cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Beyond allostatic load: Rethinking the role of stress in regulating human development

How do exposures to stress affect biobehavioral development and, through it, psychiatric and biomedical disorder? In the health sciences, the allostatic load model provides a widely accepted answer to this question: stress responses, while essential for survival, have negative long-term effects that promote illness. Thus, the benefits of mounting repeated biological responses to threat are traded off against costs to mental and physical health. The adaptive calibration model, an evolutionary-developmental theory of stress-health relations, extends this logic by conceptualizing these trade-offs as decision nodes in allocation of resources. Each decision node influences the next in a chain of resource allocations that become instantiated in the regulatory parameters of stress response systems. Over development, these parameters filter and embed information about key dimensions of environmental stress and support, mediating the organism's openness to environmental inputs, and function to regulate life history strategies to match those dimensions. Drawing on the adaptive calibration model, we propose that consideration of biological fitness trade-offs, as delineated by life history theory, is needed to more fully explain the complex relations between developmental exposures to stress, stress responsivity, behavioral strategies, and health. We conclude that the adaptive calibration model and allostatic load model are only partially complementary and, in some cases, support different approaches to intervention. In the long run, the field may be better served by a model informed by life history theory that addresses the adaptive role of stress response systems in regulating alternative developmental pathways.
Ritual Encounters of the Queer Kind: A Political Analysis of Jewish Lesbian Ritual Innovation

SUMMARY Jewish feminist and queer engagement in Jewish life and Judaism are transforming the practices and foundational orientations of traditional modes. Jewish feminist, queer ritual innovation in particular is inspired by an array of secular and radical critical theories as much as it is by the historic concrete experiences of a diversity of Jews in different Jewish communities. It is important to hold all of us who are involved in religious ritual innovation responsible to the knowledges we have developed and learned in critical theory or we risk, even with the best of intentions and creativity, re-inscribing some of the very problems of traditional ontological norms that we might have originally sought to disrupt and subvert. This article looks specifically at examples of new “coming out” rituals for Jewish queers explored over time in the Jewish Queer Think Tank: honoring them as well as offering tools from secular critical theory to assist our work in keeping them accountable to our aspirations to ...
Flow structures and fluid transport for the hydromedusae Sarsia tubulosa and Aequorea victoria.

SUMMARY The flow structures produced by the hydromedusae Sarsia tubulosa and Aequorea victoria are examined using direct numerical simulation and Lagrangian coherent structures (LCS). Body motion of each hydromedusa is digitized and input to a CFD program. Sarsia tubulosa uses a jetting type of propulsion, emitting a single, strong, fast-moving vortex ring during each swimming cycle while a secondary vortex of opposite rotation remains trapped within the subumbrellar region. The ejected vortex is highly energetic and moves away from the hydromedusa very rapidly. Conversely, A. victoria , a paddling type hydromedusa, is found to draw fluid from the upper bell surface and eject this fluid in pairs of counter-rotating, slow-moving vortices near the bell margins. Unlike S. tubulosa , both vortices are ejected during the swimming cycle of A. victoria and linger in the tentacle region. In fact, we find that A. victoria and S. tubulosa swim with Strouhal numbers of 1.1 and 0.1, respectively. This means that vortices produced by A. victoria remain in the tentacle region roughly 10 times as long as those produced by S. tubulosa , which presents an excellent feeding opportunity during swimming for A. victoria . Finally, we examine the pressure on the interior bell surface of both hydromedusae and the velocity profile in the wake. We find that S. tubulosa produces very uniform pressure on the interior of the bell as well as a very uniform jet velocity across the velar opening. This type of swimming can be well approximated by a slug model, but A. victoria creates more complicated pressure and velocity profiles. We are also able to estimate the power output of S. tubulosa and find good agreement with other hydromedusan power outputs. All results are based on numerical simulations of the swimming jellyfish.
Behavioral aspects of corporate planning

Abstract Most models of corporate planning neglect to include behavioral variables. This is unfortunate, as human behavior is typically the most dynamic component of any planning system. Should behavioral variables be overlooked, due to their difficult measurability, or for other reasons, the planning system will inevitably prove deficient in terms of predictability and control. Accounting for human resources and other behavioral measurements should be routinely included in any corporate planning model. A component of such a system would include the output from a stochastic process model of expected future values of employee services. The theoretical development of such a model is briefly discussed in this paper.
Earnings, relative income, and family formation

The probability of first marriage for men who graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 1957 was analyzed with respect to their Social Security earnings records, Wisconsin income tax reports for parents, and other variables. The findings provide no support for Easterlin's hypothesis that marriage will occur earlier when young men judge their economic prospects favorably with respect to their parents' income. However, young men's earnings and time spent in schooling to increase them were found to be important influences on marriage timing. Additional schooling had little effect net of the time it absorbed.
Infectious bronchitis virus in the chicken harderian gland and lachrymal fluid: Viral load, infectivity, immune cell responses, and effects of viral immunodeficiency

We compared detection of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) in tears and trachea of IBV-infected chickens and found that quantitative detection of IBV RNA in tears is more sensitive than in tracheal homogenates. Furthermore, we demonstrated that IBV contained in chicken lachrymal fluid is infectious and that tears of IBV-infected chickens can be used to infect naive chickens. We compared the immune responses to IBV in the Harderian gland and cecal tonsils of immunocompetent chickens and chickens infected with chicken anemia virus (CAV) and/or infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). Flow cytometry analyses of lymphocytes in Harderian glands and cecal tonsils indicated that the relative abundance of IgM+ B cells in the Harderian glands and cecal tonsils following exposure to IBV in combination with immunosuppressive viruses was reduced compared to chickens infected with IBV alone. CAV, but not IBDV, reduced the CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratios compared to chickens infected with IBV alone. Enzyme-linked immuno-spot forming assays on cells in the Harderian glands and cecal tonsils of IBV-infected chickens indicated that maximum IBV-specific IgA-secreting cell responses were reduced in chickens infected with CAV. IBDV co-infected chickens displayed a delayed IgA response to IBV. Thus immunosuppressive viruses reduced B cells and T helper cells in the Harderian glands and cecal tonsils in response to IBV, and slowed the kinetics and/or reduced the magnitude of the mucosal immune response against IBV. We have shown for the first time that CAV affects pathogen-specific B cell responses in a mucosal effector site.
The use of fault trees for the design of robots for hazardous environments

This paper addresses the application of fault trees to the analysis of robot manipulator reliability and fault tolerance. Although a common and useful tool in other applications, fault trees have only recently been applied to robots. In addition, most of the fault tree analyses in robotics have focused on qualitative, rather than quantitative, analysis. Robotic manipulators present some special problems, due to the complex and strongly coupled nature of their subsystems, and also their wild response to subsystem failures. Additionally, there is a lack of reliability data for robots and their subsystems. There has traditionally been little emphasis on fault tolerance in the design of industrial robots, and data regarding operational robot failures is relatively scarce. However, at this time there is a new and critical need for safe and reliable robots for remote environmental restoration and waste management applications. The question of how to best incorporate fault tolerance and reliability into the design of such remote manipulators remains an open issue, and is the subject of current research. This paper discusses aspects of the reliability problem in robotics, concentrating on the quantitative aspects of fault tree analysis for the design of robot manipulators.
Diet Composition and Cholesteremia in Japanese Quail

Abstract Male, Japanese quail (Coturnix cotumix japonica) were given ad libitum access to one of four diets: a corn-soybean meal control, control plus 1% cholesterol, a glucose-soybean meal with 10% fat plus 1% cholesterol (inducer) or inducer minus 1% cholesterol for an initial 12 weeks beginning at 22 weeks of age. Serum and liver cholesterol concentrations of quail fed the 1% cholesterol supplemented diets averaged respectively, 5.3 and 10.3 times higher than those from quail fed the corresponding diets without cholesterol. There were no significant differences in serum and liver cholesterol concentrations between groups of quail fed control diet versus inducer minus 1% cholesterol diet or between quail fed inducer diet versus control plus 1% cholesterol diet. During a second 12-week period, the quail previously fed the diets containing cholesterol were given the respective control diets. The serum and liver cholesterol concentrations returned to values comparable to those of quail fed the corresponding diets without cholesterol throughout the experiment.
Chromaticity and luminance as coding dimensions in visual search

Visual search times were measured as a function of chromaticity and luminance differences between a target and distractor stimuli. Results showed that mean search time increased linearly with the number of distractors if the luminance difference between target and distractors was small but was roughly constant if the luminance difference was large. Similar results were previously found for chromaticity differences. With the number of distractor stimuli held constant, the mean search time decreased with increases in the difference between target and distractors, up to some critical difference. Further increases in target-distractor difference had little effect. Results were similar for targets defined by luminance and chromaticity. There was some advantage to combining luminance differences with chromaticity differences when the target was dimmer than the distractors. Generally there was no advantage for combining a chromaticity difference with a luminance difference when the target was brighter than the distractors. Language: en
Measurement of wave-front aberrations in high-resolution optical lithographic systems from printed photoresist patterns

A new method of measurement of wave-front aberrations in high-resolution optical lithographic systems used for semiconductor manufacturing is proposed. The method is based on the measurement of the positional shifts and focus offsets of a set of printed photoresist grating patterns with different periods and orientations, produced under nearly fully coherent illumination condition. The proposed experimental procedures are described in detail and various sources of systematic and random errors are discussed. It is estimated that a measurement precision of /spl lambda//50 for the wave-front aberrations at selected points on the lens pupil can be achieved with this method.
Airborne Doppler Observations of a Landfalling Cold Front Upstream of Steep Coastal Orography

This study uses airborne Doppler radar observations to describe the mesoscale structure and evolution of a cold frontal system as it made landfall on the mountainous coast of Oregon and northern California on 1 December 1995 during the Coastal Observations and Simulations with Topography experiment. This section of coastline constitutes a steep, approximately two-dimensional north‐south-oriented orographic barrier. The front exhibited a northeast‐southwest orientation and thus intersected the axis of high terrain at an acute angle. The alongbarrier pressure gradient and low-level winds increased with time along the coastal zone and reached a maximum as the front made landfall. Stably stratified prefrontal flow was strongly blocked by the orography, resulting in a confluent transition from pervasive southwesterly winds offshore to a narrow zone of accelerated southsouthwesterly flow near the coast, where wind speeds approached 30 m s 21 at a height of 750 m above mean sea level. Postfrontal flow was much less affected by the topography, probably because of its weaker static stability. Upstream blocking by the steep coastal terrain also evidently led to modifications of precipitation in the vicinity of the front, including the rapid genesis of a narrow cold-frontal rainband (NCFR) and nearshore enhancement of two prefrontal precipitation bands. This evolution of the NCFR is interpreted in conjunction with changes in prefrontal vertical wind shear, which favored more upright convective ascent as the front neared shore and encountered accelerated along-barrier flow adjacent to the steep terrain. In addition, a statistical examination of observed radar reflectivity patterns shows that the intensity of frontal precipitation systematically decreased with upstream distance away from the orographic barrier.
New species of Clavicornaltica Scherer (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from continental Asia

Four new species of Clavicornaltica Scherer are described and illustrated, of which two are from China (C. dali new species and C. longsheng new species) and two are from Vietnam (C. tamdao new species and C. vietnamensis new species). The wing and metathorax are described and illustrated for the genus for the first time. A key to the newly described species is presented. Male genitalia of Clavicornaltica australis Konstantinov are illustrated for the first time.
Children and Adults Use Physical Size and Numerical Alliances in Third-Party Judgments of Dominance

Humans and other social animals interact regularly with conspecifics as part of affiliative groups. Many of these interactions are cooperative, but many others involve competition for resources. Competitive exchanges are often resolved on the basis of dominance relationships, with higher-ranking individuals receiving priority access to desired goods. Although no single cue can establish permanent dominance relationships, there are some cues that predict dominance fairly reliably across context. In the present study, we focused on two such cues relevant to competing groups: (i) the physical sizes of individual members, and (ii) their relative number. Using a social competition task, we examined whether, and how, preschool-aged children and adults used differences in physical size and numerical alliances to judge which of two groups should prevail in a competitive exchange for a desired object. These judgments were made when either physical size or number differed between groups (Experiment 1), and when both were available but pitted against each other (Experiments 1 and 2). Our findings revealed that by 3 years of age, humans use multiple perceptible cues in third-party judgments of dominance. Our findings also revealed that 3-year-olds, like adults, weighted these cues flexibly according to the additional factor of overall group size, with the physical sizes of individuals determining dominance in smaller groups (e.g., 2 vs. 4 characters) and the relative number of individuals determining dominance in larger groups (e.g., 15 vs. 30 characters). Taken together, our findings suggest that a basic formula for determining dominance in competitive exchanges, which weights physical size of individuals and numerical alliances as a function of overall group size, is available to young children and appears fairly stable through to adulthood.
Effects of plant species and foliage structure on the foraging behavior of forest birds

On etudie le comportement alimentaire de Vireo olivaceus, Setophaga ruticilla, V. philadelphicus, Dendroica caerulescens en fonction des types de plantes et des diverses strates de la foret (New Hampshire)
Axenic Growth and Nutrition of Gonatobotryum Fuscum

SUMMARY Gonatobotryum fuscum, a contact biotrophic mycoparasite, has been cultured axenically for the first time, the best medium being a glucoseyeast extract medium (10-2 g/liter) supplemented with thiamine (4-8 mg/ liter), biotin (0.2-0.4 mg/liter), and mycotrophein, a water soluble compound extracted from the host and some nonhost fungi. This parasite is the fourth species of its type to be studied and is similar to the other three (Calcarisporium parasiticum, Gonatobotrys simplex, and Gonatorhodiella highlei) in that they are deficient for the same growth factor, mycotrophein. The optimum concentrations of thiamine and biotin were unusually high and may reflect the difficulty with which these vitamins enter the cells. The addition of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) increased growth rate, total growth and glucose utilization. Of the 13 carbon sources tested, G. fuscum made much greater growLh
Repeated cocaine administration reduces bradykinin-induced dilation of pial arterioles.

Using the acute cranial window technique in rabbits under surgical anesthesia, we tested the vasoactivity of acetylcholine (ACh, 10(-8)-10(-5) M), bradykinin (BK, 10(-8)-10(-5) M), and asphyxia (10% O2, 9% CO2, balance N2) after subchronic pretreatment with cocaine. After repeated administration of cocaine (20 mg.kg-1.day-1 sc x 7 days), the BK-induced dilation of pial arterioles was reduced by 51%. Previous work showed that BK produces dilation of pial arterioles by a cyclooxygenase-dependent oxygen radical-mediated mechanism and that in rabbits the BK-induced dilation is dependent on both vascular and nonvascular cyclooxygenase. Selective blockade of vascular cyclooxygenase, in addition to cocaine treatment, did not produce any greater inhibition of the BK-induced dilation. The dilation in response to ACh and asphyxia was unaltered by cocaine. Levels of cerebrospinal fluid prostaglandins suggest cocaine pretreatment may inhibit cerebral vascular prostaglandin production. Together, cerebrospinal fluid prostaglandin and vasoreactivity data indicate cocaine pretreatment selectively inhibits the vascular cyclooxygenase-dependent mechanism mediating the BK-induced dilation. This decreased response to BK in cocaine-treated rabbits may result from decreased oxygen radical production concomitant with decreased vascular prostaglandin production. Alternatively, oxygen radical scavenging may be increased after cocaine treatment. We speculate that cocaine-induced alterations in cerebrovascular function and metabolism may be related to the increased incidence of stroke reported to occur in human cocaine users.
Another dendritic cell enters the transplant story.

The induction of alloantigen-specific unresponsiveness remains an elusive goal in organ transplantation. Here we identify plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) as phagocytic antigen-presenting cells essential for tolerance to vascularized cardiac allografts. Tolerizing pDCs acquired alloantigen in the allograft and then moved through the blood to home to peripheral lymph nodes. In the lymph node, alloantigen-presenting pDCs induced the generation of CCR4 + CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells (T reg cells). Depletion of pDCs or prevention of pDC lymph node homing inhibited peripheral T reg cell development and tolerance induction, whereas adoptive transfer of tolerized pDCs induced T reg cell development and prolonged graft survival. Thus, alloantigen-presenting pDCs home to the lymph nodes in tolerogenic conditions, where they mediate alloantigen-specific T reg cell development and allograft tolerance.
Selling Literary Tourism in The Bookman

Literary tourism may have promoted nation-building, canon-building, and other lofty ideals, but nothing associated with culture in the late Victorian period was innocent of the profit motive. Certainly, anything in which print culture in general, or the world of periodicals in particular, took an interest was sure to be tied directly to business concerns. In the final decade of the century, one of the chief disseminators of information about literary tourism and of visual images related to its pursuit was the Bookman, a British magazine that, in ways both subtle and effective, encouraged, fuelled, and capitalised on the new interest in writers’ houses and fictional landscapes.
Implicit Theories, Expectancies, and Values Predict Mathematics Motivation and Behavior across High School and College

Mathematics motivation declines for many adolescents, which limits future educational and career options. The present study sought to identify predictors of this decline by examining whether implicit theories assessed in ninth grade (incremental/entity) predicted course-taking behaviors and utility value in college. The study integrated implicit theory with variables from expectancy-value theory to examine potential moderators and mediators of the association of implicit theories with college mathematics outcomes. Implicit theories and expectancy-value variables were assessed in 165 American high school students (47 % female; 92 % White), who were then followed into their college years, at which time mathematics courses taken, course-taking intentions, and utility value were assessed. Implicit theories predicted course-taking intentions and utility value, but only self-concept of ability predicted courses taken, course-taking intentions, and utility value after controlling for prior mathematics achievement and baseline values. Expectancy for success in mathematics mediated associations between self-concept of ability and college outcomes. This research identifies self-concept of ability as a stronger predictor than implicit theories of mathematics motivation and behavior across several years: math self-concept is critical to sustained engagement in mathematics.
Undergraduate Internship Supervision in Psychology Departments: Use of Experiential Learning Best Practices:

This study examined trends in how psychology internships are supervised compared to current experiential learning best practices in the literature. We sent a brief online survey to relevant contact...
l 1 -Norm Minimization of Mixed Sensitivity

Abstract This paper investigates the problem of minimizing the l1 norm of the mixed sensitivity matrix [W1S W2T] where IV, and W2 are rational weighting functions, S is the sensitivity function and T= 1–S is the complementary sensitivity function of a discrete-time feedback control system. This problem can be posed as maximization of a function of a finite number of variables with infinitely many constraints. An example is presented which illustrates how an approximate solution to the problem is obtained. Under certain conditions a sequence of truncated problems is solvable. Each problem has a rational solution and a value of l1 norm no greater than the previous problem.
College Women's Experiences and Perceptions of Drinking: A Phenomenological Exploration

College women's drinking rates are increasing, yet there is limited research on what is contributing to this phenomenon. In this study, the authors explored a fuller picture of how college women experience and perceive drinking situations. Qualitative data from 2 focus groups of high-risk and low-risk drinkers were analyzed with interpretative phenomenological analysis. Similarities and contrasts are discussed, implications for college counselors are highlighted, and areas for future research are recommended.
The association between serious mental health problems and violence: some common assumptions and misconceptions

The media, the general public, and politicians often emphasize that mental illness is a precursor and a cause of violence, particularly emphasizing an assumed relationship between mental illness, including psychopathy and psychosis, and the use of guns to commit violence. We report which individuals with serious mental health problems have an increased risk to commit violence (including gun violence). Second, we answer the question to what extent serious mental health problems explain most violence and especially gun-related violence. And what is the opinion of experts on these questions? Third, we review which effective screening instrument can help to identify individuals with mental health problems who are at risk to carry a gun and commit violence. For policy makers and legislators, this article points out that most psychiatric disorders are not related to violence, with some exceptions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and often only in conjunction with substance use. We show that the attributable risk of mental illness to explain violence in general is low. We also emphasize that conduct disorder in late childhood or adolescence is a better predictor of violence than is mental illness at a later age. Empirically based screening methods to identify individuals with mental health problems who are prone to violence appear to have limited utility. Implications are discussed for clinicians and practitioners working in the justice system, researchers, and policy makers.
From reading math to doing math: a new direction in non-visual math accessibility

The ability to understand, apply, and manipulate mathematical concepts is a cornerstone of any scientific discipline; as such it is an irreplaceable component of the training and education of any students. While the advent of online and e-learning technologies has enabled the breaking of several barriers and promoted wider access to educational opportunities, it has also furthered the disenfranchisement of visually impaired students. Despite the several efforts in the field of enhancing accessibility for those with visual impairments especially in the educational discipline, it is obvious that there is still a lack of contributions in making mathematics manipulation processes accessible. This paper presents a framework that facilitates doing and manipulating mathematical algebraic content in a way that is convenient, accessible, and usable as well for students with visual impairments.
On the Design of Fault- Tolerance in a Decentralized Software Platform for Power Systems

The vision of the ‘Smart Grid’ assumes a distributed real-time embedded system that implements various monitoring and control functions. As the reliability of the power grid is critical to modern society, the software supporting the grid must support fault tolerance and resilience in the resulting cyber-physical system. This paper describes the fault-tolerance features of a software framework called Resilient Information Architecture Platform for Smart Grid (RIAPS). The framework supports various mechanisms for fault detection and mitigation and works in concert with the applications that implement the grid-specific functions. The paper discusses the design philosophy for and the implementation of the fault tolerance features and presents an application example to show how it can be used to build highly resilient systems.
Dosage Calculations Based on Body Surface Area (BSA)

In the previous chapter, drug concentration in the blood was correlated to the clearance and drug distribution in the body. In this chapter, I discuss the relation of the body surface area (BSA) to the body weight. Subsequently, a number of complicated BSA equations are derived by applying simple concepts of geometry. Through these derivations you have the opportunity to comprehend and further apply the equations to calculate drug doses. The chapter is focused on the rational use of BSA equations for dosage calculations. Close to the end of the chapter, higher exponential equations are solved, either as they are or after conversion to the more convenient linear form to calculate doses for pediatric populations. In general, not all the drugs can be dosed using the concept of body surface area. Clinicians have to be able to see the connection between drug disposition, organ size, and body size in order to confidently use these equations to calculate doses. This chapter offers a conceptual approach to the use of BSA equations for dosage calculations. It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the method.
Nonhuman animal models of substance use disorders: Translational value and utility to basic science.

Abstract Background The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recently released a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting comments on nonhuman animal models of substance use disorders (SUD). Methods A literature review was performed to address the four topics outlined in the RFI and one topic inspired by the RFI: (1) animal models that best recapitulate SUD, (2) animal models that best balance the trade-offs between resources and ecological validity, (3) animal models whose translational value are frequently misrepresented or overrepresented by the scientific community, (4) aspects of SUD that are not currently being modeled in animals, and (5) animal models that are optimal for examining the basic mechanisms by which drugs produce their abuse-related effects. Results Models that employ response-contingent drug administration, use complex schedules of reinforcement, measure behaviors that mimic the distinguishing features of SUD, and use animals that are phylogenetically similar to humans have the greatest translational value. Models that produce stable and reproducible baselines of behavior, lessen the number of uncontrolled variables, and minimize the influence of extraneous factors are best at examining basic mechanisms contributing to drug reward and reinforcement. Conclusions Nonhuman animal models of SUD have undergone significant refinements to increase their utility for basic science and translational value for SUD. The existing literature describes numerous examples of how these models may best be utilized to answer mechanistic questions of drug reward and identify potential therapeutic interventions for SUD. Progress in the field could be accelerated by further collaborations between researchers using animals versus humans.
A Comparative Study of Venture Capital Performance in the US and Europe

For the past fifty years in the United States, venture capital (VC) has provided initial funding to innovative entrepreneurial enterprises, while the European venture capital industry has only really emerged over the past decade. Using quarterly data from 1993 to 2003, this paper examines and compares the return and risk performance of venture capital funds in US and Europe. Several results are noteworthy. First, pooled venture capital returns in US and Europe are 3.273% and 0.765% (on a quarterly basis) above the CAPM market risk-adjusted returns, respectively. Second, US venture capital fund performance dominates that of Europe in all measures: mean return, total-risk adjusted return, and market-risk adjusted return. Third, the linkage between US VC fund performance and the US stock market is much stronger than the co-movement between the European VC and European stock market. Finally, the introduction of Euro.NM in 1997 has substantially enhanced the relationship between the venture capital and stock market performance in Europe.
Fusion Biologics and Adjuvants in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

The utilization of minimally invasive spine fusion is increasing due to several benefits associated with it including shorter hospital stays, lower blood loss, and improved functional outcomes. The selection of a proper biologic based on its properties of osteoconductivity, osteoinductivity, and osteogenecity determines the success of spinal arthrodesis. Autologous bone graft, specifically iliac crest bone graft (ICBG), remains the historic gold standard due to its inherent osteoconductive, osteogenic, and osteoinductive nature without the risk of immunogenic reaction or disease transmission. However, there has been a significant interest in the development of bone graft substitutes and enhancers to relieve the shortcomings, including donor site morbidity, postoperative complications, and limited graft availability, of iliac crest bone graft. As a result, there has been an expansion of graft options such as allografts, demineralized bone matrix, ceramics, and growth factors. Bone morphogenetic proteins have been increasingly utilized in the last decade due to their efficacious osteoinductive properties. However, since their approval, the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) use has been scrutinized due to its associations with a number of complications. There is an increased focus to alleviate these complications by lowering the dose of growth factor required through improved delivery and localization systems. Lastly, more data are required to establish the clinical efficacy of newer technologies such as cell and synthetic peptide-based therapy that may serve as viable options in the future.
The unmaking of the Arab intellectual: prophecy, exile and the nation; No Exit: Arab existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre, and decolonization: by Zeina G. Halabi, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2017, xx + 196 pp., £19.99 (softcover), ISBN 978-1-4744-2900-9; by Yoav Di-Capua, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, 2018, xvi + 360 pp., $35 (softcover), ISBN 978-0-226-50350-9

The two recently published books under review have reinvigorated interest in Arab intellectuals and Arab intellectual history in the contemporary era. 1 Drawing on a variety of sources and discipli...
One-step, in situ jamming point measurements by immobilization cell rheometry

Dense colloidal suspensions are processed in a wide variety of industries. Challenges for pumping suspensions and slurries at high concentrations include shear thickening and dilation, which can have deleterious consequences. These systems are shear sensitive close to the jamming point, meaning that a significant increase in high shear viscosity can be observed with just a few percent change in volume fractions. Therefore, accurate and rapid determination of the jamming point can greatly aid formulation. Typically, conventional rheometry identifies the jamming point by a time-consuming process, whereby multiple flow curves of suspensions of different volume fraction are measured and extrapolated to the volume fraction where the viscosity diverges. We present an alternative approach for rapid, one-step, experimental determination of the jamming point for aqueous suspensions. The procedure monitors the shear stress under constant shear stress or shear rate as the sample is dewatered using immobilization cell rheometry, until the viscosity diverges. The method is validated by comparing the results of this work with conventional rheometry for a model suspension. Then it is applied to examine the effect of grafting a short-chain polymer to particles, comprising an industrial suspension of silica-coated titania. Polymeric coating of the particles increases the jamming concentration and mitigates shear thickening, qualitatively consistent with predictions from simulations.
Conceptual review papers: revisiting existing research to develop and refine theory

Conceptual review papers can theoretically enrich the field of marketing by reviewing extant knowledge, noting tensions and inconsistencies, identifying important gaps as well as key insights, and proposing agendas for future research. The result of this process is a theoretical contribution that refines, reconceptualizes, or even replaces existing ways of viewing a phenomenon. This paper spells out the primary aims of conceptual reviews and clarifies how they differ from other theory development efforts. It also describes elements essential to a strong conceptual review paper and offers a specific set of best practices that can be used to distinguish a strong conceptual review from a weak one.
Safety and Efficacy of Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonists in Older Patients With Ulcerative Colitis: Patient-Level Pooled Analysis of Data From Randomized Trials

Background & Aims Treatment of older patients (more than 60 years) with ulcerative colitis (UC) can be a challenge, because they might be more vulnerable to adverse events (AEs). We determined the effects of age on the safety and efficacy of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy in a pooled analysis of data from randomized trials. Methods We obtained individual patient-level data from 4 trials of anti-TNF therapy for patients with UC from the Yale Open Data Access Project. Participants were assigned to groups of older age (60 years or older) and younger age (younger than 60 years). The primary outcome was difference in serious AEs (SAEs), defined as death, life-threatening event, hospitalization, and/or significant disability. Secondary outcomes were severe infections, non-severe infections, neoplasms, and achievement of clinical remission, defined by trial investigators as Mayo score ≤ 2 with no sub-score >1 at the end of induction or maintenance therapy. A random effects logistic regression model was fitted to estimate the effect of anti-TNF therapy on safety and efficacy by age, adjusting for confounders and trial-level effects. Results The study cohort included 2257 patients (231 60 years or older). Higher proportions of older patients receiving anti-TNF therapy had SAEs (20%) and hospitalizations (14.4%), compared with younger patients (10.2% had SAEs and 5.2% were hospitalized); there were no significant differences between groups in proportions with severe or non-severe infections. Compared with placebo, there was no significant difference in safety risks associated with anti-TNF therapy (SAEs reduced by 5.4% in older patients vs reduction of 2.4% in younger patients; hospitalizations reduced by 6.7% in older patients vs reduction of 2.5% in younger patients; severe infections reduced by 3.1% vs increase of 0.7% in younger patients). There was no significant difference in between older vs younger patients in efficacy of anti-TNF therapy in inducing remission (odds risk ratio, 1.05, 95% CI, 0.33–3.39) or in maintaining remission (odds risk ratio, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.18–1.33). Conclusions In a pooled analysis of data from randomized trials, we found that older patients with UC have an increased baseline increased risk of SAEs, but no increase in risk can be attributed to anti-TNF therapy in older vs younger patients.
Chapter 13 – Space Propulsion

Space propulsion systems are illustrated in terms of their specific impulse and specific mass. Electric propulsion systems are introduced and their operation characterized as electrothermal, electrostatic, or electromagnetic, depending on the mechanism by which they produce thrust. Electrothermal propulsion devices, including resistojets, arc jets, and RF or microwave excited jets, are shown to operate by heating a propellant and then accelerating the heated gas through a nozzle, just like chemical or nuclear rockets. Electrostatic propulsion devices do not require a physical nozzle to accelerate the propellant but instead employ an electric field to accelerate heavy positive ions to produce thrust, which is demonstrated by means of a one-dimensional analytical model. Ion engines and Hall Effect thrusters, electrostatic rockets of high specific impulse currently used in space applications, are described. Electromagnetic propulsion devices that use electromagnetic forces arising from crossed electric current and magnetic fields, like the magnetoplasmadynamic thruster and the pulsed plasma thruster are discussed. Nuclear thermal propulsion for space exploration is introduced and applications are illustrated. The past demonstration of the feasibility of operating large-scale nuclear rockets is outlined. The typical configuration of a solid core nuclear rocket motor and the improvements in specific impulse achievable compared to chemical rockets are analyzed. Nuclear reactors for rocket applications and the basic operation of solid and pebble bed core reactors are described. Improvements in nuclear rocket performance using gas core nuclear reactors and possible practical designs are illustrated.
Involving Stakeholders in Sharing Personal Health Record Data Elements in Protective Custody

Purpose There are 427,000 children in protective custody (i.e., foster care) in the United States. Adolescents experience an average of seven placement changes during their time in care, disrupting their relationships to the adults who can provide health information to them. Providing health data from the electronic health record (EHR), including basic information on prescribed medications, major diagnoses, and mental health services could improve health knowledge, care coordination, and patient outcomes in this vulnerable population. The purpose of this study was to develop the necessary elements for a personalized health record (PHR) for …
Unsettling Vision: Seeing and Feeling With Machines

Abstract While image recognition and sorting algorithms are typically constructed to be invisible to the user, novelty applications like Google’s Quick, Draw!, a Pictionary-style browser game, offer an opportunity to observe a more overt staging of a user/algorithm relationship. This article examines how three applications showcased as part of Google’s AI Experiments construct user, algorithm, and the ideal relationship between the two. I argue that the procedural rhetorics of these interfaces imply users with particular cultural literacies, resources, and physical abilities, thereby excluding individuals who do not meet these criteria. Additionally, I argue that the interfaces’ emphasis on play requires affective attunement between user and algorithm. By staging interactions with image recognition technology as fun, these interfaces obscure more troubling uses of that technology and set the stage for long-term positive engagement with the corporate entity that the interfaces represent.
The politics of nonviolent mobilization: Campaigns, competition, and social movement resources:

Nonviolent resistance is considered one of the most effective methods of bringing about political change. Yet empirical research on how nonviolent campaigns emerge is limited. This article consider...
Satellite Navigation and the Military-Civilian Dilemma: The Geopolitics of GPS and Its Rivals

In the early 1970s the United States began development of a satellite-based positioning and navigation system, intended to replace a number of incompatible systems and to be used by civilians as well as by the military. Once fully deployed in the 1990s, the Global Positioning System (GPS) became enormously successful. With some modifications, its basic architecture was copied by the Soviet Union and later the European Union. GPS is now a global infrastructure, crucial to military operations in the Middle East, to management of ‘just-in-time’ manufacturing, to global shipping and to personal uses on smartphones. However, external events, especially the invention of the microprocessor, disrupted the planned civilian-military balance, and the US military had to adjust GPS’s parameters to ensure national security. It remains under tight control by a civilian-military committee authorized by the US government. This chapter discusses the system’s history and concludes with observations about whether the ‘closed world’ of military technology applies in this case.
Peer-Developed Modules on Basic Biostatistics and Evidence-Based Medicine Principles for Undergraduate Medical Education.

Introduction Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is pivotal in shaping patient care, yet it is challenging to incorporate into undergraduate medical education (UME) due to a lack of dedicated resources w...
Somatic Depolarization Enhances Hippocampal CA1 Dendritic Spike Propagation and Distal Input Driven Synaptic Plasticity

Synaptic inputs that target distal regions of neuronal dendrites can often generate local dendritic spikes that can amplify synaptic depolarization, induce synaptic plasticity, and enhance neuronal output. However, distal dendritic spikes are subject to significant attenuation by dendritic cable properties, and often produce only a weak subthreshold depolarization of the soma. Nonetheless, such spikes have been implicated in memory storage, sensory perception and place field formation. How can such a weak somatic response produce such powerful behavioral effects? Here we use dual dendritic and somatic recordings in acute hippocampal slices to reveal that dendritic spike propagation, but not spike initiation, is strongly enhanced when the somatic resting potential is depolarized, likely as a result of increased inactivation of A-type K+ channels. Somatic depolarization also facilitates the induction of a form of dendritic spike driven heterosynaptic plasticity that enhances memory specificity. Thus, the effect of somatic membrane depolarization to enhance dendritic spike propagation and long-term synaptic plasticity is likely to play an important role in hippocampal-dependent spatial representations as well as learning and memory.
Postpartum psychiatric readmissions: A nationwide study in women with and without epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether epilepsy is associated with increased odds of 30-day readmission due to psychiatric illness during the postpartum period. METHODS The 2014 Nationwide Readmissions Database and the International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes were used to identify postpartum women up to 50 years old in the United States, including the subgroup with epilepsy. The primary outcome was 30-day readmission and was categorized as (1) readmission due to psychiatric illness, (2) readmission due to all other causes, or (3) no readmission. Secondary outcome was diagnosis at readmission. The association of the primary outcome and presence of epilepsy was examined using multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS Of 1 558 875 women with admissions for delivery identified, 6745 (.45%) had epilepsy. Thirteen of every 10 000 women had 30-day psychiatric readmissions in the epilepsy group compared to one of every 10 000 in the no-epilepsy group (p < .0001). Of every 10 000 women with epilepsy, 256 had 30-day readmissions due to other causes compared to 115 of every 10 000 women in the no-epilepsy group (p < .0001). The odds ratio for readmission due to psychiatric illness was 10.13 (95% confidence interval = 5.48-18.72) in those with epilepsy compared to those without. Top psychiatric causes for 30-day readmissions among women with epilepsy were mood disorders, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and substance-related disorders. SIGNIFICANCE This large-scale study demonstrated that postpartum women with epilepsy have higher odds of readmission due to a psychiatric illness compared to women without epilepsy. Postpartum treatment strategies and interventions to prevent psychiatric readmissions are necessary in this vulnerable population.