cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding "understanding" in Public Understanding of Science.

This study examines the conflation of terms such as “knowledge” and “understanding” in peer-reviewed literature, and tests the hypothesis that little current research clearly distinguishes between importantly distinct epistemic states. Two sets of data are presented from papers published in the journal Public Understanding of Science. In the first set, the digital text analysis tool, Voyant, is used to analyze all papers published in 2014 for the use of epistemic success terms. In the second set of data, all papers published in Public Understanding of Science from 2010–2015 are systematically analyzed to identify instances in which epistemic states are empirically measured. The results indicate that epistemic success terms are inconsistently defined, and that measurement of understanding, in particular, is rarely achieved in public understanding of science studies. We suggest that more diligent attention to measuring understanding, as opposed to mere knowledge, will increase efficacy of scientific outreac...
Meditation Inhibits Aggressive Responses to Provocations

Meditation has been advocated as a mental practice designed to reduce suffering and increase virtuous behavior. Although it has been previously linked to altruistic acts, its ability to reduce aggression and related retributive behaviors remains open to question. Here, we report on an experiment in which participants were randomly assigned to a mindfulness meditation or active control condition 3 weeks prior to facing a real-time provocation known to evoke aggression. Participants’ capacities for executive control were also assessed subsequent to training. Results showed that 3 weeks of daily meditation practice substantially reduced aggressive behavior even in the absence of any enhanced executive control capabilities. These results suggest that meditation attenuates aggression through direct reductions in motives to cause harm to others.
Treatment options--commentary.

Abstract Although effective treatments are available for many children with LCH, there are many others for whom no definitive therapy yet exists. These patients include those with 1) multisystem disease and associated organ dysfunction, 2) chronic, relapsing disease, 3) new onset pituitary involvement associated with diabetes insipidus and 4) long-term complications such as pulmonary fibrosis, liver fibrosis or CNS involvement. This introductory paper discusses these clinical problem areas and then reviews several new therapeutic approaches including novel chemotherapeutic agents, immunosuppressive strategies, bone marrow transplantation and gene therapy.
The Importance of Culture and Change Management in Planning for an ERP Implementation

ERP projects tend to follow a lifecycle with several phases, yet the change aspect of an ERP project continues throughout the project. Organizations need to plan for change when they plan for imple...
Stage I Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome: Outcomes of Expectant Management and Prognostic Features.

Objective This article describes the natural history of stage I twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) including risk of progression to higher stage TTTS and pregnancy outcomes, and to identify risk factors for progression. Study Design Retrospective cohort study of monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twin pregnancies from 2006 to 2016 with expectantly managed Quintero stage I TTTS. Results A total of 30 MCDA twin pregnancies with expectantly managed stage I TTTS were identified. Of these, eight (26.7%) progressed to higher stage TTTS. Median gestational age (GA) at diagnosis for those that progressed was 18.9 ± 2.9 weeks versus 21.4 ± 3.4 weeks in those that remained stable (p = 0.06). Presence of an arterioarterial (A-A) anastomosis was assessed for 20/30 patients, and eight A-A were identified. Of those, 7/8 (87.5%) remained stable. In the complete cohort, a tiny or transiently visible bladder was noted in seven donor twins. Of these, 4/7 (57.1%) progressed. Excluding one termination, 47/58 (81.0%) fetuses survived. Conclusion With expectant management of stage I TTTS, nearly three-fourths of pregnancies remain stable and most have survival of ≥ 1 twin. A-A anastomoses were not associated with progression to higher stage TTTS, whereas earlier GA at diagnosis or a small or intermittently visible donor bladder may herald greater risk of progression.
How to Monitor Possible Side Effects of Enhanced Oil Recovery Process

To extract all the oil from a well, petroleum engineers pump hot reactive chemicals into the well. These Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes need to be thoroughly monitored, since the injected fluids can seep out of the production oil wells and, if unchecked, eventually pollute sources of drinking water. There is a need to measure the corresponding effects. One way to measure these underground effects is by observing seismic waves resulting from hot fluids-induced fracturing. Seismic waves generated by this fracturing are, however, weak in comparison with the background noise. Thus, the accuracy with which we can locate the spreading liquids based on these weak signals is low. Hence, we get only an approximate understanding of how those liquid propagate in the reservoir. To get a more accurate picture of the propagation of these fluids, we propose to use active seismic analysis: namely, we propose to generate strong seismic waves and use a large-N array of sensors to observe their propagation.
Inferior Vena Cava Filter Malpractice Litigation: Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don't.

Background The aim of this study was to analyze malpractice litigation trends and to better understand the causes and outcomes of suits involving inferior vena cava filters (IVCF) to prevent future litigation and improve physician education. Methods Jury verdict reviews from the Westlaw database from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2015, were reviewed. The search term “inferior vena cava filter” was used to compile data on the demographics of the defendant, plaintiff, allegation, complication, and verdict. Results A total of 156 cases were identified. Duplicates and cases in which the IVCF was incidentally included were excluded from the analysis. Forty-nine cases involving either failure to place or a complication of IVCF placement were identified. Throughout the last 15 years, there has been increased number of jury verdicts toward IVCF. The most frequent defendants were internal medicine physicians (38%), vascular surgeons (19%), and cardiothoracic surgeons (12%). The most frequent claims were denied treatment or delay in treatment (in 35% of cases), negligent surgery (in 24% of cases), and failure to diagnose and treat complications (in 24% of cases). Of these, the most frequent specific claims were failure to place IVC filter (41%), implantation failure such as misplacement and/or misaligned implant (24%), erosion of IVC/retroperitoneal bleed (6%), and discontinuation of anticoagulation prematurely (6%). Seventeen cases (35%) were found for the plaintiff, with median awards worth of $1,092,500. In the 21 cases where pulmonary embolism (PE) was involved (43% of cases), 19 were fatal (90%). Of the fatal PE cases, 8 cases ended with verdicts in favor of the plaintiff (42%). Both nonfatal PE cases were won by the defense. Conclusions IVCF placement with subsequent PE and death results in verdicts that favor the plaintiffs. This study emphasizes that adequate and transparent communication regarding preoperative planning, decision for IVCF placement, and informed consent may reduce the frequency of litigation. Public awareness of complications related to the placement of IVCF is increasing largely and spurned by aggressive advertising and marketing by plaintiff attorneys. Conditions for which IVCF placement is contemplated carry significant risk of malpractice litigation.
Paranoia and Self-Focused Attention

To discuss paranoia in the context of these proceedings raises some obvious questions: how is paranoia related to the concept of self, and why is paranoia of interest to selftheorists? This chapter posits an intimate and, in some ways, intuitively obvious connection between self-focused attention and paranoid thinking. It is difficult to discuss symptoms of paranoia without invoking notions of self-focus and, conversely, an examination of the cognitive consequences of self-attention readily evokes elements of paranoid cognition. That is, paranoia may be conceptualized as a clear, although perhaps extreme, example of thought that is driven by self- focus.
Mass trapping for detection, suppression and integration with other suppression measures against the boll weevil

The male boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, after feeding on cotton plants, emits an airborne pheromone which attracts both sexes of emerged overwintered adults prior to squaring of cotton plants. Cross et al. (1969) reported that male-baited sticky wing traps attracted female boll weevils. Hardee et al. (1969), in concurrent tests, observed that both male and female boll weevils responded to male-baited traps in the spring and in the fall. However, relatively few boll weevils responded to traps around cotton fields during the fruiting period from late June until late August. Mitchell and Hardee (1974) found that pheromone-baited traps placed in cotton fields during mid-season captured females primarily. Thus, the pheromone appears to serve as an aggregating attractant for both sexes of overwintered boll weevils and as a mating attractant for females seeking mates in cotton fields.
A Comparison of Corpus-Based Techniques for Restoring Accents in Spanish and French Text

This chapter will explore and compare three corpus-based techniques for lexical ambiguity resolution, focusing on the problem of restoring missing accents to Spanish and French text. Many of the ambiguities created by missing accents are differences in part of speech: hence one of the methods considered is an N-gram tagger using Viterbi decoding, such as is found in stochastic part-of-speech taggers. A second technique, Bayesian classification, has been successfully applied to word-sense disambiguation and is well suited for some of the semantic ambiguities which arise from missing accents. The third approach, based on decision lists, combines the strengths of the two other methods, incorporating both local syntactic patterns and more distant collocational evidence, and outperforms them both. The problem of accent restoration is particularly well suited for demonstrating and testing the capabilities of the given algorithms because it requires the resolution of both semantic and syntactic ambiguity, and offers an objective ground truth for automatic evaluation. The problem is also a practical one with immediate application.
THE EFFECT OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS ON THE SURVIVAL AND LIFE HISTORY OF POLYCHAETOUS ANNELIDS

Abstract The toxicity of seawater-soluble fractions of No. 2 fuel oil and South Louisiana crude oil to five species of polychaetous annelids ( Capitella capitata , Cirriformia spirabrancha , Ctenodrilus serratus , Ophryotrocha puerilis , and Ophryotrocha sp.) was determined. The results of these 28-day bioassays indicate a wide variability in sensitivity among the species tested with the two oils. The 28-day LC50 values ranged from 1.4 ppm of initial total hydrocarbons for 0. puerilis exposed to No. 2 fuel oil to 17.8 ppm for C. capitata exposed to South Louisiana crude oil. The water soluble fractions of No. 2 fuel oil were more toxic to all species tested than South Louisiana crude oil. The effects of petrochemicals on reproduction were measured for Ctenodrilus serratus and Ophryotrocha sp. Using the number of offspring produced as a measure of effect, a significant suppression in reproduction was noted at concentrations of 2.2 ppm and 1.3 ppm fuel oil to Ctenodrilus and Ophryotrocha , respectively, and at 9.9 ppm of South Louisiana crude oil for both species. A significant reproductive stimulation, however, was observed for Ophryotrocha sp. exposed to a concentration of 1.9 ppm of South Louisiana crude oil.
Glioblastoma-Derived Cancer Stem Cells: Treatment with Oncolytic Viruses

Accumulating evidence suggests that many cancers are organized as a cellular hierarchy that originates from stem-like neoplastic cells capable of initiating and sustaining tumor growth. Studies have shown the presence of cancer stem cells, or cancer-initiating cells, in glioblastoma (GBM), the most malignant primary brain tumor in adults. Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) are characterized by abilities to efficiently generate xenografts in immunodeficient mice as well as to self-renew and commit cellular differentiation. GSCs have been shown to be resistant to conventional therapies such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, suggesting GSCs’ contribution to tumor recurrence after current multimodal therapy. Therefore, development of therapies that target GSCs may be critical to improve outcome of GBM patients. Oncolytic viruses selectively replicate within and kill neoplastic cells while sparing normal tissues. Preclinical investigations of oncolytic viruses derived from different virus types have shown their potent anti-GBM efficacy in vitro and in rodent models of glioma. Early clinical trials have assured safety of using some of these viruses in the human brain, yet so far provided evidence for only modest efficacy, raising a question whether oncolytic viruses can target and eliminate GSCs. Our laboratory has isolated highly tumorigenic GSCs by establishing “neurosphere” cultures from human GBM specimens. Testing multiple oncolytic herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) with different genetic mutations revealed that oncolytic HSVs FΔ6 (ICP6-) and G47Δ (ICP6-, g34.5-, a47-) replicate in GSCs leading to their efficient destruction, whereas G207 (ICP6-, g34.5-) exhibits an attenuated property, demonstrating a significant impact that deletions of specific viral genes cause on oHSV efficacy against GSCs. G47Δ also suppressed clonogenic potential of GSCs that survived infection, implicating that oncolytic HSV can affect stem-like characteristics of GSCs. Moreover, using mouse models of GSC-derived GBM that include highly invasive phenotype, we showed that a single intratumoral injection of G47Δ mediates widespread infection of tumor, resulting in significant extension of survival of treated mice. These findings suggest that oncolytic HSV can be a powerful therapeutic modality toward eliminating GSCs and warrant further clinical investigation. This article reviews recent advances in oncolytic virus research specifically targeting GSCs, and discusses future directions to improve anti-GSC activities of oncolytic virus therapies.
Controlling the Counterfeit Product Problem: Marketing and Public Policy Implications of the Trademark Counterfeiting Act of 1984

Product counterfeiting is a growing problem for consumer and industrial marketers. In 1984, the Lanham Act was amended by the Trademark Counterfeiting Act in an attempt to more effectively control product counterfeiting. For the first time, federal trademark legislation includes criminal, as well as civil, penalties for product counterfeiters.
Protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibition abrogates the effect of Cr(VI) on the effectors of the G1/S checkpoint through mechanisms involving Akt

5202 Certain forms of hexavalent chromium [Cr (VI)] are human carcinogens. Previous work in our lab has shown that a broad range protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibitor, sodium orthovanadate (SOV) partially abrogated Cr (VI) - induced growth arrest and induced cell cycle checkpoint override, which was coincident with Akt activation. The aim of the present study was to determine the correlation between the Cr (VI)-induced Akt downregulation on the localization and expression of various effectors of the G1/S checkpoint (p21, p27, Cyclin D1 and phospho Rb) and the role of PTP inhibition in this effect. HLFs were treated with 0 -6µM of Cr (VI), with and without 10µM SOV, fixed on 8-well chambered coverslips and incubated with a primary antibody to either p21, p27, Cyclin D1 or phospho Ser 807/811 Rb followed by treatment with a secondary antibody conjugated to a fluorochrome, Alexafluor 488. These experiments were also performed with HLFs transfected with Akt-KD (kinase dead) and constitutively active Myr-Akt plasmids as well as HLFs in which Akt1 was silenced with siRNA. Cr (VI) caused nuclear localization of p27 as early as 4h after exposure. The addition of SOV alone had no effect on nuclear localization, but caused the nuclear export of p27 in the presence of Cr (VI), which was maximum at 24 hours. In cells in which Akt was knocked down by siRNA or transfected with the Akt-KD plasmid, p27 was localized in the nucleus after Cr(VI) exposure, even in the presence of SOV. Conversely, in cells transfected with the Myr-Akt plasmid, there was no nuclear localization of p27 in the presence of Cr(VI). Finally, Cr(VI) induced a punctuate nuclear staining of pRb which was abrogated by PTP inhibition. The total cellular levels of p27, p21, Cyclin D1, pRb and pSer473 Akt were determined by Western blotting techniques. Cr (VI) induced a dose-dependant decrease in the expression of p27, pSer 473 Akt, Cyclin D1 and pRb after 24h exposure, while SOV abrogated a decrease only in pSer 473 Akt and pRb expression. In conclusion, Akt activation is necessary for the cytosolic retention of p27 by SOV, which may be responsible in part for the previously observed activity of this PTP inhibitor in overriding Cr (VI)-induced checkpoint arrest and this effect appears to be independent of p27 protein expression. The bypass of cell cycle checkpoint arrest by Akt activation in the face of genotoxic damage could increase genomic instability and metastasis, which is a hallmark of neoplastic progression. This study was supported by NIH grants CA107972 to SC and E505304 and E509961 to SRP.
Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite Hydrogel Beads for Removalof Selenium in Contaminated Water

Selenium in water is becoming of increasing risk to human exposure because only recently serious health effects have been associated with their presence in water resources. The present study invest...
Stratifying risk for dementia onset using large-scale electronic health record data: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract Introduction Preventing dementia, or modifying disease course, requires identification of presymptomatic or minimally symptomatic high-risk individuals. Methods We used longitudinal electronic health records from two large academic medical centers and applied a validated natural language processing tool to estimate cognitive symptomatology. We used survival analysis to examine the association of cognitive symptoms with incident dementia diagnosis during up to 8 years of follow-up. Results Among 267,855 hospitalized patients with 1,251,858 patient years of follow-up data, 6516 (2.4%) received a new diagnosis of dementia. In competing risk regression, an increasing cognitive symptom score was associated with earlier dementia diagnosis (HR 1.63; 1.54–1.72). Similar results were observed in the second hospital system and in subgroup analysis of younger and older patients. Discussion A cognitive symptom measure identified in discharge notes facilitated stratification of risk for dementia up to 8 years before diagnosis.
Vacuum Decay Induced by Quantum Fluctuations

We treat the effects of quantum field fluctuations on the decay of a meta-stable state of a self-coupled scalar field. We consider two varieties of field fluctuations and their potential effects in a semiclassical description. The first are the fluctuations of the time derivative a free massive scalar field operator, which has been averaged over finite regions of space and time. These fluctuations obey a Gaussian probability distribution. A sufficiently large fluctuation is assumed to produce an effect analogous to a classical initial field velocity, which can cause a finite region to fly over the barrier separating the meta-stable state from the stable vacuum state. Here we find a contribution to the decay rate which is comparable to the decay rate by quantum tunneling, as computed in an instanton approximation. This result is consistent with those of other authors. We next consider the effects of the fluctuations of operators which are quadratic in the time derivative of the free scalar field. The quadratic operator is also averaged over finite regions of space and of time. Now the probability distribution for the averaged operator falls more slowly than an exponential function, allowing for the possibility of very large fluctuations. We find a contribution to the decay rate which is much larger than those coming from either quantum tunneling or linear field fluctuations, and hence appears to be the dominant decay mechanism.
Understanding Good Irrigation and Fertilization Behaviors among Households Using Landscape Design Features

With increasing concerns related to water in Florida, Extension can target households with irrigated landscapes to promote landscaping practices that protect water quality and quantity. We used landscape design features from 2,100 Florida households to segment households into subgroups that may have different educational needs. Data analysis revealed two distinct subgroups based on landscape design features: the diversity-prone water protectors and the apathetic landscape minimalists. Comparison of subgroups revealed that compared to apathetic landscape minimalists, households in diversity-prone water protectors’ subgroup had higher personal obligation, more social support, stronger perceived behavioral control, and more engagement in water protection behaviors. Extension professionals can use the connection between diverse landscape design features and to water protection behaviors to encourage good irrigation and fertilizer practices.
Small Bowel Resection Increases Paracellular Gut Barrier Permeability via Alterations of Tight Junction Complexes Mediated by Intestinal TLR4.

Abstract Background Short bowel syndrome resulting from small bowel resection (SBR) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Many adverse sequelae including steatohepatitis and bacterial overgrowth are thought to be related to increased bacterial translocation, suggesting alterations in gut permeability. We hypothesized that after intestinal resection, the intestinal barrier is altered via toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling at the intestinal level. Methods B6 and intestinal-specific TLR4 knockout (iTLR4 KO) mice underwent 50% SBR or sham operation. Transcellular permeability was evaluated by measuring goblet cell associated antigen passages via two-photon microscopy. Fluorimetry and electron microscopy evaluation of tight junctions (TJ) were used to assess paracellular permeability. In parallel experiments, single-cell RNA sequencing measured expression of intestinal integral TJ proteins. Western blot and immunohistochemistry confirmed the results of the single-cell RNA sequencing. Results There were similar number of goblet cell associated antigen passages after both SBR and sham operation (4.5 versus 5.0, P > 0.05). Fluorescein isothiocyanate–dextran uptake into the serum after massive SBR was significantly increased compared with sham mice (2.13 ± 0.39 ng/μL versus 1.62 ± 0.23 ng/μL, P Conclusions Permeability after SBR is increased via changes at the paracellular level. However, these alterations were prevented in iTLR4 mice. These findings suggest potential protein targets for restoring the intestinal barrier and obviating the adverse sequelae of short bowel syndrome.
Improvement In Post Discharge Appointment Scheduling For Patients with Heart Failure Using A Designated Scheduler

Introduction: Post hospitalization is a vulnerable period for patients with acute decompensated heart failure and hence an immediate post discharge visit within 7-14 days has become a quality mandate. While it seems like a simple measure, executing it in a large open model system has its challenges. We present here our quality improvement efforts with the help of a dedicated scheduling associate from an institute which has both employed and private practice integrated. Methods: Retrospective review of the quality data for patients admitted with primary diagnosis of Acute Heart failure from January 2018 to March of 2020. Compliance of 7-day follow-up appointments was abstracted. As a focused QI initiative, in second quarter of 2018, we hired a hospital-based scheduling associate and implemented an algorithm (Figure 1a) to ensure that patients had a confirmed follow-up appointment documented. Results: In the first quarter of 2018, prior to designating a scheduler, only 35% of our patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of heart failure had a scheduled follow-up appointment within seven days of discharge. Once we implemented the role of a dedicated scheduler, this proportion increased gradually to the current level of 76% (Figure 1b). Conclusion: In an open model system where many physicians practice and maintain ownership of the patient a hospital based dedicated scheduler can facilitate appointments with the physicians’ offices for those who want to maintain continuity while utilizing hospital based disease management clinic for those who cannot accommodate.
Sticking to it: testing passive pull-off forces in waterfall-climbing fishes across challenging substrates.

The pelvic sucker of Hawaiian waterfall climbing gobies allows these fishes to attach to substrates while climbing waterfalls 10s-100s of meters tall. Climbing ability varies by species and may be further modulated by the physical characteristics of the waterfall substrate. In this study, we investigated the influence of surface wettability (hydrophobic vs. hydrophilic surface charges) and substrate roughness on the passive adhesive system of four species of gobies with different climbing abilities. Overall, passive adhesive performance varied by species and substrate with the strongest climbers showing the highest shear pull-off forces, particularly on rough surfaces. Thus, differences in passive adhesive performance may help to explain the ability of some species to migrate further upstream than others and contribute to their ability to invade new habitats.
Analysis of E.U. Rapid Alert System (RASFF) Notifications for Aflatoxins in Exported U.S. Food and Feed Products for 2010-2019.

The most common, toxic, and carcinogenic mycotoxins found in human food and animal feed are the aflatoxins (AFs). The United States is a leading exporter of various nuts, with a marketing value of $9.1 billion in 2019; the European Union countries are the major importers of U.S. nuts. In the past few years, border rejections and notifications for U.S. tree nuts and peanuts exported to the E.U. countries have increased due to AF contamination. In this work, we analyzed notifications from the “Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)” on U.S. food and feed products contaminated with mycotoxins, primarily AFs, for the 10-year period 2010–2019. Almost 95% of U.S. mycotoxin RASFF notifications were reported for foods and only 5% for feeds. We found that 98.9% of the U.S. food notifications on mycotoxins were due to the AF contamination in almond, peanut, and pistachio nuts. Over half of these notifications (57.9%) were due to total AF levels greater than the FDA action level in food of 20 ng g−1. The Netherlands issued 27% of the AF notifications for U.S. nuts. Border rejection was reported for more than 78% of AF notifications in U.S. nuts. All U.S. feed notifications on mycotoxins occurred due to the AF contamination. Our research contributes to better understanding the main reasons behind RASFF mycotoxins notifications of U.S. food and feed products destined to E.U. countries. Furthermore, we speculate possible causes of this problem and provide a potential solution that could minimize the number of notifications for U.S. agricultural export market.
Adapting to Changes in Teen Pregnancy Prevention Research: Social Media as an Expedited Recruitment Strategy

Abstract Purpose Teen pregnancy prevention projects funded by the U.S. Office of Adolescent Health were disrupted by the Trump administration in the July 2017 announcement that funding would be terminated. Although funding was later reinstated toward the end of 2018 after a class-action lawsuit, we needed to change our recruitment protocol to mitigate this disruption to the study timeline and staffing. This led to a natural experiment comparing in person and social media recruitment strategies. Methods The original approach was to recruit girls, aged 15–19 years, who were using intrauterine or subdermal contraception, in person in clinic settings. After the funding disruption, we transitioned to an online recruitment strategy. Costs associated with each approach (in-person and online recruitment) were tracked, and we compared cost of per-person enrollment with each approach. Results In-person, clinic-based recruitment enrolled 118 participants over 293 days from eight high-volume clinics. Online recruitment enrolled 518 participants over 146 days. Online recruitment resulted in cost savings and a diverse sample representing a larger geographic region. Conclusion Online recruitment can cut costs and be more efficient than a clinic-based recruitment strategy, but special considerations are warranted when considering social media recruitment.
Changes in Corporate Social Responsibility and Stock Performance

We study the relationship between corporate social performance and financial performance by comparing the portfolio returns of firms with changes in corporate social responsibility (CSR) intensity. Using an extensive US sample from the MSCI ESG database, we find that improvement in the overall CSR is generally value enhancing. The relationship varies with CSR dimensions. More importantly, the relationship shifts differently for various CSR dimensions during the crisis period when trust in the society is low and financial resource is limited. Improvement in environment, human rights, and product characteristics shows higher financial returns during the financial crisis period, whereas the value enhancement of improvement in employee relations is more pronounced during the non-crisis period.
Ending the HIV epidemic using National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS): Recommendations based on DC model.

Introduction Social network strategies have been used by health departments to identify undiagnosed cases of HIV. Heterosexual cycle (HET4) of National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) is a social network strategy implemented in jurisdictions. The main objectives of this research are to 1) evaluate the utility of the NHBS HET cycle data for network analysis; 2) to apply statistical analysis in support of previous HIV research, as well as to develop new research results focused on demographic variables and prevention/intervention with respect to heterosexual HIV risk; and 3) to employ NHBS data to inform policy with respect to the EHE plan. Method We used data from the 2016 NHBS HET4 (DC). A total of 747 surveys were collected. We used the free social-network analysis package, GEPHI, for all network visualization using adjacency matrix representation. We additionally conducted logistic regression analysis to examine the association of selected variables with HIV status in three models representing 1) demographic and economic effects, 2) behavioral effects, and 3) prevention-intervention effects. Results The results showed 3% were tested positive. Seed 1 initiated the largest networks with 426 nodes (15 positives); seed 4 with 273 nodes (6 positives). Seed 3 had 35 nodes (2 positives). All 23 HIV diagnoses were recruited from 4 zip-codes across DC. The risk of testing positive was higher among people high-school dropouts (Relative Risk (RR) (25.645); 95 CI% 5.699, 115.987), unemployed ((4.267); 1.295, 14.064), returning citizens ((14.319); 4.593, 44.645). We also found in the final model higher association of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) awareness among those tested negative ((4.783); 1.042, 21.944) and HIV intervention in the past 12 months with those tested positive ((17.887); 2.350,136.135). Conclusion The network visualization was used to address the primary aim of the analysis-evaluate the success of the implementation of the NHBS as a social network strategy to find new diagnoses. NHBS remains one of the strongest behavioral supplements for DC's HIV planning activities. As part of the evaluation process our analysis helps to understand the impact of demographic, behavioral, and prevention efforts on peoples' HIV status. We strongly recommend other jurisdictions use network visualizations to evaluate the efficacy in reaching hidden populations.
Phenomenal experience and the aesthetics of agency

In his fascinating new book Games: Agency as Art, C. Thi Nguyen claims that games construct and frame forms of human agency in a way that gives rise to a genuine aesthetics of agency.This is no con...
Cannabinoids and Pain: Mechanisms of Action

Cannabinoids modulate diverse pain targets and possess unique multimodal analgesic mechanisms of action.
Structural Proteins of Cells and Tissues

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on structural proteins of the cells and tissues. Proteins and complexes of proteins with lipids and carbohydrates form the basis of the structural components of cells and tissue. These structural proteins have, in the past, been investigated chiefly by the techniques of classical morphology, advances during the last two decades in the chemistry of these complex molecules and in physical techniques for investigating their internal architecture have laid the foundation for new correlations between structure and function. In this new synthesis, data of analytical chemistry must be related not only to ultrastructural considerations, but to the whole body of available information of morphology, physiology, and biochemistry. In certain tissues, such as muscle, it is possible to extract the structural protein and characterize its chemical and physical properties. The extraction of intracellular protein components by suitable reagents, such as water and salt solutions, and the isolation of these components by differential centrifugation has proven a powerful tool in determining the chemical composition and probable role of these constituents in the cell.
Fighting the Battle or Running the Race

Metaphor analysis of 246 Associated Press photos portraying cancer victims and cancer survivors revealed 26 distinct metaphors—two were dominant. The sport metaphor (n = 109) depicted sport heroes, journey sports, and Olympic-type ceremonies. The war metaphor (n = 50) displayed fallen heroes, walking wounded, war protests, fights/battles, military-type ceremonies, and USO-style entertainment. These two main metaphors diverge in consequences, identities, conflict location, and agency. The sport metaphor can have positive implications for those facing cancer, while the war metaphor may serve to isolate individuals with cancer and stifle agency.
Improved Evolutionary Hybrids for Flexible Ligand Docking in Autodock

In this paper we evaluate the design of the hybrid EAs that are currently used to perform flexible ligand binding in the AutoDock docking software. Hybrid evolutionary algorithms (EAs) incorporate specialized operators that exploit domain-specific features to accelerate an EA’s search. We consider hybrid EAs that use an integrated local search operator to refine individuals within each iteration of the search. We evaluate several factors that impact the efficacy of a hybrid EA, and we propose new hybrid EAs that provide more robust convergence to low-energy docking configurations than the methods currently available in AutoDock.
Ultra Highly Conductive Polymer Composites for Lead-free Interconnect

Abstract form only given. Lead, a major component in solder, has long been recognized as a health threat to human beings. One of the proposed lead-free candidates is electrically conductive adhesives (EGAs), which are composed of polymer matrix and conductive fillers. Usually epoxy and silver flakes are used as the polymer matrix and conductive fillers, respectively. Recently, Ag nanoparticles were proposed as conductive fillers in ECAs for the next generation of fine pitch applications. However; for nano isotropic conductive adhesives (n-ICA), the dispersion of Ag nanoparticles in epoxy compared to micron sized silver flakes is much more difficult because of higher viscosity induced by high surface area of nanoparticles. A recent report for nano ICAs demonstrated decent dispersion of nanoparticles in polymers and low resistivity via nanoparticle sintering by nanoparticle surface functionalization. In this study, both silver flakes and surface functionalized silver nanoparticles were incorporated into a polymer matrix and their electrical properties were evaluated and an ultra low resistivity (5 times 10-6Omegamiddot cm) conductive adhesive was achieved. It was found by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) that the surface modifiers were debonded from nanoparticle surfaces at certain temperatures. The amounts of bonded modifiers were determined by thermogravimetric analyst (TGA) and characterized by FTIR. By using appropriate surface modifiers, the resistivity of the silver flakes and nanoparticles incorporated adhesives was dramatically reduced to as low as 5 times 10-6 Omegamiddotcm (silver: 2 times 10-6 Omegamiddotcm). The ultra low resistivity of conductive adhesives was lower than that of solder joints. The morphology studies showed that the decreased resistivity resulted from the sintering of silver nanoparticles among silver flakes. The sintered particles are believed to fill the gap between the flakes and enhance the interface properties. The contact resistance of the conductive adhesives under 85C/85%RH was significantly stable with respect to aging time. The interfacial properties between the surfactants, flakes and nanoparticles, and the electrical properties of the nanocomposites will be discussed
Compilation and Discussion of Trends in Severe Storms in the United States: Popular Perception v. Climate Reality

The ongoing greenhouse gas buildup and increase in near-surface air temperatures may have an impact on severe weather events in the United States. Output from some numerical modeling simulations suggests that the atmosphere over mid-latitude land areas could become more unstable in the future thereby supporting an increase in convective activity. However, despite the numerical simulation results, empiricists have been unable generally to identify significant increases in overall severe storm activity as measured in the magnitude and/or frequency of thunderstorms, hail events, tornadoes, hurricanes, and winter storm activity across the United States. There is evidence that heavy precipitation events have increased during the period of historical records, but for many other severe weather categories, the trends have been downward over the past half century. Damage from severe weather has increased over this period, but this upward trend disappears when inflation, population growth, population redistribution, and wealth are taken into account.
Untangling Web 2.0: Charting Web 2.0 Tools, the NCSS Guidelines for Effective Use of Technology, and Bloom's Taxonomy

The potential for social studies to embrace instructional technology and Web 2.0 applications has become a growing trend in recent social studies research. As part of an ongoing process of collaborative enquiry between an instructional specialist and social studies teachers in a Professional Learning Community, a table of Web 2.0 applications was produced. This table charted Web 2.0 applications alongside the NCSS standards and Bloom's revised taxonomy which highlight higher order thinking skills. Social studies teachers used this table to select an application to trial in their classrooms. The experiences of these teachers and lessons learned can prove useful to other teachers looking to integrate Web 2.0 into their instruction.
Microwave sintering of ceramics

An overview of microwave sintering is presented, and the basic theory for the design of impedance applicators is derived. Examples of applicators for ribbon materials and rods are developed and sintering results are presented. The problems imposed by radiation loss and plasma breakdown are examined and their solution by use of thermally reflecting high-pressure cavities are described. A basic system for sintering with feedback control of surface temperature is discussed. >
A Review of “Putting Social Movements in Their Place: Explaining Opposition to Energy Projects in the United States, 2000–2005”

The article reviews the book "Putting Social Movements in Their Place: Explaining Opposition to Energy Projects in the United States 2000-2005," by Doug McAdam and Hilary Schaffer Boudet.
Insertional restoration of β-galactosidase α-complementation (white-to-blue colony screening) facilitates assembly of synthetic genes

The assembly of synthetic genes from oligodeoxynucleotides can be an inefficient process. Upon ligation of a synthetic assembly into a plasmid vector and transformation of an Escherichia coli host, it is often found that only a minor fraction of the putative recombinant plasmids contains synthetic sequences. Moreover, the synthetic sequences cloned are often altered versions of those originally designed. We have designed a biological test to detect those plasmids that contain synthetic sequences of the proper length, termini and reading frame. The test is the reversal of the beta-galactosidase alpha-complementation (blue-to-white) test used to detect the insertion of DNA segments into the polylinker sequences of the phage M13 mp, plasmids pUC, and related vectors. We begin with a modified vector defective in alpha-complementation and use insertion of the synthetic DNA segment to restore alpha-complementation. The alpha-complementation activity of the original vector (e.g., pUC18) was first abolished by a frameshift or DNA insertion within the polylinker sequence of the lacZ' gene segment. The alpha-complementation was then restored by insertion of the synthetic DNA sequence between the cohesive ends generated by digestion of two polylinker restriction sites. Formation of blue colonies requires the insertion of a DNA segment of appropriate length and termini to reconstruct the lacZ' open reading frame and thus is much more selective than the usual insertional inactivation strategy. We show that this 'insertional restoration' screening method markedly enhances the proper assembly of synthetic genes and describe manipulations to readily and reliably frameshift various polylinker sequences.
Effects of short-term controlled atmosphere treatment at elevated temperature on dried fig fruit

Abstract Commercial sun-drying has been practiced around the Mediterranean Basin for many centuries. Dried fruit are goods with a long shelf life but many factors including storage pests may limit their marketability. Before the decision to phase it out under the Montreal Protocol, methyl bromide (MB) was the most widely used fumigant to control storage pests due to its efficacy and relatively low cost. Now there is an urgent need to find MB alternatives for post-harvest use. The present research work comprised 3 experiments in 2005–6 carried out in a pilot fumigation chamber designed by EcO 2 (EcO 2 B.V., AG Numansdorp, The Netherlands). The objective was to test the effectiveness of controlled atmosphere (CA) (decreased O 2 at 1 ± 0.5%) at elevated temperature (41 °C) in controlling the major storage pests, fig moth ( Ephestia cautella ), Indian meal moth ( Plodia interpunctella ), and dried fruit beetle ( Carpophilus spp.). In addition, major quality parameters of the hosts, dried figs, were analyzed soon after the treatments, and after 4 months of storage under ambient conditions, in comparison with MB-treated controls (60 g/m 3 for 24 h). The CA treatment can be recommended as a post-harvest MB alternative for dried figs since it provided 100% control of the pest species tested, had neutral or positive effects on dried fruit quality and required comparatively short (c.26 h) treatment times compared with other MB alternatives.
Avian biology, the human influence on global avian influenza transmission, and performing surveillance in wild birds

This paper takes a closer look at three interrelated areas of study: avian host biology, the role of human activities in virus transmission, and the surveillance activities centered on avian influenza in wild birds. There are few ecosystems in which birds are not found. Correspondingly, avian influenza viruses are equally global in distribution, relying on competent avian hosts. The immune systems, annual cycles, feeding behaviors, and migration patterns of these hosts influence the ecology of the disease. Decreased biodiversity has also been linked to heightened disease transmission in several disease systems, and it is evident that active destruction and modification of wetland environments for human use is impacting avian populations drastically. Legal and illegal trade in wild birds present a significant risk for introduction and maintenance of exotic diseases. After the emergence of HPAI H5N1 in Hong Kong in 1996 and the ensuing geographic spread of outbreaks after 2003, both infected countries and those at risk of introduction began intensifying avian influenza surveillance efforts. Several techniques for sampling wild birds for influenza viruses have been applied. Benefits, problems, and biases exist for each method. The wild bird avian influenza surveillance programs taking place across the continents are now scaling back due to the rise of other spending priorities; hopefully the lessons learned from this work will be preserved and will inform future research and disease outbreak response priorities.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND AND THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY: A COMPARISON

The Australian Capital Territory has shaken off the bonds of the New South Wales Department of Education and instituted an Authority responsible directly to the Federal Government. The new system includes in its design for “a working partnership for local‐central control” school boards. This paper attempts a comparison of that partnership with that evolved within the New Zealand experience. The A.C.T. Authority as it is presently constituted exercises control only over government primary and secondary schools. The discussion is therefore restricted to these fields and ignores preschool and technical education and independent schools, all of which are expected eventually to be brought within the scope of the Authority. Six issues are discussed in detail: (1) the general question of centralisation, (2) the role of a centralised agency, (3) the role of the community in an education system, (4) life‐long education, (5) the appointment of staff, and (6) the control of finance.