cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The POSNA-COUR International Scholar Program. Results of the First 7 Years.

The Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America (POSNA)-Children’s Orthopedics in Underserved Regions (COUR) International Scholar Program was initiated in 2007 to provide educational opportunities for emerging leaders who treat children with orthopaedic conditions in resource-challenged environments worldwide. Financial support is available each year for 4 to 6 orthopaedic surgeons to attend either the POSNA Annual Meeting or the International Pediatric Orthopedic Symposium. The scholars are also encouraged to visit selected centers for observerships during their trip. Since 2007 there have been 41 international scholars who have participated in the program. We wished to assess the impact of the program and to obtain feedback to improve the experience for future participants. A 23-question web-based survey was created and sent to 38 past scholars from 22 countries who have participated in the program by July 2013. The responses were gathered online and the data were analyzed for the 24 (62%) respondents from 18 countries who completed the survey. Of the respondents, 16/24 (66%) reported that their current practice is comprised of at least 75% pediatrics. Twelve of 24 (52%) were fellowship trained in pediatric orthopaedics, typically outside of North America. All scholars found the meeting they attended to be very useful and have subsequently made changes to their clinical practice. Nineteen of 24 (82%) did a premeeting or postmeeting observership. Twenty-two of 24 (92%) participants have remained in contact with POSNA members they met at the meeting, with 86% of respondents stating that they have subsequently consulted POSNA members on management of patients. Sixty-two percent of the scholars had a POSNA member visit them following the scholarship and 29% have since returned to visit POSNA members for further clinical observerships. Twenty-one of 24 (91%) have had the opportunity to share the knowledge they gained with others in their region through lectures, surgical demonstrations, and/or clinical training. A common response from the scholars was that the scholarship program was a truly transformative life experience that provided them with an opportunity to receive the highest quality of professional education. The main challenges that these scholars report are lack of available fellowship/subspecialty training in their region, patients’ inability to pay, and excessive physician workload. All of the respondents expressed interest in arranging a POSNA cosponsored regional meeting. Since 2007, the POSNA-COUR international scholar program has been a fruitful resource for orthopaedists practicing in resource-challenged environments worldwide. It has provided unique training for the scholars and has further enabled them to teach others in their region. The program has thus far succeeded in fostering lasting relationships that have led to continued educational exchanges. Level IV—case series.
A New Method for Introducing Tin Ligands into Tetrairidium Dodecacarbonyl

The reaction of Ph3SnOH with Ir4(CO)12 in the presence of [Bu4N]OH in methanol solvent gave two products, [Bu4N][Ir4(CO)11(SnPh3)] (1; 45% yield) and [Bu4N][Ir4(CO)10(SnPh3)2(μ-H)] (2; 5.5% yield),...
Comparison of left and right side line edge roughness in lithography

The left side and right side line edge roughnesses (LER) of a line are compared for different conditions, such as through pitch, through critical dimension (CD), from horizontal to vertical line direction, from litho to etch. The investigation shows that the left and right side LER from lithography process are the same, however, the metrology can cause a 4-25% increase in the measured right side LER. The LER difference is related to the CDSEM e-beam scan direction.
Differentiating turkey postvaccination isolants of Pasteurella multocida using arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction

The chromosomal DNA of 29 field isolants of Pasteurella multocida from commercial turkey farms in Missouri and the avirulent Clemson University (CU) and M-9 vaccine strains of P. multocida were tested using the arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) in combination with 32P-labeled deoxycytidine triphosphate (dCTP) and high-resolution gel electrophoresis. The 29 field isolants of P. multocida were isolated from outbreaks of fowl cholera in turkey flocks in which vaccination with the CU vaccine had been performed within 2 weeks of the isolation, and it was suspected that the outbreak could have been due to the use of the live CU vaccine. The results of this study showed that: 1) the use of the live CU vaccine can lead to the isolation of the vaccine strain if the outbreak occurs within 2 weeks of vaccination; 2) a higher proportion of field isolants collected during 1983 and 1984, when the usage of the CU vaccine strain was highest on Missouri turkey farms, had PCR-amplified product profiles similar or identical to those of the CU vaccine strain compared with the period between 1987 and 1992, when its use was less; and 3) there was no relationship between the PCR-amplified product profiles and the serotype.
Comparison of Peripheral Nerve Axonal Area Differences in Central and Peripheral Zones of Injured and Repaired Nerves.

BACKGROUND Histological analysis remains a cornerstone approach for the investigation of peripheral nerve regeneration. This study investigates a newly recognized histological difference between peripheral and central zones within the regenerating nerve trunks. PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to determine if the nerve axonal area (NXA) in regenerating peripheral nerves differs within central and peripheral areas, when viewed in cross-section. METHODS A total of 14 rats were divided into two groups, and subjected to different injuries to the right sciatic nerve. Group 1: Transection injury with immediate repair. Group 2: Crush injury without any treatment. The left sciatic nerve was left uninjured and served as a control in each rat. Following 4 weeks of recovery, nerve trunk cross-sections were prepared. Computerized techniques were then employed to divide nerve sections into central and peripheral zones and calculate corresponding NXA values for subsequent statistical analysis. RESULTS NXA of injured nerves was greater within peripheral as compared with the central zones, independent of injury type (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference existed within the control groups or between the injury methods with regards to NXA regeneration extent. CONCLUSION NXA in regenerating peripheral nerves was greater in the peripheral zones than within the central zones.
Adaptive myocardial hypertrophy in the renal ablation model.

We have previously reported downregulation of the vascular alpha 1-receptor in the 5/6 renal ablation model. In this investigation we have examined the adaptive response of the heart following 5/6 renal ablation. Renal ablated and sham rats were maintained under identical conditions for 6 weeks. Despite the presence of systemic hypertension in renal ablated rats (185 +/- 10 mm Hg, P less than .01), heart weight did not differ from sham. [125I] +/- CYP binding was performed and myocardial norepinephrine (NE) content determined to evaluate myocardial sympathetic neuroeffector mechanisms. Scatchard analysis and 1-isoproterenol competition curves did not reveal a difference in the binding properties of the myocardial beta-receptor. No difference in myocardial NE was found in renal ablated and sham rats. Unexpectedly, 1-isoproterenol stimulation of adenylate cyclase was impaired in renal ablated rats (32.6 +/- 6 v 58.6 +/- 5 pmol/mg/min, P less than .01) and the dose response curve shifted to the right. We conclude that despite systemic hypertension an adaptive hypertrophic response was not present in hearts of renal ablated rats; myocardial sympathetic neuroeffector mechanisms are not altered in this model; and impaired stimulation of adenylate cyclase appears to be the result of a post-receptor defect.
Malignant Orbital Lesions in Children

This review paper is dedicated to imaging of malignant orbital lesions in children. We reviewed pediatric primary malignant orbital lesions and metastatic disease from a known distant primary malignancy. The imaging features and clinical presentation of extraocular malignant masses are often nonspecific and overlap with each other and with benign lesions. We emphasized common and uncommon characteristics of malignant orbital masses and described the advantages and shortcomings of available imaging modalities.
Brains Create Oscopic Order from Microscopic Disorder by Neurodynamics in Perception

The essential task of brain function is to construct orderly patterns of neural activity from disorderly sensory inputs, so that effective actions can be mounted by the brain, a finite state system, to deal with the world's infinite complexity. Two schools of thought are described, that characterize distinctive sources of the order within brains, one passive, the other active. These schools have profoundly influenced ways two groups of contemporary neuroscientists design their experiments and process their data, so that they have very different perspectives on the roles of noise and chaos in brain function.
Conclusion: Predicting a New Scandal Environment in the Twenty-First Century

This chapter represents a review of key themes from the book, points to new directions for scandal research, and predicts what the scandal environment might look like in the decades to come, especially as new technologies, apps, and devices become integrated into our lives and the mainstream. The authors argue that while public fascination with scandal is no different than it was in millennia past, modern technology has increased the stakes for broadening the public audience of scandal. Ultimately, the authors argue that the private–public line has not only shifted but—in all likelihood—has ceased to exist.
Length–weight relationships of 15 fish species in wetland areas of coastal southern Brazil

Summary Herein are the length–weight relationships of 15 fish species from wetland areas of the coastal region in southern Brazil. In 2010, fishes were sampled seasonally in four wetlands utilizing beach seine nets.
Is There a Discrepancy? Comparing Enteral Nutrition Documentation With Enteral Pump Volumes.

Introduction: Nutrition therapy is essential to the care of critically ill patients. Information that is used to calculate the differences between patients’ nutrition prescription and actual provision may be flawed due to errors in manually recording the amount of enteral nutrition (EN) provided. This study’s purpose was to evaluate the accuracy of the EN volume delivered as recorded in the electronic medical record (EMR) relative to the EN volume retrieved from the EN pump. Methods: This prospective, blinded, observational study occurred from June 2014 to April 2015 with a total of 218 patients. Patients were identified for the study based on their intensive care unit (ICU) admission and need for EN support. Patients were ICU patients receiving EN support. Results: The major result of this study was that 14% of patients’ EN volumes were underdocumented and 26% were overdocumented. Conclusion: These results support the need for a technological platform that directly transmits EN pump volumes in real time ...
On the Viability of Using Autonomous Three‐Component Nodal Geophones to Calculate Teleseismic Ps Receiver Functions with an Application to Old Faithful, Yellowstone

ABSTRACT Recent advances in seismic data‐acquisition technology paired with an increasing interest from the academic passive source seismological community have opened up new scientific targets and imaging possibilities, often referred to as Large‐N experiments (large number of instruments). The success of these and other deployments has motivated individual researchers, as well as the larger seismological community, to invest in the next generation of nodal geophones. Although the new instruments have battery life and bandwidth limitations compared to broadband instruments, the relatively low deployment and procurement cost of these new nodal geophones provides an additional novel tool for researchers. Here, we explore the viability of using autonomous three‐component nodal geophones to calculate teleseismic Ps receiver functions by comparison of co‐located broadband stations and highlight some potential advantages with a dense nodal array deployed around the Upper Geyser basin in Yellowstone National Park. Two key findings from this example include (1) very dense nodal arrays can be used to image small‐scale features in the shallow crust that typical broadband station spacing would alias, and (2) nodal arrays with a larger footprint could be used to image deeper features with greater or equal detail as typical broadband deployments but at a reduced deployment cost.
Construction and operation status of management system of laboratories of schistosomiasis control institutions in Hubei Province

Objective To analyze the construction and operation status of management system of laboratories of schistosomiasis control institutions in Hubei Province, so as to provide the reference for the standardized detection and management of schistosomiasis laboratories. Methods According to the laboratory standard of schistosomiasis at provincial, municipal and county levels, the management system construction and operation status of 60 schistosomiasis control institutions was assessed by the acceptance examination method from 2013 to 2015. Results The management system was already occupied over all the laboratories of schistosomiasis control institutions and was officially running. There were 588 non-conformities and the inconsistency rate was 19.60%. The non-conformity rate of the management system of laboratory quality control was 38.10% (224 cases) and the non-conformity rate of requirements of instrument and equipment was 23.81% (140 cases). Conclusions The management system has played an important role in the standardized management of schistosomiasis laboratories.
Accelerated rehabilitation results in good outcomes following acute repair of proximal hamstring ruptures.

To assess outcomes of patients who underwent proximal hamstring repair utilizing an accelerated rehabilitation protocol with immediate weight bearing as tolerated and no bracing. Retrospective chart review identified 47 proximal hamstring tendon repairs with suture anchors in 43 patients performed during 2008–2015. Rehabilitation included no immobilization or limited weightbearing. Patients were contacted by phone to assess outcomes utilizing the lower extremity functional score (LEFS), single-assessment numeric evaluation (SANE), and Marx activity scale. Overall patient-reported scores were calculated and results of acute and chronic repairs compared. Thirty-four patients (38 repairs, 80.8%) were available for follow-up at mean of 4.1 ± 2.0 years following repair. There were two re-tears: one complete rupture 5 weeks postoperative and one partial rupture 10 weeks postoperative in the chronic group. Patients in general reported low pain and good function with a mean LEFS score of 87 ± 21%, a mean SANE score of 88.1 ± 11.6, and a mean numeric pain score of 8.5 ± 15.3 in the last week and 12.2 ± 21.1 with activity. The acute repair group was noted to have a higher mean LEFS score (93.7 versus 79.8%, p = 0.004) and SANE score (91.3 versus 83.8, p = 0.047), and lower pain with activity (21.7 versus 4.8, p < 0.001) as compared to the chronic group. Repair of acute proximal hamstring ruptures results in good function and pain relief with the use of a rehabilitation protocol that does not require weight-bearing restrictions or bracing. III, therapeutic.
Breathing Life into Technology: Socio-cognitive Paths Towards Opening Up the Black Box

Despite the burgeoning body of work on the dynamics of technological change, the research agenda for understanding the socio-cognitive antecedents to technological change, hence the title Breathing...
Language ideologies of institutional language policy: exploring variability by language policy register

Lo Bianco (Curr Issues Lang Plan 9(2):155–178, 2008) proposed an “ensemble of [three] activities” that comprise language policy: the “textual,” “discursive,” and “public performance” (p. 157). When expressed in language, the current study proposes that each of Lo Bianco’s three activities (text, discourse, performance) becomes a register—a variety of language associated with a given social situation (Biber and Conrad in Register, genre, and style. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2009). Building on a previous study that used corpus-based methods to identify five language ideologies in a 1.4 million word corpus of language policy texts (Fitzsimmons-Doolan in Corpora, 9: 57–82, 2014), this study asks, Is there variation in the language ideologies expressed in a corpus of institutional language policy texts attributable to language policy register? Using inferential statistics, groups of texts coded by language policy register (i.e., language policy documents, discourse about language policy, institutional models of language policy, and lists) were compared for expression of each of the five previously identified language ideologies. For four out of five of the language ideologies, there were significant differences among language policy registers with much of the ideological work being done by texts coded as institutional models of language policy. The findings suggest the viability of Lo Bianco’s categories and the identification of a new register category of language policy texts—lists. Furthermore, findings suggest the importance of analyzing institutional models of policy for language ideology scholarship and support for a multi-dimensional, layered model of language policy.
Wernicke’s Encephalopathy

Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) is a potentially reversible metabolic brain dysfunction resulting from thiamine deficiency. It is generally characterized by ataxia, ophthalmoplegia and global confusion. Described in Berlin in 1881 by Carl Wernicke, it was initially known as polioencephalitis hemorrhagica superioris and considered a fatal syndrome. The first reported cases were three patients, two with alcoholism and one with persistent vomiting after the ingestion of sulfuric acid in a suicide attempt. The common feature shared by these cases upon post-mortem exam consisted of punctate hemorrhages in the grey matter of the walls of the third and fourth ventricles and mammillary bodies (Cirignotta et al., 2000; Truswell, 2000). In 1935, Strauss discovered that the cause of Wernicke’s findings was vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency (Chiossi et al., 2006). Bonhoeffer posited that Wernicke’s encephalopathy and the psychosis described by Korsakoff actually represented two phases of the same pathological process (Cirignotta et al., 2000). The observation that Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s psychosis have identical neuropathology supported this belief (Charness, 1999). Thus Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) and Korsakoff’s psychosis (KP) are often used interchangeably as the Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome (WKS).
EXPERIENCE WITH A STUDENT CONSULTING SERVICE

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the importance of Statistics Student Consulting Service (SSCS) in statistics programs. The original motivation for the SSCS included service to users in other disciplines and saving of faculty time, a major concern being the benefit to students in the statistics graduate program. By giving recognition to the goals and objectives of the SSCS, ways to modify the procedures have been found without sacrificing the program's utility. This is accomplished often by careful assignment of problems to consultants, as will be apparent in an examination of the objectives. The more important goals and objectives for statistics students have been identified as providing the opportunity for practical experience in the use of statistical theory and methods, acquaintance with statistical problems in other disciplines, translation of scientific problems into statistical framework, and adaptation of methods and theory to a wide variety of problems.
Cultural Identity and Reentry in Short-Term Student Missionaries

This study explores the relationship between cross cultural reentry and cultural identity in college student participants in short-term international mission trips. Twenty undergraduate students fr...
The Effects of Lattice Motion on Gas-Surface Reactions

Several approaches for incorporating the effects of lattice motion into theoretical models of gas-surface scattering are reviewed. The focus is on reactive scattering, and in particular, the dissociative chemisorption of H2 and CH4 on metal surfaces, Eley-Rideal processes, and the reactions of H atoms with graphite. The nature of the gas-phonon coupling is discussed, and both classical and quantum approaches are considered.
Running shoe optimal stiffness and speed

Running shoe longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) can be altered to enhance distance running performance. Increased LBS will lower running metabolic cost due to MTP joint restriction, resulting in ...
III-Nitride microwave power transistors

Abstract Microwave power applications featuring GaN/AlGaN-based HEMTs have drawn a great deal of interest since their discovery in 1993 ( Khan et al., 1993 ), to deliver power amplifiers with high power level and power-added-efficiency (PAE) simultaneously. GaN HEMTs offer higher power density operation due to their high breakdown field of 2 MV/cm, which is as high as 10 times that of GaAs PHEMTs. With the high saturation velocity of 1–1.5 cm2/Vs and high thermal conductivity of 1.3 W/(K cm), GaN HEMTs enable next-generation power amplifiers with both high power and PAE with a minimized combiner loss and better output matching. Currently, GaN HEMTs have enabled a wide variety of applications such as RF communications, radar systems, electronic warfare (EW) and power electronics.
Hypertension and Diabetes in Non-Pregnant Women of Reproductive Age in the United States.

Introduction Diagnosis and control of chronic conditions have implications for women's health and are major contributing factors to maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. This study estimated the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes in non-pregnant women of reproductive age in the United States, the proportion who were unaware of their condition or whose condition was not controlled, and differences in the prevalence of these conditions by selected characteristics. Methods We used data from the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to estimate overall prevalence of hypertension and diabetes among women of reproductive age (aged 20-44 y), the proportion who were unaware of having hypertension or diabetes, and the proportion whose diabetes or hypertension was not controlled. We used logistic regression models to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios to assess differences by selected characteristics. Results The estimated prevalence of hypertension was 9.3% overall. Among those with hypertension, 16.9% were unaware of their hypertension status and 40.7% had uncontrolled hypertension. Among women with diabetes, almost 30% had undiagnosed diabetes, and among those with diagnosed diabetes, the condition was not controlled in 51.5%. Conclusion This analysis improves our understanding of the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes among women of reproductive age and may facilitate opportunities to improve awareness and control of these conditions, reduce disparities in women's health, and improve birth outcomes.
Advanced Current-Limiting and Power-Sharing Control in a PV-Based Grid-Forming Inverter Under Unbalanced Grid Conditions

Grid-forming (GF) inverter technology is a novel and evolving concept for systems with high penetration of renewables. The integration of these grid-independent units with the existing conventional generators and gradually replacing them should contribute to stabilizing the power grid. Several control strategies are proposed in order to design GF inverters to emulate the kinetic energy and the self-synchronization features of synchronous machines with robust control on voltage and frequency to deal with the dynamic issues of the grid. In this article, a photovoltaic (PV)-based GF inverter with a modified virtual synchronous machine control in parallel with a battery supported inverter with an enhanced droop control is considered to operate under non-ideal grid voltage conditions and in the isolated mode of operation. The control methodology encloses a PV synchronous generator, along with the nonlinear feedback linearization current-limiting control with voltage ride-through capabilities. They enable the GF PV inverter and the grid-following battery inverter to provide active and reactive power to the load during unbalanced grid conditions seamlessly. A hardware cosimulation environment in Simulink using the software tool of Piecewise Linear Electrical Circuit Simulation (PLECS) and System Generator from Xilinx is applied to evaluate the operation of the controller and verify its flexibility and effectiveness in different case studies.
Mechanical breathing in organic electrochromics

The repetitive size change of the electrode over cycles, termed as mechanical breathing, is a crucial issue limiting the quality and lifetime of organic electrochromic devices. The mechanical deformation originates from the electron transport and ion intercalation in the redox active material. The dynamics of the state of charge induces drastic changes of the microstructure and properties of the host, and ultimately leads to structural disintegration at the interfaces. We quantify the breathing strain and the evolution of the mechanical properties of poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) thin films in-situ using customized environmental nanoindentation. Upon oxidation, the film expands nearly 30% in volume, and the elastic modulus and hardness decrease by a factor of two. We perform theoretical modeling to understand thin film delamination from an indium tin oxide (ITO) current collector under cyclic load. We show that toughening the interface with roughened or silica-nanoparticle coated ITO surface significantly improves the cyclic performance. Though organic electrochromic devices are promising for various applications, their performance is limited by a cyclic change in volume of the material over time. Here, the authors study mechanical breathing in a model polymer and provide rules for the design of new mechanically-reliable materials.
Effects of Reduced Visual Acuity on Performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

In administering the complete Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the psychologist may not be able to determine whether a low score is due to reduced vision or to reduced ability to perform a task. ...
Abstract A21: Promotion of colorectal cancer by Streptococcus gallolyticus—a novel mechanism

Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus (Sgg) is an opportunistic gut pathobiont. It has a longstanding clinical association with colorectal cancer (CRC). We previously demonstrated that Sgg stimulates CRC cell proliferation and promotes tumor growth in mouse models of CRC (Kumar et al., 2017). Recent studies also indicated that Sgg induced an immune-tolerant environment in the mouse colon conductive for tumor development (Zhang et al., 2018). These results provide strong experimental support for Sgg being an active promoter of tumor development. The molecular mechanism underlying Sgg’s tumor promoting activity was unknown. We investigated the effect of Sgg on CRC cells by analyzing mass spectrometry proteomics data. We found that several types of collagen were upregulated in Sgg-treated cells compared to cells cultured in media only. The upregulation was further confirmed by RT-qPCR and Western blot. Transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) is a master regulator of the extracellular matrix. Therefore, we examined the effect of Sgg on the TGFbeta signaling pathway. The results showed that Sgg-treated cells had significantly higher level of phosphorylated Smad2. Sgg treatment also induced the expression of TGFbeta target genes. The effects of Sgg on CRC cells were significantly decreased in the presence of inhibitors for TGFbeta signaling. In addition, we observed that Sgg induced similar effects in mouse colon. Together, these results demonstrate that Sgg activates the TGFbeta signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we found that activation of TGFbeta by Sgg is mediated by specific Sgg genes. Deletion of these genes abolished the effect of Sgg on CRC cells in vitro and its ability to promote tumor growth in a mouse model of CRC. These results suggest that TGFbeta activation is a mechanism underlying Sgg’s contribution to tumor growth. Next, we tried to determine if these findings are relevant to CRC patients. Examination of tumor tissues from CRC patients revealed that Sgg-positive tumors exhibit significantly enhanced TGFbeta activity compared to Sgg-negative tumors, suggesting that Sgg-positivity correlates with stronger TGFbeta signaling activities in CRC patients. Taken together, our results highlight a previously unrecognized mechanism in which a colonic microbe activates the TGFbeta signaling pathway to promote the development of CRC. Studies to further delineate this novel mechanism are currently under way. Citation Format: John Taylor, Ritesh Kumar, Amir Sarshekeh, Jennifer Davies, Scott Kopetz, Juan Xu, Yi Xu. Promotion of colorectal cancer by Streptococcus gallolyticus—a novel mechanism [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Microbiome, Viruses, and Cancer; 2020 Feb 21-24; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(8 Suppl):Abstract nr A21.
Subacute Presentation of Central Cord Syndrome Resulting from Vertebral Osteomyelitis and Discitis: A Case Report

Author(s): Dang, Thomas; Dong, Fanglong; Fenati, Greg; Rabiei, Massoud; Cerda, Melinda; Neeki, Michael M. | Abstract: Introduction: Central cord syndrome (CCS) is a clinical syndrome of motor weakness and sensory changes. While CCS is most often associated with traumatic events. There have been few documented cases being caused by abscesses resulting from osteomyelitis.Case Report: A 56-year-old male presented to a regional trauma center complaining of excruciating neck and bilateral upper extremity pain. Computed tomography of the cervical and thoracic regions revealed severe discitis and osteomyelitis of the fourth and fifth cervical (C4-C5) with near-complete destruction of the C4 vertebral body, as well as anterolisthesis of C4 on C5 causing compression of the central canal. Empiric intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy with ampicillin/sulbactam and vancomycin was initiated, and drainage of the abscess was scheduled. After the patient refused surgery, he was planned to be transferred to a skilled nursing facility to receive a six-week course of IV vancomycin therapy. A month later, patient returned to emergency department with the same complaint due to non-compliance with antibiotic therapy.Discussion: Delayed diagnosis and treatment of osteomyelitis can result in devastating neurological sequelae, and literature supports immediate surgical debridement. Although past evidence has suggested surgical intervention in similar patients with presence of abscesses, this case may suggest that antibiotic treatment may be an alternative approach to the management of CCS due to an infectious etiology. However, the patient had been non-compliant with medication, so it is unknown whether there was definite resolution of the condition.Conclusion: In patients presenting with non-traumatic central cord syndrome, it is vital to identify risk factors for infection in a thoroughly obtained patient history, as well as to maintain a low threshold for diagnostic imaging.
Structural and functional responses of Carex aquatilis to increasing sodium concentrations

Carex aquatilis is a widespread boreal species that is abundant in open fens and marshes. The species has broad natural tolerances to differing water levels and ion concentrations including occurrences in brackish marshes but not sodic wetlands. Sandhill Wetland, constructed on Syncrude Canada Ltd. mineral surface lease in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, is a research site that was engineered to support a self-sustaining wetland. The site is currently in its eighth year post wet-up and is partially dominated by C. aquatilis. Increasing Na+ concentrations in the porewaters at Sandhill Wetland are an on-going concern for the performance of the existing plant communities. Here we examine the responses of C. aquatilis to an increasing regime of sodium carried out in a greenhouse experiment. We posed three questions for this experiment: (1) is there a threshold response for performance of C. aquatilis to increasing sodium, (2) if so, does it occur in the range of sodium that is present at current reclamation programs, and (3) is C. aquatilis resistant to high concentrations of sodium? Carex aquatilis survived all treatment concentrations of sodium including the highest treatment of 2354 mg L− 1. In general, both structural and functional attributes of C. aquatilis did not differ between the 17 and 1079 mg L− 1 treatments; however, performances of all attributes were reduced in the 2354 mg L− 1 treatment. Belowground biomass had greater decreases compared to aboveground components, including both biomass and photosynthesis. The aboveground decreases in performance were associated with exclusion of sodium from the aboveground components by the belowground components. Reduction in photosynthesis was strongly correlated with reduced stomatal conductance and lower transpiration. Although C. aquatilis demonstrated a wide tolerance to sodium concentrations, a clear threshold was present between 1079 and 2354 mg L− 1. These decreases in performance in our greenhouse trials were at levels currently present at Sandhill Wetland, and careful assessment of sodium concentrations in the near future needs to be continued.
Emerging Powers and Differentiation in Global Climate Institutions

The Paris Agreement on climate change brought states from the North and South together under a common framework to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. This was a remarkable institutional adjustment for a regime that had always maintained a strict distinction between developed and developing countries and imposed meaningful obligations only on the former. To better understand this change, I look at the negotiations surrounding the issue of ‘differentiation’. The rising emissions of the emerging economies created a demand for institutional change on the part of key industrialized countries; however, they faced resistance from the increasingly assertive BASIC group (Brazil, South Africa, India and China). The challengers ultimately adopted strategic cooptation as their main negotiation strategy, offering compromises in the areas of climate finance and the legal form of new commitments. The climate case sheds light on the impact of power shifts in the domain of global environmental governance and illustrates that calls for change sometime comes from established rather than rising powers.
From Parkesine to Celluloid: The Birth of Organic Plastics

The birth of modern organic plastics can be traced back to the mid-1800s with various semi-synthetic plastics derived from cellulose nitrate. Examples of such materials include Parkesine introduced by Alexander Parkes in 1860 and celluloid introduced by John Wesley Hyatt in 1870. The history and development of these early materials is presented, while also attempting to clarify the differences between the related materials collodion, Parkesine, and celluloid.
Céline, le cinématographe de la catastrophe

In Feerie pour une autre fois II (also titled Normance), Celine recounts the chaos engendered by the Allied bombing of Paris in April 1944, which killed 1,800 people in seven days. The novel, publi...
Suppression of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition Markers in Mouse Lens by a Smad7-based Recombinant Protein.

Cataracts, a clouding of the eye lens, are a leading cause of visual impairment and are responsible for one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures worldwide. Although generally safe and effective, cataract surgery can lead to a secondary lens abnormality due to transition of lens epithelial cells to a mesenchymal phenotype (EMT) and opacification of the posterior lens capsular bag. Occurring in up to 40% of cataract cases over time, posterior capsule opacification (PCO) introduces additional treatment costs and reduced quality of life for patients. Studies have shown that PCO pathogenesis is driven in part by TGF-β, signaling through the action of the family of Smad coactivators to effect changes in gene transcription. In the present study, we evaluated the ability of Smad-7, a well characterized inhibitor of TGF-β -mediated Smad signaling, to suppress the EMT response in lens epithelial cells associated with PCO pathogenesis. Treatment of lens epithelial cells with a cell-permeable form of Smad7 variant resulted in suppressed expression of EMT markers such as alpha smooth muscle actin and fibronectin. A single application of cell-permeable Smad7 variant in the capsular bag of a mouse cataract surgery model resulted in suppression of gene transcripts encoding alpha smooth muscle actin and fibronectin. These results point to Smad7 as a promising biotherapeutic agent for prevention or substantial reduction in the incidence of PCO following cataract surgery.
Medicaid Expansion Reduced Uninsured Surgical Hospitalizations And Associated Catastrophic Financial Burden.

An important function of health insurance is protecting enrollees from excessively burdensome charges for unanticipated medical events. Unexpected surgery can be financially catastrophic for uninsu...
Confidence Monitoring and Composition for Dynamic Assurance of Learning-Enabled Autonomous Systems

Design-time approaches to safety assurance for autonomous systems are limited because they must rely on assumptions about the behaviors of learned components in previously unseen environments. These assumptions may be violated at run time, thus invalidating the guarantees produced at design time. To overcome this limitation, we propose to complement design-time assurance with run-time monitoring that calculates the confidence that those assumptions are satisfied and, therefore, design-time guarantees continue to hold. As the first step in our vision, we elicit the logical relationship between assumption violations and safety violations. Then, we develop a probabilistic confidence monitor for each design-time assumption. Finally, we compose these assumption monitors based on their logical relation to safety violations, producing a system-wide assurance monitor. Our vision is illustrated with a case study of an autonomous underwater vehicle that performs pipeline inspection.
Alkane contamination of lipids extracted fromLagenidium giganteum andLagenidium callinectes

Alkanes associated with the mycelia of the fungiLagenidium giganteum andL. callinectes were analyzed. Careful studies showed that these substances were contaminats derived from glass ware, media and solvents. No alkane biosynthesis or transformation was detected, indicating little or no alkane metabolism. The importance of using clean techniques, high-purity solvents and proper media controls was emphasized.
An Intermediate Sanction That Fosters the Mother-Child Bond: A Process Evaluation of Summit House

Abstract Summit House is a residential alternative-to-incarceration program in North Carolina that operates in a home-like setting for female offenders and their children; the Program is designated an intermediate sanction. The Program has been recognized by experts in the field as a national model. And, in 1996 and 1998 respectively, it received two national awards-The President's Service Award and The Improvement of Justice Award. Despite national recognition and honor, however, little is known about the process by which the Program assists women in their role as mothers. This paper provides a process evaluation of the Summit House Program. To assess the Program, I reviewed an array of documents (e.g., resident manuals, incident reports, individualized treatment plans) and conducted a total of 44 interviews with administrators, staff, and clients. These individual face-to-face interviews took place in a private setting and averaged an hour in duration. Based on this information, I explain how the Progra...
Expression of the Escherichia coli dnaX gene.

The Escherichia coli dnaX gene encodes both the tau and gamma subunits of DNA polymerase III. This gene is located immediately downstream of the adenine salvage gene apt and upstream of orf12-recR, htpG, and adk. The last three are involved in recombination, heat shock, and nucleotide biosynthesis, respectively. apt, dnaX, and orf12-recR all have separate promoters, and the first two are expressed predominantly from those separate promoters. However, use of an RNase E temperature-sensitive mutant allowed the detection of lesser amounts of polycistronic messengers extending from both the apt and dnaX promoters through htpG. Interestingly, transcription of the weak dnaX promoter is stimulated 4- to 10-fold by a sequence contained entirely within the dnaX reading frame. This region has been localized; at least a portion of the sequence (and perhaps the entire sequence) is located within a 31-bp region downstream of the dnaX promoter. Images
An ecological approach to strengthen weed management in the semiarid great plains

Abstract Cropping systems in the semiarid Great Plains are rapidly changing. Previously, winter wheat–fallow was the prevalent system; now, because of no-till practices, producers are diversifying their rotations to include alternative crops. Yet, weed management is often ineffective because of herbicide-resistant weeds and low profit margins. A possible solution is ecologically based weed management, where cropping systems are designed to lower weed community densities and improve crop competitiveness to weeds. Both winter and summer annual crops are grown in the Great Plains, which can help manage weeds because growth periods differ considerably between crop types. Designing rotations to include two winter/spring crops followed by two summer annual crops can reduce weed community density 12-fold compared to less diverse rotations. This rotation design favors natural weed seed decline in soil yet avoids proliferation of weed densities in crops with similar life cycles. However, tillage minimizes the effect of rotation design on weed community. A second component of the ecological approach is to strengthen crop competitiveness with cultural practices. Combining three practices together improved crop competitiveness three- to five-fold. With some crops, such as proso millet, cultural systems are so effective that herbicides may not be needed for in-crop weed control. Designing rotations based on a cycle-of-four with winter and summer annual crops also accrues ancillary benefits such as increased yields and economic returns as well as improved resource-use-efficiency. Furthermore, the ecologically based approach will enable producers to ameliorate the negative impacts of herbicide-resistant weeds and rising input costs.
Cryopreservation of human cumulus cells for co-cultures and assessment of DNA damage after thawing using the comet assay.

Purpose: Cumulus cells have been shown to be beneficial for blastocysts formation in co-cultures but information on cumulus cryopreservation is lacking. The objective was to use the fixed cell comet assay to analyze for DNA damage in cumulus cells after cryopreservation. Methods: Discarded cumulus cells from follicular aspirates obtained during assisted reproduction procedures (N = 4 cases) were pooled and cryopreserved in either 40% ethylene glycol and 0.5 M sucrose, 12:20% glycerol-egg yolk medium, 28% glycerol hypoosmolar medium or control medium. The cells were processed and stored in liquid nitrogen for 48 h. The thawed cells were smeared on glass slides, fixed, stained with acridine orange, embedded in a mini-agarose layer, and electrophoresis carried out. Fluorescent images were analyzed. Results: The cumulus tail moment, a calculated index of DNA damage, was significantly lower for each of the three cryoprotectant when compared with the control. The two cryoprotectants containing glycerol were associated with higher cumulus cell viability. However, the glycerol-egg yolk combination yielded the highest cell viability. Conclusions: The cumulus comet assay demonstrated similar DNA integrity in cells frozen in each of the three cryoprotectants. The glycerol-egg yolk medium had the highest cell viability with little or no DNA damage after freeze-thaw. More studies are needed to examine the long-term effect of the cryoprotectants on thawed cumulus cell viability.
Tuning Oracle7 for nCUBE

This paper summarizes the experience in porting and tuning Oracle7 Parallel Server for nCUBE, a Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) computer that contains hundreds of processing elements. The idea of the parallel server where multiple instances of Oracle run against the same database was first developed for a loosely coupled VAX cluster. With the advent of Massively Parallel Systems, nCUBE was chosen to be first MPP platform to support Very Large Database systems. >
The Relation Between Supervisor Self-Disclosure and the Working Alliance Among Social Work Students in Field Placement

The author examined supervisor self-disclosure and the supervisory working alliance with the hope of adding to research-supported techniques in field work supervision. Students enrolled in an MSW program at a large urban university were asked to complete a survey on the frequency and content of their supervisor's self-disclosures and on their relationship with their supervisor (N = 184). Results suggest a strong link between supervisor self-disclosure and the working alliance. This author hopes to encourage supervisors looking to bolster alliances with their students to consider self-disclosure as a useful supervisory technique.
Code Specialization Based on Value Profiles

It is often the case at runtime that variables and registers in programs are “quasi-invariant,” i.e., the distribution of the values they take on is very skewed, with a small number of values occurring most of the time. Knowledge of such frequently occurring values can be exploited by a compiler to generate code that optimizes for the common cases without sacrificing the ability to handle the general case. The idea can be generalized to the notion of expression profiles, which profile the runtime values of arbitrary expressions and can permit optimizations that may not be possible using simple value profiles. Since this involves the introduction of runtime tests, a careful cost-benefit analysis is necessary to make sure that the benefits from executing the code specialized for the common values outweigh the cost of testing for these values. This paper describes a static cost-benefit analysis that allows us to discover when such specialization is profitable. Experimental results, using such an analysis and an implementation of low-level code specialization based on value and expression profiles within a link-time code optimizer, are given to validate our approach.