cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cellular IP performance

Cellular IP can be used in conjunction with mobile IP to enhance the performance of future wireless data networks. In this paper, we measured the performance of a cellular IP wireless data network in terms of the percentage of packets dropped per handoff. We ran simulations using the popular shadow fading channel model. We also did an experiment where we compared the impact on cellular IP performance due to shadow fading and the two-ray-ground channel model. This paper shows the effects that mobile speed, base station coverage overlap, and signal fluctuation have on cellular IP performance.
Pathologic response with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and stereotactic body radiotherapy for borderline resectable and locally-advanced pancreatic cancer

Neoadjuvant stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has potential applicability in the management of borderline resectable and locally-advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In this series, we report the pathologic outcomes in the subset of patients who underwent surgery after neoadjuvant SBRT. Patients with borderline resectable or locally-advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma who were treated with SBRT followed by resection were included. Chemotherapy was to the discretion of the medical oncologist and preceded SBRT for most patients. Twelve patients met inclusion criteria. Most (92%) received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and gemcitabine/capecitabine was most frequently utilized (n = 7). Most were treated with fractionated SBRT to 36 Gy/3 fractions (n = 7) and the remainder with single fraction to 24 Gy (n = 5). No grade 3+ acute toxicities attributable to SBRT were found. Two patients developed post-surgical vascular complications and one died secondary to this. The mean time to surgery after SBRT was 3.3 months. An R0 resection was performed in 92% of patients (n = 11/12). In 25% (n = 3/12) of patients, a complete pathologic response was achieved, and an additional 16.7% (n = 2/12) demonstrated <10% viable tumor cells. Kaplan-Meier estimated median progression free survival is 27.4 months. Overall survival is 92%, 64% and 51% at 1-, 2-, and 3-years. This study reports the pathologic response in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and SBRT for borderline resectable and locally-advanced pancreatic cancer. In our experience, 92% achieved an R0 resection and 41.7% of patients demonstrated either complete or extensive pathologic response to treatment. The results of a phase II study of this novel approach will be forthcoming.
Measures of recording stability in chronically implanted microwire arrays recorded for over three years

The stability of the neural recording is a crucial issue for cortically controlled neuroprosthetic devices. Substantial effort is devoted to developing methods to improve the chronic neural recordings. Regardless of the approach one takes to improving recording stability, the core issue is to measure just how stable recording conditions really are. In the present study, microwire array electrodes were implanted into the motor cortex area of the rhesus monkey and neural signals were recorded for more than 3 years. The data acquired on each channel were then analyzed according to spike waveform, time course of task-related activity, and preferred direction. For the time span from the beginning to the end of the recording session, the monkey was trained to do three different tasks. Initial results indicate that a certain portion of channels produces very stable recordings for over three years.
Experimentation: the acme of science

Although experimentation in science is universally celebrated as the acme of investigative disciplines, few analyses are made of such process. Consequent­ly, opportunities have been Iost for a better understanding of experirnen­tation and science, as well as sorne potentialities for avoiding errors and achiev­‘ng improvements of value to research. Suggestions are rnade for an improved analysis of experimentation.
Comparison of Quantitative Cultures to Semiquantitative Loop Cultures of Bronchoscopic Protected Specimen Brush Samples

Study objective To compare quantitative growth from a calibrated loop to growth from the standard serial dilution technique of culturing bronchoscopic protected specimen brush (PSB) samples and to determine the effect of refrigeration of the PSB sample on subsequent quantitative growth. Design Laboratory stock cultures were sampled with a PSB and cultured by both standard 100-fold serial dilution as well as 1:100 mL and 1:1,000 mL calibrated loops. Stock cultures were also sampled with a PSB and growth before and after refrigeration for 24 h at 4°C (both serial dilution and calibrated loops) was compared. Clinical PSB samples from seven patients suspected of having lower respiratory tract infections were cultured by both techniques as well. Setting Clinical research laboratory and teaching hospital. Patients and interventions PSB samples from inpatients and outpatients who had clinically indicated bronchoscopy. No interventions. Measurements and results Quantitative growth from the 1:1,000 mL calibrated loop was within 1 log 10 of growth from the serial dilution technique for 20 of 21 organisms, including 2 yeasts. Except for Haemophilus influenzae (known to be cold intolerant), there were no important differences in growth of bacteria before and after 24 h at 4°C. For quantitative bacterial growth, there was a significant correlation between serial dilution and the 1:1,000 mL loop cultures (R=0.86, p Conclusion In this study, quantitative growth from a single 1:1,000 mL loop culture of PSB samples was comparable to growth from the standard serial dilution technique. Our results also suggest that overnight refrigeration of PSB samples may be possible in certain clinical situations.
Thiazolidine and thiazoline derivatives of 3-aryl-3-trifluoromethyldiazirines for the preparation of fluorescent or 35S-radiolabeled photoaffinity probes

Abstract The condensation of cysteine with 3-(4-formylphenyl) or 3-(4-cyanophenyl)-3-trifluoromethyldiazirine furnished thiazolidine and thiazoline derivatives in good yield. These heterocycles provide convenient access to photoaffinity probes an 35 S radiolabel or a fluorescent dansyl group.
Genetic Population Structure of the Madison Cave Isopod, Antrolana lira (Cymothoida: Cirolanidae) in the Shenandoah Valley of the Eastern United States

Abstract The identification of subterranean species at risk and the development of management strategies face a host of challenges such as inaccessible habitat, a lack of basic ecological information, and, in the case of aquatic species termed stygobionts, groundwater contamination and withdrawal. In light of these challenges, genetic data may inform management and conservation decisions. We present here results from an analysis of population structure of the stygobiont, Antrolana lira, from nine geographic locations spanning two-thirds of the species' entire range in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and West Virginia. A 658 bp fragment of DNA coding for the cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) gene was sequenced from 70 individuals, yielding 14 haplotypes. Phylogenetic analysis of the 14 haplotypes showed the presence of three distinct clades which corresponded to three geographic groups. Divergence levels among sequences within sites and among sites within clades was low (uncorrected “p” = 0.00 to 0....
Nitroglycerin Ointment for the Prevention of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Objective:To determine whether clinical trial data support the use of nitroglycerin for prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis.Data Sources:A literature search using MEDLINE (1966-September 2011) and EMBASE (1973-September 2011) was conducted using the search terms nitroglycerin, bone mineral density, fracture, and osteoporosis. References of identified articles were reviewed for additional citations.Study Selection and Data Extraction:All English-language articles related to the use of nitroglycerin ointment in postmenopausal women were reviewed.Data Synthesis:Four observational studies reported significant improvements in bone mineral density of postmenopausal women with the use of nitrates. One pilot study and 2 prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials reported conflicting results regarding the efficacy of nitroglycerin ointment.Conclusions:Clinical data do not support use of nitroglycerin for this indication; its potential is limited at this time by inconclusive efficacy and a hi...
Vowel recognition from articulatory position time-series data

A new approach of recognizing vowels from articulatory position time-series data was proposed and tested in this paper. This approach directly mapped articulatory position time-series data to vowels without extracting articulatory features such as mouth opening. The input time-series data were time-normalized and sampled to fixed-width vectors of articulatory positions. Three commonly used classifiers, Neural Network, Support Vector Machine and Decision Tree were used and their performances were compared on the vectors. A single speaker dataset of eight major English vowels acquired using Electromagnetic Articulograph (EMA) AG500 was used. Recognition rate using cross validation ranged from 76.07% to 91.32% for the three classifiers. In addition, the trained decision trees were consistent with articulatory features commonly used to descriptively distinguish vowels in classical phonetics. The findings are intended to improve the accuracy and response time of a real-time articulatory-to-acoustics synthesizer.
Formula for the density of tangent rays over a caustic surface

The geometrical flux density (irradiance) is singular over caustic surfaces and, therefore, cannot be used effectively as a measure of the concentration of rays at or near the caustic surfaces. A finite substitute measure, the density of rays tangent to the caustic, may be obtained by dividing an element of incident flux by the area of the caustic formed by the associated rays. This gives a measure of the energy density over different regions of the caustic. As an example, the ray density over the caustic is evaluated for collimated light reflected from a spherical mirror. A similar calculation is performed for collimated light refracted by a plano-convex singlet lens. General formulas are presented for computing the ray density over the caustic for reflection of meridional rays by an aspheric surface. Also analytical and numerical algorithms are given for evaluating the ray density over the caustic in a multiinterface optical system.
ALTERED FMRI ACTIVATION PATTERN DURING VISUAL SCENE ENCODING IN AFFECTED AND NON-AFFECTED CARRIERS OF PSEN1 AND APP MUTATIONS

Background: Several studies highlighted the differential effect of normal and pathological aging on hippocampal subfield volumes, suggesting that these measurements may be more accurate than global hippocampal volumetry to detect early Alzheimer’s disease (AD). For clinical application, validated automatic algorithms of hippocampal subfield segmentation are urgently needed. An increasing number of studies use the automatic segmentation algorithm implemented in FreeSurfer. However, this approach has not been validated so far on AD patients. This study aimed to compare the accuracy of T1-MRI-based FreeSurfer segmentation versus manual delineation on dedicated high-resolution scan in measuring hippocampal subfield volumes and the effects of age and AD on these volumes. Methods: Hippocampal subfields were segmented in 98 healthy individuals (aged 19 to 84), 17 MCI and 18 AD patients using both FreeSurfer (T1-MRI, resolution: 1*1*1mm) and manual delineation (proton density-MRI, resolution: 0.375*0.375*2mm). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots were computed to assess the consistency between both methods, and the effects of age (regressions) and group (ANOVAs) were assessed for both Freesurfuer and manual measurements. Results: Moderate to high ICCs were found for the subiculum and other subfields as well as for the whole hippocampus, but the ICC was very low for CA1. Using manual delineation, age was found to have a linear effect on the subiculum and a nonlinear (later) effect on CA1 volumes. A graded effect of the pathology was found on CA1, subiculum and the other subfields volumes. FreeSurfer CA1 volumes were found to be lower than those obtained from manual segmentation. This bias was proportional to the volume of this structure so that no effect of age or AD could be detected on FreeSurfer CA1 volumes. Conclusions: This study highlights differences in the anatomic definition of the subfields, especially for CA1, between FreeSurfer and manual delineation based on histologic atlases. While FreeSurfer provides reasonable estimates of the subiculum and other subfields, it does not provide a reliable estimate of CA1 volume and fails in detecting normal aging and AD-related changes in this subfield. As earliest AD-related changes seem to occur in CA1, FreeSurfer needs to be improved especially for clinical application in early AD diagnosis.
Crystal plasticity model for BCC iron atomistically informed by kinetics of correlated kinkpair nucleation on screw dislocation

Abstract The mobility of dislocation in body-centered cubic (BCC) metals is controlled by the thermally activated nucleation of kinks along the dislocation core. By employing a recent interatomic potential and the Nudged Elastic Band method, we predict the atomistic saddle-point state of 1 / 2 〈 111 〉 screw dislocation motion in BCC iron that involves the nucleation of correlated kinkpairs and the resulting double superkinks. This unique process leads to a single-humped minimum energy path that governs the one-step activation of a screw dislocation to move into the adjacent { 110 } Peierls valley, which contrasts with the double-humped energy path and the two-step transition predicted by other interatomic potentials. Based on transition state theory, we use the atomistically computed, stress-dependent kinkpair activation parameters to inform a coarse-grained crystal plasticity flow rule. Our atomistically-informed crystal plasticity model quantitatively predicts the orientation dependent stress–strain behavior of BCC iron single crystals in a manner that is consistent with experimental results. The predicted temperature and strain-rate dependencies of the yield stress agree with experimental results in the 200–350 K temperature regime, and are rationalized by the small activation volumes associated with the kinkpair-mediated motion of screw dislocations.
Measurement of Social Freedom: The Starkweather Social Conformity Test Revised (SSCT‐R)

Freedom to conform or not to conform to peer choices is one of the traits of a child with high creative potential. The Starkweather Social Conformity Test-Revised is described and compared to the original test. The Starkweather Social Conformity Test-Revised is useful for determining conformity, nonconformity, and freedom of young children when they are given the opportunity to make a book based on their personal preferences or on the preferences of pictures chosen for their friends. The test is individually administered; it may be given to a child who is involved in a group or to a child in a therapeutic setting.
Teacher-student dialogue during one-to-one interactions in a post-16 mathematics classroom

Recent developments in mathematics education place an unprecedented emphasis on the role of discourse in developing students’ conceptual understanding, with a corresponding de-emphasis on the use of ‘telling’: the stating of facts and demonstration of procedures. This action research study investigated teacher-student dialogue during one-to-one interactions in my post-16 mathematics classroom. The participants were four A-level students. Data sources included clinical interviews, student feedback interviews and an analytical log; and the data were coded using a framework of scaffolding categories drawn largely from current research literature. The findings suggest that, although I utilised more ‘telling’ than ‘questioning’ interventions, often these ‘telling’ actions served useful and necessary functions. They also indicate that my scaffolding skills developed as a result of the process of critical analysis; and that the scaffolding strategies valued by my students were those that they felt best promoted their independence. The study concludes by suggesting that context is a crucially important factor in addressing the dilemma of whether or not to tell.
Dietary exposure to low doses of bisphenol A: effects on reproduction and development in two generations of C57BL/6J mice.

The present study was conducted to examine the effects of low-dose exposure to bisphenol A on reproduction and development in two generations of mice. Pregnant female C57BL/6J mice (F0) were fed a diet containing low doses of bisphenol A (0, 0.33, 3.3, or 33 ppm) from gestational day 6 through postnatal day 22, and the weanlings (F1 and F2) from each F0 and F1 dam group, respectively, were also fed these same concentrations of bisphenol A ad libitum until sacrifice. There were no treatment-related changes in body weight, body weight gain, food consumption, gestation length, or the number of live births on postnatal day 1 in F0 dams between the control group and bisphenol A groups. Sex ratio and viability were similar in all F1 pups. No treatment-related changes were observed in body weight, food consumption, developmental parameters, anogenital distance, or weight of any of the organs (liver, kidney, heart, spleen, thymus, testis, ovary, or uterus) in F1 and F2 adults in either sex. The epididymis weight was slightly higher with 0.33 and 3.3 ppm in F1 males, but this slight increase was neither dose dependent nor seen across generations. There were no treatment-related effects of bisphenol A on cauda epididymal sperm count or sperm motility in F1 or F2 males. These findings indicate that dietary exposure to bisphenol A between 0.33 and 33 ppm does not adversely affect reproduction or development as assessed in two generations of mice.
Modeling of Abnormal Fluid Pressure in Unconventional Plays Due to Uplift

Summary Fluid pressure is a key factor in determining hydrocarbon productivity of unconventional plays. Most unconventional plays have experienced uplift accompanied by erosion after the maximum burial depth, which has altered the fluid pressure in both fluid dynamics and thermodynamics. In this study, we calculate the fluid pressure variation of unconventional plays during uplift, taking into account the factors of hydrocarbon compositions, thermal history, initial pressure, and sealing conditions . The calculation considers both fluid dynamics (Darcy flow and diffusion) and thermodynamics (pressure-volume-temperature relations hips). The results show that uplift with an ideal sealing condition may enhance the overpressure of gas reser voirs and that of most volatile oil reservoirs with gas to oil ratio (GOR) > 1000 scf/bbl, and decrease the overpr essure (or form underpressure) in black oil reservoirs with GOR < 500 scf/bbl. Good sealing layers with low permeabilit y, high capillary pressure and low diffusivity are required to keep the abnormal pressure in unconventional reservoirs.
Effects of Some Autacoids and Humoral Agents on Human Fetoplacental Vascular Resistance: Candidates for Local Regulation of Fetoplacental Blood Flow

Mechanisms of local regulation of blood flow through the extensive fetoplacental vascular bed of the mature human placenta are not understood. As the placenta is not innervated, there is no nervous control of vascular resistance. Locally-produced vasoactive autacoids such as prostaglandins and thromboxane could play a role in modulating fetoplacental blood flow, or humoral agents could be involved. Human placenta in the form of in vitro slice preparations has been shown to produce thromboxane B2, the stable metabolite of thromboxane A2, and to convert exogenous arachidonic acid to several prostanoids, including PGE2, PGD2, PGF2α and 6-keto-PGF1α a biologically inactive metabolite of prostacyclin, PGI2 (Mitchell et al., 1982; Makila et al., 1984; Harper et al., 1983). Also, higher levels of iPGE were found in umbilical venous plasma than in plasma from umbilical arteries (Bibby et al., 1979), suggesting that production of PGE by the placenta occurs in vivo. Thromboxane A2, PGE2, and PGI2 are known to have pressor or depressor actions in many vascular beds (Whittle and Moncada, 1984; Kadowitz et al., 1984). We therefore evaluated the effects of PGE2, PGF2α, PGI2, PGE1 and the endoperoxide analogue U46619, a thromboxane mimetic (Granstrom et al., 1983), on the resistance of human fetoplacental vasculature in isolated dual-perfused cotyledons from human term placenta. Furthermore, the formation of a potentially important humoral agent, angiotensin II (AII), within the fetoplacental vascular bed was studied.
Channel coding with multilevel/phase signals

A coding technique is described which improves error performance of synchronous data links without sacrificing data rate or requiring more bandwidth. This is achieved by channel coding with expanded sets of multilevel/phase signals in a manner which increases free Euclidean distance. Soft maximum--likelihood (ML) decoding using the Viterbi algorithm is assumed. Following a discussion of channel capacity, simple hand-designed trellis codes are presented for 8 phase-shift keying (PSK) and 16 quadrature amplitude-shift keying (QASK) modulation. These simple codes achieve coding gains in the order of 3-4 dB. It is then shown that the codes can be interpreted as binary convolutional codes with a mapping of coded bits into channel signals, which we call "mapping by set partitioning." Based on a new distance measure between binary code sequences which efficiently lower-bounds the Euclidean distance between the corresponding channel signal sequences, a search procedure for more powerful codes is developed. Codes with coding gains up to 6 dB are obtained for a variety of multilevel/phase modulation schemes. Simulation results are presented and an example of carrier-phase tracking is discussed.
The Amoeba‐to‐Flagellate Transformation in Tetramitus rostratus. I. Population Dynamics*

SYNOPSIS. Thirty to 80% of Tetramitus rostratus amoebae were induced to transform into the flagellated stage. The procedure involved growth in a dilute hydrolyzed casein medium with living Escherichia coli dispensed in microdrops approximately 0.5 mm3 in volume and sealed in a slide-depressionchamber. Single amoebae placed in such microdrops did not transform until growth and division had produced a population density of 100 amoebae/mm3. Flagellation then began and proceeded rapidly. Analysis of growth and transformation in microdrops of different sizes but with equal numbers of amoebae, or of microdrops of the same size but different numbers of amoebae, suggested that the amoebae themselves were elaborating substances into the medium which brought about their own transformation. The effects of bacteriostasis induced by a variety of antibiotics did not clearly rule out a bacterial contribution to the factors causing transformation. Osmotic effects within physiological limits did not play any demonstrable role in inducing the response. It was concluded that transformation of amoebae to flagellates involved rapid growth and subsequent undetermined changes in the medium.
Changing Socio-economic Conditions for Private Woodland Protection

Protecting conservation values on privately owned lands is a significant issue in many parts of the world. Early conservation strategies, which focused on ­setting-aside public lands from largely unpopulated ‘frontier’ regions, are becoming an increasingly limited option as populations grow, settlements spread, ­ownership patterns solidify, and land values rise. Yet as these human-defined boundaries ­proliferate across the globe and divide lands once wild into privately-owned parcels, the lessons of landscape ecology beckon us toward another view – a view where sharp lines and divisions in ownership are blurred to protect the ecological processes that ultimately sustain us all. These processes have been shaping the human face of New England’s landscape for well over 200 years. Here, we recount these changes and pay particular attention to some recent innovations in protecting conservation values on private lands. As we demonstrate, the region’s long conservation tradition has spawned some uncommon approaches for sustaining human and natural systems across a landscape that is largely under private ownership. The approaches taken and lessons learned have much to offer other regions of the world seeking ways to creatively bridge the divide between private property and public values.
Inferring patterns in the multi-week activity sequences of public transport users

Abstract The public transport networks of dense cities such as London serve passengers with widely different travel patterns. In line with the diverse lives of urban dwellers, activities and journeys are combined within days and across days in diverse sequences. From personalized customer information, to improved travel demand models, understanding this type of heterogeneity among transit users is relevant to a number of applications core to public transport agencies’ function. In this study, passenger heterogeneity is investigated based on a longitudinal representation of each user’s multi-week activity sequence derived from smart card data. We propose a methodology leveraging this representation to identify clusters of users with similar activity sequence structure. The methodology is applied to a large sample (n = 33,026) from London’s public transport network, in which each passenger is represented by a continuous 4-week activity sequence. The application reveals 11 clusters, each characterized by a distinct sequence structure. Socio-demographic information available for a small sample of users (n = 1973) is combined to smart card transactions to analyze associations between the identified patterns and demographic attributes including passenger age, occupation, household composition and income, and vehicle ownership. The analysis reveals that significant connections exist between the demographic attributes of users and activity patterns identified exclusively from fare transactions.
Analysis on Epidemiological characteristics of hand-foot-mouth disease in Xi'an, 2010-2013

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of hand-foot-mouth disease(HFMD) in Xi'an, and provide the scientific basis for the prevention for HFMD. Methods The morbidity and epidemiological characteristics was analyzed by the descriptive epidemiology. Results 82892 HFMD cases were reported in Xi'an from 2010 to 2013, including 15 dead cases. The annual average incidence rate was 251.32/100,000. There were two peaks, one peak appeared in May, the other small peak appeared in October to November. The HFMD patients mainly distributed in urban-rural continuum of Xi'an. The sex ratio(male to female) of HFMD patients was 1.48:1, and 91.31% of them were under 4 years old, and 97.18% were scattered children and nursing children. The main pathogen type of HFMD was Cox A16(44.29%) in 2010, and EV71 in 2011and 2012(65.13% and 63.30%respectively); And enteric viruses was the main pathogen of HFMD in 2013. Conclusion HFMD has obvious seasonality and herd aggregation, the key of the prevention and control of hand-foot-mouth disease is to strengthen monitoring and management, health education and disinfection work in the scattered children and nurseries and kindergartens.
Study of magnetic Ni-P alloy on hollow glass microspheres by electroless plating technique

In order to improve the performance of hollow glass microspheres,magnetic Ni-P alloy plating was covered on the surface of the hollow glass microspheres by electroless plating technics.Then composition,structure,morphology and magnetic property of hollow glass microspheres before plating and after plating were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),Fourier transform infrared spectrometer(FT-IR),scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM).The results showed that the Ni-P alloy plating,which had some magnetic properties,was composed by atom stuffs.The structure of Ni-P alloy was non-crystal.Compared with those before plating,intensity of XRD and intensity of IR of hollow glass microspheres after plating were both decreased.
Can microRNAs Be Biomarkers or Targets for Therapy of Ischemic Coronary Artery Disease in Metabolic Syndrome

BACKGROUND Due to their exceptional stability in the circulation, microRNAs (miRs) are being identified as promising biomarkers. On the other hand, their propensity to regulate networks of functionally closely related genes and relative ease of delivery makes them attractive targets for therapy. However, neither application is without challenges, especially as it applies to ischemic coronary artery disease (CAD). OBJECTIVE This review will: 1) describe miRs which have been most consistently found to be associated with the most common manifestations of CAD, including atherosclerosis, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction and myocardial reperfusion through arteriogenesis, 2) emphasize those miRs which are also altered in metabolic syndrome and its component pathologies, 3) discuss challenges which currently prevent clinical application related to inconsistencies between findings in cell culture, animal models and among human studies, as well as technical challenges, and 4) offer some suggestions towards resolutions of these discrepancies. CONCLUSION While miRs can be used as reliable biomarkers for myocardial infarction, their use as biomarkers for other forms of ischemic CAD, as well as therapy for CAD await further investigation.
Kidney function and sudden cardiac death in the community: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Background Individuals with chronic kidney disease, particularly those requiring dialysis, are at high risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). However, comprehensive data for the full spectrum of kidney function and SCD risk in the community are sparse. Furthermore, newly developed equations for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and novel filtration markers might add further insight to the role of kidney function in SCD. Methods We investigated the associations of baseline eGFRs using serum creatinine, cystatin C, or both (eGFRcr, eGFRcys, and eGFRcr-cys); cystatin C itself; and β 2 -microglobulin (B2M) with SCD (205 cases through 2001) among 13,070 black and white ARIC participants at baseline during 1990-1992 using Cox regression models accounting for potential confounders. Results Low eGFR was independently associated with SCD risk: for example, hazard ratio for eGFR 2 ) was 3.71 (95% CI 1.74-7.90) with eGFRcr, 5.40 (2.97-9.83) with eGFRcr-cys, and 5.24 (3.01-9.11) with eGFRcys. When eGFRcr and eGFRcys were included together in a single model, the association was only significant for eGFRcys. When three eGFRs, cystatin C, and B2M were divided into quartiles, B2M demonstrated the strongest association with SCD (hazard ratio for fourth quartile vs first quartile 3.48 (2.03-5.96) vs ≤2.7 for the other kidney markers). Conclusions Kidney function was independently and robustly associated with SCD in the community, particularly when cystatin C or B2M was used. These results suggest the potential value of kidney function as a risk factor for SCD and the advantage of novel filtration markers over eGFRcr in this context.
Democracy, America, and the Age of Globalization: The Politics of Inequality

The fact that nearly all the developed countries have experienced growing income inequality since about 1980 suggests that their responses to the changing requirements of technology and globalization have been inadequate. Increased domestic income disparities reflect the failure to adjust sufficiently to new circumstances. Educational and training programs have not kept up with changes in the labor market. The problem here is that it is not possible to anticipate the knowledge that new technologies require before those technologies appear. Similarly, it is all but impossible to know in advance the skill requirements of the industries that could absorb the workers displaced by globalization. As a result, education and training programs must always play catch-up. The people who develop curriculums must first understand the changed pattern of labor demand. Only then can they retool in order to provide workers with the skills that are in increased demand in the labor market. Even so, it takes time for an adequate supply of newly educated workers to make their presence felt. For these reasons, even under the best circumstances, rapid technological change can be expected to induce growing income inequality. Thus, it falls to the political process to provide counterweights to the growth in income disparities that are all too likely to appear in labor markets during periods of rapid technological change.
Cognitive Function and Valproate Monotherapy

A test battery to assess neuropsychological and behavioral changes associated with anticonvulsant, particularly valproate, therapy in children is proposed from the Departments of Pediatrics (Neurology), and Clinical Health and Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
Genome Stability and Ageing

Ageing is defined as the progressive attrition of tissue/organ function resulting in an increased susceptibility to disease and death. The DNA mutation and damage theory of ageing posits that the accrual of genetic damage over time is the underlying cause of ageing. Evidence for this theory stems from the fact that numerous human progeroid syndromes are caused by inherited defects in genome maintenance mechanisms, linking excess genetic damage with accelerated ageing. These diseases have been modelled in mice and other organisms. However, the molecular mechanism by which genomic instability drives ageing is currently not known. The nematode, C. elegans, is a genetically tractable, well-studied model organism for investigating mechanisms of ageing and DNA repair pathways identified in mammalian systems are well conserved in the worm. Furthermore, proliferating and post-mitotic cells, which have distinct responses to genomic instability, are clearly delineated in the worm. Thus worms provide an opportunity to study the importance of genomic stability in each of these compartments in the context of a whole organism. Genomic instability can interfere with transcription, trigger apoptosis, attenuate proliferative capacity, and cause metabolic changes. Here, we first examine the DNA repair pathways that are conserved between worms and mammals, with an overview of the spatial and temporal activity of each of these repair pathways. This chapter then explores evidence from studies in the nematode that genomic instability, healthspan and organismal ageing are linked.
Isn’t Milk Sterile? A Historical Perspective on Microbes in Milk

Historical evidence suggests that humans have been using bacteria to ferment dairy products for more than 10 millennia, allowing life-long consumption of dairy foods by humans, despite the downregulation of the lactase gene, which is common in childhood. From whence these bacteria were initially derived is unknown, but it is likely that they originated from milk itself. Indeed, traditional cheese and yogurt-making methods either allow fresh milk to curdle on its own volition or add a dairy-derived “mother culture.” Despite these long-held traditions, advent of germ theory in the 19th century supported the contention that bacteria, in general, cause illness. This general belief coupled with limiting microbiological techniques fostered the dogma that milk produced by a healthy animal (or human) must be sterile. The advent of microbiological media not specifically designed to only detect pathogens along with culture-independent molecular methods has now led to a paradigm shift in this regard and has opened a new doorway into understanding the impact of early microbial exposures on short- and long-term health in humans.
Reference Correlation for the Viscosity of Carbon Dioxide.

A comprehensive database of experimental and computed data for the viscosity of carbon dioxide (CO2) was compiled and a new reference correlation was developed. Literature results based on an ab initio potential energy surface were the foundation of the correlation of the viscosity in the limit of zero density in the temperature range from 100 to 2000 K. Guided symbolic regression was employed to obtain a new functional form that extrapolates correctly to 0 and to 10 000 K. Coordinated measurements at low density made it possible to implement the temperature dependence of the Rainwater-Friend theory in the linear-in-density viscosity term. The residual viscosity could be formulated with a scaling term ργ/T, the significance of which was confirmed by symbolic regression. The final viscosity correlation covers temperatures from 100 to 2000 K for gaseous CO2 and from 220 to 700 K with pressures along the melting line up to 8000 MPa for compressed and supercritical liquid states. The data representation is mo...
Identification and characterization of information-networks in long-tail data collections

Scientists' ability to synthesize and reuse long-tail scientific data lags far behind their ability to collect and produce these data. Many Earth Science Cyberinfrastructures enable sharing and publishing their data over the web using metadata standards. While profiling data attributes advances the Linked Data approach, it has become clear that building information-networks among distributed data silos is essential to increase their integration and reusability. In this research, we developed a Long-Tail Information-Network (LTIN) model, which uses a metadata-driven approach to build semantic information-networks among datasets published over the web and aggregate them around environmental events. The model identifies and characterizes the spatial and temporal contextual association links and dependencies among datasets. This paper presents the design and application of the LTIN model, and an evaluation of its performance. The model capabilities were demonstrated by inferring the information-network of a stream discharge located at the downstream end of the Illinois River.
Electrochemical and spectroscopic methods for evaluating molecular electrocatalysts

Homogenous transition metal electrocatalysts are topical owing to their role in processing electrical energy and mediating the synthesis of chemical fuels. Mechanisms can be uncovered using electrochemical techniques and data analyses, along with complementary spectroscopic techniques. This Review presents case studies highlighting the utility of these methods in the context of electrocatalysis for chemical fuel production.
LGBT Data Collection Amid Social and Demographic Shifts of the US LGBT Community.

An editorial is presented which addresses LGBT people-related data collection in America in relation to social and demographic changes involving the nation's LGBT community as of 2017. Sexual orientation and gender identity measurements in the U.S. are addressed, along with the American Department of Health and Human Services' National Health Interview Survey and the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime and Victimization Survey. Homelessness among LGBT youth is assessed
Narcissism in Leadership and Management: A Research Summary

Germain explains how narcissism manifests itself in leaders and managers—how first impressions progressively morph and reveal interpersonal relationship deficiencies, inflate an individual’s sense of his/her ability to lead, and minimize effectiveness. After highlighting the prominence of NPD in specific fields such as sports, politics, and the media, “Narcissism in Leadership and Management” details the human and financial cost that NPD employees have on organizations.
Perspectives on Shunts in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: From Interventions to Create Shunts to the Concept of “Treat-and-Repair”

Medical therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has evolved dramatically over the past two decades. A subset of patients with PAH, nevertheless, develops progressive right heart failure. There are several interventional approaches to treat such patients, including creation of a communication to allow right-to-left shunting, device implantation or transplantation. Atrial septostomy has been used for three decades among patients with refractory right heart failure (RHF) and PAH. More recently, investigators have explored the use of both surgical and percutaneous Potts shunts to permit shunting from the left pulmonary artery to the descending aorta. The theoretical benefits include more controlled shunt volume and delivery of normoxic blood to the head and neck.
Crossing Boundaries Online in Romantic Relationships: An Exploratory Study of The Perceptions of Impact on Partners by Cyberstalking Offenders

ABSTRACTAs technology has become an ever-present facet in the lives of young people, they have become reliant on it to form and maintain relationships. The present study explored the perceptions of cyberstalking offenders on their own romantic relationships of their offending behaviors utilizing General Theory of Crime and Social Learning Theory. Results indicated that low self-control is a significant predictor of perceiving a negative impact by a victim, such as breaking up the relationship or taking revenge on the offender, as offenders with low self-control do not believe their behaviors would have a negative impact.
Role of calcium in regulating the intra- and extracellular cleavage of von Willebrand factor by the protease ADAMTS13.

Abstract von Willebrand factor (VWF) and the metalloprotease a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif 13 (ADAMTS13) are present both within endothelial cells (ECs) and in peripheral blood. Calcium concentrations are lower in intracellular compartments (80-400 μM) compared with the extracellular milieu (∼1.25 mM). Because low calcium favors VWF A2-domain proteolysis by ADAMTS13, the dependence of proteolysis rates on calcium was assayed both within ECs and in blood. Confocal microscopy studies demonstrate partial perinuclear colocalization of VWF with ADAMTS13 in human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs). Consequently, low levels (5%-10%) of VWF cleavage products were detected in HUVEC lysates and also culture-supernatant following EC stimulation. This proteolysis occurred before disulfide bond formation. Compared with wild-type VWF A2-domain, calcium-binding mutants including the common von Willebrand disease (VWD) type 2A R1597W mutant were expressed in an open conformation in ECs and were highly susceptible to intracellular proteolysis. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements demonstrate strong calcium-dependent VWF-A2 conformation changes at concentrations ≮500 μM, with unfolding rates being fourfold higher for monomeric VWF A2-domain compared with multimeric, full-length VWF. Under shear, physiological levels of ADAMTS13 did not cleave VWF strings on HUVECs, unless platelets were attached to stretch these strings under flow. Further, VWF-platelet string cleavage under shear proceeded with equal efficiency in the absence and presence of calcium at shear stress ≥1 dyn/cm2. Overall, low calcium levels may promote intracellular VWF proteolysis particularly during VWD type 2A disease. Calcium has a negligible effect on VWF-platelet string proteolysis under physiologically relevant fluid shear.
Sports as Exercises in Spiritual Formation

Some followers of Christ claim that sports are pointless activities and even spiritually dangerous, given some of the values that are present within them. Other Christians look more favorably upon ...
An exploration of the macrostructural implications of the Holland theory of careers

The Holland theory of careers (Holland, 1984) rests on an implicit assumption of isomorphism between the relative frequency distributions of occupations and personalities congruent to th'ose occupations. A number of mechanisms are described which theoretically could act to generate a tendency towards isomorphism. Elements of the sociological linkage hypothesis are shown to be germane to the processes by which isomorphism may be generated. The version of the linkage hypothesis (Mortimer and Kumka, 1982) which posits a relationship between the quality of the father/son relationship and intergenerational value transmission is tested using the Holland RIASEC taxonomy.
Commenters as political actors infringing on the field of journalism

Journalists see online commenters as outsiders who are a potential threat to the reputation and legitimacy of professional journalism. But should commenters be seen as potential new journalistic agents, or are they serving a political role? This study uses field theory to consider how online commenters at one large news organization engage in promoting ideology and how journalists respond. Commenters see themselves as the duty-bound defenders of political perspectives rarely seen in media. Journalists see this as a threat to their profession. The potential political role for the online commenter in journalism is discussed.
The History of Malaria and its Control

Malaria is an ancient threat to human health that has relentlessly taken human life for millennia. To appreciate the challenges to malaria control, we must understand the history of the struggle between humans, the malaria parasite, and the mosquito vector. New insights into the epidemiology, transmission characteristics, and population immunity of malaria must build upon the seminal discoveries of Laveran, Ross, and Grassi at the turn of the twentieth century. However, the insight of Angelo Celli and others that malaria control is dependent upon social and economic development, should be kept alive. Malaria and its consequences differentially burden the impoverished rural populations of Africa and Asia and contribute to a vicious cycle of poverty, misery, and injustice. The history of malaria shows that the international cooperation needed to break this cycle is achievable.
Serum metabolomic profiles associated with postmenopausal hormone use

Postmenopausal hormone use is linked to several health outcomes and the risk associated with some may differ depending on whether estrogen is used alone or in combination with progestin. Metabolomic analyses of postmenopausal hormone use and differences between hormone regimes was done to identify metabolites associated with each type of hormone treatment. Untargeted metabolomics analysis was done on serum from 1336 women enrolled in the Cancer Prevention II Nutrition Cohort. Levels of 781 named metabolites were compared between 667 nonusers with 332 estrogen-only and with 337 estrogen plus progestin users using linear regression. Metabolite levels were also compared between estrogen-only and estrogen plus progestin users. Compared to nonusers, 276 metabolites were statistically significantly (P < 6.40 × 10− 5) associated with estrogen-only use and 222 were associated with estrogen plus progestin use. The metabolites associated with both types of hormones included numerous lipids, acyl carnitines, and amino acids as well as the thyroid hormone thyroxine and the oncometabolite fumarate. The 65 metabolites that differed significantly between estrogen-only and estrogen plus progestin users included 19 steroids and 12 lipids that contained the bioactive fatty acid arachidonic acid. These findings suggest that postmenopausal hormone use influences metabolic pathways linked to a variety of cellular processes, including the regulation of metabolism and stress responses, energy production, and inflammation. The differential association of numerous lipids which influence cellular signaling suggests that differences in signal transduction may contribute to the disparate risks for some diseases between estrogen-only and estrogen plus progestin users.