cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Domestic minor sex trafficking among adjudicated male youth: prevalence and links to treatment

Abstract Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the sexual exploitation of citizens (or lawful residents) of the United States, aged 18 or younger. DMST victims are diverse in age, race, and socioeconomic status, and are especially vulnerable. Most victims have a history of abuse and neglect, and many have had contact with the juvenile justice system. This exploratory study examines DMST prevalence, as well as potential risk factors for DMST involvement among a unique population of adjudicated male youth. Secondary data analysis was conducted with data collected from 800 adjudicated male youth using standardized measures including the Million Adolescent Clinical Inventory and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was used to investigate the relationships between the probability of DMST involvement and substance misuse, childhood sexual abuse, and levels of sexual discomfort. Results revealed that substance misuse and childhood sexual abuse were significantly positively associated with the probability of DMST victimization; however, sexual discomfort was significantly negatively associated with the probability of DMST victimization. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Imaging necrotic myocardium: detection with 99mTc-pyrophosphate and radiolabeled antimyosin.

The major value of hot-spot imaging of the myocardium is its ability to define areas of necrosis rather than areas of diminished blood flow or cellular function. Applications of hot-spot imaging include the diagnosis and quantitation of myocardial infarction, myocarditis, and cardiac transplant rejection. The two agents in clinical use, 99mTc-Pyrophosphate and radiolabeled antimyosin, are discussed. 52 references.
Cockroach Diversity and Identification

There are more than 4,000 known species of cockroaches throughout the world, most of which live in the tropics. Aside from living in our houses, cockroaches inhabit leaf litter and tree bark in temperate and tropical forests, grasslands, desert sand dunes, rotting logs, bird and ant nests, and caves. Cockroaches, being primitive insects, are relatives of termites (order Isoptera) and grasshoppers, crickets and katydids (order Orthoptera). The presently accepted scheme of classification places cockroaches in the order Dictyoptera and suborder Blattaria. The other suborder, Mantodea, contains the preying mandids. There are five major families of cockroaches: Cryptocercidae, Blattidae, Blaberidae, Blattellidae and Polyphagidae.
Integrating the computer science curriculum by using robot soccer simulator

Robot soccer simulator is a reasonably complex software system that appears to be suitable as an instructive case study for Computer Science and Information Technology curricula. This has been noticed by many educators. All of them were using the well-known RoboCup soccer simulator. However, previous studies that explored this opportunity were narrowly focused on courses in Robotics and AI neglecting other possibilities. To some extent, this could be explained by that the RoboCup simulator is over complicated for undergraduate students (although it is good for students in masters program). We overcome this difficulty by proposing a simplified, yet sophisticated enough, soccer simulator having some extra features. As the result, our simulator, Tao of Soccer, can be used in a wide range of CS & IT courses. This paper explores opportunities for across-curriculum integration using Tao of Soccer as a business case and the synergies that this approach can create for learners.
Multilingualism: Pragmatic Aspects

Communication is becoming more and more intercultural because it involves interactants who have different first languages, communicate in a common language, and represent different cultures. Pragmatics research, however, with the exception of interlanguage pragmatics and crosscultural pragmatics, does not seem to pay much attention to the intercultural aspect and remains predominantly monolingual. Major issues and theories of pragmatics are discussed in a monolingual framework that lacks or excludes any explanation of or reference to the applicability of ideas, theories, and research findings to bi- and multilingual settings. Interlanguage pragmatics and crosscultural pragmatics are also heavily influenced by monolingual pragmatic theories. Their main focus is the comparison of monolingual competencies from the perspective of speech acts, politeness, and transfer. An alternative to these approaches is bi- and multilingual pragmatics that emphasizes that monolingual people and bilingual people do not differ in what they do with language, but rather in how they do what they do. This difference is produced by the unique dual language system in which a common underlying conceptual base operates one or more language channels.
Evolution in Management of Tibial Pilon Fractures

Tibial plafond, or pilon, fractures can be some of the most difficult fractures to manage. As they are often associated with high-energy trauma, both the soft tissue involvement and the comminuted fracture pattern pose challenges to fixation. Furthermore, the complex anatomy and trauma to the cartilage at the time of injury predispose pilon fractures to poor functional outcomes and high rates of posttraumatic arthritis. This review will discuss the recent developments in the treatment of tibial pilon fractures. Historically, surgical management of pilon fractures has been associated with high rates of complications, including wound complications, infections, nonunions, and even the need for amputation. In response, staged protocols were created. However, recent studies have called this into question, demonstrating low wound complications with early definitive fixation. Additional studies are evaluating adjuvants to minimize wound complications, including the use of vancomycin powder and oxygen supplementation, while another study challenges the 7-cm myth regarding the distance needed between skin incisions. Additional research has been focused on alternative methods of managing these complex, and sometimes non-reconstructable, injuries with the use of external fixation, minimally invasive internal fixation, and primary arthrodesis. Tibial pilon fractures remain difficult to treat for even the most skilled orthopedic trauma surgeons. With improvements in surgical techniques and implants, complication rates have declined and outcomes have improved; however, the overall prognosis for these injuries often remains poor.
Benevolence and authority as WEIRDly unfamiliar: A multi-language meta-analysis of paternalistic leadership behaviors from 152 studies

Abstract Based on a multi-language search, we qualitatively describe and meta-analytically summarize the growing but often ignored research literature on behaviors associated with paternalistic leadership (PL), a form of leadership that is considered to be acceptable and prevalent in many Non-WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) cultures. PL is conceptualized as the simultaneous enactment of two seemingly paradoxical leadership behaviors: 1) benevolence – the holistic and genuine care for followers' well-being even outside the workplace, and 2) authority – non-exploitative use of behaviors that emphasize power and control based on status and hierarchy. Results from 165 independent samples from 152 studies (total N = 68,395) in fourteen countries demonstrate a consistently divergent pattern across the dimensions. Even in societies where PL is presumed to be more prevalent and acceptable, the strong control (authoritarianism) dimension is consistently negatively related to task performance, citizenship behaviors, creativity, attitudes towards the leader, and job attitudes. Conversely, the benevolence dimension demonstrates consistently positive relationships with leader effectiveness and follower performance, attitudes, and behaviors. The most commonly used measure of PL includes a morality dimension, which produces positive effects similar to the benevolence dimension. Collectively, PL dimensions (as well as a separate unitary measure of PL emphasizing benevolence) predict incremental variance beyond transformational leadership and beyond LMX. Based on conceptual and empirical grounds, it appears that PL (especially benevolence) is not fully captured in mainstream approaches to leadership and may add value to our understanding of the universe of ways leadership can be enacted. Several directions for future research are discussed, including the need to study the rarely-examined interactions between benevolence and authority, in line with the core of PL theory.
Pose-Guided Level Design

Player's physical experience is a critical factor to consider in designing motion-based games that are played through motion sensor gaming consoles or virtual reality devices. However, adjusting the physical challenge involved in a motion-based game is difficult and tedious, as it is typically done manually by level designers on a trial-and-error basis. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for automatically synthesizing levels for motion-based games that can achieve desired physical movement goals. By formulating the level design problem as a trans-dimensional optimization problem which is solved by a reversible-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo technique, we show that our approach can automatically synthesize a variety of game levels, each carrying the desired physical movement properties. To demonstrate the generality of our approach, we synthesize game levels for two different types of motion-based games and conduct a user study to validate the effectiveness of our approach.
Abstract 2394: Discovery of small anti-PD-L1 peptides for cancer immunotherapy

Regulation of IgE production by antigen in a primed murine splenic lymphocyte culture system was described. Maximum IgE antibody production was found to occur when cells were cultured in the absence of exogenously added antigen. A cells and T lymphocytes did not affect the production of anti-DNP IgE antibody. By using a hapten-carrier antigen system (DNP-EA) for priming mice in vivo, it was found that the production of anti-DNP IgE by spleen cells in vitro was inhibited by hapten when coupled to homologous (EA) or heterologous (BGG) carrier, and was not enhanced or inhibited by homologous carrier. Anti-DNP IgE antibody production by cultures depleted of macrophages or T lymphocytes was found to be as sensitive to the suppressive effects of hapten as was the IgE production by whole spleen cell cultures. Both IgM and IgG secondary anti-DNP PFC responses in vitro were enhanced by the presence of the homologous hapten-carrier or carrier alone. DNP-BGG had no effect on the anti-DNP IgM or IgG PFC responses of the cultures. These data suggest that endogenous production of antibody (IgM or IgG) was not responsible for the observed suppression of the IgE response in vitrol The experimental results presented indicate that the regulation of the IgE production by antigen in the primed mouse splenic lymphocyte cultures was a consequence of the direct interaction of hapten with IgE B cells.
Points of View from Human Service Leaders: Kelsey Louie

Kelsey Louie (MSW, MBA) is the Chief Executive Officer of Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the world’s first, and nation’s leading provider of HIV/AIDS care, prevention services, and advocacy. As CE...
Unwanted Sex on Campus: The Overlooked Role of Interactional Pressures and Gendered Sexual Scripts

Past research on unwanted sex has often emphasized individual risk factors or institutional determinants. As a supplement to past research, this article bridges interactionist theory with a sexual scripting approach to explore how unwanted sex is also produced in situ during sexual encounters. This article examines 110 heterosexual and queer college students’ accounts of unwanted sex. Results show that as a sexual encounter unfolds, people do not just go along with it. Rather, people routinely feel a need to make sense of its progression. In existing literature, violence and incapacitation are the predominant ways that scholars, as well as the public, presume that unwanted sex happens. In my data, there were indeed instances of force, threat of force, and incapacitation. However, much more common, and more surprising, were the pressures from gendered sexual scripts and generic interactional smoothing that emerged. Across interviews, it was also common for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer students to report a lack of familiarity with queer sexual scripts. I argue that focusing on situational pressures and gendered sexual scripts for women, as well as men and queer students, sheds new light on understandings of how and why unwanted sex happens.
In the Classrooms of Newly Hired Secondary Science Teachers: The Consequences of Teaching In-field or Out-of-field

Science teachers must sometimes teach outside of their expertise, and this type of teaching assignment is referred to as being out-of-field. Among newly hired teachers, this type of assignment may ...
Technical Efficiency Among Peasant Farmers Participating in Natural Resource Management Programs in Central America

This study examines the extent to which technical efficiency (TE) is related to activities promoted by two natural resource management programmes recently completed in Central America. Data for a total of 639 farms operating in the hillsides of El Salvador and Honduras are used to estimate a household-level input-oriented stochastic distance frontier simultaneously with a TE effects model. The main finding of this study is that improvements in TE are financially beneficial to farm households while also contributing to environmental sustainability. The results also reveal a positive association between productivity and output diversification, and a positive relationship between TE and off-farm income, human capital and agricultural extension.
Arthur Dunn on the National Stage: Local Civics for National Purposes

This chapter will focus on Arthur W. Dunn’s rise to a nationally known civic educator after leaving Shortridge. This chapter will make connections among Dunn’s awareness of progressive trends, his arrival at Shortridge, and then his elevation to the national stage. These connections raise new questions about Dunn and the coincidence of his training, his position at Shortridge, and his quick rise to national distinction. In hindsight, Dunn’s arrival at Shortridge appeared to be serendipitous, considering the impact it had on his career.
A cross-platform informatics system for the Gut Cell Atlas: integrating clinical, anatomical and histological data.

The Gut Cell Atlas (GCA), an initiative funded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust, seeks to create a reference platform to understand the human gut, with a specific focus on Crohn’s disease. Although a primary focus of the GCA is on focusing on single-cell profiling, we seek to provide a framework to integrate other analyses on multi-modality data such as electronic health record data, radiological images, and histology tissues/images. Herein, we use the research electronic data capture (REDCap) system as the central tool for a secure web application that supports protected health information (PHI) restricted access. Our innovations focus on addressing the challenges with tracking all specimens and biopsies, validating manual data entry at scale, and sharing organizational data across the group. We present a scalable, cross-platform barcode printing/record system that integrates with REDCap. The central informatics infrastructure to support our design is a tuple table to track longitudinal data entry and sample tracking. The current data collection (by December 2020) is illustrated with types and formats of the data that the system collects. We estimate that one terabyte is needed for data storage per patient study. Our proposed data sharing informatics system addresses the challenges with integrating physical sample tracking, large files, and manual data entry with REDCap.
A Set of Benchmark Tests for Validation of 3-D Particle in Cell Methods

While the particle-in-cell (PIC) method is quite mature, verification and validation of both newly developed methods and individual codes have largely focused on an idiosyncratic choice of a few test cases. Many of these test cases involve either 1-D or 2-D simulations. This is either due to the availability of (quasi-) analytic solutions or historical reasons. In addition, tests often focus on the investigation of particular physics problems, such as particle emission or collisions, and do not necessarily study the combined impact of the suite of algorithms necessary for a full-featured PIC code. As 3-D codes become the norm, there is a lack of benchmark tests that can establish the validity of these codes; existing papers either do not delve into the details of the numerical experiment or provide other measurable numeric metrics (such as noise) that are outcomes of the simulation. This article seeks to provide several test cases that can be used for validation and bench-marking of PIC codes in 3-D. We focus on examples that are collisionless and can be run with reasonable computational resources. Three test cases are presented in significant detail; these include basic particle motion, beam expansion, and adiabatic expansion of plasma. All presented cases are compared either against existing analytical data or other codes. We anticipate that these cases should help fill the void of bench-marking and validation problems and help the development of new PIC codes.
Practical Aspects of General Anaesthesia in Cattle

Paper presented at the Xlllth World Congress on Cattle Diseases, Durban, S. Africa, Sept. 17-21, 1984.
Geometry and statistics-preserving manifold embedding for nonlinear dimensionality reduction

Abstract Nonlinear dimensionality reduction based on preservation of geometry is an imperative task in many scientific applications such as face recognition, object detection, data visualization, and classification. The traditional methods such as Isomap, locally linear embedding (LLE), and Laplacian eigen map (LEM) preserve local or global geometry or both with several limitations such as topological instability in the presence of noise or large neighborhood, inability to deal with ill-connected data points, high sensitivity of embedding performance to selected neighbor number. They also fail to retain the statistical properties of the data such as mean and variance while reducing the data dimensionality. In this paper, we propose a novel method, referred to as geometry and statistics-preserving embedding (GSE), which preserves both geometry and statistics of the data as well as overcomes some critical limitations of the above-mentioned methods. Moreover, GSE offers nonlinear mapping based on position information of the geometry, which is not possible by any other available method. We run experiments with GSE on several datasets including facial images and single cell RNA sequence data, where the GSE has been found to provide significantly better manifold embedding results than the traditional methods. The implementation codes of GSE are available at https://github.com/tauhidstanford/GSE.
Equation-of-Motion Coupled-Cluster Cumulant Green's Function for Excited States and X-Ray Spectra.

Green's function methods within many-body perturbation theory provide a general framework for treating electronic correlations in excited states and spectra. Conventional methods using the Dyson equation or the cumulant expansion are typically based on the $GW$ self-energy approximation. In order to extend this approximation in molecular systems, a non-perturbative real-time coupled-cluster cumulant Green's function approach has been introduced, where the cumulant is obtained as the solution to a set of coupled first order, non-linear differential equations. This approach naturally includes non-linear corrections to conventional cumulant Green's function techniques where the cumulant is linear in the $GW$ self-energy. The method yields the spectral function associated with the core Green's function, which is directly related to the x-ray photoemission spectra (XPS) of molecular systems. The approach also yields very good results for binding energies and satellite excitations. The x-ray absorption spectrum (XAS) is then obtained as a convolution of the core spectral function and an effective one-body absorption spectrum. Here this approach is extended to include the full coupled-cluster-singles (CCS) core Green's function by including the complete form of the non-linear contributions to the cumulant as well as all single, double, and triple cluster excitations in the CC amplitude equations. This approach naturally builds in orthogonality and shake-up effects analogous to those in the Mahan-Noizeres-de Dominicis edge singularity corrections that enhance the XAS near the edge. The method is illustrated for the XPS and XAS of NH$_3$.
Acid stress and compost addition decouple carbon and nitrogen cycling in an agricultural soil: An incubation study

Abstract Agricultural practices can lead to fluctuations in soil pH and salinity, likely affecting soil nutrient cycling. Compost addition may reduce the impact of these stresses, leading to more stable and resilient systems. We tested nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) cycling responses to the imposition and relief of an acute stress in an agricultural soil, and whether these responses were moderated by compost. In greenhouse pots, we mixed soil with elemental sulfur (S) and compost in a complete 2-way factorial design and incubated at ambient temperatures. Sulfur induced strong acidity and mild salinity stress. After 70 d, stress was partially alleviated by leaching with liquid lime. We took samples 21 and 42 d after S addition and one week after alleviation, measured enzyme activity, microbial biomass, and soluble organic C and N, and performed N and C cycle assays by incubating subsamples with and without ground legume residues to stimulate mineralization and microbial growth. Net N mineralization increased in response to the applied stress, and declined after alleviation. Conversely, stress reduced most C cycling indicators and inhibited nitrification. Stress limited microbial growth more than respiration. Unexpectedly, compost additions to the stressed soils consistently stimulated net N mineralization compared to stressed soils without compost. Compost thus exacerbated rather than buffered the effects of stress on net N mineralization. Compost addition did not affect microbial growth or respiration in any treatment, or how any C cycle parameter responded to stress. The decoupled C and N responses suggest that the localized stresses associated with intensive agriculture may have important implications for C and N turnover in these systems, and warrant further study. Additionally, they demonstrate that biogeochemical processes should be evaluated concurrently when accessing the effect of stressors in soil systems.
Motivating and retaining non-family employees in the absence of fair policies and procedures: a family firm perspective

We propose a theoretically-driven conceptual model describing relationships that impact the formation of nonfamily employees’ distributive justice judgements within family-run small and medium size...
Wigner translations and the observer dependence of the position of massless spinning particles.

The Wigner little group for massless particles is isomorphic to the Euclidean group SE(2). Applied to momentum eigenstates, or to infinite plane waves, the Euclidean ``Wigner translations'' act as the identity. We show that when applied to finite wave packets, the translation generators move the packet trajectory parallel to itself through a distance proportional to the particle's helicity. We relate this effect to the spin Hall effect of light and to the Lorentz-frame dependence of the position of a massless spinning particle.
Differentiation increases type II calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in the neuroblastoma/glioma cell line 108CC15 (NG108-15)

A type II calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase II) was purified approximately 300-fold from cultured neuroblastoma/glioma (NG108) cell homogenate. The purification of the kinase, which used a combination of differential centrifugation and chromatography on cation- exchange, calmodulin-affinity, and gel-filtration resins, was monitored by the ability of the kinase to phosphorylate the high-molecular-weight microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2). The kinase was compared with authentic CaM kinase II purified from rat brain cytosol. Based upon holoenzyme molecular weight, subunit composition and molecular weight, calcium-dependent calmodulin-binding to subunits, calcium/calmodulin- dependent autophosphorylation of subunits, substrate specificity, apparent km's for ATP and calmodulin, phosphopeptide maps of subunits, time course, and heat lability, the kinase was identified as a type II calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. When cellular differentiation was induced under specific conditions of cell culture, a significant increase in the apparent activity and amount of the kinase per mg protein was observed relative to control cells. These studies suggest that there is an increase in CaM kinase II expression during cellular differentiation, which may relate to the concurrent development of electrical excitability, synaptogenesis, and elaboration of cytoskeletal elements. Thus, the NG108 cell should provide a useful model to study the physiological functions of CaM kinase II.
Genome-wide association study of acute kidney injury after coronary bypass graft surgery identifies susceptibility loci

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common, serious complication of cardiac surgery. Since prior studies have supported a genetic basis for postoperative AKI, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for AKI following coronary bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The discovery data set consisted of 873 nonemergent CABG surgery patients with cardiopulmonary bypass (PEGASUS), while a replication data set had 380 cardiac surgical patients (CATHGEN). Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data were based on Illumina Human610-Quad (PEGASUS) and OMNI1-Quad (CATHGEN) BeadChips. We used linear regression with adjustment for a clinical AKI risk score to test SNP associations with the postoperative peak rise relative to preoperative serum creatinine concentration as a quantitative AKI trait. Nine SNPs meeting significance in the discovery set were detected. The rs13317787 in GRM7|LMCD1-AS1 intergenic region (3p21.6) and rs10262995 in BBS9 (7p14.3) were replicated with significance in the CATHGEN data set and exhibited significantly strong overall association following meta-analysis. Additional fine mapping using imputed SNPs across these two regions and meta-analysis found genome-wide significance at the GRM7|LMCD1-AS1 locus and a significantly strong association at BBS9. Thus, through an unbiased GWAS approach, we found two new loci associated with post-CABG AKI providing new insights into the pathogenesis of perioperative AKI.
Development and Validation of an In-Vivo Finite Element Pelvis Model With Cortical Thickness Mapped From a Cadaver

Pelvis fracture and associated injuries from motor vehicle accidents or falls are often life threatening [1]. Cadaveric experiments and finite element (FE) models have been widely used to investigate biomechanical properties, structural responses, and injury tolerances of the pelvis. In FE model development, the geometry of the bone structures is commonly constructed from computed tomography (CT) scans of cadavers. The use of live human subjects, however, has been limited due to low CT resolution resulting from mandatory low radiation doses and involuntary movements of the subject. The Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) elected to use a living 50th percentile male for its full body FE model development; however, cortical bone thickness was not accurately imaged for the pelvis, where it is believed to play an important role in absorbing strain energy during lateral impact [2].Copyright © 2011 by ASME
GLMPC: An integrated system for glider command and control

The Glider, Monitoring, Piloting and Communication (GLMPC) system was developed for the Office of Naval Research's (ONR) ocean glider Technology Transition Initiative (TTI). It forms an essesntial part of a command and control system for multiple gliders operating simultaneoulsy and multiple types of gliders. This paper describes the GLMPC system's initial requirements, which were primarily human factors issues, in addition to the system's architecture, and a brief description of the user interface components. GLMPC was delivered to the Navy in 2007 and continues to be used operationally by the Navy.
Protein– Protein Interactions

Although proteins have numerous capabilities, one of their most important functions is to bind other proteins. These protein–protein interactions are critical for nearly every cellular process, and when they become corrupted, they often result in a diseased state. Because of the importance of protein–protein interactions in nearly all aspects of biology, efforts to decipher the rules that govern these associations have been underway for many decades. This review provides an overview of the evolution of the study of protein–protein interactions with an emphasis on recent developments in the field that concern the modular architecture of protein–protein interfaces and the networked communications within these binding sites that serve as a driving force for protein complex specificity and affinity. Relationships between biophysical studies performed to quantify the myriad factors that contribute to protein molecular recognition and computational analysis and interaction prediction algorithm development, as well as drug discovery and development, are also highlighted.
Re-platforming digital collections for enhanced access & search functionality

Currently, Kent State University Library is preparing to redesign its online exhibits and digital collections on to a different content management system and interface. The plan will entail migrating existing digital collections to another platform, and in so, provide a more inclusive search mechanism to enhance access. In order to prepare for this migration, we are currently mapping the existing digital collections and associated metadata for the proposed solution, from a locally created and hosted framework into a more sustainable platform with a consolidated, searchable base for all digital objects and corresponding metadata. This work includes moving away from a highly tailored, in-house solution, and transposing the data into a RDF file. Principles of Linked Data will also be applied to the accompanying metadata files during the conversion process. The largest resulting change from this shift of a homegrown solution into an extensible, open access platform is for the capability of searching across multiple collections. Currently, cross collection searching is not available in the current interface, and there are oftentimes many related materials between several existing digital collections that would benefit as a result of this change. The poster will address the shift in the ideology into this new framework and highlight the benefits in this switch.
Processing and properties of silicon-carbon liquid encapsulants

In 1992, SYCAR resin, a new silicon-carbon thermosetting resin, was introduced to the electronics industry. Characteristics of the resin include excellent moisture resistance, ionic purity, low dielectric constant, and good-thermal properties. This combination of properties makes the resin particularly suited for encapsulant applications. In this paper, the processing and properties of silicon-carbon liquid encapsulants are presented in detail. Production of quality parts requires the use of proper dispensing and cure conditions. The rheology of the silicon-carbon liquid encapsulant as a function of filler level, shear, time, and temperature has been characterized as a guide in selecting proper processing conditions. The development of properties during cure for a range of cure temperatures has been studied to provide recommendations for curing conditions. In addition, the shelf life of the liquid encapsulants has been monitored at temperatures of -20/spl deg/C to ambient temperature over six months. The impact of these results on the processing, curing, and storage of SYCAR resin encapsulant is presented. >
Max Weber and American Political Modernity

To speak of Max Weber (1864–1920) in the context of American history requires little in the way of justification. Much like Alexis de Tocqueville, Weber toured the United States and was astonished ...
Cultures, Conditions, and Cognitive Closure: Breaking Intelligence Studies’ Dependence on Security Studies

This paper is about how the conceptualization of ‘culture’ in intelligence studies has taken on too powerful a role, one that has become too restrictive in its impact on thinking about other intelligence communities, especially non-Western ones. This restriction brings about unintentional cognitive closure that damages intelligence analysis. The argument leans heavily in many ways on the fine work of Desch and Johnston in the discipline of Security Studies, who cogently brought to light over fifteen years ago how ultra-popular cultural theories were best utilized as supplements to traditional realist approaches, but were not in fact capable of supplanting or replacing realist explanations entirely. The discipline of Intelligence Studies today needs a similar ‘intellectual intervention’ as it has almost unknowingly advanced in the post-Cold War era on the coattails of Security Studies but has largely failed to apply the same corrective measures. This effort may be best accomplished by going back to Snyder in the 1970s who warned that culture should be used as the explanation of last resort for Security Studies. This article is available in Journal of Strategic Security: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss/vol8/iss3/2
Atlas-based diffusion tensor imaging correlates of executive function

Impairment in executive function (EF) is commonly found in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Atlas-based diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) methods may be useful in relating regional integrity to EF measures in MCI and AD. Sixty-six participants (25 normal controls, 22 MCI, and 19 AD) received DTI scans and clinical evaluation. DTI scans were applied to a pre-segmented atlas and fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were calculated. ANOVA was used to assess group differences in frontal, parietal, and cerebellar regions. For regions differing between groups (p < 0.01), linear regression examined the relationship between EF scores and regional FA and MD. Anisotropy and diffusivity in frontal and parietal lobe white matter structures were associated with EF scores in MCI and only frontal lobe structures in AD. EF was more strongly associated with FA than MD. The relationship between EF and anisotropy and diffusivity was strongest in MCI. These results suggest that regional white matter integrity is compromised in MCI and AD and that FA may be a better correlate of EF than MD.
Significant expansion of the REST/NRSF cistrome in human versus mouse embryonic stem cells: potential implications for neural development

Recent studies have employed cross-species comparisons of transcription factor binding, reporting significant regulatory network 'rewiring' between species. Here, we address how a transcriptional repressor targets and regulates neural genes differentially between human and mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). We find that the transcription factor, Repressor Element 1 Silencing Transcription factor (REST; also called neuron restrictive silencer factor) binds to a core group of ∼1200 syntenic genomic regions in both species, with these conserved sites highly enriched with co-factors, selective histone modifications and DNA hypomethylation. Genes with conserved REST binding are enriched with neural functions and more likely to be upregulated upon REST depletion. Interestingly, we identified twice as many REST peaks in human ESCs compared to mouse ESCs. Human REST cistrome expansion involves additional peaks in genes targeted by REST in both species and human-specific gene targets. Genes with expanded REST occupancy in humans are enriched for learning or memory functions. Analysis of neurological disorder associated genes reveals that Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and oxidative stress genes are particularly enriched with human-specific REST binding. Overall, our results demonstrate that there is substantial rewiring of human and mouse REST cistromes, and that REST may have human-specific roles in brain development and functions.
Effect of moderate electric fields on salt diffusion into vegetable tissue

Abstract Although salt infusion, through blanching or marinating, has been known to successfully increase the electrical conductivity of solid food components, pretreatment times are long, and in most cases, equilibration between the solid and the liquid is still incomplete. A faster pretreatment method is needed. Previous studies have shown mass transfer enhancement during electrical treatment. We determined the effective diffusion coefficients, D seff , of salt into vegetable (celery, mushroom, and water chestnut) tissue under electric field at three temperatures (25, 50, and 80 °C) and four electric field strengths (0, 658, 1316, and 1842 V/m). The value of D seff was significantly ( p
Time scales for complete projectile fragmentation

Abstract The time scales of processes which result in the complete disassembly of E A =40 MeV 20Ne projectiles into fragments of Z≤3 are discussed. From differences in the average longitudinal velocity between fragments of different Z A , it is concluded that the projectile initially broke up on a fast time scale, while still in the presence of the Coulomb field of the target nucleus. However, correlation functions indicate that a significant fraction of the final fragments are produced by the decay of long-lived particle unstable intermediates. Thus, a picture emerges of a prompt breakup step producing stable and unstable particles with the subsequent decay of the latter extending over a long time period.
Ciliary syndromes and treatment

Abnormal visceral patterning has been known for centuries. However, it has not been associated with ciliary dysfunction until recently. Overlapping clinical entities including situs inversus, certain infertility disorders, as well as chronic respiratory infections have their roots in abnormal ciliary function. Current research focuses on causative factors and genes involved in signal transduction pathways that define ciliary function and structure, as well as treatment. In this review, attempts are made to outline selected, yet key topics related to ciliary function in health and disease.
Polarization properties of stochastic light beams in the space-time and space-frequency domains.

Although the theories of polarization in the space–time and space–frequency domains are somewhat analogous, they have been developed independently, and there is no obvious connection between them. We investigate how they are related.
Binding specificity of the mouse cerebral cortex receptor for small cholecystokinin peptides

Prior studies have shown that the cerebral cortex cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor can bind CCK and gastrin analogs with high affinity. In the present work the brain CCK receptor had approximately a three times greater affinity for CCK8 than its C-terminal tetrapeptide (CCK4) while the C-terminal tripeptide (CCK3) was 1000-fold less potent than CCK4. Thus the C-terminal tetrapeptide appears to be the minimal C-terminal CCK sequence required for high affinity binding. Since brain membranes degrade various peptides including CCK, we also evaluated the stability of CCK analogs under the conditions used to measure receptor binding by the following three methods: (1) Studies of degradation-resistant analogs in binding assays; (2) analysis of analog degradation by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); and (3) determination of the change in potency of CCK analogs in competitive binding studies subsequent to preincubation with brain membranes. These studies indicated that degradation of analogs by the brain membranes although significant did not account for the differences in potency of analogs in competitive binding studies. Therefore, the observed differences in potencies of the analogs tested are due to the receptor affinity and not sensitivity of the analog to degradation.
The educational testing problem revisited

The educational testing problem is a convex non-smooth optimization problem. We recast the problem so that classical non-smooth optimization techniques such as the ellipsoid method can be readily applicable. Attention is paid to Dikin's method where a special barrier function and interior ellipsoids for the feasible domain are explicitly formulated. The implementation is much easier than that by Fletcher. The convergence property is numerically demonstrated
Discretization and hysteresis

Abstract This paper presents a simple and explicit mathematical example of the effects of discretization on a nonconvex variational problem. We describe a one-dimensional model which we call the Ericksen-Timoshenko bar. The energy includes a term that is nonconvex in the strain, quadratic terms in an internal variable and its derivatives, and the simplest quadratic coupling. In the framework of classical elasticity theory, the model has a strong integral nonlocality. Under special constitutive hypotheses, one can construct a collection of stationary points with an arbitrary number of interfaces between phases. We show that solutions with more than one interface are saddle points of the energy, unstable with respect to motion of the interface. We then discretize the energy and show that the saddle points of the continuum problem all correspond to local minimizers of the discrete problem. Thus, the “energy landscape” of the continuum problem is essentially smooth, while the landscape of the discretization is bumpy. This result, which is due to the constraints imposed by the discretization, is independent of mesh size.
Down-regulation of gonadotropin and β-adrenergic receptors by hormones and cyclic AMP

Loss of gonadotropin receptors in murine Leydig tumor cells and of β-adrenergic receptors in rat glioma C6 cells occurred following exposure of the cells to human chorionic gonadotropin and isoproterenol, respectively. Down-regulation of receptors was mimicked in part by other agents that elevated cyclic AMP levels in the cells such as cholera toxin and dibutyryl cyclic AMP. Whereas agonist-mediated receptor loss was rapid and almost total, down-regulation by cyclic AMP was slower and less extensive. Down-regulation of receptors did not appear to be accompanied by loss of the regulatory and catalytic components of adenylate cyclase. Hormone-mediated down-regulation was preceded by desensitization of hormone-stimulated adenylate cyclase. In contrast, there was no evidence that cyclic AMP caused desensitization. Finally, loss of receptors induced either by agonists or cyclic AMP required protein synthesis as cycloheximide inhibited down-regulation. We conclude that down-regulation of receptors in these cells is a complex process involving both cyclic AMP-independent and -dependent events.
Endophthalmitis after Uncomplicated Cataract Surgery with the Use of Fourth-Generation Fluoroquinolones: A Retrospective Observational Case Series

Objective To estimate the rate of acute postoperative endophthalmitis after uncomplicated cataract surgery in patients treated before and after surgery with 1 of 2 different fourth-generation fluoroquinolone ophthalmic drops for surgical prophylaxis. Design Retrospective, multicenter, observational case series. Participants Included in this study were 20 013 patients from 9 cataract surgery centers in 7 states in the United States. Methods Patients who had undergone uncomplicated phacoemulsification who received preoperative and postoperative topical fourth-generation fluoroquinolones for surgical prophylaxis between March 2003 and July 2005 were included in the study. The files of patients in whom acute endophthalmitis developed were reviewed and analyzed. Main Outcome Measures Number and rate of endophthalmitis cases after uncomplicated cataract surgery. Results During the study period, the participating surgeons performed 20 013 uncomplicated surgeries. Of these, 16 209 patients (81%) received topical gatifloxacin and 3804 patients (19%) were treated with topical moxifloxacin as antiinfective prophylaxis. A total of 14 patients experienced endophthalmitis. The overall rate of endophthalmitis was 0.07%. There were 9 endophthalmitis patients in the gatifloxacin group and 5 endophthalmitis patients in the moxifloxacin group. The rate of endophthalmitis in the gatifloxacin group was 0.06% and the rate in the moxifloxacin group was 0.1%. The difference in the rate of endophthalmitis between the 2 groups was not statistically significant. In 10 of the patients, vitreous culture results were positive. Coagulase-negative staphylococci, followed by streptococci, species were the most commonly isolated organisms in the culture-positive patients. Conclusions The overall rate of endophthalmitis after uncomplicated cataract surgery in patients treated with topical fourth-generation fluoroquinolones as antiinfective prophylaxis was 0.07%. This rate was within the range of previously reported rates of endophthalmitis in the literature. The difference in the observed rate of postoperative endophthalmitis in patients treated with moxifloxacin versus gatifloxacin was not statistically significant.
Bank ethics: An exploratory study of ethical behaviors and perceptions in small, local banks

This article addresses five research questions: What specific behaviors are described in the literature as ethical or unethical? What percentage of business people are believed to be guilty of unethical behavior? What specific unethical behaviors have been observed by bank employees? How serious are the behaviors? Are experiences and attitudes affected by demographics? Conclusions suggest: There are seventeen categories of behavior, and that they are heavily skewed toward internal behaviors. Younger employees have a higher level of ethical consciousness than older employees. The longer one works for a company, the more one may look to job security as a priority; this can lead to rationalizing or overlooking apparently unethical behaviors. More emphasis is needed on internal behaviors with particular attention on the impact that external behaviors have on internal behaviors.
Role of molecular diagnostic markers in the management of indeterminate and suspicious thyroid nodules

Incidental thyroid nodules are commonly found during routine neck examination. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) followed by cytological examination is currently considered as the most reliable method for evaluation of thyroid nodules. However, 10–40% of FNA results are inconclusive, and are reported as indeterminate or suspicious. Approximately 20% of indeterminate or suspicious nodules are malignant. Therefore, there has been an increasing trend in use of molecular markers as an adjunctive measure for more accurate preoperative diagnosis of indeterminate or suspicious nodules. Molecular markers can be used alone or as a part of molecular panels. Although some investigations revealed promising findings regarding the potential use of molecular markers in the management of thyroid nodules, their true impact on management of patients with indeterminate nodules is still unclear.