cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Decreasing 25‐hydroxy‐vitamin D levels account for portion of the effect of increasing body mass index on breast cancer mortality

Scope Increased body mass index (BMI) and decreased serum vitamin D are both known to be associated with increased mortality from breast cancer. However, vitamin D levels are lower in obese individuals in general. Recent studies have sought to determine whether serum vitamin D levels can account for some of the association between higher BMI and increased risk for breast cancer and found that low vitamin D levels in the overweight and obese account for up to 40% of the BMI-attributable risk of developing breast cancer. Methods and results Here we reviewed the literature to determine if a similar relationship exists between vitamin D, BMI, and breast cancer mortality. Utilizing previously reported independent associations of low vitamin D and high BMI to increases in breast cancer mortality, as well as the known decrement in vitamin D per unit increase in BMI, we estimated that low vitamin D levels may be responsible for roughly 16% of the increased mortality from breast cancer in overweight and obese patients. Conclusion Although this is a relatively small proportion of the effect of obesity, supplements to increase serum vitamin D levels may represent a way to reduce obesity-associated disparities in breast cancer mortality.
Growth of lion and puma lentiviruses in domestic cat cells and comparisons with FIV.

Abstract Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV-Fca) is a lentivirus that causes gradual immunological deterioration in domestic cats. Lentiviruses related to FIV have been detected in several nondomestic feline species; the biologic significance of these viruses remains to be defined. To examine the in vitro cell tropism of these nondomestic cat lentiviruses, prototypical puma and lion lentiviruses (FIV-Pco and FIV-Ple) were cultured in a variety of feline cell cultures. A domestic cat T lymphoma cell line, 3201, best supported the replication of both FIV-Pco and FIV-Ple. Moreover, FIV-Ple was lytic for these cells. RT-PCR amplification of a conserved pol gene region demonstrated species-specific primer homology. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses of this amplification product confirmed the identity of the replicating viruses and classified two previously uncharacterized viruses within predictable lion and puma clades. Sequence analysis of a conserved pol region demonstrated homology with previously characterized FIV-Ple and FIV-Pco. Western blot analysis using domestic cat anti-FIV-Fca sera showed that both FIV-Pco and FIV-Ple were antigenically related, to differing degrees, to three serotypes of FIV-Fca. These studies demonstrate that though nondomestic cat lentiviruses differ significantly from FIV-Fca and that a viral-specific protocol may be necessary for sensitive viral detection, these viruses can replicate in cells of domestic cats, suggesting the potential for cross-species transmission.
Underwater punting by an intertidal crab: a novel gait revealed by the kinematics of pedestrian locomotion in air versus water

As an animal moves from air to water, its effective weight is substantially reduced by buoyancy while the fluiddynamic forces (e.g. lift and drag) are increased 800-fold. The changes in the magnitude of these forces are likely to have substantial consequences for locomotion as well as for resistance to being overturned. We began our investigation of aquatic pedestrian locomotion by quantifying the kinematics of crabs at slow speeds where buoyant forces are more important relative to fluid-dynamic forces. At these slow speeds, we used reduced-gravity models of terrestrial locomotion to predict trends in the kinematics of aquatic pedestrian locomotion. Using these models, we expected animals in water to use running gaits even at slow speeds. We hypothesized that aquatic pedestrians would (1) use lower duty factors and longer periods with no ground contact, (2) demonstrate more variable kinematics and (3) adopt wider stances for increased horizontal stability against fluid-dynamic forces than animals moving at the same speed on land. We tested these predictions by measuring the three-dimensional kinematics of intertidal rock crabs (Grapsus tenuicrustatus) locomoting through water and air at the same velocity (9 cm s -1 ) over a flat substratum. As predicted from reduced-gravity models of running, crabs moving under water showed decreased leg contact times and duty factors relative to locomotion on land. In water, the legs cycled intermittently, fewer legs were in contact with the substratum and leg kinematics were much more variable than on land. The width of the crab’s stance was 19 % greater in water than in air, thereby increasing stability against overturning by hydrodynamic forces. Rather than an alternating tetrapod or metachronal wave gait, crabs in water used a novel gait we termed ‘underwater punting’, characterized by alternating phases of generating thrust against the substratum and gliding through the water. Summary
What kinds of scientific concepts exist? Concept construction and intellectual development in college biology

Previous research has found that scientific concepts can be meaningfully classified as descriptive (i.e., concepts such as predator and organism with directly observable exemplars) or theoretical (i.e., concepts such as atom and gene without directly observable exemplars). Previous research has also found that developing understanding of descriptive and theoretical concepts is linked to students' developmental levels, presumably because the procedural knowledge structures (i.e., reasoning patterns) that define developmental levels are needed for concept construction. The present study extends prior theory and research by postulating the existence of an intermediate class of concepts called hypothetical (i.e., concepts such as subduction and evolution with exemplars that cannot in practice be observed due to limits on the normal observational time frame). The hypothesis that three kinds of scientific concepts exist was tested by constructing and administering a test on concepts introduced in a college biology course. As predicted, descriptive concept questions were significantly easier than hypothetical concept questions, than were theoretical concept questions. Further, because concept construction presumably depends in part on developmental level, students at differing developmental levels (levels 3, 4, and 5, where level 5 is conceptualized as ‘post-formal’ in which hypotheses involving unseen entities can be tested) were predicted to vary in the extent to which they succeeded on the concepts test. As predicted, a significant relationship (p < 0.001) was found between conceptual knowledge and developmental level. This result replicates previous research, and therefore provides additional support for the hypothesis that procedural knowledge skills associated with levels of intellectual development play an important role in declarative knowledge acquisition and in concept construction. The result also supports the hypothesis that intellectual development continues beyond the ‘formal’ stage during the college years, at least for some students. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 996–1018, 2000
Impact of Research with Cattle, Pigs, and Sheep on Nutritional Concepts: Body Composition and Growth

Studies with pigs, cattle, and sheep have provided a wealth of information regarding growth and body composition. Most of this information has been obtained using the standard methods for measuring the body composition of meat animals, which consist of dissection and chemical analysis. These methods have been used with meat animals to validate a variety of in vivo techniques that are used in both animal and human body composition studies. Research on the growth and body composition of meat animals has provided important concepts regarding the relation between growth and composition, including chemical maturity, the effects of severe undernutrition, partitioning of nutrients under various physiological conditions, the efficiency of nutrient utilization, and compensatory growth following a period of undernutrition. In addition, several genetic and physiological conditions affecting growth and body composition have been identified in meat animals that serve as important models for both animal and human growth.
Collision detection in legged locomotion using supervised learning

We propose a fast approach for detecting collision- free swing-foot trajectories for legged locomotion over extreme terrains. Instead of simulating the swing trajectories and checking for collisions along them, our approach uses machine learning techniques to predict whether a swing trajectory is collision-free. Using a set of local terrain features, we apply supervised learning to train a classifier to predict collisions. Both in simulation and on a real quadruped platform, our results show that our classifiers can improve the accuracy of collision detection compared to a real-time geometric approach without significantly increasing the computation time.
The Numbers and Proportions of Testacea and Ciliates in Litters and Soils

SYNOPSIS. The numbers and kinds of testacea and ciliates were studied in the litters and soils of 23 sites, from temperate and subtropical coniferous and deciduous forests, and grasslands. In coniferous forests, testacea were 10 times or more abundant than ciliates, and numbered 10,000–24,000/g (wet weight) in litters and up to 8,000/g in soils. Ciliates numbered up to 1,500/g, but averaged less than 600/g in litters and less than 300/g in soils. Under deciduous vegetation, ciliates approached, equaled, or exceeded testacea, and numbered 1,000–5,000/g in litters, while remaining about the same in soils. Temperature and soil influence vegetation types, and their rates of litter decay affect the protozoa. Moisture favors numerical dominance of certain species. Among testacea, several species dominate in a particular habitat; among ciliates, the genus Colpoda dominates in almost all litter and soil habitats.
Partial laryngectomy with imbrication laryngoplasty for unilateral glottic carcinoma

Abstract Treatment options for unilateral glottic carcinoma include radiation therapy, partial laryngectomy, and endoscopic cordectomy. We use partial laryngectomy with imbrication laryngoplasty (PLIL) as a single modality curative approach in a selected group of patients with unilateral glottic carcinoma. PLIL includes a composite resection of the entire vocal fold with its ligament, muscle, adjacent paraglottic tissues, and the adjacent block of thyroid cartilage. A neocord is reconstructed by imbricating the remaining thyroid cartilage strips and covering them with a false vocal fold flap. PLIL provides a rapid recovery of oral/nasal airway and swallowing, excellent voice quality, and a disease-control rate similar or better than other treatment modalities.
Shaping Up the Practice of Null Hypothesis Significance Testing

Recent criticisms of null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) have appeared in education and psychology research journals (e.g., Cohen, 1990, 1994; Kupfersmid, 1988; Rosenthal, 1991; Rosnow & Rosenthal, 1989; Shaver, 1985; Sohn, 2000; Thompson, 1994, 1997; see also Research in the Schools [1998]). In this article we discuss these criticisms for both current use of NHST and plausible future use. We suggest that the historical use of such procedures was reasonable and that current users might spend time profitably reading some of Fisher’s applied work. However, we also believe that modifications to NHST and to the interpretations of its outcomes might better suit the needs of modern science. Our primary conclusion is that NHST is most often useful as an adjunct to other results (e.g., effect sizes) rather than as a stand-alone result. We cite some examples, however, where NHST can be profitably used alone. Last, we find considerable experimental support for a less rigid attitude toward the interpretation...
Therapeutic apheresis in pediatrics: Technique adjustments, indications and nonindications, a plasma exchange focus

Therapeutic Apheresis procedures are associated with multiple and unique challenges in children. The procedures are often performed using evidence or experience extrapolated from adult clinical practice, which may not be evidenced based. In addition to the clinical challenges, relevant psychological issues, modification of protocols and technical hardware are often necessary for safe and effective treatment in children. The following review addresses these aspects of therapeutic apheresis in children as presented at the Therapeutic Apheresis Academy in September 2011. Because of the variety of therapeutic apheresis procedures that can be performed in children, for the purposes of this review, an emphasis will be on the performance of plasma exchange in children.
An empirical Bayes approach for analysis of diverse periodic trends in time-course gene expression data

Motivation: There is a substantial body of works in the biology literature that seeks to characterize the cyclic behavior of genes during cell division. Gene expression microarrays made it possible to measure the expression profiles of thousands of genes simultaneously in time-course experiments to assess changes in the expression levels of genes over time. In this context, the commonly used procedures for testing include the permutation test by de Lichtenberg et al. and the Fisher’s G-test, both of which are designed to evaluate periodicity against noise. However, it is possible that a gene of interest may have expression that is neither cyclic nor just noise. Thus, there is a need for a new test for periodicity that can identify cyclic patterns against not only noise but also other non-cyclic patterns such as linear, quadratic or higher order polynomial patterns. Results: To address this weakness, we have introduced an empirical Bayes approach to test for periodicity and compare its performance in terms of sensitivity and specificity with that of the permutation test and Fisher’s G-test through extensive simulations and by application to a set of time-course experiments on the Schizosaccharomyces pombe cell-cycle gene expression. We use ‘conserved’ and ‘cycling’ genes by Lu et al. to assess the sensitivity and CESR genes by Chenet al. to assess the specificity of our new empirical Bayes method. Availability and implementation: The SAS Macro for our empirical Bayes test for periodicity is included in the supplementary materials along with a sample run of the MACRO program. Contact: mkocak1@uthsc.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Low-Power Contributions in Multilateral Negotiations: A Framework Analysis

How do low-power parties contribute to the resolution of complex, multiparty conflicts? The research reported here uses content analysis to capture evidence of the strategies used by small island nations in climate change negotiations. A conflict resolution systems framework facilitates research and practice by mapping the integrative and distributive interests of multiple parties. The framework demonstrates that in climate change negotiations, small island states, representing low-power parties, contribute to conflict resolution by proposing flexible alternatives. They proactively advance the resolution of conflicts by emphasizing cooperative approaches to common ecological concerns.
Fermentative Utilization of Glycerol by Escherichia coli and Its Implications for the Production of Fuels and Chemicals

Availability, low prices, and a high degree of reduction make glycerol an ideal feedstock to produce reduced chemicals and fuels via anaerobic fermentation. Although glycerol metabolism in Escherichia coli had been thought to be restricted to respiratory conditions, we report here the utilization of this carbon source in the absence of electron acceptors. Cells grew fermentatively on glycerol and exhibited exponential growth at a maximum specific growth rate of 0.040 +/- 0.003 h(-1). The fermentative nature of glycerol metabolism was demonstrated through studies in which cell growth and glycerol utilization were observed despite blocking several respiratory processes. The incorporation of glycerol in cellular biomass was also investigated via nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of cultures in which either 50% U-13C-labeled or 100% unlabeled glycerol was used. These studies demonstrated that about 20% of the carbon incorporated into the protein fraction of biomass originated from glycerol. The use of U-13C-labeled glycerol also allowed the unambiguous identification of ethanol and succinic, acetic, and formic acids as the products of glycerol fermentation. The synthesis of ethanol was identified as a metabolic determinant of glycerol fermentation; this pathway fulfills energy requirements by generating, in a redox-balanced manner, 1 mol of ATP per mol of glycerol converted to ethanol. A fermentation balance analysis revealed an excellent closure of both carbon (approximately 95%) and redox (approximately 96%) balances. On the other hand, cultivation conditions that prevent H2 accumulation were shown to be an environmental determinant of glycerol fermentation. The negative effect of H2 is related to its metabolic recycling, which in turn generates an unfavorable internal redox state. The implications of our findings for the production of reduced chemicals and fuels were illustrated by coproducing ethanol plus formic acid and ethanol plus hydrogen from glycerol at yields approaching their theoretical maximum.
Nitrite Acts as a Transcriptome Signal at Micromolar Concentrations in Arabidopsis Roots

Nitrate serves as a potent signal to control gene expression in plants and algae, but little is known about the signaling role of nitrite, the direct product of nitrate reduction. Analysis of several nitrate-induced genes showed that nitrite increases mRNA levels as rapidly as nitrate in nitrogen-starved Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) roots. Both nitrite and nitrate induction are apparent at concentrations as low as 100 nm. The response at low nitrite concentrations was not due to contaminating nitrate, which was present at μ m nitrate or nitrite showed that over one-half of the nitrate-induced genes, which included genes involved in nitrate and ammonium assimilation, energy production, and carbon and nitrogen metabolism responded equivalently to nitrite; however, the nitrite response was more robust and there were many genes that responded specifically to nitrite. Thus, nitrite can serve as a signal as well as if not better than nitrate.
Absence of a Demonstrable Gain Factor for Neutron Beam Therapy of Epidermoid Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

A comparison of normal tissue and tumor responses in patients treated with the high energy Fermilab neutron beam and conventional photons (Cobalt and 4 MeV X rays), yielded the following parameters. For neutrons the median dose for significant radiation injury in the irradiated tissues was 31 (+2) Gy and the median dose for local control of the tumor was 26 (+2) Gy. The corresponding doses for photons were 90 (+4) Gy for normal tissue injury and 74 (+3) Gy for local control of the tumor. These figures show that the therapeutic ratio is roughly 1.2 for both neutrons and photons. Similarly, the RBE of neutrons relative to photons is about the same for normal tissue tolerance and for tumor control. Under these conditions, there is no demonstrable therapeutic gain factor for neutrons relative to photons. The overall local control rate was the same for both modalities (44%).
Overcoming challenges to achieving meaningful use: insights from hospitals that successfully received Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services payments in 2011

Objective In an effort to understand better the federal electronic health record (EHR) incentive programme's challenges, this study compared hospitals that did and did not receive meaningful use (MU) payments in the programme's first year based on the challenges they anticipated a year before. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study used 2010 American Hospital Association survey data and 2011 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data that identify hospitals receiving MU payments. Multivariate regression analysis assessed differences in 2010 anticipated challenges to MU for hospitals that were successful in earning 2011 MU payment compared to hospitals that intended to participate in the programme but were not yet successful. Results The study sample consisted of 2475 hospitals, 313 of which received MU payments in 2011. Controlling for standard hospital characteristics, hospitals that reported the computerized provider order entry (CPOE) MU criterion as a primary challenge were 18% less likely to receive a 2011 MU payment compared to hospitals that reported other criteria as primary challenges. Discussion CPOE was the main challenge among hospitals that failed to achieve MU in the first year of the programme. In order to maximize the incentive programme's effectiveness, policymakers, healthcare organizations, and EHR vendors may benefit from increased attention to hospitals’ challenges with CPOE. Conclusion As the EHR incentive programme matures, policymakers and other stakeholders should consider strategies that maintain the critical elements of MU while adequately supporting hospitals that desire to become MU but are impeded by specific technological, cultural, and organizational adoption and use challenges.
Enzyme-activated Prodrug Therapy Enhances Tumor-specific Replication of Adenovirus Vectors

Adenoviruses (Ads) that selectively replicate in tumor cells have shown promising preliminary results in clinical trials, especially in combination with chemotherapy. Here, we describe a system that combines the antitumor synergy of Ads and chemotherapeutic agents with the benefits of enzyme-activated prodrug therapy. In this system, a functional transgene expression cassette is created by homologous recombination during adenoviral DNA replication. Transgene expression is strictly dependent on viral DNA replication, which in turn is tumor specific. We constructed replication-activated Ad vectors to express a secreted form of beta-glucuronidase and a cytosine deaminase/uracil phosphoribosyltransferase, which activate the prodrugs 9-aminocamptothecin glucuronide to 9-aminocamptothecin and 5-fluorocytosine to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and further to 5-fluoro-UMP, respectively. We demonstrated replication-dependent transgene expression, prodrug activation, and induction of tumor cell toxicity by secreted beta-glucuronidase and cytosine deaminase/uracil phosphoribosyltransferase. Furthermore, exposure of cells to activated prodrug or drug at subtoxic concentrations enhanced viral DNA replication. Characteristically, these agents induced changes in the cell cycle status of exposed cells (G(2) arrest), which closely resembled the effect of wild-type Ad infection, and are thought to be favorable for viral replication. We tested a number of cytostatic drugs (camptothecin, etoposide, daunorubicin, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, hydroxyurea, Taxol, and actinomycin D) for their effect on viral DNA replication and found considerable differences between individual agents. Finally, we show that the combination of viral and prodrug therapy enhances viral replication and spread in liver metastases derived from human colon carcinoma or cervical carcinoma in a mouse model. Our data indicate that specific vector/drug combinations tailored to be synergistic may have the potential to improve the potency of either therapeutic approach. These data also provide a new rationale for expressing prodrug-activating enzymes from conditionally replicating Ads.
Team Pattern Recognition: Sharing Cognitive Chunks Under Time Pressure

This study extends the theory of Recognition Primed Decision-Making by applying it to groups. Furthermore, we explore the application of Template Theory to collaboration. An experiment was conducted in which teams made resource allocation decisions while physically dispersed and supported with a shared virtual work surface (What You See Is What I See - WYSIWIS) both with and without time-pressure. The task required teams to recognize patterns and collaborate to allocate their resources appropriately. The experiment explores the use of a cognitively aligned tool (memory chunks) designed to minimize the cognitive effort required to for teams to recognize and share recognized patterns. Dependent measures included outcome quality, resource allocation time, and resource allocation ordering. All teams received significant financial rewards in direct proportion to their outcome quality and decision speed. Teams supported with the pattern-sharing tool had high outcome quality even under time pressure.
Topology of the Ground-State Surface of CH4+

Potential-energy surfaces (PES) are used to explain the equilibrium structures and spectra of molecules, as well as chemical reactions between molecules. Improvements in both experimental and theoretical techniques have led to increased interest in detailed studies of polyatomic systems. This in turn has led to a need for understanding the potential-energy surfaces of polyatomic systems.
Nested biotas and biological conservation: metrics, mechanisms, and meaning of nestedness

Abstract The biotas of archipelagos and fragmented habitats frequently show a ‘nested’ structure. That is, the species composition of a small island or fragment tends to be a subset of the next larger island or fragment, and the set of biotas as a whole forms a nested series. Several indices exist that allow ‘nestedness’ to be quantified and its statistical significance assessed. Like the species-area relationship, nested structures are observed in many types of habitat and in many taxa, and also like the species-area relationship, it has been suggested to have implications for biological conservation, particularly in connection with the ‘single large or several small’ (SLOSS) debate regarding nature reserve design. In a perpectly nested archipelago of habitats, a large, species-rich reserve would necessarily conserve more species than any combination of smaller ones because (by definition) these smaller biotas would contain only those species present in the larger reserve. If the structure deviates from perfect nestedness, however, the situation is less straightforward, and depends on the degree of nestedness and the processes generating nested structure. Nested structure is generally attributed to differential local extinction of species, which would result in smaller biotas converging on the same set of extinction-resistant species. Nested structure can also be produced by differential immigration, nested habitat distribution, and passive sampling. Computer simulations demonstrate that highly nested patterns can be produced by passive sampling, and that these tend to be ‘outlier-rich’. In this case, large reserves have no advantage over aggregates of smaller reserves with equal total area. More work needs to be done on the underlying causes of nestedness before its full significance for biological conservation can be confidently assessed.
Mechanisms of Gamma Oscillations in the Hippocampus of the Behaving Rat

Gamma frequency oscillations (30-100 Hz) have been suggested to underlie various cognitive and motor functions. Here, we examine the generation of gamma oscillation currents in the hippocampus, using two-dimensional, 96-site silicon probes. Two gamma generators were identified, one in the dentate gyrus and another in the CA3-CA1 regions. The coupling strength between the two oscillators varied during both theta and nontheta states. Both pyramidal cells and interneurons were phase-locked to gamma waves. Anatomical connectivity, rather than physical distance, determined the coupling strength of the oscillating neurons. CA3 pyramidal neurons discharged CA3 and CA1 interneurons at latencies indicative of monosynaptic connections. Intrahippocampal gamma oscillation emerges in the CA3 recurrent system, which entrains the CA1 region via its interneurons.
Thrown to the Wolves: A Student’s Account of Her Practicum Experience

This article provides an account of a trainee’s initial sport psychology practicum experience. Experiential knowledge gained by the trainee performance enhancement consultant with a junior college women’s basketball team is shared via a self-narrative in the form of a log she kept during the season and self-reflections. The log entries and self-reflections are organized around several themes that emerged over the course of the trainee’s practicum. The narrative outlines the trainee’s theoretical orientation and philosophy, highlights her experiences with the team, and reveals her thought processes related to the various situations she encountered. A better understanding of the process of sport psychology service delivery by a trainee is offered to guide other aspiring professionals during their initial training experiences.
The Glyphic Texts at Aguateca

The five legible stelae (numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7) at Aguateca spana period of five katuns from 9.13.0.0.0 to 9.18.0.0.0. Eight (numbers4, 6, and 8-13) other illegible, shattered, plain, and non-glyphic stelaeare also present at the site. The texts on the four most legible stelae (numbers 1, 2, 3, and 7) contain twelve event glyph blocks discussing a limited number of this. Of the twelve event glyph blocks not more than five and possibly only four events are involved.
Monitoring breast tumor response to chemotherapy with broadband near-infrared tissue spectroscopy

NIR tissue spectroscopy was used to monitor a breast cancer patient during three cycles of presurgical chemotherapy. Lesion values of lipid, water, deoxygenated and oxygenated hemoglobin changed significantly within the first week, and continued to change throughout therapy.
Training Teachers to Enhance the Play Skills of Young Children with Developmental Disabilities during Outdoor Time by Embedding Instructional Interactions.

We created and evaluated a professional development package for training four teachers to embed instructional interactions during outdoor time to enhance the play skills of young children with sign...
Experimental Analysis of Theory of Promotion at Point of Consumption

This laboratory-type experiment examined and produced evidence of the effectiveness of promotion at the time of consumption, relative to pre- and post-consumption promotion, as a means of enhancing...
A metamaterial-based urltrawideband absorber with polarizagion independent

A new type of metamaterial absorber with ultra wideband absorbing performance which is based on metal film of tantalum nitride and porous foam is proposed.The frequency band of which absorbance is more than 80% range from 15.5 GHz to 47.2GHz(the maximum absorbility achieves 99.89%at 18.3GHz).The relative bandwidth is approximate of 101% and the operating frequency fully covers the K-band and Kaband and partly U-band.For the oblique incidence electromagnetic wave of TE mode and TM mode,the absorber exhibits the absorbing property of wide angle.Due to the metal pattern in the metamaterial absorbing cell composed of five concentric rings with omnidirectional rotation symmetry,the absorber possesses excellent polarization indepe-ndent characteristics.The presented absorber has the advantages of simple structure,easy fabrication,thus it has important application value in the fields of electromagnetic stealth and electromagnetic compatibility.
Shear-dependent release of venular nitric oxide: effect on arteriolar tone in rat striated muscle

This study was designed to determine whether shear-dependent changes in venular nitric oxide (NO) production can influence nearby arteriolar tone and whether this mechanism contributes to functional arteriolar dilation in contracting muscle. In resting spinotrapezius muscle of anesthetized rats, occlusion of one branch of an arcade venular bifurcation with divergent flow caused flow and wall shear rate in the parallel branch to increase by an average of 99 and 72%, respectively. After 10-30 s, the paired arcade arteriole dilated by an average of 30%, with a correlation between the increase in venular shear rate and the magnitude of arteriolar dilation. During muscle contraction, arcade arterioles dilated by 73-97% and arcade venular shear rate increased by 48-83%. The NO synthase inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine greatly attenuated arteriolar dilation to increased venular shear rate in resting muscle but did not affect arteriolar dilation in contracting muscle. These findings suggest that a shear-dependent increase in venular NO release can dilate nearby arterioles, but this mechanism is not important for the sustained dilation of these arterioles during functional hyperemia.
The Professoriate and the Future of Higher Education Kinesiology

ABSTRACTThis article broadly addresses academic freedom and higher education in America, accentuating the viewpoint that change is not new. A historical overview of the state of the professoriate and social contexts are examined to situate the field of kinesiology into the context of the university. Ideas regarding the future of the field are addressed with an emphasis on the conduct of higher education scholars within this context. It is hoped that this article will not become an autopsy documenting the assault on the field, marginalization of the academy, and end of kinesiology in higher education, but will rather be a call to action for moving forward as a profession.
Caregiver supportive policies to improve child outcomes in the wake of the HIV/AIDS epidemic: an analysis of the gap between what is needed and what is available in 25 high prevalence countries

In the wake of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, caregivers are struggling to support HIV-affected children. For reasons of equity and efficiency, their needs can be best met through strong social protections and policies. This paper presents a conceptual framework to help address the needs of HIV-affected caregivers and to prioritize policies. We describe the needs that are common across diverse caregiving populations (e.g., economic security); the needs which are intensified (e.g., leave to care for sick children) or unique to providing care to HIV-affected children (e.g., ARV treatment). The paper then explores the types of social policies that would facilitate families meeting these needs. We outline a basic package of policies that would support HIV-affected families, and would meet goals agreed to by national governments. We examine the availability of these policies in 25 highly affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of countries guarantee short-term income protection during illness, free primary school, and educational inclusion of children with special needs. However, there are significant gaps in areas critical to family economic security and healthy child development. Fewer than half of the countries we analyzed guarantee a minimum wage that will enable families to escape poverty; only six have eliminated tuition fees for secondary school; and only three offer paid leave to care for sick children. Filling these policy gaps, as well as making mental health and social services more widely available, is essential to support caregiving by families for HIV-affected children. As part of the HIV agenda, the global community can help national governments advance towards their policy targets. This would provide meaningful protection for families affected by HIV, as well as for millions of other vulnerable families and children across the region.
Helminthic Diseases: Trichinellosis and Zoonotic Helminthic Infections

Zoonotic helminths that invade host tissues, particularly as larvae, generally have low prevalence rates in most areas of the world. Taken as an aggregate, however, the likelihood that a human will be exposed to a member of this group of parasites is not insignificant. This article covers the specific agents or parasites involved in these zoonotic infections, their epidemiology, the clinical aspects of the disease, and strategies for preventing or controlling infection. Although not all-inclusive, the zoonoses discussed are trichinellosis, anisakiasis, angiostongyliasis, gnathostomiasis, and infection with Baylisascaris. Except perhaps for the latter parasite, the rest have a common feature: transmission through consumption of raw or undercooked food. For humans, this food behavioral trait is the most important risk factor, and a factor that is very difficult, from a public health perspective, to alter. In fact, the demand for raw or lightly cooked food, especially fish, is an increasing global phenomenon, and this will ensure that risk of transmission of these parasites persists unless new approaches to control are introduced.
Creating Virtual Communities That Work: Best Practices for Users and Developers of E-Collaboration Software

The use and import of virtual collaboration VC has increased at an exponential rate. Despite its potential advantages, however, VC continues to be hindered by feelings of distrust, detachment, and even isolation among virtual team members. For each of these reasons, the present study analyzed more than 1,500 survey responses to develop best practices for current users and developers of e-collaboration software. More specifically, this study used an expanded variation of Vorvoreanu's 2008 Website Experience Analysis WEA to explore participants' views of the seven most popular VC programs in use today: Basecamp, Dropbox, Google Drive, iDoneThis, Join.me, Skitch, and Skype. Qualitative results of this study revealed the significance of 1 name recognition, 2 interpersonal facilitation, 3 clarity/simplicity, 4 cost consideration, and 5 mobile accessibility. The study's results were then used to develop five corresponding implications for both users and developers: 1 increased integration, 2 expanded physicality, 3 supplemental training, 4 financial entree, and 5 utilized flexibility.
Radiologists’ Variation of Time to Read Across Different Procedure Types

The workload of US radiologists has increased over the past two decades as measured through total annual relative value units (RVUs). This increase in RVUs generated suggests that radiologists' productivity has increased. However, true productivity (output unit per input unit; RVU per time) is at large unknown since actual time required to interpret and report a case is rarely recorded. In this study, we analyzed how the time to read a case varies between radiologists over a set of different procedure types by retrospectively extracting reading times from PACS usage logs. Specifically, we tested two hypotheses that; i) relative variation in time to read per procedure type increases as the median time to read a procedure type increases, and ii) relative rankings in terms of median reading speed for individual radiologists are consistent across different procedure types. The results that, i) a correlation of -0.25 between the coefficient of variation and median time to read and ii) that only 12 out of 46 radiologists had consistent rankings in terms of time to read across different procedure types, show both hypotheses to be without support. The results show that workload distribution will not follow any general rule for a radiologist across all procedures or a general rule for a specific procedure across many readers. Rather the findings suggest that improved overall practice efficiency can be achieved only by taking into account radiologists' individual productivity per procedure type when distributing unread cases.
Extreme Home Makeover — The Role of Intensive Home Health Care

Intensive home health care services as an alternative to hospitalization are becoming a standard option in many health systems around the world, but despite its promise, this model of care has had limited uptake in the United States.
Prior Military Service, Identity Stigma, and Mental Health Among Transgender Older Adults.

Purpose of the study Converging evidence from large community-based samples, Internet studies, and Veterans Health Administration data suggest that transgender adults have high rates of U.S. military service. However, little is known about the role of prior military service in their mental health later in life, particularly in relation to identity stigma. In this article, we examine relationships between prior military service, identity stigma, and mental health among transgender older adults. Design and methods We used a subsample of transgender older adults (n = 183) from the 2014 survey of Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study (NHAS). We employed weighted multivariate linear models to evaluate the relationships between psychological health-related quality of life (HRQOL), depressive symptomatology (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CES-D] scores), identity stigma, and prior military service, controlling for background characteristics. Results Identity stigma was significantly related with higher depressive symptomatology and lower psychological HRQOL. Having a history of prior military service significantly predicted lower depressive symptomatology and higher psychological HRQOL. The relationships between psychological HRQOL, identity stigma, and prior military service were largely explained by depressive symptomatology. Prior military service significantly attenuated the relationship between identity stigma and depressive symptomatology. Implications By identifying the role of military service in the mental health of transgender older adults, this study provides insights into how prior military service may contribute to resilience and positive mental health outcomes. Directions for future research are discussed.
Salivary Duct Carcinoma: An Update on Morphologic Mimics and Diagnostic Use of Androgen Receptor Immunohistochemistry

More than 15 years ago, seminal studies by Dr. E. Leon Barnes and colleagues transformed our understanding of salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) and, in doing so, paved the way for contemporary diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to this aggressive salivary adenocarcinoma. In particular, attention to the apocrine phenotype of SDC and expression of androgen receptor (AR) by immunohistochemistry has improved the diagnostic accuracy and showed how SDC can be reliably distinguished from its morphologic mimics (i.e., other salivary gland carcinomas with high grade transformation, low grade cribriform cystadenocarcinoma, and squamous cell carcinomas involving parotid). Furthermore, the observation that SDC shares AR expression with prostate cancer and apocrine breast cancer foresaw the discovery of common molecular alterations between SDC and these tumor types and draw attention to androgen deprivation therapy for SDC patients.
Nursing Philosophy 2016, response to Peter Allmark's article, “Aristotle for Nursing”

Preparing to lecture on Aristotle's contribution to Nursing at the International Philosophy of Nursing Conference August 22, 2016, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, I came upon the recently published article by my IPONS colleague, Allmark (2016), "Aristotle for Nursing." Allmark (2016) provides a comprehensive and understandable overview of Aristotle's philosophical system including the substantial nature of being and the four causes of change. Nurses using Aristotle to support practice and theoretical research will benefit from a careful reading of Allmark to enrich their use of the realist understanding of knowledge of nature (epistemology) and the matter-form causal relationships within natural being (ontology and teleology). Allmark carefully displays the distinction between good health and flourishing; a distinction sometimes hard to grasp. Nurses are concerned with the end of health, but cannot achieve for others, the fullness of living which is flourishing. We will limit ourselves to expanding three areas that seem important, first, that nursing is much more than a productive science or craft, second, that Aristotle does provide an important note on the persistence of the soul, and, third, while Aristotle does not address the possibility of a personal creative highest being as Allmark says, his references to the divine are worth considering.
Le Corbusier and the Romanian Cula

While Le Corbusier9s famous “journey to the east” has been the subject of numerous investigations as an important chapter in the great modernist9s formative years, his days in Romania while en route to Constantinople are thinly covered. Le Corbusier and the Romanian Cula helps to fill that gap by focusing on one important detail: discovery of the identity and location of a much-discussed building he sketched while there and its importance for both traditional Romanian architecture and Le Corbusier9s emerging vision of modernity. Judith Bing 9s discussion of her long search and unexpected discovery draws on firsthand knowledge of vernacular architecture in the Balkans, including Romania, and a long-standing interest in the early travels and subsequent modern architecture of Le Corbusier.
The ammonium nitrate explosion at West, Texas: A disaster that could have been avoided

On April 17, 2013, an explosion of ammonium nitrate (AN) fertilizer stored at the West Fertilizer Company resulted in 15 deaths, 260 injuries, and the destruction of a sizable portion of the town. AN fertilizer is classified as an oxidizer, not as an explosive; nonetheless, it is a chemical which can detonate, and there is a century's worth of history of such explosions, some of them in manufacturing operations, but many in storage or transport. A review of incidents showed that 100% of AN fertilizer explosions in storage or transport had a single cause—an uncontrolled fire. Thus, AN fertilizer explosions in storage are preventable accidents, because technology to preclude uncontrollable fires also has been available for a century. In the case of transport accidents, uncontrolled fires may not be avoidable. However, technologies exist that can make AN less likely to explode, and to show greatly reduced explosion intensity, if driven to explosion. None of these safety measures were in place for this disaster. Details of necessary fire safety measures and the effectiveness and utility of existing regulations for AN are examined. This is important because most AN storage facilities in the United States are similarly inadequate in their fire safety.
Survival and Failure Outcomes Predicted by Brain Metastasis Volumetric Kinetics in Melanoma Patients Following Upfront Treatment with Stereotactic Radiosurgery Alone.

Introduction The roles of early whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and upfront stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) alone in the treatment of melanoma patients with brain metastasis remain uncertain. We investigated the volumetric kinetics of brain metastasis development and associations with clinical outcomes for melanoma patients who received upfront SRS alone. Methods Volumetric brain metastasis velocity (vBMV) was defined as the volume of new intracranial disease at the time of distant brain failure (DBF) for the first DBF (DBF1) and second DBF (DBF2) averaged over the time since initial or most recent SRS. Non-volumetric brain metastasis velocity (BMV) was calculated for comparison. Results Median overall survival (OS) for all patients was 7.7 months. Increasing vBMVDBF1 was associated with worsened OS (hazard ratio (HR): 1.10, confidence interval (CI): 1.02 - 1.18, p = .01). Non-volumetric BMVDBF1 was not predictive of OS after DBF1 (HR: 1.00, CI: 0.97 - 1.02, p = .77). Cumulative incidence of DBF2 at three months after DBF1 was 50.0% for vBMVDBF1 > 4 cc/yr versus (vs) 15.1% for vBMVDBF1 ≤ 4 cc/yr, (Gray's p-value = .02). Cumulative incidence of salvage WBRT at three months after DBF1 was 50.0% for vBMVDBF1 > 4 cc/yr vs 2.3% for vBMVDBF1 ≤ 4 cc/yr (Gray's p-value < .001). Conclusion In melanoma patients with brain metastasis, volumetric BMV was predictive of survival, shorter time to second DBF, and the need for salvage WBRT. Non-volumetric BMV, however, did not predict for these outcomes, suggesting that vBMV is a stronger predictor in melanoma.
Cracks in the Ceiling? Historical and Contemporary Trends of African American Deans of Schools of Social Work:

This article presents data from an exploratory study of the demographic and published scholarship profiles of the deans and university provosts of the top 50 schools of social work as ranked by the...