cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of dementia on antidiabetic drug use in Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes: findings post-Medicare part D

Aim: The objectives of the study were to measure the utilization rates of antidiabetic drugs in diabetic patients with dementia and to assess the impact of dementia on antidiabetic drug use. Materials & methods: This study was a pooled cross-sectional study of the Medicare Current Beneficiaries Survey from 2006 to 2010. Results & conclusion: Lower utilizations of biguanides, DPP-4 inhibitors and thiazolidinediones were observed in dementia patients. The likelihood of using antidiabetic drugs was about 30% (odds ratio: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.56–0.84) lower in dementia patients and 40% (odds ratio: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.44–0.84) lower in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Healthcare providers should be aware of underuse of antidiabetic drugs in patients with dementia.
Refocusing the Minimum Wage Debate: Overcoming Management Failure and Achieving the High Road

AbstractEarly supporters of the minimum wage couched their arguments in terms of achieving greater productivity and efficiency. Some of the early management theorists like Frederick Winslow Taylor talked about how overall efficiency could be improved if management undertook to make second-class workers into first-class workers. The efficiency wage argument put forth by Sidney Webb held that a minimum wage would actually encourage managers to invest in their workers’ human capital. This paper refocuses the debate on the issues that the minimum wage really speaks to: the type of society that we want to be. On the basis of CPS data, I show that the effective minimum wage population is considerably larger than commonly supposed, and that today’s unskilled workers are no different than the unskilled industrial workers during Taylor’s time. Therefore, Taylor’s argument about making second-class workers into first-class workers through efficiency wages still has application to today’s growing low-wage labor market.
Heterotransplantation of Human Transitional Cell Carcinoma in Athymic Mice

AbstractHuman bladder tumors were obtained and transplanted into nude mice or other control animals. Tumor measurements, growth rate and selected histological studies were completed. No correlation between the growth of the tumor in the nude mouse and the clinical course or histologic tumor appearance in the host was detected. Metastases were not found. This feature has been noted generally to be uncommon in the nude mice model with some other human tumors. Despitecareful technique tumor growth was achieved in only 40 per cent of the appropriate experiments. The factors responsible for this variability and different growth rate in the nude mouse requirefurther assessment before the results of other experimental treatments can be evaluated.
Electric-Field Control of Spin-Orbit Interaction for Low-Power Spintronics

Spintronics is regarded as a promising solution for resolving the major challenging issues related to the scaling of Si-based complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology as it offers the advantages of combing the spin and charge degrees of freedom. After decades of progress, the quintessence to achieve practical low-dissipation applications lies in the ability to manipulate magnetic states by electric field via several different physical mechanisms. Among them, the emergence of the spin-orbit coupling engineering has been shown to dramatically reduce energy dissipation and improve the performance as well as to multiply spintronic device possibilities and functionalities for a new generation of ultralow-power nonvolatile spintronic systems. This article provides a review of the current development including fundamental physics and experimental implementations of electric-field-controlled ferromagnetism in dilute magnetic semiconductors, voltage control of magnetic anisotropy, spin-orbit-torque-assisted magnetization switching, and antiferromagnetic (AFM) material-based spin-orbitronic systems. We provide an assessment in terms of scaling of energy, speed, and size. Finally, we offer an outlook of electric-field-controlled spintronic applications, particularly in view of their integration with CMOS to form hybrid spintronic circuits.
Environmental Control Costs for Coal Energy Technologies

Recently, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), sponsored an International Symposium on the direct costs of coal pollution abatement.1 This paper presents a summary and comparisons of findings with regard to the costs of environmental control technologies, and on the effect of pollution control on coal’s competitiveness with other energy sources, in four principal areas: (i) coal production and distribution; (ii) the use of coal for electric power generation; (iii) conversions from oil and gas to coal; and (iv) advanced coal-utilisation processes.
Serotonin signaling mediates protein valuation and aging

Limiting the amount of protein eaten, while still eating enough to avoid starving, has an unexpected effect: it can slow down aging and extend the lifespan in many animals from flies to mice. Previous work suggests that how an animal perceives food can also influence how fast the animal ages. For example, both flies and worms actually have shorter lifespans if their food intake is reduced when they can still “smell” food in their environment. However, the sensory cues that trigger changes in lifespan and the molecular mechanisms behind these effects are largely unknown. Ro et al. therefore asked whether fruit flies recognize protein in their food, and if so, whether such a recognition system would influence how the flies age. Flies that had been deprived of food for a brief period tended to eat more protein than other flies that had not been starved. Ro et al. then revealed that serotonin, a brain chemical that can alter the activity of nerve cells, plays a key role in how fruit flies decide to feed specifically on foods that contain protein. Further experiments revealed also that flies age faster when they are allowed to interact with protein in their diet independently from other nutrients, despite eating the same amount. Disrupting any of several components involved in serotonin signaling protected the flies from this effect and led to them living almost twice as long under these conditions. Ro et al. propose that the components of the recognition system work together to determine the reward associated with consuming protein by enhancing how much an animal values the protein in its food. As such, it is this protein reward or value – rather than just eating protein itself – that influences how quickly the fly ages. Further work is now needed to understand how the brain mechanisms that allow animals to perceive and evaluate food act to control lifespan and aging.
Robust maximum-likelihood position estimation in scintillation cameras

The authors derive a robust ML (maximum-likelihood) position estimator that accounts for the statistical uncertainty in LSF (light-speed function) measurements. The form of the robust estimator diminishes contributions from the tails of the LSF, where the relative measurement errors are the largest. To evaluate the estimator, the authors simulated one dimension of a position-sensitive detector similar to those in the SPRINT II system. >
Eagle Syndrome Presenting After Blunt Trauma

As classically described, Eagle syndrome is an entity where patients develop pain or neurologic manifestations arising from an elongated styloid process and/or an ossified stylohyoid ligament irritating or compressing adjacent cranial nerves or the carotid arteries. Over the past few years, there have been reports of actual injury to the internal carotid artery with dissection, occlusion, and strokes. We present 3 cases identified after blunt trauma: 1 due to carotid compression and 2 due to actual injury to the internal carotid artery. Eagle syndrome should be a consideration in any patient with a carotid injury due to blunt trauma or suffering a syncopal episode which led to blunt trauma. Carotid stenting is an effective treatment modality for injury to the carotid artery when anticoagulation is contraindicated. Styloidectomy is performed for symptoms due to carotid artery compression or if there is concern for future carotid injury from the styloid process.
Association between health literacy and diabetes control in a pharmacist-run disease state management clinic

AbstractTo date, studies have shown mixed results regarding the relationship between health literacy and diabetic control. This study examined diabetes control in a clinic run by an advanced practice pharmacist with prescriptive authority who was aware of patients’ health literacy level. The primary objective of this study was to determine if patients with diabetes who have adequate health literacy achieve better A1C control than patients with inadequate health literacy when managed by a pharmacist clinician (PhC) aware of patients’ health literacy status. Of the ninety-six patients included in the study, sixty-three percent had inadequate health literacy. White patients had numerically greater percentage of adequate health literacy than other ethnicities (p = 0.082). The change in A1C was similar between groups [median −0.5% for inadequate health literacy; −1% for adequate health literacy (p = 0.273)]. The no-show rate was also similar between the two groups (p = 0.919). In the multiple linear regression...
Some Refinements of a Methodology for Examining the Influence of Overt and Covert Self-Rules on Task Completion

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of overt and covert self-rule statements on the execution of a chained task by participants with developmental disabilities. A multiple baseline design across participants with multi-element phases embedded was used to evaluate the effects of overt and covert self-rules, alternating with blocking and nonblocking phases, on skill acquisition, generalization, and maintenance, in the absence of explicit reinforcement contingencies for accurate performance. All three participants demonstrated acquisition of the chained task and generalization to novel stimuli. Performance was shown to be only moderately disrupted for some participants during conditions in which the emission of overt and covert self-rules were blocked, raising questions regarding the degree to which a functional relationship between task completion and self-rule statements was obtained. Results are discussed in terms of the practical utility of teaching individuals to respond as listeners to their own emission of overt and covert self-rules as speakers.
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR: ECO-CONSCIOUSNESS IN MARY BARTON AND JANE EYRE

You can continue to thoughtlessly pollute, Ruskin warns his readers, but in so doing you will destroy the earth and end your own existence. Six years earlier, in 1865, Ruskin coined the term “dis-ease” to denote a clear link between ill-being and environmental detachment. He yoked physical and mental health, elucidating “[h]ow literally that word Dis-Ease, the Negation and impossibility of Ease, expressed the entire moral state of our English Industry and its Amusements!” (“Of Kings’ Treasuries” 282). For Ruskin, nineteenth-century mills and factories, despite promising consumer satisfaction, made comfort impossible by endlessly producing frivolous, disposable goods, and thus waste. This needless consumption, a symptom of industry, produced an ignorance of true needs. Dis-ease, mental and bodily discomfort, resulted from alienation from the ecosystem, the networks of dependence between all species, and that estrangement blinded human beings to their actual role in the environment. While Ruskin focused on urban toxicity, the toxic ideological separation between humans and their environment impacted all spaces, a concern that several Victorian writers raised decades earlier than he did. This article traces the salutary cultural anxiety over improper sanitation and contaminants in two popular mid-nineteenth-century novels that demonstrate the effects of anthropogenic pollution in urban and rural environments, respectively. Published almost exactly one year apart, both Elizabeth Gaskell's Mary Barton (1848) and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (1847) invoke what I call eco-consciousness in their description of urban and rural filth, portrayed as both visible and invisible toxins. Gaskell uncovers urban pollution in plain sight, going beyond smell to expose the causes of toxicity, while Bronte challenges the belief in the country as a safe haven from pollution, going beyond beauty to expose rural toxicity. Characters suffer physical disease and mental dis-ease resulting from a poor understanding of ecological relationships. Reading Jane Eyre alongside Mary Barton accentuates Bronte’s use of eco-consciousness to expose the hidden dangers of rural pollution that resulted from the very types of urban toxicity that Gaskell identifies.
Limitations of Secularization and Western Feminism In the Arab World: Religion, Culture, and Identity

With the rise of religious fundamentalist movements and the endurance of practices such as veiling and restrictive marriage laws, it seems that previously accepted western teleological theories such as secularization and feminism have begun losing their general applicability and validity in the modern world. In order to adequately address this issue, it is critical to examine the context under which these Western theories were initially developed, most importantly, taking into account the developmental and consequential failures of the “Secularization Thesis” within the Muslim world, as well as the construction of Western feminism and the limitations of the second wave feminist movement in the Muslim world. By first contextualizing the birth of these two concepts; addressing their limitations; re-contextualizing them within the Muslim world; and offering divergent academic perspectives on the issues, this paper seeks to better ascertain the nuanced religious, cultural, and identity-related elements that underlie the unsuccessful incorporation of these Western concepts into the Muslim world.
In Depth: Interactive Copyright Education for 3D Objects

The growth of makerspaces and 3D services in libraries means new opportunities to utilize library expertise, partnerships, and exemptions to inform patrons about copyright in creative environments. Wide access to 3D printing, trademarks, and patents are relevant topics, but this paper only focuses on copyright. Little to no literature has been produced about how to educate makers about copyright for 3D objects. This paper will present a framework to encourage creators of 3D objects to analyze and interpret copyright information for their own purposes. It also discusses the process of designing and embedding learning tools into the database for SHAPES, a project for inter-library loans of 3D renderings. NOTE: New information about the methods and progress of this project has been added since the Kraemer Copyright Conference.
Increased Postural Demand Is Associated With Greater Cognitive Workload in Healthy Young Adults: A Pupillometry Study

Introduction: Balance tasks require cognitive resources to ensure postural stability. Pupillometry has been used to quantify cognitive workload of various cognitive tasks, but has not been studied in postural control. The current investigation utilized pupillometry to quantify the cognitive workload of postural control in healthy young adults. We hypothesized that cognitive workload, indexed by pupil size, will increase with challenging postural control conditions including visual occlusion and cognitive dual tasking. Methods: Twenty-one young healthy adults (mean ± standard error of the mean), (age = 23.2 ± 0.49 years; 12 females) were recruited for this study. Participants completed four tasks: (1) standing with eyes open; (2) standing with eyes occluded (3) standing with eyes open while performing an auditory Stroop task; and (4) standing with eyes occluded while performing an auditory Stroop task. Participants wore eye tracking glasses while standing on a force platform. The eye tracking glasses recorded changes in pupil size that in turn were converted into the Index of Cognitive Activity (ICA). ICA values were averaged for each eye and condition. A two-way Analysis of Variance with post-hoc Sidak correction for pairwise comparisons was run to examine the effect of visual occlusion and dual tasking on ICA values as well on Center of Pressure (CoP) sway velocity in anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions. A Pearson's correlation coefficient was utilized to determine the relationship between ICA values and CoP sway velocity. Results: Significant within-condition effect was observed with visual occlusion for the right eye ICA values (p = 0.008). Right eye ICA increased from eyes open to eyes occluded conditions (p = 0.008). In addition, a significant inverse correlation was observed between right eye ICA values and CoP sway velocity in the ML direction across all the conditions (r = -0.25, p = 0.02). Conclusion: This study demonstrated support for increased cognitive workload, measured by pupillometry, as a result of changes in postural control in healthy young adults. Further research is warranted to investigate the clinical application of pupillometry in balance assessment.
Fluoremetric determination of methylergonovine maleate and ergonovine maleate in tablets and injections

A column cleanup, followed by a shakeout and fluorometric determination, has been developed to determine methylergonovine maleate and ergonovine maleate in tablets and injections. The ether eluate is extracted with tartaric acid solution. An aliquot is diluted with sodium tartrate solution, and this solution is excited at 325 nm. The resulting fluorescence is measured at 432 nm. Results obtained using this method compare favorably with those from the official NF XIV procedure and a semiautomated procedure. Recoveries of 100 and 99% were obtained from one sample each of spiked excipient tablets of methylergonovine maleate and ergonovine maleate, respectively.
Evidence for a Renal PO4 Leak in Patients with Calcium Nephrolithiasis

Patients having recurrent calcium oxalate and/or apatite nephrolithiasis demonstrate hypophosphatemia but normal rates of glomerular filtration and urinary phosphate excretion in comparison to healthy adults without a personal or family history of renal stones. These observations suggest that stone formers have a defect in net renal tubular reabsorption of filtered PO4. We compared the responses of stone formers and of normal subjects to dietary PO4 deprivation in order to assess whether the lower serum PO4 levels in stone formers are the result of a renal PO4 leak or a resetting of the level at which the kidneys regulate serum PO4 levels. Nine male stone formers and 13 healthy male adults were studied while eating normal diets and then while eating a liquid diet providing only 2 mmol PO4/day for 3 days. (Females were not studied because serum PO4 falls in healthy women deprived of dietary PO4.) During control, serum PO4 averaged 1.30 ± 0.06 SE mmol/L in normals and 1.28 ± 0.06 mmol/L in stone formers, values that are not different for these small groups. Control UPO4V averaged 32.4 ± 1.8 mmol/day in normals and 27.9 ± 2.3 mmol/day in the stone formers. These means are also not significantly different. However, after 3 days of dietary phosphate deprivation, mean serum PO4 concentrations declined by −0.18 ± 0.04 mmol/L in stone formers (p < 0.01) but did not change from control in the normal men (+0.05 ± 0.05 mmol/L; NS). The mean change from control in serum PO4 concentrations in stone formers was also significantly different from the change in normals (p < 0.01). In addition, UPO4V on the 3rd day of dietary PO4 deprivation fell to only 4.5 ± 1.0 mmol/day in stone formers, a value significantly higher than that observed in the normal men of 1.8 ± 0.5 mmol/day (p < 0.02). The observations that stone formers fail to achieve normal maximum renal PO4 conservation and demonstrate a fall in serum PO4 concentration in response to dietary PO4 deprivation provides further support for the view that these patients have a renal PO4 leak. The mechanism of such a leak remains to be determined. The suppression of PTH secretion that accompanies dietary PO4 deprivation in normal subjects could be impaired or delayed among stone formers. Alternatively, stone formers may have a defect in a PTH-independent renal tubular PO4 transport process.
Caching, Money, Magic, Derivatives, Mana and Modern Finance

This paper investigates the nature of investment devices in cross-cultural comparison, placing special attention on the new global issues of hedge fund contracts and side letters, derivatives and other risk spreading concepts and practices. The function of these are compared to the behavior of the inventors and practitioners in other cultures. Similarities are noted with religious formulators and the process of conversion and the operation of the market and credit paralleled with the concept of Mana. This work will provide readers with a context to understand contemporary human economic behavior. Novel structures of symbolic worth are associated with individual presentation and performance. It is obvious that concepts of value and credit have been changing in modern financial culture. What is interesting is that they have been expressing forms that have traditionally been associated with primitive economics. As recruitment activities such behavior takes on similar functions to a number of eusocial animals. Financial behavior then functions in the performance of various strategies in a similar fashion as the good sense model of sexual selection of Darwin (1871).Behavioral ecological theory and many economic models derived from this theory are based on optimization and rational decisions, recent research and that contained in this paper undermine such assumptions. A view toward understanding the current loss of social credit resulting from the subprime collapse is presented along with a means to counter it.
The IgM-IgG switch looked at from a control theoretic viewpoint

For a0 ≤ 1011 cells/cm3 and the other biologically reasonable parameter values used to generate Figures 3 and 4 one can draw the following conclusions: 1) It is better to begin an immune response with LM cells rather than LG cells if the antigen concentration is high (a0 > 1 × 109 cells/cm3). 2) Beginning with only LM cells one can always reduce the time needed to eliminate the antigen by switching to IgG production at an appropriate time. 3) At high antigen doses switching from IgM to IgG production too early can allow the antigen to grow unbounded, switching too late or not at all only lengthens the response time. 4) At low antigen doses it is always better to begin the immune response with LG cells. Switching these LG cells into LM cells provides no advantage to the animal.
Cardiovascular health and ovarian aging

One in three American women will die from cardiovascular disease (CVD), making it the leading cause of death among women in the United States. Traditionally, CVD has been seen as a disease of postmenopausal women, yet increasingly, risk factors for CVD are being characterized earlier. Although menopause, and its associated hypoestrogenism, has been consistently linked to CVD risk, accelerated ovarian aging among premenopausal patients has become a focus of attempts to identify women with increased CVD risk earlier. We present a review of the evidence for the association between early menopause and diminished ovarian reserve with CVD and its risk factors.
Dynamic structure of variability in joint angles and center of mass position during user-driven treadmill walking

Abstract Background Overground locomotion exhibits greater movement variability and less dynamic stability compared to typical fixed-speed treadmill walking. To minimize the differences between treadmill and overground locomotion, researchers are developing user-driven treadmill systems that adjust the speed of the treadmill belts in real-time based on how fast the subject is trying to walk. Research question Does dynamic structure of variability, quantified by the Lyapunov exponent (LyE), of joint angles and center of mass (COM) position differ between a fixed-speed treadmill (FTM) and user-driven treadmill (UTM) for healthy subjects? Methods Eleven healthy, adult subjects walked on a user-driven treadmill that updated its speed in real-time based on the subjects’ propulsive forces, location, step length, and step time, and at a matched speed on a typical, fixed-speed treadmill for 1-minute. The LyE for flexion/extension joint angles and center of mass position were calculated. Results Subjects exhibited higher LyE values of joint angles on the UTM compared to the FTM indicating that walking on the UTM may be more similar to overground locomotion. No change in COM LyE was observed between treadmill conditions indicating that subjects’ balance was not significantly altered by this new training paradigm. Significance The user-driven treadmill may be a more valuable rehabilitation tool for improving gait than fixed-speed treadmill training, as it may increase the effectiveness of transitioning learned behaviors to overground compared to fixed-speed treadmills.
Maintaining clinical pathways: What does it really take?

305Background: Building pathways to support clinical decision making is one step, maintaining them is a mountain. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has built 34 medical oncology (MO) pathways (PWs) and ...
Conservation planning for island nations: Using a network analysis model to find novel opportunities for landscape connectivity in Puerto Rico

Abstract Oceanic islands are important habitats for many endemic species. Global conservation assessments, however, are too coarse to characterize areas of high human influence or landscape connectivity at a resolution that is useful for conservation planning on most islands. Our goal was to identify landscape elements that are essential for the maintenance of structural connectivity among natural habitat patches on islands. Using the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico as a case study, our specific objectives were to: (1) develop a map of the human footprint, and (2) characterize the connectivity of patches exhibiting low human modification that structurally connect the island’s ecological network. We used the human footprint as a measure of impediments to connectivity among Puerto Rico’s natural areas using network analysis. We found that more than half of Puerto Rico’s current land surface had a low human footprint (56%), but that coastal areas were highly affected by human use (82%). Puerto Rico possesses a compact network of natural areas, with a few patches in the interior mountains critical to structural connectivity. The number of isolated patches is very high; more than 60% of the patches were 2000 m or more apart. Identifying sites that are key hubs to connectivity on islands and ensuring they remain undeveloped is one strategy to balance land use and conservation, and to facilitate the persistence of endemic species. We show here how to improve general conservation assessment methods to be more relevant for islands. There is potential to support an interconnected network of natural areas that promotes landscape connectivity in Puerto Rico among non-coastal habitats, because the human activities are concentrated along the coast whereas the interior mountain range has a relatively low human footprint.
Evaluation of Cloud and Precipitation Simulations in CAM6 and AM4 Using Observations Over the Southern Ocean

This study uses cloud and radiative properties collected from in-situ and remote sensing instruments during two coordinated campaigns over the Southern Ocean between Tasmania and Antarctica in Janu...
Monumental mobility: the memory work of Massasoit: by Lisa Blee and Jean M. O’Brien, Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina Press, 2019, 272 pp., $29.95

In 1921, as the nation commemorated the Tercentenary of the Pilgrims’ landing, sculptor Cyrus E. Dallin unveiled his thirteen-foot statue Massasoit in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Commissioned by the I...
Education Policy: Need for Science and Ethics

Metaeconomics clarifies that the essential problem is the lack of education about the essential parts of a truly humane and liberal democracy. Said democracy needs education about the ethical and moral dimension, and not just the material dimension. Education gives the basis for forming a shared Other-interest that works for everyone. Metaeconomics points to how a truly humane and liberal capitalism needs a truly integrated private and public education system. Said system builds on the strengths of each to ensure each person understands, has the capabilities, and can then help build, a more humane system. Widely supported public-education is in the foundation. Private-education can be brought-in to fill in important gaps.
Discrimination in the Mortgage Lending: The Impact on Minority Defaults in the Stafford Loan Program

One troubling finding of researchers analyzing the Stafford Loan program is the high incidence of default among African-Americans. Moreover, other studies have shown that blacks are often discriminated against in obtaining home mortgage loans. Typically, borrowing and repayment decisions within the sectors of the credit market are analyzed in isolation. This paper, however, links the default decision in the student loan market to borrowing expectations in the mortgage home loan market. Given that the primary cost of not repaying one's educational loan is a damaged credit record, for those students who expect to be discriminated against in the credit market following their schooling, this cost is ineffective. This paper reveals economically that African-American Student loan borrowers have made an economically rational decision when they choose to default on their educational loans because they foresee themselves to be excluded from obtaining home mortgage loans whether they repay their student loans or not.
The Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination on California's Return to Normalcy

SARS-CoV-2 has infected nearly 3.7 million and killed 61,722 Californians, as of May 22, 2021. Non-pharmaceutical interventions have been instrumental in mitigating the spread of the coronavirus. How- ever, as we ease restrictions, widespread implementation of COVID- 19 vaccines is essential to prevent its resurgence. In this work, we addressed the adequacy and deficiency of vaccine uptake within California and the possibility and severity of resurgence of COVID-19 as restrictions are lifted given the current vaccination rates. We implemented a real-time Bayesian data assimilation approach to provide projections of incident cases and deaths in California following the reopening of its economy on June 15, 2021. We implemented scenarios that vary vaccine uptake prior to reopening, and transmission rates and effective population sizes following the reopening. For comparison purposes, we adopted a baseline scenario using the current vaccination rates, which projects a total 11,429 cases and 429 deaths in a 15-day period after reopening. We used posterior estimates based on CA historical data to provide realistic model parameters after reopening. When the transmission rate is increased after reopening, we projected an increase in cases by 21.8% and deaths by 4.4% above the baseline after reopening. When the effective population is increased after reopening, we observed an increase in cases by 51.8% and deaths by 12.3% above baseline. A 30% reduction in vaccine uptake alone has the potential to increase cases and deaths by 35% and 21.6%, respectively. Conversely, increasing vaccine uptake by 30% could decrease cases and deaths by 26.1% and 17.9%, respectively. As California unfolds its plan to reopen its economy on June 15, 2021, it is critical that social distancing and public behavior changes continue to be promoted, particularly in communities with low vaccine uptake. The Centers of Disease Controls (CDC) recommendation to ease mask- wearing for fully vaccinated individuals despite major inequities in vaccine uptake in counties across the state highlights some of the logistical challenges that society faces as we enthusiastically phase out of this pandemic.
A near-range plant invasion homogenizes riparian vegetation but leads to more productive bird communities

Biological invasions are a leading driver of biodiversity loss and population declines worldwide. While much research has focused on understanding the effects of long-distance (e.g., cross-continental) invasion, the potential impacts of species that invade close to or within their native ranges are relatively understudied. We investigated the effects of the near-range introduction of a non-native plant, New Mexico locust (Robinia neomexicana), on riparian plant and bird communities in northwestern Colorado, USA. By surveying plant and bird communities and examining nest success and productivity in riparian forest with and without locust, we evaluated the following ecological responses to invasion: (1) tree and shrub richness and density; (2) bird species richness, occupancy, and abundance; and (3) avian reproductive success. Our results demonstrate biotic homogenization of the plant community with increasing intensity of locust invasion, yet we found little evidence for negative effects on avian habitat use or reproductive success. Instead, locust invasion showed a positive effect on nest productivity, with significantly higher brood sizes and numbers of young fledged for nests in invaded habitats compared to those where locust was absent. Because climate change is already leading to shifts in species distribution patterns, we suggest that understanding the ecological consequences of plant invasions that occur within or near historic ranges will advance the science and practice of invasive species biology in a changing world. Our findings of mostly neutral to positive effects of locust suggest that near-range plant invasions may not always negatively impact community structure. LAY SUMMARY Near-range introductions occur when species are brought to areas close to their native ranges. Though much less studied than traditional long-distance invasions, they have the potential to transform native plant and animal communities. New Mexico locust, a fast-growing woody plant, was introduced to a valley in Colorado, USA, near its northern range boundary. We collected data on plants and birds in areas with and without locust and found that locust decreased the diversity of plant species but had neutral to positive impacts on the bird community. Nests located in areas with locust produced more nestlings than those in uninvaded sites, suggesting locust may provide benefits for some songbirds, potentially in the form of enhanced nest protection and/or food availability. Near-range introductions are likely to become more common with climate change; our results suggest these introductions may have mixed effects on plant and animal communities.
What is Brand Archetype Portrait (BAPOR) and How to Calculate Brand Archetype Power (BAPOW)

Why to establish Brand Archetype Portrait (BAPOR) and calculate Brand Archetype Power (BAPOW)? What is the advantage of the portrait? The answer is simple - The portrait of a person shows more character than picture. When we speak about personality, it is logical to try to understand the character of a person throughportrait building than photography. We intend to extent the same principle for strategic brand management and offer a totally new method of brand portrait creation. Therefore, it is interesting to find out how the brand portrait is created. To establish portraits of brands we need meaningful symbols. These symbols can be archetypes of Jung. They are “forms or images of a collective nature which occur practically all over the earth as constituents of myths and at the same time as individual products of unconscious origin” (Jung,1980). As we all know the unconscious was at the center of Jung's interests. Archetypes must help us in Brand Knowledge. “This brand knowledge affects how consumers respond to products, prices, communications, channels and other marketing activity -increasing or decreasing brand value in the process (Keller, 2003)”. To brand archetype portrait idea, we went through the marketing research done at KennesawState University, Coles College of Business. The purpose of the study was to find how some fast-food brands are positioned in the minds of students. Suggesting a totally new tool - Brand Archetype Portrait (BAPOR), we believe it will be a necessary stage in the strategic brand development. Keywords: archetype development, archetypes of Jung, branding, brand personality, strategic brand management, strategic marketingJEL: M31
Effect of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Size on Mid-Term Mortality After Endovascular Repair.

Abstract Background Previous studies have suggested that large preoperative AAA size may impact late survival after elective EVAR. It is unclear, however, whether this association applies to patients with smaller AAA between 5.0-5.5 cm, who constitute a substantial portion of patients undergoing elective EVAR. The purpose of this study was to delineate the effect of AAA size between 5.0 and 5.5 cm on mid-term mortality after EVAR by analyzing a large national cohort, the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) database. Methods Using the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) national database, patients who underwent EVAR for intact AAA between 2003 and 2018 were identified and stratified based on maximal AAA diameter into 3 groups: Group 1 (4.0 cm ≤ AAA Results The study included 32,398 patients, of whom 81% were men with a mean age of 74. The most common group who underwent EVAR was Group 2 (5.0 cm ≤ AAA Conclusion Our analysis found that over 40% of EVAR in the national VQI cohort were performed for AAA
Metabolic and inflammatory risk reduction in response to lipid-lowering and lifestyle modification in the medically underserved individuals

Introduction Medically underserved (US) populations have an increased level of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk, however, few studies investigated ASCVD risk reduction in US. Methods Of 217 subjects with ApoB ≥120 mg/dL and carotid atherosclerosis (≥15% stenosis by ultrasound) enrolled in the Carotid Plaque Composition by MRI (CPC) study between 2005 and 2011, US (n=33) was defined as those without adequate healthcare insurance, while AS (n=184) included those with adequate healthcare coverage. All subjects received atorvastatin-based lipid therapies and lifestyle intervention for 2 years. Metabolic and inflammatory risk factors were compared between AS and US. Results At baseline, compared to AS, US displayed higher levels of metabolic and inflammatory risk including systolic blood pressure (140±27 vs. 131±18 mmHg, p=0.04), fasting glucose (125±59 vs. 102±22 mg/dL, p=0.03) and fasting insulin (39±33 vs. 28±20 µU/dL, p=0.03) which resulted in higher insulin resistance (HOMA-IR 2.2±0.4 vs. 1.3±0.1, p=0.03), and hsCRP (5.6±1.5 vs. 2.8±0.2 mg/L, p=0.03). Over 2 years of intervention, US and AS showed similar reductions in LDL-C (-10.7% vs. -16% per year, p=0.2), triglycerides (-16.7% vs. -15.9% per year, p=0.4), and hsCRP (-0.11% vs. -0.04% per year, p=0.1). However, US continued to show significantly higher levels of fasting blood glucose (115±6.0 vs. 101±2.0 mg/dL, p=0.03) and HOMA-IR (1.9±0.2 vs. 1.5±0.1, p=0.047), and hsCRP (3.9±0.7 vs. 1.9±0.2 mg/L, p<0.001) than AS following 2 years of interventions. Conclusions US displayed higher ASCVD risk than AS at baseline and over 2 years despite similar reductions following the intervention. These findings highlight the unmet needs for improved intervention strategies and implementation methods for ASCVD risk reduction in US. Clinical Trial Registration NCT00715273 at ClinicalTrials.gov.
'Voluntary' Sterilization of the Mentally Retarded

It may be that the era of explicit compulsory sterilization is slowly drawing to a close. The effort to purify the American gene pool through sterilization of misfits which began in earnest at the turn of the Century seems to be losing much of its political base. Of course, the United States Supreme Court’s favorable holding as to the constitutionality of the compulsory sterilization of Carrie Buck on the ground that “(t)hree generations of imbeciles are enough” (1) has never been explicitly overruled. But compelling arguments have been made (2) that the case would not be decided the same way today under the strict equal protection and due process standards which have been developed in the areas of marriage and procreation in the 50 years since the decision in Buck v. Bell. Moreover, the last 50 years have also seen a significant change in scientific opinion regarding the degree of threat which reproduction by “misfits” poses to our society (3, 4). As a result, one author has claimed in a recent article that “(w)hile ethical and psychological assessments of sterilization may differ, few would deny that the operation should be performed only upon those who knowingly consent to it” (2).
Effects of plasma impurities on materials erosion and mixing in a steady state magnetic fusion device : A comparison between beryllium and tungsten

Data review and modeling on the effects of plasma impurities on materials erosion and mixing under steady-state plasma bombardment are presented in this paper. Non-condensible plasma impurities such as oxygen will interact with surfaces under recycling conditions to enhance materials erosion. In contrast, condensible impurities such as carbon can either recycle or be redeposited over the host materials surface. Due to the masking effect, redeposited impurity films can reduce or completely eliminate host materials erosion. The critical condition to turnover from recycling to redeposition has been described in terms of impurity-to-fuel plasma flux ratio. Because of their high surface reflectivities, high-Z materials such as tungsten are found to require substantially more impurity contents for redeposition than low-Z materials such as beryllium. Enhanced erosion of tungsten and beryllium due to oxygen and carbon impurities has been compared under recycling conditions. Interestingly, trace amounts of recycling impurities can significantly enhance tungsten erosion whereas this effect on beryllium erosion is barely noticeable.
Making Sense of War: An Autobiographical Account of a Vietnam War Correspondent

This article presents and discusses the author's experiences as an Associated Press reporter covering the Vietnam War in the 1960s. The author presents vignettes of some of the people and events that made the greatest impressions on him, along with brief analyses of these stories. Following this he provides a retrospective examination of broader issues related to news coverage, including the emotional makeup of war correspondents, the role of journalists in creating news, and some organizational factors that influence the way news is reported.
Engineering thermoplastic resins for coil forms and encapsulation

Demand is exploding for high-performance coil forms and encapsulated coils and electronic devices. These components are essential for electronic control and safety systems in the automobiles of the 1990s, controls and power supplies for appliances, electronic lighting ballasts and the development of electric vehicles for the 21st century. In response, engineering polymer suppliers have developed a series of products capable of handling coil form requirements with UL 1446/IEC 85 electrical insulation systems (EISs) from Class B (130/spl deg/C) to Class R (220/spl deg/C) applications. Encapsulation polymers recognized in systems for Classes B, F and H have been developed, and a specialty polymer has been introduced for encapsulating automotive and other electrical components.
Dispositional mindfulness: A critical review of construct validation research.

Abstract Interest in mindfulness has risen exponentially in recent years, yet it remains unclear whether dispositional mindfulness represents a distinct and valid psychological construct. Mapping dispositional mindfulness onto well-established personality constructs is essential for developing and testing theoretical models of mindfulness. The current paper presents a critical review of dispositional mindfulness that examines historical context, operational definitions, measurement, and convergent and discriminant validity across personality domains. It is concluded that dispositional mindfulness: (a) is a multidimensional construct reflecting the focus and quality of attention, (b) appears to exist independently from other forms of mindfulness, such as learned or cultivated mindfulness, and (c) demonstrates associations with well-established personality traits, such as neuroticism and conscientiousness, yet appears to be conceptually unique. Whether dispositional mindfulness should be considered a basic tendency or a characteristic adaptation is fodder for future research. Additionally, research examining specific mechanisms underlying dispositional mindfulness (e.g., cognitive skills, attitudes) is needed to strengthen ongoing construct validation efforts. Researchers are encouraged to capitalize on the growing evidence base and approach DM as a unique individual difference factor strongly rooted in developmental, cognitive, and personality disciplines.
Digoxin and endotoxin: A lethal pro-inflammatory combination

The precise pathogenesis o f the inf lammatory process o f intestinal non-occlusive ischemia which can result in intestinal gangrene in patients receiving digoxin (DIG), a cardiotonic drug, is debatable. To prove the hypothesis that, in addit ion to the vasoconstr ic tor effect o f D I G and a cardiac-induced low-flow state [1], accelerated coagulation leading to thrombosis in the intestinal microvasculature is responsible for this lethal condition, this study was carried out. To demonst ra te the presence o f hypercoagulabil i ty, the modified recalcification time (MRT) test was utilized. The M R T is made highly sensitive by incorporat ing both the cellular (platelet and monocyte) and the chemical part icipants in the assessment o f hypercoagulabil i ty. Details o f the rationale and me thodo logy of the M R T were summarized in a recent report [2].
Bipolar radiofrequency cold ablation turbinate reduction for obstructive inferior turbinate hypertrophy

In order to determine the efficacy of Coblation inferior turbinate reduction for obstructive inferior turbinate hypertrophy, we conducted a prospective study of 31 adult patients undergoing treatment with the Coblation technique. Patients with symptomatic inferior turbinate hypertrophy unresponsive to medical management were assessed preoperatively with a symptom-directed questionnaire and the Rhinosinusitis Symptom Inventory (RSI). Patients then underwent office-based inferior turbinate reduction under local anesthesia with the Coblation technique. Postoperative assessments were conducted at 6 wk and 3 mo after the procedure. Complications of the procedure and pain scores were also tabulated. Thirty patients completed the Coblation treatment. Preoperative symptom scores for degree of nasal obstruction, time with nasal obstruction, nasal congestion, and overall severity of nasal symptoms were 3.5, 3.7, 3.2, and 3.6, respectively (Likert scale, 1–5). The mean changes in symptom variables at 6 wk were −0.8, −0.8, −0.8, and −1.0, respectively, whereas the mean changes at 3 mo were −1.4, −1.0, −0.7, and −1.4, respectively. Each of these reductions in symptoms was statistically significant (p p =.11 at 3 mo). Reductions in the facial, systemic and overall symptom domains of the RSI were noted at 6 weeks, but these improvements lessened at 3 mo postprocedure. Epistaxis occurred in one patient; narcotic pain requirements were minimal. These results indicate that Coblation inferior turbinate reduction is an effective treatment for the obstructive nasal symptoms associated with inferior turbinate hypertrophy.