cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Invited Commentary: Antecedents of Obesity—Analysis, Interpretation, and Use of Longitudinal Data

The obesity epidemic causes misery and death. Most epidemiologists accept the hypothesis that characteristics of the early stages of human development have lifelong influences on obesity-related health outcomes. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of data of sufficient scope and individual history to help unravel the associations of prenatal, postnatal, and childhood factors with adult obesity and health outcomes. Here the authors discuss analytic methods, the interpretation of models, and the use to which such rare and valuable data may be put in developing interventions to combat the epidemic. For example, analytic methods such as quantile and multinomial logistic regression can describe the effects on body mass index range rather than just its mean; structural equation models may allow comparison of the contributions of different factors at different periods in the life course. Interpretation of the data and model construction is complex, and it requires careful consideration of the biologic plausibility and statistical interpretation of putative causal factors. The goals of discovering modifiable determinants of obesity during the prenatal, postnatal, and childhood periods must be kept in sight, and analyses should be built to facilitate them. Ultimately, interventions in these factors may help prevent obesity-related adverse health outcomes for future generations.
Association of Fetuin-A With Incident Diabetes Mellitus in Community-Living Older Adults The Cardiovascular Health Study

Background—The liver-secreted protein fetuin-A induces peripheral insulin resistance in vitro. In a pilot study, we observed that higher fetuin-A levels were associated with diabetes mellitus in older persons. However, this finding has not been confirmed in large cohorts. We sought to confirm the association of fetuin-A with incident diabetes mellitus in older persons and to determine whether the association differs by age, sex, and race and among persons with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods and Results—Among 3710 community-living individuals ≥65 years of age without diabetes mellitus at baseline, fetuin-A was measured in serum collected in 1992 to 1993. Participants were followed up for 10.6 years (median) for incident diabetes mellitus. Cox regression models evaluated the association of fetuin-A with incident diabetes mellitus. Interaction terms evaluated heterogeneity by age, sex, race, and CVD. Mean age was 75 years; 60 were female; 15 were black; and 16 had CVD. Mean fetuin-A concentrations wer...
WebRB: A Different Way to Write Web Applications

Relational Blocks (RBIocks) is a visual dataflow language for writing multipage interactive applications that access, transform, and display relational data in a GUI. The authors present WebRB, an implementation of RBIocks for a Web application environment. It's deployed as a software service; developers run the WebRB visual editor in a standard Firefox Web browser and store their page designs and data on the WebRB server. WebRB is a different way to write Web applications because it uses visual page designs, lacks imperative code, and uses relational semantics.
Character Analysis in Morphological Phylogenetics: Problems and Solutions

Many aspects of morphological phylogenetics are controversial in the theoretical systematics literature and yet are often poorly explained and justified in empirical studies. In this paper, I argue that most morphological characters describe variation that is fundamentally quantitative, regardless of whether they are coded qualitatively or quantitatively by systematists. Given this view, three fundamental problems in morphological character analysis (definition, delimitation, and ordering of character states) may have a common solution: coding morphological characters as continuous quantitative traits. A new parsimony method (step-matrix gap-weighting, a modification of Thiele's approach) is proposed that allows quantitative traits to be analyzed as continuous variables. The problem of scaling or weighting quantitative characters relative to qualitative characters (and to each other) is reviewed, and three possible solutions are described. The new coding method is applied to data from hoplocercid lizards, and the results show the sensitivity of phylogenetic conclusions to different scaling methods. Although some authors reject the use of continuous, overlapping, quantitative characters in phylogenetic analysis, quantitative data from hoplocercid lizards that are coded using the new approach contain significant phylogenetic structure and exhibit levels of homoplasy similar to those seen in data that are coded qualitatively.
EFECTIVIDAD DE ANESTESIA DE PLEXO CERVICAL SUPERFICIAL PREOPERATORIO PARA CONTROL DE DOLOR POSTOPERATORIO EN CIRUGÍA DE TIROIDES

Analgesic effects of bilateral superficial cervical plexus block with Bupivacaine after thyroidectomy Background: Bilateral superficial cervical plexus block is a simple non-invasive technique that can be used as preventive analgesia in the perioperative period of thyroidectomy. aim: to assess the analgesic effects of the technique during the postoperative period of thyroidectomy. material and methods: Patients with indication of total thyroidectomy, with a low operative risk according to the American Society of Anesthesiology, were studied. All were operated with general anesthesia using Fentanyl, Propofol, Vecuronium and Isoflurane. Patients were randomly and blindly assigned to superficial cervical plexus block using Bupiva caine 0.25% or to a placebo injection. Postoperative pain, need for analgesics and patient satisfaction were assessed. results: Thirty five patients aged 55 + 15 years (28 women) were studied. Mean use of morphine in the Bupivacaine and placebo groups was 5.8 and 10.4 mg, respectively (p < 0.05). All and 75% of patients in placebo and Bupivacaine groups respectively, required morphine in some moment of the postoperative period. nausea and vomiting was observed in 55 and 93% of patients in Bupivacaine and placebo groups, respectively (p < 0.05). Mean Ondansetron use was 2.1 and 4.6 mg in Bupivacaine and placebo groups, respectively (p < 0.05). no significant differences between groups were observed for patient satisfaction. conclusions: Bilateral superficial cervical plexus block with Bupivacaine reduces analgesic use in the posto perative period of thyroidectomy.
Effects of mercury electrodeposition on the surface degradation of microlithographically fabricated iridium ultramicroelectrodes

The surface degradation of a microlithographically fabricated array of 10 mm diameter iridium ultramicroelectrodes (UME) was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM), Auger scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and stripping voltammetry. Micrometer-size accumulations could be observed on the iridium surface after mercury was electrochemically deposited and stripped approximately five times in a perchloric acid media with a Ag AgCl 3M NaCl reference electrode. AFM images of the accumulations revealed that they were pyramidal in shape and had a tendency to form in clusters. Elemental analysis of the clusters with Auger SEM identified them as mercury and a small amount of chloride. The accumulations were determined to be mercurous chloride (Hg2Cl2) with the chloride contamination resulting both from leakage of the reference electrode and the decay of the perchloric acid. During subsequent depositions of mercury, chloride ions were eliminated by using a nitric acid media and a polyurethane solid state reference electrode. With chloride eliminated, mercury could be electrodeposited and stripped at least ten times on the iridium UME array without any visible surface degradation. © 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
The preparation of R(−)-β-aminoisobutyric acid using Saccharomyces cerevisiae: An unexpected result

Abstract R(−)-β-aminoisobutyric acid was prepared by the action of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the racemic acid. The analysis was followed by ninhydrin and gas chromatographic methods for separating diastereoisomers. It was found that the elution pattern of the diastereoisomers is reversed compared to the normal protein amino acids, i.e., the SR derivatives elute before the RR derivatives.
The agricultural biome of Biosphere 2: Structure, composition and function

The agricultural mesocosm of Biosphere 2, known as the Intensive Agricultural Biome (IAB), provided food for the inhabitants of the facility during two periods of material closure between 1991 and 1994 (Mission I, September 26, 1991 to September 26, 1993, eight-person crew; Mission II, March 6, 1994 to September 17, 1994, seven-person crew). The design and operation of the mesocosm and preliminary results for food production of the IAB are described for both periods. The overall rate of crop production for the 0.22 ha area (soil depth of 1 m; soil and atmospheric volumes of approximately 2000 m 3 and 38 000 m 3 , respectively) sustained both crews. Overall production rates in Biosphere 2 exceeded those characteristic of fertile agricultural land in the most efficient agrarian communities, despite comparatively lower light levels, lack of insect pollinators and unusually dense insect pests. Crop yields were markedly higher for Mission II than for Mission I due, in part, to experience and improvements based on the first closure. The health of the Biospherians is briefly discussed in the context of a low-calorie (1800‐2200 kcal day 1 per person for
A new approach to two-location joint inventory and transshipment control via L Natural -convexity

We provide a new approach to the analysis of the optimal joint inventory and transshipment control with uncertain capacities by employing the concept of L ? -convexity. In this approach, we use variable transformation techniques and apply two recent results to establish the L ? -concavity of the profit-to-go functions, which significantly simplifies the analysis in the existing literature. Some variations of the basic model can also be analyzed using our approach with minor modifications.
A stabilized nodally integrated meshfree formulation for fully coupled hydro-mechanical analysis of fluid-saturated porous media

Abstract Numerical modeling of reservoirs with low permeability or under undrained conditions often suffers from spurious fluid pressure oscillations due to the improper construction of approximation spaces. To address this issue, a fully coupled, stabilized meshfree formulation is developed based on a fluid pressure projection method, in which an additional stabilization term is added to the variational equation to correct the deficiency of the equal-order u – p reproducing kernel approximation. The projection scheme is formulated under the framework of the stabilized conforming nodal integration which enables a significant enhancement of the computational efficiency and accuracy, and the spurious low-energy modes of nodal integration are also eliminated. The effectiveness of the proposed stabilized meshfree formulation is demonstrated by solving several benchmark problems.
Surface-Based Body Shape Index and Its Relationship with All-Cause Mortality

Background Obesity is a global public health challenge. In the US, for instance, obesity prevalence remains high at more than one-third of the adult population, while over two-thirds are obese or overweight. Obesity is associated with various health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), depression, some forms of cancer, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, among others. The body mass index (BMI) is one of the best known measures of obesity. The BMI, however, has serious limitations, for instance, its inability to capture the distribution of lean mass and adipose tissue, which is a better predictor of diabetes and CVDs, and its curved (“U-shaped”) relationship with mortality hazard. Other anthropometric measures and their relation to obesity have been studied, each with its advantages and limitations. In this work, we introduce a new anthropometric measure (called Surface-based Body Shape Index, SBSI) that accounts for both body shape and body size, and evaluate its performance as a predictor of all-cause mortality.
Critical or Negative

Our current state of schools has caused much dissention in the academic world. Everyone has a stake in the fight and of course the social education field is no different. We have an extensive laundry list of issues and concerns that are destroying public education. Teachers are deskilled, students are indoctrinated with isolated facts that allow for no actual analysis and schools are continually under attack by policies counterintuitive educational goals (Friere, 1993; Giroux, 2003). Unfortunately this negative perception of the academic world has since become the singular lens distorting my own personal view of what’s going on in the classrooms. I wind up expending a great deal of energy looking for what is missing.
The Venturi Tube as a Liquefied-Gas Flow Measuring Device

Continuing interest in flow measurement techniques for liquefied gases, coupled with a sponsor’s request to test a specific device as part of an assistance program covering various theoretical and experimental studies in the field of cryogenics, has led to the research reported in this paper.
Neue Macht, neue Mächte – gute Gründe?

Die vorliegende Studie geht davon aus, dass das Strategiepapier Neue Macht, Neue Verantwortung (SWP und GMF 2013) den konzeptionellen Kern einer konzertierten Diskursoffensive zentraler ausenpolitischer Akteure bildet. Die auf der Munchner Sicherheitskonferenz im Januar 2014 gehaltenen Reden des Bundesprasidenten, der Verteidigungsministerin und des Ausenministers gelten als besonders offentlichkeitswirksame Elemente dieser Offensive. Das Ziel der Studie ist es, die in diesen Sprechakten zum Ausdruck gelangenden Uberzeugungen zu rekonstruieren und sie in Bezug auf Identitat und Auftrag deutscher Ausenpolitik zu befragen.
A Multi‐scale, Hierarchical Model to Map Riparian Zones

Riparian zones are important for their contribution to biodiversity and ecosystem services, especially in the western USA where riparian zones occupy a small proportion of the landscape but support a majority of the biodiversity. However, few accurate datasets of riparian zone locations are available over broad spatial extents, and cost efficient methods to map riparian zones at fine spatial resolutions do not currently exist. We created a multi-scale, hierarchical, and process-guided method to map the location of riparian zones using readily available, national datasets. We demonstrate the applicably of this straightforward method in the Southern Rockies Ecoregion, where we mapped both current riparian zones (the riparian zone that is not strongly modified by human land uses and is assumed to support natural riparian vegetation) and potential riparian zones (the area that would likely support natural riparian vegetation in the absence of human activity). The overall accuracy of our method for potential and current riparian zones was 92%. The Southern Rockies Ecoregion is composed of 3.1% (±0.3%) potential and 2.5 (±0.2%) current riparian zones, indicating that roughly 21.0% (±0.5%) of riparian zones have been removed by human activities. This modelling approach can be used to create detailed maps of riparian zones to inform regional conservation and management decision-making, and the methods can be applied to different regions at multiple scales from small watersheds to a national analysis. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of a Sustainable Enrichment Strategy for Quantification of Mercury Ions in Complex Samples at the Sub-Parts per Billion Level

To limit environmental exposure of mercury species, government bodies restrict emissions of various environmental mercury sources to sub-parts per billion (ppb) levels. Current methods for detection of mercury are time-consuming and expensive and suffer from many drawbacks. Optical methods are in principle less intensive but have not yet been implemented for real-world applications because of a lack of sufficient sensitivity and robustness. We previously reported a fluorometric method for quantifying mercury ions based on the oxymercuration of a vinyl ether with a detection limit of 1 ppb, not meeting the requirement by government bodies. To fill the gap between our previous method and the governments’ restrictions, we have developed a method to enrich complex samples with mercury ions through the use of a recyclable thiol-based resin and the novel chemistry of mercury release. The combination of our previous fluorometric method and the new enrichment chemistry allowed the detection of 0.1 ppb mercury in ...
Field Research and Teaching — an Enhancement of Student Learning

For the past five years, fieldwork teaching linked to staff research and undergraduate dissertation work has yielded information and materials used to enhance student learning This paper discusses ...
Response of Dendroctonus pseudotsugae (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) and Thanasimus undatulus (Coleoptera: Cleridae) to Traps with Different Semiochenricms

The attractiveness of frontalin alone and in combinations with ethanol, MCOL (1-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-01), and seudenol (3-methylcyclohex-2-en-l-ol) to the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, and associated predators was determined in northeastern Oregon. All three alcohols significantly increased attractiveness of frontalin to the Douglas-fir beetle. Seudenol was most attractive followed by ethanol and MCOL, respectively. Seudenol plus ethanol was the only combination of alcohols that significantly increased attractiveness of frontalin more than that of seudenol alone. There was no increase in attractiveness to the Douglas-fir beetle with addition of MCOL to a lure containing ethanol or seudenol, or both. Seudenol significantly In creased the percentage of male Douglas-fir beetles trapped, but ethanol had the opposite effect. MCOL had no significant effect on the sex ratio of trapped Douglas-fir beetles. Thanasimus undatulus (Say) was the only predator caught in appreciable numbers. Seudenol significantly increased the number of T. undatulus caught in the traps compared with the oilier alcohols. These results suggest that the combination of frontalin, seudenol, and ethanol is the most effective lure tested for trapping the Douglas-fir beetle.
Alteration of parasitism by Rogas lymantriae Hymenoptera Braconidae in Bacillus thuringiensis - stressed gypsy moth Lepidoptera Lymantriidae hosts

The addition of a sublethal dose of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner to diet fed to Lymantria dispar (L.) prolonged developmental time of 2nd instars up to 3 days. Extension of developmental time increased parasitism by Rogas lymantriae Watanabe, which prefers 2nd instars less than 5 days old. However, L. dispar larvae fed on .B. thuringiensis diet yielded significantly fewer female R. lymantriae than those fed only diet; B. thuringiensis reduced L. dispar larval size and prompted ovipositing R. lymantriae to deposit more unfertilized eggs. Use of a sublethal dose of B. thuringiensis for initial establishment of R. lymantriae and its effect on the level of parasitization of gypsy moth are discussed.
The Independent Voter in 1952: A Study of Pittsfield, Massachusetts *

A challenging problem for both the student of political behavior and the practical politician is the self-labeled independent voter. Much of the research on what appears to be an increasingly larger segment of the American electorate has been either historically or sociologically oriented in the sense that it has focused on trend studies of the voting pattern of this group or has attempted to describe it in terms of its objective characteristics. Frequently, by inference at least, we are led to believe that the future political behavior of the independent can be anticipated if we have information of the above nature. The central purpose of this article is to present evidence favoring the hypothesis that the political behavior of the independent is more closely related to relevant psychological variables, such as his political perceptions, than to his past voting habits or his objective attributes. During the period from April through November of 1952, the author directed a detailed study of the political opinions and behavior of the residents of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a city of approximately 53,000 people. The research methods employed in the project included a systematic historic analysis of the community, a series of four public opinion surveys, content analysis of some of the mass media of communication, and a panel study. The first poll took place late in the spring of 1952, the second in August, and the third and fourth were carried out just prior to and immediately following the November elections. The panel members, coming from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, were interviewed periodically throughout the course of the project.
Mobility and the Glass Transition in Mixed Polymer-Diluent Glasses by NMR

Phosphorous and proton line shape studies of a trioctyl phosphate diluent in polycarbonate and in a fifty-fifty blend of polystyrene with polyphenylene oxide have been performed to monitor diluent dynamics. Both the phosphorous and proton line shapes are superficially bimodal with a narrow, mobile component of the line shape appearing at temperatures well below the thermal glass transition temperatures. Plots of the hection of mobile material versus temperature show two step increases separated by a plateau region. This behavior is analyzed in terms of a distribution of activation energies which results in a bimodal description. The bimodal activation energy distribution corresponds to a bimodal correlation time distribution. The more mobile material is identified with diluent molecules in contact with other diluent molecules in a lattice description which assumes a single phase system is assumed with a purely random distribution of diluent and polymer on the lattice.
Test and study on operation optimization of gas recirculation system on Russian-made 2650 t/h boiler

To solve the problems resulted from complexity of system, such as the serious ash accumulation and heavy workload in operation and maintenance, a test was made on the 2 650 t/h boiler. The boiler efficiency, NOx emission and heating tube temperature were compared between two conditions, i. e. the gas recirculation system in normal operation and the system with the recirculation gas replaced by the secondary air. After the secondary air replacing the recirculation gas, the boiler efficiency increased 0.459%, NOx decreased 123.2 mg/m3, the RH spray water decreased 11.43 t/h and 7.727 million Yuan would be saved per year. The results showed that the system with recirculation gas replaced by the secondary air is one of the optimum operation modes for the existing gas recirculation system.
Application of Fire Science to Digital Fire-fighting Plan

Digital fire-fighting plan is an efficient emergency response countermeasure to the varied fire disasters which can deploy the fire-fight forces more reasonably, improve the success rate of fire rescue, and reduce the casualties and property damage. During the establishment of digital fire-fighting plans, there are several factors need to be considered, such as the basic information of the target, the actual fire-fight experience, etc. The most emphasized point is to analyze the fire risk of the target to ensure the scientific and validity of the digital plan. In this paper, aiming at the different process of the establishment of digital plan, the fire risk analysis, simulation and prediction of fire development, simulation of smoke movement, evacuation, scheduling and deployment of fire-fighting forces and the application methodology of these fire science and technology are studied and presented in detail.
Flow cytometric analysis of comedocarcinoma of the prostate: an uncommon histopathological variant of prostatic adenocarcinoma.

AbstractPathological data from 321 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy or cystoprostatectomy with a diagnosis of prostatic adenocarcinoma were reviewed. Of these specimens 4 (1.2 per cent) demonstrated histopathological findings consistent with prostatic comedocarcinoma. Prostatic acid phosphatase and prostate specific antigen detected by immunoperoxidase technique confirmed the prostatic origin of all comedocarcinomas studied. Flow cytometric analysis of deparaffinized sections from these specimens as well as a total of 40 representative specimens from normal prostate, and low, intermediate and high grade prostatic carcinomas was performed. Frequency of aneuploidy in low, intermediate and high grade prostatic adenocarcinoma was 0, 43 and 75 per cent, respectively. All cases of prostatic comedocarcinoma studied had distinctly aneuploid deoxyribonucleic acid histograms and the mean deoxyribonucleic acid content in comedocarcinoma was the highest of all groups analyzed. The mean time to recurrence ...
Pyridine-3-propanoic acids: Discovery of dual PPARα/γ agonists as antidiabetic agents

Abstract A series of novel pyridine-3-propanoic acids was synthesized. A structure–activity relationship study of these compounds led to the identification of potent dual PPARα/γ agonists with varied isoform selectivity. Based on the results of efficacy studies in diabetic (db/db) mice, and the desired pharmacokinetic parameters, compounds (S)-14 and (S)-19 were selected for further profiling.
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Tamoxifen Using LC-MS/MS

Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that is used widely in the treatment of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer (ER+). Therapeutic monitoring of tamoxifen, and its metabolites N-desmethyltamoxifen (NDTam) and 4-hydroxy-N-desmethyltamoxifen (endoxifen), may be clinically useful for guiding treatment decisions. Two significant barriers to tamoxifen efficacy are: (1) variability in conversion of tamoxifen into the potent antiestrogenic metabolite, endoxifen, and (2) poor compliance and adherence to tamoxifen therapy. Therapeutic monitoring can be used to address both of these issues. Low levels of endoxifen indicate either poor compliance or poor metabolism of tamoxifen. Low tamoxifen levels would suggest poor compliance while a low ratio of endoxifen to NDTam would be indicative of poor metabolism. Solid phase extraction of patient serum followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) detection enables rapid, accurate, detection of tamoxifen, N-desmethyltamoxifen, and endoxifen.
Influence Upon Honeybees of Chronic Exposure to Very Low Levels of Selected Insecticides in Their Diet

SummarySeveral sizes of hive were treated for colony viability and ease of manipulation when colonies of honeybees were confined within screened cages. Hives containing either a single standard frame (1742 cm2) or a single miniature frame (431 cm2) were acceptable, but hives containing a single standard frame were used in our experiments because they were easier to manipulate and produced more brood that could be used for other experimental purposes.A small colony was established in each of several 1·8 × 1·8 × 2·0-m screened cages. Pollen cakes containing 0·017 ppm permethrin, 0·16 ppm malathion, 5·12 ppm methoxychlor, 10 ppm difiubenzuron, 0·17 ppm carbaryl or no pesticide were fed to the colonies to determine the effects on the bees of chronic exposure. During a test period of 10 weeks only methoxychlor caused a significant reduction (P<0'05) in quantity of brood reared, amount of pollen cake consumed, and amount of sucrose syrup stored in the colonies. Diflubenzuron at 10 ppm caused greater than 50% re...
Detection system for neutron β decay correlations in the UCNB and Nab experiments

We describe a detection system designed for precise measurements of angular correlations in neutron β decay. The system is based on thick, large area, highly segmented silicon detectors developed in collaboration with Micron Semiconductor, Ltd. The prototype system meets specifications for β electron detection with energy thresholds below 10 keV, energy resolution of ∼3 keV FWHM, and rise time of ∼50 ns with 19 of the 127 detector pixels instrumented. Using ultracold neutrons at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, we have demonstrated the coincident detection of β particles and recoil protons from neutron β decay. The fully instrumented detection system will be implemented in the UCNB and Nab experiments to determine the neutron β decay parameters B, a, and b.
Dynamics of Government Fiscal Instability

Not only can stock markets crash in financial bubbles, nations also can collapse in government fiscal bubbles. How did the financial grid assist in making a national fiscal crisis deeper? As previously noted, international investment banking assisted Greece in hiding the size of it national debt. How did the continuously increasing debt finally trigger a fiscal crisis in Greece, depressing its economy and destabilizing governments?
Emergent Management of Acute Airway Obstruction from Malignant Disease

The management of acute airway obstruction takes into consideration many factors including underlying disease process, patient status, and location and nature of obstruction. It is important to recognize the symptoms of airway obstruction and to act swiftly and appropriately. This chapter will discuss indications for intervention in malignant obstruction with the following methods: Heliox, rigid bronchoscopy, Nd:YAG laser therapy, stenting, airway prosthesis, radiation therapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and cryotherapy. Risks and benefits should be weighed for each therapeutic option, as interventions are usually palliative, with the goal of improving quality of life. Most importantly the intervention should reestablish the airway and gas exchange capability in the acute setting.
Securing forests from the scourge of chestnut blight: The biopolitics of nature and nation

Abstract Bringing a biopolitical framework to bear on historical geographies of nature, this article traces the recent history of the American chestnut, with a focus on the pivotal time period in the early 20th century (1905–1925) during which the tree’s ecological, economic, and cultural roles changed dramatically. Once an ecologically dominant and culturally important forest tree in eastern North America, the American chestnut was rendered functionally extinct following the accidental introduction of a fungal pathogen, known as the chestnut blight, at the turn of the 20th century. Calling attention to the historical ties between nature and nation, I demonstrate how blight control, chestnut breeding, and restoration efforts were formulated in conversation with broader anxieties about the fate of the American nation in the wake of social, environmental, economic, and racial change. Through an exploration of three themes distilled from archival research—chestnut blight as national threat, fear and desire for exotic nature, and the shared histories of plant breeding and racial improvement—this paper illustrates the role that nature has played in the construction and circulation of biopolitical discourses, nationalist sensibilities, and gendered and racial logics.
Long-Term Effects of Methylmercury Poisoning

The clinical, neuropsychological, and radiological features of a family, and the toxicological and neuropathological findings of one family member, who were acutely and severely intoxicated with methylmercury are reported after a 22-year follow-up from the Albuquerque Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and the Environmental Health Sciences Center, the University of Rochester School of Medicine, NY.
Potentially preventable readmissions after complex cancer surgery: Analysis of the national readmissions dataset.

109Background: Hospital readmissions following surgery are a focus of quality improvement efforts nationwide. Although some reflect appropriate care, others are potentially preventable readmissions (PPRs). We aim to describe the burden, timing, and factors associated with PPRs after complex cancer surgery. Methods: The National Readmissions Dataset (2013) was used to select patients undergoing a complex oncologic resection (defined as esophagectomy/gastrectomy, hepatectomy, pancreatectomy, colorectal resection, lung resection, and cystectomy). All Readmissions occurring within 30 days from discharge were analyzed. Causes for readmissions were categorized in eleven diagnostic groups and tabulated. ICD-9 primary diagnosis codes were reviewed to identify PPRs. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify demographic, clinical and hospital factors associated with PPRs. Results: We analyzed 60,970 patients with 92,260 admissions. A 30 day readmission occurred in 14% of patients, and was highest following...
How Public Is My Private Life?: Privacy in Online Dating

Online dating services let users expand their dating pool beyond their social network and specify important characteristics of potential partners. To assess compatibility, users share personal information -- e.g., identifying details or sensitive opinions about sexual preferences or worldviews -- in profiles or in one-on-one communication. Thus, participating in online dating poses inherent privacy risks. How people reason about these privacy risks in modern online dating ecosystems has not been extensively studied. We present the results of a survey we designed to examine privacy-related risks, practices, and expectations of people who use or have used online dating, then delve deeper using semi-structured interviews. We additionally analyzed 400 Tinder profiles to explore how these issues manifest in practice. Our results reveal tensions between privacy and competing user values and goals, and we demonstrate how these results can inform future designs.
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Outcomes in Nonagenarians Stratified by Transfemoral and Transapical Approach

Background Survival and other outcomes of nonagenarians undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in the Medicare population are unclear. Methods Patients aged 65 years and older who underwent TAVR from November 2011 through 2013 were considered for inclusion. Results The study consisted of 18,283 patients and 19.3% were aged 90 years or older. Compared with patients younger than 90 years, patients 90 years or older were less likely to have a number of comorbidities, including previous myocardial infarction (17.5% versus 21.8%), previous coronary artery bypass grafting (20.0% versus 35.0%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (25.4% versus 39.0%) among others. The 30-day and 1-year mortality rates were 8.4% versus 5.9% ( p = 0.0001) and 25.4% versus 21.5% ( p = 0.0001) in the older and younger groups, respectively (odds ratio [OR] 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28 to 1.70, p = 0.0001). Patients 90 years and older were more likely to undergo pacemaker insertion (11.1% versus 8.3%, p = 0.0001). Among nonagenarians, compared with the transapical group, patients undergoing transfemoral TAVR had lower 30-day (7.2% versus 13.6%, p = 0.0001) and 1-year (23.8% versus 31.6%, p = 0.0001) mortality rates, were more likely to be discharged home (54.4% versus 34.1%, p = 0.0001), and had lower 30-day readmission rates (23.8% versus 31.8%, p = 0.0001). After adjustment for patient characteristics, transapical TAVR was an independent predictor of 30-day mortality rate (OR 1.94, 95% CI: 1.48 to 2.56, p = 0.0001) and readmission (OR 1.46, 95% CI: 1.19 to 1.80, p = 0.0003). Conclusions In patients undergoing TAVR, although 30-day and 1-year mortality rates were slightly worse for nonagenarians than their younger counterparts, long-term survival was still encouraging, with 75% of nonagenarians living to 1 year. Transapical TAVR was associated with worse outcomes in nonagenarians.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT OF KKNI AT ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF INKAFA GRESIK

Artikel penelitian ini membahas tentang kurikulum Kerangka Kualifikasi Nasional Indonesia (KKNI) di jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Institut Keislaman Abdullah Faqih (INKFA) Gresik. Kuri-kulum adalah seperangkat materi, rencana pembelajaran, hasil belajar, proses dan evaluasi pembelajaran. Kum-pulan materi, rencana pembelajaran, isi dann evaluasi merupakan pedoman proses pembelajaran untuk mencapai hasil belajar dalam pendidikan tinggi. Kuri-kulum pendidikan tinggi dirancang dan kembangkan oleh masing-masing program studi untuk mencapai target hasil belajar berdasarkan Kerangka Kualifikasi Nasional Indonesia (KKNI). Analisis kebutuhan, wa-wancara, diskusi digunakan untuk mengumpulkan data dan melak-sanakan pengembangan kurikulum. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kurikulum diper-padukan antara kurikulum pesantren, kurikulum kelem-bagaan dan kurikulum jurusan Bahasa Inggris, hal ini guna untuk mendapatkan standar kompetensi pendi-dikan tinggi. Key-words: KKNI, Pesantren, Pendidikan tinggi
Formative feedback from the first-person perspective using Google Glass in a family medicine objective structured clinical examination station in the United States

PURPOSE:This case study explored the use of Google Glass in a clinical examination scenario to capture the first-person perspective of a standardized patient as a way to provide formative feedback on students' communication and empathy skills 'through the patient's eyes.' METHODS:During a 3-year period between 2014 and 2017, third-year students enrolled in a family medicine clerkship participated in a Google Glass station during a summative clinical examination. At this station, standardized patients wore Google Glass to record an encounter focused on communication and empathy skills 'through the patient's eyes.' Students completed an online survey using a 4-point Likert scale about their perspectives on Google Glass as a feedback tool (N= 255). RESULTS:We found that the students' experiences with Google Glass 'through the patient's eyes' were largely positive and that students felt the feedback provided by the Google Glass recording to be helpful. Although a third of the students felt that Google Glass was a distraction, the majority believed that the first-person perspective recordings provided an opportunity for feedback that did not exist before. CONCLUSION:Continuing exploration of first-person perspective recordings using Google Glass to improve education on communication and empathy skills is warranted.
Survival of the most transferable at the top of Jacob’s ladder: Defining and testing the ωB97M(2) double hybrid density functional

A meta-generalized gradient approximation, range-separated double hybrid (DH) density functional with VV10 non-local correlation is presented. The final 14-parameter functional form is determined by screening trillions of candidate fits through a combination of best subset selection, forward stepwise selection, and random sample consensus (RANSAC) outlier detection. The MGCDB84 database of 4986 data points is employed in this work, containing a training set of 870 data points, a validation set of 2964 data points, and a test set of 1152 data points. Following an xDH approach, orbitals from the ωB97M-V density functional are used to compute the second-order perturbation theory correction. The resulting functional, ωB97M(2), is benchmarked against a variety of leading double hybrid density functionals, including B2PLYP-D3(BJ), B2GPPLYP-D3(BJ), ωB97X-2(TQZ), XYG3, PTPSS-D3(0), XYGJ-OS, DSD-PBEP86-D3(BJ), and DSD-PBEPBE-D3(BJ). Encouragingly, the overall performance of ωB97M(2) on nearly 5000 data points clearly surpasses that of all of the tested density functionals. As a Rung 5 density functional, ωB97M(2) completes our family of combinatorially optimized functionals, complementing B97M-V on Rung 3, and ωB97X-V and ωB97M-V on Rung 4. The results suggest that ωB97M(2) has the potential to serve as a powerful predictive tool for accurate and efficient electronic structure calculations of main-group chemistry.
A Cost-Efficient Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Molecular Detection Technique for Clinical Applications

In this paper, we present a cost-efficient method for fabricating nanostructures for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrates. In this method, an aluminum foil is treated as a base substrate for in vitro application, but as a sacrificial substrate for in vivo application. Au is sputtered on etched aluminum foil at a thickness of 20 nm, which leads to a 106 times enhancement in a preliminary result from the surface enhanced Raman scattering substrate for in vitro measurements. The technique is also applied for in vivo measurements after etching the sacrificial aluminum foil substrate, resulting in enhanced Raman signals from the interior of opaque specimens. This shows that Au nanostructure on substrates is a promising technique for clinical diagnostic purposes, as a test probe can be covered by the nano-patterned gold in a remote spectrometer via an articulated arm.
Sustainable Dyeing with Synthetic Dyes

Dyers used skill and logic when they abandoned natural dyes in favor of synthetic dyes. Synthetic dyes were more reliable in strength and shade, did not contain insoluble impurities, or generate spent waste materials that required disposal. They largely avoided the need for mordants, and provided fast bright shades and, for the first time, fast black colors. They could be mixed to allow accurate color matching, and were applied in simpler processes that used far less water and energy. Synthetic dyes have continued to dominate the coloration of textiles while the volume of fiber used each year is now 25 times larger, of which 60 % or more is synthetic. Concern for the environment led to an examination of dyes and dyeing processes: a few synthetic dyes of potential toxicity were earmarked, and have subsequently disappeared from any dyehouse behaving responsibly, and that wishes to do business with major retailers. Recently, ‘sustainability’ and the erroneous assumptions that natural = harmless, and synthetic = toxic has prompted a voluminous research literature that (re)examines natural dyes. The literature ignores the factors that led originally to their abandonment. In addition, natural dyes cannot produce the amount of colorant required to dye the amounts of fiber produced each year. In contrast, synthetic dyes of all classes and the processes used to apply them become ever more efficient and clean, and offer safe and cost-effective coloration for the world’s textiles.
Stall cell formation over a post-stall airfoil: effects of active perturbations using plasma actuators

Stall cells have been observed over stalled airfoils by many researchers and there have been extensive discussions in the literature on their formation mechanism. They have been known to be unsteady and sensitive to even the smallest upstream perturbations, and therefore, can be made spatially steady by fixing the upstream perturbation location. In the current experimental work, flow with a Reynolds number of 5·105 over a stalled VR-7 airfoil with an aspect ratio 3 was perturbed using a single nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (NS-DBD) plasma actuator positioned near the leading edge and covering the span of the airfoil. Surface oil flow visualization and stereo particle image velocimetry were employed to investigate spanwise non-uniformities on the airfoil surface as well as in the flow. The results show a gradual appearance of stall cells by increasing the perturbation Strouhal number to approximately 3 times the natural shedding Strouhal number of Stn = 0.6 (Ste ~ 3Stn). The stall cells become well-defined and eventually saturated with no further changes with increasing perturbation Strouhal number beyond 10Stn. The instability responsible for the stall cells is self-sustained as the stall cells persist after the perturbations are stopped. The results of the current work are discussed and interpreted using recent modal and non-modal linear global instability analyses, even though they are carried out in much lower Reynolds number laminar stalled flows over airfoils.
Isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles from Caenorhabditis elegans for multi-omic analysis

Cells from bacteria to human release vesicles into their extracellular environment. These extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain multiple classes of molecules, including nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. The isolation and analysis of EV cargos from mammalian cell culture and liquid biopsy samples has become a powerful approach for uncovering the messages that are packaged into these organelles. However, this type of research is not yet possible for invertebrate model systems, because methods have yet to be developed to obtain sufficient amounts of pure EVs. Here we report a robust and reproducible procedure to isolate EVs from Caenorhabditis elegans with yields similar to those obtained from human cell culture. Through nanoparticle tracking, transmission electron microscopy, flow cytometry, mass spectrometry, RNAseq, and immunoaffinity analysis we provide the first ever detailed characterization of C. elegans EV composition and demonstrate that C. elegans EVs share fundamentally similar properties with their mammalian counterparts. These include vesicle size, enrichment for lipid rafts, and similar types of RNA and protein cargos. This ability of isolate pure EVs on a scale amenable to multiple types of downstream analyses permits, for the first time, multi-omics characterization of EV cargos in an invertebrate model system.
Liver transplant, toxoplasmosis and kidney stones: connecting the dots.

A 62-year-old woman with a history of orthotopic liver transplantation for cirrhosis secondary to auto-immune hepatitis 3 months prior, presented with fever and new-onset seizures. Her maintenance immunosuppressive therapy included mycophenolate mofetil 500 mg twice a day, tacrolimus 1 mg
Dietary items in Early to Late Holocene human coprolites from Paisley Caves, Oregon, USA

This study describes the results of palynological, macrobotanical, and microfaunal investigations of 19 coprolites from the Paisley Five Mile Point Caves locality (35LK3400) situated in south-central Oregon, USA. This collection represents two discreet chronological phases (ca. 2200 and 9600–10800 radiocarbon years before present (RCYBP)) and suggests the use of a wide array of faunal and floral resources found adjacent to the cave complex. Here we compare macrofossils, animal hair and pollen recovered from these samples with regional ethnographic and historic data to infer probable exploitation of dietary resources by the inhabitants of the rockshelter. Our results suggest that the residents of the Paisley Caves during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene transition followed subsistence regimes heavily reliant on lagomorphs and dryland plant resources similar to those employed by later Native groups.
Innervation of thermogenic adipose tissue via a calsyntenin 3β–S100b axis

The sympathetic nervous system drives brown and beige adipocyte thermogenesis through the release of noradrenaline from local axons. However, the molecular basis of higher levels of sympathetic innervation of thermogenic fat, compared to white fat, has remained unknown. Here we show that thermogenic adipocytes express a previously unknown, mammal-specific protein of the endoplasmic reticulum that we term calsyntenin 3β. Genetic loss or gain of expression of calsyntenin 3β in adipocytes reduces or enhances functional sympathetic innervation, respectively, in adipose tissue. Ablation of calsyntenin 3β predisposes mice on a high-fat diet to obesity. Mechanistically, calsyntenin 3β promotes endoplasmic-reticulum localization and secretion of S100b—a protein that lacks a signal peptide—from brown adipocytes. S100b stimulates neurite outgrowth from sympathetic neurons in vitro. A deficiency of S100b phenocopies deficiency of calsyntenin 3β, and forced expression of S100b in brown adipocytes rescues the defective sympathetic innervation that is caused by ablation of calsyntenin 3β. Our data reveal a mammal-specific mechanism of communication between thermogenic adipocytes and sympathetic neurons. The newly identified calsyntenin 3β protein has a role in the innervation of thermogenic fat through a mechanism of communication—which is unique to mammals—between thermogenic adipocytes and sympathetic neurons.