cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal analysis of the volume absorber in pulsed excimer laser calorimeters

Thermal modeling and analysis of the volume absorber in the pulsed excimer laser calorimeters are very important. In this work, Gaussian distributions are used to model the temporal and spatial distributions of the laser beam and an exponential decay function is used to model the internal absorption of the laser power. A finite-element method is employed to simulate the space- and time-dependence of temperature in the volume absorber. A three-dimensional model and an axial-symmetric model are built and used to study the heating effects of single pulse and multiple pulses on the present design, respectively. Furthermore, a new design is proposed, in which the absorber is not optically thick. A one-dimensional model and an axial-symmetric model, in which the reflection at the interface and the absorption on the copper surface are considered, are used to study the heating effects of single pulse and multiple pulses on the new design. The comparison of the present design to the new design shows that the energy loss and nonequivalence in the new design are smaller than those in the present design. Hence, the new design can increase the accuracy and dynamic range of calorimeters. This work will help the future design of optical calorimeters for measuring the pulse energy of excimer lasers in the deep ultraviolet.
Correlates of the ideational preference dimension among prison inmates.

The meaningfulness of ideational activity preference as a psychological dimension among newly admitted prison inmates was explored in relation to various psychological, social, and vocational interest variables. In addition to various correlations of the ideational variable with others for the total prison sample of 971 inmates, 255 who scored high (HI) and 341 inmates who scored low (LI) on ideazional preference as derived from the MIAPS were compared for mean differences. The HI inmates were relatively less disturbed emotionally, showed greater social and interpersonal adaptiveness, appeared more mature and intelligent, and showed greater interest in the more “cerebral” occupations. A larger proportion of HI than LI Ss had been incarcerated for homicide as their current offense. The implications of these findings conceptually and for future research were discussed.
Fatty acid consumption and the risk of osteoporotic fracture

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and the structural deterioration of bone tissue. It is estimated that 44 million Americans and 55% of those over 50 years of age are currently affected by this disease. Among other risk factors for osteoporotic fracture, dietary fat in general and essential fatty acids (EFA) in particular have recently been investigated because of their suspected impact on the bone remodeling process. This article reviews the growing body of literature concerning EFA and bone health. In particular, two recent large prospective cohort studies evaluating the association between multiple types of EFA and risk of osteoporotic fracture are highlighted. The results of these studies are placed in context with the existing literature, and recommendations for future investigation are presented.
Intracellular Trafficking and Secretion of VLDL

Steady increase in the incidence of atherosclerosis is becoming a major concern not only in the United States but also in other countries. One of the major risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis is high concentrations of plasma low-density lipoprotein, which are metabolic products of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). VLDLs are synthesized and secreted by the liver. In this review, we discuss various stages through which VLDL particles go from their biogenesis to secretion in the circulatory system. Once VLDLs are synthesized in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum, they are transported to the Golgi. The transport of nascent VLDLs from the endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi is a complex multistep process, which is mediated by a specialized transport vesicle, the VLDL transport vesicle. The VLDL transport vesicle delivers VLDLs to the cis-Golgi lumen where nascent VLDLs undergo a number of essential modifications. The mature VLDL particles are then transported to the plasma membrane and secreted in the circulatory system. Understanding of molecular mechanisms and identification of factors regulating the complex intracellular VLDL trafficking will provide insight into the pathophysiology of various metabolic disorders associated with abnormal VLDL secretion and identify potential new therapeutic targets.
The Discourse of a Learner-Centered Classroom: Sociocultural Perspectives on Teacher-Learner Interaction in the Second-Language Classroom

This study investigates learner-centered and teacher-centered discourse in interactive exchanges between teachers and learners in the second language (L2) classroom. The analysis of interaction shows that learner-centered discourse provides opportunities for negotiation (of form, content, and classroom rules of behavior), which creates an environment favorable to L2 learning. In contrast, teacher-centered discourse is shown to provide rare opportunities for negotiation. Placing the analysis within the context of the role of discourse in the mediation of cognitive development, a central point in sociocultural theory, this study demonstrates that when learners are engaged in negotiation, language is used to serve the functions of scaffolding (Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976) and to provide effective assistance as learners progress in the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978). The analysis presented here attempts to show how various communicative moves and linguistic forms are deployed to achieve these functions.
Trends in Insurance Coverage for Bariatric Surgery and the Impact of Evidence-Based Reviews

The recent increase in demand for bariatric surgery has placed mounting economic pressure on insurance companies and other third-party payers (TPPs). As a result, some of the TPPs have responded by excluding or limiting their coverage of all or certain types of bariatric surgical procedures, and cite as their reason, a lack of evidence that supports the safety and efficacy of such procedures. Over the years, so-called "evidence-based reviews" have been used to back these claims. Some of these reviews have significant flaws and limitations that are discussed.
Enhanced Class-A/AB mobile terminal power amplifier efficiency by input envelope injection and “self” envelope tracking

A baseband modulation technique is proposed to improve the efficiency and linearity of Class-A/AB radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers (PAs). The baseband load impedance is optimized, and the input envelope — along with the RF signal — is fed to the PA input. The resulting baseband modulation of the drain increases the saturated RF output power and improves the linearity for a given dc power consumption. A 2GHz HFET power amplifier exhibited a significant improvement in peak PAE from 40% to 54% for a two-tone input and from 23% to 27% for a 5MHz BW 64-QAM signal.
EVIDENCE FOR A COST OF SEX IN THE FRESHWATER SNAIL POTAMOPYRGUS ANTIPODARUM

The maintenance of sexual reproduction by natural selection poses a paradox for evolutionary biology. Assuming "all else equal," a sexual lineage producing both males and females has a slower intrinsic growth rate than a clonal lineage producing only females. Hence, clones should rapidly outcompete their sexual counterparts, unless there are eco- logical or mutation-clearing advantages to sex, or unless the all-else-equal assumption is incorrect. Here we examined the crucial all-else-equal assumption using a lake population of freshwater snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in which both diploid sexual and triploid parthenogenetic individuals coexist. We contrasted the variation in life-history traits be- tween sexual and clonal forms to the variation in life histories among habitats and sampling locations. We also conducted a laboratory experiment in which sexual snails competed with a single clone for 1 yr. We found that size at maturity varied among habitats within the lake, but this difference was not attributable to reproductive mode. There were also no differences among clonal and sexual individuals with respect either to brood size or to the frequency of developmental errors in brooded embryos. Finally, in the laboratory com- petition experiment, the growth rate of sexual individuals was significantly lower than the growth rate of snails from a single clone. Taken together, these results suggest that the all- else-equal assumption is correct, and that a cost of males exists in natural sexual populations of these snails.
An Introduction to Liquid Crystallinity

To begin with, we divide liquid-crystalline materials into monomer liquid crystals (MLCs) and polymer liquid crystals (PLCs). This convenient terminology is due to Samulski,1 who also specified that a compound is classified as an MLC irrespective of the fact whether it can or cannot polymerize. Not long ago we had an explosion of new applications of MLCs. We might well be entering now into a similar period with PLCs.
Transient analysis of dispersive VLSI interconnects terminated in nonlinear loads

An algorithm for computing the transient response of a coupled, dispersive multiconductor system terminated in nonlinear loads is presented. The characterization of the multiconductor system is based on full-wave analysis using the spectral domain approach, rather than the usual TEM approximation. To compute the transient response of such a system, a bilevel waveform relaxation method is used. Waveform relaxation is applied to compute a time-domain solution at the input and output interfaces. The waveforms are then transformed into the frequency domain to compute the updates induced by the multiconductor system and are transformed back to the time domain for the next set of relaxation at the interfaces. Techniques for convergence are discussed. Examples of ECL, CMOS, and GaAs circuits connected by coupled lines are given for illustration. >
NIRA: a new Internet routing architecture

This paper presents the design of a new Internet routing architecture (NIRA). In today's Internet, users can pick their own ISPs, but once the packets have entered the network, the users have no control over the overall routes their packets take. NIRA aims at providing end users the ability to choose the sequence of Internet service providers a packet traverses. User choice fosters competition, which imposes an economic discipline on the market, and fosters innovation and the introduction of new services.This paper explores various technical problems that would have to be solved to give users the ability to choose: how a user discovers routes and whether the dynamic conditions of the routes satisfy his requirements, how to efficiently represent routes, and how to properly compensate providers if a user chooses to use them. In particular, NIRA utilizes a hierarchical provider-rooted addressing scheme so that a common type of domain-level route can be efficiently represented by a pair of addresses. In NIRA, each user keeps track of the topology information on domains that provide transit service for him. A source retrieves the topology information of the destination on demand and combines this information with his own to discover end-to-end routes. This route discovery process ensures that each user does not need to know the complete topology of the Internet.
Sudanic Statecraft? Political Organization in the Early Napatan Period

The Piankhy Victory Stela contains several anomalies that have caused interpretive problems for Egyptologists. These difficulties stem from the assumption, inspired by the Egyptian appearance of their monuments, that the early 25 th Dynasty kings were attempting to rule in the same way as traditional Egyptian kings. This paper argues that by utilizing the segmentary state model as an interpretive framework, a concept derived from African anthropology that has already been shown to have much utility for the study of later periods of Sudanese history, many of these apparent contradictions can be resolved. DOI:10.2458/azu_jaei_v07i2_howley
Transition Networks in a Cohort of Patients with Congestive Heart Failure: A Novel Application of Informatics Methods to Inform Care Coordination

Background: Unnecessary hospital readmissions are one source of escalating costs that may be reduced through improved care coordination, but how best to design and evaluate coordination programs is poorly understood. Measuring patient flow between service visits could support decisions for coordinating care, particularly for conditions such as congestive heart failure (CHF) which have high morbidity, costs, and hospital readmission rates. Objective: To determine the feasibility of using network analysis to explore patterns of service delivery for patients with CHF in the context of readmissions. Methods: A retrospective cohort study used de-identified records for patients ≥18 years with an ICD-9 diagnosis code 428.0–428.9, and service visits between July 2011 and June 2012. Patients were stratified by admission outcome. Traditional and novel network analysis techniques were applied to characterize care patterns. Results: Patients transitioned between services in different order and frequency depending on admission status. Patient-to-service CoUsage networks were diffuse suggesting unstructured flow of patients with no obvious coordination hubs. In service-to-service Transition networks a specialty heart failure service was on the care path to the most other services for never admitted patients, evidence of how specialist care may prevent hospital admissions for some patients. For patients admitted once, transitions expanded for a clinic-based internal medicine service which clinical experts identified as a Patient Centered Medical Home implemented in the first month for which we obtained data. Conclusions: We detected valid patterns consistent with a targeted care initiative, which experts could understand and explain, suggesting the method has utility for understanding coordination. The analysis revealed strong but complex patterns that could not be demonstrated using traditional linear methods alone. Network analysis supports measurement of real world health care service delivery, shows how transitions vary between services based on outcome, and with further development has potential to inform coordination strategies.
p -Cresol: an Oviposition Attractant of Aedes triseriatus

Aqueous infusions of decayed paper birch, Betula papyrifera (Marsh), are shown to contain an oviposition attractant for the tree-hole mosquito Aedes triseriatus (Say) in laboratory experiments. The attractive material is proved to be volatile and soluble in pentane. p -Cresol is shown to be an active component of this extract. Further experiments demonstrate that contact of ovipositing mosquitoes with p -cresol odor alone suffices to induce significantly increased oviposition. Trapping experiments show that p -cresol solutions attract significantly more mosquitoes, both male and female, than does distilled water alone.
Development of a gas phase source for perfluoroalkyl acids to examine atmospheric sampling methods

An inability to produce environmentally relevant gaseous mixing ratios of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), ubiquitous global contaminants, limits the analytical reliability of atmospheric chemists to make accurate gas and particulate measurements that are demonstrably free of interferences due to sampling artefacts. A gas phase source for PFAAs based on the acid displacement mechanism using perfluoropropionate (PFPrA), perfluorobutanoate (PFBA), perfluorohexanoate (PFHxA), and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) has been constructed. The displacement efficiency of gas phase perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) is inversely related to chain length. Decreasing displacement efficiencies for PFPrA, PFBA, PFHxA, and PFOA were 90% ± 20%, 40% ± 10%, 40% ± 10%, 9% ± 4%, respectively. Generating detectable amounts of gas phase perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs) was not possible. It is likely that lower vapour pressure and much higher acidity play a role in this lack of emission. PFCA emission rates were not elevated by increasing relative humidity (25%-75%), nor flow rate of carrier gas from 33-111 sccm. Overall, reproducible gaseous production of PFCAs was within the error of the production of hydrochloric acid (HCl) as a displacing acid (±20%) and was accomplished using a dry nitrogen flow of 33 ± 2 sccm. A reproducible mass emission rate of 0.97 ± 0.10 ng min(-1) (n = 8) was observed for PFBA. This is equivalent to an atmospheric mixing ratio of 12 ppmv, which is easily diluted to environmentally relevant mixing ratios of PFBA. Conversely, generating gas phase perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) by sublimating the solid acid under the same conditions produced a mass emission rate of 2800 ng min(-1), which is equivalent to a mixing ratio of 18 ppthv and over a million times higher than suspected atmospheric levels. Thus, for analytical certification of atmospheric sampling methods, generating gas phase standards for PFCAs is best accomplished using acid displacement under dry conditions. This yields quickly stabilized, reproducible emissions and mixing ratios that are easily diluted to environmentally relevant levels. Gas phase PFBA from this source has also been shown to be quantitatively collected using an annular denuder coated with sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) method Compendium I.O-4.2. Overall, producing gas phase PFAAs at constant atmospherically-relevant levels will enable the development of standard approaches in certifying gas and particle collection efficiencies for instruments interrogating the gas-particle partitioning and long-range transport of PFCAs in the atmosphere.
Unplanned surgical excision of tumors of the foot and ankle.

BackgroundSoft-tissue tumors of the foot and ankle are relatively common and mostly benign. Thus, many malignant tumors in this region are improperly treated initially. Unplanned excisions can lead...
Analysis of the factors of children's simple obesity effect

Objective The influence factors of simple obesity in children and adolescents objective to analysis. Methods Statistical methods to analysis the influence factors of simple obesity in children and adolescents through the acquisition of my student center inspection and supervision of common diseases of data.Results On the basis of a survey of 1000 cases were divided into intervention group of 500 cases and 500 cases in the control group, the intervention group intervention after the intervention, compared two groups of simple obesity cases. The intervention group after intervention of obesity rate is declining, while the control group(no intervention) obesity rate has increased, with a significant difference between two groups(P0.05). Additional aspects of children's simple obesity factors mainly comes from eating habits, genetic factors and factors, including diet had the highest frequency,78.42%. Conclusion Effective interventions to some extent control children simple obesity, especially the intervention on diet and exercise factors will be able to achieve better results.
A road is made: Roads, temples, and historical memory in Ya'an County, Sichuan

In contemporary China, road construction is a top priority for state economic planners as part of the effort to build "material civilization" (wuzhi wenming). Roads, however, also invoke the discourse of "spiritual civilization" (jingshen wenming) in that roads can transport the "peasant" out of his backward conservatism by integrating him with a progressive global economy. The civilizing mission of road construction creates an emerging border-physical and conceptual-between the new cosmopolitan China and its backward hinterland. The self-evident notion that roads are beneficial and "civilizing" also imbues Western representations:
An Analysis of the Factor Structure and Validity of the Attitudes Toward Erotica Questionnaire With a Sample of Counseling Professionals

Researchers performed an exploratory factor analysis on the Attitudes Toward Erotica Questionnaire (ATEQ) and examined the construct and concurrent validity of the ATEQ data with a sample of practicing counselors and marriage and family therapists in the state of Florida (N = 373). The data analyses resulted in a two-factor, 10-item assessment (72.93% of the variance explained). The two factors of the ATEQ measured attitudes supporting the restriction of pornography and beliefs that pornography is exploitive.
Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, and Cognitive Dysfunction

The effects of diabetes and of episodes of severe hypoglycemia on cognitive function in 28 diabetic children were assessed at the Trondheim University Hospital, Norway.
Hidradenitis suppurativa, neutrophilic dermatoses and diverticular disease in a young African-American patient

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic skin disorder of the terminal follicular epithelium of apocrine sweat glands, manifesting as painful and exudative papules, pustules, cysts or nodules. This inflammatory condition often presents with other systemic and cutaneous disorders. We present the case of an African-American man with HS who was also diagnosed with neutrophilic dermatoses and diverticular disease. Neutrophilic dermatosis was identified based on histopathology findings. Our patient underwent multiple surgeries for flaring of his skin condition. Colchicine and doxycycline were started, but the patient was not able to tolerate them. Humira was planned for treatment of HS and neutrophilic dermatosis but could not be pursued because of the pericolic abscess. Colonoscopy and radiological investigation revealed multiple colonic diverticuli, for which he initially underwent percutaneous drainage followed by surgical removal of sigmoid mass and colocutaneous fistula. Culture from the specimen revealed abnormal growth of Actinomyces.
Contests between heritage and history in Tanganyika/Tanzania: Insights arising from community-based heritage research

Ongoing collaborative heritage research in northwestern Tanzania engages partners from diverse backgrounds, from craftsmen and common folk to a sitting king and his royal clan. Such diversity has r...
Tribological properties of ZnO and WS2 nanofluids using different surfactants

Abstract Previous studies have shown promising tribological performance and thermal properties of nano particles and ionic liquids when they were used separately as oil additives. However, the use of ionic liquid as a nanofluid surfactant has been rarely studied. This work investigates oil based ZnO and WS2 nanofluid tribological properties using two different surfactants: oleic acid and ionic liquid. ZnO and WS2 nanofluids were mixed and pin on disk tests were performed using 20MnCr5 carburized axle hypoid gear material. Results showed that phosphinate ionic liquid as surfactant has long term stability when mixed with ceramic nano particles. However, it was found that using phosphinate ionic liquid alone as an oil additive did not improve nanofluid tribological performance. Meanwhile, oleic acid when used as a surfactant showed lower friction and reduced wear for both ZnO nanofluids and WS2 nanofluids. SEM studies showed a film formed on the disk surface using oleic acid as surfactant which may enhance tribological performance.
The Nature of Tags in a Knowledge Organization System of Primary Visual Resources

ABSTRACTThe study examined user-generated tags to digitized primary visual archival resources to identify the nature of tags as image description. A collection of 3,191 tags from a digital portal (NINES) was used for the study. The tags were analyzed in terms of the attributes of primary archival visual resources users described. The tags were also compared to metadata to detect their relationship with metadata. The findings help understand users' tagging behavior and resource interpretation in primary and historical visual resources in humanities domains. The results of this study demonstrate the value of tags in identifying and determining user points of view and tags' potential to represent and connect to metadata description and to support discovery of relevant resources.
Jeffrey Weise and the Shooting at Red Lake Minnesota High School: A Behavioral Perspective

The Red Lake High School shooting is one of the five most lethal school shootings in United States history. Jeffrey Weise’s crime was based on prior planning and was motivated for maximum lethality. Weise’s behavior during the shooting itself was not erratic. On the contrary, he behaved in a predatory, hypoemotional manner as he walked through the hallways and into the classrooms, shooting and killing people. His behavior is important to understand because it is similar to behaviors seen in at least four other school shootings in the United States, which were committed by older, more mature offenders. School shootings are not homogeneous events. However, those that manifest behavioral indicators of preplanning, a desire for maximum lethality, and appear mission oriented should be set apart from other school shootings in terms of lessons learned regarding warning behaviors and intervention.
First Amendment Values for the Internet

In May 2014, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), on the ropes from two adverse D.C. Circuit decisions, proposed the latest in a series of regulations of broadband providers -- the entities that serve as the gatekeepers for all content, applications, and services on the Internet. While in recent years the FCC has sought to regulate broadband providers to impose on them the duty not to discriminate against any of the traffic flowing through their pipes, in these latest Proposed Rules -- in response to the recent D.C. Circuit decision Verizon v. FCC -- the FCC has sought to enable broadband providers to discriminate in favor of or against certain content. These latest Proposed Rules are inconsistent with First Amendment values. Over the past two decades, the Internet has evolved into a vast public forum for expression and into “the most participatory marketplace of mass speech that this country -- and indeed the world -- has yet seen.” The FCC should implement strong net neutrality rules by regulating broadband providers as common carriers and should prohibit them from discriminating in favor of or against any legal content. Doing so would not violate broadband providers’ First Amendment rights. Rather, it is the absence of strong net neutrality regulations that threatens our preeminent First Amendment values: facilitating the uninhibited, robust, and wide-open marketplace of ideas; fostering the public debate and deliberation essential for the task of democratic self-government; and, in the process, protecting speech that is unpopular, disfavored, and less well-funded.
Abstract 494: Loss of Gstm1 Alters Blood Pressure Homeostasis and Augments Angiotensin II-induced Hypertension

GSTM1 gene encodes an enzyme that belongs to a superfamily of Glutathione-S-transferases that metabolize xenobiotic, and a broad range of reactive oxygen species and electrophilic compounds formed as secondary metabolites during the oxidative stress. There is a general consensus that oxidative stress contributes to development of hypertension (HTN). We hypothesized that Gstm1 may influence blood pressure (BP) regulation through its central role in modulating redox homeostasis. Therefore the objective of this study was to determine the response of Gstm1 knockout (KO) mice to 2 models of hypertension that are mediated in part by oxidative stress: 1) high salt model, and 2) angiotensin II model. Methods: Gstm1-/- (KO) mice were generated on the 129S6 background through conventional gene targeting strategy. Hypertension was induced using high salt diet (HSD, 6% NaCl) for 2 weeks or by infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II) via mini-osmotic pump at dose 1000 ng/kg/min for 3 weeks. Systolic BP (SBP) at baseline and under high salt condition was measured using radio-telemetry. Tail-cuff manometry was used to measure SBP in Ang II induced hypertension. Urinary isoprostane (index of oxidative stress) was measured using ELISA assay. For all studies, n ≥ 4 per group. Results: By radiotelemetry, Gstm1 KO mice display a modest but significantly higher baseline SBP compared to their wild type (WT) littermates: KO: 138.8 ± 1.3; WT: 132.1 ± 1.1, p Conclusion: Loss of Gstm1 results in elevated baseline blood pressure and augmented Ang II induced hypertension. The altered blood pressure homeostasis from deficiency in GSTM1 enzyme may be mediated by a decreased capacity to handle oxidative stress.
Dengvaxia sensitizes seronegatives to vaccine enhanced disease regardless of age.

Abstract During a large scale clinical efficacy trial of the Sanofipasteur live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine (Dengvaxia), features of hospitalized disease accompanying dengue infections in placebo recipients were closely similar to those in vaccinated children. However, the age specific hospitalization curves for these two populations differed. The curve for children vaccinated at ages 2–16 years closely resembled the 1981 age specific hospitalization rate curve for Cuban children infected with DENV 2 who were sensitized by a prior DENV 1 infection. The corresponding age specific hospitalization curve for placebos experiencing heterotypic secondary dengue infections peaked at age, 9–11 years. These differing epidemiological features support the conclusion that antibody dependent enhanced (ADE) dengue disease occurred in seronegatives who were sensitized by vaccine. As hospitalizations continue to occur in all age groups Dengvaxia consumers should be warned that sensitized vaccinated seronegatives will experience enhanced dengue disease into the forseeable future.
Embracing risk dependency in designing cyber-insurance contracts

We study the problem of designing cyber insurance policies in an interdependent network, where the loss of one agent (a primary party) depends not only on his own effort, but also on the investments and efforts of others (third parties) in the same eco-system (i.e., externalities). In designing cyber insurance policies, the conventional wisdom is to avoid insuring dependent parties for two reasons. First, simultaneous loss incidents threaten the insurer's business and capital. Second, when a loss incident can be attributed to a third party, the insurer of the primary party can get compensation from the insurer of the third party in order to reduce its own risk exposure. In this work, we analyze an interdependent network model in order to understand whether an insurer should avoid or embrace risks interdependencies. We focus on two interdependent agents, where the risk of one agent (primary party) depends on the other agent (third party), but not the other way around. We consider two potential scenarios: one in which an insurer only insures a primary party, and another one in which the insurer of the primary party further insures the third party agent. We show that it is in fact profitable for the primary party's insurer to insure both agents. Further, we show that insuring both agents not only provides higher profit for the insurer, but also reduces the collective risk.
Diabetes Center of Excellence Hypoglycemia Emergency Preparedness Project

IN BRIEF “Quality Improvement Success Stories” are published by the American Diabetes Association in collaboration with the American College of Physicians, Inc., and the National Diabetes Education Program. This series is intended to highlight best practices and strategies from programs and clinics that have successfully improved the quality of care for people with diabetes or related conditions. Each article in the series is reviewed and follows a standard format developed by the editors of Clinical Diabetes. The following article describes a successful effort to ensure that patients who are at risk for severe hypoglycemic events have a viable glucagon emergency plan in place.
Dopamine-dependent cognitive processes after menopause: the relationship between COMT genotype, estradiol, and working memory

The present study examined how a gene related to functioning of the dopaminergic system, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), and estradiol were related to brain functioning in healthy postmenopausal women. Participants were 118 healthy, cognitively normal postmenopausal women between the ages of 50-60 years. All women provided a blood sample for COMT and estradiol analyses and underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan. Working memory performance and related brain activation were measured with BOLD functional magnetic resonance imaging during the N-back task. Results were examined across each COMT genotype and a median split was performed on the circulating estradiol levels to create high and low estradiol groups for each genotype. COMT genotype and estradiol level were hypothesized to be proxy measures for brain dopamine levels with the Met/Met and high estradiol group having the most dopamine and Val/Val and low estradiol group having the least dopamine. The functional magnetic resonance imaging results showed that the N-back task activated the expected bilateral frontal and bilateral parietal working memory network. However, no main effects of COMT genotype or estradiol group were found. There was COMT-estradiol interaction found in a small area of decreased activation in the right precentral gyrus (Brodmann Area 6) that was related to the increasing hypothesized dopamine level. Specifically, women with a Met/Met genotype in the high estradiol group had the least activation in this frontal lobe working memory region. Women with a Val/Val genotype in the low estradiol group had greater activation in this region relative to the other groups. Performance on the N-back task did not show any group differences. These data indicate that after menopause COMT genotype and potentially the menopause-related changes to the dopaminergic system are not related to cognition. Future studies should examine how the relationship between COMT, estradiol, and cognition around the menopause transition as there appear to be differences in this relationship for premenopausal and postmenopausal women.
CT of Gastric Volvulus: Interobserver Reliability, Radiologists' Accuracy, and Imaging Findings.

OBJECTIVE. The objective of this study was to identify CT findings and determine interobserver reliability of surgically proven gastric volvulus. MATERIALS AND METHODS. This single-center retrospec...
Stress and Coping Among Public School Principals in a Midwest Metropolitan Sample

The present study sought to investigate perceptions of stress and coping among public school principals. School principals are daily called upon to make decisions regarding a range of unscripted ev...
Review: The Construction of Equality: Syriac Immigration and the Swedish City, by Jennifer Mack

Jennifer Mack The Construction of Equality: Syriac Immigration and the Swedish City Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2017, 344 pp., 7 maps, 78 b/w illus. $30 (paper), ISBN 9780816698714 At a moment when divisive and xenophobic rhetoric about immigrants is on the rise, “place histories” can illuminate migrants’ critical place-making practices and contextualize their complex relationships with their new homes as well as the ones they left behind. In The Construction of Equality: Syriac Immigration and the Swedish City , Jennifer Mack presents a social, spatial, and urban history of Sodertalje, a city on the periphery of Stockholm, over the past fifty years. Drawing on a range of methodologies, Mack guides the reader through empirically rich case studies while also demonstrating how ethnographic research can inform historical analysis and contribute to the telling of vital architectural and urban stories. In large part, this book explores how Syriac spatial and building practices have disrupted Swedish architectural and planning philosophies based on the notion that formal homogeneity and uniformity promote social and economic equality. Mack also examines the assumption—made by many urban planners, politicians, and citizens—that segregated immigrant neighborhoods in Sweden are a social problem. In response to this prevalent narrative, she explores the spatial richness of so-called segregated neighborhoods as well as the stories of individual Syriac migrants, who are often perceived as being part of a monolithic immigrant bloc. These histories illustrate how those on the margins produce “urban design from below” through repeated tactical and material interventions into local planning processes and uses of public and private spaces (17). According to Mack, “rather than urban anthropology,” hers is “an anthropology of the urban,” one that creates a road map for studying a shifting material world so as to better understand migrants’ social and architectural histories (11). Sweden's unique political history makes it a particularly interesting place in which to study migrant-initiated urban change. In twentieth-century Sweden, where spatial solutions to social problems were the norm, planners and architects …
Pass the Buck on a Complete Binary Tree

The Stochastic Abacus is employed to compute winning probabilities at each level of the game Pass the Buck on a complete binary tree with the starting vertex being the root of the tree. The derivation is also generalized to play on complete k-ary trees.
Phosphodiesterase 9A in Brain Regulates cGMP Signaling Independent of Nitric-Oxide.

PDE9A is a cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase expressed in neurons throughout the brain that has attracted attention as a therapeutic target to treat cognitive disorders. Indeed, PDE9A inhibitors are under evaluation in clinical trials as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. However, little is known about the cGMP signaling cascades regulated by PDE9A. Canonical cGMP signaling in brain follows the activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and the generation of nitric oxide, which activates soluble guanylyl cyclase and cGMP synthesis. However, we show that in mice, PDE9A regulates a pool of cGMP that is independent of nNOS, specifically, and nitric oxide signaling in general. This PDE9A-regulated cGMP pool appears to be highly compartmentalized and independent of cGMP pools regulated by several PDEs. These findings provide a new foundation for study of the upstream and downstream signaling elements regulated by PDE9A and its potential as a therapeutic target for brain disease.
DeepLabCut Analysis of Social Novelty Preference

Abstract The description and quantification of social behavior in laboratory rodents is central to basic and translational research. Conventional ethological approaches to social behavior are fraught with challenges including bias, significant human effort and temporal accuracy. Here we show proof of principle that machine learning can be applied to laboratory tests of social decision making. Rats underwent social novelty preference tests which were scored both by hand and again by a convolutional neural network generated in the DeepLabCut computer vision package of Mathis and colleagues. The CNN generated temporally (30Hz) and locally (
Do economic institutions count in giving aid? Comparative observations on aid allocation between the U.S. and other Development Assistance Committee members

Abstract This study identifies whether the quality of recipient countries’ economic institutions was a determining factor in the aid allocation practices of donor nations. Three criteria that would influence aid decision were proposed: recipient institutions (economic and political), donor strategic interest, and recipient need. By examining a panel of 109 countries during 2007–2016, our findings suggest that there is a distinct contrast in the patterns of aid allocation between the U.S. and the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) regarding institutional factors—economic and political institutions—while demonstrating not much difference in terms of donor interest and recipient need. The economic and political institutions negatively influence the amount of aid commitment only for the DAC donors. We presume that they focus more on ex-post conditionality than ex-ante selectivity criteria when it comes to the level of recipient economic and political institutions. In addition, our finding does not support the argument that the U.S. behaves more strategically in aid giving practices ( Lumsdaine, 1993 , Noel and Therien, 1995 ). The U.S. is less responsive to conflict situations and the colonial history of a recipient than the DAC donors are.
Planting the Anthropocene: Rhetorics of Natureculture: Planting the Anthropocene: Rhetorics of Natureculture. Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 2019. 201 pages. $27.95 paperback.

It is by now not news that our new geological epoch is here. The Anthropocene, the much-contested name used to describe an age of human-influenced change, proclaims a new way for stratigraphers to ...
Mutant p53 antagonizes p63/p73-mediated tumor suppression via Notch1.

p53 is the most frequently mutated gene in human cancers and mutant p53 has a gain of function (GOF) that promotes tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. One of the major GOF activities of mutant p53 is to suppress 2 other p53 family proteins, p63 and p73. However, the molecular basis is not fully understood. Here, we examined whether mutant p53 antagonizes p63/p73-mediated tumor suppression in vivo by using mutant p53-R270H knockin and TAp63/p73-deficient mouse models. We found that knockin mutant p53-R270H shortened the life span of p73+/− mice and subjected TAp63+/− or p73+/− mice to T lymphoblastic lymphomas (TLBLs). To unravel the underlying mechanism, we showed that mutant p53 formed a complex with Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD) and antagonized p63/p73-mediated repression of HES1 and ECM1. As a result, HES1 and ECM1 were overexpressed in TAp63+/−;p53R270H/− and p73+/−;p53R270H/− TLBLs, suggesting that normal function of HES1 and ECM1 in T cell activation is hyperactivated, leading to lymphomagenesis. Together, our data reveal a previously unappreciated mechanism by which GOF mutant p53 hijacks the p63/p73-regulated transcriptional program via the Notch1 pathway.
Diagnosis and Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Review

Importance Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects 17% of women and 34% of men in the US and has a similar prevalence in other countries. This review provides an update on the diagnosis and treatment of OSA. Observations The most common presenting symptom of OSA is excessive sleepiness, although this symptom is reported by as few as 15% to 50% of people with OSA in the general population. OSA is associated with a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease. In many patients, OSA can be diagnosed with home sleep apnea testing, which has a sensitivity of approximately 80%. Effective treatments include weight loss and exercise, positive airway pressure, oral appliances that hold the jaw forward during sleep, and surgical modification of the pharyngeal soft tissues or facial skeleton to enlarge the upper airway. Hypoglossal nerve stimulation is effective in select patients with a body mass index less than 32. There are currently no effective pharmacological therapies. Treatment with positive airway pressure lowers blood pressure, especially in patients with resistant hypertension; however, randomized clinical trials of OSA treatment have not demonstrated significant benefit on rates of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events. Conclusions and Relevance OSA is common and the prevalence is increasing with the increased prevalence of obesity. Daytime sleepiness is among the most common symptoms, but many patients with OSA are asymptomatic. Patients with OSA who are asymptomatic, or whose symptoms are minimally bothersome and pose no apparent risk to driving safety, can be treated with behavioral measures, such as weight loss and exercise. Interventions such as positive airway pressure are recommended for those with excessive sleepiness and resistant hypertension. Managing asymptomatic OSA to reduce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events is not currently supported by high-quality evidence.
Mass Spectrometry Imaging of N-Glycans Reveals Racial Discrepancies in Low Grade Prostate Tumors

Abstract Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men worldwide. Despite its prevalence, there is a critical knowledge gap regarding the underlining molecular events that result in higher incidence and mortality rate in Black men. Identifying molecular features that separate racial disparities is a critical step in prostate cancer research that could lead to predictive biomarkers and personalized therapy. N-linked glycosylation is a co-translational event during protein folding that modulates a myriad of cellular processes. Recently, aberrant N-linked glycosylation has been reported in prostate cancers. However, the full clinical implications of dysregulated glycosylation in prostate cancer has yet to be explored. Herein, we performed high-throughput matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry analysis to characterize the N-glycan profile from tissue microarrays of over 100 patient tumors with over 10 years of follow up data. We identified several species of N-glycans that were profoundly different between low grade prostate tumors resected from White and Black patients. Further, these glycans predict opposing overall survival between White and Black patients with prostate cancer. These data suggest differential N-linked glycosylation underline the racial disparity of prostate cancer prognosis. Our study highlights the potential applications of MALDI-MSI for digital pathology and biomarker to study racial disparity of prostate cancer patients. Graphical Abstract
Acute Diabetes Complications

A comprehensive review of the two most common acute complications of T1D in pediatrics (i.e., diabetic ketoacidosis [DKA] and severe hypoglycemia) is presented. Specifically, the clinical presentation, classification, and management of DKA are discussed in detail, as well as the risks and treatment of cerebral edema in DKA. A section is also included regarding the pathophysiology and special treatment issues related to the hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS). Finally, the risks, frequency, treatment, and prevention of hypoglycemia are described.
The Pervasive Presence of Chinese Government Content on Douyin Trending Videos

As audiences have moved to digital media, so too have authoritarian regimes. While previous research has focused on how authoritarian regimes employ strategies such as the use of fabricated accounts and content to boost their reach, this paper reveals two different tactics the Chinese regime uses on Douyin, the Chinese version of the video-sharing platform TikTok, to compete for audience attention. We use a multi-modal approach that combines analysis of video, text, and meta-data to examine a novel dataset of Douyin videos. We find that a large share of trending videos are produced by accounts affiliated with the Chinese regime. These videos contain visual characteristics designed to maximize attention such as high levels of brightness and entropy and very short duration, and are more visually similar to content produced by celebrities and ordinary users than to content from non-official media accounts. We also find that the majority of videos produced by regime-affiliated accounts do not fit traditional definitions of propaganda but rather contain stories and topics unrelated to any aspect of the government, the Chinese Communist Party, policies, or politics.