cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Cross-Sectional View of Fear of Death and Dying Among Skydivers:

The literature lacks a consistent pattern on the relationship between attitudes toward death and dying across occupations and recreational pursuits. The present cross-sectional study categorized a group of individuals engaging in a high-risk recreational activity (i.e., skydivers) on the basis of experience and classified them into student, intermediate, and experts. There were more negative attitudes of death and dying among student skydivers compared with more experienced skydivers. It was also found that expert skydivers had more negative attitudes toward death and dying on some of the measures compared with the intermediate level experienced skydivers. It may be the case that factors such as perceived personal control, overconfidence, and metacognition may be related to these observed differences between the two more experienced groups of skydivers. The possibility of the factors playing a role in skydivers' attitudes toward death and dying should be taken into consideration in the training programs for skydiving.
Tumor and stromal expression of matrix metalloproteinases and their role in tumor progression

The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been associated with tissue remodeling in many normal and pathological processes, and in particular are thought to be critical for tumor invasion and metastasis. MMP overexpression has been correlated with the stage of progression in several tumor types. Because of the aberrant nature of tumor cells, it has been assumed that the tumor cells themselves are responsible for this abnormal MMP production. However, recent in situ hybridization experiments have determined that, while some members of the MMP family are expressed within neoplastic cells, many are found in normal stromal components immediately adjacent to the tumor tissue. In this review, we address the potential roles of both tumor and stromal MMPs in tumor progression. Also, using MMP expression as a point of reference, we discuss some of the potential mechanisms involved in tumor/host interactions.
In vivo EPR oximetry using an isotopically-substituted nitroxide: Potential for quantitative measurement of tissue oxygen.

Abstract Variations in brain oxygen (O 2 ) concentration can have profound effects on brain physiology. Thus, the ability to quantitate local O 2 concentrations noninvasively in vivo could significantly enhance understanding of several brain pathologies. However, quantitative O 2 mapping in the brain has proven difficult. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of nitroxides are sensitive to molecular O 2 and can be used to estimate O 2 concentrations in aqueous media. We recently synthesized labile-ester-containing nitroxides, such as 3-acetoxymethoxycarbonyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-1-pyrrolidinyloxyl (nitroxide 4 ), which accumulate in cerebral tissue after in situ hydrolysis, and thus enable spatial mapping of O 2 concentrations in the mouse brain by EPR imaging. In an effort to improve O 2 quantitation, we prepared 3-acetoxymethoxycarbonyl-2,2,5,5-tetra( 2 H 3 )methyl-1-(3,4,4- 2 H 3 ,1- 15 N)pyrrolidinyloxyl (nitroxide 2 ), which proved to be a more sensitive probe than its normo-isotopic version for quantifying O 2 in aqueous solutions of various O 2 concentrations. We now demonstrate that this isotopically substituted nitroxide is ∼2-fold more sensitive in vivo than the normo-isotopic nitroxide 4 . Moreover, in vitro and in vivo EPR spectral-spatial imaging results with nitroxide 2 demonstrate significant improvement in resolution, reconstruction and spectral response to local O 2 concentrations in cerebral tissue. Thus, isotopic-substituted nitroxides, such as 2 , are excellent sensors for in vivo O 2 quantitation in tissues, such as the brain.
Living arrangements and lifestyle satisfaction among the elderly in Chinese immigrant families: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND The aims of this preliminary study were to understand the relationship between the living arrangements and lifestyle satisfaction through investigating how choices of living arrangements impacted upon lifestyle satisfaction of elderly Chinese immigrants in London. METHODS A qualitative research methodology with semi-structured, face-to-face and in-depth interviews was utilized with eight elderly couples of Chinese immigrant families from Vietnam and Hong Kong. RESULTS The results indicated that the desirability of current lifestyle was associated with lifestyle satisfaction. Among 12 participants who desired their current lifestyles, nine reported this having a "positive effect" on their lifestyle satisfaction, and no negative effects were reported. In comparison, the negative effects on lifestyle satisfaction were found among four participants who did not desire their current independent residence from their adult children. The reasons the participants desired or not their current lifestyles and the effects on their lifestyle satisfaction were explored qualitatively. The participants might consider family situations (finance, health, age, and kin network) to some extent. but not see them as key determinants in making decisions about living arrangements. However, the Chinese cultural beliefs in living arrangement choices were highly visible in their reports. CONCLUSION The findings suggested that the elderly participants' desirability of their current lifestyles was positively associated with the level of lifestyle satisfaction. The issue of the living arrangements and lifestyle satisfaction of the elderly acquires new significance at a time when the population in Taiwan is aging, and the socio-economic and cultural changes are more radical than ever.
Posterior tracheopexy for severe tracheomalacia.

Abstract Purpose In severe tracheomalacia, aortopexy addresses anterior vascular compression, but does not directly address posterior membranous tracheal intrusion. We review patient outcomes of posterior tracheopexy for tracheomalacia with posterior intrusion to determine if there were resolution of clinical symptoms and bronchoscopic evidence of improvement in airway collapse. Methods All patients who underwent posterior tracheopexy from October 2012 to March 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical symptoms, tracheomalacia scores based on standardized dynamic airway evaluation by anatomical region, and persistent airway intrusion were collected. Data were analyzed by Wald and Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests. Results 98 patients (51% male) underwent posterior tracheopexy at a median age of 15months (IQR 6–33months). Median follow-up was 5months (range 0.25–36months). There were statistically significant improvements in clinical symptoms postoperatively, including cough, noisy breathing, prolonged and recurrent respiratory infections, transient respiratory distress requiring positive pressure, oxygen dependence, blue spells, and apparent life-threatening events ( p p =0.04). Tracheomalacia scores on bronchoscopy improved significantly in all regions of the trachea and bronchi ( p Conclusions Posterior tracheopexy is effective in treating severe tracheomalacia with significant improvements in clinical symptoms and degree of airway collapse on bronchoscopy. Level of evidence Level III, treatment study.
Multiple-Patterning Nanosphere Lithography for Fabricating Periodic Three-Dimensional Hierarchical Nanostructures.

While three-dimensional (3D) configurable hierarchical nanostructures have wide ranging applications in electronics, biology, and optics, finding scalable approaches remains a challenge. We report a robust and general strategy called multiple-patterning nanosphere lithography (MP-NSL) for the fabrication of periodic 3D hierarchical nanostructures in a highly scalable and tunable manner. This nanofabrication technique exploits the selected and repeated etching of polymer nanospheres that serve as resists and that can be shaped in parallel for each processing step. The application of MP-NSL enables the fabrication of periodic, vertically aligned Si nanotubes at the wafer scale with nanometer-scale control in three dimensions including outer/inner diameters, heights/hole-depths, and pitches. The MP-NSL method was utilized to construct 3D periodic hierarchical hybrid nanostructures such as multilevel solid/hollow nanotowers where the height and diameter of each level of each structure can be configured precis...
Characterizing anisotropic, viscoelastic material properties of the tectorial membranes of wild-type and mutant mice using longitudinally propagating waves

The tectorial membrane (TM) is an important structural component of the mammalian inner ear. Examination of cochlear physiology in genetically modified mice has demonstrated that mutation of genes affecting TM proteins causes changes in key characteristics of cochlear function. Characterizing the differences in material properties between wild-type and mutant mice could provide insight into the source of reported differences in cochlear physiology. In this study, optical images of isolated TM segments of wild-type and genetically modified mice in response to harmonic radial excitation at acoustic frequencies are used to determine the amplitude and phase of the motion. Wave propagation on the TM segments is modeled using finite element models that take into account the anisotropy, viscoelasticity, and finite dimensions of the TM and the presence of a viscous boundary layer. An automated least-square fitting algorithm is used to find anisotropic, viscoelastic material parameters of wild-type and mutant mice TMs at acoustic frequencies. The resulting material properties are compared to previous estimates of the TM properties.The tectorial membrane (TM) is an important structural component of the mammalian inner ear. Examination of cochlear physiology in genetically modified mice has demonstrated that mutation of genes affecting TM proteins causes changes in key characteristics of cochlear function. Characterizing the differences in material properties between wild-type and mutant mice could provide insight into the source of reported differences in cochlear physiology. In this study, optical images of isolated TM segments of wild-type and genetically modified mice in response to harmonic radial excitation at acoustic frequencies are used to determine the amplitude and phase of the motion. Wave propagation on the TM segments is modeled using finite element models that take into account the anisotropy, viscoelasticity, and finite dimensions of the TM and the presence of a viscous boundary layer. An automated least-square fitting algorithm is used to find anisotropic, viscoelastic material parameters of wild-type and mutant mice...
Juror perceptions of false confessions versus witness recantations.

In false confessions, someone confesses to a crime but then later retracts that confession, whereas in witness recantations, an eyewitness testifies but then later revokes that testimony. The revoc...
Creation Stories from Around the World

The Absarkoe or Crow people tell the story of how the world began: Once there was only water, and Old Man Coyote. Coyote needed someone to talk with and soon found two ducks. He asked the ducks to check whether anything was under the water – one duck dove and disappeared for so long that Coyote worried he had died. But the duck emerged and informed Coyote that he had found the bottom. He went a second time to find a root, and the third time to bring up some earth. Coyote blew on the mud and it grew until it became the earth. Coyote planted the root on the earth, and plants and trees arose. Then Coyote began to make valleys, mountains, and lakes, and then took some of the clay to make people and more ducks. Within his earth, a smaller version of himself urged him to make all the other animals, as well as people with different languages who would fill the earth. In this way the bear, antelope, and other animals, as well as the dance, and war which came from people who could not understand each other.(Summarized from Leeming and Leeming 1995)
Induction, Recursion, Arithmetic, Cardinality

The concepts of “numbers” and “counting” allow for the determination and comparison of the “sizes” of various objects. The same concepts also lead to precise definitions of “infinite” sets, which then reveals an “infinite” variety of “infinite” sets. For example, the number of particles in the universe (see figure 3.1)is related to its mass, volume, and density, which quantities might affect the fate of the universe, in particular, whether the universe will remain finite or will expand to “infinity” [57, p. 445].
The public image of the American pharmacist in the popular press

Entre les XIX e et XX e siecles, l'image publique du pharmacien a subi de nombreux changements frappants que l'A. analyse et associe a la publicite et aux relations publiques
Nondietary Therapies for Celiac Disease

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy triggered by gluten. Gluten-free diets can be challenging because of their restrictive nature, inadvertent cross-contaminations, and the high cost of gluten-free food. Novel nondietary therapies are at the preclinical stage, clinical trial phase, or have already been developed for other indications and are now being applied to CD. These therapies include enzymatic gluten degradation, binding and sequestration of gluten, restoration of epithelial tight junction barrier function, inhibition of tissue transglutaminase-mediated potentiation of gliadin oligopeptide immunogenicity or of human leukocyte antigen-mediated gliadin presentation, induction of tolerance to gluten, and antiinflammatory interventions.
The Feasibility of a Health Care Application in the Treatment of Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy.

Purpose:Patients who undergo radical cystectomy of bladder cancer are at high risk for complications and hospital readmissions. Studies indicate insufficient preoperative education and perioperativ...
Microwave-Accelerated Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (MAMEF): A Rapid, < 10 Copy Number Detection Platform

In this chapter, we review a three-piece assay called microwave-accelerated metal-enhanced fluorescence (MAMEF). This method is rapid and efficient for detecting various proteins and DNA/RNA fragments from a range of bacteria. Currently, bacterial detection and identification are underpinned by robust instrumentation and cell cultures. Molecular detection strategies are available to detect DNA/RNA and proteins in time periods that range from hours to days. These strategies use various reagents, costly instrumentation, and can be time-consuming.
Using the Keys

Advice on how to proceed in using the taxonomic keys to the nymphs is provided. Emphasis is placed on arriving at correct generic determinations and checking the diagnoses and illustrations to confirm identification. Variation in characters states and pitfalls of certain types of characters are explained. The importance of preparing specimens and cleaning certain specimens (both nymphs and exuviae) for examination is detailed.
Old Drugs, New Delivery Systems in Parkinson’s Disease

Levodopa is the mainstay of treatment in Parkinson’s disease (PD). As the disease progresses, variations in plasma levodopa levels lead to motor fluctuations. The common reasons behind variations in the plasma levels include delayed gastric emptying, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, protein interaction with levodopa absorption, and limited oral bioavailability of levodopa. Efforts to find newer delivery systems for older drugs to avoid the problems associated with oral delivery of medications are continuing. This review aims to provide up-to-date information about the newer delivery options for drugs used for PD and provides a summary of infusion therapy with apomorphine, modifications to other dopamine agonists, various oral formulations of carbidopa/levodopa, inhaled levodopa, intrajejunal infusion of levodopa, and sublingual apomorphine. The advantages, dose, and adverse effects of each treatment modality are reviewed. We also discuss several drugs under investigation, such as the subcutaneous carbidopa/levodopa infusion and subcutaneous rotigotine.
Laboratory shear bond test for chip-seal under varying environmental and material conditions

Ideally, a complete bond between the chip-seal and asphalt pavement is achieved during the chip-seal application. However, complete and total bonding is unlikely due to environmental and material c...
Constraints among parameters simplify control of Klatt formant synthesizer

Speech synthesis with a terminal-analog synthesizer of the type developed by Dennis Klatt requires that a large number of parameters be specified to control the sources and filters. A method of control of the synthesizer using just 10 higher-level (HL) parameters is described. These parameters specify the essential aspects of the production of an utterance, including vocal-tract natural frequences, orifice sizes and other source-related attributes. A set of transformations maps the HL parameters to the Klatt parameters. The paper gives examples of the pattern of HL parameters for the synthesis of stop and nasal consonants and illustrates the use of these parameters for analysis-by-synthesis.
Variation in neophobia among cliff swallows at different colonies.

Animal groups often represent nonrandom subsets of individuals, and increasing evidence indicates that individuals may sort among groups based on their personalities. The size of a group can predict its personality composition in some species due to differential suitability of a personality for groups of certain sizes, and the group itself may function more effectively if particular personality types are present. We quantified cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) behavioral measures using linear and generalized linear mixed models to identify whether they: (1) varied among individuals within colonies and among colonies, (2) were related to reproductive success, and (3) predicted levels of parental care. Significant among-individual and among-colony site variation in a cliff swallow’s latency to enter its nest when presented with a novel stimulus was revealed. We also found significant among-individual variation in the number of attacks directed toward a novel stimulus at the nest and in the response to broadcast of a cliff swallow alarm call recording, but among site variation in these measures was not significant. We did not find evidence for behavioral syndromes linking the personalities measured. Differences among individuals in latency to enter the nest and the number of attacks were not significantly related to reproductive success or to the extent to which birds fed their nestlings. However, extent of nestling feeding was significantly predicted by the number of mist net captures. The limited evidence in general of systematic variation in the behavior we measured among cliff swallow colonies may reflect the different and sometimes opposing selection pressures on behavior in different social environments. Future work should perhaps examine variation in other behavioral traits, such as foraging, in cliff swallow colonies of different sizes.
Ocean acidification partially mitigates the negative effects of warming on the recruitment of the coral, Orbicella faveolata

Ocean acidification and ocean warming constitute major threats to many calcifying reef organisms, including scleractinian corals. The combined effects of these two environmental stressors on the earliest life history stages of reef calcifiers remain poorly studied, particularly for Atlantic corals. Here, we investigate how acidification and warming influence the fertilization success, larval survivorship, and larval settlement of the threatened Atlantic coral, Orbicella faveolata. Gametes and larvae from O. faveolata were subjected to a factorial combination of warming (ambient versus + 1.5 °C) and acidification (ambient versus − 0.2 pH units) projected to occur by the year 2050. O. faveolata individuals were maintained in the same treatments throughout all early life history stages investigated. The fertilization success of O. faveolata was not affected by acidification, warming, or their combination. However, during larval development, warming caused complete mortality and prevented any subsequent settlement. Interestingly, these negative effects of warming were mitigated when combined with ocean acidification, such that both larval survivorship and settlement increased by 41% in the combined treatment relative to the isolated warming treatment. Our research suggests that temperature-induced increases in larval metabolism may be counterbalanced by acidification, which serves to reduce larval metabolism. Notwithstanding, larval survivorship and settlement were still reduced by 50% under combined acidification and warming relative to the ambient treatment, indicating that climate change will continue to serve as major stressor during the early life history stages of corals, jeopardizing the resilience of Caribbean reefs.
Privacy Protection in Big Data Auction, Life Cycle and Security.

Big data is one of the keys to unlock the next great waves of economic growth. A number of smart-world systems (smart grid, smart transportation, smart cities, etc.) driven by advances in Internet of Things (IoT) technologies will accelerate the generation and collection of big data to an unprecedented scale. As a fundamental commodity in our current information age, big data is the crucial competitiveness in modern commerce. This calls for the development of a big data market: pricing, trading, privacy preserving and protection, data security, etc. In this talk, we will discuss the related issues of big data market: pricing, trading, more specifically the big data auction, how we can preserve privacy by leveraging the concept of homomorphic cryptography and secure network protocol design. We propose a generic Privacy-Preserving Auction Scheme (PPAS), in which the two independent entities of Auctioneer and Intermediate Platform comprise an untrusted third-party trading platform. Yet, to further improve the security of the privacy-preserving auction, we also propose an Enhanced Privacy-Preserving Auction Scheme (EPPAS) that leverages an additional signature verication mechanism. The feasibilities of both schemes are validated through detailed theoretical analyses and extensive performance evaluations, including assessment of the resilience to attacks. In addition, we will discuss some open issues and possible extensions relevant to our schemes.
UV-Vis quantification of hydroxyl radical concentration and dose using principal component analysis.

Abstract Hydroxyl radicals (∙OH) are powerful oxidizing species formed naturally in the environment or artificially produced to destroy contaminants in water treatment facilities. Their short lifetime and high reactivity, however, present a significant challenge to quantifying their concentration in solution. Herein, we developed a novel method to accurately measure the steady-state ∙OH concentration and total ∙OH dose produced during the UV photolysis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by monitoring the loss of salicylic acid (SA). This information can be acquired using only benchtop UV–Vis spectroscopy, thus expanding measurement capabilities of resource-limited laboratories by eliminating the need for sophisticated instrumentation. To improve the precision with which the rate of SA loss was measured compared to previous methods, we applied principal component analysis (PCA) to fit the UV–Vis spectra collected during SA exposure to ∙OH. For our experimental conditions consisting of 12 mL solutions composed of ≤ 100 mM H2O2 and 0.07 mM SA, the steady-state ∙OH concentration throughout the complete photolysis of H2O2 was 1.33 × 10−11 M ± 1.14 × 10−12 M. This represents more than a ten-fold improvement in reducing the uncertainty of the measurement, with respect to narrowing the 95 % confidence interval, compared to a previous method that employed matrix analysis to process the spectra. Furthermore, the variance of the measured ∙OH concentrations was reduced by a factor of 100 compared to previous methods. Using PCA, the limit-of-detection and limit-of-quantitation for ∙OH are 5.33 × 10−13 M and 1.23 × 10−12 M, respectively. By developing quantitative relationships among ∙OH concentration, H2O2 concentration, and UV exposure time, we also show how to calculate the equivalent exposure to ∙OH generated in natural aquatic environments by indirect photolysis. Finally, we use this methodology to demonstrate that the presence of suspended carbonaceous nanoparticles at concentrations as high as 300 ppm does not affect ∙OH concentration.
Three Things to Consider Before You Kick Off Synchronous Office Hours in Online Classes

Running synchronous online office hours in a predominantly asynchronous classroom environment presents challenges to the learner as well as to the instructor. Establishing a process, and planning to overcome barriers from both sides, can be broken into a three-step process, which should help teachers, and students operationalize this powerful strategy.
The datafication of pain: trials and tribulations in measuring phantom limb pain

This article takes the phenomenon of phantom limb pain (PLP), and a therapeutic technology designed to treat it, as springboards to critically consider a transformation: from deeply subjective experiences into quantitative data. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork on neuroprosthetic development, I examine an international clinical trial coordinated in Sweden using neuromuscular activation, machine learning, and virtual reality to treat PLP. I excavate the trial’s underlying fundaments and tools, tracing how they define, produce and record changes in an individual’s pain along the course of treatment, a process I call the ‘datafication of pain.’ Moving beyond the representational problematic of pain as simultaneously subjective experience and object of medical intervention, I ask: What gets left out, in this process of datafication? And what gets created in the void it leaves? I argue that the experimental paradigm of datafication elides certain key dimensions of pain itself, particularly its relational dimensions, and surfaces new pain-experiences in-situ. The stakes of this elision and surfacing not only impact the data produced, but also the ethics of actual lived, embodied experiences of pain itself. In leaking out of the experimental apparatus, the excess of pain becomes an artifact of the experimental process, as opposed to merely its object. This article examines the relational dimensions—of both the experimental process and phantom limb pain at large—elided by the data-gathering apparatus itself.
Why the Hips Remain Stable When the Spine Strays: A Deeper Analysis of the Relationship Between Hip Displacement and Severe Scoliosis in Patients With Cerebral Palsy.

Background Many patients with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy (CP) and severe scoliosis develop hip displacement, whereas others do not. We investigated demographic characteristics, risk factors for CP, and imaging findings associated with nondisplaced hips in patients with CP and severe scoliosis. Methods We retrospectively analyzed records of 229 patients with spastic quadriplegic CP and severe scoliosis who presented for treatment at our US academic tertiary care hospital between August 2005 and September 2015. Demographic characteristics, risk factors for CP, and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were documented. Patients were classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level 4 or higher, with 58% at GMFCS level 5.3. Displaced hips (n=181 patients) were defined as a migration percentage of ≥30% or previous surgery for hip displacement/adductor contractures. Patients who did not meet these criteria were classified as nondisplaced (n=48 patients). We used univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression to determine associations between patient factors and hip displacement (alpha=0.05). Results Patients born at term (≥37 wk) had 2.5 times the odds [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3-5.0] of having nondisplaced hips compared with patients born prematurely. Females had 2.0 times the odds (95% CI: 1.0-3.9) of having nondisplaced hips compared with males. Patients with normal brain MRI findings had 9.6 times the odds (95% CI: 2.3-41) of having nondisplaced hips compared with patients with abnormal findings. Hip displacement was not associated with race (P>0.05). Conclusions Gestational age 37 weeks or above, female sex, and normal brain MRI findings are independently associated with nondisplaced hips in patients with spastic quadriplegic CP and severe scoliosis. These findings direct attention to characteristics that may place patients at greater risk of displacement. Future work may influence preventative screening practices and improve patient counseling regarding the risk of hip displacement. Level of evidence Level III-retrospective comparative study.
Flexible Automation Cell for Integration and Application

For Mechatronics students, it is important to be able to utilize Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) for specific purposes and work with other components, such as sensors or conveyor belts. In the current laboratory setting, the PLC trainer is intended for learning purposes relating to programming. Yet, hardware wiring PLCs to complete a specific project is essential for students as well. This paper will discuss the project that is built from wiring hardware, including a conveyor belt, PLC modules, sensors and a camera to complete the working prototype of a conveyor belt system for inspection purposes. The system is controlled by CompactLogix L43 processor and programmed using the RSLogix 5000 software. The completed prototype can recognize the taught object and determine whether the object passes or fails. Based on the inspection result, the conveyor belt can convey objects to the end station or start back on when the failed object has been removed. This project has the potential to be integrated with other types of hardware for more applications.
Relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resiliency among College Students

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with negative outcomes, however, there are factors that can mitigate the effects from exposure to ACEs. This study examined the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), characteristics of resilient individuals and the association between ACE scores, resiliency and other factors among college students. Subjects and Method: A cross-sectional survey was completed in 2018. Frequencies were calculated for the number and types of ACE experienced by participants. Bivariate relationships between characteristics of parti­cipants and resilience were examined using Chi-square tests. The independent relationship between ACE scores and resiliency factors was examined using ordinal logistic regression. The dependent variable was ACE score. An ordinal logistic regression model examined the relati­onship between conventional ACE scores and resilience levels and other factors. Results: There were 570 study participants. Seventy-one percent of study participants had experienced at least one conventional ACE, and 98% had experienced at least one expanded ACE. Individuals with high resilience had lower conventional ACE scores and better health. Females (OR= 1.67; 95% CI= 1.14 to 2.45) were more likely to have higher conventional ACE scores. Participants living in suburban areas compared to rural areas (OR= 0.61; 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.85), and children raised with both parents compared to single parents (OR= 0.17; 95% CI= 0.12 to 0.25) were less likely to have higher conventional ACE scores. Gender (OR= 0.54; 95% CI= 0.35 to 0.82) and general health status (OR= 1.50; 95% CI= 1.05 to 2.13) were the only significant predictors of the expanded ACE scores. Conclusion: Findings identify important resilient traits such as relationships, self-control, internal beliefs, and initiative,. as well asportray the high prevalence ofACEs and the importance of resilience as a protective factor in reducing ACEs. Keywords: adverse childhood experiences, resilience, mitigate Correspondence : Glory Okwori. East Tennessee State University. 1276 Gilbreath Dr., Box 70300, Johnson City, TN. Email: okwori@etsu.edu. Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health (2021), 06(01): 83-97 https://doi.org/10.26911/jepublichealth.2021.06.01.09
RANDOM RESPONSE OF HIGHWAY BRIDGES TO VEHICLE LOADS

The random response of highway bridges under the passage of vehicles is studied. The Poisson process is used to represent the vehicular traffic and the bridge is idealized as a linear system. The probability density function and expected rate of threshold crossings of the bridge response are obtained.
Longitudinal Impact of a Family Critical Time Intervention on Children in High-Risk Families Experiencing Homelessness: A Randomized Trial

A randomized trial compared effects of a Family Critical Time Intervention (FCTI) to usual care for children in 200 newly homeless families in which mothers had diagnosable mental illness or substance problems. Adapted from an evidence-based practice to prevent chronic homelessness for adults with mental illnesses, FCTI combines housing and structured, time-limited case management to connect families leaving shelter with community services. Families were followed at five time points over 24 months. Data on 311 children—99 ages 1.5–5 years, 113 ages 6–10 years, and 99 ages 11–16 years—included mother-, teacher-, and child-reports of mental health, school experiences, and psychosocial well-being. Analyses used hierarchical linear modeling to investigate intervention effects and changes in child functioning over time. Referral to FCTI reduced internalizing and externalizing problems in preschool-aged children and externalizing for adolescents 11–16. The intervention led to declines in self-reported school troubles for children 6–10 and 11–16. Both experimental and control children in all age groups showed reductions in symptoms over time. Although experimental results were scattered, they suggest that FCTI has the potential to improve mental health and school outcomes for children experiencing homelessness.
Variation in Postoperative Care following Stage I Palliation for Single‐ventricle Patients: A Report from the Joint Council on Congenital Heart Disease National Quality Improvement Collaborative

Background and Methods. The National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPC-QIC) has established a national data registry for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and its variants undergoing staged palliation. The goal of this collaborative is to better understand current care practices and to improve outcomes in children with these severe and complex forms of congenital heart disease. In this study, we describe the postoperative intensive care course, and its variations, for the first 100 patients enrolled into the registry. Results. Patients were enrolled from 21 contributing sites and were discharged home after stage I palliation between July 2008 and February 2010. Following stage I palliation, enrolled participants remained in the intensive care unit for a median duration of 11 days (range: 3–68 days). Duration of intensive care unit stay varied and was greatest for those patients with aortic atresia versus aortic hypoplasia (P= 0.04) and for those who underwent a modified Blalock–Taussig shunt as part of their palliation. The duration of intensive care unit stay also varied by contributing site (medians ranged from 8 to 18 days). Participants requiring reoperation had significantly prolonged lengths of stay (P= .0003). Inotropic agent use among univentricular registry participants also varied by site. The majority of recipients received milrinone (87%), dopamine (64%), and epinephrine (62%). Cardiac catheterization following surgery occurred in 20 patients. Fifteen percent of participants underwent an interventional procedure. Complication following stage I palliation was also fairly common. Conclusions. Considerable variation exists in the postoperative course and management of univentricular patients following stage I palliation. Variation in length of intensive care unit stay, inotropic agent use, need for reoperation or cardiac catheterization, and postoperative complications are described. Further studies to determine etiologies for observed variation may result in improved standards of care and better outcomes during the interstage period.
Trends in cardiovascular disease risk factors by obesity level in adults in the United States, NHANES 1999-2010

Objective To assess whether trends in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors by among overweight and obese US adults have improved.
Conglutinatio orificii externi as a factor in delayed labor

Abstract 1. 1. So-called conglutinatio orificii externi is an unusual, though by no means rare, cause of delayed labor. 2. 2. The term is a misnomer, since the condition is not a true conglutination, but rather a failure of dilatation of the circular fibers around the external cervical os. 3. 3. The clinical picture is usually typical. The opening in the cervical os cannot always be identified even by speculum examination. 4. 4. Artificial measures are usually necessary to relieve the condition, which sometimes terminates in spontaneous delivery, but may result in prolonged dystocia, amputation of the cervix, or rupture of the uterus. Usually all that is necessary is entrance into the cervical canal by continuous gentle digital pressure against the external os. Cesarean section is occasionally required. 5. 5. Three typical cases are reported.
The Minnesota Citizen's Personal Protection Act of 2003: History and Commentary

On April 28, 2003, the Minnesota Senate concurred in House action on S.F. 842 and passed the Minnesota Citizens’ Personal Protection Act (“MPPA”) as Article 2 of that bill on a 37-30 vote after the longest Senate floor debate in history. The MPPA may be the most thoroughly debated bill to pass the legislature in recent years. The earlier House floor debate took over five hours and included consideration of 8 amendments before the bill was passed on an 88-46 vote. The Governor signed the bill later that afternoon and it went into effect 30 days later. Thus Minnesota became the 35th state to adopt a non-discretionary, must-issue system for issuing permits to carry firearms on one’s person in public places.The process of passing the MPPA took seven years and the legislature history can be reviewed by following the evolution of the bill over those years. The proponents made compromises, good ideas from the opponents were included, and the bill grew in length and complexity as it made its way through the legislative process. This article describes that process and provides explanatory commentary on the resulting bill by a proponent who played a leading role throughout the legislative process.
"Dirty Linen" : Legacies of Empire in Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone

Domestic, the Oxford English Dictionary informs, means "of or pertaining to one's own country or nation; not foreign, internal, inland, 'home.'" But what becomes of this deÞ nition when that which pertain(s) to one's own country or nation is inextricably, dependently intertwined with sites— nations, colonies, protectorates—abroad; when, like England in 1799, 1848, and 1868 (the years, respectively, of the opening scene of The Moonstone, its principal action, and its publication), the foreign shapes the domestic: empire deÞ ning (though not equivalent to) nation? To "be" English in the nineteenth century was to be of, and hence constituted by, (the British) em- pire, to claim the summary position not only of Britishness but of empire itself. English identity was superincumbent, pressing down on that which simultaneously held it up: the subject races, the colonized countries, the "foreign." Mutually constitutive of what it meant to be English, domestic and foreign were false binaries, ideologically and discursively produced and consumed, enabling the great white illusion of imperial necessity and generosity, and the refutation of lack that underscored the unidirectional and utterly false logic of imperialism: we are doing them a service. 2 Wilkie Collins challenges this factitious binary in The Moonstone by constructing a private, domestic history as simultaneously imperial, collapsing not only home and away, but also private and public, and family and empire, and he does so through an archive—of family, by family, for family—that belies its own intent. Collected by the family's new patriarch, Franklin Blake, in order to remove the "suspicion" under which "the characters of innocent people have suffered" (Collins, 17) and may suffer in the future, his ar- chive—that is, in fact, The Moonstone—actually documents not innocence, but collusion with the imperial project, enacted and perpetuated by a fam- ily collectively unable to identify imperial assault as a "crime (that) brings its own fatality with it" (16). 3 In failing to recognize their part in the very guilt to which they attest, the voices that produce the archive do not merely bear witness; they actively participate in familial responsibility for imperial depredation through their denial of it. They inherit, in effect, that which they refuse to own, and in trying to distinguish the domestic from the foreign, demonstrate not their inevitable but their manifest inextricability.
Characterization of Pythium Species Associated With Greenhouse Floriculture Crops in Michigan

Michigan ranks third in the United States for the wholesale value of floriculture products, with an estimated value of $375.7 million. Seedling damping-off and root and crown rot are commonly caused by Pythium spp. and are important problems for greenhouse growers. Pythium spp. associated with Michigan's floriculture crops were characterized as a means to improve current management strategies. During 2011 and 2012, potted poinsettias with root rot symptoms were sampled from nine greenhouses located in Kent, Kalamazoo, and Wayne counties. In 2013, from the same three counties, symptomatic geranium and snapdragon bedding plants were sampled from 12 greenhouses. Additionally, symptomatic hibiscus and lantana plants were sampled at one greenhouse facility. Isolates were confirmed to be Pythium spp. via morphology and sequencing of the ITS region. A total of 287 Pythium spp. isolates were obtained from poinsettias and 726 isolates from geranium, snapdragon, hibiscus, and lantana. Seven Pythium spp., and a group of isolates determined as Pythium sp. 1 were identified. The most prevalent species were P. irregulare, P. ultimum, and P. aphanidermatum. A subset of isolates was chosen for pathogenicity and mefenoxam sensitivity testing. Six of the species were virulent to germinating geranium seeds. Most P. ultimum and P. cylindrosporum isolates tested were intermediate to highly resistant to mefenoxam, whereas most P. aphanidermatum isolates were sensitive. This study suggests that Pythium spp. recovered from Michigan greenhouses may vary depending on the host, and that mefenoxam may not be effective to control P. ultimum or P. cylindrosporum.
Muscarinic Cholinergic Activation of Mouse Spleen Cells Cytotoxic to Tumor Cells In Vitro

Carbamylcholine, acting via a pharmacologically specific receptor, had the ability to activate effector populations of spleen cells from female BALB/cfC3H and BALB/c mice; those cell populations were then significantly reactive in vitro against syngeneic tumor target cells but were only minimally reactive to normal syngeneic target tissues. The induced reactivity was inhibited by the muscarinic cholinergic antagonists atropine, scopolamine, and isopropamide, but not by the nicotinic antagonist d-tubocurare, and it appeared to involve both T-cell and non-T-cell effectors.
ε Protein Kinase C in Pathological Myocardial Hypertrophy ANALYSIS BY COMBINED TRANSGENIC EXPRESSION OF TRANSLOCATION MODIFIERS AND Gαq

The e isoform of protein kinase C (PKC) has a critical cardiotrophic function in normal postnatal developing heart as demonstrated by cardiac-specific transgenic expression of ePKC-selective translocation inhibitor (eV1) and activator (ψeRACK) peptides (Mochly-Rosen, D., Wu, G., Hahn, H., Osinska, H., Liron, T., Lorenz, J. N., Robbins, J., and Dorn, G. W., II (2000) Circ. Res. 86, 1173–1179). To define the role of ePKC signaling in pathological myocardial hypertrophy, eV1 or ψeRACK were co-expressed in mouse hearts with Gαq, a PKC-linked hypertrophy signal transducer. Compared with Gαq overexpression alone, co-expression of ψeRACK with Gαq increased ePKC particulate partitioning by 30 ± 2%, whereas co-expression of eV1 with Gαqreduced particulate-associated ePKC by 22 ± 1%. Facilitation of ePKC translocation by ψeRACK in Gαq mice improved cardiac contractile function measured as left ventricular fractional shortening (30 ± 3% Gαq versus 43 ± 2% ψeRACK/Gαq,p
Implications of qualitative growth for a business

Abstract The author suggests that the experiences of recent years will lead to certain changes of emphasis in corporate planning. • from the company as such to its interdependence with its social, technological and economic environment, • from organization and planning, in the strict sense, as such to the determining of the interrelated social, economical and technological purpose of the company its objectives and strategy, • from quantitative to qualitative methods, • from methods which exclude human influence to those which render explicit human intuition., • from rigorous quantitative plans covering individual aspects of a company's future to comprehensive plans which provide general guide lines, • from the analysis to facts to their synthesis, • from specialized techniques governed by methodology to approaches which draw on the experience of individuals in order to provide insight into complex inter-relationships.
The DNA Sequence of the Escherichia coli O22 O-Antigen Gene Cluster and Detection of Pathogenic Strains Belonging to E. coli Serogroups O22 and O91 by Multiplex PCR Assays Targeting Virulence Genes and Genes in the Respective O-Antigen Gene Clusters

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were developed for detection of pathogenic strains belonging to Escherichia coli serogroups O22 and O91. The O-antigen gene cluster of E. coli O22 was sequenced to identify genes that could be employed as targets for serogroup-specific PCR assays. The wzx and wzy genes in the O-antigen gene clusters of E. coli O22 and E. coli O91 were selected as target genes. The assays were serogroup-specific when tested against 72 E. coli O22 strains and 57 E. coli O91 strains isolated from food, humans, and animals, representative strains belonging to 168 E. coli O serogroups and non-E. coli bacteria. Furthermore, 72 E. coli O22 strains and 57 E. coli O91 strains isolated from food, water, animals, and humans were tested by the PCR for the presence of six and 19 virulence genes, respectively, associated with pathogenic E. coli strains. Based on the PCR screening results, multiplex PCR assays targeting the O22 wzy gene and the cnf-1 and sfa genes in E. coli O22 and the O91 wzy gene, conserved sequences of stx1 and stx2 genes, and the astA and cdt-III genes in E. coli O91 were developed to detect and identify pathogenic strains belonging to serogroups O22 and O91. Furthermore, E. coli O22 and O91 were detected by multiplex PCR assays targeting the wzx or wzy genes and conserved sequences of the stx1 and stx2 genes in ground beef samples inoculated with approximately two colony-forming units (CFU)/25 g after 18-h enrichment. The results demonstrate that the E. coli O22 and O91 wzx and wzy gene sequences were specific for the respective serogroups and can be used as diagnostic markers for rapid identification of these serogroups as an alternative to serotyping. The multiplex PCR assays targeting the O22 and O91 wzx and wzy genes and virulence genes can be used to identify and to detect pathogenic strains of these serogroups in food and fecal samples.