cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of blatant stereotype activation and group sex-composition on female leaders

Abstract The individual and combined impact of blatant stereotype activation and solo status or mixed-sex groups on the self-appraisals, performance, and anxiety of female leaders was examined across three laboratory studies. The first study utilized a two-condition, two-stage design in which female leaders were exposed to a blatant stereotype threat or control condition after which they completed a leadership task. In the second stage, the threatened leaders received a solo status manipulation (leading a group of men) while the control condition did not. In the second study a 2 (blatant threat, no blatant threat) by 2 (solo status, all-female group) fully factorial design was used to test the hypotheses. Finally, in Study 3, a similar factorial design was used with a mixed-sex, rather than solo, condition. Across the studies it was hypothesized and found that receiving a single stereotype threat would result in a positive, stereotype reactance, response. However, when both threats were combined a stereotype vulnerability response was elicited, as expected. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
STUDIES OF THE THYROID APPARATUS. XXXVIII. THE RELATIONS OF THE THYROID AND THE PARATHYROIDS TO THE GLANDS OF INTERNAL SECRETION

The five preceding papers of this series give a technical report and interpretation of the growth response of the glands of internal secretion as individuals [gonads (1) ; hypophysis (2) ; adrenals (3) ; pancreas (4) ; thymus (5)] to thyroid and parathyroid deficiencies initiated at 23, 30, 50, 65, 75 and 100 days of age in the post-natal life of the male and female albino rat. Because of the similarity in the functional mode of action of these organs it seems worth while to bring the separate responses together into a summarizing paper, and to consider them as a group in an attempt to evaluate their specific and general relations to the thyroid and the parathyroid glands. The treatment of the subject in this paper will be as little technical as is consistent with clear exposition. It will be more of the nature of a generalization. The details will not be given since they may be found in the earlier reports. Recognition is had that more than one function is subserved by each of these organs, and that an i...
Theory and development of higher-order CMAC neural networks

The cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC) neural network is capable of learning nonlinear functions extremely quickly due to the local nature of its weight updating. The rectangular shape of CMAC receptive field functions, however, produces discontinuous (staircase) function approximations without inherent analytical derivatives. The ability to learn both functions and function derivatives is important for the development of many online adaptive filter, estimation, and control algorithms. It is shown that use of B-spline receptive field functions in conjunction with more general CMAC weight addressing schemes allows higher-order CMAC neural networks to be developed that can learn both functions and function derivatives. This also allows hierarchical and multilayer CMAC network architectures to be constructed that can be trained using standard error back-propagation learning techniques. >
Pesticide Resistance in Tribolium castaneum and T. confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Flour Mills in the United States

Field strains of confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val, and red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), were collected from flour mills throughout the United States and tested with discriminating doses to determine their resistance to pesticides. Of 17 strains of T. confusum , 82% were resistant to malathion, 53% were resistant to chlorpyrifos-methyl, 24% were resistant to dichlorvos, 18% were resistant to phosphine, and none was resistant to synergized pyrethrins or resmethrin. Of 28 strains of T. castaneum , 93% were resistant to malathion, 64% were resistant to dichlorvos, 46% were resistant to phosphine, 36% were resistant to chlorpyrifos-methyl, and none was resistant to synergized pyrethrins or resmethrin. Generally, T. castaneum was more resistant than T. confusum . The frequency of this gene for malathion resistance in T. castaneum was sufficiently high to contribute to control failures in the field.
Effects of Cadmium on Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells In Vitro

AbstractCadmium at a concentration of 0.5 µg/ml has been shown to be toxic to bovine corneal endothelial cells in vitro. The toxicity could be observed within 24 hr and exhibited a dose-response relationship. After exposure to 0.1 µg/ml cadmium for 24 hr, the cells were morphologically normal. Prolonged treatment, however, caused a decrease in the density of nuclei at 168 hr. At higher dosages (0.5 and 1.0 µg/ml cadmium), a similar decrease in the density of nuclei was observed at 48 hr. The effect was aggravated by extending the exposure time to 168 hr. We propose that cadmium may interfere with the energy metabolism in bovine corneal endothelial cells in vitro, leading to the disruption of the monolayer structure and cell shape.
Quantitative Assessment of Free Gingival Grafts with and without Periosteum and Osseous Perforation

Forty free gingival grafts were performed on 5 adult Rhesus monkeys as follows: 10 grafts were placed on recipient sites with periosteum; 10 grafts on periosteum and perforated cortical plate; 10 grafts on bared bone; and 10 grafts on perforated bared bone. All free autografts (7 X 5 X 1 mm) were taken from the palatal mucosa and were sutured in place. Clinical evaluation and photographs were taken at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks postoperatively. At 24 weeks, a device was used to measure quantitatively the amount of force necessary to pull the graft 2 mm away from the underlying bone. Biopsy of two grafts of each type were taken for histologic examination. The following conclusions were drawn: 1. There was no difference in the survival or healing pattern of grafts placed on periosteum and grafts placed on bared bone.
deForm: an interactive malleable surface for capturing 2.5D arbitrary objects, tools and touch

We introduce a novel input device, deForm, that supports 2.5D touch gestures, tangible tools, and arbitrary objects through real-time structured light scanning of a malleable surface of interaction. DeForm captures high-resolution surface deformations and 2D grey-scale textures of a gel surface through a three-phase structured light 3D scanner. This technique can be combined with IR projection to allow for invisible capture, providing the opportunity for co-located visual feedback on the deformable surface. We describe methods for tracking fingers, whole hand gestures, and arbitrary tangible tools. We outline a method for physically encoding fiducial marker information in the height map of tangible tools. In addition, we describe a novel method for distinguishing between human touch and tangible tools, through capacitive sensing on top of the input surface. Finally we motivate our device through a number of sample applications.
Facial Fractures in Motor Vehicle Collisions Epidemiological Trends and Risk Factors

OBJECTIVES: To analyze epidemiological trends in facial fractures sustained in motor vehicle collisions and to identify the effects of occupant and crash-specific characteristics on the likelihood of injury. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis of vehicle occupants with facial fractures following a motor vehicle crash was performed using the population-based 1993-2005 National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System database. Injury trends were analyzed by calendar year and vehicle model year. A multivariate analysis was performed on biomechanical, demographic, and safety restraint data, with the calculation of odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The incidence of facial fractures was found to be decreasing (P Language: en
Principled Negotiation: A New Tool for Case Advocacy

Many methods of social work practice, including brokering, case advocacy, and cause advocacy, require the social worker to engage in negotiations to resolve disputes. This article demonstrates how principled negotiation, a form of negotiating developed out of the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard University and used widely in the business and legal world, can be an effective tool in social work practice. Principled negotiation is especially consonant with the value base of social work because it strives for the just and mutually beneficial resolution of conflicts while acknowledging the value and importance of ongoing relationships. A case example applying the rules of principled negotiation is described in the context of case advocacy. Its application to other social work practice methods is also examined.
Bone metabolism and the perimenopause overview, risk factors, screening, and osteoporosis preventive measures.

Abstract In summary, FDA-approved therapies for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis are all antiresorptive agents. There are no approved therapies at this time that stimulate bone formation, although one such agent (PTH) is awaiting approval. Screening perimenopausal women at risk should identify osteopenic women early in the menopause before the accelerated bone loss of estrogen deficiency causes further irreversible erosion in bone density. The National Osteoporosis Foundation advocates initiating therapy to reduce fracture risk in postmenopausal women with T scores below -2 in the absence or factors and with T scores below -1.5 if other risk factors are present. Estrogen, alendronate, residronate, and raloxifene have all been shown to reduce the incidence of radiographic vertebral fractures in women at risk. Only alendronate and residronate have been shown in large randomized trials to reduce the incidence of nonvertebral fractures including hip fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. These antiresorptive therapies provide benefits above and beyond those of calcium and vitamin D alone. There is insufficient published evidence from randomized controlled trials convincingly to support a role for soy products, androgens, calcitonin, or fluoride in prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis or reduction of fracture rates in women at risk.
Characterizing Milk Flavors

Abstract A rapid procedure for categorizing off-flavored milks based upon ability to recover off-flavor essence in a steam distillate is presented. Five milliliter steam distillates, from 50 ml of both normal and off-flavored milks, added to 45 ml aliquots of normal milk were evaluated by an experienced taste panel. Off-flavored milks included milk with added copper (oxidized), milk that had been exposed to sunlight (light induced), milk in which flavor had been induced by wheat-pasture (feed), and milk with lipolytic flavor (lipolyzed). The characteristic off-flavor was produced when distillates of either light-induced or copper-induced oxidized flavored milks were added to normal milk, but distillates of lipolyzed or wheat-pasture-flavored milks failed to produce these typical off-flavors.
Accelerating human-computer collaborative search through learning comparative and predictive user models

Interactive Evolutionary Algorithms (IEAs) have much potential for allowing a human user to guide a search algorithm, but have struggled to overcome the limitations of slow, easily-fatigued human users. Here we describe The Approximate User (TAU) system in which these limitations are overcome by using a model of the user's preferences - which are continuously built and refined during the search process - to drive the search algorithm. Two variations of a user-modeling approach are compared to determine if this approach can accelerate IEA search. The two user-modeling approaches compared are: 1. learning a classifier which correctly determines which of two designs is better; and 2. learning a model which predicts a fitness score. Rather than having people do the user-testing, we propose the use of a simulated user as an easier means to test IEAs. Both variants of the TAU IEA are compared against a basic IEA and it is shown that TAU is up to 2.7 times faster and 15 times more reliable at producing near optimal results. In addition, we see TAU as a step toward building a more general Human-Computer Collaborative system.
Fast Alignments of Metabolic Networks

Network alignments are extensively used for comparing, exploring, and predicting biological networks. Existing alignment tools are mostly based on isomorphic and homeomorphic embedding and require solving a problem that is NP-complete even when searching a match for a tree in acyclic networks. On the other hand, if the mapping of different nodes from the query network (pattern) into the same node from the text network is allowed, then trees can be optimally mapped into arbitrary networks in polynomial time.In this paper we present the first polynomial-time algorithm for finding the best matching pair consisting of a subtree in a given tree pattern and a subgraph in a given text (represented by an arbitrary network) when both insertions and deletions of degree-2 vertices are allowed on any path. Our dynamic programming algorithm is an order of magnitude faster than the previous network alignment algorithm when deletions are forbidden. The algorithm has been also generalized to pattern networks with cycles: with a modest increase in runtime it can handle patterns with the limited vertex feedback set.We have applied our algorithm to matching metabolic pathways of four organisms (E. coli, S. cerevisiae, B. subtilis and T. thermophilus species) and found a reasonably large set of statistically significant alignments. We show advantages of allowing pattern vertex deletions and give an example validating biological relevance of the pathway alignment.
Safe operating area - a new frontier in Ldmos design

The boundaries that determine the Ldmos safe operating area are described and are shown to be predominantly thermal or electrical in origin. Methods of characterizing and analyzing the related thermal SOA and electrical SOA are illustrated. The impact on device size and related trade-offs with breakdown voltage and specific on-resistance are discussed, as are possibilities for improving SOA performance.
High-rate girth-eight low-density parity-check codes on rectangular integer lattices

This letter introduces a combinatorial construction of girth-eight high-rate low-density parity-check codes based on integer lattices. The parity-check matrix of a code is defined as a point-line incidence matrix of a 1-configuration based on a rectangular integer lattice, and the girth-eight property is achieved by a judicious selection of sets of parallel lines included in a configuration. A class of codes with a wide range of lengths and column weights is obtained. The resulting matrix of parity checks is an array of circulant matrices.
Goodness-of-Fit Analysis for the Cox Regression Model Based on a Class of Parameter Estimators

Abstract In this article we propose a class of estimation functions for the vector of regression parameters in the Cox proportional hazards model with possibly time-dependent covariates by incorporating the weight functions commonly used in weighted log-rank tests into the partial likelihood score function. The resulting estimators behave much like the conventional maximum partial likelihood estimator in that they are consistent and asymptotically normal. When the Cox model is inappropriate, however, the estimators with different weight functions generally converge to nonidentical constant vectors. For example, the magnitude of the parameter estimator using the Kaplan–Meier survival estimator as the weight function will be stochastically larger than that of the maximum partial likelihood estimator if covariate effects diminish over time. Such facts motivate us to develop goodness-of-fit methods for the Cox regression model by comparing parameter estimators with different weight functions. Under the assume...
Product Analytics Based On Demographic Democratization

Product analytics is a blend of computational methods with the express purpose of facilitating the multifaceted process of decision-making based on demographic and consumer preferences. This complex subject is derived from consensus theory and includes structured analytics, categories, and the combination of evidence. The methodology is applicable to a wide range of business, economic, social, political, and strategic decisions. The paper describes a product allocation application to demonstrate the concepts.
Noise Canceling in Volatility Forecasting Using an Adaptive Neural Network Filter

Abstract Volatility forecasting models are becoming more accurate, but noise looks to be an inseparable part of these forecasts. Nonetheless, using adaptive filters to cancel the noise should help improve the performance of the forecasting models. Adaptive filters have the advantage of changing based on the environment. This feature is vital when they are used along with a model for volatility forecasting and error cancellation in the financial markets. Nonlinear Autoregressive (NAR) neural networks have simple structures, but they are efficient tools in error cancelation systems when working with non-stationary and random walk noise processes. For this research, an adaptive threshold filter is designed to respond to changes in its environment when a GARCH(1,1) model makes errors in its volatility forecast. It is shown that this filter can forecast the noise (errors) in the GARCH(1,1) outputs when there is a non-stationary time series of errors. The model reduces the mean squared errors by 42.9%. A sample portfolio of five stocks from the S&P 500 index from 4/2007 to 12/2010 is studied to illustrate the performance of the model.
Reading Comprehension for Braille Readers: An Empirical Framework for Research

Abstract The purpose of this chapter was to examine literature on braille reading comprehension to identify instructional strategies used to increase reading comprehension. Only 12 studies met inclusion criteria, highlighting a void in the literature. Three small groups of literature emerged examining (a) factors affecting braille reading comprehension, (b) comparisons between students reading braille and students with normal vision reading print, and (c) instructional strategies to increase braille reading comprehension. These studies were situated in an existing model of reading comprehension to describe the status of reading research for braille readers and provide direction for future research.
Affordable Housing: Can Nimbyism be Transformed into Okimbyism?

This article discusses the opposition of current residents to the incursions of "different" people or activities into a neighborhood, commonly referred to as the "Not In My Backyard", (NIMBY) syndrome, particularly focusing on affordable housing developments. While the government makes efforts to prevent homelessness by increasing the supply of housing that is affordable to the lowest income levels in our society, the issue of where to locate affordable housing arises. This article discusses three techniques used in various parts of the country for responding to affordable housing concerns. First, the Montgomery County inclusionary zoning ordinance offers a good example of how areas experiencing substantial growth can take a pro-active approach to incorporating affordable housing. Next, California’s mandatory planning legislation responds to the concern by requiring local governments to engage in formal land use planning as a pre-requisite to exercising their zoning power. Finally, Santa Fe created Community Housing Trusts which are nonprofit organizations dedicated to using land for community based purposes such as affordable housing. The article concludes with the recommendation that collaborative efforts be undertaken in all communities to seek common ground among affordable housing advocates, local government officials, businesses, and residents.
Restriction spectrum imaging improves MRI-based prostate cancer detection

To compare the diagnostic performance of restriction spectrum imaging (RSI), with that of conventional multi-parametric (MP) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for prostate cancer (PCa) detection in a blinded reader-based format. Three readers independently evaluated 100 patients (67 with proven PCa) who underwent MP-MRI and RSI within 6 months of systematic biopsy (N = 67; 23 with targeting performed) or prostatectomy (N = 33). Imaging was performed at 3 Tesla using a phased-array coil. Readers used a five-point scale estimating the likelihood of PCa present in each prostate sextant. Evaluation was performed in two separate sessions, first using conventional MP-MRI alone then immediately with MP-MRI and RSI in the same session. Four weeks later, another scoring session used RSI and T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) without conventional diffusion-weighted or dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging. Reader interpretations were then compared to prostatectomy data or biopsy results. Receiver operating characteristic curves were performed, with area under the curve (AUC) used to compare across groups. MP-MRI with RSI achieved higher AUCs compared to MP-MRI alone for identifying high-grade (Gleason score greater than or equal to 4 + 3=7) PCa (0.78 vs. 0.70 at the sextant level; P < 0.001 and 0.85 vs. 0.79 at the hemigland level; P = 0.04). RSI and T2WI alone achieved AUCs similar to MP-MRI for high-grade PCa (0.71 vs. 0.70 at the sextant level). With hemigland analysis, high-grade disease results were similar when comparing RSI + T2WI with MP-MRI, although with greater AUCs compared to the sextant analysis (0.80 vs. 0.79). Including RSI with MP-MRI improves PCa detection compared to MP-MRI alone, and RSI with T2WI achieves similar PCa detection as MP-MRI.
Timely Characterization of Mother-Daughter and Family-School Relations: Narrative Understandings of Adolescence

AbstractJoining the call of lifespan developmental theory to study time, narrative analy-sis offers new opportunities for exploring development "in time" as lived and experienced. The narratives were collected as part of a qualitative study of relations between families and schools during adolescence and told by a second-ary teacher and mother of adolescents. The narrator expresses her feelings and beliefs as plot rather than recreating a prior sequence of events. The article addresses the multiple layers of characterization (author/interviewer, narrator/ mother and teacher, subject/her daughter) examining the terms and perspec-tives of each. Implications for developmental and educational theories are discussed. (Qualitative Research in Developmental Psychology and Education)
Criterion Referenced Measures of Technical Proficiency in Maintenance Activities

The paper concerns instruments used in the determination of how effeciently maintenance men perform the various tasks of their jobs. Currently, a great deal of reliance is placed on unvalidated job-knowledge tests, theory tests, school marks, supervisors' ratings for such determination. This paper presents a composite of the results of many research and development efforts concerning the empirical validity of such instruments. These results indicate that these measurement instruments have low empirical validity. The limitations of traditional systems effectiveness measures are also discussed. Although job task performance tests (JTPT) have much higher empirical validity, such tests have had very limited use because of their relatively high costs in time, personnel and equipment. As a result of the foregoing findings, the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory (AFHRL) supported a series of efforts to develop better criterion referenced JTPT, and to attempt the development of paper and pencil symbolic substit...
Older adults' perceptions of feeling safe in urban and rural acute care.

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to identify factors that influenced hospitalized older adults’ perceptions of feeling safe and to identify differences in perceptions between rural and urban contexts. BACKGROUND: Efforts are underway to ensure patient physical safety and improve care quality in acute-care environments. Perception of care is a unique and independent dimension of quality that includes patients’ views of care and how these perceptions might affect responses to illness. METHOD: Grounded theory method was used to identify the basic social process of feeling safe in acute care. RESULTS: Older adults felt safe when nurses provided oversight, were predictable, provided personalized care, and were willing to advocate for them. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are consistent with professional models that center on the human relational components of care. Nurse leaders can facilitate practice environments where relational aspects of nurse work, including patients’ perceptions of feeling safe, are the norm, thereby creating exceptional patient care delivery systems.
College Students’ Health Information Activities on Facebook: Investigating the Impacts of Health Topic Sensitivity, Information Sources, and Demographics

College students tend to lack access to health information. Because social networking sites (SNSs) are popularly adopted by college students, SNSs are considered to be good media channels for college students to obtain health-related information. This study examines the factors that influence college students' health information-seeking and -sharing activities on Facebook. An online survey was distributed to college students between the ages of 18 and 29 to determine intentions pertaining to health information activities according to the factors identified for the study. The factors included both contextual factors (such as health topic sensitivity and health information sources) as well as user factors (such as demographics). Our findings showed that college students are willing to read and post health-related information on Facebook when the health topic is not sensitive. In addition, there are clear differences in preferences between professional sources and personal sources as health information sources. It was found that most user factors, except gender, have no influence on health information activities. The impacts of SNS contexts, awareness of information sources, types of interlocutors, and privacy concerns are further discussed.
Sperm Disorders According to the Byzantine Medical Writers (4th - 14th centuries)

Research in the works of the Byzantine medical authors brought to light significant information concerning disorders of the sperm as causes of infertility. The eminent Byzantine physicians give detailed accounts about the anatomy of the genitals, the creation of the sperm and its disorders as regards its quantity, quality, appearance, consistency, colour, ejaculation etc. According to those authors, the disorders of the sperm are due to, dietetic reasons (a list of foods and drugs influencing the production of sperm is referred to by many Byzantine physicians); constitution and age of the patient; obesity; diseases, such as "gonorrhea" (involuntary loss of sperm ), oneirogmus, stenosis of the spermiducts, hypospadias and atrophy of the genitals; iatrogenic reasons (traumatic cutting off of the spermiducts during a lithotomy); castration. These concepts were based on the works of the ancient Greek physicians of the Hippocratic, Hellenistic and Roman eras. However, such ideas, enriched by the personal experience of the Byzantine doctors, were transmitted to and influenced Islamic and European medicine and thus the rest of the world. Key words: Byzantine medicine - Gonorrhea - Oneirogmus - Sperm disorders
Exploration-exploitation: A cognitive dilemma still unresolved

The solution to the exploration-exploitation dilemma presented essentially subsumes exploitation into an information-maximizing model. Such a single-maximization model is shown to be (1) more tractable than the initial dual-maximization dilemma, (2) useful in modeling information-maximizing subsystems, and (3) profitably applied in artificial simulations where exploration is costless. However, the model fails to resolve the dilemma in ethological or practical circumstances with objective outcomes, such as inclusive fitness, rather than information outcomes, such as lack of surprise.
Automated Integration of Multiple Sensors

Multisensor integration (MSI) is the combining of data and information from more than one source in order to generate a more reliable and consistent representation of the environment. This chapter focuses on specific MSI algorithms developed for recent Department of Energy (DOE) applications. The applications included autonomous robotic guidance for deployment in hazardous environments, scene mapping and environmental characterization, buried waste localization and identification, sensor self-calibration through automated scene quality assessment, and waste stream object identification. The Automated MSI Solution Generator (AMSG), which is presented in this chapter, is designed to take actual sensor data and a user's definition of the desired merged results as input during a training phase, and independently find an efficacious method of merging the sensor data. While the basic AMSG approach could be applied to a variety of MSI tasks, the chapter restricts its consideration to the conceptual enhancement problem. Conceptual enhancement is an MSI technique that is used when the original image contains more detail than is desired, making it difficult to recognize objects of interest. This problem can be resolved by segmenting the image into meaningful clusters of pixels that correspond to conceptually homogeneous regions. The AMSG is validated on real distance and reflectance images from a laser range camera (LRC) with its ability to develop a high-quality MSI solution for the merger of this sensor's images in the defined application domain. This MSI solution is able to isolate nearly all of the significant facets of the training image.
Interlayer electronic transport in CaMnBi2 antiferromagnet

We report interlayer electronic transport in ${\mathrm{CaMnBi}}_{2}$ single crystals. Quantum oscillations and angular magnetoresistance suggest coherent electronic conduction and valley polarized conduction of Dirac states. The small cyclotron mass, high mobility of carriers, and nontrivial Berry's phase are consistent with the presence of Dirac fermions on the side wall of the warped cylindrical Fermi surface. Similarly to ${\mathrm{SrMnBi}}_{2}$, which features an anisotropic Dirac cone, our results suggest that magnetic-field-induced changes in interlayer conduction are also present in layered bismuth-based materials with a zero-energy line in momentum space created by the staggered alkaline earth atoms.
Higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with greater odds of remission with anti-tumour necrosis factor-α medications among patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

SummaryBackground Vitamin D has been linked to disease activity among patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Prior investigation has also suggested that vitamin D levels may affect duration of therapy with anti-tumour necrosis factor-α (anti-TNF-α) medications among patients with IBD. Aim To evaluate the relationship between vitamin D levels and odds of reaching remission while on an anti-TNF-α medication. Methods A total of 521 IBD patients enrolled in the Brigham and Women's IBD Centre database were eligible for inclusion. Patients treated with anti-TNF-α therapy who had vitamin D levels drawn within 6 months prior or 2 weeks after initiation of anti-TNF-α medication and who had reported remission status at 3 months were included. A logistic regression model adjusting for age, gender, IBD diagnosis, anti-TNF-α medication (infliximab vs. adalimumab) and first or subsequent anti-TNF-α medication was used to identify the effect of vitamin D level on initial response to anti-TNF-α therapy. Results A total of 173 patients were included in the final analysis. On logistic regression, patients with normal vitamin D levels n = 122 at the time of anti-TNF-α medication initiation had a 2.64 increased odds of remission at 3 months compared to patients with low vitamin D levels n = 51 when controlling for age, gender, diagnosis, type of anti-TNF-α medication and first or subsequent anti-TNF-α medication (OR = 2.64, 95% CI = 1.31–5.32, P = 0.0067). Conclusions These findings suggest that vitamin D levels may influence initial response to anti-TNF-α medication and that low vitamin D levels may pre-dispose patients to decreased odds of remission.
Experimentally Dissecting the Origins of Peroxiredoxin Catalysis.

Abstract Aims: Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are ubiquitous cysteine-based peroxidases involved in oxidant defense and signal transduction. Despite much study, the precise roles of conserved residues remain poorly defined. In this study, we carried out extensive functional and structural characterization of 10 variants of such residues in a model decameric bacterial Prx. Results: Three active site proximal mutations of Salmonella typhimurium AhpC, T43V, R119A, and E49Q, lowered catalytic efficiency with hydrogen peroxide by 4–5 orders of magnitude, but did not affect reactivity toward their reductant, AhpF. pKa values of the peroxidatic cysteine were also shifted up by 1–1.3 pH units for these and a decamer disruption mutant, T77I. Except for the decamer-stabilizing T77V, all mutations destabilized decamers in the reduced form. In the oxidized form, three mutants—T77V, T43A, and T43S—exhibited stabilized decamers and were more efficiently reduced by AhpF than wild-type AhpC. Crystal structures of most mutants wer...
Form and function of topologically associating genomic domains in budding yeast

The genome of metazoan cells is organized into topologically associating domains (TADs) that have similar histone modifications, transcription level, and DNA replication timing. Although similar structures appear to be conserved in fission yeast, computational modeling and analysis of high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) data have been used to argue that the small, highly constrained budding yeast chromosomes could not have these structures. In contrast, herein we analyze Hi-C data for budding yeast and identify 200-kb scale TADs, whose boundaries are enriched for transcriptional activity. Furthermore, these boundaries separate regions of similarly timed replication origins connecting the long-known effect of genomic context on replication timing to genome architecture. To investigate the molecular basis of TAD formation, we performed Hi-C experiments on cells depleted for the Forkhead transcription factors, Fkh1 and Fkh2, previously associated with replication timing. Forkhead factors do not regulate TAD formation, but do promote longer-range genomic interactions and control interactions between origins near the centromere. Thus, our work defines spatial organization within the budding yeast nucleus, demonstrates the conserved role of genome architecture in regulating DNA replication, and identifies a molecular mechanism specifically regulating interactions between pericentric origins.
The Impact of Daily Sleep Hours on the Health of Korean Middle-Aged Women.

This study aimed to examine the association between sleep and health in order to provide useful information to manage the health of obese women in the future. One hundred fifty-five Korean women aged 40–60 years without a previous diagnosis of abnormal glucose metabolism or other health problems and with body fat percentages greater than 30 percent were classified into two groups: a non-obese group and an obese group. Sleep hours exhibited a significant positive correlation with weight, body mass index, muscle mass, and glucose levels in the obese group. Significant differences were found for the body composition except the muscle mass. For physical fitness, all factors were significantly different between two groups. Additionally, there were correlations between sleep hours and weight, body mass index, muscle mass, and glucose level in the obese group. However, sleep hours did not exhibit these correlations in the non-obese group.
Headwater stream length dynamics across four physiographic provinces of the Appalachian Highlands

Understanding patterns of expansion, contraction, and disconnection of headwater stream length in diverse settings is invaluable for the effective management of water resources as well as for informing research in the hydrology, ecology, and biogeochemistry of temporary streams. More accurate mapping of the stream network and quantitative measures of flow duration in the vast headwater regions facilitate implementation of water quality regulation and other policies to protect waterways. We determined the length and connectivity of the wet stream and geomorphic channel network in three forested catchments ( 90% of the mean daily discharge. Stream network dynamics reflected geologic controls at both regional and local scales. Wet stream length was most variable at two Valley and Ridge catchments on a shale scarp slope and changed the least in the Blue Ridge. The density and source area of flow origins differed between the crystalline and sedimentary physiographic provinces, as the Appalachian Plateau and Valley and Ridge had fewer origins with much larger contributing areas than New England and the Blue Ridge. However, the length and surface connectivity of the wet stream depended on local lithology, geologic structure, and the distribution of surficial deposits such as boulders, glacially-derived material, and colluival debris or sediment valley fills. Several proxies indicate the magnitude of stream length dynamics, including bankfull channel width, network connectivity, the base flow index, and the ratio of geomorphic channel to wet stream length. Consideration of geologic characteristics at multiple spatial scales is imperative for future investigations of flow intermittency in headwaters.
Erratum to “On the complete intersection conjecture of Murthy”, with an example in complete intersections [J. Algebra 458 (2016) 156–170]

Abstract This is an erratum to [4] and, as well, to [3] . This article provides examples to indicate inconsistencies, in [3] , [4] .
Dielectric metasurfaces with independent angular control

We introduce dielectric metasurfaces with independent response at different angles of incidence given the same input polarization. We demonstrate a reflective metasurface grating with different effective grating pitches under two different incident angles, and a hologram that projects different images for different incidence angles.
Hybrid Endovascular Aortic Arch Reconstruction for Acute Aortic Dissection: An Endovascular Bridge Technique for Complex Anatomy.

Acute type A aortic dissections starting at the arch pose a challenge for cardiac surgeons. Open surgical repair requires deep hypothermic circulatory arrest for arch reconstruction and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Hybrid aortic repair techniques, with open arch debranching and thoracic endovascular aortic repair, have been employed in high-risk cases and challenging aortic pathology. Herein, we present a case of a 33-year-old African American male with a history of open thoracoabdominal aortic reconstruction and femoral–femoral artery bypass for a type B dissection who subsequently presented with new-onset chest pain and was found to have a retrograde type A dissection of a bovine arch with multiple dissection flaps and possible contrast extravasation on chest computed tomography. Endovascular reconstruction of the aortic arch using a hybrid technique was utilized and proved to be feasible and further should be considered when complex anatomy limits traditional surgical options.
The effects of two essential oil and UV-light irradiation treatments on the formation of biogenic amines in vacuum packed fillets of carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Abstract Fillets of carp (Cyprinus carpio) were treated either by an application of an essential oil (thyme, oregano) or by UV-C irradiation (two different doses: 121 and 243 mJ/cm2). All the control and treated vacuum packs were stored at 3.5 °C for up to 49 days. The content of eight biogenic amines (putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, spermine, histamine, tyramine, tryptamine and phenylethylamine) were determined after storage. Thyme oil and, especially, oregano oil were found to be effective in suppressing the formation of putrescine, cadaverine, tyramine and phenylethylamine. UV irradiation at the selected doses was shown to be less effective. Samples rated as being of good quality contained less than 10 mg/kg of each of these four amines. The polyamines spermidine and spermine in treated samples did not show statistically significant changes during storage of samples. Tryptamine was not detected in samples treated with essential oils, histamine was not detected in any of the samples. The application of thyme and oregano oils prolonged the shelf-life of samples by 5 and 6 times respectively.
Hypothalamus, hypocretins/orexin, and vigilance control

The hypothalamus has re-emerged as a key regulator of sleep and wakefulness, shifting the focus away from the brainstem and thalamocortical systems (ascending reticular activating systems). Several new sleep control systems in the hypothalamus and their interaction with the circadian pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus have been identified recently. More recently, deficiency of the hypothalamic peptide, hypocretin/orexin, has been found to be the major pathophysiological factor in human narcolepsy-cataplexy, the sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and rapid eye movement sleep abnormalities. The results from a series of experiments suggest that the hypocretin system is involved in the maintenance of wakefulness and stabilizes the vigilance states. The hypocretin system also plays a role in the link between sleep and other fundamental hypothalamic functions, such as the regulation of food intake, metabolism, hormone release, and temperature. Sleep deprivation is known to alter hormone release, increase body temperature, stimulate appetite, and activate the sympathetic nervous system. Sleep control systems within the hypothalamus may therefore be closely integrated with homeostatic systems needed for survival. In this chapter, the role of the hypothalamus in vigilance control is discussed, with a particular emphasis on the hypocretins/orexin system.
Strategies for CORBA Middleware-Based Load Balancing

The growth of online Internet services during the past decade has increased the demand for scalable and dependable distributed computing systems. E-commerce and online stock trading systems are examples. These systems concurrently serve many clients that transmit a large, often "bursty," number of requests and have stringent quality of service requirements. To protect hardware investments and avoid overcomitting resources, such systems scale incrementally by connecting servers through high-speed networks.
Principal-Agent Liability

This essay is a new chapter in An Introduction to Law and Economics (Third Edition, forthcoming 2003). It reexamines some of the principles of liability from earlier chapters when harm is caused by an agent who is under the supervision of a principal. The primary questions addressed are: Is the optimal level of liability different when harm is caused by an agent of a principal rather than by a single actor? Should liability be imposed on the principal, the agent, or both? If on both, what is the optimal mix of liability between the principal and the agent?
Air pollutants: Modulators of pulmonary host resistance against infection

Publisher Summary It is clear that inhaled air pollutants modulate immune responses in the lungs. The results from more than 30 years of research under controlled laboratory conditions have categorically demonstrated that exposure of laboratory animals to the most common types of air pollutants result in an increased risk for pulmonary infections. The best understood consequence of this modulation is an increased susceptibility to infectious bacterial agents in laboratory rodents. The role that pollutant exposure may have in infectious viral disease is much less clear, and the effects of air pollutants on viral replication and viral-associated immune responses have rarely been demonstrated. Differences in sensitivity among animal species and among exposure conditions make extrapolation from animal to human difficult. As a result, the overall risk factors for respiratory infections in humans still remain difficult to assess. For example, while associations between acute health effects and particulate air pollution have been commonly reported, it has also been shown that these effects can just be likely because of meteorological conditions. Regardless of these potential confounding factors, the results from controlled human exposure studies and from retrospective epidemiology studies of air pollution events, strongly suggest that the young and aged are most at risk and that asthma and other manifestations of hypersensitivity, as well as an increased incidence of upper respiratory infections are the predominant symptoms.
Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Liquid-to-Air Heat Exchangers

Due to integration of multiple dies, increase of core counts and need for higher performance, there is a growing desire to use fully liquid cooled solutions (i.e. use of cold plates, manifold and central distribution unit-CDU) in order to meet the cooling needs of the next generation semiconductor device. However, due to the technical and economic challenges of enabling the infrastructure to deliver cooling liquid to the devices from a central location, an intermediate solution has been widely used in desktop and server application in recent years. This solution essentially connects a liquid cold plate to a liquid-to-air heat exchanger in an active closed loop system. In this configuration, the heat from the device/processor is transferred first to the liquid running through the cold plate, which it then in turn gets then transferred to the ambient air via a heat exchanger. A liquidto-air heat exchanger is thus the component that ultimately transfer the heat of the package to the air. In this paper, a characterization methodology for liquid-to-air heat exchangers is presented. A fully detailed CFD model is developed and correlated to experimental data. The numerical model is then used to evaluate the performance of various heat exchanger configurations to determine the impact of different geometrical parameters on the cooling capability of the device.
Differentiation of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Macrophages for Disease Modeling and Functional Genomics

Macrophages play important roles in many diseases. We describe a protocol and the associated resources for the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived macrophages (IPSDM) and their applications in understanding human macrophage physiology and relevant diseases. The protocol uses an embryoid body-based approach with a combination of serum-free condition for hematopoiesis specification, followed by adherent culture with serum and M-CSF for myeloid expansion and macrophage maturation. The protocol produced an almost pure culture of CD45+ /CD18+ macrophages yielding up to 2 × 107 cells per 6-well plate of iPSCs within 24 days, demonstrating high efficiency, purity, and scalability. The IPSDM and monocyte-derived macrophages (HMDM) cultured in the same medium were compared at morphological, functional and transcriptomic levels by RNA-sequencing. IPSDM and HMDM showed broadly similar profiles of coding transcriptome, alternative splicing events, and long noncoding RNAs, with advantages and successful applications in disease modeling using patients-derived and CRISPR-edited iPSC lines. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.