cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rehabilitation After Acute Ruptures of the Achilles Tendon

categorized as delayed rehabilitation or early functional rehabilitation. Delayed rehabilitation utilizes cast treatment to immobilize the tendon. This common postoperative practice after open Achilles repair includes a 4to 6-week period in a non–weight bearing, short leg cast that begins in equinus and is gradually brought to neutral. Full weight bearing is typically permitted at 4 to 6 weeks in a short leg cast, after which the cast is removed and physio therapy is begun. 1 – 6
Clinical Problems and the Concept of Disease

Language itself can misguide, and concepts by their very character can misdirect us. Disease concepts have suffered from the assumption that they name things in the world in a value-free fashion. They are instead goal-directed notions. The history of medicine shows some of the roots of this confusion in the process of transforming clinical problems into disease entities. Even ancient medicine offers such puzzles concerning the nature of concepts of health and disease. Indeed, there is some evidence that the physicians of Cos and Cnidos were in disagreement concerning what should count as a single disease entity. The physicians at Cnidos, it would appear, held that even minor differences in symptoms justified the creation of a new classificatory unit ([25], p. xiii). These disputes set the stage for a long history of contention with regard to whether diseases have a reality in and of themselves, or whether they are the creations of physicians. Views of the first sort have supported the notion that diseases are in some sense beings or entities, entia morborum. Individuals supporting such understandings of disease have been termed ontologies.1
Beyond not-invented-here: development environments for a multimedia computation course

Multimedia computation has emerged as a promising way for educators to motivate student interest in computer science and to build interdisciplinary bridges to the art, music, and graphic design worlds. This paper introduces two software development environments created by practitioners from the world of digital art, graphic design, and electronic music -- practitioners who have leveraged training in computer science to develop systems well suited not only to media content developers, but to teaching multimedia programming in the CS curriculum as well. We describe Processing, a Java-based IDE designed and used by digital artists, and Pure Data, a graphical development environment primarily for audio and video processing, and discuss classroom experiences with each in a sophomore-level multimedia programming course.
Partitioning of Kinetic Energy in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre

Kinetic energy (KE) in the Arctic Ocean's Beaufort Gyre is dominated by the mesoscale eddy field that plays a central role in the transport of freshwater, heat, and biogeochemical tracers. Understanding Beaufort Gyre KE variability sheds light on how this freshwater reservoir responds to wind forcing and sea ice and ocean changes. The evolution and fate of mesoscale eddies relate to energy pathways in the ocean (e.g., the exchange of energy between barotropic and baroclinic modes). Mooring measurements of horizontal velocities in the Beaufort Gyre are analyzed to partition KE into barotropic and baroclinic modes and explore their evolution. We find that a significant fraction of water column KE is in the barotropic and the first two baroclinic modes. We explain this energy partitioning by quantifying the energy transfer coefficients between the vertical modes using the quasi‐geostrophic potential vorticity conservation equations with a specific background stratification observed in the Beaufort Gyre. We find that the quasi‐geostrophic vertical mode interactions uphold the persistence of KE in the first two baroclinic modes, consistent with observations. Our results explain the specific role of halocline structure on KE evolution in the gyre and suggest depressed transfer to the barotropic mode. This limits the capacity for frictional dissipation at the sea floor and suggests that energy dissipation via sea ice‐ocean drag may be prominent.
Effective Package FA procedures on Flip Chip Ball Grid Array (FCBGA) Package with Copper Pillar (CuP) bumps

Overcoming challenges not only in the design and assembly manufacturing but also in the physical failure analysis of flip-chip BGA packages with Cu pillar (CuP) bumps is of outmost importance especially with the increasing utilization of this package type in various market segments including the rapidly evolving consumer and mobile market. In this paper, we present innovative and effective methodologies for physical failure analysis on flip chip ball grid array (FCBGA) package with Copper (Cu) pillar bumps. The procedure that will be discussed does not require new failure analysis equipment but rather a reuse and extension of existing equipment used on standard wire-bond packages. Case studies to demonstrate the usefulness of the methodologies will also be presented.
Polyurethane Microparticles for Stimuli Response and Reduced Oxidative Degradation in Highly Porous Shape Memory Polymers

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) have been found to be promising biomaterials for a variety of medical applications; however, the clinical translation of such technology is dependent on tailorable properties such as gravimetric changes in degradation environments. For SMPs synthesized from amino-alcohols, oxidation resulting in rapid mass loss may be problematic in terms of loss of material functionality as well as toxicity and cytocompatibility concerns. Control of gravimetric changes was achieved through the incorporation of small molecule antioxidants, either directly into the polymer matrix or included in microparticles to form a SMP composite material. With direct incorporation of small molecule phenolic antioxidant 2,2′-methylenebis(6-tert-butyl)-methylphenol (Methyl), SMPs displayed reduce strain recovery by more than 50% (Methyl) and increase elastic modulus from approximately 1.4 to 2.3 MPa, at the expense of the strain to failure being reduced from 45% to 32%. Importantly, such changes could not ens...
Data Mining and Privacy: An Overview

The availability of powerful tools to analyze the increasing amounts of personal data has raised many privacy concerns. In this article, we provide an overview of data mining, aimed at a non-technical audience primarily interested in the social and legal aspects of data mining applications.
Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement: An Update on the Current Literature

The purpose of this review was to evaluate the complexities and challenges associated with transcatheter mitral valve replacement and review the existing data. Many patients with mitral valve disease are not candidates for cardiac surgery and are in need of less invasive transcatheter therapies. The first transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) in a native valve was performed in 2012. However, the complexities and variability of the mitral valve anatomy and its relationship to neighboring structures have resulted in slower progress with this new therapy compared to the rapid uptake that has occurred with transcatheter aortic valve replacement. TMVR can be applied to degenerated prosthetic valves and annuloplasty rings or to a wide variety of native mitral valve disease. In cases of degenerated bioprosthetic valves, annuloplasty ring, and native valve mitral annular calcification, transcatheter heart valves (THVs) designed for the aortic position can be implanted with high procedural safety and success rates. In the case of native valve mitral regurgitation, the complexities have led to the development of several TMVR systems for native valve disease with different anchoring mechanisms and geometry; all are currently investigational and none are FDA approved at this time. It is clear from the initial experience with TMVR that careful patient selection and pre-procedural planning are necessary to maximize benefit and avoid complications. TMVR is an exciting complex therapy offering promise for patients who cannot be treated with existing techniques. The key to success will be a combination of appropriate patient selection, careful comprehensive pre-procedural planning, rising new technologies, as well as further research to appropriately define and mitigate the risks associated with the procedure.
Examining strategic group membership and firm performance in the global hotel industry

The increasing complexity of global competitive environment requires a comprehensive approach that integrates business practices and strategic management theory to investigate firms' performance. Following strategic group and competitive advantage theory, content analysis is adopted as a fundamental tool to investigate and categorise the competitive methods employed by multinational hotel firms in the new millennium era. The resulted differentiation-based strategic groups are further examined to explore the strategic sources of intra-industry performance differences in the global hotel industry. The results suggest that strategic group membership is an important predictor of hotel firms' performance. The patterns of commitment to strategic group membership have significant impacts on multinational hotel firms' business performance. These findings advance the current research on strategic group-performance relationship through discovering the important role played by strategic group commitment in the context of a globalised service industry.
Which 'Working' Components of Working Memory aren't Working in Youth with ADHD?

Despite replicated evidence for working memory deficits in youth with ADHD, no study has comprehensively assessed all three primary ‘working’ subcomponents of the working memory system in these children. Children ages 8–13 with (n = 45) and without (n = 41) ADHD (40% female; Mage = 10.5; 65% Caucasian/Non-Hispanic) completed a counterbalanced battery of nine tasks (three per construct) assessing working memory reordering (maintaining and rearranging information in mind), updating (active monitoring of incoming information and replacing outdated with relevant information), and dual-processing (maintaining information in mind while performing a secondary task). Detailed analytic plans were preregistered. Bayesian t-tests indicated that, at the group level, children with ADHD exhibited significant impairments in working memory reordering (BF10 = 4.64 × 105; d = 1.34) and updating (BF10 = 9.49; d = 0.64), but not dual-processing (BF01 = 1.33; d = 0.37). Overall, 67%–71% of youth with ADHD exhibited impairment in at least one central executive working memory domain. Reordering showed the most ADHD-related impairment, with 75% classified as below average or impaired, and none demonstrating strengths. The majority of children with ADHD (52%–57%) demonstrated average or better abilities in the remaining two domains, with a notable minority demonstrating strengths in updating (8%) and dual-processing (20%). Notably, impairments in domain-general central executive working memory, rather than individual subcomponents, predicted ADHD severity, suggesting that common rather than specific working memory mechanisms may be central to understanding ADHD symptoms. These impairment estimates extend prior work by providing initial evidence that children with ADHD not only exhibit heterogeneous profiles across cognitive domains but also exhibit significant heterogeneity within subcomponents of key cognitive processes.
Abstract P4-06-10: Lentiviral signaling reporters uncover tumor-initiating cell heterogeneity in breast cancer patient-derived xenografts

Classical markers of tumor-initiating cells (TIC), aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) activity and the cell-surface markers, CD44pos/CD24low/neg, show insufficient cell type specificity to identify TIC definitively, nor do they allow robust enrichment by FACS. As a consequence, analyses of TIC function and gene expression to date are not definitive. Identification and characterization of the TIC subpopulation is critically important in breast cancer since these cells are thought to mediate treatment resistance, as well as local and distant recurrence. This is particularly critical for “triple negative” breast cancer (TNBC), since currently there are no targeted therapies available for this clinical subtype. Lentiviral signaling reporter vectors allow purification of enriched TIC subpopulations thereby facilitating single cell analyses to identify distinct sets of cells with TIC features. We used a collection of fluorescent lentiviral reporters that enable visualization and flow cytometric enrichment of cells undergoing STAT3-, GLI-, WNT-, or OCT4/SOX2-mediated transcriptional activity. Our collection of patient derived xenograft (PDX) models of TNBC were infected with the lentiviral reporters, re-transplanted, and screened for reporter activity upon regrowth. TIC function of reporter-expressing cells relative to negative cells was assayed by mammosphere formation and limiting dilution transplantation. Reporter expressing cells with enriched TIC function were then analyzed by single cell RNAseq for expression of classical markers to identify the subset of cells most likely to represent the TIC subpopulation. Our results indicate that STAT3 and GLI transcriptional activity can serve as uniquely PDX-dependent indicators for TIC function for a subpopulation of cancer cells. Also, multiple potential TIC signaling pathways, including STAT3, GLI, and OCT4/SOX2, can be active in a single PDX model, but do not necessarily associate with TIC function, indicating TIC diversity in TNBC. These data in conjunction with treatment response and single-cell RNA-seq sheds light on the molecular diversity of TIC populations in TNBC, identifies candidate targets for therapeutic intervention, and will indicate whether TIC diversity is associated with differential response to different chemotherapeutic agents. Citation Format: John Landua, Ping Gong, Michael Lewis. Lentiviral signaling reporters uncover tumor-initiating cell heterogeneity in breast cancer patient-derived xenografts [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-06-10.
The susceptibility of allergic disorders on respiratory system based mucosal immune abnormality in the early life

The common mucosal immunological system is an important anatomical basis of the allergic disorders.Its function is not only regulated by the susceptibility gene, but also affected the development because of the early life exposure to antibiotics.It is the tangible that early life antibiotic-driven changes in mucosal immune enhance susceptibility to allergic disorders of respiratory system.A holistic approach to study the mucosal immune system as an integrated global organ is imperative for future advances in understanding mucosal immunology and for future treatment of the allergic disorders.This review will be focus on the latest evidence and the mechanisms in driving the lung-gut cross-talk. Key words: Early life; Mucosal immune system; Lung-gut axis; Microbiota; Allergy; Bronchial asthma
The nature of the chemical bond and the role of non-dynamical and dynamical correlation in Be2.

In the spin-coupled generalized valence bond (SCGVB) description of Be2, there is a pair of electrons in highly overlapping "inner" orbitals corresponding to a traditional σ bond, but this bond is compromised by Pauli repulsion arising from its overlap with a second "outer" pair. The presence of this outer pair of electrons leads to a repulsive potential energy curve at long range and a bound, but metastable molecule at short range. To obtain further insights into the nature of the bond in Be2, we determined the non-dynamical and dynamical correlation contributions to the potential energy curve of Be2 using four different choices for the zero-order wave function: Restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF), SCGVB, valence-CASSCF(4,4), and valence-CASSCF(4,8). The SCGVB and valence-CASSCF(4,4) wave functions yield similar breakdowns of the total correlation energy, with non-dynamical correlation being the more important contribution. For the RHF and valence-CASSCF(4,8) wave functions, dynamical correlation is critical, without which the potential energy curve is purely repulsive. High accuracy calculations on the HBen-1Be-BeBen-1H molecule as a function of n (n = 1-6) suggest that the intrinsic strength of a Be-Be σ bond uncompromised by Pauli repulsion is on the order of 62-63 kcal/mol, and its length is 2.13-2.14 A, ∼60 kcal/mol stronger and ∼0.35 A shorter than in Be2.
Reading the Epigraph-Figuration in Sergei Slonimsky’s Master and Margarita

The research here brings under scrutiny an essential compositional element found in Sergei Slonimsky’s 1972 operatic score, Master and Margarita. At issue is the “Epigraph-Figuration” — a 14-note chromatic melody presented on the score’s frontispiece and found in a myriad of variation throughout the 3-hour chamber opera. Teasingly abstract in its aspect, not limited to any one particular dramatic role, and in reflexive correspondence with the Goethe quote commencing Bulgakov’s famous novel, the Epigraph-Figuration has inspired compelling exegesis and speculation. Exactly because the attraction of extra-musical hermeneutics is so strong for scholars of Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita, Slonimsky’s melodic figuration has lacked an objective examination sufficient enough to explain the significance of its many kaleidoscopic incarnations. This is exemplified, but not limited to, the compelling hypotheses of multi-disciplinary scholar Siglund Bruhn who sees the figuration as a representation of spiritual “opening” — symbolically significant as she places it in the dynamic context of the Soviet history of cultural thaw and cultural repression well known to Slonimsky and his peers and colleagues. But the present author will arrive at an alternate orientation, aided in no small part by a brief paradigmatic analysis of the actual, empirical presence of the Epigraph-Figuration in ten selected score excerpts. With the recent passing of Slonimsky, the music world and contemporary Russian culture has lost not only a fabulously brilliant and dedicated composer, but a courageous civic figure who tirelessly dedicated his life to the musical development of others with unflinching moral certitude and uncompromising creative integrity. The present author, and former student of Slonimsky, arrives at an alternate conclusion, discovering in the Epigraph-Figuration a robust illustration of one of the composer’s most salient aesthetic principles — affinity for the Subject and care for its right to individual growth — demonstrated in his unique treatment of each of its multiple, morphological iterations.
Is massive hemothorax still an absolute indication for operation in blunt trauma

Abstract Background Surgery is usually suggested to treat massive haemothorax (MHT). The MHT criteria are based on penetrating trauma observations in military scenarios; the need for surgery in blunt trauma patients remains questionable. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of blunt trauma patients with MHT who required surgery. Methods Patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) with traumatic haemothorax or pneumothorax, heart and lung injuries, and thoracic blood vessel injuries from Jan 1, 2014, to Dec 31, 2018, were reviewed. The inclusion criterion was a chest tube drainage amount that met the MHT criteria. Therapeutic operations were defined as those involving surgical haemostasis; otherwise, operations were considered non-therapeutic. The non-therapeutic operation group included the patients who received nonoperative management. The characteristics of the therapeutic and non-therapeutic operation groups were compared. Results Forty-four patients were enroled in the study. Six patients received conservative treatment and were discharged uneventfully. Eleven patients underwent non-therapeutic operations. The patients with surgical bleeding had a high pulse rate (125.0 (111.0, 135.0) vs. 116.0 (84.0, 121.0) bpm, p = 0.013); low systolic blood pressure (SBP) after resuscitation (106.0 (84.0, 127.0) vs. 121.0 (116.0, 134.0) mmHg, p = 0.040); low pH (7.2 (7.2, 7.3) vs. 7.4 (7.3, 7.4), p = 0.002); and low bicarbonate (17.8 (14.6, 21.5) vs. 21.4 (17.0, 21.5) mEq/L, p = 0.038), low base excess (-9.1 (-13.4, -4.5) vs. -3.8 (-10.1, -0.7), p = 0.028), and high lactate (5.7 (3.3, 7.8) vs. 1.8 (1.7, 2.8) mmol/L, p = 0.002) levels. Conclusion Conservative treatment could be performed selectively in patients with MHT. Lactate could be a predictor of the need for surgical intervention in blunt trauma patients with MHT.
Potent SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies Directed Against Spike N-Terminal Domain Target a Single Supersite

Numerous antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2 have been identified, and these generally target either the receptor-binding domain (RBD) or the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the viral spike. While RBD-directed antibodies have been extensively studied, far less is known about NTD-directed antibodies. Here we report cryo-EM and crystal structures for seven potent NTD-directed neutralizing antibodies in complex with spike or isolated NTD. These structures defined several antibody classes, with at least one observed in multiple convalescent donors. The structures revealed all seven antibodies to target a common surface, bordered by glycans N17, N74, N122, and N149. This site - formed primarily by a mobile {beta}-hairpin and several flexible loops - was highly electropositive, located at the periphery of the spike, and the largest glycan-free surface of NTD facing away from the viral membrane. Thus, in contrast to neutralizing RBD-directed antibodies that recognize multiple non-overlapping epitopes, potent NTD-directed neutralizing antibodies target a single supersite.
Quantum Electromagnetic Transients Program

This letter devises a quantum electromagnetic transients program (QEMTP) which is the first attempt to tackle the computational challenges in solving EMTP through quantum computing. The main contributions lie in: (1) A quantum-enabled EMTP formulation with Dommel's model encoded in quantum states; 2) An Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd (HHL)-based QEMTP to solve the discrete-time nodal equations; 3) An iteration-based HHL revision for mitigating temporal errors to achieve high accuracy of QEMTP with limited quantum resources. Case studies verify the correctness and efficacy of QEMTP in simulating both fast and slow dynamics.
Contemporary management and treatment strategies for asthma during pregnancy

Introduction: Asthma is one of the most common conditions that afflict pregnant women. Because uncontrolled asthma in pregnancy affects both maternal and offspring outcomes, careful attention to ma...
Mediation’s Impact on Formal Discrimination Complaint Filing: Before and After the Redress™ Program at the U.S. Postal Service

This article examines a natural field experiment in mediation of employment disputes at the United States Postal Service. Theory suggests that early mediation will lead to earlier, more durable settlements and transaction cost savings. Implementation of the mediation program resulted in a significant decrease in the number of formal discrimination complaints. A well designed employment dispute mediation program can resolve disputes at an earlier stage in the administrative process, and thereby reduce the number of formal complaints filed.
An integrative health framework for wellbeing in the built environment

Abstract This paper seeks to establish a framework for instantiating wellbeing in the built environment through the lens of integrative health. Integrative health is defined as “healing-oriented medicine that takes into account the whole person, including all aspects of lifestyle,” and includes seven core areas, or domains: sleep; resiliency; environment; movement; relationships; spirituality; nutrition. This framework can guide design professionals in including elements of the built environment to support each of these domains, and health professionals in understanding how elements of the built environment design can support integrative health. The goal of this review article is to connect these seven integrative health domains to built environment interventions that enhance and support healthy lifestyles and wellbeing. Common themes which emerge from the literature review include access to natural and circadian electrical lighting, views, connections to nature (biophilia), indoor air quality, control of one's environment, and spatial layout. There is a lack of research on how these domains of integrative health and built environment outcomes may be closely connected and influence each other. To address this need, we first discuss each of the seven domains and their connections to the built environment. We then provide suggestions on how to integrate these findings in design by discussing recently developed tools to promote health and wellbeing in the built environment: 1) the Sustainable Facilities Tool for healthy buildings developed by the US General Services Administration and its academic partners, and 2) other guidelines for healthy buildings.
3D-Printable and open-source modular smartphone visible spectrophotometer

Abstract The past four decades have brought significant and increasingly rapid changes to the world of instrument design, fabrication, and availability due to the emergence of 3D printing, open-source code and equipment, and low-cost electronics. These, along with other technological advances represent a nexus in time ripe for the wide-spread production and availability of low-cost sophisticated scientific equipment. To that end, the design of a 3D printable and open-source, modular spectrometer is described. This specific instrument is distinctly different from others that have been reported in recent years in that it was designed outside of the “black box” paradigm of nearly all other commercially available and open-source spectrometers. This feature along with its design to be produced on low-end consumer-grade 3D printers and with parts available at nearly any local hardware store allow this instrument to further erode current barriers to instrument access. Additionally, the use cases presented here demonstrate similar capabilities to commercially available equipment at a fraction of the cost.
Design Rules Volume 2 Chapter 21—Capturing Value via Strategic Bottlenecks in Digital Exchange Platforms

The purpose of this chapter is to use value structure analysis to better understand how sponsors of digital exchange platforms capture value and maintain strategic bottlenecks. I begin by describing the three core technological processes that lie at the heart of all digital exchange platforms: (1) search and ad placement; (2) dynamic pricing; and (3) data analysis and prediction. These processes are carried out automatically and at high speed by computerized algorithms. The algorithms consist of steps, all of which are essential to the successful completion of a transaction or transmission of a message. However, bottlenecks are inevitable any synchronized multi-step flow process. The platform sponsor’s first responsibility is thus to resolve bottlenecks in its core processes when and where they arise. One of an exchange platform’s critical core processes is to generate predictions as to what the user would like to see and/or purchase. Better predictions speed up the flow and reduce the unproductive time users spend on the platform. Thus to be competitive today, platform sponsors must have the ability to gather data, generate predictions and test hypotheses within time intervals measured in milliseconds. Predictions can be improved by tracking individuals’ behavior online, but only at the cost of reducing their privacy. The inevitable tension between performance and privacy has yet to be resolved. The chapter goes on to discuss how platform sponsors can “lock-in” members of an ecosystem through a combination of visible instructions, data storage, and specific inertia. It concludes by describing successful and unsuccessful attempts to disintermediate exchange platforms.
Hydrido(prolinato-κ(2) N,O)tris-(tri-methyl-phosphane-κP)iridium(III) hexa-fluorido-phosphate.

The title complex, [Ir(C5H8NO2)H(C3H9P)3]PF6, has two independent anion–cation pairs in the asymmetric unit. The geometry about each IrIII atom is pseudo-octa­hedral with a meridional arrangement of the P(CH3)3 ligands, N,O-bidentate coordination of prolinate and a hydride ligand trans to the prolinate N atom. The independent IrIII moieties are joined by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and the N—H⋯O bonding motif continues throughout the structure, creating an extended chain parallel to the c-axis direction. The methyl groups of one P(CH3)3 ligand are rotationally disordered over two sets of sites in a 0.62 (2):0.38 (2) ratio.
Asylum Intercepted: Seaborne Asylum-Seekers & U.S. Interdiction Policy

I argue that two diverging trends are occurring simultaneously in regards to U.S. policy towards asylum-seekers. First, the U.S.’s stance towards asylum-seekers within the territorial U.S. has become increasingly humanitarian as the U.S. brings its domestic immigration law into closer alignment with the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol. Second, the U.S.’s policy response towards seaborne asylum-seekers has gradually become more restrictive. Since 1991, the U.S. has interdicted seaborne asylum-seekers to prevent them from accessing legal protection in the U.S. The Supreme Court has held that neither U.S. immigration law nor international law applies on the high seas, thereby removing from the U.S. its international legal obligation to protect asylum-seekers from refoulement, or return to a country where they might face persecution. The U.S. has thus adopted two opposing responses towards asylum-seekers depending on whether or not they are physically present in the U.S. In this paper, I analyze the rationale behind the U.S.’s diverging response towards asylum-seekers. I argue that the U.S. perceives and portrays seaborne asylum-seekers as a threat to national security and national identity, as well as a drain on social services and the economy. I provide a historical overview of the U.S.’s interdiction policy, focusing on the specific case study of Haitian seaborne asylum-seekers. I maintain that the U.S.’s interdiction policy seeks to balance the U.S.’s national security objectives with its humanitarian obligations. In closing, I question whether the U.S.’s divergent policy response towards onshore versus seaborne asylum-seekers is truly in alignment with international law, and draw parallels between the U.S.’s interdiction policy and the response of other states to the phenomenon of seaborne asylum-seekers.
Quantifying the Influence of Performance Drivers and Forecasting: Regression

Regression analysis is a powerful tool for quantifying the influence of continuous, independent, drivers X on a continuous dependent, performance variable Y. Often we are interested in both explaining how an independent decision variable X drives a dependent performance variable Y and also in predicting performance Y to compare the impact of alternate decision variable X values. X is also called a predictor because from X we can predict Y. Regression allows us to do both: quantify the nature and extent of influence of a performance driver and predict performance or response Y from knowledge of the driver X.
Calculation of Flow in the Piston-Cylinder-Ring Crevices of a Homogeneous-Charge Engine and Comparison with Experiment

A crevice-flow model that had been published in the literature was reconstructed and used to calculate flow in the crevices between the piston, the cylinder, and the rings in a homogeneous-charge engine. The code was then modified to run interactively with a more sophisticated ring-friction model developed previously for calculation of the film thickness of lubricating oil on the cylinder liner. This paper discusses the accuracy of this crevice-flow model evaluated with engine-blowby data taken from tests on a multicylinder engine.
The 'hands on' approach in continuing education of the construction industries

Although the use of microcomputers in the engineering construction industry in the USA has greatly increased in the last decade, the introduction of microcomputer applications into the curricula of continuing education programs is still a relatively new concept. The recent upsurge (and success) in the implementation of microcomputers in formal degree–granting educational programs is a direct result of the demand for this training imposed by the construction industry. The same demand exists for teaching microcomputer applications in continuing education programs. However, due to the misdirected efforts of current programs to fit the teaching of the subject into traditional educational techniques, these programs have proved largely unsuccessful. This paper describes a modern educational approach used by the authors for teaching microcomputer applications in construction to practising professionals with diverse backgrounds and varying levels of education. The techniques described have proved successful in training people with little or no computer experience.
Quantitative Assessment of Ventricular Septal Contour for Estimation of Right Ventricular Pressure.

Background Qualitative assessment of ventricular septal flattening is commonly used in pediatric patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) who lack adequate tricuspid regurgitation (TR) Doppler signal. We sought to determine the relation between quantitative measures of septal flattening including the eccentricity index (EIs) and a novel marker, the septal flattening angle (SFA) with right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP). Methods Subjects (≤18 years) with an anatomically normal heart, an adequate TR signal to obtain a peak velocity, and a simultaneous systemic systolic blood pressure (SBP) was included. RVSP was derived using TR gradient. Eccentricity index (EIs) and the SFA in systole were measured offline and correlated with RVSP/SBP. Results Of the 108 subjects, RVSP/SBP was < 50% in 77 and ≥ 50% in 31. In those with RVSP/SBP ≥50%, the median SFA was significantly lower (7.4° vs. 22°, p < 0.0001), and the median EIs was higher (1.61 vs. 1.07, p < 0.0001). SFA and EIs had a significant correlation with RVSP/SBP (rs = −0.70 and 0.61, respectively). Area under the curve was higher for SFA compared to EIs (0.92 and 0.85, respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of SFA for predicting an RVSP/SBP ≥ 50% using a cut point of 16° was 84% and 95% and for an EIs cut point of 1.35 was 74.2% and 96.1%, respectively. Conclusion Septal flattening angle and EIs are quantitative measures of ventricular septal flattening that correlate well with RVSP/SBP and should be considered more routinely in clinical practice, especially in patients with inadequate TR Doppler signal.
Modified inoculation and disease assessment methods reveal host specificity in Erwinia tracheiphila-Cucurbitaceae interactions

We conducted a greenhouse trial to determine specific compatible interactions between Erwinia tracheiphila strains and cucurbit host species. Using a modified inoculation system, E. tracheiphila strains HCa1-5N, UnisCu1-1N, and MISpSq-N were inoculated to cucumber (Cucumis sativus) cv. 'Sweet Burpless', melon (Cucumis melo) cv. 'Athena Hybrid', and squash (Cucubita pepo) cv. 'Early Summer Crookneck'. We observed symptoms and disease progression for 30 days; recorded the number of days to wilting of the inoculated leaf (DWIL), days to wilting of the whole plant (DWWP), and days to death of the plant (DDP). We found significant interactions between host cultivar and pathogen strains, which imply host specificity. Pathogen strains HCa1-5N and UnisCu1-1N isolated from Cucumis species exhibited more virulence in cucumber and melon than in squash, while the reverse was true for strain MISpSq-N, an isolate from Cucurbita spp. Our observations confirm a previous finding that E. tracheiphila strains isolated from Cucumis species were more virulent on Cucumis hosts and those from Cucubita were more virulent on Cucubita hosts. This confirmation helps in better understanding the pathosystem and provides baseline information for the subsequent development of new disease management strategies for bacterial wilt. We also demonstrated the efficiency of our modified inoculation and disease scoring methods.
Artemin Immunotherapy Is Effective in Preventing and Reversing Cystitis-Induced Bladder Hyperalgesia via TRPA1 Regulation

Abstract Injury- or disease-induced artemin (ARTN) signaling can sensitize primary afferents and contribute to persistent pain. We demonstrate that administration of an ARTN neutralizing antibody, anti-artemin (α-ARTN), can block the development of, and reverse already established, bladder hyperalgesia associated with cyclophosphamide-induced cystitis in mice. We further demonstrate that α-ARTN therapy blocks upregulation of TRPA1, an ion channel contributing to persistent bladder pain during cyclophosphamide-induced cystitis, and decreases phospho-ERK1/2 immunoreactivity in regions of the spinal cord receiving bladder afferent input. Thus, α-ARTN is a promising novel therapeutic approach for treatment of bladder hyperalgesia that may be associated with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome, as well as cystitis associated with antitumor or immunosuppressive cyclophosphamide therapy. Perspective α-ARTN therapy effectively prevented and reversed ongoing bladder hyperalgesia in an animal model of cystitis, indicating its potential as an efficacious treatment strategy for ongoing bladder pain associated with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.
Guanine Triphosphate–Cyclohydrolase 1–Deficient Dopa-Responsive Dystonia Presenting as Frequent Falling in 2 Children

Guanine triphosphate (GTP)–cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1)–deficient dopa-responsive dystonia is caused by GCH1 gene mutation. Two children presenting with frequent daily falling are reported with GCH1 gene mutations with persistent response to low-dose levodopa/carbidopa. Typical and atypical clinical features associated with GCH1 mutations are also reviewed.
Second-order approximation of the pseudoinverse for operator deconvolutions and families of ill-posed problems

We identify a more accurate means of deconvolving compact nondegenerate operators than that provided by independent application of standard regularization techniques to individual members of the implied continuum of first kind integral equations. For the problem defined by $$ h(x,t) = \int_Y f(x,y)g(y,t)dY, $$ where it is required to find g(y,t) given noise-corrupted versions of square-integrable f(x,y) and h(x,t), it is shown that greater accuracy results from optimizing solutions for each member of the sequence of integral equations derived from individual components of the singular value expansion of h(x,t), than from optimizing solutions to each of the equations determined by different fixed values of t. This result has particular implications for treatment of the bioelectric/biomagnetic source imaging problems, where the characteristic need to perform such a deconvolution has been previously handled by producing an individually regularized solution to the above equation for each t in a collection of ...
Teacher Beliefs, Classroom Interaction and Personal Causation1

The study reports relationships between teachers' belief systems (Harvey), a teacher-pupil interaction measure of classroom influence, pupils' perception of the dimate of the dassroom, and pupils' academic achievement. Results demonstrate that more complex teachers encourage more pupil influence, and are perceived as having a more origin climate. In classrooms of high pupil influence and perceived origin climate, the pupils have higher academic achievement. These results are discussed in terms of the theory of personal causation and are cited as evidence for the value of the study of action sequences as related to verbal-utterances of the actors.
Multicenter Evaluation of the Prostate Health Index to Detect Aggressive Prostate Cancer in Biopsy Naïve Men

Purpose: We evaluated the ability of PHI to discriminate aggressive prostate cancer from indolent or no cancer in a biopsy naive population.Materials and Methods: Two independent prospective cohorts of 561 and 395 subjects, respectively, with no prior prostate biopsy who were enrolled at different clinical sites were used to validate the results. We compared the diagnostic specificity of PHI to prebiopsy total and percent free prostate specific antigen using prostate biopsy results. We also determined the optimal PHI threshold to discriminate aggressive prostate cancer (Gleason score 7 or greater) from indolent or no prostate cancer (Gleason score 6 or less).Results: In the primary cohort higher PHI values were significantly associated with Gleason score 7 or greater. The AUC to detect aggressive prostate cancer was 0.815. At 95% sensitivity PHI specificity was 36.0% vs 17.2% and 19.4% for total and percent free prostate specific antigen, respectively. At 95% sensitivity for detecting aggressive prostate ...
Growth Mechanisms of Metal Nanoparticles via First Principles

Despite the important applications of nanoparticles (NPs), their mechanisms of growth still remain elusive. Herein we elucidate the growth mechanisms of silver NPs via first-principle calculations to elucidate anisotropic growth and shape selectivity by a symmetry-break mechanism. The capping agent (citrate) can play a multifunctional action: under certain conditions, it blocks NP growth via an electrostatic or a van der Waals stabilization mechanism, and under others, it induces NP growth.
The Electrification of Severe Storms

This review is concerned with electrification and lightning in severe weather. Based on substantial evidence that the electrical processes active in ordinary (nonsevere) thunderstorms are also present in severe storms, the initial discussion here is focused on ordinary thunderstorms. This material forms a physical basis for understanding the often marked departures in electrical behavior in severe storms, which are defined by exceedence criteria for surface wind speed [50 knots (26 m s−1)], hailstone diameter [3/4″ (19 mm)], and/or the occurrence of a tornado.
Alterations in phospholipid metabolism in the globally ischemic rat heart: emphasis on phosphoinositide specific phospholipase C activity.

The effect of global ischemia on myocardial ventricular membrane phospholipids was evaluated using a modified Langendorff preparation. Isolated rat hearts were perfused at 37°C with oxygenated Krebs Ringer solution or rendered ischemic by cessation of perfusion (10 min to 3 h). Longer periods of ischemia were assessed by incubating preperfused (10 min) intact hearts in non-oxygenated Krebs (37°C) for 6 to 18 h. Ischemia-induced alterations in phosphatidylinositol levels and phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) activity were assessed in detail, since inositol phospholipids and PI-PLC play putative roles in the regulation of cell function and Ca 2+ homeostasis. Decreases in major membrane phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, cardiolipin and sphingomyelin) were demonstrated after long ischemic periods (6 to 18 h). While periods of ischemia (3 h or less) induced no change in structural phospholipids, an elevation in lysophosphatidylcholine and free fatty acids was found by 1 h. Notably a significant increase in phosphatidylinositol content and an accompanying decrease in cytosolic PI-PLC activity was detected by 30 mins of ischemia. Reduced enzymic activity was not due to altered in vitro activation or deactivation of PI-PLC, to a change in the Ca 2+ requirement of the enzyme, or to translocation of the enzyme from the cytosol to a membrane fraction. The isolated rat heart made globally ischemic for 30 mins under conditions described for this investigation shows signs of irreversible injury i.e. increased cell Ca 2+ content and inability to initiate and maintain rhythmic contraction upon reperfusion. Therefore, it is possible that altered phosphoinositide metabolism may contribute to the evolution of ischemia-elicited irreversible cell injury.
Laboratory analogues to cosmic dust

Results are reported for a study of the condensation of a number of solids that are likely candidates for dust formed in astronomical environments. The condensate materials were produced by vaporizing a portion of a solid target of chosen composition by a laser pulse in an atmosphere of H2, O2, or Ar at 1 atm pressure. The systems studied include olivine, pyroxene, Fe-Ni alloy, Al2O3, carbon, CaCO3, SiC, Au-olivine powders, and Au-Al2O3 powders. Possible relations among the sizes, chainlike structures, and chemistries of the condensates and of grains formed in astronomical systems are investigated. The results indicate that the laser evaporation technique is useful for providing a wide variety of grain systems that are analogous to astronomical grain systems and that the grain materials produced are useful for spectral studies of materials believed to exist in astronomical environments, both as single materials and as multicomponent grain systems
Three-dimensional lattice Monte Carlo simulations of model proteins. IV. Proteins at an oil-water interface.

Lattice Monte Carlo simulations describe the adsorption of protein-like heteropolymer chains at an oil/water interface. The heteropolymers are designed sequences of 27 and 64 amino acid-type lattice sites taken from a 20-letter alphabet. We use our recently suggested energy scale to model oil and water. We investigate the effect of the oil parameters on adsorption properties of a single chain and on the aggregation of adsorbed chains while keeping the water parameters fixed to their optimum values found previously. By varying the oil parameters, we can cause a large range of adsorption behavior: from no adsorption to reversible adsorption to irreversible adsorption. We compare adsorption at a liquid/ solid interface to that at a liquid/liquid interface. A liquid interface leads to stronger adsorption and denaturation than a solid interface with the same water and oil interaction parameters. We propose "optimal" oil parameters and use them to study multichain adsorption at a liquid interface.
The development of commissural connections of somatic motor-sensory areas of neocortex in the North American opossum

The North American opossum does not have a corpus callosum; neocortical commissural axons are contained entirely within the anterior commissure. We have used axonal transport techniques to study the origin and distribution of commissural axons from somatic motor-sensory cortex in developing and adult opossums. Neocortical axons grow into the anterior commissure by postnatal day (PND) 12, the contralateral external capsule by approximately PND 19, the area deep to the contralateral homotypic cortex by approximately PND 26 and the cortex proper by approximately PND 35. Commissural neurons were first demonstrated at about PND 26, when they form a fairly continuous band in the cortical subplate (presumptive layers V–VI). By at least PND 37, commissural neurons are also present in layers II and III, where they form a continuous band, and in layer IV, where they are sparse. In older pouch young and adult opossums the bands of commissural neurons, especially in layers V–VI, are interrupted, and commissural neurons are rare in layer IV. In general, commissural axons in both pouch-young and adult opossums innervate areas containing commissural neurons as well as layer I. In the acallosal opossum as well as in the callosal rat, the development of commissural connections from somatic motor-sensory cortex is characterized by pauses during the growth of axons into the opposite cortex, by a general inside-out-gradient, and by a transition from continuous bands to patchy, radial columns of commissural neurons and axons. This suggests that similar mechanisms govern the formation of commissural connections in the two species.