cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lost in the Weather Forecast: The Effect of Climate Risk on Firm Performance and Managerial Choices – An International Comparison

This paper examines the implications of a country’s climate risk on firms’ performance, financial policies, and financial accounting and tax choices. We measure a country’s climate risk using the Global Climate Risk Index (Harmeling and Eckstein, 2013), which captures the extent of a country’s weather-related losses. Based on the sample period of 1993-2012, we show that firms in countries with greater climate risk have lower and more volatile accounting and cash earnings. Consistent with holding cash to hedge against the earnings volatility induced by the climate risk, these firms also hold more cash and are less likely to distribute cash dividends. Moreover, we contend that severe climate events and the corresponding lower and more volatile earnings provide managers with incentives and opportunities to engage in accounting and tax management. Consistent with this conjecture, our cross-country analysis indicates that climate risk is positively associated with the levels of discretionary accruals and tax avoidance. Finally, we provide evidence that banks price the climate risk into the borrowing cost by charging a higher cost of debt capital for firms in countries with greater climate risk. Overall, we provide initial evidence that climate risk influences a firm’s performance and managerial choices based on our international comparisons. This has potentially important implications given the advent of increasingly risky climate conditions in the future.
Effect of Contact Time on Tack

Abstract The following conclusions are obtained: 1. The autohesion strength of elastomers increases linearly with the rate of detachment over the range 200 to 1000 mm/s. 2. The autohesion strength increases by a factor of only 2× to 3× when the contact pressure is increased by 3 orders of magnitude, from 2 kPa to 2 MPa. 3. Autohesion strength develops rapidly in the early stages of contact for SBR, BR, and EPR, increasing from about 20 J/m2 to about 500–1000 J/m2 as the contact time increased from 1 to 100 ms. It increased more slowly thereafter, to about 10 kJ/m2 after a contact time of 1000 s. 4. The development of autohesion was exactly the same at 3°C as at 25°C. This feature is attributed to simultaneous changes in developing true contact, and in resisting separation after contact, that exactly cancel. 5. Adhesion between SBR and EPR is lower than the autohesion strength of the individual polymers over the whole range of contact time. On the other hand, the three strengths for SBR and BR are almost t...
Mating Ability of Irradiated Male Boll Weevils Treated with Diflubenzuron or Penfluron

Treatment of young males of Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman with acetone solutions of diflubenzuron (Dimilin®, TH-6040), or penfluron impaired mating ability. Mating success was often reduced by as much as 40–50%. Affected males usually tried to copulate with virgin females but their movements were often poorly coordinated. They sometimes achieved a partial penetration of the aedeagus without transferring sperm. The males were unable to recover from this deficiency. This problem was largely eliminated when the males were allowed to age for at least 3 days before treatment. Diflubenzuron applied as a 0.1 % acetone dip by itself failed to completely suppress the production of progeny by females. However, when combined with 8000 rad of gamma irradiation, progeny suppression was complete.
Source Regions and Composition of Illegal Mexican Immigration to California

Although overlooked for decades, illegal immigration into the Ameri? can Southwest from Mexico has now reached levels where considerable public interest has been evoked. Coupled with this past failure to recognize an unusual form of population interaction are casual attitudes, held largely on the part of Mexicans, towards the existence of the international frontier. While these latter attitudes are not without histori?
Electrical Properties of Nanoscale TiSi2 Islands on Si

Nanoscale TiSi2 islands are formed by election beam deposition of a few monolayers of titanium followed by in situ annealing at high temperatures (800–1000°C). The typical island sizes were ~10 nm. Electrical characteristics of these islands were probed using UHV-STM. I-V spectroscopies on these islands show single electron tunneling effects such as Coulomb blockade and Coulomb staircase at room temperature.
Transmission mechanisms of an emerging insect-borne rickettsial pathogen

Vector-borne pathogens must overcome arthropod infection and escape barriers (e.g. midgut and salivary glands) during the extrinsic incubation period (EIP) before subsequent transmission to another host. This particular timespan is undetermined for the etiological agent of flea-borne spotted fever (Rickettsia felis). Artificial acquisition of R. felis by blood-feeding cat fleas revealed dissemination to the salivary glands after seven days; however, this length of time is inconsistent with co-feeding studies that produced infectious cat fleas within 24 h of infection. In the current study, we demonstrated that an alternative mechanism is responsible for the early-phase transmission that typifies flea-borne R. felis spread. Co-feeding transmission bioassays were constructed to assess temporal dynamics of R. felis amongst cat fleas, including exposure time to produce infectious fleas and association time to transmit infection to naive fleas. Additional experiments examined the proportion of R. felis-exposed cat fleas with contaminated mouthparts, as well as the likelihood for cat fleas to release R. felis from their mouthparts following exposure to an infectious bloodmeal. The potential for mechanical transmission of R. felis by co-feeding cat fleas was further examined using fluorescent latex beads, as opposed to a live pathogen, which would not require a biological mechanism to achieve transmission. Analyses revealed that R. felis-infected cat fleas were infectious to naive fleas less than 24 h after exposure to the pathogen, but showed no rickettsial dissemination to the salivary glands during this early-phase transmission. Additionally, the current study revealed that R. felis-infected cat fleas must co-feed with naive fleas for more than 12 h in order for early-phase transmission to occur. Further evidence supported that contaminated flea mouthparts may be the source of the bacteria transmitted early, and demonstrated that R. felis is released from the mouthparts during brief probing events. Moreover, the use of fluorescent latex beads supports the notion that early-phase transmission of R. felis is a mechanical mechanism. Determination of the transmission mechanisms utilized by R. felis is essential to fully understand the vulnerability of susceptible vertebrate hosts, including humans, to this pathogen.
Analysis on tuberculosis patient management quality under designated hospital mode in Jiangsu Province

Objective To compare the tuberculosis(TB)patient management quality between designated hospital mode and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)mode.To analyze problems and provide scientific basis to improve the patient management quality.Methods Till December 2010,all 106counties in Jiangsu Province were categorized into two modes:designated hospital mode and CDC mode.Management information of all registered TB patients was collected and compared for difference of patients’management under 2modes in 2011.Results The system management rate under the designated hospital mode(99.4%)was higher than that under CDC mode(99.1%);under designated hospital mode,treatment success rate(94.0%),timely rate and completeness rate of information input(98.0%and 98.9%respectively),were lower than those under CDC mode(96.0%,99.54% and 99.3%,respectively.P0.001).However,all rates of above indicators were higher than the national requirements.Conclusion Designated hospital mode of TB patients management satisfies national requirements and is capable to be adapted to the evolving needs of TB control and prevention tasks.Also,it is in line with reform of medical institutions and can be implemented locally step by step.
Effect Analysis of Bronchial Arterial Infusion to Treat 85 Primary Pulmonary Carcinoma

Objective To explore the effect of bronchial arterial infusion to treat primary pulmonary carcinoma. Methods 85 primary pulmonary carcinoma patients are treated with Seldinger puncture, doing selective bronchial artery catheterization or super-selective bronchinal artery catheterization to infuse other chemotherapeutics drugs, then infuse the mixture of lipildol and pirarcubicin, the bronchinal artery is expedite. Results The near effect of squamous cell carcinoma is better than other pathological type; and the effect of center pulmonary carcinoma is better than round type, infuse many times with BAI is better than one infusion, the near effect of clinical stage is uncorrelative with treat effect. Conclusion Bronchial arterial infusion is a useful method to treat primary pulmonary, the main influence factors are pathological type, growth place, blood provide type, and so on.
Angiography as treatment for a high cervical tear. A case report.

BACKGROUND: High cervical tears are a rare but serious complication of second-trimester induced abortion. Angiographic embolization can successfully treat selected cases. This is the first case of serious hemorrhage successfully treated by angiography alone, without mechanical occlusion, after failed surgical repair. CASE: A 22-year-old primigravida sustained a high cervical tear during dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortion at 21 weeks' gestation. After stabilization with 4 units of packed red cells and vaginal packing, attempted surgical repair failed. The following day, angiography alone pinpointed and stanched the small arteriolar branch of the uterine artery responsible for the bleeding. CONCLUSION: Injury to a tiny arteriolar branch of the uterine artery during D&E abortion may be impossible to palpate or visualize, and hemostatic sutures placed extrinsically on the cervical mucosa may not be therapeutic. On occasion, injection of contrast material, without mechanical occlusive devices, may be corrective.
Creatine kinase in umbilical cord blood.

Slight excesses of creatine kinase were found in seven of 54 blood specimens from umbilical cords, indicating a need for caution in interpreting results of the assay at birth.
Regulation of Thyrotropin Physiology during Aging

The relationship of age to the functional state of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis has been studied in a variety of ways to both animals and man. Basal concentrations of pituitary and of blood thyrotropin (TSH) have been measured and attempts made to relate these to circulating concentrations of the thyroid hormones. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) has been administered to provoke pituitary secretion of TSH. The immunologic and functional characteristics of pituitary and blood TSH have been examined. Intact animals have been subjected to maneuvers (stress) which affect the secretion of TSH. It is safe to conclude from all of these observations that age certainly has an influence on the parameters studied, but the information that has thus far emerged from studies in animals and man is incomplete and does not fall into a single pattern.
Abstract 2381: A multiancestral model of colorectal cancer:in vivoevidence that early heterogeneity contributes to cancer progression

Background: Intratumoral heterogeneity has been linked to tumor progression and chemotherapy resistance in the clinic. Recent models of colorectal tumor evolution indicate that heterogeneity likely arises early during the first few cell divisions and is maintained in a non-Darwinian fashion with discrete clones coevolving. However, how this heterogeneity arises is not fully understood. We propose that some cancers are derived from multiple unique ancestors, and that discrete clones enhance establishment, growth, progression, and resistance to therapy. Methods: Mice carrying the Min allele of Apc and expressing a constitutively active form of PI3K in a subset of colonic epithelial cells develop multiple adenomas and adenocarcinomas in the colon. Cell lineage tracing and fluorescent endoscopy were used to follow the progeny of individual founding cells through establishment, growth, progression, and response to targeted therapy. Cell sorting and 3D tumor spheroid co-culture were used to further examine the growth behavior and treatment response in vitro. Results: Nearly half (44%; 30/68) of the tumors were derived from at least two ancestral clones. The presence of multiple clones was associated with an increased likelihood of a tumor becoming invasive (p = 0.006). Moreover, each clone was more invasive within multi-ancestral tumors than within their homotypic counterparts, indicating that the increased invasion is shared among clones rather than owing to a single dominant clone (p = 0.05). Additionally, the presence of both clones appeared to protect susceptible clones from targeted therapy. In vitro experiments demonstrated that co-evolved clones adopted similar growth patterns, whereas independently evolved clones did not. Conclusions: Taken together, these data strongly indicate that distinct tumor founding cells and their coevolving progeny can contribute to tumor establishment and moreover can enhance growth and survival during tumor progression and response to therapy. Citation Format: Alyssa A. Leystra, Brook Luers, Junbo Son, Chelsie K. Sievers, Amanda M. Wisinger, Alexander R. Schwartz, Christopher D. Zahm, Kristina A. Matkowskyj, Dawn M. Albrecht, Linda Clipson, Dustin A. Deming, Michael A. Newton, Richard B. Halberg. A multiancestral model of colorectal cancer: in vivo evidence that early heterogeneity contributes to cancer progression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2381.
Experimental disintegration of regular echinoids; roles of temperature, oxygen, and decay thresholds

Laboratory experiments on regular echinoids indicate that low water temperatures retard organic decomposition far more effectively than anoxia, and that the primary role of anoxia in the preservation of articulated multi-element calcareous skeletons may be in excluding scavenging organisms. When tumbled at 20 rpm, specimens that were first allowed to decay for two days in warm seawater (30°C) disintegrated more than six times faster than specimens treated at room temperature (23°C) and more than an order of magnitude faster than specimens treated in cool water (11°C). In contrast, the effects of aerobic versus anerobic decay on disintegration rates were insignificant. The longer the period that specimens were allowed to decay before tumbling, the greater the rate at which specimens disintegrated, until a threshold time that appears to mark the decomposition of collagenous ligaments. This required a few days at 30°C, about two weeks at 23°C, and more than 4 weeks at 11°C for Strongylocentrotus. Up until this threshold, coronas disintegrate by a combination of cross-plate fractures and separation along plate sutures; cross-plate fractures thus can be taphonomic in origin and are not necessarily related to predation. Specimens decayed for longer-than-threshold periods of time disintegrate virtually instantaneously upon tumbling by sutural separation only. Undisturbed coronas can remain intact for months, sufficient time for epibiont occupation. Rates of disintegration were documented semi-quantitatively by recognizing seven stages of test disarticulation, and quantitatively by tensometer measures of test strength and toughness. The effects of temperature and oxygen on decay and the existence of a decay threshold in disintegration should apply at least in a qualitative sense to many other animals whose skeletons consist of multiple, collagen-bound elements.Regular echinoids should still be perceived as taphonomically fragile organisms, but our results suggest the potential for latitudinal as well as bathymetric gradients in the preservation of fossil echinoid faunas. Echinoid preservation under any given set of conditions should also be a function of taxonomic differences in test construction (particularly stereom interlocking along plate sutures) as suggested by previous workers, although our experiments indicate that these effects should only be significant among post-threshold specimens. A survey of regular echinoids from Upper Cretaceous white chalk facies of Britain substantiates the basic experimental patterns, yielding examples of all disarticulation stages and significant taxonomic differences in quality of preservation. A diverse array of borers and encrusters on fossil coronas also corroborates the post-mortem persistence of some tests on mid-latitude seafloors.
Information Topics of Greatest Interest for Return of Genome Sequencing Results among Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer at a Young Age

We investigated what information women diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age would want to learn when genome sequencing results are returned. We conducted 60 semi-structured interviews with women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger. We examined what specific information participants would want to learn across result types and for each type of result, as well as how much information they would want. Genome sequencing was not offered to participants as part of the study. Two coders independently coded interview transcripts; analysis was conducted using NVivo10. Across result types, participants wanted to learn about health implications, risk and prevalence in quantitative terms, causes of variants, and causes of diseases. Participants wanted to learn actionable information for variants affecting risk of preventable or treatable disease, medication response, and carrier status. The amount of desired information differed for variants affecting risk of unpreventable or untreatable disease, with uncertain significance, and not health-related. Women diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age recognize the value of genome sequencing results in identifying potential causes and effective treatments and expressed interest in using the information to help relatives and to further understand their other health risks. Our findings can inform the development of effective feedback strategies for genome sequencing that meet patients' information needs and preferences.
Zwitterion-containing polymer additives for fouling resistant ultrafiltration membranes

Abstract Fouling is likely the most important obstacle to the use of membranes in many applications, especially in those that the feed contains high concentrations of organics such as oil and biomacromolecules. Zwitterions, defined as molecules with equal numbers of positively and negatively charged functional groups, show excellent fouling resistance and hydrophilicity. These features can be incorporated into ultrafiltration (UF) membranes during their manufacture by blending a commodity polymer like polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with a copolymer containing zwitterionic groups. This approach can be used directly in existing membrane production systems, with no need for post-processing. Research to date, however, does not provide any guidelines for designing or selecting a zwitterion-containing polymer for this purpose to achieve the best possible performance. In this work, we synthesized copolymers of methyl methacrylate (MMA), whose homopolymer is compatible with PVDF, with two different zwitterionic copolymers, sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) and sulfobetaine-2-vinylpyridine (SB2VP). These copolymers were not previously investigated as surface segregating additives in membrane manufacture. We investigate the impact of different copolymer properties such as zwitterion chemistry, copolymer composition (i.e. zwitterionic/hydrophobic monomer ratio), and blend composition on the performance of membranes manufactured from their blends with PVDF. We report how changing these variables affect the morphology, selectivity, permeance and fouling resistance of membranes, and associate this data with design rules for selecting favorable copolymers. Our study showed that, in contrast to previous literature, increasing the hydrophilic/zwitterionic monomer amount in the additive copolymer does not always result in improved membrane performance. Instead, during membrane formation by non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS), copolymer additives with high zwitterion content (51–52 wt%) undergo macrophase separation from PVDF, and the membrane produced shows poor performance. On the other hand, with the appropriate copolymers that contain 18–19 wt% zwitterionic monomer, membranes with significantly higher permeance and remarkable fouling resistance can be attained even with very small amounts of additive copolymer. Zwitterionic additive contents as low as 5 wt% in PVDF can lead to membranes with doubled water flux (up to 99 L/m2 h bar) and complete irreversible fouling resistance against oil suspensions and protein solutions. Only 10 wt% additive can yield membranes with even higher flux (up to 165 L/m2 h bar), and complete resistance to irreversible fouling by an oil suspension in 24-h dead-end fouling experiments. This degree of fouling resistance have not previously been reported for PVDF-based membranes, to our knowledge, and indicates the promise of this membrane modification approach for a wide range of applications.
Inhibition of choriocapillaris regeneration with genistein.

PURPOSE To test the effects of genistein on choriocapillaris regeneration and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) wound healing in a surgical model in the rabbit. METHODS Intravitreal injections of either 0.1 ml of a 90-microM concentration of genistein, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO; negative control), or 2 microg cycloheximide (positive control) were given 24 hours before surgical debridement of RPE in rabbits. Scanning electron microscopy (EM) of choroidal vascular casts and the RPE wounds and histologic evaluation by light microscopy and EM of the disturbed areas were performed at days 1, 7, and 30 after surgery. Quantitative analysis of the area of the choriocapillaris bed and RPE was performed by automated image analysis, and the results were analyzed by paired Student's t-test. RESULTS Loss of RPE caused a rapid initial atrophy followed by slower subsequent revascularization of the choriocapillaris, which paralleled the RPE wound healing. Choriocapillaris regeneration appeared nearly normal by day 30 in the DMSO group. Inhibition of choriocapillaris revascularization by genistein was significant at day 30 when compared with the DMSO-treated negative control (P = 0.013). There was a strong trend toward inhibition in the cycloheximide-treated positive control group (P = 0.062), which reached significance at day 7 compared with the DMSO group (P = 0.02). RPE covered the wound area by day 7 in all groups. CONCLUSIONS Intravitreal injection of genistein was found to cause significant inhibition of choriocapillaris regeneration without apparent effect on RPE wound healing. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as genistein may be useful as a pharmacologic approach in the treatment of choroidal neovascularization.
Lineage specification of human dendritic cells is marked by IRF8 expression in hematopoietic stem cells and multipotent progenitors

The origin and specification of human dendritic cells (DCs) have not been investigated at the clonal level. Through the use of clonal assays, combined with statistical computation, to quantify the yield of granulocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes and three subsets of DCs from single human CD34+ progenitor cells, we found that specification to the DC lineage occurred in parallel with specification of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to the myeloid and lymphoid lineages. This started as a lineage bias defined by specific transcriptional programs that correlated with the combinatorial 'dose' of the transcription factors IRF8 and PU.1, which was transmitted to most progeny cells and was reinforced by upregulation of IRF8 expression driven by the hematopoietic cytokine FLT3L during cell division. We propose a model in which specification to the DC lineage is driven by parallel and inheritable transcriptional programs in HSCs and is reinforced over cell division by recursive interactions between transcriptional programs and extrinsic signals.
Du Collège Manitou de La Macaza à l’Institution Kiuna d’Odanak : la genèse des établissements postsecondaires par et pour les Premières Nations au Québec

En 1973, dans les installations de l’ancienne base miliaire de La Macaza, au Quebec, ouvrait l’un des premiers etablissements postsecondaires destines aux etudiants autochtones du Canada. Si l’experience du College Manitou ne dura que quelques annees, elle eut pourtant un effet considerable sur la fortification d’une identification collective, sur l’essor d’un leadership et sur le processus d’autonomisation autochtones au Canada et au Quebec. A travers le recensement de sources primaires et secondaires et l’apport de nouveaux temoignages d’acteurs cles, cet article propose de retracer les grandes lignes qui ont caracterise la creation, le developpement puis la fermeture du College Manitou.
DIII-D electron cyclotron heating system and experiments

A new real time control system is being installed on the Electron Cyclotron (EC) heating system at the DIII-D tokamak, which opens new possibilities for plasma experiments while increasing the gyrotron system reliability. The control system allows restarting the gyrotrons after an incipient fault is detected and cleared. The EC installation is being used for a wide variety of experiments requiring precise heating and current drive power.
The effects of alveolar decortications on orthodontic tooth movement and bone remodelling in rats

Objectives Alveolar decortication (AD) is a minimally invasive procedure that can be performed in the orthodontic office as an intervention to accelerate tooth movement. There is a gap in the literature evaluating the earlier and delayed responses after AD using lighter orthodontic forces in a rat model. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of AD in the amount of orthodontic tooth movement and on alveolar bone remodelling in a rodent model, after 7 or 14 days. Materials and methods A total of 32 15-week-old male Wistar rats were used in four treatment groups: (1) orthodontic spring only (7 days), (2) orthodontic spring only + AD (7 days), (3) orthodontic spring only (14 days), and (4) orthodontic spring only + AD (14 days). A closed coil nickel-titanium spring delivering 8-10 g of force was used to move the molar mesially. Alveolar decortication was done using a high speed, quarter round bur adjacent to the left first maxillary molar, on the palatal alveolar bone. At each endpoint, rats were sacrificed and microfocus computed tomography and histological analysis were performed. Results The spring + AD group presented with a significant increase in the rate of tooth movement when compared with spring only group, 7 and 14 days after the beginning of the experiments. In addition, the spring + AD group had a significant decrease in bone volume and tissue density and a significant increase in the trabecular spacing and the number of osteoclasts at 7 and 14 days. Furthermore, a fibrous tissue was found to replace the alveolar bone in the spring + AD group at day 14. Conclusion Alveolar decortications enhanced bone remodelling around the tooth movement region and could be used as an adjunct surgical procedure to accelerate the rate of tooth movement.
Acquisition and persistence of strain-specific methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and their determinants in community nursing homes.

Nursing home residents are frequently colonized with various strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) but the intra-facility dynamics of strain-specific MRSA remains poorly understood. We aimed at identifying and quantifying the associations between acquisition and carriage of MRSA strains and their potential risk factors in community nursing homes using mathematical modeling. The data was collected during a longitudinal MRSA surveillance study in six nursing homes in South Central Wisconsin. MRSA cultures were obtained from subjects every 3 months for up to one year. MRSA isolates were subsequently strain-typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and their genetic similarity was established based on the Dice coefficients. Bayesian network analysis, logistic regression and elastic net were used to quantify the associations between acquisition and carriage of MRSA strains discriminated at 80% and 95% strain similarity thresholds and potentially modifiable resident characteristics including previous antibiotic exposure, comorbidity, medical devices, chronic wounds, functional and cognitive status and recent hospitalizations. Absence of severe cognitive impairment as well as presence of a wound, device and severe comorbidity was associated with elevated probability of USA100 carriage although there was a variation based on the combination of those risk factors. Residents with severe comorbidity and cognitive status and presence of device and wound were identified as certain carriers of USA100 in our sample. Residents with a chronic wound were more likely to carry USA100 MRSA (OR = 2.77, 95% CI = 1.37–5.87). Functional status was identified as an important determinant of carriage of USA100 and USA300 strains. Comorbidity and cognitive status were the two factors associated with carriage of all clonal groups in the study (USA100, USA300 and USA1200). The combination of Bayesian network analysis, logistic regression and elastic net can be used to identify associations between acquisition and carriage of MRSA strains and their potential risk factors in the face of scarce data. The revealed associations may be used to generate hypothesis for further study of determinants of acquisition and carriage of selected MRSA subtypes and to better inform infection control efforts in community nursing homes.
The Peritraumatic Distress Inventory: Factor structure and predictive validity in traumatically injured patients admitted through a Level I trauma center.

Abstract Peritraumatic distress is defined as the emotional and physiological distress experienced during and/or immediately after a traumatic event and is associated with the development and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related psychological difficulties. The Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) is a widely-used self-report measure for which psychometric evaluation has been limited. This study sought to assess the factor structure and predictive validity of the PDI with a clinical sample of 600 traumatically injured patients admitted to a Level I trauma center, 271 of whom completed a phone-based PTSD screening ∼30-days post-injury. The results confirmed previously proposed one- and two-factor solutions for the PDI. PDI scores predicted PTSD severity and positive PTSD screens (i.e., clinically elevated vs. non-elevated). Data suggested an optimal cutoff score of 23 (sensitivity = 71%; specificity = 73%) for predicting clinically elevated PTSD 30-days post-injury. This study provides further evidence supporting the PDI as a valid and reliable measure of peritraumatic distress and a useful clinical tool with significant prognostic value.
Horror and the Gothic’s utility as a cultural resource and critical tool

While cultural theory elitists have tended to write off familiar monsters as little more than cheap fads of mass culture, popular culturists often embrace them as effective barometers capable of measuring and, at times, even predicting collective sentiments and anxieties. Yet frequently ignored in this disciplinary clash is the notion that monstrous figures also serve as excellent case studies for a much broader issue: the argument for Popular Culture Studies as a pertinent division of cultural theory. This article argues that popular culture can and does respond to public needs, that consumers do indeed show the capacity for resisting cultural indoctrination and can, at times, even directly influence it. Of this there are, perhaps, no better examples than the vampire and zombie, figures who in one form or another have served primarily as maleficent beings until 21st century culture transmuted them into heroes and harbingers of social change.
Biological correlates of self-reported new and continued abstinence in cannabis cessation treatment clinical trials.

Abstract Background The agreement between self-reported cannabis abstinence with urine cannabinoid concentrations in a clinical trials setting is not well characterized. We assessed the agreement between various cannabinoid cutoffs and self-reported abstinence across three clinical trials, one including contingency management for abstinence. Methods Three cannabis cessation clinical trials where participants reported use and provided weekly urine samples for cannabis and creatinine concentration measurements were included. Bootstrapped data were assessed for agreement between self-reported 7+ day abstinence and urine cannabinoid tests using generalized linear mixed effects models for clustered binary outcomes. One study implemented contingency management for cannabis abstinence. Four hundred and seventy-three participants with 3787 valid urine specimens were included. Urine was analyzed for 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and creatinine using immunoassay methods Biological cutoffs of 50, 100, and 200 ng/ml, as well as changes in CN normalized THCCOOH (25%/50% decrease), were assessed for agreement with self-reported abstinence during the three clinical trials. Results Agreement between measured THCCOOH and self-reported abstinence increases with increasing cutoff concentrations, while the agreement with self-reported non-abstinence decreases with increasing cutoff concentrations. Combining THCCOOH cutoffs with recent changes in CN-THCCOOH provides a better agreement in those self-reporting abstinence. Participants in the studies that received CM for abstinence had a lower agreement between self-reported abstinence and returned to use than those in studies that did not have a contingency management component. Conclusion Using combinations of biological measurements and self-reported abstinence, confirmation of study related abstinence may be verifiable earlier and with greater accuracy than relying on a single measurement.
Production of Fatty‐Acid Methyl Esters Via the In Situ Transesterification of Grain Sorghum Bran and Sorghum Distiller's Dried Grains and Solubles

The acylglycerols (AG) in sorghum bran and distiller’s dried grains and solubles (DDGS) from sorghum postfermentation have been converted to fatty-acid methyl esters (FAME) using an in situ transesterification method. The reactions were conducted at 25 or 40 C by incubating 8 g of feedstock, containing 1.3–2.4 mmol AG, in a solution of 2.4 or 4.8 mmol of NaOMe dissolved in 6.4 or 12.8 mL MeOH. The experimental results confirmed that reducing the moisture to approximately 2% (w/w) within the feedstock was necessary for the reaction to proceed. All of the reactions were monitored using high-performance liquid chromatography and all performed better at 40 C than at 25 C. The most successful reactions used a AG:NaOMe:MeOH molar ratio of 1.0:2.0:131.7. Those reactions used 4.8 mmol NaOMe dissolved in 12.8 mL MeOH producing up to 98.3% FAME when sorghum bran was used as the feedstock. When DDGS from sorghum were used as the feedstock, the yield averaged 32.2% under the previously established optimal conditions.
Let's go lab: a platform for evaluation of spoken dialog systems with real world users.

This short paper is intended to advertise Let’s Go Lab, a platform for the evaluation of spoken dialog research. Unlike other dialog platforms, in addition to example dialog data and a portable software system, Let’s Go Lab affords evaluation with real users. Let’s Go has served the Pittsburgh public with bus schedule information since 2005, answering more than 52,000 calls to date.
Functional Constraints on Network Topology via Generalized Sparse Representations

A central issue in neuroscience is understanding to what extent the observed neural network architectural patterns are the result of functional constraints, as opposed to evolutionary accidents. In this regard, the visual cortex exhibits interesting regularities such that the receptive field sizes for feed-forward, lateral and feedback connections are monotonically increasing as a function of hierarchy depth. In this chapter, we use computational modeling to understand the behavior of the visual system and propose an explanation of this observed connectivity pattern via functional metrics based on separation and segmentation accuracies. We use an optimization function based on sparse spatio-temporal encoding and faithfulness of representation to derive the dynamical behavior of a multi-layer network of oscillatory units. The network behavior can be quantified in terms of its ability to separate and segment mixtures of inputs. We vary the topological connectivity between different layers of the simulated visual network and study its effect on performance in terms of separation and segmentation accuracy. We demonstrate that the best performance occurs when the topology of the simulated system is similar to that in the primate visual cortex where the receptive field sizes of feedforward, lateral and feedback connections are monotonically increasing.
Restoration of active calcium transport in vesicles of an Mg2+-ATPase mutant of Escherichia coli by wild-type Mg2+-ATPase.

Abstract Strain NR70, a mutant of E. coli lacking the Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase (E.C. 3.6.1.3.) was previously shown to be defective in amino acid and sugar transport in whole cells and right-side-out membrane vesicles. It is shown here that the mutant is also deficient in the uptake of calcium into inverted membrane vesicles. Treatment of inverted vesicles from the wild-type strain with ethylenediamine tetraacetate removes the Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase and results in an inability to transport calcium. Addition of a crude fraction containing the wild-type Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase restores active uptake of calcium both to vesicles from the mutant and depleted vesicles from the wild-type.
The type of chemical fixative affects the immunohistochemical localization of transforming growth factor alpha in rat colon crypts

The effects of the different fixation agents, Omnifix, 10% neutral-buffered formalin, 70% ethanol, acetone, 10% neutral-buffered formalin, for 2 h followed by 70% ethanol for 10 h or 40% paraformaldehyde on the immunohistochemical localization of transforming growth factor alpha in rat colon crypts were studied. Segments of rat descending colon were fixed and then processed for immunohistochemistry using a monoclonal antibody to the growth factor. The results showed that the pattern of transforming growth factor alpha staining in the colonic crypts differed and was distinct for each fixative. © 1998 Chapman & Hall
Etiology and Clinical Presentation of and Biopsy Approach to Soft Tissue Tumors

Optional management of a soft tissue sarcoma begins with suspicion that the mass may be malignant. The biopsy incision should be placed in such a manner so that it will not compromise the definitive resection. The biopsy should remove only enough tissue to perform the routing histology and any special stains that are necessary to establish the precise diagnosis.
Prospective registration of cancer clinical trials in India.

e18863Background: The Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI), launched in July 2007, was established to bring transparency and accountability to clinical trials performed in India. Mandatory regi...
Type 1 Laryngeal Clefts

As healthcare provider and parental awareness of swallowing dysfunction has increased over the past several years, the identification of laryngeal cleft (LC) anomalies has also increased. Previously, the incidence of laryngeal cleft was estimated to be 1:10,000–1:20,000 patients, but it is now estimated that laryngeal clefts are present in 5–7.6% of patients with chronic aspiration/penetration with swallowing [1, 2]. With this new mindfulness, treatment options have increased to benefit patients with these anomalies.
Minimizing Delay Recovery in Migrating Data between Physical Server and Cloud Computing Using Reed-Solomon Code

Cloud Computing involves the provision of the on-demand computing services to the customers. These services are similar to the standard services that can be obtained by using the physical computing equipment like storage devices, servers, networking and many more. As the realization of the benefits of cloud computing comes to light, many businesses, companies, organizations, and individuals are changing to the cloud services. However, security remains a major concern for the customers who are still struggling with the decision of moving to the cloud. Though there are many security threats in cloud computing, the major threat is on the migration process from customers' physical server to the cloud. Data can be massively lost and breached on the process. In this research, we propose a model that detects and eliminates data corruption/failure, leak or modification during the migration process from the physical computing to cloud computing. In this research, we showed how to minimize data recovery delay and find the elements or functions that affect the system performance. This will be achieved by involving several algorithms that will segment, encrypt and hash the migrated data beside the CRS coding that has never been effectively implemented in the cloud computing migration environment. Our model achieves provable security assessments and reasonable execution times on poor network connection.
Build-A-Pelvis: a Low-cost Modeling Activity to Improve Medical Students' Understanding of Perineal Anatomy.

We demonstrate a low-cost, active learning module that provides medical students with a three-dimensional understanding of perineal anatomy. Student groups completed a perineal model and then reviewed another group’s model of the opposite sex. Multiple pre- and post-module quizzes and correlated exam questions were analyzed. Self-reported understanding of perineal anatomy and usefulness of activity were reported. Students showed significant increases between pre- and post-quiz scores and perceptions of understanding (p < 0.001). Outcomes on exam questions were significantly higher than non-participating counterparts (p = 0.011). Thus, this low-cost modeling activity can benefit learning of perineal anatomy.
A Modular, Compact, and Efficient Next Generation REMUS 600 AUV

In 2014, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution started a major design effort to miniaturize the main control electronics used on REMUS 600 AUVs. Our design goals included decreasing vehicle cost and component size, improving the already reconfigurable nature of the vehicle, and increasing base vehicle capability and efficiency. A new vehicle controller, the Vehicle Core Board, has been developed which reduces controller size, weight, and power requirements, improving AUV system endurance and modularity. The reduced size allows the control system to be completely housed in the AUV tail, improving system modularity and freeing up space for payload and energy modules. These systems have demonstrated as much as 40% hotel power reduction, 40% chassis weight reduction, and 70% chassis volume reduction on the Next Generation REMUS 600 system compared to legacy REMUS 600 systems. A new Guest Port Expansion chassis allows for standard payloads to be easily swapped without any internal wiring changes.
Management of Bouveret Syndrome with Subsequent Gallstone Ileus

Introduction: Biliary disease is one of the most common surgical entities in the United States.1 When associated with chronic inflammation, local ischemia with resultant cholecystoenteric fistula a...
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Sports Medicine Fellowship Class of 2020.

Background:In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many US health systems suspended elective surgery at the recommendation of the US Surgeon General. This dramatically decreased case volumes for orth...
Addressing the Data Analytics Gap: A Community-University Partnership to Enhance Analytics Capabilities in the Non-Profit Sector

Although data analytics has become an increasingly important tool in the for-profit sector, non-profit organizations frequently lack these skills. As data availability and usage increases, this also exacerbates the data analytics gap. In this research, we describe the process of establishing a community-university partnership with a non-profit organization to address the data analytics gap. We present a case study of this relationship from the perspective of the university research team, the non-profit organization utilizing the analytics to seek grants, and a grant-providing foundation. We find that the local organization adopted data analytics because it was necessary and also the organization embraced the importance of making data-driven decisions. We also found the main themes that emerged regarding the reasons to adopt data analytics were: the need to ground assumptions in evidence, increase accountability to donors, increase the efficiency of the organization, and be competitive in an already saturated non-profit sector.
Techniques for Modeling Fiber Laser Amplifiers

Numerical techniques for simulation of electromagnetic wave propagation within fiber amplifiers are discussed. Since a full-featured simulation using the Maxwell system on a realistic fiber is beyond reach, simplified models using Coupled Mode Theory (CMT) form the state of the art. This work presents a novel concept of an equivalent short fiber, namely an artificial fiber which imitates a longer fiber in essential characteristics. A CMT simulation on an equivalent short fiber requires only a fraction of the computational resources needed to simulate the full length fiber.
The Honua of the Hawaiian Language College

University teaching of Hawaiian has played a foundational role in the continually expanding revitalization of Hawaiian. Yet, it was over half a century before any university program regularly produced speakers proficient enough to raise their children in Hawaiian. What is now the UH Hilo Hawaiian Language College has had a particularly high level of success in this regard. The College is at the core of what is now a full educational system from an infant-toddler program to the doctorate. The College has developed a perspective on language and language learning that focuses on language-based identity expressed in honua. Honua are a sequence of places where use of an endangered language is dominant and language-based identity is expressed. While Hawaiian language classrooms might seem like the most obvious honua for Hawaiian, Hawaiian language honua in Hilo include courses in English, Japanese and Latin, as well as purposeful integration of Hawaiʻi Creole English into educational experiences. Multilingualism and its active promotion, but in a particular Hawaiian language-based approach, as practised in Hilo, will be explored in terms of intersections and collaborations as a key to the future of languages and cultures in the tertiary sector and beyond.