cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of primary caregivers on long-term outcomes after lung transplantation.

Background Current guidelines consider the absence of a dependable social support system as an absolute contraindication to lung transplantation, yet there are varying degrees of social support among those selected for transplantation. We sought to characterize the relationship between a patient's self-reported primary caregiver and long-term outcomes after lung transplantation. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all lung transplant recipients ≥18 years of age who had undergone an initial transplant (2000 to 2010). Cox regression was used to explore the relationship between type of caregiver and the long-term risk of death and chronic graft failure while adjusting for potential confounders. Results There were 452 patients undergoing lung transplantation over the study period who met the inclusion criteria. Five types of primary caregivers were identified, with spouse 60% (270 of 452) being the most common. Compared with spousal caregiver, overall survival was significantly worse for patients who identified an adult child (hazard ratio [HR] 2.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15 to 3.60) or sibling (HR 3.79, 95% CI 2.48 to 5.78) as their primary caregiver. In addition, risk for long-term graft failure was increased significantly (HR 3.34, 95% CI 1.58 to 7.06) among patients with sibling caregivers. Conclusions Type of primary caregiver selected before transplantation was associated with long-term outcomes. These results may be a reflection of the long-term support requirements and/or competing responsibilities of other caregiver types. Interventions to increase support for at-risk patients may include identifying additional caregivers during the pre-transplant assessment. As lung allocation is designed to maximize graft potential, risk stratification for listing patients should include type of caregiver and be considered as critically as major organ dysfunction.
From Arterial to Asset: Examining the Role of the Multiway Boulevard in Coordinated Transportation and Land Use Planning

Cities struggling with congestion need options to automobile-dependent transportation and land use patterns. Multiway boulevards are one alternative. Through lanes in the middle are separated by landscaped medians from side access lanes for bicycles and slow-moving local traffic. Using a case study from Oregon's Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area, this project considers what could happen if cities built arterials as multiway boulevards. This interdisciplinary study, which included widespread stakeholder and public participation as well as detailed land use and transportation modeling, was instrumental in the Eugene Planning Commission's decision to endorse converting a portion of the arterial into a multiway boulevard. Although the case study arterial, with its existing bus rapid transit lanes, requires an unusually wide right-of-way, the results show that the arterial could better accommodate residential and mixed-use buildings at the edges if reconfigured as a multiway boulevard. Projected benefits in...
Peak High-Frequency HRV and Peak Alpha Frequency Higher in PTSD

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is difficult to treat and current PTSD treatments are not effective for all people. Despite limited evidence for its efficacy, some clinicians have implemented biofeedback for PTSD treatment. As a first step in constructing an effective biofeedback treatment program, we assessed respiration, electroencephalography (EEG) and heart rate variability (HRV) as potential biofeedback parameters for a future clinical trial. This cross-sectional study included 86 veterans; 59 with and 27 without PTSD. Data were collected on EEG measures, HRV, and respiration rate during an attentive resting state. Measures were analyzed to assess sensitivity to PTSD status and the relationship to PTSD symptoms. Peak alpha frequency was higher in the PTSD group (F(1,84) = 6.14, p = 0.01). Peak high-frequency HRV was lower in the PTSD group (F(2,78) = 26.5, p < 0.00005) when adjusting for respiration rate. All other EEG and HRV measures and respiration were not different between groups. Peak high-frequency HRV and peak alpha frequency are sensitive to PTSD status and may be potential biofeedback parameters for future PTSD clinical trials.
Bridging bronchus: Importance of recognition on airway endoscopy

Bridging bronchus is an anomalous bronchus, which crosses the mediastinum from the contralateral mainstem bronchus and it is commonly associated with congenital great vessel abnormalities. This is a case report of an infant that underwent airway endoscopy and attempt at cannulation of a mainstem bronchus with supposed bronchial cast after cardiac surgery in the intensive care unit. After multiple failed attempts, further workup was completed which revealed a bridging bronchus. A bridging bronchus must be suspected in a patient with abnormal appearing endoscopy in presence of great vessel anomalies to prevent accidental injury to the tracheobronchial tree.
A cost-effective, high-bandwidth storage architecture

This paper describes the Network-Attached Secure Disk (NASD) storage architecture, prototype implementations oj NASD drives, array management for our architecture, and three, filesystems built on our prototype. NASD provides scalable storage bandwidth without the cost of servers used primarily, for transferring data from peripheral networks (e.g. SCSI) to client networks (e.g. ethernet). Increasing datuset sizes, new attachment technologies, the convergence of peripheral and interprocessor switched networks, and the increased availability of on-drive transistors motivate and enable this new architecture. NASD is based on four main principles: direct transfer to clients, secure interfaces via cryptographic support, asynchronous non-critical-path oversight, and variably-sized data objects. Measurements of our prototype system show that these services can be cost-effectively integrated into a next generation disk drive ASK. End-to-end measurements of our prototype drive andfilesysterns suggest that NASD cun support conventional distributed filesystems without performance degradation. More importantly, we show scaluble bandwidth for NASD-specialized filesystems. Using a parallel data mining application, NASD drives deliver u linear scaling of 6.2 MB/s per clientdrive pair, tested with up to eight pairs in our lab.
The moderating role of social networks in the relationship between alcohol consumption and treatment utilization for alcohol-related problems

Many individuals wait until alcohol use becomes severe before treatment is sought. However, social networks, or the number of social groups an individual belongs to, may play a moderating role in this relationship. Logistic regression examined the interaction of alcohol consumption and social networks as a predictor of treatment utilization while adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical variables among 1,433 lifetime alcohol-dependent respondents from wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol Related Conditions (NESARC). Results showed that social networks moderate the relationship between alcohol consumption and treatment utilization such that for individuals with few network ties, the relationship between alcohol consumption and treatment utilization was diminished, compared to the relationship between alcohol consumption and treatment utilization for individuals with many network ties. Findings offer insight into how social networks, at times, can influence individuals to pursue treatment, while at other times, influence individuals to stay out of treatment, or seek treatment substitutes.
An Overview And Critical Evaluation Of Financial Reform System In China

The purpose of this survey study has been to identify the primary elements of the financial sector reform (FSR) and their impact on the socioeconomic environment of China (People’s Republic of China), and to assess the level of progress, risks, and problems stemming from the China’s political economy. The research findings indicate that the level of the financial risks has greatly increased in recent years and that China is dealing with inherent financial concerns and potential financial crisis. Ironically, the growth of foreign direct investment has accelerated in Chinese ventures (Warner, 2004), in spite of the recent warnings by various sources such as Business Week (January 19 & May 3, 2004). Currently, the amount of foreign direct investment – about $491 billion – is flooding the foreign currency system and putting heavy pressure on the Yuan. This is because the investors usually rely heavily on the financial ratios i.e. profitability and growth, as the criteria for investment decisions. However, it would be a critical mistake to disregard the role of “policy” in risk analysis especially in a political economy such as China. This research study intends to establish an accurate barometer for the assessment of the risk factors within the financial sector and their impact on sector’s reform.
On the numerical solution of by a class of nonlinear trapezoidal formulas

A class of stable nonlinear trapezoidal formulas based on a variety of means for solving initial value problems of the form is developed. The accuracy and stability of the new formulas are investigated. Numerical tests are carried out to compare the results of the established methods with the results of the existing formulas.
Infrared-Based Measurements of Velocity, Turbulent Kinetic Energy, and Dissipation at the Water Surface in a Tidal River

Thermal infrared (IR)-based particle image ve locimetry (PIV) is used to measure the evolution of velocity, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and the TKE dissipation rate at the water surface in the tidally influenced Snohomish River. Patterns of temperature variability in the IR imagery arise from disruption of the cool-skin layer and are used to estimate the 2-D velocity field. Comparisons of IR-based PIV mean velocity made with a colocated acoustic velocimeter demonstrate high cor relation (r2 >; 0.9). Over a tidal period, surface TKE computed from the IR velocity varies from 10-4 to 3 × 10-3 J · kg-1, with an average difference from the in situ measurements of 8%. IR-derived TKE dissipation rates vary from approximately 3 × 10-6 to 2 × 10-4 W · kg-1 at peak ebb, agreeing on average to within 7% of the in situ velocimeter results. IR-based PIV provides detailed measurements of previously inaccessible surface velocities and turbulence statistics.
Effect of Brood Type on Varroa-Sensitive Hygiene by Worker Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) have been selectively bred for varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH), which is the removal of pupae that are infested by Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman from capped brood cells. This hygienic behavior is a complex interaction of bees and brood in which brood cells are inspected, and then brood is either removed or recapped. Previous work has shown that VSH bees uncap and remove significantly more varroa-infested worker pupae than nonhygienic bees do, but nothing is known about the reactions of VSH bees to mite-infested drone brood. This study compared the reactions of VSH bees with mite-infested worker and drone brood in a laboratory test and a field test. VSH bees inspected brood cells containing mite-infested pupae of both types of brood, but they removed significantly fewer mite-infested drone pupae than mite-infested worker pupae after 1 wk. This result suggests that mite populations in VSH colonies could increase more rapidly when drone brood is available. Additionally, the percentages of uncapped pupae and uncapped mite-infested pupae were positively correlated to the natural infestation rate of brood after a 24-h exposure, but not after an exposure of 1 wk. This result suggests that the rate of uncapping brood by hygienic bees may depend on the infestation rate, which gradually decreases with longer exposures to bees that remove mite-infested pupae from capped brood.
Physical attack protection with human-secure virtualization in data centers

Cloud computing-based data centers, which hold a large amount of customer data, are vulnerable to physical attacks and insider threats. Current protection and defense mechanisms for security of data held in data centers are either completely physical (sensors, barriers, etc.) or completely cyber (firewalls, encryption, etc.). In this paper we propose a novel cyber-physical security defense for cloud computing-based data centers against physical attacks. In our system, physical sensors detect an impending physical/human attack which triggers cyber defenses to protect or mitigate the attack. The key to the cyber defenses is that in cloud computing data centers the data is loosely coupled with the underlying physical hardware, and can be moved/migrated to other physical hardware in the presence of an attack. In this paper we propose a model for coupling such cyber defenses with physical attack-detection sensors. We further describe a preliminary architecture for building such a system with today's cloud computing infrastructure.
Somatic mutations in stilbene estrogen-induced Syrian hamster kidney tumors identified by DNA fingerprinting

Kidney tumors from stilbene estrogen (diethylstilbestrol)-treated Syrian hamsters were screened for somatic genetic alterations by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain-reaction (RAPD-PCR) fingerprinting. Fingerprints from tumor tissue were generated by single arbitrary primers and compared with fingerprints for normal tissue from the same animal, as well as normal and tumor tissues from different animals. Sixty one of the arbitrary primers amplified 365 loci that contain approximately 476 kbp of the hamster genome. Among these amplified DNA fragments, 44 loci exhibited either qualitative or quantitative differences between the tumor tissues and normal kidney tissues. RAPD-PCR loci showing decreased and increased intensities in tumor tissue DNA relative to control DNA indicate that loci have undergone allelic losses and gains, respectively, in the stilbene estrogen-induced tumor cell genome. The presence or absence of the amplified DNA fragments indicate homozygous insertions or deletions in the kidney tumor DNA compared to the age-matched normal kidney tissue DNA. Seven of 44 mutated loci also were present in the kidney tissues adjacent to tumors (free of macroscopic tumors). The presence of mutated loci in uninvolved (non-tumor) surrounding tissue adjacent to tumors from stilbene estrogen-treated hamsters suggests that these mutations occurred in the early stages of carcinogenesis. The cloning and sequencing of RAPD amplified loci revealed that one mutated locus had significant sequence similarity with the hamster Cyp1A1 gene. The results show the ability of RAPD-PCR to detect and isolate, in a single step, DNA sequences representing genetic alterations in stilbene estrogen-induced cancer cells, including losses of heterozygosity, and homozygous deletion and insertion mutations. RAPD-PCR provides an alternative molecular approach for studying cancer cytogenetics in stilbene estrogen-induced tumors in humans and experimental models. Although the exact functional importance of mutated loci is unknown, this study indicates that these altered loci may participate during tumor progression in the kidney.
Mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein defect links impaired antiviral response and liver injury in steatohepatitis in mice

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a pathogenic feature of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH complicates hepatotropic viral disease. The mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) is the adapter of helicase receptors involved in sensing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). We hypothesized that impaired MAVS function may contribute to insufficient antiviral response and liver damage in steatohepatitis. We identified reduced MAVS protein levels and increased MAVS association with the proteasome subunit alpha type 7 (PSMA7) in livers from mice given a methionine–choline-deficient (MCD) diet. Decreased association of MAVS with mitochondria and increased cytosolic cytochrome c indicated mitochondrial damage in steatohepatitis. In vivo administration of the synthetic dsRNA polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)], but not lipopolysaccharide or cytidine–phosphate–guanosine-rich DNA, resulted in impaired induction of type I interferons (IFNs) and proinflammatory cytokines in steatohepatitis. Consistent with a defect in helicase receptor-induced signaling, there was loss of poly(I:C)-induced translocation of MAVS to the cytosol and decreased IFN regulatory factor 3 phosphorylation. Caspases 1 and 8, both of which cleave MAVS, were increased in MCD diet–fed mice. At baseline, steatohepatitis was associated with increased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), apoptosis and caspase 3 activation compared with controls. In contrast to apoptosis in controls, necrosis was induced by poly(I:C) stimulation in steatohepatitis. Hepatocyte necrosis was indicated by elevated serum high-mobility group box protein-1 and ALT and was correlated with increased expression of receptor-interacting protein 3 (RIP3), a master regulator of necrosis. Increased expression of MAVS, PSMA7, and RIP3 messenger RNA was also present in human NASH livers. Conclusion: Our novel findings suggest that mitochondrial damage in steatohepatitis extends to MAVS, an adapter of helicase receptors, resulting in inefficient type I IFN and inflammatory cytokine response but increased hepatocyte necrosis and RIP3 induction in response to a dsRNA viral challenge. These mechanisms may contribute to progressive liver damage and impaired viral clearance in NASH. (HEPATOLOGY 2011;)
Un 'guión cinematográfico' de Valle-Inclán: Luces de bohemia

A A. Zamora Vicente Han visto algunos criticos—Zamora Vicente ante todo—la estrecha relacion que Luces de bohemia (1920) posee con el cine, pero no se han investigado con detenimiento las posibilid...
Multilayer MCM Routing

The problem of routing the interchip connections in an MCM substrate differs from conventional on-chip routing in some fundamental ways. The very nature of the routing environment is different: in most VLSI design styles, such as the standard cell, sea-of-gates and macro-cell, the area available for routing intercell connections is divided into channels, and switchboxes as illustrated in Fig. 4.1. The routing process is thus naturally decomposed into two stages: global routing, in which routes for all nets are assigned to appropriate sequences of channels; and detailed routing, in which the wires in each channel and switch-box are ordered and assigned to specific layers such that design rule constraints are satisfied. Typically, there are only two or three layers available for signal wiring. These may differ significantly in their electrical properties, such as the resistance per square of the interconnect and the capacitance per unit area.
Conditional fBm Simulation with Dual Kriging

Stochastic fractal simulation, such as derived from a fractional Brownian motion (fBm) model, are typically extremely fast as long as they are not made conditional to real data. If conditioning is done by a traditional (primal) kriging, that speed advantage is lost. If dual kriging is used instead, the conditional simulation can still be represented as an analytical function of the coordinates vector, which can be read at any location where a simulated value is required.
Applications of Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing in 3D Printing

To determine the capabilities of ultrasonic non-destructive testing methods in 3D printing, test specimens were designed to evaluate advantages and limitations in using ultrasoundCscanning to determine 3D printing effectiveness. A Matlab program was written to process the data obtained from the UTwin software and ultrasound tank, as well as produce 3D models of the parts being tested. Thickness, types of features, and various printing methods were evaluated to determine how these characteristics vary in effectiveness of C-scan imaging. Results from the UTwin software C-scans were compared to the Matlab program’s imaging and three-dimensional modeling. After determining the capabilities of ultrasonic non-destructive testing methods in 3D printing, applications where the technology could be applied to further the additive manufacturing industry are discussed, and the economic potential of the technology in the industry was identified.
Low-temperature enhancement of the thermoelectric Seebeck coefficient in gated 2D semiconductor nanomembranes

An increasing need for effective thermal sensors, together with dwindling energy resources, have created renewed interests in thermoelectric (TE), or solid-state, energy conversion and refrigeration using semiconductor based nanostructures. Effective control of electron and phonon transport due to confinement, interface, and quantum effects has made nanostructures a good way to achieve more efficient thermoelectric energy conversion. Theoretically, a narrow delta-function shaped transport distribution function (TDF) is believed to provide the highest Seebeck coefficient, but has proven difficult to achieve in practice. We propose a novel approach to achieving a narrow window-shaped TDF through a combination of a step-like 2-dimensional density-of-states (DOS) and inelastic optical phonon scattering. A shift in the onset of scattering with respect to the step-like DOS creates a TDF which peaks over a narrow band of energies. We perform a numerical simulation of carrier transport in silicon nanoribbons based on numerically solving the coupled Schrodinger-Poisson equations together with transport in the semi-classical Boltzmann formalism. Our calculations confirm that inelastic scattering of electrons, combined with the step-like DOS in 2-dimensional nanostructures leads to the formation of a narrow window-function shaped TDF and results in enhancement of Seebeck coefficient beyond what was already achieved through confinement alone. A further analysis on maximizing this enhancement by tuning the material properties is also presented.
A New Paradigm in Higher Education in India

India has a massive 1.2 billion population of which a high proportion of them are young. The demand for education in developing countries like India has skyrocketed as education is still regarded as an important bridge of social, economic and political mobility. India has innumerable challenges in terms of infrastructure, socio-economic, linguistic and physical barriers for people who wish to access education. The focus of this paper is to examine the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in with a new paradigm in higher education in India in the 21st century. India has a billion-plus population and a high proportion of the young and hence it has a large formal education system. The demand for education in developing countries like India has skyrocketed as education is still regarded as an important bridge of social, economic and political mobility. There exist infrastructure, socio-economic, linguistic and physical barriers in India for people who wish to access education. This includes infrastructure, teacher and the processes quality. There exist drawbacks in general education in India as well as all over the world like lack of learning materials, teachers, remoteness of education facilities, high dropout rate etc. Innovative use of Information and Communication Technology can potentially solve this problem. Internet usage in home and work place has grown exponentially. ICT has the potential to remove the barriers that are causing the problems of low rate of education in any country. It can be used as a tool to overcome the issues of cost, less number of teachers, and poor quality of education as well as to overcome time and distance barriers. To conclude, Higher education in India is an extraordinarily important part of modern Indian society and it is intertwined in the political and social systems of the society. It is in need of change, development and important. In order to effectively plan for reforms and improvement, it is necessary to have in realistic perceptions of what is possible and what is not.
Photochemical and acid‐catalyzed reactions in the 2,3‐dihydropyridazine system

Bei der Bestrahlung in Gegenwart von Dicyan-athylen (II) erhalt man aus den Dihydropyridazinen (I) die Addukte (III).
Migraine and Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction

Tests of autonomic nervous system (ANS) function were administered to 80 adult patients with migraine (28 with disabling headaches) and 85 matched controls, in a study at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY.
Role of Antecedents in Managerial Success

The environment of competition in all the fields of life has made demands for more number of successful managers in organizations. In this article an empirical attempt has been made to establish some of the antecedents as the background factors for attaining managerial success. A questionnaire comprised over 30 items were administered on the 280 working managers at various levels in different organizations located in Punjab, Pakistan. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was applied and a structural model was developed on the antecedents of managerial success. The results of hypotheses testing were in expected direction and all the studied antecedents had significant impacts on managerial success. The top management of the organizations can comprehend the basic individual characteristics, demographic background, various contextual factors, and the importance of achieving organizational results that make the managers professionally successful. It has got implications in areas related to selection, training and development, performance appraisal, and succession planning of managerial personnel in organizations. The present study has explored only a few antecedents of managerial success, and did not consider the other important factors like salary and status, cognitive ability, and job performance. Through identifying and empirically establishing a few selected antecedents of managerial success, this study helps to understand the contributory attributes of managerial success in Pakistani context.
Book Review: James Geary, I is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How it Shapes the Way We See the World

A review of James Geary, I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How It Shapes the Way We See the World (Harper Collins 2011), 297 pages. In I Is an Other, James Geary demonstrates that metaphor permeates every aspect of modern human (and sometimes nonhuman) life. He shows that we do not merely speak and write with metaphors, we also understand and create with them. He cites classical and contemporary scholars in linguistics, rhetoric, literary criticism, archaeology, physics, economics, marketing, communication, mathematics, neuroscience, psychiatry, and more. These scholars help to establish that certain aspects of metaphor, like pattern recognition and personification, are central to human nature; that certain metaphorical references, like containers, journeys, transformations, and orientations, are so basic to the way we conceive of the world that we don’t readily appreciate them as metaphors. And Geary makes all of this fun to learn about by weaving in stories. Sometimes, the hero of the story is Geary himself, as he reveals personal details about his experiences with his children, wife, and mother that are as endearing as they are informative.
Scenario Generation in Underwater Weapon Battle Development Simulation

Based on the analysis of the requirements for scenario system of weapon battle development simulation,and weapon applied performance evaluation under complicated counterwork conditions,a scenario system based on condition judgment is designed.By the scenario index table,correspondence relation of entity,environment and state is establishment and scripts design pattern with modular is presented.This script is easy to use and has universality and expansibility.Based on all above work,scenario system software is applied in underwater weapon battle development simulation system.
Recent Advances and Controversies in Peripartum Depression

Purpose of Review The purpose of this review is to update readers on recent controversies and findings on the underlying biology and clinical management of peripartum depression.
What factors are associated with unplanned return following transurethral resection of bladder tumor? An analysis of a large single institution's experience.

AbstractObjective: This study sought to evaluate factors associated with unplanned hospital return (UR) following transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), the largest source of readmission among ambulatory urological procedures.Materials and methods: A retrospective review of TURBTs at a single academic institution between April 2011 and August 2014 was performed. Demographics, comorbidities, length of stay, tumor size and multiple other factors were recorded. UR was recorded within 30 days of surgery. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed to determine factors associated with UR.Results: Among 708 patients undergoing TURBT, 23.9% were female with a mean age of 70 years. The rate of UR was 10.9%. The most common cause of UR was gross hematuria, accounting for 70%. On bivariate analysis, Foley catheter placement in the operating room, non-aspirin anticoagulation and index length of stay longer than 24 h were associated with hematuria-related UR (p < 0.05). Preoperative antibiotics, fe...
Subjective distress from trauma in older clients with severe mental illness

There is little research on older persons with severe mental illness (SMI) who have experienced trauma. We conducted an exploratory study with 174 community mental health clients with SMI who were ...
Psychometric properties of the Prenatal Health Behavior Scale in mid- and late pregnancy

AbstractIntroduction: Psychometrically sound self-report measures are important tools to advance research on health behaviors in pregnancy. The Prenatal Health Behavior Scale (PHBS) has been used in prior studies to quantify health behaviors and examine their associations with relevant variables, but its psychometric properties have not been carefully investigated.Methods: In a sample of low-risk women, we examined the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the PHBS at mid- (N = 138) and late (N = 102) pregnancy.Results: In confirmatory factor analysis, items on the PHBS loaded onto a single reliable factor, but separating health-promoting and health-impairing behavior into two factors had better model fit. The scales defined by these two factors had good internal consistency in mid- and late pregnancy, were only moderately correlated, and were predicted by somewhat different sets of sociodemographic and psychological variables. Pregnancy-specific stress was a robust predictor of health-promoting ...
Epileptic Encephalopathies: Clinical Aspects, Molecular Features and Pathogenesis, Therapeutic Targets and Translational Opportunities, and Future Research Directions:

Epileptic encephalopathies encompass a heterogeneous group of epilepsy syndromes that manifest with cognitive, behavioral, and neurologic deficits, seizures that are often intractable and multiform, aggressive electroencephalographic paroxysmal activity, and sometimes early death. As more is learned about the etiologies and manifestations of epileptic encephalopathies, progress has been made toward better treatment options. However, there is still a great need for further randomized controlled trials and research to help create clinically effective therapies. The 2015 Neurobiology of Disease in Children symposium, held in conjunction with the 44th annual meeting of the Child Neurology Society, aimed to (1) describe the clinical concerns involving diagnosis and treatment, (2) review the current status of understanding in the pathogenesis of epileptic encephalopathy, (3) discuss clinical management and therapies for epileptic encephalopathy, and (4) define future directions of research. This article summarizes the presentations and includes an edited transcript of question-and-answer sessions.
Application of Dendrimer-based Nanoparticles in Glioma Imaging.

Dendritic polymers or dendrimers present an alternate template for the development of nanoparticulate-based drug delivery and imaging systems. The smaller size (∼7-12 nm) of dendrimers have the advantage over the other particles, because its smaller size can possibly improve tumor penetration and the inclusion of tumor specific drug release mechanisms. A Paramagnetic Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (PARACEST) MRI contrast agent, Eu- DOTA-Gly4 or a clinical relevant Gd-DOTA was conjugated on the surface of a G5 PAMAM dendrimer. To create a dual mode MRI-optical imaging nanoparticle, Dylight680 was also incorporated on the amines surface of a G5 dendrimer. The particle was detected with in vivo MRI in preclinical glioma animal model. Furthermore, noninvasive imaging results were validated with in vivo and ex-vivo optical imaging.
PROSECUTING THE CRIME OF ECOCIDE UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT JURIDICTION: CASE OF MONSANTO PAST AND PRESENT ACTIVITIES

This contribution is written within the framework of the International Monsanto Tribunal held from October 14 to 16, 2016 in The Hague. It aims to demonstrate that Monsanto's past and present activities fall under the crime of ecocide defined as significant and lasting damage to the global commons or to all or part of the ecosystems on which human populations depend. Monsanto is a multinational agrochemical and major producer of genetically modified seeds and Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide. Its past activities include Agent Orange, a herbicide and defoliator used during the Vietnam War and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This paper explores and analyzes how Ecocide proposed amendments to the Rome statute, drafted by End Ecocide on Earth (a citizen's initiate group that I am one of the experts and drafters) could effectively regulate the subsequent ecological and health impacts of Monsanto activities.
Techniques for Gastrocolic and Infracolic Robotic Omentectomy

An omentectomy is indicated as part of the standard surgical staging for epithelial ovarian cancer and certain histological subtypes of endometrial cancer. The safety and feasibility of an omentectomy via a minimally invasive approach has been establish. We describe techniques that can be used via a robotic platform to perform both a gastrocolic and infracolic omentectomy.
Cochrane Review as a “Warranting Device” for Reasoning About Health

Contemporary reasoning about health is infused with the work products of experts, and expert reasoning about health itself is an active site for invention and design. Building on Toulmin’s largely undeveloped ideas on field-dependence, we argue that expert fields can develop new inference rules that, together with the backing they require, become accepted ways of drawing and defending conclusions. The new inference rules themselves function as warrants, and we introduce the term “warranting device” to refer to an assembly of the rule plus whatever material, procedural, and institutional resources are required to assure its dependability. We present a case study on the Cochrane Review, a new method for synthesizing evidence across large numbers of scientific studies. After reviewing the evolution and current structure of the device, we discuss the distinctive kinds of critical questions that may be raised around Cochrane Reviews, both within the expert field and beyond. Although Toulmin’s theory of field-dependence is often criticized for its relativism, we find that, as a matter of practical fact, field-specific warrants do not enjoy immunity from external critique. On the contrary, they can be opened to evaluation and critique from any interested perspective.
Introduction to Interviews with Statistics Educators

(2011). Introduction to Interviews with Statistics Educators. Journal of Statistics Education: Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. null.
Prevalence and Risk of Drugging Victimization Among Sexual Minority and Heterosexual College Students

Drugging (i.e., administering someone a drug or alcohol without their knowledge or consent) is a problem with substantial consequences for college students. Although sexual minorities face greater rates of drugging risk factors (e.g., greater rates of binge drinking have been identified among sexual minorities), no prior study has examined the prevalence or risk of drugging in this population. We sought to (1) describe rates at which heterosexual and sexual minority college students (separated by gender) have been drugged and to assess (2) sexual minority status and (3) illicit drug use as risk factors for drugging victimization for male and female college students. Results revealed that, controlling for established drugging victimization risk factors, male sexual minority college students were 72.9% more likely to report drugging victimization than heterosexual males. No significant differences in rates of drugging victimization were found between sexual minority and heterosexual women. However, both gen...
Early Warning Score Communication Bundle: A Pilot Study

Background Unplanned admissions of patients to intensive care units from medical-surgical units often result from failure to recognize clinical deterioration. The early warning score is a clinical decision support tool for nurse surveillance but must be communicated to nurses and implemented appropriately. A communication process including collaboration with experienced intensive care unit nurses may reduce unplanned transfers. Objective To determine the impact of an early warning score communication bundle on medical-surgical transfers to the intensive care unit, rapid response team calls, and morbidity of patients upon intensive care unit transfer. Methods After an early warning score was electronically embedded into medical records, a communication bundle including notification of and telephone collaboration between medical-surgical and intensive care unit nurses was implemented. Data were collected 3 months before and 21 months after implementation. Results Rapid response team calls increased nonsignificantly during the study period (from 6.47 to 8.29 per 1000 patient-days). Rapid response team calls for patients with early warning scores greater than 4 declined (from 2.04 to 1.77 per 1000 patient-days). Intensive care unit admissions of patients after rapid response team calls significantly declined (P = .03), as did admissions of patients with early warning scores greater than 4 (P = .01), suggesting that earlier intervention for patient deterioration occurred. Documented reassessment response time declined significantly to 28 minutes (P = .002). Conclusion Electronic surveillance and collaboration with experienced intensive care unit nurses may improve care, control costs, and save lives. Critical care nurses have a role in coaching and guiding less experienced nurses.
Query containment of tier-2 queries over a probabilistic database

We study the containment problem for a query language over probabilistic relational databases that allows queries like “is the probability that q1 holds greater than 0.2 and the probability that q2 holds greater than 0.6?” where q1 and q2 are Boolean conjunctive queries. In addition to being a fundamental problem in its own right, the containment problem is the key problem that an optimizer must solve for many standard optimizations (such as picking up an index or using a materialized view). Our main technical result is that the containment problem is decidable, and we give an EXPSPACE-algorithm based on linear programming for it. We believe that we are the first to study the containment problem for any such probabilistic languages.
Modeling Asian Carp Invasion Using Evolutionary Game Theory

Asian Carp were imported from China in the 1970s to improve water quality of aquaculture and to control aquatic vegetation ponds in the Mississippi river along Illinois. However, they subsequently migrated from ponds into the Mississippi river, where they quickly reached high population density. They are considered invasive species, highly detrimental to ecological balance as they threaten the native fish population eating up the algae and other microscopic organisms essential for the survival of the native fish. The Asian Carp now threatens the Upper Mississippi river and the Great Lakes. The goal of our paper is to model interactions between native species and Asian Carp using evolutionary game theory. We provide conditions under which the native species can coexist and under which they cannot be invaded by Asian Carp. We show that, without the presence of Asian Carp, (1) the proportion of native predators positively correlates with the available resources in the river and (2) for a healthy population of native species to exist, one needs to have the resources within a reasonable range, not too low and not too high as otherwise either the predators or the prey species go would extinct. Our model also shows that the invasion can be best prevented by lowering the amount of available resources while at the same time selectively harming the population of Asian Carp.
Biography as historical sociology: The case of William Fielding Ogburn

William Fielding Ogburn was located on and helped to create the “cutting edge” of developments in twentieth-century American sociology — particularly its increasing emphasis on statistics and objectivist methodology. His life, which spanned the period within which the changes he advocated were institutionalized, can be seen as having significance as a marker of a transition. From this perspective, studying well-chosen individual lives has the same heuristic value as studying particular historical events. They can, to quote Philip Abrams, “mark decisive conjunctions of action and structure;... moments of structuring at which human agency encounters social possibility and can be seen most clearly as simultaneously determined and determining.”1 My analysis of Ogburn's advocacy of scientific sociology — one that differentiated science from both emotion and politics — reflected and reinforced his solutions to problematics in his personal life. His “response” to the separate spheres that defined gender relations in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century America, helped to construct a reflection of them in twentieth-century American sociology. It is in this way — through concrete social action within specific historical conditions — that personal life and gender shaped the intellectual and professional culture within which he lived and worked.
Electrochemical alternative to Fischer–Tropsch

The electroreduction of CO represents a promising approach toward artificial hydrocarbon synthesis, but its rate is limited by the sluggish transport of CO in aqueous electrolytes. Recent work shows how the issue can be circumvented by using gas diffusion electrodes.
Activating Policy and Advocacy Skills: A Strategy for Tomorrow’s Special Education Leaders:

Special education scholars have traditionally experienced a significant disconnect between their experience as researchers and the fast-paced realities of policy and politics. We propose that highe...
Coordination chemistry of organic nitric oxide derivatives

Abstract Organic derivatives of nitric oxide can serve as ligands for transition metals in a variety of fashions. This review surveys recent developments in the coordination chemistry of four main classes of organic NO derivatives: nitrosoalkanes and nitrosoarenes, azodioxides, and nitrosamines. Highlighted work includes evidence that nitrosoarenes can behave as redox-active (“non-innocent”) ligands, an expansion in the number of crystallographically characterized azodioxide complexes, and the synthesis of N-bound primary nitrosamines. Relevance to the bioinorganic chemistry of metalloenzymes is noted.
Psychoacoustics and Auditory Perception

Psychoacoustics and auditory perception are the study of the relationship between perception and the acoustic signal. The current methods and theories of psychoacoustics and auditory perception are probably derived from the early work of Fechner. The history of these studies can perhaps be divided into several major time periods: The Dominance of Helmholtz (late 19th century into early 20th century), The Bell Lab Years (late 1920s to the late 1940s), The Influence of the Theory of Signal Detection (1950s through the 1970s), Appreciation of Complex Sounds (1970s to late 1980s), and Auditory Scene Analysis (1990s to the present time). This chapter suggests that the next topic that will characterize the study of psychoacoustics and auditory perception will be the “Auditory Brain.” The chapter argues that understanding the Auditory Brain will depend on better understanding psychoacoustics and auditory perception, just as much as it will on understanding the biology of the brain. Two examples—sound source localization and complex pitch perception—indicate problems of auditory perception that remain to be solved. The chapter suggests that a better understanding of these areas will likely depend on additional work both in auditory psychoacoustics/perception and in auditory neuroscience.
HIV-1 Tat-Induced Astrocytic Extracellular Vesicle miR-7 Impairs Synaptic Architecture

Although combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has improved the health of millions of those living with HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Type 1), the penetration into the central nervous system (CNS) of many such therapies is limited, thereby resulting in residual neurocognitive impairment commonly referred to as NeuroHIV. Additionally, while cART has successfully suppressed peripheral viremia, cytotoxicity associated with the presence of viral Transactivator of transcription (Tat) protein in tissues such as the brain, remains a significant concern. Our previous study has demonstrated that both HIV-1 Tat as well as opiates such as morphine, can directly induce synaptic alterations via independent pathways. Herein, we demonstrate that exposure of astrocytes to HIV-1 protein Tat mediates the induction and release of extracellular vesicle (EV) microRNA-7 (miR-7) that is taken up by neurons, leading in turn, to downregulation of neuronal neuroligin 2 (NLGN2) and ultimately to synaptic alterations. More importantly, we report that these impairments could be reversed by pretreatment of neurons with a neurotrophic factor platelet-derived growth factor-CC (PDGF-CC). Graphical Abstract.
Weight Loss and the Older Adult: Risks and Benefits

Adults who are obese are often advised to lose weight to reduce the risk of chronic disease. However, the health benefits of weight loss change as we become older, and unintentional weight loss is linked to its own set of health risks. This new 3-page publication of the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department discusses the risks and benefits of planned and unplanned weight loss for older adults. Written by Wendy Gans, Rachelle Savelle, Nancy J. Gal, and Wendy Dahl.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs401
New Authority Included on Statutory Short Form Powers of Attorney

As of January 1, 1997, three new powers — the authority to make annual gifts, to engage in retirement benefit transactions, and to undertake tax matters — have been added to the new statutory short form powers of attorney in New York State. Separate forms are available for durable and non-durable general powers of attorney, as well as springing general powers of attorney. In addition to the new powers, certain procedural changes were also enacted, including a streamlined process for selection of the delegated authority and an option to designate successor agents. This Article will briefly review and discuss the new provisions.