cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clawbacks, Holdbacks, and CEO Contracting

â€œClawbacksâ€ are much discussed in the context of senior executive compensation, yet the discussion has largely ignored the presence of holdbacks that are already in place in many firms. Holdbacks are deferred compensation that is potentially foregone in the event that the CEO leaves the firm without good reason or they are dismissed for wrongâ€ doing. They are explicit or written features of a CEOs employment contract. Holdbacks are already in use at 70% of S&P 500 firms and average $18.4 million each. Firms with higher CEO replacement costs, greater information asymmetry, a recent bad experience (fraud, lawsuit, or restatement), or in more certain environments are more likely to have a holdback. In contrast, clawback adoptions are mainly driven by firms' bad experiences and external pressure from shareholders. Holdbacks and incentiveâ€ based compensation are substitutes, as termination incentives can reduce the need for incentive compensation. As managers reasonably demand a premium for accepting risky compensation, a measure of abnormal compensation is positively associated with holdbacks, but there is no significant association between clawbacks and holdbacks. These findings suggest that the holdbacks many firms already have in place could help an â€œexâ€ post settling upâ€ in the event of financial misconduct, or even simply misstated financials. As companies have more control over the amounts held back exâ€ ante, holdbacks are potentially more efficient.
Development of an in-air circular synthetic aperture sonar system as an educational tool

Synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) is an underwater acoustic imaging technique that is used to generate high quality imagery through the coherent combination of signals measured on a moving platform. The practical challenges of underwater experimentation and the lack of publicly available data sets make it difficult to teach SAS processing to students using experimental data. These challenges are compounded by the complicated signal processing that is required to compensate for the unwanted platform motion that is common in field data. This paper details the development of an in-air circular SAS system using commonly available laboratory equipment. By operating in air and using a circular geometry many of the challenges that students would otherwise encounter in SAS processing are either well controlled or completely eliminated. Imagery collected on the system is shown to demonstrate how meaningful data can be generated using a simple set of equipment. A number of applications of the system as a tool to teach array signal processing, pulse compression, and imaging concepts are also discussed.
Gastrointestinal Disease and Stone Risk: Nutritional Management

Gastrointestinal (GI) health and function may contribute to the development of kidney stones. The GI tract provides nutrients via the multiphasic process of digestion. The gut and its resident microbes also modulate immune function and produce several vitamins and nutrients. Oxalate transport carriers have been identified throughout the digestive system. The bacteria in the intestinal tract perform a number of crucial functions, including digesting otherwise indigestible carbohydrates, stimulating the immune system, fending off colonization of pathogens, and directing the body to store fats. The composition of food that passes through the gut changes the microbiome which can affect the health of the host. Inflammatory diseases of the digestive system or surgical changes to the length of the gastrointestinal system have been shown to increase the risk for kidney stone formation. Generally a diet that protects against cardiovascular disease (less meat, salt, and processed foods plus more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) promotes an improved microflora and also prevents kidney stone formation.
In Vivo and In Vitro Analyses of Novel Peptidomimetic Disruptors for the Serotonin 5-HT2C Receptor Interaction With Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog

Hypofunction of the serotonin (5-HT) 5-HT2C receptor (5-HT2CR) has been implicated in a variety of disorders including substance use disorders. As such, approaches to enhance 5-HT2CR signaling display therapeutic potential. In the present study, we show that disruption of the 5-HT2CR interaction with the protein phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) via peptidomimetic-based protein-protein interaction disrupters enhances 5-HT2CR-mediating signaling in vitro and potentiates selective 5-HT2CR agonists in behavioral rodent models. Overall, the present study provides further evidence that 5-HT2CR activity can be modulated through an allosteric protein-protein interaction. This work provides the groundwork for the continued exploration of protein-protein interactions that can allosterically modulate this critical receptor and other important GPCRs for new therapeutic development through mechanisms that may display clinical utility.
Fractional Skipping: Towards Finer-Grained Dynamic CNN Inference

While increasingly deep networks are still in general desired for achieving state-of-the-art performance, for many specific inputs a simpler network might already suffice. Existing works exploited this observation by learning to skip convolutional layers in an input-dependent manner. However, we argue their binary decision scheme, i.e., either fully executing or completely bypassing one layer for a specific input, can be enhanced by introducing finer-grained, "softer" decisions. We therefore propose a Dynamic Fractional Skipping (DFS) framework. The core idea of DFS is to hypothesize layer-wise quantization (to different bitwidths) as intermediate "soft" choices to be made between fully utilizing and skipping a layer. For each input, DFS dynamically assigns a bitwidth to both weights and activations of each layer, where fully executing and skipping could be viewed as two "extremes" (i.e., full bitwidth and zero bitwidth). In this way, DFS can "fractionally" exploit a layer's expressive power during input-adaptive inference, enabling finer-grained accuracy-computational cost trade-offs. It presents a unified view to link input-adaptive layer skipping and input-adaptive hybrid quantization. Extensive experimental results demonstrate the superior tradeoff between computational cost and model expressive power (accuracy) achieved by DFS. More visualizations also indicate a smooth and consistent transition in the DFS behaviors, especially the learned choices between layer skipping and different quantizations when the total computational budgets vary, validating our hypothesis that layer quantization could be viewed as intermediate variants of layer skipping. Our source code and supplementary material are available at \link{this https URL}.
Effect of comorbid anxiety and depression in complicated grief on perceived cognitive failures

Background Bereavement is associated with cognitive difficulties, but it is unclear whether these difficulties are associated with normative and/or complicated grief (CG) and how comorbid depression and anxiety contribute to them. Self-reported "minor errors in thinking" (i.e., cognitive failures) may manifest following bereavement and be differentially affected by CG, anxiety, and depression. Methods Associations between perceived cognitive failures and CG, anxiety, and depression were investigated in 581 bereaved participants. To examine both single and comorbid conditions across the spectrum of bereaved participants, these relationships were examined using both linear regressions and group comparisons. Results Continuous measures of depression, anxiety, and grief each independently predicted perceived cognitive failures. Group comparisons indicated that the group with three comorbid conditions had the highest frequency of perceived cognitive failures and the group with no conditions had the lowest. In addition, groups with threshold depression levels (both alone and comorbid with another condition) had higher frequencies of perceived cognitive failures than other groups, suggesting that depression was more strongly associated with perceived cognitive failures than CG or anxiety. Conclusions Future research about cognition following bereavement should address how multiple mental health symptoms or conditions combine to affect perceived and actual cognitive capacity.
Deacetylation and Mechanical Refining (DMR) and Deacetylation and Dilute Acid (DDA) Pretreatment of Corn Stover, Switchgrass, and a 50/50 Corn Stover/Switchgrass Blend

The most economical feedstock available to future lignocellulosic biorefineries may be a feedstock blend. Corn stover, switchgrass, and a 50:50 blend of corn stover and switchgrass were subjected t...
Labor productivity growth in sub-Sahara African LDCs: sectoral contributions and macroeconomic factors

Abstract This paper has two objectives. The first is to identify sectoral contributions to labor productivity growth in thirty sub-Sahara African LDCs over 1991–2018. The second objective is to assess the strength of the relation between aggregate labor productivity growth and its sectoral components, and several factors that are said to promote economic growth. Our analysis provides weak evidence that global integration through trade benefits productivity growth within sectors or growth-enhancing structural transformation in the African LDCs. We find more signs that manufacturing and foreign direct investment associate with labor productivity growth and its components at both aggregate and sectoral level. Exporters of minerals are the exception. For these countries a significant but negative estimate for foreign direct investment emerges.
Effects of Phishing Emails on College Students

The lack of training and awareness about phishing is the number one reason why phishing attacks are so successful. This study aims to investigate if a person’s college major influences how vulnerable a person is to a phishing attack. The current study argues that computers majors are going to be less vulnerable to phishing attacks compared to other majors. One hundred and fifty-five participants were asked to take an online anonymous survey that asked questions about phishing. The results provide the demographics and correlations between computer majors and non-computer majors. The results indicate a person’s major should be considered as an individual factor for phishing in future research. This study provides insight on how a person’s major can make them more vulnerable to phishing emails.
Efficacy of the Combat Application Tourniquet in Children

Purpose: Tourniquet use for extremity hemorrhage has been well studied and become a mainstay in adult trauma care in last 15 years. There has been a push to increase the distribution and use of tourniquets in civilian settings including schools in response to school shootings and as part of disaster preparedness. However, there is little research or published experience with the use of tourniquets in the pediatric population. Retrospective studies have looked at the use of prefabricated tourniquets on children in conflict …
Pore Formation-Mediated Egress from Mammalian and Protozoan Cells by Legionella pneumophila

Infections of mammalian and protozoan cells by Legionella pneumophila share a number of similarities but differ in several attributes. The mechanisms of killing of the host cell and release of intracellular bacteria after termination of intracellular replication are not known for L. pneumophila or any other vacuolar intracellular pathogen. During screening of the mini Tn10::kan mutant library the intracellular bacteria, L. pneumophila, belonging to the parental strain AA100 were released into the tissue culture medium with in 24 to 48 h postinfection. In contrast, despite the prolific intracellular replication of the five mutants, they were "trapped" within and failed to egress from macrophages and epithelial cells during the 48-h infection, and the majority of the infected cells remained viable and intact. Researchers have recently proposed a model of biphasic death of mammalian cells by L. pneumophila initiated by caspase-3-dependent apoptosis followed by necrosis, which is probably mediated by the pore-forming toxin. To confirm the roles played by the pore-forming activity in necrotic killing of Acanthamoeba polyphaga and subsequent release of the intracellular bacteria, researchers examined infections at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 500, for the following two reasons. First, infection at this MOI may ensure that most of the cells were infected by L. pneumophila and may allow better examination of whether the rib mutants were defective in exiting the protozoan host. Second, it has been shown that extracellular L. pneumophila induces rapid necrotic killing of mammalian cells within 20 to 180 min at an MOI of 500.
Is Exam under Anesthesia Still Necessary for the Staging of Bladder Cancer in the Era of Modern Imaging

Background The ability to accurately determine tumor stage in bladder cancer is critical because it impacts the management paradigm and overall prognosis. There is often discrepancy between clinical and pathologic staging. Historically, exam under anesthesia (EUA) has been recommended to assist in the staging of bladder cancer. Objective In this era of modern imaging technology, we sought to determine if EUA still contributes meaningfully to the local staging of bladder cancer. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 1898 patients from 1994-2013 in our radical cystectomy database at MD Anderson Cancer Center. There were 414 patients that had complete information including EUA and whose surgery was performed by one of two surgeons and included in the final analysis. Univariate and multiple logistic regression models were generated to determine the ability of EUA, imaging, and other patient characteristics to predict pathological fat extension at the time of cystectomy. Results 38% of patients had≥pT3 disease at the time of cystectomy. 30.9% of patients had findings on EUA suggestive of T3 disease and 28.7% had radiologic findings suggestive of T3 disease. In a model including age, BMI, ethnicity, year of operation, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy among other factors, the only factors predictive of pT3 disease were EUA and imaging (p = 0.002). The combination of EUA and imaging improved the accuracy of clinical staging compared to either modality alone. Conclusions Despite modern advances in imaging, EUA contributes meaningfully to accurate determination of local bladder cancer stage.
Molecular Responses of Microbes to Environmental pH stress

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the ways microorganisms respond to pH stress focusing primarily on molecular aspects of adaptation in bacteria. The requirement for co-inducer molecules is frequent among pH-regulated genes. Most pH-stress protection systems include a mechanism for sustaining cytoplasmic pH and many inducible systems offer crossprotection to other stresses. Knowledge of pH-controlled gene expression results in improved biotechnologies necessary for producing recombinant DNA products under special conditions and for the delivery of live recombinant vaccines. Studies of the molecular responses to pH stress provide insight into the pathogenic processes and ultimately lead to better vaccine development or antimicrobial targets. Knowledge of pH-stress survival mechanisms also lead to the construction of hardier strains of root nodule bacteria that will better survive soil acidity and improve crop yields. New insights provided by recent advances in molecular genetics have rekindled interest in this important aspect of communication between microorganisms and their environment.
Thermodynamics and the structure of binary and ternary complexation of Am3+ Cm3+ and Eu3+ with DTPA and DTPA + IDA

Abstract The formation, their stability and the thermodynamic parameters of the binary complexation of Am3+, Cm3+ and Eu3+ with DTPA and of the ternary complexation of DTPA + IDA were studied in aqueous solutions of I = 6.60 m (NaClO4) and temperatures of 0–60 °C by solvent extraction technique. The stability constants of these complexes increased with increasing temperature. Positive enthalpy and the large entropy values for the binary and the ternary complexation indicated significant effect of cation dehydration at such high ionic strengths. TRLFS and NMR (1H and 13C) data provided insight into the structure of the ternary complexes in solution. In the binary [M(DTPA)]2− complex, M3+ binds via five carboxylates and three nitrogens, while in the ternary complex [M(DTPA)(IDA)]4−, DTPA binds by the same eight coordination sites and IDA binds via one of its carboxylate anion groups.
Using Pedometers to Promote Physical Activity in Physical Education

(2003). Using Pedometers to Promote Physical Activity in Physical Education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 74, No. 7, pp. 33-38.
Universal Health Coverage: A Political Struggle and Governance Challenge

Universal health coverage has become a rallying cry in health policy, but it is often presented as a consensual, technical project. It is not. A review of the broader international literature on the origins of universal coverage shows that it is intrinsically political and cannot be achieved without recognition of its dependence on, and consequences for, both governance and politics. On one hand, a variety of comparative research has shown that health coverage is associated with democratic political accountability. Democratization, and in particular left-wing parties, gives governments particular cause to expand health coverage. On the other hand, governance, the ways states make and implement decisions, shapes any decision to strive for universal health coverage and the shape of its implementation.
A system for monitoring and interpreting team actions of embodied agents

Understanding and recognizing team actions executed by embodied agents (e.g., robots, agents, humans) has applications in team sports [2], surveillance [1], and training. Many team actions can be described by the individual team member's movement patterns; moreover, by understanding the internal structure of the team action, we can predict the next actions of the individual members, as well as whether they are executing the action correctly or not.
THE ROLE OF WORK EXPERIENCE AND INDIVIDUAL BELIEFS IN POLICE OFFICERS' PERCEPTIONS OF DATE RAPE: AN INTEGRATION OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE METHODS

Surveyed police officers from two police departments in the Midwest on their perceptions of date rape (N=91). The aim of this research was to examine the influence of officers' work experiences and general beliefs about women on their perceptions of date rape. Two approaches were utilized. First, using quantitative structural-equation modeling, a model that integrated work experiences and individual beliefs was evaluated using LISREL VII. Results suggest a direct path from the work experience variables to perceptions of date rape: Officers with more experience with rape cases held more sympathetic beliefs about data rape and date rape victims. Officers who found their training on rape to be very helpful, and those who reported that their work environment was sexualized and sexual harassment was a problem, were also less victim blaming. An indirect influence of these variables was also supported. Officers with more experience, those who perceived their training as helpful, and those with heightened awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace also held more favorable attitudes toward women, which, in turn, predicted less victim-blaming perceptions of date rape. Second, qualitative methods were used to have the police define and describe in their own words what has shaped their beliefs about date rape. These narratives were content analyzed by two raters. The qualitative results validated the quantitative findings as the officers were most likely to mention professional experience with rape cases and departmental trainings as important factors that changed their opinions. Work climate and personal experiences were also cited as influential. Implications for integrating qualitative and quantitative methods in research, and training interventions with police are discussed.
Toxicity studies with 5-bromo-3-sec-butyl-6-methyluracil.

Abstract The herbicide, 5-bromo-3- sec -butyl-6-methyluracil (bromacil) exhibited a low order of acute toxicity as evaluated by oral, dermal, and inhalation studies in mammals and by fish and wildlife studies. Bromacil fed to pregnant New Zealand white rabbits on days 8–16 of gestation at dietary levels of 0, 50, and 250 ppm was not teratogenic. In a three-generation six-litter reproduction study with rats, a dietary level of 250 ppm had no adverse effects upon reproduction and lactation performance; no pathologic changes were observed in weanling pups of the F 3b generation. Rats of both sexes were fed nutritionally complete diets containing 0, 50, 250, and 1250 ppm bromacil for 2 yr. Except for a lower rate of weight gain, a slightly decreased food intake and a slightly lower food efficiency among the female rats that received 1250 ppm bromacil, there was no nutritional, clinical, hematologic, urinary, or biochemical evidence of toxicity, nor any evidence of carcinogenicity; there was, however, a suggestion of slight hyperplasia in the thyroids of animals given the highest dietary level. Beagle dogs of both sexes, 1–2 yr of age, fed nutritionally complete diets containing 0, 50, 250, and 1250 ppm bromacil for 2 yr, showed no nutritional, clinical, hematological, urinary, biochemical, or pathologic evidence of toxicity.
Visual object categorization in birds and primates: Integrating behavioral, neurobiological, and computational evidence within a “general process” framework

Previous comparative work has suggested that the mechanisms of object categorization differ importantly for birds and primates. However, behavioral and neurobiological differences do not preclude the possibility that at least some of those mechanisms are shared across these evolutionarily distant groups. The present study integrates behavioral, neurobiological, and computational evidence concerning the “general processes” that are involved in object recognition in vertebrates. We start by reviewing work implicating error-driven learning in object categorization by birds and primates, and also consider neurobiological evidence suggesting that the basal ganglia might implement this process. We then turn to work with a computational model showing that principles of visual processing discovered in the primate brain can account for key behavioral findings in object recognition by pigeons, including cases in which pigeons’ behavior differs from that of people. These results provide a proof of concept that the basic principles of visual shape processing are similar across distantly related vertebrate species, thereby offering important insights into the evolution of visual cognition.
2,3-Butanedione, an Electron-stabilizing Compound, as a Modifier of Sensitivity of Bacillus Megaterium Spores to X-rays

SummaryThe organic compound 2,3-butanedione (diacetyl) has a high affinity for free electrons, and can stabilize electrons produced by high-energy radiations in aqueous solutions. In the non-metabolizing spore of Bacillus megaterium (buffer suspension at pH 7·0), this compound increases radiation sensitivity in the absence of oxygen as concentration increases up to approximately 4 × 10−3 M. The maximal increase represents 40 per cent of the total observed in the full oxygen effect. Since the compound at maximally effective concentration in the presence of oxygen does not increase radiation sensitivity above that level seen in oxygen alone, it is allowed that the potentiating action of the compound represents one of the actions of oxygen, i.e. oxygen may act in part by stabilizing electrons. Above about 6 × 10−3 M the effectiveness of the compound as a sensitizer decreases, until the anoxic level of sensitivity is reached at 6 × 10−2 M. No suggestions concerning this reversal of effect at high concentratio...
5-Methylcytosine in CpG Sites and the Reactivity of Nearest Neighboring Guanines Toward the Carcinogen Aflatoxin B1-8,9-Epoxide☆☆☆

Abstract The reactivity of guanines in an oligonucleotide containing mutational hot spots within the p53 gene (codons 248 and 249), 5′-CCG 1 G 2 AG 3 G 4 CCCA-3′, toward dimethyl sulfate (DMS) and aflatoxin B 1 - 8,9 -epoxide (AFB 1 - 8,9 -epoxide) was investigated by a modified Maxam–Gilbert technique. 5-Methylcytosine in the CpG site of codon 248 did not appear to modulate the reactivity of target guanines G 1 , G 2 , G 3 , and G 4 toward either genotoxin when compared to the sequence containing a nonmethylated CpG site. A similar experiment was conducted in which a 0.5-kb fragment of the human HPRT gene containing exon 1 and several CpG sites was treated with UV-activated aflatoxin B 1 . Results showed that guanine adduct formation was independent of the methylation status of the CpG site. These findings are discussed in relation to other studies that have shown that cytosine methylation has an inhibiting effect, an enhancing effect, or no effect on adduct formation with nearby guanine nucleotides.
Application of flat panel digital imaging for improvement of ocular melanoma patient set-up in proton beam therapy

Abstract In order to reduce the dose to surrounding critical tissues and also minimize the probability of recurrence of the tumor the placement of radiation fields relative to patient anatomy is very essential in proton beam therapy of ocular tumors. To achieve this objective, patient setup and field placement have been verified before treatment by analyzing the portal images obtained with Polaroid film-camera system. The Polaroid films are becoming expensive and obsolete, making new methods of verifying the patient treatment position essential. The objective of this study was to implement an orthogonal flat panel digital imaging (FPDI) system as a tool to image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) on the UC Davis cyclotron proton beam therapy line and to use the system for patient setup verification. The image quality of the system is sufficient to see an air hole with a diameter of 0.5 mm at a depth of 9 mm, in a 10 cm Lucite phantom. The subject contrast of the FPDI system varied from 16% to 29% by varying the size of the air hole in the phantom from 1 to 5 mm and changing the depth from 9 to 15 mm. The subject contrast for 0.5 mm air hole was 11%. The comparison of the setup variations as measured from Polaroid port films and FPDI was 0.1±0.7 mm in the X -direction, 0.2±0.2 mm in the Y -direction and 0.04±0.1 mm in Z -direction, respectively. The day-to-day positional variations in-patient set-ups were studied for 30 patients using the FPDI system. The patient position set-up on first day of treatment [defined by the X , Y , Z coordinates of the chair and head holder] was registered as the reference image. The comparison of day-to-day patient position with reference image indicated net translation along the three orthogonal axes as 0.3±1.88 mm in right–left direction, −0.3±1.78 in superior–inferior direction and −0.6±2.8 mm in anterior–posterior direction. The image quality of the FPDI system was sufficient to clearly reveal the radio-opaque markers on the digital image. In conclusion a FPDI system can accurately replace the Polaroid system and will facilitate daily portal alignment and true electronic IGRT verification of patient position and tumor location relative to the proton beam.
Nonliving macrophyte Salvinia sp. application for nutrient removal in starchy wastewater treatment of cassava industry

AbstractThe removal of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and COD) of wastewater from a local cassava industry wastewater was investigated. Dried (nonliving) biomass of the aquatic macrophyte Salvinia sp. was used in a batch system and experiments were all bench-top laboratory-scale in Erlenmeyer flasks. The kinetic behavior was evaluated and a statistical central composite design (CCD) was used to verify the influence of the parameters pH (5.0–9.0), initial biomass concentration (0.0–0.0067 g mL−1), and agitation (0–150 rpm). After 24 h of contact with the macrophyte, about 98% of nitrogen was removed, coinciding to pH and COD/N ratio elevations. After 96 h, according to CCD results, the dried biomass of Salvinia sp. removed significantly the nutrients from cassava wastewater, suggesting it was irrespective of all the evaluated parameters. The nonliving macrophyte Salvinia showed potential for application in the starchy wastewater treatment as an alternative way for pollutant removal, since this macrophyte...
The potential for adverse drug reactions in elderly patients

This study examined inappropriately prescribed drugs, inappropriate dosages of drugs, inappropriate combinations of drugs, and numbers of drugs and their potential for causing adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the elderly. The study also looked at whether the number of diagnoses made a difference in the drugs' potential to cause ADRs. A retrospective audit was made of 146 patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) who were admitted to a suburban community agency. Significant correlations were found between the number of medications prescribed and the number of inappropriate medications, the number of medications prescribed and the number of inappropriate dosages of medications, and the number of medications prescribed and the number of potential drug interactions. Multiple diagnoses did not make a difference.
The incidence and pattern of maxillofacial injuries in helmeted versus non-helmeted motorcycle accident patients.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the difference in incidence and pattern of bony and soft tissue injuries sustained by helmeted vs. non-helmeted motorcycle accident victims. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of motorcycle accident victims over a 10-year period were reviewed. Basic demographic data including age, sex, and injury severity score (ISS) were collected. The patients were separated into 2 groups based on helmet use. For each group, the incidence of specific maxillofacial injuries (based on the International Classification of Disease, 9th revision) was tallied. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: A total of 717 patients were included in the study. 598 patients (mean age, 41.6; male sex, 90.8%; ISS, 18.2) were in the helmeted group and 119 patients (mean age, 40.8; male sex 90.8%; ISS, 19.5) were in the non-helmeted group. Among the helmeted riders, 26.1% (n=156) sustained a maxillofacial injury, and among the non-helmeted riders 45.4% (n=54) sustained a maxillofacial injury (p=0.0001). The non-helmeted riders also experienced a significantly higher incidence of malar and maxillary fractures (p=0.040), orbital fractures (p=0.044), and soft tissue contusions and abrasions (p=0.031). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that not only do helmets protect against facial injuries in totality, they appear to be more effective at preventing midfacial fractures when compared to mandible fractures. Language: en
Towards a model of technology and literacy development: Story listening systems

This article lays out a program of research designed to address one specific need of young children—to learn how to write—based on one specific ability of young children—the ability to tell stories. The model underlying this research program describes how non-screen-and-keyboard-based technologies that listen to children can be used to support their emergent literacy behaviors and have an effect on their subsequent writing skills. Four components comprise the model: the importance of emergent literacy behaviors, which are features of literate language that are demonstrated in children's oral language; the critical role played by a socially situated peer; the design of non-keyboard-based computational technologies; and the potential of information technologies that encourage construction rather than consumption. This article presents information about one kind of technology that fits the model—the story listening system (SLS)—and describes a number of implemented SLS and an evaluation of their use by children. D 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
An optoelectromechanical light sensor at 1.55 μm

We have the device under test, which is either our detector or a piece of metal for calibration, mounted under the vibrating AFM tip. To activate the sample we either apply a changing voltage to the tip which generates an electrostatic force, or apply laser light to the sample which deforms the surface potential, altering the electrostatic force. With our AFM we feed the phase output of the vibrating tip to an oscilloscope and lockin amplifier. The lockin amplifier is synchronized with the function generator. This allows us to sense the phase change of the tip at the frequency of applied voltage or light. We monitor the phase change as opposed to the amplitude because it is much more sensitive to forces on the tip.
Roles of survivin isoforms in the chemopreventive actions of NSAIDS on colon cancer cells.

NSAIDs downregulate survivin (an apoptosis inhibitor), increase apoptosis and reduce growth of colon polyps and cancers. Recently, anti- and pro-apoptosis isoforms of survivin were identified. The roles of these isoforms in NSAID-induced colon cancer cell death have not been examined, and is the focus of this study. The anti-apoptosis isoforms, wild-type (WT) survivin and survivin-ΔEx3, and the pro-apoptosis isoform, survivin-2b, were present in HT-29 and RKO cells. Indomethacin treatment significantly decreased WT survivin and survivin-ΔEx3 (30.5±10.4% and 20.3±6.7%, respectively) but not survivin-2b mRNA in RKO cells. In HT-29 cells, all three isoform mRNAs were slightly decreased by indomethacin treatment. Consistently, indomethacin treatment dramatically reduced WT survivin protein in RKO but not HT-29 cells. Indomethacin treatment increased apoptosis and general cell death more significantly in RKO cells (75.7±1.1% cell death at 48 h) than in HT-29 cells (25.4±3.7% cell death at 48 h). Anti-sense suppression of survivin-2b mRNA increased resistance of both RKO and HT-29 cells to indomethacin. These data support a role for survivin isoforms in colon cancer cell apoptosis, and thus in prevention of colon cancer growth by NSAIDs.
Abstract 2404: Cumulative dosage effect of TSGs and OGs drives aneuploidy patterns in cancer

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Since Boveri's postulates in 1914, aneuploidy has been recognized as a hallmark of human cancer. However, no comprehensive theory exists to explain the patterns of aneuploidy and its role in tumor evolution. Recurrent gains or losses of specific chromosomes have been observed in cancer, but it is not clear whether a recurrent pattern of aneuploidy exists among cancer karyotypes and whether the recurrent patterns just happen to occur more frequently or are specifically selected during tumor evolution. We have developed the Tumor Suppressor and Oncogene (TUSON) Explorer, a computational method for the prediction of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) and oncogenes (OGs) through the analysis of the pattern of somatic mutations in cancer (Davoli et al., Cell, 2013). By analyzing >8200 tumor-normal pairs from more than 20 tumor types we provide statistical evidence suggesting that many more genes possess cancer driver properties than anticipated, forming a continuum of oncogenic potential. The TUSON Explorer analysis on the entire dataset has identified new potential TSGs such as RASA1, TP53BP1, USP28 and OGs such as PPP2R1A and PPP6C. The TUSON Explorer was also applied to individual tumor types, leading to the identification of new potential tissue-specific drivers. In addition, we have integrated our prediction of TSGs and OGs with information of copy number alterations. We found that the distribution on chromosome and the potency of TSGs and OGs can predict the frequency of arm-level and chromosome-level deletions and amplification. For example, the density and potency of TSGs strongly positively and negatively correlated with the frequency of arm and chromosome deletion and amplification, respectively (r value=∼0.6, p<10-4). The opposite behavior is seen for the OG density and potency. We find that by combining the TSG, OG and essential gene density and potency in a unified score, we can predict a high fraction of the recurrent arm and chromosome deletions and amplifications (r value= ∼0.8, p<10-9). We propose that it is the decrease or increase in the gene dosage of cancer drivers and essential genes in deletion and amplification to determine the recurrent patterns of aneuploidy selected during tumor evolution. In this view the aneuploidy state of tumor cells, first recognized by Bovery exactly a century ago, represents a driving force during the evolution of human cancer. Citation Format: Teresa Davoli, Andrew Wei Xu, Kristen E. Mengwasser, Laura M. Sack, John C. Yoon, Peter J. Park, Stephen J. Elledge. Cumulative dosage effect of TSGs and OGs drives aneuploidy patterns in cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2404. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2404
Effects of menstrual cycle phase on aggression measured in the laboratory

This study investigated the effects of menstrual cycle phase on aggression in two groups of women, which differed in the severity of their self-reported perimenstrual symptoms. A low- and a high-symptom group were recruited using the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ) to define the groups. Twenty-two subjects (11 low and 11 high symptom) participated across one menstrual cycle: during the premenstrual, menstrual, midfollicular, and ovulatory phases. The Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm was used to assess aggression on each day of participation. There were three main findings; a) rates of aggressive responding did not vary across phases of the menstrual cycle; b) the high-symptom group emitted higher rates of aggressive responding across the menstrual cycle than did the low-symptom group; and c) rates of aggressive responding correlated with the MDQ's behavioral and psychological scales and not the somatic scales. These findings indicate that the menstrual cycle phase does not differentially affect this laboratory measure of aggression. The differences found between the two symptom groups parallel a few reports indicating that women who differ in retrospectively reported mood and behavioral changes related to their menstrual cycle also differ on a number of other psychometric measures. Aggr. Behav. 24:9–26, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Ultimate Resistance of Deep Vertical Anchor in Sand

ABSTRACT Model test results of a vertical square anchor plate in loose, medium and dense sand are presented. The ultimate anchor resistance has been expressed in terms of a nondimensional breakout factor, Nq = Pu/γAH. For shallow anchors, the breakout factor increases with embedment ratio. Beyond the critical embedment ratio, when the anchor behaves as a deep anchor, the breakout factor remains approximately constant. The critical embedment ratio is about 5 for loose sand and increases to about 8 for dense sand. The variation of the experimental breakout factor for deep anchor with the angle of friction of sand has been compared with that predicted by the existing theories.
Behavioral, sympathetic and adrenocortical responses to yohimbine in panic disorder patients and normal controls

Abstract Yohimbine, an α 2 adrenoreceptor antagonist, enhances norepinephrine (NE) release and increases sympathetic activity. We examined the behavioral, peripheral sympathetic and adrenocortical responses to oral yohimbine in seven healthy controls and 11 patients diagnosed with agoraphobia with panic attacks (PD). Patients did not differ in baseline cardiovascular or neuroendocrine measures from controls despite significantly higher baseline anxiety ratings. Placebo caused no changes in baseline-corrected behavioral, cardiovascular or neurochemical responses in either group. Yohimbine induced a panic episode in six PD patients, but no controls. PD patients had significantly higher severity scores of autonomic anxiety symptoms. Yohimbine significantly raised systolic blood pressure ( F =3.07, P F =12.11, P F =4.82, P F =7.14, P
The deposition of lipid and the composition of neutral lipids in the fat body of Sarcophaga bullata (diptera)

Abstract 1. 1. Most of the lipid in the fat body of Sarcophaga bullata was found to be deposited late in larval life, more than half of it after the larva had ceased to increase in body weight. 2. 2. The lipid consisted primarily of triglycerides with 18:1, 18:2, 16:1, 16:0, and 18:0 acids as the major fatty acids compirsing approximately 23, 14,14,15 and 9 per cent respectively, of the total. 3. 3. Small differences in the relative composition of fatty acids were found between larvae 3 and 9 days old.
Breast cancer recurrence after nipple-sparing mastectomy: one institution's experience.

Abstract Background Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) has been increasingly used to treat women with breast cancer who wish to preserve the overlying breast skin, but concern remains regarding tumor recurrence. We report our experience performing NSM for breast cancer treatment and prophylaxis over a 6-year period. Methods A retrospective chart review on patients undergoing NSM or skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) from 2005 to 2011 was performed. Results NSM patients were younger ( P P P = .01) but not genetic risk ( P = .83). There was no difference in the distance between the tumor and the nipple-areola complex when comparing NSM and SSM ( P = .47). There was no significant difference in recurrence ( P = .08) or survival ( P = .38) when comparing NSM and SSM after controlling for age, stage, and surgery laterality. Conclusions There was no difference in survival or cancer recurrence for NSM or SSM. NSM does not increase the risk of recurrence or decrease survival.
Nonlinear instability of a helicopter blade.

The nonlinear equations of flap-lag coupled with oscillation of a torsionally rigid blade are derived. The solution is established by a simplified asymptotic expansion procedure of multiple time scales. The region of stability and limit cycle oscillation and its comparison with numerical results are presented.
Nicotinic involvement in memory function in zebrafish

Zebrafish are an emerging model for the study of the molecular mechanisms of brain function. To conduct studies of the neural bases of behavior in zebrafish, we must understand the behavioral function of zebrafish and how it is altered by perturbations of brain function. This study determined nicotine actions on memory function in zebrafish. With the methods that we have developed to assess memory in zebrafish using delayed spatial alternation (DSA), we determined the dose effect function of acute nicotine on memory function in zebrafish. As in rodents and primates, low nicotine doses improve memory in zebrafish, while high nicotine doses have diminished effect and can impair memory. This study shows that nicotine affects memory function in zebrafish much like in rats, mice, monkeys and humans. Now, zebrafish can be used to help understand the molecular mechanisms crucial to nicotine effects on memory.
Association of Polymorphisms in NOS3 with the Ankle-Brachial Index in Hypertensive Adults

We investigated the association of 14 polymorphisms in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene (NOS3) with ankle brachial index (ABI) in non-Hispanic white hypertensives belonging to hypertensive sibships. Subjects (n=659, mean age 61+/-9 years, 54% women) underwent measurement of ABI using a standard protocol, and the lowest of 4 ABI values was used in the analyses. Non-synonymous SNPs with a minor allele frequency >0.02 and tag SNPs selected based on a measure of linkage disequilibrium (r(2)) were genotyped. We reduced the chance of false positives by testing for replication, randomly selecting 1 hypertensive sib from each sibship to create Subset 1 (n=330) and Subset 2 (n=329). Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess the associations of single NOS3 polymorphisms and haplotypes with ABI after adjustment for covariates (age, sex, body mass index, smoking, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and diabetes). Two specific SNPs in significant LD with each other (rs891512 and rs1808593) were significantly associated with ABI in both subsets. Based on a sliding window approach with a window size of 2, estimated haplotypes from 2 SNP pairs (rs2070744-rs3918226 and rs1808593-rs7830) were also significantly associated with ABI in both subsets. In conclusion, specific NOS3 SNPs and haplotypes were associated with inter-individual variation in ABI, a non-invasive marker of peripheral arterial disease, in replicate subsets of hypertensive subjects. These findings motivate further investigation of the role of NOS3 variants in determining susceptibility to peripheral arterial disease.
Location and assignment of the lowest triplet state of perylene

Abstract The position of the lowest triplet state of perylene is located by direct singlet-triplet absorption in single crystals at 4.2°K. The 0-0 band of the transition is located at 12373 cm−1, and the spatial symmetry of the state is assigned as 3 B 1u ( 3 L a ) by Zeeman effect studies on single, oriented crystals in magnetic fields and in polarized light. Factor group splitting was observed in the absorption spectrum with the two allowed levels split by E(Au) - E(Bu) = 1.2 cm−1. The two forbidden factor group components are not observed, but their position is estimated by calculation of the appropriate π-electron exchange matrix elements. The calculations place the two forbidden components ∼ 15 cm−1 to lower energy than the two allowed levels.
Bluff Body Flow Separation Control using Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharges

5 . In this flow regime, the separation point behind the bluff body can be moved downstream in the presence of the AC DBD. However, it is found that, as the flow speed increases, the separation delay effect decreases. The flow alteration effect also decreases with rougher surfaces and higher Rex. Finally, skewed electrodes and reversed electrodes relative to the flow direction are utilized as two different electrode configurations. It is seen that the skewed electrode provides a positive effect on separation delay while the reversed electrode induces earlier flow separation.
Association between bone mineral density and candidate genes in different ethnic populations and its implications.

The objectives of this study were (1) to identify the ethnic population in which bone mineral density (BMD) has been reported to be associated with polymorphisms of candidate genes in the literature; [2] to estimate the maximal distances between candidate genes and BMD-affecting loci, and [3] to explore the implications of phenotype-genotype association found in different ethnic populations. MEDLINE was searched for association between polymorphisms of candidate genes and BMD. The distances between marker and BMD-affecting loci were estimated with Lewontin's D'. Polymorphisms at 25 candidate loci have been reported to be associated with BMD. Eight of them are associated with BMD in both Caucasians and Asians, one with BMD in Caucasians with an allele frequency as high as 0.22, which is 0 in Asians, one with BMD in the three major ethnic populations (including Africans) and 15 with BMD in one ethnic population (not investigated in a second ethnic population yet). The maximal distance between BMD-affecting genes and marker loci was 230 (range 196–275) kb when an association is found in Caucasians and Asians. The association between vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and BMD is found in the three major ethnic populations, and the maximal marker-mutant distance is 79 (50–95) kb. It was concluded that most mutations affecting BMD are very old and are common in two or three major ethnic populations, which implies that these BMD-affecting loci are very close to, and are likely to be within, the candidate genes. Phenotype-genotype associations found in East Asians are unlikely to be due to admixture with Caucasians.