cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ti quadlevel resist process for the fabrication of Nb SIS junctions

We have fabricated high quality Nb/Al-oxide/Nb Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor (SIS) junctions using a Ti-based quadlevel resist process. The quadlevel materials have been carefully chosen to optimize the fluorine-based anisotropic reactive ion etching of Nb and subsequent insulation coverage of the junctions in a self-aligned process. This SIS fabrication process enables excellent control of junction size and is also compatible with Au overlayer junction and junction anodization approaches.
Solution of the groundwater transport management problem by sequential relaxation

A heuristic algorithm is presented for problems which are formulated to find an optimal groundwater remediation strategy with constraints on confined groundwater flow and contaminant transport. The problem is simplified by decoupling the transport constraints from the hydraulic constraints to produce a linear hydraulic control optimization problem. The solution is obtained by an iterative process in which the constraints on hydraulic gradient are updated, using information from transport simulation, and the hydraulic control problem is solved repeatedly. In effect, the transport simulation is used to calibrate the head difference constraint values of the hydraulic control problem. The algorithm is described in detail and its convergence is demonstrated on several examples. The advantages and limitations of the algorithm are discussed.
Acetazolamide for high intracranial pressure cerebrospinal fluid leaks.

Background Acetazolamide has become a standard treatment for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks associated with intracranial hypertension. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acetazolamide at decreasing elevated CSF pressure in this patient population. Methods Prospective evaluation and data collection of high intracranial pressure CSF leaks was performed. Subjects underwent CSF diversion and postoperative assessment of pressure changes via a standard protocol. Lumbar drains or ventriculostomies were clamped on postoperative day 2 for 4 hours prior to assessment with a manometer. Acetazolamide (500 mg) was administered orally immediately following the recording and CSF pressure was measured after 4 hours. Data regarding demographics, etiology of CSF leak, body mass index (BMI), location and size of defect, and clinical follow-up were also collected. Results Thirty-six patients (average age 50 years) with 42 CSF leaks (39 spontaneous, 3 traumatic) and an average BMI of 36.1 were evaluated. Success rate of primary repair was 94.4%, but all patients were effectively sealed with subsequent endoscopic reconstruction (average 80 weeks follow-up). Intracranial pressure (cm H2O) via lumbar puncture or ventriculostomy (n = 2) after clamping was 32.0 ± 7.4. Administration of acetazolamide significantly decreased intracranial pressure to 21.9 ± 7.5 in the 4–6 hour time frame studied (p < 0.0001). Conclusion This study provides some of the first direct evidence of decreased intracranial pressure associated with the oral administration of acetazolamide. In combination with the excellent endoscopic repair outcomes noted in a high risk population, this evidence supports the routine use of acetazolamide in patients with high intracranial pressure CSF leaks.
STRIKING A JUST BALANCE: MAULANA AZAD AS A THEORIST OF TRANS-NATIONAL JIHAD

This article probes the link between anti-colonial nationalist thought and a theory of jihad in early twentieth-century India. An emotive affinity to the ummah was never a barrier to Muslims identifying with patriotic sentiments in their own homelands. It was in the context of the aggressive expansion of European power and the ensuing erosion of Muslim sovereignty that the classical doctrine of jihad was refashioned to legitimize modern anti-colonial struggles. The focus of this essay is on the thought and politics of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. A major theoretician of Islamic law and ethics, Azad was the most prominent Muslim leader of the Indian National Congress in pre-independence India. He is best remembered in retrospectively constructed statist narratives as a “secular nationalist”, who served as education minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's post-independence cabinet. Yet during the decade of the First World War he was perhaps the most celebrated theorist of a trans-national jihad.
7 Tautomer-Selective Spectroscopy of Nucleobases, Isolated in the Gas Phase

In his book The Double Helix, James Watson describes an early proposal for DNA structure in which equal bases pair with each other. He writes: ‘‘My scheme was torn to shreds the following noon. Against me was the awkward chemical fact that I had chosen the wrong tautomeric forms for guanine and thymine.’’ This fact was pointed out to him by the American crystallographer Jerry Donahue who ‘‘ . . . protested that the idea would not work. The tautomeric forms I had copied out of Davidson’s book were, in Jerry’s opinion, incorrectly assigned. My immediate retort that several other texts also pictured guanine and thymine in the enol form cut no ice with Jerry. Happily he let out that for years organic chemists have been arbitrarily favoring particular tautomeric forms over the alternatives on only the flimsiest of grounds’’ [1]. Without the correct keto form of these bases, Watson and Crick could not have arrived at their successful structure of DNA. In fact, for each of the bases, the keto tautomer is the form normally occurring in DNA. The rare imino and enol forms can lead to alternate base-pair combinations and thus cause mutations in replication. This type of mutation is called a tautomeric shift [2, 3]. Possible mismatches include iminoC–A, enolT–G, C–iminoA, and T–enolG. Tautomerization can occur in DNA by single or double proton transfer. In solution equilibrium, generally the keto form dominates, complicating efforts to study the properties of the individual forms. One approach to studying tautomeric properties is double-resonant gas-phase spectroscopy, as this technique offers isomeric selectivity. This chapter summarizes the results from such investigations.
A pole-zero complex adaptive joint process least-squares lattice

A pole-zero adaptive noise cancelling structure is described and its relevance to the adaptive beamforming problem discussed. An embedding approach is taken where a scalar ARMA (autoregressive moving-average) process is embedded into a two-channel AR process. Drawing on previously developed recursions for the joint process, multichannel, least-squares lattice, the recursions for the pole-zero adaptive noise canceller are implemented. A performance comparison is made between the resulting pole-zero adaptive noise cancelling structure and the all-zero least-squares lattice adaptive noise cancelling structure. The ability to implement adaptive poles is shown to be particularly advantageous in the region where the reference channel has a null. >
A near-synoptic survey of the Southwest Indian Ocean

Abstract This study focused on the southwest region of the Indian Ocean, where the poleward-directed Agulhas Current is born, and where dense waters filter through fractures in the Southwest Indian Ridge to form an equatorward-directed deep boundary current east of Madagascar. Both represent major circulation features of the Indian Ocean: the Agulhas in its role as a western-boundary current closes the wind-driven subtropical gyre; the deep western-boundary current renews the bottom waters of the Madagascar, Mascarene, and Somali basins to the north. A regional, quasi-synoptic survey of the Southwest Indian Ocean carried out as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment Hydrographic Program from May through July of 1995 occupied a cruise track that comprised a closed “box” in the Southwest Indian Ocean. Full-depth water properties and direct-velocity measurements were used to diagnose the circulation patterns as a function of depth and to estimate the transports of the major currents. The synoptic circulation was quantified by the construction of a referenced geostrophic velocity field. Water-mass distributions, direct-velocity measurements, and mass conservation within bounded regions guided the placement of the level of no motion. Errors in the reference scheme and from synoptic-scale circulation features such as eddies and internal waves that are aliased by the hydrographic sampling led to uncertainties in the transport estimates. The upper-ocean Agulhas transport (neutral density, γ n −3 , depths≲2000 m) was estimated to be 76×10 6 m 3 s −1 . Contributions to the Agulhas consisted of 29×10 6 m 3 s −1 from the westward limb of the subtropical gyre south of 25°S, 20×10 6 m 3 s −1 from the poleward flow east of Madagascar, which subsequently turns to move west at about 25°S, and an additional poleward flow of 18×10 6 m 3 s −1 through the Mozambique Channel. Bathymetry strongly controls the deep and bottom circulation: the African Coast, the Mozambique Plateau, and the Madagascar Ridge support deep western-boundary currents along their eastern margins; however, the Natal Valley and the Mozambique Basin are blocked to meridional flow beneath 2800 and 3000 m, respectively. East of the Madagascar Ridge, net northward deep transport is small. In the Madagascar and Mascarene Basins, a deep cyclonic circulation is present: high-latitude deep waters move northward along the western boundary, while North Indian Deep Water flows southward in the basin interior. The deep western-boundary current along the east coast of Madagascar carries about 3×10 6 m 3 s −1 of bottom water ( γ n >28.11 kg m −3 ) northward.
Efficiency droop in gallium indium nitride (GaInN)/gallium nitride (GaN) LEDs

Abstract: The decrease in efficiency at high current densities, i.e. the efficiency droop, is introduced in the context of GaInN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs). We begin with an overview of the ABC model for the recombination of carriers in GaInN/GaN LEDs. The weaknesses of this model are described, and the model is reformulated by including a carrier leakage term. Several explanations for droop are presented and analyzed, including their strengths and weaknesses. Particular emphasis is given to high-level injection and the associated drift-induced electron leakage out of the active region. Finally, several proposed solutions to overcome efficiency droop are presented.
Social Movements Against Racist Police Brutality and Department of Justice Intervention in Prince George’s County, Maryland

Racist police brutality has been systemic in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The victims include African Americans, the mentally challenged, and immigrant populations, creating a complex and uneven public health impact. Three threads characterize the social movements and intervention since 1970. First, a significant demographic shift occurred as African Americans became the majority population in the late 1980s when the first Black county executive was elected in 1994. Despite the change in political leadership, police brutality remained rampant. Lower-income households located close to the District of Columbia and “inside the beltway” experienced the most police brutality. In 2001, The Washington Post revealed that between 1990 and 2000, Prince George’s police shot and killed more citizens per officer than any of the 50 largest city and county law enforcement agencies in the country, 84 % of whom were black. Of the 147 persons shot during the 1990s, 12 were mentally and/or emotionally disturbed; 6 of these shootings were fatal. Second, resistance to police brutality emerged in a variety of political formations throughout the period, especially in the late 1990s. Sustained community pressure prompted the Department of Justice (DOJ) to open a civil rights investigation of the police department in November 2000. To avoid a potential federal lawsuit, the county leadership negotiated a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the DOJ to enact policy reforms, part of which called for supplementing the departmental mobile crisis team, comprised of mental health care professionals, to respond to all cases involving mentally challenged citizens. Third, the incomplete process of change subsequent to the ending of DOJ oversight suggests a continued challenge to social movements opposing police brutality. This study focuses on the effectiveness of the MOA along with the activism of the People’s Coalition for Police Accountability (PCPA) in reforming a culture of police brutality. The intensive oversight by the DOJ, combined with engaged resident activism, reduced the incidences of police brutality during the period 2004–2013. Since the termination of DOJ oversight, disturbing developments suggest the need for continued and sustained activism. Since 2010, county police officers have fatally shot 21 people, several in questionable circumstances. At the same time, the Prince George’s Police Department has received more tactical military weaponry than any other jurisdiction in the state of Maryland under the 1033 program of the National Defense Authorization Act.
A Brief Biography of Jost Bürgi (1552–1632)

Several German- and French-language resources contain brief biographies of Jost Burgi (e.g., Cantor 1900; Lutstorf 2005; Montucla 1758; Naux 1966; Wolf 1858). No substantial personal information on Jost Burgi exists in the English language, other than the short (just over one page) account by Nový (1970) in the Dictionary of Scientific Biography. We can, however, construct a decent timeline of Burgi’s life from German-language resources (see Appendix A), particularly when it is situated with respect to Burgi’s contemporaries who were engaged in or aided in the development of scientific work dependent upon the logarithmic relationship. Staudacher (2014) published (in German) a quite extensive account of Burgi’s life, which included content on his mathematical and scientific achievements and contributions, as well as accompanying obstacles, family relationships, and other personal attributes. Using translations of Staudacher’s text, as well as more traditional sources of biographical information on Burgi, the major aspects of Burgi’s professional life are highlighted in the brief biography presented here.
Tracking Inequality 60 Years After Brown: Does Policy Legitimize the Racialization of Disability?

The Brown decision laid the foundation for accountability provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1997 Education Act (2004) that require reporting of overrepresentation of students of color in special education. This article examines the issues surrounding this equity-focused legal reform that prioritized disproportionate representation. Drawing from interdisciplinary theories that target socio-historical and cultural underpinnings of power in a racially stratified society, we present a critique of federal policy implementation, with a particular focus on the lack of federal definitions and methods of reporting disproportionality. Using IDEA state compliance reports, we review states' definitions of “significant” disproportionality and methods of disproportionality calculations. We posit that federal compliance reporting on disproportionality limits meaningful approaches to addressing the inequities inherent in school systems.
Desmoplastic fibroma of the distal radius: an interesting case and a review of the literature and therapeutic implications

Desmoplastic fibromas are rare, benign, locally aggressive bone tumors, which arise primarily in patients younger than 30 years old. Historically, even with greater functional loss, en bloc or wide resection of the tumors to prevent local recurrence has been the method of choice in treatment. This article discusses the presentation of a 10-year-old male who presented with a mass in the distal forearm, after reporting difficulty in pronation and supination. The patient was ultimately treated with wide resection and allo-arthrodesis with allograft. Post-operatively, the patient has exhibited excellent recovery, including normal range of motion at the shoulder and elbow, and ability to perform all activities of daily livings despite reduced grip strength compared with the contralateral side.
Ultraviolet Radiation Effects Upon the Eye: Problems of Dosimetry

The acute phototoxic effect of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on the eye, photokeratitis (also known as snow blindness or welder's flash), has long been recognised. Less obvious are potential hazards to the eye from chronic exposure. Certain age-related changes to the cornea, conjunctiva and lens are also thought to be related to chronic exposure to solar UVR in certain climates. Determining ocular exposure can be quite difficult. There are many occasions where one views bright light sources such as the sun, arc lamps and welding arcs, but normally only momentarily because of the aversion response to bright light and discomfort glare. During the past few decades guidelines for limiting UVR exposure to protect the eye have been developed. The guidelines were fostered to a large extent by the growing use of lasers and the quickly recognised hazard posed by viewing laser sources. To assess potential hazards, one must not only consider the optical and radiometric parameters of the optical source in question, but also the geometrical exposure factors. This knowledge is required to determine accurately the irradiances (dose rates) to exposed tissues. Thermal injury is rare unless the UV source is pulsed or nearly in contact with tissue. Generally, photochemical interaction mechanisms dominate in the UV spectrum where photon energies are sufficient to alter key biological molecules. A characteristic of photochemically initiated biological damage is the reciprocity of exposure dose rate and duration of exposure, and acute UV effects are therefore most readily observed for lengthy exposure durations of many minutes or hours.
Effects of Roentgen Irradiation upon Linear Rate of Flow in Cutaneous Lymphatics of Humans

SummaryThe data tend to indicate that small doses of X-ray (220-450 r) to the skin of humans are not likely to disturb the linear flow of lymph in the cutaneous lymphatics, while large doses sufficient to produce a first degree skin reaction probably will reduce the rate of lymph flow.
North American Distribution of Coccinella septempunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Its Mass Appearance in Coastal Delaware

The Palearctic sevenspotted ladybeetle, Coccinella septempunctata L., well established in North America, has now spread through parts of five Canadian provinces and 34 contiguous eastern states of the United States. In southern coastal Delaware in June 1984, a mass appearance of C. septempunctata occurred where wind systems brought masses of these beetles into the area from unknown sources and dropped them into the seawater. Large numbers then washed up on beaches, and some surviving beetles annoyed vacationers and even bit some people. We speculate on the original establishment of this insect in North America. Presenting evidence previously overlooked, we add to speculation that early intentional releases led to establishment of this predator in North America. However, accidental importation on transoceanic ships cannot be ruled out.
Renal cell carcinoma in a peritoneal dialysis patient manifested by retroperitoneal hemorrhage: A case report

症例は34歳, 男性. 22歳の時に腎生検にてlgA腎症と診断され, 29歳からCAPD導入となった. 32歳からは自動腹膜透析に移行していた.1997年6月夜間, 透析中に特に誘因なく右腰背部痛を認め即時当院内科受診, 入院となった. 入院時の血圧は164/80であり, また採血検査上も以前と比べ貧血の進行は認めなかった. 腹部CTにて右腎破裂, 右後腹膜腔出血と診断した. 保存的に治療したが徐々に貧血の進行を認めたため, 同日緊急に経腰的右腎摘出術を施行した.病理検査ではACDKに伴う多発性の腎癌が認められ, その一部からの出血と診断された. 組織診断はpapillary type, clear cell subtype, G1, INF-α, pT1, pV0であった. また腎癌病巣は最大でも直径約2mmであり術前の画像検査では診断不可能と思われた. 術後は血液透析に移行し特に問題なく退院した. 術後1年間経過したが明らかな再発および転移を認めていない.透析患者の腎癌による後腹膜腔出血症例の報告は極めてまれである. 若干の文献的考察を加えて報告する.
GE-03HIGH RATE OF CONCURRENT BRAF-KIAA1549 GENE FUSION AND 1p DELETION IN DISSEMINATED OLIGODENDROGLIAL-LIKE LEPTOMENINGEAL TUMORS

INTRODUCTION: Activating fusions of the serine-threonine-kinase-encoding BRAF gene with the nearby gene KIAA1549 have been described in low-grade pediatric brain tumors, including most cerebellar pilocytic astrocytomas and smaller numbers of other, generally low-grade, CNS tumors. Disseminated oligodendroglial-like leptomeningeal tumors (DOLTs) are slowly progressive pediatric tumors with limited, if any parenchymal involvement. In this series, we assessed the status of BRAF-KIAA1549 and chromosomes 1p and 19q, with deletions of the latter known to variably occur in this tumor type. METHODS: 20 archival DOLTs were examined by FISH for BRAF-KIAA1549 fusion, and 17 cases for deletions of 1p and 19q. One case was additionally interrogated by SNP-array. Testing for BRAF-V600E mutation was also performed in nine cases. RESULTS: Of 14 informative cases for BRAF-KIAA1549, 9 were fusion positive by FISH, and one harbored a duplication by SNP-array suggestive of the gene fusion, for a total of 10 of 14 positive cases (71%). FISH revealed loss of 1p in 10/17 cases (59%), with 3 of those also being co-deleted for 19q (18%). Of the 10 cases with BRAF fusions, 8 had 1p deletion (80%) and 1 had 19q co-deletion (10%). None of 9 tested specimens were positive for BRAF-V600E mutation. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate a high rate of concurrent BRAF-KIAA1549 gene fusions and 1p deletions in DOLTs. Although BRAF fusions are typical of pilocytic astrocytomas, 1p deletions are not, confirming that DOLTs are pathologically and genetically distinct. These findings also further separate these oligodendroglial-like tumors from adult oligodendrogliomas, although some overlap remains since 1p19 codeletion is occasionally found in DOLT and rare BRAF fusions have been recently reported in otherwise classic, 1p19q codeleted oligodendroglioma.
Flow-Induced Crystallization of Collagen: A Potentially Critical Mechanism in Early Tissue Formation.

The type I collagen monomer is one of nature’s most exquisite and prevalent structural tools. Its 300 nm triple-helical motifs assemble into tough extracellular fibers that transition seamlessly across tissue boundaries and exceed cell dimensions by up to 4 orders of magnitude. In spite of extensive investigation, no existing model satisfactorily explains how such continuous structures are generated and grown precisely where they are needed (aligned in the path of force) by discrete, microscale cells using materials with nanoscale dimensions. We present a simple fiber drawing experiment, which demonstrates that slightly concentrated type I collagen monomers can be “flow-crystallized” to form highly oriented, continuous, hierarchical fibers at cell-achievable strain rates (<1 s–1) and physiologically relevant concentrations (∼50 μM). We also show that application of tension following the drawing process maintains the structural integrity of the fibers. While mechanical tension has been shown to be a critic...
Dynamics of sustained use and abandonment of clean cooking systems: study protocol for community-based system dynamics modeling.

Background More than 3 billion of the world’s population are affected by household air pollution from relying on unprocessed solid fuels for heating and cooking. Household air pollution is harmful to human health, climate, and environment. Sustained uptake and use of cleaner cooking technologies and fuels are proposed as solutions to this problem. In this paper, we present our study protocol aimed at understanding multiple interacting feedback mechanisms involved in the dynamic behavior between social, ecological, and technological systems driving sustained use or abandonment of cleaner cooking technologies among the rural poor in India.
The use of 99mtechnetium in the diagnosis of patent processus vaginalis.

AbstractWe report 2 cases of scrotal swelling after placement of peritoneal catheters. 99mTechnetium intraperitoneal scanning was used to identify a patent processus vaginalis in each case. This simple, rapid, and nontoxic method can be used routinely to screen patients for a subclinical hernia before institution of intraperitoneal therapy.
Marital quality, marital dissolution, and mortality risk during the later life course.

Abstract This study examines the relationship between later-life marital quality, marital dissolution, and mortality using discrete-time event history models with data from nine waves (1992–2008) of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 7388). Results show marital status is more important for men's mortality risk than women's, whereas marital quality is more important for women's survival than men's. Being widowed or divorced more than two years raises mortality risk for men, but later-life marital dissolution is not significantly associated with women's mortality risk, regardless of the type of dissolution or length of time since it occurred. Low-quality marital interaction is negatively related to women's odds of death, but none of the marital quality measures are significantly associated with mortality for men. Marital satisfaction moderates the relationship between widowhood and mortality for women, but the relationship between marital dissolution and mortality is similar for men regardless of marital quality prior to divorce/widowhood. Results suggest the importance of accounting for both marital status and marital quality when examining older individuals' mortality risk.
The Possible Trajectory of Relationship Satisfaction Across the Longevity of a Romantic Partnership: Is There a Golden Age of Parenting?

This cross-sectional research investigation examined how relationship satisfaction varies as individuals in romantic partnerships become parents, as subsequent children join the family, and as children age. Results indicated individuals in romantic partnerships without children report greater, overall, levels of relationship satisfaction, more affectional expression than those with two children, and greater couple cohesion compared to those with three children. Of all the individuals in romantic partnerships with children, those who have a child between the ages of 8 and 12 report the greatest amount of relationship satisfaction. Research findings may guide counselors when counseling new parents providing information concerning what relationship changes to expect when they become parents and also to provide hope that as children age the couple may face less relationship stress.
How law affects behaviour1

A centrepiece of Schauer’s thought-provoking book The Force of Law2 is his argument that coercion is, in practice, the only significant way in which law can affect behaviour. He argues that, contra...
Chapter 12 – Linear Regression

We study the simple linear regression model which, except for random error, assumes a straight-line relationship between a response and an input variable. We use the method of least squares to estimate the parameters of this model. Assuming that the random error is normal with mean 0 and variance σ2σ2, we show how to test hypotheses concerning the parameters of the model. The concept of regression to the mean is introduced; we explain when it arises and how one must be careful to avoid the regression fallacy in its presence. We explain the coefficient of determination. Finally, we introduce the multiple linear regression model, which relates a response variable to a set of input variables.
Complementary medicine for axial spondyloarthritis: is there any scientific evidence?

Purpose of reviewMajority of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) report use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies before and even after the diagnosis, due to perceived efficacy and wide-spread belief that these modalities lack side effects. In this review, we describe t
Transforming higher education through trickster-style teaching

Abstract This article utilizes theoretical inquiry to examine the need for transforming conventional, industrial-scientific, higher education curriculum and pedagogy. In recognition of the scale and urgency of the changes necessary to embrace the sustainability movement at all levels of education, the author presents the trickster archetype as a theoretical and practical framework for educational transgression and transformation. The case is made for embracing trickster-style teaching techniques to revolutionize educational approaches and to help educators, students, and educational theorists to more readily adapt to the ecological, social, and economic challenges that humanity currently faces. The author proposes that the urgency and importance of the changes that need to occur in higher education necessitate unconventional pedagogical methods, such as those embedded within the trickster archetype, to facilitate pluralistic modes of inquiry and transdisciplinary problem solving.
Transplantation of Stem Cells and Their Derivatives in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and axonal degeneration. Chronic demyelination is believed to result in axon degeneration, leading to long-term disability in the majority of MS patients. However, there are currently no therapies available that will promote myelination. The therapeutic potential of exogenous stem cells in the treatment of a MS is the subject of intensive investigation. The pluripotency and self-renewal properties exhibited by stem cells offer a potentially limitless source of cells that can differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes following transplantation into the damaged CNS. Transplanted precursor cells derived from stem cells have been shown to myelinate axons in genetic models of myelin disease and in models of chemically-induced demyelination. However, studies are still ongoing to determine whether stem cell-derived precursor cells are capable of myelinating axons in animal models of MS, an important step in demonstrating the therapeutic potential of transplanted cells in MS. In addition, the method of cell delivery to patients and the selection of MS patients for cell-based repair therapy are issues that are being explored.
Risk Analysis of Diagnostic Facilities–Man–Machine–Environment System

It is assumed that the decision analysis is to be used to create rational premises of safe operation of controlled systems under uncertainty conditions. Diagnosis and Decision System is described on the system which consists of the environment diagnostic facilities human being controlled system. The function of this system is to recognise dangerous operating situations and to generate a warning that some danger might occur as well as to create rational premises for prevention of incorrect decisions that are made during the operation of the controlled system. The processing of messages is carried out in compliance with the conventional Calculus of logic including the double negation law. The Diagnosis and Decision model presented in this paper is universal to a great extent.
Glycosylation of the Bovine Coronavirus Hemagglutinin Protein

The bovine coronavirus hemagglutinin protein gp140 is composed of disulfide-linked subunits of 65 kDa. This protein was further characterized with regard to its glycosylation. The glycosylated subunits of the protein are polypeptides having a molecular mass of 42.5 kDa. Both subunits appear to be processed to the same extent by the addition of N-linked oligosaccharides. Each subunit on the mature virion has 6–7 high mannose and 3–4 complex type carbohydrate chains attached to it.
Packing density and thermal conductivity determination for rice bran solid-state fermentation

The fermentation of rice bran by Aspergillus niger to produce glucoamylase was carried out in a packed-bed bioreactor. The optimum packing density of medium was between 586 and 858 g/l. Also, thermal conductivity (K) was determined and an experimental correlation with packing density (PD) and moisture (M) was obtained as K = 47.5080 0.0115PD 0.1295M − 6.0737ln(PD) − 5.5555ln(M). © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998
Grading as Performance Evaluation

Because performance evaluation is part of the public administration curriculum, the examples teachers set through grading—a form of performance evaluation—are important models for students. Mainstr...
Covert Attention, Temperament, and Looking: A Novel Approach to Studying Attention in the Social World.

The current study examines relations between individual differences in attention measured in laboratory and real-world settings. In-laboratory computer-based assessments of orienting, phasic alertn...
Lesser lower extremity mechanical loading associates with a greater increase in serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein following walking in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Abstract Background Aberrant mechanical loading during gait is hypothesized to contribute to the development of posttraumatic osteoarthritis following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Our purpose was to determine if peak vertical ground reaction force and instantaneous vertical ground reaction force loading rate associate with the acute change in serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein following a 20-minute bout of walking. Methods We enrolled thirty individuals with a unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Peak vertical ground reaction force and instantaneous vertical ground reaction force loading rate were extracted from the first 50% of the stance phase of gait during a 60-second trial. Blood samples were collected immediately before and after 20 min of treadmill walking at self-selected speed. The change in serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein from pre- to post-walking was calculated. Stepwise linear regression models were used to determine the association between each outcome of loading and the change in serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein after accounting for sex, gait speed, time since anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, graft type, and history of concomitant meniscal procedure (ΔR2). Findings Lesser peak vertical ground reaction force (ΔR2 = 0.208; β = −0.561; P = 0.019) and instantaneous vertical ground reaction force loading rate (ΔR2 = 0.168; β = −0.519; P = 0.037) on the anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed limb associated with a greater increase in serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein following 20 min of walking. Interpretation Mechanical loading may be a future therapeutic target for altering the acute biochemical response to walking in individuals with an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
A role for paracrine interleukin-6 signaling in the tumor microenvironment in prostate tumor growth.

Background Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a mediator of inflammation that can facilitate prostate cancer progression. We previously demonstrated that IL-6 is present in the prostate tumor microenvironment and is restricted almost exclusively to the stromal compartment. The present study examined the influence of paracrine IL-6 signaling on prostate tumor growth using allograft models of mouse prostate cancer (TRAMP-C2), colon cancer (MC38), and melanoma (B16) cell lines in wildtype (WT) and IL-6 knockout (IL-6-/- ) mice. Methods Cells were implanted into WT or IL-6-/- mice and tumor sizes were measured at a 3 to 4 day interval. Serum, tumors, and other organs were collected for IL-6 analysis by ELISA and RNA in situ hybridization (RISH). Results There was a significant reduction in TRAMP-C2 and B16 tumor size grown in IL-6-/- mice versus WT mice (P = 0.0006 and P = 0.02, respectively). This trend was not observed for the MC38 cell line. RISH analysis of TRAMP-C2 tumors grown in WT mice showed that cells present in the tumor microenvironment were the primary source of IL-6 mRNA, not the TRAMP-C2 cells. Serum IL-6 ELISA analyses showed an increase in the circulating levels of IL-6 in WT mice bearing TRAMP-C2 tumors. Similar phospho-STAT3 expression and tumor vascularization were observed in TRAMP-C2 tumors grown in WT and IL-6-/- mice. Conclusions Our results are consistent with previous studies in prostate cancer patients demonstrating that paracrine IL-6 production in the tumor microenvironment may influence tumor growth. Additionally, these data provide evidence that elevated systemic IL-6 levels may be involved in tumor growth regulation in prostate cancer, and are not simply caused by or indicative of tumor burden.
Motions and Spaces: What Collides in Ben Jonson's Epigrams

“Motions and Spaces: What Collides in Ben Jonson's Epigrams,” reads Jonson's epigrams in terms of the distinct ways they manage fluid social forms. Drawing on the new formalist theory of Caroline L...
Pediatric perioperative measures of sleep, pain, anxiety and anesthesia emergence: A healing touch proof of concept randomized clinical trial.

Abstract Background and purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of healing touch (HT) on sleep, anxiety, anesthesia emergence and pain. Methods HT, sham HT, control with an aide (CP) and control groups without the presence of an aide (CNP), underwent polysomnography (PSG) preoperatively. The Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (YPAS) score was obtained preoperatively before medications were given and in the preoperative surgery area. Sedation score, anesthesia emergence score and vital signs were recorded. Pain scores were determined by the Observation Pain Assessment Scale (OPAS) postoperatively and at time of discharge. Preoperative laboratory blood was drawn for C-reactive protein (CRP), glucose, cortisol and vitamin D25 levels as indicators of stress and anxiety, and a HT satisfaction survey was given. Results Thirty-nine patients consented to participate and were randomly assigned to HT (9), HT sham (12), CP (7) and CNP (11) groups. Mean patient age was 13.0 years, and no significant group differences were found for age, sex, race or patient procedure, categorized as laser, burn reconstruction and plastic surgery reconstruction. Additionally, no significant group differences were detected for any of the PSG parameters, YPAS scores, OPAS scores, medications, anesthesia emergence score, bloodwork or satisfaction survey score. CRP, glucose and cortisol levels were higher in the CNP group, suggesting that pediatric patients undergoing elective surgeries may benefit from more pre-operative support, possibly by HT. Conclusions Although no tracked parameters showed statistically significant findings, anecdotal HT benefits included enhanced relaxation and sounder sleep.
Surgery for Symptomatic Neuroma: Anatomic Distribution and Predictors of Secondary Surgery.

Background Neuromas are caused by irregular and disorganized regeneration following nerve injury. Many surgical techniques have been described to address neuroma with varying success. The aim of this study was to evaluate predictive factors for secondary surgery after initial surgical intervention for symptomatic neuroma along with a description of the anatomical distribution of surgically treated symptomatic neuromas. Methods Five hundred ninety-eight patients with 641 neuromas that underwent primary surgery for neuroma were identified retrospectively. The diagnosis of neuroma was based on physical examination and patient history in the medical charts. Neuromas were treated by excision, implantation in muscle or bone, excision with direct neurorrhaphy with or without nerve grafting, or other treatments. Results The rate of secondary surgery for neuroma was 7.8 percent, and secondary operations were performed at a median of 16.1 months. Excision alone or excision with implantation into bone or muscle had higher rates of secondary surgery compared with excision and direct neurorrhaphy with or without nerve graft. Neuromas were located in the upper extremity (49.61 percent), lower extremity (46.65 percent), and the groin/trunk (3.74 percent). Conclusions Symptomatic neuromas are located predominantly in the extremities, and surgery can improve pain, with low secondary surgery rates. Excision with direct neurorrhaphy with or without nerve grafting was associated with lower reoperation rates. Clinical question/level of evidence Therapeutic, III.
Quantitative phase contrast MRI of penetrating arteries in centrum semiovale at 7T.

Abstract Pathological changes of penetrating arteries (PA) within the centrum semiovale is an important contributing factor of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). However, quantitative characterization of the PAs remains challenging due to their sub-voxel sizes. Here, we proposed a Model-based Analysis of Complex Difference images (MACD) of phase contrast MRI capable of measuring the mean velocities ( v mean ), diameters (D), and volume flow rates (VFR) of PAs without contamination from neighboring static tissues at 7 T. Simulation, phantom and in vivo studies were performed to evaluate the reproducibility and errors of the proposed method. For comparison, a Model-based Analysis of Phase difference images (MAP) was also carried out in the simulation. The proposed MACD analysis approach was applied in vivo to study the age dependence of PA properties in healthy subjects between 21 and 55 years old. Simulation showed that our proposed MACD approach yielded smaller errors than MAP, with errors increasing at lower velocities and diameters for both methods. In the phantom study, errors of the MACD-derived v mean , D, and VFR were ≤20% of their true values when v mean ≥ 1 cm/s and similar at different spatial resolutions. On the other hand, errors of the uncorrected apparent velocities were 24–60% and depended strongly on voxel size. The MACD errors linearly increased with the angle (α) between the vessel and slice normal direction at α ≤ 2° but remained almost constant at larger α. Results of the in vivo studies showed that the coefficients of repeatability for vmean, D, and VFR for PAs with α = 0° were 0.67 cm/s, 0.060 mm, and 0.067 mm3/s, respectively. No significant age dependence was found for the number, vmean, D, and VFR of PAs. The mean vmean, D, and VFR over all PAs with α = 0° were 1.79 ± 0.62 cm/s, 0.17 ± 0.05 mm, and 0.36 ± 0.18 mm3/s, respectively. Quantitative measurements of PAs with the MACD method may serve as a useful tool for illuminating the vascular pathology in cerebral SVD.
Take two: Prescribing Latinx and medicine as aesthetic form:

Take Your Medicine is an artist speculation and an ongoing studio investigation into the ways that cultural stereotypes and popular representations of Latino/a culture are prioritized, distorted, “...
Should Public Figures Apologize? Preliminary Evidence and Speculations

In the modern era, the statements and actions of public figures are scrutinized with great care, and it often emerges that they have said or done things that many people consider objectionable, hurtful, offensive, or despicable. A persistent question is whether public figures should apologize for those statements or actions. Suppose that an apology has a purely strategic motivation: helping a politician to be elected or reelected, helping an executive to keep his job, helping a nominee to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Empirical work presented here suggests that an apology might well turn out to be futile or even counterproductive. One reason is Bayesian; an apology produces updating that can be unfavorable to the apologizer (by, for example, resolving doubts about whether the apologizer actually said or did the objectionable thing, and about whether what the apologizer did was actually objectionable). Another reason is behavioral; an apology triggers the public’s attention, makes the public figure’s wrongdoing more salient, and can help define him or her. But many open questions remain about the reasons why apologies by public figures fail, and about the circumstances in which they might turn out to be effective.
Volatility in productivity and the impact on unemployment

Volatility, and the uncertainty it creates, has long been recognized as a factor in economic decision making. Since hiring occurs before shocks to productivity are realized, firms’ investment in ne...
The utility of nuchal translucency ultrasound in identifying rare chromosomal abnormalities not detectable by cell-free DNA screening

Objective: To evaluate the utility of nuchal translucency (NT) screening in the detection of rare chromosomal aneuploidies in the setting of cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Methods: A retrospective cohort study of pregnancies screened through the California Prenatal Screening Program between March 2009 and December 2012. Karyotype analysis was the primary method of chromosomal evaluation during the study period and abnormal chromosomal karyotype results were classified by whether the abnormality would be detectable by cfDNA (non-mosaic trisomy 13, 18, 21 or sex-chromosomal aneuploidy (SCA)). For those rare aneuploidies detectable by karyotype but not cfDNA, the number of cases that had an increased NT and the detection rate and positive predictive value (PPV) of increased NT for rare aneuploidies were determined. Results: A total of 452,901 pregnant women had screening. There were 2,572 chromosomally abnormal fetuses, of which 1,922 (74.7%) had a common aneuploidy detectable by cfDNA, leaving 450,979 without T13, 18, 21. Of these, 4,181 (0.93%) had an NT ≥ 3.0mm. There were 649 rare aneuploidies not detectable by cfDNA. Of these, 108 (16.6%) had an NT ≥3.0mm. The PPV of an NT ≥3.0mm for rare aneuploidies was 2.6%. In all, 4,176 fetuses need to be screened with NT to detect a rare aneuploidy. Conclusions: The addition of NT to cfDNA screening would detect 16.6% of rare aneuploidies. Increased NT has a low PPV for rare aneuploidies and a large number of women would need NT screening to detect each affected fetus.
Structural and Functional Equivalency Between Lyopreserved and Cryopreserved Chorions with Viable Cells

Objective: Clinical studies have demonstrated that the use of cryopreserved amnion or trophoblast (TR)-free chorion, containing viable cells, in the treatment of chronic wounds results in high rate of wound closure. Recently, a new lyopreservation method has been developed for preservation of amnion that also retains the endogenous viable cells. The objective of this study was to use this method for lyopreservation of TR-free chorionic membrane (viable lyopreserved chorionic membrane [VLCM]) and compare it with the viable cryopreserved chorionic membrane (VCCM). A second objective was to investigate the immunogenicity of chorion, an important question that has not been fully addressed. Approach: Chorion immunogenicity was tested in vitro in a mixed lymphocyte reaction and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge assay, and in vivo in a mouse subcutaneous pocket implantation model. VLCM tissue structure was assessed histologically, growth factor content by multiplex assay, and cell viability by LIVE/DEAD cell fluorescent staining. Inhibition of tumor necrosis factor α secretion by LPS-activated THP-1 cells and endothelial cell tubule formation assays were performed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and proangiogenic properties, respectively. An in vivo rabbit abdominal adhesion model was used to evaluate the antifibrotic properties. Results: Chorionic membrane without trophoblast (CM) was shown to be nonimmunogenic. Tissue architecture, growth factors, and cell viability of fresh CM were maintained in VLCM and VCCM. In vitro studies showed that anti-inflammatory and angiogenic properties were retained in VLCM. Furthermore, VLCM prevents formation of postsurgical adhesions in a rabbit abdominal surgical adhesion model. Innovation: Characterization of structural and functional properties of VLCM is reported for the first time. Conclusion: Similar to VCCM, VLCM retains native components of fresh CM, including collagen-rich extracellular matrix, growth factors, and viable cells. In vitro and in vivo models demonstrate that VLCM is anti-inflammatory, proangiogenic and antifibrotic. Results of this study support the structural and functional equivalency between VLCM and VCCM.