cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of performance characteristics of hepatitis B e antigen serologic assays.

Abstract Background Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) is considered an indicator of high hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. Performance characteristics of commercially available HBeAg assays have not been determined, thus it is unknown whether lack of HBeAg detection is because of test sensitivity or HBV basal core promoter and precore mutations. Objectives We studied the correlation between HBeAg reactivity with HBV DNA levels in three commercially available HBeAg assays using 335 HBsAg and HBV DNA positive serum/plasma samples. Study Design Diagnostic sensitivity was determined by serial dilutions of a WHO HBeAg standard. The limit of HBeAg detection estimated through regression was 1 IU/mL (Centaur), 97 IU/mL (DiaSorin) and 129 IU/mL (Vitros). Of these 335 samples, enough sample volume remained in 253 samples for head-to-head comparison of the assays. Results 81 (32%), 41 (16%) and 36 (14%) of the samples were HBeAg positive by the Centaur, DiaSorin and Vitros assays, respectively. Compared to the FDA-approved Centaur assay the specificity of the other two assays was 98%, while sensitivity was 47% for the DiaSorin assay and 41% for the Vitros assay. Significant association was found between HBeAg positive samples and HBV DNA levels >20,000 IU/mL; 31% of HBeAg negative samples (Centaur) had HBV DNA levels >20,000 IU/mL, 26% of HBeAg positive samples had HBV DNA levels Conclusion Discordance was seen between these HBeAg assays, indicating reliance on HBeAg alone as a marker of high HBV replication can be misleading. Detection and quantification of HBV DNA remains the accurate and reliable marker of HBV replication.
Rapid calculating of loudness according to ANSI S3.4-2007 with the Glasberg and Moore 2002 extension to time-varying signals in MATLAB

The ANSI S3.4-2007 standard gives a method for calculating the predicted loudness of stationary sounds for an average listener. Glasberg and Moore (2002) provide an extension of the method to time-varying sounds. The mathematical structure of the excitation in the loudness calculation is amenable to significant acceleration in MATLAB by expressing portions of the calculation, notably those representing the cochlear filtering process, in terms of matrices. Thus, procedures to achieve rapid processing of loudness are set forth. Possible extensions of this approach to other metrics within the same family are considered.
Use of Social or Behavioral Theories in Exercise-Related Injury Prevention Program Research: A Systematic Review

The use of social or behavioral theories within exercise-related injury prevention program (ERIPP) research may lead to a better understanding of why adherence to the programs is low and inform the development of interventions to improve program adherence. There is a need to determine which theories have been used within the literature and at what level theory was used to further the field. To determine which social or behavioral science theories have been incorporated within ERIPP research and assess the level at which the theories were used. The key question guiding the search was “What social or behavioral theories have been used within ERIPP research?” A systematic review of the literature was completed with an appraisal of bias risk using a custom critical appraisal tool. An electronic search of EBSCOhost (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Medline, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection) and PubMed was completed from inception to October 2018. Studies investigating attitudes towards ERIPP participation with the use of a social or behavioral theoretical model or framework were eligible for inclusion. The electronic search returned 7482 results and two articles were identified though a hand search, which resulted in ten articles meeting inclusion criteria. Four different behavioral or social theoretical models or frameworks were identified including the health action process approach model, health belief model, self-determination theory, and theory of planned behavior. Six studies utilized the theory at a B level meaning a theoretical construct was measured while four utilized the theory at the C level meaning the theory was tested. The mean critical appraisal score was 78%, indicating a majority of the studies were higher quality. There has been an increase in the use of theory within literature that is specific to ERIPP participation. Additionally, the use of theory has shifted from guiding program design to the measurement of theoretical constructs and testing of the theoretical models.
The Human Microbiome

In this chapter, we discuss the concept that your body is a living ecosystem of hundreds of different types of bacteria, of which some are opportunists that cause serious infections while others are symbionts and pathobionts that can profoundly affect your health. The location and composition of these communities are highlighted, mostly using the digestive system as a frame of reference, in the context of their balance inside the host, with an unbalanced state being a precursor to pathogen invasion, harmful to the mucosal surface, and ultimately the basis for many acute and chronic diseases. The chapter concludes with a foray into some methods the microbiomist uses to make sense of these complex relationships. The learner will be armed with the foundational knowledge to understand how these relationships may cause disease and the concepts to formulate new reductionist approaches to reveal their mechanistic basis.
Comparison of Rates of Central Line–Associated Bloodstream Infections in Patients With 1 vs 2 Central Venous Catheters

Importance National Healthcare Safety Network methods for central line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) surveillance do not account for potential additive risk for CLABSI associated with use of 2 central venous catheters (CVCs) at the same time (concurrent CVCs); facilities that serve patients requiring high acuity care with medically indicated concurrent CVC use likely disproportionally incur Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services payment penalties for higher CLABSI rates. Objective To quantify the risk for CLABSI associated with concurrent use of a second CVC. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study included adult patients with 2 or more days with a CVC at 4 geographically separated general acute care hospitals in the Atlanta, Georgia, area that varied in size from 110 to 580 beds, from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2017. Variables included clinical conditions, central line–days, and concurrent CVC use. Patients were propensity score–matched for likelihood of concurrence (limited to 2 CVCs), and conditional logistic regression modeling was performed to estimate the risk of CLABSI associated with concurrence. Episodes of CVC were categorized as low or high risk and single vs concurrent use to evaluate time to CLABSI with Cox proportional hazards regression models. Data were analyzed from January to June 2019. Exposures Two CVCs present at the same time. Main Outcomes and Measures Hospitalizations in which a patient developed a CLABSI, allowing estimation of patient risk for CLABSI and daily hazard for a CVC episode ending in CLABSI. Results Among a total of 50 254 patients (median [interquartile range] age, 59 [45-69] years; 26 661 [53.1%] women), 64 575 CVCs were used and 647 CLABSIs were recorded. Concurrent CVC use was recorded in 6877 patients (13.7%); the most frequent indications for concurrent CVC use were nutrition (554 patients [14.1%]) or hemodialysis (1706 patients [43.4%]). In the propensity score–matched cohort, 74 of 3932 patients with concurrent CVC use (1.9%) developed CLABSI, compared with 81 of 7864 patients with single CVC use (1.0%). Having 2 CVCs for longer than two-thirds of a patient’s CVC use duration was associated with increased likelihood of developing a CLABSI, adjusting for central line–days and comorbidities (adjusted risk ratio, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.10-2.33;P = .001). In survival analysis adjusting for sex, receipt of chemotherapy or total parenteral nutrition, and facility, compared with a single CVC, the daily hazard for 2 low-risk CVCs was 1.78 (95% CI, 1.35-2.34;P Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that concurrent CVC use is associated with nearly 2-fold the risk of CLABSI compared with use of a single low-risk CVC. Performance metrics for CLABSI should change to account for variations of this intrinsic patient risk among facilities to reduce biased comparisons and resultant penalties applied to facilities that are caring for more patients with medically indicated concurrent CVC use.
Surface Coating Structure and Its Interaction with Cytochrome c in EG6-Coated Nanoparticles Varies with Surface Curvature.

The composition, orientation, and conformation of proteins in biomolecular coronas acquired by nanoparticles in biological media contribute to how they are identified by a cell. While numerous stud...
Symbols of Gentrification? Narrating Displacement in Los Angeles Chinatown:

Los Angeles Chinatown is one of the oldest North American urban Chinatowns and experiencing changes that are redefining the neighborhood. Yet, not all community leaders label these changes as gentr...
JAK Inhibitors for the Treatment of Pediatric Alopecia Areata

Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune condition that disproportionately affects children and can significantly hinder quality of life. Few safe and effective therapies are available for the treatment of severely affected pediatric patients. JAK inhibitors have been recently established as an effective and well-tolerated therapy in adults, but there are limited data regarding the use of JAK inhibitors to treat alopecia areata in children. Here, we review the available literature regarding the use of JAK inhibitors in children in dermatology and across other medical disciplines.
Microbiota Detection Patterns Correlate With Presence and Severity of Barrett's Esophagus.

Background The microbiome has been increasingly associated with different disease processes, but its role in esophagus is largely unknown. Our goal was to determine the associations of the esophageal microbiota with Barrett's esophagus. Methods A total of 74 patients were included in this prospective study, including 34 patients with Barrett's esophagus and 40 patients without Barrett's esophagus. Esophageal swabs were obtained from the uvula, and mucosal biopsies were obtained from the proximal esophagus and distal esophagus in each patient. The microbiome of each sample was assessed using a customized Esophageal Microbiome qPCR array (EMB). For each clinical sample, we completed a detection/non-detection analysis for each organism in the EMB. The limit of detection (LOD) for each target was established by analysis of plasmid dilutions. Results Average age was 60.2 years. There were significantly different microbial detection patterns in patients with Barrett's esophagus compared to the control population. There were a greater number of organisms which had different likelihoods of detection in the distal esophagus, compared to the proximal esophagus or uvula. In addition, as the length of the Barrett's column increased, multiple organisms were less likely to be detected. This decreased likelihood occurred only in the distal esophagus. Beside Barrett's esophagus, no other demographic factors were associated with differences in detection patterns. Conclusions Microbial community structures differ between patients with and without Barrett's esophagus. Certain organisms are less likely to be detected as the severity of Barrett's esophagus worsens. These results suggest that particular organisms may have a protective effect against the development of Barrett's esophagus.
Factors That Affect Emergency Responder Wellbeing: Considerations for Public Health Responders.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to identify key risk factors that could negatively affect public health emergency responders' health and wellbeing. We seek to use this information to provide recommendations and strategies to mitigate such risks. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH A narrative review of the peer-reviewed literature on wellbeing of military personnel and other responders was conducted. Data was grouped and categorized according to overarching domains. FINDINGS Factors associated with wellbeing were categorized into 5 domains: (1) demographics; (2) mental health concerns; (3) social networks; (4) work environment; and (5) postdeployment life. The strategies identified to promote wellbeing included mental health assessments, preparedness trainings, debriefs in the field, postdeployment debriefs, resources in the field, and further postdeployment decompression strategies. ORIGINALITY/VALUE This study provides a unique understanding of the risk factors associated with poor health and wellbeing outcomes in public health emergency response work by extending the body of knowledge that focuses on other types of emergency and military response.
Verification of Subcritical Limits in ANSI/ANS-8.1-2014

The first edition of the current American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Nuclear Society (ANS) standard ANSI/ANS-8.1-2014, “Nuclear Criticality Safety in Operations with Fissionable M...
Policy or scientific messaging? Strategic framing in a case of subnational climate change conflict

Climate change and the implementation of climate‐energy policies remains highly contentious in the United States. Prior research makes clear that the way polices are “framed” powerfully shapes how they are conceptualized. This article explores framing dynamics within a 2015–2016 case of subfederal climate‐energy policy conflict in the state of Illinois, which culminated with the passage of the Future Energy Jobs Act: legislation that contained significant environmental initiatives. I investigate this episode through a process tracing case study, incorporating qualitative content analysis and semi‐structured interviews with stakeholders. Results suggest that stakeholders strategically framed their policies in terms of economic benefits, and other aspects of a policy's design, as opposed to focusing on climate change or climate science. In this way, Illinois was able to pass a comprehensive climate‐energy policy with bipartisan support—an outcome infrequently seen in other states around the country. 气候变化和气候‐能源政策的执行一直是美国的高度热点议题。以往研究主张，政策的“建构”方式能强烈影响其如何被概念化。本文探究了2015‐2016年伊利诺伊州气候‐能源政策冲突的建构动态，该冲突在《未来能源工作法案》（Future Energy Jobs Act）通过时最为激烈：该法案涉及大量能源倡议计划。通过一项过程追踪案例研究，包括定性内容分析和针对利益攸关方的半结构化访谈，我对该案例加以分析。分析结果暗示，利益攸关方从策略上对各自政策的经济利益方面以及政策设计的其他方面加以建构，而不是聚焦于气候变化或气候科学。如此一来，伊利诺伊州能够在两党支持下通过一项全面的气候‐能源政策—这一结果在其他州是不常见的。 El cambio climatico y la implementacion de politicas climaticas y energeticas sigue siendo muy polemico en los Estados Unidos. Investigaciones anteriores dejan en claro que la forma en que se "enmarcan" las politicas da forma poderosamente a como se conceptualizan. Este articulo explora la dinamica de encuadre dentro de un caso de conflicto subfederal de politica energetica y climatica en el estado de Illinois entre 2015 y 2016, que culmino con la aprobacion de la Ley de Empleos de Energia Futura: legislacion que contenia iniciativas ambientales importantes. Investigo este episodio a traves de un estudio de caso de seguimiento de procesos, que incorpora analisis de contenido cualitativo y entrevistas semiestructuradas con las partes interesadas. Los resultados sugieren que las partes interesadas enmarcaron estrategicamente sus politicas en terminos de beneficios economicos y otros aspectos del diseno de una politica, en lugar de centrarse en el cambio climatico o la ciencia climatica. De esta manera, Illinois pudo aprobar una politica integral de clima y energia con apoyo bipartidista, un resultado que se ve con poca frecuencia en otros estados del pais.
Moody and Dissatisfied: A Possible Resolution of Asset Pricing Puzzles

Recent microeconomic evidence suggests that risk aversion is largely determined by the changes in the state of the economy and mostly insensitive to the fluctuations in idiosyncratic wealth. I propose a consumption-based asset pricing model that is consistent with this evidence and capable of explaining various stylized facts about the U.S. stock market. In the model, agents have a power-utility type instantaneous utility function whose curvature explicitly depends on a stationary macroeconomic state variable. The model can produce a high equity risk premium with a low, stable and wealth-insensitive relative risk aversion if the utility curvature is mildly countercyclical (i.e., if the agents are mildly "moody") and consumption is sufficiently smaller than a predetermined benchmark (i.e., if the agents are sufficiently "dissatisfied") at the steady state. It also gives a low and stable risk-free rate, procyclical price-dividend ratio, countercylical risk premium and price of risk, return predictability, an upward sloping real yield curve and a downward sloping equity term structure.
Newly recruited intraepithelial Ly6A+CCR9+CD4+ T cells protect against enteric viral infection

The intestinal epithelium comprises the body9s largest surface exposed to viruses. However, a role for intraepithelial T lymphocytes in resistance against viral infections remain elusive. By fate-mapping T cells recruited to the murine intestinal epithelium, we observed accumulation of CD4+ T cells after infection with murine norovirus (MNV) or mouse adenovirus type-2 (AdV), but not after reovirus infection. Intraepithelial CD4+ T cells recruited after MNV or AdV infection co-express Ly6A and CCR9, and exhibit T helper 1 and cytotoxic profiles. Although these cells display a diverse TCR repertoire, they conferred protection against AdV and MNV both in vivo and in an organoid co-culture model in an IFN-γ-dependent manner. Ablation of the T cell receptor (TCR) or the transcription factor ThPOK in CD4+ T cells prior to infection prevented viral control, while TCR ablation during infection did not impact viral clearance. These results uncover a protective role for intraepithelial Ly6A+CCR9+CD4+ T cells against enteric viruses.
Structural Results of LEED Crystallography

In this chapter, we summarize the surface structures obtained with LEED until early 1978. Further details may be found in the bibliography (Sect. 12.4), while a more systematic discussion is given elsewhere [16]. We include results obtained by kinematic (KLEED), Constant-Momentum-Transfer-Averaging (CMTA) and Quasi-Dynamical [17] (QDLEED) LEED theories, and identify those as such.
Is Human Genetics Becoming Dagerous to Society

Several years ago, a man who was called the Unabomber sent a bomb to an American geneticist-who was probably the only person in America to be targeted for death just for being a geneticist. This was neither the first nor last bomb that he sent, but to explain his actions, the Unabomber issued a manifesto. This is what he had to say about genetics in the section of the manifesto entitled “The ‘bad’ parts of technology cannot be separated from the ‘good’ parts” (FC, 1995):
Chapter 7 Pyroelectric Vidicon

Publisher Summary This chapter presents history and performance analysis of pyroelectric vidicon. The first concept for a pyroelectric tube was patented in 1963 by Astheimer and was based on a complicated mechanism using a return-beam orthicon mode; however, it never was implemented. In 1968, Tompsett (1969a, b) proposed a simple thermal-imaging camera tube that would operate in true pyroelectric mode and made the first estimates of the potential performance of this pyroelectric vidicon. The performance analysis of the pyroelectric vidicon is reviewed briefly here. The basic pyroelectric effect is characterized by the pyroelectric coefficient p, which is the change in electrical polarization P s of an unbiased crystal with temperature, T; that is, p = ∂P s /∂T. For an element of area A, the charge Q generated for a temperature change ΔT is given by Q = ApΔT.
Current Limitations In The Magnetically Delayed Vacuum Switch

The magnetically delayed vacuum switch (MDVS) represents a significant improvement--in terms of closure rate, jitter, lifetime, recovery rate, and repetition rate (10 kHz operation lias been demonstrated)--over conventional triggered vacuum gap switches. The maximum current carrying capacity of the MDVS is a function both of injected trigger plasma density and of electrode material selection. Insufficient initial trigger plasma injection results in a transient current interruption shortly after commutation, and transition to a high-loss mode of operation. The power loss associated with this mode results in anode erosion, degradation of switch performance, and a decrease in switch lifetime. High speed imaging techniques have been used to investigate processes associated with current conduction in the MDVS. Results of these studies the high-loss mode is erosion of the plasma density in suggest that the mechanism causing the transition to the mid-gap region. During the transition to the high loss mode, the MDVS appears to exhibit behavior similar to the initial opening phase of a plasma erosion opening switch.
Teams as technology: strengths, weaknesses, and trade-offs in cognitive task performance

Purpose – This paper aims to assert that teams are a technology used to achieve task goals or social objectives that cannot be accomplished by individuals alone. Much current work in organizations is knowledge based, so it is important to know when to apply teams as a technology and how teams can be effectively utilized for cognitive task performance. This paper describes a number of strengths, weaknesses and trade-offs that accompany teams performing cognitive tasks. Design/methodology/approach – Research comparing team performance to that of similarly treated individuals indicates that teams on average exceed the performance of individuals on cognitive tasks; however, teams rarely match the performance of their best member. Findings – Based on analysis of this research, a set of strengths of teams are highlighted: information pooling, error correction, meta-knowledge, reliability and information sharing. Two weaknesses of team performance on cognitive tasks are also identified: slow to action and coordi...
Abstract 4481: Genetically encoded chimeric polypeptide nanoparticles for gemcitabine delivery to solid tumors

Gemcitabine (2′,2′-difluorodeoxycytidine) (dFdC) is a chemotherapeutic drug indicated for the treatment of pancreatic, bladder, NSCLC, breast and ovarian cancers. The use of gemcitabine for the treatment of other cancers, including gallbladder cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, non-Hodgkin9s lymphoma, and Kaposi9s sarcoma, has been clinically investigated. The cytotoxic effect of gemcitabine is due to inhibition of DNA synthesis by two mechanisms of action: (i) dFdCTP directly competes with dCTP for incorporation into DNA, inhibiting further DNA synthesis via masked chain termination; (ii) dFdCDP inhibits ribonucleotide reductase (which catalyses reactions that produce deoxynucleoside triphosphates for DNA synthesis). However, the major fraction of the administered drug undergoes rapid metabolism into dFdU by deamination, primarily in blood and then in other major organs. Therefore, the plasma half-life of gemcitabine following intravenous administration is short, ranging from 8-17 min in human plasma and 9 min in murine plasma. Like other drugs, Gemcitabine also shows a lack of selectivity towards tumor cells, sub-optimal pharmacokinetics and bio-distribution, leading to limited efficacy and significant systemic toxicity. Finally, the rapid metabolism of gemcitabine generates the need for high doses of drug, which in turn exhibits dose-limiting systemic side effects, such as hematological (myelosuppression, neutropenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia) and other toxicities (edema, cutaneous toxicity, pulmonary toxicity, dyspnea). In an effort to overcome the limited efficacy and systemic toxicity of current Gemcitabine formulations, we have designed a novel polypeptide drug delivery system where Gemcitabine is covalently attached to a genetically engineered chimeric polypeptide (CP) through a pH sensitive linker such that covalent conjugation of multiple copies of Gemcitabine at one end of the CP triggers the formation of sub 100 nm size nanoparticles that are ideal for targeting solid tumors through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. We found that upon conjugation, CP-Gemcitabine conjugate form nanoparticles with a diameter of ∼40 nm and narrow size distribution ( Citation Format: Jayanta Bhattacharyya, Ashutosh Chilkoti. Genetically encoded chimeric polypeptide nanoparticles for gemcitabine delivery to solid tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4481. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4481
Expression of Microtubule-Associated Protein 2 in Benign and Malignant Melanocytes : Implications for Differentiation and Progression of Cutaneous Melanoma

Cutaneous melanocytic neoplasms are known to acquire variable characteristics of neural crest differentiation. Melanocytic nevus cells in the dermis and desmoplastic melanomas often display characteristics of nerve sheath differentiation. The extent and nature of neuronal differentiation characteristics displayed by primary and metastatic melanoma cells are not well understood. Here, we describe induction of a juvenile isoform of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2c) in cultured metastatic melanoma cells by the differentiation inducer hexamethylene bisacetamide. Up-regulation of this MAP-2 isoform, a marker for immature neurons, is accompanied by extended dendritic morphology and down-regulation of tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1/gp75), a melanocyte differentiation marker. In a panel of cell lines that represent melanoma tumor progression, MAP-2c mRNA and the corresponding ∼70-kd protein could be detected predominantly in primary melanomas. Immunohistochemical analysis of 61 benign and malignant melanocytic lesions showed abundant expression of MAP-2 protein in melanocytic nevi and in the in situ and invasive components of primary melanoma, but only focal heterogeneous expression in a few metastatic melanomas. In contrast, MAP-2-positive dermal nevus cells and the invasive cells of primary melanomas were TYRP1-negative. This reciprocal staining pattern in vivo is similar to the in vitro observation that induction of the neuronal marker MAP-2 in metastatic melanoma cells is accompanied by selective extinction of the melanocytic marker TYRP1. Our data show that neoplastic melanocytes, particularly at early stages, retain the plasticity to express the neuron-specific marker MAP-2. These observations are consistent with the premise that both benign and malignant melanocytes in the dermis can express markers of neuronal differentiation.
Acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Characterization of a 32P-labeled lipid from guinea pig liver mitochondria.

Abstract An unknown mitochondrial lipid which is labeled in vitro by incubation with γ-32P-adenosine triphosphate has been isolated. A series of degradations including hydrolysis, oxidation, and reduction of the 32P-lipid resulted in various labeled products which were then characterized by co-chromatography or by co-electrophoresis. Alkaline methanolysis resulted in the release of all radioactivity from the lipid as inorganic phosphate. On the basis of its chemical properties in comparison with synthetic palmitoyldihydroxyacetone phosphate, the lipid has been identified as an acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate.
Loss Aversion Motivates Tax Sheltering: Evidence from U.S. Tax Returns

This paper presents evidence that loss aversion affects taxpayers as they file their annual tax returns. I model the decisions of a loss-averse tax filer who may use tax shelters to manipulate the "balance due" exchanged with the IRS. I use this model to derive distinguishing predictions of loss aversion which facilitate its identification and quantification in the field. Under loss framing, the discretely steeper marginal utility of a dollar motivates greater pursuit of shelters. These motives imply that the post-sheltering distribution of balance due will exhibit a structural shift in the loss domain, due to discretely higher sheltering in this region. Furthermore, the discontinuity in marginal incentives generates excess mass, or "bunching," at the gain/loss threshold. Using the 1979-1990 IRS Panel of Individual Returns, I document the predicted bunching and shifting in the distribution of balance due, and examine the causes and correlates of these features. The observed distribution is consistent with the framing of tax payments as losses and tax refunds as gains, and is difficult to rationalize with plausible alternative theories. Using two complementary structural approaches — identified from the bunching and shifting predictions, respectively — I estimate substantial potential policy impact of this psychological bias. These results have direct implications for tax policy and public finance.
Borrelia burgdorferi-induced inflammation facilitates spirochete adaptation and variable major protein-like sequence locus recombination.

Spirochete adaptation in vivo is associated with preferential Borrelia burgdorferi gene expression. In this paper, we show that the administration of B. burgdorferi-immune sera to IFN-γR-deficient mice that have been infected with B. burgdorferi N40 for 4 days causes spirochete clearance. In contrast, immune sera-mediated clearance of B. burgdorferi N40 is not apparent in immunocompetent mice, suggesting a role for IFN-γ-mediated responses in B. burgdorferi N40 host adaptation. B. burgdorferi-immune sera also induces clearance of B. burgdorferi N40 that have been passaged in vitro 75 times (B. burgdorferi N40-75), a derivative of B. burgdorferi N40 that does not rapidly adapt in vivo in immunocompetent mice. B. burgdorferi N40-75 produce lower levels of IFN-γ and IL-12 in mice than does B. burgdorferi N40, and the administration of these cytokines to B. burgdorferi N40-75-infected mice results in an increased spirochetal burden, further indicating that IFN-γ-mediated events promote B. burgdorferi survival. Differential immunoscreening and RT-PCR demonstrate that IFN-γ-mediated signals facilitate spirochete recombination at the variable major protein like sequence locus, a site for early antigenic variation in vivo, and that recombination rates by B. burgdorferi N40 are lower in IFN-γR-deficient mice than in control animals. These results suggest that the murine immune response can promote the in vivo adaptation of B. burgdorferi.
Constant ON-time 3-level buck converter for low power applications

Car black boxes operate mostly in sleep mode, which requires high efficiency for light load. We propose two schemes to improve light load efficiency of the 3-level buck converter proposed by Reusch. The first scheme is to adopt constant ON-time control with DCM for light load. The second scheme is to shut down the gate drivers for the two bottom MOSFETs allowing Schottky diodes in parallel to conduct the inductor current, in the very light load condition. The proposed converter is prototyped using off-the-shelf components. The efficiency of the proposed 3-level buck converter ranges from 82% to 95% at 100 mW and 5 W, respectively.
Neuroscience: Browsing and the brain

Two books reach opposite verdicts on how the Internet affects us, find Daphne Bavelier and C. Shawn Green
Physiological Evidence for Two Visual Subsystems

Many studies, including some in this volume, describe two distinct types of higher functions in the visual system. One visual function is concerned primarily with evaluation using information about shape, color and pattern to identify or categorize objects. The other function is more involved with spatial considerations, making use of visual information to determine the position movements and spatial relationships among objects. The notion that the visual system performs two distinguishable types of higher functions is well established, and many pairs of terms have been applied in describing this dichotomy: evaluating/orienting, what/where, focal/ambient, examining/noticing, figural/spatial, foveal/ambient, and object/spatial. 1 Although these terminologies may not all describe precisely the same visual functions, they draw very similar distinctions between two qualitatively different aspects of vision.
A New Mass Model for M31

A new mass model for M31 is presented. The best possible baryonic mass profile for M31 is derived from the 2MASS Ks-band image and M/L ratios from Bell et al. (2003). The best fitting rotation curve is then found within the context of ΛCDM disk galaxy formation. We find that M31 is well-described by a model that includes an adiabatically contracted halo, with an initial NFW concentration, c = 20. Models without adiabatic contraction fail to reproduce the observed rotation curve at r > 15 kpc. The derived halo virial mass is Mvir = (9.4± 0.8)× 10M , consistent with masses derived from other observational methods.
Synthesis of C7,C7‘-Ethylene- and C7,C7‘-Methylene-Bridged C2-Symmetric Bis(indenyl)zirconium and -titanium Dichlorides

We have prepared several novel metallocenes bridged at the 7,7‘-positions of the indenyl moiety. The new metallocenes include the methylene-bridged [dl-bis(4,6-dimethylinden-7-yl)methylidene]titanium dichloride (20) and [dl-bis(4,6-dimethylinden-7-yl)methylidene]zirconium dichloride (21), which were prepared from m-xylene. In addition, [dl-1,2-bis(4-methylinden-7-yl)ethylidene]- and [dl-1,2-bis(4-isopropylinden-7-yl)ethylidene]zirconium dichlorides (dl-12a and dl-12b) and [dl-1,2-bis(4-isopropylinden-7-yl)ethylidene]titanium dichloride (dl-13) were synthesized from p-cymene and p-xylene, respectively. The structures of metallocene dichlorides dl-12a, dl-12b, and dl-13 were determined by X-ray crystallography and found to have C1 symmetry in the solid state but in solution exhibit C2 symmetry, as seen in the 1H NMR spectra at room temperature.
The Kernel Energy Method: Construction of 3 & 4 tuple Kernels from a List of Double Kernel Interactions.

Abstract The kernel energy method (KEM) provides a way to calculate the ab initio energy of very large biological molecules. The results are accurate, and the computational time reduced. However, by use of a list of double kernel interactions a significant additional reduction of computational effort may be achieved, still retaining ab initio accuracy. A numerical comparison of the indices that name the known double interactions in question, allow one to list higher order interactions having the property of topological continuity within the full molecule of interest. When, that list of interactions is unpacked, as a kernel expansion, which weights the relative importance of each kernel in an expression for the total molecular energy, high accuracy, and a further significant reduction in computational effort results. A KEM molecular energy calculation based upon the HF/STO3G chemical model, is applied to the protein insulin, as an illustration.
Demographic characteristics and clinical predictors of patients discharged from university hospital-affiliated pain clinic due to breach in narcotic use contract.

Objective: The current retrospective study was completed with the aim to identify demographic characteristics and clinical predictors (if any) of the patients discharged from our pain clinic due to breach in narcotic use contract (BNUC). Design: Retrospective patient charts' review and data audit. Setting: University hospital-affiliated pain clinic in the United States. Participants: All patient charts in our pain clinic for a 2-year period (2011-2012). Interventions: The patients with BNUC were delineated from the patients who had not been discharged from our pain clinic. Main outcome measures: Pain characteristics, pain management, and substance abuse status were compared in each patient with BNUC between the time of admission and the time of discharge. Results: The patients with BNUC discharges showed significant variability for the discharging factors among the pain physicians within a single pain clinic model with this variability being dependent on their years of experience and their proactive interventional pain management. The patients with BNUC in our pain clinic setting were primarily middle-aged, obese, unmarried males with nondocumented stable occupational history who were receiving only noninterventional pain management. Substance abuse, doctor shopping, and potential diversion were the top three documented reasons for BNUC discharges. Conclusion: In 2011-2012, our pain clinic discharged 1-in-16 patients due to breach in narcotic use contract.
New Links Between Inflammation and Thrombosis

This article is a summary of the Sol Sherry Lecture of the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, which was presented at the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association in November 2004. It highlights work from our laboratory, focusing mainly on new aspects of P-selectin and CD40L (CD154) biology and on the interplay of platelets and leukocytes in thrombosis and inflammation.
WISIP Conference Part I: Wideband Polarimetry. An Introduction of Keynote and Invited Papers with Overview of Sessions

WISIP: Wideband QiHz -PHz) Interferometric Sensing and Imaging Polarimetry has become an indispensable tool for wide area military battlespace surveillance and global geo/eco-environmental stress change monitoring of the terrestrial and planetary covers. It enables dynamic, real-time optimal feature extraction of significant characteristics of desirable targets and/or target sections with simultaneous suppression of undesirable background clutter and propagation path speckle at hitherto unknown clarity and never-before-achieved quality. WISIP may be adapted to the Detection, Recognition and Identification (DRI) of any stationary, moving or vibrating target or distributed scatterer segments versus arbitrary stationary, dynamically changing and/or moving geo-physical/ecological environments, provided the instantaneous 2x2 phasor (Jones/Sinclair) and 4x4 powerdensity (Mueller/Kennaugh) matrices for forward-propagation/backward-scattering, respectively, can be measured with sufficient accuracy. For example, the DRT of stealthy, dynamically moving and/or camouflaged stationary objects occluded deeply into heterogeneous stationary and/or dynamically moving inhomogeneous volumetric scatter environments such as precipitation scatter, the ocean sea/lake surface boundary layers, the littoral coastal surf zones, pack-ice and snow or vegetative canopies, dry sands and soils, etc., can now be successfully realized
STABILITY OF IODINE-DOPED POLYACETYLENE IN AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENTS

Iodine-doped polyacetylene has been found to display exceptional stability in deaerated, aqueous environments and to degrade in the presence of aqueous nucleophiles with a rate which increases with increasing nucleophilicity.
CO2, brainstem chemoreceptors and breathing

The regulation of breathing relies upon chemical feedback concerning the levels of CO2 and O2. The carotid bodies, which detect O2, provide tonic excitation to brainstem respiratory neurons under normal conditions and dramatic excitation if O2 levels fall. Feedback for CO2 involves the carotid body and receptors in the brainstem, central chemoreceptors. Small increases in CO2 produce large increases in breathing. Decreases in CO2 below normal can, in sleep and anesthesia, decrease breathing, even to apnea. Central chemoreceptors, once thought localized to the surface of the ventral medulla, are likely distributed more widely with sites presently identified in the: (1) ventrolateral medulla; (2) nucleus of the solitary tract; (3) ventral respiratory group; (4) locus ceruleus; (5) caudal medullary raphe; and (6) fastigial nucleus of the cerebellum. Why so many chemoreceptor sites? Hypotheses, some with supporting data, include the following. Geographical specificity; all regions of the brainstem with respiratory neurons contain chemoreceptors. Stimulus intensity; some sites operate in the physiological range of CO2 values, others only with more extreme changes. Stimulus specificity; CO2 or pH may be sensed by multiple mechanisms. Temporal specificity; some sites respond more quickly to changes on blood or brain CO2 or pH. Syncytium; chemosensitive neurons may be connected via low resistance, gap junctions. Arousal state: sites may vary in effectiveness and importance dependent on state of arousal. Overall, as judged by experiments of nature, and in the laboratory, central chemoreceptors are critical for adequate breathing in sleep, but other aspects of the control system can maintain breathing in wakefulness.
Resource Consumption and Simulator Driving Performance Using Adaptive Controls

This research seeks to understand the usability of portable assistive driving devices as it relates to driver performance and safety. Through the use of a computer-based simulation, two sets of hand controls were tested in an environment containing driving hazards. Ten participants drove an ambulance through two sessions of high-demand, hazardous scenarios in a computer-based driving simulator. Participants drove one session with each of the two available portable hand control devices. From each of these driving sessions, driving performance metrics were measured in the form of time-to-complete, number of damage-inflicting collisions, percentage of vehicle damage accrued by the end of the drive, and percentage of road course completed. Data were also collected from a posttest survey about which hand control device participants preferred using. Results demonstrated no significant differences between hand control devices with regard to course completion, amount of damage sustained to vehicle, or number of c...
Genotoxicity profiles and reaction characteristics of potassium polyethylene glycol dehalogenation of wood preserving waste.

Chemical dehalogenation of pentachlorophenol-containing wood preserving waste (EPA K001) with potassium polyethylene glycol (KPEG) was investigated. The effect of treatment on the waste toxicity was examined by monitoring genotoxicity of the organic wastes. The effects of temperature, reaction time, and pentachlorophenol concentration on dehalogenation were also investigated. Samples were collected throughout treatment and sequentially extracted with dichloromethane and methanol. Chemical analysis indicated that KPEG effectively dehalogenated pentachlorophenol in the waste. Mutagenicity and genotoxicity of the organic extracts were evaluated in the Salmonella/microsome and Escherichia coli prophage induction assays. Extracts exhibited significantly higher genotoxic responses when tested with metabolic activation. KPEG dehalogenation generally decreases waste genotoxicity during treatment; however, additional treatment is required for complete detoxification.
Crossover from spherical particle Mie scattering to circular aperture diffraction

This paper demonstrates the manner in which the Mie results for light scattering by a three-dimensional sphere of arbitrary size and refractive index crosses over to Fraunhofer diffraction by a two-dimensional circular aperture of the same radius in the limit of very large radius. Demonstration is feasible only because the graphical results are plotted in the manner of the Q-space analysis that plots scattered intensity versus the logarithm of the magnitude of the scattering wave vector rather than linear versus the scattering angle.
Relationship of Erythrocyte to Leukocyte Antigens in Chickens

Tests with blood typing antisera revealed that antigens of the A, D, and L blood group systems are erythrocyte specific, while antigens of the B and C systems are common to lymphocytes and erythrocytes. Injection of day-old chicks with erythrocytes inhibited production of agglutinins for lymphocytes as well as erythrocytes when subsequent immunizations were attempted.
Ferroelectric phase transitions a review of theory and experiment

We have seen in Part 1 that a resonance observed at a single atomic site in a crystal can give information about the local electric field which depends on crystal structure. To obtain a unique structural picture in this way, one must observe resonances at as many sites as possible, and therefore we are interested in a technique which can be applied to sites occupied by nucleii whose ground states have no quadrupole moments and which cannot be used to measure the EFG unless they are excited into a higher spin state. For example Fe57 has S = 1/2 in the ground state, but it can absorb a low-energy gamma ray to form an S = 3/2 excited state which will be split by quadrupole interaction with the EFG. One can thus examine the local field gradients by measuring the splitting of the resonance dip in the absorption cross section.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone binding and activation of enriched population of pituitary gonadotrophs

Abstract The properties of GnRH receptors were analyzed in isolated rat pituitary cells by binding studies with the labeled GnRH agonist, [ 125 I]iodo-[ d -Ser( t Bu) 6 ]des-Gly 10 -GnRH- N -ethylamide. The concentration of GnRH-binding sites in pituitary cells from immature female rats was twice as high as in cells from adult females. Electron-microscopic irnmunocytochemistry revealed twice as many gonadotrophs in the immature rat pituitary, indicating that gonadotrophs from immature and mature female rats contain the same number of binding sites. An enriched population of gonadotrophs prepared from immature female rat pituitaries by velocity sedimentation at unit gravity contained 77% of the total radioimmunoassayable LH and 71% of the total GnRH receptors. A second population of small, poorly granulated gonadotrophs was distributed among the cells of other fractions of the gradient and could be detected only by irnmunocytochemistry. The smaller, possibly immature, gonadotrophs did not contain a measurable number of GnRH receptors. When incubated with the cells recovered from the gradient, GnRH stimulated LH release only in the mature gonadotroph-enriched fraction and not in other regions of the gradient. These results indicate that GnRH interacts preferentially with gonadotrophs in the pituitary. The findings also suggest that functional heterogeneity exists among pituitary gonadotrophs and that GnRH binds to and activates only the mature gonadotrophs which exhibit the highest LH-storage capacity.
Exact distribution of the Kaplan-Meier estimator under the proportional hazards model

Abstract In this article, we show that the exact distribution of the Kaplan-Meier estimator under the proportional hazards model is a weighted average of permutation distributions. A numerical comparison between the exact distribution and the normal approximation is also presented
Optimizing coronagraph designs to minimize their contrast sensitivity to low-order optical aberrations

The presence of optical aberrations in the entrance pupil of a coronagraph causes the stellar light to scatter about the occulting spot, reducing the effective contrast achievable. Even if these aberrations are sufficiently corrected with a deformable mirror to enable planet detection, small drifts in the optical alignment of the telescope introduce additional low-order aberrations. The design parameters of the coronagraph itself (e.g. occulting spot size, Lyot stop diameter, etc.) affect how these aberrations impact the contrast in the focal plane. In this study, we examine the sensitivity of contrast to low-order optical errors for several coronagraph concepts over their respective design parameters. By combining these sensitivities with the telescope throughput, we show that for each coronagraph concept there is an optimum selection of the design parameters that provides efficient, high-contrast imaging at the inner working distance in the presence of alignment errors.