cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genes, Environment, and Time: The Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA)

The Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA) is a large-scale investigation of cognitive aging from middle to later age. The intended sample of 1440 twin subjects is recruited from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry (VETR), a registry of middle-aged male-male twin pairs who both served in the military during the Vietnam conflict (1965-1975). VETSA employs a multitrait multimethod approach to cognitive assessment to focus on the genetic and environmental contributions to cognitive processes over time, as well as the relative contributions to cognitive aging from health, social, personality, and other contextual factors. The cognitive domains of episodic memory, working memory, abstract reasoning, and inhibitory executive functioning are assessed through neuropsychological testing. In addition, VETSA obtains the participant's score on the Armed Forces Qualification Test, taken at the time of induction into the military around age 20 years, and readministers the test. Two other projects - VETSA Cortisol and VETSA Magnetic Resonance Imaging - are also in progress using subsamples of the VETSA twins. Prior waves of data collection by VETSA investigators using the VETR have provided historical data on physical and mental health, while future waves of VETSA data collection are planned every 5 years. These methods will provide data on multiple phenotypes in the same individuals with regard to genetic and environmental contributions to cognitive functioning over time, personality and interpersonal risk and protective factors, stress and cortisol regulation, and structural brain correlates of ageing processes.
Effect of Substrate Temperature on the Plasma Polymerization of Poly(methyl methacrylate)

Low-power, plasma-enhanced (PE)CVD together with polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) can be used to deposit thin films of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with minimal loss of functional groups, as shown by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectrometry (RS). Retention of functional groups decreases with increased substrate temperature, corresponding to decreased deposition rates. From XPS data, the calculated percentage loss of functional groups ranges from 0.9 % to 43.4 %, changing as a function of deposition conditions. RS confirms the presence of C=C bonds in the polymer backbone as a result of scission of the ester group from MMA. The thermal properties of PECVD-produced films from MMA can be tailored by varying the substrate temperature. Onset of thermal decomposition, increases with increased substrate temperature by eliminating thermally labile peroxide linkages in the polymer backbone, and by crosslinking that occurs at radical sites generated via scission of functional group bonds. The post-anneal thicknesses of the remaining polymer is of the order of 4 nm or less, indicating that low-power PECVD of PMMA is a viable candidate to act as a sacrificial material for air-gap fabrication.
Power spectrum analysis of far-IR background fluctuations in 160 μm maps from the multiband imaging photometer for Spitzer

We describe data reduction and analysis of fluctuations in the cosmic far-IR background (CFIB) in observations with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) instrument 160 µm detectors. We analyzed observations of an 8.5 square degree region in the Lockman Hole, part of the largest low-cirrus mapping observation with this instrument. We measured the power spectrum of the CFIB in these observations by fitting a power law to the IR cirrus component, the dominant foreground contaminant, and subtracting this cirrus signal. The CFIB power spectrum in the range 0. 2a rcmin −1 < k < 0. 5a rcmin −1 is consistent with previous measurements of a relatively flat component. However, we find a large power excess at low k, which falls steeply to the flat component in the range 0.03 arcmin −1 < k < 0. 1a rcmin −1 .T his low-k power spectrum excess is consistent with predictions of a source clustering “signature”. This is the first report of such a detection in the far-IR.
PERFORMANCE UNDER REQUIREMENTS UNCERTAINTY: A PERSONALITY PERSPECTIVE

Software project failure is rampant and is far reaching in its economic consequences. Prior studies have found that the contextual factors (requirements uncertainty, for example) are a major source of failure in software development. From prior research, it is known that personality traits have an impact on an individual’s performance. The present research studies, how the personality trait of the software developer moderates the relationship between requirements uncertainty and performance of the software developer. The knowledge of this dynamics will help in better staffing of IT teams and more importantly in improving the success rate of software projects.
Laryngeal rebalancing for the treatmentof arytenoid dislocation

Summary In almost every type of functional laryngeal operation a successfulresult hinges on the surgeon's ability to control the muscular and ligamentous forces that act upon the vocal folds. Most of the time these forces are small in relation to the manipulations and resections performed. Occasionally, the forces are significant relative to the problem encountered, resulting in a failed surgery. Of all the many conditions that fit in to this latter description, perhaps the best example in arytenoid dislocation. Dislocation of the arytenoid is usually secondary to trauma with the majorityof reported cases resulting from some type of anesthetic misadventure. Two types of dislocation have been described, anteromedial and posterolateral, each with a different mechanism of causation. This paper concerns itself with the more common anteromedial variety and its treatment using botulinum toxin.
SPIROMETRY VARIABILITY CRITERIA-ASSOCIATION WITH RESPIRATORY MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN A COHORT OF COAL MINERS

To clarify the association between spirometry variability and respiratory morbidity and mortality, the authors analyzed data for miners examined in the first round of the National Coal Study, 1969-1971, and they compared groups of miners who failed with those who met each of two spirometry variability criteria: a 5% criterion recommended by the American Thoracic Society, and a 200 ml criterion used in prior research studies. Compared with miners who met the 5% criterion (the best two forced vital capacities must be within 5% or 100 ml of one another), the group that failed had a lower mean for forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and odds ratios for cough, phlegm, wheeze, shortness of breath, and death of 1.75, 1.67, 1.76, 2.71, and 1.30, respectively. The findings for the 200 ml criterion (the best two FEV1s must be within 200 ml of one another) were somewhat different. The group that failed versus the group that met this criterion had a higher mean for FEV1, and odds ratios for cough, phlegm, wheeze, shortness of breath, and death of 1.13, 1.07, 1.15, 1.43, and 0.94, respectively. Although the findings differ for the two criteria, the findings demonstrate that increased spirometry variabilitymore » is associated with poorer health.« less
Security-Constrained Resource Planning in Electricity Markets

We propose a security-based competitive generation resource planning model in electricity markets. The objective of the model is to introduce the impact of transmission security in a multi-GENCO generation resource planning. The proposed approach is based on effective decomposition and coordination strategies. Lagrangian relaxation and Benders decomposition are applied to decompose the original planning problem into tractable optimization subproblems. Locational price signal and security signal are defined for the simulation of competition among GENCOs and the coordination of security between GENCOs and the regulatory body (ISO). The numerical examples exhibit the effectiveness of the proposed generation planning model in electricity markets
Die Oxydation von Alkoholen mit Bleitetraacylaten; Einfluss der Acylreste bei der thermischen Reaktion

The competitive thermal oxidation of a 6β-hydroxy steroid (to a 6β, 19-ether) and the thermal oxidative decarboxylation of various carboxylic acids by lead4+ was investigated. The alcohol oxidation is faster than acetate and benzoate oxidation, about as fast as the oxidative decarboxylation of higher primary carboxylic acids (propionic, butyric acid), and much slower than the oxidative decarboxylation of secondary and tertiary carboxylic acids.
A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Substantive and Contextual Mediation Tactics1

The effectiveness of three mediation tactics was compared in two laboratory studies. It was hypothesized that a content mediation procedure which involved identifying the priorities of both parties and suggesting a trade-off of low for high priority issues would be most effective in helping to resolve the dispute, followed by an issue identification mediation procedure in which priorities were identified but no suggestions were made. A positive framing mediation procedure in which the benefits of a negotiated settlement were emphasized was expected to be somewhat less effective. In Study 1, 64 students played the role of company negotiator and interacted with a programmed citizen group negotiator. All three mediation tactics produced more satisfactory outcomes (higher joint payoffs) than did a no-mediation condition. In Study 2, 46 pairs of students negotiated with one another and received content mediation, issue identification mediation, positive framing mediation, or no mediation. Negotiators receiving content mediation achieved more satisfactory outcomes (higher joint profits) than did negotiators in the other 3 conditions. Results are discussed in terms of a contingency model of mediation effectiveness.
Low phase noise oscillators above 1 GHz utilizing hermetically sealed all quartz resonators and harmonic extraction

A compact hybrid SAW oscillator with an output frequency of 1.48 GHz, low aging rate, and low phase noise was realized by using the various technologies developed for SAW devices and a unique second-harmonic extraction technique. Bandpass filters are used to select the desired harmonic for subsequent amplification and delivery to a load. The usual 6-dB-per-octave degradation of phase noise with increasing center frequencies is applicable to the higher harmonics, just as it would be if the fundamental were multiplied in external circuitry. This principle has been demonstrated at output frequencies as high as 2.25 GHz. >
Electromechanical coupling of polypyrrole trilayer actuators

Conducting polymers (CP) are promising electro-active polymers and have been increasingly used in actuator applications. This paper is intended to characterize the electromechanical correlation between the current input and curvature output of polypyrrole trilayer actuators. A mathematical model was developed using the multilayer bending theory and an analogy between thermal expansion and ion insertion. The experimental results show that both the curvature and current share a similar tendency to exponential decay. The correlated coefficients were obtained by using least-squares curve fitting method.
Signos y Símbolos judíos en la moneda islámica occidental (siglos II-III/VIII-IX). El caso Idrīsí

This article analyzes the traces left by the Jews on the Idrīsid coinage. These traces will be evident in a group of letters, names and Hebrew terms as well as on a few different monetary symbols. First, I will expose the role played by Jews in Muslims lands and the religious ideas that conditioned their work as metalworkers and coin minters. Secondly, I will analyze the Idrīsid case: the role of the Jewish tribes in mining and in the manufacture of coins as well as the signs and symbols that they reproduced on their coins. In addition, I will also analyze the possible influence that the symbols found on the eastern Umayyad could have had on the Idrisīd coinage and its possible Jewish origin.
Reaffirming the CEO effect is significant and much larger than chance: A comment on Fitza (2014)

A recent study by Fitza argued that the prior estimates of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effect are conflated with events outside the CEO's control, are largely the result of random chance, and that the true CEO effect is smaller than has been previously estimated. We suggest that the empirical methodology employed by Fitza to support these claims substantially overstates the “random chance” element of the CEO effect. We replicate Fitza's findings, highlight methodological issues, offer alternative conclusions, and using multilevel modeling (MLM), suggest that his analyses mischaracterize the CEO effect. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dose-Dependent Pharmacokinetics of 3′-azido-2′,3′-dideoxyuridine in Rats

The pharmacokinetics of 3′-azido-2′,3′-dideoxyuridine (AzddU; CS-87), an inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication in vitro, were characterized in rats. AzddU was administered intravenously at doses of 10, 50, 100 and 250mgkg−1. Plasma and urine AzddU concentrations were measured by HPLC. Plasma AzddU concentrations declined in a biexponential fashion with a terminal half-life of approximately 1.5h. The disposition of AzddU was independent of dose over the dosage range of 10–100mgkg−1; however, the pharmacokinetics of the nucleoside exhibited non-linearities after 250mgkg−1. Over the dose range of 10–100mgkg−1 AzddU, total clearance and renal clearance averaged 2.13lh−1kg−1 and 1.46lh−1kg−1, respectively. Total clearance was significantly lower after 250mgkg−1 (CIT = 1.32lh−1kg−1) owing to a decreased renal clearance (CIR = 0.69lh−1kg−1) of AzddU. Renal clearance exceeded glomerular filtration rate, indicating that active renal tubular secretion was involved in the renal excretion of the...
Pre-knowledge of isolation as a prerequisite for the isolation-effect

This study tests the hypothesis that prior knowledge of isolation is critical for an isolation-effect in perception. For some Os vertical lines were placed above and below the seventh of 10 elements in a tachistoscopic binary pattern. Other Os saw only patterns without such isolation, and a third group of Os saw both isolated and unisolated patterns in random sequence. An isolation-effect was found only for Os who viewed isolated patterns exclusively. Only these Os knew before exposure that the seventh element would be isolated. The isolation-effect in pattern perception, as in serial learning, was attributed to the selective distribution of attention among stimulus-elements.
The Role of Platelet Activation and Inflammatory Reaction in the Development of Coronary Artery Disease

Objective: To compare the concentrations of plasma GMP-140 vWF, C-reactive protein (CRP) between patients with coronary artery disease(CAD) and healthy persons, evaluating the role of platelet activation and inflammatory reaction in the development of CAD. Methods: The concentrations of plasm GMP-140, vWF, CRP were measured in twenty-five of the patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and thirty-eight of the patients with unstable angina pectoralgia(UAP). Results: The concentrations of plasm GMP-140, vWF, CRP in the patients with AMI and UAP were significantly higher than healthy persons(P0.01) , and there were positive correlations with ischemic and infarction size. Conclusion : The results demonstrate that platelet activation and inflammatory reaction may play an important role in the pathogenesis of CAD. The level of platelet activation and inflammatory reaction may have a higher prognostic value in CAD.
The mechanism and kinetics of propene ammoxidation over α-bismuth molybdate

Abstract Propene ammoxidation over Bi2Mo3O12 was investigated to elucidate product (acrylonitrile, acetonitrile, HCN, acrolein, N2, etc.) formation pathways. Propene consumption rate is first order in propene and zero order in ammonia (for NH3/C3H6 = 0–2) and oxygen (for O2/C3H6 ⩾ 1.5) partial pressures, with an activation energy (Ea = 22 kcal/mol) comparable to that for propene oxidation, suggesting the same rate-limiting step for both reactions. We propose two N-containing species are relevant at ammoxidation conditions: adsorbed NH3 on surface Bi3+ ions that reacts with a propene derivative to form products with C N bonds, and a few metastable M-NHx (M = Mo, Bi; x = 1, 2) groups that are very sensitive to destruction by water, but that are responsible for NH3 oxidation to N2. A proposed reaction mechanism and model that captures the experimental trends in product distribution as a function of partial pressures and temperature are presented.
Role management strategies of bed and breakfast operators in New York State

The purpose of this study was to examine the coping behaviors of bed and breakfast operators in the state of New York. Skinner and McCubbin's (1987) 58item Dual-Employed Coping Scale was adapted to determine the coping behaviors of 174 bed and breakfast operators. Mean scores of coping behaviors indicate that bed and breakfast operators appear to employ most frequently coping behaviors in the maintaining perspective/reducing tension coping pattern that emphasize a strong positive belief system for the lifestyle. The results of stepwise multiple regression suggest that the hours the spouse contributes to household tasks, the age of the bed and breakfast operator, the hours the bed and breakfast operator contributes to the business, and the presence of children at home full-time are significant predictors of the use of coping behaviors. Introduction Due in part to the immense demands placed on a family unit when both spouses are employed outside of the home, many individuals have explored the option of starting a home-based business (Christensen, 1988). It has been estimated that 1.9 million Americans work exclusively at home and that two-thirds of these home-based workers are women (Horvath, 1986). One particular type of home-based business that has flourished in the United States in recent years is the bed and breakfast operation (Thaxton, 1982-83). Today, there are over 1,200 bed and breakfast operations in New York State alone.
Cellular proliferation markers in the evaluation of human cancer.

Our knowledge of normal growth regulatory mechanisms, and of the disordered growth that occurs during tumorigenesis, has greatly increased during the past decade. In particular, these studies have emphasized the importance of chromosomal alterations, genetic heterogeneity, and cell proliferation in tumorigenesis and metastasis. As a result, the early diagnosis and treatment of malignancy appear to be even more important than previously recognized. Clinical studies of tumor proliferative activity were first conducted by thymidine-labeling techniques and more recently by flow cytometric analysis of DNA content. This information appears to provide important information that directly relates to tumor behavior and is of great prognostic significance in many tumors. In contrast, total nuclear DNA content, as measured by flow cytometry or image analysis, appears to be an "epi-phenomenon," and its clinical significance varies in different tumors. The potential clinical value of this research is enormous, because a rapid, accurate nonradioisotopic flow cytometric determination of tumor kinetic parameters, simultaneously with DNA content and surface antigen expression, would provide information of great importance for determining patient prognosis and making therapeutic decisions. Under these circumstances, analysis of DNA content and proliferative activity should be applied cautiously to patient care. Stringent quality control should be exercised, and the potential significance and limitations of these data should be clearly provided to the requesting physician. Most importantly, additional research during the next few years will provide answers to the many questions that remain about the appropriate clinical role of this information. As Stanbridge and Nowell stated at the conclusion of a recent Cold Spring Harbor meeting on the Origins of Human Cancer, "We have come a long way. . . and we have a very long way to go."
Precolonial Culture and Education in the Southern Philippines

Almost every written account of the Philippines begins with a description of it as an archipelago of 7,100 islands. While this has become something of a cliche in the literature on the Philippines, it useful in that it does point to the extensive geographic, cultural, and linguistic diversity of the country. While roughly four centuries of colonization have more or less established the geographical identity of the Philippines, the combination of colonial experience and cultural diversity have rendered any sense of common national identity quite tenuous. This is particularly the case in the cultural and geographic margins of Philippine society: among the poor, in the remote rural areas, among the tribal minorities known collectively as the “Lumad,” and particularly among the Islamized ethnic communities frequently lumped together under the name bestowed upon them by the Spanish: Moros. In such a context, with such a history, it is perhaps unsurprising that a relatively weak Philippine state has been unable to assert the effective control of the rule of law into every corner of such a sprawling and diverse nation.1
The nonsteady-state-biofilm process for advanced organics removal

Modele cinetique d'elimination des composes organiques a l'etat de trace par passage sur un biofilm dans des conditions non stationnaires. Resultats de l'etude experimentale
Addiction, Compulsion, and Persistent Temptation

Addicts sometimes engage in such spectacularly self-destructive behavior that they seem to act under compulsion. I briefly review the claim that addiction is not compulsive at all. I then consider recent accounts of addiction by Holton and Schroeder, which characterize addiction in terms of abnormally strong motivations. However, this account can only explain the apparent compulsivity of addiction if we assume—contrary to what we know about addicts—that the desires are so strong as to be irresistible. I then consider accounts that invoke the phenomenon of “ego depletion,” according to which a person can resist temptation for a while, but not indefinitely. Implicit in this account is the assumption that addiction-related desires persist long enough to deplete the addict’s willpower. The balance of the paper argues that the persistence of the desire to consume drugs is a significant form of dysfunction in its own right, and that it makes an important and independent contribution to the compulsivity of addiction. I argue that addiction involves dysfunction in a mechanism that normally prevents a person from being tempted to do something that would invite disaster.
Coherent optical multiple-input multiple-output communication over multimode fiber

It is shown that coherent optical implementation is crucial for an optical multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system to work. It ensures successful channel separation for practically any data rate or fiber length
All Edge: Inside the New Workplace Networks, by Clay Spinuzzi: Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2015, 220 pp., $40.00 (hardcover)

As complex and adaptive environments, workplaces have long been a subject of study in the field of technical communication and an area of concern in Clay Spinuzzi’s scholarship. In All Edge, howeve...
Engineered cementitious composites for bridge decks

Abstract: Engineered cementitious composites (ECCs), by reducing the brittle nature of concrete, have opened a new world of possibilities to enhance the safety, durability, and sustainability of civil infrastructure. With a strategically designed microstructure, ECC features incredible ductility under tension, previously only seen in ductile metals. Cost savings can be realized through more efficient design, and less frequent maintenance and repairs. When long-term environmental impacts are accounted for, the ECC advantages over concrete become even more compelling. This chapter presents the ECC fundamentals related to bridge construction, including the basics of material design theory, mechanical and durability characteristics, and application in bridges.
Associations of Sodium and Potassium with Obesity Measures Among Diverse US Hispanic/Latino Adults: Results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate cross-sectional associations of sodium and potassium with BMI, waist circumference (WC), and body fat and to determine whether the nativity and/or duration of United States (US) residence modified these associations. METHODS Sodium and potassium were derived from 24-hour diet recalls from 16,156 US participants of the 2008 to 2011 Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) and from 24-hour urine in 447 HCHS/SOL participants. BMI, WC, and body fat were measured. RESULTS Dietary sodium that was 500 mg/d higher was cross-sectionally associated with a 0.07-kg/m2 higher BMI (P < 0.05) and a 0.18-cm larger WC (P = 0.04). Dietary potassium that was 500 mg/d higher was only associated with lower BMI and smaller WC among those who were foreign-born with 10 + years in the US (-0.13 kg/m2 , P < 0.01 and -0.36 cm, P = 0.01, respectively) and among those who were US-born (-0.62 kg/m2 , P < 0.01 and -1.42 cm, P < 0.01, respectively). Urinary sodium that was 500 mg/d higher was associated with a 0.27-kg/m2 higher BMI (P < 0.01) and 0.54 kg more body fat (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Sodium intake was associated with higher BMI, WC, and body fat. Potassium intake was associated with lower BMI and smaller WC among US-born participants and participants with a longer duration of US residence.
Hospitals with greater diversities of physiologically complex procedures do not achieve greater surgical growth in a market with stable numbers of such procedures.

Abstract Study objective Although having a large diversity of types of procedures has a substantial operational impact on the surgical suites of hospitals, the strategic importance is unknown. In the current study, we used longitudinal data for all hospitals and patient ages in the State of Florida to evaluate whether hospitals with greater diversity of types of physiologically complex major therapeutic procedures (PCMTP) also had greater rates of surgical growth. Design Observational cohort study. Setting 1479 combinations of hospitals in the State of Florida and fiscal years, 2008–2015. Measurements The types of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) procedures studied were PCMT, defined as: a) major therapeutic procedure; b) >7 American Society of Anesthesiologists base units; and c) performed during a hospitalization with a Diagnosis Related Group with a mean length of stay ≥4.0days. The number of procedures of each type of PCMTP commonly performed at each hospital was calculated by taking 1/Herfindahl index (i.e., sum of the squares of the proportions of all procedures of each type of PCMTP). Main results Over the 8 successive years studied, there was no change in the number of PCMTP being performed (Kendall's τ b =−0.014±0.017 [standard error], P=0.44; N =1479 hospital×years). Busier and larger hospitals commonly performed more types of PCMTP, respectively categorized based on performed PCMTP (τ=0.606±0.017, P N =1295 hospital×years). Conclusions were the same with multiple sensitivity analyses. Post hoc, it was recognized that hospitals performing a greater diversity of PCMTP were more similar to the aggregate of other hospitals within the same health district (τ=0.550±0.017, P Conclusions During a period with no overall growth in PCMTP, hospitals with greater diversities of types of PCMTP had growth that was, at most, minimally larger than that of the smaller hospitals, and vice-versa. Diversity is important operationally. From the perspective of delivering surgical care within a market, the unique contributions of each large teaching hospital performing many different types of PCMTP needs to be considered relative to the combined capabilities of other hospitals in its region.
Development of the Sport Mental Health Continuum—Short Form (Sport MHC-SF)

Well-being research conducted in competitive athletics has been marred by the lack of a context-specific measurement instrument. The purpose of this study was to adapt the Mental Health Continuum –...
Other Allergic Conditions: Venom Hypersensitivity, Drug Allergy, Chronic Urticaria/Angioedema, and Primary Immune Deficiency

This chapter reviews miscellaneous but common topics seen by both primary care and specialty clinicians. It covers practical advice for adolescents who have had reactions to stinging insects, chronic urticaria, medication allergies, and concerns for immunodeficiency.
Luther-Emery Stripes, Resonating Valence Bond Spin Liquid Background, and High T c Superconductivity

The stripe phase in high Tc cuprates is modeled as a single stripe coupled to the RVB spin liquid background by the single particle hopping process. In normal state, the strong pairing correlation inherent in RVB state is thus transfered into the Luttinger stripe and drives it toward spin-gap formation described by Luther-Emery Model. The establishment of global phase coherence in superconducting state contributes to a more relevant coupling to Luther-Emery Stripe and leads to gap opening in both spin and charge sectors. Physical consequences of the present picture are discussed, and emphasis is put on the unification of different energy scales relevant to cuprates, and good agreement is found with the available experimental results, especially in ARPES.
Contemporary Movements in Theories of Location

In the past two decades, much more attention has been given the effects of social context and ecology concerning many of the core interests in sociological research. Spearheading this recent interest is the technological advancement in computational power and sophistication that is now widely available to most researchers. However, as the ability to empirically test “spatial” relationships has grown, we find the speed at which theoretical understandings of such relationships has not kept pace. In fact, much of the spatial thinking in recent years has been focused towards spatial methods for analysis with considerably less attention being given to the construction of theory related to spatial processes. Some of the more notable developments in spatial thinking over the past couple of decades include the establishment of an environmental sociology paradigm by Catton and Dunlap; the ‘New’ Chicago School led by Robert Sampson and his colleagues; and the views of the oppositional Los Angeles School led by Micheal Dear’s postmodernist theories of location. These developments have continued to move us closer to a more complete understanding of what spatial concepts such as proximity, adjacency, and containment might mean in terms of their influence on social processes. With the increasing interest of sociologists in ecological effects, the discipline is moving forward in its understanding of such concepts.
Roles of glycosphingolipids in cell signaling: adhesion, migration, and proliferation.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the experimental procedures involved in studying the glycosphingolipid-mediated cell-to-cell recognition and communication. Methods for in vitro cell -biology studies include monocyte/lymphocyte adhesion to endothelial cells and their subsequent transmigration through the endothelial cell monolayer. Additional methods for studying the effects of glycosphingolipids on vascularsmooth-muscle cell proliferation are presented. The approaches of Molecular biology towards the understanding of glycosphingolipid-mediated cell function changes are briefly introduced. Cell proliferation, adhesion, and migration are crucial regulatory events for the development and survival of all mammalian and nonmammalian cells. Composition of glycosphingolipids and their roles in cell adhesion, proliferation, and transmigration are presented. The chapter presents the schematic demonstration of the in vitro transmigration assay, along with a discussion of the Transwell model.
Can Trade Policy Set Information Free

This policy brief examines how the US, the EU and Canada use trade policies to govern the Internet at home and across borders. The three trade giants use trade agreements to encourage e-commerce, reduce online barriers to trade, and to develop shared policies in a world where technology is rapidly changing and where governments compete to disseminate their regulatory approaches. Policymakers use export controls, trade bans or targeted sanctions to protect Internet users in other countries or to prevent officials of other countries from using Internet related technologies in ways that undermine the rights of individuals abroad. Finally, policymakers may use trade agreements to challenge other governments’ online rules and policies as trade barriers. We discuss how these policies, agreements, bans and strategies could affect Internet openness, Internet governance, and Internet freedom. We do not address telecommunications or e-commerce definitional issues.
N-gram based secure similar document detection

Secure similar document detection (SSDD) plays an important role in many applications, such as justifying the need-to-know basis and facilitating communication between government agencies. The SSDD problem considers situations where Alice with a query document wants to find similar information from Bob's document collection. During this process, the content of the query document is not disclosed to Bob, and Bob's document collection is not disclosed to Alice. Existing SSDD protocols are developed under the vector space model, which has the advantage of identifying global similar information. To effectively and securely detect similar documents with overlapping text fragments, this paper proposes a novel n-gram based SSDD protocol.
Why New Perspectives are Needed

In my presidential address in Atlanta at the annual conference of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning October 1985, I chose to highlight concerns arising from the influx into American planning schools of large numbers of international students, primarily from developing countries. It was clear to me that planning schools were largely unprepared to cope with this new challenge to planning education in the United States. It was apparent that some fresh perspectives on these issues are needed.
The Usefulness of Aggregated and Disaggregated Cash Flows in Signaling Financial Distress

This study compares the incremental usefulness of aggregated net and disaggregated gross cash flows in signaling future firm financial distress. Our study extends previous research because we used actual reported, rather than estimated, cash flows. This study examines a sample of nondistressed firms and firms that became financially distressed in 1991 and 1992 to generate logistic regression models. Logistic regression models were generated to predict a separate holdout sample of 1993 firms. Results show that cash flows have incremental usefulness in explaining financial distress. However, aggregated net cash flows do not capture all the information provided by disaggregated gross cash flows. The only aggregated cash flow useful in signaling future financial distress is net cash flow from operating activities. Several disaggregated gross cash flows are also useful in signaling future financial distress. The two most important disaggregated gross cash flows in signaling future financial distress are taxes paid and interest paid.
Predicting Social Ties in Massively Multiplayer Online Games

Social media has allowed researchers to induce large social networks from easily accessible online data. However, relationships inferred from social media data may not always reflect the true underlying relationship. The main question of this work is: How does the public social network reflect the private social network? We begin to address this question by studying interactions between players in a Massively Multiplayer Online Game. We trained a number of classifiers to predict the social ties between players using data on public forum posts, private messages exchanged between players, and their relationship information. Results show that using public interaction knowledge significantly improves the prediction of social ties between two players and including a richer set of information on their relationship further improves this prediction.
R2PG: Risk-Sensitive and Reliable Policy Gradient

Policy gradient approaches have gained great success in many complex dynamic decision-making problems, such as the game of Go. However, policy gradient methods suffer from high variance, which implies weak risk control in real applications. Therefore, it is valuable to introduce variance reduction techniques into policy gradient methods to help control the variance in the policy improvement process. Meanwhile, risk-sensitive management in dynamic decision problems is a primary concern in many fields, such as finance and process control. In this paper, we developed a policy search framework for reinforcement learning with variance-related criteria and a variance reduction technique. Our starting point is a standard formulation for the variance of the cost-to-go in episodic tasks. Using this formula, variance-reduced policy search algorithms are proposed. The convergence to local optima of the proposed algorithms is proved, and their applicability is demonstrated on financial-portfolio domains.
Transcription Errors of Blood Glucose Values and Insulin Errors in an Intensive Care Unit: Secondary Data Analysis Toward Electronic Medical Record-Glucometer Interoperability.

Background: Critically ill patients require constant point-of-care blood glucose testing to guide insulin-related decisions. Transcribing these values from glucometers into a paper log and the electronic medical record is very common yet error-prone in intensive care units, given the lack of connectivity between glucometers and the electronic medical record in many US hospitals. Objective: We examined (1) transcription errors of glucometer blood glucose values documented in the paper log and in the electronic medical record vital signs flow sheet in a surgical trauma intensive care unit, (2) insulin errors resulting from transcription errors, (3) lack of documenting these values in the paper log and the electronic medical record vital signs flow sheet, and (4) average time for docking the glucometer. Methods: This secondary data analysis examined 5049 point-of-care blood glucose tests. We obtained values of blood glucose tests from bidirectional interface software that transfers the meters’ data to the electronic medical record, the paper log, and the vital signs flow sheet. We obtained patient demographic and clinical-related information from the electronic medical record. Results: Of the 5049 blood glucose tests, which were pertinent to 234 patients, the total numbers of undocumented or untranscribed tests were 608 (12.04%) in the paper log, 2064 (40.88%) in the flow sheet, and 239 (4.73%) in both. The numbers of transcription errors for the documented tests were 98 (2.21% of 4441 documented tests) in the paper log, 242 (8.11% of 2985 tests) in the flow sheet, and 43 (1.64% of 2616 tests) in both. The numbers of transcription errors per patient were 0.4 (98 errors/234 patients) in the paper log, 1 (242 errors/234 patients) in the flow sheet, and 0.2 in both (43 errors/234 patients). Transcription errors in the paper log, the flow sheet, and in both resulted in 8, 24, and 2 insulin errors, respectively. As a consequence, patients were given a lower or higher insulin dose than the dose they should have received had there been no errors. Discrepancies in insulin doses were 2 to 8 U lower doses in paper log transcription errors, 10 U lower to 3 U higher doses in flow sheet transcription errors, and 2 U lower in transcription errors in both. Overall, 30 unique insulin errors affected 25 of 234 patients (10.7%). The average time from point-of-care testing to meter docking was 8 hours (median 5.5 hours), with some taking 56 hours (2.3 days) to be uploaded. Conclusions: Given the high dependence on glucometers for point-of-care blood glucose testing in intensive care units, full electronic medical record-glucometer interoperability is required for complete, accurate, and timely documentation of blood glucose values and elimination of transcription errors and the subsequent insulin-related errors in intensive care units.
Cover Crop Termination Treatment Impacts Weed Suppression Potential

Weed management in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is accomplished primarily with soilresidual herbicides, cultivation, and hand removal. Management practices that reduce weed emergence, like reduced tillage and cover crop mulches, may improve weed management efficacy. Depending on cover-cropping goals, growers face trade-offs in species selection and management priorities—producing weed-suppressive mulches may lead to transplanting difficulties and soil-residual herbicide interception. Managing more complex cover crop mixtures may result in different challenges. We established on-farm trials across 4 site-years to study impacts of cover crop composition [wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) monoculture or mixture], termination treatment (early or late chemical termination or removing aboveground biomass), and soil-residual herbicides on weed density and biomass. The cover crop mixture contained cereal rye (Secale cereale L.), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.), and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.), with canola (Brassica napus L.) at 1 site-year. The mixture typically produced more biomass than monoculture wheat, although composition had few impacts on weed density or biomass. With residual herbicides, termination treatment had few impacts on weed density, suggesting that residues did not adversely affect herbicide efficacy. Without residual herbicides, early-season weed density was often higher following the late-terminated cover crop compared with other termination treatments, though midseason weed density was typically lower. When termination treatment affected final weed biomass, it was lower following late termination, with one exception—crop establishment was reduced at 1 site-year, leading to reduced weed–crop competition and greater weed biomass. Our results suggest that growers can use mixtures and, if well-timed to a rainfall event for incorporation, still effectively use soil-residual herbicides to maintain adequate weed control in tobacco regardless of how the cover crop is managed. Later termination, resulting in more residue, may lead to less weed biomass accumulation in the absence of herbicide use.
Inflammation mediates the effect of discrimination, religiosity, and friendship network on expression of the Tp53 cancer suppressor gene.

Abstract Objective Chronic inflammation and expression of the TP53 gene are two biomarkers that have been identified as particularly important in the etiology and progression of cancer. While much is known about the determinants of inflammation, there is currently little information regarding the causes of variation in the functioning of TP53, even though it has been recognized for 40 years as the most potent of the cancer suppressor genes. The current paper explores the interrelationship between these two biomarkers and investigates the extent to which they are influenced by the social environment. Methods Using structural equation modeling (SEM) and longitudinal observational data from a sample of several hundred African Americans, we tested the hypothesis that adversity – operationalized as racial discrimination- and coping resources – operationalized as religiosity and black friends - influence expression of TP53, for better or worse, through their impact on inflammation. Results Correlational analysis showed inflammation and TP53 to be inversely related. Further, discrimination was positively related to inflammation and negatively related to TP53 expression, whereas religiosity and black friends were both negatively related to inflammation and positively related to TP53 expression. Finally, SEM indicated that the effect of the social environmental variables on TP53 expression was indirect through level of inflammation. Conclusions In addition to its established contribution to cancer through DNA damage and cell proliferation, inflammation likely increases cancer risk indirectly by inhibiting expression of the TP53 cancer suppressor gene. Hence environmental and stress management interventions may do more than reduce inflammation's cell damaging effects; they may also lessen the chances of cancer by increasing expression of TP53.
Phenotypes of macrophages present in the intestine are impacted by stage of disease in cattle naturally infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

Macrophages play an important role in the host immune response to Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infection, however, MAP is able to disrupt normal macrophage functions to avoid destruction. It is unclear whether the phenotypes of macrophages present in the target tissue play a role in the inability to clear MAP infection. The aim of this study was to identify macrophage phenotypes (host defense or resolution and repair) present within the bovine ileum of naturally infected cattle, as well as to ascertain abundance of each macrophage phenotype present during different stages of MAP infection. Immunofluorescent (IF) labeling was performed on frozen bovine mid-ileal tissue sections collected from 28 Holstein dairy cows. Comprehensive IF staining for cytokines, such as IFN-γ, IL-1Ra, IL-1β, IL-10, TGF-β, TNF-α, and uNOS, along with markers such as CD163, CD206, and TLR4, served to define the macrophage phenotypes. Overall, cows in the clinical stage of disease demonstrated significantly higher numbers of resolution and repair macrophages and lower numbers of host defense macrophages in the ileal tissue. Interestingly, subclinically affected cows with asymptomatic disease had a nearly equal ratio of host defense and resolution and repair macrophage phenotypes, whereas macrophage phenotype was skewed to a host defense macrophage in the tissues of the control noninfected cows. The preponderance of M2-like resolution and repair phenotype for macrophages in the tissues of cows with clinical disease would explain why the host fails to control and/or clear the infection, leading to a higher MAP burden. The results of the current study offer insight into the disparate macrophage phenotypes present in the bovine ileum during different stages of infection.
Entrainment of the Circadian Clock of the Enteric Bacterium Klebsiella aerogenes by Temperature Cycles.

Summary The gastrointestinal bacterium Klebsiella (nee Enterobacter) aerogenes expresses an endogenously generated, temperature-compensated circadian rhythm in swarming motility. We hypothesized that this rhythm may be synchronized/entrained in vivo by body temperature (TB). To determine entrainment, cultures expressing bioluminescence were exposed to temperature cycles of 1°C (35°C–36°C) or 3°C (34°C–37°C) in amplitude at periods (T-cycles) of T = 22, T = 24, or T = 28 h. Bacteria entrained to all T-cycles at both amplitudes and with stable phase relationships. A high-amplitude phase response curve (PRC) in response to 1-h pulses of 3°C temperature spike (34°C–37°C) at different circadian phases was constructed, revealing a Type-0 phase resetting paradigm. Furthermore, real-time bioluminescence imaging revealed a spatiotemporal pattern to the circadian rhythm. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the K. aerogenes circadian clock entrains to its host via detection of and phase shifting to the daily pattern of TB.