cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Progesterone, but Not Progesterone-Independent Activation of Progestin Receptors by a Mating Stimulus, Rapidly Decreases Progestin Receptor Immunoreactivity in Female Rat Brain

Abstract Recent studies suggest that progestin receptors may be activated in vivo by neurotransmitters in the absence of ligand. More specifically, vaginal–cervical stimulation (VCS) can influence sexual behavior by activating progestin receptors in the absence of progesterone. Another way to test if progestin receptors are influenced by particular stimuli is to examine progestin receptor immunostaining. We report that progestin receptor immunoreactivity is decreased in the forebrain of estradiol-primed ovariectomized (OVX) rats within 1 h after a subcutaneous injection of progesterone, a time by which rapid down-regulation of progestin receptors does not seem to have occurred. In estradiol-primed OVX rats, VCS also decreased progestin receptor immunoreactivity within 1 h in the medial preoptic area, but not in any other area examined. To determine if the decrease in immunoreactivity by VCS was due to adrenal secretions or by ligand-independent activation of progestin receptors, we repeated the experiment in estradiol-primed OVX/adrenalectomized rats. Prior removal of the adrenal glands blocked the rapid decrease in progestin receptor immunoreactivity, even though data from other experiments suggest that progestin receptors are activated by VCS at this time. These studies suggest the possibility that progestin receptors may be affected differentially by progesterone-dependent or by progesterone- in dependent pathways. This raises the possibility that activation of progestin receptors by these two distinct pathways may lead to different neuronal consequences.
"Look Out New World, Here We Come"? Race, Racialization, and Sexuality in Four Children's Animated Films by Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks

In this essay, the authors argue that, as suggested by Giroux, animated films offer children intricate teachings about race and sexuality, guiding children through the complexities of highly racial...
Factors affecting intravenous analgesic requirements after colectomy.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to determine factors that influence postoperative IV analgesic use after colectomy. Study design We retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent colectomy between January 1997 and December 2000 at our medical center and calculated the amount of postoperative IV narcotics needed in morphine equivalents. Statistical differences (p Results Four hundred eighty-one patients (235 men, 246 women) underwent colectomy; patients had a mean age of 60.6 years (range, 17 to 96 years). Procedures performed included total/subtotal colectomy (10%, n=49), right colectomy (42%, n=200), transverse colectomy (3%, n=12), left/sigmoid colectomy (40%, n=195), and low anterior resection (4%, n=17). Laparoscopic colectomy was performed in 53 (11%) patients. Mean postoperative morphine equivalent use was 160.2 mg. Narcotic analgesic use was significantly less for women (p = 0.02), diagnosis of cancer (p = 0.02), and laparoscopic colectomy (p = 0.0001). Patients undergoing a right colectomy required less postoperative narcotics than patients having other types of colectomies (p Conclusions Postoperative IV narcotic analgesic use is affected by gender, patient age, indication for colectomy, operative time, type of procedure, and operative technique.
Experiential Avoidance as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Childhood Psychological Abuse and Current Mental Health Symptoms in College Students

Psychological abuse in childhood has been linked to psy- chological distress in adulthood, although the interceding variables or possible mediators for the adult distress have not been adequately exam- ined. Identification of mediating variables may provide important op- portunities for targeting intervention and prevention efforts following psychological abuse. Experiential avoidance, a response style character- ized by avoidance of negative private events, was examined as a poten- tial mediator of the relationship between reports of childhood psycho- logical abuse and current mental health symptoms in a cross-sectional sample of 987 college undergraduates. Utilizing structural equation modeling techniques, experiential avoidance was found to significantly mediate the relationship between childhood psychological abuse and current mental health symptoms, reducing the direct effect by 77%. A history of childhood psychological abuse was related to increased levels Madhavi K. Reddy and Scott M. Pickett are graduate students in Clinical Psychol-
53 A Seaweed's perspective on marine reserves

In response to major changes in coastal ecosystems in recent decades, a number of governmental agencies around the world are establishing marine reserves – areas where removal of animals or plants is prohibited. Although marine reserves are touted as an ecosystem based approach to management of marine resources, the vast majority of attention on reserve design and impact focuses solely on fish. Although a few species of algae are commercially harvested, most are not. As a result, they will receive little direct benefit from protection by reserves aside from habitat protection. From the perspective of a seaweed, the primary impacts of marine reserves will therefore be indirect through species interactions. We examine the rapidly growing theoretical and empirical literature on marine reserves to anticipate the likely responses of seaweeds to exclusion of fishing. The key issues that emerge are: the trophic level of prior fishing and the dispersal scales of seaweeds relative to their competitors and consumers. The latter issue is poorly understood and poses a key challenge to phycologists if we are to effectively incorporate seaweeds into future marine reserve design.
Maternal management of the home as a developmental play space for infants and toddlers.

OBJECTIVE: One purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the work done by mothers as they manage the spaces and objects of the home to support the development of infants and toddlers at play. METHOD: Eighteen mother-infant dyads participated in the study. Data were collected via monthly in-home videotaping of infants and monthly interviews with mothers, from 1 to 18 months of infant age. Data were analyzed with a grounded theory approach and computer-assisted video and text analysis. RESULTS: The results describe the everyday tasks of mothers of infants and toddlers, such as selecting commercial toys and household objects for play, positioning infants for play, maintaining and making play objects available, furnishing the home with child care equipment, controlling infant access to the spaces of the home, and monitoring for safety. CONCLUSION: This description contributes to our understanding of maternal work, infant and toddler development in context, co-occupations, and the neglected spatial dimension of occupation. Language: en
Current Practices of Screening for Incident Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection Among HIV-Infected, HCV-Uninfected Individuals in Primary Care

(See the Major Article by Vanhommerig et al on pages 1678–85, and the Editorial Commentary by Reiberger on pages 1694–5.) Hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection is a leading cause of hospitalization and death among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals in the United States and Europe [1–3]. Prevalent HCV infection is commonly associated with a history of current or past injection drug use (IDU) [4, 5]. Patients with a history of IDU who are not HCV infected remain at an increased risk of developing incident HCV infection [6, 7]. Furthermore, over the previous decade, cohort studies have demonstrated a rising HCV incidence among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) [7–20]. Most of these men with newly acquired HCV infection reported no history of IDU—their risk appears to be related to unprotected anal intercourse and noninjection drug use, especially amphetamines [21]. In 2010, the European AIDS Treatment Network published screening guidelines for incident HCV infection among HIV-infected individuals, recommending testing twice a year using serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and annually with HCV antibody (Ab) among MSM engaging in unprotected anal sex, as well as screening within 3 months of diagnosis of a new sexually transmitted infection (STI) or IDU exposure [22]. Mathematical modeling suggests that such a strategy would extend life expectancy and be cost-effective [23]. In the United States, STI guidelines published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest considering annual HCV Ab screening for individuals at high risk of infection [24], but the definition of “high risk” is vague. Understanding current practices, as well as the rate of uptake of more routine screening for incident HCV infection, is essential to inform the development of evidence-based HCV screening strategies. We therefore used the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) to investigate current and historical patterns of screening for HCV among HIV-infected individuals in the United States.
Identification of secretory odontoblasts using DMP1-GFP transgenic mice

Terminal differentiation of odontoblasts from dental papilla is a long process involving several intermediate steps and changes in the transcriptional profile and expression of proteins secreted by cells in the odontoblast lineage. Transgenic mouse lines in which GFP expression is under the control of tissue- and stage specific promoters have provided powerful experimental tools for identification and isolation of cells at specific stages of differentiation along a lineage. Our previous studies showed utilization of pOBCol3.6GFP and pOBCol2.3GFP animals for identification of odontoblasts at early and late stages of polarization respectively. In the present study we used the DMP1-GFP transgenic animal as an experimental model to examine its expression during the differentiation of odontoblasts from progenitor cells in vivo and in vitro. Our observations showed that DMP1-GFP transgene is first activated in secretory/functional odontoblasts engaged in secretion of predentin and then transiently expressed at high levels in newly differentiated odontoblasts. Expression of DMP1-GFP was down-regulated in highly differentiated odontoblasts. The temporal and spatial pattern of expression of DMP1-GFP transgene closely mimics the expression of endogenous DMP1. This transgenic animal will facilitate studies of gene expression and biological functions in secretory/functional odontoblasts.
Efficient bounding of displaced Bézier patches

In this paper, we present a new approach to conservative bounding of displaced Bezier patches. These surfaces are expected to be a common use case for tessellation in interactive and real-time rendering. Our algorithm combines efficient normal bounding techniques, min-max mipmap hierarchies and oriented bounding boxes. This results in substantially faster convergence for the bounding volumes of displaced surfaces, prior to tessellation and displacement shading. Our work can be used for different types of culling, ray tracing, and to sort higher order primitives in tiling architectures. For our hull shader implementation, we report performance benefits even for moderate tessellation rates.
Efficacy of ETI-204 Monoclonal Antibody as an Adjunct Therapy in a New Zealand White Rabbit Partial Survival Model for Inhalational Anthrax

Inhalational anthrax is characterized by extensive bacteremia and toxemia as well as nonspecific to mild flu-like symptoms, until the onset of hypotension, shock, and mortality. Without treatment, the mortality rate approaches 100%. Antibiotic treatment is not always effective, and alternative treatments are needed, such as monotherapy for antibiotic-resistant inhalational anthrax or as an adjunct therapy in combination with antibiotics. The Bacillus anthracis antitoxin monoclonal antibody (MAb) ETI-204 is a high-affinity chimeric deimmunized antibody which targets the anthrax toxin protective antigen (PA). In this study, a partial protection New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit model was used to evaluate the protective efficacy of the adjunct therapy with the MAb. Following detection of PA in the blood, NZW rabbits were administered either an antibiotic (doxycycline) alone or the antibiotic in conjunction with ETI-204. Survival was evaluated to compare the efficacy of the combination adjunct therapy with that of an antibiotic alone in treating inhalational anthrax. Overall, the results from this study indicate that a subtherapeutic regimen consisting of an antibiotic in combination with an anti-PA MAb results in increased survival compared to the antibiotic alone and would provide an effective therapeutic strategy against symptomatic anthrax in nonvaccinated individuals.
Making the Social Justice Connection: Development of a Community Resource Guide

This article describes a project developed by counseling and counseling psychology students enrolled in a Social Justice in Counseling Psychology course. The purpose of the project, a course assignment, was to integrate knowledge of social justice principles, theories, and strategies into a tangible effort to promote social justice within our community. This project entailed the creation of a community resource guide to be used by our department’s training clinic, which provides low-cost psychological services to community residents. The contexts in which the project was undertaken, including the course, department, and training clinic, are described. The development and implementation of the project are explained with emphasis on how the project was guided by a definition of social justice and by principles of advocacy and empowerment. The current status of the project is also discussed. Finally, the strengths and limitations of the project are presented and general reflections on the process of student engagement in social justice are offered.
A Review of: “Des Freedman. The Politics of Media Policy.”

Critical deconstruction of government efforts to control media policy can reveal to us the values, interests, and beliefs dominating an era. The Politics of Media Policy offers a critical view, sit...
Research Guide to Mexican Law

Carrying out effective and efficient research on Mexican law presents special challenges. Some of these are structural because they condition the entire research process. This guide covers all aspe...
The Effectiveness of Tactile Cues in Cellular Phones

As cellular phones get smaller, there has been a concurrent reduction in the size of the control interface. Two studies examined whether tactile cues might facilitate dialing on small cellular phone keypads. The first study, a questionnaire administered to 289 individuals, suggested that people believe that tactile cues can benefit users of cellular phones. The second study, an experiment comparing dialing performance with vision precluded between two keypad-types (textured keys and smooth-keys), showed that performance in the former condition was better than that latter. Implications for cellular phone keypad designs are offered.
A Multi-Tier Evolution Model of Air Transportation Networks

This paper describes a model for the US air transportation network employing the multitier evolution concept. In an attempt to concisely represent the dynamics behind the complex network structure, a network is decomposed into multiple tiers. The primary tier is for a network of major hub airports whereas the secondary tier is for non-hub airports. A network evolution algorithm is utilized for modeling the primary tier. The main idea in primary tier is considering chronological and spatial network evolution. The secondary tier engages an access algorithm for tier switching and a shortest-path-finding algorithm for multi-stop routings. These algorithms find the shortest route combinations. The outcomes from these processes are combined together and the complete air transportation network topology is created. Given the simplicity of the algorithms, the overall result adequately agrees to the historical data. Finally, in order to figure out the impact on the network from other transportation technologies, ondemand aviation service is applied for a case study and how it affects established network properties is analyzed.
Approaches to Mechanism Reduction for Hydrocarbon Oxidation: Ethylene

A systematic approach for mechanism reduction was developed and demonstrated. The approach consist s of the generation of skeletal mechanisms from detailed mechanism using directed relation graph with specified accuracy requirement, and the subsequent generation of reduced mechanisms from the skeletal mechanisms using computational singular perturbation based on the assumption of quasi -steady -state species. Both stages of generation are guided by the performance of PSR for high -temperature chemistry and auto -ignition delay for low - to moderately -high -temperature chemistry. The demonstration was perform ed for a detailed ethylene oxidation mechanism consisting of 70 species and 463 elementary reactions, resulting in a specific skeletal mechanism consisting of 33 species and 205 elementary reactions, and a specific reduced mechanism consisting of 20 specie s and 16 global reactions. Calculations for laminar flame speeds and nonpremixed counterflow ignition using either the skeletal mechanism or the reduced mechanism show very close agreement with those obtained by using the detailed mechanism over wide param etric ranges of pressure, temperature and equivalence ratio.
Optical and Mechanical Properties of Photoassisted, Self-assembled Nanoparticle Films

This paper presents research funded under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) MetaMaterials program for design and development of nanoparticle based, mesoscale electromagnetic and optical materials. Specifically, we present results of formulation and near infrared measurement-model validation for photoassisted, self-assembled multilayer metallic nanoparticle films. The multilayer films may be used as optical filters and absorbers. We demonstrate that nanoparticles can be formed in advanced polymer films that exhibit new electromagnetic constitutive properties. Metal nanoparticle films are produced from a single homogeneous resin containing a soluble precursor. Films cast from doped resins are exposed to UV radiation followed by a controlled thermal cure. The combination of UV exposure and thermal curing creates a multiphase material composed of low volume fractions of dispersed metallic Pd clusters (10-20 nm in size) and high concentrations of Pd nanoparticles which form surface and embedded metallic layers in the films. The layer separation is a function of UV exposure. These materials show significant absorption in the optical and near IR region of the spectrum. Furthermore, these films exhibit mechanical properties similar to bi-metallic layers, specifically, the films display reversible bending with exposure to light and an accompanying rapid temperature increase. This paper presents formulation processes, optical-mechanical measurements and measurement model comparison.
Abstract A85: Paternal age at birth is associated with leukocyte telomere length in the Nurses' Health Study

Despite the high heritability of telomere length, genome-wide association studies have not found common genetic variants with a strong influence on telomere length. A few studies have demonstrated significant correlations between the telomere length of offspring and maternal and/or paternal telomere lengths. Positive correlations have also been observed for parental age at birth and offspring telomere length, particularly with paternal age. We decided to investigate the relationship between parental age and female offspring telomere length in one of the largest studies to date, by using existing leukocyte telomere length (LTL) data that were measured by a high-throughput quantitative PCR assay for multiple prospective nested case-control studies of various cancers and cardiovascular disease in the Nurses9 Health Study (NHS). We derived probit scores for each nested case-control study to standardize for between-batch variability before pooling data. Participants included in this analysis were free of cancer and other major diseases at blood draw and were restricted to the 6,647 NHS participants who reported the years their mother and father were born on the 1976 baseline questionnaire. We calculated Spearman correlation coefficients and also used generalized linear regression to calculate least-square (LS) means of LTL probit score by maternal and paternal age at birth categories. LS means were adjusted for the participant9s age at blood draw. Analyses of maternal age at birth categories were additionally adjusted for continuous paternal age at birth and vice versa. The mean age of participants at blood draw was 59 years. Mean maternal and paternal age at birth were 28 and 32 years, respectively. Maternal age and paternal age at birth were highly correlated (r S =0.77, P Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):A85.
A Meta-Analysis of Depressive Symptom Outcomes in Randomized, Controlled Trials for PTSD.

AbstractPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often co-occurs with depression. Current PTSD practice guidelines lack specific guidance for clinicians regarding the treatment of depressive symptoms. We conducted a meta-analysis of all randomized, placebo-controlled trials for PTSD therapies focusing o
Initial mechanisms for the unimolecular decomposition of electronically excited nitrogen-rich energetic materials with tetrazole rings: 1-DTE, 5-DTE, BTA, and BTH

Unimolecular decomposition of nitrogen-rich energetic molecules 1,2-bis(1H-tetrazol-1-yl)ethane (1-DTE), 1,2-bis(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)ethane (5-DET), N,N-bis(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)amine (BTA), and 5,5'-bis(tetrazolyl)hydrazine (BTH) has been explored via 283 nm two photon laser excitation. The maximum absorption wavelength in the UV-vis spectra of all four materials is around 186-222 nm. The N2 molecule, with a cold rotational temperature (<30 K), is observed as an initial decomposition product from the four molecules, subsequent to UV excitation. Initial decomposition mechanisms for these four electronically excited isolated molecules are explored at the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) level. Potential energy surface calculations at the CASSCF(12,8)/6-31G(d) level illustrate that conical intersections play an essential role in the decomposition mechanism. The tetrazole ring opens on the S1 excited state and through conical intersections (S1/S0)CI, N2 product is formed on the ground state potential energy surface without rotational excitation. The tetrazole rings of all four energetic molecules open at the N1-N2 ring bond with the lowest energy barrier: the C-N bond opening has higher energy barrier than that for any of the N-N ring bonds. Therefore, the tetrazole rings open at their N-N bonds to release N2. The vibrational temperatures of N2 product from all four energetic materials are hot based on theoretical calculations. The different groups (CH2-CH2, NH-NH, and NH) joining the tetrazole rings can cause apparent differences in explosive behavior of 1-DTE, 5-DTE, BTA, and BTH. Conical intersections, non-Born-Oppenheimer interactions, and dynamics are the key features for excited electronic state chemistry of organic molecules, in general, and energetic molecules, in particular.
Metal working fluid exposure and diseases in Switzerland

Background: Exposure to metal working fluids (MWF) is common in machining processes worldwide and may lead to diseases of the skin and the respiratory tract.Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate exposure and diseases due to MWF in Switzerland between 2004 and 2013.Methods: We performed descriptive statistics including determination of median and 90th percentile values of MWF concentrations listed in a database of Suva. Moreover, we clustered MWF-induced occupational diseases listed in a database from the Swiss Central Office for Statistics in Accident Insurance, and performed linear regression over time to investigate temporal course of the illnesses.Results: The 90th percentile for MWF air concentration was 8.1 mg (aerosol + vapor)/m3 and 0.9 mg aerosol/m3 (inhalable fraction). One thousand two hundred and eighty skin diseases and 96 respiratory diseases were observed.Conclusions: This is the first investigation describing exposure to and diseases due to MWF in Switzerland over a timeframe o...
Whole-Organ Tissue Engineering: No Longer Just a Dream

The true potential of the field of transplant surgery remains limited due to shortages of available transplantable allografts and, following transplantation, acute and chronic rejection with need for lifelong immune suppression. An alternative approach is to bioengineer organs to be utilized in vivo, replacing diseased or malfunctioning human organs. This revolutionary step in medicine could have virtually unlimited therapeutic potential. Multiple strategies have been used to replicate functional transplantable organs without deleterious host immune response. Common approaches include the use of decellularized tissue scaffolds and of 3D bioprinting. Continuing challenges include engraftment and maturation of recipient cells, and long-term tissue viability and function. We will review in brief the history of the field and the progress to date with multiple organ systems, highlighting our personal experience in lung regeneration. Finally, we will discuss the challenges that lie ahead to reach the dream of fully functional and transplantable bioengineered organs.
Further empirical evidence on residential property taxation and the occurrence of urban sprawl

Abstract Economic theory indicates that as the effective rate of taxation on residential property rises, a negative influence on capital intensity could occur through less multi-story structures built (an Improvement Effect). Alternatively, a positive influence on capital intensity could occur through housing consumers switching to smaller houses built on smaller lots (a Dwelling Size Effect). An empirical assessment of this issue is therefore necessary; however, methodological concerns in earlier empirical analyses cast doubt on the reliability of findings. Panel data, fixed effects, regression results indicate that a higher rate of effective residential property taxation increases the amount of land used for a given population (greater sprawl).
Equivalences of Experience, and Symbols of the Depth by Which Experience Lives

This essay examines the argument of Eric Voegelin's essay "Equivalences of Experience and Symbolization in History" (1971), concentrating on his analysis of human experiences of the "depth of the psyche" and consequent philosophical concern with the notion of "an underlying oneness of reality" symbolized as the "depth of the cosmos." Specific attention is then paid to the status of "symbols of the depth" as mythic symbols; the importance of such symbols for expressing important human experiences of divine reality; and the adequacy or inadequacy of various modern "symbols of the depth." The paper is concerned throughout with Voegelin's argument that "constants of truth" are not to be found within historical experience and symbolization, but that faith or trust in the constancy of structure and ultimate coherence of the "oneness" or "depth" of the cosmos guarantees that enduring truths about existence, history, and reality may be reasonably embraced by human beings, and also that the human search for truth and order in history is not a meaningless enterprise.
Structural Designs with Consideration of Both Material and Structural Failures

AbstractThis paper provides a simplified formula for modeling the transition between material and structural failures in static and dynamic loading situations. For static situations, the transition equation allows for the calculation of the ultimate capacity between buckling structural failure and compression material failure modes. For dynamic situations, the transition equation allows for the calculation of a smoothed S-N curve between the constant amplitude fatigue limit, namely, the endurance limit, and the low-cycle, high-stress fatigue limit. The simplified formula is based on a quadratic solution that is curve fit to each failure mode and is verified with existing experimental data.
Expertise and individual differences: the search for the structure and acquisition of experts’ superior performance

What is expertise and where does it come from? Modern research techniques have made it possible to objectively measure performance in new ways, revealing that expertise derives neither from basic cognitive ability nor from the sheer amount of experience. Rather, it develops-particular forms of training and practice induce cognitive, perceptual, physiological, neurological, and anatomical changes necessary for the acquisition of complex domain-specific skills. WIREs Cogn Sci 2017, 8:e1382. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1382 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Munc13 And Munc18 Cooperate to Properly Assemble SNAREs for Fast Neurotransmitter Release

Neuronal SNAREs (synaptobrevin, syntaxin, SNAP-25), synaptotagmin, complexin, Munc13, and Munc18 are essential for fast Ca2+-triggered synaptic vesicle fusion. Syntaxin forms a closed complex with Munc18 that prevents SNARE complex formation, and Munc13 catalyzes the opening and transit of syntaxin into the SNARE complex. However, Munc13 knockout in mice cannot be fully rescued with a constitutively open mutant of syntaxin. We report a new function of Munc13, independent of Munc18: it promotes the proper syntaxin/synaptobrevin subconfiguration during assembly of the ternary SNARE complex. In cooperation with Munc18, Munc13 additionally ensures the proper syntaxin/SNAP-25 subconfiguration. In a reconstituted fusion assay with SNAREs, complexin, and synaptotagmin, inclusion of both Munc13 and Munc18 quadruples the Ca2+-triggered amplitude, and improves the Ca2+-sensitivity by an order of magnitude, reaching physiological sensitivity. If Munc13 or Munc18 is deleted, improperly assembled SNARE complexes may occur, explaining the observed abrogation of neurotransmitter release in neurons.
The Effects of a 36-Hour Mixed Task Ultraendurance Race on Mucosal Immunity Markers and Pulmonary Function

Objective The present study was conducted to assess the changes in mucosal immunity and pulmonary function among participants in a 36-hour mixed task ultraendurance race. Methods Thirteen of the 20 race participants volunteered for the investigation (age 34±5 y). The event consisted of a mixture of aerobic, strong man, and military-style exercise. Participants had a pulmonary function test and gave a finger stick capillary blood sample and unstimulated saliva samples both before the event and upon dropout or completion. The blood sample was analyzed for hematocrit, and the saliva sample was analyzed for salivary flow rate, salivary alpha amylase, salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA), and IgA type 1. Results Significant differences were noted among the finishers and those who dropped out in salivary flow rate (P = .026), salivary IgA (P = .017), and peak expiratory flow (P = .05) measurements. Salivary flow rate and IgA for the race finishers were reduced from pre- to postrace, whereas the nonfinishers showed no change or small increases. No significant differences emerged for other variables. Conclusions Based on the results of the present investigation, finishing a 36-hour mixed task ultra-endurance event results in a decline in both pulmonary function and mucosal immunity compared with competitors who do not finish.
47-P : HEART RECIPIENT PRA PRE VERSUS POST MECHANICAL DEVICE IMPLANTATION

Aim Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) and Total Artificial Heart (TAH) implants have historically been known to cause an increase in Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) allo-antibody, possibly due to the biologic layer. Newer devices are thought to avoid this occurence. These devices provide added time to locate a compatible organ; however, increased sensitization could complicate transplant of the organ. We present a look at heart transplant recipients receiving an implantation of a LVAD or TAH Feb 2012-Jan 2013. Methods Samples are tested with LABScreen™ Single Antigen Class I Combi Beads, Single Antigen Class II Beads – One Lambda, Inc., and Frozen Lymphocyte Trays - GenTrak. The %PRA is calculated using antigens represented by MFI values of greater than 2000 from the single antigen beads and the UNOS CPRA calculator. Results We have summarized 10 patients (4 females, 6 males) with confirmed device implant and HLA antibody monitoring available with serum Pre and Post implantation. [ Table 1 ] In this set of patients, Class I is observed to have an increased significance over Class II. Conclusions The implantation of LVAD/TAH devices remain a possible source of sensitization for HLA allo-antibody production. The small sample size may give some insight, however, a larger sample size would confirm correlation.
Clinical prognostic characteristics in predicting brain metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer: A single institution analysis.

e14640 Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) rarely metastasizes to the brain. With improved survival of patients (pts) with metastatic CRC following the advent of targeted agents such as bevacizumab...
Relationship between white matter connectivity loss and cortical thinning in cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

Patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) show loss of white matter connectivity and cortical thinning on MRI, primarily in posterior brain regions. Here we examined whether a potential causal relationship exists between these markers of subcortical and cortical brain injury by examining whether changes in cortical thickness progress in tandem with changes in their underlying connections. Thirty-one patients with probable CAA with brain MRI at two time points were included (follow-up time: 1.3 ± 0.4 years). Brain networks were reconstructed using diffusion MRI-based fiber tractography. Of each network node, we calculated the change in fractional anisotropy-weighted connectivity strength over time and the change in cortical thickness. The association between change in connectivity strength and cortical thickness was assessed with (hierarchical) linear regression models. Our results showed that decline in posterior network connectivity over time was strongly related to thinning of the occipital cortex (β = 0.65 (0.35–0.94), P < 0.001), but not to thinning of the other posterior or frontal cortices. However, at the level of individual network nodes, we found no association between connectivity strength and cortical thinning of the corresponding node (β = 0.009 ± 0.04, P = 0.80). Associations were independent of age, sex, and other brain MRI markers of CAA. To conclude, CAA patients with greater progressive loss of posterior white matter connectivity also have greater progression of occipital cortical thinning, but our results do not support a direct causal relationship between them. The association can be better explained by a shared underlying mechanism, which may form a potential target for future treatments. Hum Brain Mapp, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Effect of Bank Capital Requirements on Bank Loan Rates

A large literature discusses the effects of bank capital requirements on lending. The contribution of this paper is to empirically quantify this effect on the cost of bank credit. On average, banks increased tier one capital ratios by 4 percent from 2008 through 2011. This increase in bank capital raised the cost of borrowing by 20 basis points. I identify this effect using heterogeneity in the timing of banks raising capital. To address endogeneity concerns, I deploy various cuts of the data, control groups, differences in risk weights, and an instrument for changes in bank capital. These various identification approaches consistently estimate that for each percentage point increase in bank capital, bank loan rates increase by approximately 5 basis points.
Perceptions of patients and providers on myocardial perfusion imaging for asymptomatic patients, choosing wisely, and professional liability

Despite efforts by professional societies to reduce low value care, many reports indicate that unnecessary tests, such as nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), are commonly used in contemporary practice. The degree to which lack of awareness and professional liability concerns drive these behaviors warrants further study. We sought to investigate patient and provider perceptions about MPI in asymptomatic patients, the Choosing Wisely (CW) campaign, and professional liability concerns. We administered an anonymous, paper-based survey with both discrete and open-response queries to subjects in multiple outpatient settings at our facilities. The survey was completed by 456 respondents including 342 patients and 114 physicians and advanced practice providers between May and August 2014. Our outcome was to compare patient and provider perceptions about MPI in asymptomatic patients and related factors. Patients were more likely than providers to report that MPI was justified for asymptomatic patients (e.g. asymptomatic with family history of heart disease 75% versus 9.2%, p < 0.0001). In free responses to the question “What would be an inappropriate reason for MPI?” many responses echoed the goals of CW (for example, “If you don’t have symptoms”, “If the test is too risky”, “For screening or in asymptomatic patients”). A minority of providers were aware of CW while even fewer patients were aware (37.2% versus 2.7%, p < 0.0001). Over one third of providers (38.9%) admitted to ordering MPI out of concern for professional liability including 48.3% of VA affiliated providers. While some patients and providers are aware of the low value of MPI in patients without symptoms, others are enthusiastic to use it for a variety of scenarios. Concerns about professional liability likely contribute, even in the VA setting. Awareness of the Choosing Wisely campaign is low in both groups.
The misuse of protected indicators in cyberspace: Defending a core aspect of international humanitarian law

International humanitarian law (IRL) imposes a complex array of laws regarding the use of markings, signals, symbols and other indicators. Protections related to indicators are also directly implicated in the laws of perfidy and ruses. Although these laws are generally well accepted in principle, practitioners struggle to apply these rules in the newer, manmade domain of cyberspace. Despite recent steps forward in the application of IHL to cyber, questions surrounding enemy, neutral, and protected indicators remain largely unresolved. This paper seeks to answer these thorniest of issues related to military cyber operations during international armed conflicts. The article is divided into two sections. The first addresses protected and specially recognized indicators, particularly those of the UN and the Geneva Conventions. The IHL rules regarding these symbols are defined and applied in the context of cyber operations. This section also discusses perfidy and proximate causation in the cyber context. The second turns to the improper use of national indicators in cyberspace, particularly the definition of military emblems, which draws on a separate body of law than protected or specially recognized emblems. Although the misuse of indicators may also implicate international criminal law, this article focuses exclusively on IHL applicability.
Bioethics as Political Ideology

Bioethics cannot appeal to a universal, content-full moral understanding of special goods, such as liberty, equality and health, much less secure justification for political authority to impose such a vision of social justice, without straightforwardly begging the question. Basic human rights, as envisioned for example, by the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child or UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, are rhetorical and ideological fictions. Consequently, taxation to support a particular vision of distributive justice and welfare entitlements, or legislation to secure human rights, is no more than the coercive imposition of a particular political ideology. If bioethics is to escape the culture wars, it must re-imagine itself as the market place of ideas, including moral and religious ideas, where conceptual and moral analyzes are critically and carefully explored and real diversity is respected and defended. Bioethics must cease to be an ideologically driven will to power, and recapture the social space necessary for robust expression and instantiation of diverse moral, religious, and secular worldviews.
The Description of Inelastic (p,p′) Scattering

The need for additional and more precise information on the excited states of nuclei has been paralleled in recent years by the development of microscopic theories both of the structure of these states and of inelastic scattering reactions leading to them. We shall be mainly interested here in assessing the reliability of information on these states obtained by inelastic proton scattering.
Connected cruise control among human-driven vehicles: Experiment-based parameter estimation and optimal control design

In this paper, we consider connected cruise control design in mixed traffic flow where most vehicles are human-driven. We first propose a sweeping least square method to estimate in real time feedback gains and driver reaction time of human-driven vehicles around the connected automated vehicle. Then we propose an optimal connected cruise controller based on the mean dynamics of human driving behavior. We test the performance of both the estimation algorithm and the connected cruise control algorithm using experimental data. We demonstrate that by combining the proposed estimation algorithm and the optimal controller, the connected automated vehicle has significantly improved performance compared to a human-driven vehicle.
Robust Approximation of Koopman Operator and Prediction in Random Dynamical Systems

In the paper, we consider the problem of robust approximation of transfer Koopman and Perron-Frobenius (P-F) operators from noisy time series data. In most applications, the time-series data obtained from simulation or experiment is corrupted with either measurement or process noise or both. The existing results show the applicability of algorithms developed for the finite dimensional approximation of deterministic system to a random uncertain case. However, these results hold true only in asymptotic and under the assumption of infinite data set. In practice the data set is finite, and hence it is important to develop algorithms that explicitly account for the presence of uncertainty in data-set. We propose a robust optimization-based framework for the robust approximation of the transfer operators, where the uncertainty in data-set is treated as deterministic norm bounded uncertainty. The robust optimization leads to a min-max type optimization problem for the approximation of transfer operators. This robust optimization problem is shown to be equivalent to regularized least squares problem. This equivalence between robust optimization problem and regularized least squares problem allows us to comment on various interesting properties of the obtained solution using robust optimization. In particular, the robust optimization formulation captures inherent tradeoffs between the quality of approximation and complexity of approximation. These tradeoffs are necessary to balance for the proposed application of transfer operators, for the design of optimal predictor. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed robust approximation algorithm performs better than the Extended Dynamic Mode Decomposition (EDMD) and DMD algorithms for a system with process and measurement noise.
Metagratings for Efficient Wavefront Manipulation

Metagratings are two-dimensional periodic arrays of individual scatterers that enable highly-efficient extreme wave transformation which was impossible using conventional metasurfaces. We review our recent progress in this area and, notably, discuss metagrating designs based on asymmetric electric dipoles that are practically easier to realize compared to bianisotropic inclusions. In addition, we present the design of a tunable metagrating based on graphene strips. It will be shown that the proposed structure can provide multiple functionalities by tuning just two bias voltages. The efficiency of the proposed design is only limited by dissipation in graphene.
Assessment in the visual arts: Challenges and possibilities

Assessment in art is notoriously difficult and is probably best approached with skepticism. Artistry is notoriously difficult to assess. Yet measures of student learning in art are needed for both ...
Will I be victimized at school today? How schools influence the victimization experiences of Asian American teenagers.

Author(s): Gee, Kevin A; Cooc, North | Abstract: Schools can play an influential role in the victimization experiences of Asian American youth. We investigated the extent to which characteristics of schools—their disciplinary structure, guardianship role, and the opportunities for exposure to victimization they provide—related to whether Asian American adolescents were physically or socially victimized. Our sample included 1,303 adolescents (M age = 14.8 years) from six waves of the School Crime Supplement of the National Crime Victimization Survey. Results from logistic regression models show that disciplinary structure and guardianship, in the form of school security measures, were unrelated to victimization. Asian American adolescents with supportive peers had lower odds of physical victimization (odds ratio [OR] = 0.16; p l .01) while those exposed to school gangs and physical fights had higher odds of social victimization (OR = 2.90; p l .001 and OR = 4.97; p l .01, respectively). Our findings underscore the need for schools to consider strategies beyond commonplace school disciplinary structures and security measures to protect Asian American adolescents from victimization.
Association of the "CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain" With Emergency Department Opioid Prescribing.

Abstract Background The number of unintentional deaths due to prescription drug overdose has risen in recent years due to the increased utilization of opioid analgesics. Pain is one of the most common reasons for patients to visit an emergency department (ED) and is often treated with opioid analgesics. In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released guidelines for primary care providers on prescribing opioids for chronic pain. Objectives The objective of this study was to determine if release of the 2016 CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain was associated with changes in prescribing habits in the ED of an academic medical center. Methods The data were extracted from patient electronic health records between January 2015 and June 2017. The primary endpoint of the study was average morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) for the pre- and postguideline cohorts. Results A total of 8652 patients were included in the analysis (4389 in the preguideline cohort and 4263 in the postguideline cohort). The average MEDD decreased significantly from 30.6 ± 20.2 MEDD in the preguideline cohort to 29.8 ± 19.5 MEDD in the postguideline cohort (p = 0.0460). There was also a significant decrease in the rate of concomitant opioid and benzodiazepine prescribing as well as average days’ supply per prescription in the postguideline cohort, as compared with the preguideline cohort. Conclusions The average MEDD prescribed in the ED of an academic medical center decreased after the release of the CDC guidelines on opioid prescribing for chronic pain.