cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deconstructing the Paterfamilias: British Magazines and the Imagining of the Maternal Father, 1850–1910

While British periodicals between 1850 and 1910 typically expressed anxiety about fatherhood in the abstract, often portraying fathers as cold, detached, sexually irresponsible, or brutal, periodical fiction and “life writing” took a different tack by presenting their readership with portraits of ideal individual fathers. This article explores the ways in which this ideal inverts the usual stereotype of the Victorian paterfamilias by investing the father with the selflessness, sexual purity, and commitment to domesticity that were also crucial to the ideal of the good Victorian mother.
An Analysis of Rorschach Indices of Male Homosexuality

(1949). An Analysis of Rorschach Indices of Male Homosexuality. Rorschach Research Exchange and Journal of Projective Techniques: Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 97-126.
Size and temperature effects on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) degradation and microreservoir device performance.

Abstract The component materials of controlled-release drug delivery systems are often selected based on their degradation rates. The release time of a drug from a system will strongly depend on the degradation rates of the component polymers. We have observed that some poly(lactic- co -glycolic acid) polymers (PLGA) exhibit degradation rates that depend on the size of the polymer object and the temperature of the surrounding environment. In vitro degradation studies of four different PLGA polymers showed that 150 μm thick membranes degraded more rapidly than 50 μm thick membranes, as characterized by gel permeation chromatography and mass loss measurements. Faster degradation was observed at 37 °C than 25 °C, and when the saline media was not refreshed. A biodegradable polymeric microreservoir device that we have developed relies on the degradation of polymeric membranes to deliver pulses of molecules from reservoirs on the device. Earlier molecular release was seen from devices having thicker PLGA membranes. Comparison of an in vitro release study from these devices with the degradation study suggests that reservoir membranes rupture and drug release occurs when a membrane threshold molecular weight of 5000–15000 is reached.
The electro-encephalogram in hypnotic age regression

The hypothesis that there might be changes in cerebral physiology accompanying the psychological phenomena of hypnotic age regression was tested by comparing the electro-encephalograms of 10 normal subjects before and during regression. No alterations of cerebral physiology during hypnotic age regression were discovered.
Biconically tapered fiber optic dip probe for rapid label-free immunoassays

We report U-shaped biconically tapered optical fibers (BTOF) as dip probes for label-free immunoassays. The tapered regions of the sensors were functionalized by immobilization of immunoglobulin-G (Ig-G) and tested for detection of anti-IgG at concentrations of 0.5, 5.0, and 50 μg/mL. Antibody-antigen reaction creates a biological nanolayer modifying the waveguide structure leading to a change in the sensor signal, which allows real-time monitoring. The kinetics of the antibody (mouse Ig-G) -antigen (rabbit anti-mouse IgG) reactions was studied. The limit of detection for the sensor was estimated to be less than 0.5 μg/mL with low temperature sensitivity. Utilization of the rate of the sensor peak shift within the first few minutes of antibody-antigen reaction is proposed as a rapid detection method.
Age at dieting onset, body mass index, and dieting practices. A twin study.

Objective: Using a twin study design, we sought to determine whether an early age at dieting onset is a risk factor for higher adult body mass index (BMI) or use of risky dieting practices, independent of genetic and familial factors. Method: Female twins ages 18–60 years (N = 950) from the University of Washington Twin Registry completed 2 surveys an average of 3 years apart. Analyses of individual twins and within-twin pairs tested associations of self-reported age at dieting onset with (1) adult BMI at baseline, (2) change in BMI between the two surveys and (3) risky dieting behaviors at baseline. Results: In analyses mimicking studies of unrelated individuals, an earlier age at dieting onset was associated with greater adult BMI (p = 0.003), higher Restraint Scale scores (p < 0.001), greater use of risky dieting behaviors (p = 0.04) and more weight cycling episodes (p < 0.001). In within-pair models that control for genetic and familial factors, the only significant association was between an earlier age at dieting onset and more weight cycling episodes (p = 0.006). Discussion: Underlying genetic and familial factors may influence associations of early dieting with higher adult BMIs and risky dieting practices in women.
On real-time extensions to object request brokers: a panel position paper

The paper describes some of the issues that need to be investigated in order to develop real time data processing extensions to CORBA. In particular, issues on extensions to the object model, ORB, and IDL are discussed. Finally a discussion of some real time services and applications hosted on real time ORBs are provided.
Update on possible electrode mechanisms in the sweeping of alpha quartz

The use of thick nonporous Au/Cr electrodes which can lead to a change in the sweeping mechanism is discussed. With these electrodes, a color-center front advances from anode to cathode in quartz that is swept in air at temperatures below the alpha - beta transition. Evidence is presented which indicates that: (1) color centers form beneath nonporous portions of the anode that correlate with the formation of interface Cr-oxides and silicides; (2) clear striae are created along the C-axis where color centers either do not form or are subsequently bleached along cylindrical volumes which correlate with openings in the anode; (3) the clear cylindrical volumes have diameters much larger than the metal openings; (4) a uniformly colored region can form in areas close to but not covered by the anode. Also, a clear band forms between the uniformly colored region and the striated region associated with the anode. >
Subunit Composition and Glycosidic Activities of the Cellulase Complex from Clostridium thermocellum JW20.

The subunit composition of the extracellular complex from Clostridium thermocellum was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Twenty-six bands, representing proteins with apparent molecular sizes ranging from 37,500 to 185,000 Da, could be detected by silver staining. Cultivation of the bacteria with the substrate Avicel, Sigma cellulose, Solka floc, or cellobiose as the carbon source had no influence on the number of detectable protein bands. By activity staining with the substrate carboxymethyl cellulose or xylan added to the SDS-polyacrylamide gels, 15 of the 26 bands exhibited endoglucanase activity and 13 showed xylanase activity. In 8 of the 26 bands, both activities could be found. As minor activities, β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase, β-galactosidase, and β-mannosidase activities could be demonstrated in the cellulase complex. Upon measuring the release of para-nitrophenol (PNP) from PNP-cellobioside and determining the amount of glucose formed, the presence of exoglucanase activity was indicated. Upon glycoprotein staining of SDS-polyacrylamide gels, 14 of the 26 bands reacted positive, indicating the glycoprotein nature of the respective proteins. Four proteins (apparent molecular sizes, 58,000, 72,500, 94,000, and 110,000 Da) could be enriched from the originally bound cellulase complex by preparative SDS-PAGE. The two smaller proteins exhibited xylanase activity, whereas the 94,000-Da protein had endo- and exoglucanase activity, and the 110,000-Da protein degraded PNP-pyranosides. Images
A Comparative Study of Performance Measures for Information Retrieval Systems

Traditional performance measures of information retrieval systems include precision and recall and their variants. While these measures work well in closed-laboratory environments, they are not suitable for practical IR systems such as Web search systems. Many single-value measures were proposed to improve over the precision-recall measure, such as expected search length (ESL), average search length (ASL) and RankPower. We compare in this paper the measures of ESL, ASL, and RankPower applied to a set of real Web retrieval data. The results demonstrate that RankPower indeed is a feasible, effective, and easyto- use single-value measure for performance of practical IR systems such as Web search engines.
Function of oxidative cross-linking of cell wall structural proteins in plant disease resistance

Elicitation of soybean cells causes a rapid insolubilization of two cell wall structural proteins, p33 and p100. Likewise, a short elicitation of 30 min rendered cell walls more refractory to enzyme digestion as assayed by the yield of protoplasts released. This effect could be ascribed to protein cross-linking because of its insensitivity to inhibitors of transcription (actinomycin D) and translation (cycloheximide) and its induction by exogenous H2O2. Moreover, the induced loss of protoplasts could be prevented by preincubation with DTT, which also blocks peroxidase-mediated oxidative cross-linking. The operation of protein insolubilization in plant defense was also demonstrated by its occurrence in the incompatible interaction but not in the compatible interaction between soybean and Pseudomonas syringae pv glycinea. Likewise, protein insolubilization was observed in bean during non-host hypersensitive resistance to the tobacco pathogen P. s. pv tabaci mediated by the hypersensitive resistance and pathogenicity (Hrp) gene cluster. Our data strongly suggest that rapid protein insolubilization leads to a strengthened cell wall, and this mechanism functions as a rapid defense in the initial stages of the hypersensitive response prior to deployment of transcription-dependent defenses.
Gratitude in Intermediate Affective Terrain: Links of Grateful Moods to Individual Differences and Daily Emotional Experience.

Two studies were conducted to explore gratitude in daily mood and the relationships among various affective manifestations of gratitude. In Study 1, spiritual transcendence and a variety of positive affective traits were related to higher mean levels of gratitude across 21 days. Study 2 replicated these findings and revealed that on days when people had more grateful moods than was typical for them, they also reported more frequent daily episodes of grateful emotions, more intense gratitude per episode, and more people to whom they were grateful than was typical for them. In addition, gratitude as an affective trait appeared to render participants’ grateful moods somewhat resistant to the effects of discrete emotional episodes of gratitude.
Cocaine, metamfetamine, and MDMA abuse: the role and clinical importance of neuroadaptation.

Introduction. This article reviews the role and clinical importance of specific neuroadaptations that may occur following use of cocaine, metamfetamine, and 3,4,methylenedioxymetamfetamine (MDMA). Methods. A literature search was performed using OVID MEDLINE and PubMed for all years to the present date, which identified 250 papers of which 154 were considered relevant. Mechanisms of action of cocaine and metamfetamine. Cocaine and metamfetamine increase central nervous system synaptic dopamine primarily by increasing the release of dopamine into the synapse and binding to the dopamine reuptake transporter, which prevents the reuptake of dopamine from the synapse back into the nerve cell. Synaptic dopamine then stimulates post synaptic receptors. The continued release of dopamine and prevention of reuptake results in a supraphysiological concentration of dopamine, which causes euphoria or a “high.” The greater the concentration of dopamine, the greater the high. Continued supraphysiological concentrations ...
Psychiatric Illness in Women. Emerging Treatment and Research

![][1] This book addresses many of the clinical and management problems and research dilemmas that a psychiatrist faces today. It consists of 25 chapters grouped in five sections. The first two sections include seven chapters on anxiety, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD
Myocardial Abscess 14 Years After Coronary Bypass Grafting

We report the case management of a patient with a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus intramyocardial abscess adjacent to a previously grafted native right coronary artery. The diagnosis was eventually established by obtaining a gallium scan. This case illustrates the need for maintaining a wide-ranging view of potential causes of bacteremia after cardiac surgery, especially in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities.
The Consequences of Immigration Reform for the US Courts of Appeals

In this paper, I examine the consequences of the changes in the administrative procedures for appeals in immigration cases for circuit court judges. I discuss these changes and offer a model of decision making in immigration appeals. By analyzing a newly collected dataset of immigration decisions, I find that these reforms have dramatically changed how judges make decisions in immigration cases.
Characterization of a 60S complex of the adenomatous polyposis coli tumor suppressor protein.

Abstract The tumor suppressor protein adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) is a multifunctional protein with a well characterized role in the Wnt signal transduction pathway and roles in cytoskeletal regulation and cell polarity. The soluble pool of APC protein in colon epithelial tumor cells exists in two distinct complexes fractionating at ∼ 20S and ∼ 60S in size. The 20S complex contains components of the β-catenin destruction complex and probably functions in the Wnt pathway. In this study, we characterized the molecular nature of the 60S APC- containing complex by examining known potential binding partners of APC. 60S APC did not contain EB1 or diaphanous, proteins that have been reported to interact with APC and are implicated in microtubule plus end stabilization. Nor did the two other microtubule associated proteins, MAP4 or KAP3, which is thought to link APC to kinesin motor proteins, associate with the 60S complex. Minor fractions of α-tubulin, γ-tubulin and IQGAP1, a Rac1 and CDC42 effector that interacts with APC, specifically associated with APC in the 60S fraction. We propose that 60S APC is a discrete high molecular weight complex with a novel function in cytoskeletal regulation in epithelial cells apart from its well established role in targeting catenin destruction or its proposed role in microtubule plus end stabilization.
Levels of selection: An alternative to individualism in biology and the human sciences

Biology and many branches of the human sciences are dominated by an individualistic tradition that treat groups and communities as collections of organisms without themselves having the properties implicit in the word organism. In biology, the individualistic tradition achieves generality only by defining self-interest as “anything that evolves by natural selection”. A more meaningful definition of self-interest shows that natural selection operates on a hierarchy of units from genetic elements to multi-species communities, and that a unit becomes organismic to the degree that natural selection operates at the level of that unit. I review levels-of-selection theory in biology and sketch a parallel argument for the human sciences.
Parents' Marital Violence Long-Term Consequences for Children

This study uses longitudinal data from two sources (parents and their adult offspring) to determine the long-term consequences of marital violence for children. The authors find that parents' reports of marital violence between 1980 and 1988 (when children were between the ages of 11 and 19, on average) predict offspring's reports of negative outcomes in early adulthood, including poorer parent-child relationships, lower psychological well-being, and more violence within their own relationships. Most of these associations are independent of parents' nonviolent conflict, divorce, self-reported abusive behavior toward children, and alcohol/drug use.
Serial Changes in Body Composition Throughout Adulthood and Their Relationships to Changes in Lipid and Lipoprotein Levels The Fels Longitudinal Study

Few studies have examined the relationships between measures of body composition and lipid and lipoprotein levels in long-term serial data from individuals unselected for cardiovascular disease- or obesity-related variables, and none have considered such extensive serial data as used in the current study. The aim was to examine in such individuals the associations between annual changes in lipid and lipoprotein levels and concurrent changes in total body fat, fat-free mass, percent body fat, and body mass index. Serial data from 1304 examinations of 423 adult white participants in the Fels Longitudinal Study were analyzed sex-specifically in 2 age groups, 18 through 44 years and 45 to 65 years. A regressive analytic approach utilized the long-term (4 to 20 years) serial data of individuals. Annual changes in adiposity, independent of levels of lean tissue changes, before and after age 45 for men and women were significantly correlated with corresponding annual changes in cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. In men before age 45, changes in triglycerides and high density lipoprotein cholesterol were also significantly associated with changes in adiposity, with the relationship remaining after age 45 in high density lipoprotein cholesterol. Increases in adiposity in individuals are associated with changes in lipid and lipoprotein levels in the direction of increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Adult levels of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol across age and sex and high density lipoprotein cholesterol in men are responsive to changes in adiposity, independent of initial adiposity or lipid and lipoprotein levels.
ADVANCES IN ANGIOGENESIS RESEARCH: RELEVANCE TO UROLOGICAL ONCOLOGY

AbstractPurpose: Important advances in angiogenesis research are reviewed along with recent data implicating angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of urological malignancies.Materials and Methods: The current understanding of angiogenesis and its importance in tumor biology is summarized. The rationale for anti-angiogenic therapy is reviewed and the clinical experience with these agents is discussed. An extensive literature search of angiogenesis in urological malignancies was performed.Results: Quantitative immunohistochemistry for endothelial antigens suggests that, as is the case with many other tumors, induction of angiogenesis contributes to the malignant phenotype of prostate and bladder carcinomas. Anti-angiogenic agents have demonstrated efficacy against urological tumors in experimental systems, and recent data suggest that these agents may also be useful for chemoprophylactic purposes. Putative angiogenesis inducers specific for each of the major urological malignancies have been identified. Quantita...
A critique of the false-positive report probability.

The false positive report probability (FPRP) was proposed as a Bayesian prophylactic against false reports of significant associations. Unfortunately, the derivation of the FPRP is unsound. A heuristic derivation fails to make its point, and a formal derivation reveals a probabilistic misrepresentation of an observation. As a result, the FPRP can yield serious inferential errors. In particular, the FPRP can use an observation that is many times more likely under the null hypothesis than under the alternative to infer that the null hypothesis is far less probable than the alternative. Contrary to its intended purpose, the FPRP can promote false positive results. It should not be used. A modified FPRP is derived, but it appears to have limited application and does not address the problem of false reports of significant associations. The conditional error probability is a possible replacement for the FPRP. Genet. Epidemiol. 33:145–150, 2009. r 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Regulation of Body Composition and Bioenergetics by Estrogens

Evidence points to an important role of estradiol (E2) in the regulation of body composition and bioenergetics. Basic and preclinical research shows that the disruption of E2 signaling through either genetic manipulation or surgical intervention accelerates fat accumulation, with a disproportionate increase in abdominal fat. Clinical evidence for the regulation of body composition and bioenergetics by E2 is less consistent. Evidence exists both for and against menopause as the mediator of changes in body composition. Thus, a need remains to better understand the metabolic actions of estrogens in women and the potential impact on health after the menopause.
The potential for white-rot fungi in the treatment of pollutants

Abstract Lignin-degrading white-rot fungi have the unique ability to degrade/mineralize a broad spectrum of structurally diverse toxic environmental pollutants. Extracellular peroxidases are important in degrading some, but not all, xenobiotic compounds. More research is needed to realize the potential of white-rot fungi in field-scale applications. Recent progress in our knowledge of the biochemistry and molecular biology of the key enzymes involved in xenobiotic degradation should pave the way for the eventual development of rational and enhanced bioremediation strategies.
A New Benchmark: Relative Performance Evaluation with Total Returns

In this paper we revisit the question of relative performance evaluation (RPE) in executive compensation. While previous literature has commonly rejected the use of RPE when using equity returns as performance measure, we argue that the total return of the firm is a preferable metric in RPE regressions since the exogenous common shocks analyzed in extant theory occur at the asset level. Further, it is plausible that executives are concerned about the total value of the firm since shareholders bear most of the brunt of the agency cost of other stakeholders and executives can hold nontrivial amounts of debt-like instruments in their own company. We obtain the total return from a calibrated model of firm value and also from the market prices of corporate bonds. We find strong evidence in support of RPE in the compensation of top executives. In addition, we cannot reject that the magnitude of RPE used in the average compensation contract is optimal in the view of Holmstrom and Milgrom (1987). Overall, our paper finds empirical support for a foundational theory in executive compensation while contributing to the ongoing debate about the efficiency of executive pay.
Real time dynamic MRI by exploiting spatial and temporal sparsity

Online imaging requires that the reconstruction of current frame only depends on the previous frames, and real time imaging is the desired case. In this work, we propose a novel scheme for real time dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) reconstruction. Different from previous methods, the reconstructions of the second frame to the last frame are independent in our scheme, which only require the first frame as the reference image. Therefore, this scheme can be naturally implemented in parallel. After the first frame is reconstructed, all the later frames can be processed as soon as the k-space data are acquired. As an extension of the conventional spatial total variation, a new online model called dynamic total variation is used to exploit the sparsity on both spatial and temporal domains in dMRI. In real time dMRI, each frame is required to be reconstructed very fast. We then design a novel reweighted least squares algorithm to solve the challenging problem. Motivated by the special structure of partial Fourier transform in sparse MRI, this algorithm is accelerated by the preconditioned conjugate gradient descent method. The proposed method is compared with 4 state-of-the-art online and offline methods on two in-vivo cardiac dMRI datasets. The experimental results show that our method significantly outperforms previous online methods, and is comparable to the offline methods in terms of reconstruction accuracy.
Model of placental glucose consumption and glucose transfer

Net ovine uteroplacental glucose consumption (Ro,up) and transfer rates to the fetus (Rf,up) were measured at different concentrations of maternal (GA) and fetal (Ga) arterial plasma glucose that w...
Building a scalable mobile library orientation activity with Edventure Builder

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the technical aspects of using the Edventure Builder platform to create UC San Diego’s scalable, interactive, online library orientation activity, which was designed for the university’s new First Year Experience program. Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines a case study using a successive approximation model for the build process of a mobile library scavenger hunt. Findings – The Edventure Builder software is intuitive, scalable and provides a variety of options to users, including flexibility in question format, a WYSIWYG interface, and branching logic. The main limitation is that analytics is still in beta testing and users must request that data be sent in an Excel spreadsheet via e-mail. Originality/value – This paper is of interest to information professionals who would like to create a mobile library orientation activity using the Edventure Builder platform.
A comparison of fresh, pasta filata, and aged Hispanic cheeses using sensory, chemical, functional, and microbiological assessments

Anecdotal information suggests that some Hispanic consumers may consider US-made Hispanic cheeses as having a general lack of authenticity compared with those made in their countries of origin. To characterize the potential differences, samples of fresh, pasta filata, and aged Hispanic cheeses were acquired from both the United States (total n=39) and countries of origin (total n=30) purchased from Mexico, Central America (Costa Rica and El Salvador), and the Caribbean (Puerto Rico). The proximate composition, microbial counts, melt profile, and sensory characteristics were evaluated and compared in country-of-origin cheeses and the US-made counterparts. The presence of Listeria spp. was confirmed for 1 Mexican aged cheese sample and 6 cheese samples from Central America (3 fresh, 2 pasta filata, and 1 aged). The chemical composition, melt profile, and sensory characteristics of fresh and pasta filata US Hispanic cheeses were not significantly different from their Mexican counterparts. Likewise, the chemical composition and melt profile of US aged Hispanic cheeses was not significantly different from the aged Mexican cheeses, but sensory characteristics varied among all aged cheeses. These results demonstrate the similarities and differences among US fresh, pasta filata, and aged Hispanic cheeses relative to their counterparts made in the countries of origin.
Private Empirical Risk Minimization, Revisited.

In this paper, we initiate a systematic investigation of differentially private algorithms for convex empirical risk minimization. Various instantiations of this problem have been studied before. We provide new algorithms and matching lower bounds for private ERM assuming only that each data point’s contribution to the loss function is Lipschitz bounded and that the domain of optimization is bounded. We provide a separate set of algorithms and matching lower bounds for the setting in which the loss functions are known to also be strongly convex. Our algorithms run in polynomial time, and in some cases even match the optimal nonprivate running time (as measured by oracle complexity). We give separate algorithms (and lower bounds) for ( , 0)and ( , δ)-differential privacy; perhaps surprisingly, the techniques used for designing optimal algorithms in the two cases are completely different. Our lower bounds apply even to very simple, smooth function families, such as linear and quadratic functions. This implies that algorithms from previous work can be used to obtain optimal error rates, under the additional assumption that the contributions of each data point to the loss function is smooth. We show that simple approaches to smoothing arbitrary loss functions (in order to apply previous techniques) do not yield optimal error rates. In particular, optimal algorithms were not previously known for problems such as training support vector machines and the high-dimensional median. ∗Computer Science and Engineering Department, The Pennsylvania State University. {bassily,asmith}@psu.edu †A.S. is on leave at, and partly supported by, Boston University’s Hariri Center for Computational Science. ‡Stanford University and Microsoft Research. b-abhrag@microsoft.com
High-resolution three-dimensional compositional imaging by double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

In this paper we present a new instrument specifically realized for high-resolution three-dimensional compositional analysis and mapping of materials. The instrument is based on the coupling of a Double-Pulse Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument with an optical microscope. The compositional mapping of the samples is obtained by scanning the laser beam across the surface of the sample, while the in depth analysis is performed by sending multiple laser pulses on the same point. Depths of analysis of several tens of microns can be obtained. The instrument presented has definite advantages with respect to Laser Ablation-ICP Mass Spectrometry in many applications related to material analysis, biomedicine and environmental diagnostics. An application to the diagnostics of industrial ceramics is presented, demonstrating the feasibility of Double-Pulse LIBS Imaging and its advantages with respect to conventional single-pulse LIBS imaging.
A brief history of the introduction of generalized ensembles to Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations

The most efficient weights for Markov chain Monte Carlo calculations of physical observables are not necessarily those of the canonical ensemble. Generalized ensembles, which do not exist in nature but can be simulated on computers, lead often to a much faster convergence. In particular, they have been used for simulations of first order phase transitions and for simulations of complex systems in which conflicting constraints lead to a rugged free energy landscape. Starting off with the Metropolis algorithm and Hastings’ extension, I present a minireview which focuses on the explosive use of generalized ensembles in the early 1990s. Illustrations are given, which range from spin models to peptides.
Helping Survivors of Human Trafficking: A Systematic Review of Exit and Postexit Interventions.

Background:Human trafficking is a global problem and results in deleterious psychological, social, and physical effects on the lives of those who are trafficked; however, it is not clear how to bes...
Abstract A39: Using a stepped wedge design to describe the adoption of a cancer education program in male correctional facilities

Introduction Nearly nine million Americans pass through the criminal justice system (i.e., prison, jail, parole, and probation). Several reports have indicated that approximately 60-80% of inmates in the U.S. have histories of tobacco use, compared to 30% of the general population. This is significant, because, despite declining smoking rates in the general population, tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable mortality and morbidity in the nation. Moreover, tobacco use by inmates has not been the focus of cancer health studies. That being said, this study describes the implementation strategy to support the adoption of a cancer health disparities education program, called Cancer 101 aimed at improving cancer health among underserved populations. Methods/Design Cancer 101 will be offered to three male correctional facilities in New York and Pennsylvania using a stepped wedge design. Due to adopting Cancer 101 in a real-world environment with plenty of logistical and structural constraints, the order in which different cohorts receive the intervention will be determined at random; however, all groups will receive the intervention. Data analysis will include the following descriptive statistics: correlations, ANOVA, and chi-square tests. Discussion The stepped wedge design may be appropriate for evaluating the effectiveness of a cancer health disparities program in a controlled setting. The stepped wedge design enables all designated correctional sites to eventually receive Cancer 101 during the study. We expect that Cancer 101 will prove to be a feasible program for reducing cancer health disparities in underserved men in correctional settings. Citation Format: Pamela Valera, Daniel Mackey, William McLaughlin, Laura Brotzman. Using a stepped wedge design to describe the adoption of a cancer education program in male correctional facilities. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A39.
Apc inactivation, but not obesity, synergizes with Pten deficiency to drive intestinal stem cell-derived tumorigenesis

Obesity is a major risk factor for colorectal cancer and can accelerate Lgr5+ intestinal stem cell (ISC)-derived tumorigenesis after the inactivation of Apc However, whether non-canonical pathways involving PI3K-Akt signaling in ISCs can lead to tumor formation, and if this can be further exacerbated by obesity is unknown. Despite the synergy between Pten and Apc inactivation in epithelial cells on intestinal tumor formation, their combined role in Lgr5+-ISCs, which are the most rapidly dividing ISC population in the intestine, is unknown. Lgr5+-GFP mice were provided low-fat diet (LFD) or high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 months, and the transcriptome was evaluated in Lgr5+-ISCs. For tumor studies, Lgr5+-GFP and Lgr5+-GFP-Ptenflox/flox mice were tamoxifen treated to inactivate Pten in ISCs and provided LFD or HFD until 14-15 months of age. Finally, various combinations of Lgr5+-ISC-specific, Apc- and Pten-deleted mice were generated and evaluated for histopathology and survival. HFD did not overtly alter Akt signaling in ISCs, but did increase other metabolic pathways. Pten deficiency, but not HFD, increased BrdU-positive cells in the small intestine (P < 0.05). However, combining Pten and Apc deficiency synergistically increased proliferative markers, tumor pathology and mortality, in a dose-dependent fashion (P < 0.05). In summary, we show that HFD alone fails to drive Akt signaling in ISCs and that Pten deficiency is dispensable as a tumor suppressor in Lgr5+-ISCs. However, combining Pten and Apc deficiency in ISCs synergistically increases proliferation, tumor formation and mortality. Thus, aberrant Wnt/β-catenin, rather than PI3K-Akt signaling, is requisite for obesity to drive Lgr5+ ISC-derived tumorigenesis.
Exposure to endocrine disruptors during adulthood: consequences for female fertility

Endocrine disrupting chemicals are ubiquitous chemicals that exhibit endocrine disrupting properties in both humans and animals. Female reproduction is an important process, which is regulated by hormones and is susceptible to the effects of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals. Disruptions in female reproductive functions by endocrine disrupting chemicals may result in subfertility, infertility, improper hormone production, estrous and menstrual cycle abnormalities, anovulation, and early reproductive senescence. This review summarizes the effects of a variety of synthetic endocrine disrupting chemicals on fertility during adult life. The chemicals covered in this review are pesticides (organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, and triazines), heavy metals (arsenic, lead, and mercury), diethylstilbesterol, plasticizer alternatives (di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and bisphenol A alternatives), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, nonylphenol, polychlorinated biphenyls, triclosan, and parabens. This review focuses on the hypothalamus, pituitary, ovary, and uterus because together they regulate normal female fertility and the onset of reproductive senescence. The literature shows that several endocrine disrupting chemicals have endocrine disrupting abilities in females during adult life, causing fertility abnormalities in both humans and animals.
The Maelstrom: Network Service Debugging via Ineffective Procedures

The process of network debugging is commonly guided by "decision trees," that describe and attempt to address the most common failure modes. We show that troubleshooting can be made more effective by converting decision trees into suites of "convergent" troubleshooting scripts that do not change network attributes unless these are out of compliance with accepted norms. "Maelstrom" is a tool for managing and coordinating execution of these scripts. Maelstrom exploits convergence of individual scripts to dynamically infer an appropriate execution order for the scripts. It accomplishes this in O(n2) procedure trials, where n is the number of troubleshooting scripts. This greatly eases adding scripts to a troubleshooting scheme, and thus makes it easier for people to cooperate in producing more exhaustive and effective troubleshooting schemes.
Soil carbon sequestration in agroforestry systems: a meta-analysis

Agroforestry systems may play an important role in mitigating climate change, having the ability to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in plant parts and soil. A meta-analysis was carried out to investigate changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at 0–15, 0–30, 0–60, 0–100, and 0 ≥ 100 cm, after land conversion to agroforestry. Data was collected from 53 published studies. Results revealed a significant decrease in SOC stocks of 26 and 24% in the land-use change from forest to agroforestry at 0–15 and 0–30 cm respectively. The transition from agriculture to agroforestry significantly increased SOC stock of 26, 40, and 34% at 0–15, 0–30, and 0–100 cm respectively. The conversion from pasture/grassland to agroforestry produced significant SOC stock increases at 0–30 cm (9%) and 0–30 cm (10%). Switching from uncultivated/other land-uses to agroforestry increased SOC by 25% at 0–30 cm, while a decrease was observed at 0–60 cm (23%). Among agroforestry systems, significant SOC stocks increases were reported at various soil horizons and depths in the land-use change from agriculture to agrisilviculture and to silvopasture, pasture/grassland to agrosilvopastoral systems, forest to silvopasture, forest plantation to silvopasture, and uncultivated/other to agrisilviculture. On the other hand, significant decreases were observed in the transition from forest to agrisilviculture, agrosilvopastoral and silvopasture systems, and uncultivated/other to silvopasture. Overall, SOC stocks increased when land-use changed from less complex systems, such as agricultural systems. However, heterogeneity, inconsistencies in study design, lack of standardized sampling procedures, failure to report variance estimators, and lack of important explanatory variables, may have influenced the outcomes.
Observations on the new Rh agglutinin anti-f.

1. An example of the new anti-Rh serum, anti-f, is described. 2. It is shown that anti-c and anti-e sera may contain anti-f. 3. The significance of the antigen f is discussed in terms of its genetics and practical importance.
High-Temperature and High-Energy-Density Dipolar Glass Polymers Based on Sulfonylated Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide).

A new class of high-temperature dipolar polymers based on sulfonylated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (SO2 -PPO) was synthesized by post-polymer functionalization. Owing to the efficient rotation of highly polar methylsulfonyl side groups below the glass transition temperature (Tg ≈220 °C), the dipolar polarization of these SO2 -PPOs was enhanced, and thus the dielectric constant was high. Consequently, the discharge energy density reached up to 22 J cm-3 . Owing to its high Tg , the SO2 -PPO25 sample also exhibited a low dielectric loss. For example, the dissipation factor (tan δ) was 0.003, and the discharge efficiency at 800 MV m-1 was 92 %. Therefore, these dipolar glass polymers are promising for high-temperature, high-energy-density, and low-loss electrical energy storage applications.
CANADA – UNITED STATES (SALISH SEA) SPILL RESPONSE ORGANIZATIONS: A COMPARISON REVISITED

Abstract number: 2017-102 The Salish Sea comprises the North American inland marine waters of Washington State and British Columbia; an international border between Canada and the United States int...
Iodine Coulometry of Various Reducing Agents Including Thiols with Online Photocell Detection Coupled to a Multifunctional Chemical Analysis Station To Eliminate Student End Point Detection by Eye

Multifunctional chemical analysis (MCA) systems provide a viable alternative for large scale instruction while supporting a hands-on approach to more advanced instrumentation. These systems are robust and typically use student stations connected to a remote central computer for data collection, minimizing the need for computers at every student workspace. MCA networks offer multiple measurement capabilities; however, constant-current coulometry is still an uncommon MCA option. The characterization of an assembled teaching coulometry instrument for online data acquisition using an MCA system is described. A constant-current source connected to nonisolated Pt electrodes in a 150 mL beaker serving as the reaction cell caused the iodine titrant to be electrochemically generated for subsequent reaction with the analyte reducing agent. A photoresistor mounted on the stir plate below the beaker monitored the darkening of the solution due to formation of the starch–iodine complex. The change in voltage from an op...
Experimental quantum key distribution at 1.3 gigabit-per-second secret-key rate over a 10 dB loss channel

Quantum key distribution (QKD) enables unconditionally secure communication ensured by the laws of physics, opening a promising route to security infrastructure for the coming age of quantum computers. QKD's demonstrated secret-key rates (SKRs), however, fall far short of the gigabit-per-second rates of classical communication, hindering QKD's widespread deployment. QKD's low SKRs are largely due to existing single-photon-based protocols' vulnerability to channel loss. Floodlight QKD (FL-QKD) boosts SKR by transmitting many photons per encoding, while offering security against collective attacks. Here, we report an FL-QKD experiment operating at a 1.3 Gbit s−1 SKR over a 10 dB loss channel. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first QKD demonstration that achieves a gigabit-per-second-class SKR, representing a critical advance toward high-rate QKD at metropolitan-area distances.
Quantifying Vibrio cholerae Colonization and Diarrhea in the Adult Zebrafish Model

Vibrio cholerae is best known as the infectious agent that causes the human disease cholera. Outside the human host, V. cholerae primarily exists in the aquatic environment, where it interacts with a variety of higher aquatic species. Vertebrate fish are known to be an environmental host and are a potential V. cholerae reservoir in nature. Both V. cholerae and the teleost fish species Danio rerio, commonly known as zebrafish, originate from the Indian subcontinent, suggesting a long-standing interaction in aquatic environments. Zebrafish are an ideal model organism for studying many aspects of biology, including infectious diseases. Zebrafish can be easily and rapidly colonized by V. cholerae after exposure in water. Intestinal colonization by V. cholerae leads to the production of diarrhea and the excretion of replicated V. cholerae. These excreted bacteria can then go on to colonize new fish hosts. Here, we demonstrate how to assess V. cholerae-intestinal colonization in zebrafish and how to quantify V. cholerae-induced zebrafish diarrhea. The colonization model should be useful to researchers who are studying whether genes of interest may be important for host colonization and/or for environmental survival. The quantification of zebrafish diarrhea should be useful to researchers studying any intestinal pathogen who are interested in exploring zebrafish as a model system.
What Happened to Disparities in CRC Screening Among FFS Medicare Enrollees Following Medicare Modernization

The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, implemented in 2006, increased managed care options for seniors. It introduced insurance plans for prescription drug coverage for all Medicare beneficiaries, whether they were enrolled in FFS or managed care (Medicare Advantage) plans. The availability of drug coverage beginning in 2006 served to free up budgets for FFS Medicare enrollees that could be used to make copayments for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening using endoscopy (colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy). In 2007, Medicare eliminated the copayments required by seniors for CRC screening by endoscopy. Later in 2008, CRC screening by colonoscopy became part of the gold standard for CRC screening. This legitimized its use and offered even further encouragement to seniors, who may have been reluctant to undergo the procedure because of the non-pecuniary risks associated with it. In addition, 37 CRC screening interventions occurred during this timeframe to enhance compliance with screening standards. Using multilevel analysis of individuals' endoscopy utilization, derived from 100% FFS Medicare claims, along with county-level market and contextual factors, we compare the periods before and after the MMA (2001-2005 to 2006-2009) to determine whether disparities in the utilization of endoscopic CRC screening occurred or changed over the decade. We examined Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics relative to Whites, and Females relative to Males (with race or ethnicity combined). We examined each state separately for evidence of disparities within states, to avoid confounding by geographic disparities. We expected that the net effect of the policy changes and the targeted interventions over the decade would be to increase CRC screening by endoscopy, reducing disparities. We saw improvements over time (reduced disparities relative to Whites) for Blacks and Hispanics residing in several states, and improvements over time for Females relative to Males in many states. For the vast majority of states, however, disparities persisted with Whites and Males exhibiting greater rates of utilization than other groups. States that undertook the interventions were more likely to have had improvements in disparities or positive disparities for women and minorities. While some gains were made over this time period, the gains were unevenly distributed across the USA and more work needs to be done to reduce remaining disparities.
National practice patterns of proton versus photon therapy in the treatment of adult patients with primary brain tumors in the United States.

Objectives: To examine patterns of care associated with the administration of proton versus photon therapy for adult patients with primary brain tumors in a large national cohort from the United St...
Building a Black Bridge: China's Interaction with African-American Activists during the Cold War

This article examines the interactions between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and African-American activists during the Cold War. Relying mostly on archival records and personal documents in ...