cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recurring Congenital Lesion of the Cheek

A 3-cm purple area was present on the left cheek of a newborn white female, and a biopsy showed atypical cells in fibroadipose tissue. The lesion increased in size and the infant was referred to the M. D. Anderson Hospital. By 6 weeks, the lesion formed an irregular 6-cm paranasal mass, compressing the nostril and depressing the corner of the mouth. It was soft and mobile with a nodular, erythematous, excoriated surface. Three small satellite masses were also present. Another biopsy was obtained, establishing the presence of a malignant neoplasm. Vincristine, adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide produced a rapid decrease in size of the lesion, and by 6 months it was considerably smaller and firmer. Total surgical excision was then performed. The well-circumscribed 3-cm nodule had a glistening, tan-gray cut surface. The wound was closed with a skin graft, andBy 11 months, the lesion had recurred as a firm, round mobile nodule in the premaxillary area, lateral to the previous surgical site. The reexcision speci...
The Partitioned EDF Scheduling of Sporadic Task Systems

The partitioned scheduling of sporadic task systems on identical multiprocessors is considered. This is known to be intractable (NP-hard in the strong sense). A polynomial-time approximation scheme (PTAS) is proposed for sporadic task systems satisfying the additional constraint that for each of the three parameters -- worst-case execution time, relative deadline, and period -- that characterize sporadic tasks, the ratio of the largest value to the smallest value is bounded from above by a constant.
Bridgehead-methyl analog of SC-53116 as a 5-HT4 agonist

Pyrrolizidine benzamide (+/-)-2, the bridgehead-methyl analog of SC-53116, was prepared and evaluated for 5-HT(4) agonism activity in the rat tunica muscularis (TMM) mucosae assay. Compound (+/-)-2 has an EC(50) of 449 nM in the TMM assay, as compared to 23 nM for SC-53116, and 66 nM for the racemate of SC-53116.
Wortmannin inhibits insulin-stimulated but not contraction-stimulated glucose transport activity in skeletal muscle

In skeletal muscle, glucose transport is stimulated by insulin, contractions and hypoxia. In this study, we used the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibitor wortmannin to examine whether (i) PI 3-kinase activity is necessary for stimulation of glucose transport by insulin in muscle, and (ii) PI 3-kinase mediates a step in the pathway by which contractions/hypoxia stimulate glucose transport. Wortmannin completely blocked insulin- and insulin-like growth factor-1-stimulated glucose transport in muscle. In contrast, wortmannin had no effect on the stimulation of glucose transport by contractions or hypoxia, providing evidence that PI 3-kinase activity is not involved in the activation of glucose transport by these stimuli.
Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells from young donors delays aging in mice

Increasing evidence suggests that the loss of functional stem cells may be important in the aging process. Our experiments were originally aimed at testing the idea that, in the specific case of age-related osteoporosis, declining function of osteogenic precursor cells might be at least partially responsible. To test this, aging female mice were transplanted with mesenchymal stem cells from aged or young male donors. We find that transplantation of young mesenchymal stem cells significantly slows the loss of bone density and, surprisingly, prolongs the life span of old mice. These observations lend further support to the idea that age-related diminution of stem cell number or function may play a critical role in age-related loss of bone density in aging animals and may be one determinant of overall longevity.
Improving the Reading Comprehension Skills of Minority Adults from Educationally Disadvantaged Backgrounds.

This article presents a synergistic reading comprehension program to help minority adults from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds improve their reading skills in preparation for academics, standardized testing, and medical school.
The Best Offense is a Good Defense: Why Criminal Defendants' Nolo Contendere Pleas Should be Inadmissible Against Them When They Become Civil Plaintiffs

All federal courts (and most state courts) agree that when a criminal defendant pleads nolo contendere and subsequently becomes a civil defendant, his plea is inadmissible against him pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 410 and Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(f). Conversely, courts are sharply divided over whether this same criminal defendant would be entitled to the protection of the Federal Rules (and corresponding state codes) if he became the plaintiff in a subsequent civil proceeding. This article argues that courts holding that Federal Rule of Evidence 410, Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(f), and corresponding state codes do not protect civil plaintiffs who previously pleaded nolo contendere are doing so based on blatant disregard for the 1979 amendments to the Federal Rules. Worse, even after ignoring these amendments, these courts still arrive at this conclusion only by contorting the Rules until their substantive protections are lost amid semantic gymnastics employed for the specious argument that evidence introduced for the benefit of one party is somehow not introduced against the other party. Further, in creating this dichotomy, these courts create potentially anomalous results such that attempts by non-pleading parties to admit prior nolo contendere pleas for the same purpose are either covered or not covered by the Rules based upon arbitrary reasons.
Guilt by Implication: Do Legal Scholars Have an Obligation to Honor the Presumption of Innocence?

When performing legal scholarship on pending criminal matters, are scholars at liberty to assert the guilt of the defendant, and under what circumstances? In some cases, assertions of guilt have resulted in defamation suits against the author, yet self-proclaimed defenders of academic freedom support the author's right to speak their mind. This article examines the presumption of innocence in legal scholarship from academic, ethical and legal perspectives in order to establish a "best practice" for authors writing about pending criminal matters.
Issues in Translating Imaging Technology and Presurgical Diffusion Tensor Imaging

The technique of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been available in research and clinical settings for more than a decade [1–9]. Hundreds of scientific articles have been generated, showing its potential utility in clinical settings [10,11]. Early in its tenure, the potential for DTI to impact surgical decision making in brain tumor patients was clear [12–19]. To date, presurgical DTI is the most widely used clinical application of the technique. However, its utility is not uniformly accepted. While some practitioners view presurgical DTI as the standard of care, others ponder its utility. In considering the implementation of any new imaging technique, physicians and hospitals must attempt to determine the likelihood of its widespread acceptance. Questions typically addressed in this analysis include (1) is there a desire among our practicing physicians to implement the technology, (2) is there scientific evidence or an intuitive understanding of a superior clinical application, and (3) will an application become the standard of care and in what time frame? At our institutions, presurgical DTI is considered critical and it is our belief that the application will become the standard of practice. At many other institutions, DTI has yet to be translated for clinical purposes.
A systematic study on Pt based, subnanometer-sized alloy cluster catalysts for alkane dehydrogenation: effects of intermetallic interaction.

Platinum-based bimetallic nanoparticles are analyzed by the application of density functional theory to a series of tetrahedral Pt3X cluster models, with element X taken from the P-block, preferably group 14, or from the D-block around group 10. Almost identical cluster geometries allow a systematic investigation of electronic effects induced by different elements X. Choosing the propane-to-propene conversion as the desired dehydrogenation reaction, we provide estimates for the activity and selectivity of the various catalysts based on transition state theory. No significant Bronsted-Evans-Polanyi-relation could be found for the given reaction. A new descriptor, derived from an energy decomposition analysis, captures the effect of element X on the rate-determining step of the first hydrogen abstraction. Higher activities than obtained for pure Pt4 clusters are predicted for Pt alloys containing Ir, Sn, Ge and Si, with Pt3Ir showing particularly high selectivity.
'Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma': is the term really dead? A critical review of a new classification system for pulmonary adenocarcinomas.

'Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma' (BAC) is a designation that has been in use for over 50 years. Recently, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, in association with the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society (IASLC/ATS/ERS) has recommended dropping the term altogether. It is argued that 'BAC' has no clear conceptual meaning, has been used in conjunction with invasive tumours of various types, and was applied to mucinous and non-mucinous tumours that are pathogenetically distinct. In addition to replacing 'BAC' with the standard pathological 'adenocarcinoma in situ', the IASLC/ATS/ERS panel also attempted to tackle the more substantial problem of standardising the terminology of lung adenocarcinomas that are not clearly invasive. By identifying 'minimally invasive adenocarcinomas' with <5 mm invasion, the IASLC/ATS/ERS has attempted to classify invasive tumours with little metastatic potential. Problems remaining with the new classification include use of the term 'lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma' (LPA), which replaces BAC with invasive components, and lack of clarity regarding what constitutes true invasion in well-differentiated lung adenocarcinomas. Specifically, the distinction between acinar growth pattern and in situ growth is not standardised. The basis for the new classification, as well as the plethora of previous attempts at classifying lung adenocarcinomas that are neither clearly invasive nor clearly in situ, are reviewed. Time will determine if the use of a 5 mm limit is workable or if the term 'LPA' has traction.
Deflection of a main crack along a weak plane consisting of a group of preexisting cracks in a silicon nitride ceramic

Deflection of a main crack along an artificially formed weak plane consisting of a group of preexisting cracks in a sillicon nitride ceramic, was studied experimentally. The weak planes inside the ceramics were formed by diffusion joining of the ceramics. Main cracks were produced by indentation. Deflection of a main crack was related to the strength of a joining interface. A weak joining interface could cause deflection of a main crack, and strengthen a specimen with an initial main crack. A main crack passed across a strong interface and caused catastrophic failure.
Assessing the impact of a community-wide HIV testing scale-up initiative in a major urban epidemic.

BACKGROUND The Bronx, one of 5 boroughs in New York City (NYC), bears a high burden of HIV. We evaluated the impact of HIV testing initiatives in the Bronx, including the 2008 The Bronx Knows campaign. METHODS We used data from an annual telephone survey representative of NYC adults to compare 2005 and 2009 estimates of HIV testing prevalence among Bronx residents and to identify correlates of testing. We used NYC HIV surveillance data to evaluate changes in the percentage of persons concurrently being diagnosed with HIV and AIDS, an indicator of delayed HIV diagnosis. RESULTS Between 2005 and 2009, relative increases of 14% and 32% were found in the proportion of Bronx adults who have ever been HIV tested and who have been tested in the past year, respectively (P < 0.001). The largest increases were among those aged 24-44 years, men, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics, and those with low income or education, nonheterosexual identity, a personal doctor/provider, or health insurance. Factors independently associated with being recently tested included black or other race, Hispanic ethnicity, and bisexual identity. The proportion concurrently diagnosed with HIV and AIDS fell 22% from 2005 to 2009, and decreases generally occurred among subgroups experiencing increases in testing. CONCLUSION Community-wide testing in the Bronx increased the proportion of people with known HIV status and reduced the proportion with delayed diagnoses.
Development of T-cell tolerance utilizes both cell-autonomous and cooperative presentation of self-antigen.

Summary The development of T-cell self-tolerance in the thymus is important for establishing immune homeostasis and preventing autoimmunity. Here, we review the components of T-cell tolerance, which includes T-cell receptor (TCR) self-reactivity, costimulation, cytokines, and antigen presentation by a variety of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) subsets. We discuss the current evidence on the process of regulatory T (Treg) cell and negative selection and the importance of TCR signaling. We then examine recent evidence showing unique roles for bone marrow (BM)-derived APCs and medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) on the conventional and Treg TCR repertoire, as well as emerging data on the role of B cells in tolerance. Finally, we review the accumulating data that suggest that cooperative antigen presentation is a prominent component of T -ell tolerance. With the development of tools to interrogate the function of individual APC subsets in the medulla, we have gained greater understanding of the complex cellular and molecular events that determine T-cell tolerance.
State Factor Parent Material

Fresh sand dunes, moraines, lava flows, alluvium, and mine tailings possess the composition p and the shape configuration r. Their description as the initial state of landscape evolution is a benchmark like the birth record of a child. The infant develops, but the registry remains and is basic to growth studies.
Comparison of Solid Phase and Colloidal Gold Method in Determination of Five Serological Markers of Hepatitis B

Objective To compare solid phase radiation immune method and colloidal gold method in quantitative detection of five serological markers of hepatitis B,to understand the accuracy and feasibility of colloidal gold method in determining HBV-M,and to observe the clinical value of solid phase radiation immune method in determining HBV-M. Methods We applied solid phase radioimmunoassay quantificationally and colloidal gold method qualitatively separately to determine five serological markers of hepatitis B in 312 cases of random sera. Results There were statistically significant differences in the results of HBsAb and HBeAb between the two methods(P0.05,P0.01),but no statistically significant difference was found in the other results(P0.05). Conclusions Colloidal gold method is fast and simple,with high sensitivity and high specificity,which is suitable for screening for HBV in emergency department.Solid phase radioimmunoassay has more clinical significance in the diagnosis of HBV infection,observation of therapeutic effects and guidance of hepatitis B vaccine inoculation.
Disinfection effect of the medical institutions in Kaili City from 2009-2011

[Objective]To understand the disinfection effect of the medical institutions in Kaili City,to analyze the existed problems,to improve disinfection work and to enhance the disinfection effect and the quality.[Methods]According to"Disinfection Technology Standard","Hospital Disinfection Sanitation Standard" GB 15982-1995 developed by the Ministry of Health,sampling inspection was performed on disinfectant in use,the surface of the object,the hands of doctors and nurses,air and other items in medical institutions of Kaili City from 2009-2011.[Results] A total of 3 475 samples were collected from medical institutions in Kaili from 2009 to 2011 with average qualified rate of 98.07%.The qualified rate of each year was 97.37%,98.19% and 98.63%,respectively.The qualified rates of various detection objects were disinfectant in use 99.51%,object surface 92.98%,hands of medical and nursing staffs 93.75%,and air 91.03%.[Conclusion]The disinfection of medical organizations in Kaili City remains relatively stable.But there are still some problems.Appropriate measures should be taken to strengthen disinfection supervision and check.
A Novel Method for Producing Custom-Made Idiotype Vaccines for Lymphoma Immunotherapy Using a Cell-Free Expression System.

Abstract Idiotype vaccines have been used as a customized immunotherapy for lymphoma. This strategy takes advantage of a unique antigen (either immunoglobulin or T cell receptor) found on the lymphoma cells of each patient. To make this personalized vaccine feasible for widespread use a production method, which is rapid and relatively inexpensive will be required. In an E. coli-based cell-free protein expression system we were able to make ScFv proteins derived from the immunoglobulins of a mouse B cell lymphoma, 38C13, in high yields. We have used this cell-free system to make 38C13 ScFv proteins fused to either the cytokine mGM-CSF or a 9 amino acid peptide derived from hIL-1b. The 9 amino acid fragment of hIL-1b was chosen because it is known to retain immunostimulatory function while lacking pyrogenicity. We were able consistently to produce these proteins in high yield and to purify them using a histadine tag at the terminus of the molecule. The ScFv portion of the molecule is folded properly, as assayed by its binding to an anti-idiotype Ab. Similarly, the mGM-CSF fused to the ScFv can be recognized by an anti-mGM-CSF Ab. The mGM-CSF portion is biologically active as determined by its ability to support the growth a mGM-CSF dependant cell line. We immunized C3H mice with either the ScFc-hIL-1b or the ScFv-mGM-CSF fusion protein and we were able to induce an idiotype-specific Ab response, which recognizes the native idiotype protein in ELISA assays as well as the 38C13 tumor as detected by flow cytometry. Most importantly, in the highly aggressive 38C13 lymphoma model system, three bi-weekly vaccinations with either fusion protein protected mice from tumor challenge with the syngeneic 38C13 tumor. These data establish that a cell-free protein expression system can work for producing individualized idiotype vaccines for lymphoma. (This work was supported by NIH grant CA34233)
Separated Women’s Risk for Intimate Partner Violence: A Multiyear Analysis Using the National Crime Victimization Survey

The current study assesses the relative influence of various individual-level characteristics on the probability of intimate partner violence (IPV) for separated and nonseparated women. While previous studies have found that separated women do in fact have a higher risk for IPV than nonseparated women, these largely bivariate examinations of marital status and risk for IPV have often not considered the effect other characteristics may have on risk estimates. The current study uses the 1995-2010 National Crime Victimization Surveys to examine how separated women’s risk for IPV compares with nonseparated women’s risk for IPV over time, and if separated, women’s risk for IPV is a function of either being separated or possessing characteristics known to be correlated with risk. A key strength of this study is its ability to account for the confounding effects of change in separation status and IPV. Results show that separated women were more likely than nonseparated women to be victims of IPV in most years fr...
Late-onset dementia: a mosaic of prototypical pathologies modifiable by diet and lifestyle

Idiopathic late-onset dementia (ILOD) describes impairments of memory, reasoning and/or social abilities in the elderly that compromise their daily functioning. Dementia occurs in several major prototypical neurodegenerative disorders that are currently defined by neuropathological criteria, most notably Alzheimer's disease (AD), Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and hippocampal sclerosis of aging (HSA). However, people who die with ILOD commonly exhibit mixed pathologies that vary within and between brain regions. Indeed, many patients diagnosed with probable AD exhibit only modest amounts of disease-defining amyloid β-peptide plaques and p-Tau tangles, and may have features of FTD (TDP-43 inclusions), Parkinson's disease (α-synuclein accumulation), HSA and vascular lesions. Here I argue that this 'mosaic neuropathological landscape' is the result of commonalities in aging-related processes that render neurons vulnerable to the entire spectrum of ILODs. In this view, all ILODs involve deficits in neuronal energy metabolism, neurotrophic signaling and adaptive cellular stress responses, and associated dysregulation of neuronal calcium handling and autophagy. While this mosaic of neuropathologies and underlying mechanisms poses major hurdles for development of disease-specific therapeutic interventions, it also suggests that certain interventions would be beneficial for all ILODs. Indeed, emerging evidence suggests that the brain can be protected against ILOD by lifelong intermittent physiological challenges including exercise, energy restriction and intellectual endeavors; these interventions enhance cellular stress resistance and facilitate neuroplasticity. There is also therapeutic potential for interventions that bolster neuronal bioenergetics and/or activate one or more adaptive cellular stress response pathways in brain cells. A wider appreciation that all ILODs share age-related cellular and molecular alterations upstream of aggregated protein lesions, and that these upstream events can be mitigated, may lead to implementation of novel intervention strategies aimed at reversing the rising tide of ILODs.
Analysis of Survival After Initiation of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit.

Importance Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) benefits patients with renal failure who are too hemodynamically unstable for intermittent hemodialysis. The duration of therapy beyond which continued use is futile, particularly in a population of patients admitted to and primarily cared for by a surgical service (hereinafter referred to as surgical patients), is unclear. Objective To analyze proportions of and independent risk factors for survival to discharge after initiation of CRRT among patients in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU). Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study included all patients undergoing CRRT from July 1, 2012, through January 31, 2016, in an SICU of an urban tertiary medical center. The population included patients treated before or after general surgery and patients admitted to a surgical service during inpatient evaluation and care before liver transplant. The pretransplant population was censored from further survival analysis on receipt of a transplant. Exposures Continuous renal replacement therapy. Main Outcomes and Measures Hospital mortality among patients in an SICU after initiation of CRRT. Results Of 108 patients (64 men [59.3%] and 44 women [40.7%]; mean [SD] age, 62.0 [12.7] years) admitted to the SICU, 53 were in the general surgical group and 55 in the pretransplant group. Thirteen of the 22 patients in the pretransplant group who required 7 or more days of CRRT died (in-hospital mortality, 59.1%); among the 12 patients in the general surgery group who required 7 or more days of CRRT, 12 died (in-hospital mortality, 100%). In the general surgical group, each day of CRRT was associated with an increased adjusted odds ratio of death of 1.39 (95% CI, 1.01-1.90; P = .04). Conclusions and Relevance Continuous renal replacement therapy is valuable for surgical patients with an acute and correctable indication; however, survival decreases significantly with increasing duration of CRRT. Duration of CRRT does not correlate with survival among patients awaiting liver transplant.
Effect of relative humidity and pre-annealing temperature on spin-coated zinc tin oxide films made via the metal–organic decomposition route

Here we investigate the effect of relative humidity and pre-annealing temperature on multi-layer, solution-processed amorphous zinc tin oxide films formed by metal–organic decomposition (MOD). We show that changing the pre-annealing temperature can significantly change the metal stoichiometry and hydroxide content of zinc tin oxide films. Films pre-annealed at higher temperatures exhibit tin-rich, hydroxide-poor compositions and enhanced thin-film transistor performance, with an increase in field-effect mobility from 0.75 cm2 V−1 s−1 to 5.91 cm2 V−1 s−1 and a decrease in subthreshold voltage swing from 1.37 V decade−1 to 0.44 V decade−1. In contrast to conventional sol–gel methods, our solution-processed thin-film transistors made via the MOD route exhibit uniform performance over a wide range of process conditions. Intentional, controlled variation of relative humidity (RH) during film deposition from 10% RH to 83% RH results in little change in electron mobility (3.76 to 5.62 cm2 V−1 s−1) or subthreshold swing (0.23 to 0.39 V decade−1). The uniformity of film properties over a wide process window indicates the utility of the MOD approach for producing high-quality solution-processed semiconductors for large-area and printed electronics.
A Streaming Motion Magnification Core for Smart Image Sensors

This brief proposes a modified Eulerian Video Magnification (EVM) algorithm and a hardware implementation of a motion magnification core for smart image sensors. Compared to the original EVM algorithm, we perform the pixel-wise temporal bandpass filtering only once rather than multiple times on all scale layers, to reduce the memory and multiplier requirement for hardware implementation. A pixel stream processing architecture with pipelined blocks is proposed for the magnification core, enabling it to readily fit common image sensing components with streaming pixel output, while achieving higher performance with lower system cost. We implemented an FPGA-based prototype that is able to process up to 90M pixels per second and magnify subtle motion. The motion magnification results are comparable to the original algorithm running on PC.
Electromagnetic transient events (EMTE) classification in transmission grids

Electromagnetic transient events (EMTE) are short duration events with high frequency contents that may remain hidden from grid operators. EMTE lead to insulator failure mode in transmission system equipment (e.g., transformers) that develops over weeks, or even months. Therefore, early detection and classification of different categories of EMTE in transmission grids prioritize the targeted and preventive maintenance scheduling. This also prevents an eventual failure with an expensive replacement cost and reduced power grid reliability over time. This paper proposes a data-driven classification algorithm to identify potentially disruptive EMTE such as lightning versus de-energized transmission line switching, and energized transmission line switching. The EMTE classification is developed based on integration of an autoencoder with logistics function, known as “softmax” regression. The input data to the classification algorithm is the transient voltage measurements. The performance of the proposed framework is validated through EMTP simulation of a simple transmission grid. The classification accuracy is evaluated with respect to several scenarios such as gradual increase of training data set and boosting.
The costs and value of renewable portfolio standards in meeting decarbonization goals

Abstract Renewable portfolio standards are common policy instruments deployed in many U.S. states and other countries. Arguably the primary driver for these standards is their use as a tool to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the electric sector. The cost-effectiveness of this mitigation approach relative to other policies is hotly disputed. In this paper, we use the US-REGEN model to evaluate the costs and CO2 emissions reductions of existing and potential renewable portfolio standards in the United States, and to compare these mandate-based policies to the least-cost resource portfolio that achieves equivalent CO2 reductions. We find that, in most cases, renewable portfolio standards are approximately twice as costly as the equivalent least-cost portfolio for achieving CO2 reductions, although the ratio can be much higher for standards with lower abatement. Furthermore, the effectiveness of renewable portfolio standards at reducing CO2 emissions depends strongly on future natural gas prices. Technology-neutral instruments to achieve CO2 reductions usually replace existing coal generation with the cheapest alternative, given natural gas and CO2 prices. A mandate for renewables is higher cost both because renewable generation may not be the cheapest alternative to coal generation, and because adding renewable capacity often displaces non-coal generation on the margin when there is no CO2 price.
Dynamic Reconstruction of Relocation Information for Stripped Binaries

Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) is a widely used technique for the prevention of code reuse attacks. The basic concept of ASLR is to randomize the base address of executable modules at load time. Changing the load address of modules is also often needed for resolving conflicts among shared libraries with the same preferred base address. In Windows, loading a module at an arbitrary address depends on compiler-generated relocation information, which specifies the absolute code or data addresses in the module that must be adjusted due to the module’s relocation at a non-preferred base address. Relocation information, however, is often stripped from production builds of legacy software, making it more susceptible to code-reuse attacks, as ASLR is not an option.
Maintenance of Tendon Stem/Progenitor Cells in Culture

Tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSCs) are tendon-specific adult stem cells, which play crucial roles in tendon homeostasis, repair or regeneration once tendons are injured. Additionally, their pathological role in the development of tendinopathy in response to excessive mechanical loading placed on the tendon is also implicated. Similar to other adult stem cells, TSCs also exhibit universal characteristics of stem cells including colony formation in culture, self-renewal and multidifferentiation potential. Nevertheless, once TSCs are isolated from tendinous tissues and cultured in vitro, they may quickly lose stemness by undergoing differentiation. To maintain and prolong the stemness of TSCs in culture, we have developed two effective methods, namely culturing TSCs in hypoxic condition, or in growth media supplemented with low levels of PGE2. Here we present these methods in detail, along with the detailed description of the procedures to isolate TSCs from tendon samples and to culture them in vitro.
Background of the Employment Act III: An Economic Bill of Rights

This chapter traces the effect Roosevelt’s Second Bill of Rights, with its promotion of a “right to a useful and remunerative job,” had on the push for the Employment Act. It also examines how Keynesian economics was incorporated into the idea of the right to a job by offering a way to determine the amount of government spending that was needed to reach full employment, the primary use that Roosevelt and his followers made of Keynes’ ideas. The CIO, in line with the right to a job, set forth a plan for a guaranteed annual wage as a way to foster full employment, but, the chapter will argue, Keynesians disputed that plan. This dispute showed a flaw in the combination of the political economy of a living wage with fiscal policy to form the hybrid system of redistributive economics.
Using a Lymph Node Count Metric to Identify Underperforming Hospitals After Rectal Cancer Surgery.

Abstract Background Investigating methods to assess the quality of cancer surgery and then benchmarking hospitals on these quality indicators can lead to improvements in cancer care in the United States. We sought to determine the utility of lymph node count as a quality metric. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of the California Cancer Registry database (2004-2011) merged with Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development inpatient database. Patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant therapy and resection were included. Hospital quality score was defined as the proportion of patients at a particular hospital that had adequate examination with at least nine lymph nodes. High-quality score hospitals were those that retrieved nine or more nodes among ≥25% of operations. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards (standard and shared frailty) model was used to determine differences in overall survival adjusting for age, hospital volume, race, sex, insurance, comorbidity, T-stage, response to neoadjuvant therapy, adjuvant chemotherapy, and teaching hospital status as covariates. Results A total of 2704 patients were treated at 228 hospitals (low-scoring hospital = 85 and high-scoring hospital = 143). Patient- and disease-specific characteristics were similar between the groups. Socioeconomic status and hospital characteristics were strongly associated with score status. High-scoring hospitals had higher sphincter preservation ( P = 0.004), lower complications ( P = 0.021), and a trend toward lower mortality ( P = 0.079). Care at high-scoring hospitals independently predicted overall survival (hazard ratio: 0.74; 95% confidence interval: 0.61-0.90; P = 0.003). Conclusions This study demonstrates that hospital quality score based on lymph node count can be used to identify underperforming hospitals.
Reclaiming Powerful Literacies: New Horizons for Critical Discourse Analysis

Offering a unique, reflexive framework for Critical Discourse Analysis focused on discourses of hope, transformation, and liberation, this book showcases a variety of powerful literacies in action. Drawing from original research in a range of public, educational spaces across the lifespan—from Kindergartners studying social justice movements, to sixth graders designing a social justice museum exhibit focused on the environment and sustainability, to teacher education students practicing racial literacy in response to the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri—Rogers makes the case that critical social theories often associated with Critical Discourse Analysis have not kept pace with a recent shift toward the positive, referred to as Positive Discourse Analysis. Encouraging readers to reconsider their understanding of concepts such as power, action, context, critique, and reflexivity, this book illustrates the potential of theorizing discourse analysis from a positive orientation.
Left ventricular cardiac output is a reliable predictor of extracorporeal life support in neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a treatable condition but despite optimal management, some patients require extracorporeal life support (ECLS). This study evaluates the association of left ventricular (LV) cardiac output and the need for ECLS. Single center, retrospective chart review from 1/1/2012 through 7/1/2018. Twenty-seven patients met criteria for evaluation with six patients (22%) requiring ECLS. Echocardiography was used to assess ventricular function. There was a statistically significant decrease in LV cardiac index of 1.33 L /min/m2 vs 1.80 L /min/m2 (p = 0.04) for patients requiring ECLS and non-ECLS, respectively. There was no difference between the 2 groups with regards to vasoactive medication use, surfactant use, iNO use, severity of pulmonary hypertension, or right ventricular (RV) function. In newborns with CDH, decreased LV cardiac output is more strongly associated with need for ECLS than severity of pulmonary hypertension or RV dysfunction.
Almost sure central limit theorems for weighted dependent sequences

Abstract Let {Xn: n ≧ 1} be a sequence of dependent random variables and let {wnk: 1 ≦ k ≦ n, n ≧ 1} be a triangular array of real numbers. We prove the almost sure version of the CLT proved by Pel...
Utility of repeat testing in the evaluation for von Willebrand disease in pediatric patients

BACKGROUND Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder and is caused by quantitative and qualitative defects in von Willebrand factor (VWF). The laboratory diagnosis of VWD in pediatric patients is complicated by VWF interassay and intra-assay variability, stress-induced elevations in VWF levels, and a lack of significant bleeding history with which to correlate test results. OBJECTIVE Guidelines recommend repeat testing in patients with a high suspicion of VWD and unclear laboratory assay results; however, no studies have evaluated the utility of repeat VWF testing in pediatric patients. METHODS This retrospective single-center cohort study aimed to determine clinical variables associated with requiring more than one test to diagnose VWD and to establish a cutoff VWF value above which further testing is not informative. RESULTS Of 811 patients evaluated for a suspected bleeding disorder, 22.2% were diagnosed with VWD, with ~70% diagnosed on the first test. Patients with VWD were younger (5.8 vs. 8.5 years, P = .002) and more likely to have a family history of VWD (38% vs. 22%, P 95%. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that the majority of pediatric patients had diagnostic VWF values on the first set of testing. Pediatric patients without a family history of VWD and VWF levels >100 IU/dL may not need further testing to rule out the diagnosis of VWD.
Usability Testing and the Development of an Augmented Reality Application for Laboratory Learning

In general chemistry laboratories, students learn practical laboratory skills through hands-on activities and are exposed to new scientific instruments. However, these instruments are often viewed ...
Variation in Ultrasound Diagnostic Thresholds for Carotid Stenosis in the United States

Background: Individuals with carotid stenosis enter surveillance or are considered for surgery on the basis of disease severity assessed by ultrasound. However, there is variation in the ultrasound...
A Starter’s Guide for Academic Library Leaders: Advice in Conversation

A Starter’s Guide for Academic Library Leaders by Amanda Clay Powers, Martin Garnar and Dustin Fife explores the leadership and management of libraries through interview-style chapters with fourtee...
Decision making with conflicting information: influencing factors and best practice guidelines

As mobile and sensor technology become more prevalent, performers across a range of tasks have access to redundant information sources with the potential to provide conflicting information. There i...
Flying Home: A Mode of Conversion in the African American Context

African American literature has been one of the chief purveyors of African American culture’s folklore tradition. Writers, through fiction and nonfiction accounts, keep alive the stories of such figures as Br’er Rabbit, High John the Conquerer, and John Henry. Other than these manifest folktales, there is also a canon of latent folktales that modern writers are attempting to bring back to African American consciousness. Such is the case with Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, a novel that shares the informative and inspirational folktale of flying Africans. This article explores the role that flying plays not only in Morrison’s novel but also its continued relevance and effectiveness for African Americans, and other oppressed communities, seeking liberation. I propose that flying is a mode of religious conversion (i.e., an act of (re-)turning) that has enabled African Americans to come in touch with supernatural resources during times of sociopolitical, communal, and personal sorrow.
Papel de la inhibidores de la absorción de la glucosa SGLT2 en el tratamiento de la Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2

A review of renal physiopathology of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) is performed. The paradigmatic focusing of the DM2 treatment by means only on the glycemic control is analyzed. A review of mechanism of action of the so called sodium-dependent glucose cotransporters inhibitors type 2 (SGLT2) is done as well as its indications, cardiovascular safety, pleiotrophic effects, potential side effects and their role in dismissing the severity and mortality due cardiovascular and renal complications. The three main STLT2 inhibitors (dapagliflozin, canagliflozin and empagliflozin) have demonstrated efficacy in the treatment ofDM2 both as mono therapy as well as in combination with insulin and/or oral hypoglycemic agents. They produce a significant weight loss, beneficial effects on blood pressure and changes in lipid profile.
The Effect of the Affordable Care Act Dependent Coverage Mandate on Health Insurance and Labor Supply: Evidence from Alternative Research Designs:

This article examines the effect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) dependent coverage mandate on health insurance and labor supply. The author applies three research designs—difference-in-difference...
Fast Charging Li-Ion Battery Capacity Fade Prognostic Modeling Using Correlated Parameters' Decomposition and Recurrent Wavelet Neural Network

Continuous cycling of Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) batteries, as required by applications, degrades their resulting capacities over time. This degradation is generally negligible in the early charge/discharge cycles. An increase in charging/discharging rates (C-rate) applied on a continuous cycling battery reduces its charging time, thereby resulting in a fast charging battery, however, this also escalates the degradation. This degradation can be studied from the resultant decrease in charging/discharging capacities, also termed as capacity fade. To analyze capacity fade, an approach using reference C-rate based charging/discharging capacity analysis is proposed for a time-limited degradation analysis. Further, a step-ahead forecasting approach is proposed for all the charging/discharging capacities' correlated original, and corresponding deviation parameters, to present time-ahead modeling of all the impacted parameters. A combinatorial empirical mode decomposition (EMD)-recurrent wavelet neural network (RWNN) model is proposed as the step-ahead forecasting approach for the correlated parameters. Finally, a comparison of error values between the proposed EMD-RWNN model is performed with combinatorial EMD-wavelet neural network (WNN), standalone WNN and RWNN models to effectively analyze the resulting superior performance of the recurrent nature of the proposed model by forecasting every decomposition.
A Preliminary Investigation of Technical Services Librarians’ Contributions to Library Guides in Academic Libraries

Online library guides are one of the bridges that librarians build to connect users to available resources and services. Since the time when library guides were conceived in the pamphlets and book ...
The Pandemic, Gender, and (Firm) Performance

Do corporate financial decisions made by female executives differ from that of male executives? We try to answer the question by using firm-level data. We identify few critical differences between corporations run by gender-homogeneous versus gender-heterogeneous executive boards using a unique instrumental variable. First, the firms run by heterogeneous groups issue less debt. Second, the heterogeneous boards experience positive asset growth. However, there is no significant difference between the two groups when making an acquisition, market leverage, and equity issuance decisions. These results are robust to industry-level fixed effects, an alternative definition of the gender diversity of a corporate board, and whether a firm has a female CEO. When faced with uncertainty related to the pandemic, both groups make similar decisions regarding capital structure and corporate investment. The results of this study point to the ‘Male Executive Overconfidence’ theory in financial economics.
Teaching with Instructional Assistants: Enhancing Student Learning in Online Classes

Abstract This article details a pilot project incorporating instructional assistants (IAs), or upper-level undergraduate writing tutors, embedded in the courses of an online writing program at a large land-grant university. The curriculum, called the Writers’ Studio, focused on heavy process and portfolio assessment. Students were asked to create multimodal projects for public audiences in an effort to prepare them to participate as literate citizens beyond higher education. As a result of the multimodal emphasis and process-centered curriculum, the students needed additional instructional support to successfully demonstrate understanding of the learning outcomes for the course. Recognizing that digital writing environments can increase workload, the instructional team had to reconsider ways to manage the instructors’ and students’ needs. The answer was the incorporation of undergraduate teaching assistants, or instructional assistants. In online classes where students write several drafts for each project, instructor feedback on multiple drafts was simply not possible with the number of students assigned to the teacher, no matter how she managed her time. The use of IAs provided what instructors could not: a chance for students to receive feedback on their writing throughout the actual process of writing. Although students still maintained interaction with the instructors, the IAs gave them additional individualized attention. In this article, we provide an in-depth look at the pilot project, including a detailed description of our IA training practices, as well as comments from students about the benefit of the instructional assistants.
Distressed lender beware: How TOUSA killed the upstream guaranty

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, in its May 15, 2012 opinion In Re. TOUSA, Inc., reversed the decision of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and affirmed the findings of the bankruptcy court, previously quashed by the district court. The analysis focused on whether the bankruptcy court clearly erred in avoiding an upstream guaranty — a transfer whereby subsidiaries issued a guaranty in order for the financially distressed parent company to obtain a loan for repayment of its previous debt. The court of appeals concluded that the mere possibility that bankruptcy filing will be thwarted does not always constitute a benefit reasonably equivalent to incurring new debt as part of an upstream guaranty. This note reviews and updates the analysis of the concept “reasonably equivalent value” previously proposed in the September 2011 issue of the Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice. This paper further points out that, in the aftermath of the latest TOUSA decision, lenders will think twice before agreeing to extend financing in exchange for an upstream guaranty to an entity that is in distress.
Direct data fusion using the PMHT

We analyze the tracking characteristics of a new data-association/tracking algorithm proposed by Streit-Luginbuhl, the probabilistic multi-hypothesis tracking (PMHT) algorithm, in a multisensor environment. Given that in the formulation of the algorithm there is no constraint on the number of measurements originated per target, it is a natural candidate for direct fusion in the multi-sensor case, where a combined frame (assuming synchronicity among the sensors) may have more than one target-originated measurement. In this paper we compare the performance of this new algorithm to that of a commonly used multisensor tracking algorithm: the joint probabilistic data association filter with a centralized estimation-to-estimation fusion.
Chemical kinetics in a turbulent fluid

The transport equation for a contaminant is derived in a strong velocity field. Conditions are found for the decoupling of the transport and kinetic processes. Also the solution of the quadratically nonlinear equation is arrived at in terms of the mean and two correlation functions for the linear equation.