cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biphasic Behavior of Melts of Liquid Crystalline Copolyesters Containing Both Mesogenic and Non-Mesogenic Units

A series of thermotropic, liquid crystalline copolyesters was prepared which contained both mesogenic and non-mesogenic units. The melt state anisotropy of the copolymers varied greatly with composition, and within an intermediate compositional range, the copolymers formed biphasic melts, which contained both nematic and isotropic phases. The amount of the nematic phase and the continuity of that phase decreased with increasing non-mesogenic unit content until no anisotropic phase could be observed by polarized light microscopy. The term “degree of liquid crystallinity” is proposed to describe and estimate the fraction of the anisotropic phase present in the biphasic compositional range. For one biphasic copolyester sample, the two phases were separated by solvent fractionation and characterized for their unit composition and liquid crystalline properties.
Dual layer and multilayer enhancements from silver film over nanostructured surface-enhanced Raman substrates.

Novel dual layer and multilayer silver film over nanostructure (SFON) substrates have been developed that provide surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal enhancements of greater than 1000% compared to conventional single layer SFON substrates. These substrates provide signal enhancement factors of 3.8 × 105 and greater for a variety of SERS active analytes. Substrate preparation is accomplished by vapor depositing a thick (∼100 nm) layer of silver on top of an underlying layer of alumina nanopar- ticles, followed by deposition of additional layers of silver with silver oxide layers between them. Unlike previous dual layer silver island based substrates that have been developed, these substrates do not rely on achieving an optimal morphology via deposition of silver. Instead, these substrates rely on the roughness being provided by the original under-layer, providing enhanced substrate homogeneity and more reproducible signals than either silver island substrates or colloidal substrates. In addition, the signal enhancement gives these substrates extended lifetimes compared to conventional single layer SFON substrates. Finally, this study also shows that geometric surface structure and surface roughness factors play little or no role in this enhancement process, allowing for this multilayer fabrication process to be applied to many different types of substrates achieving similar or even greater results.
Algorithms for computing nth roots and the matrix sector function of nonsingular complex matrices

New fast convergent methods for computing the principal nth roots, and matrix sector functions of nonsingular complex matrices are developed. The main features of these methods in addition to higher order convergence are (1) they are power-like methods and thus they are stable and self-correcting, (2) they are globally convergent in that they converge from a broad set of initial conditions, and (3) they are less sensitive to sector boundary. Additionally the techniques of the paper allow for computing a set of projectors onto some of the subeigenspaces which can be used to compute the number of eigenvalues in a given sector and to compute more nth roots of a given matrix. Several examples are also included to illustrate the performance of the proposed algorithms.
Hydrothermal contamination of public supply wells in Napa and Sonoma Valleys, California

Groundwater chemistry and isotope data from 44 public supply wells in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, California were determined to investigate mixing of relatively shallow groundwater with deeper hydrothermal fluids. Multivariate analyses including Cluster Analyses, Multidimensional Scaling (MDS), Principal Components Analyses (PCA), Analysis of Similarities (ANOSIM), and Similarity Percentage Analyses (SIMPER) were used to elucidate constituent distribution patterns, determine which constituents are significantly associated with these hydrothermal systems, and investigate hydrothermal contamination of local groundwater used for drinking water. Multivariate statistical analyses were essential to this study because traditional methods, such as mixing tests involving single species (e.g. Cl or SiO2) were incapable of quantifying component proportions due to mixing of multiple water types. Based on these analyses, water samples collected from the wells were broadly classified as fresh groundwater, saline waters, hydrothermal fluids, or mixed hydrothermal fluids/meteoric water wells. The Multivariate Mixing and Mass-balance (M3) model was applied in order to determine the proportion of hydrothermal fluids, saline water, and fresh groundwater in each sample. Major ions, isotopes, and physical parameters of the waters were used to characterize the hydrothermal fluids as Na–Cl type, with significant enrichment in the trace elements As, B, F and Li. Five of the wells from this study were classified as hydrothermal, 28 as fresh groundwater, two as saline water, and nine as mixed hydrothermal fluids/meteoric water wells. The M3 mixing-model results indicated that the nine mixed wells contained between 14% and 30% hydrothermal fluids. Further, the chemical analyses show that several of these mixed-water wells have concentrations of As, F and B that exceed drinking-water standards or notification levels due to contamination by hydrothermal fluids.
A COMPARISON OF CONTROL DESIGN MODELS FOR A ONE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURAL-ACOUSTIC SAMPLE PROBLEM

The behavior of the simplest structural-acoustic system, namely a mass-spring piston at the end of a one-dimensional acoustic waveguide, is investigated from the perspective of closed-loop control. Three models, containing increasing levels of information about the structural-acoustic coupling, are developed. These models are a structural model only, a wave model incorporating the local acoustic coupling, and a fully coupled structural-acoustic model. Controllers are designed to reduce the acoustic pressure in the waveguide using each of these models and then implemented on the fully coupled structuralacoustic finite element model. As might be expected, the achievable acoustic reduction shows a direct correlation with model complexity. However, the intermediate model achieves 99% of the reduction of the most complex model without the features of the more complex model that make it prohibitive for use in more realistic situations.
2011 Presentation on Law Firm Legal Research Requirements of New Hires

This presentation summarizes results from the author's 2010 law firm legal research survey, which determined what research functions, and in what formats, law firms require new hires to be proficient. This survey updates the author's 2009 article that is available at this site and which was based on this author's earlier law firm legal research survey. See also the accompanying 2011 draft article on this site.
Exclusivity - The Roadblock to Democracy?

The author responds to Privatization: The Road to Democracy?, a paper presented by Professor Carol Rose as the Childress Lecture at Saint Louis University School of Law in September 2005. The author argues that there is no simple causal link between privatization efforts and the establishment of democratic institutions. Instead, institutions of democracy and private property have to be determined simultaneously. The author examines how intellectual property law illustrates this simultaneity.
Replaced gastroduodenal artery: Added benefit of the “artery first” approach during pancreaticoduodenectomy—A case report

Introduction Variations in hepatic arterial anatomy are frequently encountered in pancreas and liver surgery. These aberrancies add technical complexity to the procedure and can result in significant patient morbidity if these vascular nuances are not recognized.
Investigating the role of extensin proteins in poplar biomass recalcitrance.

The biological conversion of cellulosic biomass to biofuel is hindered by cell wall recalcitrance, which can limit the ability of cellulases to access and break down cellulose. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether hydroxyproline-rich cell wall proteins (extensins) are present in poplar stem biomass, and whether these proteins may contribute to recalcitrance. Three classical extensin genes were identified in Populus trichocarpa through bioinformatic analysis of poplar genome sequences, with the following proposed names: PtEXTENSIN1 (Potri.001G019700); PtEXTENSIN2 (Potri.001G020100); PtEXTENSIN3 (Potri.018G050100). Tissue print immunoblots localized the extensin proteins in poplar stems to regions near the vascular cambium. Different thermochemical pretreatments reduced but did not eliminate hydroxyproline (Hyp, a proxy for extensins) from the biomass. Protease treatment of liquid hot water-pretreated poplar biomass reduced Hyp content by a further 16% and increased subsequent glucose yield by 20%. These data suggest that extensins may contribute to recalcitrance in pretreated poplar biomass, and that incorporating protease treatment into pretreatment protocols could result in a small but significant increase in the yield of fermentable glucose.
Child Respiratory Infection and Drug-resistance of the Pathogens:An Analysis of Antibiotics Use

OBJECTIVE To investigate the utilization of antibiotics in treating respiratory infections in children and analyze the resistance to the common bacteria. METHODS A total of 447 case histories about respiratory infections in children were randomly selected to count the uses of the antibiotics. Identifications of bacteria and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed by using the automatic microorganism analyzer-Microscan. RESULTS Nineteen kinds of antibiotics were utilized, the use rate of antibiotics was 100%. The penicillins and cephalosporins were the best frequency of usage. For both Gram-negative bacilli and Gram-positive cocci, there were higher resistant rates to cephalosporins commonly used in clinics, while there were lower resistant rates to quinolones. CONCLUSIONS More and more resistant bacteria are emerging due to antibiotics abuse and the selective pressures of antibiotics. So the antibiotics must be selected according to the results of susceptibility tests.
Survey on knowledge rate of prevention of occupational disease among workers in Suzhou New District

Objective To investigate the knowledge rate of prevention of occupational disease among enterprise staff in Suzhou New District. Methods A total of 1 500 workers from 11 companies in Suzhou National New Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone were randomly selected in this survey. Results It was found that 91.50% workers had known the occupational health management and measures;while 74.75% workers had known basic knowledge on occupational health. Years of employment and education background were statistically associated with the knowledge of prevention and control of occupational diseases.Assembly-line workers had better command of knowledge about occupational health than staff members. Question that drew most interest was about how to use personal protective equipment in a correct way. Conclusion Targeted occupational health education should take workers' age and education background into consideration.
Analysis of Live Loads in Office Buildings

An analysis of live loads in offices is presented which applies probabilistic live load models to the results of a recent survey of office buildings in the United States conducted by the National Bureau of Standards. The results are compared to a study of live loads in offices in the United Kingdom and the design loads currently specified by ANSI A58.1-1972. On the basis of this study, a new expression for computing allowable reductions in live loads is proposed.
Investigation on prevalence of dental caries among high school students in Lingshan County of Guangxi in 2010

[Objective]To understand the prevalence of dental caries in permanent teeth among high school students in Lingshan county of Guangxi,explore the causes of dental caries and prevention measures. [Methods]The annual medical examination was conducted among students in Lingshan county.The results data were statistically processed,and the prevalence of dental caries,DMFT and DMF were analyzed epidemiologically. [Results]The total prevalence rate of dental caries was 19.44%,and that of boys and girls was 15.58% and 23.19% respectively.The total DMFT was 0.48,and that of boys and girls was 0.36 and 0.60 respectively.There were significant differences in prevalence rate of dental caries and DMFT between boys and girls(P0.01).The total filled ratio was 14.79%,that of boys and girls was 17.31% and 13.31% respectively,and the difference was significant(P0.01).Among different grades,the senior two students had the highest prevalence rate of dental caries(22.04%),the senior three students had the highest filled ratio(17.66%),and there were significant differences in the prevalence rate of dental caries and the filled ratio between senior two students and senior three students(P0.01).The prevalence rate of dental caries in urban students and rural students was 22.16% and 16.52% respectively.The DMFT in urban students and rural students was 0.51 and 0.45 respectively.The differences in the prevalence rate of dental caries and DMFT between urban students and rural students were significant(P0.01).There was no significant difference in filled ratio between urban students and rural students(P0.05). [Conclusion]The DMFT in permanent teeth among high school students in Lingshan county is high,and the prevalence rate of dental caries and filled ratio are low.In order to reduce the prevalence rate of dental caries and DMFT,it is necessary to strengthen the oral health education,carry out the regular examination,pit and fissure sealant,and filling treatment.
An anthrax toxin variant with an improved activity in tumor targeting

Anthrax lethal toxin (LT) is an A-B type toxin secreted by Bacillus anthracis, consisting of the cellular binding moiety, protective antigen (PA), and the catalytic moiety, lethal factor (LF). To target cells, PA binds to cell-surface receptors and is then proteolytically processed forming a LF-binding competent PA oligomer where each LF binding site is comprised of three subsites on two adjacent PA monomers. We previously generated PA-U2-R200A, a urokinase-activated PA variant with LF-binding subsite II residue Arg200 mutated to Ala, and PA-L1-I210A, a matrix metalloproteinase-activated PA variant with subsite III residue Ile210 mutated to Ala. PA-U2-R200A and PA-L1-I210A displayed reduced cytotoxicity when used singly. However, when combined, they formed LF-binding competent heterogeneous oligomers by intermolecular complementation, and achieved high specificity in tumor targeting. Nevertheless, each of these proteins, in particular PA-L1-I210A, retained residual LF-binding ability. In this work, we screened a library containing all possible amino acid substitutions for LF-binding site to find variants with activity strictly dependent upon intermolecular complementation. PA-I207R was identified as an excellent replacement for the original clockwise-side variant, PA-I210A. Consequently, the new combination of PA-L1-I207R and PA-U2-R200A showed potent anti-tumor activity and low toxicity, exceeding the performance of the original combination, and warranting further investigation.
Maximal skin blood flow is decreased in elderly men.

When subjected to total body heating and exercise, skin blood flow does not increase as much in elderly as in young subjects. It is not known whether this age-related decline is due to the autonomi...
Climate Change and Microbial Populations

By 2100, the mean air temperature at the Earth’s surface is predicted to increase by 1.4 °C to 5.8 °C, with a disproportionate effect at high altitudes and latitudes. This chapter reviews the currently available information regarding the responses of key microbial parameters, including diversity, community composition, abundance and functions, to climate change in Antarctic soils. For microorganisms inhabiting Antarctic soils, some insight has been gained by comparing microbial communities across latitudinal gradients, or through short-term laboratory incubations and field studies. Rapid responses of mosses, nematodes, soil algae, cyanobacteria, fungi, and bacteria have been observed in some Antarctic soils. Despite these interesting findings, it is difficult to specifically predict the effects of warming on Antarctic soil microorganisms. One reason is the extreme heterogeneity of soil habitats in this region, as they vary from moist eutrophic ornithogenic soils to nutrient- and water-limited Dry Valley soils. Climate change might have rapid and direct effects on soil microbes that are not otherwise limited, but the release of other limitations (e.g., water, nutrients) could be more important in several environments.
Optical properties of RICH detectors

In this review article1 we discuss the optical components in RICH detectors. In particular we mention transmission and refraction index in gases, liquids, solids, optical glues, matching gels and aerogel. We mention a few examples of mirror reflectivity in UV and visible region. We also discuss radiation damage, radio-luminescence, yellowing from light exposure, optical distortions in materials, and scintillation.
Retroperitoneal hemorrhage after ureteroscopy without laser lithotripsy: An extreme example of an underreported event?

Retroperitoneal hemorrhage and an associated hematoma are uncommon but potentially serious complications following ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy. However, no reports of serious bleeding complications have been published regarding ureteroscopy without laser lithotripsy in the management of stone disease. We report of such a case here and then review the current literature in order to discuss the incidence, risk factors, and management of such events.
4-hydroxy-2-nonenal: a critical target in oxidative stress?

In this perspective, we summarize and discuss critical advancements in the study of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) as it relates to diseases and clinical complications either caused or exacerbated by oxidative stress. Since its identification in 1980, 4-HNE has been extensively studied with an emphasis on its formation, its role in pathology, and its targets. As a reactive aldehyde, and a product of lipid peroxidation, studies corroborate its ability to disrupt signal transduction and protein activity, as well as induce inflammation and trigger cellular apoptosis in conditions of oxidative stress. Notably, we discuss the role of natural enzymes involved in the regulation of 4-HNE, and how they can be applied to its detoxification in various physiological conditions.
The Impact on the Performance of Co-running Virtual Machines in a Virtualized Environment

The success of cloud computing technologies heavily depends on the underlying hardware as well as the system software support for virtualization. As hardware resources become more abundant with each technology generation, the complexity of managing the resources of computing systems has increased dramatically. Past research has demonstrated that contention for shared resources in modern multi-core multithreaded microprocessors (MMMP) can lead to poor and unpredictable performance. In this paper we conduct a performance degradation study targeting virtualized environment. Firstly, we present our findings of the possible impact on the performance of virtual machines (VMs) when managed by the default Linux scheduler as regular host processes. Secondly, we study how the performance of virtual machines can be affected by different ways of co-scheduling at the host level. Finally, we conduct a correlation study in which we strive to determine which hardware event(s) can be used to identify performance degradation of the VMs and the applications running within. Our experimental results show that if not managed carefully, the performance degradation of individual VMs can be as high as 135%. We believe that low-level hardware information collected at runtime can be used to assist the host scheduler in managing co-running virtual machines in order to alleviate contention for resources, therefore reducing performance degradation of individual VMs as well as improving the overall system throughput.
A nonlinear timber yield equation system for loblolly pine

Developpement d'un systeme d'equations non lineaires pour l'estimation des rendements des peuplements; application aux peuplements de Pinus taeda
A Simultaneous Key Generation Technique for Health Information Exchange (HIE) Based on Existing Patients' Credentials

Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are being widely used by various healthcare providers due to the benefits these systems offer. Previous work proposed to offer health information exchange involves issuing digital certificates for the patients and requires special hardware, like smart cards, to be present with the patients at the time of service. In this paper, we propose a technique that generates a symmetric session key simultaneously at two different healthcare providers based on the existing patients' credentials. The technique allows requesting healthcare providers to generate the correct key only if patients are present and entering their credentials. A unique key is generated based on patient credentials and a new key is created for each health information exchange to maintain the privacy of patients.
Effects of Physical Activity Intervention on Physical and Cognitive Function in Sedentary Adults With and Without Diabetes.

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus may alter the effect of physical activity on physical and cognitive function. Methods The Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) trial randomized controlled clinical trial of physical activity intervention (walking, resistance training, and flexibility exercises) enrolled adults aged 70-89 years who were sedentary and non-demented and who had functional limitations. Standardized measures of physical and cognitive function were collected an average of 2 years post-randomization. Differences between the intervention and control groups from 415 individuals with diabetes and 1,061 individuals without diabetes were contrasted with analyses of covariance. Results At 24 months, assignment to the physical activity intervention resulted in 0.019 m/s relatively faster average 400-meter gait speeds (p = .007 overall) both for individuals with and without diabetes (intervention × diabetes interaction p = .99). No benefits were seen on scores from a physical performance battery. Performance on cognitive tests was better among participants assigned to the physical activity intervention compared with control only for those with diabetes, particularly for global cognitive function (p = .02) and delayed memory (p = .005), with mean [95% confidence intervals] for benefit from physical activity intervention of 0.114 [0.007,0.111] and 0.208 [0.030,0.387] standard deviations, respectively. Conclusions Physical activity intervention improved the gait speed of older, sedentary individuals with and without diabetes. The cognitive function benefits occurred among participants with, but not without, diabetes. The mechanisms through which physical activity affects physical and cognitive function in older adults may differ for individuals by diabetes status.
Single-cell dynamics and variability of MAPK activity in a yeast differentiation pathway

In response to pheromones, yeast cells activate a MAPK pathway to direct processes important for mating, including gene induction, cell-cycle arrest, and polarized cell growth. Although a variety of assays have been able to elucidate signaling activities at multiple steps in the pathway, measurements of MAPK activity during the pheromone response have remained elusive, and our understanding of single-cell signaling behavior is incomplete. Using a yeast-optimized FRET-based mammalian Erk-activity reporter to monitor Fus3 and Kss1 activity in live yeast cells, we demonstrate that overall mating MAPK activity exhibits distinct temporal dynamics, rapid reversibility, and a graded dose dependence around the KD of the receptor, where phenotypic transitions occur. The complex dose response was found to be largely a consequence of two feedbacks involving cyclin-mediated scaffold phosphorylation and Fus3 autoregulation. Distinct cell cycle-dependent response patterns comprised a large portion of the cell-to-cell variability at each dose, constituting the major source of extrinsic noise in coupling activity to downstream gene-expression responses. Additionally, we found diverse spatial MAPK activity patterns to emerge over time in cells undergoing default, gradient, and true mating responses. Furthermore, ramping up and rapid loss of activity were closely associated with zygote formation in mating-cell pairs, supporting a role for elevated MAPK activity in successful cell fusion and morphogenic reorganization. Altogether, these findings present a detailed view of spatiotemporal MAPK activity during the pheromone response, elucidating its role in mediating complex long-term developmental fates in a unicellular differentiation system.
Neurochemical Organization of the Medial Geniculate Body and Auditory Cortex

The auditory, visual, and somatic sensory systems each have a topographic receptor epithelium, multiple central representations of the peripheral mosaic, parallel neural streams serving epicritic processing, vast networks of central connectivity, and a web of intrinsic circuits at all levels of processing. Marked neurochemical differences distinguish the central auditory system from its visual and somatic sensory counterparts, which each largely conserves the parallel contribution from specific classes of retinal, cutaneous, or neuromuscular receptors; moreover, sight and touch have, relative to audition, fewer synapses in the ascending pathways to neocortex (Dykes 1983; Stone 1983). Perhaps the auditory system has more opportunities for inhibitory and other local interactions.
Sugar Transport in the Renal Epithelial Cell Culture

In 1975, MacKnight, Civan, and Leaf pointed out that any decisive conclusions on possible compartmentation of luminally and antiluminally derived Na+ within the toad bladder epithelial cell were obfuscated by the different cell types encountered in this tissue. Whether the issue is compartmentation within a cell or the existence of multiple transport systems in a cell (e.g., the antiluminal sugar transporters of proximal tubule cells), the endemic problem lies in the assumptions that must be made when examining cellular properties in a tissue preparation. The kidney is particularly troublesome, for here one has not only epithelial and nonepithelial cell types, but a progression of morphologically and/or functionally different transporting epithelia along the nephron, and even within the proximal tubule itself (see, e.g., Woodhall et al., 1978).
Structural Effects on HIV Risk Among Youth: A Multi-level Analysis

We proposed a multilevel model of structural influences on HIV-risky sexual partnerships in a diverse sample of 1793 youth residing in 23 states and the District of Columbia. We examined the influence of concentrated disadvantage, HIV stigma, and sexual and gender minority stigma on engagement in HIV risky sexual partnerships and whether youth's participation in opportunity structures, anticipation of HIV stigma, and perceptions of their community as youth-supportive settings mediated structural effects. After controlling for age, HIV status, and race, we found structural HIV stigma had deleterious indirect effects on youth's participation in HIV-risky sexual partnerships. Concentrated disadvantage and structural sexual and gender minority stigma had direct negative effects on youth's perceptions of their communities as supportive and on their participation in prosocial activity. Support perceptions had direct, protective effects on avoidance of HIV-risky sexual partnerships. Structural stigma undermines youth's belief that their communities invest in their safety and well-being.
Finite element modeling of Rayleigh wave propagation in a laboratory sand tank

Rayleigh waves were measured in a laboratory sand tank using an array of accelerometers. This tank allows for the measurement of interface waves for various sediment and soil arrangements in a well-controlled laboratory setting. Rayleigh waves were excited by simple impulsive sources including dropped balls and hammer impacts. In this study, a finite element modeling tool developed by Sandia National Laboratories was used to simulate the sand tank during these excitations. Different modeling scenarios were investigated. Time series of the Rayleigh wave arrivals were modeled at the sensor locations using time domain analysis. A calibrated bender element system was also developed to provide direct measurements of the shear wave speed profile at selected depths. These data were used to develop the material property input parameters for the finite element analysis. The simulated time series at the sensor locations are compared to the accelerometer data. [Work supported by Army Research Laboratory and BOEM.]
Abstract 2223: Diagnoses and Outcomes of t-PA Treated Patients with No Imaging Evidence of Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background/Purpose: Intravenous Alteplase (t-PA) improves outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Of those who recover fully, some may not have had ischemia. We analyzed the frequency and post-treatment outcomes of patients with no imaging evidence of stroke and aimed to delineate the frequency of strokes with full recovery from that of stroke mimics treated with t-PA. Methods: We included all adult stroke patients treated with IV t-PA within 3 hours of stroke onset from the UCSD SPOTRIAS database. Group 1: Patients with neuroimaging evidence of acute stroke (IPS); Group 2: no neuroimaging evidence of acute stroke (INS). All diagnoses were established by an independent adjudicating body. We reviewed medical records, neuroimaging, and compared discharge diagnosis, 90-day mRS, and incidence of intracranial hemorrhage. We adjusted for age, admission NIHSS, and pre-stroke mRS in multivariable models. Results: We identified 61patients with IPS and 25 with INS, with similar baseline characteristics, except for baseline NIHSS (IPS 13.4±8.2, INS 8.4±5.9, p=0.007) and incidence of cardiac arrhythmias (IPS 36.1%, INS 4.0%, p=0.002). Adjusted for age and baseline NIHSS, we found no difference in outcome. ICH was found in 23% of the IPS patients and was symptomatic in 4.9%. None of the INS patients had ICH. Conclusions: Radiologic evidence of acute ischemic stroke was absent in 10.5% of the 86 patients in the UCSD SPOTRIAS database who were treated with t-PA and given a clinical diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke on adjudicating body review at discharge. The majority (64%) of imaging negative stroke patients in our study ultimately received the clinical diagnosis of acute stroke. No significant difference in outcomes (mRS) was found between imaging negative and imaging positive stroke code patients, aside from the increased ICH frequency in imaging positive patients. This lack of outcome difference emphasizes that while imaging plays an important role as a surrogate marker in determining the diagnosis, a detailed clinical evaluation is essential in the correct treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Imaging negative stroke patients are common and future larger scale prospective data is required to analyze the true frequency of stroke mimics versus imaging negative stroke.
Interorganizational Ethics: Standards of Behavior

The traditional basis for advocating ethical business conduct has been morality defined in philosophical or religious terms. However, fairness and moral obligation have provided little incentive for anything like universal ethical business behavior. The idea that "good ethics is good business" as an incentive is looked upon with skepticism by those with bottom line responsibility. However, if managers were aware of the extent to which certain business behaviors impose significant costs on individual transactions and relationships, a valid incentive would exist. The need for such standards has intensified with the fundamental shifts in business philosophy, structure, and practice along with profound changes in product markets and supply sources. The universal standards, ISO 9000 for product and service quality, and ISO 14000 for environmental issues were created and implemented to cope with problems in their respective areas and they providea model which can be adapted to the realms of ethics.
Use of source arrays in studies of regional structure

Seismograms of 26 underground explosions and two cavity collapses at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and 26 well-recorded earthquakes in central California recorded by a vertical instrument at Berkeley have been studied. It is demonstrated that the use of source arrays instead of instrument arrays may provide information of general nature about the crust-upper mantle structure. The method can particularly be useful in regional reconnaissance of seismic areas with as few as a single recording instrument. Times of four consistent arrivals on the NTS seismograms are analyzed. The first two arrivals with observed apparent velocities of 8.51 ± 0.47 and 6.41 ± 0.23 km/sec are interpreted as Pn and Pg phases, respectively. A later arrival, named PLP , with an observed slope corresponding to a velocity of 9.80 ± 0.86 km/sec is consistent with P -wave reflections from a depth of 227 ± 22 km. The observed phases on the seismograms of central California earthquakes suggest a single-layer crust with an average thickness of 20.5 km to the south of Berkeley. The crustal longitudinal and shear velocities are 5.87 ± 0.05 and 3.46 ± 0.05 km/sec, respectively. The observed Pn and Sn velocities are 7.91 ± 0.12 and 4.40 ± 0.10 km/sec, respectively.
Culture and Psychiatric Service

This chapter focuses on various social and cultural factors that influence the practice of psychiatric service in general. While increased knowledge and improvements in clinical care for the mentally ill are changing peoples' attitudes toward mental disorders, there are broad differences in attitudes toward mental patients cross-culturally. Another factor that may implicitly or explicitly influence the practice of psychiatry is the folk or traditional medical knowledge of patients. If patients and psychiatrists have different racial backgrounds and there has historically been a negative relationship between them, there is a potential for racism even in clinical settings. Another factor that influences the mode of clinical practice is payment for medical service. Very closely related to cultural matters are the kinds of medical services for which patients can be charged and how much they can be charged. In societies where "talking therapy" is not highly valued, it is difficult to charge patients very much for the service, which discourages psychiatrists from performing this time-consuming therapy. The practice of general psychiatry is strongly embedded in the medical culture that develops within the medical system. Most physicians and medical staff living within this invisible cultural system, while unaware of it, are influenced and regulated by it. The value systems, and political patterns, the basic concern for individual human rights varies affects the mode of psychiatric practice both directly and indirectly. Whether patients can be forced to be hospitalized or need voluntary consent, whether patients can be physically constrained when their behavior becomes disturbing, or forced to take medications or receive injections are issues of practice that are dealt with differently in various societies, depending on how the culture, the legal system, and administrative rules regard such practices.
Biological Nitrogen Fixation: Phosphorus - A Critical Future Need?

The importance of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) to world food security is unquestionable. Since the dawn of farming, symbioses capable of BNF have been instrumental in both supplying food and improving soil health (van Kessel, Hartley 2000). Today Earth’s 6 billion people consume an average of nearly 11 g N per day or about 24 Mt annually (Fink et al. 1999). Worldwide legumes provide at least 33% of humankind’s N needs, however, in the tropics and subtropics plant sources provide much more (up to 80%) of the dietary N requirements. Legumes are grown on approximately 275 million hectares
Towards Geodesign: Building New Education Programs and Audiences

This chapter paints geodesign as an interdisciplinary field with five distinguishing characteristics: a focus on spatial thinking, geospatial technologies, the future, design as a force for good in the world, and multi-disciplinary collaboration. Several examples are introduced to show how the geodesign concept is not new and to highlight some of the challenges that derailed early “geodesign” projects. The important role of the Web as a ubiquitous analysis and communication platform and why this may be an ideal time to accomplish meaningful and lasting change is then explored with the help of three recent geodesign initiatives. The chapter concludes by examining the ways in which the aforementioned characteristics and examples might be used to help shape geodesign education programs and to highlight some of the challenges universities are likely to face as they work to create and sustain such programs in an environment in which disciplinary silos are still the norm and they are continually challenged to do more with less.
Endoscopic submucosal dissection for rectal neoplasia extending to the dentate line: European experience.

Background and study aims The ideal treatment strategy for rectal neoplasia extending to the dentate line (RNDL) is not well defined. Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and submucosal dissection (ESD) compete with surgical techniques such as transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM). Non-Asian data and prospective data on ESD are lacking. The study aim was to evaluate the role of ESD in treatment of RNDL in a Western center. Patients and methods Eighty-six patients with rectal adenomas were included. ESD was performed in 86 rectal adenomas including 24 RNDLs (27.9 %) and 62 lesions distant from the dentate line (72.1 %). Results En bloc resection rate was comparable (91.7 % vs. 93.5 %, P = 0.670) between ESD for RNDL and non-RNDL. R0 resection rate was significantly lower in ESD for RNDL compared to that for non-RNDL (70.8 % vs 88.7 %; P = 0.039), but most non-R0 resection was unclear margin (Rx) and was not obvious positive margin (R1). Accordingly, the recurrence rate after ESD for RNDL (4.5 %) was not statistically different from that for non-RNDL (0 %, P = 0.275) and was lower than that previously reported for EMR. Median procedure time was 127 vs. 110 minutes (P = 0.182). Risk of delayed bleeding (20.8 % vs. 0 %, P = 0.001) and postinterventional pain (33.3 % vs. 14.5 %, P = 0.07) increased in RNDL cases, but they were managed conservatively. Incidence of stricture (4.2 % vs. 1.6 %, P = 0.483) and perforation (0 % vs. 1.6 %, P = 1.000) were similar. Conclusions ESD is a feasible and safe resection technique for RNDLs. A randomized controlled trial comparing ESD to other methods (EMR or transanal surgery) is warranted.
University students' self-reported reasons for abstinence from prescription and non-prescription stimulants and depressants.

Abstract Background No previous publication has evaluated whether the importance of university students’ reasons for abstinence differs across prescription stimulants, prescription opioids, and two illicit forms of those medications (cocaine and heroin). Methods In response to a recruitment email sent to all enrolled undergraduates at a large public university, 768 students who reported no prior recreational use of these four substances rated the importance of 17 reasons for lifelong abstention from each of the four drugs. Results Based on factor analyses, 16 of the 17 reasons comprised four subscales (Negative Consequences, Difficult to Acquire, Not Enjoyable, Social Disapproval). With few exceptions, importance ratings for each of the four subscales and the single non-loading reason (Against My Beliefs) were highest for heroin, followed in descending order by cocaine and the two prescription medications. Female students rated three types of reasons as more important than did males, but previous use of other illicit drugs and past medical use of prescription stimulants or prescription opioids were not typically associated with importance of reasons for abstaining. Conclusion Each type of reason was rated a more important influence on abstention from street drugs than from comparable prescription drugs. Reasons reflecting harmful consequences were rated most important and reasons reflecting acquisition difficulties were rated least important for each drug. To the degree that importance ratings are associated with continued abstinence, education and prevention messages could emphasize negative consequences as one means to reinforce continued abstinence from these drugs.
Factors influencing parental trust in medical researchers for child and adolescent patients' clinical trial participation.

Parental trust in medical researchers is a commonly cited barrier to their child’s participation in clinical research. Yet, there is little understanding of factors influencing parental trust to be...
Activation of IGF1R by DARPP-32 promotes STAT3 signaling in gastric cancer cells

Dopamine and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, Mr 32000 (DARPP-32), is frequently overexpressed in early stages of gastric cancers. We utilized in vitro assays, 3D gastric gland organoid cultures, mouse models, and human tissue samples to investigate the biological and molecular impact of DARPP-32 on activation of IGF1R and STAT3 signaling and gastric tumorigenesis. DARPP-32 enhanced phosphorylation of IGF1R (Y1135), a step that was critical for STAT3 phosphorylation at Y705, nuclear localization, and transcription activation. By using proximity ligation and co-immunoprecipitation assays, we found that IGF1R and DARPP-32 co-existed in the same protein complex. Binding of DARPP-32 to IGF1R promoted IGF1R phosphorylation with subsequent activation of downstream SRC and STAT3. Analysis of gastric tissues from the TFF1 knockout (KO) mouse model of gastric neoplasia, demonstrated phosphorylation of STAT3 in the early stages of gastric tumorigenesis. By crossing the TFF1 KO mice with DARPP-32 (DP) knockout (KO) mice, that have normal stomach, we obtained double knockout (TFF1 KO/DP KO). The gastric mucosa from the double KO mice did not show phosphorylation of IGF1R or STAT3. In addition, the TFF1 KO/DP KO mice had a significant delay in developing neoplastic gastric lesions. Analysis of human gastric cancer tissue microarrays, showed high levels of DARPP-32 and positive immunostaining for nuclear STAT3 in cancer tissues, as compared to non-cancer histologically normal tissues. In summary, the DARPP-32-IGF1R signaling axis plays a key role in regulating the STAT3 signaling, a critical step in gastric tumorigenesis.
Breastfeeding Support Interventions by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background:International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) are healthcare professionals who are highly trained in lactation science; however, little is known about the efficacy of IBCLC...
Third Things as Inspiration and Artifact: A Multi-Stakeholder Qualitative Approach to Understand Patient and Family Emotions after Harmful Events

Patient and family emotional harm after medical errors may be profound. At an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) conference to establish a research agenda on this topic, the authors used visual images as a gateway to personal reflections among diverse stakeholders. Themes identified included chaos and turmoil, profound isolation, organizational denial, moral injury and betrayal, negative effects on families and communities, importance of relational skills, and healing effects of human connection. The exercise invited storytelling, enabled psychological safety, and fostered further collaborative discussion. The authors discuss implications for quality/safety, educational innovation, and qualitative research.
Implementing Learning Analytics to Foster a STEM Learning Ecosystem at the City-Level: Emerging Research and Design Challenges

To address the goal of increasing and broadening participation of youth in STEM fields, a learning ecosystem approach is a promising strategy. Learning analytics can play an important role in such efforts which aim to build learning supports across the diverse spaces in which learning and development occurs, including informal, formal, and online contexts. This paper introduces a city-level learning analytics implementation effort in a developing STEM ecosystem in one mid-sized city. We describe aspects of our design and research approach and challenges that emerge by taking a learning ecosystem perspective of learning and development.
Readability of patient‐reported outcome measures for chronic rhinosinusitis and skull base diseases

Objective Outcome measures in healthcare that presume a higher level of patient health and overall literacy may inadequately estimate the disease experiences of less-educated patients and further disadvantage them. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) are widely used communication tools for clinical practice and are often used to evaluate and guide management for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and skull base diseases. However, their readability and subsequent incomprehensibility for patients have not been assessed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the readability of commonly used PROMs for these conditions and whether they meet recommended readability levels. Methods Three readability measures, Gunning Fog, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and FORCAST were used in the evaluation of commonly used PROMs for CRS and skull base disease. PROMs with sixth-grade readability level or lower were considered to meet health literacy experts' recommendations. Results A total of 11 PROMs were reviewed (8 CRS, 3 skull base). Gunning Fog consistently estimated the easiest readability, whereas FORCAST the most difficult. One hundred percent of CRS and 67% of skull base PROMs were above National Institutes of Health and health literacy experts' recommended reading levels. PROMs developed more recently had easier readability. Conclusion PROMs are important clinical tools in otolaryngology that help guide management of disease for improved patient-centered care. Like many other fields of medicine, those used in otolaryngology are beyond recommended reading levels. Development of PROMs in the future should meet recommended readability levels to fully assess the disease experience of our patients. Level of evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 130:2305-2310, 2020.
Evolution and Analysis of Hapkit: An Open-Source Haptic Device for Educational Applications

We present the design, evolution and analysis of “Hapkit,” a low-cost, open-source kinesthetic haptic device for use in educational applications. Hapkit was developed in 2013 based on the design of the Stanford Haptic Paddle, with the goal of decreasing cost and increasing accessibility for educational applications, including online teaching, K-12 school use, and college dynamic systems and control courses. In order to develop Hapkit for these purposes, we tested a variety of transmission, actuation, and structural materials. Hapkit 3.0, the latest version, uses a capstan drive, inexpensive DC motor, and 3-D printed structural materials. A frequency-domain system identification method was used to characterize Hapkit dynamics across the various designs. This method was validated using a first principles parameter measurement and a transient response analysis. This characterization shows that Hapkit 3.0 has lower damping and Coulomb friction than previous designs. We also performed a user study demonstrating that Hapkit 3.0 improves discrimination of virtual stiffness compared to previous designs. The design evolution of Hapkit resulted in a low-cost, high-performance device appropriate for open-source dissemination and educational applications.