cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 429: High-Risk Features of Carotid Atherosclerotic Disease Occur Bilaterally: A Cross-Sectional, High-Resolution MRI Investigation

Background: The presence of intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), large lipid rich necrotic core (LRNC), and fibrous cap rupture (FCR) in the carotid plaque as detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been associated with future cerebrovascular events. This study sought to determine whether these high-risk features occur symmetrically in the carotid arteries. Methods: Multi-contrast MR images of both carotids from 119 patients with 50- 79 % stenosis in at least one carotid artery were reviewed. Images from each artery were interpreted independent from results of the contralateral artery. Images were reviewed for presence/absence of LRNC, IPH and FCR. The maximum size of LRNC relative to the wall (%LRNC) was also recorded. Results: Table 1 shows the significantly increased probability of having IPH and LRNC on the contralateral side when present on one side while FCR was nearly significant. In patients with LRNC present, there was a strong correlation in size of %LRNC between sides (Pearson’s r = 0.60, p Conclusion: These results provide compelling evidence that high-risk features of atherosclerotic disease are prone to develop bilaterally, although not concurrently, in patients with carotid disease. Presence of unstable features in one artery appears to herald the development of similar features in the contralateral artery which suggests that the pathophysiology of the high risk plaque is governed by systemic factors.
Share Repurchases: Market Timing and Abnormal Returns

Prior research shows positive abnormal returns follow the announcement of a new share repurchase program, but do firms earn abnormal returns on their actual repurchases? An obstacle to answering this question has been poor data on the timing of corporate share repurchases. I build a near complete dataset of monthly share repurchases using software I wrote to extract the data from 10-Q and 10-K filings. Constructing portfolios based upon the share repurchase signal, I find small to medium firms earn abnormal returns while large firms do not. Furthermore, I find evidence consistent with a market reaction to the disclosure of share repurchases. Firms experience positive abnormal returns around their 10-Q and 10-K filing date relative to non repurchasers with public programs, and using machine learning techniques to forecast share repurchases, I find the share repurchase surprise, actual minus forecast repurchases, is associated with positive abnormal returns around a firm’s earning announcement and 10-Q, 10-K filing dates. My main contributions are thus threefold: I provide systematic, machine extracted data on repurchases, show that small to mid-size firms have positive abnormal returns while large firms do not, and use machine learning techniques to forecast repurchases and show abnormal returns around earning announcement days and 10-Q and 10-K filing dates are positively associated with the unexpected component of repurchases, the share repurchase surprise.
The Effect of Administering a Boundary Course to Third-Year Medical Students During Their Psychiatry Clerkship.

Due to lack of experience, third-year medical students (MS3) may be vulnerable to boundary violations. Investigators aimed to increase awareness regarding boundary issues among MS3s and assess the effect of using videotaped scenarios and case-based discussion on medical students’ comfort in managing boundary issues. A nine-question pre-course survey was administered to MS3s enrolled at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University that asked students to rate their comfort in managing various boundary challenges. MS3s then viewed seven pre-recorded boundary-related cases followed by a 10–15-min discussion after each case. A post-course survey reassessed comfort in managing boundary challenges using the same nine questions, with three additional questions assessing satisfaction with the course. Change in pre- and post-course scores were analyzed using paired t tests and effect sizes. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. There was a significant difference between pre- and post-course total scores as well as seven of the nine individual scores. Effect sizes were large (d > .08). These findings indicate that students became more comfortable managing boundary issues following the course. In addition, satisfaction ratings were high indicating the course was perceived favorably. Medical students perceived the course to be beneficial and reported that it increased their awareness of boundary issues. A boundary course at the beginning of the psychiatry clerkship can improve MS3s’ comfort in managing boundary challenges. With increased comfort in managing boundary, students can better focus on other aspects of their psychiatry education and on building therapeutic alliances with their patients.
Topiramate as Monotherapy or Adjunctive Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Meta-Analysis.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and debilitating condition for which clinicians sometimes turn to anticonvulsants as a treatment for symptoms. This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) that have assessed the efficacy of topiramate as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy, compared to placebo, for the treatment of PTSD in adults. Prescribers may be reluctant to turn to topiramate, given the commonly reported side effects of impaired cognition, sedation, fatigue, and headache. We searched PubMed, PsycInfo, and Cochrane Central databases for relevant trials. Five studies were identified as RCTs and thus met inclusion criteria; one additional nonpublished study was identified via phone contact with its authors. Of these six studies, one was excluded from the statistical meta-analysis due to its high dropout rate (16 of 40 participants). One of these studies was excluded from a stratified analysis of symptom types because this subscale data were unavailable. For overall symptomatology, topiramate showed a medium, but not significant effect, standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.55, p = .082. Topiramate showed a small and significant reduction of hyperarousal symptoms, SMD = 0.35, 95% CI [0.029, 0.689], p = .033. Topiramate did not significantly reduce reexperiencing symptoms, SMD = 0.29, 95% CI [-0.019, 0.597], p = .067, or avoidance symptoms, SMD = 0.20, 95% CI [-0.105, 0.509], p = .198. Results did not differ significantly between veteran and nonveteran subjects, or between topiramate as monotherapy and adjunctive therapy. Further studies on topiramate will clarify its role in PTSD treatment.
Piperacillin and tazobactam versus clindamycin and gentamicin in the treatment of hospitalized women with pelvic infection. The Piperacillin/tazobactam Study Group.

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of a combination of piperacillin and tazobactam with that of clindamycin and gentamicin in the treatment of hospitalized women with infections of the upper genital tract. Methods This was a randomized open-label trial in hospitalized women with infections of the upper genital tract. Patients were recruited at 12 hospitals in the United States and two hospitals in Canada and were randomly assigned to one of two regimens in a 2:1 ratio. One group received piperacillin, 3 g every 6 hours, and tazobactam, 375 mg every 6 hours; the other group received clindamycin, 900 mg every 8 hours, and gentamicin, 2.5-5.0 mg/kg/day in three divided doses. Therapy with the assigned regimen was to be administered for a minimum of 3 days. Cultures for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were obtained from the site of infection before initiation of therapy. Cultures for Chlamydia trachomatis were also obtained from patients with endometritis or pelvic inflammatory disease. Subjects were evaluated for clinical and bacteriologic response at 24-72 hours and 2-4 weeks after completing therapy. Results Two hundred ninety-nine patients were enrolled; 196 were in the piperacillin-tazobactam group and 103 were in the clindamycin-gentamicin group. The most common diagnoses were endometritis (146) and pelvic inflammatory disease (115). The most common microorganisms recovered included: Peptostreptococcus sp (99), Prevotella sp (87), black pigmented Bacteroides (29), B fragilis (11), enterococci (64), group B streptococcus (26), Escherichia coli (31), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (49), and C trachomatis (19). A favorable clinical response occurred in 84.7% (166 of 196) of piperacillin-tazobactam patients and 87.3% (90 of 103) of clindamycin-gentamicin patients. Among those evaluable for bacteriologic response, 78% (67 of 86) and 82% (23 of 28), respectively, had a favorable response. Diarrhea occurred significantly more frequently in the piperacillin-tazobactam group (9.7 versus 2.9%; P = .04), but the majority of episodes were mild to moderate. None of the adverse experiences in either treatment group were considered life-threatening and drug-related. Conclusion The combination of piperacillin and tazobactam is an effective and well-tolerated antibiotic regimen for the treatment of infections of the upper genital tract in women.
A Role for Molecular Motion as a Mechanism for the NMR Relaxation of Water Protons in Biological Systems

The motion of water protons is changed due to their interactions with the macromolecules in the biological system. Our quasi-elastic neutron scattering studies show, through the increased correlation time in jump-diffusion model, that the diffusive motion of cellular water is reduced. This reduction in diffusive motion, however, cannot account for the observed reductions in the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation times and their frequency dispersion. In an attempt to explain the reduction in the NMR relaxation times (and the frequency dispersion), we have developed a physical model for the motion of proteins and their influence on water protons. The details of this model is discussed in this paper. We have been successful in interpreting some NMR frequency dispersion data of water protons in poly-amino acid and protein solutions with this theory. In addition, we have been successful in applying this theory to the dispersion of T1 relaxation for water protons in cellular systems.
Paternal Epigenetic Inheritance

Abstract Paternal experiences (i.e. nutritional, hormonal, toxins, social, stress) can induce significant variation in phenotype and these effects can persist across generations. Investigations of the mechanistic pathways linking paternal experience to offspring and grand-offspring outcomes have implicated epigenetic modifications as a plausible route through which these effects are achieved. Within this framework, environmentally induced epigenetic variation occurs in male gametes is maintained following post-fertilization epigenetic reprogramming, alters gene activity and phenotype in offspring, and is transmitted to subsequent generations via the germline. There is increasing evidence in support of this hypothesized epigenetic inheritance and here we discuss the potential role of altered DNA methylation, post-translational histone modifications, and small RNAs in these transgenerational effects. However, within our expanding understanding of the mechanisms of paternal effects, it is important to incorporate a more inclusive notion of inheritance that includes genetic, epigenetic, and paternal–maternal interplay. In this chapter, the authors discuss the role of these factors in the transmission of paternal effects and consider the adaptive consequence of inherited environmentally induced phenotypes.
Abstract 2873: Targeting RAGE for prostate cancer treatment

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer among men and is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. In 2017 alone, an estimated 161,360 men will be diagnosed with PCa and approximately 26,730 deaths will result from this disease in the United States. The most common methods for PCa treatment include surgery, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy. These treatment options unfortunately have serious drawbacks such as the possibility of organ damage, adverse side effects, and eventual PCa resistance to treatment. Due to the severe threat that PCa poses across the male population, it is vital that more effective and safe treatment options are explored. Previous research has indicated that the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) plays a vital role in the survival of prostate cancer cells, indicating that RAGE could be a potential therapeutic target. In the present study, we focused on targeting RAGE using two different antagonists, RAGE aptamer and azeliragon as potential alternative therapies for PCa. Confocal microscopy assays initially confirmed that RAGE aptamer expression strongly binds to VCaP cells while azeliragon treatment decreased the expression of RAGE in these cells. MTT cell viability assays indicated that RAGE aptamer and azeliragon decrease PCa cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner for VCaP and DU-145 cell lines respectively. Cell cycle analysis suggested that RAGE aptamer and azeliragon-treated DU-145 cells enforced cellular G0/G1 phase arrest in a dose-dependent manner. Annexin V FITC and ROS immunofluorescence assays showed that RAGE aptamer and azeliragon induce apoptosis potentially by inducing oxidative stress in PCa cells. Apoptosis activation in RAGE aptamer and azeliragon-treated VCaP cells was confirmed by the detection of PARP-1 cleavage through western blotting. Taken together, our findings suggest that RAGE aptamer and azeliragon may be a promising alternative form of therapy for PCa patients. Citation Format: Kyle J. Ernzen, Subramanyam Dasari, Gnanasekar Munirathinam. Targeting RAGE for prostate cancer treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2873.
Applying the Heightened Standard

The previous chapter sought to explain the requirements of a heighten duty to accommodate, but what would that actually look like? Politically motivated rhetoric can easily become attenuated from the actual impacts of proposed legislation, and it appears that is what is happening in regards to protecting religious free expression.
Moving Target Defense for the Placement of Intrusion Detection Systems in the Cloud

A lot of software systems are deployed in the cloud. Owing to realistic demands for an early product launch, oftentimes there are vulnerabilities that are present in these deployed systems (or eventually found out). The cloud service provider can find and leverage this knowledge about known vulnerabilities and the underlying communication network topology of the system to position network and host-based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) that can effectively detect attacks. Unfortunately, deploying IDS on each host and network interface impacts the performance of the overall system. Thus, in this paper, we address the problem of placing a limited number of IDS by using the concept of Moving Target Defense (MTD). In essence, we propose an MTD system that allows a defender to shift the detection surfaces and strategically switch among the different IDS placement configurations in each round. To find a secure switching strategy, we (1) formulate the problem of placing a limited number of IDS systems in a large cloud network as a Stackelberg Game between the cloud administrator and an (external or stealthy) attacker, (2) design scalable methods to find the optimal strategies for switching IDS placements at the start of each round, and (3) formally define the problem of identifying the most critical vulnerability that should be fixed, and propose a solution for it. We compare the strategy generated by our method to other state-of-the-art strategies, showcasing the effectiveness and scalability of our method for real-world scenarios.
Polysubstance Use by Stimulant Users: Health Outcomes Over Three Years.

Objective:Studies show that stimulant users have varied substance use patterns and that polysubstance use is associated with poorer past or concurrent medical, mental health, and substance use outc...
“We Can Bring It Back”Revisiting Cateforis in 2018

Theo Cateforis’s 1993 JPMS essay “‘Total Trash’: Analysis and Post Punk Music” used the sound and the critical reception of a Sonic Youth song to envision a new approach to popular music analysis. Just as the present series reconsiders this journal’s early issues, Cateforis opened his
Random fiber networks with inclusions: the effect of the inclusion stiffness

The mechanical behavior of random fiber networks containing inclusions is studied in this work. Inclusions are considered spherical and of radius comparable to the network mean segment length. Their stiffness is varied in a broad range, from very soft to rigid. It is observed that the presence of inclusions modifies the small strain stiffness of the network but does not change the functional form of the non-linear part of the stress-strain curve which, therefore, remains independent of the inclusion stiffness. Soft, bending-dominated networks can be reinforced more efficiently than the stiffer and more affinely deforming axially dominated networks. The variation of the composite modulus with the stiffness of inclusions does not follow the prediction of continuum homogenization theory. Numerical data that allow predicting the homogenized stiffness are presented.
An Efficient Viterbi Algorithm for Combined MSK Demodulation and Gold Code Despreading

In this paper, we present an efficient Viterbi algorithm that achieves minimum shift keying (MSK) demodulation combined with despreading and provides soft decisions to the forward error correction module. To our knowledge, this combination of demodulation and despreading with the added capability to deliver soft decisions using Viterbi algorithm has not been reported in the literature before. Specifically, we have used Gold codes for the spreading and turbo code as the forward error correction code. The Viterbi algorithm used for MSK demodulation is first modified to incorporate despreading as part of the demodulation process. This reduces the computational complexity compared to doing the two operations separately. We provide a scheme to select the Gold codes that allows the software implementation at the receiver to be more efficient. Finally, the receiver is made more robust by making it capable of compensating residual errors in the estimation of the phase and carrier frequency offsets.
VIA character strengths among U.S. college students and their associations with happiness, well-being, resiliency, academic success and psychopathology

This study was not supported or funded by any grants. No financial interest or benefit has arisen from the direct application of this research. All data for this study are stored at the University ...
Consummatory, Feeding Microstructural, and Metabolic Effects Induced by Limiting Access to Either a High-Sucrose or a High-Fat Diet.

Background: Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by recurrent binge eating episodes consisting of rapid consumption of excessive amounts of highly palatable, energy-dense food within discrete periods of time. The aim of this study was to test the consummatory, food microstructural, and metabolic effects of a one hour limited access to either a high-sucrose diet (HSD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) in an operant rat model of binge-like eating. Methods: Female rats were subject to a binge-like eating procedure in which a HSD, a HFD, or a standard chow diet were provided in a fixed ratio 1 (FR1) operant schedule of reinforcement. Results: Limiting access to either a HSD or a HFD promoted binge-like eating as compared to the control chow diet. However, binge-like eating of HSD, but not HFD, was based on a true increase in the amount of food consumed, an increased eating rate, and a decrease in the intake of the home-cage standard chow, altogether suggesting an increase in palatability. Moreover, while HSD rats consumed overall less energy than HFD rats, the former were more energy efficient and gained more body weight than the latter. Conclusions: These results provide information on how the quality of food can deeply influence the behavioral and metabolic outcomes of binge-like eating.
Cardiac Function Monitoring for Patients Undergoing Cancer Treatments Using Wearable Seismocardiography: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Advances in cancer therapeutics have dramatically improved the survival rate and quality of life in patients affected by various cancers, but have been accompanied by treatment-related cardiotoxicity, e.g. left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and/or overt heart failure (HF). Cardiologists thus need to assess cancer treatment-related cardiotoxic risks and have close followups for cancer survivors and patients undergoing cancer treatments using serial echocardiography exams and cardiovascular biomarkers testing. Unfortunately, the cost-prohibitive nature of echocardiography has made these routine follow-ups difficult and not accessible to the growing number of cancer survivors and patients undergoing cancer treatments. There is thus a need to develop a wearable system that can yield similar information at a minimal cost and can be used for remote monitoring of these patients. In this proof-of-concept study, we have investigated the use of wearable seismocardiography (SCG) to monitor LV function non-invasively for patients undergoing cancer treatment. A total of 12 subjects (six with normal LV relaxation, five with impaired relaxation and one with pseudo-normal relaxation) underwent routine echocardiography followed by a standard six-minute walk test. Wearable SCG and electrocardiogram signals were collected during the six-minute walk test and, later, the signal features were compared between subjects with normal and impaired LV relaxation. Pre-ejection period (PEP) from SCG decreased significantly (p < 0.05) during exercise for the subjects with impaired relaxation compared to the subjects with normal relaxation, and changes in PEP/LV ejection time (LVET) were also significantly different between these two groups (p < 0.05). These results suggest that wearable SCG may enable monitoring of patients undergoing cancer treatments by assessing cardiotoxicity.
Prenatal Environmental Stressors Impair Postnatal Microglia Function and Adult Behavior in Males

Gestational exposure to environmental toxins and socioeconomic stressors are epidemiologically linked to neurodevelopmental disorders with strong male-bias, such as autism. We modeled these prenatal risk factors in mice, by co-exposing pregnant dams to an environmental pollutant and limited-resource stress, which robustly activated the maternal immune system. Only male offspring displayed long-lasting behavioral abnormalities and alterations in the activity of brain networks encoding social interactions. Cellularly, prenatal stressors diminished microglial function within the anterior cingulate cortex, a central node of the social coding network, in males during early postnatal development. Genetic ablation of microglia during the same critical period mimicked the impact of prenatal stressors on a male-specific behavior, indicating that environmental stressors alter neural circuit formation in males via impairing microglia function during development.
Data-driven identification of 2D Partial Differential Equations using extracted physical features

Abstract Many scientific phenomena are modeled by Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). The development of data gathering tools along with the advances in machine learning (ML) techniques have raised opportunities for data-driven identification of governing equations from experimentally observed data. We propose an ML method to discover the terms involved in the equation from two-dimensional spatiotemporal data . Robust and useful physical features are extracted from data samples to represent the specific behaviors imposed by each mathematical term in the equation. Compared to the previous models, this idea provides us with the ability to discover 2D equations with time derivatives of different orders, and also to identify new underlying physics on which the model has not been trained. Moreover, the model can work with small sets of low-resolution data while avoiding instability caused by numerical differentiations . The results indicate robustness of the features extracted based on prior knowledge in comparison to automatically detected features by a Three-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (3D CNN) given the same amounts of data. Although particular PDEs are studied in this work, the idea of the proposed approach could be extended for reliable identification of various PDEs.
Transfer matrix approach for the real symmetric 1D random band matrices

This paper adapts the recently developed rigorous application of the supersymmetric transfer matrix approach for the 1d band matrices to the case of the orthogonal symmetry. We consider $N\times N$ block band matrices consisting of $W\times W$ random Gaussian blocks (parametrized by $j,k \in\Lambda=[1,n]\cap \mathbb{Z}$, $N=nW$) with a fixed entry's variance $J_{jk}=W^{-1}(\delta_{j,k}+\beta\Delta_{j,k})$ in each block. Considering the limit $W, n\to\infty$, we prove that the behavior of the second correlation function of characteristic polynomials of such matrices in the bulk of the spectrum exhibit a crossover near the threshold $W\sim \sqrt{N}$.
Understanding effects of conductive additives in lithium-sulfur batteries

Abstract Since 2009, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been attracting much research interest, ascribed to their high energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, their S cathodes are harassed by the poor conductivity, shuttling of lithium polysulfides (LPSs), and large volume change. In improving conductivity of S cathodes, carbon materials are widely used as conductive additives. However, there still lacks a comparative study on their geometric and structural effects in Li-S batteries. To this end, a systematic investigation is conducted on two different typical conductive additives, carbon black (CB) 1 and nitrogen-doped graphene nanosheets (N-GNS) 2 . This work reveals that, compared to the zero-dimensional (0D) CB nanoparticles, the two-dimensional (2D) N-GNS is structurally less defective and has a larger surface area. As a result, the 2D structure of the N-GNS helps achieve higher capacity retention but inhibits Li-ion transportation. In comparison, the 0D structure of the CB facilitates the transportation of Li-ions with a higher initial capacity but exposed to a severer shuttling behavior of LPSs. It is also found that a combination of the CB and N-GNS enables better performance of Li-S batteries, in terms of sustainable capacity, Coulombic efficiency, and rate capability. This study is inspiring for designing better S cathodes for Li-S batteries.
Invasive grass litter suppresses native species and promotes disease

Abstract Plant litter can alter ecosystems and promote plant invasions by changing resource acquisition, depositing toxins, and transmitting microorganisms to living plants. Transmission of microorganisms from invasive litter to live plants may gain importance as invasive plants accumulate pathogens over time since introduction. It is unclear, however, if invasive plant litter affects native plant communities by promoting disease. Microstegium vimineum is an invasive grass that suppresses native populations, in part through litter production, and has accumulated leaf spot diseases since its introduction to the U.S. In a greenhouse experiment, we evaluated how M. vimineum litter and accumulated pathogens mediated resource competition with the native grass Elymus virginicus. Resource competition reduced biomass of both species and live M. vimineum increased disease incidence on the native species. Microstegium vimineum litter also promoted disease on the native species, suppressed establishment of both species, and reduced biomass of M. vimineum. Nonetheless, interference competition from litter had a stronger negative effect on the native species, increasing the relative abundance of M. vimineum. Altogether, invasive grass litter suppressed both species, ultimately favoring the invasive species in competition, and increased disease incidence on the native species.
Area Not Geographic Isolation Mediates Biodiversity Responses of Alpine Refugia to Climate Change

Climate refugia, where local populations of species can persist through periods of unfavorable regional climate, play a key role in the maintenance of regional biodiversity during times of environmental change. However, the ability of refugia to buffer biodiversity change may be mediated by the landscape context of refugial habitats. Here, we examined how plant communities restricted to refugial sky islands of alpine tundra in the Colorado Rockies are changing in response to rapid climate change in the region (increased temperature, declining snowpack, and earlier snow melt-out) and if these biodiversity changes are mediated by the area or geographic isolation of the sky island. We resampled plant communities in 153 plots at seven sky islands distributed across the Colorado Rockies at two time points separated by 12 years (2007/2008–2019/2020) and found changes in taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity over time. Specifically, we found an increase in species richness, a trend toward increased phylogenetic diversity, a shift toward leaf traits associated with the stress-tolerant end of leaf economics spectrum (e.g., lower specific leaf area, higher leaf dry matter content), and a decrease in the functional dispersion of specific leaf area. Importantly, these changes were partially mediated by refugial area but not by geographic isolation, suggesting that dispersal from nearby areas of tundra does not play a strong role in mediating these changes, while site characteristics associated with a larger area (e.g., environmental heterogeneity, larger community size) may be relatively more important. Taken together, these results suggest that considering the landscape context (area and geographic isolation) of refugia may be critical for prioritizing the conservation of specific refugial sites that provide the most conservation value.
The Growing Security Concerns of Cloud Computing

The emergence of cloud computing has allowed for a more efficient use of system and business resources for many users and organizations. The market of the cloud computing business has grown worldwide. The reason for this rapid adoption rate is related to the many advantages of moving to the cloud as opposed to hosting computing resources internally in a privately owned cloud datacenter. However, there is one glaring drawback to cloud computing: the housing of your data is in the hands of an outside entity. In this paper, we will expand on publicly known cloud data breaches, how they were carried out, where the implemented security controls failed, and the effects of the breaches. By this paper’s end, we look to inform the reader of the recent data breaches related to cloud datacenters and their technology, and how future computer security analysts can work with the cloud infrastructure to optimize cloud resources while implementing strong security controls.
The sulfated steroids pregnenolone sulfate and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate inhibit the α1β3γ2L GABAA receptor by stabilizing a novel non-conducting state.

The γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor is inhibited by the endogenous sulfated steroids pregnenolone sulfate (PS) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS). It has been proposed in previous work that these steroids act by enhancing desensitization of the receptor. Here, we have investigated the modulatory effects of the steroids on the human α1β3γ2L GABAA receptor. Using electrophysiology and quantitative model-based data analysis, we show that exposure to the steroid promotes occupancy of a non-conducting state that retains high affinity to the transmitter but whose properties differ from those of the classic, transmitter-induced desensitized state. From the analysis of the inhibitory actions of two combined steroids, we infer that PS and DHEAS act through shared or overlapping binding sites. Significance Statement Previous work has proposed that sulfated neurosteroids inhibit the GABAA receptor by enhancing the rate of entry into the desensitized state. We show here that the inhibitory steroids pregnenolone sulfate and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate act through a common interaction site by stabilizing a distinct non-conducting state.
Our Social World

Foundations Forming and managing impressions Social cognition Attribution The self Attitudes and behavior Prejudice Attitudes and persuasion Influence Group dynamics Personal relationships Helping. What is aggression? Social environment.
A spatially explicit environmental health surveillance framework for tick-borne diseases

We demonstrate how applying a spatially explicit context to an existing environmental health surveillance framework is vital for more complete surveillance of disease, and for disease prevention and intervention strategies. To illustrate this framework, we present a case study that involves estimating the risk of human exposure to Lyme disease. The spatially explicit framework divides the surveillance process into three components: hazard surveillance, exposure surveillance, and outcome surveillance. The components are used both collectively and individually, to assess risk of exposure to infected ticks. By utilizing all surveillance components, we identify different areas of risk which would not have been identified otherwise. Hazard surveillance uses maximum entropy modeling and Geographically Weighted Regression analysis to create spatial models that predict the geographic distribution of ticks in Texas. Exposure surveillance uses GIS methods to estimate the risk of human exposures to infected ticks, resulting in a map that predicts the likelihood of human-tick interactions across Texas, using LandScan 2008™ population data. Lastly, outcome surveillance uses kernel density estimation-based methods to describe and analyze the spatial patterns of tick-borne diseases, which results in a continuous map that reflects disease rates based on population location. Data for this study was obtained from the Texas Department of Health Services and the University of North Texas Health Science Center. The data includes disease data on Lyme disease from 2004 to 2008, and the tick distribution estimates are based on field collections across Texas from 2004 to 2008.
Transgender Student-Athletes and Sex-Segregated Sport: Developing Policies of Inclusion for Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Athletics

This Article discusses the discrimination of transgender students who may be excluded, discouraged, or simply made to feel uncomfortable participating in athletic programs for their natal sex, by the sex-segregated world of athletics. The Author believes that until sports' governing bodies develop and enforce policies of inclusion, transgender students will continue to be denied access to and the benefits of athletic participation. The Author examines the values that should go into the formation of such policies, including legal, medical and educational concerns. Part I of the Article puts transgender students' athletic participation in context by examining educational athletic's deep and long standing reliance on sex and gender as a central organizing principle. Part II describes the existing policies and positions that organizing bodies of sport have developed to address participation by transgender athletes in sex-segregated sports. Part III describes the role of law and science in the development of such policies, and concludes that both regimes are limited in their ability to define the proper balance between an individual's right to participate in athletics and countervailing concerns about fairness to other athletes. The Article concludes with the suggestion that the current dearth of policies regarding transgender-athlete participation creates both the need and opportunity for educational institutions to craft inclusive policies that incorporate educational values as well as legal and science-based considerations.
Bacterial Peptidases III. AN ENZYME SPECIFIC FOR N-ACYL LINKAGES TO ALANINE

Abstract A partially purified extract from a soil microorganism catalyzes the reaction 4-Aminobenzoylalanine → 4-aminobenzoate + alanine This activity, which is absolutely dependent on the presence of Zn++, is capable of hydrolyzing linkages of the form RCO—N—, in which the nitrogen is contributed by l-alanine. In these substrates RCOOH represents not only 4-aminobenzoate but pteroyl, acyl, and amino acyl groups. This absolute specificity for alanine in the carboxyl-terminal position of these compounds complements previous studies on enzymes in which there is an analogous specificity for either glutamate or aspartate.
Social Comparisons as a device for cooperation in simultaneous-move games

This paper analyzes the effects of players' relative comparisons in complete information simultaneous-move games. In particular, every individual is assumed to evaluate the kindness she infers from other players'choices by comparing these choices with respect to a given refer- ence level. Specifically, this paper identifies under what conditions the introduction of relative comparisons leads players to be more cooperative than in standard game-theoretic models. I show that this result holds under certain conditions on the specific reference point that players use in their relative comparisons, and on whether players'relative comparisons leads them to regard each others' actions as more strategic complementary or substitutable. The model is then applied to different examples in public good games which enhance the intuition behind the results. Finally, I show that some existing models in the literature of intentions-based reciprocity and social status acquisition can be rationalized as special cases.
MARCO: a reachability algorithm for multi-affine systems with applications to biological systems

We present a new algorithm for the reachability analysis of multi-affine hybrid systems. In our previous work on reachability analysis and that of our collaborators [1,2,3], we exploited the convexity of multiaffine functions and the fact that the vector field in modes with rectangular invariants is uniquely determined by its values at the rectangle vertices. In this paper, we explicitly calculate conical overapproximations of the reachable set in the invariant of each mode. We describe our Multi-Affine Reachability analysis using Conical Overapproximations, MARCO, and show that it yields results that are superior to those obtained by existing methods for multi-affine hybrid systems. Finally, we demonstrate the application of MARCO to the analysis of an ant house hunting model that incorporates quorum sensing [4] and the analysis of bi-stability of the lactose induction system regulated by glucose and lactose [5].
Ethnocultural Traditions in Contemporary Society / Etnokulturní tradice v současné společnosti

Reviewed Medium: book Year: 2007 Pages: 167 Publisher: Institute of Ethnology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic ISBN: 978-80-87112-03-8 (soft cover).
Direct Sum Decompositions of Torsion-Free Finite Rank Groups

PREFACE NOTATION AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS Abelian Groups Associative Rings Finite Dimensional Q-Algebras Localization in Commutative Rings Local-Global Remainder Integrally Closed Rings Semi-Perfect Rings Exercise MOTIVATION BY EXAMPLE Some Well Behaved Direct Sums Some Badly Behaved Direct Sums Corner's Theorem Arnold-Lady-Murley Theorem Local Isomorphism Exercises Questions for Future Research LOCAL ISOMORPHISM IS ISOMORPHISM Integrally Closed Rings Conductor of an Rtffr Ring Local Correspondence Canonical Decomposition Arnold's Theorem Exercises Questions for Future Research COMMUTING ENGOMORPHISMS Nilpotent Sets Commutative Rtffr Rings E-Properties Square-Free Ranks Refinement and Square-Free Rank Hereditary Endomorphism Rings Exercises Questions for Future Research REFINEMENT REVISITED Counting Isomorphism Classes Integrally Closed Groups Exercises Questions for Future Research BAER SPLITTING PROPERTY Baer's Lemma Splitting of Exact Sequences G-Compressed Projectives Some Examples Exercises Questions for Future Research J-GROUPS, L- GROUPS, AND S- GROUPS Background on Ext Finite Projective Properties Finitely Projective Groups Finitely Faithful S-Groups Isomorphism versus Local Isomorphism Analytic Number Theory Eichler L-Groups Are J-Groups Exercises Questions for Future Research GABRIEL FILTERS Filters of Divisibility Idempotent Ideals Gabriel Filters on Rtffr Rings Gabriel Filters on QEnd(G) Exercises Questions for Future Research ENDOMORPHISM MODULES Additive Structures of Rings E-Properties Homological Dimensions Self-Injective Rings Exercises Questions for Future Research APPENDIX A: Pathological Direct Sums Nonunique Direct Sums APPENDIX B: ACD Groups Example by Corner APPENDIX C: Power Cancellation Failure of Power Cancellation APPENDIX D: Cancellation Failure of Cancellation APPENDIX E: Corner Rings and Modules Topological Preliminaries The Construction of G Endomorphisms of G APPENDIX F: Corner's Theorem Countable Endomorphism Rings APPENDIX G: Torsion Torsion-Free Groups E-Torsion Groups Self-Small Corner Modules APPENDIX H: E-Flat Groups Ubiquity Unfaithful Groups APPENDIX I: Zassenhaus and Butler Statement Proof APPENDIX J: Countable E-Rings Countable Torsion-Free E-Rings APPENDIX K: Dedekind E-Rings Number Theoretic Preliminaries Integrally Closed Rings BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX
Gating Kinetics of the cGMP-Activated Conductance of Retinal Cones

We briefy summarize here a study of the cyclic GMP-activated conductance in retinal cones. With its lack of desensitization and fast gating kinetics, this conductance is very similar to the homologous conductance in rods. The lack of channel desensitization permits a steady dark current to be maintained, while the fast gating kinetics allow the channel to act as a rapid sensor for the decrease in free cGMP concentration in the photoreceptor outer segment during illumination.
Getting the Interest Expense Right for the Igr and Pro Forma Analysis

In pro forma analysis, often the interest expense is not consistent with the assumptions. For example, the traditional formula for calculating the internal growth rate (IGR) is not consistent with the assumption of no increase in debt. I derive a corrected formula for the IGR that is consistent with a pro forma validation. Also, the calculation of external financing need for a given growth rate often incorrectly assumes interest expense grows with sales rather than increasing proportionally with debt (at least for a first pass solution). I also show a direct calculation for the pro forma interest rate without the need for an iterative solution. This gets the interest expense correct for the IGR and pro forma analysis.
The role of a professional society in delivering Japanese technical information

Bilan des efforts de l'AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) pour donner acces a la documentation japonaise. Discussion des problemes rencontres
Flow of Glaciar Moreno, Argentina, from repeat-pass Shuttle Imaging Radar images : comparison of the phase correlation method with radar interferometry

High-resolution radar images of Moreno Glaciar, Argentina, acquired by the Shuttle Imaging Radar C (SIR-C) on October 9 and 10 1994, at 24-cm wavelength (L-band), are utilized to map the glacier velocity both interferometrically and using a novel feature tracking technique.
The ‘Rule of Reason’ and the Right to Health: Integrating Human Rights and Competition Principles in the Context of TRIPS

In August 2001 the first public meeting of the American Society of International Law Project on Human Rights and International Trade (‘Project’) was held at the World Trade Institute in Berne, Switzerland. One session of that meeting was devoted to the relationship between human rights and the WTO Agreement in Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (‘TRIPS Agreement’). As part of the follow-up to that meeting, the team leading the Project decided it would be useful to consider several ‘case studies’ that would seek more specifically to identify and analyze situations in which human rights and trade rules interact with each other. This study looks at the manner in which human rights may affect the application of competition rules and principles in the context of the TRIPS Agreement.The analysis begins by observing that rights to life and health are well recognized in human rights law, and that the right to health has been confirmed by the WTO Ministerial Conference in the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health. It proceeds to demonstrate that the TRIPS Agreement rules governing competition provide substantial flexibility in terms of national policy, rule development, and application, and that this flexibility is sufficient to take into account human rights interests. The analysis turns to WTO Appellate Body jurisprudence for support for the proposition that Members are permitted to take into account non-trade interests in interpreting and applying TRIPS Agreement rules.
Memories of microbes and metabolism.

▪ Abstract As Jackie Gleason was wont to say: “How sweet it really is!” And—reflecting on the 1940s–1980s, when studies of microbial nutrition revealed exciting structure-function relationships of the B-complex vitamins with relevance to metabolism in humans—it really is. A chemistry degree from Beloit College and a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin set the stage for my life's work at Lederle Laboratories, the University of Illinois, and Vanderbilt University. At Lederle my research contributed to folic acid chemistry: coenzyme forms and function; antimetabolites and cancer chemotherapy. My subsequent university studies centered on lysine biosynthesis and metabolism, e.g. its precursor role in carnitine and in indolizidine alkaloids of physiological interest. There were also many opportunities to reach out and give something back to the system via teaching and diverse service activities, all of which has led to a happy, fulfilling career, one for which I am ever thankful.
Recovery through programming system/360: system/370

Recovery Management can be defined as the operational control of those system facilities (both program and machine) which strive to effectively deal with detected machine malfunctions within an operating system. Its primary concern is to maintain total system operation with minimum impact upon the availability of system resources.
Cooperativity of folding of the apomyoglobin pH 4 intermediate studied by glycine and proline mutations

The apomyoglobin pH 4 folding intermediate contains the A, G, and H helices of myoglobin. Helix destabilizing mutations in the A and G helices are used to test whether the pH 4 folding intermediate of apomyoglobin folds cooperatively. Single glycine or proline mutations destabilize the intermediate substantially, showing that intrinsic helix propensities are important for stability of the intermediate. The A and G helices interact to stabilize each other, as shown by the effect of mutations in the G helix on the unfolding of the A helix, which can be monitored by tryptophan fluorescence. Wild type and the most stable mutant unfold in a two-state reaction, as shown by superposition of the unfolding curves measured by two probes (far-UV circular dichroism and Trp fluorescence), while unfolding of the less stable mutants is more complex. Cooperativity and stability of folding are linked also when stabilizing anions (sulphate, perchlorate) are used to adjust stability.