cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relations and Relationships: Clarifying the Terms of the ‘New’ Relational Economic Sociology

In economic sociology, relations and relationships have emerged as central yet poorly specified concepts. In this paper, I clarify these terms in a positive critique of the current state of the field. I then consider the ways in which the proposed framework can help analysts to bridge the divide between economics and sociology. Armed with techniques derived from formal network analysis, the new economic sociology offered the first sustained foray into economic territory, but sociological skeptics remain unsatisfied. Two broad rejoinders to this network-analytic approach emerged in the last two decades, but both correctives, nevertheless, leave the divide intact. In the last decade, however, a new paradigm is coalescing under the rubric of “relational economic sociology. While showing promise, it furthers the confusion surrounding the key concepts of “relations” and “relationships.” The proposed framework provides a foundation for constructive dialogue among the different traditions which constitute this new paradigm.
The Fluid Mechanics of Transcatheter Heart Valve Leaflet Thrombosis in the Neosinus

Background:Transcatheter heart valve (THV) thrombosis has been increasingly reported. In these studies, thrombus quantification has been based on a 2-dimensional assessment of a 3-dimensional pheno...
An adaptive, individualized fMRI delay discounting procedure to increase flexibility and optimize scanner time.

Abstract Research on the rate at which people discount the value of future rewards has become increasingly prevalent as discount rate has been shown to be associated with many unhealthy patterns of behavior such as drug abuse, gambling, and overeating. fMRI research points to a fronto-parietal-limbic pathway that is active during decisions between smaller amounts of money now and larger amounts available after a delay. Researchers in this area have used different variants of delay discounting tasks and reported various contrasts between choice trials of different types from these tasks. For instance, researchers have compared 1) choices of delayed monetary amounts to choices of the immediate monetary amounts, 2) ‘hard’ choices made near one's point of indifference to ‘easy’ choices that require little thought, and 3) trials where an immediate choice is available versus trials where one is unavailable, regardless of actual eventual choice. These differences in procedure and analysis make comparison of results across studies difficult. In the present experiment, we designed a delay discounting task with the intended capability of being able to construct contrasts of all three comparisons listed above while optimizing scanning time to reduce costs and avoid participant fatigue. This was accomplished with an algorithm that customized the choice trials presented to each participant with the goal of equalizing choice trials of each type. We compared this task, which we refer to here as the individualized discounting task (IDT), to two other delay discounting tasks previously reported in the literature (McClure et al., 2004; Amlung et al., 2014) in 18 participants. Results show that the IDT can examine each of the three contrasts mentioned above, while yielding a similar degree of activation as the reference tasks. This suggests that this new task could be used in delay discounting fMRI studies to allow researchers to more easily compare their results to a majority of previous research while minimizing scanning duration.
Cannabis, an emerging agricultural crop, leads to deforestation and fragmentation

Early assessment of environmental impacts from emerging agriculture is a scientific challenge that – if poorly executed – limits sound policy making. Here, we present an approach for evaluating and forecasting the effects of emerging and expanding land uses on natural habitats. By analyzing landscape change per unit area, the effects of emerging land uses can be compared with established benchmarks. We apply this approach to study forest fragmentation in northern California, comparing the effects of cannabis agriculture – a booming commodity worldwide that affects diverse ecosystems – to those of timber harvest from 2000 to 2013. We found that although timber has greater impacts on the landscape overall, cannabis leads to far greater changes in key metrics on a per-unit-area basis. Thus, despite its small current land-use footprint, if changes are not made in the spatial pattern of its expansion, the boom in cannabis agriculture will likely create substantial threats to the surrounding environment. Future research, land management, and agricultural policy must account for these threats.
How to build a book: Notes from an editorial bricoleuse

This piece offers an editor’s reflections on the ethos and craft of writing. General suggestions, words of encouragement, and detailed tips emerge through a discussion of unexpected affinities between writing and building. An annotated list of further readings accompanies the text.
Discovering entities' behavior through mining twitter

The unprecedented amount of user generated content from emerging social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter make them invaluable sources of information for research. Twitter in particular has about 500 million registered accounts globally who are generating approximately 340 million messages daily containing personal updates, general life observations, opinions, moods, etc. Twitter's vast amount of data, which is generally available, offers an ideal source for mining entities' behaviors. This thesis explores two research streams involving mining Twitter data. In the first work, we seek to understand the Twitter-based stakeholder communication strategies of firms. We analyze tweets posted by firms to build a system that can automatically predict target stakeholder groups of a given tweet. We also examine and incorporate firm characteristics into the system for performance improvement. The result will potentially provide valuable business intelligence to market analysts who would like to discover social media strategies and behaviors of firms. In the second work, we investigate how readers from different parts of the world react to news headlines through their Twitter messages. We design a framework for data collection, statistical analysis, sentiment analysis, and language model comparison to understand the interests and reactions of Twitter users towards news headlines. The results from this work can possibly help news organizations have better understanding of their audience for better services. Though the two research directions may seem distinct, there are points of connection. In both cases, we are interested in the impact of companies (firms and news organizations). Moreover the methods used are similar. Our results illustrate that just by gathering Twitter data stream and developing a framework to examine them, we are able to discover many interesting insights about news readers and firms.
Re-imaging the Goals of Science Education: What Role Should Assessment Play?

The challenge and responsibility of summing up, or bringing to closure a book of this scope that brims with possibilities and bristles with challenges has weighed upon me since Michael and Deborah first asked me to write what would be the last chapter of this book, written for policymakers and tackling the urgent need to re-imagine assessment for Generation R. I was asked to approach this task from multiple standpoints, as mother, daughter, sister, friend, colleague, teacher, teacher educator, researcher, and person of faith, to name some of the most salient ones. In this essay, I hope to share some of the stories that fundamentally shape my view of assessment and our responsibility to re-imagine the nature and culture of science and assessment for Generation R.
Consumer Response to Selfies in Advertisements: Visual Rhetoric for the Me Me Me Generation

Marketers continually seek ways to capture the attention of an audience largely motivated to avoid advertising messages. The recent rise in the use of the selfie as a legitimate photographic genre ...
Ex-situ catalytic fast pyrolysis of Beetle-killed lodgepole pine in a novel ablative reactor

Abstract Biomass fast pyrolysis involving the rapid thermal degradation of organic materials in the absence of oxygen is one of the most promising process for the sustainable production of alternative liquid fuels. However, it typically requires a relatively small particle size of dry biomass and the products need to be upgraded due to their high oxygen content. In this work, we employed a novel ablative fast pyrolysis reactor to convert as-received chips of Beetle killed lodgepole pine into vapors, and subsequently turned the vapors into aromatic hydrocarbons by ex-situ catalytic upgrade in a one pot synthesis system. We used pelletized HZSM-5 zeolite in a packed bed for the upgrade reaction and thoroughly characterized both fresh and spent catalysts by nitrogen sorption and electron microscopy. Our results revealed that a catalyst-to-biomass ratio of 4:1 and an upgrade temperature of 550 °C produced the lowest yield of coke (9.4 wt%) and the highest yield of aromatic hydrocarbons (3.5 wt%) with very high selectivity (94%) to benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX). We also analyzed the non-condensable gases to elucidate the deoxygenation mechanisms. This ablative reactor could be converted into a portable unit to produce alternative fuels without the need for biomass pre-treatment (i.e. grinding and drying) and transportation, creating a more sustainable and economically viable process for generating alternative fuels and specialty chemicals.
Code Compliance and Functionality of Low-Energy Automatic Doors at Universities

ABSTRACT Facility managers at universities should be concerned about the safety of those using low-energy automatic doors in campus buildings, particularly disabled people. People in wheelchairs ha...
Understanding the Physical Education edTPA Assessment: Strategies for Success

The edTPA is becoming an increasingly popular assessment in educator preparation programs across the United States. While there are many official support documents available for navigating the comp...
Rates of Help-Seeking in US Adults With Lifetime DSM-5 Eating Disorders: Prevalence Across Diagnoses and Differences by Sex and Ethnicity/Race

Abstract Objective To investigate, in a nationally representative sample of US adults, the prevalence of help-seeking in individuals with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) eating disorders (EDs) and to examine sex and ethnic/racial differences. Patients and Methods The 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (N=36,309) included respondents who met the criteria for specific lifetime DSM-5 EDs and answered questions regarding help-seeking for their ED symptoms (anorexia nervosa [AN]: n=275; bulimia nervosa [BN]: n=91; and binge-eating disorder [BED]: n=256). Results The prevalence (standard error) estimates of ever seeking any help for AN, BN, and BED were 34.5% (2.80%), 62.6% (5.36%), and 49.0% (3.74%), respectively. Adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, men and ethnic/racial minorities (non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics) were statistically significantly less likely to ever seek help for BED than were women or non-Hispanic whites, respectively. Hispanics also were significantly less likely to seek help for AN relative to non-Hispanic whites. Conclusion This was the first study in a nationally representative sample of US adults to examine rates of help-seeking, including by sex and ethnic/racial differences, across DSM-5–defined EDs. These findings emphasize the need to develop strategies to encourage help-seeking among individuals with EDs, particularly among men and ethnic/racial minorities.
Cannabinoid Signaling in Cancer

The family of chemical structures that interact with a cannabinoid receptor are broadly termed cannabinoids. Traditionally known for their psychotropic effects and their use as palliative medicine in cancer, cannabinoids are very versatile and are known to interact with several orphan receptors besides cannabinoid receptors (CBR) in the body. Recent studies have shown that several key pathways involved in cell growth, differentiation and, even metabolism and apoptosis crosstalk with cannabinoid signaling. Several of these pathways including AKT, EGFR, and mTOR are known to contribute to tumor development and metastasis, and cannabinoids may reverse their effects, thereby by inducing apoptosis, autophagy and modulating the immune system. In this book chapter, we explore how cannabinoids regulate diverse signaling mechanisms in cancer and immune cells within the tumor microenvironment and whether they impart a therapeutic effect. We also provide some important insight into the role of cannabinoids in cellular and whole body metabolism in the context of tumor inhibition. Finally, we highlight recent and ongoing clinical trials that include cannabinoids as a therapeutic strategy and several combinational approaches towards novel therapeutic opportunities in several invasive cancer conditions.
A critical approach to understanding human trafficking in the Caribbean

Human trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar industry, which continues to prey upon the world’s most vulnerable countries and populations. Women, children, and increasingly a large number of boys ar...
Tyrosine-derived polycarbonate nerve guidance tubes elicit proregenerative extracellular matrix deposition when used to bridge segmental nerve defects in swine.

Promising biomaterials should be tested in appropriate large animal models that recapitulate human inflammatory and regenerative responses. Previous studies have shown tyrosine-derived polycarbonates (TyrPC) are versatile biomaterials with a wide range of applications across multiple disciplines. The library of TyrPC has been well studied and consists of thousands of polymer compositions with tunable mechanical characteristics and degradation and resorption rates that are useful for nerve guidance tubes (NGTs). NGTs made of different TyrPCs have been used in segmental nerve defect models in small animals. The current study is an extension of this work and evaluates NGTs made using two different TyrPC compositions in a 1 cm porcine peripheral nerve repair model. We first evaluated a nondegradable TyrPC formulation, demonstrating proof-of-concept chronic regenerative efficacy up to 6 months with similar nerve/muscle electrophysiology and morphometry to the autograft repair control. Next, we characterized the acute regenerative response using a degradable TyrPC formulation. After 2 weeks in vivo, TyrPC NGT promoted greater deposition of pro-regenerative extracellular matrix (ECM) constituents (in particular collagen I, collagen III, collagen IV, laminin, and fibronectin) compared to commercially available collagen-based NGTs. This corresponded with dense Schwann cell infiltration and axon extension across the lumen. These findings confirmed results reported previously in a mouse model and reveal that TyrPC NGTs were well tolerated in swine and facilitated host axon regeneration and Schwann cell infiltration in the acute phase across segmental defects - likely by eliciting a favorable neurotrophic ECM milieu. This regenerative response ultimately can contribute to functional recovery.
Outpatient vs inpatient parotidectomy: Systematic review and meta‐analysis

The primary aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare complications between outpatient vs inpatient parotidectomy. A systematic review was performed to identify patients undergoing either outpatient or inpatient partodiectomy, in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines, using PUBMED, SCOPUS, CINAHL, and the Cochrane library. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Postoperative complications (hematoma, seroma/sialocele, salivary fistula formation, Frey syndrome, surgical site infection [SSI]) were compared. Our search yielded 4958 nonduplicate articles, of which 13 studies were ultimately included (11 retrospective cohort, 2 prospective cohort), encompassing a total of 1323 patients (outpatient 46.33% vs inpatient 53.67%). There was no significant difference in total complications, hematoma, seroma, salivary fistula, or SSI rates between outpatient and inpatient groups. No significant difference in total complications was found between outpatient and inpatient groups when stratified by surgical approach (partial/superficial and total parotidectomy). Our findings suggest outpatient parotidectomy may be as safe as inpatient parotidectomy in appropriately selected patients.
A Rigorous Method for Selecting the Most Limiting Exposure During Cycle for Anticipated Transient Without SCRAM with Instability Analysis

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff often perform confirmatory analyses using the TRAC/RELAP Advanced Computational Engine (TRACE) and Purdue Advanced Reactor Core Simulator (PARCS) ...
The Need to Educate Pharmacy Students in Telepharmacy and Telehealth

The global pandemic has dramatically impacted how pharmacists connect with patients. Telepharmacy and telehealth technologies are being used by pharmacists in a multitude of settings to positively influence the health and wellbeing of patients. Having pharmacists that are prepared to deliver services using telepharmacy and telehealth necessitates that Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students receive tele-education. Tele-education topics may include telepharmacy and telehealth, audio and visual technologies, etiquette, law, reimbursement, and privacy and confidentiality. In many cases, the pandemic has required pharmacy programs to incorporate tele-education into curriculums quickly, resulting in limited and underdeveloped experiences for students. Tele-education should be purposefully incorporated into curriculums through a combination of didactic, simulation, and experiential training. Programs should evaluate how tele-education is taught within their curriculum and share those experiences with the Academy as pharmacy graduates will likely be providing patient care services using telepharmacy and telehealth.
Origins of homophily: Infants expect people with shared preferences to affiliate.

Abstract Homophily structures human social networks: people tend to seek out or be attracted to those who share their preferences or values, and to generally expect social connections between similar people. Here, we probe the nature and extent of infants' homophilic thinking by asking whether infants can use information about other people's shared preferences in the absence of other socially relevant behaviors (e.g., their proximity or joint attention) to infer their affiliation. To do so, we present infants with scenarios in which two people either share a preference or have opposing preferences while varying (across studies) the degree to which those people engage in other socially relevant behaviors. We show that by 14 months of age, infants demonstrate clear inferences of homophily: they expect two people with a shared preference to be more likely to affiliate than two people without such similarity, even in the absence of other social behaviors that signal friendship. Although such cognition begins to emerge by 6-months, younger infants' inferences are bolstered by social behaviors that signal friendship. Thus, an abstract understanding that homophily guides third-party affiliation has its roots in the second year of life, and potentially earlier.
Competing Causes of Death in Older Adults with Thyroid Cancer

Background: Understanding the impact of comorbidities and competing risks of death when caring for older adults with thyroid cancer is key for personalized management. The objective of this study was to determine whether older adults with thyroid cancer are more likely to die from thyroid cancer or other etiologies, and determine patient factors associated with each. Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database was used to identify patients aged ≥66 years diagnosed with thyroid cancer (papillary, follicular, Hurthle cell, medullary, anaplastic, and other) between 2000 and 2015 (median follow-up, 50 months). We analyzed time to event (i.e., death from other causes or death from thyroid cancer) using cumulative incidence functions. Competing risk hazards regression was used to determine the association between patient (e.g., age at diagnosis and specific comorbidities) and tumor characteristics (e.g., SEER stage) with two competing mortality outcomes: death from other causes and death from thyroid cancer. Results: Of 21,509 patients with a median age of 72 years (range 66-106), 4168 (19.4%) died of other causes and 2644 (12.3%) died of thyroid cancer during the study period. For differentiated thyroid cancer patients, likelihood of dying from other causes exceeds likelihood of dying from thyroid cancer, whereas the opposite is true for anaplastic thyroid cancer. For medullary thyroid cancer, after 6.25 years patients are more likely to die from other etiologies than thyroid cancer. Using competing risks hazards regression, male sex (hazards ratio [HR] 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI 1.37-1.57]), black race (HR 1.30; CI [1.16-1.46]), and comorbidities (e.g., heart disease, HR 1.34; CI [1.25-1.44]; chronic lower respiratory disease, HR 1.25; CI [1.17-1.34]) were associated with death from other causes. Tumor characteristics such as histology, tumor size, and stage correlated with death from thyroid cancer (e.g., distant SEER stage compared with localized, HR 12.65; CI [10.91-14.66]). Conclusions: The clinical context, including patients' specific comorbidities, should be considered when diagnosing and managing thyroid cancer. Our findings can be used to develop decision models that account for competing causes of death, as an aid for clinical decision making.
Food Insecurity and Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis

Background: A growing body of literature investigates whether food insecurity is related to common mental disorders (CMD). This paper aims to characterize the association between food insecurity and CMD across studies. Methods: We performed a PubMed search for relevant articles published between January 2000 and December 2018. Only studies of adult participants (>=18 years) were eligible. Data extracted from each published study included the food insecurity and mental health variables, the relevant point estimates, confidence intervals, and standard errors. We completed five random-effects meta-analyses to quantify the associations between food insecurity and various CMD-related outcomes. The results of each meta-analysis were expressed as meta-odds ratios (meta-ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Inter-study heterogeneity was assessed by calculating an I2 statistic. Findings: Of 2,014 candidate records, 110 were suitable for inclusion in a meta-analysis. Food insecurity was associated with greater odds of depressive symptoms (81 studies, 304,405 participants; meta-OR 2·35, 95% CI 2·14–2·59, I2 =95%), anxiety symptoms (16 studies, 93,997 participants; meta-OR 1·78, 95% CI 1·49–2·13, I2 =71·80%), post-traumatic stress (5 studies, 5,838 participants; meta-OR 1·81, 95% CI 1·54–2·13, I2 =0%), psychosocial stress (9 studies, 17,110 participants; meta-OR 2·39, 95% CI 1·90–3·00, I2 =45%), and self-reported poor mental health or unspecified CMD (36 studies, 396,848 participants; meta-OR 2·40 95% CI 2·02–2·86, I2 =98%). Interpretation: Food insecurity is related to CMD. Future research should explore directionality, possible causal mechanisms, and opportunities for interventions. Funding Statement: The authors stated there was no funding for this project. Declaration of Interests: The authors declared there are no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The authors stated that no ethical review was required for this project.
The Millennial Corporation

In a prior paper, Shareholder Value(s): Index Fund ESG Activism and The New Millennial Corporate Governance, we argued that the index funds’ sudden shift towards socially-responsible investment, after decades of ignoring or opposing it, was driven by the competition to manage growing Millennial wealth. In our view, the main contribution of that paper was identifying sharp differences between Millennials and prior generations over investment, consumption, and employment. It has now become clear that this contribution has implications far beyond index-fund environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) activism and is in fact completely transforming the corporate world, marking a fundamental shift in how corporations function and requiring a new framework for analysis. This paper delineates a radical new framework for what we call The Millennial Corporation. We argue that the Millennial-driven rise of stakeholderism and socially-responsible investing are features of a comprehensive cultural shift in how corporations are expected to behave, rendering earlier accounts of corporate behavior incomplete or obsolete. While there have been moments in the recent past when corporations promoted stakeholderism, these moments were transient and primarily rhetorical, with corporations quickly returning to the business-as-usual of shareholder primacy. This time, Millennials have made it impossible to return to business-as-usual. We show that, unlike Baby Boomers and Generation X, this generation is far more likely to take its politics to work, to the store or website, and to the investment portfolio. This consolidation of economic identity creates feedback effects that collapse the distinction between so-called political considerations, maximizing returns, and stakeholder interests in ways that are eroding traditional corporate law norms. Far from liberating managers from meaningful constraints--as critics of stakeholder corporate governance often allege--this new dynamic has imposed even further constraints on managers. We show that Millennial stakeholderism is fundamentally different from the stakeholderism of the past. As a result of Millennials’ influence, managers have strong incentives to promote stakeholder interests. In fact, they have no choice but to do so. Furthermore, rather than helping managers to insulate themselves, the new stakeholderism exposes managers to higher scrutiny. We present both a theoretical analysis and evidence supporting our account of the rise of the Millennial Corporation.
Estimation of health impact from digitalizing last-mile Logistics Management Information Systems (LMIS) in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Mozambique: A Lives Saved Tool (LiST) model analysis.

Background Digital health has become a widely recognized approach to addressing a range of health needs, including advancing universal health coverage and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. At present there is limited evidence on the impact of digital interventions on health outcomes. A growing body of peer-reviewed evidence on digitalizing last-mile electronic logistics management information systems (LMIS) presents an opportunity to estimate health impact. Methods The impact of LMIS on reductions in stockouts was estimated from primary data and peer-reviewed literature, with three scenarios of impact: 5% stockout reduction (conservative), 10% stockout reduction (base), and 15% stockout reduction (optimistic). Stockout reduction data was inverted to stock availability and improved coverage for vaccines and essential medicines using a 1:1 conversion factor. The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) model was used to estimate health impact from lives saved in newborns and children in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Ethiopia between 2022 and 2026 across the three scenarios. Results Improving coverage of vaccines with a digital LMIS intervention in the base scenario (conservative, optimistic) could prevent 4,924 (2,578-6,094), 3,998 (1,621-4,915), and 17,648 (12,656-22,776) deaths in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, respectively over the forecast timeframe. In addition, scaling up coverage of non-vaccine medications could prevent 17,044 (8,561-25,392), 21,772 (10,976-32,401), and 34,981 (17,543-52,194) deaths in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, respectively. In the base model scenario, the maximum percent reduction in deaths across all geographies was 1.6% for vaccines and 4.1% for non-vaccine medications. Interpretation This study projects that digitalization of last-mile LMIS would reduce child mortality by improving coverage of lifesaving health commodities. This analysis helps to build the evidence base around the benefits of deploying digital solutions to address health challenges. Findings should be interpreted carefully as stockout reduction estimates are derived from a small number of studies.
Performance Analysis of IP Switching and Tag Switching

To cope with exponential growth of traffic on the Internet, IP networks require routers capable of much higher performance capabilities. This has led to interest in combining speed of layer-2 switching with scalability of layer-3 routing, leading to the generation of layer3 switches. Various technologies like IP, tag and Multi-Protocol Label Switching are being developed to provide these features by performing IP routing over ATM. In this paper we perform several experiments to analyze and compare the performance of IP switching and tag switching on networks comprising traditional IP routers running over an ATM backbone. Using network traces we compare the performance gains of IP switching to the gains obtained from tag switching. Our findings indicate that performance of IP switching is dependent on flow classification parameters and router speed. Also we find that there are higher performance gains with tag switching at the cost of moderately higher resource usage.
Characterization of Myocilin–Myocilin Interactions

PURPOSE. To determine whether myocilin (MYOC; also referred to as TIGR) is present as a complex in human aqueous humor, whether part of the complex formation may be due to MYOC-MYOC interactions and to characterize the sites of interaction. METHODS. Human aqueous humor was analyzed by using a gel filtration column for the identification of MYOC complexes. MYOC-MYOC interactions were studied with a yeast two-hybrid system. Expression of full-length and truncated MYOC proteins in AH109 yeast was analyzed for growth and color on minimal medium. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to selectively mutate eight leucine residues within the leucine zipper motif. In vitro transcription and translation was used to verify yeast two-hybrid analysis. RESULTS. MYOC was found to be present in human aqueous humor as a complex ranging from 120 to 180 kDa. Expression of full-length MYOC in yeast as well as in vitro binding studies revealed that MYOC can interact with itself. MYOC-MYOC interactions occurred mainly within amino acids 117-166, a region containing a leucine zipper domain. Glycine substitution for selective leucine residues confirmed that MYOC-MYOC interactions occurred mainly within the leucine zipper domain. CONCLUSIONS. MYOC is present in human aqueous humor, not as a monomer hut as a complex. Part of this complex may form due to MYOC-MYOC interactions that take place mainly within the leucine zipper domain.
The origins of fiber print-through in lightweight composite optics

NASA and the U. S. Air Force are looking to improve space borne telescopes by reducing mirror weight. One commonly attempted solution is to fabricate Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) mirrors using a mirror replication technique. These attempts have been hindered by the well-known fiber print-through phenomenon. The resulting sinusoidal surface distortion is fiber print-through, where chemical and thermal shrinkage during cure have been hypothesized to be the dominant causes. Although successful mitigation of fiber print-through via a polished resin layer method has been proven, an additional resin layer reduces the heat transfer through the mirror thickness that would be necessary for high-energy laser applications and also carries structural disadvantages. The purpose of this research was to quantify the dominating causes of fiber print-through and its contribution to the total surface roughness of a composite (where total roughness includes the elements of print-through and other surface anomalies that contribute to diffuse reflection). In order to quantify the causes of fiber print-through, a number of CFRP samples with varying fiber type, diameter and cure schemes were fabricated. The dominating causes of fiber print-through were then found by measuring fiber print-through, via microscopic interferometry, and determining which variables had the greatest influence on print-through.
Association of Chronic Kidney Disease With Chronotropic Incompetence in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Chronotropic incompetence (CI) is common in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and may be a key reason underlying exercise intolerance in these patients. However, the determinants of CI in HFpEF are unknown. We prospectively studied 157 patients with consecutive HFpEF who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing and defined CI according to specific thresholds of the percent heart rate reserve (%HRR). CI was diagnosed as present if %HRR 1.05 and were included in the final analysis. Of these 108 participants, 70% were women, 62% were taking β blockers, and 38% had chronic kidney disease. Most patients with HFpEF met criteria for CI (81 of 108; 75%). Lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR), higher B-type natriuretic peptide, and higher pulmonary artery systolic pressure were each associated with CI. A 1-SD decrease in GFR was independently associated with CI after multivariable adjustment (adjusted odds ratio 2.2, 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 4.4, p = 0.02). The association between reduced GFR and CI persisted when considering a variety of measures of chronotropic response. In conclusion, reduced GFR is the major clinical correlate of CI in patients with HFpEF, and further study of the relation between chronic kidney disease and CI may provide insight into the pathophysiology of CI in HFpEF.
The transition from large-magnitude extension to distributed dextral faulting in the Buckskin-Rawhide metamorphic core complex, west-central Arizona

Brittle fault data from the Buckskin-Rawhide metamorphic core complex, west-central Arizona, document the Miocene transition from large-magnitude, NE directed extension to distributed E-W extension and dextral faulting. The Buckskin-Rawhide detachment fault locally records a clockwise rotation of the slip direction from dominant top-NE directed slip to ENE and E directed slip during the last stages of activity. Postmylonitic brittle deformation is dominated by normal and dextral slip along moderately to steeply NE dipping faults. Relative timing relationships indicate that most postmylonitic normal faulting was coeval with middle Miocene detachment fault slip, whereas dextral and oblique dextral faulting postdates detachment fault slip (post ~11 Ma). Based on the persistent SW dip of lower plate fabrics and NE dip of abundant normal faults, the amount of NE-SW brittle extension across the mylonitic lower plate is estimated to be 20–30% in several areas. The end of detachment faulting in the Buckskin-Rawhide metamorphic core complex was marked by a transition to dominantly E-W extension and associated dextral-normal faulting. At least 10 NE dipping postdetachment faults record ~0.1–1 km dextral or oblique dextral displacement. The cumulative amount of dextral shear across the core complex is probably 7–9 km, which is the amount needed to restore the topographic trend of lower plate corrugations into alignment with the dominant extension direction. Postdetachment dextral/transtensional faulting across the core complex reflects the increasing influence of the diffuse Pacific-North America transform plate boundary toward the end of the middle Miocene.
College students' behavioral reactions upon witnessing relational peer aggression

With a sample of 228 college students (82.5% females) from the Midwestern United States, individual factors that contribute to emerging adults' behavioral responses when witnessing relational aggression among their peers were explored. The experience of witnessing relational aggression was found to be systematically associated with college students' behavioral responses to relational aggression through two social cognitive processes: normative beliefs about relational aggression and susceptibility to peer influence. The experience of witnessing relational aggression was associated with defending behavior through normative beliefs about relational aggression and both assisting and reinforcing behavior through normative beliefs about relational aggression and susceptibility to peer influence. The experience of witnessing relational aggression was also associated with onlooking behavior through normative beliefs about relational aggression. The findings indicate that exposure to relational aggression as a witness may influence witness responses because of the way such exposure may shape specific social cognitions. The potential for using the study findings for promoting effective witness interventions among college students is discussed.
Autism as a sequence: From heterochronic germinal cell divisions to abnormalities of cell migration and cortical dysplasias

The considerable heterogeneity in the number and severity of symptoms observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been regarded as an obstacle to any future research. Some authors believe that clinical heterogeneity results from the complex interplay of the many genetic and environmental factors that themselves define a condition as multifactorial. However, it is important to note that neuropathological findings in both idiopathic and syndromic autism suggests a single pathophysiological mechanism acting during brain development: the heterochronic division of germinal cells and subsequent migrational abnormalities of daughter cells to their target fields. Multiple exogenous (e.g., viruses, drugs) and endogenous (e.g., genetic mutations) factors are known to disrupt the division of germinal cells and provide for an autism phenotype. The variety of endogenous and exogenous factors, their timing of action during brain development, and the genetic susceptibility of affected individuals (a Triple Hit hypothesis) may all account for the clinical heterogeneity of ASD.
Myotonic pupils in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Successful relief of symptoms with 0.025% pilocarpine.

• Twenty-seven members of a family with dominantly inherited Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMTD) were examined. Fifteen members had CMTD and 13 of these had varying amounts of myotonic pupillary abnormalities similar in some ways to Adie tonic pupil syndrome. Those with graver neurologic disease showed greater pupillary abnormalities. Ten of the 15 patients had pupillary constriction with methacholine chloride (Mecholyl) and some of these had extensive iris atrophy. Several affected patients received symptomatic relief from 0.025% pilocarpine. Seven other patients with CMTD who were not related to our initial family were checked for myotonic pupils; two had findings similar to our initial family. Pupillary abnormalities in certain patients with CMTD appear secondary to a parasympathetic denervation of the iris sphincter and ciliary muscle, as shown by a positive methacholine test, and probably represent part of the autonomic nervous system dysfunction associated with the polyneuropathy in CMTD.
Non-random oscillatory changes in orientation of the goldfish (Carassius auratus), in an open field

Abstract An analysis of orientation of seventy-four fish over 31 months, under controlled conditions of temperature, light, water quality, and flow, reveals systematic trends in the orientation of the goldfish population. Moreover, most fish exhibit one or more type of strong short term (hourly) oscillation. It may be concluded that the observed orientation is the resultant of a complex summation of many oscillatory forces.
The Effects Of Temperature On The Response Of A Porous Fiber Optic Humidity Sensor

Fiber optic waveguides based on porous glasses offer excellent sensitivity and specificity for remote chemical sensing. This paper examines the effect of temperature on the response of a porous fiber optic humidity sensor. Cobalt chloride is used as the colorimetric reagent, permeated into the porous segment of the fiber. The humidity response of the fiber has been evaluated over a temperature range of 25°C to 90°C. Temperature effects appear to result both from changes in the extinction coefficient of cobalt chloride as well as differences in the sensing probe's equilibrium constants. The basic temperature dependence of the humidity sensor has been modeled in an effort to provide compensation for the measurement probe in a real world environment.
Counting Low-Copy Number Proteins in a Single Cell

We have designed a microfluidic device in which we can manipulate, lyse, label, separate, and quantify the protein contents of a single cell using single-molecule fluorescence counting. Generic labeling of proteins is achieved through fluorescent-antibody binding. The use of cylindrical optics enables high-efficiency (≈60%) counting of molecules in micrometer-sized channels. We used this microfluidic device to quantify β 2 adrenergic receptors expressed in insect cells (SF9). We also analyzed phycobiliprotein contents in individual cyanobacterial cells ( Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942) and observed marked differences in the levels of specific complexes in cell populations that were grown under nitrogen-depleted conditions.
Insole sensor system for real-time detection of biped slip

The study of bipedal gait is important for two primary reasons: biomimetic robotics and human gait rehabilitation. Both fields have numerous models describing bipedal locomotion that require a no-slip interaction with the ground for accuracy. This paper presents a low cost wearable sensor system capable of identifying slip in real time, which could afford rehabilitative analysts important information on the nature of patient falls, and provide robot designers a feedback ability with which to implement an active traction control system. The system can functionally provide better than 90% detection rates when calibrated to an individual.
Nuclear receptor TLX stimulates hippocampal neurogenesis and enhances learning and memory in a transgenic mouse model.

The role of the nuclear receptor TLX in hippocampal neurogenesis and cognition has just begun to be explored. In this study, we generated a transgenic mouse model that expresses TLX under the control of the promoter of nestin, a neural precursor marker. Transgenic TLX expression led to mice with enlarged brains with an elongated hippocampal dentate gyrus and increased numbers of newborn neurons. Specific expression of TLX in adult hippocampal dentate gyrus via lentiviral transduction increased the numbers of BrdU+ cells and BrdU+NeuN+ neurons. Furthermore, the neural precursor-specific expression of the TLX transgene substantially rescued the neurogenic defects of TLX-null mice. Consistent with increased neurogenesis in the hippocampus, the TLX transgenic mice exhibited enhanced cognition with increased learning and memory. These results suggest a strong association between hippocampal neurogenesis and cognition, as well as significant contributions of TLX to hippocampal neurogenesis, learning, and memory.
Patchwork Neighborhood: Children's Urban Geographies in Buffalo, New York

The West Side of the City of Buffalo, New York, is a neighborhood in racial and ethnic transition, demographically. However, at any given time it represents a snapshot of a geographic area that is ...
Entrepreneurs, innovators, and unruly reality: Learning-based strategies to manage the risks of unanticipated events

The risks that challenge new ventures fall into two categories: (a) execution and strategy risks arising from failures of the management team, and (b) risks arising from events beyond the control of the management team and not discernable by them at the time key decisions must be made. This paper concerns the latter, external events that emerge unbidden to influence the success of the enterprise. Our thesis is that a rapid and effective learning process offers the best way to manage these risks. Independent entrepreneurs and corporate innovators can rely on three learning-based strategies to manage risk from an unruly business environment: • Rapid Learning: the planned use of unanticipated events to discover emerging hazards in time to take effective action. • Evidence-Based Management: early, frequent, and deliberate gathering of evidence, especially from customers and competitors, to improve the product quickly and inexpensively. • Tools for Organizing Insights: formal frameworks for planned learning, especially real options and scenario planning.
Ethical Reflections on Company-Owned Life Insurance

COLI – company owned life insurance – is often purchased by firms on employees in whom the firm has no demonstrable insurable interest. Though no immediate harm comes to individuals insured in this way, purchasing such policies raises moral questions. From a Kantian framework, questions arise about reciprocity and fairness, the deception of employees, the generation of mistrust, and the use of the employee’s life as a means to profit. No compensating social good is served by the sale of these policies.
Extended-performance thruster technology evaluation

Two 30-cm ion thruster technology areas are investigated in support of the extended-performance thruster operation required for the Halley's comet rendezvous mission. These areas include an evaluation of the thruster performance and lifetime characteristics at increased specific impulse and power levels, and the design and evaluation of a high-voltage propellant electrical isolator. Experimental results are presented indicating that all elements of the thruster design function well at the higher specific impulse and power levels. It is shown that the only thruster modifications required for extended-performance operation are a respacing of the ion optics assembly and a redesign of the propellant isolators. Experimental results obtained from three isolator designs are presented, and it is concluded that the design and development of a high-voltage isolator is possible using existing technology.
An enemy of the western red cedar

The species described below was first sent to me from Idaho by Mr. Weir. Since the description was drawn, Mr. Weir wrote me under date of December 17, 1913, as follows: During the past season, the species has been abundantly collected throughout northern Idaho and Washington. It has been found to be of far greater importance in its relation to the decay of the western red cedar than my previous observations showed. Not only is it the principal fungus concerned in the basal decay of the living tree, but it continues the destruction of the heartwood and later of the sapwood after the tree has fallen and may extend along the entire tree, even attacking the bark. The chemical action of the mycelium on the wood results in a separation of the annual layers in the initial stages of decay, later developing a brown, friable rot quite characteristic and easily recognized. The damage caused by the fungus in the western red cedar is great enough to be made a special project for the coming field season.
A Determination of the Stefan-Boltzmann Constant of Radiation

A new method of measuring the constant $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ is described in which the radiant energy is measured in terms of electrical input. The results of the study of various possible sources of error are discussed quantitatively. The resulting value of $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ is 5.79\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$ watts\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}${\mathrm{deg}.}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$.