cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interval logics and their decision procedures: Part II: a real-time interval logic☆

Abstract In a companion paper, we presented an interval logic, and showed that it is elementarily decidable. In this paper we extend the logic to allow reasoning about real-time properties of concurrent systems; we call this logic real-time future interval logic (RTFIL). We model time by the real numbers, and allow our syntax to state the bounds on the duration of an interval. RTFIL possesses the “real-time interpolation property,” which appears to be the natural quantitative counterpart of invariance under finite stuttering. As the main result of this paper, we show that RTFIL is decidable; the decision algorithm is slightly more expensive than for the untimed logic. Our decidability proof is based on the reduction of the satisfiability problem for the logic to the emptiness problem for timed Buchi automata. The latter problem was shown decidable by Alur and Dill in a landmark paper, in which this real-time extension of ω-automata was introduced. Finally, we consider an extension of the logic that allows intervals to be constructed by means of “real-time offsets”, and show that even this simple extension renders the logic highly undecidable.
Efficacy, pharmacokinetics, tisssue distribution, and metabolism of the Myc-Max disruptor, 10058-F4 [Z,E]-5-[4-ethylbenzylidine]-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one, in mice.

Objectives c-Myc is commonly activated in many human tumors and is functionally important in cellular proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and cell cycle progression. The activity of c-Myc requires noncovalent interaction with its client protein Max. In vitro studies indicate the thioxothiazolidinone, 10058-F4, inhibits c-Myc/Max dimerization. In this study, we report the efficacy, pharmacokinetics and metabolism of this novel protein–protein disruptor in mice.
Neural prosthetic systems: Current problems and future directions

By decoding neural activity into useful behavioral commands, neural prosthetic systems seek to improve the lives of severely disabled human patients. Motor decoding algorithms, which map neural spiking data to control parameters of a device such as a prosthetic arm, have received particular attention in the literature. Here, we highlight several outstanding problems that exist in most current approaches to decode algorithm design. These include two problems that we argue will unlikely result in further dramatic increases in performance, specifically spike sorting and spiking models. We also discuss three issues that have been less examined in the literature, and we argue that addressing these issues may result in dramatic future increases in performance. These include: non-stationarity of recorded waveforms, limitations of a linear mappings between neural activity and movement kinematics, and the low signal to noise ratio of the neural data. We demonstrate these problems with data from 39 experimental sessions with a non-human primate performing reaches and with recent literature. In all, this study suggests that research in cortically-controlled prosthetic systems may require reprioritization to achieve performance that is acceptable for a clinically viable human system.
Brain Imaging Analysis.

The increasing availability of brain imaging technologies has led to intense neuroscientific inquiry into the human brain. Studies often investigate brain function related to emotion, cognition, language, memory, and responses to numerous other external stimuli, as well as resting-state brain function. Brain imaging studies also attempt to determine the functional or structural basis for psychiatric or neurological disorders and to examine the responses of these disorders to treatment. Neuroimaging is a highly interdisciplinary field, and statistics plays a critical role in establishing rigorous methods to extract information and to quantify evidence for formal inferences. Neuroimaging data present numerous challenges for statistical analysis, including the vast amounts of data collected from each individual and the complex temporal and spatial dependencies present in the data. I briefly provide background on various types of neuroimaging data and analysis objectives that are commonly targeted in the fiel...
Light-activated heterotrophic growth of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803: a blue-light-requiring process.

A glucose-tolerant strain of Synechocystis sp. strain 6803 will not grow on glucose under complete darkness unless given a daily pulse of white light, typically 5 min of 40 mumol m-2 s-1 (light-pulsed conditions). The light pulse is insufficient for photoautotrophy, as glucose is required and growth yield is dependent on glucose concentration. Growth rate is independent of fluence, but growth yield is dependent on fluence, saturating at 40 to 75 mumol m-2 s-1. A Synechocystis strain 6803 psbA mutant strain grows under light-pulsed conditions at rates similar to those for the glucose-tolerant strain, indicating that photosystem II is not required for growth. The relative spectral sensitivity of the growth of light-pulsed cultures (growth only in blue light, 400 to 500 nm, maximum at 450 nm) precludes energetic contribution from cyclic electron transport around photosystem I. Pulses of long-wavelength light (i.e., 550 and 650 nm) did not support the growth of Synechocystis strain 6803 and, when supplied before or after a blue-light pulse, did not inhibit blue-light-stimulated growth of Synechocystis strain 6803. We conclude that the required blue-light pulse does not support growth via photosynthetic electron transport but appears instead to function as an environmental signal regulating heterotrophic metabolism, cell division, or other photomorphogenic processes. We have termed the growth of Synechocystis strain 6803 pulsed with light and kept otherwise in complete darkness light-activated heterotrophic growth. This observation of a blue-light requirement for the growth of Synechocystis strain 6803 represents a novel blue light effect on the growth of a cyanobacterium.
Enhancement of survival by LPA via Erk1/Erk2 and PI 3-kinase/Akt pathways in a murine hepatocyte cell line.

First published September 5, 2001; 10.1152/ajpcell.00077.2001.—Protective mechanisms for lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) against cell death caused byClostridium difficile toxin, or tumor necrosis facto...
Seasonal variation of Titan's stratospheric ethylene (C2H4) observed ☆

Abstract All previous observations of seasonal change on Titan have been of physical phenomena such as clouds and haze. We present here the first observational evidence of chemical change in Titan's atmosphere. Images taken during 1999–2002 (late southern spring on Titan) with the W.M. Keck I 10-meter telescope at 8–13 μm show a significant accumulation of ethylene (C2H4) in the south polar stratosphere as well as north–south stratospheric temperature variation (colder at poles). Our observations restrict this newly discovered south polar ethylene accumulation to latitudes south of 60° S. The only other observations of the spatial distribution of C2H4 were those of Voyager I, which found a significant north polar accumulation in early northern spring. We see no build-up in the north, although the highest northern latitudes are obstructed from view in the current season. Our observations constrain any unobserved north polar accumulation of C2H4 to north of 50° N latitude. Comparison of the Voyager I results with our new results show seasonal chemical change has occurred in Titan's atmosphere.
Cytogenic assays of chemical clastogens using mammalian cells in culture

A protocol is described for cytogenetic assays of chemical mutagens using mammalian cells in vitro. The system employs continuous drug treatment (3 concentrations) for up to 8 h and recovery-cell populations after pulse treatments with a high dose. Both direct fixation (for recording spindle anomalies in anaphase) and colcemid-hypotonic fixation (for reading metaphase chromosome aberrations) are used in order to estimate the effects of an agent as a mitotic poison and as a clastogen respectively. Some DNA intercalating dyes (acridine orange, quinacrine mustard, neutral red) were found to be highly clastogenic whereas others (quinacrine dihydrochloride, 33258 Hoechst) are not.
Electron Skirts and X-ray Correction: Evaluating Methods for Rapid Discrimination of Primary versus Secondary X-ray signals in the ESEM

The increasing popularity of ESEM, VP-SEM, and LV-SEM instruments has raised interest in ways to differentiate or unmix these two X-ray signals generated in these instruments. Under conditions of high gas pressure or long gas path length, a significant fraction of the electrons that make up the primary beam are scattered after colliding with gas molecules as the beam passes through the higherpressure region above the sample. These electrons form a broad, flat skirt that surrounds the primary beam [1, 2]. Previous experiments have documented the shape of the skirt and its effect on the X-ray resolution [3, 4].
Cardiovascular imaging for assessing cardiovascular risk in asymptomatic men versus women the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Background—Coronary artery calcium (CAC), carotid intima-media thickness, and left ventricular (LV) mass and geometry offer the potential to characterize incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk ...
A theoretical framework for optimal cooperative networking in multiradio multichannel wireless networks

A wide range of next generation wireless networks are based on the multiradio multichannel (MR-MC) network model. A full exploration of the MR-MC wireless network capacity incurs challenging cooperative networking issues including transmission cooperation, resource allocation cooperation, and cross-layer protocol cooperation. In this article, rather than focus on protocol designs for specific cooperative networking issues, we present a generic theoretical framework that could guide the protocol or algorithm development to approach the maximum network capacity. Based on our multidimensional conflict graph (MDCG) tool, we could achieve a cross-layer linear programming framework to study the optimal cooperative networking in two complementary aspects: optimal network dimensioning and throughput-optimal control. While certain NP-hard computing issues hindered the MR-MC network optimization for a long time, the MDCG-based framework can readily generate simple polynomial and distributed algorithms with guaranteed capacity region.
Development and application of a hydrothermal model for the Salton Sea Geothermal Field, California

A simple lateral flow model adequately explains many of the features associated with the Salton Sea Geothermal Field. Earthquake swarms, a magnetic anomaly, and aspects of the gravity anomaly are all indirect evidence for the igneous activity which is the ultimate source of heat for the system. Heat is transferred from this area of intrusion by lateral spreading of hot water in a reservoir beneath an impermeable cap rock. A two dimensional analytic model encompassing this transport mechanism matches general features of the thermal anomaly and has been used to estimate the age of the presently observed thermal system. The age is calculated by minimizing the variance between the observed surface heat-flow data and the model. Estimates of the system age for this model range from 3,000 to 20,000 years.
Magnetic and crystallographic characteristics of the order-disorder phase transformation in Pt/sub 1/Co/sub 1/

The atomic order-disorder transformation mechanism was examined in the Pt/sub 1/Co/sub 1/ magnetic binary alloy by magnetization and X-ray measurements. The results suggest that the ordering mechanism occurs in two stages. The initial, transient stage involves the transformation of the high-temperature, relatively strain free, disordered FCC (face-centered-cubic) lattice to a nonuniformly strained, disordered FCC lattice; the associated increase in the strain energy of the lattice is accompanied by a decrease in its magnetic energy. The highly strained regions then apparently serve as the nuclei for the second-stage transformation to the low-temperature, ordered, FCT (face-centered-tetragonal) structure. >
Population-Based Tuberculin Skin Testing and Prevalence of Tuberculosis Infection in Afghanistan

OBJECTIVE: A tuberculin skin-test survey was conducted in eight provinces of Afghanistan to estimate the prevalence and annual risk of tuberculosis infection among the Afghan population. METHODS: A cluster survey in eight Afghan provinces, chosen based on population density and geographic distribution, was carried out between October and February 2006. Interviews were conducted and tuberculin skin tests were administered and read. FINDINGS: 11,413 individuals participated in the study. Using the international standard cut-off of >or= 10 mm, tuberculosis prevalence and annual risk of infection in the population were 15% (CI: 14.4-15.7) and 0.80 (CI: 0.76-0.84), respectively. Tuberculosis prevalence was higher in rural than in urban areas. Other risk factors included age, prior tuberculosis treatment or contact, productive cough or cough >3 weeks, no prior bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccination and a cooking fire in the sleeping room. CONCLUSIONS: The survey documented a lower prevalence and risk of tuberculosis infection than the 1978 national survey and a substantially lower estimate of incidence of new smear-positive tuberculosis cases than World Health Organization estimates. However, other findings suggest that active tuberculosis may remain widespread and undiagnosed, and indicate a need for both additional research and continued investment in tuberculosis treatment and prevention, and in health infrastructure.
On Some Near Optimal Low Complexity Detectors for MIMO Fading Channels

We introduce several low complexity sub-optimal MIMO detection schemes based on the List-BLAST algorithm, which exhausts the constellation points in the first layer of a BLAST scheme to generate multiple candidate solutions from which the maximum likelihood solution is determined. The candidates can also be used as initial points for the space alternating generalized expectation-maximization (SAGE) algorithm to further improve performance. The proposed schemes can achieve close to optimal performance for both hard and soft output detection with lower complexity than that of the sphere detection in our simulation settings
A Review of Convergence Insufficiency: What Are We Really Accomplishing with Exercises?

Introduction: Orthoptic exercises have been the primary treatment for convergence insufficiency since this condition’s first description in 1855. It is presumed that exercises work by improving fusional convergence. In recent years, research from eye movement laboratories has challenged our theories on the nature and dynamics of convergence, the effect of convergence exercises, and the etiology of primary convergence insufficiency. Methods: A review of the ophthalmological, optometric, and basic science literature was done to retrieve the most recent research on vergence eye movements and convergence insufficiency. Results: Convergence appears to be a bi-phasic response to a change in stimulus position in depth. The first phase, which may represent the contribution of proximal convergence, is not under visual feedback, is fast with a short latency, and is triggered by stimuli moving rapidly in depth or by large, sudden changes in fixation. This phase is followed by a slow vergence movement with a slightly longer latency, triggered by small disparity vergence errors. The second phase is under the control of visual feedback, and represents the contributions of fusional and accommodative convergence. Eye movement recordings indicate that the velocity and amplitude of the first phase of convergence are temporarily adaptable with exercises. The second phase does not appear to be amenable to training. Tonic convergence is also trainable. Conclusion: Convergence exercises are effective in temporarily improving the dynamics of proximal and tonic convergence, but have little effect on fusional or accommodative convergence.
Experimental Studies of Stereoscopic Vision for Command and Control Operations

3D stereoscopic vision is used in many applications, but the level of benefit to the user differs depending on the particular application. We studied its benefits for command and control applications such as battlefield visualization or disaster response. We conducted experiments where the subjects completed some simple military planning exercises both with and without 3D vision. 3D users had lower error in general, particularly when judging line of sight between two points. Furthermore, survey results show that most subjects preferred 3D. However, 3D took longer for completing the tasks. We also compared two ways of rendering military symbols in the virtual environment, finding that billboard style visualization boosted the subjects' efficiency when compared with draping the symbol on the terrain.
G-Protein Mediated Metabotropic Receptors Offer Novel Avenues in Neuronal and Vascular Cells for Cytoprotective Strategies

Glutamate is considered to be a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian nervous system. As a neurotransmitter, glutamate plays important roles in cellular function through the activation of ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), such as N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA) receptors, and kainate (KA) receptors. In addition to its function in neuronal differentiation, migration, and survival in the developing brain (Hack and Balazs, 1994), glutamate is necessary for learning and memory acquisition (Steele et al., 1995). Alternatively, glutamate also can be a principal mediator of cellular injury. Following ionotropic receptor activation, glutamate can result in excitotoxicity that may be a critical component for the development of neurodegenerative diseases (Beal, 1992).
The Shaky Political Economy Foundations of a National Renewable Electricity Requirement

This Article argues that a national renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for electric power is not likely to advance its purported goals, nor is it likely to be adopted by Congress in its present proposed form. For one, a national RPS would have geographically disproportionate costs - those costs would be focused on a few, mostly natural resource-poor states, whereas the benefits of job growth and technological adoption in infant industries will be elsewhere. Second, the ability of firms to use operational flexibility regarding their nonrenewable fuel mix to substitute other nonrenewable energy sources for traditional fossil fuels undermines the purported climate change benefits of such a requirement, and usually raises costs and increases inefficiency of energy generation as well. Furthermore, a national RPS fails to address preexisting system-level infrastructure siting and cost allocation barriers in the electric power industry. Without broader reforms to the energy industry, significant new investment in renewable power is unlikely.
Tracking changes in natural history collections utilization: A case study at the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico

Abstract Natural history collections (NHCs) are used in many fields of study, but general knowledge regarding their uses is poor. Because of this, funding and support for NHCs frequently fluctuate. One way in which collections professionals can illustrate a collection’s contribution to a variety of fields is based on the collection’s history of use. Tracking NHC utilization through time can increase NHC value to others outside of the collection, allow for the analysis of changes in specimen-based research trends, and assist in effective collection management. This case study focuses on NHC usage records held by the Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB), a currently growing university collection used in many research fields, and presents methods for quantifying collections utilization through time. Through an exploration of these data, this paper illustrates MSB’s growth and changes in research produced over time and offers explanations for the changes observed. Last, this study provides suggestions for how...
A Decade of Change: From Student to President, but Always an Intellectual Freedom Advocate

In 1998, I was a library student at the University of Denver’s recently resurrected library and information science program. My advisor, who was chair of the state Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC), suggested that I attend a meeting and see if I was interested in getting involved. I was surprised that a mere student would be welcomed onto a committee and eagerly accepted her offer. The first meeting I attended was focused on the new concerns about internet filters and how they might impact access to information. When we talked about the need to educate our colleagues about filters, I volunteered to be part of the “Intellectual Freedom Road Show” that traveled around the state and was presented at regional conferences. Suddenly, I was supposed to be the expert on an emerging technology and found myself testing different versions of filters (both free and proprietary), all the while hoping that my university’s information technology department wouldn’t penalize me for my search activities.
Homesickness, Exile, and the Self-Psychological Language of Homecoming

How did Heinz Kohut's experiences as an exile from the place of his birth and a “refugee” of trauma affect the development of self psychology? In this paper, the authors link the experience of homelessness, which has been termed “the pervasive malady of our time,” and trauma. They conjecture that Kohut's life experiences helped him to plumb the depths of the “fractured, enfeebled, discontinuous” aspects of human experience and allowed him to appreciate the centrality of longings for empathic connectedness. In a healing analytic relationship, they contend, patient and analyst develop a shared language—partly verbal, partly nonverbal—by means of which excruciating experiences of sameness and difference become bearable. A clinical example illustrates that the terms exile and homesickness may be both apt metaphors for trauma and actual experiences.
A Biopsychosocial Conceptual Framework of Postpartum Depression Risk in Immigrant and U.S.-born Latina Mothers in the United States.

Abstract Objective In this review, we offer a conceptual framework that identifies risk factors of postpartum depression (PPD) in immigrant and U.S.-born Latinas in the United States by focusing on psychosocial and neuroendocrine factors. Although the evidence of the impact psychosocial stressors have on the development of PPD has been well-documented, less is known about the biological etiology of PPD or how these complex stressors jointly increase the risk of PPD in immigrant and U.S.-born Latinas in the United States. Methods Using PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase, we reviewed the literature from 2000 to 2015 regarding psychosocial and physiological risk factors associated with PPD to develop a conceptual model for Latinas. Results Our search yielded 16 relevant studies. Based on our review of the literature, we developed a biopsychosocial conceptual model of PPD for Latinas in the United States. We make arguments for an integrated model designed to assess psychosocial and physiological risk factors and PPD in a high-risk population. Our framework describes the hypothesized associations between culturally and contextually relevant psychosocial stressors, neurobiological factors (e.g., hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis response system and oxytocin signaling), and PPD in Latinas in the United States. Conclusions Future studies should evaluate prospectively the impact psychosocial stressors identified here have on the development of PPD in both immigrant and U.S-born Latinas while examining neuroendocrine function, such as the HPA axis and oxytocin signaling. Our conceptual framework will allow for the reporting of main and indirect effects of psychosocial risk factors and biomarkers (e.g., HPA axis and oxytocin function) on PPD in foreign- and U.S.-born postpartum Latinas.
Abstract 882: Serum Hsp27 levels may serve as a prognostic biomarker in patients with localized breast cancer: A preliminary report

Although there exist some prognostic biomarkers (eg, CA 15-3) for evaluation of responses to therapy in metastatic breast cancer patients, there is no reliable biomarker for early stage breast cancer patients. Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) has been reported as elevated in many human cancers of carcinoma origin. We have simultaneously tested serum levels of Hsp27 and CA 15-3 by specific ELISA in 49 untreated breast cancer patients (age→52.77±1.28) with early to locally advanced disease [Stage I (n=21), IIA and B (n=21), IIIA, B and C (n=7)] and 37 female controls (age→50.86±1.60). Hsp27 levels were significantly (p Work supported by ACS RSG-06-266-01-LIB awarded to A. De Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 882.
In-Situ Observations of Electromigration-Induced Void Dynamics

Electromigration void nucleation and growth is a failure mechanism of integrated circuit (IC) metallization. The time-to-failure of interconnect lines depends on the void nucleation time and the void growth time. While much work has been done to model the void nucleation stage, the current understanding of the void growth stage is minimal. The importance of characterizing the void growth and motion dynamics is essential to further explain electromigration performance of IC metal interconnections. Electromigration-induced voids previously studied have been observed to grow, coalesce, and even heal, but quantitative information on these dynamics is lacking. This work uses high-resolution electron-beam lithography to define sub-micrometer voids of various sizes and shapes into gold lines in order to observe void growth and movement with respect to initial void size and shape. The electromigration-induced dynamic behavior of pre-defined voids was measured in a field-emission scanning electron microscope in-situ . Results showed these prepatterned voids can re-fill or grow, and can yield quantitative results on dynamic void behavior.
Effect of cations and temperature on kinetics of desmin assembly

Smooth-muscle desmin, which was isolated from avian gizzard, was purified and used to form reconstituted intermediate filaments. Filament assembly was done in the presence of physiological cations, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and Na+ plus Mg2+, and with non-physiological cations Cu2+ and Ni2+. Assembly was done at 2 degrees, 22 degrees and 37 degrees C, and was monitored by absorbance and by electron microscopy. Absorbance increased most rapidly during the first 2-5 min and then increased at a slower rate with the physiological cations, but decreased after that time with the non-physiological cations. For each physiological cation, absorbance increased with increasing temperature. This was particularly evident with Ca2+, which produced the lowest absorbance at 2 degrees C and the highest at 37 degrees C. When ionic strength was comparable, filament-forming buffers that contained bivalent cations were associated with higher absorbance values. Filament diameters were significantly smaller 60 min after assembly initiation than after 5 min. Average filament diameters, when formed in the presence of Cu2+ or Ni2+, were 10% greater than in the presence of the physiological cations and did not show a consistent tendency to decrease as time increased. These results demonstrate the importance, not only of the pH and ionic composition of the filament-forming buffer, but also of the temperature and duration of dialysis for reconstitution of desmin filaments.
Modeling cortical dynamics with Wilson-Cowan equations

Experimental data collected over the last decade indicates that there exist at least two distinct modes of cortical response to stimuli. In mode 1 a low intensity stimulus triggers a wave that propagates at a velocity of about 0.3 m/sec, with an amplitude that decays exponentially. In mode 2 a high intensity stimulus triggers a larger response that remains local, and does not propagate to neighboring regions. Other data indicate that unstimulated or resting cortex exhibits pair correlations between neighboring cells, the amplitudes of which decay slowly with distance, whereas stimulated cortex exhibits pair correlations whose amplitude falls of rapidly with distance. Here we show how the mean-field Wilson-Cowan equations can account precisely for the two modes of cortical response, and how stochastic Wilson-Cowan equations can account for the behavior of the pair correlations. We will present these results after outlining the basic properties of both the mean-field and stochastic equations.
Vaccination Situation and Antibody Response to A and C Meningococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine Among Health Population in Chengdu City

Objective To know the meningitidis serogroup A and C antibody levels and antibody response to A+C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine among health population in Chengdu.Methods Antibodies were measured by ELISA.The sera for antibody level test were collected in health population aged group of 2- 5, 6- 8, 12- 15, 20- 40 years old, and the sera for antibody response test were collected in people aged group of 2- 15 years old 1 month after vaccination.Results The geometric mean titer(GMT) and the antibody positive rate of meningitidis serogroup A were significant elevated from 1∶5.76 and 69.05% before vaccination, to 1∶15.10 and 100.00% after vaccination. The GMT and the positive rate of serogroup C antibody were also significantly elevated from 1∶1.94 and 25.36%, to 1∶18.57 and 97.92% after vaccination. The immune successful rates of serogroup A and C vaccination were 52.78% and 79.86%.Conclusion The serogroup C antibody level in health population was very low. The vaccination with sero-group A+C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine produced immune effectiveness in 2 to 15 years old.
An Electronic Adherence Measurement Intervention to Reduce Clinical Inertia in the Treatment of Uncontrolled Hypertension: The MATCH Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND To appropriately manage uncontrolled hypertension, clinicians must decide whether blood pressure (BP) is above goal due to a need for additional medication or to medication nonadherence. Yet, clinicians are poor judges of adherence, and uncertainty about adherence may promote inertia with respect to medication modification.
50 State Survey of Prosecutors’ Willingness to Prosecute Nonconsensual Insemination

Nonconsensual insemination occurs when one partner wishes to terminate unprotected intercourse prior to insemination, but the other partner fails to comply. Males and females can be victimized if their wishes for withdrawal are not respected. Males and females can victimize their partners. This research asserts that nonconsensual insemination is a criminal event under existing laws, such as battery, sexual battery, and rape statutes. A survey about the likelihood of prosecution for nonconsensual insemination described in a hypothetical scenario was submitted to approximately nine prosecutors in each of the 50 states. The researcher hypothesized that some prosecutors would prosecute, and that female prosecutors would be more likely than males to prosecute, based on literature that shows that males demonstrate more rape-supportive attitudes and more frequently engage in victim-blaming. Fifty-six prosecutors from 34 of the 50 states responded. Approximately 43% of respondents said that they would prosecute (N = 24/56); 57% of the total respondents were male and 43% were female. When asked if prosecutors would prosecute based on a nonconsensual insemination scenario, 75% of the “yes” responses were from female respondents (N = 18/24). Eighty-one percent of the “no” responses were submitted by males (N = 26/32).
On the superconformal index of \mathcal{N} = 1 IR fixed points. A holographic check

We evaluate the superconformal index of the Y p,q quiver gauge theories using Romeslberger’s prescription. For the conifold quiver Y 1,0 we find exact agreement at large N with a previous calculation in the dual AdS 5 × T 1,1 supergravity.
Climate Change: Causes, Consequences, Policy, and Ethics

This chapter describes the causes and consequences of climate change and discusses some of the ethical and policy issues pertaining to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Bioethics scholarship helps individuals and government leaders think about how their decisions impact public health, the economy, social justice, the environment, and the well-being of future generations. A bioethical perspective on climate change can help decision-makers to weigh competing values and consider the global and long-term impacts of their choices.
Creating and Enhancing a Global Consciousness Among Ethnic Minority Students in Community Colleges

In his 2009 address to Congress, President Obama stated, “Our children will compete for jobs in a global economy that many of our schools do not prepare them for.” If Pk-12, community colleges, and universities are not preparing students to compete in a global economy, then experiences outside of school play a larger role in this process. According to the National Survey for Student Engagement (2007) study abroad is one of the best ways to provide a high-impact college experience that leads to significant and personal and intellectual growth (Mullens and Cuper 2012). Study abroad programs, either sponsored by a school or private company prepare students for employment in a global economy by providing learners with opportunities for firsthand experiences developing intercultural relations and honing foreign language skills. However, not all students have equal access to this type of experiential international education.
Monte Carlo simulation of random, porous (foam) structures for neutron detection

Abstract Porous media incorporating highly neutron-sensitive materials are of interest for use in the development of neutron detectors. Previous studies have shown experimentally the feasibility of 6 LiF-saturated, multi-layered detectors; however, the random geometry of porous materials has limited the effectiveness of simulation efforts. The results of scatterless neutron transport and subsequent charged reaction product ion energy deposition are reported here using a novel Monte Carlo method and compared to results obtained by MCNP6. This new Dynamic Path Generation (DPG) Monte Carlo method was developed in order to overcome the complexities of modeling a random porous geometry in MCNP6. The DPG method is then applied to determine the optimal coating thickness for 10 B 4 C-coated reticulated vitreous-carbon (RVC) foams. The optimal coating thickness for 4.1275 cm-thick 10 B 4 C-coated reticulated vitreous carbon foams with porosities of 5, 10, 20, 30, 45, and 80 pores per inch (PPI) were determined for ionizing gas pressures of 1.0 and 2.8 atm. A simulated, maximum, intrinsic thermal-neutron detection efficiency of 62.8±0.25% was predicted for an 80 PPI RVC foam with a 0.2 µm thick coating of 10 B 4 C, for a lower level discriminator setting of 75 keV and an argon pressure of 2.8 atm.
Geostatistics: Roadblocks and Challenges

Misconceptions about the role of random function models may have distracted geostatistical research into unrewarding debates about model properties and led some practitioners into using more complex algorithms when simpler ones would have sufficed.
A coarse-grained model for PCL: conformation, self-assembly of MePEG-b-PCL amphiphilic diblock copolymers

AbstractPoly-e-caprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable hydrophobic polyester that has been widely used in medical devices, tissue engineering and nanoparticle-based drug delivery. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) has been employed to study and gain insights into the conformational, structural and self-assembly behaviour of polymers, lipids and amphiphilic macromolecules. In this work, we developed a model for PCL within the framework of the MARTINI coarse-grained force field. The non-bonded interactions were based on the existing MARTINI bead types, while the bonded interactions were mapped onto a PCL rendition obtained from atomistic simulations. The model accurately reproduces the structural and dynamic properties of the PCL homopolymer and shows very reasonable temperature and solvent transferability. We also studied self-assembly of MePEG-b-PCL linear diblock copolymers using an existing MARTINI model for MePEG (Methoxy Polyethylene glycol), by analysing the critical micelle concentration (CMC),...
Postoperative Tachycardia: Clinically Meaningful or Benign Consequence of Orthopedic Surgery?

Abstract Objective To determine the clinical significance of tachycardia in the postoperative period. Patients and Methods Individuals 18 years or older undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty were included in the study. Two data sets were collected from different time periods: development data set from January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011, and validation data set from December 1, 2012, through September 1, 2014. We used the development data set to identify the optimal definition of tachycardia with the strongest association with the vascular composite outcome (pulmonary embolism and myocardial necrosis and infarction). The predictive value of this definition was assessed in the validation data set for each outcome of interest, pulmonary embolism, myocardial necrosis and infarction, and infection using multiple logistic regression to control for known risk factors. Results In 1755 patients in the development data set, a maximum heart rate (HR) greater than 110 beats/min was found to be the best cutoff as a correlate of the composite vascular outcome. Of the 4621 patients who underwent arthroplasty in the validation data set, 40 (0.9%) had pulmonary embolism. The maximum HR greater than 110 beats/min had an odds ratio (OR) of 9.39 (95% CI, 4.67-18.87; sensitivity, 72.5%; specificity, 78.0%; positive predictive value, 2.8%; negative predictive value, 99.7%) for pulmonary embolism. Ninety-seven patients (2.1%) had myocardial necrosis (elevated troponin). The maximum HR greater than 110 beats/min had an OR of 4.71 (95% CI, 3.06-7.24; sensitivity, 47.4%; specificity, 78.1%; positive predictive value, 4.4%; negative predictive value, 98.6%) for this outcome. Thirteen (.3%) patients had myocardial infarction according to our predetermined definition, and the maximum HR greater than 110 beats/min had an OR of 1.72 (95% CI, 0.47-6.27). Conclusion Postoperative tachycardia within the first 4 days of surgery should not be dismissed as a postoperative variation in HR, but may precede clinically significant adverse outcomes.
Source parameter inversion for wave energy focusing to a target inclusion embedded in a three-dimensional heterogeneous halfspace

Summary We discuss a methodology for computing the optimal spatio-temporal characteristics of surface wave sources necessary for delivering wave energy to a targeted subsurface formation. The wave stimulation is applied to the target formation to enhance the mobility of particles trapped in its pore space. We formulate the associated wave propagation problem for three-dimensional, heterogeneous, semi-infinite, elastic media. We use hybrid perfectly matched layers at the truncation boundaries of the computational domain to mimic the semi-infiniteness of the physical domain of interest. To recover the source parameters, we define an inverse source problem using the mathematical framework of constrained optimization and resolve it by employing a reduced-space approach. We report the results of our numerical experiments attesting to the methodology's ability to specify the spatio-temporal description of sources that maximize wave energy delivery. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Racial disparities in breast cancer age-specific incidence rates suggest risk factors interact to cause elevated rates of high grade estrogen receptor negative disease, especially in African American women

A17 We hypothesized that age-specific incidence rates for breast cancers categorized by aggressiveness would provide important insights into the etiology of racial disparities in incidence. Incidence data are independent of population structure, and facilitate identification of trends not possible with case-case analyses. Using state cancer registry and population data for 1996-2004, restricted to African-American (AA) and European-American (EA) women, we compared age-specific incidence patterns of invasive female breast cancer in South Carolina (a southern, mostly rural population) and Ohio (a northern, more urbanized, more racially and ethnically diverse population). Each case was categorized by estrogen receptor expression status (ER negative (ER-) versus positive (ER+)) and histologic grade (G1 = low grade, G2 = intermediate, G3 = high grade), with ER-/G3 disease the most aggressive. Missing ER and grade data were imputed using state, age and race-specific distributions of known grade and ER. Age-specific incidence patterns were modeled using Poisson regression, where predictors were age and stage, plus race, ER status and grade, and, as appropriate, interaction variables. Rates for each ER/Grade combination were age-adjusted to the 2000 US standard population. Distinct age-specific incidence patterns were found for each ER/Grade group, with several striking differences by race. EA women had a substantial excess incidence of both ER+/G1 and ER+/G2 cancers (combined, 75% higher than AA women in SC, 44% in Ohio), primarily in post-menopausal years. Conversely, AA women had a substantially higher incidence of ER-/G3 cancer (63% in SC, and 67% in Ohio). Racial differences in rates by ER/Grade were fairly constant between ages 30 and 65 years. In both races, regardless of grade, the incidence ratio of ER- cancer (versus ER+) peaked at about age 35. Comparing Ohio to SC, rates in EA women were extremely similar for each ER/Grade group. Rates in AA women also varied little between States, notably except ER+/G1 and ER+/G2 cancers which combined had a 28% higher rate in Ohio; State differences in AA ER-/G3 rates were
Chlamydia trachomatis Cellular Exit Alters Interactions with Host Dendritic Cells

The strategies utilized by pathogens to exit host cells are an area of pathogenesis which has received surprisingly little attention, considering the necessity of this step for infections to propagate. Even less is known about how exit through these pathways affects downstream host-pathogen interactions and the generation of an immune response. Chlamydia trachomatis exits host epithelial cells through two equally active mechanisms: lysis and extrusion. Studies have characterized the outcome of interactions between host innate immune cells, such as dendritic cells and macrophages, and free, extracellular Chlamydia bacteria, such as those resulting from lysis. Exit via extrusion generates a distinct, host-membrane-bound compartment of Chlamydia separate from the original infected cell. In this study, we assessed the effect of containment within extrusions upon the interaction between Chlamydia and host dendritic cells. Extrusion dramatically affected the outcome of Chlamydia-dendritic cell interactions for both the bacterium and the host cell. Dendritic cells rapidly underwent apoptosis in response to engulfment of an extrusion, while uptake of an equivalent dose of free Chlamydia had no such effect. Containment within an extrusion also prolonged bacterial survival within dendritic cells and altered the initial innate immune signaling by the dendritic cell.
Energy dependent radiative transfer equation and energy discretization

The radiative transfer equation (RTE) arises in a wide variety of applications. In certain situations, the energy dependence is not negligible. In a series of two papers, we study the energy dependent RTE. In this first paper of the series, we focus on the well-posedness analysis and energy discretization. We use a mixed formulation so that the analysis covers both cases of non-vanishing absorption and vanishing absorption. We introduce a natural energy discretization scheme and derive an optimal order error estimate for the scheme. Angular discretization, spatial discretization and fully discrete schemes, as well as numerical simulation results, are the topics of the sequel.
Inactivation of STAT1 by promoter methylation contributes to squamous cell carcinogenesis

5278 Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STAT) proteins have been linked to transformation and tumor progression. Among the 7 members of the STAT family, STAT1 has been implicated as a tumor suppressor gene in several human cancers, although studies to date have not elucidated the mechanisms of tumor repression. We analyzed the role of STAT1 in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) by determining expression and activation levels in human tissues and the consequences of STAT1 overexpression in a xenograft model of SCCHN. Increased expression and activation of STAT1 decreased the growth of SCCHN cells in vitro and in vivo. In tissues from 28 individuals with SCCHN, STAT1 activation levels were decreased in all of the tumors compared with levels in adjacent normal mucosa. To determine the tumor suppressive mechanism of STAT1 in SCCHN, DNA was isolated from paired tumors and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from 16 SCCHN patients, and primers were designed to sequence all exons of human STAT1. No specific mutations of STAT1 in the SCCHN tumors were detected. Using a microsatellite marker that mapped to chromosome 2 (the location of STAT1), 25% of SCCHN tumors were found to demonstrate loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in this region. Methylation of CpG islands in the promoter of STAT1 were screened in fresh tumor and paired peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from the 16 SCCHN patients as well as SCCHN cell lines. Methylation of CpG islands in the promoter of STAT1 was found in 75% of 16 SCCHN tumors (p
A longitudinal study of transfusion utilization in hospitalized veterans

Background: Although transfusion guidelines have changed considerably over the past 2 decades, the adoption of patient blood management programs has not been fully realized across hospitals in the United States. Objective: To evaluate trends in red blood cell (RBC), platelet, and plasma transfusion at 3 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals from 2000 through 2010. Methods: Data from all hospitalizations were collected from January 2000 through December 2010. Blood bank data (including the type and volume of products administered) were available electronically from each hospital. These files were linked to inpatient data, which included ICD-9-CM diagnoses (principal and secondary) and procedures during hospitalization. Statistical analyses were conducted using generalized linear models to evaluate trends over time. The unit of observation was hospitalization, with categorization by type. Results: There were 176, 521 hospitalizations in 69, 621 patients; of these, 13.6% of hospitalizations involved transfusion of blood products (12.7% RBCs, 1.4% platelets, 3.0% plasma). Transfusion occurred in 25.2% of surgical and 5.3% of medical hospitalizations. Transfusion use peaked in 2002 for surgical hospitalizations and declined afterwards (P< 0.001). There was no significant change in transfusion use over time (P = 0.126) for medical hospitalizations. In hospitalizations that involved transfusions, there was a 20.3% reduction in the proportion of hospitalizations in which ≥ 3 units of RBCs were given (from 51.7% to 41.1%; P< 0.001) and a 73.6% increase when 1 RBC unit was given (from 8.0% to 13.8%; P< 0.001) from 2000-2010. Of the hospitalizations with RBC transfusion, 9.6% involved the use of 1 unit over the entire study period. The most common principal diagnoses for medical patients receiving transfusion were anemia, malignancy, heart failure, pneumonia and renal failure. Over time, transfusion utilization increased in patients who were admitted for infection (P= 0.009). Conclusion: Blood transfusions in 3 VHA hospitals have decreased over time for surgical patients but remained the same for medical patients. Further study examining appropriateness of blood products in medical patients appears necessary.