cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Perceptions of Professionals Toward Siblings of Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Abstract Adult siblings of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) report struggling to navigate the adult disability service delivery system and collaborate with professionals. To date, though, it is unclear how professionals encourage sibling involvement and, accordingly, the facilitators and challenges in working with siblings. For this study, 290 professionals participated in a national web-based survey; participants answered three open-ended questions about ways to involve siblings, positive experiences with siblings, and challenges in working with siblings. Professionals reported person-level and systems-level supports to encourage sibling involvement. Also, professionals reported enjoying working with cohesive families of individuals with IDD and witnessing the benefits that siblings bring to their brothers and sisters with IDD. Challenges in working with siblings included: lack of sibling involvement, systemic barriers, and caregiving burden. Implications for future rese...
Estrogen enhances hippocampal gray-matter volume in young and older postmenopausal women: a prospective dose-response study.

Estrogen administration following menopause has been shown to support hippocampally mediated cognitive processes. A number of previous studies have examined the effect of estrogen on hippocampal structure to determine the mechanism underlying estrogen effects on hippocampal function. However, these studies have been largely observational and provided inconsistent results. We examined the effect of short-term estradiol administration on hippocampal gray-matter volume in a prospective study with multiple doses of estradiol (placebo, 1 mg, and 2 mg). Following 3 months of estradiol administration, bilateral posterior hippocampal voxel-based gray-matter volume was increased in women who received 2-mg estradiol. There were no significant differences in total hippocampal volume and no significant effects on gray-matter volume in women who received placebo or 1-mg estradiol. These findings accord with previous animal studies and provide evidence of estrogen effects on hippocampal morphology that may represent a neurobiological mechanism for estrogen effects on cognition in postmenopausal women.
Bending of pseudoelastic NiTi tubes

Abstract Tension induced phase transformation in pseudoelastic NiTi leads to inhomogeneous deformation with the austenitic and martensitic phases coexisting. Deformation of nearly 7% is recovered on unloading during which the deformation is again inhomogeneous. By contrast, under compression the transformation stress is significantly higher, the strain is lower and is essentially homogeneous. In pure bending experiments on pseudoelastic NiTi tubes, this asymmetry manifests as coexistence of two curvature regimes with diamond-shaped patterns of martensite developing on the tensioned side. Two curvatures exist also on unloading accompanied by progressive erasure of the diamond patterns. A recently developed constitutive model for the pseudoelastic behavior of NiTi is implemented in a finite element analysis used to simulate the tube bending experiments. The model captures the tension/compression asymmetry by incorporating both the tensile and compressive responses of the material, and includes softening over the extents of the unstable branches of the tensile response. The analysis reproduces the major features of the experimental results and provides insight into how the nonlinearities of the NiTi material interact with geometric nonlinearities to produce: the hysteretic moment-end rotation response with an upper and a lower plateau, the values of the two curvature regimes during loading and unloading, and the progressive initiation of higher strain diamond patterns on the tensioned side and the nearly homogeneous deformation on the compressive side. The sensitivity of the solution to the mesh and the softening moduli is discussed.
A novel Iterative Optimization-based Simulation (IOS) framework: An effective tool to optimize system’s performance

Abstract In this paper, a unique Iterative Optimization-based Simulation (IOS) framework is presented, which includes a threefold integration of simulation, optimization and database managers. With this IOS model, optimization occurs frequently at the operational level in order to optimize system variables during the simulation run. In other words, a trigger event momentarily pauses the simulation and signals the optimization manager to optimize the status of the system. Meanwhile, a snapshot of the system, which includes the system status parameters, is transferred to a database. The optimization manager uses this data as an input to the analytical modeling and solves the problem optimally by considering the pre-defined objectives, constraints and updated state of the system. The framework automatically re-formulates the mathematical model using updated parameters, and then, the optimization manager finds a solution in a reasonable amount of time. The database manager is then updated based on the current optimal solution and simulation continues from this point in time. This cycle is repeated for each trigger event in the system and lasts until simulation reaches its timespan. Deploying this promising IOS model enables practitioners to take advantage of long-term simulation runs of their system, while it has been optimized multiple times according to the occurrence of any predefined incidents. The performance of the proposed IOS framework is evaluated using a manufacturing case study, and its results are compared with Simulation-Based Optimization (SBO).
Ascertainment of Alaska Native Stroke Incidence, 2005-2009: Lessons for Assessing the Global Burden of Stroke.

Background Stroke is a critical public health issue in the United States and globally. System models to optimally capture stroke incidence in rural and culturally diverse communities are needed. The epidemiological transition to a western lifestyle has been associated with an increased burden of vascular risk factors among Alaska Native (AN) people. The burden of stroke in AN communities remains understudied. Methods The Alaska Native Stroke Registry (ANSR) was designed to screen and capture all stroke cases between 2005 and 2009 through its integration into the existing single-payer Alaska Tribal Health System infrastructure. Registry staff received notification each time stroke International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes (430-436) were initiated anywhere in the system. Trained chart abstractors reviewed medical records to document incident strokes among AN patients, which were adjudicated. Results Between October 2005 and October 2009, over 2100 alerts were screened identifying 514 unique stroke cases, of which 372 were incident strokes. The average annual incidence of stroke (per 100,000) among AN adults was 190.6: 219.2 in men and 164.7 in women. Overall, the ischemic stroke incidence rate was 148.5 per 100,000 with men (184.6) having higher ischemic rates per 100,000 than women (118.3). Men have higher rates of ischemic stroke at all ages, whereas older women experienced higher rates of hemorrhagic strokes over the age of 75 years. Conclusions We report a high rate of overall stroke, 190.6 per 100,000. The ANSR methods and findings have implications for other indigenous populations and for global health populations currently undergoing similar epidemiological transitions.
The Synthetic Lignan Secoisolariciresinol Diglucoside Prevents Asbestos-Induced NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in Murine Macrophages.

Background. The interaction of asbestos with macrophages drives two key processes that are linked to malignancy: (1) the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS)/reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and (2) the activation of an inflammation cascade that drives acute and chronic inflammation, with the NLRP3 inflammasome playing a key role. Synthetic secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), LGM2605, is a nontoxic lignan with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and was evaluated for protection from asbestos in murine peritoneal macrophages (MF). Methods. MFs were exposed to crocidolite asbestos ± LGM2605 given 4 hours prior to exposure and evaluated at various times for NLRP3 expression, secretion of inflammasome-activated cytokines (IL-1β and IL-18), proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNFα, and HMGB1), NF-κB activation, and levels of total nitrates/nitrites. Results. Asbestos induces a significant ( ) increase in the NLRP3 subunit, release of proinflammatory cytokines, NLRP3-activated cytokines, NF-κB, and levels of nitrates/nitrites. LGM2605 significantly reduced NLRP3 ranging from 40 to 81%, IL-1β by 89–96%, and TNFα by 67–78%, as well as activated NF-κB by 48-49% while decreasing levels of nitrates/nitrites by 85–93%. Conclusions. LGM2605 reduced asbestos-induced NLRP3 expression, proinflammatory cytokine release, NF-κB activation, and nitrosative stress in MFs supporting its possible use in preventing the asbestos-induced inflammatory cascade leading to malignancy.
Pulmonary vascular dysfunction secondary to pulmonary arterial hypertension: insights gained through retrograde perfusion.

Here, we tested the hypothesis that severe pulmonary arterial hypertension impairs retrograde perfusion. To test this hypothesis, pulmonary arterial hypertension was induced in Fischer rats using a...
Development of accelerated Raman and fluorescent Monte Carlo method

Monte Carlo (MC) modeling of photon propagation in turbid media is an essential tool for understanding optical interactions between light and tissue. Insight gathered from outputs of MC models assists in mapping between detected optical signals and bulk tissue optical properties, and as such, has proven useful for inverse calculations of tissue composition and optimization of the design of optical probes. MC models of Raman scattering have previously been implemented without consideration to background autofluorescence, despite its presence in raw measurements. Modeling both Raman and fluorescence profiles at high spectral resolution requires a significant increase in computation, but is more appropriate for investigating issues such as detection limits. We present a new Raman Fluorescence MC model developed atop an existing GPU parallelized MC framework that can run more than 300x times faster than CPU methods. The robust acceleration allows for the efficient production of both Raman and fluorescence outputs from the MC model. In addition, this model can handle arbitrary sample morphologies of excitation and collection geometries to more appropriately mimic experimental settings. We will present the model framework and initial results.
Quantifying the Value of Multidimensional Assessment Models for Acute Concussion: An Analysis of Data from the NCAA-DoD Care Consortium.

Many concussion assessment methods exist, but few studies quantify the performance of these methods to determine which can best assess acute concussion alone or in combination. The objectives of this study were to evaluate: (1) selected concussion assessments for acute concussion assessment; (2) the utility of change scores for acute concussion assessment; and (3) concussion assessment capabilities when constrained to limited clinical data or objective clinical measures. The ‘acute concussion’ group contained assessments from < 6 h post-injury (n = 560) and 24–48 h post-injury (n = 733). The ‘normal performance’ group contained assessments from baseline testing (n = 842) and unrestricted return to play (n = 707) timepoints. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were created separately for < 6- and 24- to 48-h timepoints. Models were evaluated on sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Within the univariate analysis, Sport Concussion Assessment Tool symptom assessments had the highest combination of sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, with values up to 0.93, 0.97, and 0.98, respectively. Full models had a sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve up to 0.94, 0.97, and 0.99, respectively, and outperformed all univariate models, raw score models, and objective models. Objective models were outperformed by all multivariate models and the univariate models containing only Sport Concussion Assessment Tool symptom assessments. Results support the use of multidimensional assessment batteries over single instruments and suggest the importance of self-reported symptoms in acute concussion assessment. Balance assessments, however, may not provide additional benefit when symptom and neurocognitive assessments are available. Additionally, change scores provide some clinical utility over raw scores, but the difference may not be clinically meaningful.
Intolerance of uncertainty in youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder: A transdiagnostic construct with implications for phenomenology and treatment

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are early-onset disorders with significant overlapping phenomenology, especially in young patients who, due to developmental stage, may have difficulty recognizing obsessions and worries as unrealistic or excessive. Shared phenomenology and high rates of comorbidity between OCD and GAD raise the possibility of common underlying processes, and recent work has focused on intolerance of uncertainty (IU) as a reasonable candidate. With an emphasis on the youth literature, we review the phenomenological overlap between OCD and GAD, how symptoms may relate to IU, and how IU may be measured. We review existing psychotherapeutic treatments and discuss how understanding the role of IU may assist in the development of novel psychotherapeutic strategies to improve treatment outcomes. Neuroimaging studies of IU in OCD and GAD are also discussed and suggestions for further research are offered. We conclude that, consistent with Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), IU represents a transdiagnostic construct with a demonstrable neural basis that could be targeted to improve existing treatments for these disorders.
A comparison of software engineering domain specific sentiment analysis tools

Sentiment Analysis (SA) in software engineering (SE) text has drawn immense interests recently. The poor performance of general-purpose SA tools, when operated on SE text, has led to recent emergence of domain-specific SA tools especially designed for SE text. However, these domain-specific tools were tested on single dataset and their performances were compared mainly against general-purpose tools. Thus, two things remain unclear: (i) how well these tools really work on other datasets, and (ii) which tool to choose in which context. To address these concerns, we operate three recent domain-specific SA tools on three separate datasets. Using standard accuracy measurement metrics, we compute and compare their accuracies in the detection of sentiments in SE text.
The Practice of Green Consumption

This chapter problematizes the dominant viewpoint of sustainable consumption as a personal and voluntary act by arguing that such a conceptualization makes individuals appear responsible for complex, systemic issues and then limits individuals to respond solely as consumers. We argue that environmental policy solutions based on this dominant conception are limited and we make a case for a more promising conceptualization of green consumption: the ‘social practice approach.’ Social practices analyze patterns of behavior rather than individual acts, recognizing that individual characteristics are in constant dialogue with structural arrangements. This chapter provides commentary on the limitations of the individualistic approach, an overview of how social practice theory is an improved conceptualization of sustainable consumption, and argues that social practice theory can rejuvenate environmental political discourse.
Economics of Peak Oil

‘Peak oil’ refers to the future decline in world production of crude oil and the accompanying potentially calamitous effects. The peak oil literature typically rejects economic analysis. This article argues that economic analysis is indeed appropriate for analyzing oil scarcity because standard economic models can replicate the observed peaks in oil production. Moreover, the emphasis on peak oil is misplaced as peaking is not a good indicator of scarcity, peak oil techniques are overly simplistic, the catastrophes predicted by the peak oil literature are unlikely, and the literature does not contribute to correcting identified market failures. Efficiency of oil markets could be improved by instead focusing on remedying market failures such as excessive private discount rates, environmental externalities, market power, insufficient innovation incentives, incomplete futures markets, and insecure property rights.
Observations of Thermally Developed Wind Systems in Mountainous Terrain

Slope and valley wind systems are local thermally driven circulations that form frequently in complex terrain areas. Recent research has focused on the temperature structure along the slope and valley axes that leads to the wind systems. Two new tools being used in these analyses include the topographic amplification factor, which quantifies the role of the topography in producing bulk temperature gradients along a valley’s axis, and atmospheric heat budgets, which identify key physical processes leading to changes in temperature structure. Both tools are in an early stage of development, are being applied primarily to steady-state nighttime periods, and are leading to new concepts and understanding.
Instability of Radially-Symmetric Spikes in Systems with a Conserved Quantity

We show that radially symmetric spikes are unstable in a class of reaction-diffusion equations coupled to a conservation law.
Fungal endophytes of forage grasses

Forage grasses (e.g., Lolium spp. andFestuca spp.) have long been known to harbour fungi which maintain an intercellular relationship with leaf tissue of the host. These endophytic fungi are considered to be the source of toxins which accumulate in infected grasses and are the cause of physiological disorders in grazing sheep and cattle. On the other hand, these same endophytes contribute to the resistance of the host plant to certain pests. Few investigators have examined the extent to which the fungal endophyte invades different parts of the grass. Our studies have recently concentrated on the mechanism by which the endophytes ofF. arundinacea andF. versuta invade the embryo and thus establish residence in successive host generations.
Stimulation of sporulation of Clostridium perfringens by papaverine

Papaverine induced sporulation in Clostridium perfringens, strains FD-1 and PS52; growth was markedly slowed under these conditions. Papaverine induced sporulation in the presence of glucose, a sporulation repressor, although increasing glucose concentrations overcame the papaverine effect. Papaverine induced sporulation of strain FD-1 more effectively than did theophylline.
Results on Open image in new window

Exploring Open image in new window production with the CMS data requires the definition of sensitive observables and of a statistical method to evaluate the presence of a signal, that are the object of the first part of this chapter. The results obtained on the data collected in 2016 are then described and compared to other Open image in new window searches performed at the LHC Run II.
Comparative analysis of serologic cross-reactivity using convalescent sera from filovirus-experimentally infected fruit bats

With the exception of Reston and Bombali viruses, the marburgviruses and ebolaviruses (family Filoviridae) cause outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fever in sub-Saharan Africa. The Egyptian rousette bat (ERB) is a natural reservoir host for the marburgviruses and evidence suggests that bats are also natural reservoirs for the ebolaviruses. Although the search for the natural reservoirs of the ebolaviruses has largely involved serosurveillance of the bat population, there are no validated serological assays to screen bat sera for ebolavirus-specific IgG antibodies. Here, we generate filovirus-specific antisera by prime-boost immunization of groups of captive ERBs with all seven known culturable filoviruses. After validating a system of filovirus-specific indirect ELISAs utilizing infectious-based virus antigens for detection of virus-specific IgG antibodies from bat sera, we assess the level of serological cross-reactivity between the virus-specific antisera and heterologous filovirus antigens. This data is then used to generate a filovirus antibody fingerprint that can predict which of the filovirus species in the system is most antigenically similar to the species responsible for past infection. Our filovirus IgG indirect ELISA system will be a critical tool for identifying bat species with high ebolavirus seroprevalence rates to target for longitudinal studies aimed at establishing natural reservoir host-ebolavirus relationships.
Wireless considerations in ocular implants based on microsystems

Abstract: Artificial ocular implants have provided effective diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to individuals suffering from neural diseases and injuries of optic nerve and peripheral retinal neurons. Advanced developments in radio-frequency (RF) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology have been widely employed in ocular implants to enable wireless power and data transmission between implanted devices and external units for chronic implants. This chapter provides an insightful overview to state-of-the-art developments and applications of wireless microsystems in ocular implants, with emphasis on wireless microsensors for glaucoma management and artificial retinal prostheses for vision restoration in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) diseases.
Signing to Signal: Examining Factors Behind Progressive Corporate Activism

In an increasingly tumultuous political climate, norms of activism in the United States have been uprooted. This paper examines the recent rise in corporate political activism in support of progres...
From Venetian Glass to Contemporary Intellectual Property: Revisiting Tailored Patent Regimes (Book Review)

This piece reviews Stefania Fusco's “Murano Glass Vase" and "Lessons from the Past." In Murano Glass Vase, Fusco recounts the history of the glassmaking industry in Venice, framing it as the natural experiment from which the patent system sprang into the world. Fusco emphasizes the mix of exclusionary rights and trade secrecy that formed the backbone of Venetian innovation policy against the backdrop of a heavily regulated and protectionist economy. In “Lessons from the Past,” Fusco draws on original research performed at the Venetian State Archives to further the Murano narrative by looking at how the Venetian government fueled an ad hoc patent regime across industries by tailoring it to specific technologies.
Censored Quantile Regression Forest

Author(s): Li, Alexander Hanbo; Bradic, Jelena | Abstract: Random forests are powerful non-parametric regression method but are severely limited in their usage in the presence of randomly censored observations, and naively applied can exhibit poor predictive performance due to the incurred biases. Based on a local adaptive representation of random forests, we develop its regression adjustment for randomly censored regression quantile models. Regression adjustment is based on new estimating equations that adapt to censoring and lead to quantile score whenever the data do not exhibit censoring. The proposed procedure named censored quantile regression forest, allows us to estimate quantiles of time-to-event without any parametric modeling assumption. We establish its consistency under mild model specifications. Numerical studies showcase a clear advantage of the proposed procedure.
Characterization of odor-evoked neural activity in the olfactory peduncle

The tenia tecta is extensively interconnected with the main olfactory bulb and olfactory cortical areas and is well positioned to contribute to olfactory processing. However, little is known about odor representation within its dorsal (DTT) and ventral (VTT) components. To address this need, spontaneous and odor-evoked activity of DTT and VTT neurons was recorded from urethane anesthetized mice and compared to activity recorded from adjacent areas within adjacent caudomedial aspects of the anterior olfactory nucleus (AON). Neurons recorded from DTT, VTT, and AON exhibited odor-selective alterations in firing rate in response to a diverse set of monomolecular odorants. While DTT and AON neurons exhibited similar tuning breadth, selectivity, and response topography, the proportion of odor-selective neurons was substantially higher in the DTT. These findings provide evidence that the tenia tecta may contribute to the encoding of specific stimulus attributes. Further work is needed to fully characterize functional organization of the tenia tecta and its contribution to sensory representation and utilization.
Association of Uncommon, Noncoding Variants in the APOE Region With Risk of Alzheimer Disease in Adults of European Ancestry.

Importance The e2 and e4 alleles of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene are associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) risk. Although nearby genetic variants have also been shown to be associated with AD, including rs2075650 in the TOMM40 gene and rs4420638 near the APOC1 gene, it is unknown whether these associations are independent of the e2 and e4 alleles. Objective To assess whether variants near APOE are associated with AD independently of the e2/e3/e4 genotype. Design, Setting, and Participants In this genetic association study of the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium imputed genotype at data, 14 415 variants near APOE (±500 kilobase) for 18 795 individuals with European ancestry were tested for association with AD using 4 logistic mixed models adjusting for sex, cohort, population structure, and relatedness. Model 1 had no APOE adjustment, and model 2 adjusted for the count of e2 and e4 alleles. Model 3 was restricted to e3 homozygotes, and model 4 was restricted to e4 homozygotes. Data were downloaded from May 31, 2018, to June 3, 2018, and analyzed from November 1, 2018, to June 24, 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures Alzheimer disease affectation status was defined by clinicians using standard National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria. Association was evaluated using Score tests; results with P < .05 divided by the number of independent tests per model were considered statistically significant. Results Among the 18 795 individuals in the study, 9704 were affected by AD and 9066 were control individuals; the median age at onset/evaluation was 76 (interquartile range, 70-82) years; and 11 167 were female (59.4%). Associations with AD were found for rs2075650 (odds ratio [OR], 2.59; 95% CI, 2.45-2.75; P = 3.19 × 10-228) and rs4420638 (OR, 2.77; 95% CI, 2.62-2.94; P = 2.99 × 10-254) without APOE adjustment. Although rs2075650 was nominally associated with AD among the e4 homozygotes (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.00-1.77; P = .047), the association between rs4420638 and AD was eliminated by APOE adjustment (model 2 OR, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.96-1.18; P = .24]; model 3 OR, 1.13 [95% CI, 0.95-1.34; P = .18]; model 4 OR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.56-1.45; P = .66]). There was a significant association between rs192879175 and AD among e3 homozygotes (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.37-0.68; P = 8.30 × 10-6). Conclusions and Relevance The results of this genetic association study suggest that e2/e3/e4 alleles are not the only variants in the APOE region that are associated with AD risk. Additional work with independent data is needed to replicate these results.
Digital video recorder for Raspberry PI cameras with multi-camera synchronous acquisition

Abstract Video acquisition and analysis have become integral parts of scientific research. Two major components of a video acquisition system are the choice of camera and the acquisition software. A vast variety of cameras are available on the market. Turnkey multi-camera synchronous acquisition software, however, is not as widely available. For prototyping applications, the Raspberry Pi (RPi) has been widely utilized due to many factors, including cost. There are implementations for video acquisition and preview from a single RPi camera, including one implementation released by the RPi organization itself. However, there are no multi-camera acquisition solutions for the RPi. This paper presents an open-source digital video recorder (DVR) system for the popular RPi camera. The DVR is simple to setup and use for acquisition with a single camera or multiple cameras. In the case of multiple cameras, the acquisition is synchronized between cameras. The DVR comes with a graphical user interface (GUI) to allow previewing the camera streams, setting recording parameters, and associating “names” to cameras. The acquisition code as well as the DVR GUI are written in Python. The open-source software also includes a GUI for playback of recorded video. The versatility of the DVR is demonstrated with a life science research application involving high-throughput monitoring of fruit-flies.
Improving the delivery of palliative care through predictive modeling and healthcare informatics.

Objective Access to palliative care (PC) is important for many patients with uncontrolled symptom burden from serious or complex illness. However, many patients who could benefit from PC do not receive it early enough or at all. We sought to address this problem by building a predictive model into a comprehensive clinical framework with the aims to (i) identify in-hospital patients likely to benefit from a PC consult, and (ii) intervene on such patients by contacting their care team. Materials and methods Electronic health record data for 68 349 inpatient encounters in 2017 at a large hospital were used to train a model to predict the need for PC consult. This model was published as a web service, connected to institutional data pipelines, and consumed by a downstream display application monitored by the PC team. For those patients that the PC team deems appropriate, a team member then contacts the patient's corresponding care team. Results Training performance AUC based on a 20% holdout validation set was 0.90. The most influential variables were previous palliative care, hospital unit, Albumin, Troponin, and metastatic cancer. The model has been successfully integrated into the clinical workflow making real-time predictions on hundreds of patients per day. The model had an "in-production" AUC of 0.91. A clinical trial is currently underway to assess the effect on clinical outcomes. Conclusions A machine learning model can effectively predict the need for an inpatient PC consult and has been successfully integrated into practice to refer new patients to PC.
Nanogels as a Versatile Drug Delivery System for Brain Cancer

Chemotherapy and radiation remain as mainstays in the treatment of a variety of cancers globally, yet some therapies exhibit limited specificity and result in harsh side effects in patients. Brain tissue differs from other tissue due to restrictions from the blood–brain barrier, thus systemic treatment options are limited. The focus of this review is on nanogels as local and systemic drug delivery systems in the treatment of brain cancer. Nanogels are a unique local or systemic drug delivery system that is tailorable and consists of a three-dimensional polymeric network formed via physical or chemical assembly. For example, thermosensitive nanogels show promise in their ability to incorporate therapeutic agents in nano-structured matrices, be applied in the forms of sprays or sols to the area from which a tumor has been removed, form adhesive gels to fill the cavity and deliver treatment locally. Their usage does come with complications, such as handling, storage, chemical stability, and degradation. Despite these limitations, the current ongoing development of nanogels allows patient-centered treatment that can be considered as a promising tool for the management of brain cancer.
Collagens

The collagens represent a family of trimeric extracellular matrix molecules used by cells for structural integrity and other functions. The three α chains that form the triple helical part of the molecule are composed of repeating peptide triplets of glycine-X-Y. X and Y can be any amino acid but are often proline and hydroxyproline, respectively. Flanking the triple helical regions (i.e., Col domains) are non-glycine-X-Y regions, termed non-collagenous domains. These frequently contain recognizable peptide modules found in other matrix molecules. Proper tissue function depends on correctly assembled molecular aggregates being incorporated into the matrix. This review highlights some of the structural characteristics of collagen types I-XXVIII.
A stable population code for attention in prefrontal cortex leads a dynamic attention code in visual cortex.

Attention often requires maintaining a stable mental state over time while simultaneously improving perceptual sensitivity. These requirements place conflicting demands on neural populations, as sensitivity implies a robust response to perturbation by incoming stimuli, which is antithetical to stability. Functional specialization of cortical areas provides one potential mechanism to resolve this conflict. We reasoned that attention signals in executive control areas might be highly stable over time, reflecting maintenance of the cognitive state, thereby freeing up sensory areas to be more sensitive to sensory input (i.e., unstable), which would be reflected by more dynamic attention signals in those areas. To test these predictions, we simultaneously recorded neural populations in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and visual cortical area V4 in rhesus macaque monkeys performing an endogenous spatial selective attention task. Using a decoding approach, we found that the neural code for attention states in PFC was substantially more stable over time compared with the attention code in V4 on a moment-by-moment basis, in line with our guiding thesis. Moreover, attention signals in PFC predicted the future attention state of V4 better than vice versa, consistent with a top-down role for PFC in attention. These results suggest a functional specialization of attention mechanisms across cortical areas with a division of labor. PFC signals the cognitive state and maintains this state stably over time, whereas V4 responds to sensory input in a manner dynamically modulated by that cognitive state. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Attention requires maintaining a stable mental state while simultaneously improving perceptual sensitivity. We hypothesized that these two demands (stability and sensitivity) are distributed between prefrontal and visual cortical areas, respectively. Specifically, we predicted attention signals in visual cortex would be less stable than in prefrontal cortex, and furthermore prefrontal cortical signals would predict attention signals in visual cortex in line with the hypothesized role of prefrontal cortex in top-down executive control. Our results are consistent with suggestions deriving from previous work using separate recordings in the two brain areas in different animals performing different tasks and represent the first direct evidence in support of this hypothesis with simultaneous multiarea recordings within individual animals.
A structural characterization of temporal dynamic controllability

An important issue for temporal planners is the ability to handle temporal uncertainty. Recent papers have addressed the question of how to tell whether a temporal network is Dynamically Controllable, i.e., whether the temporal requirements are feasible in the light of uncertain durations of some processes. Previous work has presented an O(N5) algorithm for testing this property. Here, we introduce a new analysis of temporal cycles that leads to an O(N4) algorithm.
History and Esthetics in Concrete Arch Bridges

The paper describes some problems in the history of reinforced concrete arch bridges by focusing on the three types of analyses, central to the understanding of any structural form, and consisting of the scientific to get at structural behavior, the economical to get at the construction cost, and the esthetic to get at ideas of appropriate visual form. The scientific analyses included questions of hinges, and of the participation of decks in arch bending. The economical questions centered on the extent to which designers understood construction practice; many early designers were also involved directly with construction. Finally the questions of appearance were debated frequently in terms both of cooperation with architects and of the propriety of applied decoration versus pure structural form.
Do racial disparities persist in infant mortality from respiratory distress syndrome

ABSTRACT Objective To examine the subset of the infants who died in 2005 from respiratory distress syndrome to determine if racial disparities persist. Design A secondary data analysis was performed on the data set of infants who died of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in the 2005 period linked birth‐infant death data file (N=774). Methods Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the contribution of race to RDS‐related mortality. Results When analyzed independently, Black infants were 1.3 times more likely to die of RDS mortality than White infants. After the known predictors of gestation, birth weight, and gender were added to the model, Black race was no longer a significant predictor of RDS. Conclusions Despite Black race having been identified as a contributor to RDS mortality in the past, race was not a predictor of RDS mortality in the 2005 cohort. Previous analyses comparing pre‐ and postsurfactant era mortality assumed that all eligible infants received surfactant, and Black infants did not respond as well as White infants. The 2003 birth certificate revision included surfactant administration, but only 12 states reported that data in the 2005 data set. Only 22% of eligible infants had documentation of surfactant administration. Future research is needed to confirm that eligible infants are receiving surfactant and to evaluate the response of infants by race. If Black infants do not respond to the available surfactant replacement products, genomics research is needed to explore targeted therapies for this group.
Contingent Resistances Methodology: Analyzing Resistance in Parents' and Daughters' Choice of an All-Girl Middle School

Contemporary perspectives on dominance and resistance as multifaceted and dialogical call for a similarly dialogical methodology, as reflected in Saukko's concept of contingent resistances. Compared to much of the past resistance research, contingent resistances sets forth an expanded vision of dialogicality in research design and in the interpretation of actor's meanings. Our purpose is to illustrate three implications of this methodology: (i) polyvocality—a comparison of perspectives of two groups of actors; (ii) consideration of the full range of meanings relevant to the action with particular attention to reactions from the local context; and (iii) interpretations of resistance that are firmly grounded in narrators' meanings. The analysis is based on interviews with parents and their young adolescent daughters about their decision to attend a new all-girl college-preparatory public school located in southwestern USA. Expanding on past studies of girls' school choice, we show how parents and daughters create different meanings of this decision, largely based on interactions with their peers. Although both parents and daughters emphasized academic opportunity as their main reason for the school choice, daughters, unlike parents, were confronted with violating peer femininity/heteronormativity norms. Thus, the decision required resistance on the part of daughters in a way that it did not for parents. We view contingent resistances as a useful methodological framework in a range of areas where questions of resistance are at stake. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cross Selling and Banking Efficiency

We show that efficiency is greater when financial institutions simultaneously offer different products, such as banking, insurance and investment banking (cross selling). Our results are based on the fact that offering multiple products improves the no-deviation constraints of the implicit contract established between a buyer and a seller in a world of one-sided or two-sided moral hazard. The results do not depend on cost synergies or efficiencies in information gathering (though these may imply greater economies from cross selling). Our analysis suggests that, when market competition is sufficiently intense and diseconomies of scope are not very significant, banks will only survive if they follow the strategy of cross selling.
Evolving Telematics Systems and Standards

This paper summarizes research taking place in the area of telematics systems and standards at Motorola. It compares several existing standards regarding their ability to support a suite of services and their evolution toward an open standard. The authors also discuss the development of a simulation and prototype framework for investigating the various protocol options and providing performance comparisons.
Is there a 60-year oscillation in global mean sea level?

[1] We examine long tide gauge records in every ocean basin to examine whether a quasi 60-year oscillation observed in global mean sea level (GMSL) reconstructions reflects a true global oscillation, or an artifact associated with a small number of gauges. We find that there is a significant oscillation with a period around 60-years in the majority of the tide gauges examined during the 20th Century, and that it appears in every ocean basin. Averaging of tide gauges over regions shows that the phase and amplitude of the fluctuations are similar in the North Atlantic, western North Pacific, and Indian Oceans, while the signal is shifted by 10 years in the western South Pacific. The only sampled region with no apparent 60-year fluctuation is the Central/Eastern North Pacific. The phase of the 60-year oscillation found in the tide gauge records is such that sea level in the North Atlantic, western North Pacific, Indian Ocean, and western South Pacific has been increasing since 1985–1990. Although the tide gauge data are still too limited, both in time and space, to determine conclusively that there is a 60-year oscillation in GMSL, the possibility should be considered when attempting to interpret the acceleration in the rate of global and regional mean sea level rise.
Regulation of glucose and ketone-body metabolism in brain of anaesthetized rats

Abstract 1. The effects of starvation and diabetes on brain fuel metabolism were examined by measuring arteriovenous differences for glucose, lactate, acetoacetate and 3-hydroxybutyrate across the brains of anaesthetized fed, starved and diabetic rats. 2. In fed animals glucose represented the sole oxidative fuel of the brain. 3. After 48h of starvation, ketone-body concentrations were about 2mm and ketone-body uptake accounted for 25% of the calculated O2 consumption: the arteriovenous difference for glucose was not diminished, but lactate release was increased, suggesting inhibition of pyruvate oxidation. 4. In severe diabetic ketosis, induced by either streptozotocin or phlorrhizin (total blood ketone bodies >7mm), the uptake of ketone bodies was further increased and accounted for 45% of the brain's oxidative metabolism, and the arteriovenous difference for glucose was decreased by one-third. The arteriovenous difference for lactate was increased significantly in the phlorrhizin-treated rats. 5. Infusion of 3-hydroxybutyrate into starved rats caused marked increases in the arteriovenous differences for lactate and both ketone bodies. 6. To study the mechanisms of these changes, steady-state concentrations of intermediates and co-factors of the glycolytic pathway were determined in freeze-blown brain. 7. Starved rats had increased concentrations of acetyl-CoA. 8. Rats with diabetic ketosis had increased concentrations of fructose 6-phosphate and decreased concentrations of fructose 1,6-diphosphate, indicating an inhibition of phosphofructokinase. 9. The concentrations of acetyl-CoA, glycogen and citrate, a potent inhibitor of phosphofructokinase, were increased in the streptozotocin-treated rats. 10. The data suggest that cerebral glucose uptake is decreased in diabetic ketoacidosis owing to inhibition of phosphofructokinase as a result of the increase in brain citrate. 11. The inhibition of brain pyruvate oxidation in starvation and diabetes can be related to the accelerated rate of ketone-body metabolism; however, we found no correlation between the decrease in glucose uptake in the diabetic state and the arteriovenous difference for ketone bodies. 12. The data also suggest that the rates of acetoacetate and 3-hydroxybutyrate utilization by brain are governed by their concentrations in plasma. 13. The finding of very low concentrations of acetoacetate and 3-hydroxybutyrate in brain compared with plasma suggests that diffusion across the blood–brain barrier may be the rate-limiting step in their metabolism.
Role of presympathetic C1 neurons in the sympatholytic and hypotensive effects of clonidine in rats

The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) may play an important role in the sympatholytic and hypotensive effects of clonidine. The present study examined which type of presympathetic RVLM neuron is inhibited by clonidine, and whether the adrenergic presympathetic RVLM neurons are essential for clonidine-induced sympathoinhibition. In chloralose-anesthetized and ventilated rats, clonidine (10 microg/kg iv) decreased arterial pressure (116 +/- 6 to 84 +/- 2 mmHg) and splanchnic nerve activity (93 +/- 3% from baseline). Extracellular recording and juxtacellular labeling of barosensitive bulbospinal RVLM neurons revealed that most cells were inhibited by clonidine (26/28) regardless of phenotype [tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive cells: 48 +/- 7%; non-TH-immunoreactive cells: 42 +/- 5%], although the inhibition of most neurons was modest compared with the observed sympathoinhibition. Depletion of most bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons, including 76 +/- 5% of the rostral C1 cells, by microinjection of saporin anti-dopamine beta-hydroxylase into the thoracic spinal cord (levels T2 and T4, 42 ng. 200 nl(-1). side(-1)) did not alter the sympatholytic or hypotensive effects of clonidine. These data show that although clonidine inhibits presympathetic C1 neurons, bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons do not appear to be essential for the sympatholytic and hypotensive effects of systemically administered clonidine. Instead, the sympatholytic effect of clonidine is likely the result of a combination of effects on multiple cell types both within and outside the RVLM.