cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development and Evaluation of a Genetic Risk Score for Obesity

Multi-locus profiles of genetic risk, so-called “genetic risk scores,” can be used to translate discoveries from genome-wide association studies into tools for population health research. We developed a genetic risk score for obesity from results of 16 published genome-wide association studies of obesity phenotypes in European-descent samples. We then evaluated this genetic risk score using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort GWAS sample (N = 10,745, 55% female, 77% white, 23% African American). Our 32-locus GRS was a statistically significant predictor of body mass index (BMI) and obesity among ARIC whites [for BMI, r = 0.13, p<1 × 10−30; for obesity, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.57 (95% CI 0.55–0.58)]. The GRS predicted differences in obesity risk net of demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic information. The GRS performed less well among African Americans. The genetic risk score we derived from GWAS provides a molecular measurement of ...
Prostaglandin E2 enhances bradykinin-stimulated release of neuropeptides from rat sensory neurons in culture

Prostaglandins are known to enhance the inflammatory and nociceptive actions of other chemical mediators of inflammation such as bradykinin. One possible mechanism for this sensitizing action is that prostanoids augment the release of neuroactive substances from sensory neurons. To initially test this hypothesis, we examined whether selected prostaglandins could enhance the resting or bradykinin-evoked release of immunoreactive substance P (iSP) and/or immunoreactive calcitonin gene-related peptide (iCGRP) from sensory neurons in culture. Bradykinin alone causes a concentration-dependent increase in the release of iSP and iCGRP from isolated sensory neurons, and this action is abolished in the absence of extracellular calcium. Pretreating the neurons with PGE2 (10 nM to 1 microM) potentiates the bradykinin-evoked release of both iSP and iCGRP by approximately two-to fourfold. At these concentrations, PGE2 alone did not significantly alter peptide release. Exposing the cultures to 1 microM PGF2 alpha is ineffective in altering either resting or bradykinin-evoked peptide release. Sensory neurons in culture contain cyclooxygenase-like immunoreactivity suggesting that the enzyme that converts arachidonic acid to prostaglandins is present. In addition, pretreating cultures with 14C-arachidonic acid yields radiolabeled eicosanoids that cochromatograph with known prostaglandin standards. Preexposing cultures to indomethacin abolishes the production of prostaglandins and attenuates the bradykinin-stimulated release of iSP and iCGRP. This implies that the synthesis of prostaglandins contributes to the bradykinin-evoked release of peptides. The augmentation of bradykinin-induced release of iSP and iCGRP by PGE2 may be one mechanism to account for the inflammatory and hyperalgesic actions of this eicosanoid.
A perceptually based design methodology for color filter arrays [image reconstruction]

We consider the problem of selection of samples during image acquisition in a color digital camera. Due to the high cost of imaging sensors, digital cameras do not ordinarily employ separate sensors for each color channel. Instead, a single sensor overlaid with a mosaic of color filters is used such that a single color channel is sampled at each photosite. The full-color image must be reconstructed before the image may be displayed. In this paper, we propose a perceptually based sample selection scheme for color filter arrays. Regularization techniques are used to formulate an error criterion that reflects the error between the original image and the reconstructed image when viewed through the human visual system. A sequential selection algorithm is used to select sample locations that minimize the error criterion. The resulting array is found to compare favorably with existing array patterns in terms of the error criterion.
Primary Care Physician Responses to a Panic Disorder Vignette: Diagnostic Suspicion and Clinical Management:

Objective:To study current patterns of panic disorder (PD) recognition and management by primary care physicians (PCPs).Method:We administered a vignette describing a female PD patient to 189 PCPs.Results:Three-quarters of respondents believed that PD was at least 50 percent probable, and the mean PD likelihood rating was 63 percent. Diagnostic suspicion was significantly higher for PD than for other anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, and cardiac disorders. Medication was rated as significantly more necessary than medical testing and mental health referral. A benzodiazepine was suggested by 78 percent of respondents, while 35 percent suggested a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI). Under half rated the patient as requiring medical testing, mostly for hyperthyroidism (70%) and/or cardiovascular disorder (62%), and half felt that the patient required mental health referral.Conclusions:The data suggest that most PCPs are able to recognize PD. However, they may be excessively inclined to prescribe b...
Stakeholder influence in the evaluation of Cities‐in‐Schools

Deliberately involving urban education stakeholders in the Cities-in-Schools evaluation study was expected to increase the utility of the findings, but things did not work out that way.
Cognitive function and breast cancer: promise and potential insights from functional brain imaging

Altered cognitive function can be a distressing side effect of cancer and its treatment. Women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer often report problems with memory, concentration, and other cognitive abilities that can pose significant barriers to full resumption of family, job, and social roles. Despite considerable neuropsychological research, many unanswered questions remain about cancer-related cognitive deficits and the underlying neural bases. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measures brain activation associated with different mental states and has significantly advanced our understanding of cognitive function and dysfunction in healthy and clinical populations. However, to date the application of fMRI to the study of cognitive function in breast cancer is limited. The current review addresses the potential importance of this method for understanding the neurocognitive effects of breast cancer disease and treatment. Along with reviewing published fMRI studies on breast cancer to date, we discuss potential major contributions of this method which include: (a) delineating components of cognitive function and underlying neural processes most affected by cancer and its treatment, (b) uncovering compensatory processes and their limits, (c) identifying altered resting state networks that may relate to subjective complaints and longer term outcomes, and (d) clarifying the relationship between pre-treatment alterations in brain activity and longer term neural and behavioral outcomes. Finally, we pose questions for future research that can be optimally addressed by integrating fMRI and other imaging modalities to clarify the nature and causes of “chemo brain” and guide interventions to improve cognitive function and the quality of breast cancer survivorship.
Scale dependent effects of native prey diversity, prey biomass and natural disturbance on the invasion success of an exotic predator

There is growing support for the general notion that the drivers of invasion success often shift from biotic to abiotic factors with increasing spatial scale. Most of this research, however, has been conducted on a single trophic level; i.e. it has primarily looked at how the diversity of native competitors may influence invasion success. Less attention has been paid to understanding how native prey diversity may influence the invasion success of exotic predators and whether such biotic factors are scale-dependent. We used a hierarchical spatial survey of 17 stream communities to test whether native prey diversity, along with native prey biomass, algal resource abundance and annual stream discharge, influenced the abundance of an exotic crayfish predator, and whether the importance of these factors were scale-dependent. We used a hierarchical generalized linear model to evaluate the influence of these community and stream characteristics on exotic crayfish abundance at both the transect scale (1 m2) and the stream scale (400 m2). Our results indicated that at the stream scale, high stream discharge significantly limited invader abundance. However, at the smaller transect scale, native prey biomass was a significant driver of invasion success and positively correlated with invader abundance. We suggest that our results add to the emerging pattern that abiotic processes are stronger determinants of invasion success at large spatial scales, whereas biotic processes become more important with decreasing spatial scale. However, for predator invasions, prey biomass, not prey diversity may be a more important for driver of invasion success at small spatial scales.
Immunoreactive Material to Bovine TSH in Plasma from Patients with Thyroid Cancer

ABSTRACT About one-third of a group of euthyroid individuals with thyroid cancer were found to have high plasma levels of a material that cross-reacts with bovine but not with human TSH. Dilution curves paralleled those of bovine TSH. No definite correlation with metastatic disease was established.
Learning What to Want: Context-Sensitive Preference Learning

We have developed a method for learning relative preferences from histories of choices made, without requiring an intermediate utility computation. Our method infers preferences that are rational in a psychological sense, where agent choices result from Bayesian inference of what to do from observable inputs. We further characterize conditions on choice histories wherein it is appropriate for modelers to describe relative preferences using ordinal utilities, and illustrate the importance of the influence of choice history by explaining all major categories of context effects using them. Our proposal clarifies the relationship between economic and psychological definitions of rationality and rationalizes several behaviors heretofore judged irrational by behavioral economists.
Retirees with Pension Income and Characteristics of Their Former Job

Retirees' receipt of pension income significantly affects their ability to maintain a standard of living similar to that of their preretirement years. Drawing on data from the 1998 Retirement and Pension Plan Coverage Topical Module of the 1996 Survey of Income and Program Participation, this paper examines the percentage of retirees receiving pension income and the characteristics of these individuals as well as those of their former employers.
Morality Politics and Municipal LGBT Policy Adoption: A Rare-event Analysis

Why do municipal governments adopt lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) inclusive policies? The preponderance of literature suggests urbanism and social diversity are the most likely explanations for LGBT municipal policies. This research tests these assumptions using the morality politics model. Using rare-events logistic regression, municipalities in the state of Florida with LGBT antidiscrimination ordinances are compared with municipalities that do not have such policies. The results contradict theories of urbanism and highlight the shortcomings of the morality politics model. Specifically, the results indicate that even under highly salient conditions, LGBT advocacy resources play an important role in the policy adoption process.
Lend-Lease to Russia and the Origins of the Cold War, 1944–1945

O N May 11, 1945, three days after the cessation of hostilities against Germany, President Harry S. Truman ordered a drastic cutback in lendlease aid to the Soviet Union. The following day, civilian and military officials, zealously executing the directive, halted loadings in port and even recalled several ships at sea bound for Russia. Truman's order naturally evoked loud protests from the Soviets. The Grand Alliance was disintegrating. Joseph Stalin interpreted the reduction of lend-lease as an American attempt to extort political concessions through economic pressure. The full story behind this important policy decision has not been told.' In his Memoirs, Truman denied any intention of coercing the Russians. With the war in Europe ended, he argued, large-scale lend-lease shipments to the Soviet Union were no longer legally justifiable. The cutback applied to all nations, not just Russia; he had not intended the May 12 reduction to be so severe. When he had learned that his order had been interpreted too rigidly, Truman recalled, he had quickly corrected the mistake; and shipments to Russia had been resumed on as large a scale as possible.2 Those revisionist historians who have placed major responsibility for the Cold War on the United States have challenged Truman's explanation of the May 11 order and have cited the lend-lease cutback as one of the first of a series of provocative acts by his administration to coerce the Russians.3 The
Abstract B26: The anti-inflammatory effects of black raspberries and the anthocyanin metabolite protocatechuic acid in N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine-induced esophageal cancer in rats

Background: Black raspberries (BRB) and their component anthocyanins (AC) inhibit esophageal cancer in rats induced by N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA). Previous studies indicate that the bioavailability of the anthocyanins is low. The majority of BRB anthocyanins are metabolized by gut bacteria to protocatechuic acid (PCA). PCA has greater bioavailability than the AC and is chemopreventive in several organ sites. The current study was undertaken to determine if PCA is also effective against NMBA-induced esophageal cancer and if it influences inflammatory cytokine expression. Cytokines were measured using a simultaneous quantification bead assay. The pro-inflammatory cytokines measured were IL-1 β, IL-5, IL-7, erythropoietin (EPO), TNF- α, & interferon-gamma (IFN- γ), and the anti-inflammatory cytokines were IL-10 and T cell-derived IL-2 and the chemokines CCL5 & CCL20. Methods and Materials: Male Fischer 344 rats aged 3-5 weeks were randomized into groups by body weight & age. Rats were given s.c. injections of either the vehicle (20% DMSO/H2O) or NMBA (0.35 mg/kg b.w.) three times a week for five weeks. All rats were fed AIN-76A control diet during injections. Starting at week 6, groups of rats were fed experimental diets. These include Group 1 (DMSO + AIN-76A diet), Group 2 (NMBA + AIN-76A), Group 3 (NMBA + 3.8 umoles AC/ g AIN-76A), Group 4 (NMBA + 6% BRB in AIN-76A), & Group 5 (NMBA + 500 ppm PCA in AIN-76A). To match previous studies, the Group 3 diet contained 3.8 umoles of AC/g diet. A 6% BRB diet for Group 4 matched the anthocyanin content of Group 3, & the Group 5 diet contained 500 ppm PCA to match the estimated amount of Group 3 AC converted to PCA in the gut. 9 animals from each group were sacrificed at weeks 15 & 25, and 30 will be sacrificed at week 35. The esophagus was taken for tumor counts & used for HE 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B26.
Augustus Burns Weathersby 1913–1988

Augustus Burns Weathersby, researcher, teacher, and consultant of medical entomology, died Jan. 26, 1988.
Fault Analysis and Solving Methods of Fiber-optic Differential Protection Channels

Taking the fiber-optic differential protection as example,this paper introduces the faults of channels in 500 kV transmission line of Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan Grid,and provides experience for operation and maintenance personnel.
Physiological disposition of iproniazid in mice

The time-course of [14Clipro_niazid was followed for 96 h after admin-istration of a single dose (ip) to mice on either control or pyridoxine-deficient diets. Pharmacokinetic data showed an a-decay phase in plasma and tissues of 0.5-1.Oh and β-decay phases ranging from 13.5 t0 47.5 h. The β-phase half-lives in mice on the pyridoxine-deficient diets were decreased in plasma and kidneys and in-creased in liver,as compared to control diet animals. Covalent binding of iproniazid to liver proteins was increased in mice on the pyridoxine-deficient diet.
Distributed Multi-Agent Persistent Surveillance Under Temporal Logic Constraints∗

Abstract We consider the problem of finding optimal agent trajectories for persistent surveillance missions subject to temporal logic (TL) constraints. Specifically, we aim to minimize the time between two consecutive visits to regions of interest in a partitioned environment while satisfying each agent's TL specification. We formulate a distributed optimization problem, where each agent plans its trajectory based only on local information. We use a formal methods approach to show that any trajectory resulting from the proposed controller satisfies the corresponding TL constraints. The results are illustrated through simulations by comparing the proposed strategy with a joint planner and a planner without communication.
Content matters: Stakeholder assessment of river stories or river science:

Stakeholders include scientists, interest groups, leaders, professionals, government and NGO employees, and activists; they are individuals or groups that play an increasingly important role in public policy. As such, stakeholders are frequently used as a source to better inform public decision making. Given the growing importance of stakeholders’ understanding and thus communication concerning the issues on which they inform the public, it is timely to ask: How do stakeholders comprehend, or mentally construct an understanding of the policy issues upon which they are asked to weigh in? In an attempt to address this issue, this paper uses a case study of a policy issue, river restoration. Results from a survey of 85 stakeholders and a follow up interview of 20 stakeholders shed light on whether stakeholders predominantly prefer to think of river restoration in terms of science or through policy narratives. The findings indicate that stakeholders prefer explanations that use science and the engaged citizen...
Georg Kaiser's Kolportage: Commentary on Class in the Weimar Republic

(1989). Georg Kaiser's Kolportage: Commentary on Class in the Weimar Republic. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 64, No. 2, pp. 73-78.
Structure and Food Price Inflation

We pair Nielsen TDLinx data, 2004–2014, with Consumer Price Index data to investigate how changes in food retail market structure drive food price inflation. We find, in corroboration with much of the evidence to date, that market concentration is positively and significantly associated with higher food prices. We find the same to be true for store format concentration, or the homogeneity of food markets. As the market shares, or penetration, of supercenters, warehouse stores, limited assortment stores, and superettes increase at expense of traditional supermarkets, food price inflation decreases.
Utilization of a patient-centered asthma passport tool in a subspecialty clinic.

Introduction: Despite available and effective tools for asthma self-assessment (Asthma Control Test, ACT) and self-management (Asthma Action Plan, AAP), they are underutilized in outpatient special...
Using simplistic simulations to enhance learning in a nephrology pharmacotherapeutics module.

Abstract Background and purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a simplistic simulation exercise in a nephrology module on pharmacy students’ learning in a three-year concentrated curriculum. Educational activity and setting Second year pharmacy students participated in a two-part simulation on electrolyte imbalances and dialysis in a nephrology pharmacotherapeutics module. Students completed a seven-item anonymous survey at the end of the simulation on a five-point Likert scale to examine the effect of the simulation and their attitudes to the exercise. Additionally, exam scores were assessed at the end of the module to measure learning. Findings A total of 65 students completed the activity. Seventy-eight percent of students agreed that the simulation was a valuable learning experience and 76.9% reported that the simulations gave them real-world knowledge. Exam scores in the group who performed the simulations were higher on the assessment compared to those without the experience (p Discussion and summary Participation in the simulation had positive effects on students’ attitudes, learning, and exam scores. This experience was a successful active-learning method for enhancing learning in pharmacy education.
Capacity value of photovoltaic systems and their impacts on power system reliability

This paper investigates the various aspects of the capacity value of photovoltaic systems (PV-systems) and the effect of their penetration levels on power system reliability. Unlike wind power, the available output power of PV-systems can be classified into two specific time periods: certainly unavailable during the night and uncertainly available during the day. In other words, during the night, the output power is zero while during the day the output power experience uncertainties due to, among others, clouds and humidity. Therefore, this mixed behavior cannot be modeled as a stochastic variable during all time periods. The output power of PV-systems is clustered into bands and convolved with the output power of the conventional generators to determine the reliability indices and the capacity value. The IEEE RTS is used to demonstrate the effects of different strategies in calculating the capacity values of PV-systems. The results not only show that the capacity value is different for the two case scenarios but also the it decreases in a semi-linear manner as the size of the PV-system increases. Sequential Monte Carlo simulation is utilized to validate the results.
No environmental context-dependent effect, but interference, of physical activity on object location memory

Research on context-dependent memory has addressed many external and internal types of contexts. However, whether the physical activity engaged in at the time of encoding and recall can act as an environmental context cue has been systematically investigated only in one study. The purpose of the present study was to replicate this; furthermore, given the effect of physical activity/effort on the way space is represented, we sought to extend the findings to object location memory. Using a 1-list paradigm (Experiment 1) and a 2-list paradigm (Experiment 2), participants had to learn the locations of objects on a grid and then recall them, while standing or walking on a health walker. No evidence of activity context effects was found. However, an interference effect of the motor task on location memory was detected, such that participants' performance was worse when walking, compared to standing, at encoding (Experiment 2) or recall (Experiment 1). Results are discussed based on the outshining hypothesis and the possible link between motor task and object location memory.
Some Modifications of the Weissenberg Rheogoniometer for Adaptation to Hemorheological Studies

Modifications to the standard commercial Weissenberg rheogoniometer (1) were found necessary in order to make it more suitable for hemorheological studies (2, 3, 4).
Variation in outcomes among 24/7 percutaneous coronary intervention centres for patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Abstract Background Patients treated at 24/7 percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) centres following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have better outcomes than those treated at non-24/7 PCI centres. However, variation in outcomes between 24/7 PCI centres is not well studied. Objectives To evaluate variation in outcomes among 24/7 PCI centres and to assess stability of 24/7 PCI centre performance. Methods Adult patients in the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Patient Discharge Database with a “present on admission” diagnosis of cardiac arrest admitted to a 24/7 PCI centre from 2011 to 2015 were included. Primary outcome was good neurologic recovery at hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes were survival to hospital discharge, cardiac catheterisation, and DNR orders within 24 h. Data were analysed using mixed effects logistic regression models. Hospitals were ranked each year and overall. Results Of 27,122 patients admitted to 128 24/7 PCI centres, 41% (11,184) survived and 27% (7188) had good neurologic recovery. Adjusted rates of good neurologic recovery (18%–39%; p,0.001), survival (32%–51%; p Conclusion Significant variation exists between 24/7 PCI centres in good neurologic recovery following OHCA and persists over time. Future studies should evaluate hospital-level factors that contribute to these differences in outcomes between 24/7 PCI centres.
Development and Psychometric Testing of the Provider Co-Management Index: Measuring Nurse Practitioner-Physician Co-Management.

Background and purpose Provider co-management has emerged in practice to alleviate demands of larger, more complex patient panels, yet no tools exist to measure nurse practitioner (NP)-physician co-management. The purpose of this study is to develop a tool that measures NP-physician co-management. Methods Items were generated based on three theoretical dimensions of co-management. Face and content validity were established with six experts. Pilot testing was conducted with a convenience sample of 40 NPs and physicians. We computed mean, standard deviation, skewness, interitem and corrected item-total correlations, and Cronbach's alpha. Results Psychometric analysis yielded high subscale reliability: effective communication (α = .811); mutual respect and trust (α = .746); and shared philosophy of care (α = .779). Conclusions PCMI demonstrates strong internal reliability consistency. Future research to examine construct validity is recommended.
Introductory quantum physics and relativity, 2nd edition

This is an unusual textbook, for two reasons. First, any attempt to cover both quantum physics and special relativity in a self-contained manner within a book less than 300 pages long is audacious....
Effects of the Affordable Care Act on the Receipt of Colonoscopies among the Insured Elderly.

Background: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) waived deductibles and eliminated coinsurance for colonoscopies for Medicare beneficiaries beginning in January 1, 2011. This study investigated the effect of the ACA’s directive to remove the financial barriers on the receipt of colonoscopies among the elderly insured, who are predominantly covered by Medicare. Methods: Data from the 2008–2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were used to examine the receipt of colonoscopies in two years prior to the implementation of the ACA (2008 and 2010) and three years after the change (2012, 2014, and 2016). Multivariate logistic regressions were estimated to examine the change in colonoscopy use before and after the introduction of the ACA, adjusting for patient characteristics and availability of health care providers in the geographic region. Results: Of 349,899 eligible elderly insured in the age group 65 to 75 years, 236,275 (67.2%) had received a colonoscopy in the previous ten years. The receipt of colonoscopies increased from 63.5% in pre-ACA years to 69.2% in the post-ACA years (p < 0.001). Compared with the pre-ACA period, the odds ratio of colonoscopy uptake in post-ACA years was 1.15 (95% CI = 1.08–1.22). Conclusions: A statistically significant increase in colonoscopy use was observed in the post-ACA years. However, achieving the target coverage rate of 80% will require additional interventions to encourage higher levels of screenings.
Structure and magnetic properties of milled maraging steel powders

Abstract We demonstrate that high-energy ball milling of gas-atomized maraging steel powder followed by suitable thermal-treatment produces nanocrystalline maraging steel powders having improved magnetic properties, compared to the gas-atomized powders. Milling for five to eight hours formed powders comprised of, primarily, nanocrystalline martensite. The saturation magnetization (MS) of the milled powders ranged between ~164 A m2/kg and ~169 A m2/kg, while the intrinsic coercivity (HCI) ranged between ~4.9 kA/m and ~6.7 kA/m. At sub-ambient temperatures, from 60 K to 390 K, both MS and HCI decremented with the increment in temperature. The thermomagnetic behavior of the milled powders was somewhat reversible. At supra-ambient temperatures (500 K–900 K), both MS and HCI monotonically decreased with the increase in temperature. The thermally treated powders constituted nanocrystalline martensite and exhibited increment (by ~6%) in MS and decrement (~nearly halved) in HCI compared to the milled powder, i.e., the powders exhibited improvement in soft-magnetic properties.
Making Space in the Academy for the Curriculum of Belonging: Exploration of Indigenous Self, Coloniality and Relationships to Land

What does it mean to reconcile our relationships with the Land, the assimilative and violent policies of the settler colonial project that is now Canada? How can we begin to understand our own responsibilities as we relate to this Land and all our relations? How do we untangle our familial curriculum of dislocation, as we unravel the stories of the wounds and bloodlines that make up our physical, social and spiritual DNA? Taking up these questions alongside Simpson’s (2014) wholistic definition of theory as “generated and regenerated continually through embodied practice and with each family, community and generation of people” (p. 7), I began my journey from the fractures of my familial wounds, the wounds of my Mi’kmaq ancestors and their ignored relationships to the Land in Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). Through journal entries, poetry and photographs, I documented my journey to familial sites in Ontario and Newfoundland with my teenage sons in the summer of 2019 as my own emerging curriculum of belonging. As educators, it is incumbent upon us to allow similar epistemic spaces for all learners to interrogate their own complex histories as they relate to the Land, coloniality and to the thousands-year-old relationships Indigenous peoples of North America have had with the Land. We must make spaces for them to invite the embodied, familial, personal stories to take form so that they can begin to enter their own curriculum of belonging (and responsibility) with this Land, wherever they are.
Fast and Scalable Algorithm for Detection of Structural Breaks in Big VAR Models

Many real time series datasets exhibit structural changes over time. A popular model for capturing their temporal dependence is that of vector autoregressions (VAR), which can accommodate structura...
Arterial blood stealing as a mechanism of negative BOLD response: From the steady-flow with nonlinear phase separation to a windkessel-based model.

Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) signal indirectly characterizes neuronal activity by measuring hemodynamic and metabolic changes in the nearby microvasculature. A deeper understanding of how localized changes in electrical, metabolic and hemodynamic factors translate into a BOLD signal is crucial for the interpretation of functional brain imaging techniques. While positive BOLD responses (PBR) are widely considered to be linked with neuronal activation, the origins of negative BOLD responses (NBR) have remained largely unknown. As NBRs are sometimes observed in close proximity of regions with PBR, a blood "stealing" effect, i.e., redirection of blood from a passive periphery to the area with high neuronal activity, has been postulated. In this study, we used the Hagen-Poiseuille equation to model hemodynamics in an idealized microvascular network that account for the particulate nature of blood and nonlinearities arising from the red blood cell (RBC) distribution (i.e., the Fahraeus, Fahraeus-Lindqvist and the phase separation effects). Using this detailed model, we evaluate determinants driving this "stealing" effect in a microvascular network with geometric parameters within physiological ranges. Model simulations predict that during localized cerebral blood flow (CBF) increases due to neuronal activation-hyperemic response, blood from surrounding vessels is reallocated towards the activated region. This stealing effect depended on the resistance of the microvasculature and the uneven distribution of RBCs at vessel bifurcations. A parsimonious model consisting of two-connected windkessel regions sharing a supplying artery was proposed to simulate the stealing effect with a minimum number of parameters. Comparison with the detailed model showed that the parsimonious model can reproduce the observed response for hematocrit values within the physiological range for different species. Our novel parsimonious model promise to be of use for statistical inference (top-down analysis) from direct blood flow measurements (e.g., arterial spin labeling and laser Doppler/Speckle flowmetry), and when combined with theoretical models for oxygen extraction/diffusion will help account for some types of NBRs.
A Study on the Urban Multi-center Spatial Structure Based on POI Data—Taking Guangzhou as an Example

Since the twenty-first century, China’s urbanization has entered a period of rapid development. With the expansion of the city scale and the rapid population aggregation, the urban activity characteristics and development trend become more and more complex, and various “urban diseases” problems occur frequently, such as traffic congestion in the city center due to the excessive concentration of urban functions, low land utilization rate leading to housing shortage and soaring land prices. In order to alleviate the above problems, in recent years, most cities in our country adopt the multi-center development strategy for the spatial structure, but the multi-center theory still suffers from limitations in its localization applications. Compared with the traditional survey research methods, POI data brings about new insights and innovative methods for the study of urban spatial structure, with smaller measurement errors. Under the background of a huge subway transportation system and the construction and development of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Bay area, the characteristics of its urban spatial structure and the development degree and trend of each center will be more special. This paper took Guangzhou City as an example, which is a megacity with rapid expansion of urban space. Based on the reorganized POI data crawled from Baidu map open platform, we adopted spatial kernel density analysis method and DBSCAN clustering method. Considering the multi-center structure characteristics of Guangzhou city, using ArcGIS software, this paper studied the overall layout of Guangzhou City as well as its structural characteristics of the following five kinds of urban functional spaces: living, business, employment, culture education and leisure. The results of this study showed that: (1) The polycentric spatial structure of Guangzhou is composed of many factors; (2) there exists a clear evidence that the urban spatial structure of Guangzhou has a typical multi center structure, with a circular distributions of denser inside and sparser outside; (3) different functional spaces present a multi-center structure with certain differentiations; (4) the centers of Guangzhou can get rid of unbalanced development problems by means of “unban coordination”.
TGF-ß1 Regulation of Gingival Lysyl Oxidase and Connective Tissue Growth Factor

TGF-s is a regulator of lysyl oxidase in several tissues and cell types. The present study investigates the regulation of lysyl oxidase by TGF-s 1 in human gingival fibroblasts. Results indicate that lysyl oxidase activity and mRNA levels are slowly increased compared to previous studies performed in osteoblastic cells. A possible role for connective tissue growth factor in mediating TGF-s regulation was assessed. TGF-s stimulates CTGF production, but TGF-s and CTGF appear to promote collagen accumulation by mostly independent mechanisms in human gingival cells. In addition, preliminary studies demonstrating the presence of CTGF in oral tissues are discussed.
Red blood cell lysis induced by the venom of the brown recluse spider: the role of sphingomyelinase D.

Red blood cell lysis induced by the venom of Loxosceles reclusa, the brown recluse spider, may be related to the hemolytic anemia observed in several cases of spider envenomation. These investigations demonstrate that the venom of the brown recluse spider contains a calcium-dependent, heat-labile hemolysin of molecular weight approximately 19,000. The pH optimum for the hemolytic reaction was 7.1, and the optimum calcium concentration for venom-induced lysis was observed within the range of 6 to 10 mm. Sheep red blood cells were more susceptible to the spider hemolysin than human red blood cells, although both types exhibited appreciable lysis. Digestion of sheep red blood cell membranes with partially purified venom lysin resulted in degradation of the sphingomyelin component. However, reaction of the membranes with the venom lysin produced no release of water-soluble phosphate, and no free fatty acids were generated. These results indicate that the sphingomyelin-degrading activity of the venom is not a phospholipase C- or a phospholipase A2-type activity. Sphingomyelin was employed as substrate for the venom hemolysin, and the organic and aqueous fractions of the reaction mixtures were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography. Analysis of the organic fraction revealed a phosphate-containing product with the solubility and chromatographic characteristics of N-acylsphingosine phosphate (ceramide phosphate), and analysis of the aqueous fraction demonstrated the presence of choline. The isolation and identification of these products indicate that the sphingomyelin of the red cell membrane is hydrolyzed by a sphingomyelinase D-type activity expressed by the partially purified venom hemolysin. A close correspondence between the hemolytic and sphingomyelinase D activities was observed when the partially purified hemolysin was further characterized in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 8.3 and pH 4.9. The hemolytic and sphingomyelinase activities were coincident within the electrophoretic pattern at both pHs. The results presented demonstrate conclusively a direct lytic action of brown recluse venom upon red blood cells and report for the first time the presence of sphingomyelinase D in spider venom.
Imaginary figures of early childhood: santa claus, easter bunny, and the tooth fairy.

The developmental progression of children's belief in three major figures of early childhood was examined through structured interviews with children and questionnaires for parents. Belief in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy varied with the child's age and the level of parental encouragement of belief. However, belief in these figures was unrelated to other indices of the child's fantasy involvement.
FATE OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS IN BRUISED TISSUE.

This investigation was initiated to determine the fate and behavior of a virulent marker strain of Staphylococcus aureus (MS) injected intramuscularly into both control and traumatized tissues. Control tissues appeared to possess a clearing mechanism highly active against this organism, whereas bruised tissues stimulated and supported its growth. This stimulation may be due to the presence of extrastromal hemoglobin in the bruised areas. By use of the disc-sensitivity procedure, extrastromal hemoglobin was found to enhance the growth of S. aureus (MS) and this stimulation was linearly dependent on concentration in the range of 0.002 to 0.008 μmole per disc. Physical and physiological factors affecting the fate of staphylococci in poultry tissues were studied. The results showed that the number of viable cells of S. aureus (MS) in the initial inoculum exerted little effect on the survival activity patterns of this organism in the traumatized tissues. Control tissues, however, only became infected when a suspension containing 1.34 × 109 cells of the marker strain was injected. Regardless of the concentration of cells of this test culture inoculated into bruised areas, the staphylococci did not increase in number above a log of 8.5 organisms per gram of tissue. The extent of both tissue damage and accumulation of blood and fluid seemed to play an important role in the fate of staphylococci in experimentally induced infection. A correlation was noted between the severity of the bruise and the rate of growth and multiplication of virulent staphylococci in the tissue. The rate of growth showed a 100-fold increase in 1 day in the severe bruise, in 2 days in the medium bruise, and in 3 days in the superficial bruise. Time-course studies revealed that virulent S. aureus (MS) was able to persist in bruised tissue for long periods of time (18 days) even in the absence of noticeable infection. Therefore, it is believed that bruised tissue is a source of contamination to other birds and a health hazard to man.
Epistemic foundation of bibliographic classification in early China: A Ru classicist perspective

Purpose – This study aims to understand the epistemic foundation of the classification applied in the first Chinese library catalogue, the Seven Epitomes (Qilue).Design/methodology/approach – Originating from a theoretical stance that situates knowledge organization in its social context, the study applies a multifaceted framework pertaining to five categories of textual data: the Seven Epitomes; biographical information about the classificationist Liu Xin; and the relevant intellectual, political, and technological history.Findings – The study discovers seven principles contributing to the epistemic foundation of the catalogue's classification: the Han imperial library collection imposed as the literary warrant; government functions considered for structuring texts; classicist morality determining the main classificatory structure; knowledge perceived and organized as a unity; objects, rather than subjects, of concern affecting categories at the main class level; correlative thinking connecting all text ...
Application of Oxygen-Enriched Aeration in the Conversion of Glycerol to Dihydroxyacetone by Gluconobacter melanogenus IFO 3293

Gluconobacter melanogenus 3293 converts glycerol to dihydroxyacetone(DHA) during exponential growth on a yeast extract-phosphate medium at pH 7. The efficiency of this conversion in 25-liter batch fermentations has been found to increase over threefold, when oxygen tension is controlled by increasing the partial pressure of oxygen in the aeration. Conversion of glycerol to DHA does not occur under oxygen-limited fermentation conditions. When the dissolved oxygen tension was maintained at 0.05 atmospheres (using oxygen-enriched air), quantitative conversion of up to 100 g of glycerol/liter to DHA was obtained in 33 h. The amount of glycerol converted can be increased without increasing impeller speed or aeration rate. This increase is not the result of increased production of cell mass. The specific conversion of glycerol to DHA increased from 12.2 g of DHA/g of cell mass at the point of maximum conversion to 35.8 with oxygen enrichment. This increased specific production occurred even though the specific growth rate during the period of oxygen enrichment decreased from 0.23 to 0.06/h.
Towards efficient delivery of dynamic web content

Advantages of cache cooperation on edge cache networks serving dynamic web content were studied. Design of cooperative edge cache grid---a large-scale cooperative edge cache network for delivering highly dynamic web content with varying server update frequencies was presented. A cache clouds-based architecture was proposed to promote low-cost cache cooperation in cooperative edge cache grid. An Internet landmarks-based scheme, called selective landmarks-based server-distance sensitive clustering scheme, for grouping edge caches into cooperative clouds was presented. Dynamic hashing technique for efficient, load-balanced, and reliable documents lookups and updates was presented. Utility-based scheme for cooperative document placement in cache clouds was proposed. The proposed architecture and techniques were evaluated through trace-based simulations using both real-world and synthetic traces. Results showed that the proposed techniques provide significant performance benefits. A framework for automatically detecting cache-effective fragments in dynamic web pages was presented. Two types of fragments in web pages, namely, shared fragments and lifetime-personalization fragments were identified and formally defined. A hierarchical fragment-aware web page model called the augmented-fragment tree model was proposed. An efficient algorithm to detect maximal fragments that are shared among multiple documents was proposed. A practical algorithm for detecting fragments based on their lifetime and personalization characteristics was designed. The proposed framework and algorithms were evaluated through experiments on real web sites. The effect of adopting the detected fragments on web-caches and origin-servers is experimentally studied.
Sea snow microcosms

Marine bacteria can respond to organic particles in sea water, creating hotspots of bacterial growth and carbon cycling. This microscale behaviour should be included in models of the oceanic carbon cycle.
Factors associated with sustained use of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets following a reduction in malaria transmission in southern Zambia

Understanding factors influencing sustained use of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN) in areas of declining malaria transmission is critical to sustaining control and may facilitate elimination. From 2008 to 2013, 655 households in Choma District, Zambia, were randomly selected and residents were administered a questionnaire and malaria rapid diagnostic test. Mosquitoes were collected concurrently by light trap. In a multilevel model, children and adolescents of 5-17 years of age were 55% less likely to sleep under LLIN than adults (odds ratio [OR] = 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.35, 0.58). LLIN use was 80% higher during the rainy season (OR = 1.8; CI = 1.5, 2.2) and residents of households with three or more nets were over twice as likely to use a LLIN (OR = 2.1; CI = 1.4, 3.1). For every increase in 0.5 km from the nearest health center, the odds of LLIN use decreased 9% (OR = 0.9; CI = 0.88, 0.98). In a second multilevel model, the odds of LLIN use were more than twice high if more than five mosquitoes (anopheline and culicine) were captured in the house compared with households with no mosquitoes captured (OR = 2.1; CI = 1.1, 3.9). LLIN use can be sustained in low-transmission settings with continued education and distributions, and may be partially driven by the presence of nuisance mosquitoes.
How much is too much? Limit setting and sexual acting out in a digital era

Digital media offer unique challenges to parents in terms of their efforts to shepherd their children through adolescence. Adolescents' ready access to the Internet makes limit setting and appropriate supervision of teens much more challenging and offers teens qualitatively different dangers and opportunities for acting out than previously existed. The case of a sexually acting out adopted teen (with a history of sexual abuse) who used the Internet as a central vehicle for sexual exploration is discussed, with a particular focus on the ambiguity of appropriate limit setting in the digital era. Implications for case planning in similar situations are also discussed.