cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Parental and Peer Contexts of Adolescent Deviance: An Algebra of Interpersonal Influences

Estimates of the relative influence of peers and parents on adolescents' drug use and other forms of deviance have inflated the importance of peers and underestimated the influence of parents. Following a brief review of major findings in research on parental-peer linkages, sources of distortion and overestimation in peer effects are identified: reliance on cross-sectional designs, which confound selection and socialization effects; reliance on perceptual reports of friends' behaviors, which reflect projection and attribution; failure to take into account parental contributions to children's peer selection; and failure to consider genetic contributions to observed parental effects. Selected empirical studies that have estimated peer and parental effects on drug use and delinquency from relational and longitudinal designs are utilized to develop correction factors. These are incorporated in equations designed to estimate biases in peer estimates and the effects of parental contributions to peer selection. ...
The Accounting Case @ Learning Team 50

This case works well following an introductory class on transaction analysis and preparation of basic financial statements. A learning team of Darden MBA students meets to discuss the case assigned for the following day's accounting class. Two members who are CPAs realize that the team will lack basic understanding of the material unless they intervene. The case-within-a-case structure serves to highlight common misconceptions among students new to the material on one level and, simultaneously, common accounting oversights among entrepreneurs on the other. Excerpt UVA-C-2344 Rev. Mar. 24, 2014 THE ACCOUNTING CASE @ LEARNING TEAM 50 It was getting late on a cold Wednesday as Sim, delegated to prepare the next day's accounting case, began to share his work with the rest of his learning team. (An integral part of the first-year MBA experience at Darden, learning teams comprised five or six classmates who met nightly to prepare for the next day's classes.) It had been a grueling week, and everyone was tired and restless, so after a long discussion about a marketing case whose numbers made absolutely no sense, nobody objected when Michelle and Caroline suggested Sim share his spreadsheet with the group. Then they could all go home and prepare the case individually. Sim responded sheepishly: I had a company briefing, an office meeting, and a Global Business Experience Program briefing today, so I didn't spend as much time on the case as I would have liked. Honestly, I didn't even get to the second assignment question! Maybe Michelle and Caroline can check my numbers and help us out with that one. Michelle and Caroline, housemates who were the learning team's accounting experts, admitted that they hadn't read the case at all, but promised they would read it, review Sim's work on the first question, and address the second question. . . .
Palladium-103 plaque radiation therapy for ciliary body melanoma through a functioning glaucoma filtering bleb.

Purpose:To provide a clinical description of the long-term outcome of a 103Pd plaque-irradiated ciliary body melanoma with extrascleral extension while attempting to preserve a subadjacent glaucoma...
Sustained Water Loss in California's Mountain Ranges During Severe Drought From 2012 to 2015 Inferred From GPS

Drought struck California during 7 of the 9 years from 2007 to 2015, reducing the state's available water resources. Pumping of Central Valley groundwater has produced spectacular land subsidence. Uplift of the adjacent Sierra Nevada mountains has been proposed to be either tectonic uplift or solid Earth's elastic response to unloading of Central Valley groundwater. We find that of the 24 mm of uplift of the Sierra Nevada from October 2011 to October 2015, just 5 mm is produced by Central Valley groundwater loss, less than 2 mm is tectonic uplift, and 17 mm is solid Earth's elastic response to water loss in the Sierra Nevada. We invert GPS vertical displacements recording solid Earth's elastic response to infer changes in water storage across the western U.S. from January 2006 to October 2017. We find water changes to be sustained over periods of drought or heavy precipitation: the Sierra Nevada lost 15 ± 19 km3 of water during drought from October 2006 to October 2009, gained 18 ± 14 km3 of water during heavy precipitation from October 2009 to October 2011, and lost 45 ± 21 km3 of water during severe drought from October 2011 to October 2015 (95% confidence limits). Such large changes are not in hydrology models: snow accumulation in October is negligible and long-term soil moisture change is small. We infer that there must be large loss of either deep soil moisture or groundwater in river alluvium and in crystalline basement in the Sierra Nevada. The results suggest there to be parching of water in the ground during the summer of years of drought and seeping of melting snow into the Sierra Nevada in the spring of years of heavy precipitation.
How Concepcion and Italian Colors Affected Terms of Service Contracts in the Gig Economy

This study examines whether companies in the gig economy altered their contract terms following two landmark Supreme Court decisions affirming the enforceability of class action waivers in arbitration agreements: AT&T Mobility, LLC v. Concepcion and American Express v. Italian Colors Restaurant. Many of the companies in the study appear to have been influenced by the decisions. The study analyzes Terms of Service contracts from 38 gig companies between 2009 and 2016. Prior to 2012, only about one third of companies used arbitration agreements, and few such agreements contained a class action waiver. By 2016, however, nearly two thirds of gig companies included an arbitration agreement, and almost all included a class action waiver. These class action waivers remove the future threat of aggregate liability for claims brought by workers and consumers alike. The addition of such waivers could also explain in part why gig companies have not reclassified their workers, even after experiencing substantial litigation.
Developing an ecofriendly approach to reduce the use of biocides for preventing Microbial Induced Corrosion

Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB) cause significant damage to marine oil pipelines necessitating the use of biocides for reducing the Microbial Induced Corrosion (MIC) and potential for great environmental harm. Currently, oil companies pump frequent batches of biocides to these under water pipelines without proper quantification of the bacterial population. This is primarily because the existing method for quantifying the bacterial population in a sample is not very effecient, as it can take up to 2 weeks to obtain the results. Our team has focused on developing an eco-friendly approach to limit the use of these biocides, which are used for targeting the SRB. SRB require high salt and low oxygen so first we genetically engineered a strain of bacteria that would report the osmolarity in oil pipelines, thus act as a biosensor for salt concentrations. The ratio of salinity in the seawater flowing in versus the seawater flowing out of the well will be used to estimate SRB populations in the pipelines, thus limiting the amount of biocides added in times of high Microbial counts.
Improved single-molecule localization precision in astigmatism-based 3D superresolution imaging using weighted likelihood estimation

Abstract Astigmatism-based superresolution microscopy is widely used to determine the position of individual fluorescent emitters in three-dimensions (3D) with subdiffraction-limited resolutions. This point spread function (PSF) engineering technique utilizes a cylindrical lens to modify the shape of the PSF and break its symmetry above and below the focal plane. The resulting asymmetric PSFs at different z-positions for single emitters are fit with an elliptical 2D-Gaussian function to extract the widths along two principle x- and y-axes, which are then compared with a pre-measured calibration function to determine its z-position. While conceptually simple and easy to implement, in practice, distorted PSFs due to an imperfect optical system often compromise the localization precision; and it is laborious to optimize a multi-purpose optical system. Here we present a methodology that is independent of obtaining a perfect PSF and enhances the localization precision along the z-axis. By utilizing multiple calibration images of fluorescent beads at varying z-planes and characterizing experimentally measured background distributions, we numerically approximated the probability of observing a certain signal in a given pixel from a single emitter at a particular z-plane. We then used a weighted maximum likelihood estimator (WLE) to determine the 3D-position of the emitter. We demonstrate that this approach enhances z-axis localization precision in all conditions we tested, in particular when the PSFs deviate from a standard 2D Gaussian model.
Forms of resistance: Foucault on tactical reversal and self-formation

This paper argues that two distinct models of resistance are to be found in Foucault's work. The first, “tactical reversal,” is predicated on the idea that conflict is inherent to power relations, the strategical model of power, and thus that a specific configuration of power and knowledge can be thwarted by reversing the mechanisms whereby this relation is sustained. The second, the “aesthetics of existence,” is based in the governmental model of power and holds that it is possible to forge autonomous forms of life in and through such techniques of governance. I argue that Foucault came to favor the latter of these two alternatives because the model of power underlying resistance as tactical reversal proved insufficient both historically and conceptually. It was thus on this basis that he was able to work out the governmental conception of power relations and thereby accord a fundamental role to the concept of resistance as autonomy or self-formation. The key to understanding how this project is not only practical, but is also our obligation lies in the “genealogy of the critical attitude” that Foucault was developing in his final years.
Large Period Nearly deBruijn FCSR Sequences

Recently, a new class of feedback shift registers (FCSRs) was introduced, based on algebra over the 2-adic numbers. The sequences generated by these registers have many algebraic properties similar to those generated by linear feedback shift registers. However, it appears to be significantly more difficult to find maximal period FCSR sequences. In this paper we exhibit a technique for easily finding FCSRs that generate nearly maximal period sequences. We further show that these sequence have excellent distributional properties. They are balanced, and nearly have the deBruijn property for distributions of subsequences.
Optimizing cost and performance in online service provider networks

We present a method to jointly optimize the cost and the performance of delivering traffic from an online service provider (OSP) network to its users. Our method, called Entact, is based on two key techniques. First, it uses a novel route-injection mechanism to measure the performance of alternative paths that are not being currently used, without disturbing current traffic. Second, based on the cost, performance, traffic, and link capacity information, it computes the optimal cost vs. performance curve for the OSP. Each point on the curve represents a potential operating point for the OSP such that no other operating point offers a simultaneous improvement in cost and performance. The OSP can then pick the operating point that represents the desired trade-off (e.g., the "sweet spot"). We evaluate the benefit and overhead of Entact using trace-driven evaluation in a large OSP with 11 geographically distributed data centers. We find that by using Entact this OSP can reduce its traffic cost by 40% without any increase in path latency and with acceptably low overheads.
The Value Added by Professional Certification of Municipal Finance Officers

Many academics and practitioners value professional training and certification programs as important ways to improve management practice and organizational performance. However, these programs ofte...
Enhancing Visibility of Vendor Accessibility Documentation

With higher education increasingly being online or having online components, it is important to ensure that online materials are accessible for persons with print and other disabilities. Library-related research has focused on the need for academic libraries to have accessible websites, in part to reach patrons who are participating in distance-education programs. A key component of a library’s website, however, is the materials it avails to patrons through vendor platforms outside the direct control of the library, making it more involved to address accessibility concerns. Librarians must communicate the need for accessible digital files to vendors so they will prioritize it. In much the same way as contracted workers constructing a physical space for a federal or federally funded agency must follow ADA standards for accessibility, so software vendors should be required to design virtual spaces to be accessible. A main objective of this study was to determine a method of increasing the visibility of vendor accessibility documentation for the benefit of our users. It is important that we, as service providers for the public good, act as a bridge between vendors and the patrons we serve.
How Much Mightier Is the Pen than the Keyboard for Note-Taking? A Replication and Extension of Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014)

Many students use laptops to take notes in classes, but does using them impact later test performance? In a high-profile investigation comparing note-taking writing on paper versus typing on a laptop keyboard, Mueller and Oppenheimer (Psychological Science, 25, 1159–1168, 2014) concluded that taking notes by longhand is superior. We conducted a direct replication of Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014) and extended their work by including groups who took notes using eWriters and who did not take notes. Some trends suggested longhand superiority; however, performance did not consistently differ between any groups (experiments 1 and 2), including a group who did not take notes (experiment 2). Group differences were further decreased after students studied their notes (experiment 2). A meta-analysis (combining direct replications) of test performance revealed small (nonsignificant) effects favoring longhand. Based on the present outcomes and other available evidence, concluding which method is superior for improving the functions of note-taking seems premature.
How to Navigate Different Levels of Care

The vast majority of youth within the United States diagnosed with substance use disorders are not currently engaged in treatment. This disparity provides an opportunity for mental health practitioners to intervene early and refer adolescents to care. Learning how to conduct a multidimensional assessment is critical for identifying appropriate treatment needs for adolescents. Levels of care are discussed, along with an overview of evidenced-based psychosocial treatments, with an emphasis on reduction of use as the goal for most adolescents. A brief discussion on how to navigate insurance coverage and utilize available professional resources for referral is also included.
Tampon use, environmental chemicals and oxidative stress in the BioCycle study

Tampons are used by up to 86% of US women and are a rarely considered potential source of pesticide and metal exposure. Tampons may be of particular concern given the likely higher absorption that occurs in the vagina. Our objective was to examine the potential associations between tampon use and metal concentrations, and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress among healthy women. We used information from a prospective cohort of 259 regularly menstruating women, aged 18–44, followed for two menstrual cycles. Tampon use was assessed using information provided in participant study diaries. Metal concentrations were measured from a blood sample collected at enrollment. Oxidative stress and inflammation biomarker concentrations were determined from blood samples collected at up to 8 clinic visits for each cycle. Linear regression models were used to estimate associations of tampon use with metal exposure, and linear mixed models to estimate associations of tampon use with inflammation and oxidative stress biomarkers at different times during the menstrual cycle. We observed non-significantly higher mean levels of mercury for tampon users compared to non-tampon users (exp(β) = 1.25, 95% CI = 0.93, 1.68). We found no evidence of an association between tampon use and inflammation biomarkers. We observed consistently higher isoprostane levels, an oxidative stress biomarker, among tampon users compared to non-tampon users (e.g. exp.(β) = 1.05, 95%CI = 0.96, 1.16, for the average isoprostane during the menstruating week); however, these results were not statistically significant. While our results are not statistically significant, we observed suggestive associations between tampon use and elevated levels of mercury and oxidative stress biomarkers. Although our finding should be interpreted in light of our limitations, they indicate that tampons may be a source of exposure to metals and chemicals that have been largely ignored, and any related health effects are an important public health concern.
c-Jun Overexpressing CAR-T Cells are Exhaustion-Resistant and Mediate Enhanced Antitumor Activity

SUMMARY CAR T cells mediate antitumor effects in a small subset of cancer patients, but dysfunction due to T cell exhaustion is an important barrier to progress. To investigate the biology of exhaustion in human T cells expressing CAR receptors, we used a model system employing a tonically signaling CAR, which induces hallmarks of exhaustion described in other settings. Exhaustion was associated with a profound defect in IL-2 production alongside increased chromatin accessibility of AP-1 transcription factor motifs, and overexpression of numerous bZIP and IRF transcription factors that have been implicated in inhibitory activity. Here we demonstrate that engineering CAR T cells to overexpress c-Jun, a canonical AP-1 factor, enhanced expansion potential, increased functional capacity, diminished terminal differentiation and improved antitumor potency in numerous in vivo tumor models. We conclude that a functional deficiency in c-Jun mediates dysfunction in exhausted human T cells and that engineering CAR T cells to overexpress c-Jun renders them exhaustion-resistant, thereby addressing a major barrier to progress for this emerging class of therapeutics.
Total Knee Arthroplasty After Intramedullary Tibial Nail: A Matched Cohort Study

Abstract Background As the use of intramedullary nails (IMNs) has become more common, there are an increasing number of patients requiring total knee arthroplasty (TKA) who have an indwelling tibial IMN. The purpose of this study is to compare implant survivorship, clinical outcomes, and complications in patients undergoing primary TKA with a history of tibial IMN to those without. Methods We retrospectively identified 24 TKAs performed between 2000 and 2017 after ipsilateral tibial IMN. Patients were matched 1:2 to patients undergoing primary TKA without history of tibial IMN based upon age, gender, body mass index, and year of surgery. Mean follow-up was 7 years. Results The 10-year survivorship free of any revision was 100% for the tibial IMN cohort, and 96% for the control cohort, while the 10-year survivorship free of any reoperation was 91% and 89%, respectively (P = .72). Patients with a history of tibial IMN had similar Knee Society Scores to matched controls at 2 years (P = .77) and 5 years (P = .09). Acquired idiopathic stiffness trended toward being more common (17% vs 6%, P = .21) and operative time trended toward being longer (135 vs 118 min, P = .07) when the tibial IMN was removed, but there was no overall difference in complication rate between cohorts. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first report of primary TKA in patients with a history of ipsilateral tibial IMN. Compared to a matched cohort of patients without tibial IMN, these patients have similar outcomes in regards to implant survivorship, clinical outcomes, and risk of complications. Level of Evidence Therapeutic Level III.
Food Security Status of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the US: Analysis of a National Survey.

Abstract Objective To document food insecurity prevalence among a nationally representative sample of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) adults and compare differences in food security status across races/ethnicities in the US. Methods Using 2014 National Health Interview Survey and 2014 NHPI–National Health Interview Survey data, food insecurity among the NHPI population is described and food security status across racial/ethnic groups is compared using Rao-Scott chi-square and multinomial logistic regression. Results Food insecurity prevalence was 20.5% among NHPI adults, and NHPI had significantly higher odds of experiencing low and very low food security than white individuals. Food insecurity among Hispanic individuals, black people, and other races/ethnicities was also significantly higher than that among white people. Significant variation in food security status was observed by race/ethnicity (P Conclusions and Implications This study provides documentation of food insecurity prevalence among NHPI adults and will inform chronic disease and nutrition research and programs conducted with NHPI communities in the US.
Chapter 7 – Simulation Sandbox

This chapter describes an experimental simulation of a Paleolithic “site” constructed in a sandbox. Various simulated archaeological materials were placed at different scales, depths, and lateral extents in the sediment inside the sandbox. The sandbox simulation was part of a much larger archaeological geophysics (AGP) research agenda among multiple Archaeologists but was uniformly ignored by AGP peer reviewers and publication venues despite its import.
Heparanase in myeloma related renal dysfunction: Role in promoting nephrotoxicity and potential as a novel biomarker for early detection.

e20554Background: Our laboratory previously demonstrated that heparanase (HPSE), an enzyme that cleaves heparan sulfate, upregulates growth factors and their receptors, resulting in enhanced multip...
Advanced imaging techniques to understand the impact of process variables on the particle morphology in a corn stover pellet

Abstract The objective of this study is to understand the impact of process variables on particle binding during corn stover pelleting. Initial particle attrition or percent fines
Does the Preferred Walk-Run Transition Speed on Inclines Minimize Energetic Cost, Heart Rate or Neither?

Humans prefer to walk at slow speeds and to run at fast speeds. In between, there is a speed at which people choose to transition between gaits, the Preferred Transition Speed (PTS). At slow speeds, it is energetically cheaper to walk and at faster speeds, it is cheaper to run. Thus, there is an intermediate speed, the Energetically Optimal Transition Speed (EOTS). Our goals were to determine: 1) how PTS and EOTS compare across a wide range of inclines and 2) if the EOTS can be predicted by the heart rate optimal transition speed (HROTS). Ten healthy, high-caliber, male trail/mountain runners participated. On day 1, subjects completed 0° and 15° trials and on day 2, 5° and 10°. We calculated PTS as the average of the walk-to-run transition speed (WRTS) and the run-to-walk transition speed (RWTS) determined with an incremental protocol. We calculated EOTS and HROTS from energetic cost and heart rate data for walking and running near the expected EOTS for each incline. The intersection of the walking and running linear regression equations defined EOTS and HROTS. We found that PTS, EOTS, and HROTS all were slower on steeper inclines. PTS was slower than EOTS at 0°, 5°, and 10°, but the two converged at 15°. PTS and EOTS were only moderately correlated. Although EOTS correlated with HROTS, EOTS was not predicted accurately by heart rate on an individual basis.
Abstract 3461: Psyllium protects against high fructose diet induced exacerbation of colitis and colitis associated colorectal carcinogenesis

Patients with longstanding Inflammatory Bowel Disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn9s disease, are at an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). Over the past three decades, there has been a significant increase in the consumption of fructose, a monosaccharide that has been linked to increased growth of experimental intestinal tumors. Additionally, recent evidence shows that feeding a diet high in fructose worsens acute experimental colitis. The aims of the current study were to 1) determine if a high fructose diet (HFrD) exacerbated chronic colitis in mice and led to enhanced colorectal tumorigenesis and 2) evaluate the potential chemopreventive properties of dietary fiber in this context. To carry this out, the azoxymethane (AOM)/DSS model of colitis-associated colorectal neoplasia was utilized in male C57BL/6J mice. In comparison to control AIN93G diet, an isocaloric diet supplemented with fructose led to worse chronic colitis including weight suppression, worse diarrhea, colon shortening and a higher histologic score. Tumor incidence, number and size were all increased (Ps Citation Format: Srijani Basu, Ryohei Nishiguchi, David C. Montrose, Hannah Staab, Xi Kathy Zhou, Hanhan Wang, Melanie Johncilla, Rhonda K. Yantiss, Andrew Dannenberg. Psyllium protects against high fructose diet induced exacerbation of colitis and colitis associated colorectal carcinogenesis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 3461.
Modified Laplacian coflow of G2-structures on manifolds with symmetry

Abstract We consider G 2 -structures on 7-manifolds that are warped products of an interval and a six-manifold, which is either a Calabi–Yau manifold, or a nearly Kahler manifold. We show that in these cases the G 2 -structures are determined by their torsion components. We then study the modified Laplacian coflow d ψ d t = Δ ψ ψ + 2 d ( ( C − Tr T ) φ ) of these G 2 -structures, where φ and ψ are the fundamental 3-form and 4-form which define the G 2 -structure and Δ ψ is the Hodge Laplacian associated with the G 2 -structure. This flow is known to have short-time existence and uniqueness. We analyze the soliton equations for this flow and obtain new compact soliton solutions.
Distinct GluN1 and GluN2 Structural Determinants for Subunit-Selective Positive Allosteric Modulation of N-Methyl-d-aspartate Receptors.

N-Methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are ionotropic ligand-gated glutamate receptors that mediate fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system (CNS). Several neurological disorders may involve NMDAR hypofunction, which has driven therapeutic interest in positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of NMDAR function. Here we describe modest changes to the tetrahydroisoquinoline scaffold of GluN2C/GluN2D-selective PAMs that expands activity to include GluN2A- and GluN2B-containing recombinant and synaptic NMDARs. These new analogues are distinct from GluN2C/GluN2D-selective compounds like (+)-(3-chlorophenyl)(6,7-dimethoxy-1-((4-methoxyphenoxy)methyl)-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-2(1H)-yl)methanone (CIQ) by virtue of their subunit selectivity, molecular determinants of action, and allosteric regulation of agonist potency. The (S)-enantiomers of two analogues (EU1180-55, EU1180-154) showed activity at NMDARs containing all subunits (GluN2A, GluN2B, GluN2C, GluN2D), whereas the (R)-enantiomers were primarily active at GluN2C- and GluN2D-containing NMDARs. Determination of the actions of enantiomers on triheteromeric receptors confirms their unique pharmacology, with greater activity of (S) enantiomers at GluN2A/GluN2D and GluN2B/GluN2D subunit combinations than (R) enantiomers. Evaluation of the (S)-EU1180-55 and EU1180-154 response of chimeric kainate/NMDA receptors revealed structural determinants of action within the pore-forming region and associated linkers. Scanning mutagenesis identified structural determinants within the GluN1 pre-M1 and M1 regions that alter the activity of (S)-EU1180-55 but not (R)-EU1180-55. By contrast, mutations in pre-M1 and M1 regions of GluN2D perturb the actions of only the (R)-EU1180-55 but not the (S) enantiomer. Molecular modeling supports the idea that the (S) and (R) enantiomers interact distinctly with GluN1 and GluN2 pre-M1 regions, suggesting that two distinct sites exist for these NMDAR PAMs, each of which has different functional effects.
Infrared Target Detection in Cluttered Environments by Maximization of a Target to Clutter Ratio (TCR) Metric Using a Convolutional Neural Network

Infrared target detection is a challenging computer vision problem which involves detecting small targets in heavily cluttered conditions while maintaining a low false alarm rate. We propose a network that optimizes a “target to clutter ratio”(TCR) metric defined as the ratio of the output energies produced by the network in response to targets and clutter. A TCR-network (TCRNet) is presented in which the filters of the first convolutional layer are composed of the eigenvectors most responsive to targets or to clutter. These vectors are analytically derived via a closed form optimization of the TCR metric. The remaining convolutional layers are trained using a novel cost function also designed to optimize the TCR criterion. We evaluate the performance of the TCRNet using a public domain medium wave infrared dataset released by the US Army's Night Vision Laboratories, and compare it to the state-of-the-art detectors such as Faster regions with convolutional neural networks (R-CNN) and Yolo-v3. The TCRNet demonstrates state-of-the-art results with greater than 30% improvement in probability of detection while reducing the false alarm rate by more than a factor of two when compared to these leading methods. Experimental results are shown for both day and night time images, and ablation studies are presented which demonstrate the contribution of the first layer eigenfilters, additional convolutional layers, and the benefit of the TCR cost function.
Moderate to Severe Osteoarthritis Pain and Its Impact on Patients in the United States: A National Survey

Purpose Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common causes of chronic pain and a leading cause of disability in the US. The objective of this study was to examine the clinical and economic burden of OA by pain severity. Patients and Methods We used nationally representative survey data. Adults ≥18 years with self-reported physician-diagnosed OA and experiencing OA pain were included in the study. OA pain severity was measured using the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire Visual Analog Scale (SF-MPQ-VAS). Data were collected for demographics, clinical characteristics, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), productivity, OA treatment, adherence to pain medication, and healthcare resource utilization. Univariate analysis was performed to examine differences between respondents with moderate-to-severe OA pain vs those with mild OA pain. Results Higher proportions of respondents with moderate-to-severe OA pain (n=3798) compared with mild OA pain (n=2038) were female (69.4% vs 57.3%), <65 years of age (54.8% vs 43.4%), and not employed (70.6% vs 64.5%). Respondents with moderate-to-severe OA pain experienced OA pain daily (80.8% vs 48.8%), were obese (53.0% vs 40.5%), had more comorbidities (sleep disturbance, insomnia, depression, and anxiety), and reported significantly poorer health status and HRQoL, and greater productivity and activity impairment (all P<0.05). Moderate-to-severe OA pain respondents were prescribed significantly more pain medications than mild OA pain respondents (41.0% vs 17.0%) and had higher adherence (75.9% vs 64.1%) yet were less satisfied with their pain medications (all P<0.001). Outpatient and emergency room visits, and hospitalizations in the 6 months prior to the survey were significantly higher in moderate-to-severe OA pain respondents vs those with mild OA pain (all P<0.05). Conclusion Patient and clinical burden was significantly greater in moderate-to-severe OA pain respondents vs mild OA pain respondents and may inform decision-making for appropriate resource allocation and effective management strategies that target specific subgroups.
Prevalence, Serotypes, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Salmonella from Mink Feces and Feed in the United States.

Nontyphoidal Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne illnesses, and concentrated animal production such as commercial mink farming can be a reservoir. The objective of this study was to determin...
A Catalog of Responses to September 11

Excerpt] On September 11, 2001, life as we knew it changed when a terrorist attack took the lives of thousands with the hijacking of four airplanes. Two of those planes were used to destroy the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers. Many changes have taken place since September 11. The events of September 11 have had an impact on the US office market. This paper will focus on changes to corporate real estate strategic planning and changes to urban high-rise office buildings that have emerged as a response to September 11. Corporate strategy changes that will be discussed will focus on decisions made with respect to the geographic location of human capital, new security measures taken, and business continuity strategies which focus on changes to data storage practices. Changes to physical characteristics of high-rise office buildings will be discussed, emphasizing the changes taking place in the future design and construction of buildings due to architectural, structural, and technological changes and changes in the management and operation of buildings. First we will take a look at the overall office market post September 11 and then will focus on the specific changes that have taken place since that time.
Creatine Metabolism in Men: Creatine Pool Size and Turnover in Relation to Creatine Intake

Creatine metabolism was studied in relation to creatine intake and creatinine excretion. Young men were fed 0.23 g creatine/day for 9 days and then 10 g/day for 10 days consecutively. Thereafter, the diet fed was creatine-free. From day 81 through 90, isonitrogenous amounts (4 g N/day) of either an equimolar mixture of the creatine precursors arginine and glycine or of alanine were added to the diet. As reported in a previous paper, creatinine excretion increased during creatine feeding, continued to remain elevated immediately afterwards and then decreased gradually during the period of feeding the creatine-free diet, whereas two subjects not fed creatine showed no significant changes in creatinine output throughout the experiment. The present paper describes studies in which di-lr'N-creatine was injected into the same subjects on two occasions during the creatine-free period, near the beginning of this period and 43 days later. By isotope dilution, the creatine pool sizes were calculated and the rate of conversion of this pool to creatinine was computed. The pool of body creatine diminished during the creatine-free period in parallel with the daily output of creatinine, that is, the fractional rate of conversion of cre atine to creatinine was very similar for all subjects ( 0.0169 Â±0.0006 day"1, n = 13). In contrast to the marked constancy of the rate of conversion of creatine to creatinine, apparent fractional creatine synthesis rates were much more variable between subjects (0.011 to 0.016 day~1). Administration of the creatine precursors arginine and glycine significantly increased ap parent creatine synthesis, whereas administration of alanine depressed synthesis. From these data on di-ir'N-creatine metabolism, it can be con cluded that (a) the size of the body pool of creatine can be influenced by dietary creatine, (b) administration of precursor amino acids can increase the rate of synthesis of creatine, ( c ) creatinine output is a constant fraction of the body creatine pool and can change independently of lean body mass. J. Nutr. 106: 371-381, 1976.
Rapid, nonaversive conditioning in a freshwater gastropod. II. Effects of temporal relationships on learning.

In this paper we report that two phenomena important in vertebrate learning, the temporal distribution of training trials and the temporal relationship between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus, also influence learning in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. The learning paradigm used in this study was nonaversive classical conditioning of feeding, in which a novel chemostimulus, amyl acete (conditioned stimulus) was paired with a phagostimulant, a mixture of sucrose and casein digest (unconditioned stimulus). The response measured was the number of stereotyped feeding movements, or rasps, made to the conditioned stimulus. We found that 15 pairings distributed over 3 days resulted in longer retention of the learned response than did 15 pairings on 1 day. We also report that, although the forward conditioning was superior, significant learning occurred utilizing simultaneous and backward conditioning procedures. Lymnaea is also susceptible to trace conditioning, both forward and backward. Demonstration of behavioral similarities between vertebrates and invertebrates strengthens the case that invertebrate preparations are suitable models for the investigation of learning and its neural basis.
PLASTICITY THEORY FOR SOIL STRESS-STRAIN BEHAVIOR

A general analytical model that describes both drained and undrained, anisotropic, elastoplastic, path-dependent stress-strain-strength properties of inviscid saturated soils is presented. For any loading (or unloading) history, the instantaneous configuration of the field of yield surfaces is determined by calculating the translation and contraction (or expansion) of each yield surface during successive changes in load. The material behavior can thus be determined for complex, and, in particular, for cyclic loading paths. The inverse stress-strain relations always exist and are uniquely defined if and only if the yield surfaces do not overlap. In order to avoid such overlappings, a new isotropic/kinematic hardening rule is introduced which couples the simultaneous translation of consecutive surfaces. The isotropic/kinematic hardening of the outer surfaces is thus made compatible with any isotropic/kinematic hardening rule assumed for the inner surfaces.
Lessons from (S) Korea

After examining the critical role of the two five year plans (1962-67, focusing on infrastructure development and import substitution; 1967-72, emphasising export oriented industrialisation) in the rapid economic progress of (S) Korea, this paper discusses how mismanaged financial liberalisation led to severe economic troubles of the country in the late 1990s.
Evaluation of pro-inflammatory markers plasma C-reactive protein and urinary prostaglandin-E2 metabolite in colorectal adenoma risk.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a pro-inflammatory protein with potential as a biomarker in predicting colon cancer risk. However, little is known regarding its association with risk of colorectal adenomas, particularly by subtypes. We conducted a colonoscopy-based matched case-control study to assess whether elevated plasma CRP levels may be associated with colorectal adenoma risk and further whether this association may be modified by urinary prostaglandin E2 metabolite (PGE-M), a biomarker of systemic prostaglandin E2 production. Included in the study were 226 cases with a single small tubular adenoma, 198 cases with multiple small tubular adenomas, 283 cases with at least one advanced adenoma, and 395 polyp-free controls. No apparent association between CRP level and risk of single small tubular adenomas was found (ptrend = 0.59). A dose-response relationship with CRP level was observed for risk of either multiple small tubular adenomas (OR = 2.01, 95%CI = 1.10-3.68 for the highest versus lowest tertile comparison; ptrend = 0.03) or advanced adenomas (OR = 1.81, 95%CI = 1.10-2.96 for the highest versus lowest tertile comparison; ptrend = 0.02). In a joint analysis of CRP level and PGE-M, risk of multiple or advanced adenoma was greatest among those with highest levels of both CRP and PGE-M in comparison to those with low CRP and low PGE-M (OR = 3.72, 95%CI = 1.49-9.72). Our results suggest that elevated CRP, particularly in the context of concurrent elevated PGE-M, may be a biomarker of multiple or advanced adenoma risk in a screening age population. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Predictability of emissions from in-use vehicles at low-ambient temperature and alternate driving cycle based on standard tests

Exhaust emission data were generated from a fleet of 24 late model fuel-injected vehicles at ambient temperatures of 75{sup 0}, 50{sup 0}, and 20{sup 0}F using a commercial gasoline with Reid vapor pressure (RVP) of 11.8 psi. Tests were conducted using the standard FTP and a low-speed cold- and hot-start test cycle. The in-use vehicles were tested in an as-received condition without engine adjustment or modification. This paper provides an analysis of the generated data.
Caught in the Act of Dissolution

The ionic dissociation of acids such as HCl and HBr in water is driven by a substantial energy release when the ions are formed in an extended medium. But how many water molecules does it take to trigger this dissociation? In their Perspective, Robertson and Johnson highlight the report by Hurley et al ., who have answered this question for the case of HBr. Their experiments on small water clusters indicate that just five water molecules are enough to ionize HBr.
A Synthetic Niche for Nephron Progenitor Cells

FGF, BMP, and WNT balance embryonic nephron progenitor cell (NPC) renewal and differentiation. By modulating these pathways, we have created an in vitro niche in which NPCs from embryonic kidneys or derived from human embryonic stem cells can be propagated. NPC cultures expanded up to one billion-fold in this environment can be induced to form tubules expressing nephron differentiation markers. Single-cell culture reveals phenotypic variability within the early CITED1-expressing NPC compartment, indicating that it is a mixture of cells with varying progenitor potential. Furthermore, we find that the developmental age of NPCs does not correlate with propagation capacity, indicating that cessation of nephrogenesis is related to factors other than an intrinsic clock. This in vitro nephron progenitor niche will have important applications for expansion of cells for engraftment and will facilitate investigation of mechanisms that determine the balance between renewal and differentiation in these cells.
A new model for rheumatoid arthritis

A chance observation has led to the development of a new murine model for inflammatory arthritis. Arthritis is induced, and transferred, by T-cell-dependent antibodies to glucose-6-phosphate isomerase. This enzyme is expressed in all cells, and is detectable in serum. There are several similarities to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the murine disease. This elegant model raises several questions as to how and why a systemic response focuses inflammation so strongly on synovial joints. The model also re-introduces the possibility that antibodies to widely expressed self-proteins may play a role in the pathogenesis of RA.
Predictors of slow-wave sleep in a clinic-based sample.

Slow-wave sleep has been associated with several physiological phenomena, including glucose metabolism, sympathetic nervous system activity, hormonal secretion and blood pressure regulation. The aim of these analyses was to determine which sociodemographic and medical factors were associated with slow-wave sleep duration in a large clinical sample. We conducted cross-sectional analysis of clinical data from 1019 consecutive adults over a 10-month period who had their first in-laboratory polysomnogram for suspicion of obstructive sleep apnea. Patients either underwent in-laboratory full-night polysomnogram followed by full-night continuous positive airway pressure titration or split-night polysomnogram. Patients also completed questionnaires to assess race, education, marital status, and medical co-morbidities. A multiple linear regression model that predicted the natural log of slow-wave sleep in minutes indicated that African Americans had approximately 48% less slow-wave sleep than non-African Americans. Increasing age and male gender were also associated with less slow-wave sleep. Overweight and obese individuals had significantly less slow-wave sleep than those not overweight, even after adjustment for obstructive sleep apnea severity. Finally, those with severe obstructive sleep apnea had significantly less slow-wave sleep than those with less severe obstructive sleep apnea even after adjustment for obesity. Results remained unchanged when patients who had a split-night polysomnogram were excluded. We observed less slow-wave sleep in African Americans, a group at increased risk of diabetes and hypertension compared to whites, and in those who are overweight and obese and those with severe obstructive sleep apnea. Future research needs to explore potential reasons for reduced slow-wave sleep in these individuals.
Network management views using delegated agents

The lack of an appropriate external data model is one of the reasons for the dearth of effective network management applications. Many network management computations over Management Information Bases (MIBs) cannot be practically accomplished through remote interactions. This paper describes the design of an mib Computations System that supports the dynamic definition of external data models for mibs. The system consists of a View Definition Language (VDL) to specify mib external views and SNMP-agent extensions that implement them. vdl views define new mib variables, which are computed via instrumentations performed by a Management-by-Delegation (MbD) server, and which can be queried via the Simple Network Management Protocol, (SNMP).
Fantastic voyage through the cardiovascular system

Please see page 34 for the article by Jongbloed et al. (doi: 10.1016/S1525-2167(03)00051-9) and page 93 for the article by Scholten et al. (doi: 10.1016/S1525-2167(03)00049-0) to which this editorial pertains. In 1963 Isaac Asimov published the science fiction novel entitled Fantastic Voyage .1 The novel begins with a scientific breakthrough of Promethean proportions signally certain victory for the side that possesses this revolutionary technology. Scientists developed miniaturization allowing large objects to be made small. Everyone was quick to see the strategic role of miniaturization. However, the chief scientist who was completing the development of the project sustained a blood clot deep in the brain and the only conceivable means of saving this genius was to apply his own miniaturization invention. A crew of scientists boarded a small submarine named Proteus . The submarine and its crew were miniaturized and injected into the blood stream of the stroke victim. Using a map of the circulatory system, the crew of the Proteus navigated the delicate and treacherous vascular system to the site of the blood clot. The rest is history. Laser lysis of the clot was successful, the crew of the Proteus returned safely, and the patient …