cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Control of spontaneous B lymphocyte autoimmunity with adenovirus-encoded soluble TACI.

Objective Serum B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) is increased in autoimmune diseases, both in animal models and in humans. This study examined the effect of BLyS blockade in 3 animal models of lupus. Methods Antibodies and lupus-like disease manifestations were examined in mice after administration of a single injection of an adenoviral construct for the transmembrane activator and CAML interactor receptor (AdTACI) that produces high serum levels of TACI-Fc fusion protein. Results In C57BL/6 (B6) lpr/lpr mice (B6.lpr/lpr), which were used to model autoimmunity in the absence of severe disease, treatment of younger mice with AdTACI prevented the development of hypergammaglobulinemia. In contrast, use of AdTACI for BLyS blockade had only transient effects on the levels of IgG in normal B6 mice. AdTACI blocked the development of autoantibodies in younger B6.lpr/lpr mice and reversed the production of autoantibodies in older B6.lpr/lpr mice, and also reduced the numbers of splenic plasma cells. In MRL.lpr/lpr mice, which were used to examine disease manifestations, AdTACI reduced the extent of glomerulonephritis and proteinuria and improved survival, but had little effect on T cell infiltration and interstitial nephritis. However, in (NZB × NZW)F1 mice, AdTACI induced neutralizing anti-TACI antibodies and failed to reduce the numbers of B cells. Conclusion BLyS blockade has little effect on IgG levels in normal mice, but reverses the production of spontaneously produced IgM and IgG autoantibodies in the setting of established autoimmunity. Blockade of BLyS ameliorates B cell–dependent disease manifestations even in the MRL.lpr/lpr model, but its effectiveness on autonomous T cell aspects of the disease is limited. Moreover, its effectiveness is neutralized by anti-TACI antibodies when present. These results provide a basis for understanding the potential effects of BLyS blockade in human disease.
Clinical utility of sonography in the diagnosis and treatment of placental abruption.

Objective. To determine the sensitivity and specificity of sonography for detection of placental abruption and whether sonographic results correlate with management or outcome. Methods. We identified 149 consecutive patients who underwent sonography at 24 weeks' gestational age or later for ruling out abruption or vaginal bleeding. Obstetric and neonatal data were obtained from the hospital perinatal database. Sonographic results, pathologic reports, and hospital charts were reviewed. Sonographic sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated, and regression was used to determine independence of associations. Results. Of the 149 patients, 17 (11 %) had sonographic evidence of abruption, and 32 (21%) had evidence of abruption at delivery. As the scan-to-delivery interval decreased, the positive predictive value increased and the negative predictive value decreased. Of 55 patients who gave birth within 14 days of sonography, 8 (15%) had scans consistent with abruption, and 29 (53%) had abruption at delivery; the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of sonography were 24%, 96%, 88%, and 53%, respectively. Positive sonographic findings were univariately associated with 2- to 3-fold greater subsequent tocolysis, betamethasone use, duration of hospitalization, follow-up sonograms, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and neonatal intensive care unit admission. All but low birth weight and neonatal intensive care unit admission remained independently significant after adjustment for gestational age (P <.05). Conclusions. Sonography is not sensitive for detection of placental abruption, but a positive finding is associated with more aggressive management and worse neonatal outcome.
An exact method for integration of the cylindrical wire kernel

The cylindrical wire kernel possesses a singularity which must be properly treated in order to evaluate the uniform current vector potential. Traditionally, the singular part of the kernel is extracted resulting in a slowly varying function which is convenient for numerical integration. This paper introduces a highly convergent exact series representation of the remaining singular integral which is valid except in the immediate vicinity of the singularity. This new exact expression, when used in conjunction with an existing exact expression which is valid for /spl rho/=a and z=0, provides an extremely accurate as well as efficient means for evaluating this integral. >
Studies on the Perfused Rat Liver: II. Effect of Glucagon on Gluconeogenesis

In vitro studies using the isolated perfused liver from fasted rats have demonstrated increased glucose production in the presence of glucagon. The incorporation of C-14-labeled alanine into glucose was increased, as was production of urea, suggesting a primary effect of glucagon in stimulating gluconeogenesis. Time studies showed this effect to occur in ten to fifteen minutes. Incorporation of pyruvate and lactate C-14 was also increased, as was that of HC-I4-O3.
Dilaton and chiral-symmetry breaking

The spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry in certain gauge models may also imply the spontaneous breaking of an approximate scale symmetry. This breaking will produce the dilaton as a pseudo-Goldstone boson of spontaneously broken scale invariance.
Emulsion polymerization of chloroprene. I. Mechanism

The mechanism of emulsion polymerization of chloroprene has been found to differ considerably from that of other monomers such as styrene or butadiene, apparently due to its exceptional reactivity. Whereas the formation of polymer particles from monomers of low water solubility usually depends largely on the solubilizing effect of detergent micelles, this is not the case for chloroprene. It has been found that dissolved chloroprene and the chloroprene-water interface may both be active loci for the initiation of polymer particles, depending upon the conditions of the polymerization reaction. It has also been found that chloroprene does not obey the “ideal” kinetics as proposed by the Smith-Ewart theory, since the rate of particle is not independent of the type and amount of initiator present. Possible reasons for this deviation are suggested.
WLAN-based, indoor medical residents positioning system

This paper presents research and development of a WLAN-based, indoor, positioning system for dynamically and transparently recording medical residents location and time spent in each location. The developed system is prototyped using an increasingly popular wireless technology: IEEE 802.115 that is currently deployed in the hospitals where OU residents are trained. This paper discusses the positioning methodology, overall system architecture, and the developed software algorithms. It describes in detail the developed and prototyped system, including mobile software, positioning server, middle tiered software, and Web monitoring application. The prototype is implemented utilizing received signal strength intensity (RSSI) technique to instantaneously determine the positions of a mobile station. The developed system features many advantages: real-time information, low cost, low power consumption requirement, and transparency to the users.
No liquid immiscibility in the system MgSiO3SiO2 at 5.0 GPa

Liquid us phase relationships in the system MgSiO3-SiO2 at 5.0 GPa have been determined using a multianvil apparatus. Compared to phase relationships at 1 atm, the MgSiO3-SiO2 phase diagram at 5.0 GPa is significantly different in two respects. First, the composition of the eutectic between MgSiO3 and SiO2 moves from 65.0 wt% SiO2 at 1 atm/1547°C (protoenstatite-cristobalite eutectic; Bowen and Andersen, 1914) to 68.8 wt% SiO2 (orthoenstatite-coesite eutectic) at 5.0 GPa/1930°C. Second, no stable two-liquid field is present in the MgSiO3-SiO2 system at 5.0 GPa. The unbroken coesite liquidus curve is inflected indicating the presence of a submerged, metastable miscibility gap below the liquidus. Thus, although the temperature of the solvus critical point is likely to increase with pressure, the dT/dP slope of the SiO2 liquidus is much steeper and as a result, the immiscibility dome has become submerged completely. The reduction in liquid immiscibility in the MgSiO3-SiO2 system at 5.0 GPa implies that in more complex systems relevant to the Earth, immiscibility will also be suppressed at high pressures. Copyright © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd
Nonlinear constitutive models for FRP composites using artificial neural networks

This paper presents a new approach to generate nonlinear and multi-axial constitutive models for fiber reinforced polymeric (FRP) composites using artificial neural networks (ANNs). The new nonlinear ANN constitutive models are complete and have been integrated with displacement-based FE software for the nonlinear analysis of composite structures. The proposed ANN constitutive models are trained with experimental data obtained from off-axis tension/compression and pure shear (Arcan) tests. The proposed ANN constitutive model is generated for plane–stress states with assumed functional response in some parts of the multi-axial stress space with no experimental data. The ability of the trained ANN models to predict material response is examined directly and through FE analysis of a notched composite plate. The experimental part of this study involved coupon testing of thick-section pultruded FRP E-glass/polyester material. Nonlinear response was pronounced including in the fiber direction due to the relatively low overall fiber volume fraction (FVF). Notched composite plates were also tested to verify the FE, with ANN material models, to predict general nonhomogeneous responses at the structural level. 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Noncollaborative Resource Management for Wireless Multimedia Applications Using Mechanism Design

We propose to add a new dimension to existing wireless multimedia communications systems by enabling competing stations to proactively engage in the resource management game by adapting their cross-layer transmission strategies. For this, we model wireless stations (WSTAs) as rational and selfish players competing for available wireless resources in a dynamic game. We focus on polling-based wireless LAN (WLAN) networks, where developing an efficient solution for managing the available transmission opportunities is of paramount importance. The resource allocation game is coordinated by a network moderator, which deploys a novel resource management based on the Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) mechanism to determine a) the amount of time to be allocated to the various users and b) the transmission cost associated to the allocated resources. The transmission cost is referred to in the VCG mechanism as "transfer" and depends not on the used resources, but rather on the inconvenience (in terms of utility impact) that it causes to other WSTAs. The transfer is introduced in order to discourage WSTAs from lying about their resource requirements. Importantly, this proposed dynamic resource management approach for wireless multimedia applications changes the passive way stations are currently adapting their cross-layer strategies by enabling them to selfishly influence the wireless systems dynamics by proactively adapting their packet scheduling strategies, error protection strategies, etc. Hence, each wireless station can play the resource management game by adapting its multimedia transmission strategy depending on the experienced channel conditions, derived video quality, attitude towards risk, willingness to pay for resources and available information about the wireless network. Our simulations show that using the VCG mechanism the WSTAs do not have any incentives to lie about their resource requirements as otherwise they will be severely penalized by a high transfer. We also show that deploying advanced cross-layer strategies for playing the resource management game significantly benefit the WSTAs' received video quality. The willingness-to-pay for resources is introduced to provide WSTAs a tool to gather additional resources whenever they need to transmit an important (part of a) video sequence by agreeing to pay for resources an increased cost. A novel risk-aware scheduling scheme is also proposed that provides WSTAs the ability to dynamically avoid network congestion and hence, reduce their incurred transfer
Observations of speciated atmospheric mercury at three sites in Nevada: Evidence for a free tropospheric source of reactive gaseous mercury

[1] Air mercury (Hg) speciation was measured for 11 weeks (June–August 2007) at three sites simultaneously in Nevada, USA. Mean reactive gaseous Hg (RGM) concentrations were elevated at all sites relative to those reported for locations not directly influenced by known point sources. RGM concentrations at all sites displayed a regular diel pattern and were positively correlated with ozone (O3) and negatively correlated with elemental Hg (Hg0) and dew point temperature (Tdp). Superimposed on the diel changes were 2- to 7-day periods when RGM concentrations increased across all three sites, producing significant intersite correlations of RGM daily means (r = 0.53–0.76, p 2 km and <35°N) explained a component of the daily mean RGM at two sites (r2 = 0.37 and 0.27, p < 0.05). These observations indicate that long-range transport of RGM from the free troposphere is a potentially important component of Hg input to rural areas of the western United States.
Visual road following without 3D reconstruction

The traditional approach to visual road following involves reconstructing a 3D model of the road. The model is in a world or vehicle-centered coordinate system, and it is symbolic, iconic, or a combination of both. Road-following commands (as well as other commands, e.g., obstacle avoidance) are then generated from this 3D model. Here we discuss an alternative approach in which a minimal road model is generated. The model contains only task-relevant information and a minimum of vision processing is performed to extract this information in the form of visual cues represented in the 2D image coordinate system. This approach leads to rapid and continuous update of the road model from the visual data. It results in inexpensive, fast, and robust computations. Road following is achieved by servoing on the visual cues in the 2D model. This approach results in a tight coupling of perception and action. In this paper, two specific examples of road following that use this approach are presented. In the first example, we show that road-following commands can be generated from visual cues consisting of the projection into the image of the tangent point on the edge of the road, along with the optical flow of this point. Using this cue, the resulting servo loop is very simple and fast. In the second example, we show that lane markings can be robustly tracked in real time while confining all processing to the 2D image plane. Neither knowledge of vehicle motion nor a calibrated camera is required. This system has been used to drive a vehicle up to 80 km/hr under various road conditions. The algorithm runs at a 15 Hz update rate.
EDGE EFFECT ON NESTING SUCCESS OF GROUND NESTING BIRDS NEAR REGENERATING CLEARCUTS IN A FOREST-DOMINATED LANDSCAPE

Abstract Forest fragmentation has been implicated as a cause of population declines of several Neotropical migrant bird species. Fragmentation increases the amount of habitat edge, and reduced nesting success rates near forest edges are well documented in agricultural landscapes (“edge effects”). However, edge effects in predominantly forested landscapes, particularly those related to timber harvest, are poorly understood. This study examines nesting success of ground nesting birds in relation to clearcut edges in a forest-dominated landscape in north-central Minnesota. A total of 383 nests of seven species of ground nesting birds were found and monitored during 1992–1998. Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilus; n = 318) and Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus; n = 44) nests composed the majority of the sample. Predation accounted for 94% of all nest failures. Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism was low (1.8% for all ground nests). Using proportional hazards regression, distance to nearest clearcut edge ...
Illness Meanings and Illness Behaviour

Most research writings on sickness have proceeded at a pace without much attention to the categorization, valuation, personal and cultural significance of illness experience. This failure must seem bizarre to any laymen with personal experience of serious and chronic illness, and to clinicians who treat such problems, since it is a routine experience of the sick and those who care for them (be they family or professionals) that illness both brings particular meanings to a sick person’s life world (e.g., the threat of death, the loss of valued body image, a new way of seeing and living in one’s world heretofore taken-for-granted) and also crystallizes those special meanings in his/her world that constitute and express a particular form of life (e.g., cancer in the context of a desperately unhappy middle-age marriage, heart disease in the throes of a mid-life crisis that has left a businessman demoralized in his failed quest for lost youth, severe disability in an economically marginal retired couple that threatens bitter catastrophe in what cultural rhetoric has promised should be the “golden years”).
What Congress Knows and Sometimes Doesn't Know

Congress has traditionally enjoyed wide latitude in deciding whether and to what extent it bases decisions on policy-relevant knowledge or articulates the factual foundations for its actions. Until recently, even when evaluating statutes under close judicial scrutiny, the Supreme Court has tended to defer to Congress' special competence as the fact-finding branch of the federal government. Such deference recognizes the significant fact-finding value inherent in Congress' ability to conduct hearings and investigations, subpoena witnesses and documents, and assign to legislative committees and staff responsibility for detailed scrutiny of legislative proposals, their factual foundations and their suitability as responses to social policy concerns. It also recognizes that the variety of backgrounds and interests among legislators enables them to draw upon a wide knowledge of social and economic conditions. In addition, the tradition of judicial deference respects the democratically elected legislature as the primary source of statutory law. This article examines some contemporary aspects of the tradition of judicial deference to legislative fact-finding and offers three observations. First, the Supreme Court's decisions in Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena and United States v. Lopez reflect too little deference to the legislature's fact-finding role. Viewed in combination with the textualist approach to statutory interpretation the cases constitute a disturbing judicial challenge to Congress' position as the authoritative source of statutory law. They are also signs of a larger trend toward limiting the federal government and challenging the legitimacy of many of its actions, revealed to a great extent in revitalized judicial interest in the Tenth Amendment. Even Congress seeks to reduce the role of the federal government. A centerpiece of the welfare reform legislation, for example, is increasing use of "block grants" that give money for social programs to the states with far fewer federal constraints on how they may use the funds. Second, in response to limited Supreme Court deference to congressional fact-finding the electorate should press Congress to make better use of factual information. The electorate is entitled to question whether its representatives in Congress are legislating wisely. Finally, to counter the troubling effects of Adarand and Lopez, to enrich public policy debate and decision-making, and to strengthen the factual records that are subject to judicial review, Congress should take increasing care to develop and articulate the factual foundations of its actions.
Emerging roles for lipids in non-apoptotic cell death

Non-apoptotic regulated cell death (RCD) is essential to maintain organismal homeostasis and may be aberrantly activated during certain pathological states. Lipids are emerging as key components of several non-apoptotic RCD pathways. For example, a direct interaction between membrane phospholipids and the pore-forming protein mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) is needed for the execution of necroptosis, while the oxidative destruction of membrane polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), following the inactivation of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), is a requisite gateway to ferroptosis. Here, we review the roles of lipids in the initiation and execution of these and other forms of non-apoptotic cell death. We also consider new technologies that are allowing for the roles of lipids and lipid metabolism in RCD to be probed in increasingly sophisticated ways. In certain cases, this new knowledge may enable the development of therapies that target lipids and lipid metabolic processes to enhance or suppress specific non-apoptotic RCD pathways.
Sucrose reinforcement thresholds for hungry, thirsty, and non-deprived rats

Sucrose reinforcement thresholds were determined for bar pressing. Hungry Ss showed lower thresholds than non-deprived Ss and thirsty Ss did not prefer sucrose at all.
Localized enhancements of energetic particles at oblique collisionless shocks

We investigate the spatial distribution of charged particles accelerated by non-relativistic oblique fast collisionless shocks using three-dimensional test-particle simulations. We find that the density of low-energy particles exhibit a localised enhancement at the shock, resembling the "spike" measured at interplanetary shocks. In contrast to previous results based on numerical solutions to the focused transport equation, we find a shock spike for any magnetic obliquity, from quasi-perpendicular to parallel. We compare the pitch-angle distribution with respect to the local magnetic field and the momentum distribution far downstream and very near the shock within the spike; our findings are compatible with predictions from the scatter-free shock drift acceleration (SDA) limit in these regions. The enhancement of low-energy particles measured by Voyager 1 at solar termination shock is comparable with our profiles. Our simulations allow for predictions of supra-thermal protons at interplanetary shocks within ten solar radii to be tested by Solar Probe Mission. They also have implications for the interpretation of ions accelerated at supernova remnant shocks.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Presenting as Gender Dysphoria/Gender Incongruence: A Case Report and Literature Review

ABSTRACT Objective: With the intensified public awareness and media coverage of issues concerning gender identity and gender incongruence, distinguishing true gender dysphoria or incongruence from the sexual obsessions of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is especially important. Although intrusive sexual obsessions are not uncommon in OCD, obsessions concerning sexual content are more difficult for clinicians to identify as OCD than other types of obsessions (e.g., obsessions concerning contamination). Making the correct diagnosis helps ensure that appropriate clinical treatment can be offered. Methods: We present a case report of a homosexual, single, young male with new-onset intrusive repetitive obsessive thoughts that he was transgender. The case report is accompanied by a review of the pertinent endocrine and psychiatric literature. Results: A Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale indicated a significant negative impact of the patient's symptoms. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first cas...
Cancer age: can we reliably estimate and apply this knowledge?

In their article, Patrone et al utilize a modified version of Collins’ law to estimate the age of breast, lung, and colorectal cancers. Collins’ law, which states that the period of risk for recurrence of a tumor is equal to the age of the patient at diagnosis plus 9 months, has been applied primarily to pediatric tumors, in particular embryonal tumors.[1,2] The results from the application of Collins’ law to these tumors have been reasonable, although exceptions have been reported and the law is not applicable to all cancers.[3,4] Its utilization in adults in the manner used in this paper is therefore unique.
Myxoid Neurofibroma of the Testis

A case of an intratesticular myxoid neurofibroma is reported. These tumors, which arise from perineural and Schwann cells, commonly occur throughout the body but have not been reported previously to originate within the testis. The mucoid material within the tumor is translucent, which may confuse the diagnosis with that of a hydrocele.
The Varieties of Religious Responses to Homosexuality: A Content and Tonal Analysis of Articles in Pastoral Psychology from 1950 to 2015 Regarding Sexual Minorities

Psychology has a complex history with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Substantial shifts in stance, rhetoric, and research over the decades have influenced the greater societal view of LGBT people. While a noticeable cultural shift is occurring in America toward acceptance of LGBT people, some continue to argue that same-sex relationships are not healthy. Evangelical Christians, those who hold a high respect for the authority of the Bible and support nearly literal readings of its teachings, generally support such a position (Sullivan-Blum 2009). There is strain among evangelicals regarding what it means to live faithfully and to engage LGBT people, which becomes increasingly complex as evangelicals who identify as sexual minorities speak up and share their stories. Historically, a delayed time trend can be seen in responses to homosexuality among evangelical Christians. A content and tonal analysis was conducted of 53 peer-reviewed articles found in Pastoral Psychology, which were categorized as non-affirming, neutral/exploratory, or affirming. This analysis revealed a notable trend over the last 65 years toward more open and inclusive dialogue surrounding LGBT people, even when more traditional stances were being held. Tracing the views toward homosexuality in psychology and society allows for a more complex understanding of the current tensions among American evangelical Christians.
Porosome: the universal molecular machinery for cell secretion

Porosomes are supramolecular, lipoprotein structures at the cell plasma membrane, where membrane-bound secretory vesicles transiently dock and fuse to release inravesicular contents to the outside during cell secretion. The mouth of the porosome opening to the outside, range in size from 150 nm in diameter in acinar cells of the exocrine pancreas, to 12 nm in neurons, which dilates during cell secretion, returning to its resting size following completion of the process. In the past decade, the composition of the porosome, its structure and dynamics at nm resolution and in real time, and its functional reconstitution into artificial lipid membrane, have all been elucidated. In this mini review, the discovery of the porosome, its structure, function, isolation, chemistry, and reconstitution into lipid membrane, the molecular mechanism of secretory vesicle swelling and fusion at the base of porosomes, and how this new information provides a paradigm shift in our understanding of cell secretion, is discussed.
William R. Maples, forensic historian: four men, four centuries, four countries.

Prior to 1984, William R. Maples, Ph.D. worked primarily with Medical Examiners in the State of Florida in investigation of and testimony in criminal cases. In 1984 the Republic of Peru requested him to identify skeletal remains thought to be those of Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of Peru and the Incas in the early 16th Century. Dr. Maples made a positive identification of those remains as Pizarro, resulting in their substitution in a glass-sided coffin in the Cathedral of Lima, where other remains had been displayed as those of Pizarro for a hundred years. In addition, it was proved that the remains removed could not have been those of Pizarro. In 1988, Dr. Maples examined the skeletal remains of Joseph Merrick (“The Elephant Man”) at Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, and made photographic studies of them for comparison with death casts of limbs and skull to ascertain depth of tissue by video-superimposition. In 1991, Dr. Maples, headed a team which removed President Zachary Taylor (1779–1842) from his tomb in Louisville, Kentucky. The purpose was to determine if he had been poisoned, as had been proposed by some at the time. Test results showed that he had not been. In 1992, Dr. Maples and a team of forensic specialists went by invitation to Ekaterinburg, Russia to study skeletal remains which the Russians had tentatively identified as the Russian Royal Family, and entourage, murdered in 1918. The American team identified them as Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, three of his children, his physician, and three of his servants. William Ross Maples died in Gainesville, Florida, 27 February 1997.
Another Year After the Current Population Survey Redesign and More Questions About the Survey's Retirement Plan Participation Estimates

The Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) is one of the most-cited sources of income data for retirement-age Americans (typically ages 65 or older). It has also been used to provide annual estimates of employment-based retirement plan participation. The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) has done annual reports on pension participation among workers based on this data. The Census Bureau conducted a redesign of the CPS questionnaire in 2014 on the income questions that resulted in much lower estimates of the percentages of workers who participate in an employment-based retirement plan. For example, the percentage of full-time, full-year wage and salary workers ages 21-64 participating in an employment-based retirement plan was more than 11 percentage points lower in 2015 after the redesign relative to the 2013 estimate under the traditional questionnaire design. This translates into more than 9 million fewer individuals participating in an employment-based retirement plan. The groups of workers most affected were those with the highest likelihoods of participation — older, higher earners, and employees of larger employers. This paper describes the results from the 2016 CPS, which asks about participation in 2015, and compares them with prior years both before and after the redesign of the CPS questionnaire. As with last year, the results showed larger declines than have been found historically and were inconsistent with another government survey where participation in employment-based retirement plans has been found to hold steady from 2011-2015. Rather modest modifications could be made within the CPS questionnaire to improve the retirement plan participation estimates. Until that time, any person or organization using the data or those reading analyses from the data need to be aware of the issues with the CPS data on pension and retirement plan participation. The estimates from the most recent surveys could easily be misconstrued as an erosion in coverage, as opposed to an issue with the data.
Preliminary Performance of a Superfluid 3He -4He Compressor

A preliminary test of a compressor developed to compress superfluid 3He-4He mixture in a superfluid Joule-Thomson refrigerator has been conducted using 4He gas at 4.2 Kelvin. The results of this test and a description of the compressor design are presented in this paper.
Pharmacologic modeling of primary mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction in zebrafish.

Mitochondrial respiratory chain (RC) disease is a heterogeneous and highly morbid group of energy deficiency disorders for which no proven effective therapies exist. Robust vertebrate animal models of primary RC dysfunction are needed to explore the effects of variation in RC disease subtypes, tissue-specific manifestations, and major pathogenic factors contributing to each disorder, as well as their pre-clinical response to therapeutic candidates. We have developed a series of zebrafish (Danio rerio) models that inhibit, to variable degrees, distinct aspects of RC function, and enable quantification of animal development, survival, behaviors, and organ-level treatment effects as well as effects on mitochondrial biochemistry and physiology. Here, we characterize four pharmacologic inhibitor models of mitochondrial RC dysfunction in early larval zebrafish, including rotenone (complex I inhibitor), azide (complex IV inhibitor), oligomycin (complex V inhibitor), and chloramphenicol (mitochondrial translation inhibitor that leads to multiple RC complex dysfunction). A range of concentrations and exposure times of each RC inhibitor were systematically evaluated on early larval development, animal survival, integrated behaviors (touch and startle responses), organ physiology (brain death, neurologic tone, heart rate), and fluorescence-based analyses of mitochondrial physiology in zebrafish skeletal muscle. Pharmacologic RC inhibitor effects were validated by spectrophotometric analysis of Complex I, II and IV enzyme activities, or relative quantitation of ATP levels in larvae. Outcomes were prioritized that utilize in vivo animal imaging and quantitative behavioral assessments, as may optimally inform the translational potential of pre-clinical drug screens for future clinical study in human mitochondrial disease subjects. The RC complex inhibitors each delayed early embryo development, with short-term exposures of these three agents or chloramphenicol from 5 to 7 days post fertilization also causing reduced larval survival and organ-specific defects ranging from brain death, behavioral and neurologic alterations, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential in skeletal muscle (rotenone), and/or cardiac edema with visible blood pooling (oligomycin). Remarkably, we demonstrate that treating animals with probucol, a nutrient-sensing signaling network modulating drug that has been shown to yield therapeutic effects in a range of other RC disease cellular and animal models, both prevented acute rotenone-induced brain death in zebrafish larvae, and significantly rescued early embryo developmental delay from either rotenone or oligomycin exposure. Overall, these zebrafish pharmacologic RC function inhibition models offer a unique opportunity to gain novel insights into diverse developmental, survival, organ-level, and behavioral defects of varying severity, as well as their individual response to candidate therapies, in a highly tractable and cost-effective vertebrate animal model system.
A Mobile Health Intervention to Improve Self-Care in Patients With Heart Failure: Pilot Randomized Control Trial

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a progressive chronic disease affecting 6.5 million Americans and over 15 million individuals globally. Patients with HF are required to engage in complex self-care behaviors. Although the advancements in medicine have enabled people with HF to live longer, they often have poor health-related quality of life and experience severe and frequent symptoms that limit several aspects of their lives. Mobile phone apps have not only created new and interactive ways of communication between patients and health care providers but also provide a platform to enhance adherence to self-care management. Objective: The aim of this pilot study was to test the feasibility of a newly developed mobile app (HeartMapp) in improving self-care behaviors and quality of life of patients with HF and to calculate effect sizes for sample size calculation for a larger study. Methods: This was a pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial. Participants were enrolled in the hospital before discharge and followed at home for 30 days. The intervention group used HeartMapp (n=9), whereas the control group (n=9) received HF education. These apps were downloaded onto their mobile phones for daily use. Results: A total of 72% (13/18) participants completed the study; the mean age of the participants was 53 (SD 4.02) years, 56% (10/18) were females, 61% (11/18) lived alone, 33% (6/18) were African Americans, and 61% (11/18) used mobile phone to get health information. The mean engagement with HeartMapp was 78%. Results were promising with a trend that participants in the HeartMapp group had a significant mean score change on self-care management (8.7 vs 2.3; t3.38=11, P=.01), self-care confidence (6.7 vs 1.8; t2.53=11, P=.28), and HF knowledge (3 vs −0.66; t2.37=11, P=.04. Depression improved among both groups, more so in the control group (−1.14 vs −5.17; t1.97=11, P=.07). Quality of life declined among both groups, more so in the control group (2.14 vs 9.0; t−1.43=11, P=.18). Conclusions: The trends demonstrated in this pilot feasibility study warrant further exploration on the use of HeartMapp to improve HF outcomes. Trial Registration: Pilot study, no funding from National agencies, hence not registered. [JMIR Cardio 2017;1(2):e3]
Current understanding of photophobia, visual networks and headaches.

ObjectiveTo review clinical and pre-clinical evidence supporting the role of visual pathways, from the eye to the cortex, in the development of photophobia in headache disorders.BackgroundPhotophobia is a poorly understood light-induced phenomenon that emerges in a variety of neurological and ophthalmological conditions. Over the years, multiple mechanisms have been proposed to explain its causes; however, scarce research and lack of systematic assessment of photophobia in patients has made the search for answers quite challenging. In the field of headaches, significant progress has been made recently on how specific visual networks contribute to photophobia features such as light-induced intensification of headache, increased perception of brightness and visual discomfort, which are frequently experienced by migraineurs. Such progress improved our understanding of the phenomenon and points to abnormal processing of light by both cone/rod-mediated image-forming and melanopsin-mediated non-image-forming vi...
Measurement and Fair-Sharing Models for Dividing Fractions

V de Walle (2007) describes divid ing one fraction by another in this way: “Invert the divisor and multiply is probably one of the most mysterious rules in elementary mathematics” (p. 326). Tirosh (2000) concurs and cites research suggesting that “division of fractions is often considered the most mechanical and least understood topic in elementary school” (p. 6) and that students’ performance on tasks involving division of fractions is typically very poor. These claims are reflected in the difficulties that college students experience in courses for mathematics for elementary teachers when they try to explain why the invert-andmultiply algorithm works. See the following problem.
Youth Sports, Psychology of

Youth sports are adult-organized sports programs for children and youth, typically between the ages of 7 and 18 years which have designated coaches, organized practices, and scheduled competitions. An estimated 22 million youth in the USA participate in nonschool youth sports programs. There are equally high percentages of children and youth in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and many Asian and European countries, who participate in youth sport programs through clubs or schools. Most of these programs are aimed at mass participation rather than focused on developing elite athletes. The psychology of youth sports as an area of scholarly inquiry is relatively new. Research in this field did not start to proliferate until the 1980s. The research developed out of concern by professionals for the educational value of youth sport participation and the well-being of the children involved. The topics that have been most often addressed on the psychology of youth sports include psychological readiness for youth sports participation, the benefits and detriments of youth sports participation, participant motivation, and adult involvement in youth sports. However, few systematic lines of research have been conducted, and not many have been theoretically based. Probable future directions regarding psychological aspects of youth sports include more biopsychosocial perspectives, more longitudinal, prospective, and experimental designs, and more wide-scale evaluation research.
Risk functions for human and porcine eye rupture based on projectile characteristics of blunt objects

Eye ruptures are among the most devastating eye injuries and can occur in automobile crashes, sporting impacts, and military events, where blunt projectile impacts to the eye can be encountered. The purpose of this study was to develop injury risk functions for globe rupture of both human and porcine eyes from blunt projectile impacts. This study was completed in two parts by combining published eye experiments with new test data. In the first part, data from 57 eye impact tests that were reported in the literature were analyzed. Projectile characteristics such as mass, cross-sectional area, and velocity, as well as injury outcome were noted for all tests. Data were sorted by species type and areas were identified where a paucity of data existed, based on the kinetic and normalized energy of assaulting objects. For the second part, a total of 126 projectile tests were performed on human and porcine eyes. Projectiles used for these tests included blunt aluminum projectiles, BBs, foam pellets, Airsoft pellets, and paintballs. Data for each projectile were recorded prior to testing and high-speed video was used to determine projectile velocity prior to striking the eye. In part three the data were pooled for a total of 183 eye impact tests, 83 human and 100 porcine, and were analyzed to develop the injury risk criteria. Binary logistic regression was used to develop injury risk functions based on kinetic and normalized energy. Probit analysis was used to estimate confidence intervals for the injury risk functions. Porcine eyes were found to be significantly stronger than human eyes in resisting globe rupture (p=0.01). For porcine eyes a 50% risk of globe rupture was found to be 71,145 J/m2, with a confidence interval of 63,245 J/m2 to 80,390 J/m2. Human eyes were found to have a 50% risk of globe rupture at a lower, 35,519 J/m2, with confidence intervals of 32,018 J/m2 to 40,641 J/m2. The results presented in this paper are useful in estimating the risk of globe rupture when projectile parameters are known, or can be used to validate computational eye models.
Assessing Atherosclerotic Burden with CT

Computed tomography (CT) has long been used for the evaluation of both normal and pathologic human anatomy. In the setting of atherosclerosis (AS) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), CT angiography has a well-established role for the detection of luminal stenoses and aneurysms in various vascular territories such as the aorta, carotid, renal, and lower-extremity arteries. Although of indisputable value in clinical practice, such findings reflect an already advanced stage of the disease. The atherosclerotic changes of the arterial wall in fact commence much earlier, as microscopic lesions progressing slowly into macroscopic plaques that often grow eccentrically without compromising the vessel lumen.1 Reliance on changes in luminal caliber is therefore insufficient for estimating the extent and severity of atherosclerotic burden. In fact, clinical events are often caused by acute complications (rupture and thrombosis) of specific plaques that may not produce a significant luminal narrowing, particularly in the coronary tree.2 Because AS is a systemic disorder involving multiple vascular territories, it is important not to restrict the evaluation to a single arterial system. The visualization of the coronary arteries with CT has, however, been traditionally limited by their continuous motion from both cardiac and respiratory origins.
Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair: Transabdominal Preperitoneal (TAPP)

Recurrent hernia. Bilateral hernias. Incidental herniorrhaphy during another laparoscopic procedure.
491. Clinical Manifestations and Outcomes of Clostridium difficile Infection in Long-Term Care Patients: An 8-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

Background Residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF) have high risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and its associated adverse outcomes. We describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of CDI in LTCF patients admitted to an acute care (AC) hospital.
Atypical Sepsis-Associated Acute Kidney Injury

The overall incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in the USA is estimated to be about 7/1000 population [1]. Older adults and children are disproportionately affected in a bimodal distribution mirroring the incidence of sepsis [2], the leading cause of AKI [3–6]. Even mild forms of AKI are associated with increased risk of hospital mortality [6, 7], and AKI may result in chronic kidney disease and life-long morbidity, shortened survival and increased costs [8]. Moreover, severity of AKI varies by etiology and sepsis-associated AKI tends to be most severe. For example, KDIGO stage 3 occurs in 20% of patients with septic shock [9]. Once acquired, the consequences of AKI are also unequally distributed. Approximately one third of patients exhibit no reversal of renal dysfunction within the first few days of AKI. Roughly 25% will never recover, and experience a fivefold increase in mortality over the ensuing year [10]. Even among patients with sepsis-associated AKI, outcomes are heterogeneous and different mechanisms may be involved [11]—indeed, no fewer than six have been proposed [12]. Renal endothelial pathology is prevalent in experimental models of sepsis [12, 13]. Endothelial injury can reduce microcirculatory flow leading to perfusion abnormalities and interstitial infiltration of inflammatory cells [13]. However, the reasons some patients exhibit these pathologic features while others do not are obscure.
Ten years of experience with a veterinary credential responder course

Training of veterinary students to improve their ability to respond to disaster events that affect livestock and companion animals is an important facet of veterinary education. Just over 10 years ago, the North Carolina (NC) State University College of Veterinary Medicine worked collaboratively with the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service's Emergency Management Program and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, to develop a competency-based Veterinary Credential Responder (VCR) course. This special report reflects on this experience and provides a detailed description of the current VCR course. The 2-week VCR course combines lecture, online, experiential, and group exercises to meet entry-level federal credentialing requirements. Students gain a working knowledge of emergency management, emergency operation plans, and emergency support functions. Over 1000 veterinary students have received the VCR credential making them eligible to participate as deployable members of NC Veterinary Response Corps.