cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Health-related Quality of Life Among Mothers of Children With Cerebral Palsy

Abstract Purpose Caring for a child with cerebral palsy (CP) can impact both the physical and mental health of parents. However, determinants associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in these parents have yet to be adequately examined. The study aims were to identify the determinants affecting HRQOL among mothers of children with CP. Design and Methods Participants in this cross-sectional study (N = 180) were mothers of children with CP recruited from clinical and school-based settings in Korea. Variables examined were characteristics of child (demographic factors and disability parameter), mother (demographic factors, number of chronic conditions, health-promoting behaviors (HPB), and parenting stress), and environmental factors (use of personal assistant care, leisure time and social support). Multivariate regression analysis was performed to examine the child, mother, and environmental factors associated with HRQOL. Results The HRQOL results revealed that the physical HRQOL was higher than mental HRQOL in the sample. Longer length of disability of children and lower number of chronic conditions of mothers were significant factors of higher physical HRQOL. Lower parenting stress, more leisure time, engagement in HPB, and greater social support were significantly associated with higher mental HRQOL. Conclusions The levels of HRQOL of mothers of children with CP were very low and our findings suggest modifiable factors. Decreasing parenting stress, engaging in HPB, and providing social support should be considered when developing psychosocial intervention for this population. Practice Implications Study results may inform programs aimed at health promotion, stress reduction, and QOL improvement among parents of children with disabilities.
Long-term Results of the Side-to-side Isoperistaltic Strictureplasty in Crohn Disease: 25-year Follow-up and Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE Review the long-term outcomes of the side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty (SSIS) and its effects on bowel preservation in Crohn disease (CD). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA The first SSIS was performed 25 years ago as an alternative to resection in the treatment of extensive fibrostenosing jejuno-ileal CD. METHODS Prospective study (January 1992-December 2016) of all patients with a SSIS performed by the authors. Long-term outcomes were evaluated radiographically, endoscopically, and histopathologically. RESULTS Sixty patients [14.4% of patients with jejuno-ileal bowel CD; 31 females; median age 36 (12-69) years] underwent 61 SSIS's for partial intestinal obstruction. Median length of preserved small bowel was 50 (20-148) cm. Associated strictureplasties and bowel resection were performed in 44% and 80%, respectively. Postoperative mortality occurred in 1 (PE on POD#8) and postoperative morbidity in 7 (12%). There were no sutureline dehiscences. SSIS resulted in resolution of preoperative symptoms in all. After a median follow-up of 11 years (range 1 mo-25 yrs), symptomatic recurrence was observed in 61%: 15 patients at the SSIS and 19 away from it (2 cases unclear location; 7 patients with >1 recurrence). Of 15 recurrences at SSIS's, 11 required surgical treatment (revision or strictureplasty in 6, SSIS removal in 5). Fifty-one patients (86%) maintain the original SSIS to date. CONCLUSIONS SSIS is a safe, effective, and durable strictureplasty in patients with extensive fibrostenosing CD of the small bowel. Half the surgical recurrences on SSIS can be managed by subsequent revision or strictureplasty. The majority of patients maintain the original SSIS after a median follow-up of 11 years.
Abstract TMP95: Patients With Stroke Are Not Meeting American Heart Association Secondary Prevention Recommendations

Introduction: Stroke occurs in 795 000 people and causes 133 000 deaths every year in the US. Around 185 000 stroke survivors get recurrent attacks annually. There is a need to understand the adher...
A shorter Archean day-length biases interpretations of the early Earth's climate

Earth's earliest sedimentary record contains evidence that surface temperatures were similar to, or perhaps even warmer than modern. In contrast, standard Solar models suggest the Sun was 25% less luminous at this ancient epoch, implying a cold, frozen planet—all else kept equal. This discrepancy, known as the Faint Young Sun Paradox, remains unresolved. Most proposed solutions invoke high concentrations of greenhouse gases in the early atmosphere to offset for the fainter Sun, though current geological constraints are insufficient to verify or falsify these scenarios. In this work, we examined several simple mechanisms that involve the role played by Earth's spin rate, which was significantly faster during Archean time. This faster spin rate enhances the equator-to-pole temperature gradient, facilitating a warm equator, while maintaining cold poles. Results show that such an enhanced meridional gradient augments the meridional gradient in carbonate deposition, which biases the surviving geological record away from the global mean, toward warmer waters. Moreover, using simple atmospheric models, we found that the faster-spinning Earth was less sensitive to ice-albedo feedbacks, facilitating larger meridional temperature gradients before succumbing to global glaciation. We show that within the faster-spinning regime, the greenhouse warming required to generate an ice-free Earth can differ from that required to generate an Earth with permanent ice caps by the equivalent of 1–2 orders of magnitude of pCO_2. Accordingly, the resolution of the Faint Young Sun problem depends significantly on whether the early Earth was ever, or even at times, ice-free.
INFLUENCE OF REFLECTIVE MULCH ON INCIDENCE OF THRIPS (THYSANOPTERA: THRIPIDAE: PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE) IN STAKED TOMATOES

Thrips were sampled in a commercial tomato field in southeast Arkansas with yellow sticky traps. The effect of the type of mulch used (black plastic, aluminum-painted plastic or no mulch) on aerial thrips population abundance was investigated. Thrips species identified included Frankliniella fusca (Hinds), F. tritici (Fitch), Sericothrips variabilis (Beech), Leptothrips mali (Fitch) and Haplothrips graminis Hood; F. fusca and F. tritici were most numerous. Aluminum-painted mulch was most effective in reducing the numbers of thrips captured, while black plastic was more effective than no mulch. Numbers of F. fusca peaked at five weeks after transplanting; however, numbers of thirps were low in all plots for the first three weeks after transplanting. Peak numbers of F. fusca trapped in the aluminum-painted plots were one-third the numbers in non-mulched plots, while numbers in the black plastic plots were intermediate. Effectiveness of the mulch in decreasing the numbers of thrips generally disappeared late...
FEV1 as a Standalone Spirometric Predictor and the Attributable Fraction for Death in Older Persons

BACKGROUND: Commonly used thresholds for staging FEV1 have not been evaluated as standalone spirometric predictors of death in older persons. Specifically, the proportion of deaths attributed to a reduced FEV1, when staged by commonly used thresholds in L, percent of predicted (% pred), and Z scores, has not been previously reported. METHODS: In 4,232 white persons ≥ 65 y old, sampled from the Cardiovascular Health Study, FEV1 was stratified as stage 1 (FEV1 ≥ 2.00 L, ≥80% pred, and Z score ≥−1.64), stage 2 (FEV1 1.50–1.99 L, 50–79%pred, and Z score −2.55 to −1.63), and stage 3 (FEV1 RESULTS: FEV1 stage 2 and 3 in L, % pred, and Z scores yielded similar adjusted odds ratios of death: 1.40–1.51 for stage 2 and 2.35–2.66 for stage 3. Conversely, FEV1 stages 2 and 3 in L, % pred, and Z scores differed in prevalence: 12.8–28.6% for stage 2 and 6.4–17.5% for stage 3, and also differed in the adjusted average attributable fraction for death: 3.2–6.4% for stage 2 and 4.5–9.1% for stage 3. CONCLUSIONS: In older persons, the proportion of deaths attributed to a reduced FEV1 is best stratified by Z score staging thresholds because these yield a similar relative risk of death but a more age- and sex-appropriate prevalence of FEV1 stage.
Unsupervised Domain Adaptation by Optical Flow Augmentation in Semantic Segmentation.

It is expensive to generate real-life image labels and there is a domain gap between real-life and simulated images, hence a model trained on the latter cannot adapt to the former. Solving this can totally eliminate the need for labeling real-life datasets completely. Class balanced self-training is one of the existing techniques that attempt to reduce the domain gap. Moreover, augmenting RGB with flow maps has improved performance in simple semantic segmentation and geometry is preserved across domains. Hence, by augmenting images with dense optical flow map, domain adaptation in semantic segmentation can be improved.
Cardiovascular Disease: A Focus on Women's Health.

![Figure][1] Improving the cardiovascular health and quality of health care for women requires recognition and understanding of the differences across the woman’s life span, from pathophysiology of coronary artery disease involving sex-specific risk factors to disease presentation of
Ultra-central Thoracic Re-irradiation Using 10-fraction Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Recurrent Non-small-cell Lung Cancer Tumors: Preliminary Toxicity and Efficacy Outcomes.

Abstract Background /Purpose: We report our clinical outcomes of patients with recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors with ultra-central (UC) location treated with hypofractionated 10 fraction stereotactic body radiotherapy (hSBRT) in the context of thoracic re-irradiation. Methods This study was conducted from 2009-2017 on twenty patients with recurrent NSCLC from previous thoracic radiation treatment who underwent hSBRT to twenty-one total UC located recurrent tumors. The planning target volumes (PTV) that overlapped with previous treatment fields (within 50% isodose line) were included in this analysis with endpoints of overall survival, tumor control, and toxicity. Results Median follow up time was 17.8 months. Median total dose of hSBRT and total biologically effective dose (BED10) were 65 Gy and 107.25 Gy, respectively. Median time from previous treatment was 14.6 months. The 1-year overall survival, progression free survival, and local control rates were 68%, 35%, and 83%, respectively. Median time to local progression was 13.3 months. The most common toxicity was grade 2 or above pneumonitis (35 %). One patient, in which tumor was abutting the esophagus, experienced grade 3 esophagitis. Two patients (10%) died from “unlikely” treatment related hemorrhage from local tumor progression at 10 and 24 months after hSBRT. Bronchoscopic evaluation of one patient suggested endobronchial tumor progression, and clear radiographic evidence of treated hilar tumor progression was documented in the second patient’s case. Conclusion Despite having a high-risk population with recurrent ultra-central NSCLC tumors in the setting of re-irradiation, our results demonstrate that ablative dose of hSBRT may serve as a feasible option for these challenging cases and concur with current reported literature.
Affordable, high-resolution bioprinting with embedded concentration gradients

Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has brought major innovations to the field in its ability to fabricate cell-laden constructs that closely resemble physiological tissue. Unfortunately, many bioprinters print only one material and at limited resolutions. Improving on the resolutions, functionality, and affordability necessitates attention to both printing techniques and printers. Here, we present our results towards building an affordable, partially open-source bioprinter, ModiPrint, that enables multiple cell-material combination printing with high resolution extrusions (100 ​μm) of alginate. We also introduce a new technique to improve extrusion resolution in complex geometries. The results show that we were able to maintain viability of human pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) after high resolution printing. Lastly, we were able to generate concentration gradients of small molecules or cytokines embedded within hydrogels by combining extrusion and drop-on-demand bioprinting. We expect ModiPrint and the novel techniques in our study will assist other bioprinting researchers.
Toward More Complete Prognostication for Patients with Clonal Hematopoiesis.

Summary: The study of clonal hematopoiesis is rapidly evolving, with the highest prevalence in aging populations and wide-ranging implications for health and disease, including an increased risk of subsequent myeloid malignancies and cardiovascular disease. In their article, Feusier and colleagues report on an expanded driver mutation list for capture of higher-risk clonal hematopoiesis mutations implicated in leukemia transformation. They also describe the prevalence of clonal hematopoiesis in several additional large studies, including, most importantly, in the pediatric context, which has not yet been extensively studied with respect to clonal hematopoiesis and clonal hematopoiesis–related sequelae. See related article by Feusier et al. (3).
Restoring Causality to Attenuation: Establishing the Breadth of a Fourth Amendment Violation

When the police violate a suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights what often follows is the discovery of incriminating evidence. Sometimes the evidence is discovered directly after the Fourth Amendment violation. In other situations, the evidence comes by a more indirect route and may occur long after the original Fourth Amendment violation. Courts struggle when trying to decide if the discovery of this indirectly obtained evidence was caused by the police misconduct. This causal question is important because causality acts as a limiting principle when deciding when to apply the exclusionary rule. A basic view of the exclusionary rule suggests that evidence should not be excluded when its discovery was not caused by the misconduct of the police. Yet, courts struggle with deciding the scope of a Fourth Amendment violation. The United States Supreme Court crafted the attenuation doctrine to assist in establishing the breadth of a Fourth Amendment violation. Attenuation simply stands for the proposition that not all evidence that is discovered subsequent to a Fourth Amendment violation is a consequence of that violation. Sometimes, the evidence results from an altogether different cause. If that is the case, the evidence is “attenuated” and the exclusionary rule should no longer be an issue. Yet, over time, the Supreme Court has whittled away the straightforward causal nature of attenuation and has substituted other policy-based tests to assess indirectly discovered evidence. This undermines the causal nature of attenuation and serves to diminish its utility by finders of fact. This article suggests that the time is right to restore causality to attenuation. By modifying the situations in which attenuation is used to evaluate the causal links between illegal police conduct and the discovery of incriminating evidence as well as by modifying the tests used to assess attenuation, we can once again make attenuation a useful causal concept. Policy will no doubt still drive decisions on what to do with evidence discovered in such circumstances. Attenuation, however, can best be used as a measure of causality as opposed to policy-based tests which seems to do little but confound and confuse.
Characterization of Superconducting Hot Electron Bolometers

Hot-Electron Bolometer (HEB) mixers have proven to be the best tool for high-resolution spectroscopy at the Terahertz frequencies. However, the current state of the art NbN mixers suffer from a small intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth as well as a low operating temperature. MgB 2 is a promising material for HEB mixer technology in view of its high critical temperature and fast thermal relaxation allowing for a large IF bandwidth. In this work, we have fabricated and characterized thin-film (~15 nm) MgB 2 -based spiral antenna-coupled HEB mixers on SiC substrate. We achieved the IF bandwidth greater than 8 GHz at 25 K and the device noise temperature <; 4000 K at 9 K using a 600 GHz source. Using temperature dependencies of the radiation power dissipated in the device we have identified the optical loss in the integrated microantenna responsible as a cause of the limited sensitivity of the current mixer devices. From the analysis of the current-voltage (IV) characteristics, we have derived the effective thermal conductance of the mixer device and estimated the required local oscillator power in an optimized device to be ~4 μW.
Designing Co-Creative AI for Virtual Environments

Co-creative AI tools provide a method of creative collaboration between a user and machine. One form of co-creative AI called generative design requires the user to input design parameters and wait substantial periods of time while the system computes design solutions. We explore this interaction dynamic by providing an embodied experience in VR. Calliope is a virtual reality (VR) system that enables users to explore and manipulate generative design solutions in real time. Calliope accounts for the typical idle times in the generative design process by using a virtual environment to encourage parallelized and embodied data-exploration and synthesis, while maintaining a tight human-in-the-loop collaboration with the underlying algorithms. In this paper we discuss design considerations informed by formative studies with generative designers and artists and provide design guidelines to aid others in the development of co-creative AI systems in virtual environments.
How Should We Use Patient-Reported Outcome Measures at the Point of Care in Hand Surgery?

Purpose Despite the importance of collecting patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), there are few process guidelines for physicians on how to collect and communicate individualized PROMs in patients at the point of care. The purpose of this study was to develop process guidelines on how to routinely collect and communicate individualized PROMs at the point of care in hand surgery. Methods A consortium of 9 fellowship-trained hand or upper limb surgeons and experts in quality measure development evaluated the importance, feasibility, usability, and scientific acceptability of 12 candidate process guidelines regarding the collection and use of individualized PROMs at the point of care using a modified RAND/University of California Los Angeles Delphi appropriateness method. The panelists evaluated each candidate process guideline in 2 blinded voting rounds with an intervening face-to-face discussion. Predetermined criteria were used to determine panelist agreement or disagreement. Results The consortium did not reach a consensus on the validity of any of the 12 candidate process guidelines on the routine collection and communication of individualized PROMs at the point of care in hand surgery. The domains of importance and feasibility had greater median scores than those of usability and evidence. Conclusions To effectively collect and use PROMs to improve care for individual patients, process guidelines for when and how PROM scores should be collected and communicated with patients are needed. The expert consortium was unable to reach an agreement on any of the candidate process guidelines, often because of limitations in evidence supporting the use of PROMs at the point of care. Clinical relevance Patient-reported outcome measures continue to guide outcome assessments that reflect patient perspective. Although PROM scores are currently aggregated and used to draw broad conclusions about populations, they can also be used as communication tools or to trigger management decisions (eg, use of therapy) that improve care for individual patients. Process guidelines on how to use PROM scores at the point of care are needed.
How should reflection be supported in higher education? — A meta-analysis of reflection interventions

The present study adopted a meta-analytic approach to evaluate reflective interventions that were conducted with the intention to promote learning outcomes in higher education, using controlled exp...
Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR): An Approach to Propagate a Transformed General Chemistry Curriculum across Multiple Institutions

While there have been an increasing number of evidence-based instructional strategies propagated, less literature exists on how to propagate a curriculum. This paper is meant to present how the the...
Taking Stock of Inter-American Bonds: Approaches to Explaining Cooperation in the Western Hemisphere

Scholars have furnished increasingly high-quality accounts of cooperation in the Americas during the 1980s and 1990s. The work has been rich empirically but sparse theoretically. This essay reviews the existing literature, providing a historical overview of the cooperation that has occurred as well as categorizing previous research into that focusing on internal versus external pressures for cooperation. The studies that explore international incentives for cooperation examine institutions, ideas, globalization, and the balance of power as potential explanations for what has happened, but fail to account for variation in individual countries' economic cooperativeness. The research focusing on internal pressures looks at domestic markets, politics, and bureaucracies, but often fails to step beyond the narrow case to consider a generalizable phenomenon. The article concludes with an argument in favor of a synthetic approach, calling for the careful specification of interaction effects linking international and domestic incentives.
Hearing native voices: contraceptive use in Matemwe village, East Africa

Although fertility declines have been documented in various parts of Africa, fertility rates remain high in Tanzania. Widespread resistance to modern contraception is one factor associated with high fertility in Tanzania. The aim of this study was to identify cultural barriers to modern contraceptive use in Matemwe village, Zanzibar. In May 2003, more than 50 in-depth interviews were conducted with community leaders, health care workers and couples in Matemwe. Despite free and easy access to contraceptives, only 2% of Matemwe women participated in the village's family planning programme. Several factors were found to influence contraceptive use, including strong Muslim beliefs, male dominance over females (especially in polygynous relationships), and limited exposure to modern ideas via education and travel. Interviews indicated that in order to lower fertility in Matemwe, cultural barriers to family planning must be confronted. Successful implementation of a family planning programme hinges on the ability of policymakers to integrate modern ideas about contraception with Matemwe's traditional religious and political culture. RESUME Bein que les declins de la fecondite ont ete documentes un peu partout en Afrique, les taux de fecondite restent eleves en Tanzanie. La resistance repandue a la contraception moderne est un facteur lie a la haute fecondite en Tanzanie. Cette etude a pour but d'identifier les obstacles a l'utilisation de la contraception moderne dans le village de Matemwe, Zanzibar. Au mois de mai 2003, plus de cinquante interviews en profondeur ont ete menees au sein des leaders de la communaute, les membres du personnel soignant et des couples a Matemwe. Les interviews ont ete transcrites et examinees pour decouvir des modeles. Malgre un acces facile et libre aux contraceptifs, seules 20% des femmes de Matemwe ont participe au programme de la planification dans le village. Plusieurs facteurs ont influence l'utilisation des contraceptifs y compris les croyances islamiques, la domination des femmes par les hommes (sourtout dans les rapports polygeniques) et l'exposition limitee aux idees modernes a travers l'education et le voyage. Les interviews ont montre que pour baisser la fecondite a Matemwe, il va falloir affronter les obstacles culturels a la planification familiale. La bonne realisation du programme de la planification familiale est fondee sur la capacite des decideurs de la politique d'integrer les idees modernes sur la contraception avec la culture traditionelle, religieuse et politique de Matemwe. Afr J Reprod Health Vol.9 (1) 2005: 32–41
Demonstration of digital circuit analysis in the classroom

Personal computer software presently used in a senior-level digital electronics design course is described. Dedicated computer solutions are written for classic circuits to decrease the solution time and provide an interactive program operation. In this way, various design choices are explored in real time during the classroom lecture and the dependence of the circuit performance upon component values is shown. An overview is given of how this software has been used to illustrate rapidly the convergence of the design process to an 'optimal' solution as component values are changed by the instructor during the lecture. The comparison of new results to the previous results can be done with this software in two ways. The graphical display can be captured into an array before the next design iteration is performed. Then this previous solution can be recalled and superimposed on the present display as a slowly flashing display. A 50% duty cycle, two-second display of this stored image produces a pleasing result. Numeric values of the observed performance can be stored and recalled in tabular form. Large block characters are used for this display page. The current operation can thus be compared to those previously saved. Function key selection updates or clears these stored results. Function keys also select the display of this tabular summary, the input-output graphical plot, or the flashing comparison graphical plot. >
The Predictive Characteristics of Energy Futures: Recent Evidence for Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Gasoline and Heating Oil

This paper examines the relationship between futures and spot prices for energy commodities. In particular, we examine whether futures prices are (1) an unbiased predictor of subsequent spot prices and (2) whether futures prices are a good predictor of subsequent spot prices, in the crude oil, gasoline, heating oil markets and natural gas markets. We find that while futures prices are unbiased predictors of future spot prices in the first three markets, they are also fairly inaccurate predictors. Natural gas futures prices are both a biased predictor of subsequent spot prices at two of three horizons examined, and a poor predictor.
The concave versus convex approach for minimally invasive lateral lumbar interbody fusion for thoracolumbar degenerative scoliosis

We retrospectively reviewed patient charts to compare the approach-related (convex versus concave) neurological complications and magnitude of correction in patients undergoing lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF). It is yet to be quantitatively determined if correction of adult degenerative scoliosis from either side of the curve apex using a LLIF results in a reduction in complications and/or improved corrective ability. The inclusion criteria for this study were patients who underwent a LLIF for adult degenerative thoracolumbar scoliosis and had the LLIF prior to any other supplemental procedures. Patients were grouped based on the approach toward the curve apex concavity (CAVE) or the convexity (VEX). Standard coronal and sagittal radiographic measurements were made. Neurological complications and reoperation indications were also recorded. We included 32 patients for review (CAVE: 17; VEX: 15) with a mean age of 65.5 years ± a standard deviation of 10.2, and mean follow-up of 17.0 months ± 15.7. There were eight postoperative neurological complications in eight patients (25.0%), and seven reoperations for six patients (18.8%; CAVE: 4/17 [23.5%]; VEX: 2/15 [13.3%]). The CAVE group had 6/17 neurological complications (35.3%; four ipsilateral and two contralateral to approach side) and VEX had 2/15 (13.3%; one ipsilateral and one bilateral to approach side; p > 0.05). All patients significantly improved in the mean regional and segmental Cobb angles (p 0.05). There were no significant differences between the groups for any of the radiographic parameters measured (p > 0.05). Approaching the curve apex from either the concave or convex side resulted in significant improvements. The concave approach was associated with more postoperative neurological complications.
Electronic Cigarette Marketing Online: a Multi-Site, Multi-Product Comparison

Background: Electronic cigarette awareness and use has been increasing rapidly. E-cigarette brands have utilized social networking sites to promote their products, as the growth of the e-cigarette industry has paralleled that of Web 2.0. These online platforms are cost-effective and have unique technological features and user demographics that can be attractive for selective marketing. The popularity of multiple sites also poses a risk of exposure to social networks where e-cigarette brands might not have a presence. Objective: To examine the marketing strategies of leading e-cigarette brands on multiple social networking sites, and to identify how affordances of the digital media are used to their advantage. Secondary analyses include determining if any brands are benefitting from site demographics, and exploring cross-site diffusion of marketing content through multi-site users. Methods: We collected data from two e-cigarette brands from four social networking sites over approximately 2.5 years. Content analysis is used to search for themes, population targeting, marketing strategies, and cross-site spread of messages. Results: Twitter appeared to be the most frequently used social networking site for interacting directly with product users. Facebook supported informational broadcasts, such as announcements regarding political legislation. E-cigarette brands also differed in their approaches to their users, from informal conversations to direct product marketing. Conclusions: E-cigarette makers use different strategies to market their product and engage their users. There was no evidence of direct targeting of vulnerable populations, but the affordances of the different sites are exploited to best broadcast context-specific messages. We developed a viable method to study cross-site diffusion, although additional refinement is needed to account for how different types of digital media are used. [JMIR Public Health Surveill 2015;1(2):e11]
Tear Down This Wall: A City, a President, and the Speech that Ended the Cold War – By Romesh Ratnesar

On 12 June 1987, amidst the shadows of the Brandenberg Gate, President Ronald Reagan appeared to be issuing more of a taunt than an invitation. “General Secretary Gorbachev,” he said, “if you seek ...
Development of leaf shape

Variation among vascular plants in the initiation and patterning of leaves results in a diverse array of leaf shape, including the strap-like leaf of many grasses and the broad lamina of most eudicots. Recent findings highlight the importance of interactions between the shoot apical meristem (SAM) and developing leaf primordia in axis specification and the establishment of leaf shape. Global regulators of epigenetic states have been implicated in these interactions and may play a role in distinguishing founder cells and stem cells within the SAM.
Microwave spectrum and structure of methylbromoform and a disubstitution method for structural determinations

Abstract The microwave spectrum of methylbromoform has been reported in the region between 12,400 and 40,000 MHz. The rotational constants have been found to be B = 1072.7 for CH 3 C 79 Br 3 , A = 1073.2 and B = 1056.9 for CH 3 C 79 Br 2 81 Br, A = 1065.3 and B = 1050.0 for CH 3 C 79 Br 81 Br 2 and B = 1049.8 MHz for CH 3 C 81 Br 3 . From the rotational constants the structure was obtained to be r (CBr) = 1.927 A and ∡ CCBr = 107.7° with the assumption of the methyl group structure and the r (CC) distance. A disubstitution method has been developed and examples employing this method for the disubstituted isomers of trichlorofluoromethane and trichloroacetonitrile are presented.
DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorders and its effects on the association with other psychiatric disorders

s / Drug and Alcohol Dependence 140 (2014) e169–e251 e195 DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorders and its effects on the association with other psychiatric
Static malware detection with Segmented Sandboxing

Traditionally, dynamic detection approaches to Malware identification are commended for their simplicity and small sized signature database. In practice they suffer from two major defects. First, Malware might need to be emulated for a long time before traces of harmful behavior are first exhibited. Second, a few Anti-VM techniques are widely known and can be easily employed by any program to thwart the attempt of having it executed in a sandbox and observe its original behavior, rendering the approach less than effective. On the other hand, static detection approaches, have their own limitations, ranging from parsing obfuscated executables to the scalability issues due to the ever-increasing size of the signature database. Fundamentally, in the last 10-15 years polymorphic and metamorphic obfuscation techniques have become prevalent making static approaches less than effective due to the sheer magnitude of the sample set1. While the benefits of either dynamic or static approaches look quite tempting from each of their counterparts perspectives, their weakness are daunting in their own sight as well. In this manuscript we attempted to combine the best part of both worlds, without bringing in the disadvantage of either of them. We call this mixed approach “Segmented Sandboxing”.
Genetic evolution of radial basis function coverage using orthogonal niches

A well-performing set of radial basis functions (RBFs) can emerge from genetic competition among individual RBFs. Genetic selection of the individual RBFs is based on credit sharing which localizes competition within orthogonal niches. These orthogonal niches are derived using singular value decomposition and are used to apportion credit for the overall performance of the RBF network among individual nonorthogonal RBFs. Niche-based credit apportionment facilitates competition to fill each niche and hence to cover the training data. The resulting genetic algorithm yields RBF networks with better prediction performance on the Mackey-Glass chaotic time series than RBF networks produced by the orthogonal least squares method and by k-means clustering.
Synthesis and structure of m-terphenyl-based cyclophanes with nitrogen intra-annular functional groups.

Herein we describe an efficient synthesis of cyclophanes comprised of intra-annular nitrogen functional groups through a template-promoted cyclization by ring-closing metathesis (RCM). The synthesis proceeds through condensation of meta-styryl anilines with acenaphthenequinone to form the templates, followed by RCM with Grubb's second-generation catalyst to afford cyclophanes with internal α-diimine functionality. Prolonged hydrogenation efficiently removes the template to provide a macrocycle containing the diamine functionality.
The isolation of serine transhydroxymethylase from bovine brain.

Abstract Serine transhydroxymethylase has been purified 150-fold from bovine brain. The initial fractionation with portamine sulfate and ammonium sulfate was followed by chromatography on DEAE-Cellulose and Sephadex G-200. The cofactor requirements for bovine brain serine transhydroxymethylase included pyridoxal phosphate and tetrahydrofolate. The maximum catalytic activity occurred at pH 7.6 and the Michaelis constant for serine was 6.7 × 10 −4 m .
Magnetic resonance neurography of peripheral nerve degeneration and regeneration

16 ms), coronal and axial T2 fast-spin echo with fat suppression (TR 4600–5000 ms; TE 90–110 ms), and RF spatial saturation pulse outside the volume of imaging for vessel suppression. T2 MRN studies 4 and 6 months after the first operation showed increased signal in the peroneal nerve at and distal to the site of traumatic injury (figure A). A second operation was performed 8 months after the first and no nerve conduction response could be recorded across the scarred anastomosed segment of peroneal nerve. This scarred segment was excised and the resultant gap bridged by two sural nerve grafts. 8 months later, the patient began to show clinical and electromyographic (EMG) evidence of muscle reinnervation. MRN at this time showed partial return to normal of the bright signal in the distal peroneal nerve. By 16 months, strength in peroneal supplied muscles was near normal, the EMG confirmed additional muscle reinnervation, and MRN showed further normalisation of T2 signal in the distal peroneal nerve while signal remained high at the graft repair site (figure B). Our case illustrates the ability of MRN to detect increased signal on T2 sequences in a traumatically injured degenerating human peripheral nerve. We have evidence that chronically degenerated peripheral nerve can show increased signal for at least 3 years following trauma without recovery. Thus the progressive return to normal of signal in the distal peroneal nerve seen after the second operation can be attributed to processes occurring during nerve regeneration. We cannot explain the persistent increase in signal at the graft repair site. In animal models MR imaging has shown increased T2 signal in degenerating segments of injured peripheral nerves. Histological examination showed that greater demyelination resulted in a brighter signal. The basis for the increased MRN nerve signal may be explained by increased water content and/or myelin breakdown products leading to a prolongation of the T2 relaxation time. Soon after trauma, serial clinical and electrodiagnostic examinations cannot reliably distinguish axonotmetic from neurotmetic grades of peripheral nerve injury. Delaying exploratory surgery to determine whether recovery through regeneration is occurring must be balanced against the diminishing chance of obtaining a good functional recovery if muscles remain denervated for longer than 2 years. The clinical decision on whether or not to operate following a peripheral nerve injury should ideally be made as soon as possible. We hope that MRN techniques will eventually distinguish axonotmetic and neurotmetic grades of peripheral nerve injury in a timely manner to minimise the need for exploratory surgery.
Outcomes related to placing an artificial urinary sphincter using a single-incision, transverse-scrotal technique in high-risk patients.

OBJECTIVE To determine, in a retrospective review, whether the single-incision technique for placing an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) is as effective and as safe as the traditional two-incision approach in high-risk patients, as there have been questions about the efficacy and safety of a single incision, transverse-scrotal technique for placing the AUS. PATIENTS AND METHODS From January 2000 to May 2006, 83 patients had an AUS placed using a single-incision, transverse-scrotal approach. Emphasis was put on placing the cuff around the proximal aspect of the bulbar urethra. The charts of the patients were reviewed retrospectively and the patients completed standardized questionnaires during the follow-up. RESULTS Of the 83 patients, 24 (29%) had a history of radiation therapy and four had cryotherapy of the prostate. The mean follow-up was 18.8 months and 14 (17%) patients required revision or explantation (for any reason), nine of whom had had previous radiation therapy. The mean (sd) number of pads used per day before and after surgery was 6.7 (4.0) and 1.1 (1.6), respectively. Overall, 83% of the patients (79% of the irradiated and 85% of the unirradiated) used one or fewer pads per day after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Even in high-risk patients there is no greater risk associated with using the single-incision, transverse-scrotal technique than in related series. Outcomes for pad use after surgery, rate of erosion, infections and mechanical malfunctions were similar to those in other series using the traditional technique.
Human Limits for Hypoxia: The Physiological Challenge of Climbing Mt. Everest

Abstract: Climbing Mt. Everest without supplementary oxygen presents a fascinating physiological challenge because, at the summit, humans are very near the limit of tolerance to hypoxia. It was not until 1978 that the feat was accomplished, and this was after many unsuccessful attempts over a period of more than 50 years, and several physiological studies that suggested that it would be impossible. An analysis shows that the critical factors for reaching the summit are the enormous hyperventilation which is necessary to maintain the alveolar Po2 at viable levels, the fact that the barometric pressure is substantially higher than predicted by the Standard Atmosphere, and the severe respiratory alkalosis that assists loading of oxygen by the blood in the lung. Even so the maximal oxygen consumption on the summit is extremely low with the result that climbers are critically vulnerable to unexpected setbacks such as changes in the weather.
Sub-Diffraction-Limited Optical Imaging with a Silver Superlens

Recent theory has predicted a superlens that is capable of producing sub–diffraction-limited images. This superlens would allow the recovery of evanescent waves in an image via the excitation of surface plasmons. Using silver as a natural optical superlens, we demonstrated sub–diffraction-limited imaging with 60-nanometer half-pitch resolution, or one-sixth of the illumination wavelength. By proper design of the working wavelength and the thickness of silver that allows access to a broad spectrum of subwavelength features, we also showed that arbitrary nanostructures can be imaged with good fidelity. The optical superlens promises exciting avenues to nanoscale optical imaging and ultrasmall optoelectronic devices.
InAs/InGaSb superlattices for very long wavelength infrared detection

New infrared detector materials with high sensitivity, multi-spectral capability, improved uniformity and lower manufacturing costs are required for numerous long and very long wavelength infrared imaging applications. One materials system has shown great theoretical and, more recently, experimental promise for these applications: InAs/InxGa1-xSb type-II superlattices. In the past few years, excellent results have been obtained on photoconductive and photodiode samples designed for infrared detection beyond 10 microns. Far-infrared photoresponse of superlattices with cut-off wavelengths between 15 micrometers and 25 micrometers were studied. The measured photoresponse spectra for both photodiodes and photoconductors are compared to calculated absorption coefficient spectra. The electronic structure and the optical absorption of InAs/InxGa1-xSb superlattice infrared (IR) detector structures are calculated, for several values of x, using our implementation of the 8x8 envelope-function approximation (EFA) formalism. Good experimental-theoretical agreement is obtained regarding the long-wavelength threshold and absorption shape.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Addition of acrylonitrile to anionic transition metal hydrides. An ionic model for homogeneous olefin processes

Abstract The anionic transition metal hydrides, HM(CO)4L− (M = Cr, W; L = CO, P(OMe)3) reacted with acrylonitrile and other activated olefins to yield thermally stable addition products, CH3CH(X)M(CO)4L−. Kinetic data and electronic substituent effects indicated an associative hydride transfer mechanism.
Establishing and maintaining laboratory-based microcosms of riffle insect communities: their potential for multispecies toxicity tests

The purpose of this study was to determine which of the following artificial stream designs would be most logistically simple yet effective in maintaining riffle insects during a 30 d bioassay: 1) static and no current (S-NC); 2) flow-through and no current (FT-NC); 3) static with current (S-C); or 4) flow-through with current (FT-C). Flow-through and current, when provided, were 12 ml min−1 and 30 cm sec−1, respectively. Streams were covered by emergence traps, and daylight equivalent lights provided a natural photoperiod. The four stream designs were evaluated in triplicate based on changes in insect species-abundances after 30 d. Test organisms were transferred to the artificial streams in rock-filled containers previously colonized for 30 d in a third-order mountain stream riffle. Additional colonized substrates were sampled immediately to provide an estimate of initial densities placed in the artificial streams. Hess samples were taken directly from the source riffle to evaluate how well the artificial substrates reflected species-abundances on the natural substrate. Adults were collected from the artificial streams every 48–72 h to determine the percentage of initial densities that emerged. After 30 d (7 Aug–6 Sept, 1986), all organisms remaining in the streams were censused. Designs were evaluated using combined densities of adults and young.
Incidence of nonconfounded post-computed tomography acute kidney injury in hospitalized patients with stable renal function receiving intravenous iodinated contrast material.

Objective The purpose of our investigation was to determine the frequency of proximate acute and chronic confounding risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) in a cohort of adult hospitalized patients with stable renal function who developed AKI following an intravenous (IV) contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) examination. Materials and Methods Institutional review board approval was obtained for this retrospective, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act–compliant investigation. Overall, 100 adult inpatients (50 males [mean age=61 years, range: 24-94 years] and 50 females [mean age=60 years, range: 20-95 years]) with stable pre-CT renal function who developed post-CT AKI using the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) laboratory criteria following an IV contrast-enhanced CT examination comprised the study population. Electronic International Classification of Disease-9 analysis followed by a comprehensive manual electronic medical record review was systematically performed by 5 radiologists to identify known acute ( n = 24, within 5 days before or 3 days after CT) and chronic ( n = 21) risk factors for AKI other than contrast material administration that might confound a diagnosis of contrast-induced nephrotoxicity. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results Of 100 inpatients with post-CT AKI, 99 (99%) had 1 or more acute risk factor(s) for AKI other than contrast material administration (median = 3 risk factors, range: 0-8) and 86 (86%) had one or more chronic risk factor(s) for AKI (median = 2 risk factors, range: 0-7). The median number of risk factors (acute or chronic) per patient was 5 (range: 1-13). Only 1 inpatient (1%) developed post-CT AKI without a confounding acute risk factor (estimated glomerular filtration rate=62-71mL/min/1.73m 2 , 4 chronic risk factors, and CT 7 days after pancreaticoduodenectomy). The most common acute risk factors were nephrotoxic medications (83%) and parenteral blood product administration (30%). The most common chronic risk factors were hypertension (59%) and chronic kidney disease (56%). Conclusion Nonconfounded post-CT AKI is rare in hospitalized adults with stable renal function who have been exposed to IV low- or iso-osmolality iodinated contrast material.