cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Real-Time State Predictor in Motor Control: Study of Saccadic Eye Movements during Unseen Reaching Movements

Theoretical motor control predicts that because of delays in sensorimotor pathways, a neural system should exist in the brain that uses efferent copy of commands to the arm, sensory feedback, and an internal model of the dynamics of the arm to predict the future state of the hand (i.e., a forward model). We tested this theory under the hypothesis that saccadic eye movements, tracking an unseen reaching movement, would reflect the output of this state predictor. We found that in unperturbed reaching movements, saccade occurrence at any time t consistently provided an unbiased estimate of hand position at t + 196 msec. To investigate the behavior of this predictor during feedback error control, we applied 50 msec random-force perturbations to the moving hand. Saccades showed a sharp inhibition at 100 msec after perturbation. At approximately 170 msec, there was a sharp increase in saccade probabilities. These postperturbation saccades were an unbiased estimator of hand position at saccade time t + 150 msec. The ability of the brain to guide saccades to the future position of the hand failed when a force field unexpectedly changed the dynamics of the hand immediately after perturbation. The behavior of the eyes suggested that during reaching movements, the brain computes an estimate of future hand position based on an internal model that relies on real-time proprioceptive feedback. When an error occurs in reaching movements, the estimate of future hand position is recomputed. The saccade inhibition period that follows the hand perturbation may indicate the length of time it takes for this computation to take place.
Framing Sustainability Business Students Writing About the Environment

Corporate social responsibility is a topic that is increasingly incorporated into business school curricula. This article describes a study of undergraduate business majors who wrote about an envir...
Physiological anatomy and burst pattern in the cardiac ganglion of the spiny lobsterPanulirus interruptus

The physiological anatomy of spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) axons was investigated with intracellular and multiple extracellular electrodes. Firing patterns of large and small neurons were studied with multiple extracellular electrodes. Large cells 1 and 2 were found to be tripolar with independent axons running in the two antero-lateral nerves and in the ganglion trunk in contrast toHomarus where these cells are bipolar and cells 3 and 4 are tripolar (Fig. 4). Cells 3–5 usually had two independent axons, one directed posteriorly and one anteriorly in the trunk. In some ganglia, cells 3 and 4 were found to have three independent axons like cells 1 and 2. The normal small cell firing pattern at the beginning of each burst is 9-8-7-6 (Fig. 2, 5). This contrasts withHomarus where cell 7 is the usual pacemaker neuron. Large cells 1–4 normally begin their burst only after the first cell 6 impulse and terminate their activity when the cell 6 burst ends in contrast toHomarus where large cell activity begins immediately following the first impulse in the pacemaker neuron (Figs. 5, 7). Cell 5 activity differs from that of the anterior four large cells by beginning after cell 7 impulses but before cell 6 has fired. Also, cell 5 fires at a nearly steady rate throughout the burst, unlike the phasic pattern seen in the anterior large cells (Fig. 7)
Production of Restructured Meat using Microbial Transglutaminase without Salt or Cooking

To produce restructured meat, microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) was evaluated for its ability to introduce covalent crosslinks between protein molecules. Pork muscle cubes were mixed with MTGase and held at 5°C for 2 hr for the enzyme reaction. Restructured products were analyzed for binding strength without cooking. MTGase treatment resulted in effective binding of meat pieces provided there was addition of salt (NaCI). To ensure proper binding without NaCI, some food proteins with MTGase were also investigated. Meat cubes in combination with MTGase and sodium caseinate showed acceptable bind, and sodium caseinate appeared to be a superior substrate for the crosslinking to meat proteins than soy protein, whey protein, or gelatin. These results suggest a useful method for producing restructured meat which can be distributed in the raw, chilled state.
Catalytic synthesis and post-polymerization functionalization of conjugated polyisoprene

Anionically synthesized polyisoprene (PI) was catalytically isomerized with RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3 to produce conjugated PI (CPI). Both the reaction time and temperature were varied to control the number of conjugated dienes along the CPI backbone. The same reaction scheme also conjugated polycyclooctadiene, demonstrating the utility of the catalyst to conjugate other olefin-containing polymers. The CPI samples retained their narrow distributions as indicated by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Small molecules were coupled with CPI through the Diels–Alder click reaction in solution to produce an array of post-polymerization functionalized polymers. In one example, N-2-hydroxyethyl maleimide (HEMI) was coupled to CPI to produce a hydroxylated material. L-Lactide was polymerized from this macroinitiator with both tin(II) octoate (Sn(Oct)2) and 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD) to produce poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) grafted from PI (PI-g-PLLA) with a monomodal SEC distribution at 95 wt% PLLA content.
Information Search and Decision Making in Computer-Based Wildfire Simulations

Decision making in complex environments has been investigated in many domains, including medicine, aviation, business, and police operations. However, how incident commanders (ICs) make protective-action recommendations (PARs) to populations exposed to wildfire risks is underinvestigated. In this study we examined the effect of expertise on IC non-time-limited information search and decision making and how ICs update information during the evolution of complex, computersimulated wildfire scenarios. The results indicate that higher expertise reduces the overall amount of information being searched for, without affecting the quality of PAR decisions. In addition, a statistical trend suggests that information updating during the progression of the scenario involves disproportionate less-static information versus dynamic information. Finally, ICs demonstrated a strong preference for evacuation recommendations over alternative recommendations, even when an evacuation may result in less optimal outcomes.
Rehearsal for “Reinhard”?: Odilo Globocnik and the Lublin Selbstschutz

The essential goal of Hitler's National Socialist ideology and its implementation by Heinrich Himmler's SS was the military conquest of “living space” from the eastern borders of the Reich to the Ural Mountains. Within this newly won territory, peoples perceived to be of “alien” race—and hence a danger to the future German Reich—were to be eliminated entirely or intellectually decapitated through the elimination of their political, cultural, and religious elites, leaving a “residue” to provide manual labor for German settlers. Himmler's appointment as Reich Commissar for the Strengthening of German Nationhood (Reichskommissar fur die Festigung deutschen Volkstums—RKFDV) on 7 October 1939, in the wake of the successful Blitzkrieg against Poland, established his SS and police as the primary executive apparatus for this project. The elimination of the Jews formed an integral part of this “racial restructuring of Eastern Europe.”
Conformational Equilibria and Stereospecific Synthesis

Pi allyl-complexes have been used as reactants or have been postulated as intermediates in many of the reactions discussed at this symposium. Our studies of rearrangement mechanisms and conformational equilibria often provide a rationale for the product distributions and stereochemistry in these reactions. It appears that steric factors tend to control stereochemistry. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of some palladium complexes will be reviewed in the perspective of their implications in rearrangements, stereospecific reactions, and racemization processes.
Passive optical beam routing through temporal-spatial spectral filtering

A variety of techniques for the storage and processing of temporally modulated optical data streams in materials with1-3 and without1-5 intrinsic frequency selectivity have recently been developed. These techniques are characterized by very high bandwidths, large time-bandwidth products, and the ability to store spatial waveform information in addition to temporal information. We explore here the consequences of these interactions between stored temporal and spatial information.
Comparative Study of the Diets of the Blue Crabs Callinectes similis and C. sapidus from a Mud-Bottom Habitat in Mobile Bay, Alabama

ABSTRACT Diets of Callinectes similis and C. sapidus collected from the same open bay locality in Mobile Bay, Alabama, were investigated. Fish, bivalve, brachyuran, and gastropod remains constituted the 4 most common prey items for both species. The cumulative Index of Relative Importance (IRI) of these 4 food groups was 85% in C. similis and 91% in C. sapidus, suggesting that both Callinectes spp. forage primarily on these 4 prey groups. To examine ontogenetic shift in diets, individuals of C. similis were sorted into 3 size classes (29–50, 51–80, and 81–111-mm carapace widths) representing juvenile, premature, and sexually mature stages. We found statistically significant differences in the hierarchy and proportions of the main prey types among size classes examined. There was no significant difference in the diet of male and female C. similis. Relatively high percentage of dietary overlap between C. similis and C. sapidus suggests that these crabs probably utilize common resources in areas of habitat overlap in Mobile Bay, Alabama.
II. Isolation of a Dextrorotatory Urobilin from Human Fistula Bile.

Summary and Conclusions1. A dextrorotatory urobilin has been identified in 11 of 12 infected fistula bile samples examined. 2. The initial urobilinogen content of infected bile samples is considerably increased and the bile becomes lighter in association with overgrowth of bacteria productive of a fecal odor. The crystalline urobilin isolated from four of such samples was dextrorather than laevorotatory (as in the case of stercobilin isolated from the feces). 3. A specific color reaction and other characteristics of d-urobilin are described.
Retinoic Acid and Sodium Butyrate Suppress the Cardiac Expression of Hypertrophic Markers and Proinflammatory Mediators in Npr1 Gene-Disrupted Haplotype Mice

The objective of the present study was to examine the genetically determined differences in the natriuretic peptide receptor-A (NPRA) gene (Npr1) copies affecting the expression of cardiac hypertro...
Effectiveness of pre-admission data and letters of recommendation to predict students who will need professional behavior intervention during clinical rotations in the United States

The study aimed at finding the value of letters of recommendation in predicting professional behavior problems in the clinical portion of a Doctor of Physical Therapy program learning cohorts from 2009-2014 in the United States. De-identified records of 137 Doctor of Physical Therapy graduates were examined by the descriptive statistics and comparison analysis. Thirty letters of recommendation were investigated based on grounded theory from 10 student applications with 5 randomly selected students of interest and 5 non-students of interest. Critical thinking, organizational skills, and judgement were statistically significant and quantitative differentiating characteristics. Qualitatively, significant characteristics of the student of interest included effective communication and cultural competency. Meanwhile, those of nonstudents of interest included conflicting personality descriptor, commitment to learning, balance, teamwork skills, potential future success, compatible learning skills, effective leadership skills, and emotional intelligence. Emerged significant characteristics did not consistently match common non-professional behavior issues encountered in clinic. Pre-admission data and letters of recommendation appear of limited value in predicting professional behavior performance in clinic.
Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis: A Review of Sixty-six Cases

A review of all the patients with acute hematogenous osteomyelitis admitted to Charity Hospital during the period. January 1, 1956, to May 1, 1959, was undertaken to verify the clinical impression that this disease is increasing in frequency and changing in character. Sixty-six patients were seen during this time and are included in this study. A significant increase in the incidence of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis has occurred in southern Louisiana over the past four years. This increase in incidence has been ascribed to the increasing number of bacteria resistant to the usual antibiotics and particularly to the resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to penicillin. In contrast to previous reports the sex distribution in the series was almost equal. Twenty-three per cent of the patients were one year of age or less. Staphylococcus aureus was identified in 90 per cent of the patients in whom positive cultures were obtained. Streptococcus hemolyticus , contrary to many early reports, was not identified as the etiological organism in any of the infants. One-third of our patients were admitted with a very mild form of this disease and had no significant fever or other systemic manifestations. Treatment consisted in antibiotics, immobilization, and surgery when indicated. Despite what was considered adequate treatment in almost every instance, chronic osteomyelitis developed in 29 per cent of the patients in this study who were adequately followed. It is our impression that early but inadequate antibiotic treatment caused an increased tendency to the development of chronic osteomyelitis. Additional emphasis should be placed upon the basic orthopaedic principle of immobilization. In this survey complications developed in the majority of the patients who were not treated initially by immobilization. Antibiotics have unquestionably decreased both the mortality and morbidity associated with acute hematogenous osteomyelitis. Nevertheless, as more bacteria become resistant to our common antibotics, the incidence of chronic osteomyelitis will continue to increase. Perhaps more liberal utilization of early incision and drainage in those cases which are prone to become chronic, as evidenced by slow indolent progression of the local lesion, may improve the present results.
Coniopterygidae (Neuroptera) from southern and eastern Africa

Records of 32 species of Coniopterygidae from southern and eastern Africa are listed. Thirteen new species are descriptionbed: Aleuropteryx hoelzeli, A. transvaalensis, A. dorsalis, A. multispinosa, A. ohmi, A. pseudocapensis, Cryptoscenea tanzaniae, Heteroconis tanzaniae, Nimboa bifurcata, N. manselli, Coniopteryx (Xeroconiopteryx) botswana, C (X.) sestertia and C (Coniopteryx) sclerotica. Variation in the male genitalia is descriptionbed in N. bifurcata, N. capensis Tjeder and C (C) madagascariensis (Meinander). The taxonomy of the subgenus Xerocolliopteryx in sub-Saharan Africa, and the genus Semidalis in southern and eastern Africa, is revised. New synonyms are: Nimboa capensis Tjeder (= N. natalensis Tjeder and N. transvaalellsis Meinander) and Semidalis meridionalis Kimmins (= S. bifida Kimmins).
Regulation of RNA-binding proteins affinity to export receptors enables the nuclear basket proteins to distinguish and retain aberrant mRNAs

Export of messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNAs) into the cytoplasm is a fundamental step in gene regulation processes, which is meticulously quality controlled by highly efficient mechanisms in eukaryotic cells. Yet, it remains unclear how the aberrant mRNAs are recognized and retained inside the nucleus. Using a new modelling approach for complex systems, namely the agent-based modelling (ABM) approach, we develop a minimal model of the mRNA quality control (QC) mechanism. Our results demonstrate that regulation of the affinity of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to export receptors along with the weak interaction between the nuclear basket protein (Mlp1 or Tpr) and RBPs are the minimum requirements to distinguish and retain aberrant mRNAs. Our results show that the affinity between Tpr and RBPs is optimized to maximize the retention of aberrant mRNAs. In addition, we demonstrate how the length of mRNA affects the QC process. Since longer mRNAs spend more time in the nuclear basket to form a compact conformation and initiate their export, nuclear basket proteins could more easily capture and retain them inside the nucleus.
Side Chain Hydrophobicity Scale using the Tilted Beta-Barrel Protein PagP

Membrane proteins fold via the transfer of amino acid side chains from aqueous solvent into a lipid bilayer. Thus, knowing the free energy change of side chain transfer from water to bilayer will contribute to understanding structure, function and energetics of membrane proteins. We have measured the transfer free energies for all twenty amino acids using the scaffold protein PagP in a DLPC bilayer. Compared to previously measured transfer free energies, the overall trend agrees: hydrophobic residues are favorable and hydrophilic residues are unfavorable in the bilayer. However, we have found that the transfer of some polar the side chains are more unfavorable than previously observed. We hypothesize that the physical basis for these new findings may be the tilt of PagP with respect to the membrane. These results indicate membrane protein stability is governed not only by side chain desolvation, but also structural features such as depth and angle in the membrane.
Genetic engineering of Arabidopsis to overproduce disinapoyl esters, potential lignin modification molecules

Monolignol-like molecules can be integrated into lignin along with conventional monolignol units, and it has been shown that the incorporation of non-canonical subunits can be used to generate hydrolysable lignin by introduction of ester linkages into the polymer and that this type of lignin is more easily removable. Disinapoyl esters (DSEs), which to some degree resemble the monolignol sinapyl alcohol, may be promising lignin modifying units for this purpose. As a first step toward determining whether this goal is achievable, we manipulated metabolic flux in Arabidopsis to increase the amounts of DSEs by overexpressing sinapoylglucose:sinapoylglucose sinapoyltransferase (SST) which produces two main DSEs, 1,2-disinapoylglucose, and another compound we identify in this report as 3,4-disinapoyl-fructopyranose. We succeeded in overproducing DSEs by introducing an SST-overexpression construct into the sinapoylglucose accumulator1 (sng1-6) mutant (SST-OE sng1-6) which lacks several of the enzymes that would otherwise compete for the SST substrate, sinapoyglucose. Introduction of cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase-c (cad-c) and cad-d mutations into the SST-OE sng1-6 line further increased DSEs. Surprisingly, a reduced epidermal fluorescence (ref) phenotype was observed when SST-OE sng1-6 plants were evaluated under UV light, which appears to have been induced by the sequestration of DSEs into subvacuolar compartments. Although we successfully upregulated the accumulation of the target DSEs, we did not find any evidence showing the integration of DSEs into the cell wall. Our results suggest that although phenylpropanoid metabolic engineering is possible, a deeper understanding of sequestration and transport mechanisms will be necessary for successful lignin engineering through this route.
A memristor-based neuromorphic engine with a current sensing scheme for artificial neural network applications

By following the big data revolution, neuromorphic computing makes a comeback for its great potential in information processing capability. Despite of many types of architectures reported in conventional CMOS domain, memristor, as an example of emerging devices, demonstrates an intrinsic support of parallel matrix-vector multiplication operation that is widely used in artificial neural network applications. However, its computation accuracy and speed are far from satisfactory, mainly constrained by the features of memristor crossbar array and peripheral circuitry. In this work, we propose a new memristor crossbar based computing engine design by leveraging a current sensing scheme. High parallelism in operation and therefore fast computation can be achieved via simultaneously supplying analog voltages into a memristor crossbar and directly converting the weighted current through a current-to-voltage converter. We implemented and compared the feed-forward neural networks with different array sizes and layer numbers. Our design demonstrates a good computation accuracy, e.g., 96.6% classification accuracy for MNIST handwritten digit in a two-layer design.
Health-related quality of life outcomes from a contemporary prostate cancer registry in a large diverse population

Objective To assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with prostate cancer up to 24 months after treatment in a contemporary large diverse population. Patients and Methods Patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer from March 2011 to January 2014 in our healthcare system were included. The Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC-26) questionnaire was administered before treatment, and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after treatment up to November 2014 for all methods of treatment. The Kruskall–Wallis test was used to compare the distribution of each EPIC-26 domain score at each time point, and mixed models were used to assess the overall scores over the period after treatment. Results In all, 5 727 patients were included. There were data for 3 422, 2 329, 2 017, 1 922, 1 772, 1 260, and 837 patients before treatment, and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after treatment, respectively. At 1 month, bowel scores were the lowest for patients that had had radiation therapy, and urinary irritative symptoms were the lowest for those who had had brachytherapy. There were sexual function declines for all the treatment methods, with surgery having the steepest decline; open radical prostatectomy (ORP) had a greater decline than robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP). Patients who underwent RALP had a better return of sexual function, approaching that of brachytherapy and radiation therapy at 24 months. Urinary incontinence (UI) also declined the most in surgical patients, with RALP patients improving slightly more than ORP patients at 12–24 months. Conclusions Patients' HRQoL after prostate cancer treatment varies by treatment method. Notably, sexual function recovers most for RALP patients. UI remains worse at 24 months after surgery, compared to other methods of prostate cancer treatment.
Biomechanics and Pinch Force of the Index Finger Under Simulated Proximal Interphalangeal Arthrodesis.

Purpose To analyze the effect of simulated proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint arthrodesis on distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint free flexion-extension (FE) and maximal voluntary pinch forces. Methods Five healthy subjects were tested with the PIP joint unconstrained and constrained to selected angles to produce (1) free FE movements of the DIP joint at 2 selected angles of the metacarpophalangeal joint, and (2) maximal voluntary tip (thumb and index finger) and chuck (thumb, index, and middle fingers) pinch forces. Kinematic data from a motion analysis system, pinch force data from a mechanical pinch meter, and electromyography (EMG) data recorded from 2 flexor and extensor muscles of the index finger were collected during free FE movements of the DIP joint and pinch tests for distinct PIP joint constraint angles. Results The EMG root mean square (RMS) values of the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) and extensor digitorum (ED) did not change during free FE of the DIP joint. The extension angle of the range of motion of the DIP joint changed during free FE. It increased as the PIP constraint angle increased. The EMG RMS value of FDP and ED showed maximum values when the PIP joint was unconstrained and constrained at 0° to 20° of flexion during tip and chuck pinch. Neither the index finger metacarpophalangeal and DIP joint positions nor pinch force measurements differed with imposed PIP joint arthrodesis. Conclusions The PIP joint arthrodesis angle affects DIP joint extension. A minimal overall impact from simulated PIP arthrodesis in muscle activity and pinch force of the index finger was observed. The EMG RMS values of the FDP and ED revealed that a PIP arthrodesis at 0° to 20° of flexion leads to a more natural finger posture during tip and chuck pinch. Clinical relevance This study provided a quantitative comparison of free FE motion of the DIP joint, as well as FDP and ED forces during pinch, under simulated index finger PIP arthrodesis angles.
Clinical Trial Participants' Views of the Risks and Benefits of Data Sharing

Background Sharing of participant-level clinical trial data has potential benefits, but concerns about potential harms to research participants have led some pharmaceutical sponsors and investigators to urge caution. Little is known about clinical trial participants' perceptions of the risks of data sharing. Methods We conducted a structured survey of 771 current and recent participants from a diverse sample of clinical trials at three academic medical centers in the United States. Surveys were distributed by mail (350 completed surveys) and in clinic waiting rooms (421 completed surveys) (overall response rate, 79%). Results Less than 8% of respondents felt that the potential negative consequences of data sharing outweighed the benefits. A total of 93% were very or somewhat likely to allow their own data to be shared with university scientists, and 82% were very or somewhat likely to share with scientists in for-profit companies. Willingness to share data did not vary appreciably with the purpose for which the data would be used, with the exception that fewer participants were willing to share their data for use in litigation. The respondents' greatest concerns were that data sharing might make others less willing to enroll in clinical trials (37% very or somewhat concerned), that data would be used for marketing purposes (34%), or that data could be stolen (30%). Less concern was expressed about discrimination (22%) and exploitation of data for profit (20%). Conclusions In our study, few clinical trial participants had strong concerns about the risks of data sharing. Provided that adequate security safeguards were in place, most participants were willing to share their data for a wide range of uses. (Funded by the Greenwall Foundation.).
Magnetic and transport properties of LaMn{sub 0.8}Na{sub 0.2}O{sub 3}

Structural, magnetic, and electrical properties are reported for the Na analogue of the doped manganites, La{sub 1{minus}x}A{sub x}MnO{sub 3} (0.2 x 0.5, A = Ca, Sr, Ba, Pb), prepared by precipitation from molten NaOH. Elemental analysis and diffraction data are consistent with the composition LaMn{sub 0.8}Na{sub 0.2}O{sub 3}, indicating that Na substitutes almost exclusively onto the Mn sites of the perovskite structure. The magnetic and transport properties of this material have been investigated and it was found that, despite the substitution of a magnetically and electrically inert cation on the Mn site, LaMn{sub 0.8}Na{sub 0.2}O{sub 3} displays many of the same properties as the manganites doped with divalent cations on the La site. The main property differences are attributed to the strong structural and magnetic disorder that Na induces in LaMn{sub 0.8}Na{sub 0.2}O{sub 3}.
The patient's understanding of the oral contraceptive patient package insert

A study was conducted in a 60-bed military hospital in Fort Eustis Virginia to determine the following: do women read the oral contraceptive (OC) patient package insert; what is the ability of women to actively recall information concerning proper use of OCs; and is there a difference in the level of understanding of OCs perceived by women and the actual proper instructions which should be followed. Outpatients receiving OCs are provided a 90-day supply from the pharmacy. The study was conducted for 1 calendar month. All women presenting new or refill requests for OCs at the outpatient section of pharmacy services were eligible for inclusion in the study. It is an outpatient pharmacy dispensing policy to require a new prescription after 3 refills or 12 months after the date of issue for OCs. Only 21-day packs are stocked; therefore all patients regimens consist of the 3 weeks on and 1 week off dosing schedule. The data for the study were obtained through the use of a patient questionnaire. The patients completed the questionnaire in the prescription waiting area of the outpatient clinic. Upon receipt of the OC prescription the patient returned the completed questionnaire to the pharmacist. Only 57% of the study population of 81 could recall the name of their OC. Of the 81 patients surveyed 89% stated that they had read the patient package insert which was included with their 1st pill pack but only 31% said they read it each time they received a new pack. 25% said that they did not fully understand the package insert. 35% responded that they would seek additional explanations from health professionals primarily the physician (21%). 73% of the patients indicated that they took their pill at the same time daily while 27% indicated that they did not. This is of no partilar significance but it is felt that a uniform dosage regimen will establish a routine which would reduce the risk of error. 70% of the study population had at some time forgotten to take a pill. 88% knew the correct step to take if they only missed 1 pill. If 2 pills were missed only 16% knew the correct method to catch up. 26% knew to stop their pack if 3 pills were missed. 38% knew to continue their pills as usual in the absence of 1 menstrual period. 86% were correct in suspecting pregnancy and seeing their physician with the absence of 2 periods. 15% of the study population felt incorrectly that they needed additional birth control measures between pill packs. In sum it should not be taken for granted that the OC patient understands how to properly take her pills. The pharmacist can clarify and reinforce physician instructions.
Temporary Help Firms as Entrepreneurial Actors

Competing explanations of growth in the temporary help supply (THS) industry stress its role in meeting the needs and desires of workers vs. those of employers. Until now, less attention has been paid the growth agenda of the THS industry itself. Yet evidence from a study of THS firms in Wisconsin suggests that their entrepreneurial efforts may be an important, overlooked factor driving the industry's expansion. This paper examines the growth and geographic dispersal of Wisconsin's THS firms through a theoretical framework of entrepreneurial action. Data from in-depth interviews with their owners and managers reveal strenuous efforts to create new markets for THS services. THS firms' highly proactive stance is reflected in their decisions about where to locate, efforts to become part of local social networks, and innovative approaches to product development and marketing. Previous studies have implied that THS firms opportunistically and reactively respond to changes in labor supply or demand factors. This study finds THS firms actively promoting their own growth, intervening in labor markets to forge a role for themselves as employment intermediaries and gatekeepers to permanent jobs.
The safety and early efficacy of high-dose ipilimumab (IPI) and the combination nivolumab plus ipilimumab (NIVO + IPI) in patients (pts) with uveal melanoma (UM).

9554Background: UM metastases occur in 50% of cases and high-risk pts are identified by a gene expression profile. High-dose IPI is approved for adjuvant (adj) treatment (tx) of cutaneous melanoma ...
Energy-Maximizing Control for Ocean Energy Converter

This chapter presents two control methods, MPEC for maximum power extraction of Smart-WEC and MLCT for life cycle extension of tidal energy converter. The results show that MPEC significantly increase power extraction by the Smart-WEC. Also, in order to eliminate speed sensor in the MLCT technique, an artificial neural network is adopted to estimate the tidal speed.
Top-Funded Digital Health Companies And Their Impact On High-Burden, High-Cost Conditions

Digital health companies hold promise to address major health care challenges, though little has been published on their impact. We identified the twenty top-funded private US-based digital health ...
Nondestructive evaluation of resistance spot-welded Al-steel joints

With growing demand for better fuel economy for automobiles, multimaterial solutions are increasingly being utilized in the automotive industry for reducing weight in the vehicle body structure. This poses challenges in terms of joining dissimilar metals, especially those with vastly different properties such as aluminum to steel joining. General Motors has developed a new resistance spot-welding technique for dissimilar materials using a multi-ring domed (MRD) electrode and multiple solidification weld schedules to address this challenge. Originally developed for aluminum to aluminum resistance spot welding, this technology is being deployed as the mainstream aluminum joining solution to leverage existing infrastructure and workforce competency in resistance spot welding. With the recent expansion of MRD technology to aluminum to steel resistance spot welding, there is an ever-greater need to experimentally verify the quality of each aluminum to steel resistance spot-weld application with limited time and resources. Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) would enable the transfer of resistance spot-welding technology to dissimilar aluminum to steel joints. This article describes the current state of the art of aluminum to steel resistance spot welding and the challenges in developing a robust NDE process for this technology.
A Global-Scale Mid-Domain Effect Cannot Explain the Latitudinal Gradient in Species Richness

The latitudinal gradient in species richness is perhaps the most fundamental pattern of biodiversity, yet a satisfactory explanation for its existence remains elusive. A geometric "mid-domain effect" is often cited as having potential to help explain the latitudinal gradient in species richness, but the logic underpinning this hypothesis is apparently built on two incorrect assumptions: (1) that a given great circle-usually the Equator-can constitute the geometric "mid-domain" of the Earth's surface, and (2) that geophysical or bioclimatic boundaries are of geometric relevance in the context of a global-scale mid-domain effect. This article gives a brief overview of the relevant literature and history of thought on the subject, and describes in clear and simple terms why a global-scale mid-domain effect cannot arise, and thus cannot possibly represent a mechanistic basis for the latitudinal gradient in species richness. Explicit acknowledgement of this fact is of great importance, as it allows us to dispense with a commonly cited hypothesis for the latitudinal gradient in species richness.
The Effect of Natural and Synthetic Estrogens on the Excretion of BSP by the Liver

There is now general agreement that cholestasis and/or impairment of certain liver functions can be caused by a wide variety of steroids, including androgens (1), estrogens (1–5), progestins (1,6,7) and bile salts (8,9). (For a recent review and bibliography, see Song and Kappas (10)). Many of these steroids are synthetic or unsaturated steroids, often alkylated at the 17 position. This discussion will emphasize the capacity of natural estrogens to impair hepatic excretion of sulfobromophthalein in man, and will examine certain structural aspects of this activity in the rat.
George Psathas: Phenomenology and Ethnomethdology

In some of his writings, George Psathas suggests that Alfred Schutz’s account of social-scientific methodology as constructing ideal types falls short of ethnomethodology’s approach, which, by giving an account of how actors produce their social order, exemplifies a kind of social-scientific following of Husserl’s stipulation that phenomenology return to “the things themselves”. By distinguishing Schutz’s phenomenology of the natural attitude which does return to the things themselves from his account of social scientific methodology, one can conceive various social-scientific methodologies legitimately serving different scientific purposes with reference to the life-world basis, for instance, ideal–typical methodologies that might seek solutions to problems and ethnomethodological methods that capture actors’ production of order and mimic the phenomenological return to the things themselves. Despite delineating this distinction between phenomenology and ethnomethodology, which Psathas too makes, ethnomethodology reveals many of the investigative tendencies of phenomenology and the two can be seen to engage each other indirectly and interactively. Finally, ethnomethodologists maintain some intellectual, relevance-guided distance from the everyday actors they study, however minimal the distance between them and the actors they study may be.
Multicultural Incorporation in Donald Trump’s Political Rhetoric

Despite living in a “post-racial” era, the election of Donald Trump seems to indicate the revitalization of racial anxieties through his deployment of figures such as the drug dealer and immigrant ...
Approaches to Human Performance Modeling of Electric Grids Operators.

Due to the integration of digital technology, electric grids have become more complex and vulnerable to cyber-attacks. A worst-case scenario cyber-attack could result in a blackout, leading to significant financial loss or life-threatening events. For prioritizing limited investment, cascading failure analysis with simulation is one way to understand impacts and to provide insights into how a blackout might happen. Human operators play an important role in mitigating risk or maintaining the system state to be considered in the simulation. In this research, we review the cognitive architecture model, task analysis approach, and human reliability analysis in the context of characterizing humans in electric grid cascading failure analysis. Recommendations for an operator modeling method are made to address the scalability.
LEARNING IN THE HOMEOSTATIC REGULATION OF VISCERAL PROCESSES

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the learning in the homeostatic regulation of visceral processes. Homeostasis is the regulation that maintains the stability of critical internal states and is essential for life and, hence, important in physiology and medicine. One way of achieving the desirable learned adjustments would be to have the various types of homeostatic imbalance produce a distress such as pain and to have a behavior that minimizes the total distress reinforced by a reduction in it. A mechanism of this kind would fit in with the fact that although many parts of the viscera are poorly equipped with highly specific types of sense organs to monitor the exact levels of each specific variable. One place to look for a possible role of instrumental visceral learning in homeostasis is in the effects of exposure to extreme environments. People working in a cold environment on tasks that cannot be executed while wearing heavy gloves suffer initial pain and stiffness but gradually become able to work with less pain and more dexterity.
How states shaped postwar America: State government and urban power, by Nicholas Dagen Bloom: Chicago and London, University of Chicago Press, 2019

This work helps to fill an important gap in the urban politics literature. In doing related work recently, I found the literature on the urban impacts of state laws and policies to be extremely thi...
Emerging Technologies and Enforcement Problems: The Federal Aviation Administration and Drones as a Case Study

This article addresses the role of nonenforcement through examples of how regulators have succeeded (and not) in managing the exponential increase in commercial ownership and use of “smart,” autonomous, and optionally piloted flying devices. In doing so, this article appraises UAS regulatory efforts by the FAA against recommendations adopted by the Administrative Conference of the United States (“ACUS”) to improve the efficiency, adequacy, and fairness of administrative procedures generally. These recommendations include using plain language in regulatory drafting, refraining from implementing binding standards through policy statements, learning from regulatory experience, and employing transparent procedures for approvals of waivers and exemptions.
Impact of storage temperature, storage duration, and deproteinization on plasma amino acid concentrations in dogs

Abstract Reliability of canine plasma amino acid analysis depends on sample stability which can be influenced by pre-analytical handling techniques, storage temperature, storage time, and deproteinization status. Extrapolating data to dogs from research in other species is limited given discordant methodology and interspecies differences. The present study investigated the effects of deproteinization status (non-deproteinized or deproteinized) and storage temperature (at −20 °C or − 80 °C) on the concentration of 22 canine plasma amino acids during a 300-day storage period. Storage time had a significant effect (p Storage time had a consistent, significant effect on amino acid concentrations in canine plasma samples. Although sample deproteinization and low storage temperature modified the effect of storage time, these interactions were variable among analyzed amino acids. Therefore, timely sample analysis is recommended. If delayed sample analysis is inevitable, deproteinization should be performed prior to sample banking to preserve amino acid stability.
Opinion: How to ensure regulations don't stymie much-needed COVID-19 point-of-care testing

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has raged for more than a year in the United States, upending life as we knew it. Nevertheless, we have seen incredibly rapid advances in vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostic testing technology. There is tremendous need and economic interest in reopening our businesses and schools and in resuming gatherings for entertainment and sporting events. To accomplish this, we need a strong multifaceted strategy. Already, widespread vaccination is well underway. But those efforts must be coupled with aggressive community-based COVID point-of-care testing so that any case of asymptomatic infection, especially in the most transmissible phase, is rapidly identified (1). We must devise more sensible regulations that meet the moment, allowing for rapid, widespread COVID-19 point-of-care testing. Image credit: Shutterstock/zstock. Corporate and federal support of medical diagnostic companies has fueled innovative, easy-to-use, inexpensive, point-of-care COVID-19 viral tests with multiple different technologies. The retail cost of these tests is now as low as $5 per unit, and they have become as easy to use as a home pregnancy test. Unfortunately, it’s not enough. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expedited the evaluation and granting of Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs), ensuring that newly developed tests meeting validation criteria come to market promptly. However, similar to COVID vaccine distribution “last mile” barriers, there remain significant challenges to the real-world implementation of rapid, point-of-care testing. These remain despite the FDA, in July 2020, issuing an EUA application template for at-home and over-the-counter (OTC) tests for nonlab settings, such as homes, offices, … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: clare.rock{at}jhmi.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Intraperitoneal bladder rupture

Abstract A 37 year old man presented to the emergency department after being found down in a park. Initial Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (eFAST) was negative. On reassessment, the patient had abdominal pain and a positive eFAST. We describe the imaging modalities used to arrive at the diagnosis of intraperitoneal bladder rupture and discuss the findings that should prompt clinicians to evaluate for bladder rupture.
Pharmacokinetics of vaginally applied integrase inhibitors in macaques.

OBJECTIVES We conducted a detailed pharmacokinetic assessment in macaques treated with vaginal gels formulated with HIV integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) to better understand drug distribution and identify INSTI concentrations associated with previously demonstrated in vivo protection against vaginal simian HIV challenge. METHODS Six macaques received vaginal gel containing 1% raltegravir (30 mg) once-weekly over 6 weeks. Following a washout period, five macaques received once-weekly gel containing 0.23% L-870,812 (7 mg). Drug concentrations were measured in plasma, mucosal fluids and vaginal tissues at baseline and 2, 5 and 24 h post-dosing. RESULTS The median maximum concentration (Cmax) for raltegravir and L-870,812 in plasma was below the limit of quantification and 41.1 ng/mL, respectively. The Cmax in vaginal fluids (1441 and 1250 μg/mL) and tissues (266.7 and 368.4 μg/g) was achieved 2-5 h after dosing, respectively. A similar half-life was observed for raltegravir and L-870,812 in vaginal fluids (8-10 h) and remained 3-4 orders of magnitude above the protein-adjusted IC95 (0.016 and 0.106 μg/mL, respectively) at 24 h. Drug concentrations in vaginal fluids correlated well with those in vaginal tissues (Pearson r ≥ 0.788). Both drugs were consistently detected in rectal fluids 2 h after vaginal dosing, albeit at much lower levels (31-92-fold) than those in vaginal fluids. CONCLUSIONS To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first data on INSTI levels in vaginal tissues associated with in vivo protection and demonstrates rectal drug distribution of INSTIs after vaginal dosing. These findings may inform dose selection for topical products with INSTIs for HIV prevention.
The Archaeology of the Caribbean

A comprehensive synthesis of Caribbean prehistory from the earliest settlement by humans more than 4000 years BC, to the time of European conquest of the islands. The Caribbean was the last large area in the Americas to be populated, and its relative isolation allowed unique cultures to develop. Samuel Wilson reviews the evidence for migration and cultural change throughout the archipelago, dealing in particular with periods of cultural interaction when groups with different cultures and histories were in contact. He also examines the evolving relationship of the Caribbean people with their environment, as they developed increasingly productive economic systems over time, as well as the emergence of increasingly complex social and political systems, particularly in the Greater Antilles in the centuries before the European conquest. Wilson also provides a review of the history of Caribbean archaeology and the individual scholars and ideas that have shaped the field.