cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Control, culture and chronic pain

In the past decade, the literature on chronic pain shows an increasing interest in the relationship between patients' locus of control (LOC) beliefs and their responses to the chronic pain experience [1-5]. However, few of these studies assess the relationships between ethnic or cultural background and LOC style in the chronic pain experience--despite research suggesting that culture affects chronic pain responses [6-8]. This report of two quantitative and qualitative research projects among chronic pain sufferers in New England and in Puerto Rico, shows significant relationships between patients' LOC style and variations in reported chronic pain intensity and responses. Our studies also demonstrate a relationship between LOC style and ethnic or cultural background and an interaction between LOC style and cultural identity in variations in reported pain intensity. In addition, we found intra-ethnic/cultural-group variations in the pain experience related to LOC style. In these chronic pain populations, the qualitative data further suggests that LOC style may not be a permanent, unchanging characteristic or cognitive interpretation. Instead, an individual's LOC style may be altered by the chronic pain experience and such a style may change at various stages in the chronic pain 'career'. These studies also show that in many ethnic/cultural groups, an increased sense of control may contribute to an increased ability to cope successfully with the chronic pain experience. In light of these findings, we suggest that it may be possible to alter a patient's sense of control through the development of deliberate culturally appropriate and personally relevant programs designed to help the patients establish a sense of control over their lives and their pain.
Audiological Education in the U.S.: Present Perspectives and Future Challenges

I would first like to salute Professor Soda for his remarkable accomplishment and contributions in clinical activities, research and education. I am deeply honored to be invited to participate in this symposium which commemorates the occasion of his retirement. The main objective of this presentation is to introduce the audiology training programs in the United States that have a unique historical background quite different from those in Japan and Europe. I shall also discuss the status of their practice and the future trends and challenges in their training programs.
Economía y mortalidad en las ciencias sociales: del renacimiento a las ideas sobre la transición demográfica

Se presenta el desarrollo historico, desde el Renacimiento hasta el siglo XX, de las ideas generales sobre la influencia de la economia en la mortalidad. Muchas de esas ideas corresponden a las controversias maltusianas, especulativas hasta comienzos del siglo XX, cuando las estadisticas que mostraban la reduccion de la mortalidad en muchos paises dieron paso a la discusion de diversas teorias sobre la llamada transicion demografica. Se revisan sucesivamente las contribuciones de los fundadores de la medicina laboral o profesional, la aritmetica politica de Petty, las ideas sobre crecimiento de la poblacion y mortalidad de Malthus, las contribuciones demograficas y epidemiologicas de Engels y Marx, el movimiento de la medicina social y de los fundadores de la salud publica a finales del siglo XIX y las ideas modernas sobre la transicion demografica que tuvieron como foco las controversias sobre la tesis de McKeown. Se excluyen especificamente las controversias del siglo XX sobre el efecto a corto plazo de las fluctuaciones economicas en las tasas de mortalidad.
Predicting shunt failure in children: should the global shunt revision rate be a quality measure?

OBJECT Ventricular shunts for pediatric hydrocephalus continue to be plagued with high failure rates. Reported risk factors for shunt failure are inconsistent and controversial. The raw or global shunt revision rate has been the foundation of several proposed quality metrics. The authors undertook this study to determine risk factors for shunt revision within their own patient population. METHODS In this single-center retrospective cohort study, a database was created of all ventricular shunt operations performed at the authors’ institution from January 1, 2010, through December 2013. For each index shunt surgery, demographic, clinical, and procedural variables were assembled. An “index surgery” was defined as implantation of a new shunt or the revision or augmentation of an existing shunt system. Bivariate analyses were first performed to evaluate individual effects of each independent variable on shunt failure at 90 days and at 180 days. A final multivariate model was chosen for each outcome by using a ...
Compressive RF sensing using a physical source of entropy

Compressive Sensing is a promising new field that has unlocked novel devices like the single pixel camera. In the world of RF communications, however, experiments with compressive sensing have yet to catch up with the theory; most demonstrations of RF compressive sensing involve a high speed clock somewhere in the signal chain, diminishing the advantages of slow and brief sampling that compressive sensing offers. We present our initial results from the first compressive RF sensor architecture that does not require a high-speed clock anywhere in the signal chain. By employing a physical source of entropy and applying a sub-clock resolution timing scheme to record randomly-timed digital samples, we demonstrate a compressive RF sensor concept that, when extrapolated to higher bandwidths, can significantly reduce signal measurement energy requirements.
Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in a renal allograft associated with xanthogranulomatous diverticulitis: report of the first case and review of the literature

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) is anuncommon form of chronic pyelonephritis that rarelyoccurs in renal allografts. XGP is characterized byfocal or diffuse replacement of renal parenchyma bygranulomatous tissue containing lipid filled macro-phages [1]. XGP has been found in 0.6–4% of thesurgically proven cases of chronic pyelonephritis in thegeneral population [2]. It usually occurs in associationwith urinary obstruction, calculus disease and chronicinfection. There are only nine cases of XGP in renalallografts previously reported in the literature. Herein,we report the first case of renal allograft XGPassociated with xanthogranulomatous diverticulitis.
Making It Personal: The Importance of Student Experience in Creating Autonomy-Supportive Classrooms for Millennial Learners.

This article reviews andragogy as the philosophy resident in the broad arena of experience-based learning. Beneath the umbrella of experience-based learning lie the specific classroom orientations ...
Biomedical Engineers and Participation in Judicial Executions: Capital Punishment as a Technical Problem

This paper discusses the topic of judicial execution from the perspective of the intersection of the technological issues and the professional ethics issues. Although physicians are generally ethically forbidden from any involvement in the judicial execution process, this does not appear to be the case for engineering professionals. This creates an interesting but controversial opportunity for the engineering community (especially biomedical engineers) to improve the humaneness and reliability of the judicial execution process.
Distance-based protein structure modeling

Protein structure modeling can be studied based on the knowledge of interactions or distances between pairs of atoms, which is so-called distance-based protein structure modeling and this field includes problems of structure determination and refinement as well as analysis of protein dynamics. The distances for certain pairs of atoms in a protein can often be obtained based on our knowledge on various types of bond-lengths and bond-angles or from physical experiments such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The coordinates of the atoms and hence the protein structure can then be determined by using the known distances. However, it requires the solution of a mathematical problem called the distance geometry problem, which has been proven to be computationally intractable in general. On the other hand, due to insufficient distance data such as nuclear overhauser effect (NOE) data in NMR, the protein structures determined by conventional techniques usually are not as accurate as desired. Therefore, the uses of such protein structures in important applications including homology modeling and rational drug design have been severely limited. In this work, we have developed several efficient algorithms including theories for the solution of the distance geometry problem using a geometric build-up algorithm. We also introduced a knowledge-based method for protein structure refinement, in which we constructed a dedicated structural database for protein inter-atomic distance distributions and derived so-called mean force potentials to refine NMRdetermined protein structures. We have participated in CASPR competition regarding comparative models and reported some substantial improvement using mean force potentials. Finally, an efficient and simple method called Local-DME calculations has been developed to study protein dynamics of NMR ensembles specifically.
Understanding the Mechanisms that Link Alcohol and Lower Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

For more than 75 years, pathologists have recognized that alcohol consumption has a surprising link to atherosclerosis (1). In those early studies, postmortem examinations of deceased heavy drinkers identified less atherosclerosis than was expected from age and sex, suggesting that alcohol consumption is atheroprotective. In the ensuing 8 decades, investigators have made substantial strides in understanding this relationship, including confirmation of the strength and shape of the association of alcohol consumption with lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD),2 its consistency across beverage types and in different populations, and its associations with various forms of cardiovascular disease. One of the most important aspects of the alcohol–CHD relationship that continues to draw interest is its underlying mechanism. There are a number of reasons for this interest. First, because no long-term randomized trial of alcohol consumption on CHD incidence or prognosis is likely anytime in the near future, the evidence base will continue to be largely observational, with all of the attendant limitations therein. Consequently, the presence of a plausible mechanism provides reassurance that the observed association is not the result of confounding by such factors as baseline health or socioeconomic status. Second, given the many difficulties with recommending alcohol intake, even in moderation, a better understanding of the mechanisms involved could lead to safer therapies that harness these same pathways to prevent CHD. Finally, because the relationships of alcohol consumption with candidate pathways can be readily tested in randomized trials, even when its relationship with CHD cannot, identification of key pathways helps to direct trialists to the best biomarkers and intermediate outcomes to test in short-term feeding studies. For all of these reasons, studies attempting to draw the full links between alcohol consumption, CHD, and the pathways that connect them remain important. Epidemiologists have taken 2 approaches to this challenge. …
Explaining the Impact of Attachment Style on Evaluations of Supportive Messages: A Dual-Process Framework

This article reports tests of hypotheses derived from a theory of supportive message outcomes that maintains that the effects of supportive messages are moderated by factors influencing the motivation and ability to process these messages. Participants (N = 331) completed measures of attachment style, which provided individual-level assessments of processing motivation, and responded to either a mildly or moderately severe problem, which manipulated situational motivation. They subsequently evaluated the helpfulness of comforting messages that varied in person centeredness and were attributed to either an acquaintance or a close friend. Although message evaluations were strongly influenced by person centeredness, this effect, as expected, was also moderated by attachment style and problem severity. Results are discussed in terms of the dual-process theory of supportive message outcomes.
Characterizing ammonia emissions from swine farms in eastern North Carolina: part 1--conventional lagoon and spray technology for waste treatment.

Abstract Ammonia (NH3) fluxes from waste treatment lagoons and barns at two conventional swine farms in eastern North Carolina were measured. The waste treatment lagoon data were analyzed to elucidate the temporal (seasonal and diurnal) variability and to derive regression relationships between NH3 flux and lagoon temperature, pH and ammonium content of the lagoon, and the most relevant meteorological parameters. NH3 fluxes were measured at various sampling locations on the lagoons by a flow-through dynamic chamber system interfaced to an environmentally controlled mobile laboratory. Two sets of open-path Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers were also used to measure NH3 concentrations for estimating NH3 emissions from the animal housing units (barns) at the lagoon and spray technology (LST) sites.Two different types of ventilation systems were used at the two farms. Moore farm used fan ventilation, and Stokes farm used natural ventilation. The early fall and winter season intensive measurement...
Antibody-based Detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Grown in Low-shear Modeled Microgravity

With the advent of prolonged spaceflights, it is important to determine if antibody-based assays can be used to monitor food and water for bacterial contaminants. In the present work, a ground-based high aspect ratio vessel (HARV) was used to determine if low shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) alters antibody-binding to E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Antibody–bacteria binding was similar under LSMMG and normal gravity because there was no difference in amount of captured bacteria measured by colony forming units (CFU) between assays conducted in the HARV and a conventional roller flask. The ability of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium grown in LSMMG to bind specific antibodies was also studied. After incubations of 4, 18 or 36 h in the HARV or a shaking incubator, bacteria were harvested for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). In the E. coli O157:H7 ELISA using a goat polyclonal primary antibody, LSMMG did not alter the linear range of detection (105–107 cells/ml) nor the signal to noise ratio at any bacterial concentration. Although insignificant changes in signal to noise ratios were evident, LSMMG did not alter the range of detection (105–107 cells/ml) for Salmonella Typhimurium in ELISAs using either a polyclonal or a monoclonal antibody. These results suggest that immunoassays may be used in spacecrafts because LSMMG does not have significant deleterious effects on antibody-binding to bacteria nor does it significantly alter surface antigens necessary for antibody-based methods.
EFFECT OF ACTINOMYCIN D AND CYCLOHEXIMIDE ON HUMAN SPERM FUNCTION

The effects of actinomycin D and cycloheximide on human spermatozoal function were examined to investigate the potential transcriptional and translational activities of human sperm cell during capacitation/acrosome reaction. Treatment with actinomycin D significantly increased and treatment with cycloheximide decreased the acrosome reaction, and the penetration rates in the human sperm penetration of zona-free hamster oocytes assay (SPA). [35(S)]Methionine got incorporated into 3–9 de novo synthesized proteins present in the head and midpiece regions of the swim-up population of human sperm. Treatment with actinomycin D completely blocked and treatment with cycloheximide slightly reduced the synthesis of proteins. There seem to be some transcriptional and translational activities in the head and midpiece regions of human sperm during capacitation/acrosome reaction.
From Unequal Treatment to Quality Care

The American College of Physicians' position statement on racial and ethnic disparities is comprehensive and can be a model for other specialties and disciplines. The emphasis on enhancing cultural...
Loss of surface N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor proteins in mouse cortical neurones during anaesthesia induced by chloral hydrate in vivo

Background Anaesthetics may target ionotropic glutamate receptors in brain cells to produce their biological actions. Membrane-bound ionotropic glutamate receptors undergo dynamic trafficking between the surface membrane and intracellular organelles. Their subcellular distribution is subject to modulation by changing synaptic inputs and determines the efficacy and strength of excitatory synapses. It has not been explored whether anaesthesia has any impact on surface glutamate receptor expression. In this study, the effect of general anaesthesia on expression of N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the surface and intracellular pools of cortical neurones was investigated in vivo . Methods General anaesthesia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of chloral hydrate in adult male mice. Surface protein cross-linking assays were performed to detect changes in distribution of NMDA receptor subunits (NR1, NR2A, and NR2B) in the surface and intracellular compartments of cerebral cortical neurones. Results Chloral hydrate did not alter the total amounts of NR1, NR2A, and NR2B proteins in cortical neurones. However, the drug reduced NR1 proteins in the surface pool of these neurones, and induced a proportional increase in NR1 in the intracellular pool. Similar redistribution of NR2B subunits was observed between the two distinct pools. The changes in NR1 and NR2B were rapid and remained throughout the duration of anaesthesia. NR2A proteins were not altered in the surface or intracellular pool in response to chloral hydrate. Conclusions These data demonstrate that subcellular expression of NR1 and NR2B in cortical neurones is sensitive to anaesthesia. Chloral hydrate reduces surface-expressed NMDA receptors (specifically NR2B-containing NMDA receptors) in these neurones in vivo .
The impact of fathers' drinking on cognitive loss among social drinkers.

This chapter examines cognitive loss in social drinkers. The question of concern is whether the relationship between increased levels of alcohol consumption and reduced sober cognitive performance is misspecified. In particular, does reduced abstraction performance in social drinkers result from parental heavy drinking rather than, as we have proposed, from social drinkers’ current use of alcohol. Because offspring of alcoholics may be at high risk for cognitive deficits even in childhood, these deficits may be transmitted in alcoholic families. Thus, the relationship between increased drinking and sober cognitive loss might be eliminated if parental drinking is controlled. We report here, however, that the effects of current alcohol use on abstraction performance in a representative sample of employed men and women cannot be accounted for by fathers’ drinking. Our findings indicate the need for further research on both the cognitive effects of parental drinking and current alcohol use.
C.mmp: a multi-mini-processor

In the Summer of 1971 a project was initiated at CMU to design the hardware and software for a multi-processor computer system using minicomputer processors (i.e., PDP-11's). This paper briefly describes an overview (only) of the goals, design, and status of this hardware/software complex, and indicates some of the research problems raised and analytic problems solved in the course of its construction.
Nanoparticle-reinforced associative network hydrogels.

ABA triblock copolymers in solvents selective for the midblock are known to form associative micellar gels. We have modified the structure and rheology of ABA triblock copolymer gels comprising poly(lactide)−poly(ethylene oxide)−poly(lactide) (PLA−PEO−PLA) through addition of a clay nanoparticle, laponite. Addition of laponite particles resulted in additional junction points in the gel via adsorption of the PEO corona chains onto the clay surfaces. Rheological measurements showed that this strategy led to a significant enhancement of the gel elastic modulus with small amounts of nanoparticles. Further characterization using small-angle X-ray scattering and dynamic light scattering confirmed that nanoparticles increase the intermicellar attraction and result in aggregation of PLA−PEO−PLA micelles.
Thin-Film Rechargeable Solid-Electrolyte Batteries

A brief description of the basic oxidation-reduction processes taking place in the dry cell is used to show that substitution of solid electrolytes for conventional liquid electrolytes can enhance battery miniaturization potential without sacrifice of shelf life. Previously developed solid-electrolyte batteries, however, exhibited prohibitively high internal resistance. Solid-electrolyte batteries of the type Ag-AgI-Pt, working on concentration-cell rather than conventional oxidation- reduction principles, have significantly lower internal resistance. Such cells can be made quite small (possibly down to 0.002 cm3 per cell), have apparently excellent shelf life, and are operable at 100° C. More- over, they show a recharge capability. In addition, they appear amenable to development effort leading to a thin-film, printable battery with interesting application possibilities.
Iterative learning control of shape memory alloy actuators with thermoelectric temperature regulation for a multifunctional car seat

Modeling and control of a thermo-mechanical system consisting of Peltier-effect thermoelectric devices (TED) and shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators are presented. Bi-layer TEDs sandwiching SMA actuators can generate motion at the SMA wires and simultaneously regulate the temperature of contacting surfaces. The system is applied to an advanced car seat for rapid heating and cooling as well as for massaging of the driver. First, the design of the thermo-mechanical system is described, followed by the modeling of thermal and mechanical behavior of the system. An iterative learning control (ILC) is applied to the control of multi-axis SMA actuators for generating periodic waves for massaging. In addition to the motion control the temperature of the car seat surface is regulated to provide the driver with thermal comfort.
Convective Heat Transfer Coefficients of Automatic Transmission Fluid Jets With Implications for Electric Machine Thermal Management

Thermal management for electric machines (motors/generators) is important as the automotive industry continues to transition to more electrically dominant vehicle propulsion systems. Cooling of the electric machine(s) in some electric vehicle traction drive applications is accomplished by impinging automatic transmission fluid (ATF) jets onto the machine’s copper windings. In this study, we provide the results of experiments characterizing the thermal performance of ATF jets on surfaces representative of windings, using Ford’s Mercon LV ATF. Experiments were carried out at various ATF temperatures and jet velocities to quantify the influence of these parameters on heat transfer coefficients. Fluid temperatures were varied from 50°C to 90°C to encompass potential operating temperatures within an automotive transaxle environment. The jet nozzle velocities were varied from 0.5 to 10 m/s. The experimental ATF heat transfer coefficient results provided in this report are a useful resource for understanding factors that influence the performance of ATF-based cooling systems for electric machines.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
No More Nisour Squares: Legal Control of Private Security Contractors in Iraq and After

As a Commissioner on the federal Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan established by Congress in 2008, I have been immersed in the issue of how to control the abuses and injuries of private security contractors. The key incident epitomizing this issue occurred in late 2007, when members of the Blackwater Worldwide (Blackwater) private security firm were escorting a convoy of State Department personnel through Baghdad. At Nisour Square, the Blackwater guards, some of whom claim they faced a threat, opened fire on civilians, killing seventeen Iraqis. Public attention continued as five Blackwater employees were indicted in December 2008, and the case continued in 2009 until the court dismissed the charges due to improper prosecutorial use of the guards’ statements. Negative Iraqi public perceptions of private security contractors continued from 2009 to 2010. This Article analyzes and builds upon the somewhat successful steps taken by the Department of Defense and the Department of State in 2008–2009 to manage the problem. Analyzing those steps shows a key strand consisting of what may be called the “contract law” approach. In the much expanded form proposed in this Article, the “contract law” approach would use government contract requirements, contracting tools and sanctions, contract-related claims, and distinctive contract-related suits to both control and remedy private security abuses and injuries. This Article continues my prior studies as a professor of government contracting law with a specific interest in the Iraq war.
Nomenclature of Medium Access Control Protocol over Wireless Sensor Networks

ABSTRACTWireless sensor networks (WSNs) are considered as the appealing research area. WSNs require highly robust medium access control (MAC) protocol to enhance the performance in several application areas, such as intrusion detection, target detection, industrial automation, environmental monitoring, surveillance system, medical diagnosing system, and tactical system. On the other hand, there are several factors that affect the performance of these applications particularly selection of weak MAC protocol. In this paper, we provide performance impairing drivers for MAC protocols, which affect the efficiency and robustness of MAC protocols in WSN applications. We classify MAC protocols into six categories, as compared with previous MAC surveys that only focused on classifying the MAC protocols into two, three, or four major categories. In addition, we show the link of each category with another based on their existing features. Furthermore, this survey provides a detailed nomenclature in which protocols a...
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Equine Rehabilitation: Putting the Pressure on Disease

There are several beneficial physiologic and therapeutic effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). The indications list for the use of HBOT in the horse has been developed through extrapolation from a review of human indications and from anecdotal clinical experiences. Hyperbaric therapy is a safe treatment option with very few side effects when administered properly.
Deep RNA-Seq profile reveals biodiversity, plant–microbe interactions and a large family of NBS-LRR resistance genes in walnut (Juglans regia) tissues

Deep RNA-Seq profiling, a revolutionary method used for quantifying transcriptional levels, often includes non-specific transcripts from other co-existing organisms in spite of stringent protocols. Using the recently published walnut genome sequence as a filter, we present a broad analysis of the RNA-Seq derived transcriptome profiles obtained from twenty different tissues to extract the biodiversity and possible plant-microbe interactions in the walnut ecosystem in California. Since the residual nature of the transcripts being analyzed does not provide sufficient information to identify the exact strain, inferences made are constrained to the genus level. The presence of the pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora was detected in the root through the presence of a glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Cryptococcus, the causal agent of cryptococcosis, was found in the catkins and vegetative buds, corroborating previous work indicating that the plant surface supported the sexual cycle of this human pathogen. The RNA-Seq profile revealed several species of the endophytic nitrogen fixing Actinobacteria. Another bacterial species implicated in aerobic biodegradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (Methylibium petroleiphilum) is also found in the root. RNA encoding proteins from the pea aphid were found in the leaves and vegetative buds, while a serine protease from mosquito with significant homology to a female reproductive tract protease from Drosophila mojavensis in the vegetative bud suggests egg-laying activities. The comprehensive analysis of RNA-seq data present also unraveled detailed, tissue-specific information of ~400 transcripts encoded by the largest family of resistance (R) genes (NBS-LRR), which possibly rationalizes the resistance of the specific walnut plant to the pathogens detected. Thus, we elucidate the biodiversity and possible plant-microbe interactions in several walnut (Juglans regia) tissues in California using deep RNA-Seq profiling.
The role of preprocessing in problem solving systems: An ounce of reflection is worth a pound of backtracking

We describe REFLECT, a problem solver in simulated robot worlds. REFLECT has successfully solved a variety of non-linear problems described as a conjunction of subtasks, including most of those found in the literature. First, during a preprocessing phase, the system explores its capabilities in the environment it is presented with. Various intrinsic properties of the given operators are inferred, such as the unattainability of certain conjunctive tasks. Macro operators are built, again considering only the given operators. REFLECT is then ready to accept problems, and proceeds by conducting backward heuristic search on a variation of a regular state-space graph termed a Goal-Kernel graph. Attention is not focused on any one sub task in particular, so that a global view of the problem is always maintained.
Age Variation in Insecticide Susceptibility and Detoxification Capacity of Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larva

The susceptibility of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) to methomyl, diazinon, and permethrin in relation to larval development was investigated. Increased LD50s of these insecticides were associated with increasing larval instars. Sixth instars were 135-, 154-, and 236-fold more tolerant of methomyl, diazinon, and permethrin, respectively, than were 3rd instars on a per-larva basis; the tolerances became 3.1-, 3.2-, and 5.6-fold, respectively, on a body weight basis. In all instances, a larger difference in tolerance was observed between 5th- and 6th-instars than between any other two successive instars. The fact that injection of methomyl into the 5th- and 6th-instars thereby bypassing the cuticle, did not alter the tendency suggests that the large increases in tolerance in the final instars were not related to cuticular penetration. Biochemical studies revealed that increased midgut aldrin epoxidase activity was associated with increased larval instars on a protein basis. A similar pattern was also observed for the midgut glutathione S-transferase activity, whereas the midgut esterase activity appeared to be higher in younger instars. Piperonyl butoxide, the well-known inhibitor of microsomal oxidases, enhanced the toxicity of these insecticides in this insect. Changes in microsomal oxidase activity correlate well with the toxicity of these insecticides to fall armyworm larvae.
Initial Internal Temperature Changes of Incubating Eggs

Abstract AMBIENT temperature during and prior to incubation significantly alters development. Kosin (1956) reported that pre-incubation warming of turkey eggs advanced early embryonic development, improved hatchability and shortened incubation time. In a study of the resistance of the chicken embryo to low temperature exposure, Moreng and Bryant (1956) found that at environmental temperatures of 50 to 55°F., four hours were required for the internal temperature of the egg to decline from incubation temperature to the ambient temperature. Law and Kosin (1958) reported that when eggs of initial temperatures of 55°F. and 70°F. were placed on egg flats and put into an incubator at 99¾°F., 30 and 10 minutes, respectively, were required for the internal temperature to reach 80°F. The objectives of this experiment were to determine whether egg weight, shell thickness and/or genetics influence the rate of warming and the asymptotic temperature attained by eggs during the initial phases of incubation.
Students Weigh In: Usability Test of Online Library Tutorials

ABSTRACTLibrarians can improve their online tutorials by borrowing usability testing techniques from the computer science field to improve the human-computer interface. This study involved a multimethod usability test of librarian-created tutorials to determine what students learned, how they felt on several affective questions, and what they suggested for improving the tutorials. Results of pre- and post-tests showed that student knowledge increased, and surveys and focus group findings lean to several suggestions for improving engagement and placing tutorials where they will be most effective. This case study demonstrates the value of user input to improve the effectiveness of online instruction for information literacy.
State Selectivity in Light Emission from Flames

Chemiluminescence in flames is the result of energetic and highly specific reactions involving free radicals. If understood and linked to the major combustion chemical mechanism, it can be of use for monitoring the progress of that chemistry. Although there is firm evidence for certain reactions to form electronically excited OH and CH in hydrocarbon flames, the generally accepted chemiluminescence mechanisms cannot explain all of the observations, indicating the importance of other pathways. Some of the evidence for other pathways can be found in the highly nonequilibrium internal level distributions seen in flame chemiluminescence. An interpretation of these observed distributions in terms of the nascent results from the elementary reactions involves consideration of state-specific electronic quenching and energy transfer. We present some recent observations on chemiluminescent emission from CH and OH in hydrocarbon flames on a low-pressure flat flame burner, and summarize pertinent experiments in flames and other systems on excited state quenching and energy transfer in these two radicals.
The Planters' Living Conditions

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights the living conditions of the planters in Cannon's Point. On the mainland, planters often left their plantations during the malarial summer months, leaving the slaves under the direction of white overseers or black supervisors. But on the sea islands where malaria was rare, planters could reside year-round, devoting their full attention to plantation duties. As planters viewed it, a resident planter's duties were to look to the proper cultivation of the various crops and to supervise the establishment. Among the most numerous remains recovered from the planter's kitchen refuse were the food bones, including those from the plantation livestock—cattle, sheep, hogs, and poultry. Though the planters' family preferred beef, they also consumed mutton, pork, and chicken. Most of the sheep bones in the planters' refuse were from mature adults. Though pork was less common fare than mutton, the pork came from a wider age range of animals. In addition to enjoying a wider array of wild foods and monopolizing the plantation meat supplies, the planters purchased quantities of commercial foods by using credit on future cotton sales.
Towards Optimal Rate Allocation For Logo Watermarking Using Reversible DWT

We introduce a novel logo watermarking algorithm using reversible discrete wavelet transform. With one level less decomposition than the host image, the logo coefficients of each subband are embedded into the corresponding subbands of the host image without using the approximate subband (LL) based on a well-known model of Human Vision System (HVS). Rather than manually tuned global scaling factors to control the embedding strength, we propose to assign different scaling factors for different subbands. Under this scheme, the logo watermarking could be viewed as a logo-compression-and-watermarking problem, in which logo coefficients are first quantized by different step-sizes (the inverse of scaling factors) based on both the perceptual weights and the subband statistical information, and then embedded. The step-sizes are optimized by a rate allocation algorithm. Equivalently this is a quality-constraint watermarking, where the embedding energy is adaptively distributed throughout different subbands of the host image. Numerical results verify the effectiveness of the system and the robustness of the algorithm against various types of general attacks. Reversible DWT makes the system quite suitable for hardware implementations.
Surgical Educational Research: Getting Started

As a result of the changing environment of medicine, which places a premium on clinical productivity, the traditional model of the surgeon/scientist with a basic science laboratory has become increasingly rare. There has been a growing recognition of the clinical educator as a viable alternative career path for advancement for academic surgeons who are unable to spend the 70–80 % of their time dedicated to research that is required for many extramural grants. In addition, publications based on surgical education research have increased in both number and quality over the past few decades. Because of this, education research has become established as a “legitimate” academic pursuit for surgeons.
Emergence of electronic cigarette use in US adolescents and the link to traditional cigarette use.

Abstract Background Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are increasingly used by US adolescents and may be a gateway to traditional cigarette use. We examine rates of both products by age and examine differences in age-varying rates by sex and race/ethnicity. Methods Data are from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a national sample of US middle and high school students (n = 22.007); students ages 11–19 were included. Past 30-day e-cigarette and traditional cigarette use were examined as a function of age; sex and race/ethnicity were included as moderators. The age-varying association between e-cigarette and traditional cigarette use was also examined. Results Rates of e-cigarette use increase faster than traditional cigarette use from ages 13–16. Compared to females, males had higher rates of e-cigarette use from ages 14–17.5 and traditional cigarette use from ages 15–18. Between ages 12–14, more Hispanic adolescents used e-cigarettes compared to White or Black adolescents; after age 14 Hispanics and Whites reported similar rates, peaking at twice the rate for Blacks. Hispanic adolescents report greater traditional cigarette use versus Whites between ages 12–13, but lower rates between ages 15–18. E-cigarette use was strongly associated with traditional cigarette use, particularly during early adolescence [OR > 40 before age 12]. Conclusions Young Hispanic adolescents are at elevated risk for use of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes during early adolescence. During early adolescence, youth using e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke traditional cigarettes compared to youth not using e-cigarettes. The study of age-varying effects holds promise for advancing understanding of disparities in health risk behaviors.
Physiology Mechanisms of Mindfulness Meditation

In addition to brain changes, mindfulness meditation is also accompanied by ANS changes such as breath amplitude, heart rate, and skin conductance. Descriptions of mindfulness often emphasize mind or thought processes and the role of the body has often been ignored. In fact, body and mind can never be separated in mindfulness practice and daily life. Therefore this chapter focuses on the physiology mechanisms of mindfulness meditation and discusses the interaction between the CNS (brain) and the ANS (body) that both support the meditation practice and outcomes.
Curtailing cascading failures.

Cascading behaviors are ubiquitous, from power-grid failures ( 1 ) to “flash crashes” in financial markets ( 2 , 3 ) to the spread of political movements such as the “Arab Spring” ( 4 ). The causes of these cascades are varied with many unknowns, which make them extremely difficult to predict or contain. Particularly challenging are cascading failures that arise from the reorganization of flows on a network, such as in electric power grids, supply chains, and transportation networks. Here, the network edges (or “links”) have some fixed capacity, and we see that some small disturbances easily dampen out, but other seemingly similar ones lead to massive failures. On page 886 of this issue, Yang et al. ( 5 ) establish that a small “vulnerable set” of components in the power grid is implicated in large-scale outages. Although the exact elements in this set vary with operating conditions, they reveal intriguing correlations with network structure.
Meaning Making in VMT

Meaning making is central to the interactions that take place in CSCL settings. The collaborative construction of shared meaning is a complex process that has not previously been analyzed in detail despite the fact that it is often acknowledged as being the distinguishing element in CSCL. Here, a three-minute excerpt from a discussion among three students is considered in some detail. The students are reflecting on their analysis of mathematical patterns in a synchronous online environment with text chat and a shared whiteboard. A complex network of references is identified from the chat postings to each other and to resources in the discourse situation. The group’s meaning making in the chat is a function of constructing this shared referential network. The analysis suggests a number of conditions and preconditions of such interaction. These are necessary for achieving the potential of CSCL as the accomplishment of high-order cognitive tasks by small groups of learners. An understanding of the conditions and preconditions of the small-group meaning-making process may aid in the design and analysis of CSCL activities, as well as in the development of a science of group cognition.
Comparative Efficacy and Mechanisms of a Single-Session Pain Psychology Class in Chronic Low Back Pain: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that chronic pain affects about 100 million U.S. adults, with chronic low back pain (CLBP) cited as the most prevalent type. Pain catastrophizing is a psychological construct shown to predict the development and trajectory of chronic pain and patient response to pain treatments. While effective treatment for pain catastrophizing typically includes eight-session groups of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a single-session targeted treatment class yielded promising results which, if replicated and extended, could prove to efficiently and cost-effectively reduce pain catastrophizing. In this trial, we seek to determine the comparative efficacy of this novel single-session pain catastrophizing class to an eight-session course of pain CBT and a single-session back pain health education class. We will also explore the psychosocial mechanisms and outcomes of pain catastrophizing treatment. In this trial we will randomize 231 individuals with CLBP to one of three treatment arms: (1) pain-CBT (eight weekly 2-h group sessions with home exercises and readings); (2) a single 2-h pain catastrophizing class; or (3) a single 2-h back pain health education class (active control). For the primary outcome of pain catastrophizing, the trial is designed as a non-inferiority test between pain-CBT and the single-session pain catastrophizing class, and as a superiority test between the single-session pain catastrophizing class and the health education class. Team researchers masked to treatment assignment will assess outcomes up to six months post treatment. If the single-session targeted pain catastrophizing class is found to be an effective treatment for patients with CLBP, this low cost and low burden treatment could dismantle many of the current barriers and burdens of effective pain care. Further, elucidation of the mechanisms of pain catastrophizing treatments will facilitate future research on the topic as well as further development and refinement of treatments. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03167086 . Registered on 22 May 2017.
Heliox Adjunct Therapy for Neonates With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

BACKGROUND: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia remains a complex disease with significant morbidity and mortality. Hypercarbia is a common derangement in this population, which often requires escalating ventilator support. By decreasing airway turbulence and enhancing CO2 removal, inhaled helium-oxygen mixture (heliox) has the potential to improve ventilation and thereby decrease ventilator support and its associated lung injury. METHODS: Retrospective cohort review of all neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia treated at Rady Children9s Hospital San Diego during 2011–2015. Clinical characteristics were compared between the infants who were treated with heliox and those who did not receive this intervention. To analyze the effect of heliox in the subgroup that received this treatment, ventilator settings and arterial blood gas values were compared before and after starting heliox by using paired t tests. RESULTS: During the study period, 45 neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia were admitted to our neonatal ICU, 28 received heliox, and 27 were analyzed. During heliox treatment, PaCO2 levels decreased from 68 to 49 mm Hg (P CONCLUSIONS: The addition of heliox to the standard practice of permissive hypercapnia facilitated improvement in gas exchange, which allowed a decrease in ventilator settings and oxygen exposure, both of which are known to contribute to lung injury in this population. A prospective trial is needed to more clearly define the acute and long-term impacts of this treatment.
Neutral-beam system based on BNL negative-hydrogen-ion sources

Parameters of the conceptual design of the BNL neutral beam system were determined as follows: beam energy, 200 keV; negative ion current, 10A; neutral beam power, 1 MW; pulse length, multisecond to steady state. The completed system study, supported by successful ion source operation at the required level, will serve to evaluate and compare different approaches in the design of a negative ion based system and, eventually, lead to the design and construction of an operational system.
Enzyme-Based Vinyl Polymerization

In vitro enzyme-mediated polymerization of vinyl monomers is reviewed. Oxidoreductase enzymes have been used for the polymerization of styrene, derivatives of styrene, acrylates, and acrylamide in water and water-miscible co-solvents. Kinetic and mechanistic studies revealed that a ternary system (horseradish peroxidase, H2O2, initiator, or β-diketone) is required for efficient polymerization and the initiator controls the polymer characteristics.