cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Safety and efficacy of the endoscopic modified Lothrop procedure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives/Hypothesis: The endoscopic modified Lothrop procedure (EMLP; also known as Draf III or frontal drillout) has recently gained popularity as a minimally invasive alternative to frontal sinus obliteration. This systematic analysis was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the EMLP. Study Design: Literature review and meta-analysis. Methods: We performed a search of all English studies published from 1990 to 2008 that reported results from a minimum of five patients undergoing the EMLP. Of the 33 papers reviewed, 18 studies (evidence level II-2 or II-3) containing data from 612 patients met inclusion criteria. Results: The most common indications for EMLP were chronic frontal sinusitis (75.2%) and mucocele (21.3%). Patients had an average age of 47.9 years (range, 14-89 years) and were followed for 28.5 months postoperatively. Only 20.3% of procedures were performed without image-guidance. Stents were rarely used (6%). The rate of major and minor complications was <1% and 4%, respectively. No deaths were reported. A majority of patients were discharged within 24 hours. Postoperative endoscopic findings, qualitatively reported in 394 patients, demonstrated frontal sinus patency or partial stenosis in 95.9% at last follow-up. Where specifically assessed (n = 430 patients), improvement in symptoms was achieved in 82.2% of cases, with 16% reporting no significant change, and 1.2% reporting worsening of symptoms. The overall failure rate (requiring further surgery) of EMLP was 13.9% (85/612). Of the failures, 80% underwent revision EMLP, whereas 20% elected osteoplastic frontal sinus obliteration. Conclusions: When performed by an experienced surgeon, EMLP is a safe and efficacious procedure that is well tolerated.
Determinants of Perceived Fairness of Performance Evaluations

Middle managers from three organizational samples responded to an open-ended questionnaire in which they described the determinants of particularly fair or unfair performance appraisals. By Qsort procedure, the responses were categorized and combined to yield seven distinct determinants of fairness in performance evaluations. Ratings of the perceived importance of these determinants were factor analyzed, revealing two distinct factors---procedural determinants and distributive determinants. The implications of the reported determinants are discussed with respect to existing research and theory on justice in organizations.
ON THE CENTER OF ZERO-DIVISOR AND IDEAL-DIVISOR GRAPHS OF FINITE COMMUTATIVE RINGS

This paper is concerned with investigating the center and radius of zero-divisor and ideal-divisor graphs of finite commutative rings. In particular, we examine the interplay between the center and cut-sets of zero-divisor graphs. Of interest are conditions that need to be met in order for either of these sets to contain the other. We then explore the radius and central sets of ideal-divisor graphs, particularly the classification of the center via radius results.
On a Self-Organizing MANET Event Routing Architecture with Causal Dependency Awareness

Publish/subscribe (P/S) is a communication paradigm of growing popularity for information dissemination in large-scale distributed systems. The strong decoupling between information producers and consumers in P/S systems is attractive for loosely coupled and dynamic network infrastructures such as mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). However, achieving end-to-end timeliness and reliability properties when P/S events are causally dependent is an open problem in MANETs. In this paper, we propose an architecture design for event routing in MANET that can effectively support timely and reliable event delivery with awareness of event causal dependencies. Our design features a two layer structure, including novel distributed algorithms and mechanisms for P/S tree construction and maintenance with self-organization capabilities. Our simulation-based experimental studies illustrate the architecture's effectiveness.
Construction and nonclinical testing of a Puumala virus synthetic M gene-based DNA vaccine

Puumala virus (PUUV) is a causative agent of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Although PUUV-associated HFRS does not result in high case-fatality rates, the social and economic impact is considerable. There is no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutic to prevent or treat HFRS. Here we report the synthesis of a codon-optimized, full-length M segment open reading frame and its cloning into a DNA vaccine vector to produce the plasmid pWRG/PUU-M(s2). pWRG/PUU-M(s2) delivered by gene gun produced high-titer neutralizing antibodies in hamsters and nonhuman primates. Vaccination with pWRG/PUU-M(s2) protected hamsters against infection with PUUV but not against infection by related HFRS-associated hantaviruses. Unexpectedly, vaccination protected hamsters in a lethal disease model of Andes virus (ANDV) in the absence of ANDV cross-neutralizing antibodies. This is the first evidence that an experimental DNA vaccine for HFRS can provide protection in a hantavirus lethal disease model.
Mice Naturally Resistant to Yersinia pestis Δpgm Strains Commonly Used in Pathogenicity Studies

We report that females of some substrains of inbred mouse strain 129 are resistant to systemic plague due to conditionally virulent Δpgm strains of Yersinia pestis; however, fully virulent Y. pestis is not attenuated in these mice. Therefore, these mice offer a powerful system in which to map in parallel host resistance traits and opposing bacterial virulence properties for plague.
Famciclovir-Induced Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis

ObjectiveTo report a case of famciclovir-induced leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV).Case Summary:A 67-year-old white female presented to the hospital for evaluation of large, bilateral palpable purpura; coalescing ulcers with centra! eschars; and small, red violaceous papules on her legs and groin. Approximately 2 months prior to this hospitalization, the woman was diagnosed with shingles of her left T1–T2 nerve distribution and was treated with famciclovir 500 mg 3 times daily, which was her first exposure to this medication. Her shingles resolved; however, on day 4 of treatment, she began to notice red spots on both of her legs that began to progressively blister and increase in size. She discontinued famciclovir at that time. The rash persisted and spread to her abdomen, groin, legs, feet, and toes. She underwent punch biopsy that revealed LCV. Workup was negative for antinuclear antibody, rheumatoid factor, hepatitis B and C virus, peri nuclear-staining antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, cytoplasmi...
The guidant ancure bifurcation endograft: five-year follow-up

The aim of this study was to provide a 5-year update on the Guidant/Ancure bifurcated endograft clinical trial. The Guidant trial was a prospective, nonrandomized comparative control designed to evaluate the immediate and long-term results of a bifurcated endograft repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm compared with an open control group. The experimental group consisted of 573 patients, all of whom were followed up for one year, a cadre of 319 patients who were followed up for 5 years, and the control group that consisted of 111 patients who were also followed up for 5 years. A total of 92.7% of the endograft patients underwent successful implantation. Thirty-day mortality rate for the endovascular group was 1.7% compared with 2.7% for the open repair group (P value, not significant). Endovascular repair showed statistically significant improvement in items of resource utilization including reduced blood loss, reduced utilization of intensive care unit (ICU), and shortened hospital stay. There was also a statistically significant reduction in major morbid events (28.8% aggregate) when compared with open surgical control (41.1% aggregate). At the end of the 5-year interval, there was no statistically significant difference in survival rate between the 2 groups, and no patient in the endograft group suffered from aneurysm sac rupture. Endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm using a Guidant bifurcated graft resulted in a statistically significant reduction of perioperative morbidity, was conserving of hospital resources, has a comparable long-term survival with open surgical repair, and protected patients from aneurysm rupture when followed up to 5 years.
Autonomous identification and detection for multi-gigabit photonic assisted wireless links

We report a new DSP architecture that identifies multi-gigabit photonic assisted RF signals with minimum prior knowledge of the received signal. Experimental investigation demonstrates successful identification of optically generated RF carriers modulated with 3.2 Gbaud BPSK/ QPSK/ 8QAM/ 16QAM, after wireless transmission over 1 m in the V-band.
Interlaboratory Study of the Cold Vapor Technique for Total Mercury in Water

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a joint study of the cold vapor technique for total mercury in water, before formal acceptance of the method by each organization. The method employs an acid-permanganate-persulfate oxidation step with heat. Following Youden's design. samples were prepared in pairs as similar yet different concentrates in sealed glass anipuls. Analysts added an aliquot of each to distilled water and to a natural water of choice. Single analyses were made on each sample and recoveries compared. Results from 90 analysts showed a positive bias of 53 to 99 percent and a relative deviation of 07 to 79 percent at the minimum detectable level of 0.2 μg/liter. At the 0.5 μg/liter level, the bias was still positive but reduced to 18 to 32 percent whereas the relative deviation held at 55 to 80 percent. At the 3 to 10 μg/liter level, the bias was small (-7 to +4 percent) and the relative deviation was reduced to a 30 to 40 percent level. Natural waters exerted little effect on the precision or accuracy of the method.
Recent Advances in Gel Permeation Chromatography

Abstract Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), sometimes referred to as size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), has progressed at an almost explosive rate since its introduction less than two decades ago. One has only to refer to the open literature or thumb through the list of Chromatographic equipment manufacturers anxious to sell their latest innovation to be fully convinced of this fact. Because of the extensive progress in GPC technique and instrumentation, the author had a very difficult time in deciding the scope of this review. Mindful that he may be criticized of being myopic in his presentation of the most significant and recent contributions and guilty of gross omission of important references, the author has nevertheless decided to narrow the scope to three major areas and a few key references. The three major areas to be covered are: (1) data acquisition and processing, (2) high-pressure chromatography and (3) detectors. Extensive progress has been made in the computerization of both data acquisi...
SLAP Lesions and Biceps Tendon Pathology

Pathology of the superior glenoid labrum, biceps anchor, and long head biceps tendon is a well-established etiology of shoulder pain. The clinical diagnosis of SLAP or long head biceps pathology is challenging, as coexistent pathology is frequently present and symptoms of pathology at each site are often indistinguishable. A careful history, physical examination including provocative maneuvers, and imaging as dictated from the exam are key in establishing an appropriate diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remains the imaging technique of choice for patients with suspected SLAP tears or long head biceps pathology. Surgical intervention can be pursued when nonsurgical measures have failed. Treatment options are numerous and should be individualized to the patient based on age, functional status, and injury characteristics and include arthroscopic SLAP repair, arthroscopic or open biceps tenodesis, or arthroscopic biceps tenotomy.
Pigments of Our Imagination: On the Racialization and Racial Identities of “Hispanics” and “Latinos”

I have been telling my students since the 1970s that “race is a pigment of our imagination.” The play on words of the definition is meant as a double entendre, both to debunk baseless biological pretensions and to focus attention on the social, legal, and political construction of categories meant to put people “in their place” in hierarchies of power and privilege. “Race” is a social status, not a zoological one; a product of history, not of nature; a contextual variable, not a given. It is a historically contingent, relational, intersubjective phenomenon-yet it is typically misbegotten as a natural, fixed marker of phenotypic difference inherent in human bodies, independent of human will or intention. What is called “race” is largely the sociopolitical accretion of past intergroup contacts and struggles,which establish the boundaries and thus the identities of victors and vanquished, of dominant and subordinate groups, of “us” and “them,” with their attendant conceits of superiority and inferiority and invidious taxonomies of social worth or stigma. As such, “race” is an ideological construct linking supposedly innate traits of individuals to their rank and fate in the social order. Racial statuses and categories (and the putative differences they connote) are imposed and infused with stereotypical moral meaning, all the more when they become master statuses affecting all aspects of social life. The dominant “racial frame” (Feagin, 2006) that evolved in what became the United States, during the long colonial and national era of slavery and after it, was that of white supremacy. Benjamin Franklin’s words in the epigraph above are illustrative; they were written in 1751, a quarter of a century before he signed the Declaration of Independence with no hint of irony, back when not even Germans were imagined to be “white,” mixing nativism and racism in what would become a familiar, habitual American blend.
244 RELATIONSHIP OF SERUM AND VITREOUS VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR (VEGF), INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR I, AND SOLUBLE VEGFR-1 IN A RAT MODEL FOR RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY.

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is necessary for vascular growth in the neonatal retina by acting as a permissive factor for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) angiogenic activity. Low IGF-I levels in serum from extremely premature newborn infants were found to be predictive for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Soluble VEGFR-1 (sVEGFR-1) blocks VEGF activity by binding VEGF and preventing activation of its receptors. We examined the relationship of serum and vitreous VEGF, sVEGFR-1, and IGF-I in rats exposed to repeated cycles of hyperoxia with brief episodes of hypoxia (simulating oxygen fluctuations seen in preterm infants). At birth (P0), newborn rats were exposed to alternating cycles of 50% oxygen followed by brief episodes of 12% oxygen for 7 and 14 days. Rats were sacrificed immediately following 7-day (7DO2) or 14-day (14DO2) hyperoxia or allowed to recover in room air until P21 (7DO2/14DRA and 14DO2/7DRA). Room air littermates were sacrificed at P7 (7DRA), P14 (14DRA), and P21 (21DRA). Retinal vasculature; and serum and vitreous levels of VEGF, sVEGFR-1, and IGF-I were examined. All hyperoxia-exposed retinas displayed evidence of neovascularization with “plus disease.” In the serum, VEGF levels (pg/mL) were elevated with 7DO2/14DRA (15.4 ± 1.3, p
The Set Pair Analysis Method for Indoor Air Quality Assessment

The indoor air quality is characterized with uncertainty.The subjective evaluation method for indoor air quality is adopted before,but this method is obviously not so good.The Set Pair Analysis(SPA) is a new theory for the treatment of indeterminate problems.This paper,taking indoor air quality as the assessment indicator,applies the SPA theory and advances a new method to evaluate civil architecture indoor air quality.After authentication,the method not only takes full account of people's subjective feelings,but also takes an objective evaluation,so it is a more desirable indoor air quality evaluation method.
MR perfusion imaging in oncology: Neuro applications

Introduction The application of perfusion MRI in clinical neuro-oncology hinges upon the differential expression of angiogenic processes within neoplastic tissues when compared with surrounding normal brain. All neoplastic tissues rely upon the formation of new blood vessels, a biological process known as angiogenesis, to constantly supply nutrients and remove metabolic waste materials. Angiogenesis is a complex biological process that is upregulated by a number of cytokines, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is released within tumors, endothelial cells, and surrounding immune cells [1–5]. As tumor growth occurs beyond its existing blood supply, regional cellular hypoxic and hypoglycemic conditions ensue. This change within the cellular microenvironment promotes the transcription of VEGF that ultimately results in endothelial mitosis, cellular migration, and the formation of new microvasculature, thereby improving tumor nutrient supply that is essential to continued tumor growth and development [1–7]. VEGF expression and angiogenesis is known to vary by tumor type and grade. VEGF expression within gliomas and meningiomas has been associated with increased tumor grade and expression of histologically aggressive vascular features [8–11]. Tumor-related VEGF expression ultimately leads to the abnormal development of microvasculature, resulting in elevated vascular density with disrupted flow characteristics [12–14]. The observation that angiogenesis plays a critical role in tumor growth has led to the development of therapeutic agents which directly inhibit angiogenic activity. The clinical implementation of anti-angiogenic chemotherapeutics has necessitated histological and imaging-based quantification of angiogenic activity.
OPTIMAL REPLACEMENT OF COMPONENTS SUBJECT TO DEGRADATION

ABSTRACT Many of civil engineering structures and constructed facilities throughout the world are in a condition of serious deterioration. This deterioration causes significant degradation in their mechanical properties and their ability to perform the intended functions without failure. Indeed, the degradation is accelerated by exposure to environmental conditions that contain sulfur dioxide and other oxidation agents. Moreover, infrequent actions such as earthquake, fire and improper use or maintenance result in acceleration of the structure degradation. Therefore, it is important to develop reliability models, based on degradation data, which accurately determine the residual life of structures. In this paper, we propose a reliability model that utilizes the degradation data obtained from a structural component. We then determine the residual life of such component.
On time-stressed team collaboration

We extend the concept of timed Petri nets to explicitly capture timing constraints and collaboration points along a team process. Several properties of the model are examined. It can be employed as a collaboration mechanism for agents operating in a dynamic, time-stressed environment.
Functional resistance activities to impact frailty: A protocol for a randomized controlled trial involving home care aide and frail older adult dyads.

Abstract Background A growing number of older adults use in-home Medicaid Waiver Home and Community Based services (HCBS) to facilitate aging-in-place. A primary service of this program is Home Care Aide assistance with activities of daily living and homemaker needs. Despite the known benefits of exercise, exercise programs are currently not offered to clients in the Medicaid Waiver system. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to describe a six-month Home Care Aide-led resistance exercise intervention protocol for frail older adults receiving Medicaid waiver services. Methods/design A randomized controlled trial will be used. We will enroll 126 Home Care Aide-client dyads for a 6-month exercise intervention. The intervention will consist of training phases to promote muscle strength, power, and endurance. We will use an intention to treat principle using mixed effects models for the quantitative outcomes. To analyze qualitative outcomes, we will use conventional content analysis to examine themes from participant program evaluations. Discussion As greater numbers of adults age in place with frailty and employ Home Care Aides to help manage functional limitations, interventions embedded within usual care services play a critical role in bringing exercise into the home setting. The research described in this protocol will provide important knowledge about the impact of a Home Care Aide-led exercise intervention in reducing frailty in older adults. Clinical Trials Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02942992;
Branding: A Very Short Introduction

Branding is possibly the most powerful commercial and cultural force on the planet. Iconic names such as Coca-Cola, Nike, Manchester United, Harry Potter, and Google are known and recognized by millions of people worldwide. As the market economy spreads across the world, brands are becoming ever more prevalent. The Apple brand has been valued at $98 billion - more than the GDP of Slovakia. Every day, we're exposed to more than 3500 brand messages. And even though people are increasingly brand-aware and brand-sceptical, they are nevertheless seduced by brands. We may reject the whole brand system, but we still wouldn't be parted from our Apple Macs. Brands are impossible to escape. In this Very Short Introduction Robert Jones discusses the rising omnipresence of brands, and analyses how they work their magic. He considers the incredible potency of brands as a commercial, social, and cultural force, and looks at the many different kinds of brands that exist - from products, services, and artistic properties, to companies, charities, sports clubs, and political parties. Defining what we mean by the word 'brand', he explores both the positive and negative aspects of brands. Finally Jones considers the business of branding, and asks whether the idea of brands and branding is starting to decline, or whether it has a long future ahead.
Reducing antibiotic utilization rate in preterm infants: a quality improvement initiative.

Judicious use of antibiotic therapy in preterm infants is necessary as prolonged and unwarranted use of antibiotics have been associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. Our baseline data review revealed overuse and unnecessary prolonged antibiotic exposure among preterm infants despite a low suspicion for sepsis. The baseline overall AUR was calculated retrospectively from our pharmacy database for a period of 4 months prior to the quality improvement (QI) initiative (pre-QI phase). The principal QI intervention included the development and implementation of guidance algorithms for evaluation and management of suspected sepsis incorporating key QI measures, such as an emphasis on early discontinuation of antibiotics by 36 h if blood culture remained negative and the introduction of multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for early identification of causative organisms. This QI initiative was implemented through multiple Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, starting in February 2016 (QI phase), with an objective to achieve a 10% reduction in the baseline overall AUR by December 2016, in preterm infants with gestational ages between 250/7 and 336/7 weeks. Data for the QI phase of the study were collected prospectively. The overall AUR (outcome measure) decreased from 154.8 to 138.4 days of treatment per 1000 hospital days (10.6% decrease, p < 0.05) over the 11-month period. However, the overall rate of adherence to guidance algorithm (process measure) remained below the target goal of 90%. This multiphase QI initiative was able to reduce the overall AUR at our NICU. The beneficial impact of this decrease in AUR in preterm infants remains to be determined.
Author Reply: Arousal Reappraisal as an Affect Regulation Strategy:

The biopsychosocial (BPS) model of challenge and threat posits that resource and demand appraisals interact in situations of acute stress to determine affective responses, and concomitant physiolog...
Leave the levofloxacin? A case report of levofloxacin-induced psychosis

Fluoroquinolones, including levofloxacin, exhibit desirable antimicrobial characteristics, including broad spectrum of activity and excellent bioavailability. This widely prescribed class of antibiotics has come under scrutiny due to a new black box warning of adverse reactions. Central nervous system effects have been sparsely described in previous literature. We present a case of levofloxacin-induced psychosis in a patient without underlying psychological history.
Experimental findings for velocity profiles and boundary layer thickness of Blasius flow

Blasius flat plate flow theory is one of the basic fluid mechanics studies which deal with the flow properties inside boundary layer. In this work, Blasius flat plate flow was analyzed experimentally and velocity profiles and boundary layer thickness measurements were equated with theoretical findings. Moreover, the variation of velocity profiles along the length of plate were also analyzed. Boundary layer thickness and velocity values at different positions along the length of plate have been plotted in order to find the practicality of Blasius equations. The Boundary layer thickness variation has been determined by interpolation and extrapolation of the flow velocity. A lot of efforts have been done over a period of time to find analytical solution for Blasius nonlinear differential equations. The empirical findings of this work were then compared with one of the theoretical solution and comparison was drawn. This experimentation work is particularly helpful in relating theoretical concepts to experience and will facilitate in teaching core concepts of fluid mechanics to predict flow behavior from direct observations.
Living Between Sickness and Health: Where Is the Human Genome Leading Us?

In recent years, much research has been done on genetic links to disease risk and development. The human genome contains thousands of SNPs or single nucleotide polymorphisms. These SNPs account for much of the variance between people; therefore, it makes sense that the SNPs could also reveal the variance in health between people. This chapter delves into common diseases that appear later in life and potential genetic risk factors for the diseases. Recent research has created ties between genome polymorphisms and cancer, cardiovascular health, and mental health. Identification of the polymorphisms could lead to a future of personalized medicine, where a patient’s genome would be used to assess risk of illness and prevent complications to the fullest extent. In some disease states, such as breast cancer, genomic research is already being used clinically to identify women at high risk of development. In other disease states, research is only just beginning to identify genetic loci that could be responsible for development. This chapter is meant to answer the following question: how much of our health can we control, and what role does genetic variation play in disease development?
The Biology of the Oligodendrocyte

Certain problems in defining the oligodendrocyte cell type should be pointed out at the onset. The interfascicular oligodendrocyte is commonly defined as the cell responsible for the formation and maintenance of central myelin. Direct demonstration of the connections between oligodendrocyte somas and myelin sheaths is inherently very difficult, however, and it is possible that there are substantial numbers of cells in white matter, resident among the myelinrelated oligodendrocytes, that do not directly husband myelin segments. This possibility must be seriously considered because it is now known from tissueculture studies (detailed in Section 6) that oligodendrocytes may express myelin-specific components when not directly connected to myelin sheaths. Also, recent detailed studies of remyelination in adult white matter suggest that glial reserve or stem cells (resident, but as yet unrecognized, in white matter) are responsible for the production of new oligodendrocytes prior to remyelination.
A New Perspective on Damage Accumulation, Marker Processes, and Weibull’s Distribution

This chapter is in two interrelated parts. The two parts share the common feature that items fail when one random variable crosses a fixed or random threshold. Section II of this chapter pertains to Wallodi Weibull’s model for material failure and the genesis of the famous distribution that bears his name. Section I of this chapter is more generic, because it is germane to the failure of biological entities as well. Its key feature is that a stochastic process viewpoint is adopted, and the hitting times of the process to a random threshold drive the failure phenomenon. By contrast Weibull’s classic work does not take a process point of view, but is grounded in fracture mechanics; thus it has a stronger connection with engineering science. Weibull’s work has some errors and unrealistic assumptions. However, it provides a platform for a synergestic enhancement of the first part of this chapter. This enhancement(s) remain to be explored.
Introduction: Public Policy and Family Economics in US History

This chapter provides an introduction to the types of economic decisions that have challenged US families throughout our history and how public policy creates incentives for families to allocate their resources in ways that meet the country’s economic needs by affecting economic parameters such as prices, income constraints, property rights, and preferences. It looks closely at how three types of policies affected families’ resource allocation decisions: child labor laws and compulsory schooling, the Homestead Act of 1862, and married women’s property laws which changed the coverture laws the United States had adopted from the common law of England. By exploring how these policies affected family economic decision-making, it previews the economics and policies that will be presented in later chapters.
Ecological model of school engagement and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in school-aged children.

School engagement protects against negative mental health outcomes; however, few studies examined the relationship between school engagement and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using an ecological framework. The aims were to examine: (1) whether school engagement has an independent protective association against the risk of ADHD in children, and (2) whether environmental factors have an association with ADHD either directly or indirectly via their association with school engagement. This cross-sectional study used data from the 2011–2012 National Survey of Children’s Health, which collected information about children’s mental health, family life, school, and community. The sample contained 65,680 children aged 6–17 years. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the direct association of school engagement and ADHD and indirect associations of latent environmental variables (e.g., family socioeconomic status (SES), adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), environmental safety, and neighborhood amenities) and ADHD. School engagement had a direct and inverse relationship with ADHD (β = − 0.35, p < 0.001) such that an increase in school engagement corresponds with a decrease in ADHD diagnosis. In addition, family SES (β = − 0.03, p = 0.002), ACEs (β = 0.10, p < 0.001), environment safety (β = − 0.10, p < 0.001), and neighborhood amenities (β = − 0.01, p = 0.025) all had an indirect association with ADHD via school engagement. In conclusion, school engagement had a direct association with ADHD. Furthermore, environmental correlates showed indirect associations with ADHD via school engagement. School programs targeted at reducing ADHD should consider family and community factors in their interventions.
Discriminative stimuli are sufficient for incubation of cocaine craving

In abstinent drug addicts, cues formerly associated with drug-taking experiences gain relapse-inducing potency ('incubate') over time. Animal models of incubation may help develop treatments to prevent relapse, but these models have ubiquitously focused on the role of conditioned stimuli (CSs) signaling drug delivery. Discriminative stimuli (DSs) are unique in that they exert stimulus-control over both drug taking and drug seeking behavior and are difficult to extinguish. For this reason, incubation of the excitatory effects of DSs that signal drug availability, not yet examined in preclinical studies, could be relevant to relapse prevention. We trained rats to self-administer cocaine (or palatable food) under DS control, then investigated DS-controlled incubation of craving, in the absence of drug-paired CSs. DS-controlled cocaine (but not palatable food) seeking incubated over 60 days of abstinence and persisted up to 300 days. Understanding the neural mechanisms of this DS-controlled incubation holds promise for drug relapse treatments.
Good Boundaries Make Good Neighbors: Boundary Management—Tearing Down the Walls and Fostering Organizational Change

This article focuses on the ubiquitous problem of bureaucratic fragmentation experienced by organizations of all kinds. It proposes the strategy and practice of boundary management as a way of addressing the problem while creating organizational change. Based on a classic case of an aging Midwestern steel mill, the purpose of the article is threefold: (i) to define the problem of bureaucratic segmentalism and fragmentation as having to do with the formation of divisive and impenetrable barriers and walls, (ii) to suggest the importance of developing and maintaining permeable boundaries designed to open up and integrate the organization, and (iii) to develop the concept and practice of boundary management and its usefulness in tearing down the walls and creating organizational change.
Markets for Goods with Externalities

I consider the welfare and profit maximization problems in markets with externalities. I show that when externalities depend generally on allocation, a Pigouvian tax is often suboptimal. Instead, the optimal mechanism has a simple form: a finite menu of rationing options with corresponding prices. I derive sufficient conditions for a single price to be optimal. I show that a monopolist may ration less relative to a social planner when externalities are present, in contrast to the standard intuition that non-competitive pricing is indicative of market power. My characterization of optimal mechanisms uses a new methodological tool—the constrained maximum principle—which leverages the combined mathematical theorems of Bauer (1958) and Szapiel (1975). This tool generalizes the concavification technique of Aumann and Maschler (1995) and Kamenica and Gentzkow (2011), and has broad applications in economics.
Noninvasive detection of impaired pulmonary artery endothelial function in people living with HIV.

OBJECTIVE People living with HIV (PLWH) have an increased risk of pulmonary vascular disease and pulmonary hypertension. Endothelial cell dysfunction is thought to contribute, but human studies have been limited by the invasive nature of conventional measures of pulmonary artery endothelial function (PAEF). We report here a noninvasive MRI approach to measure nitric oxide mediated PAEF by quantifying changes in pulmonary artery area and blood flow during isometric handgrip exercise (IHE), an endothelial nitric oxide dependent stressor. We used this to test the hypothesis that PLWH have impaired PAEF, even before development of pulmonary hypertension. DESIGN A prospective cohort study. METHODS We enrolled 25 HIV-positive viral-suppressed individuals on stable antiretroviral therapy without known or suspected pulmonary hypertension and 19 matched seronegative control individuals (HIV-negative). Pulmonary artery area and blood flow changes in response to IHE were measured with noncontrast MRI. Data previously collected during nitric oxide-synthase inhibition were analysed to determine the role of nitric oxide in the pulmonary artery response to IHE. RESULTS Seronegative individuals exhibited the anticipated PA vasodilatory response to IHE, but this was completely absent in HIV-positive individuals who exhibited an impaired area change (-1.1 ± 1.2 vs. +7.7 ± 2.2%, HIV-positive vs. HIV-negative, mean ± SEM, respectively, P = 0.002) and blood flow response (0.2 ± 2.3 vs. 13.5 ± 4.8%, P = 0.005). The pulmonary artery vasodilatory effect of IHE in healthy individuals was fully blocked by nitric oxide-synthase, demonstrating this pulmonary artery response is predominantly nitric oxide mediated. CONCLUSION Using noninvasive MRI methods to quantify PAEF, we observed significantly impaired PAEF in PLWH compared with matched HIV-negative controls. Noninvasive PAEF testing may be useful in evaluating early HIV-related pulmonary vascular disease.
Progress towards nanoengineered energetic materials

Abstract Given the constraints on typical bond energies and the commonality of final products produced from combustion of C H N O based energetic materials, the possibilities for further increases in stored potential energy and thermodynamic performance from these classes of materials are limited. Thus, modulating the energy release to achieve efficiency and effectiveness for desired applications is of great value. Investigation of nanomaterials as energetic materials began more than twenty years ago with much of the interest to increase reaction rates and reduce sensitivity. During this period, research on energetic nanoparticles was devoted to reducing the loss of energy density with metallic materials due to the naturally occurring oxide passivating layer, managing their high surface area preventing high loadings in solids, minimizing particle-particle interactions making dispersion in the gas-phase difficult, and understanding combustion mechanisms. As an outcome, novel synthesis methods of producing nanocomposites, and new fields of applications, such as micro-pyrotechnics, have developed. Yet, the research community is only beginning to understand how to manipulate and build energetic materials at the nanoscale, and what designs are optimal for desired functions. Furthermore, recognizing the difficulties for increased energy density and reduced sensitivity, the development of multifunctional and smart nanoenergetic materials is currently being researched to enable control of energy release rates and material sensitivity on demand. This research is being advanced by assembly of nanoengineered energetic materials to bulk scales by additive manufacturing, the development and application of combustion diagnostics that resolve nanometer and micron scales, and ab initio quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics calculations. The challenges that have been confronted and the directions of continuing research on nanoenergetics are presented and discussed.
An Experimental Inquiry into the Social Construction of Property

We design a laboratory experiment to explore whether and how property rights emerge in a specialization and exchange environment where theft is costless. Additional treatments examine various enforcement mechanisms to determine whether private actions can produce agreement to respect property. We find that although an absence of exogenous enforcement does not hamper property’s emergence in all cases, private enforcement instruments tend to worsen outcomes. Property emerges when subjects form groups, understand potential gains from trade, convince group members that all benefit by avoiding theft, and display credible commitment to cooperation in their actions. In other words, as Hume argued in 1740, property is a convention.
Maternal mindfulness during pregnancy predicts newborn neurobehavior.

Newborn neurobehavioral competencies portend a young child's abilities to modulate their arousal and attention in response to dynamic environmental cues. Although evidence suggests prenatal contributions to newborn neurobehavioral differences, no study to date has examined wellness-promoting traits, such as a pregnant woman's mindfulness, in this association. We examined whether a mother's mindfulness while pregnant related to neurobehavioral outcomes in her neonate, as well as whether maternal mindfulness moderated the link between prenatal maternal emotion dysregulation and newborn neurobehavior. Mothers (N = 162) reported on their mindfulness and emotion dysregulation while pregnant. Newborn arousal and attention were assessed at least 24 h after birth (M = 3.8 days, SD = 8.3) using the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS). Highly mindful pregnant women reported lower levels of emotion dysregulation. Newborns of highly mindful mothers exhibited higher levels of arousal (e.g., excitability, motor activity) but did not differ in regards to attention at birth. Maternal emotion dysregulation while pregnant was associated with blunted newborn attention, but only among mothers who were less mindful. Our findings suggest that a mother's mindfulness while pregnant may influence her fetus' neurobehavioral development in ways that are evident at birth.
Rejection sampling from shape-constrained distributions in sublinear time.

We consider the task of generating exact samples from a target distribution, known up to normalization, over a finite alphabet. The classical algorithm for this task is rejection sampling, and although it has been used in practice for decades, there is surprisingly little study of its fundamental limitations. In this work, we study the query complexity of rejection sampling in a minimax framework for various classes of discrete distributions. Our results provide new algorithms for sampling whose complexity scales sublinearly with the alphabet size. When applied to adversarial bandits, we show that a slight modification of the Exp3 algorithm reduces the per-iteration complexity from $\mathcal O(K)$ to $\mathcal O(\log^2 K)$, where $K$ is the number of arms.
The Space Between Grand Optimism and Grim Determination: Finding a Pathway Forward in International Climate Change Law

This essay seeks to accomplish three things. First, it seeks to convince the reader to view climate change as one of the greatest legal and political challenges of our time by very succinctly emphasizing some of the anticipated risks and impacts of climate change and the ways in which these impacts shape the way we think about and respond to climate change. Second, it examines the overarching goals of international climate change law and the extent to which the Paris Agreement advances those goals. Third, it considers the most important roadblocks to our collective efforts to address climate change, focusing on the collective action nature of climate change and the perpetuation of an idealized vision of a cooperative international community. The essay concludes by arguing that law is an essential tool in our fight against climate change, but that using law effectively in this context means breaking free of a vision of law as a top down sweeping tool capable of offering grand solutions. Instead, it suggests that we must think of law as an enabling instrument that can help us make the multitude of changes that we need to make to reshape ourselves so as to allow present and future generations to live safely and sustainably.
A Relational Identity-Based Solution to Group Polarization: Can Priming Parental Identity Reduce the Partisan Gap in Attitudes Toward the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study explores the influence of both group identity (e.g., partisan identity) and relational identity (e.g., parental identity) on beliefs and attitudes toward the coronavirus disease 2019 (CO...
Telling Tales: Brandon Teena, Billy Tipton, and Transgender Biography

(2000). Telling Tales: Brandon Teena, Billy Tipton, and Transgender Biography. a/b: Auto/Biography Studies: Vol. 15, Autobiographical Que(e)ries, pp. 62-81.
Public Perceptions of Media Bias: A Meta-Analysis of American Media Outlets During the 2012 Presidential Election

There has been a considerable surge of scholastic inquiry in recent years into understanding the factors responsible for the fluctuating levels of public trust in the American news media. With every election year, the American public continues to perpetuate the stereotype that the American news media is ideologically biased, negatively shaping other citizens’ views of the American political system and impacting their willingness to participate in the electoral process. This study asserts that the likely factors contributing to public perception of a liberal media bias are indicative of the ideological preferences of partisan individuals and customers, rather than any blatant compromises of professional integrity by American journalists. Furthermore, supported by a selection of existing media bias literature and a multi-tiered meta-analysis of 2012 electoral coverage patterns, this study found strong evidence to suggest an overwhelming conservative media bias within the 2012 election coverage by American media outlets. Public opinion is formed and expressed by machinery. The newspapers do an immense amount of thinking for the average man and woman. In fact, they supply them with such a continuous stream of standardized opinion, borne along upon an equally inexhaustible flood of news and sensation, collected from every part of the world every hour of the day, that there is neither the need nor the leisure for personal reflection. All this is but part of a tremendous educating process. It is an education at once universal and superficial. It produces enormous numbers of standardized citizens, all equipped with regulation opinions, prejudices and sentiments, according to their class or party. Winston S. Churchill (Mass Effects on Modern Men, 1925)
Autocrine C-peptide mechanism underlying INS1 beta cell adaptation to oxidative stress.

Background Excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) causing oxidative stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis of diabetes by inducing beta cell secretory dysfunction and apoptosis. Recent evidence has shown that C-peptide, produced by beta cells and co-secreted with insulin in the circulation of healthy individuals, decreases ROS and prevents apoptosis in dysfunctional vascular endothelial cells. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that an autocrine activity of C-peptide similarly decreases ROS when INS1 beta cells are exposed to stressful conditions of diabetes. Methods Reactive oxygen species and apoptosis were induced in INS1 beta cells pretreated with C-peptide by either 22 mM glucose or 100 μM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). To test C-peptide's autocrine activity, endogenous C-peptide secretion was inhibited by the KATP channel opener diazoxide and H2O2-induced ROS assayed after addition of either exogenous C-peptide or the secretagogue glibenclamide. In similar experiments, extracellular potassium, which depolarizes the membrane otherwise hyperpolarized by diazoxide, was used to induce endogenous C-peptide secretion. ROS was measured using the cell-permeant dye chloromethyl-2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (CM-H2-DCFDA). Insulin secretion and apoptosis were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results C-peptide significantly decreased high glucose-induced and H2O2-induced ROS and prevented apoptosis of INS1 beta cells. Diazoxide significantly increased H2O2-induced ROS, which was reversed by exogenous C-peptide or glibenclamide or potassium chloride. Conclusions These findings demonstrate an autocrine C-peptide mechanism in which C-peptide is bioactive on INS1 beta cells exposed to stressful conditions and might function as a natural antioxidant to limit beta cell dysfunction and loss contributing to diabetes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.