cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ekman Volume Fluxes for the World Ocean and Individual Ocean Basins

Abstract Monthly climatological estimates of wind stress have been used to compute Ekman volume fluxes in the world ocean. Specifically, meridional and zonal Ekman volume fluxes have been computed and from the divergence of these horizontal components, the vertical Ekman volume flux at the base of the Ekman layer has been computed. We have zonally integrated the meridional and vertical components across the world ocean and individual ocean basins, and present maps of the time-latitude variation of these transports. The contribution of the Pacific Ocean dominates the global zonal integrals in the extratropics. lle Indian Ocean exhibits a large annual cycle in meridional Ekman volume flux. Ekman upwelling in the tropics of the Atlantic and Pacific occurs from June through November. The maximum upward vertical Ekman volume flux slightly exceeds 2.5 sverdrup in the Pacific and 1.0 sverdrup in the Atlantic and occurs centered around 10°N in each ocean.
Evaluation of 3,3'-diindolylmethane with gardasil quadrivalent HPV vaccine in K14-HPV16-transgenic mice cervical histology

Background: The effects of 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) together with Gardasil vaccine on cervical histology were evaluated using the K14-HPV16 transgenic mouse model. The possibility that DIM could enhance the efficacy of this preventive vaccine in this model was explored. Materials and Methods: Transgenic mice were given 1000mg/kg of DIM in the diet for 28 weeks. The mice were injected with Gardasil Quadrivalent HPV vaccine. Some mice were sacrificed at 28 weeks. Other groups were removed from the DIM diet after 28 weeks to a diet with no DIM for either 4 or 8 weeks. Results: Cervical histology indicated that a high percentage of transgenic mice fed DIM and vaccinated with Gardasil manifested normal cervical epithelium at 4 weeks after DIM discontinuation. Conclusion: Vaccination pre-supplemented with DIM may provide a window of protection of at least four weeks in this transgenic model. However, extrapolation to the effect in humans is beyond the limited scope of the histological data presented here. While increased screening has reduced the incidence of cervical cancer by over 80% in the United States, this cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide (1). Gardasil vaccine can prevent initial infection by two of the high risk human papilloma virus (HPV) types HPV 16 and 18 that are responsible for about 70% of all cervical cancer (2). The vaccine does not prevent cervical epithelial changes and has no effect on cervical
Creating the Special Issue on Family and Health Communication

Throughout our long-time collaboration, we have always produced lists of things to tackle when travel and work bring us together. In recent years, we have gotten much better at being more judicious...
Hannah Arendt reads Carl Schmitt’s The Nomos of the Earth: A dialogue on law and geopolitics from the margins:

Many studies have deduced subterranean dialogues between Hannah Arendt and Carl Schmitt from indirect evidence. This article uses new evidence from marginalia in Arendt’s copy of Nomos of the Earth and finds that she formed, but never published, an incisive critique of Schmitt’s geopolitics. Through an analysis of Arendt’s comments on the topics of soil, conquest, and contract, I show that Arendt deemed Schmitt’s theory to be imperialist and in contradiction with itself. Her reading of Schmitt prompts important new questions regarding the scholarly use of Schmitt’s conception of nomos as a tool of critique against American empire in the post-9/11 era. The marginalia also suggests, against past scholarship, that Arendt thought justice should play a central role in politics. I propose that we look to Arendt’s own conception of nomos, which she developed later, in order to form an alternative geopolitics. Because of her focus on intersubjective world-building, Arendt’s nomos embraces contract and promise-mak...
Infrared and Ultraviolet Raman Spectra of AlN Thin Films Grown on Si(111)

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy and ultraviolet near-resonance enhanced Raman scattering have been used as alternative techniques to characterize the AlN films grown on Si(111). Epitaxial AlN films have been prepared by plasma source molecular beam epitaxy (PSMBE) at growth temperatures of 400 and 650 °C. The AlN/Si grown at 650 °C shows distinct reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns with the following epitaxial relations: AlN [0001] || Si [111], and AlN % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+- % feaagKart1ev2aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn % hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqr1ngB % PrgifHhDYfgasaacH8srps0lbbf9q8WrFfeuY-Hhbbf9v8qqaqFr0x % c9pk0xbba9q8WqFfea0-yr0RYxir-Jbba9q8aq0-yq-He9q8qqQ8fr % Fve9Fve9Ff0dmeaabaqaciGacaGaaeqabaWaaeaaeaaakeaacqGH8a % apcaaIWaGaaGymamaanaaabaGaaGymaaaacaaIWaGaeyOpa4daaa!3CB2! $$ $$ || Si % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+- % feaagKart1ev2aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn % hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqr1ngB % PrgifHhDYfgasaacH8srps0lbbf9q8WrFfeuY-Hhbbf9v8qqaqFr0x % c9pk0xbba9q8WqFfea0-yr0RYxir-Jbba9q8aq0-yq-He9q8qqQ8fr % Fve9Fve9Ff0dmeaabaqaciGacaGaaeqabaWaaeaaeaaakeaacqGH8a % apcaaIXaGaaGymamaanaaabaGaaGOmaaaacqGH+aGpaaa!3BFA! $$ $$ . This is in sharp contrast with the observation of a spotty RHEED pattern for AlN/Si sample grown at 400 °C, which appeared the same when viewed along any Si azimuth. Furthermore, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) rocking curve width showed a significant reduction from 5.7° for sample grown at 400 °C to 2° for the one grown at 650 °C. The observation of Raman active A1(LO) and E2, and IR active E1(TO) zone center phonons, in both the films, is in accordance with the c-axis orientation of the films. However, the observed phonon mode frequencies and line widths indicate that the AlN samples grown at 400 °C have less strain but more disorder compared to the ones grown at 650 °C in agreement with RHEED and XRD data.
Induction of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis in a laboratory strain of house flies.

During the past few years the insecticidal properties of Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis Berliner, have been evaluated extensively. During this time Feigin (1963) was unable to induce resistance to this material in house flies, Musca domestica L., and indicated that development of resistance to it by house flies would he relatively slow. However, preliminary studies at this laboratory in 1962 indicated that adult house flies could develop some resistance to this pathogen. Work on this study was conducted in 1963 and 1964, apparently simultaneously to that by Harvey and Howell (1964), and the results obtained were in agreement with theirs. Since no other reports of resistance by insects to this material have appeared, this work is offered to confirm their research.
Hemostatic alterations in inflammatory bowel disease - Response to therapy

Twelve patients with acute, untreated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were followed prospectively for coagulation and platelet function. With no symptomatic coagulopathy, abnormalities were found in all patients. With acute diseases, elevations of fibrinogen (9/12), factor V (8/12), and factor VIII (6/12) were common. Depressions of antithrombin III levels were also observed acutely (8/12). Abnormalities of platelets were both quantitative and qualitative. Thrombocytosis was present (11/12), and abnormalities in the rate and percent platelet aggregation were seen (9/10). During therapy, factors V and VIII, antithrombin III levels, and the quantitative and qualitative platelet abnormalities returned towards normal in direct correlation with sedimentation rate and clinical disease activity.
Unilateral Erythema Nodosum following Norethindrone Acetate, Ethinyl Estradiol, and Ferrous Fumarate Combination Therapy

Erythema nodosum is a septal panniculitis that typically presents as symmetric, tender nodules on the anterior aspects of bilateral lower extremities. Nearly half of cases are due to secondary causes, with oral contraceptive pills being the leading pharmaceutical cause. However, to our knowledge, there has yet to be a published association with norethindrone acetate, ethinyl estradiol, and ferrous fumarate. We report our experience with a 30-year-old woman who developed unilateral tender nodules within a month of starting 1 mg norethindrone acetate and 20 mcg ethinyl estradiol daily. Of note, she had previously taken oral contraceptives with the same estrogen agent but different progesterone, without problems. We conclude that systemically triggered erythema nodosum can present with lesions localized to one extremity. When a patient presents with tender, firm nodules, clinicians should consider the possibility of erythema nodosum and its triggers, such as oral contraceptives. Additionally, should a patient on hormonal therapy develop erythema nodosum, changing the progesterone agent may allow the patient to continue similar therapy without developing symptoms.
The addition of nebulised magnesium to the standard asthma therapy for children with severe symptoms results in small improvements in asthma severity scores.

Commentary on: Powell C, Kolamunnage-Dona R, Lowe J, et al. MAGNEsium Trial In Children (MAGNETIC): a randomised, placebo-controlled trial and economic evaluation of nebulised magnesium sulphate in acute severe asthma in children. Health Technol Assess 2013;17:1–216.[OpenUrl][1][Web of Science][2] The prior research has found that magnesium sulfate given intravenously acts as a bronchodilator and improves airway obstruction in status asthmaticus.1 The intravenous route requires substantial resources for administration and close monitoring due to concerns for adverse effects, such as hypotension. Several studies have suggested that nebulised magnesium may also have benefits.2 If the efficacy was demonstrated for nebulised magnesium, it could be added to bronchodilators in the standard asthma treatment protocols, providing an important advance in the treatment … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DHealth%2BTechnol%2BAssess%26rft.volume%253D17%26rft.spage%253D1%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000317180500001&link_type=ISI
Liver Allograft Provides Immunoprotection for the Cardiac Allograft in Combined Heart-Liver Transplantation

When transplanted simultaneously, the liver allograft has been thought to have an immunoprotective role on other organs; however, detailed analyses in simultaneous heart-liver transplantation (SHLT) have not been done to date. We analyzed patient outcomes and incidence of immune-mediated injury in 22 consecutive SHLT versus 223 isolated heart transplantation (IHT) recipients between January 2004 and December 2013, by reviewing 3912 protocol- and indication-specific cardiac allograft biopsy specimens. Overall survival was similar (86.4%, 86.4%, and 69.1% for SHLT and 93.3%, 84.7%, and 70.0% for IHT at 1, 5, and 10 years; p = 0.83). Despite similar immunosuppression, the incidence of T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) was lower in SHLT (31.8%) than in IHT (84.8%) (p < 0.0001). Although more SHLT patients had preexisting donor-specific HLA antibody (22.7% versus 8.1%; p = 0.04), the incidence of antibody-mediated rejection was not different in SHLT compared with IHT (4.5% versus 14.8%, p = 0.33). While the left ventricular ejection fraction was comparable in both groups at 5 years, the incidence and severity of cardiac allograft vasculopathy were reduced in the SHLT recipients (42.9% versus 66.8%, p = 0.03). Simultaneously transplanted liver allograft was associated with reduced risk of TCMR (odds ratio [OR] 0.003, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0-0.02; p < 0.0001), antibody-mediated rejection (OR 0.04, 95% CI 0-0.46; p = 0.004), and cardiac allograft vasculopathy (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.07-0.84; p = 0.02), after adjusting for other risk factors. These data suggest that the incidence of alloimmune injury in the heart allograft is reduced in SHLT recipients.
Attempting to Honor Beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses at the Edge of Viability in an Infant Born at 23 Weeks' Gestational Age.

Background Infants born at 23 weeks' gestation have a poor prognosis and require intensive care, including blood transfusions, to survive. Generally speaking, the decision to forgo life support is acceptable. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that life is sacred and want lifesaving interventions except for blood transfusions. Therefore, an ethical dilemma exists when a baby is born on the edge of viability to parents that are Jehovah's Witnesses. In this case, if parents and healthcare professionals disagree on the best interests of the child, the medical team should obtain a court order from the state to intervene. Case report We present the case of an infant born at 23 weeks' gestation to parents who are Jehovah's Witnesses. The parents wanted full life-support, except for blood transfusions, to be given. The clinical team obtained a court order to transfuse the infant. The infant unfortunately died despite all efforts. Conclusions Currently, it is nearly impossible to honor the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses to provide lifesaving treatments without blood transfusions for infants born at the border of viability. If the goal is to prolong life, the standard of care for a premature infant is for a doctor to obtain a court order to override the beliefs and wishes of Jehovah's Witness parents and transfuse blood products as medically indicated. Although bloodless techniques for high-risk surgeries are under development, care for premature infants at 23 weeks' gestation necessitates red cell transfusions.
Reoperation for intra-abdominal abscess.

Postoperative intra-abdominal abscess remains a clinical problem necessitating reoperation. The diagnosis requires an understanding of the pathophysiology of abscess formation and is made most consistently when patients at risk have a positive CT scan.Nevertheless, clinical judgment may be required to decide to perform an empiric reoperation when objective documentation of the diagnosis cannot be achieved. Surgical drainage is still the mainstay of management.
Metacognition of Working Memory Performance: Trial-by-Trial Subjective Effects from a New Paradigm

Investigators have begun to examine the fleeting urges and inclinations that subjects experience when performing tasks involving response interference and working memory. Building on this research, we developed a paradigm in which subjects, after learning to press certain buttons when presented with certain letters, are presented with two action-related letters (the memoranda) but must withhold responding (4 s) until cued to emit the response associated with only one of the two letters. In the Congruent condition, the action corresponds to the cue (e.g., memoranda = AB, cue = B, response = B); in the Incongruent condition, the action corresponds to the other item of the memoranda (e.g., memoranda = AB, cue = B, response = A). After each trial, subjects inputted a rating regarding their subjectively experienced “urge to err” on that trial. These introspection-based data revealed that, as found in previous research, urges to err were strongest for incongruent trials. Our findings reveal, first, that subjects can successfully perform this new task, even though it is more complex than that of previous studies, and second, that, in this new paradigm, reliable subjective, metacognitive data can be obtained on a trial-by-trial basis. We hope that our novel paradigm will serve as a foundation for future experimental projects on the relationship between working memory performance and consciousness—an under-explored nexus whose investigation is likely to reveal insights about working memory, cognitive control, and metacognition.
Chapter 6 – Teacher Pensions

Most educators in the United States receive retirement compensation via a subnational defined-benefit pension plan. These plans exert strong “pull” and “push” incentives over the course of the career and concentrate teacher retirements at relatively early ages compared to other professions. They also impose sharp penalties on geographically mobile teachers. Teacher pensions are a large and growing cost of public education. There are several reasons for the rising costs, but the biggest reason is that the unfunded liabilities of most plans are growing. The growth in unfunded liabilities is facilitated by the decoupling of contributions and benefits at the individual level, and represents a shift of wealth from young to older teachers in the United States. In response to fiscal pressures, some states are changing their plans, primarily for new teachers.
B12-Containing Enzymes

Vitamin B 12 , or cobalamin, was isolated from liver extracts over 50 years ago as a red crystalline metabolite that cured pernicious anemia in humans. The X-ray crystal structure of the cofactor and various derivatives subsequently showed that it has an elaborate organometallic structure. Cobalamin is widely distributed in nature and biochemical studies have shown that it facilitates enzymatic transformations that involve methyl group transfer and radical-mediated rearrangements. The biosynthesis of cobalamin, the molecular mechanisms of the transformations that are catalyzed by cobalamin-dependent enzymes, and the inherent chemical flexibility in this organometallic cofactor that permits it to participate in these disparate reactions have fascinated chemists and biochemists for decades. This article highlights the chemical transformations that are catalyzed by cobalamin-dependent enzymes.
Concluding Reflections: Heidegger, Art, Architecture, Ethics

In what sense can art and architecture be ethical? There are many ways to conceive of the ethical function of the arts, ranging from overt didacticism in works attempting to “teach a lesson” to the shock value in work hoping to unsettle, generating critical thinking and reflection. Yet, there is another way. To re-enchant the world is to find ways to re-embed Dasein in a spatiocultural environment, which might generate an implicit awareness of our relationship to the world around us, to its beauty, its significance, and its vulnerability. Therefore, when I speak of ethics, it should be clear that I am speaking of rekindling a particular type of ethical situatedness and art and architecture can play central roles in this process.
Improved Cycle Life and Stability of Lithium Metal Anodes through Ultrathin Atomic Layer Deposition Surface Treatments

Improving the cycle life and failure resistance of lithium metal anodes is critical for next-generation rechargeable batteries. Here, we show that treating Li metal foil electrodes with ultrathin (∼2 nm) Al2O3 layers using atomic layer deposition (ALD) without air exposure can prevent dendrite formation upon cycling at a current density of 1 mA/cm2. This has the effect of doubling the lifetime of the anode before failure both under galvanostatic deep discharge conditions and cyclic plating/stripping of symmetric Li–Li cells. The ALD treated electrodes can be cycled for 1259 cycles before failure occurs, which is attributed to improved electrode morphology resulting from homogeneous Li ion flux across the electrode/electrolyte interface.
Junior research track faculty in U.S. schools of nursing: Resources and expectations.

Abstract Background Concerns about U.S. nursing research workforce preparation and success in the research arena require information about support mechanisms and readiness because the first research position is key to researcher retention and success. Purpose The purpose was to describe the state of junior nursing research faculty recruitment terms, nursing programs' support during the first 2 years of employment, and administrators' views about strengths and weaknesses of the junior nursing research faculty pool and adequacy of the support provided. Methods Survey administrators in all U.S. nursing programs offering research doctorates (n = 125; response rate: 52%). Discussion Resource availability varied widely across institutions. Most respondents reported resources were adequate regardless of the actual level provided. Administrators' teaching and research expectations of these faculty also varied widely. Administrators identified readiness to perform as an issue of concern. Conclusion As consumers of nursing research program graduates and as administrators responsible for the nursing research enterprise, deans need to take collective as well as individual actions.
Energy Optimal Distributed Beamforming Using Unmanned Vehicles

In this paper, we consider a team of unmanned vehicles that are tasked with distributed transmit beamforming (virtual antenna array placement and design), in order to co-operatively transmit information to a remote station in realistic communication environments. We are interested in the energy-aware (both motion and communication energy) co-optimization of robotic paths and transmission powers for cooperative transmit beamforming under a reception quality requirement. We first consider the case where the channel is known. For this case, we propose an efficient approach for getting arbitrarily close to the optimum solution, which involves solving a series of multiple-choice knapsack problems. We then extend our analysis and methodology to the case where the channel is not known. The robots then probabilistically predict the channel at unvisited locations and integrate it with path planning and decision making for energy-aware distributed transmit beamforming. Finally, we extensively confirm our proposed approach with several simulation results with real channel parameters. Our results highlight the underlying trends of the optimum strategy and indicate considerable energy savings.
Chronic toxicity of graphene and graphene oxide in sequencing batch bioreactors: A comparative investigation.

Abstract The present study investigates the chronic toxicity of graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO) in activated sludge. Sequencing batch bioreactors were fed with influents containing 0, 1 and 5 mg L−1 of GO or G (12 h cycles) for ten days. Reduction in performance of the bioreactors in relation to chemical oxygen demand, ammonia and phosphate removals was observed after three days in the bioreactors fed with 5 mg L−1 of nanomaterials. After about eight days, these reactors reached a steady state nutrient removal, which corresponded to recovery of certain groups of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and phosphate accumulating bacteria despite the increasing accumulation of nanomaterials in the sludge. These results suggested that biological treatment can be affected transiently by initial exposure to the nanomaterials, but certain groups of microorganisms, less sensitive to these nanomaterials, can potentially strive in the presence of these nanomaterials. Results of 16S rRNA gene deep sequencing showed that G and GO affected differently the microbial communities in the activated sludge. Between the two nanomaterials investigated, GO presented the highest impact in nutrient removal, gene abundance and changes in microbial population structures.
Plate tectonics and continental basaltic geochemistry throughout Earth history

Abstract Basaltic magmas constitute the primary mass flux from Earth's mantle to its crust, carrying information about the conditions of mantle melting through which they were generated. As such, changes in the average basaltic geochemistry through time reflect changes in underlying parameters such as mantle potential temperature and the geodynamic setting of mantle melting. However, sampling bias, preservation bias, and geological heterogeneity complicate the calculation of representative average compositions. Here we use weighted bootstrap resampling to minimize sampling bias over the heterogeneous rock record and obtain maximally representative average basaltic compositions through time. Over the approximately 4 Ga of the continental rock record, the average composition of preserved continental basalts has evolved along a generally continuous trajectory, with decreasing compatible element concentrations and increasing incompatible element concentrations, punctuated by a comparatively rapid transition in some variables such as La/Yb ratios and Zr, Nb, and Ti abundances approximately 2.5 Ga ago. Geochemical modeling of mantle melting systematics and trace element partitioning suggests that these observations can be explained by discontinuous changes in the mineralogy of mantle partial melting driven by a gradual decrease in mantle potential temperature, without appealing to any change in tectonic process. This interpretation is supported by the geochemical record of slab fluid input to continental basalts, which indicates no long-term change in the global proportion of arc versus non-arc basaltic magmatism at any time in the preserved rock record.
Distal Clavicular Fractures and Acromioclavicular Dislocations

Distal clavicle fractures and acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocations occur from similar mechanisms of injury and are usually treated nonoperatively. Despite disturbing clinical deformity and nonunion development, functional outcomes are similar whether treatment is nonoperative or operative. When surgery is selected, the hook plate is used for both types of injuries. The operative technique with hook plate fixation is demonstrated.
Modifying the Lantibiotic Mutacin 1140 for Increased Yield, Activity, and Stability

Mutacin 1140 belongs to the epidermin family of type AI lantibiotics. This family has a broad spectrum of activity against Gram-positive bacteria. The binding of mutacin 1140 to lipid II leads to the inhibition of cell wall synthesis. Pharmacokinetic experiments with type AI lantibiotics are generally discouraging for clinical applications due to the short half-life of these compounds. The unprotected dehydrated and protease-susceptible residues outside the lanthionine rings may play a role in the short half-life in physiological settings. Previous mutagenesis work on mutacin 1140 has been limited to the lanthionine-forming residues, the C-terminally decarboxylated residue, and single amino acid substitutions at residues Phe1, Trp4, Dha5, and Arg13. To study the importance of the dehydrated (Dha5 and Dhb14) and protease-susceptible (Lys2 and Arg13) residues within mutacin 1140 for stability and bioactivity, each of these residues was evaluated for its impact on production and inhibitory activity. More than 15 analogs were purified, enabling direct comparison of the activities against a select panel of Gram-positive bacteria. The efficiency of the posttranslational modification (PTM) machinery of mutacin 1140 is highly restricted on its substrate. Analogs in the various intermediate stages of PTMs were observed as minor products following single point mutations at the 2nd, 5th, 13th, and 14th positions. The combination of alanine substitutions at the Dha5 and Dhb14 positions abolished mutacin 1140 production, while the production was restored by substitution of a Gly residue at one of these positions. Analogs with improved activity, productivity, and proteolytic stability were identified.IMPORTANCE Our findings show that the efficiency of mutacin 1140 PTMs is highly dependent on the core peptide sequence. Analogs in various intermediate stages of PTMs can be transported by the bacterium, which indicates that PTMs and transport are finely tuned for the native mutacin 1140 core peptide. Only certain combinations of amino acid substitutions at the Dha5 and Dhb14 dehydrated residue positions were tolerated. Observation of glutamylated core peptide analogs shows that dehydrations occur in a glutamate-dependent manner. Interestingly, mutations at positions outside rings A and B, the lipid II binding domain, would interfere with lipid II binding. Purified mutacin 1140 analogs have various activities and selectivities against different genera of bacteria, supporting the effort to generate analogs with higher specificity against pathogenic bacteria. The discovery of analogs with improved inhibitory activity against pathogenic bacteria, increased stability in the presence of protease, and higher product yields may promote the clinical development of this unique antimicrobial compound.
Preoperative Sarcopenia Portends Worse Outcomes After Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

Background Sarcopenia may be an indicator of frailty. We used the total psoas area index (TPAI) to identify sarcopenia and evaluated the effect of preoperative TPAI on outcomes after descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (DTAA) repair. Methods Patients with DTAA between 2007 and 2015 who were undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) and open surgical repair (OSR) with available preoperative imaging were analyzed. Sarcopenia was defined as TPAI Results A total of 282 of 386 DTAA repairs had imaging available for TPAI measurements; 71 of 282 (25%) patients underwent TEVAR, and 211 of 282 (75%) underwent OSR. Preoperative sarcopenia was similar in the two groups (OSR, 57% vs TEVAR, 48%, p = 0.188). Risk factors for sarcopenia were age >70 years, female sex, and large body surface area, whereas heritable thoracic aortic disease was a protective factor. OSR-treated patients with sarcopenia were older compared with patients without sarcopenia (p Conclusions Preoperative sarcopenia significantly correlated with postoperative adverse events and long-term mortality after DTAA repair. If anatomically feasible, TEVAR should be considered in sarcopenic patients.
From Political Arithmetic to Social Statistics: How Some Nineteenth-Century Roots of the Social Sciences were Implanted

Statistics is in many respects a hallmark of the modern age, and a central example of the novel discourses and cultural practices which gave rise to the modern intellectual world1 It is at once a technology and basic idiom on which all sorts of administrations and organizations depend; a fundamental tool for much scientific work, in virtually any field of empirical science; a part of everyday consciousness in major and minor ways, whenever citizens judge the economic performance of governments, or teachers and parents assess the academic achievement of students, or sportsfans scan the charts and tables filled with rankings and percentages in a daily newspaper2.
¿El perro: el mejor amigo del hombre? Las raíces americanas de la domesticación de España en las obras de Las Casas

Aunque la imagen tradicional de Las Casas es la del defensor de los indios, el enfoque en este aspecto de sus actividades filosoficas reduce y simplifica la extension maxima de sus ideas. A traves de su escritura, este fraile desarrolla una serie de conceptos que explican como el estado de excepcion de los pueblos indigenas era el catalizador de la civilizacion de los espanoles, el mismo grupo que pretendia civilizar a los indios. Este articulo examina la representacion de lo canino en las obras de Las Casas como parte del proyecto civilizador no de los indios, sino de los espanoles. Su presencia en la las obras de Las Casas sirvio para hacer hincapie en los mensajes que condenaban el comportamiento de los espanoles en sus interacciones con los indigenas. En ultima instancia, lo que propone este trabajo es una nueva lectura de las obras de Las Casas que interpreta sus ideas no solo como uno de los primeros defensores de los derechos indigenas, sino tambien como un filosofo politico que reconocio la necesidad de entregarse al poder absolutista para poder salir de la brutalidad de la excepcion que queda afuera de la sociedad. Although the traditional image of Las Casas is that of the defender of the indigenous peoples, the focus on this aspect of his philosophic activities reduces and simplifies that maximum extension of his ideas. Through his writing, Las Casas develops a series of concepts that explain how the state of exception of the indigenous populations was the catalyst of the actual civilization of the Spaniards, the very group that claimed to be civilizing the indigenous groups. This article examines the representation of the canine in the works of Las Casas as part of the civilizing project not of the Indians, but rather of the Spaniards. Its presence in the works of Las Casas emphasizes the messages that condemned the behavior of the Spaniards in their treatment of the Indians. Finally, this article proposes a new reading of Las Casas’ works that interprets his ideas not only as one of the first defenders of indigenous rights, but also as a political philosopher who understood the necessity to recognize a greater power to be able to overcome the brutality of the state of nature that exists outside of society.
Robust Hybrid Kalman Filter for a Class of Nonlinear Systems

Motivated by real-world applications with intermittent sensor data, an extended Kalman filter is formulated as a hybrid system and constructive conditions on its parameters guaranteeing an asymptotic stability property are provided. The dynamical properties of the estimation error are first characterized infinitesimally so to yield bounds on the rate of convergence and overshoot that depend on the parameters. By recasting the problem as the stabilization of a compact set, robustness properties of the proposed algorithm in the presence of disturbances in the system dynamics as well as measurement noise in the output are established. The proposed strategy is applied to spacecraft relative motion control with position-only measurements.
Aqueous systems at high temperature—VII: Liquid-liquid immiscibility and critical phenomena in the systems UO3SO3H2O, UO3SO3D2O and CuOSO3D2O, 270–430°C

In the condensed systems UO3SO3H2O, UO3SO3D2O and CuOSO3D2O boundary limits of liquid-liquid immiscibility were extended to compositions at which L1 = V = supercritical fluid at several fixed concentrations of SO3. These (isothermal) critical end points were found at temperatures between 374 and 430°C with solutions having molal ratios, mmetallic oxide: mSO3, between 0·20 and 0·50 depending upon the concentration of SO3 in the systems. A second liquid phase was not observed at lower molal ratios. Instead, critical phenomena (in this paper used to designate the disappearance of the meniscus between liquid and vapour phases and not to specify the appearance of a second liquid phase) revealed concentrations of UO3 or of CuO as high as 0·25 molal in a supercritical fluid SO3D2O, 1·0 molal in SO3. These observations coincided with those made previously which showed an appreciable solubility of the NiO component in the supercritical fluid SO3H2O.
The Benefit of Interventions to Reduce Posttraumatic Stress in Youth Exposed to Mass Trauma: A Review and Meta-Analysis

Numerous interventions to address posttraumatic stress (PTS) in youth exposed to mass trauma have been delivered and evaluated. It remains unclear, however, which interventions work for whom and under what conditions. This report describes a meta-analysis of the effect of youth mass-trauma interventions on PTS to determine if interventions were superior to inactive controls and describes a moderator analysis to examine whether the type of event, population characteristics, or income level of the country where the intervention was delivered may have affected the observed effect sizes. A comprehensive literature search identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of youth mass-trauma interventions relative to inactive controls. The search identified 2,232 references, of which 25 RCTs examining 27 trials (N = 4,662 participants) were included in this meta-analysis. Intervention effects were computed as Hedge's g estimates and combined using a random effects model. Moderator analyses were conducted to explain the observed heterogeneity among effect sizes using the following independent variables: disaster type (political violence versus natural disaster); sample type (targeted versus non-targeted); and income level of the country where the intervention was delivered (high- versus middle- versus low-income). The correlation between the estimates of the intervention effects on PTS and on functional impairment was estimated. The overall treatment effect size was converted into a number needed to treat (NNT) for a practical interpretation. The overall intervention effect was statistically significant (g = 0.57; P < .0001), indicating that interventions had a medium beneficial effect on PTS. None of the hypothesized moderators explained the heterogeneity among the intervention effects. Estimates of the intervention effects on PTS and on functional impairment were positively correlated (Spearman's r = 0.90; P < .0001), indicating a concomitant improvement in both outcomes. These findings confirm that interventions can alleviate PTS and enhance functioning in children exposed to mass trauma. This study extends prior research by demonstrating improvement in PTS with interventions delivered to targeted and non-targeted populations, regardless of the country income level. Intervention populations and available resources should be considered when interpreting the results of intervention studies to inform recommendations for practice.
Rumination: Practicing Retrieval of Autobiographical Memories

People who ruminate about negative personal experiences seem to be engaged in practicing retrieval, with the expected consequences of perpetuating those very memories (see Roediger and Butler in Trends Cogn Sci 15:20–27, 2011). To provide an experimental model of the effect of retrieval practice on subsequent recall of autobiographical memories, we recruited students with low and high scores on the Ruminative Response Scale (Treynor et al. in Cogn Ther Res 27:247–259, 2003), gave them positive and ruminative cues to generate memories, and cued three rounds of practice of half of the memories from each valence. A week later, final cued recall for all memories showed strong practice effects, with the exception that ruminators benefited very little from the request to practice positive memories. Recalling personal memories benefits from prior practice in bringing them to mind. However, these results provide insufficient evidence to recommend training recall of positive autobiographical memories to counteract rumination.
Experimental Study for Crowdsourced Ride Quality Index Estimation Using Smartphones

AbstractThe use of smartphones to collect roughness measurements or ride quality has become popular in recent years, owing to the potential for substantial cost savings in data collection. Hurdles ...
A 15-year-old Boy with Right Lower Quadrant Abdominal Pain and Fever.

1. Hira Ahmed, DO† 2. Alicia Kodsi, MD† 3. Christina Gagliardo, MD*,‡ 4. Santina Bruno, DO† 5. Michelle Katzow, MD, MS† 1. *Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and 2. †Department of Pediatrics, Maimonides Infants and Children’s Hospital, Brooklyn, NY; 3. ‡Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine A 15-year-old previously healthy boy presents to the emergency department (ED) with 1 day of fever, right lower quadrant (RLQ) abdominal pain, and one episode of nonbloody, nonbilious emesis. A clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis is made, and he undergoes laparoscopic appendectomy and is discharged on postoperative day 1 without any pain. A pathology evaluation of the removed tissue reveals a normal appendix. Two days after discharge, he develops right hip and thigh pain, which progresses over the next 4 days; he again presents to the ED. Physical examination is significant for fever of 40.3°C, RLQ tenderness without rebound or guarding, well-healing surgical …
Psychosocial correlates of meeting national guidelines for muscle-strengthening activities in Latinas

BackgroundPerforming regular muscle-strengthening activity has numerous health benefits, including improvements in blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, and lean body mass. Despite the disproportionate p...
Poster Session D100-004: Poster Group: Political Economy in the Communist and Postcommunist Region

Who are the post-Soviet oligarchs? Have they been members of the nomenklatura before 1991? Did they accumulate their initial wealth before or after privatization? To answer these questions, I have compiled an original dataset of oligarchs drawing on publicly available biographical data in the fifteen republics of the former Soviet Union. The dataset covers the period from 1991 to 2011. There are two trends in the literature on oligarchs. One group of scholars argues that the oligarchs represent the former nomenklatura, while the second group claims that the members of the new business elites have diverse career backgrounds. The findings in this paper disconfirm the nomenklatura capitalism hypothesis. First, I show that many of the oligarchs were initially founders of cooperatives, some of them too young to be part of the party bureaucracy. Second, I parse out the oligarchic career paths, and suggest that most oligarchs made their fortunes by trading various goods during the perestroika period. Trading involved significant risks and was deemed as a quasi-criminal activity, so leading party officials were less likely to jeopardize their party careers by engaging in trading. Third, many oligarchs move from trading to banking and from banking to industry. The future oligarchs were individuals, who took high risks and accumulated their initial capital prior to the privatization rounds in their respective countries. However, numerous oligarchs have used their initial capital to become industrialists. This project contributes to a better understanding of the origins and emergence of oligarchs in the fifteen republics of the former Soviet Union.
Electrically Small Antenna Design for Transportable Ionospheric Heating

Ionospheric Heating, traditionally performed utilizing large fixed location arrays, while effective, limits research efforts to those fixed locations. As one may envision, a more compact transportable array will provide additional research opportunities at latitudes previously unexplored. For instance, closer to the equator where the Earth's magnetic field is primarily parallel to the ground. An electrically small inductively coupled antenna is considered for its suitability in such an array. A Small or Semi Loop Antenna (SLA) inductively couples to a Capacitively Loaded Loop (CLL) providing high efficiency and natural 50 $\Omega$ port matching. The CLL, of hinged petal design, consists of a large parallel plate capacitor, and half cylinder inductive sections which are hinged at the base to allow for tuning in the range of ionospheric heating (3 - 10 MHz) with a plate included angle of 0 - 16°. A prototype antenna was designed and evaluated at 1/10th scale - for ease of research efforts - with tuning range of 30 - 100 MHz including capability of tuning the coupling between SLA and CLL to achieve good source matching across the tuning range, particularly at the low and high ends. This tuning method may also be used to compensate for mutual impedance effects in array operation, improving array performance. A gain of approximately 5 dBi is observed when placed upon a sufficiently large ground plane. Tuning of the antenna prototype is achieved via stepper motor driven system to remotely adjust both the CLL and SLA angles continuously.
Use of the conjugate peak refinement algorithm for identification of ligand-binding pathways in globins.

Abstract Determination of the three‐dimensional structures of the globins led to the problem of determining how the ligands bound to the heme. In many of these structures there was no clear path from the solvent to the ligand‐binding site. Even in those structures that appeared to have one or more tunnels from the exterior to the heme, it was not clear that these were the only paths for ligand access. Conjugate peak refinement (CPR) is a computational technique that can provide a minimum energy path between two conformations of a protein. By defining one conformation as the unbound structure with an external ligand and the other as the ligand‐bound structure, CPR can be used to determine a pathway for ligand binding.
New techniques for proving the decidability of equivalence problems

We will discuss several recently developed techniques for proving the decidability of the equivalence problem for devices defining languages and relations. Most of these techniques come from the development originated in the proof of the decidability of the DOL equivalence problem. Of particular importance is the recently shown validity of the Ehrenfeucht conjecture and its effective variants.
From the ionosphere to high energy astronomy - a personal experience

In the first half of the 20th century, recognition of the existence of an electrified layer of the upper atmosphere that provided a mode for radio communication over great distances on the Earth grew with little sense of the role of invisible solar radiation in creating the electrical mirror. Solar radiation was thought to be black-body in spectral shape characterized by a temperature of 6000 K with a maximum in the yellow-green, trailing off rapidly in the infrared and ultraviolet. None of this spectrum could produce significant ionization of the major constituents of the atmosphere.
Interleukin-4 Induces Expression of the Integrin αvβ3 via Transactivation of the β3 Gene

Osteoclastic bone resorption is dependent upon cell-matrix recognition. This process is mediated by the integrin αvβ3 whose expression is enhanced, in avian osteoclast precursors, by bone-seeking steroids. The purpose of this study was to determine if bone-modulating cytokines impact on αvβ3 expression by mouse marrow macrophages (BMMs), known to differentiate into osteoclasts. Of the cytokines tested. Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is most effective in increasing β3 mRNA levels by a mechanism involving transactivation of the β3 gene. Moreover, IL-4 augmented β3 mRNA is mirrored by plasma membrane appearance of αvβ3. As IL-4 induces β3 and not αv mRNA, the β3 chain appears to regulate surface expression of the heterodimer. The functional significance of IL-4-induced αvβ3 is underscored by the fact that, while attachment to fibronectin is unaltered, treatment of BMMs with the cytokine enhances αvβ3-mediated binding to vitronectin 5-fold. Expression of this heterodimer by BMMs driven along a non-osteoclastic lineage suggests αvβ3 may play a role in the inflammatory response of macrophages.
Coping strategies for women in computer science

Most CS Departments struggle with the under representation of women. Recently several events have brought this issue to focus for me as a professor in the computer science department.
The relation between collinear and 3-D dynamical calculations of reactive molecular collisions

Abstract One important difference between the results of collinear and of full 3-D dynamical computations arises from the difference in the available volume in phase space (1-D versus 3-D) which can be termed a “dimensionality-bias”. Correction for this phase space factor allows for a more realistic estimate of reaction cross sections, branching ratios and 3-D product energy distributions from collinear calculations.