443 TM), only psychosocial well-being remained significantly higher in NSM patients. Patient-reported outcomes should be discussed with women weighing the risks and benefits of NSM to provide a better understanding of expected quality of life.
Abstracts: ALA 2010—San Francisco: Melville and Religious Experience

ALA 2010—San Francisco Melville and Religious Experience CHAIR: BRIAN YOTHERS, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO Participants in “Melville and Religious Experience” panel at ALA 2010, from left to right: William E. Engel, Jonathan A. Cook, Richard Hardack, Peter Norberg, Brian Yothers. Few writers have engaged more subtly or more broadly with the subject of religious experience than Melville. On both a cognitive and an affective level, Melville’s work is in dialogue with a staggering range of religious traditions. Panelists were invited to consider the following C © 2010 The Authors Journal compilation C © 2010 The Melville Society and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. L E V I A T H A N A J O U R N A L O F M E L V I L L E S T U D I E S 131
Comparing the cost and outcomes of laparoscopic versus open appendectomy for perforated appendicitis in children.

Although laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) is accepted treatment for perforated appendicitis (PA) in children, concerns remain whether it has equivalent outcomes with open appendectomy (OA) and increa...
PCIT: Conceptualizing a Continuum of Prevention

Strengthening the parent–child relationship in early childhood has the potential to serve as a buffer against multiple negative developmental outcomes. Waiting until problems are pervasive or severe can be more costly, and most families in need of treatment do not receive it. Prevention models offer the possibility of reaching more families and building resilience prior to the onset of debilitating mental health issues. This chapter reviews research on existing PCIT-based prevention models across the continuum from universal to indicated prevention and describes in detail Family Camp, a selective prevention model designed to be implemented by natural helpers (i.e., lay health workers or other community members). Key adaptations of the Family Camp model include (1) reducing the intensity of the intervention for children with subclinical problem behaviors, (2) user-friendly materials that facilitate implementation by natural helpers, (3) increased focus on fathers and the importance of the father–child relationship, (4) intentional discussion about heritage and culture to address acculturation-related challenges, and (5) guidelines to increase the portability of the intervention within community settings. Finally, we offer recommendations for the future directions in the development, research, and implementation of PCIT prevention models, with a focus on developing a continuum of care.
One-step femtosecond laser ablation synthesis of sub-3 nm gold nanoparticles stabilized by silica

Abstract We report the synthesis of silica-gold nanoparticles (silica-Au NPs) using a one-step femtosecond-reactive laser ablation in liquid (fs-RLAL) technique by focusing femtosecond laser pulses onto a silicon wafer immersed in an aqueous KAuCl4 solution. Characterization of the silica-Au NPs revealed two populations of Au NPs: (i) larger, isolated Au NPs with diameter 7.0 ± 2.0 nm, and (ii) smaller Au NPs (1.9 ± 0.7 nm) stabilized by an amorphous silica matrix, along with new species of silicon observed from XPS analysis. The silica-Au NPs were catalytically active towards the model reaction of para-nitrophenol reduction by NaBH4. The formation of the two populations of silica-Au NPs is ascribed to reaction dynamics occurring on two distinct timescales. First, the dense electron plasma formed within tens of femtoseconds of the laser pulse initiates reduction of the [AuCl4]− complex, leading to the formation of larger isolated Au NPs. Second, silicon species ejected from the wafer surface hundreds of picoseconds or later after the initial laser pulse reduce the remaining [AuCl4]− and encapsulate the growing clusters, forming ultrasmall Au NPs stabilized by the silica matrix. The morphologies of the silica-Au NPs generated from fs-RLAL are distinct from those reported in recent RLAL experiments with nanosecond lasers, reflecting distinct mechanisms occurring on the different pulse duration timescales.
Inhibition of Inositol Polyphosphate Kinases by Quercetin and Related Flavonoids: A Structure-Activity Analysis.

Dietary flavonoids inhibit certain protein kinases and phospholipid kinases by competing for their ATP-binding sites. These nucleotide pockets have structural elements that are well-conserved in two human small-molecule kinases, inositol hexakisphosphate kinase (IP6K) and inositol polyphosphate multikinase (IPMK), which synthesize multifunctional inositol phosphate cell signals. Herein, we demonstrate that both kinases are inhibited by quercetin and 16 related flavonoids; IP6K is the preferred target. Relative inhibitory activities were rationalized by X-ray analysis of kinase/flavonoid crystal structures; this detailed structure–activity analysis revealed hydrophobic and polar ligand/protein interactions, the degree of flexibility of key amino acid side chains, and the importance of water molecules. The seven most potent IP6K inhibitors were incubated with intact HCT116 cells at concentrations of 2.5 μM; diosmetin was the most selective and effective IP6K inhibitor (>70% reduction in activity). Our data ...
Exosomes in the tumor microenvironment as mediators of cancer therapy resistance

Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles that contain genetic material, proteins, and lipids. They function as potent signaling molecules between cancer cells and the surrounding cells that comprise the tumor microenvironment (TME). Exosomes derived from both tumor and stromal cells have been implicated in all stages of cancer progression and play an important role in therapy resistance. Moreover, due to their nature as mediators of cell-cell communication, they are integral to TME-dependent therapy resistance. In this review, we discuss current exosome isolation and profiling techniques and their role in TME interactions and therapy resistance. We also explore emerging clinical applications of both exosomes as biomarkers, direct therapeutic targets, and engineered nanocarriers. In order to fully understand the TME, careful interrogation of exosomes and their cargo is critical. This understanding is a promising avenue for the development of effective clinical applications.
Durability of medical composite systems

Abstract This chapter gives a thorough review of the durability of medical composite systems. A brief introduction on the applications of composites in medical systems is given. This is followed by a detailed section on the properties of composites in medical systems. The properties of composites are directly linked to the overall composite durability; hence, a detailed review on them is provided. Types of composite failures in medical systems are given leading to a discussion of medical composite systems durability and life span.
COVID 19: Sin distinción de raza, sexo o posición socioeconómica;Nadie está seguro

He leido con placer y gratitud el articulo "Proteccion del personal de salud en la pandemia COVID-19"escrito por el Prof Doctor Jhony De La Cruz, publicado el 21 de marzo de 2020 en esta prestigiosa revista En respuesta a este articulo muy ilustrativo sobre la pandemia de COVID-19, me gustaria expresar mi tristeza y compartir mi experiencia de lo que estamos viviendo, de primera mano, aqui en el epicentro de los Estados Unidos, la ciudad de Nueva York;pero primero dejenme comenzar por darles una idea de la linea de tiempo que ha tenido lugar este nefasto episodio, para llevarnos a donde estamos hoy Como todos sabemos, habia un medico denunciante en Wuhan, China, su nombre era Li Wenliang, era un oftalmologo El 31 de diciembre de 2019, China confirmo la existencia del nuevo virus inicialmente llamado 2019-nCoV, ahora conocido como SARS-CoV2, pero el Dr Li Wenliang dijo que habia observado que muchos de sus colegas se enfermaron y observaron 4 muertes con el virus en los 2 meses anteriores a eso I have read with great pleasure and gratitude the article Protecting Health Personnel in the COVID- 19 Pandemic By Jhony De La Cruz, publish March, 21, 2020 in this prestigious journal In response to this very informative article on the COVID-19 pandemic, I would like to express my sadness and share my experience of what we are living first hand here in the epicenter of the United States, New York city but first let me begin by giving you an idea of the timeline that has taken place to get us where we are today As we all know, there was a whistleblower doctor in Wuhan, China, his name was Li Wenliang, he was an ophthalmologist On December 31 st 2019, China confirmed the existence of the new virus initially called 2019-nCoV now referred to as SARS-CoV2, but Dr Li Wenliang said he had observed many of his colleagues get very ill, fall sick, and observed 4 die from the virus in the 2 months prior to that
Single bout of vibration-induced hamstrings fatigue reduces quadriceps inhibition and coactivation of knee muscles after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Abstract Persistent quadriceps strength deficits in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLr) have been attributed to arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of vibration-induced hamstrings fatigue on AMI in patients with ACLr. Eight participants with unilateral ACLr (post-surgery time: M = 46.5, SD = 23.5 months; age: M = 21.4, SD = 1.4 years) and eight individuals with no previous history of knee injury (age: M = 22.5, SD = 2.5 years) were recruited. A fatigue protocol, consisting of 10 min of prolonged local hamstrings vibration, was applied to both the ACLr and control groups. The central activation ratio (CAR) of the quadriceps was measured with a superimposed burst of electrical stimulation, and hamstrings/quadriceps coactivation was assessed using electromyography (EMG) during isometric knee extension exercises, both before and after prolonged local vibration. For the ACLr group, the hamstrings strength, measured by a load cell on a purpose-built chair, was significantly (P = 0.016) reduced about 14.5%, indicating fatigue was actually induced in the hamstrings. At baseline, the ACLr group showed a trend (P = 0.051) toward a lower quadriceps CAR (M = 93.2%, SD = 6.2% versus M = 98.1%, SD = 1.1%) and significantly (P = 0.001) higher hamstrings/quadriceps coactivation (M = 15.1%, SD = 6.2% versus M = 7.5%, SD = 4.0%) during knee extension compared to the control group. The fatigue protocol significantly (P = 0.001) increased quadriceps CAR (from M = 93.2%, SD = 6.2% to M = 97.9%, SD = 2.8%) and significantly (P = 0.006) decreased hamstrings/quadriceps coactivation during knee extension (from M = 15.1%, SD = 6.2% to M = 9.5%, SD = 4.5%) in the ACLr group. In conclusion, vibration-induced hamstrings fatigue can alleviate AMI of the quadriceps in patients with ACLr. This finding has clinical implications in the management of recovery for ACLr patients with quadriceps strength deficits and dysfunction.
Scaling Flows and Dissipation in the Dilute Fermi Gas at Unitarity

We describe recent attempts to extract the shear viscosity of the dilute Fermi gas at unitarity from experiments involving scaling flows. A scaling flow is a solution of the hydrodynamic equations that preserves the shape of the density distribution. The scaling flows that have been explored in the laboratory kflccare the transverse expansion from a deformed trap (“elliptic flow”), the expansion from a rotating trap, and collective oscillations. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of the different experiments, and point to improvements of the theoretical analysis that are needed in order to achieve definitive results. A conservative bound based on the current data is that the minimum of the shear viscosity to entropy density ration is \(\eta/s\leq 0.5 \hbar/k_B.\)
Oncology Acupuncture: Precision Medicine Meets Patient-Centered Care

The Precision Medicine Initiative of 2015, together with a growing focus on patient-centered care, has challenged the U.S. health care system to provide the correct treatment to the correct individual patient rather than to a collective population. This demonstrates that acupuncture-with its history as an individualized therapy and with growing evidence-based clinical findings-is the ideal model for personalized medicine within oncology care. The current author and colleagues used previously conducted oncology acupuncture trials for pain, hot flashes, and insomnia to demonstrate that precise delivery of acupuncture might depend on a patient's genetics. Individual preferences and perceived evidence surrounding treatments might also factor into patient treatment choices. Further effectiveness evidence comparing acupuncture to drugs or cognitive-behavioral therapy provides insight on the relative benefit or harm of each treatment, which, in turn, can help clinicians and patients to choose the best treatment plans centered on patients' goals. To advance precision oncology acupuncture research, appropriate biomarkers and psychologic attributes should be incorporated into adequately powered and well-designed clinical trials to evaluate how acupuncture can be delivered to the correct patients.
Management of primary headaches during pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding: A systematic review

Background Primary headaches (migraine, tension headache, cluster headache, and other trigeminal autonomic cephalgias) are common in pregnancy and postpartum. It is unclear how to best and most safely manage them. Objective We conducted a systematic review (SR) of interventions to prevent or treat primary headaches in women who are pregnant, attempting to become pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding. Methods We searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Database of SRs, and Epistemonikos for primary studies of pregnant women with primary headache and existing SRs of harms in pregnant women regardless of indication. No date or language restrictions were applied. We assessed strength of evidence (SoE) using standard methods. Results We screened 8549 citations for studies and 2788 citations for SRs. Sixteen studies (mostly high risk of bias) comprising 14,185 patients (total) and 26 SRs met the criteria. For prevention, we found no evidence addressing effectiveness. Antiepileptics, venlafaxine, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, β-blockers, prednisolone, and oral magnesium may be associated with fetal/child adverse effects, but calcium channel blockers and antihistamines may not be (1 single-group study and 11 SRs; low-to-moderate SoE). For treatment, combination metoclopramide and diphenhydramine may be more effective than codeine for migraine or tension headache (1 randomized controlled trial; low SoE). Triptans may not be associated with fetal/child adverse effects (8 nonrandomized comparative studies; low SoE). Acetaminophen, prednisolone, indomethacin, ondansetron, antipsychotics, and intravenous magnesium may be associated with fetal/child adverse effects, but low-dose aspirin may not be (indirect evidence; low-to-moderate SoE). We found insufficient evidence regarding non-pharmacologic treatments. Conclusions For prevention of primary headache, calcium channel blockers and antihistamines may not be associated with fetal/child adverse effects. For treatment, combination metoclopramide and diphenhydramine may be more effective than codeine. Triptans and low-dose aspirin may not be associated with fetal/child adverse effects. Future research should identify effective and safe interventions in pregnancy and postpartum.
Daily soil temperature modeling improved by integrating observed snow cover and estimated soil moisture in the USA Great Plains

Abstract. Soil temperature ( Ts ) plays a critical role in land–surface hydrological processes and agricultural ecosystems. However, soil temperature data are limited in both temporal and spatial scales due to the configuration of early weather station networks in the USA Great Plains. Here, we examined an empirical model (EM02) for predicting daily soil temperature ( Ts ) at the 10 cm depth across Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and parts of Texas that comprise the USA winter wheat belt. An improved empirical model (iEM02) was developed and calibrated using available historical climate data prior to 2015 from 87 weather stations. The calibrated models were then evaluated independently, using the latest 5-year observations from 2015 to 2019. Our results suggested that the iEM02 had, on average, an improved root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.6 ∘ C for 87 stations when compared to the original EM02 model. Specifically, after incorporating the changes in soil moisture and daily snow depth, the improved model was 50 % more accurate, as demonstrated by the decrease in RMSE. We conclude that, in the USA Great Plains, the iEM02 model can better estimate soil temperature at the surface soil layer where most hydrological and biological processes occur. Both seasonal and spatial improvements made in the improved model suggest that it can provide a daily soil temperature modeling tool that overcomes the deficiencies of soil temperature data used in assessments of climatic changes, hydrological modeling, and winter wheat production in the USA Great Plains.
Predictors of cannabis and tobacco co-use in youth: exploring the mediating role of age at first use in the population assessment of tobacco health (PATH) study.

Adolescents often use substances such as tobacco and cannabis. Co-use of these substances can lead to physical, mental, and psychosocial difficulties beyond that which would be anticipated by simple additivity of their individual effects. We aimed to examine the mediating role of age at first use of cannabis or tobacco (AU) between youth factors of internalizing, externalizing, and sensation seeking and two co-use outcomes (lifetime; last 30 days). Path analytic modeling using data from youth age 12–17 who had tried cannabis or tobacco at least once in their lives and participated in the Population Assessment of Tobacco Health (PATH) waves one and two (collected 2013–2015; n=3,847; approximately 46% female) study allowed us to examine these relationships. The lifetime use model indicated significant direct (internalizing (B = 0.18), externalizing (B = 0.30), sensation seeking (B = 0.15)) and indirect relationships (internalizing (B = 0.18), externalizing (B = 0.33), sensation seeking (B = 0.10)) between each of the three youth factors, the mediator (AU) and the lifetime co-use outcome (p < 0.05 for all). A direct relationship between AU and lifetime co-use was also observed (B = − 1.54). In the past 30-day use model, significant direct paths from AU (B = − 0.49) and sensation seeking (B = 0.06) to past 30-day use were present (p < 0.05 for all). Examination of mediation by AU in the relationships between youth factors and youth co-use of cannabis and tobacco is an important step in understanding these complex relationships. This study is strengthened by the use of a large, nationally representative sample, yet is limited by several factors, such as the use of a secondary dataset and the use of youth self-report. Based on the findings, programs or interventions targeting youth factors of internalizing, externalizing, and sensation seeking as well as interventions aiming to stave off AU should promote decreased tobacco and cannabis co-use. Sensation seeking and AU appear to be the most influential factors and should be considered when developing and promoting prevention policies/programs for higher risk youth populations.
Voltage Dependent Nematic Liquid Crystals for Quantitative Fourier Phase Contrast Microscopy

We present a quantitative phase microscopy technique by combining Fourier phase contrast microscopy with voltage-dependent orientation of various liquid crystal textures and phase shifting interferometry and investigated the contrast of phase images.
Fragile X Syndrome: Lessons Learned and What New Treatment Avenues Are on the Horizon.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability and the leading single-gene form of autism spectrum disorder, encompassing cognitive, behavioral, and physical ...