cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Test in Context: Hemoglobin A1c and Cardiovascular Disease

Measurement of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), the most widely accepted indicator of long-term glycemic exposure, is central for the diagnosis and management of diabetes mellitus. Levels of HbA1c track epidemiologically with diabetic complications, and glycemic control, as reflected by HbA1c reduction, results in decreased risk of microvascular complications, including diabetic kidney disease, neuropathy, and retinopathy. The relationship between HbA1c reduction and cardiovascular disease prevention in patients with diabetes is more complex, with data from large randomized trials published over the past decade providing clear evidence that lowering of HbA1c per se is an inadequate marker for a therapeutic regimen's impact on cardiovascular outcomes and patient survival. Recent revisions in professional society guidelines moved away from uniform recommendations and toward a more nuanced, patient-centered approach to HbA1c therapeutic targets. The context and key evidence underpinning these recent changes are discussed in this paper, alongside a brief overview of HbA1c contemporary assays and their limitations.
Assessment of Sex Differences in Fracture Risk Among Patients With Anorexia Nervosa: A Population-Based Cohort Study Using The Health Improvement Network.

Though previous studies have demonstrated an increased fracture risk in females with anorexia nervosa (AN), fracture risk in males is not well characterized. The objective of this study was to examine sex differences in fracture risk and site-specific fracture incidence in AN. We performed a population-based retrospective cohort study using The Health Improvement Network (THIN; a large database of anonymized electronic medical records collected at primary care clinics throughout the United Kingdom). The median calendar year for the start of the observation period was 2004-2005. We identified 9239 females and 556 males 40 years of age (HR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.32 to 4.90; p = 0.005) but not among males ≤40 years. Females with AN had a higher risk of fracture at nearly all anatomic sites. The greatest excess fracture risk was noted at the hip/femur (HR, 5.59; 95% CI, 3.44 to 9.09) and pelvis (HR, 4.54; 95% CI, 2.42 to 8.50) in females and at the vertebrae (HR, 7.25; 95% CI, 1.21 to 43.45) for males with AN. AN was associated with higher incident fracture risk in females across all age groups and in males >40 years old. Sites of highest fracture risk include the hip/femur and pelvis in females and vertebrae in males with AN. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
High efficient modeling of a diode clamped Modular Multilevel Converter for EMT simulation

Conventional Electromagnetic Transient (EMT) simulations of a Modular Multilevel Converter based HVDC (MMC-HVDC) is quite time consuming. Therefore, the sub modules are often modeled with equivalent transformation methods. In this paper, two equivalent models with much higher efficiency have been presented for a specific MMC topology, i.e. the diode clamped half bridge topology, which convenient the researches on MMC-HVDC with overhead lines. Details of the modeling technologies have been explained. Simulations have been carried out, focusing on computational efficiency, steady and transient performances. Compared to conventional EMT model, the proposed models are accurate enough, while with much higher efficiency.
UNPACKING THE BURDEN OF CARE FOR INFANTS IN THE NICU

Infants who begin early life in the medicalized environment of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience disruption to numerous fundamental expectancies. In the NICU, infants are exposed to chronic, extreme stressors that include painful medical procedures and parental separation. Due to their preverbal stage of development, infants are unable to fully express these experiences, and linking these experiences to long-term outcomes has been difficult. This clinical article proposes the terminology Infant Medical Trauma in the NICU (IMTN) to describe the infant experience. Following a discussion of the NICU as an adverse childhood event, the article has three sections: (a) the unique and critical factors that define the newborn period, (b) a review of the IMTN conceptual model, and (c) recommendations for supportive neuroprotective strategies to moderate the intensity of adverse NICU infant experiences.
G169(P) Management of steroid induced diabetes in children: A national perspective

Aims Hyperglycaemia is a well-recognised complication of steroid (glucocorticoid) therapy. High-dose steroids are commonly used in paediatric oncology as well as in chronic respiratory, gastrointestinal and rheumatological conditions.There are no established national or international guidelines for managing steroid induced diabetes in children. Issues such as route of insulin administration and whether a basal, prandial or a formal basalbolus regimen should be used are yet to be resolved. We aimed to gather information on how children with steroid induced diabetes are managed in the UK. Methods Our experience is that the majority of patients with steroid induced diabetes are being managed within a paediatric oncology service and so this was the focus of this audit. We identified the 21 principle UK paediatric oncology treatment centres via the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group. The paediatric diabetes teams in each hospital were contacted (by phone and/or email) and information gathered about their management of children with steroid induced diabetes. Results The diabetes teams from all 21 hospitals responded (100% response rate). Six teams (29%) treated steroid induced diabetes using 5 locally developed guidelines. The 15 teams (71%) without guidelines managed patients on an individualised basis. Treatment decisions were made by the attending diabetes consultants or on the basis of a general strategy agreed within the team. Three of the 15 teams without guidelines were developing them. Three of the 5 guidelines stated that treatment should be initiated with long acting insulin (Levemir/Glargine or Insulatard) in doses ranging from 0.2–0.7units/kg/24 hour. One guideline advocated prandial, fast-acting (Novorapid) insulin, 0.05–0.1unit/ kg as first line treatment. One guideline linked the choice of regimen to the pattern of hyperglycaemia. Eleven of the teams without guidelines stated that management reflected the preference of individual consultants, 3 teams stated they started long acting insulin and 1 expressed a preference for IV insulin as initial treatment. Conculsion There is considerable variation in the way young people with steroid induced diabetes are managed. This may reflect the lack of a pertinent evidence base and this audit highlights the need to collect data that can be used to refine the management of this patient group.
A stochastic game framework for reactive power reserve optimization and voltage profile improvement

Voltage control and reactive power management are two critically important criteria for ensuring quality power delivery and system stability in the grid. As the two issues are coupled, they have been generally tackled simultaneously. In this paper, we utilize the concept of stochastic game modeling from game theory to develop a novel algorithm to solve the multi-objective optimization (MOO) problem of reactive power reserve maximization and voltage profile improvement. The MOO is first reduced to a single objective optimization (SOO) problem using the weighted-sum (or scalarization method). The solution to the SOO problem is then viewed as the equilibrium solution of a stochastic game. The algorithm that implements our proposed solution concept is validated in MATLAB/MATPOWER using the IEEE-39 (New England) bus system model, and very encouraging results are reported.
Complications of the neovagina in male-to-female transgender surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis with discussion of management.

Gender-affirmation surgery is often the final gender-confirming medical intervention sought by those patients suffering from gender dysphoria. In the male-to-female (MtF) transgendered patient, the creation of esthetic and functional external female genitalia with a functional vaginal channel is of the utmost importance. The aim of this review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the epidemiology, presentation, management, and outcomes of neovaginal complications in the MtF transgender reassignment surgery patients. PUBMED was searched in accordance with PRISMA guidelines for relevant articles (n = 125). Ineligible articles were excluded and articles meeting all inclusion criteria went on to review and analysis (n = 13). Ultimately, studies reported on 1,684 patients with an overall complication rate of 32.5% and a reoperation rate of 21.7% for non-esthetic reasons. The most common complication was stenosis of the neo-meatus (14.4%). Wound infection was associated with an increased risk of all tissue-healing complications. Use of sacrospinous ligament fixation (SSL) was associated with a significantly decreased risk of prolapse of the neovagina. Gender-affirmation surgery is important in the treatment of gender dysphoric patients, but there is a high complication rate in the reported literature. Variability in technique and complication reporting standards makes it difficult to assess the accurately the current state of MtF gender reassignment surgery. Further research and implementation of standards is necessary to improve patient outcomes. Clin. Anat. 31:191-199, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
CARDIAC ADAPTATIONS IN DIVING SEALS1

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a study to investigate cardiac adaptations in diving seals. Experimental dives in harbor and spotted seals produced prompt sinus bradycardia, which was fully developed in 10 to 15 s and persisted throughout the diving episode. Heart rate declined to 14% of the predive rate (mean of three seals, 20 beats/min during diving). Sinus rhythm and supraventricular extrasystoles were occasionally observed. Aortic pressures remained essentially unchanged during dives except for the much reduced rate of decline of pressure during the prolonged diastoles. Contractility, estimated from intraventricular dP/dtmax, decreased by an average value of 43% early in the dives and remained unchanged, recovering only in the first one or two minutes after termination of the dive. The results of these experiments showed that the ratio of endocardial to epicardial perfusion was unaltered, even in prolonged diving, indicating that the seal's heart maintained its functional integrity and was not ischemic, despite its low blood flow, throughout the dives. Resting myocardial flow values were similar to those observed in dogs. Ventricular perfusion declined from an average of 150 to 24 ml/min 100 g.
Mindfulness Among Genetic Counselors Is Associated with Increased Empathy and Work Engagement and Decreased Burnout and Compassion Fatigue.

Genetic counselors experience high rates of compassion fatigue and an elevated risk for burnout, both of which can negatively impact patient care and retention in the profession. In other healthcare professions, mindfulness training has been successfully used to address similar negative psychological sequelae and to bolster empathy, which is the foundation of our counseling work. We aimed to assess associations between mindfulness and key professional variables, including burnout, compassion fatigue, work engagement, and empathy. Data were collected via an anonymous, online survey that included validated measures of mindfulness and these key professional variables. The survey was completed by 441 genetic counselors involved in direct patient care. Half of the respondents (50.1%) reported engaging in yoga, meditation, and/or breathing exercises. Mindfulness was positively correlated with work engagement (r = 0.24, p < 0.001) and empathy (as measured through four subscales: perspective taking (r = 0.15, p = 0.002), empathic concern (r = 0.11, p = 0.03), fantasy (r = − 0.11, p = 0.03) and personal distress (r = − 0.15, p = 0.001)). Mindfulness was negatively correlated with compassion fatigue (r = − 0.48, p < 0.001) and burnout (r = − 0.50, p < 0.001). Given these findings, mindfulness training may be a valuable addition to graduate and continuing education for genetic counselors. The integration of mindfulness into the genetic counseling field will likely improve professional morale and well-being, while promoting workforce retention and bolstering the relational and counseling aspects of our clinical work.
Phase model-based neuron stabilization into arbitrary clusters

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a common method of combating pathological conditions associated with Parkinson's disease, Tourette syndrome, essential tremor, and other disorders, but whose mechanisms are not fully understood. One hypothesis, supported experimentally, is that some symptoms of these disorders are associated with pathological synchronization of neurons in the basal ganglia and thalamus. For this reason, there has been interest in recent years in finding efficient ways to desynchronize neurons that are both fast-acting and low-power. Recent results on coordinated reset and periodically forced oscillators suggest that forming distinct clusters of neurons may prove to be more effective than achieving complete desynchronization, in particular by promoting plasticity effects that might persist after stimulation is turned off. Current proposed methods for achieving clustering frequently require either multiple input sources or precomputing the control signal. We propose here a control strategy for clustering, based on an analysis of the reduced phase model for a set of identical neurons, that allows for real-time, single-input control of a population of neurons with low-amplitude, low total energy signals. After demonstrating its effectiveness on phase models, we apply it to full state models to demonstrate its validity. We also discuss the effects of coupling on the efficacy of the strategy proposed and demonstrate that the clustering can still be accomplished in the presence of weak to moderate electrotonic coupling.
Disentangling two distinct notions of NEG raising

In this paper we consider two analyses of NEG raising phenomena: a syntactic approach based on raising NEG, as recently advocated in Collins & Postal 2014, and a semantic/pragmatic approach based on the Excluded Middle Assumption; see Bartsch 1973. We show that neither approach alone is sufficient to account for all the relevant phenomena. Although the syntactic approach is needed to explain the distribution of strict NPIs and Horn clauses, the semantic/pragmatic approach is needed to explain certain inferences where syntactic NEG raising is blocked. EARLY ACCESS
East Asian Studies: Society

East Asia gave rise to three strong, relatively closed states with only episodic foreign influences. Historically, top-down initiatives led in bureaucratization, urbanization, and the spread of Confucianism. These forces stimulated social change, such as the spread of literacy, while accepting the primacy of the family and adapting to the spread of markets. With limited impact from such sources of dynamism elsewhere, as foreign trade and religious minorities, modern change was imposed, not indigenous. Traditions were favorable for ‘Confucian capitalists’: meritocratic officials, diligent salarymen, and family-based entrepreneurs. Japan started with more favorable conditions for modernization, for example higher urbanization, and it was re-energized by postwar reforms that bolstered young people, women, and mass society. Under communism, China distorted development through campaign experiments, mobilizing people in communes or all-encompassing urban workplaces. When society was later reinvigorated by relaxing controls, rampant corruption prevailed. In the 1990s, materialism, pop culture, and new forces of globalization were transforming conditions of life, while vested interests slowed reform. New social problems such as rapidly aging societies posed a threat. Unbalanced paths to modernization had created many assets for a new era, but it would be necessary to activate bottom-up social forces and link decentralization to globalization to ensure the success of reforms.
Organizing Documents to Support Activities

This paper describes a study in the wild of software for document organization aimed at supporting activities. A preliminary study of current practices with traditional tools was followed by the design and development of a program called Docksy. Docksy introduces workspaces explicitly zoned by movable panels and features document descriptors augmented with tags, comments, and checkboxes. Docksy was deployed for at least two weeks and users’ practices with the new tool were studied. The aim of the study was to see how the new tool was appropriated and how people used the new features. The workspace structured in panels was shown to support users in clustering and separating documents, in having a holistic view of the document space, in locating files inside a workspace, and in managing temporary files. The study also shows how tags, comments, and checkboxes afforded the use of documents as explicit items in a workflow. The study suggests Docksy supports users in a variety of information and activity management tasks, including new practices for emerging activities.
Sustainable Tea at Unilever

Unilever's Lipton Tea had been successful with the first phase of its certification partnership with Rainforest Alliance. Now the company faced challenges in how to push forward with the transformation of more difficult parts of the supply chain and how to market sustainable tea in developing markets like India.Learning Objective: This case explores Unilever's transition to "sustainable tea," focusing both on the costs and benefits of building a sustainable supply chain and the question of whether consumers are willing to pay for it. Unilever has been successful bringing sustainable tea to developed markets - can it replicate that success in the developing world?
The Dynamics of Non-Scripted Entertainment: Formats and Local Adaptations

Chapter 5 focuses first on a successful global case of the new wave of non-scripted entertainment programs: the Big Brother format. The program constitutes a successful example of glocalization of entertainment: A global format is distributed and adapted locally worldwide, activating global, local, and “glocal” factors. Subsequently, the specific business practices associated with the development, distribution, and adaptation of non-scripted entertainment programs are explicated, analyzing the differences with scripted entertainment, as feature-length motion pictures and TV series, drama or comedy.
Dynamics of Sine-Gordon Soliton Interactions with Impurities

Molecular dynamics simulations of the sine-Gordon system containing static impurities are described. A pictorial device which serves as a “soliton detector” shows that the impurities can reflect solitons and breathers, dynamically trap and release them, and cause sufficiently large local distortions to produce trapped solitons. These effects of the impurities are exhibited in the dynamical scattering functions as a very sharp static “central peak” superimposed on the dynamical central peaks produced by soliton and breather propagation.
Thermal-conductivity measurement by time-domain thermoreflectance

The flow of heat in materials is generally perceived to be a slow process and, therefore, pump-probe techniques originally developed for ultrafast time-resolved optical spectroscopy are not an obvious source of technologies for advances in thermal-property measurements. Nevertheless, over the past 18 years, the work of approximately 30 dedicated students and postdoctoral researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) into a nearly universal, high-throughput tool for measuring the thermal conductivity of materials and the thermal conductance of materials interfaces. This article illustrates the utility of TDTR and surveys current topics in the science of heat conduction in materials with recent examples drawn from high-thermal-conductivity crystals of cubic boron phosphide and boron arsenide, structure–property relationships for thermal conductivity of amorphous polymers, and thermal conductivity switching in liquid-crystal networks.
Giant Circular Dichroism at Visible Frequencies Enabled by Plasmonic Ramp-Shaped Nanostructures

Plasmonic nanostructures with spatial symmetry breaking have a variety of applications, from enhancing the enantioselective detection of chiral molecules to creating photonics devices such as circular polarizers. Compared to their molecular counterparts, engineered nanostructures exhibit orders of magnitude larger circular dichroism (CD) at optical frequencies. Although 3D nanostructures such as nanohelices have been reported with high CD at mid-IR frequencies, such high CDs have not yet been achieved at visible frequencies with decent efficiencies. Here, we propose a planar array of plasmonic ramp-shaped nanostructures with an azimuthally gradient depth that exhibits a giant CD and dissymmetry factor at visible frequencies. The structure is fabricated on a gold-coated glass slide using focused ion beam (FIB) with gradient intensity to induce the required gradient depth, hence, breaking symmetry. Optical experimental characterization in the reflection spectrum shows a CD up to 64% and a dissymmetry factor...
Patient-Centered Strategies for Effective Communication During the Initial Audiological Consultation Sessions

Purpose The article focuses on communication during initial audiology consultation sessions and written in two-fold. First, it provides an overview of audiological literature on communication betwe...
Medial calcification in the arterial wall of smooth muscle cell‐specific Smpd1 transgenic mice: A ceramide‐mediated vasculopathy

Arterial medial calcification (AMC) is associated with crystallization of hydroxyapatite in the extracellular matrix and arterial smooth muscle cells (SMCs) leading to reduced arterial compliance. The study was performed to test whether lysosomal acid sphingomyelinase (murine gene code: Smpd1)‐derived ceramide contributes to the small extracellular vesicle (sEV) secretion from SMCs and consequently leads to AMC. In Smpd1 trg/SMcre mice with SMC‐specific overexpression of Smpd1 gene, a high dose of Vit D (500 000 IU/kg/d) resulted in increased aortic and coronary AMC, associated with augmented expression of RUNX2 and osteopontin in the coronary and aortic media compared with their littermates (Smpd1 trg/SMwt and WT/WT mice), indicating phenotypic switch. However, amitriptyline, an acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) inhibitor, reduced calcification and reversed phenotypic switch. Smpd1 trg/SMcre mice showed increased CD63, AnX2 and ALP levels in the arterial wall, accompanied by reduced co‐localization of lysosome marker (Lamp‐1) with multivesicular body (MVB) marker (VPS16), a parameter for lysosome‐MVB interaction. All these changes related to lysosome fusion and sEV release were substantially attenuated by amitriptyline. Increased arterial stiffness and elastin disorganization were found in Smpd1 trg /SMcre mice as compared to their littermates. In cultured coronary arterial SMCs (CASMCs) from Smpd1 trg/SMcre mice, increased Pi concentrations led to markedly increased calcium deposition, phenotypic change and sEV secretion compared with WT CASMCs, accompanied by reduced lysosome‐MVB interaction. However, amitriptyline prevented these changes in Pi‐treated CASMCs. These data indicate that lysosomal ceramide plays a critical role in phenotype change and sEV release in SMCs, which may contribute to the arterial stiffness during the development of AMC.
Significance of Aortic Valve Insufficiency with Left Ventricular Assist Device: Duration and Regurgitant Flow in a Mock Loop Study

Purpose In patients with left ventricular assist device (LVAD), aortic valve insufficiency (AI) could occur in longer period during the cardiac cycle, throughout the diastolic and part of the isovolumetric phases. As the result, the current echocardiographic evaluation of AI grade may underestimate the degree of AI in LVAD patients, especially those with significant AI. In this study, we investigated the differences in AI duration and regurgitant volume before and during LVAD supports (Off and On LVAD) using a mock circulatory loop. Methods All measurements were performed using a mock circulatory system with a dilated silicone LV model attached to a HeartMate II LVAD (Abbott Lab), and pressure and flow measured in the LV, LVAD, and aorta. Baseline condition was established as no LVAD condition (Off LVAD setting) which has 17% ejection fraction, 62 bpm heart rate and 65 mmHg systemic pressure. LVAD condition (On LVAD setting) at 8,800 rpm with same ejection fraction, heart rate and systemic resistance (90 mmHg systemic pressure) was established, followed by testing at three AI severity conditions. AI severity was defined as mild, moderate, or severe based on effective regurgitant orifice area. AI conditions were created with small 3-D printed stents, which were nonobstructive to forward flow, but prevented the leaflets from fully closing. AI durations and regurgitant volumes were determined from the calculated backward flow through the aortic valve. Results With the constant systemic resistance in the On LVAD setting at 8,800 rpm, duration of AI increased by 8.3 % (75 to 83.3%) with mild AI, 5.6% (77.8 to 83.3%) with moderate AI, and 5.6% (77.8 to 83.3%) with severe AI compared to the Off LVAD setting. With the constant systemic resistance in the On LVAD setting at 8,800 rpm, regurgitant volume of AI increased by 0.11 L/min (0.12 to 0.23 L/min, 92%) in mild AI, 0.03 L/min (0.53 to 0.56 L/min, 5.7%) in moderate AI and 0.08L/min (0.78 to 0.86 L/min, 10.3%) with severe AI compared to the Off LVAD setting. Conclusion This mock loop study demonstrated that AI duration was longer and regurgitant volume through the aortic valve was greater during LVAD support compared to same AI degree before LVAD. This suggests that clinical burden of AI may be underestimated in patients with LVAD.
Clinical Implications of SARS-CoV-2 Interaction With Renin Angiotensin System: JACC Review Topic of the Week.

Severe acute respiratory-syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) host cell infection is mediated by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Systemic dysregulation observed in SARS-CoV was previously postulated to be due to ACE2/angiotensin 1-7 (Ang1-7)/Mas axis downregulation; increased ACE2 activity was shown to mediate disease protection. Because angiotensin II receptor blockers, ACE inhibitors, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists increase ACE2 receptor expression, it has been tacitly believed that the use of these agents may facilitate viral disease; thus, they should not be used in high-risk patients with cardiovascular disease. Based on the anti-inflammatory benefits of the upregulation of the ACE2/Ang1-7/Mas axis and previously demonstrated benefits of lung function improvement in SARS-CoV infections, it has been hypothesized that the benefits of treatment with renin-angiotensin system inhibitors in SARS-CoV-2 may outweigh the risks and at the very least should not be withheld.
“I Am the Teacher”: how male educators conceptualize their impact on the early childhood classroom

According to recent statistics, fewer than 3% of early childhood educators are self-identified men. Thus, at a time when young children are constructing their identities and exploring gender roles ...
The clinical feature of glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome and literature review

Objective To investigate the clinical features of glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome(GLUT1-DS) and summarize the characteristics of GLUT1-DS through reviewing related references. Methods The clinical data including manifestation, cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) glucose, electroencephalogram, MRI and gene mutation of a patient with GLUT1-DS was collected and the related literatures were reviewed. Results The patient was a 6 years old boy.The patient, whose seizures occurred at the age of 9 month-old and prolonged to 6 year-old, attacked before breakfast.Physical examination showed microcephaly with head circumference 47.5 cm.Laboratory tests showed that CSF glucose decreased(1.87 mmol/L) and CSF-serum ratio was 0.36.And meantime the MRI was normal and electroencephalogram showed general spike and slow wave complex paroxysm.Mutation of SLC2A1 gene, c.350_385del, was found in the patient.There were 219 cases with GLUT1-DS had been reported and the age of onset was 15.69 months.In 219 patients, 159 cases(72%)suffered seizures, 105 cases(47%) had motor abnormalities, 61 cases(27%) suffered intellectual disability.The CSF glucose values were(1.92±0.31) mmol/L, CSF-serum ratio was 0.36±0.07.SLC2A1 gene mutations were detected in 183 patients(96%)in which missense mutation was the most mutation. Conclusion A wide range of phenotypes of GLUT1-DS include seizures, motor abnormalities, mental retardation.The diagnosis is confirmed when CSF glucose and CSF-serum ratio are continuously decreased which in the absence of meningitis.The SLC2A1 gene should be detected in suspicion of GLUTI-DS patients.Early diagnosis and treatment may improve the prognosis of those GLUTI-DS patients. Key words: Glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome; SLC2A1 gene; Seizures; Motor abnormalities
Osmolarity of basal and reflex tears of normal dogs

OBJECTIVE To compare basal and reflex tear osmolarity in healthy dogs and to evaluate for correlation among tear film osmolarity, tear production, and tear fern pattern. ANIMALS STUDIED The population consisted of 22 healthy adult dogs. PROCEDURES Reflex tear osmolarity was measured in both eyes using the I-PEN® VET osmometer 30 minutes following the Schirmer tear test (STT-1) measurement. Subsequently, two minutes following topical anesthetic application, the lacrimal lake and conjunctival fornices were dried, and 3 minutes later, basal tear osmolarity was measured. Tears were extracted from the dye-free STT-1 strip by centrifugation, placed on a glass slide, and the ferning pattern was determined by light microscopy. Comparisons between basal and reflex tears were performed with one-way ANOVA. Correlations between tear osmolarity, STT-1, and tear ferning were verified by Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS No statistical difference was found between right and left eyes for STT-1, tear fern pattern, and osmolarity of reflex or basal tears (P < .05). There was no statistical difference between osmolarity of basal and reflex tears among individuals (P < .05). No correlation was detected between tear fern pattern and osmolarity of reflex tears. A weak positive correlation was detected between STT-1 values and osmolarity of reflex, but not basal tears. CONCLUSIONS The osmolarity of basal tears did not differ from that of reflex tears. A positive weak correlation exists between tear production and osmolarity of reflex tears. No correlation was detected between tear osmolarity measured by handheld osmometer and tear ferning.
The lost moral purpose of science education

Since the rise of mass schooling in the 19th century, Americans have advocated for the teaching of science at nearly every level of the educational system The reasons for its inclusion in the school curriculum, though, have varied over the years The argument in the mid 1800s, for example, centered on the utilitarian value of scientific knowledge for industry and everyday affairs, while in the 1950s the study of science was viewed as important for building public support for research in the United States Towards the end of the 19th century there was a period of time when the predominant argument for science instruction rested on a moral purpose?the building of character and personal virtue For early proponents of science education, moral uplift came from student engagement in the process of science?in coming to face the facts of the natural world that were the basis for the discovery of truth This essay explores whether such goals for teaching science might once again have a place at a time when scientific expertize and knowledge are increasingly being minimized or dismissed
Managerial Performance, Boards of Directors and Takeover Bidding

This paper models the maintenance of management quality through the simultaneous functioning of internal and external corporate control mechanisms - board dismissals and takeovers. We examine how the information sets of the board and the acquiror are noisily aggregated, and how this affects the behavior of the board and the acquiror. The board of directors, acting in shareholders' interests, will sometimes oppose a takeover, and this opposition can be good news for the firm. An unsuccessful takeover attempt may be followed by a high rate of management turnover, because a takeover attempt conveys adverse information possessed by the bidder about the manager. If there is a probability that the board is ineffective, then a forced resignation of the manager can be either good or bad news for the firm. A positive effect is predicted to dominate when there is more adverse public information available about the manager's performance and when there is a higher ex ante probability that the board is ineffective, for example, if the board is management-dominated rather than outsider-dominated.
CoCAtt: A Cognitive-Conditioned Driver Attention Dataset

The task of driver attention prediction has drawn considerable interest among researchers in robotics and the autonomous vehicle industry. Driver attention prediction can play an instrumental role in mitigating and preventing high-risk events, like collisions and casualties. However, existing driver attention prediction models neglect the distraction state and intention of the driver, which can significantly influence how they observe their surroundings. To address these issues, we present a new driver attention dataset, CoCAtt (Cognitive-Conditioned Attention). Unlike previous driver attention datasets, CoCAtt includes per-frame annotations that describe the distraction state and intention of the driver. In addition, the attention data in our dataset is captured in both manual and autopilot modes using eye-tracking devices of different resolutions. Our results demonstrate that incorporating the above two driver states into attention modeling can improve the performance of driver attention prediction. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first to provide autopilot attention data. Furthermore, CoCAtt is currently the largest and the most diverse driver attention dataset in terms of autonomy levels, eye tracker resolutions, and driving scenarios.
The Weitzman price corner

Abstract The standard theoretical approach to comparing price and quantity policies is strictly interior. We extend the comparison to account for the possibility of corner outcomes, where a polluting industry responds to a tax by abating either completely or not at all. We show that, when the uncertainty in marginal costs is high, the inclusion of corner outcomes confers an extra and unnoticed advantage upon an emissions tax. In situations where the standard approach would recommend a quantity policy, the possibility of corners can reverse that recommendation.
Impotence and Penile Vascular Testing: Who Are These Men and How Do We Evaluate the Etiology and Severity of Their Complaints?

In 1982, during a routine vascular operation, Ronald Virag noted that infusing papaverine into a pelvic artery produced erection in the anesthetized patient. In 1983 a dramatic demonstration of the...
Multisystemic Therapy as an Alternative Community-Based Treatment for Youth With Severe Emotional Disturbance: Empirical Literature Review

According to the New Freedom Commission report (2003), the mental health system for children is very fragmented. Gaps of knowledge exist of effective, culturally competent, community-based services for children and adolescents with a serious emotional disturbance. Multisystemic therapy (MST) stands out as a culturally competent home-based service with strong empirical evidence for treating youth in the juvenile justice system and may have promise for treating youth with a serious emotional disturbance in the community mental health system. This article will present the theoretical basis of MST, program design, and service provision. A review and critique of the empirical literature on MST will be presented. Finally, implications for social work practice and research with children and adolescents in the community mental health system are discussed.
Efficient multidimensional statistical modeling of high speed interconnects in SPICE via stochastic collocation using stroud cubature

In this paper, a novel stochastic collocation approach for the efficient statistical analysis of high-speed interconnect networks within a SPICE environment is proposed. This approach employs the Stroud cubature rules to locate the sparse grid of collocation nodes within the random space where the deterministic SPICE simulations of the network are performed. The major advantage of this approach lies in the fact that the number of collocation nodes scales optimally (i.e. linearly) with the number of random dimensions unlike the exponential or polynomial scaling exhibited by the conventional tensor product grids or the Smolyak sparse grids respectively. This enables the quantification of the statistical moments for interconnect networks involving large random spaces at only a fraction of the typical CPU cost. The validity of this methodology is demonstrated using a numerical example.
Biosynthesis of Phenylalanine from Phenylacetate by Chromatium and Rhodospirillum rubrum

Cultures of Chromatium strain D and Rhodospirillum rubrum incorporated (14)C from phenylacetate-1-(14)C during anaerobic growth. The radioactivity in the protein fraction of cells was mainly in phenylalanine. Phenylalanine from Chromatium cells grown in phenylacetate-1-(14)C was labeled at carbon 2. Incorporation of phenylacetate by Chromatium was decreased in the presence of exogenous phenylalanine, and de novo synthesis of phenylalanine from bicarbonate was less in medium containing either phenylalanine or phenylacetate. These organisms, and also certain anaerobic rumen bacteria, apparently carboxylate phenylacetate to synthesize the phenylalanine carbon skeleton. The mechanism of the carboxylation is unknown; however, it appears to be dependent upon anaerobic conditions, since R. rubrum did not synthesize phenylalanine from phenylacetate during aerobic growth in the dark.
Design of a class of multirate systems

The design of rate-changing multirate systems using a maximum relative l/sup 2/-error criterion is analyzed. Using multirate techniques, the criterion is simplified to a matrix-response approximation problem. An algorithm using convex optimization is proposed to solve the problem. An example illustrates the use of the algorithm and effectiveness over methods intended for LTI system design. This approach is useful if little is known about the signals to be processed.
Proactive Outreach to Adult Students: A Department and Library Collaborative Effort

The number of adult learners in institutions of higher education is increasing, and these students' reasons for attending, ways of learning, challenges, and methods for overcoming challenges often differ from those of traditional-age students. Faculty and library personnel can support these students in their research efforts using several collaborative endeavors. One department and university library recognized the struggles of many of their adult students as they sought to conduct research for coursework, as well as theses or dissertations. Collaborative activities proved effective in reducing students’ anxieties and frustrations with using the library and its resources.
Abstract 2291: Arsenic trioxide induces cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and MAPKinase signaling cascade in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has recently been successfully used in the treatment of all-trans retinoic acid resistant relapsing acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients both alone or combination with other drugs. Its use as induction and consolidation therapy has resulted in complete remission rate of both de novo and relapsed APL patients. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of its therapeutic action are poorly known. We have used human leukemia (HL-60) cells as a model to elucidate the anti-cancer properties of arsenic trioxide. We hypothesized that ATO arrests cell cycle progression of HL-60 cells at G1 phase and leading to cell death by intrinsic pathway of apoptotic signaling. To test the hypothesis, we used western blotting, confocal imaging and spectrofluoremetric techniques to identify detailed cellular and molecular mechanisms of ATO action in HL-60 cells. We found that the expression levels of pro-apoptotic molecules (Bax) and cytochrome C were up-regulated, while that of anti-apoptotic Bcl2 protein was down-regulated at 4 and 6mg/mL ATO doses significantly. We also found that ATO stimulates signaling molecules like P38, JNK in a dose dependent manner in HL-60 cells. Oxidative stress and related imbalance of pro- and anti-apoptotic molecules lead to change of mitochondrial membrane potential and opening of the mitochondrial membrane transition pores. Our confocal imaging data shows a clear translocation of Bax from cytosol to mitochondria and of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol in ATO-treated cells. A dose-dependent decrease/drop-down in mitochondrial membrane potential was also observed in ATO-treated cells, as evidenced by JC-1 leveling and spectrofluoremetric potential recording. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis plays a key role in ATO pharmacology and should be further assessed as a drug target in APL chemotherapy. Citation Format: Sanjay Kumar, Clement Yedjou, Paul B. Tchounwou. Arsenic trioxide induces cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and MAPKinase signaling cascade in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2291. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2291
Effect of Reynolds number on leading edge vortex for a wing in unsteady motion

The present study focuses on investigating the persistence of delayed stall for Micro Air Vehicles at Re-34,000. The motivation behind present research is to find out the effect of Reynolds number on aerodynamic force production and formation of leading edge vortex on a wing in unsteady motion. Computations are done on a corrugated wing in sweeping motion and pure translation at Reynolds number 3500 and 34,000. For sweeping motion, at 10 degree angle of attack, flow remain attached to the wing with no signs of leading edge vortex and the force coefficients at Re 34000 were higher than Re 3500 throughout the sweeping motion. For sweeping motion, at angle of attack of 40°, delayed stall continued to manifest itself at Re 34000. At Re 34000, the size of leading edge vortex was comparatively small but the strength of leading edge vortex core was relatively more and signs of vortex break down were eminent at 90 percent of wingspan. However, at Re 3500, signs of vortex break down were observed at 70 percent of wingspan. In pure translation, “stall absent” mechanism was not seen at any Re, as leading edge vortex was formed and it then shed into the wake. In short, it can be concluded that delayed stall continues to act as lift enhancement mechanism for MAV but flow structure and span wise vortex break down pattern changes with the change in Reynolds number.
Axoneme specialization embedded in a “Generalist” β-tubulin

The relationship between the primary structure of the β-tubulin C-terminal tail (CTT) and axoneme structure and function is explored using the spermatogenesis-specific β2-tubulin of Drosophila. We previously showed that all β-tubulins used for motile 9 + 2 axonemes contain a conserved sequence motif in the proximal part of the CTT, the β-tubulin axoneme motif. The differential ability of tubulin isoforms and abilities of β2-tubulin C-terminal truncations to form axonemes led us to hypothesize that the axoneme motif is essential for axoneme formation and the distal half of the CTT was less important. The studies we report here indicate that it is not that simple. Unexpectedly, some changes in the core sequence of the axoneme motif did not disrupt formation of motile axonemes. And, while deletion of the distal CTT did not disrupt the ability to produce functional sperm [Popodi et al., Cell Motil Cytoskeleton 2005;62:48–64], changing the amino acid sequence in this region can. Thus both regions are important. The deep conservation of the axoneme motif in all eukaryotic groups implies that the presence of the sequence motif confers a functional advantage. The central pair is the axoneme structure most sensitive to perturbations in tubulin molecules; we hypothesize central pair assembly is facilitated by the presence of this motif. Our data reveal that β2-tubulin has robust properties for axoneme assembly, and that axonemal specializations are embedded in both the CTT and the body of the β2 molecule. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Space-times of boosted p-branes, and CFT in infinite-momentum frame

Abstract We study the space-times of the near-horizon regions in D3-brane, M2-brane and M5-brane configurations, in cases where there is a pp-wave propagating along a direction in the world-volume. While non-extremal configurations of this kind locally have the same Carter-Novotný-Horský-type metrics as those without the wave, taking the BPS limit results instead in Kaigorodov-type metrics, which are homogeneous, but preserve 1 4 of the supersymmetry, and have global and local structures that are quite different from the corresponding anti-de Sitter space-times associated with solutions where there is no pp-wave. We show that the momentum density of the system is non-vanishing and held fixed under the gravity decoupling limit. In view of the AdS/CFT correspondence, M-theory and type IIB theory in the near-horizon region of these boosted BPS-configurations specifies the corresponding CFT on the boundary in an infinitely boosted frame with constant momentum density. We model the microstates of such boosted configurations (which account for the microscopic counting of near-extremal black holes in D = 7, D = 9 and D = 6 by those of a boosted dilute massless gas in a d = 4, d = 3 and d = 6 space-time respectively. Thus we obtain a simple description for the entropy of 2-charge black holes in D = 7, 9 and 6 dimensions. The paper includes constructions of generalisations of the Kaigorodov and Carter-Novotný-Horský metrics in arbitrary space-time dimensions, and an investigation of their properties.
309 µs Pr3+ Excited State Lifetime Observed in a Mixed Halide Glass

The efficiency of Pr-doped fluorozirconate amplifiers at 1300 nm are limited by nonradiative decay. The Pr3+ 1G4 excited state lifetime has been measured in a mixed halide glass to be 2.7 times longer than the lifetime in a fluorozirconate host. The longer lifetime denotes a comparable reduction in the nonradiative decay rate.