cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seismic moment assessment of earthquakes in stable continental regions?I. Instrumental seismicity

SUMMARY This Part I study, in conjunction with Part 11, develops a method to determine, within specified uncertainty bounds, the seismic moment, and thus moment magnitude, of all earthquakes of stable continental regions (SCR) for which instrumental or intensity data exist. Its basis is polynomial regression analysis using a database of SCR earthquakes with direct seismic moment determination. The independent variables include modern teleseismic magnitudes and regional magnitudes (Part I), and isoseismal areas or number of recording stations (Part 11). Part I11 is an application of the methodology of Parts I and I1 to several major historical earthquakes. All data used in the regressions are assigned individual uncertainties estimated from the literature or from experience; formal confidence limits (68 per cent or 95 per cent) on both the regression formulas and the predicted seismic moment values are then possible via error propagation analysis. The most complete development is for the teleseismic magnitudes M, and mb. For both, the final regression for log(M,) is a quadratic formula that closely emulates the relationship between amplitude magnitudes and log(M,) expected from dislocation theory and source-scaling arguments. Regressions are also derived for the regional magnitudes mLg and M,, because there are many SCR events, mainly pre- 1964, that have no teleseismic magnitudes. Prediction uncertainties from teleseismic magnitudes in moment magnitude units are in the AO.18-0.28 range, and from regional magnitudes in the kO.23-0.38 range over a wide magnitude band. Finally, the methodology developed here is generic, even though the database is specific. Application to plate-boundary, oceanic intraplate, or active continental intraplate regions should be straightforward.
IL-7 enhances the survival and maintains the size of naive T cells

T cells require continual presence of extrinsic signals from their in vivo microenvironment to maintain viability. T cells removed from these signals and placed in tissue culture atrophied and died in a caspase-independent manner. Atrophy was characterized by smaller cell sizes, delayed mitogenic responses, and decreased glycolytic rate. Bcl-2 expression remained constant in vitro despite ongoing cell death, indicating that endogenous Bcl-2 expression is insufficient to explain the life span and size control of lymphocytes in vivo and that cell-extrinsic signals provided may be required to maintain both cell viability and size in vivo. One such signal, IL-7, was found to maintain both the size and survival of neglected T cells in vitro. IL-7 was not unique, because the common γ-chain cytokines IL-2, IL-4, and IL-15, as well as the gp130 cytokine IL-6, also promoted both T cell survival and size maintenance. IL-7 did not induce resting T cells to proliferate. Instead, IL-7 stimulated neglected T cells to maintain their metabolic rate at levels comparable to freshly isolated cells. The survival and trophic effects of IL-7 could be separated because IL-7 was able to promote up-regulation of Bcl-2 and maintain cell viability independent of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin activity but was unable to prevent cellular atrophy when phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin were inhibited. These data demonstrate that T cells require the continuous presence of extrinsic signals not only to survive but also to maintain their size, metabolic activity, and the ability to respond rapidly to mitogenic signals.
Reciprocity between light intensity and rhodopsin concentration across the rat retina.

1If a purpose of photostasis - absorption of a constant number of photons by the retina, regardless of incident light levels - is to maintain rods at saturation during the light period, then in retinal regions where light intensity is low, rhodopsin concentration should be high, and vice versa. 2Our ocular transmission photometric measurements revealed that the distribution of light intensity across the rat retina was not as simple as had been thought and, furthermore, that the local concentration of rhodopsin had a high negative correlation with the light intensity. 3The reciprocity between these two parameters leads to nearly uniform rates of photon absorption in rods across the retina.
Vacuum mechatronics and self-contained manufacturing for microelectronics processing

The Center for Robotic Systems in Microelectronics (CRSM) has developed the core of a self-contained automated robotic factory (SCARF). This includes a central chamber with various transfer and monitoring ports, a vacuum-compatible robot for wafer transfer, and a particle monitoring system, all under automation. The cylindrical coordinate SCARF vacuum-compatible robot is unique due to its fully vacuum-compatible motors, closed-loop control, and configuration which makes it an ideal central component for a self contained manufacturing system. The CRSM is currently developing a color vision system for in-vacuum inspection and measurement which will be an integral part of SCARF. Details of the SCARF system and robot are discussed, as well as the key technical issues facing the development of self-contained manufacturing systems. >
Searching for the bull's eye: agents and targets of selection vary among geographically disparate cyanogenesis clines in white clover (Trifolium repens L.).

The recurrent evolution of adaptive clines within a species can be used to elucidate the selective factors and genetic responses that underlie adaptation. White clover is polymorphic for cyanogenesis (HCN release with tissue damage), and climateassociated cyanogenesis clines have evolved throughout the native and introduced species range. This polymorphism arises through two independently segregating Mendelian polymorphisms for the presence/absence of two required components: cyanogenic glucosides and their hydrolyzing enzyme linamarase. Cyanogenesis is commonly thought to function in herbivore defense; however, the individual cyanogenic components may also serve other physiological functions. To test whether cyanogenesis clines have evolved in response to the same selective pressures acting on the same genetic targets, we examined cyanogenesis cline shape and its environmental correlates in three world regions: southern New Zealand, the central United States and the US Pacific Northwest. For some regional comparisons, cline shapes are remarkably similar despite large differences in the spatial scales over which clines occur (40‐1600km). However, we also find evidence for major differences in both the agents and targets of selection among the sampled clines. Variation in cyanogenesis frequency is best predicted using a combination of minimum winter temperature and aridity variables. Together, our results provide evidence that recurrent adaptive clines do not necessarily reflect shared adaptive processes. Heredity (2013) 111, 495‐504; doi:10.1038/hdy.2013.71; published online 31 July 2013
Using the Existing Spectral Clutter Filter With the Nonuniformly Spaced Time Series Data in Weather Radar

The National Weather Service (NWS) has a network of weather surveillance Doppler radars, WSR-88D, that is routinely upgraded to reflect current technological and engineering advances. During the last decade, the staggered pulse repetition time (SPRT) was proposed to mitigate range/velocity ambiguity in WSR-88D; however, it could not be used at lowest elevation tilts due to the inability to filter ground clutter from the nonuniformly spaced time series. A complicated spectral procedure was developed to address this issue, but the procedure was derived for a specific set of data acquisition parameters and used a lookup table to provide a value for the clutter spectrum width. Attempts to use SPRT with different sets of acquisition parameters always led to the degradation of filtering. It is proposed here that the clutter spectrum width be estimated by using Gaussian model adaptive processing (GMAP) that is currently used by NWS for uniformly sampled time series. GMAP is an adaptive ground clutter filter that performs an iterative fit of a Gaussian curve to the spectral coefficients identified as being due to ground clutter. GMAP cannot be used directly with the SPRT spectrum because of multiple clutter replicas that are due to staggered nonuniform sampling. However, the elements of GMAP can be exploited and used in the SPRT procedure. This letter presents how the elements of GMAP can be used with the SPRT data to provide successful clutter filtering at lowest elevation tilts.
Predicting future responses based on possibly mis-specified working models

SUMMARY Under a general regression setting, we propose an optimal unconditional prediction procedure for future responses. The resulting prediction intervals or regions have a desirable average cov erage level over a set of covariate vectors of interest. When the working model is not correctly specified, the traditional conditional prediction method is generally invalid. On the other hand, one can empirically calibrate the above unconditional procedure and also obtain its crossvalidated counterpart. Various large and small sample properties of these unconditional methods are ex amined analytically and numerically. We find that the IC-fold crossvalidated procedure performs exceptionally well even for cases with rather small sample sizes. The new proposals are illustrated with two real examples, one with a continuous response and the other with a binary outcome.
Color constancy beyond bags of pixels

Estimating the color of a scene illuminant often plays a central role in computational color constancy. While this problem has received significant attention, the methods that exist do not maximally leverage spatial dependencies between pixels. Indeed, most methods treat the observed color (or its spatial derivative) at each pixel independently of its neighbors. We propose an alternative approach to illuminant estimation-one that employs an explicit statistical model to capture the spatial dependencies between pixels induced by the surfaces they observe. The parameters of this model are estimated from a training set of natural images captured under canonical illumination, and for a new image, an appropriate transform is found such that the corrected image best fits our model.
Determinants of foreign direct investment: empirical evidence from EU accession candidates

This study examines bilateral foreign direct investments (FDI) between the members of the European Union and eight central and east European candidate (CEEC) economies in transition, awaiting accession into the European Union (EU). Cross-section data were obtained for Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, and Slovenia for 1997. Once the main characteristics of FDI recipient and donor nations are identified in a bilateral framework, it will be feasible to predict future FDI inflows. This study reveals that the key determinants of FDI inflows in CEECs are size of the host economy, host country risk, labour costs in host country, and openness to trade. Countries that are receiving fewer foreign investments could make themselves more attractive to potential donor nations by focusing on some of the key determinants identified by this study.
Prolactin (PRL) regulation of maternal behavior in rats: bromocriptine treatment delays and PRL promotes the rapid onset of behavior.

Recent findings indicate that PRL helps stimulate the onset of maternal behavior in inexperienced hypophysectomized steroid-treated female rats. In a series of five experiments we have further examined the involvement of PRL in maternal behavior using nonhypophysectomized ovariectomized rats treated concurrently (type I) or sequentially (type II) withprogesterone (P) and estradiol (E2) and administered either bromocriptine (to suppress endogenous PRL secretion) or bromocriptine plus ovine PRL. In Exp 1 plasma PRL concentrations were measured in ovariectomized rats treated for 2 weeks with a combination of E2 and P Silastic implants. Type I steroidtreated (2mm E2, days 1–24; three 30 mm P, days 3–13) rats exhibited elevated plasma PRL levels throughout the sampling period compared with nonsteroid-treated controls. In contrast, PRL concentrations in type II steroid-treated (P, days 3–13; E2, days 13–24) females were low (similar to controls) from days 3–13 when the type II steroid-treated females were expos...
Will They Adopt? Effects of Privacy and Accuracy

National policy decisions about reducing the cost of health care are fueling the movement of patient-care information systems into hospitals and doctors' offices. Will health care workers willingly...
Enhanced Charge Transfer Doping Efficiency in J-Aggregate Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Nanofibers

Charge transfer doping efficiencies of π-stacked poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) aggregate nanofibers are studied using spectroscopic and electron microscopy probes. Solution dispersions of self-assembled P3HT nanofibers are doped in the ground electronic state by adding varying amounts (w/w%) of the strong charge transfer dopant 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ). Careful control of self-assembly conditions allows us to select either the H- and J-aggregate limiting forms, which differ primarily in the degree of purity (i.e., molecular weight fractionation) and nanomorphology. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electronic absorption, and Raman spectroscopy of F4-TCNQ–:P3HT+ species are then used to track doping efficiency with dopant loading. J-aggregate nanofibers exhibit over an order of magnitude larger doping efficiencies than polymorphic H-aggregate nanofibers. The higher purity and order of the former promote intrachain polaron delocalization whereas disorder arising fr...
A simple analytic treatment of linear growth of structure with baryon acoustic oscillations

In linear perturbation theory, all information about the growth of structure is contained in the Green's function, or equivalently, transfer function. These functions are generally computed using numerical codes or by phenomenological fitting formula anchored in accurate analytic results in the limits of large and small scale. Here we present a framework for analytically solving all scales, in particular the intermediate scales relevant for the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO). We solve for the Green's function and transfer function using spherically-averaged overdensities and the approximation that the density of the coupled baryon-photon fluid is constant interior to the sound horizon.
The Role of Knowledge in Choice, Valuation, and Outcomes for Multi-Attribute Goods

Though the number of choices that individuals routinely must make has proliferated, comparatively little attention has been paid in the economics literature to consumer – compared to expert – knowledge, and its role in facilitating valuation and affecting choice outcomes. In this article, I review relevant work in economics, and then focus on research on knowledge that has used wine as the object of interest. Psychologists and sensory scientists have studied the role of wine expertise in sensory perception and categorization, and I review this literature to suggest how knowledge might also affect valuation and choice in the wine market. I finish by describing three recent studies on the role of knowledge in consumer valuation, information use, and choice outcomes in the American wine market. All three studies provide strong evidence that consumer knowledge is an important variable to consider in markets for differentiated products. Knowledge allows people to make greater use of objective label information when valuing wine in an experimental auction context, with high knowledge participants updating their bids more after participants received new information. In a field experiment, we find that high knowledge consumers derive greater value when selecting wines from a substantial inventory than do low knowledge consumers.
Marketing a Healthy Mind, Body, and Soul: An Analysis of How African American Men View the Church as a Social Marketer and Health Promoter of Colorectal Cancer Risk and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks colorectal cancer (CRC) as the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the United States; African American (AA) men are at even greater risk. The present study was from a larger study that investigates the church's role as a social marketer of CRC risk and prevention messages, and whether religiously targeted and tailored health promotion materials will influence screening outcome. We used an integrated theoretical approach to explore participants' perceptions of CRC risk and prevention and how promotion messages should be developed and socially marketed by the church. Six focus groups were conducted with men from predominately AA churches in the Midwest. Themes from focus group discussions showed participants lacked knowledge about CRC, feared cancer diagnosis, and feared the procedure for screening. Roles of masculinity and the mistrust of physicians were also emergent themes. Participants did perceive the church as a trusted marketer of CRC but believed that promotional materials should be cosponsored and codeveloped by reputable health organizations. Employing the church as a social marketer of CRC screening promotion materials may be useful in guiding health promotions and addressing barriers that are distinct among African American men.
STRUCTURAL RESPONSE OF DOLOS IN WAVES

Several numerical models for estimating wave forces on dolosse are presented. These models are incorporated into a finite element method (FEM) analysis of a 42-ton unit. The results of the analysis permit identification of unit structural failure with respect to wave conditions.
Modeling Combustion Instability in Small MMH-NTO Liquid Rocket Engines Using CFD: Injector-Chamber Coupling

This paper describes an initial Army effort to use multiphase, reacting-flow computational fluid dynamics (CFD), combined with high-performance computers, to generate simulations of small liquid rocket engines which are generally fueled with MMH and NTO. In order to fully exploit the performance advantages that have been realized for these engines, it is desirable to understand the underlying flow physics of the liquid rocket engine and especially the mechanisms by which combustion instabilities (CIs) are generated, sustained and damped. These CFD simulations can reveal gas/liquid-droplet dynamics and combustion patterns as well as can be used to predict chamber pressure, wall temperature, and thrust levels for notional engines. Investigation of CIs in these engines is discussed and various mechanisms are explored including injector-chamber coupling. CFD simulation of a unique resonator chamber that includes a Pentad-CH4/O2 injector, recently used at the University of Alabama to investigate injection-coupled CIs, is presented and discussed.
NLRC5 regulates MHC-I expression and immunity during viral infection (APP3P.101)

NLRC5 is a member of the NOD-Like receptor family and reportedly functions in the regulation of type I interferons and inflammasome activation. In addition, NLRC5 functions as a transcriptional transactivator of MHC-I gene expression. We have observed that Nlrc5- deficient mice infected with influenza A virus have normal type I interferon responses and inflammasome activation but have dramatically reduced H-2D b and H-2K b major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-I allele expression on virtually all myeloid and lymphoid cells. Furthermore, Nlrc5 -/- mice have diminished capacity for CD8 + T cell responses directed toward influenza A virus following infection. These data suggest that during influenza A virus infection, NLRC5 plays an important function in the generation of adaptive immunity but has no detectable role in the innate immune response.
Grain Refinement in Lightweight Advanced High-Strength Steel Castings

A method has been developed for producing grain refinement in lightweight high manganese and aluminum steels. Many researchers have recently reported that cerium addition produces cerium oxides that serve as heterogeneous nucleation sites for austenite during solidification of Cr–Ni steels. Until now, the use of cerium as a grain refining agent during casting of fully austenitic Fe–Mn–Al–C steels has not been evaluated. In the following study, a Ce-based inoculant in levels of 0, 0.05, and 0.1 wt% Ce was added during the tap and also in-mold to determine the effect of an increasing amount of Ce on reduction in the primary austenite grain size in a Fe-30.5 % Mn-7.55 % Al-0.76 % Si-1.11 % C-0.51 % Mo steel. Addition of 0.05 % Ce during the tap produced only a slight reduction in the grain size. However, in-mold inoculation with 0.1 % Ce produced an order of magnitude reduction in the grain size when compared to the base heat without Ce addition, from 10 to 12 mm to an average of 100 μm. Cerium is very reactive in the melt and readily combines with sulfur and oxygen as well as any residual phosphorus. Inclusion analysis showed that the inclusions in the 0.05 % Ce steel were mainly cerium sulfides while inclusions in the 0.1 % Ce steel were mainly complex cerium oxides, sulfides, and phosphides. Adding cerium greatly increased the nonmetallic inclusion density from 183 to 571 inclusions/mm2 and generally decreased the solution-treated notch toughness from 295 to 141 J. In the as-cast condition and for steels aged for 10 h at 530 °C, toughness slightly increased with 0.05 % Ce addition and this is likely the result of the cerium removal of phosphorus from the melt during solidification. Toughness decreased with increasing volume fraction of inclusions and decreasing inclusion spacing regardless of the grain refining effect. It is therefore essential to eliminate sulfur and phosphorus from the melt as much as possible so that cerium will not form sulfides and complex phosphides instead of effective oxide nuclei. This may be achieved with more vigorous calcium addition for desulfurization prior to inoculation with cerium and with the use of nonphosphate bonded refractories to eliminate phosphorus pickup.
A general perceptual model for eldercare robots

A general perceptual model is proposed for Eldercare Robot implementation that is comprised of audition functionality interconnected with a feedback-driven perceptual reasoning agent, Using multistage signal analysis to feed temporally tiered learning/recognition modules, concurrent access to sound event localization, classification, and context is realized, Patterns leading to the quantification of patient emotion/well being can be inferred using a perceptual reasoning agent, The system is prototyped using a Nao H- 25 humanoid robot with an online processor running the Nao Qi SDK and the Max/MSP environment with the FTM, and GF libraries.
Motor nerve conduction in alcoholics.

Motor nerve conduction velocity was measured in 98 men, all alcoholics recovering from an episode of intoxication, and compared to values in 36 normal moderate drinkers. Conduction velocity was mea...
Pulmonary valve replacement: Report of an operation performed for calcific pulmonic stenosis associated with total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage and atrial septal defect

Calcification of the pulmonic valve is an uncommon lesion that is usually associated with other congenital cardiac defects. Prior attempts at valvotomy or partial excision of the puolmonic valve have carried a high mortality rate. Pulmonary valve replacement itself is an equally uncommon surgical procedure and, in the past, has been performed only during reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract, when the pulmonic valve itself had to be utilized as an aortic prosthesis, and in one patient in whom pulmonary regurgitation following valvotomy was not well tolerated. A case of calcific pulmonic stenosis in association with an atrial septal defect and total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage is reported. The patient was treated successfully by pulmonary valve replacement with a Hancock stented porcine xenograft aortic prosthesis in association with correction of the other congenital cardiac lesions.
Phagocytosis-induced modulation of human neutrophil chemotaxis receptors

We investigated the effect of a major physiologic event, phagocytosis, on the ability of human neutrophils (PMN) to bind the synthetic chemotactic peptide, 3H-formyl-methio-nyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (3H-FMLP). We found that both latex and opsonized zymosan (OPZ) particles caused dose-dependent suppression of 3H-FMLP binding and abolition of 3H-FMLP binding with concentrations of OPZ greater than 2 mg/ml. This “particle effect” was completely inhibited by incubation of PMN with 10 mM 2-deoxyglucose before, but not after, phagocytosis. The particle effect was partially inhibited (28%) by anaerobic conditions and CGD neutrophils, but not by superoxide dismutase, catalase, or oxygen radical scavengers. In addition, supernatants from PMN that had been incubated with OPZ caused 55% reduction of 3H-FMLP binding by fresh PMN. The effect of PMN-OPZ supernatants was inhibited by 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride (PMSF), suggesting an additional role for release of neutrophil proteases in the particle effect. The finding that the particle effect was not inhibited by cytochalasin-B or under conditions in which 3H-FMLP was bound to PMN prior to OPZ, indicated that membrane ingestion was not responsible for phagocytosis-induced suppression of 3H-FMLP binding. Finally, we found that low concentrations of OPZ (0.167 mg/ml) decreased the affinity but not total number of 3H-FMLP receptors, but higher OPZ concentrations (>2 mg/ml) totally abolished 3H-FMLP binding. These data indicate that the act of phagocytosis initiates at least two distinct mechanisms that may result in the modulation of chemotactic peptide receptors and perhaps other membrane proteins on neutrophils.
Effects of caffeine ingestion on metabolic responses to prolonged walking in sedentary males.

This study examined the effects of a single dose of caffeine (5 mg:kg−1) on energy metabolism during 60-min treadmill walking at light (30% VO2max) and moderate (50% VO2max) aerobic intensities in eight sedentary (VO2max 39.6 ±t3.1 ml.kg−1.min−1) males. Caffeine intake 60 min prior to walking exercise increased pre- and postexercise FFA, glycerol, and lactate concentrations (p < 0.05). Blood glucose levels following walking trials were lower than preexercise values (p < 0.05). Gas exchange indicated that caffeine did not change exercise oxygen uptake, RER values, and carbon dioxide production (p0.05). In contrast, a small but statistically significant effect of caffeine on exercise minute ventilation was noted (p~0.01). It is concluded that ingestion of 5 mg.kg−1 caffeine increases the mobilization of energy substrate from fat sources; however, the present data do not provide evidence of a caffeineinduced shift in energy substrate usage. Caffeine is not an effective means for enhancing the energy cost of ...
Material Signature of Seasonality at Verberie

This chapter reveals more Paleolithic archaeological geophysics (AGP) research that the AGP community has ignored and/or disparaged. Methodology for how to identify actual Paleolithic Archaeological material at a real Paleolithic site are discussed as well as interpretations of the evidence. We have established a potential method for identifying variable seasonality in AGP data at Verberie. This methodology could perhaps be replicated at other hunter-gatherer sites elsewhere on the planet.
Imaging-genomics reveals driving pathways of MRI derived volumetric tumor phenotype features in Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) tumors exhibit strong phenotypic differences that can be quantified using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but the underlying biological drivers of these imaging phenotypes remain largely unknown. An Imaging-Genomics analysis was performed to reveal the mechanistic associations between MRI derived quantitative volumetric tumor phenotype features and molecular pathways. One hundred fourty one patients with presurgery MRI and survival data were included in our analysis. Volumetric features were defined, including the necrotic core (NE), contrast-enhancement (CE), abnormal tumor volume assessed by post-contrast T1w (tumor bulk or TB), tumor-associated edema based on T2-FLAIR (ED), and total tumor volume (TV), as well as ratios of these tumor components. Based on gene expression where available (n = 91), pathway associations were assessed using a preranked gene set enrichment analysis. These results were put into context of molecular subtypes in GBM and prognostication. Volumetric features were significantly associated with diverse sets of biological processes (FDR < 0.05). While NE and TB were enriched for immune response pathways and apoptosis, CE was associated with signal transduction and protein folding processes. ED was mainly enriched for homeostasis and cell cycling pathways. ED was also the strongest predictor of molecular GBM subtypes (AUC = 0.61). CE was the strongest predictor of overall survival (C-index = 0.6; Noether test, p = 4x10−4). GBM volumetric features extracted from MRI are significantly enriched for information about the biological state of a tumor that impacts patient outcomes. Clinical decision-support systems could exploit this information to develop personalized treatment strategies on the basis of noninvasive imaging.
Cholesterol Regulation and Statin Therapy in Patients with Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia.

Abstract 4789 Patients with WM commonly display low cholesterol levels, particularly LDL and VLDL levels. Given these observations, we examined their levels in 110 patients with WM, and observed decreased total cholesterol ( Patients and Methods Eighteen patients, 8 of whom were previously untreated, and who were asymptomatic with slowly progressing disease were enrolled in this study. The median age for these patients was 67 (range 42-88 years), median IgM was 2,610 (571-5,880 mg/dL), and median hematocrit was 35.4 (range 30.2-41.4%). Patients received Simvastatin at 20 mg daily for the first week, then dose escalated weekly by 20 mg a day to a maximum of 80 mg daily by week 4. Patients were maintained on therapy until progression. Results With a median follow-up of 6 months (range 3-18 months), 7 patients have demonstrated objective disease progression. No objective responses have been observed in any treated patients. Among non-progressing patients, serum IgM levels (2,610 vs. 2545 mg/dL) and hematocrit (35.4% vs. 34.5%) remain stable (p=NS). Grade 2 toxicities included elevation in CPK (n=1), and musculoskeletal pain (n=3). No grade 3 toxicities were observed. Conclusions Simvastatin does not produce objective responses in patients with WM, though may have potential for suppression of disease progression in some patients with WM. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Proteomics Research in Cardiovascular Medicine and Biomarker Discovery

Proteomics is a systems physiology discipline to address the large-scale characterization of protein species within a biological system, be it a cell, a tissue, a body biofluid, an organism, or a cohort population. Building on advances from chemical analytical platforms (e.g., mass spectrometry and other technologies), proteomics approaches have contributed powerful applications in cardiovascular biomedicine, most notably in: 1) the discovery of circulating protein biomarkers of heart diseases from plasma samples; and 2) the identification of disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets in cardiovascular tissues, in both preclinical models and translational studies. Contemporary proteomics investigations offer powerful means to simultaneously examine tens of thousands of proteins in various samples, and understand their molecular phenotypes in health and disease. This concise review introduces study design considerations, example applications and use cases, as well as interpretation and analysis of proteomics data in cardiovascular biomedicine.
The activation of chloride transport by epinephrine and Db cyclic-AMP in the cornea of the rabbit.

The addition of epinephrine to the solution bathing the epithelial side of the isolated rabbit cornea produced a biphasic increase in the short-circuit current with little or no change in the potential difference. Addition of aminophylline or theophylline, produced prolonged stimulation of the current, presumably through inhibition of phosphodiesterase. Db cyclic-AMP produced a rapid and sustained increase of the current as well as a large increase in the net transport of chloride ions from endothelial to epithelial side. This chloride pump, activated by an elevation of cyclic AMP, is located in the epithelium of the rabbit cornea. In Cl-free solutions no activation by these compounds of the remaining sodium current was found. The cyclic-AMP content of corneas incubated in the presence of theophylline and epinephrine was significantly increased. It is concluded that epinephrine influences the function of the rabbit corneal epithelium by increasing the level of cyclic AMP which activates a chloride pump operating toward the tear side. The implications of the presence of this chloride pump are discussed.
Conditioned Spatial Avoidance Behavior of Ants Induced By X-Rays

Carpenter ants were found to escape from and avoid prolonged exposures to 20–80 R/sec. x-rays when tested in the fall. Using ionizing radiation as the unconditioned stimulus, it was possible to establish a strong conditioned avoidance response toward the place of exposure (1 compartment of a 2-compartment, free-choice chamber). This compartment was initially preferred by the experimental Ss. Exposures under identical conditions in the spring resulted in the movement of ants into, rather than away from, the radiation field. It was not possible in the spring to condition either a positive or a negative response toward the place of exposure. Carpenter ants may undergo significant changes in physiological state at different times of the year which affect their behavior toward ionizing radiations.
Law on Militsiya and Police Integrity in Russia

This chapter examines the larger social and political context of the Russian police. Recent studies about police corruption in Southern District (Rostov Region) and North Caucasus (Karachaevo-Cherkessia) are particularly enlightening on this topic. Both districts underwent a reform from the Militsiya into the police. The reform process was initiated in 2011, with a plan to conclude it by 2013. By the end of the period, both MVD District Headquarters reported to Moscow on successful transformation. During informal interviews, several potential survey respondents expressed mixed feelings about the reforms. They mentioned that they had been trained at the Police Academy by the supervisors who served in Soviet Militsiya and who rejected and disapproved of the new reforms.
Networks Based on Regression Models and Prediction Methods

Prediction methods (e.g., linear and nonlinear regression models) can be used to construct a network among a set of vectors x 1, …, x n . The construction follows three steps. First, the prediction method is used to predict y = x j on the basis of x = x i . Second, a measure of predictive accuracy or statistical significance (e.g., a likelihood ratio test p value) is calculated. Third, the measure is transformed into an adjacency measure A ij between the two vectors. Although general prediction and machine learning methods can be used, we focus on regression models for measuring nonlinear relationships (e.g., polynomial and spline regression models). Spline regression models are attractive since they provide a statistical framework for robustly capturing general nonlinear relationships. Generalized linear models allow one to model the relationship between binary variables, count data, and categorical variables. Multivariate regression models allow one to define a pairwise adjacency measure between variables, which conditions on additional covariates, which describe sample properties (e.g., batch effects). The partial correlation coefficient can be interpreted as a pairwise correlation measure which adjusts for other variables. Partial correlation networks can be used to define networks that encode direct relationships between variables.
Sorting Out the 2016 U.S. Elections

This introductory chapter outlines the issues framing the 2016 congressional elections. The Republican-majority 114th Congress (2015–2016) engaged in contentious budget debates with its own members and the Obama White House. It was known as a do-nothing Congress, but overrode an Obama veto for the first and only time. The House elected a new speaker, Paul Ryan, and experienced an unprecedented sit-in by Democrats demanding action on gun control. The Senate, in turn, refused to hold hearings to fill a Supreme Court vacancy. Through the campaign season, Democrat Hillary Clinton was expected to win the presidency and Republicans feared losing their Senate majority. The insurgent Trump campaign won the presidency and congressional incumbents won reelection at typically high rates, but the American electorate remained polarized.
Failure to learn from failure: The 2008 mortgage crisis as a déjà vu of the mortgage meltdown of 1994

AbstractThis article traces the developments in the market for residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS) during the period 1970–2008. Drawing on an analysis of trade publications, business press, and interviews with practitioners, it shows that an MBS market meltdown in 1994 provided clear signals of problems with MBS. The market participants did not re-evaluate their use of risk management tools or adjust security design in response to the 1994 crisis, suggesting a lack of understanding of the implications of the crisis. The 1994 meltdown showed that MBS were vulnerable to systematic risks and that these risks could precipitate an MBS market crash. Furthermore, the 1994 meltdown demonstrated that large-scale investment in MBS could affect the primary mortgage market, thereby rendering the MBS risks unpredictable. After 1994, MBS investment shifted to MBS backed by mortgages with default risk – a development that led to the crash of 2008. By drawing parallels between the 1994 and 2008 crises, this arti...
Performance on the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) among Spanish and English Speakers at-risk for Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease (P5.183)

Objective: We tested the utility of the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) to screen for incipient dementia among at-risk individuals for autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s Disease (ADAD), and attempted to identify cognitive domains affected earliest in disease progression. Background: Given a growing elder population, screening tools for early Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) detection are essential, especially in English and Spanish. Design/Methods: Demographics, CASI scores, and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) scores were compared between PSEN1/2 or APP mutation carriers (MCs) and non-carriers (NCs), and between MCs divided into tertiles based on age relative to the average family age of AD diagnosis (adjusted age). Results: 93 individuals from families harboring ADAD mutations, aged 19 to 64 years, were studied. Carrier groups (65 MCs and 28 NCs) did not differ by age, adjusted age, education, acculturation level, gender, language, or residence (US vs. Mexico). MCs had higher CDR scores ( M ( SD )= 0.48 (0.73); U = 585, p =.002) and lower CASI total scores ( M ( SD )= 83.41(22.9); U =639.5, p =.023) than NCs (CDR M ( SD )= 0.11(0.21); CASI M ( SD )= 93.9(4.93)). MCs had lower scores on CASI subscales for Orientation ( p =.02), Long-term Memory ( p =.02), and Short-term Memory ( p =.047). Carrier groups did not differ in the youngest and middle adjusted age groups. MCs in the oldest adjusted age group had lower total CASI scores ( U =51, p =.006), and lower scores on Concentration ( p =.005), Orientation ( p =.001), Short-term Memory ( p =.021), Language ( p =.036), Visuoconstruction ( p =.036), and Fluency ( p =.019). Among MCs, significant differences were found between adjusted age groups on all CASI subscales, except for Attention and Long-term Memory. Conclusions: CASI scores differed significantly between MCs and NCs, though total scores did not distinguish between at-risk groups early in the AD process. Of those within +/−6 years of the average family age of dementia diagnosis, MCs had lower total CASI scores than NCs, and lower scores in concentration, orientation, short-term memory, language, and visuoconstruction. Study Supported by: NIH U01 AG0051218, P50 AG0005142, K08 AG022228 Disclosure: Dr. D9Orazio has nothing to disclose. Dr. Medina has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ringman has nothing to disclose.
The "healthy migrant" effect

In many ways, first-generation immigrants to the United States are healthier than people of similar ethnic backgrounds who were born in this country. However, overtime, the newcomers' health advantages diminish dramatically. This article discusses factors that contribute to the deterioration of immigrants' health: poverty, living in substandard housing, not having access to medical care, adoption of an American diet, smoking, and substance abuse.
Research in Learning Disabilities: A View of Status and Need

Research investigators and clinicians working with children with learning disabilities (LD) have identified a broad range of intriguing and difficult problems. Pursuit of these problems has led to an extensive and ever increasing volume of literature and has spawned a variety of intervention approaches. It might be argued that the most difficult problem facing the researcher of learning disabilities is to decide what should be studied and who should be included in the study sample. That is, what constitutes the field and what constitutes the condition?
Look Who's Talking: A Survey of Pediatric Program Directors on Communication Skills Education in Pediatric Residency Programs

Abstract Objective To determine current practices for communication skills curriculum and assessment in pediatric residency programs and to identify programs’ greatest needs regarding communication curricula and assessment. Methods We surveyed pediatric residency program directors about their programs’ approach to teaching and assessing residents’ communication skills and how satisfied they were with their curricula and assessment of competence. Respondents were asked about their programs’ greatest needs for teaching and assessing communication skills. Results Response rate was 41% (82/202). Most programs did teach communication skills to residents; only 14% provided no formal training. Programs identified various 1) educational formats for teaching communication skills, 2) curricular content, and 3) assessment methods for determining competence. Many programs were less than satisfied with their curriculum and the accuracy of their assessments. The greatest programmatic need regarding curricula was time, while the greatest need for assessment was a tool. Conclusions While teaching and assessment of communication skills is common in pediatric residency programs, it is inconsistent and variable, and many programs are not satisfied with their current communication training. There is need for development of and access to appropriate and useful curricula as well as a practical tool for assessment which has been evaluated for validity evidence.
Can the interplay between androgen signaling and PSMA expression be leveraged for theranostic applications

Despite numerous approved therapies for metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) that offer advantages in progression free survival, actual cure rates remain dismal (1). Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is nearly universally expressed in PCa (2) and has emerged as one of the most promising targets for novel therapies that are being developed to address PCa (3). Of note, PSMA expression levels have a relationship with androgen signaling that may have important clinical implications for treatment with PSMA-targeted theranostic agents.
Silanediols: A New Class of Potent Protease Inhibitors.

Transition state analogues of the peptide hydrolysis intermediate can take the form of complex silanediols such as 1, which inhibits angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) at nanomolar concentrations. In contrast, earlier investigation of enzyme inhibition with simple silanediols and silanetriols showed them to be inactive.
Low Temperature Biophysics and Room Temperature Biology

I was challenged by the organizers to open this session with a provocative address. This paper is a reduction to written English of that talk, rather than a conventional review of work in progress. I may step on a few toes — my own, unfortunately, included — but this is the cost of being frank.
The impact of startle reactivity to unpredictable threat on the relation between bullying victimization and internalizing psychopathology.

Abstract Background Being bullied has detrimental effects on mental health functioning. Individuals who are highly reactive to unpredictable threats (U-threat) may be particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences of being bullied. For them, persistent, unpredictable bullying likely elicits chronic anticipatory anxiety and depression. The aim of the present study was to examine the main and interactive effects of aversive reactivity to U-threat and past-year bullying victimization on current anxiety and depressive symptoms. Methods Seventy-one young adults (ages 17–19) completed a well-validated threat-of-shock task used to probe reactivity to both U-threat and predictable threat (P-threat). Startle eyeblink potentiation was recorded to index aversive responding. Results We found a main effect of bullying, such that individuals with more bullying experience exhibited greater anxiety and depressive symptoms than individuals with less bullying experience. There was also a bullying by U-threat reactivity interaction such that among individuals with high reactivity to U-threat, more bullying experience was associated with more anxiety and depressive symptoms. Among individuals with low U-threat reactivity, there was no association between bullying and internalizing symptoms. There were no main or interactive effects involving reactivity to P-threat. Conclusions Together, these results suggest that among individuals who are bullied, those who are sensitive to U-threat are particularly vulnerable to depression and anxiety in young adulthood. These individuals may represent a high-risk group for the development of internalizing psychopathology.
Mixed Company: The Audience for Sustainability Disclosures

This short Comment was prepared as a response to Jill Fisch’s article, Making Sustainability Disclosure Sustainable, and to Hillary Sale’s article, Disclosure's Purpose, both of which were presented at the Institute for Law and Economic Policy’s 24th Annual Symposium and subsequently published in the Georgetown Law Journal. The Comment is based upon remarks delivered at the symposium. In their symposium articles, Professors Sale and Fisch offer mirror-image visions of the role of mandated disclosure. Professor Sale addresses information that is typically relevant to an investing audience and recognizes its importance to the wider public. Professor Fisch, by contrast, addresses information that is most relevant to a noninvestor audience but only contemplates its importance to corporate financial performance. The gulf between their approaches highlights one of the significant tensions in our system of securities regulation: the distance between its intended purpose and its current function. Sustainability disclosures are often championed for noneconomic reasons, but they are filtered through a disclosure system that is not designed to accommodate anything other than a preference for economic returns. The incongruity ripples throughout the securities regulation framework with unfortunate results.