cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of neuronal response patterns in the external and central nuclei of inferior colliculus during ethanol administration and ethanol withdrawal

Convulsive seizures during ethanol withdrawal (ETX) in rodents can be precipitated by acoustic stimulation. The inferior colliculus (IC) is strongly implicated in the neuronal network for these audiogenic seizures (AGS) in animals undergoing ETX. Previous evidence indicates that the central nucleus of IC (ICc) is important in AGS initiation in ETX, but the ICc does not project directly to motor pathways. The external nucleus of IC (ICx) receives convergent output from a broad range of ICc neurons, which is not tonotopically organized, and projects to several nuclei with major motor connections. Lesion, neuroanatomical, and stimulation experiments suggest the involvement of the ICx in the AGS network in several forms of AGS, including ETX. The present study examined ICx neuronal firing patterns in awake behaving rats during ethanol administration and during ETX to examine the role of this structure directly. ICx neuronal responses during both ethanol intoxication and ETX were significantly suppressed as compared to pre-ethanol responses. ICx neuronal responsiveness was reduced (habituated) at faster (>0.25 Hz) rates of stimulus presentation. However, immediately prior to the onset of AGS, there was an increase in ICx neuronal responses that continued into the wild running phase of AGS. This increase in neuronal responses temporally corresponded to the sustained ICc neuronal responses during ETX just prior to AGS. The enhanced ICx neuronal responsiveness may be mediated, in part, by changes in GABA and glutamate receptor regulation previously observed during ETX. The net result of these changes involves a functional reversal of response habituation normally observed in ICx neurons. These data illuminate the nature of the changes in ICx neuronal function that serves to transmit the sensory input that originates in the ICc and propagates seizure to the brainstem AGS network nuclei responsible for the convulsive motor behaviors of ETX seizures.
The equilibrium view on dust and metals in galaxies: Galactic outflows drive low dust-to-metal ratios in dwarf galaxies

Most galaxy evolution simulations as well as a variety of observational methods assume a linear scaling between the (galaxy-averaged) dust-to-gas ratio D and metallicity Z of the interstellar medium (ISM). Indeed, nearby galaxies with solar or moderately sub-solar metallicities clearly follow this trend albeit with significant scatter. However, a growing number of observations show that the linear scaling breaks down for metal-poor galaxies (Z<0.2 Z_sun), highlighting the need for a more sophisticated modeling of the dust-to-metal ratio of galaxies. Here we study the co-evolution of dust and metal abundances in galaxies with the help of a dynamical, one-zone model that incorporates dust formation and destruction processes in addition to gas inflows, outflows, and metal enrichment. The dynamical model is consistent with various observational constraints, including the stellar mass -- metallicity relation, the stellar mass -- halo mass relation, and the observed Z -- D relation for both metal-poor and metal-rich galaxies. The functional form of the Z -- D relation follows from a basic equilibrium ansatz, similar to the ideas used previously to model the stellar mass -- metallicity relation. Galactic outflows regulate the inflow rate of gas from the cosmic web for galaxies of a given star formation rate. The mass loading factor of outflows thus dictates the rate at which the dust and metal content of the ISM is diluted. The stellar mass dependence of the mass loading factor drives the evolution of metallicities, dust-to-gas ratios, and dust-to-metal ratios in galaxies.
Directed forgetting among third and seventh graders

Abstract The present studies examined the effectiveness of explicit and implicit Forget cues for enhancing memory of to-be-remembered items within a directed forgetting paradigm. Such a paradigm may be viewed as a laboratory analogue to a classroom testing situation where students read through an examination before beginning in order to cue themselves as to which information is important to remember. Subjects were third- and seventh-grade children. Evidence was provided that directed forgetting processes were operative at the time of recall so that memory enhancement did not merely reflect differential rehearsal of the to-be-remembered items during study. When easy partitioning of items into Remember and Forget sets was possible, subjects as young as third graders could benefit from postpresentation Forget cues. The data suggest that postpresentation Forget cues permit a selective search during recall and a consequent reduction in interference from to-be-forgotten items. Applications of these findings to a classroom testing situation were discussed.
The role of myeloperoxidase in the pathogenesis of postoperative adhesions

Hypoxia induces the adhesion phenotype, characterized by enhanced extracellular matrix molecule and cytokine expression. Additionally, hypoxia reduces myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in normal peritoneal fibroblasts to basal levels of adhesion fibroblasts indicating the importance of this enzyme in the development of the adhesion phenotype and also in tissue fibrosis. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect and localize MPO and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in fibroblasts. Silencing of these genes was performed using siRNA technology. Levels of iNOS, MPO, type I collagen, and transforming growth factor were detected using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), while HPLC was used to measure nitrate/nitrite levels. Our results show a unique interaction between MPO and iNOS, which are colocalized in both cell lines. Silencing iNOS reduced MPO and nitric oxide levels while silencing MPO had similar results, but to a lesser extent in both cell types. Additionally, silencing iNOS reduced type I collagen and transforming growth factor-β in adhesion fibroblasts, but to a lesser extent in peritoneal fibroblasts. These studies identify MPO and iNOS as key enzymes in the cellular response to hypoxia and consequent development of tissue fibrosis.
Low-Power Approaches to High-Speed Current-Steering Digital-to-Analog Converters in 0.18- $\mu$ m CMOS

This paper will discuss a number of circuit approaches which lower the power consumed by a current steering digital-to-analog converter while maintaining both DC and AC performance levels. An example design provides 14-bit resolution and 200 MSPS conversion rate in a one-poly four-metal (1P4M) 0.18-mum CMOS process. The inclusion of optional 3.3-V compatible devices allows operation over a supply range from 1.7 to 3.6 V. A power dissipation/conversion rate figure of merit of as low as 0.17 mW/MSPS was achieved for 1.8-V operation and as low as 0.28 mW/MSPS at 3.3 V. A measured single-tone SFDR of 70 dB is achieved at a 50-MHz output frequency, with a two-tone IMD of -75 dBc at 71 MHz output.
Cooperative behavior cascades in human social networks

Theoretical models suggest that social networks influence the evolution of cooperation, but to date there have been few experimental studies. Observational data suggest that a wide variety of behaviors may spread in human social networks, but subjects in such studies can choose to befriend people with similar behaviors, posing difficulty for causal inference. Here, we exploit a seminal set of laboratory experiments that originally showed that voluntary costly punishment can help sustain cooperation. In these experiments, subjects were randomly assigned to a sequence of different groups to play a series of single-shot public goods games with strangers; this feature allowed us to draw networks of interactions to explore how cooperative and uncooperative behaviors spread from person to person to person. We show that, in both an ordinary public goods game and in a public goods game with punishment, focal individuals are influenced by fellow group members’ contribution behavior in future interactions with other individuals who were not a party to the initial interaction. Furthermore, this influence persists for multiple periods and spreads up to three degrees of separation (from person to person to person to person). The results suggest that each additional contribution a subject makes to the public good in the first period is tripled over the course of the experiment by other subjects who are directly or indirectly influenced to contribute more as a consequence. These results show experimentally that cooperative behavior cascades in human social networks.
Licensed Lenders' Services to Indonesian SMEs: 'Mystery Shopping' Results

Formal Indonesian lenders see small firms in particular as the main opportunity for expanding their financial services business. How does this translate into the experience of a small firm owner who applies for a loan? This question is addressed by 52 “mystery shopping” visits to 26 lenders in the Jakarta region. Three areas are investigated: service quality, competition and cross selling. The results show that service quality has significant room for improvement. While there is considerable scope for competition among lenders, with substantial variation across banks in terms of products offered and loan requirements, there is very little variation within a bank branch, i.e., most banks offered just one product to the customer. Very little cross-selling is done, indicating a real opportunity for improvements in service. Overall, the lack of proactive service by lenders places the burden of identifying superior financial products squarely with small firms.
Using text classifiers for numerical classification

Consider a supervised learning problem in which examples contain both numerical- and text-valued features. To use tradition al featurevector-based learning methods, one could treat the presenc e or absence of a word as a Boolean feature and use these binary-valued features together with the numerical features. However, th e use of a text-classification system on this is a bit more problematic — in the most straight-forward approach each number would be considered a distinct token and treated as a word. This paper presents an a lternative approach for the use of text classification methods for supervised learning problems with numerical-valued features in which the numerical features are converted into bag-of-words featur es, thereby making them directly usable by text classification methods. We show that even on purely numerical-valued data the results of textclassification on the derived text-like representation outperforms the more naive numbers-as-tokensrepresentation and, more importantly, is competitive with mature numerical classification methods such as C4.5 and Ripper.
Inhibition of growth factor-induced Ras signaling in vascular endothelial cells and angiogenesis by 3,3′-diindolylmethane

3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM), an indole derivative produced on consumption of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, has been shown to have multiple anticancer effects in both in vivo and in vitro models. The present study was carried out to clarify the mechanism of DIM's antiangiogenic activity. We found that DIM can inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced cell proliferation and DNA synthesis in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). Consistent with this inhibition, VEGF-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) phosphorylation was greatly reduced. However, VEGF receptor phosphorylation induced by VEGF was not affected by DIM, indicating that DIM does not exert a direct and specific effect on the tyrosine kinase activity of this receptor. Further studies showed that DIM had a similar inhibitory effect on ERK1/2 phosphorylation induced by a variety of growth factors. Furthermore, Ras-GTP content, which dramatically increased after HUVECs were challenged by either individual growth factors or serum, was reduced by approximately 80% with 25 muM DIM treatment, which in turn resulted in the reduced activities of Raf and MEK, culminating in the drop of ERK1/2 activation. Overexpression of constitutively active GTPase mutant, Ras G12V, in HUVECs reversed the inhibitory effect of DIM on ERK1/2 activation. In a rodent Matrigel plug model, the presence of DIM strongly reduced VEGF-induced neovascularization, indicating that DIM is active in vivo. These data provide evidence that DIM inhibits Ras signaling induced by VEGF and other growth factors, which interferes with its downstream biological effects necessary for angiogenesis.
Realistic losses of rare species disproportionately impact higher trophic levels

Ecology Letters (2012) 15: 461–467 Abstract Predicting the consequences of changes in biodiversity requires understanding both species’ susceptibility to extirpation and their functional roles in ecosystems. However, few studies have evaluated the effects of realistic, non-random biodiversity losses, severely limiting the applicability of biodiversity research to conservation. Here, we removed sessile species from a rocky shore community in a way that deliberately mimicked natural patterns of species loss. We found that the rarest species in the system act from the bottom up to disproportionately impact the diversity and abundance of consumers. Realistic losses of rare species in a diverse assemblage of seaweeds and sessile invertebrates, collectively comprising <10% of sessile biomass, resulted in a 42–47% decline in consumer biomass. In contrast, removal of an equivalent biomass of dominant sessile species had no effect on consumers. Our results highlight the ‘cornerstone’ role that rare species can play in shaping the structure of the community they support.
Money Buys Financial Security and Psychological Need Satisfaction: Testing Need Theory in Affluence

The most prominent theory to explain the curvilinear relationship between income and subjective well-being (SWB) is need theory, which proposes that increased income and wealth can lead to increased well-being in poverty because money is used to satisfy basic physiological needs. The present study tests the tenets of need theory by proposing that money can buy happiness beyond poverty if the money satisfies higher-order needs. Findings indicate that in older adults (n = 1,284), as economic standing rises, so do individual perceptions of financial security (a safety need), which in turn increases overall life satisfaction. Further, a path model tested the degree to which financial security and psychological need satisfaction mediated the path from economic standing to life satisfaction and demonstrated the complete mediation through higher-order needs—there was a 66% reduction in the direct link through financial security and a 34% reduction through psychological need satisfaction. Discussion focuses on how these mediation and path models extend need theory.
Infection of adventitious roots of agrostis palustris by Idriella bolleyi

Seven isolates of Idriella bolleyi obtained from adventitious roots of Agrostis palustris displaying symptoms of thinning, low vigor, and death of turf in a random, nondescript pattern were evaluated for their ability to infect adventitious roots of A. palustris under high and low temperature regimes and to affect plant growth and symptom expression. All isolates of I. bolleyi infected roots under high and low temperature regimes and all but one isolate decreased shoot and root dry weight. Isolate IB-2 decreased dry weight under low temperatures, but not under high temperatures. Stolon growth of root-inoculated plants increased or remained unchanged among plants subjected to high temperature; stolon growth decreased on plants subjected to low temperature. Most isolates of I. bolleyi decreased the chlorophyll content of leaves of plants subjected to high temperature; chlorophyll content of leaves of inoculated plants subjected to low temperature remained unchanged. Hyphal growth was observed on inoculated adventitious roots and was accompanied by dark clusters of fungal cells and chlamydospores on the epidermis and cessation structures within the cortex. Vascular tissues were not penetrated by I. bolleyi. It was concluded that I. bolleyi can infect adventitious roots of A. palustris as a minor root pathogen and alter root and shoot growth.
Using Video Surveillance to Estimate Wildlife Use of a Highway Underpass

Roads pose many threats to wildlife including wildlife-vehicle collisions, which are a danger to humans as well as wildlife. Bridges built with provisions for wildlife can function as important corridors for wildlife passage. We used video surveillance to record wildlife passage under a bridge near Durham, North Carolina, USA, to determine whether it functioned as a wildlife underpass. This is particularly important for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) because forests associated with the bridge created a corridor between 2 natural areas. We calculated detection probabilities and estimated the number of crossings as observed crossings divided by detection probability. We observed 126 crossings by >10 species of mammals. Detection probability was 42%; therefore, an estimated 299 wildlife crossings occurred. We observed 75 deer: 17 deer approached the underpass and retreated. We estimated sighting 40% of deer crossings and 92% of deer approaches. Thus, an estimated 185 deer crossings and 18 approaches occurred. As an index of road mortality, we conducted weekly surveys of vehicle-killed animals on a 1.8-km section containing the underpass. We discovered only 5 incidences of animals killed by vehicles. The size and design of the bridge promoted wildlife use of the underpass, providing landscape connectivity between habitats on opposite sides of the highway and likely increasing motorist safety. Thus, bridges in the appropriate landscape context and with a design conducive to wildlife use, can function as a corridor to reduce the effects of fragmentation.
Low rate TCP denial-of-service attack detection at edge routers

Low rate TCP denial-of-service attacks are a new type of DoS attacks that are carefully orchestrated to exploit the fixed minimum TCP RTO property and thereby deny services to legitimate users. This type of attacks is different from traditional flood-based attacks and hence conventional solutions to detect these attacks are not applicable. We propose a novel approach to detect these attack flows at edge routers. A flow exhibiting a periodic pattern is marked malicious if its burst length is greater than or equal to RTTs of other connections with the same server and its time period is equal to the fixed minimum RTO. A carefully designed light weight data structure is proposed to store the necessary flow history at edge routers. Simulation results show that such flows can be detected by our proposed approach, which does not require any modification to TCP congestion control algorithms like randomizing the fixed minimum RTO.
Radiative Time Constants in the Atmosphere of Jupiter

Abstract We have computed radiative decay times for thermal disturbances near the cloud tops of Jupiter and conclude that they are much larger than probable dynamical time constants. Under these circumstances radiative equilibrium calculations are of little significance.
A Comparative Psychopathology Approach to Language Behavior

The mark of the innovative theoretician is the creation of a new language about theoretical structures and processes which brings an explanatory order to events which previously only could be described as disparate, unrelated phenomena. I think one can maintain, at least in a rough fashion, that Freud created at least three such new clinical (as opposed to metapsychological) languages for us which remain vital today. Freud’s (1905) topographic theory, with its systems of Conscious, Preconscious, and a dynamic Unconscious, operating within different conditions of conflict with the psycho-sexual drives, produced such an ordering for neurotic, perverse, and normal sexual behavior. Freud’s structural theory, with its systems of Id, Ego, and Superego, operating again within different matrices of conflict, but now with aggressive as well as psycho-sexual drives, supplemented the topographic theory and expanded this ordering of human behavior. For example, with this new structural theory of the mind, Freud (1923) could explain the interrelations among states of normal grief, melancholia, and mania. The third theory of the mind which supplements the first two is actually the oldest of the three. Freud (1900) called it “the psychic apparatus.” I would prefer to call it the “meaning apparatus.” It has to do with how an individual comes to represent experiences for himself and acquires signs (especially language) in connection with such representation. Freud needed this theory of the mind, again operating within different psychodynamic contexts, to comprehend, e.g., the interrelations among the nightly dreams of normal individuals and the hallucinations of schizophrenics (1900, 1911b).
Changes in the Structure of Nuclei after Transfer to Oocytes

Nuclear transfer and the potential for cloning animals have refocused attention on the oocyte. This focus is not limited to the use of the oocyte as a recipient in nuclear transfer procedures, but more broadly in terms of what factors are present in the oocyte that are responsible for establishing the developmental pattern of RNA synthesis and subsequent protein production. Deviations in the pattern of RNA synthesis can result in abortions, as well as abnormalities at birth. This paper will focus on the changes to nuclear structure that result from transfer to the cytoplasm of an oocyte, as well as some of the changes in the patterns of RNA synthesis that have been described.
Ontology-Based Querying of Composite Services

Enterprises are evolving towards advanced forms of cooperation and networking. This kind of tight cooperation requires the creation of global Business Processes (i.e., cross-enterprise composite services) composed starting from a set of existing local processes (exposed, in turn, as services) found in different enterprises. To this end, in this chapter we present an ontology-based approach for querying business process repositories for the retrieval of process fragments to be reused in the composition of new business processes. The proposed solution is based on a synergic use of a business process modelling framework (BPAL) to represent the workflow logic of business processes, and business ontologies, aimed at capturing the semantics of a business scenario. Both components are grounded in logic programming and therefore it is possible to apply effective reasoning methods to query the knowledge base stemming from the fusion of the two.
The Effect of Acid and Heat Treatment on Montmorillonoids

H-montmorillonite, -beidellite, and -nontronite were found to change spontaneously into Al-clays. Rates of conversion of H- to Al-clay were slow at 0°C, but at temperatures of around 100°C, moist H-montmorillonite changed to Al-saturated montmorillonite within 24 hours. It appeared that Al-ions moved from lattice positions to exchange positions, with octahedral Al moving more rapidly than tetrahedral Al.
An ADMET Route to Low-Band-Gap Poly(3-hexadecylthienylene vinylene): A Systematic Study of Molecular Weight on Photovoltaic Performance

The effect of molecular weight on organic photovoltaic device performance is investigated for a series of low-band-gap (ca. 1.65 eV) poly(3-hexadecylthienylene vinylene)s (C16-PTVs) prepared by acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization. By utilizing monomers of varying cis:trans (Z:E) content, seven C16-PTVs were prepared with a number-average molecular weight range of 6–30 kg/mol. Polymers were characterized by size-exclusion chromatography, 1H NMR spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, wide-angle X-ray scattering, and differential scanning calorimetry. C16-PTVs were integrated into bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells with [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), and conversion efficiency was found to increase with increasing molecular weight. This observation is attributable to an increase in polymer aggregation in the solid state and a corresponding increase in hole mobility. Finally, phase behavior and morphology of the C16-PTV:PCBM active layers ...
Animal Resources on the Web.

The opportunity to observe the World Wide Web (WWW or Web) grow from its infancy in 1993 to the present has provided some insights into its relevance to the veterinary profession and those who interact with any of a variety of animal species. Beginning as a simple text file sent by electronic mail to friends and colleagues, the NetVet Veterinary Resources and Electronic Zoo Web sites (hereafter referred to as NetVet and Electronic Zoo) evolved into comprehensive central directories for discovering and exploring veterinary medical and animal resources on the Internet. By 1997, the Web server hosting these resources (http://netvet.wustl.edu/) averaged more than 10,000 page impressions per day. Recently, both Web sites have been licensed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) as part of their overall Web efforts, collectively known as AVMA Online (http://www.avma.org/). Many of the resources are also cataloged in a recent book entitled Mosby's NetVet: A Guide to Veterinary Information on the Internet (1998) (http:// www. mosby. com/Mosby/netvetl). Feedback from people who use NetVet and Electronic Zoo indicates that these Web sites appeal to a diverse audience ranging from veterinarians and biomedical researchers to farmers and students of all age groups. Part of the attraction is due to the site's overall simplicity and efficiency in design, making it relatively easy to navigate and locate a particular area of interest. This article uses the outline of the NetVet and Electronic Zoo categories to highlight some of the numerous Internet resources that would be most useful to those who work chiefly in biomedical research. The basic layout of the NetVet server (http:// netvet.wustl.edu/vet.htm) is divided into major sections describing the following: "what's new"; a local search engine; information on veterinary careers; veterinary educational institutional Web home pages; information on a variety of veterinary careers, specialities, associations, upcoming meetings, directories, and individual home pages; mailing lists;
Determination of bisphenol A,4-n-octylphenol and 4-nonylphenol in water by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection

Objective To develop an efficient method for the analysis of bisphenol A,4-n-octylphenol and 4-Nonylphenol in the water.Methods With liquid-liquid extraction,the target compounds were separated on an XTerra誖RP18 column(150 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm) by using water-methanol(20∶80,V/V) as the mobile phase,detected with fluorescence,the fluorescence excitation.Results The linear ranges of determination were 0.01-0.02 μg/L,the average recoveries were 82.8%-97.8%,relative standard deviations were 1.26%-4.14%.Conclusion The method is applicable to simultaneous determination of bisphenol A,4-n-octylphenol and 4-Nonylphenol in water with simplicity and accuracy in a single injection.
Mechanical properties and stress-induced polymorphic transformations of blends of random isotactic propylene-1-hexene copolymers

Abstract The mechanical properties of binary blends of propylene-1-hexene random copolymers (with 11 and 21 mol% 1-hexene) are studied in parallel with polymorphic transformations under uniaxial tensile deformation. The modulus, yield stress, and draw ratio of the pure PH copolymers decrease with increasing 1-hexene content, while for the blends the change of mechanical properties with composition is highly non-linear. The addition of just 10 wt % PH11 to PH21 doubles the elastic modulus and yield strength of the blends in reference to the value of PH21, reaching for all blends values close to the performance of pure PH11. The elongation at break and the ultimate tensile strength increase more gradually with content of PH11. On tensile deformation, pure components and blends undergo morphological and polymorphic transformations, such as a reversible lamellar to fibrillar transformation of trigonal PH21, or an irreversible α crystal to mesophase in pure PH11 and the blends. In blends and neat PH11, a fibrillar trigonal morphology that develops under deformation is stabilized by the transformation of α to mesophase, and remains after removing the load, explaining the lower elastic recovery of the blends compared to PH21. The formation of stress-induced trigonal crystallites in PH11 and blends after strains >150% is explained as a decrease of the free energy barrier for nucleation of a phase that requires short iPP sequences.
Lifetime estimation of SiC MOSFETs under high temperature reverse bias test

Abstract Reliability physics of silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) is not sufficiently clear; therefore an accurate estimation method of lifetime has been strongly required. The relationship between the failure time of 4H-SiC double implanted MOSFETs under high temperature reverse bias test and the doping concentration in a drift layer was studied to clarify the failure physics. The failure time of the device showed dependence on the doping concentration in the 150 mm wafer. The breakdown occurred at the gate oxide over the threading dislocation in the JFET region. The electric field simulation indicated that the oxide electric field linearly depends on the doping concentration, which means the failure time depends on the oxide electric field. According to these results, the electric field acceleration tests were conducted with the samples in the uniform area of the doping concentration so as to exclude the distribution of the oxide electric field in each sample. The lifetime showed dependence on the oxide electric field varied by the drain bias intentionally. These results revealed the importance of the doping concentration uniformity of the epitaxial layer and we established the method to estimate the lifetime accurately.
Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Propensity to Change Risk Behaviors Following Myocardial Infarction: Implications for Healthy Lifestyle Medicine

Abstract Failure to change risk behaviors following myocardial infarction (MI) increases the likelihood of recurrent MI and death. Lower-socioeconomic status (SES) patients are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors prior to MI. Less well known is whether propensity to change risk behaviors after MI also varies inversely with SES. We performed a systematized literature review addressing changes in risk behaviors following MI as a function of SES. 2160 abstracts were reviewed and 44 met eligibility criteria. Behaviors included smoking cessation, cardiac rehabilitation (CR), medication adherence, diet, and physical activity (PA). For each behavior, lower-SES patients were less likely to change after MI. Overall, lower-SES patients were 2 to 4 times less likely to make needed behavior changes (OR's 0.25–0.56). Lower-SES populations are less successful at changing risk behaviors post-MI. Increasing their participation in CR/secondary prevention programs, which address multiple risk behaviors, including increasing PA and exercise, should be a priority of healthy lifestyle medicine (HLM).
Use of Pseudo-Observability Indices In Identification of Continuous-Time Multivariable Models

A procedure for identifying linear continuous-time multivariable systems is presented. The scheme is based on a discrete identification method which requires no structural identification. This is accomplished by the use of pseudo-observable forms whose structure is defined by their corresponding pseudo-observability indices. A First-Order Hold transformation of this discrete-time model to an equivalent continuous-time model is then performed. First, the state transition matrix is transformed to an equivalent continuous-time system matrix using a procedure which is insensitive to the size of the spectral radii of the system. The remaining system matrices are then transformed using a generalized First-Order Hold transformation technique which places no restrictions on the singularity of the continuous-time system.
Colombian Criminals, Moral Whites: Reproducing and Resonating Hierarchy in U.S. Film

In this project, we analyze the representations of Colombian and white characters in U.S. feature films. As a pervasive form of storytelling, films serve an elemental source of analysis for their role in reproducing social realities and resonating with public consciousness. Here, the specific focus upon the representation of race, racial hierarchy, gender, and nationalism produced nuanced observations that expand on sociological understandings of racism in film. Past research on representations of race in media has shown the use of binary oppositions in making difference. We find the use of binary opposition via persistent themes of criminalization of Colombia and Colombian characters alongside the prevalence of white male heroes and white morality. The importance of these cultural representations is placed within the social and political contexts of U.S.–Colombia relations and racial transitions within the United States.
Evaluation of Experimental vs. Two Commercial Post Milking Teat Dips (Separate Pens) on Teat Health and Condition

A trial was conducted to evaluate the teat conditioning efficacy of one experimentalformula when used post-milking. The trial consisted of two pens, where the samepre-milking teat disinfectant was used. The same experimental post milking teatdisinfectant was used on the leftquarters for both pens. However, two differentcontrol products were used on the rightquarters, one for each pen. The study lasted 4weeks for one pen and 8 weeks for the second pen. Teat skin and teat endroughness were scored for each teat 2X/week. A total of 75 cows from one penand 67 cows from the second pen were scored during the study period, but only 19cows from one pen and 30 cows from the second pen had full records for analyses.Results showed no concerning teat skin condition irritation events. There were nodifferences between products in teat end condition.
Structure and Function of the Low Affinity IgE Receptor

Signal transduction through cell surface receptors such as those specific for antigen, lymphokines or immunoglobulin (Ig) is an important event for many facets of cell growth and differentiation. The group of receptors which interact with the Fc region of Ig are involved in a number of immune functions, including phagocytosis, antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity and release of inflammatory mediators (see1 for review). The Fc receptors that interact with immunoglobulin E (IgE) have been divided into two predominant receptors. Fc ∈ RI, or the high affinity receptor for IgE, is found predominantly on mast cells and basophils and is involved in cytokine and allergic mediator release from these cellsl. Discovered somewhat later, the Fc ∈ RII, or the low affinity receptor for IgE, is expressed on a wide variety of hematopoietic cell types. The finding that the Fc ∈ RII was synonymous with the B cell differentiation antigen CD232,3 led to a merging of two areas of investigation for this protein; the study of the role of the Fc ∈ RII/CD23 (the names are used interchangeably) in B cell activation/differentiation and the study of the role of the Fc ∈ RII in IgE production. This review chapter will concentrate on summarizing recent developments regarding the Fc ∈ RII with regard to both the structure and function of this molecule. Several other recent reviews on this subject are also available4–6.
Arsenic Exposure in Relation to Ischemic Stroke: The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study.

Background and Purpose— The purpose of this case–cohort study was to examine urinary arsenic levels in relation to incident ischemic stroke in the United States. Methods— We performed a case–cohort study nested within the REGARDS (REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) cohort. A subcohort (n=2486) of controls was randomly sampled within region–race–sex strata while all incident ischemic stroke cases from the full REGARDS cohort (n=671) were included. Baseline urinary arsenic was measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Arsenic species, including urinary inorganic arsenic and its metabolites monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid, were measured in a random subset (n=199). Weighted Cox’s proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals of ischemic stroke by arsenic and its species. Results— The average follow-up was 6.7 years. Although incident ischemic stroke showed no association with total arsenic or total inorganic arsenic, for each unit higher level of urinary monomethylarsonic acid on a log-scale, after adjustment for potential confounders, ischemic stroke risk increased ≈2-fold (hazard ratio=1.98; 95% confidence interval: 1.12–3.50). Effect modification by age, race, sex, or geographic region was not evident. Conclusions— A metabolite of arsenic was positively associated with incident ischemic stroke in this case–cohort study of the US general population, a low-to-moderate exposure area. Overall, these findings suggest a potential role for arsenic methylation in the pathogenesis of stroke, having important implications for future cerebrovascular research.
The diligence of audit committees in the healthcare sector

Problems with governance at non-profit (NP) healthcare organizations have recently led to legislative scrutiny of their audit committee practices. Using data from a survey of chief financial officers of NP healthcare organizations and from the GuideStar database, we examine audit committee interactions with external auditors for a sample of 69 NP healthcare organizations. We find that 71% of the audit committees in our sample meet privately with the external auditor and the mean number of such meetings 1.9. Our results also suggest that audit committee interaction with the external auditor varies in response to resource dependencies, existence of debt, audit quality, audit tenure, and organizational size. These findings suggest that NP healthcare organizations respond to monitoring demands by adopting suitable audit committee related interactions.
Distributed wireless sensing for fugitive methane leak detection

Large scale environmental monitoring requires dynamic optimization of data transmission, power management, and distribution of the computational load. In this work, we demonstrate the use of a wireless sensor network for detection of chemical leaks on gas oil well pads. The sensor network consist of chemi-resistive and wind sensors and aggregates all the data and transmits it to the cloud for further analytics processing. The sensor network data is integrated with an inversion model to identify leak location and quantify leak rates. We characterize the sensitivity and accuracy of such system under multiple well controlled methane release experiments. It is demonstrated that even 1 hour measurement with 10 sensors localizes leaks within 1 m and determines leak rate with an accuracy of 40%. This integrated sensing and analytics solution is currently refined to be a robust system for long term remote monitoring of methane leaks, generation of alarms, and tracking regulatory compliance.
Does altercentric interference rely on mentalizing?: Results from two level-1 perspective-taking tasks

Considerable debate has focused on whether adults possess an implicit system for representing others’ mental states. Some argue that people automatically represent the perspective of others using evidence from altercentric interference—cases in which another agent’s perspective affects the speed with which one can report one’s own perspective. Others have argued that altercentric interference is not always specific to social stimuli and thus may represent a simpler process such as submentalizing. To distinguish between these positions, Study 1 developed a novel measure of altercentric interference—a “sandbox” measure—that allowed us to more sensitively assess altercentric interference across social and non-social conditions. We replicated previous findings showing that participants experience both egocentric and altercentric interference, but we found that these effects emerge equally in social and non-social conditions. To further test whether altercentric interference emerges in social perspective-taking situations, Study 2 conducted a conceptual replication of a study which used a novel “goggle” paradigm to assess whether individuals implicitly represent others’ perspectives. Although we failed to find evidence of altercentric interference in response times, participants’ accuracy reflected the possibility of interference from others’ perspectives. We argue that these findings provide support for the idea that altercentric interference in response to social stimuli (an avatar) is driven by perspective-taking mechanisms, while such interference in response to non-social stimuli (an arrow) is driven by attention-cuing mechanisms.
Intestinal permeability, digestive stability and oral bioavailability of dietary small RNAs

Impactful dietary RNA delivery requires improving uptake and enhancing digestive stability. In mouse feeding regimes, we have demonstrated that a plant-based ribosomal RNA (rRNA), MIR2911, is more bioavailable than synthetic MIR2911 or canonical microRNAs (miRNAs). Here mutagenesis was used to discern if MIR2911 has a distinctive sequence that aids stability and uptake. Various mutations had modest impacts while one scrambled sequence displayed significantly enhanced digestive stability, serum stability, and bioavailability. To assess if small RNA (sRNA) bioavailability in mice could be improved by increasing gut permeability, various diets, genetic backgrounds and pharmacological methods were surveyed. An intraperitoneal injection of anti-CD3 antibody enhanced gut permeability which correlated with improved uptake of the digestively stable scrambled MIR2911 variant. However, the bioavailability of canonical miRNAs was not enhanced. Similarly, interleukin-10 (IL-10)-deficient mice and mice treated with aspirin displayed enhanced gut permeability that did not enhance uptake of most plant-based sRNAs. This work supports a model where dietary RNAs are vulnerable to digestion and altering gut permeability alone will not impact apparent bioavailability. We suggest that some dietary sRNA may be more digestively stable and methods to broadly increase sRNA uptake requires delivery vehicles to optimize gut and serum stability in the consumer.
The Cilioretinal Arteries

The cilioretinal arteries belong to the posterior ciliary artery system. They usually arise from the peripapillary choroid or directly from one of the short posterior ciliary arteries. The existence of the cilioretinal arteries is a congenital anomaly rather than one acquired due to some disease, inflammatory, or other morbid process. It was first described by Muller [1] in 1856 (Fig. 3.1) and first demonstrated histologically in 1876 by Nettleship [2], who stated that in sectioning of a human eye, he found “a small artery from the choroid turning round the edge of the disc, and running uninterruptedly for some distance in the retina, where it breaks up into capillaries.” Since then, there have been many reports of the presence of a cilioretinal artery (Table 3.1) [3–26]. Nettleship [27] in 1876 reported 7 cases of cilioretinal arteries. In 1879, he [3] published many important observations, still relevant, about the cilioretinal arteries. He stated the following:
Adhesion of uropathogenic Escherichia coli to epithelial cells from women with recurrent urinary tract infection

Adherence ofEscherichia coli to human uroepithelial cells obtained from the midstream urine of healthy women, and to vaginal and buccal cells obtained from 11 healthy women and 24 patients who had had at least three urinary tract infections in the preceding year was studied. Bacteria labeled with [3H] uridine were used, and unattached organisms were separated from the epithelial cells by vacuum filtration through a polycarbonate membrane filter (5-µm-pore-size). A day-to-day variation in the receptivity of uroepithelial cells was noted. The range and rapidity of change in adherence to both vaginal and buccal cells were greater in patients than in controls. Adherence to vaginal cells was greater in patients than in controls (10.1±0.92 vs. 3.8±0.47 bacteria per cell [mean ± S. E.], P<0.001), as was adherence to buccal cells (11.7±1.29 vs. 7.1±0.49, P=0.002). There was a very strong, positive non-linear correlation between vaginal and buccal cell receptivity (R=0.87, P<0.0001). The data suggest that susceptibility in women to urinary-tract infections is associated with widespread, fluctuating changes in the adhesive characteristics of epithelial cells.
Shelley Capital and the Hedge Fund Secondary Market

An advisory company has to decide how to sell their client's hedge fund holdings in the secondary market, and thinks about their future. Shelley Capital was a a European advisory company operating in the hedge fund secondary market, a market that boosted in 2008 with the world financial crisis. Shelley had identified four final bidders for the $84.5 million portfolio of illiquid hedge fund holdings that one of their clients had commissioned them to sell and had now to decide to whom they should sell the holdings, if they should split up the portfolio, or if they should postpone the sale. At the same time, they needed to decide about their future business. The financial crisis was behind the exceptional growth of the hedge funds' secondary market, yet another crisis could follow and boost the secondary market again. What direction should Shelley take once the hedge fund industry fully recovered? But what if a second global crisis threw the hedge fund industry into disarray once again?Learning Objective: Hedge fund secondary market, side pockets, agency theory, brokerage model.
Memories of Tomorrow: On the Interpenetrations of Time in Later Life

Why would you and I be here today unless each of us had some private fascination with time? And how would we have anything substantial to share with each other unless, over the years, some of this private fascination had been transformed into controlled observations and all the rigorous maneuvers of scientific theory and research? Yet I continue to wonder how well our studies represent the experiential world of psychological time. Consider, for example, the meanings and uses of time for those who have themselves survived the passing of many hours, years, and decades. It is doubtful that either popular stereotypes or the available research do justice to the varieties of time experience at their command.
Demo/poster abstract: Enabling time-critical applications over next-generation 802.11 networks

We present a demonstration of two end-to-end applications that illustrate the impact of latency on real-time operation. To enable low latency and high reliability we develop optimizations in both the MAC and PHY, including a time-aware scheduling scheme for medium access, and a low-latency FPGA baseband implementation for 802.11ax.
FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF VIRGINITY AND ORAL SEX

Limited research exists on perceptions of virginity and oral sex among female college students. The majority of research studies on female college students focus on virginity related to participation in only vaginal sex. This research is part of a larger qualitative descriptive study which explored female college students’ perceptions about the factors which influenced their participation in oral sex. Sixteen female college students ranging from 18 to 24 years of age participated in semi-structured interviews. Primary data included verbatim transcripts, demographic data and sexual health questionnaires. All participants had engaged in oral sex. Defining virginity emerged as a main theme from the thematic data analysis. Overall findings provide insight about views regarding oral sex and virginity status among college aged women.