cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Institutionalizing Diversity Agendas: Presidents’ Councils for Diversity as Mechanisms for Strategic Change

Researchers examined the potential of Presidents’ Councils on Diversity (PCDs) to position advancing diversity and inclusion agendas at 11 higher education institutions. Researchers investigated strategies and the degree that PCDs set up agendas through the mobilization (i.e., creating vision and setting priorities), implementation (i.e., creating systems to support change), and institutionalization (i.e., embedding initiatives in the culture and practices of the institution) phases as outlined by Kezar’s Phased Leadership Strategies for Institutionalizing Diversity Agendas.​
A reconceptualization of the definition of binge eating for African American women: A concept analysis.

Aim The aim of this analysis is to develop a better understanding of the concept of binge-eating behavior among African American women (AAW). Background Obesity is a major public health concern that is disproportionately prevalent among AAW. Among the factors that contribute to obesity development, binge eating may be of significant concern to AAW. Design A critical analysis and synthesis of the empirical literature using Walker and Avant's model for concept analysis. The databases MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing Health Literature (CINAHL) Complete, PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES were used. Keywords included binge eating AND African American women or Black women race or ethnicity or minority. Results Binge eating is a behavior that exists on a continuum that involves the overconsumption of food, with or without loss of control (LOC), whereas binge eating with LOC is related to increased impairment and severity. While the main attribute of binge eating involves the consumption of a large amount of food, the LOC component of binge eating definition may not be culturally relevant criteria to include as a requirement, as it may exclude AAW in diagnostics and subsequent treatment as well as overlook the health implications of binge eating regardless of LOC endorsement. Conclusion Including LOC in defining binge-eating behavior among AAW is significant, but should not be necessitated. This concept analysis illustrates the complexities related to binge-eating behavior among AAW, enumerating the characteristics of binge eating that may be unique to certain populations. The definition for binge eating among AAW developed from this concept analysis needs to be further explored in future studies.
Blueberry containing diets protect from bone loss induced by sex steroid deficiency differently depending on sex and by mechanisms independent of canonical sex steroid receptor signaling

Background and Hypothesis: There is an unmet need for interventions that prevent bone loss induced by sex steroid deficiency. Loss of estrogens or androgens increases ROS in bone. We hypothesized that diets containing blueberries with antioxidant properties would protect from bone loss induced by sex steroid deficiency, depending on sex and on the expression of Nrf2, a transcription factor that regulates the endogenous antioxidant response. Experimental Design: SHAM, ovariectomized (OVX), or orchidectomized (ORX) 4-month-old, wild type (WT) or Nrf2 knockout (KO) male and female mice were fed with control diet or diets containing 3 types of blueberries. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone microarchitecture were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and microscopic computed tomography, respectively; and gene expression was quantified in bone RNA by quantitative PCR. Results: Control-fed OVX or ORX mice exhibited the expected BMD loss, to a similar extent, in WT and KO mice. One of the blueberry diets (Montgomery) prevented bone loss, totally in females and partially in males; and prevented ~50% of microarchitecture deterioration in ORX mice, independently of Nrf2 expression. OVX and ORX decreased expression of estrogen-response-element gene C3 or androgen-response-element gene Rhox5, respectively, in both WT and KO mice fed control or Montgomery diets, indicating that bone protection is not due to estrogenic/androgenic actions of the diet. Conclusion and Potential Impact: Montgomery diet prevented bone loss due to sex steroid deficiency fully in females and partially in males. Thus, optimal skeletal benefits might be achieved by tailoring antioxidant-rich diets to patients of either sex.
Improving Interpretation of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function Scale for Specific Tasks in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background and purpose New generic patient-reported outcomes like the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) are available to physical therapists to assess physical function. However, the interpretation of the PROMIS Physical Function (PF) T-score is abstract because it references the United States average and not specific tasks. The purposes of this study were to (1) determine convergent validity of the PROMIS PF scale with physical performance tests; (2) compare predicted performance test values to normative data; and (3) identify sets of PROMIS PF items similar to performance tests that also scale in increasing difficulty and align with normative data. Methods Community-dwelling older adults (n = 45; age = 77.1 ± 4.6 years) were recruited for this cross-sectional analysis of PROMIS PF and physical performance tests. The modified Physical Performance Test (mPPT), a multicomponent test of mostly timed items, was completed during the same session as the PROMIS PF scale. Regression analysis examined the relationship of mPPT total and component scores (walking velocity, stair ascent, and 5 times sit to stand) with the PROMIS PF scale T-scores. Normative data were compared with regression-predicted mPPT timed performance across PROMIS PF T-scores. The PROMIS PF items most similar to walking, stair ascent, or sit to stand were identified and then PROMIS PF model parameter-calibrated T-scores for these items were compared alongside normative data. Results and discussion There were statistically significant correlations (r = 0.32-0.64) between PROMIS PF T-score and mPPT total and component scores. Regression-predicted times for walking, stair ascent, and sit-to-stand tasks (based on T-scores) aligned with published normative values for older adults. Selected PF items for stair ascent and walking scaled well to discriminate increasing difficulty; however, sit-to-stand items discriminated only lower levels of functioning. Conclusions The PROMIS PF T-scores showed convergent validity with physical performance and aligned with published normative data. While the findings are not predictive of individual performance, they improve clinical interpretation by estimating a range of expected performance for walking, stair ascent, and sit to stand. These findings support application of T-scores in physical therapy testing, goal setting, and wellness plans of care for community-dwelling older adults.
Significant Hematochezia and Intracranial Bleeding in Neonatal Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is an underreported autosomal dominant vascular dysplasia. Neonatal presentations of HHT are rare, as this disorder typically presents in adolescence or beyond with epistaxis. We report a female neonate with hematochezia on the 1st day of life secondary to multiple gastrointestinal arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) along with intracranial hemorrhage. We describe her clinical course and management, as well as her novel family mutation in ENG. This is the first reported HHT case with significant gastrointestinal bleeding in the newborn. We review neonatal HHT and raise the consideration for more directed prenatal imaging and delivery options for fetuses at high risk of HHT.
Narrow “Inception” Beams Generated in FACET Beam-Driven Wakefield Accelerator Setups

Although Plasma Wakefield Accelerators (PWFAs) can sustain accelerating gradients 100 times higher than conventional devices, the quality of the produced beams has been insufficient for future Free-Electron-Laser or Collider applications. To improve beam quality, through reducing energy spread, PWFAs typically operate in the beam-loaded nonlinear blowout regime. Here we show that in such regime, the accelerated beam can induce secondary ionization of plasma ions or neutral particles, and inject the released electrons into an additional low quality, high energy spread, beam called the “inception” beam. This work describes how the “inception” beam is formed in the PWFA that employs the Beam Induced Ionization Injection (BIII) technique. The supporting numerical study modeled the interaction of an electron beam with a hydrogen and helium gas, with the OSIRIS code, using the FACET beam parameters.
Incidence of second primary neoplasms among cancer survivors in the United States, 2000 through 2015.

1586Background: The number of cancer survivors in the United States is projected to exceed 20 million by 2024. Survivors are at risk of developing a second primary neoplasm (SPN) – a leading cause ...
Return of Menses in Previously Overweight Patients with Eating Disorders.

Abstract Study Objective Adolescents with eating disorders and a history of overweight present with higher weights, longer duration of disease, but equally severe symptomatology compared with previously normal weight patients. To better delineate treatment goals for this understudied population, we compared weight at menses resumption with premorbid maximum weight among previously overweight and normal weight patients. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Outpatient adolescent medicine clinic at an eating disorder referral center. Participants Postmenarchal patients meeting criteria for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition eating disorders. History of overweight was defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to the 85th percentile or 25 or more. Interventions and Main Outcome Measures Weight characteristics at presentation and menses resumption (BMI, BMI z-score, change from maximum weight to presentation weight) Results Previously overweight patients presented with greater mean weight, longer duration of disease, and higher BMI than previously normal weight patients. No difference was found in rates of amenorrhea at presentation or menses resumption. Previously overweight patients resumed menses at a younger age and higher BMI z-scores. The difference between weight at menses resumption and premorbid maximum weight was greater for previously overweight patients. Conclusion Previously overweight patients with eating disorders present differently than their normal-weight peers, so reliance on weight status as a screening criterion might result in underdiagnosis. Although BMI z-scores associated with menses resumption are higher for previously overweight patients, there is no difference in weight gain between presentation and menses resumption and time to menses resumption compared with previously normal-weight patients. Moreover, menses resumption occurred at weights significantly lower than premorbid maximum weight for previously overweight patients, so restoration to highest premorbid weight is not necessary.
Chapter 34 – Vitamin D: Role in the Calcium and Phosphorus Economies

Publisher Summary Vitamin D functions in many body systems, but perhaps the best attested of the nutrient's actions—and certainly the one first associated with human disease—is its role in transferring calcium (and phosphorus) from ingested food into the body fluids. In this capacity, vitamin D functions as a part of a control system that operates to maintain constancy of the calcium ion concentrations in the extracellular fluid against the demands of obligatory excretory losses and skeletal mineralization. In both transfers, vitamin D works in concert with parathyroid hormone. Quantitative analysis of the inputs and drains of the calcium economy reveals that, at contemporary calcium intakes, D-mediated absorptive enhancement only partially mitigates the impact of low calcium intake or large calcium losses. While 1,25(OH)2D is clearly the most potent form of the vitamin, 25(OH) D exerts significant vitamin-D-like activity in its own right at physiological serum levels. Optimal vitamin D status is operationally defined as a level of D intake (or production) high enough to ensure that the D-mediated transfers are not limited by D availability. However, at intakes closer to those prevailing during hominid evolution, minor shifts in vitamin D mediated absorption are fully adequate to compensate for stresses on the calcium economy.
Change in Traffic Fatality Rates in the First 4 States to Legalize Recreational Marijuana.

This cross-sectional study examines the association of commercial sales and legalization of recreational marijuana with traffic fatalities.
Biological control agent attack timing and population variability, but not density, best explain target weed density across an environmental gradient

Spatial variation in plant-herbivore interactions can be important in pest systems, particularly when insect herbivores are used as biological control agents to manage invasive plants. The geographic ranges of the invasive plant alligatorweed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) and its biological control agent the alligatorweed flea beetle (Agasicles hygrophila) do not completely overlap in the southeastern USA, producing spatial heterogeneity in interaction strength that may be related to latitude-correlated environmental gradients. We studied this system near the range margin of the alligatorweed flea beetle to test whether spatial variation in alligatorweed density was best explained by agent mean or maximum density, variability in agent density, agent attack timing, or a combination of biological control and environmental (i.e., weather) variables. The pattern that emerged was that mean agent and host densities were negatively and positively associated with latitude, respectively. Variability in agent density increased with latitude and was positively correlated with host density. We further discovered that agent first attack timing was negatively correlated with winter and spring temperatures and spring and summer precipitation, and positively correlated with seasonal temperature extremes, which was then directly influential on agent density and variability in density, and indirectly on host density. This study demonstrates that, contrary to common wisdom, weather-related timing of agent activity and population variability, but not agent mean density, contribute to the spatial heterogeneity observed in alligatorweed populations.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Perspectives on Clinical Research Involving Natural Products

The sales of dietary supplements continue to increase year after year. Despite their use by a large percentage of Americans, there is little evidence for the vast majority of products regarding their safety or efficacy. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health supports a broad range of research on dietary supplements, including clinical trials. Our experience with these trials has shaped our current policies and priorities for clinical research. This perspective outlines those policies and priorities that are shaping our investments going forward. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The sales of dietary supplements continue to increase year after year. Despite their use by a large percentage of Americans, there is little evidence for the vast majority of products regarding their safety or efficacy. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health supports a broad range of research on dietary supplements, including clinical trials. Our experience with these trials has shaped our current policies and priorities for clinical research. This perspective outlines those policies and priorities that are shaping our investments going forward.
Water Requirements for Cooling Artificial Turf

AbstractArtificial turf with black infill material gained widespread use on athletic fields starting in the early 2000s. One argument made in the desert southwestern United States for replacing nat...
Response Validity in Psychoeducational Assessment: a Primer for School Psychologists

School psychologists often have reason to suspect that students may not be putting forth full effort during diagnostic tests, or that questionnaire or rating scale data are not credible. However, such suspicions must be tested carefully to yield data-based conclusions. Structured, empirically supported methods for assessing the “response validity” of evaluation data are available, to help gauge effort, motivation, and honesty in clients and informants. The present paper reviews a number of methods, places them in the context of research showing the effects of motivation and incentives on performance, and addresses concerns about including these methods in school-based psychoeducational evaluations. The paper concludes with practical, research-based recommendations for school psychologists when conducting evaluations and writing reports.
Innovation, Competitiveness, and Sustainability in Tourism Clusters: An Empirical Model of Caribbean Destinations

This chapter explains and estimates a model of accommodation clusters in tourist destinations. The model variables describe a destination’s intrinsic attraction, synergies between tourism activities, increasing congestion and capacity, and competition-driven technical changes. The model engages technology parameters at four physical scales, global markets for capital and visitors, regional destinations and innovations, destination-level clustering, and characteristic accommodation size. Parameters are estimated across 20 Caribbean destinations from 1986 to 1996. Combined with island-specific tourism policies, the model plausibly backcasts earlier tourism development for Aruba reproduces overshoot in accommodations in the late-1980s, and the following decade of disruptive fluctuations. Although the model over-estimates current hotel accommodation, the excess matches emergent uncontrolled growth of “alternative” accommodation, primarily condominiums, and vacation rentals. This case study illustrates how the cluster model’s components and parameters influence critical junctures in the growth trajectory of destinations.
HVPE growth of orientation patterned GaAsP for nonlinear frequency applications

We present GaAsxP1-x as an attractive ternary material that combines the properties of GaAs and GaP for nonlinear optical applications as it combines the higher nonlinear susceptibility of GaAs with the lower 2PA of GaP for a given x-composition. We discuss the HVPE growth results of GaAsP on plain substrates and on orientation patterned (OP) templates fabricated by the conventional MBE assisted polarity inversion technique with and without the MBE regrowth step. Along with the growth results showing in excess of 500 µm thick growth, we also present the structural and optical properties of the ternary material.
Coronary Embolism Presenting as NSTEMI in a Patient with Splenectomy.

The coronary arteries generally are protected from embolism as they arise at acute or right angles from the coronary cusps.1 However, coronary embolism (CE) is a recognized and important cause of non-atherosclerotic acute coronary syndrome. The incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) secondary to coronary embolism is reported to be around 3%.1–3 The most common causes of CE include atrial fibrillation, infective endocarditis, iatrogenic causes, and prosthetic valve thrombi.4 No consensus agreement has been established regarding treatment of ACS related to coronary artery embolism (CE). Irrespective of the treatment, clinical consideration of the source of embolism is very important for successful management and recurrence prevention. Unclear causes of CE may prompt a hypercoagulable workup. Few cases of thromboembolism have been reported with a link to hereditary spherocytosis (HS), particularly in patients with a prior history of splenectomy.5–9 We present a case of a patient who was transferred from an outside hospital showing non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and who subsequently was diagnosed with CE.
An optimization model to address overcrowding in emergency departments using patient transfer

Overcrowding of emergency departments (EDs) is a problem that affected many hospitals especially during the response to emergency situations such as pandemics or disasters. Transferring nonemergency patients is one approach that can be utilized to address ED overcrowding. We propose a novel mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model that explicitly considers queueing effects to address overcrowding in a network of EDs, via a combination of two decisions: modifying service capacity to EDs and transferring patients between EDs. Computational testing is performed using a Design of Experiments to determine the sensitivity of the MINLP solutions to changes in the various input parameters. Additional computational testing examines the effect of ED size on the number of transfers occurring in the system, identifying an efficient frontier for the tradeoff between system cost (measured as a function of the service capacity and the number of patient transfers) and the systemwide average expected waiting time. Taken together, these results suggest that our optimization model can identify a range of efficient alternatives for healthcare systems designing a network of EDs across multiple hospitals.
Intrinsic Electrophysiological Regulation of Firing Patterns of Bursting Neurons in Aplysia

Endogenous generation of action potential bursts occurs commonly among peptidergic neurosecretory cells (Barker and Gainer, 1975; Gahwiler and Dreilfuss, 1977; Cooke, 1982; Andrew and Dudek, 1984). Burst generation has also been observed in more typical central neurons (Miller and Selverston, 1982; Grace and Bunney, 1984; Legendre et al., 1985), indicating that it is a property of many kinds of neurons. It is easily imagined that burst generation functions to enhance transmitter release, which by synaptic facilitation may be particularly sensitive to spike frequency, but it has been difficult to prove this point (Dutton and Dyball, 1979). Bursting neurons have also been implicated in the organization of rhythmic motor patterns (Miller and Selverston, 1982).
Genetic and Genomic Approaches to Cryptococcus Environmental and Host Responses

Infection with Cryptococcus species is often considered an AIDS-defining illness, the outbreak of Cryptococcus gattii on Vancouver Island underscores the broad potential of the Cryptococcus neoformans species complex to evade host immune defenses and cause disease. There are several simple developments that need to be made to maximize the use of C. neoformans genomes. One development is the publication of the genomes of the serotype A and C. gattii strains and a finalized nomenclature for each gene in each strain sequenced, preferably as similar to other designations as possible. Examples of larger-scale screens include a series on melanin, morphology, suppressor screens of light sensitivity of mating , and growth under hypoxic conditions. In the first, "alternative" hosts have been used, with the most success obtained thus far in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Importantly, both genes were found to be required for maximal virulence in murine inhalation models. Protein-protein interactions are important in a number of regulatory events involved in cryptococcal virulence and have been detected in C. neoformans by using a variety of methods. Single gene interactions have been detected by coimmunoprecipitation studies of the nuclear heat shock transcription factor, Hsf1, with a coactivating heat shock homolog, Ssa1, during laccase induction. A major experimental advantage of C. neoformans, uncommon among the human pathogenic fungi, is the established complete sexual cycle that enables classical Mendelian crosses and genetics.
Speed enhancement with soft computing hardware

During the past few years JPL has been actively involved in soft computing research encompassing theory, architecture, and electronic hardware. There are a host of soft computing applications that require orders of magnitude enhancement in speed compared to present day simulations on digital machines. For real-time computing this is made possible by selecting suitable algorithms, designing compatible architectures and implementing them in parallel processing hardware. A compact low-power hardware design for in-situ applications uses a 3D-packaged artificial neural network (ANN) multi-chip module performing object classification and recognition with 1012 multiply-sum operations per second (ops). Additionally, development on evolvable hardware (EHW) implemented on reconfigurable electronic hardware has shown exciting high-speed evolution of various digital and analog circuits. We review our work to demonstrate real-time processing.
Perceived pubertal timing and recent substance use among adolescents: a longitudinal perspective.

Aims To determine the longitudinal associations between perceived pubertal timing and recent substance use between the ages of 11 and 17 years. Design, setting and participants A school-based cohort sequential study of adolescents in rural North Carolina, USA (n = 6892, 50% female) in the 6–8th grades at baseline and interviewed across five consecutive semesters. Measurements Self-administered questionnaires in a group setting measured perceived pubertal development using the Pubertal Development Scale and adolescents reported past 3-month use of cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana. Latent class growth analysis determined the longitudinal relationships between perceived pubertal timing (early, on-time and late) and use of the three substances. Findings A negative quadratic model was the best-fitting model for all three substances. Higher proportions of early developers had used cigarettes and marijuana within the past 3 months at age 11 compared with on-time (P 0.050). Conclusions Adolescents who believe they are more advanced in puberty than their peers are more likely to have used cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana recently compared with adolescents who believe they are on-time or late developing; these findings are mainly due to differences in use at age 11.
Bi-stable a-Si:H TFT phosphorescent OLED active matrix pixel

In this paper, we report on the design and fabrication of bi-stable (1 bit gray scale) amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin film transistor (TFT) phosphorescent organic light emitting diode (OLED) active matrix pixels.
Celestina : Documento bibliográfico (suplemento número 34)

[Querria expresar mi gratitud a todos los amigos y colegas que me han informado acerca de articulos, resenas, investigaciones in fieri sobre LC, o han contestado a mis correos/peticiones enviandome copia de sus trabajos. Me refiero, en particular, a: Jose Antonio Bernaldo del Quiros, Carlos Heusch, Santiago Lopez-Rios y al siempre amable Joseph T. Snow, que tambien ha resenado una entrada (que indico al final con la sigla: JTS). Como ya he tenido la ocasion de decir, espero que esta lista crezca con el pasar del tiempo porque «los bienes, si no son comunicados, no son bienes». Los que quieran ponerse en contacto conmigo podran hacerlo en la siguiente direccion de correo electronico: dpaolini@ccny.cuny.edu Muchisimas gracias, DP]
Chapter 14 Why Gis Needs Postmodern Social Theory, and Vice Versa

Publisher Summary This chapter describes some characteristics of geographic information system (GIS) that have distanced it from social theory, and thus diminished the role GIS can play in social analysis and policy. There are at least three aspects of GIS—its technology, disciplinary location, and methodology—that have distanced it from the concerns of contemporary social theory. This in turn has limited the role GIS can play in addressing social problems and questions of social policy. The chapter discusses the postmodern view of poverty and a poverty map of Philadelphia is used to show the way the poor are represented in conventional social science and Cartesian GIS. Poverty discourse is used as an example to show the way GIS and social theory might be brought into closer contact for the mutual benefit.
ST. HELENA, EDMOND HALLEY, THE DISCOVERY OF STELLAR PROPER MOTION, AND THE MYSTERY OF ALDEBARAN

St. Helena was the location of Halley's observatory in 1677-1678. The site has been identified and I report on a visit in November 2006. The principal use of the observatory was to accurately map the stars of the southern sky. In the summary of his work, the Catalogus Stellarum Australium , Halley noted evidence for the "… mutability of the fixed Stars." He would not return to this subject until much later in his career. Halley later compared contemporary positions of Arcturus, Sirius, and Aldebaran with the ancient positions recorded in the Almagest . He found that these stars had apparently moved southward by >30 � and concluded that they had their own particular motions. Modern proper motion measurements are consistent with this conclusion for Arcturus and Sirius, but are not even close for Aldebaran. While some authors are aware of the problem, it generally is not mentioned in books on the history of astronomy or in biographical works on Halley. Errors in the Almagest positions can be ruled out; an error of 30 � in the early eighteenth century position is highly unlikely; a misidentification of the star is implausible; and, we are left with the conclusion that there is most likely an error in Halley's calculations.
Loss of the p53 tumor suppressor gene protects neurons from kainate- induced cell death

The tumor suppressor gene p53 recently has been associated with the induction of cell death in response to some forms of cellular damage. A possible role for p53-related modulation of neuronal viability has been suggested by the finding that p53 expression is increased in damaged neurons in models of ischemia and epilepsy. We evaluated the possibility that p53 expression (in knockout mice) is required for induction of cell damage in a model of seizure activity normally associated with well defined patterns of cell loss. Subcutaneous injection of kainic acid, a potent excitotoxin, induced comparable seizures in both wild-type mice (+/+) and mice deficient in p53 (-/-). Using a silver impregnation technique to examine neurodegeneration in animals killed 7 d after kainate injection, we found that a majority of +/+ mice exhibited extensive cell loss in the hippocampus, involving subregions CA1, CA3, the hilus, and the subiculum. Apoptotic cell death, as identified with an in situ nick end labeling technique to detect DNA fragmentation, was confirmed in CA1- but not CA3- degenerating neurons. In marked contrast, a majority of p53 -/- mice displayed no signs of cell damage; in the remaining p53 -/- mice, damage was mild to moderate and was confined almost entirely to cells in CA3b of the dorsal hippocampus. In +/+ mice, but not in -/- mice, damaged neurons also were observed in the amygdala, piriform cortex, cerebral cortex, caudate-putamen, and thalamus after kainate treatment. The pattern and extent of damage in mice heterozygous for p53 (+/-) were identical to those seen in +/+ mice, suggesting that a single copy of p53 is sufficient to confer neuronal vulnerability. These results demonstrate that p53 influences viability in multiple neuronal subtypes and brain regions after excitotoxic insult.
Hope for US health care despite strong headwinds.

During 2010’s mid-term election, the colourful debate among the conservative Tea Partyers and the Republicans over the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka ‘Obamacare’, helped both parties to gain significant power in the House. Now, 5 years later, the Affordable Care Act remains a divisive topic, yet more and more people are benefiting from health coverage while costs have been contained. The Democrats have been unable to pass any significant legislation through the House of Representatives because it has been under Republican control since the 2012 elections. In the 2014 mid-term elections, the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate were up for election. Incumbent governments usually lose seats during the mid-term1 and the Republican’s gained the six seats in the Senate that they needed to seize in order to oust the Democrats from power. So what does this result …
WARFARE IN A NEW DOMAIN: THE ETHICS OF MILITARY CYBER-OPERATIONS

While most normative evaluations of military cyber-operations have emerged from the legal community, this article assesses the legitimacy of such operations from a philosophical-ethical perspective. After reviewing the relationship between rights forfeiture and the jus ad bellum and jus in bello criteria of the just war tradition, it applies these criteria to several aspects of cyber-operations, including responses to cyber-activities, the use of cyber-capabilities affecting combatants and civilians, and the use of these capabilities by contractors. Finally, it briefly addresses the legitimacy of limiting rights to privacy and anonymity in service of preventing cyber-harm.
Hypertrophic Pulmonary Osteoarthropathy

The records of 1,888 cases of pulmonary neoplasm operated on at the Mayo Clinic between 1953 and 1963 were reviewed. The incidence of hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy for the total group of cases, including both benign and malignant primary lung tumors as well as tumors metastatic to the lung, was 9.2 per cent. Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy was associated with all cell types of primary bronchogenic carcinoma except the cylindromic form of bronchial adenoma and mixed malignant tumors. Detailed comparison of comparable groups of patients with and without associated osteoarthropathy revealed many similarities and very few differences. Various theories concerning the possible cause of hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy are presented, including a detailed description of the neurogenic theory favored by us.
Spring Snow Melt Timing and Changes over Arctic Lands

Spring snow cover over Arctic lands has, on average, melted approximately 4-7 days earlier since the late 1980s compared to the previous 20 years. The earlier disappearance of snow has been identified in non-mountainous regions at the 60 deg and 70 deg N parallels over Eurasia and North America using visible satellite observations of continental snow cover extent (SCE) mapped by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The change was greater in the farthest north continental locations. Northern hemisphere SCE declined by almost 10% (May) to 20% (June) between the two intervals. At latitude 70 deg N, eight segments of longitude (each 10 deg in width) show significant (negative) trends. However, only two longitudinal segments at 60 deg N show significant trends, (one positive and one negative). SCE changes coincide with increasing spring warmth and the earlier diminution of sea ice in the last several decades. However, while sea ice has continued to decrease during this recent interval, snowmelt dates in the Arctic changed in a step-like fashion during the mid to late 1980s and have remained much the same since that time.
Relative impact of print and database products on database producer expenses and income—A follow-up

Abstract Database producers who are also publishers of hardcopy A & I products are facing a decline in subscriptions to those products. Whether or not this decline is due to increased use of the online counterparts (migration) is immaterial to the economic reality of decreasing numbers of print subscriptions and a consequent loss of revenue derived from subscriptions. A previous article, to which this is a follow-up, suggested, via a thirteen year analysis of the finances of one major database producer, that the decreâse in subscription income must be compensated for by an increase in revenue from online use. The current article provides an update of the analysis (including the 14th year). It discusses the actions taken by that producer and the consequences of those actions.
Scale dependency and the expression of hierarchical structure in Delphinium patches

Hierarchy theory has provided a valuable conceptual framework for studies of heterogeneity. However, there have been few empirical studies of hierarchical structure and little is known about how hierarchical structure originates or varies among systems. Here, I explore how scale dependency can influence the detection of hierarchical structure. Specifically, I compared how heterogeneity changed with scale in patches of larkspur (Delphinium spp). The distribution of Delphinium nelsonii inflorescences was quite uniform over the range of measured scales (1 m2-2500 m2) and only a single level of patchiness was observed. Aggregations of D. barbeyi inflorescences were much more pronounced and this patchiness was evident at many scales. The number of hierarchical levels and the scales at which patchiness occurred varied both within and between plots of D. barbeyi. Because patchiness was not strongly scale-dependent for either species, discrete patch boundaries and well-defined hierarchical levels were not usually apparent even when multiple scales of patchiness were present. In several cases, the scales of detected patchiness depended on the difference in scale between grain (resolution) and extent. I predict that because of the lack of dominant and strongly scale-dependent processes, microlandscapes such as Delphinium meadows, may be less likely to exhibit well-defined hierarchical structure than larger-scale landscapes, especially those heavily altered by human activities.
Choroideremia: Analysis of the retina from a Female Symptomatic Carrier

Purpose: To define the retinal pathology in a 91 year-old affected matriarch of a three-generation choroideremia family with multiple manifesting carriers. Methods: Tissue from three different retinal areas was processed for immunohistochemistry. The macular area was processed for transmission electron microscopy. Cryosections were studied by indirect immunofluorescence, using well-characterized antibodies to cone cytoplasm, rhodopsin and cone opsins. The affected donor eyes were compared to a postmortem matched normal eye. Results: The retina displayed areas of severe degeneration, with no photoreceptor outer segments, photoreceptor nuclear atrophy, and atrophy of the inner retina. Other retinal areas were near to normal. The RPE was severely degenerated, with thinning, pigment clumping and sub-epithelial debris deposition in all the areas examined. The choroid displayed depigmentation. Labeling with cone opsin antibodies revealed that cones were drastically affected: blue opsin was almost completely abs...
Synthesis and characterization of selected 4,4′-diaminoalkoxyazobenzenes

Abstract The role of the –N(CH2CH2OH)2 group in producing a mutagenic response from 4-((3-(2-hydroxyethoxy)4-amino)phenylazo)-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)aniline has been investigated. To accomplish this goal, a group of substituted 4,4′-diaminoazobenzene dyes was synthesized, and their structures were confirmed using 1H NMR, TOF-LC-ESI mass spectrometry, and combustion analysis. Mutagenicity was determined using the standard Ames test in Salmonella strains TA98, TA100, and TA1538 with and without S9 enzyme activation. The results of this study provide evidence that the mutagenicity of the parent dye arises from the metabolic cleavage of N-hydroxyethyl groups to give the corresponding –NHCH2CH2OH and –NH2 substituted monoazo dyes as direct-acting mutagens. All 5 of the dyes studied were mutagenic at various levels with and without S9 enzyme activation in TA1538. In addition, the results show that removing one N-hydroxyethyl group and capping both –OH groups in the parent dye did not affect mutagenicity, whereas removing both N-hydroxyethyl groups produced a strong direct-acting mutagen in all three bacterial strains. Increasing the length of the N-alkyl chain from two to three carbon atoms eliminated mutagenicity in TA98 without S9 activation.
Opioid Rotation: The Science and the Limitations of the Equianalgesic Dose Table

Opioid rotation refers to a switch from one opioid to another in an effort to improve the response to analgesic therapy or reduce adverse effects. It is a common method to address the problem of poor opioid responsiveness despite optimal dose titration. Guidelines for opioid rotation are empirical and begin with the selection of a safe and reasonably effective starting dose for the new opioid, followed by dose adjustment to optimize the balance between analgesia and side effects. The selection of a starting dose must be based on an estimate of the relative potency between the existing opioid and the new one. Potency, which is defined as the dose required to produce a given effect, differs widely among opioids, and among individuals under varying conditions. To effectively rotate from one opioid to another, the new opioid must be started at a dose that will cause neither toxicity nor abstinence, and will be sufficiently efficacious in that pain is no worse than before the change. The estimate of relative potency used in calculating this starting dose has been codified on "equianalgesic dose tables," which historically have been based on the best science available and have been used with little modification for more than 40 years. These tables, and the clinical protocols used to apply them to opioid rotation, may need revision, however, as the science underlying relative potency evolves. Review of these issues informs the use of opioid rotation in the clinical setting and defines key areas for future research.
Pro: Are we ready to translate Alzheimer's disease modifying therapies to people with Down syndrome?

Background Down Syndrome (DS) is caused by trisomy of chromosome 21, which includes the gene for the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and leads to overproduction of beta-amyloid. Clinical-pathological studies indicate that individuals with DS begin demonstrating Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology during adolescence and that 100% exhibit such changes by age 40. Individuals with DS therefore represent a highly enriched population for AD. Additionally, owing to their baseline intellectual disability, people with DS represent a more vulnerable group of individuals as compared with other populations. Given the recent developments in AD biomarkers, combined with the prospect of achieving greater efficacy with earlier therapeutic intervention, it is logical to include adults with DS in prevention trials for AD.
Self assemble silicide architectures by directional solidification

Directional solidification of eutectics has self assembly characteristics that can fabricate two dimensional periodic arrays of two or more phases. The ordering of the phases can be utilized as a lithographic technique to produce porous structures for fabrication of miniature devices. Directional solidification by the Bridgman technique was applied to the eutectic systems Si-TiSi 2 and Si-YSi 2 . Patterned growth of TiSi 2 rods occur in the silicon matrix during solidification. Micro-channel structure of pillar arrays of TiSi 2 was produced by silicon dissolution by KOH. Average TiSi 2 rod diameter was 2.5 μm with 99% of the population falling in the 2-3 μm range. Colony formation could not be suppressed in the Si-TiSi 2 system. Patterned growth is not observed in Si-YSi 2 system. Eutectic and hyper-eutectic Si-YSi 2 compositions formed anomalous eutectic microstructure. Microstructure shows dependence upon the solidification rate.
False negative cytology in large thyroid nodules.

Controversy exists regarding the accuracy of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in large thyroid nodules. Recent surgical series have documented false-negative rates ranging from 0.7 to 13 %. We examined the accuracy of benign FNA cytology in patients with thyroid nodules ≥3 cm who underwent surgical resection and identified features characteristic of false-negative results. We retrospectively studied all thyroidectomy specimens between January 2009 and October 2011 and identified nodules ≥3 cm with corresponding benign preoperative FNA cytology. We collected clinical information regarding patient demographics, nodule size, symptoms, sonographic features, FNA results, and final surgical pathology. For comparison, we analyzed nodules <3 cm from this cohort also with benign FNA cytology. A total of 323 nodules with benign preoperative cytology were identified. Eighty-three nodules were <3 cm, 94 nodules were 3–3.9 cm, and 146 nodules were ≥4 cm in size. The false-negative rate was 11.7 % for all nodules ≥3 cm and 4.8 % for nodules <3 cm (p = 0.03). Subgroup analysis of nodules ≥3 cm revealed a false-negative rate of 12.8 % for nodules 3–3.9 cm and 11 % for nodules ≥4 cm. Age ≥55 years and asymptomatic clinical status were the only patient characteristics that reached statistical significance as risk factors. Final pathology of the false-negative specimens consisted mainly of follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer and follicular thyroid cancer. When referred for thyroidectomy, patients with large thyroid nodules demonstrate a modest, yet significant, false-negative rate despite initial benign aspiration cytology. Therefore, thyroid nodules ≥3 cm may be considered for removal even when referred with benign preoperative cytology.
Spatial variations of flow structure over estuarine hollows

Observations of the flow field over an elongated hollow (bathymetric depression) in the lower Chesapeake Bay showed tidally asymmetric distributions. Current speed increased over the landward side of the hole during flood tides and decreased in the deepest part of the hollow during ebb tides. A simple conceptual analysis indicated that the presence of a horizontal density gradient can generate the asymmetric spatial variations of flow structure depending on the sign of the horizontal density gradient. When water density decreases downstream, the velocity increases over the downstream edge of the hollow. Conversely when water density increases downstream, the flow decreases over the hollow more than a case without a horizontal density gradient. The conceptual analysis is confirmed by numerical experiments of simplified hollows in steady open channel flows and of an idealized tidal estuary. These hollows also alter the local current field of tidally averaged estuarine exchange flows. The residual depth-averaged currents over a hollow show a two-cell circulation when Coriolis forcing is neglected and an asymmetric two-cell circulation, with a stronger cyclonic eddy, when Coriolis forcing is included.
The effects of social housing on extinction of fear conditioning in rapid eye movement sleep-deprived rats

Both human and animal research indicate that rapid eye movement sleep (REM) plays an important role in the processing of emotional information. REM is altered after fear conditioning in rats, but this alteration can be mitigated by exposure to a naive conspecific. In addition, both the housing condition (isolated vs paired) and the experiences of rats’ cagemates can influence the response to aversive events. Based on this prior work, the present study sought to determine the effects of social housing on the previously demonstrated impairment in the extinction of conditioned fear responses produced by REM deprivation. Rats were assigned to one of three housing conditions: housed with a naive rat, housed with another fear-conditioned rat, or housed alone. The results demonstrated that rats housed with either a naive or a fear-conditioned conspecific exhibited an impairment in the acquisition of extinction as a consequence of REM deprivation, as observed in previous studies. However, rats in the isolated condition demonstrated a trend toward an impairment only after continued extinction training. These results indicate that the effects of social housing on REM deprivation-induced impairments in learning and memory are subtle, but may explain some conflicting findings in the literature.